Zimbabwe could face turmoil if Mnangagwa’s term is extended: Ex-Minister

Zimbabwe could face turmoil if Mnangagwa’s term is extended: Ex-Minister

Former Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development deputy minister, Godfrey Gandawa, has warned that proposals to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office could destabilise the country and undermine democratic governance.

Writing from South Africa, where he has been living in exile since 2018 following a political attack, Gandawa submitted his views to Parliament through DHL as part of public participation on the Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill, H.B. 1, 2026.

In his submission dated 30 March 2026, Gandawa stressed that the 2013 Constitution, approved by over 90% of voters, was designed to prevent the concentration of executive power and protect Zimbabweans’ right to meaningful participation in choosing their leaders.

He argued that Amendment No. 3, which seeks to alter the method of selecting the Head of State, threatens these safeguards and risks reversing decades of constitutional progress.

“Amendment No. 3 is not a neutral proposal. It reopens a constitutional wound that the nation worked painstakingly to close,” Gandawa said.

“Any attempt to dilute, suspend, or reinterpret term limits therefore strikes at the heart of democratic self-government.

“It weakens the constitutional architecture designed to protect citizens from indefinite rule and undermines the very safeguards that distinguish a republic from a personalised regime.”

He cautioned that weakening term limits or changing the method of electing the President could erode legitimacy, fuel political tensions, and create conditions for conflict, lessons reflected in other African countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, and Burundi.

“A responsible society does not wait for such tensions to erupt. It corrects constitutional distortions through peaceful, democratic, and lawful mechanisms,” Gandawa noted.

“It honours the liberation promise not only in rhetoric, but in institutional design. It ensures that the people remain the ultimate authors of their political destiny.”

Gandawa, who served as Magunje constituency MP from 2013 to 2018, highlighted that his own exile and the assassination attempt he survived in 2018 were direct consequences of political intolerance and the abuse of state power.

He said the proposed amendment risked repeating these patterns on a national scale.

The former minister called on Parliament to uphold constitutional supremacy, safeguard term limits, and ensure that the sovereignty of the people remains central to Zimbabwe’s democratic process.

“Any attempt to shift this power away from the people must be scrutinised with the highest degree of constitutional vigilance, historical awareness, and democratic responsibility,” he wrote.

The Bill, which is currently going through public consultations, has created divisions within Zanu PF and the country at large.

Ruling party members aligned to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who had been seen as the front-runner in the race to replace Mnangagwa, do not want it to succeed.

Civil society organisations have at least been calling for a referendum citing provisions of the Constitution. But the drafters of the Bill, Attorney-General Virginia Mabhiza and Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi have been adamant that a referendum is not necessary. *_-Nehanda Radio_*