THE FOOLISH LIE ABOUT TERM LIMITS THAT ZANU PF WANTS ZIMBABWE TO BELIEVE

The idea that Zanu PF officials, legal enablers and some political consultants are pushing today is one of the most shocking and foolish things I have ever heard in our politics. They want people to believe that the constitution of Zimbabwe only fixes the number of presidential terms, but does not fix the length of each term. They claim a president can serve two terms, but those terms can be made longer than five years without asking the people. They want to use this strange idea to keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa in power until 2030 without a referendum. This is not only wrong. It is absurd.

There is no place in the constitution where this idea exists. It goes against the letter and the spirit of the law. It goes against the whole point of a constitutional democracy. It goes against the basic rules that protect a country from leaders who want too much power.

Zimbabwe added presidential term limits in 2013 for a reason. People were tired of power being held by one man for too long. The country wanted peaceful changes in leadership and fair elections every five years. These limits were brought in because of the long and painful rule of Robert Mugabe, who was finally removed by Mnangagwa and the army in a coup in November 2017. The whole purpose was to stop exactly this type of attempt to stay in power forever.

The constitution is very clear. A president can only serve two terms, and each term is five years. Sections 91 and 95 make this very easy to understand. If anyone wants to change this, then the country must have a referendum. And even if the constitution is changed, the sitting president cannot benefit from it. This rule was debated in 2013, and it was also a big issue during the failed 2000 constitution process. Everyone knew term limits must not be something a leader can change for himself.

Now Zanu PF leaders want to pretend that the constitution says something else. They say there is a gap in the law. They call it a lacuna. But anyone who knows the history and the reasons behind the constitution can see this is false. This argument ignores the background, the process, and the spirit in which the constitution was written. It ignores the values of a democracy. It is just a trick to fool the nation.

This idea was first pushed in public by Professor Jonathan Moyo, but the truth is that Zanu PF officials had been talking about it quietly for a long time. Even inside Zanu PF there is no agreement. Mnangagwa and his faction support the idea because it helps him stay longer in office. But Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and his allies do not support it because it blocks their own ambitions.

Some Zanu PF leaders know this idea is wrong. Patrick Chinamasa, a lawyer and former legal affairs secretary, told the party last year in Bulawayo that Mnangagwa cannot extend his term unless he accepts the party resolution and then two referendums must be held to remove term limits and also allow him to benefit. This shows how far from the truth the current argument is.

Mnangagwa likes to say he respects the constitution. But this is the same man who came to power through a coup. He knows very well that this idea is illegal. That is why he is pushing it secretly while pretending to be innocent. He is trying to change the constitution from the back door, the same way many dictators across Africa have done.

There is nothing new about this behaviour. Zanu PF is not being clever. They are only copying other authoritarian leaders who fear losing power. These actions have destroyed many African countries. They have brought unrest, instability, suffering, and even coups.

This move is dangerous, selfish and completely wrong. It is the behaviour of a desperate regime that does not care about the people. And it must be resisted.