While the shrill 2030 succession battle noise has temporarily subsided, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s political allies are manoeuvring to pull yet another coup against Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga by getting the upcoming annual party conference in Mutare to adopt a resolution for an amendment of the constitution to ensure the incumbent extends his rule beyond his 2028 second term constitutional limit.
Mnangagwa and his Zanu PF faction succeeded at the conference in Bulawayo last year to pass a resolution that gave the President an option to extend his rule from 2028 to 2030.
Now they want to pass another resolution in Mutare when conference meets from 13-18 October for an amendment of the constitution to give effect to the Bulawayo conference resolution.
As The NewsHawks previously reported, this was decided in the run-up to the 2 July politburo meeting in which party legal secretary Patrick Chinamasa and Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi were tasked to explore ways to implement the Bulawayo resolution.
Although Chinamasa was initially opposed to the extension of Mnangagwa’s tenure, he now supports it because he is a close political ally of local tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei who is fighting to get into the Central Committee to position himself to succeed Mnangagwa.
Tagwirei is close to Mnangagwa. Mnangagwa denies he wants to extend his rule, but allows his political minnows to campaign for him to stay on with his tacit approval.
Ironically claiming to be a constitutionalist even when he first came to power through a coup in November 2017, the President wants to block Chiwenga – who put him in power in the first place when he was Zimbabwe’s top military commander then – and impose his own successor. Local Government minister Daniel Garwe says there will be no elections in 2028 as constitutionally scheduled.
Garwe, Mnangagwa’s close political ally, says elections will not be held until 2030 and the Mutare conference will ensure the constitution is amended to implement that.
He Zanu PF’s 10 provinces will therefore push for a resolution to postpone the 2028 elections to 2030.
However, the constitution requires that elections are held every five years in Zimbabwe. Garwe’s remarks indicates that Zanu PF is persisting with its agenda to postpone elections, something which may require a constitutional amendment.
The ruling party is trying to use parliament to postpone elections to avoid amending presidential terms to extend Mnangagwa’s rule as that requires a referendum or referenda, which it fears.
A referendum to change or remove presidential terms may end up as a referendum on Mnangagwa and Zanu PF itself.
Some lawyers say using parliament to postpone elections will be tantamount to a coup against the constitution.
This comes ahead of the conference at Mutare Polytechnic from 13-18 October where Mnangagwa’s allies plan to use the gathering to push the 2030 agenda.
Mnangagwa’s close allies are vigorously lobbying for him to extend his rule beyond his 2028 second term constitutional limit to 2030.
While Mnangagwa says he not interested in clinging to power by extending his rule, his allies insist he must stay in office longer in power.
The 2030 saga is part of the ongoing raging succession battle which Chiwenga is fighting to win at all costs.
Apart from the video which The NewsHawks obtained and posted yesterday, Garwe also told state-controlled The Herald daily newspaper:
‘’When we go to Mutare (for the Annual National People’s Conference of Zanu PF), me and other provincial chairmen we are going to call for the implementation of resolution number 1 that was adopted last year that President Mnangagwa should remain the ruling party First Secretary and President until he sees through his vision in 2030 and beyond. That resolution (number 1) must be implemented by way looking at the constitution and effecting the necessary constitutional changes for the President to be compliant with our supreme law of the land.
‘The President is on record saying he is a constitutionalist, and the onus is now on us, the sons and daughters of Zimbabwe who are happy with the direction our country is taking under his God-ordained vision, to effect constitutional changes that will allow him to govern up to 2030. We are taking this issue to conference that we want President Mnangagwa to govern until 2030 and so the constitution must be amended because our President is a constitutionalist.’’
