ZANU-PF Spokesperson Chris Mutsvangwa Dismisses Monarchy Claims as ‘Absolute Nonsense’
HARARE — ZANU-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa has rejected speculation that Zimbabwe is being turned into a monarchy, describing the claims as “absolute nonsense” and affirming that the country will remain a republic with leadership stability under President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In an interview released Thursday by Citizens Voice Network, Mutsvangwa addressed public concerns linking the new Munhumutapa Day holiday to monarchical ambitions.
He said honouring the historical Mutapa Empire does not mean restoring kingship.
“It’s absolute nonsense that… when you celebrate a towering historical figure or like King Munhumutapa and you allocate a day to it which invokes your past glory then that is being depicted as being monarchist,” Mutsvangwa said. “It doesn’t happen like that in any other country.”
He cited examples such as China’s celebration of its ancient empires while remaining a republic. Mnangagwa, he stressed, is “a Republican revolutionary” who fought for independence through democratic means, not monarchical rule.
“We didn’t fight for kings. We fought as republican revolutionaries,” Mutsvangwa said. “In 1980… we decided to be balloted to office… Our democratic credentials are impeccable as a party. Our republican identity is unquestionable.”
The remarks come against the backdrop of Constitutional Amendment No. 3, which extended presidential terms and pushed the end of Mnangagwa’s current mandate to 2030, as well as an unofficial proposal by activist Joshua Maponga for a further amendment that would convert Zimbabwe into a monarchy with the president as “Mwene Mbire.”
No such formal bill has been tabled in Parliament.
Government declared September 15 — Mnangagwa’s birthday — as Munhumutapa Day through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026, drawing criticism from opposition figures including Tendai Biti, who called related ideas a threat to the republic.
Responding to interpretations of Mnangagwa’s comments about remaining in place for several more years, Mutsvangwa said: “We are assured of leadership certainty… and that Zimbabwe will remain a republican and democratic country. Those things won’t change. He didn’t say he was going to make Zimbabwe into a monarchy.”
He dismissed social-media talk of further constitutional changes or party divisions as “fluff,” pointing to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s recent China investment trip as evidence of unity, and highlighted economic opportunities in minerals and steel under Mnangagwa’s leadership.