ZANU PF IS NOW PUSHING A CONSTITUTIONAL COUP IN ZIMBABWE

What happened in Mutare this past weekend was not just a normal Zanu PF meeting. It was the start of something very dangerous for our country. It was the start of a full constitutional coup. The ruling party now wants to change the constitution so that Emmerson Mnangagwa can stay in power beyond 2028. They want him to stay until 2030. This is wrong. It is illegal. It is a danger to our future. It is a big insult to every Zimbabwean who believed that we were moving away from one-man rule.

Ziyambi Ziyambi, the party’s legal affairs secretary, even said it openly. He said he has been told to start the process to change the constitution in the next year. But Mnangagwa’s term ends in 2028. That is what the constitution says. He swore to respect it. Now the same people who promised to follow the law want to break it. The hypocrisy is shocking. Mnangagwa has not even tried to stop this plan. He is letting his allies do the work for him. It is clear he wants this.

This is a constitutional coup. And it is not happening only in Zimbabwe. It is happening in many African countries. In Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Togo, leaders have changed laws so they can stay longer. Some have even removed elections. Others have changed term limits. Zimbabwe is now joining this sad list. It is a shameful road.

Inside Zanu PF, there is fighting. Chiwenga does not want Mnangagwa to stay. But we cannot depend on their fights to save the country. Civil society, opposition parties, and legal experts are all speaking out. Some say that a change like this needs two referenda. But Zanu PF knows the people will not agree. They know Zimbabweans are tired of this. So they want to skip the people and force it through Parliament. They fear that a referendum will be the end for Mnangagwa. They fear it will be the end of Zanu PF’s long rule.

And maybe that is what should happen.

We must remember something important. Mnangagwa came to power after removing Mugabe. He said Mugabe refused to step down. But now Mnangagwa is doing the same thing. He wants to stay. He wants to hold power forever. He has been in government for 45 years. If he stays after 2028, it will not be because the country needs him. It will be because he wants to protect himself and his friends.

When term limits are removed, it is the people who pay the price. People suffer when leaders stay too long. Institutions break. Corruption grows. The economy dies. We saw this under Mugabe. He stayed for 37 years and destroyed the country. Now Mnangagwa is walking the same path. The only difference is that he is trying to hide it with legal tricks.

But Africans have spoken. Afrobarometer says most Africans want term limits. They want change. They want leaders who do not rule until they die. But dictators do not care. They only care about power, money, cars, bodyguards, and avoiding justice.

Right now, Zimbabwe is in a fight for its soul. If we allow Mnangagwa to force his way into a third term, then we are giving up. We are handing our future to people who do not care about us. We are letting them steal our democracy in broad daylight. The time to stand up is now. Before 2028 becomes 2030, and 2030 becomes forever.

This is our country. We must defend it.