What happened in Mutare this past weekend was not a routine party meeting or harmless political event. It was the launch of a constitutional coup in plain sight. Zanu PF has made a brazen decision to extend Emmerson Mnangagwa’s presidency beyond his final constitutional term, which is supposed to end in 2028. According to their new party resolution, Mnangagwa must remain in power until 2030. This is not only illegal and dangerous, it is a betrayal of every Zimbabwean who once hoped we had closed the chapter on one-man rule.
Ziyambi Ziyambi, the party’s legal secretary, proudly declared that he has been tasked with initiating the process to amend the constitution within the next year. Let that sink in. Mnangagwa’s own term ends in 2028, and yet his party is openly plotting to rewrite the law to extend his reign. Mnangagwa swore to uphold the constitution. He promised that he would step down. But now he is quietly allowing his allies to tear the law apart so he can continue ruling. His silence is not neutral. It is complicity.
This is not politics as usual. It is a constitutional coup. And Zimbabwe is not alone. From Rwanda to Ivory Coast, from Cameroon to Togo, African dictators have copied the same shameful script. They preach stability and continuity while destroying democracy. They scrap elections, silence dissent, and amend constitutions to stay in power for life. Zimbabwe is now becoming the next tragic example of this growing authoritarian wave.
Even within the ruling party, this plan has sparked serious infighting. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is reportedly resisting the move, exposing deep cracks in the Zanu PF elite. But we cannot rely on factional wars to protect our democracy. We must stand as citizens. Civil society groups, opposition leaders, and legal minds have already raised alarm. Some point out that any amendment like this would require not one but two national referenda. That is exactly why Zanu PF wants to avoid the people. They want to bulldoze the amendment through Parliament. They know if Zimbabweans vote, this madness will be defeated. A referendum would be Mnangagwa’s Waterloo.
And maybe it should be.
We must remember how Mnangagwa came to power in 2017. He removed Robert Mugabe, claiming that the aging dictator had refused to step down. Now he is trying to do the very same thing. The man who once led a coup is now trying to rewrite the constitution to serve himself and shield his cronies. Mnangagwa has been in government for 45 years. If he stays beyond 2028, it will be for greed not for service. It will be to protect the corrupt and silence accountability.
When term limits are removed, it is the people who suffer. We pay the price when presidents become emperors. Institutions rot. Corruption flourishes. Economies collapse under the weight of stolen billions. We lived through this during Mugabe’s 37-year rule. Now we are watching the sequel. This time the betrayal is hidden behind constitutional language, but the result will be the same.
Most Africans support term limits. Afrobarometer data shows that over seventy five percent of citizens across thirty four African countries want leaders who leave office peacefully. They want real democracy. But dictators and their hangers-on want bodyguards, mansions, and protection from the law. They do not care what citizens want.
This is about the future of Zimbabwe. If we let Mnangagwa extend his rule illegally, we are handing our destiny to a clique of men who care only about themselves. We must not let 2028 become 2030. We must not let 2030 become forever. The time to resist is now.
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