Zanu PF conference passes resolution that allows Mnagagwa to extend term till 2030
BULAWAYO – Zanu PF has passed a resolution to allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his term of office up to 2030.
The position was announced to an ecstatic auditorium by party secretary for legal affairs Patrick Chinamasa at the ongoing Zanu PF Annual People’s Conference in Bulawayo this Saturday.
Mnangagwa’s two term limits prescribed by the constitution allow the incumbent to serve until 2028.
However, in a culmination of intense lobbying by ardent Mnangagwa followers within the party, Chinamasa said Zanu PF has resolved that “…the President and first secretary of Zanu PF, His Excellency, Cde Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office as President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and first secretary of Zanu PF be extended beyond 2028 to 2030”.
He added, “That the party and government set in motion the necessary amendments to the national Constitution so as to give effect to these resolutions.”
Chinamasa was however quick to distance Mnangagwa from the controversial party position, telling delegates at the televised indaba that Zimbabwe’s ruler had no plans to serve beyond what is prescribed by the national constitution.
“His Excellency is saying l am a constitutionalist, and l have no intention of serving beyond 2028,” he said.
“This may come as sad news to you, but please don’t stone the message. Where we stand, distinguished guests, of all resolutions, there is one resolution which cannot be implemented without the express consent and agreement of His Excellency, President Cde Dr Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.
“On Monday, when he told me this, he said feel free to tell them you consulted me, which is what l am conveying to you this afternoon.
“So, we have our resolution, but we must understand coming from here, that it will not go anywhere because His Excellency is emphatic that when 2028 comes, he will not serve beyond that date.
“He is very emphatic that he had a hand in drafting and crafting of this Constitution and cannot be seen nationally and globally violating what he put in place.”
However, it would take effort to convince critics of the 82-year-old leader he indeed means his word when he says he wants to stick to the dictates of the constitution.
Mnangagwa declared during an address some few years ago that he will still be in charge as late as 2030.
Responding to the Zanu PF resolution, exiled former cabinet minister and ex-party political commissar Saviour Kasukuwere said it was always a mistake to allow Mnangagwa to be president.
“The worst mistake any people can do is to give power to a corrupt and wicked man, because you won’t remove him. From day one, he will find ways to fortify himself so that his past never catches up with him. A man with a lot to lose will never let go!…” he posted on X.