Tungwarara-Tagwirei tensions deepen amid Government contract disputes while both wants VP Chiwenga fired by 10 February 2026

By Our Investigations Desk
Tensions between Presidential Special Adviser Paul Tungwarara and businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei have intensified, with sources pointing to a widening fallout linked to government contracts and broader succession-related power struggles within Zimbabwe’s ruling elite.
Multiple insiders allege that recent government contract awards overseen by Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube have disproportionately favoured entities aligned with Tungwarara. Figures linked to the Tagwirei camp reportedly view the developments not as routine administrative decisions, but as a deliberate effort to marginalise their faction from strategic state resources.
The dispute has since expanded beyond contracts, drawing in senior security and intelligence officials. Sources claim that individuals aligned to Tungwarara have accused the Director-General of the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), Fulton Upenyu Mangwanya, of maintaining divided loyalties and of having previously played a role in preventing the dismissal of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
According to claims circulating within political circles, Mangwanya’s intelligence assessments at the time allegedly downplayed internal threats, a charge firmly rejected by those close to him. Conversely, figures linked to the Tagwirei camp are said to regard Mangwanya as a potential ally, while also considering him a strategic obstacle to their ambitions of consolidating influence closer to State House.
Speculation surrounding possible changes within the security establishment intensified this week following a post on X (formerly Twitter) by an account identifying as Bhayiskoro News. The post alleged that the Tungwarara camp was pushing for the removal of Mangwanya by 31 January 2026, alongside plans to elevate Ishmael “Charlie 10” Mada, whom the post described as a Tungwarara-aligned figure.
The same post further claimed that efforts were underway to pressure President Emmerson Mnangagwa into dismissing Vice President Chiwenga by 10 February 2026, while senior military figures, including General Anselem Sanyatwe and General Douglas Nyikayaramba Rugeje, were allegedly under close surveillance. These claims remain unverified.
Political analysts caution that while social media reports should be treated with care, they nonetheless reflect growing anxiety within Zimbabwe’s power structures as factional battles become increasingly public.
Whether the alleged plans will materialise or falter under internal resistance remains uncertain. What is evident, however, is that Zimbabwe’s political elite appears to be entering a period of heightened instability.
As one senior insider remarked late on Thursday night: “This has moved beyond ordinary politics. What we are witnessing now is the early stage of a purge.”
More details are expected to emerge as the situation develops.