TSHABANGU PLOT TO HELP MNANGAGWA 2030 BID REVEALED

Self-imposed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, has reached out to Zanu PF to urgently cobble up a unity government with his camp, which will see elections being suspended for two years.

Zanu PF is embroiled in internal fights over a call by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s loyalists to suspend elections and extend the ruling party leader’s term of office until 2030 with a faction linked to Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga rejecting the idea outrightly.

The 2030 plot involves avoiding a costly referendum to amend the constitution to extend Mnangagwa’s term of office by going via the parliamentary route where Zanu PF enjoys a two-thirds majority.

Tshabangu’s camp wants the two processes avoided, and has reached out to Zanu PF to cobble up a unity government with his CCC party and then suspend elections altogether.

Mnangagwa’s second and last term of office is due to expire in 2028.

Tshabangu is holding the reins of the CCC after the High Court nullified all party leadership positions from the 2019 Gweru congress.

The opposition CCC is embroiled in a fierce internal struggle, which has spilled into the courts as a camp led by Welshamn Ncube battles to reclaim the party from Tshabangu.

Tshabangu’s spokesperson, Nqobizitha Mlilo, told The Standard that elections were a waste of time and toxic.

“Our people cannot afford to continue to be served in a cycle of disputed elections,” Mlilo said.

“People have gone through at least five or six disputed elections, and the result has been the same- an arrested economy and an economy that has no prospect of giving a better life to our people.”

Mlilo said postponing the elections to 2030 will help reset the country towards a path of economic recovery.

“We are interested in finding solutions to the problems that we have,” Mlilo said.

“If 2030, is the consequence of our national dialogue and that elections are postponed and we get ourselves to 2030, so be it.

“But that is not the primary consideration.

“2030 in that instance becomes the product of national dialogue, not the end in itself.”

Mlilo said Zanu PF and the opposition needed each other

“Zanu has no capacity to cause an economic recovery in Zimbabwe,” he said.

“The opposition in this current form is so weakened that there’s no ability to overthrow this regime.

“So both parties are weak for different reasons.

“Both parties need to agree in order to strengthen themselves for different reasons.”

Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said the ruling party was ready to engage in dialogue with Tshabangu.

“It’s a very noble idea and it’s important that we build rapport and understanding with each other at the leadership level and all the people, who aspire to be leaders of Zimbabwe so that we involve the ideas of the Zimbabwe we want,” Mutsvangwa said.

“Because that then creates the parameters upon, which any other process that we can pursue and realise.”

He likened Tshabangu’s quest for dialogue to the Mozambican situation where the country’s President Daniel Chapo met with his political rival, Venancio Mondlane, to resolve the political crisis in the country following a disputed election.

Mutsvangwa described the Mozambican dialogue as the golden template.

“There is also the golden template now of Mozambique after the hiatus, which went on subsequent to their contested elections, it’s indicative how the parties in Mozambique came together as a wakeup call to avoid the violence, exactly the same arrangement that Tshabangu is talking about,” Mutsvangwa said.

“Our president has been championing this for some time, and there may have been challenges along the way, but with the buy-in of Tshabangu, that idea is gaining traction.

“It’s a stance which our president has always championed, although it may have faced challenges along the way still is and remains the way to go.”

The 2030 Zanu PF crusaders are pushing for the amendment of the constitution to allow Mnangagwa to rule until 2030.

Anti-Mnangagwa critics have argued that the Zanu PF leader would require the support of the opposition Parliament to succeed in the constitutional changes. *_-The Standard_*