THE CONSTITUTIONAL COUP HAS BEGUN AND ZIMBABWE MUST WAKE UP

What happened in Mutare this past weekend was not a normal ZANU PF meeting. It was the start of a full constitutional coup. The ruling party is now pushing to keep Emmerson Mnangagwa in power beyond his legal second term, which ends in 2028. They want him to stay until 2030. This move is illegal and very dangerous. It shows that the people in power do not care about the law or the future of the country. It is a clear insult to every Zimbabwean who believed we had moved away from one-man rule.

Ziyambi Ziyambi, the legal affairs secretary of ZANU PF, openly said he has been told to begin the process of changing the constitution within the next year. This is shocking because Mnangagwa’s own term ends in 2028, and this is written clearly in the constitution. Mnangagwa promised before that he would respect the law and step down after two terms. Now he is quiet because his friends are doing the job for him. He does not speak against it because this whole plan benefits him.

This is a constitutional coup. And it is not only happening in Zimbabwe. Many African countries are doing the same. In Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, and Togo, leaders have stayed in power for many years by changing laws or removing elections. They say it is for peace or continuity, but it is only to keep power. Zimbabwe is now joining this shameful trend.

Chiwenga is said to be against Mnangagwa’s plan, and this has caused fights inside the ruling party. But we cannot depend on these fights to save our country. Civil society, opposition parties, and some lawyers are all worried. Some experts say that this change needs two national votes to be legal. But ZANU PF knows people will never agree to this. They want to pass it in Parliament without asking the people. They fear that a referendum will expose them and end their long rule.

Maybe it is time for that to happen.

We must remember that Mnangagwa came into power in 2017 after removing Mugabe. One of the reasons he gave was that Mugabe refused to step down. Now Mnangagwa is doing the same thing he once condemned. He has been in government for 45 years. If he stays past 2028, it will be because he wants to protect himself and his friends. It will not be for the good of the people.

When a leader removes term limits, the people always suffer. The country becomes poorer. Corruption grows. Institutions die slowly. Leaders become too powerful and untouchable. We saw this with Mugabe, who ruled for 37 years and left the country broken. Mnangagwa is now walking the same path, but he is hiding behind the idea of “changing the constitution.”

Most Africans want term limits. Afrobarometer studies show that more than three-quarters of people across many African countries support the idea that leaders must not rule forever. People want leaders who serve and leave. But dictators do not listen. They love power, the money, the convoys, and the protection that comes with staying in office too long.

This is now a fight for the future of Zimbabwe. If we allow Mnangagwa to force himself into a third term, then we are giving up on our democracy. We are saying we are powerless. We cannot let that happen. We must speak up now. We must resist now. Before 2028 becomes 2030, and 2030 becomes forever.