In a twist straight from a political thriller, Zimbabwean Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga has successfully blocked President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s attempts to seek a third term. With the full backing of the military and carefully executed strategic maneuvers, Chiwenga has forced Mnangagwa into a humiliating public retreat from any plans to alter the constitution to cling to power. This development comes after months of behind-the-scenes tensions that have now spilled into the open.
Mnangagwa had long relied on the Central Intelligence Organisation and its electoral manipulation arm, Forever Associates Zimbabwe, to secure his grip on power. He deliberately sidelined the military in favor of these shadowy state security outfits, believing that the army’s influence had peaked in 2017 when it helped him rise to the presidency. But the gamble has failed spectacularly. The military has reemerged with a vengeance and made it clear that Mnangagwa’s CIO-driven campaign will not continue unchecked.
The clearest sign of this reversal came with the appointment of Lieutenant-General Anselem Sanyatwe as commander of the Zimbabwe National Army. Sanyatwe is a known Chiwenga loyalist who had been exiled to a diplomatic post in Tanzania by Mnangagwa after the coup that ousted Robert Mugabe. Bringing him back into such a powerful position sent a loud and unmistakable signal that the army now stands firmly with Chiwenga.
Despite the military’s pivot and Chiwenga’s open readiness to take over — made even more visible by his highly publicized wedding to Miniyothabo Baloyi last year — Mnangagwa still toyed with the idea of a third term. His allies, especially the overzealous Zanu PF youth, floated the idea aggressively. Mnangagwa gave them tacit approval, hoping to test public and political response without openly committing. But what he found was increasing opposition and a dangerous political atmosphere.
Faced with this growing pressure and lacking the military’s support, Mnangagwa had no choice but to change course. He has now positioned himself as a defender of the constitution, a laughable stance given his history of undermining it. His reelection was already marred by vote-rigging and illegal practices, yet he now claims to be a champion of the law. In an interview with Brick by Brick magazine, he dismissed talk of a third term as fiction created by imaginative Zimbabweans and insisted that Zanu PF respects the constitution.
Zimbabwe’s constitution makes it extremely difficult to change term limits. A two-thirds parliamentary majority is required to amend Section 91, and any such amendment cannot apply to the sitting president due to Section 328 clause seven. These clauses were deliberately inserted to prevent the kind of manipulation Mnangagwa’s allies were pushing. But knowing Zanu PF’s track record, even constitutional safeguards can never be taken for granted.
This episode exposes the fault lines within Zanu PF and the true power structures in Zimbabwe. Mnangagwa’s presidency was never as secure as it appeared. The same military that brought him to power has now become the biggest obstacle to his continued rule. Chiwenga’s grip on the armed forces has proven stronger and more lasting than Mnangagwa’s reliance on intelligence services.
As Mnangagwa bows out of the third term conversation with carefully chosen words, the real battle for succession has already begun. Zimbabweans have learned not to take anything at face value in politics. Behind every statement lies a deeper power play. Chiwenga may have stopped Mnangagwa for now but the struggle for power in Zimbabwe is far from over.
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