ZANU-PF Faces Looming Politburo Shake-Up Amid Internal Weaknesses

HARARE — Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, is reportedly preparing for a major reshuffle of its Politburo, a move insiders say could affect key positions including the Commissariat, Information and Publicity, and Secretary-General, as the party grapples with growing internal challenges.

Sources within the party cite a failure to conduct cell verification exercises and internal elections, coupled with the expiry of terms for District and DCC officials, as contributing to a leadership vacuum at multiple levels. Analysts warn that this institutional stagnation has left the party vulnerable to operational inefficiencies and reduced grassroots mobilization.

“ZANU-PF is facing structural decay at the local level, and the leadership is now looking at top-level adjustments to regain control,” said a party insider.

The party is also reportedly contending with a proliferation of affiliates and auxiliary organizations that, in many cases, are better resourced and more active than the formal party structures. Observers say these affiliates have eroded the authority of official organs, creating a parallel power structure that is difficult to manage.

The National Political Commissar, tasked with balancing influence between the party’s central organs and its affiliates, is said to have struggled to assert authority, leaving the Commissariat as a particular weak point for ZANU-PF. Sources note that the failure to synchronize party activities and oversight across branches has weakened internal cohesion and limited the party’s effectiveness in community mobilization.

Political analysts argue that the reshuffle may be both strategic and reactive, intended to restore discipline and reinvigorate a party apparatus that has been criticized for inaction and internal mismanagement.

“The leadership is acutely aware that affiliates wield disproportionate influence,” said political commentator Dr. Gift Mugano. “Unless the Politburo acts decisively, these groups could further undermine the party’s formal structures ahead of upcoming electoral cycles.”

The reshuffle, expected to include changes at multiple Politburo portfolios, is also seen as an effort to strengthen the party’s information and publicity apparatus, enhance internal discipline, and restore the relevance of core structures that have been sidelined by overactive affiliates.

While ZANU-PF has yet to announce the timing or scope of the reshuffle, party watchers say that the changes are likely to signal a shift in strategy aimed at consolidating authority and addressing persistent organizational weaknessesbefore the next major political contests.