Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed a new army chief ahead of planned nationwide demonstrations on Monday called by a one-time veteran of his ruling ZANU-PF party.

Major-General Emmanuel Matatu was named commander of the Zimbabwe National Army with immediate effect, according to an announcement by the ministry of information.

The president faces the most intense challenge to his authority since taking power in a coup eight years ago, with infighting in his ruling party and public anger over a failing economy.

On Tuesday he demoted army chief Anselem Nhamo Sanyatwe to the less influential post of minister of sports, arts and culture.

Reinforced positions

It was the third major shake-up of the security apparatus after the removal of the police chief and head of intelligence ahead of the 2023 elections.

In response to the planned protests, police on Thursday said they had reinforced their positions across the country and would take action against anyone "inciting violence".

Many may be reluctant to get involved after mass protests in 2017 supported the military in ending Robert Mugabe's decades in power, replacing him with Mnangagwa, then his vice-president, who is now seen as just as autocratic and self-serving.

It is moves by a faction of the ZANU-PF to extend Mnangagwa's mandate beyond his constitutionally limited two terms, ending in 2028, that has led the anger to boil over this time.

Veterans in the ruling are pushing to replace Mnangagwa with his vice president, Constantino Chiwenga, a retired general who orchestrated the coup against Mugabe.

‘Continue barking’

Addressing the divisions within the ruling party, Mnangagwa read the riot act at a ZANU-PF meeting this week.

"Let those barking continue barking while I am moving the country forward," he said, describing his detractors as "rogue delusional elements".

The government, meanwhile, has sought to present a united front. "There is absolutely no fight in the government," spokesman Nick Mangwana told AFP on Wednesday.

Any faction pushing for a change of leadership might not find the same popular support as in 2017, when people poured onto the streets to celebrate Mugabe's removal, warned human rights activist Abigale Mupambi.

"People are being very careful of being entangled in an agenda which has got nothing to do with their issues," she said.