ZIMBABWE’S POWER STRUGGLE: HOW CHIWENGA STOPPED MNANGAGWA’S THIRD TERM DREAM
Zimbabwe’s politics is always full of surprises. The latest one is how Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga stopped President Emmerson Mnangagwa from trying to get a third term. The army, which helped Mnangagwa take power in 2017, has now turned against him. This has forced Mnangagwa to say he will not change the constitution to stay in power.
At first, Mnangagwa trusted the army. But later, he decided to rely more on the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) and its group, Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ). This helped him win the last elections, even though some people in his party were not happy. But the military was watching closely. They did not like how Mnangagwa was pushing them aside. So, they decided to act.
The military is now behind Chiwenga. This became clear when Mnangagwa’s old decision to send Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe away to Tanzania was reversed. Sanyatwe is very close to Chiwenga, and now he is back as the commander of the Zimbabwe National Army. This shows that the military is fully supporting Chiwenga.
Even with all this, Mnangagwa did not give up on his third-term idea. His allies, including young people in Zanu PF, were already pushing for it. They wanted the constitution to be changed so that Mnangagwa could stay in power. But as time passed, it became obvious that this plan was not going to work. The military and other powerful people inside Zanu PF were against it.
Mnangagwa then changed his tune. He started saying he was not interested in a third term. He told a magazine called Brick by Brick that the idea of him wanting another term was just people making up stories. He also said Zanu PF always follows the constitution.
According to Zimbabwe’s laws, a president can only serve two terms. To change this, Zanu PF would need two-thirds of parliament to agree. But even if they did this, the change would not help Mnangagwa because the law says a sitting president cannot benefit from such a change.
This power struggle shows how Zimbabwean politics is always changing. Mnangagwa once used the army to remove Robert Mugabe. Now, the same army is standing in his way. The public statement that he is not seeking a third term may seem like a final decision, but in Zimbabwean politics, nothing is ever final. The script can change at any time.
This piece exposes a dangerous trend in Zimbabwean politics: leaders using deceit to maintain their grip on power. Mnangagwa’s covert push for a third term, while publicly denying it, not only undermines democracy but also deepens the divisions within his own party. Such power plays are a disservice to the nation.
Your article lays bare the hypocrisy of Mnangagwa’s political maneuvering. Publicly, he vows not to extend his rule, yet behind closed doors, he and his cronies conspire to cling to power. This flip-flopping and reliance on secretive groups like the CIO and FAZ are a stark betrayal of the constitutional values he claims to uphold.