BRENNA MATENDERE
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa’s political double speak on a third term continues to be exposed by his close loyalists despite his repeated declaration that he is not seeking to remain in office beyond 2028.
Speaking to Zimbabweans living in China early this month, Mnangagwa said: “I have said it in the past that I am a constitutionalist. Did you hear anything about that? It means that I follow the constitution to the letter. You know, l am among those who wrote the constitution,” he said, amid applause from the diaspora at tendees.
Mnangagwa further said: “Those that you engage with in rumor mongering to the effect that l should seek a third term, l don’t want that. I was given a prescribed period to be in power by Zimbabweans and if it comes to an end some people will also be given an opportunity to take over. You hear that?
“So, this question of having a third term does not arise, especially under my watch. I am in my second term and already know the date l will leave office in 2028. I will go home on that day. Some people will then take over. So, if there are people misleading you, tell them that it’s a big no. That’s not what ‘father’ is thinking of doing.”
In the public, Mnangagwa has in the past dismissed party attempts to push him to seek a third term, saying he is a constitutionalist.
He told party activists at the ruling party’s headquarters in Harare that he will not heed any calls for him to remain in office after serving his constitutionally-mandated two five-year terms.
However, even after his words in China on a third a term, declarations that he will stay in power beyond 2028 are being made by people who are very close to him.
Zanu PF’s secretary for national security, Lovemore Matuke, is one such close Mnangagwa ally who has maintained that the strongman will overstay in power even after his recent denials in China.
Matuke said not even the constitution can stand in the way.
“I’ve heard people talking about the constitution, what it purportedly stipulates, and that is your feeling. But remember, we’ve made amendments before, and this constitution is not cast in stone,” he said during a Zanu PF provincial coordinating committee meeting in the Midlands this week.
“If we can change the constitution to suit what we want, we’ll do it without any apologies. Don’t let people lie to you,” he said.
Zanu PF’s national political commissar, Munyaradzi Machacha, also recently said in the spirit of democracy, if “people” say Mnangagwa must continue to rule beyond 2028, he can be allowed to do so.
“Isn’t this what you term democracy? If we remain silent, you say there’s no democracy. If others speak, you question it.
The people are talking, and the President is listening to their wishes,” Machacha said.
“The people know the constitution, but they also want his leadership to continue. It’s now up to him to decide.”
The push to extend Mnangagwa’s rule has ignited fierce debate, with loyalists of his deputy Constantino Chiwenga supported by the military pushing back the agenda.
Political analysts warned that any amendment to the constitution would not only violate democratic principles and cause ructions inside and outside Zanu PF but also set a dangerous precedent.
The party provincial structures are currently conducting meetings to come up with resolutions to take to the Zanu PF national conference slated for October 22 to 27 in Bulawayo. One such resolution is that Mnangagwa must stay in power beyond 2028.
In Matabeleland South, the Zanu PF women’s league led by political commissar Maybe Mbowa has already made that resolution.
The league’s national secretary, Mabel Chinomona, committed to communicate the sentiments to Mnangagwa, describing him as a “listening President” who values the voice of the people.
Recently, Zanu PF apparatchiks were reported to be pushing for the mutilation of the constitution to facilitate the extension of Mnangagwa’s tenure.
Zanu PF’s Harare provincial chairperson, Godwills Masimirembwa, last month told journalists that the push to amend the constitution would be tabled at next month’s Zanu PF annual people’s conference in Bulawayo.
“The most pressing issue is that the constitution of Zimbabwe needs to be amended to allow him to remain in power beyond 2028. We are aware of the constitutional restrictions; it currently states that the President can serve a maximum of two terms, each lasting five years,” Masimirembwa said.
“There is a possibility of either extending the duration of each term, increasing the term limit from two terms to three or removing the term limit entirely,” he said.
