HARARE — The Government is preparing to move ahead with a controversial constitutional amendment that could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030, a development critics say signals a deepening push toward executive entrenchment rather than routine legal reform.
ZANU PF Secretary for Legal Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed at a provincial party meeting in Mashonaland West that the principles of the proposed amendment will soon be tabled before Cabinet when it resumes sitting in February. The move follows the ruling party’s adoption of Resolution Number One, which calls for extending the President’s term beyond the current constitutional limits.
If Cabinet endorses the principles, a Constitutional Amendment Bill will be introduced in Parliament. Should it pass through the legislature, it would then be sent to the President for assent.
Ziyambi insisted the process is lawful and consistent with constitutional procedures, arguing that the Constitution provides mechanisms for amendment. He characterised the proposal as a party position rather than a personal initiative by the President, saying it reflects the “will of the party”.
However, constitutional scholars and opposition figures have warned that altering presidential term limits is not a routine legal adjustment but a fundamental shift with far-reaching implications for democratic governance. Term limits are widely viewed as safeguards designed to prevent the concentration of power and to guarantee leadership rotation — a cornerstone of constitutional democracy.
Critics argue that while the Constitution does allow amendments, not all provisions carry equal democratic weight. Changes affecting executive tenure, they say, go to the heart of the post-2013 constitutional settlement, which was presented to voters as a framework to strengthen checks and balances after decades of centralised rule.
Ziyambi dismissed anticipated resistance from civic groups and opposition parties, accusing them of selectively defending the Constitution while ignoring its amendment clauses. He said that once Parliament passes the Bill through lawful procedures, the President would be constitutionally bound to assent.
Opposition actors, however, contend that the issue is not merely procedural legality but political legitimacy. They argue that using parliamentary dominance to alter term limits undermines the spirit of constitutionalism, particularly in a system where electoral institutions and civic space are already heavily contested.
The proposed amendment comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s opposition remains organisationally fragmented but increasingly vocal about governance and succession issues. Analysts say a sustained push to revise tenure provisions could become a rallying point for broader civic and political mobilisation centred on constitutional defence.
At the same meeting, Ziyambi turned to internal party matters, urging ZANU PF members in Mashonaland West to maintain unity and discipline. He warned against factionalism and the misuse of senior leaders’ names for personal advancement, an indication of ongoing internal tensions within the ruling party’s provincial structures.
Mashonaland West provincial chair Mary Mliswa-Chikoka said the province was ready for the party’s Cell Verification Day and expressed confidence in winning the Chegutu Ward 1 by-election scheduled for February 21.
The seat became vacant following the death of Citizens Coalition for Change councillor Kimpton Mkombwe in December after a mine shaft collapse at Bluerock Mine in Gadzema.
ZANU PF selected Gift Konjana, a former MDC Alliance parliamentary candidate who defected to the ruling party in 2023, as its candidate for the by-election.
While the ruling party frames the constitutional amendment as a lawful and internal political process, critics view it as the opening phase of a high-stakes national debate over the future of presidential succession, constitutional limits and the trajectory of Zimbabwe’s democracy.
