By Victor Fanuel
Harare – Former Foreign Affairs Minister Walter Mzembi, who fled Zimbabwe in 2017 following a military-led transition of power, has returned and held a ‘high-level’ meeting with President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House on Wednesday.
His return comes at a time of renewed factional turbulence within the ruling Zanu PF party.
Mzembi was part of the now-defunct G40 faction, a group of young, reformist-leaning Zanu PF politicians aligned with then-President Robert Mugabe and his wife Grace Mugabe.
The G40 camp found itself targeted during the dramatic November 2017 military coup that ended Mugabe’s nearly four-decade rule.
Alongside Mzembi, other senior figures such as Jonathan Moyo and Saviour Kasukuwere fled into self-imposed exile amid accusations of undermining the military-aligned Lacoste faction, which supported Mnangagwa’s rise.
Mzembi’s reappearance in Harare, especially in a meeting with Mnangagwa himself, is politically significant.
It coincides with escalating tensions inside Zanu PF, where Mnangagwa’s nemesis, war veteran-turned-person of interest Blessed Geza, has been calling for the incumbent to step down.
Geza, a controversial figure, has become central to the ruling party’s unfolding internal power struggles.
Observers suggest Mzembi’s return could signal shifting alliances or even an attempt at strategic reconciliation within the ruling party.
It also raises questions about whether other exiled G40 figures may follow suit, potentially reshaping the Zanu PF political landscape once again.
Mzembi’s presence adds a new layer of intrigue, particularly given the historical animosities and political rivalries born out of the 2017 transition.
The full implications of his return remain to be seen.
