CHARAMBA’S DOUBLE LIFE SHOWS THE REAL FIGHT INSIDE ZANU PF
George Charamba is once again standing in the same painful place he has been many times before. He works as the spokesperson for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, so his job is to defend the President at all times. But everyone knows that in the real world of ZANU PF power, his heart and loyalty sit with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga. This is a very dangerous place for any man to stand, and it is not the first time he has done it. Years ago, when Robert Mugabe was still in control, Grace Mugabe attacked Charamba for the same behaviour. She said he was playing both sides and she embarrassed him in public. Today that same story is happening again.
Charamba has been trying hard to stop people from talking about the possible fight between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga. He even went online and spoke in a joking way, saying people must stop stressing him because he wants to write his dissertation. But his own words show that he sees something big coming. In a long explanation of what happened at a recent ZANU PF event, he shared details that made many people ask more questions instead of calming down.
At that meeting, Charamba said Mnangagwa made two strange moves. First, when he struggled with a Ndebele word, he did not ask Mohadi or Mudenda, who were right there. Instead, he turned to Chiwenga’s wife for help. That may look small, but inside politics it sends a big message. It looked like he was showing trust to the Chiwenga family. Then Mnangagwa did something even more shocking. He handed over the final part of the conference to Chiwenga and then walked out quietly. People inside ZANU PF saw this as a very serious signal. Some even said it gave Chiwenga full control of a process that others believed was set up to weaken him. Nothing like that goes unnoticed in ZANU PF.
Charamba also tried very hard to show that Mnangagwa and Chiwenga are united. He said their speeches were almost the same, both talking about corruption, party values, Vision 2030 and the dream of a better economy. He even said they used the same style, the same stories, and the same strong language. But when a government spokesperson spends so much time trying to prove that two leaders are united, it normally means something is wrong. It shows worry, not peace.
The things Charamba did not say loudly are the things that matter most. Everybody feels the tension. Factions are watching each other closely. Charamba knows all this because he sits close to power. He has been burned before. When Mugabe was alive, he got into trouble for supporting Mnangagwa and Grace Mugabe attacked him badly. He has not forgotten that pain, and now he sees the same danger returning.
Today Charamba speaks very carefully. He praises both Mnangagwa and Chiwenga. He warns people not to misread what is going on. But his fear is clear. He knows that 2028 is around the corner, and the two men he tries to please may soon be fighting each other openly. His problem is no longer just about loyalty. It is about survival in a system where wrong steps destroy careers and even lives.
ZANU PF likes to pretend everything is calm. It hides trouble behind big speeches and staged smiles. But people like Charamba, who stand too close to the centre of power, cannot hide the truth for long. In trying to stop people from seeing the storm, he has only shown that the storm is real and getting closer.
People are reading too much into normal party processes. ZANU PF has always operated as a united front. The President and the Vice President work well together, and Charamba is simply clearing out unnecessary rumours. Opposition activists love to create drama where none exists.
This analysis makes it clear that George Charamba is stuck in a survival game, not a communication job. When a presidential spokesperson spends more time defending “unity” than explaining policy, it shows that the centre of power is collapsing. The tension between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga is now so visible that even Charamba’s jokes cannot hide it. Zimbabweans deserve leaders who solve problems, not men fighting for the throne while the country burns.
The moment Mnangagwa handed the stage to Chiwenga and walked away quietly was not a small gesture. It was a message to insiders that the 2028 succession battle is already active. Charamba tried to spin it as normal, but no one is fooled. Zimbabwe is trapped in this endless cycle where power struggles decide our future, not democracy. Until the system changes, ordinary citizens will always be spectators in a game that destroys their own country.
This article tries to paint division, but the truth is that ZANU PF is much stronger and more organised than the writer suggests. The leadership knows exactly what it is doing, and Charamba is doing a professional job defending the President. There is no crisis — just wishful thinking from critics.