Biti vows to continue Geza’s fight against Mnangagwa 2030 term extension

FORMER legislator Tendai Biti says the opposition will honour the legacy of late war veteran Blessed Geza by continuing the fight against proposed constitutional changes aimed at postponing the 2028 general elections and extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term to 2030.

Geza, who made headlines last year after publicly calling for Mnangagwa’s immediate resignation, died last Friday in South Africa, where he had been in hiding following a nationwide police manhunt.

The outspoken war veteran had accused Mnangagwa and his allies of plundering national resources while the majority of Zimbabweans continued to suffer.

In a statement mourning Geza, Biti said the late activist’s unfinished mission was to resist what he described as a dangerous assault on Zimbabwe’s constitutional order.

“We shall never be able to fill his big shoes, but we vow to do justice to his memory by continuing his fight against constitutional manipulation and the attempt to create a kleptocratic dynasty,” Biti said.

He warned that the government was moving swiftly to formalise constitutional changes that would fundamentally alter Zimbabwe’s democratic framework.

“As the regime moves swiftly to gazette a constitutional Bill that will bastardise our Constitution by extending Mr Mnangagwa’s rule to 2030, allow Parliament to elect a President and push elections to 2035, we want to assure Bombshell that we will stand on his broad shoulders to resist and refuse this rank madness,” he said.

“We will defend the Constitution, for that’s all we have. That is all Bombshell had. That is what he fought for.”

Biti added that Geza’s political journey mirrored Zimbabwe’s broader struggle over constitutional governance, from the liberation war to post-independence demands for democracy and accountability.

Meanwhile, Zanu PF has confirmed that a draft Bill seeking to extend Mnangagwa’s term will be brought before Cabinet and Parliament, following a 2024 party conference resolution that placed the issue at the centre of the ruling party’s agenda._*NewZimbabwe*_