The
warning
comes
amid
social
media
reports
suggesting
that
some
party
members
may
plan
to
heckle
Vice
President
Constantino
Chiwenga
during
the
event,
as
debates
over
succession
continue
to
intensify.
Chiwenga
was
heckled
at
the
National
Heroes
Acre
during
the
burial
of
national
hero
Justin
Mupamhanga
on
27
January
2025.
Information
Technology
Minister
Tatenda
Mavetera,
leading
the
Young
Women
4
ED
group
aligned
with
Mnangagwa,
led
chants
targeting
Chiwenga.
They
sang
“mupanduki
mupanduki
chera
mwena
nguva
yakwana”
—
which
translates
to
“sellout,
sellout,
dig
a
hole,
the
time
has
come”.
Chiwenga
is
widely
seen
as
the
frontrunner
to
succeed
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa
in
2028,
when
his
second
term
expires,
although
Mnangagwa’s
loyalists
are
pushing
for
an
extension
of
his
tenure
to
2030.
ZANU
PF
Director
of
Communications,
Farai
Marapira,
stressed
that
the
National
People’s
Conference
is
a
formal
meeting
of
delegates,
leaving
no
room
for
heckling.
He
said:
“We
are
not
going
to
a
rally.
We
are
going
to
a
conference.
This
is
not
a
free-for-all.
This
is
a
meeting
of
delegates.
This
is
a
meeting
of
leadership.
There
is
no
time
to
heckle.“This
is
just
once
again
social
media
trying
its
best
to
push
agendas
on
us
as
ZANU-PF.
But,
of
course,
it
will
fail.”
In
recent
days,
social
media
has
been
flooded
with
claims
that
ZANU
PF
youths
are
being
bused
to
Mutare
in
Manicaland
province
with
the
sole
purpose
of
booing
Chiwenga.
Marapira
dismissed
such
reports,
saying
those
promoting
the
claims
are
ignorant
of
the
party’s
internal
procedures.
He
said:
“This
issue
of
being
bused
to
boo,
how
are
they
going
to
enter
when
they
are
not
accredited?
We
are
not
accrediting
crowds,
we
are
accrediting
delegates.“This
is
mischief
being
created
by
people
who
are
ignorant
of
the
ways
of
the
party
and
how
it
conducts
its
conferences.”
The
alleged
plans
to
heckle
Chiwenga
come
as
the
Vice
President
has
repeatedly
spoken
out
against
corruption,
which
he
describes
as
a
threat
to
national
security.
He
has
consistently
condemned
“zvigananda”,
a
term
meaning
leeches,
referring
to
individuals
who
flaunt
wealth
acquired
through
the
siphoning
of
public
resources
via
inflated
government
tenders.