Source: Opposition launches 2030 agenda poll -Newsday Zimbabwe
A CIVIC movement has launched a nationwide survey to gauge public sentiment over Zanu PF manoeuvres to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office by two years.
The survey, dubbed “a people’s referendum”, is being spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Solidarity Movement, a grouping founded by political and civil society activists.
The initiative comes amid mounting political tension, with opposition parties and some disgruntled Zanu PF members rejecting the proposed extension of Mnangagwa’s rule to 2030.
Groups of opposition bigwigs recently held Press conferences in Harare and Bulawayo, insisting that Zimbabweans reject the plot to prolong Mnangagwa’s stay in power.
Proponents of the so-called 2030 agenda are pushing for constitutional amendments to allow Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030 without holding a national referendum; a move critics say undermines the Constitution and democratic norms.
In response to the Zanu PF 2030 agenda, opposition movements have launched various campaigns to “defend the Constitution” and demand that the party follows legal and constitutional procedures on term extension.
The Zimbabwe Solidarity Movement said the survey would be conducted ward by ward, using ballots in which citizens vote “Yes” or “No” on whether the President’s term should be extended.
The campaign was launched on Saturday in Chitungwiza’s ward 3, where 584 voters turned out for the first round of polling. Opposition activist Stephen Tshuma, one of the campaign organisers, told NewsDay that the exercise will be carried out nationwide.
“We are satisfied with the turnout in Chitungwiza today,” Tshuma said. We announce the results soon after the voting process. Of the 584 who voted, 582 said, ‘No’ to the plot to extend Mnangagwa’s term.
“We will be doing the same exercise across the country in all the wards. We want the voice of the people to prevail. So we are calling the survey the people’s referendum because we are allowing them to have their voice heard in the ballot, just as they would in any other referendum process. It’s non-partisan.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, the movement said it had launched the “people’s referendum” in St Mary’s ward 3 and “to mobilise against the unconstitutional agenda to extend the President’s term beyond 2028.”
“The ruling party’s 2030 agenda aims to circumvent the will of the people and skip the required national referendum, illegally extending the term of office through foisting unconstitutional amendments in Parliament. We cannot afford to be silent,” they said.
“Our People’s Referendum will systematically collect the genuine will of the citizens across all 1 980 wards of Zimbabwe, providing empirical evidence to counter any parliamentary mischief.
“The views captured will be presented to every sitting Member of Parliament. We will remind them that they are deployees of the people and that their first loyalty is to the Constitution and the masses, not to party slogans like ‘2030 is for Emmerson.’”
The movement warned that attempts to change term limits without holding a referendum violate section 328(9), which states that no amendment to extend a President’s eligibility can become law without national approval.
“Presidential term limits are the bedrock of democratic accountability. They ensure leaders serve the nation, not themselves and protect us from a slide back into authoritarianism,” the statement said.
“The Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013) was forged in the spirit of democratic accountability and explicitly designed to prevent the perpetual rule we endured in the past.
“The ruling party’s attempts to extend the incumbent’s term are not only unethical but also directly confront the supreme law of the land. (Section 91(2)) clearly restricts the incumbent President, having already served two terms (2018-23 and 2023-28), from seeking re-election.
“This is the ultimate constitutional guardrail. It means that even if Parliament votes to change the term limit to three terms, this change cannot legally benefit the person currently holding the office.”
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