Newly appointed ZANU PF Treasurer General, Patrick Chinamasa, has rubbished Advocate Thabani Mpofu’s criticism of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s recent Politburo reshuffle, describing the remarks as misleading and without merit.
Mnangagwa restructured the Politburo last month in what observers see as a strategic bid to weaken the succession ambitions of his deputy, Retired General Constantino Chiwenga.
One of the notable changes was the demotion of Obert Mpofu, who was shifted from the powerful Secretary-General post to the less influential Information Communication Technology (ICT) portfolio. Mpofu is believed to be aligned with Chiwenga and was reportedly privy to the corruption dossier the Vice President presented at a Politburo meeting in Harare. The document is said to have named controversial business figures Kudakwashe Tagwirei, Wicknell Chivayo, Paul Tungwarara, and Delish Nguwaya.
Replacing Mpofu as Secretary-General was National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda, while Chinamasa himself moved from Secretary for Legal Affairs to Treasurer General.
Following the reshuffle, Advocate Mpofu took to social media, arguing that Mnangagwa had acted outside the party’s constitution. He dismissed a letter by Chris Mutsvangwa announcing the changes as invalid, claiming Article 9, Sections 65 and 67 of the ZANU PF Constitution did not empower the President to make such alterations.
Chinamasa hit back at Mpofu’s assertions, insisting that the Constitution is clear on the President’s powers. Writing on X (formerly Twitter), he argued that Sections 65 and 67 give the President and First Secretary exclusive authority to appoint, reshuffle, or reassign Politburo members.
“The language of the Constitution is categorical,” Chinamasa said. “The authority to make such changes rests solely with the President and First Secretary. To suggest otherwise is a distortion of the text.”
He further accused Advocate Mpofu of misinterpreting the Constitution, stressing that while Article 9 outlines Politburo functions, Section 65 is a structural provision that must be read alongside Section 67, which spells out the President’s scope of appointments.
Chinamasa added that the Constitution empowers the President to reassign and remove department heads when necessary, dismissing Mpofu’s arguments as unfounded and a misrepresentation of the party’s governing document.
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