Tinotenda Hove – Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga’s visit to Binga today has fueled speculation that President Emmerson Mnangagwa is deliberately keeping his deputy away from the corridors of power amid deepening ZANU PF infighting.

Insiders say Chiwenga’s provincial tours — presented publicly as economic assessments — are part of a calculated political strategy to keep him occupied and distant from key decision-making in Harare. The move reportedly comes as Mnangagwa’s loyalists push to extend the President’s stay in office beyond the constitutionally mandated two terms.

According to party sources, Mnangagwa’s inner circle is quietly preparing the ground for a term extension to 2030, a move that would derail Chiwenga’s widely anticipated ascendancy in 2028. Tensions between the two camps have reportedly escalated in recent months, with senior figures aligning themselves along factional lines.

While the President’s camp insists the focus remains on “national development,” critics argue that the Binga tour is symbolic of a broader marginalisation of Chiwenga — once seen as Mnangagwa’s inevitable successor. Political analysts suggest the Vice President’s growing isolation could signal the beginning of an intensified internal battle for control of ZANU PF ahead of the next election cycle.

As Chiwenga inspects stalled development projects in Matabeleland North, his political rivals in Harare are believed to be tightening their grip on party structures — a sign that Zimbabwe’s ruling elite may be heading for another bruising power struggle over the country’s leadership succession.