{"id":114696,"date":"2026-01-25T23:14:05","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T21:14:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot"},"modified":"2026-01-26T01:18:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T23:18:01","slug":"ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot","title":{"rendered":"Ex-Zanu PF insider exposes 2028 election plot"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. <\/strong><\/span>FORMER Zanu PF member and Suthisa Ilizwqe-Gutsaruzhinji (Si-G) president Sybeth Musengezi has warned that the ruling party is in already election mode, allegedly positioning itself to manipulate the political system ahead of the 2028 general elections.<\/p>\n

Musengezi, who recently launched Si-G, says early mobilisation by Zanu PF, rising corruption and stalled political reforms compelled him to form a new party and begin campaigning immediately, arguing that opposition forces must organise early to counter what he describes as entrenched electoral manipulation by the ruling party.<\/p>\n

Speaking to NewsDay after announcing the formation of his political outfit, Musengezi said Si-G would not wait for the proclamation of election dates before engaging voters.<\/p>\n

\u201cZanu PF is in election mode right now as we speak. They are moving around the country holding rallies. What is the purpose if not elections?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Musengezi\u2019s remarks come as Zanu PF is pushing to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s tenure by two years to 2030 despite civil society organisations and opposition political formations declaring a red line against life presidency.<\/p>\n

Once a staunch supporter of Mnangagwa, Musengezi said his fallout with the ruling party followed unfulfilled expectations of reform after the 2017 change of government.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted a lot of reforms in the party, unfortunately, the system was still rigid. So we expected Mnangagwa to change a lot of things, but I\u2019m actually seeing things getting worse,\u201d he told NewsDay.<\/p>\n

He accused Mnangagwa\u2019s administration of failing to term rampant corruption, which he said was being committed with impunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cCorruption is too much. Yes, development is there, but it\u2019s isolated and it\u2019s coming to very few people. If you see roads being constructed, very few companies are doing those things. The owners of those companies are politically-connected,\u201d Musengezi said.<\/p>\n

The 2024 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released last year showed that Zimbabwe is sliding backwards when in fighting graft.<\/p>\n

According to the 2024 CPI, Zimbabwe scored 21 out of a possible 100 points, down from 24<\/p>\n

points in 2023, highlighting a decline in transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n

Zimbabwe performed below the sub-Saharan average CPI of 33 and the global average of 43.<\/p>\n

The highest Zimbabwe has scored since 2016 is 24 points.<\/p>\n

Musengezi was arrested after challenging Mnangagwa\u2019s legitimacy before he was expelled from the ruling Zanu PF party.<\/p>\n

He said there were party members who tried to engage Mnangagwa to no avail.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not what we expected when we took over in 2017,\u201d the politician said.<\/p>\n

He urged Mnangagwa to distance himself from individuals involved in what he described as \u201cshady deals\u201d and to focus instead on empowering ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n

Musengezi also criticised opposition political parties, accusing them of betraying Zimbabweans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t say there is any vibrant opposition in Zimbabwe. The only vibrant opposition leader is Nelson Chamisa,\u201d he said, adding that other opposition leaders prioritised personal interests over people\u2019s struggles.<\/p>\n

He said Si-G had begun campaigning nationwide in preparation for the 2028 elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need at least three years to build a political force that can dismantle Zanu PF. We are not a fly-by-night party,\u201d Musengezi said.<\/p>\n

He alleged that Zanu PF rigged previous elections by manipulating electoral processes rather than vote tallies.<\/p>\n

Zanu PF has in the past rebutted the claims, saying it was voted for because its policies resonate with the aspirations of Zimbabweans.<\/p>\n

Musengezi said his experience as a former Zanu PF member had equipped him to counter the ruling party\u2019s strategies, while ruling out violence as a means to political change.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no other way because we cannot talk of an armed struggle. We cannot talk of protesting. You think they are going to lose power because people have protested? They will just shoot you, as they did in 2018, and then life continues for them. So we want to face them in the ballot,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In August 2018, six people lost their lives when soldiers fired live bullets at people who were protesting the delay in releasing the 2018 presidential election results. On the day in question, 35 people were injured in the skirmishes.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. FORMER Zanu PF member and Suthisa Ilizwqe-Gutsaruzhinji (Si-G) president Sybeth Musengezi has warned that the ruling party is in already election mode, allegedly positioning itself to manipulate the political system ahead of the 2028 general elections. Musengezi, who recently launched Si-G, says early mobilisation by Zanu PF, rising corruption and stalled political […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":114695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,8,35,10,2715],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-114696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-homepage-english","category-parties","category-to-homepage","tag-zimbabwe"],"yoast_head":"\nEx-Zanu PF insider exposes 2028 election plot - zimbabwe<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"FORMER Zanu PF member and Suthisa Ilizwqe-Gutsaruzhinji (Si-G) president Sybeth Musengezi has warned that the ruling par ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-Zanu PF insider exposes 2028 election plot\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"FORMER Zanu PF member and Suthisa Ilizwqe-Gutsaruzhinji (Si-G) president Sybeth Musengezi has warned that the ruling par ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"zimbabwe\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-25T21:14:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-25T23:18:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2026\/01\/sm_1769383077.312295.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"755\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"491\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Ex-Zanu PF insider exposes 2028 election plot\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-25T21:14:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-25T23:18:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot\"},\"wordCount\":683,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/sites\/14\/2026\/01\/sm_1769383077.312295.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Zimbabwe\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"homepage-english\",\"parties\",\"to-homepage\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/zimbabwe\/all-news\/ex-zanu-pf-insider-exposes-2028-election-plot\",\"name\":\"Ex-Zanu PF insider exposes 2028 election plot - 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