VP Chiwenga in Uniform: A Gentle Reminder to ED, Ziyambi, Mliswa, Varakashi… and Zimbabwe

By Desmond Nleya
On Monday, Zimbabwe’s Vice President, Dr. Retired General Constantino Chiwenga, stepped into the public eye wearing full military uniform for the first time since 2017.
A simple appearance-yes. A routine ceremonial protocol-possibly.

But for those who understand Zimbabwe’s political language, nothing about that uniform was accidental.
At the handover ceremony for the new command of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, other retired generals also wore their military regalia. That part was normal. But Chiwenga, the Vice President of the Republic, choosing to appear in full military dress after ,months of political turbulence, that was a REMINDER.
Firstly it was REMINDER President ED.
The uniform spoke in silence: that “When you were hiding in South Africa, it was this uniform that negotiated your safe return...When State House opened for you, it was these stars and stripes-that forced that door..When you enjoy the luxury of turning Zimbabwe into an ED political project, remember: it was the UNIFORM that birthed your presidency.”
While ED silently speaks commandments of “ED 2030,” “zwigananda,” “mari muhomwe,” and dreams of political grooming, the uniform stood there reminding him: Power was risked, not gifted. Sacrifices were made, not imagined. And history keeps receipts.
Monday’s uniform was not for fashion. It was a reminder.
A Reminder to Ziyambi Ziyambi
To the Minister of Justice who once mocked the General and recommended he be sent to the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology, the uniform quietly responded:
• “A General does not need ideology classes. The battlefield is his ideology.”
• “The scars from Mozambique carry more ideological schooling than any lecture room.”
• “The ministry you sit in was negotiated by this uniform, long before you sat in that office.”
“Respect ranks that built the ground you stand on.”

A Reminder to Temba Mliswa and the Varakashi Brigade
Mliswa, who recently mocked Chiwenga claiming he had lost his military influence, must have watched Monday’s pictures with a heavy swallow. Because the uniform answered him without speaking:
• “The uniform is not tattered.”
• “The influence you say is gone is still intact-iron-pressed by Madam Mini herself.”
• “Your gym sessions and loud political sermons cannot manufacture the honour of a General.”
To the varakashi celebrating Chiwenga’s supposed political downfall, the uniform simply declared: “Not retired. Not forgotten. Not powerless.”
It was a reminder.

A Reminder to Political Rivals
For months, some political elites celebrated what they believed was the end of Chiwenga’s influence. Some whispered that the Vice President had been politically buried.
But on Monday, the uniform resurrected a narrative:
• “Not buried. Not broken.”
• “Not finished. Not irrelevant.”
Every star shone with quiet defiance. Every badge carried unspoken authority.
And the date. 24 November. It was not a coincidence but was symbolic. It reminded the nation of that the overthrow of Robert Mugabe did not start in boardrooms. That the masses needed someone who dared to stand up first. That history was shaped not by slogans, but by courage.
While some prefer a revised version of events-writing heroism into air-conditioned offices-the uniform insisted: “You know who took the first step.”
On Monday, the uniform reminded ED, Ziyambi, Mliswa, the varakashi, and all the skeptics:
“You are where you are because of this.”
But it also left behind a lingering question
One that no one wants to answer publicly:
Where to from here?