Zanu PF plots ED’s life presidency

The ruling Zanu PF party structures in Manicaland province have made fresh controversial demands to have President Emmerson Mnangagwa remain in office beyond 2030, which is tantamount to ruling forever, a move critics say gives the veteran politician carte blanche.

 

The development is reminiscent of the late former President Robert Mugabe’s days in office when loyalists wanted him to rule, even from the grave.

 

Mugabe was swept out of power in a November 2017 coup, while some of his loyalists behind the controversial bid to rule forever despite old age and ill-health were hounded out of the country.

 

Zanu PF is currently beset with infighting over plans to extend Mnangagwa’s term by a further two years to 2030.

 

Mnangagwa has said he does not intend to extend his tenure, adding that he would retire at the end of his constitutionally-mandated two terms in 2028.

 

Zanu PF adopted a resolution to extend his term of office to 2030 at the party’s annual conference in Bulawayo last year.

 

This has seen loyalists in frantic efforts to whip structures and affiliate groups as well as ordinary Zimbabweans to support the 2030 push. Manicaland province has gone a gear up, saying Mnangagwa must be in office be- yond 2030.

 

This was revealed at a Chimanimani inter-district meeting in Biriri over the weekend.

 

The meeting was attended by Zanu PF Manicaland provincial chairperson Tawanda Mukodza, provincial youth chairperson Stanley Sakupwanya, Chimanimani district development co-ordinating committee chairperson Brighton Muchuwa, Chimanimani West legislator Wilson Maphosa and Chimanimani East MP Joshua Sacco who is also a politburo member.

 

Sacco was the guest of honour at the meeting.

 

Addressing hundreds of Zanu PF supporters Muchuwa said they followed where there was power.

 

“We follow where there is power and President Emmerson Mnangagwa has power and we are loyal to him. One day I was in office with my chairperson Tawanda Mukodza and it was clear to me that in life if you have loyalty you won’t have problems,” he said.

 

“As a district we are saying that we are behind President Emmerson Mnangagwa and we resolved that he should go beyond 2030.”

 

Mukodza read out the conference resolutions made in Bulawayo where provinces resolved that Mnangagwa must have his tenure extended beyond 2028.

 

“We are not going back on the President Emmerson Mnangagwa 2030 issue. We had a provincial inter-district, we went to the central committee and we went to a conference and agreed that our president should remain until 2030 and we need to implement that to happen,” he said.

 

“I heard that there are some people who are questioning in villages about the resolutions made in Bulawayo, comrades. This is what we agreed as Zanu PF and we don’t want people who come here and divide the party and the district.”

 

Mukodza threatened to deal with individuals fanning indiscipline in the party.

 

“There are some individuals who have gone out of the way even saying bad things about the presidium, we don’t allow indiscipline in the party, we are going to deal with them and we are very serious,” he said.

 

Zanu PF has been hit hard by infighting and factionalism over the 2030 agenda with some structures suspected of not supporting the resolution facing intimidation as well as being denied food aid and agricultural inputs. Newsday