MNANGAGWA’S NEW COUP: THIS TIME AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION

In November 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa took power from Robert Mugabe through a military coup. Many people thought this would bring change. But nothing changed. Mnangagwa became just like Mugabe, or even worse. Now, Mnangagwa is planning another coup. This time, it is not against a person. It is against the constitution.

Leaked papers show that Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi sent a proposal to cabinet. The proposal is called Constitutional Amendment No. 3. It says Mnangagwa must stay in power for two or three more years. Many people, including lawyers, say this is illegal. They say it is like a coup on the constitution.

This plan is not new. It was already talked about before. Bikita South MP Energy Mutodi was supposed to bring it to Parliament. The plan came after the ZANU PF conference in Bulawayo last year. At that meeting, they said Mnangagwa can stay in power if he wants.

Instead of following the law and asking the people in a referendum to change the constitution, Mnangagwa is trying to use Parliament to help him stay in power. The first plan was to give him a third term. But they found that this was too hard. It needed two referenda. That plan was dropped.

Now, the new plan is to extend Parliament’s term and delay elections. This way, Mnangagwa can stay longer without officially removing term limits. But this is also wrong. The constitution does not allow Parliament to extend its term or delay elections just like that.

Lawyers say that the only legal way is through a referendum. Even then, the current president cannot benefit from the change. To make it possible for him to benefit, they would need a second referendum to remove the part that stops an incumbent from benefiting.

There are two ways to look at this. Some people say the president can benefit after two referenda. Others say he can never benefit. The writers of the constitution made sure that no leader could use changes to stay longer. This was to stop another Mugabe situation.

Changing that idea would not just be an amendment. It would be like writing a whole new constitution. Mnangagwa is using Ziyambi to push this plan. Ziyambi is the leader of government business in Parliament. But what they are doing is wrong.

A coup against the constitution means breaking the rules in the constitution. The rules say the president can only serve for two terms. These rules are there to stop one person from having too much power. They are also there to protect freedom and democracy.

When leaders ignore the rules, they become dangerous. They stop listening to the people. They use government and state powers for their own benefit. When this happens, the people lose their rights and freedoms.

In Zimbabwe, there have always been problems with power and corruption. Now, Mnangagwa wants to stay longer by breaking the law. This is not just unfair. It is a big danger to the country.

If Mnangagwa changes the rules without asking the people, then elections mean nothing. It will destroy democracy and people’s trust in the system.

He says he wants to stay longer for peace, stability and development. But this is not true. Term limits are important. They stop leaders from becoming dictators. They help new ideas and leaders to come in. They also make leaders work hard for the people.

Good leadership means leaving power when your time is up. It means following the law. Mnangagwa wants to stay in power by force. That is not good leadership. That is fear of the future. And it is a real threat to democracy in Zimbabwe.