By Tichaona Katsvamutima
Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet (Presidential Communications), George Charamba, has rejected speculation linking Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga’s ongoing China visit to internal ZANU PF power struggles, saying the mission is focused on Zimbabwe’s mining and industrialisation agenda.
Charamba took to X to dismiss what he described as “conspiratorial drivel” and “hare-brained theories” surrounding the Vice President’s trip.
“I have read lots of conspiratorial drivel on Vice President Chiwenga’s trip to China which is still underway,” Charamba wrote.
His remarks come as Chiwenga’s extended stay in China has generated debate online, with some commentators interpreting the visit through the lens of the long-running succession debate within ZANU PF.
Charamba rejected that interpretation, describing it as “political escapism” and saying Chiwenga’s assignment was driven by economic considerations.
“When ZANU PF opponents are soundly thrashed, they do not seek self-repair; they transpose their own weaknesses to the winner. It is a form of political escapism,” he wrote.
Charamba said President Emmerson Mnangagwa had divided ministerial oversight between his two deputies, with Chiwenga responsible for economic ministries while Vice President Kembo Mohadi supervises social ministries.
He said Mnangagwa subsequently tasked Chiwenga with touring the country’s provinces, with particular attention to mining, before reporting his findings to the President.
According to Charamba, the provincial tour exposed weaknesses in the coordination of Zimbabwe’s mineral beneficiation strategy.
“The tour revealed the lack of coherence and coordination in our value-addition thrust in the mining sector,” he wrote.
Charamba said the findings led the Government to seek partnerships with countries and companies capable of helping Zimbabwe process its mineral resources and move further up the value chain.
He identified China as a key partner in that strategy, pointing to the country’s experience in industrial development and mineral processing.
“The country has decided to look East for obvious reasons,” Charamba wrote.
Chiwenga’s China engagements have included discussions around investment, trade, mineral beneficiation and industrial development, as Zimbabwe seeks to capture more value from its mineral resources rather than relying primarily on the export of raw materials.
The Government has increasingly promoted local processing of strategic minerals, including lithium and other critical minerals, as part of its broader industrialisation ambitions.
The political interpretation of Chiwenga’s trip, however, reflects the wider sensitivity surrounding his position within Zimbabwean politics.
His previous high-profile visit to China in 2017, shortly before the military intervention that ended Robert Mugabe’s presidency, has also been invoked by commentators drawing comparisons with the current trip.
But Charamba’s intervention has drawn a clear line between the Vice President’s current foreign assignment and speculation over ZANU PF succession politics.
