IS ZIMBABWE READY FOR A TRUE PLANNED SUCCESSION?

For many years Zimbabwe has lived under the same story of power. Leaders do not come and go in a normal way. Instead, the story has always been about who has the war history, who has the army on his side, and who can keep the party together. Now people are talking again about what will happen after President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Some say it will be his deputy, Constantino Chiwenga. Others say there is a big fight between them. But when we look close, we see the truth is more complex.

The history of Mnangagwa and Chiwenga is not the story of two men who hate each other. It is the story of two men who walked together for a long time. They both came from the liberation struggle, and they both know that their power depends on each other. When Mugabe was removed in 2017, it was not just Mnangagwa acting alone. It was Chiwenga, as the head of the army, who made sure that Mnangagwa came back after being pushed into exile in South Africa. That move, called Operation Restore Legacy, gave Mnangagwa the seat. Without Chiwenga, it is clear that Mnangagwa would not have had such a smooth path to the State House.

This is why it sounds weak when people try to say there is open war between the two. They have a pact that was signed in blood and in history. They helped each other in the past, and they continue to need each other now. Zimbabwe is not used to seeing leaders step aside for another in a peaceful and planned way. Mugabe never planned for anyone to take over until the very end when he was forced out. Now, Mnangagwa faces the same question: can he plan for his own exit and hand over to someone else without chaos?

If Zimbabwe is to have a true planned succession, it means the people of Zimbabwe should also have a say. It should not be only about the top men in the party, the generals, or the war veterans. It should be about citizens choosing who leads them. But the sad truth is that ZANU PF has never allowed real choice. They only change faces when the pressure inside becomes too much.

The talk about Mnangagwa and Chiwenga is really the talk about power inside ZANU PF. Will Mnangagwa stay longer and try to change the constitution to allow more years? Will he hand over quietly to Chiwenga when the time comes? Or will others in the party try to block both of them and put their own person forward? No one knows for sure. What we know is that this so-called succession is not about democracy. It is about keeping the same system alive.

Zimbabweans must ask themselves if this is what they want forever. Do we want to live in a country where leadership is decided by secret deals and military power? Or do we want a country where the people vote and their vote really counts? The history of Mnangagwa and Chiwenga shows us that planned succession in ZANU PF will never be about the people. It will only be about them and their friends.

After nearly fifty years, Zimbabwe has never had a smooth, open and honest handover of power. Every time it has been through force, trickery, or behind-the-scenes moves. If Zimbabwe is ever to be free, the question must not be who between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga takes over. The question must be when will the people of Zimbabwe finally be allowed to choose their own leader without fear and without control from the party. Until that day, talk of a planned succession will remain a joke.