Barely two days after Vice President Constantino Chiwenga publicly warned Zanu-PF members against advocating for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s alleged plan to extend his term of office beyond the constitutionally mandated two-term limit, the Zanu-PF leader has once again reiterated that he will step down at the end of his term.
During his address to the Zanu-PF National Assembly of the Youth League in Harare on Wednesday, Mnangagwa reaffirmed his dedication to adhering to the provisions of the national Constitution, specifically emphasising his respect for the term limits enshrined within it.
He said this in front of his loyalist, cabinet Minister Tino Machakaire, who is one of the senior party officials advocating for Mnangagwa’s extended term of office.
“Besides being a soldier, I am a trained lawyer. I am a constitutionalist. I want our party, our leadership, and our people to be constitutionalists.
“We must abide by the provisions of our constitution to the letter. Kana nguva yekuti uende enda. (If your time to go comes, leave),” he said.
Mnangagwa said the same on July 4, 2024, during the commissioning of a juice and water production plant at the Mutare Teachers College, when he made his first announcement that the party will choose its next leader during the elective congress in 2027.
Despite these announcements, the party’s provincial structures have remained defiant, imploring President Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.
They have been using a controversial slogan, “2030 vaMnangagwa vanenge vachipo,” which can be loosely translated to “In 2030, Mnangagwa will still be our leader”.
Against this background, Chiwenga this week warned party members against supporting individuals in the party. He urged them to remain loyal to the party, adding that individuals could “come and go”.
“There is no room for factionalism at any level in the party. A party can not be undermined by being defined in the confines of individuals. I repeat, no factionalism in the party, we are one and shall remain one, hapana kuti uyu ndinomuda uyu handimude, tiri tese ka?
“Our loyalty is not to individuals but to the bigger agenda which is larger than us, that of the party and the people of Zimbabwe who are supreme, it is the party, it is the people of Zimbabwe who are supreme, not inini saChiwenga, I will come and go,” Chiwenga said.
Senior Zanu-PF leaders who are supporting the extension of the term of office for Mnangagwa include Machakaire, Justice and Parliamentary Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa among others.
Ziyambi on Tuesday told the Daily News that people are able to amend the Constitution if they want Mnangagwa to stay in power beyond 2028.
“If the majority of the people are of the opinion that we need to extend President Mnangagwa’s term, then the law can always be amended to suit the people’s wishes. That is what democracy is all about,” he said.
Chiwenga’s camp reportedly comprises veterans of the liberation struggle like Mike Bimha, who was recently demoted by Mnangagwa from the position of party’s secretary for commissariate.
Mocking God. Why are dictators such mockers?