HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sparked speculation of impending constitutional amendments aimed at extending his term beyond the 2028 constitutional limit.
This comes as he makes surprise changes to the Zanu PF politburo, the party’s supreme decision-making body.
In a surprise move, Mnangagwa this week demoted Mike Bimha as party secretary for commissariat and appointed party ideologue retired Brigadier-General Munyaradzi Machacha to replace him.
Machacha is now responsible for party mobilisation of key grassroots support for the party ravaged by factionalism.
The Zanu-PF leader also reassigned another party senior leader Jacob Mudenda, who is also Speaker of the National Assembly, by making him Treasurer-General of the party.
According to Walter Mzembi, a former cabinet minister, “Ahead of Constitutional Changes around the 2030 Agenda, Advocate (Jacob) Mudenda has been kicked upstairs to a Resource Mobilisation role and managing an empty Party Treasury.”
Mzembi added, “His recent public tiff with blue-eyed boy Ziyambi Ziyambi inside Parliament meant he could have been growing too big for his boots failing to read the signals riding on his effectiveness in the Recalls assignment and decimating Opposition.”
Mnangagwa’s alleged plan to amend the constitution is seen as a bid to de-harmonise elections, holding parliamentary polls in 2028 and the next presidential election in 2030.
This move would secure him two more years in power, aligning with the Zanu-PF mantra “2030 vaMnangagwa vanenge vachipo”.
To execute this plan, Mnangagwa has brought back trusted political ally Patrick Chinamasa to Zanu-PF legal affairs.
Chinamasa, as Justice minister, and Mnangagwa, Rural Housing minister, were tasked by the late former president Robert Mugabe in 2005 and 2006 to change the constitution to harmonise the general elections by moving the presidential and parliamentary polls to 2010.
Mzembi noted, “Patrick is adept at this task, has done it before. And finally, the grounding of “Tezvara” (Mike) Bimha and elevation of Machacha are all 2030 musical chair stuff, Mike the political and passive gentleman won’t fit the bill, it needs an ideological demagogue from Herbert Chitepo College itself!”
Mzembi added, “Please bring my popcorn, this is just the beginning of more changes…. and let me add change starts from Zanu-PF itself. It is the locus of national change for better or for worse. Adios!”
The developments have sparked speculation of a possible government of national unity with the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) under Welshman Ncube.
There are reports that Mnangagwa has been holding talks with Ncube.
Presidential spokesperson George Charamba confirmed this to the Daily News.
“Well, I can tell you that what the interim president of CCC (Ncube) announced that they were seeking to engage with the president, has actually been happening.
“We have had quite a number of meetings with the interim CCC leader,” he said.
Opposition activists, however, said Ncube has no mandate to engage Mnangagwa on behalf of the masses.
Promise Mkwananzi told Nehanda Radio that there is no meaningful political dialogue that can be held without former CCC leader Nelson Chamisa.
“Ncube has no mandate. He has gone rogue but we will not allow him to rob the people of Zimbabwe of their vote. Anyone wanting to engage on the basis of moving Zimbabwe forward must engage with President Nelson Chamisa and the genuine and authentic alternative, the CCC,” he said.
Another opposition activist Last Maengahama echoed similar concerns, saying, “Welshman Ncube has no mandate and legitimacy to lead a dialogue between ED government and the citizens. Who gave him the mandate to engage in this? Where was he given this mandate? This is a scam.”
