Mnangagwa allies push for a term extension to 2030 as ZANU-PF factions split and opposition promises a legal fight.<\/p>\n
Published On 18 Oct 202518 Oct 2025<\/p>\n
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Zimbabwe\u2019s governing ZANU-PF has said it will begin a process to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa\u2019s term by two years, potentially keeping him in power until 2030.<\/p>\n
The plan was endorsed on Saturday at the movement\u2019s annual conference in the eastern city of Mutare, where delegates instructed the government to begin drafting legislation to amend the Constitution, Justice Minister and ZANU-PF legal secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi said.<\/p>\n
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Mnangagwa, 83, is constitutionally required to leave office in 2028 after serving two elected terms. Any change would require a constitutional amendment \u2013 and potentially referendums \u2013 legal experts say.<\/p>\n
Delegates erupted in applause after the motion passed, reinforcing ZANU-PF\u2019s pattern of securitised rule since independence in 1980. The party controls parliament, giving it significant leverage, though some insiders warn that a legal challenge would be likely.<\/p>\n
Mnangagwa has previously insisted he is a \u201cconstitutionalist\u201d with no interest in clinging to power. But loyalists have quietly pushed for a prolonged stay since last year\u2019s disputed election, while rivals inside the party \u2013 aligned with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga \u2013 are openly resisting an extension<\/a>.<\/p>\n Blessed Geza, a veteran fighter from the liberation war and a Chiwenga ally, has been using YouTube livestreams to condemn the push, drawing thousands of viewers. Calls for mass protests have gained little traction amid a heavy police deployment in Harare and other cities.<\/p>\n The president made no mention of the extension during his closing remarks at the conference. Chiwenga has not commented on Mnangagwa\u2019s term extension bid or the protests.<\/p>\n Dire economic situation<\/p>\n Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 amid promises of democratic and economic reforms following the toppling of the longtime President Robert Mugabe.<\/p>\n Mnangagwa has presided over a dire economic collapse<\/a> marked by hyperinflation, mass unemployment, and allegations<\/a> of corruption. Critics accuse ZANU-PF of crushing dissent, weakening the judiciary, and turning elections into a managed ritual rather than a democratic contest.<\/p>\n Legal opposition figures have warned that any attempt to rewrite the Constitution will face resistance in court.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will defend the Constitution against its capture and manipulation to advance a dangerous unconstitutional anti-people agenda,\u201d opposition lawyer Tendai Biti said in a statement on X.<\/p>\n Ten elderly activists \u2013 most in their 60s and 70s \u2013 were arrested in Harare on Friday for allegedly planning a protest demanding Mnangagwa\u2019s resignation.<\/p>\n