By Tichaona Katsvamutima
Former ZANU PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman Temba Mliswa has accused the ruling party’s secretary for legal affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, of attempting to undermine President Emmerson Mnangagwa through proposed constitutional amendments that he claims would create two centres of power within the party and government.
In a video statement released this weekend, Mliswa alleged that Ziyambi intended to introduce proposals which both the President and the party’s secretary-general, Jacob Mudenda, were not aware of at an extraordinary Politburo meeting scheduled for Friday, October 9, which was subsequently postponed.
“It was to usurp power,” Mliswa alleged.
“It was a coup,” he declared, later describing the alleged manoeuvre as “an attempted coup.”
The allegations come ahead of ZANU PF’s 23rd Annual National People’s Conference, scheduled for October 12 to 17 in Chinhoyi, amid reports of internal disagreements over proposed constitutional changes.
The postponed Politburo meeting was reportedly expected to consider proposals to align the ZANU PF constitution with amendments to Zimbabwe’s national Constitution.
However, party spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa attributed the postponement to Mnangagwa’s busy schedule.
“Today’s Politburo meeting was postponed due to an overflow of Presidential programmes,” Mutsvangwa said on Friday.
“A new date will be announced in due course.”
Mliswa disputed the official explanation, alleging that the meeting was called off after concerns emerged over constitutional proposals being advanced without the knowledge of Mnangagwa or the party’s secretary-general.
“Comrade Ziyambi Ziyambi has become power hungry,” said the former Norton legislator.
“The extraordinary meeting was to do with the first thing: to have two presidents, one president for the party and a president for the nation.”
According to Mliswa, the proposed party president would be selected through Provincial Coordinating Committees (PCCs), while the party’s chief administrator would receive expanded powers.
“So how can you make a worker become more powerful than the shareholders?” he questioned.
Mliswa accused Ziyambi of attempting to bypass established party procedures by introducing constitutional amendments without consulting the party leadership.
“They wanted to sneak it into the extraordinary Politburo meeting,” he alleged.
He linked the dispute to Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, arguing that the proposed internal changes went beyond aligning the party constitution with national constitutional reforms.
“CAB 3 was not about having two centres of power. CAB 3 was about solidifying the position of the President and being the only one, and not to have a party president and a state president,” Mliswa said.
“Where have you ever seen that? Two centres of power, that cannot be accepted.”
He further alleged that Ziyambi had initially opposed aspects of CAB 3 before seeking to introduce changes that could weaken Mnangagwa’s authority.
“Ziyambi was against CAB 3, was against CAB 3, and many others that I will name,” he claimed.
Mliswa also questioned the involvement of former ZANU PF secretary-general Obert Mpofu and a party security official he identified as Mpenyiswa.
He also questioned the alleged installation of surveillance cameras at the party headquarters.
“How can you put ZANU-PF cameras without the secretary-general knowing, ICT person knowing, and so forth?” he asked.
Calling for Ziyambi’s removal, Mliswa urged the party’s provincial and national leadership structures to investigate the alleged constitutional manoeuvre.
“Mash West must resolve for him to go. The Politburo, Central Committee must resolve for him to go, because this was a coup, an attempted coup,” he declared.
He maintained that his intervention was motivated by concerns over governance and internal party democracy.
Efforts by National Interest News to obtain a comment from Ziyambi were unsuccessful, as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered. Comments could also not be obtained from Mpofu and Mpenyiswa regarding the allegations.
With the extraordinary Politburo meeting yet to be rescheduled, the controversy adds to questions surrounding the party’s constitutional agenda ahead of its annual conference in Chinhoyi.
Mliswa indicated that further disclosures could follow. “More information is coming,” he declared.
