Godfrey Tsenengamu Seeks Return to ZANU-PF Five Years After Expulsion

Godfrey Tsenengamu (image source)

Godfrey Tsenengamu, once a firebrand in ZANU-PF’s youth leadership, has formally applied to be readmitted into the ruling party—five years after his dramatic expulsion in March 2020.

Expulsion Over Corruption Allegations

Tsenengamu’s ouster, alongside then-youth leader Lewis Matutu, followed explosive public accusations that senior figures, including businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, were part of a shadowy cartel sabotaging Zimbabwe’s economy. Ironically, Tagwirei has since consolidated power within the ruling elite, securing a place on ZANU-PF’s influential Central Committee.

Despite the bitter fallout, Tsenengamu maintains that he never abandoned ZANU-PF by choice.

“I have always been a ZANU-PF person. I never volunteered to leave. I was forced out… and that is why I am seeking to return,” he said in a recent interview, reaffirming his belief in the party’s ideology and long-term objectives.

Political Wilderness and Alternative Platforms

In the aftermath of his expulsion, Tsenengamu founded the Front for Economic Emancipation in Zimbabwe (FEEZ), attempting to build a new socio-political vehicle. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, FEEZ endorsed former ZANU-PF commissar Saviour Kasukuwere, who was later barred from contesting the presidency.

Tsenengamu subsequently established the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Citizen’s Task Force, arguing that fighting graft outside party politics was more effective than operating within partisan structures.

Shifting Positions on Return

Though at one point in 2023 Tsenengamu insisted he would never return to ZANU-PF, by mid-2025 he softened his stance, suggesting survival outside mainstream politics was untenable. He cited examples of other former party figures, such as Walter Mzembi and Kasukuwere, who have gradually sought to reconcile with the party.

He was also quick to clarify that seeking readmission does not equate to blanket endorsement of everything within ZANU-PF:

“By seeking to rejoin ZANU-PF, that does not mean that I agree to everything everyone does within the party… Differences will always be there, even in institutions like families.”

Broader Political Implications

Analysts view Tsenengamu’s move as part of a larger trend of exiled or sidelined figures attempting to reclaim political relevance through reconciliation with the ruling party. With factional realignments ongoing, his bid to rejoin ZANU-PF underscores how former critics and defectors often circle back in search of influence, survival, or redemption within Zimbabwe’s dominant political structure.