Under fire opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has hit back at former ally, Chalton Hwende, insinuating the Kuwadzana East MP was drunk when he accused him of accepting bribes from Zanu PF to ignore attempts by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his term in office from 2028 to 2030.
Chamisa recently came back from a two year sabbatical and courted the ire of colleagues when he seemed to suggest “there was no constiution to defend”.
To many Zimbabweans the proposed changes represent a major threat to the country’s constitutional order as they include scrapping direct presidential elections.
Chamisa sparked debate last week after posting “No to 2050” on X. Some critics said the wording deliberately avoided directly confronting ZANU–PF’s controversial “2030 agenda,” which seeks to extend Mnangagwa’s rule beyond the current constitutional term that ends in 2028.
Former ally Hwende, now the legislator for Kuwadzana East and former Secretary-General of the MDC Alliance suggested on X that Chamisa may have been “offered a drink” to ignore what he described as ZANU–PF’s manoeuvres to extend Mnangagwa’s tenure.
Hitting back using an interview with The Standard, Chamisa defended his wording, saying he intentionally avoided using language created by the ruling party.
“I don’t want to be boxed in by the Zanu PF language. They invented 2030. I will not message myself around 2030,” he said.
Chamisa warned that the amendments signalled what he described as a dangerous shift in Zimbabwe’s political system.
“It is a dramatic illustration of the sinister intention. They want to turn Zimbabwe into a ruin on account of this dangerous and disastrous amendment,” he said.
He argued that the proposals amounted to an attempt to weaken democratic processes.
“It’s a blanket ban on elections and condemnation of democracy,” Chamisa said. “It’s the hijacking of the nation.”
Some critics also accused him of failing to communicate his position clearly to supporters, but Chamisa dismissed the claim.
“Those who follow me need not be a spokesperson. They know what I am saying and they appreciate the message,” he said.
Chamisa also rejected Hwende’s bribery allegations, describing them as baseless.
“Those things are said in circumstances of intoxication. Why should I waste my time on issues of drinks?” he said.
“For the record, I bear multiple scars for standing principled, focused and consistent. I am not in Parliament. I have not received a loan from Zanu PF. I don’t have a farm.”
The former opposition leader added that he had never privately met Mnangagwa since the president came to power in 2017.
“The only time we were at the same place was at the inaugurations in Botswana and Zambia and we didn’t even meet,” Chamisa said.
He also pointed to what he described as state-backed efforts to weaken the opposition, including disputes over party leadership, loss of opposition parliamentary seats and control of party funding.
Chamisa maintained that the push to amend the constitution reflected fears within the ruling party of losing elections.
“What other message do you want to understand except that they are confirming they have always lost elections and the one they are competing against has always won?” he said.
Chamisa lost to Mnangagwa in the disputed 2018 and 2023 presidential elections, results he rejected, alleging widespread electoral fraud.
He added that political change in Zimbabwe would require collective action rather than reliance on a single leader.
“People must not always look for a messiah. There is only Jesus Christ as our messiah,” he said.
“None but ourselves, the citizens, looking unto God, will find a solution to our problems.”
