SYDNEY MUBAIWA
MASVINGO- Zanu-PF’s Secretary for Security, Lovemore Matuke (pictured) has declared that opposition politics in the country has died a natural death, warning that public infighting within the party can weaken it and lead to resurgent of its opponents.
Speaking during a recent Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) meeting in Masvingo, Matuke urged Zanu-PF members to resolve disputes internally and rally behind President Mnangagwa, emphasising the importance of unity for the party’s future.
“As government and as a party, we went to Mutare where we passed Resolution Number One to extend the presidential term to 2030.
“Many people don’t understand that extending the presidential term also means extending our terms as MPs, senators, and councillors.
“This resolution is not only targeting the President but what we are saying is we extend the Presidential term we have extended the terms for everyone else. Slogans dzakaitwa and the time for slogans is now over takuiita kuti ive real. There is no need to panic because there is no opposition politics in the country. Opposition parties died a natural death.
“The government and party is now ready to put resolution number 1 into motion. It is no longer a secret that we are now going to implement resolution yevanhu and kunaka kwayo it was resolution number 1 so before we implement any other resolution we start with resolution number 1.
“The resolution is anchored on the works of the President. We all know that our development tichifananidza nekumashure tafamba maroads agadzirwa, infrastructure development seairports, parliament, border posts;” he said.
He warned that infighting within the Zanu-PF party would fragment the party. The infighting is reportedly linked to succession struggles and access to resources, particularly in the mining sector. Some party members are pushing for President Mnangagwa’s term extension, while others oppose it, leading to tensions within the party.
President Mnangagwa has categorically declared that Zimbabwe is enjoying a rare political calm, claiming there is “no friction between the opposition and the ruling party,” in remarks captured on file video last year at his farm in Kwekwe.
The Precabe Farm footage
The meeting, which was not a formal State event, was attended by self-declared opposition figures Sengezo Tshabangu and Thokozani Khupe, alongside several Members of Parliament aligned to their camp.
The optics of the gathering — held away from public institutions and outside official party or parliamentary settings — have drawn attention to the evolving relationship between sections of the opposition and the ruling establishment.
In the footage, Mnangagwa appears relaxed and emphatic as he delivers the line that has since raised eyebrows: a statement suggesting political harmony at a time when Zimbabwe’s mainstream opposition structures remain fractured, litigated, and internally contested.
Observers note that the presence of Tshabangu and Khupe — figures who have controversially asserted control over opposition parliamentary positions through recalls and legal maneuvers — gives the President’s comment a layered political meaning. What is framed as “no friction” may, to critics, reflect a reconfiguration of opposition politics rather than genuine democratic détente.
The setting itself is significant. Hosting political actors at a private farm rather than in open political or parliamentary forums signals a shift from public contestation to private alignment, feeding perceptions that parts of the opposition are operating within an arrangement that benefits the ruling party’s stability.
For supporters of the President, the moment reflects national political maturity. For detractors, it is seen as evidence of an opposition segment that has moved from adversarial politics into cooperative coexistence.
The statement, simple on the surface, is likely to fuel debate over what “no friction” truly means in Zimbabwe’s current political landscape — and who, exactly, is now considered the opposition.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s political scene is heating up as Nelson Chamisa has launched “Agenda 2026”, a citizens’ movement aimed at resetting the country’s direction, focusing on governance, economic recovery, and national unity.
This move comes as President Mnangagwa’s government faces criticism and speculation about extending his term beyond 2028.
Chamisa’s initiative prioritizes citizen engagement, institutional reforms, and a moral revolution, seeking to address Zimbabwe’s challenges.
