Tinotenda Hove – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s latest address to the ZANU PF Politburo has been branded hollow and self-serving, as he showered praise on his party while sidestepping the dire challenges faced by millions of Zimbabweans.

Speaking at the party’s 387th Ordinary Session of the Politburo in Harare, Mnangagwa focused on congratulating party structures for their preparations for the upcoming conference.

“I commend Provinces and Districts for the manner in which they are consolidating their discussions in preparation for the upcoming Conference. I am pleased that the Party machinery is demonstrating concerted refocusing and recalibration at all levels to achieve the set out decisions and objectives,” Mnangagwa declared.

Critics argue this kind of self-congratulation is detached from the daily reality of Zimbabweans, who continue to suffer under a collapsing economy, spiraling inflation, and crumbling public services.

“Mnangagwa speaks as though all is well, yet ordinary citizens cannot even afford bread or transport,” said one political commentator. “These empty slogans of ‘refocusing’ and ‘recalibration’ mean nothing when hospitals lack medicine and families go hungry.”

Analysts say Mnangagwa’s continued obsession with internal party politics reveals a leadership more concerned with preserving ZANU PF’s grip on power than rescuing the country from its downward spiral.

As the ZANU PF conference looms, Mnangagwa’s speech underscores the widening disconnect between the ruling elite’s rhetoric and the harsh realities faced by the nation — a reminder, critics say, that Zimbabwe remains trapped in the clutches of a failing state.