Ibhetshu LikaZulu urges resistance to Mnangagwa term extension

A local pressure group, Ibhetshu LikaZulu, has called on all Zimbabweans including workers, students, churches, civil society, traditional leaders and citizens in the diaspora to unite and use every democratic means available to resist Zanu PF’s latest resolution to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028.

The group said the ruling party’s resolution, adopted at its 22nd Annual National People’s Conference held in Mutare recently, poses a grave threat to constitutional democracy and signals a deepening authoritarian turn.

Zanu PF’s resolution, identified as Resolution Number 1, seeks to extend President Mnangagwa’s current presidential term beyond its constitutional limit set to end in 2028.

According to the party’s legal secretary and Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, the Ministry of Justice was directed to fast-track the necessary constitutional amendments by October 2026.

If passed, this amendment would effectively cancel the 2028 election, possibly stretching the current administration and President Mnangagwa’s second term to 2030.

Ibhetshu LikaZulu Secretary General, Mbuso Fuzwayo, said Zimbabweans have a legal and moral duty to defend the 2013 Constitution from manipulation by political elites.

“This naked attempt to manipulate the Constitution represents an assault on Zimbabwe’s democracy and a betrayal of the aspirations of millions who sacrificed for a democratic, accountable and prosperous Zimbabwe,” said Fuzwayo, as Ibhetshu LikaZulu joins other civic movements who are concerned about Zanu PF’s apparent intent to rewrite the Constitution for political expediency.

Fuzwayo said Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution, adopted through a people-driven process, was not meant to be used as a political tool to perpetuate one leader’s stay in power.

“The Constitution of Zimbabwe, adopted in 2013 through a people-driven process, clearly limits presidential terms to two. Any attempt to amend this sacred provision through a partisan parliamentary vote undermines the sovereign will of the people and erodes constitutionalism, the very foundation of democratic governance,” he said.

“Such a move is not only legally questionable but morally reprehensible. It turns Parliament into an instrument of authoritarian consolidation rather than a guardian of the people’s mandate. The proposed amendment would signal that Zimbabwe’s leadership sees itself above the law and above the people.”

The Ibhetshu LikaZulu SG called for a broad-based civic mobilisation to stop what he described as an unconstitutional extension of power.

“Ibhetshu LikaZulu calls upon all Zimbabweans, workers, students, churches, civil society, traditional leaders and the diaspora  to use every democratic instrument available to resist this unconstitutional extension of power,” he said.

“We must defend the 2013 Constitution, the product of national consensus and struggle, from being mutilated to serve personal ambition.”

Fuzwayo said extending President Mnangagwa’s rule would not benefit citizens but rather entrench corruption, economic decline, and repression.

“Instead, it entrenches the continuation of grand corruption and looting of national resources; economic decay and rising poverty, as Zimbabwe sinks deeper into crisis; suppression of dissent, human rights abuses, and the closure of democratic space; and institutional collapse, as state organs are captured to protect political elites,” he said.

He added that Zanu PF’s move was a self-serving attempt to preserve the priviledges of the ruling elite, not to address the country’s pressing challenges.

“This resolution seeks to secure the privileges of the few at the expense of the many, a continuation of national suffering disguised as political stability,” Fuzwayo said.

Fuzwayo also urged Members of Parliament, including those within Zanu PF, to uphold their oath of office and reject any proposed bill or motion that seeks to extend Mnangagwa’s presidency.

“History will not absolve those who aid the dismantling of constitutional democracy,” Fuzwayo said.

Fuzwayo maintained that Zimbabwe’s crisis was not one of leadership tenure but of governance failure and corruption.

“Zimbabwe does not need another extended presidency. It needs accountability, rule of law, jobs, service delivery and a functioning economy,” he said.

“The attempt to manipulate the Constitution for personal and factional benefit must be resisted with unity, courage, and constitutional patriotism. The people of Zimbabwe deserve better than a recycled dictatorship.”

If implemented, this constitutional amendment could mark the second major alteration to presidential term limits after the 2021 changes under Constitutional Amendment No. 2, which expanded executive powers and allowed the President to appoint judges beyond retirement age.