MNANGAGWA WANTS TO RULE UNTIL 2030 BUT WILL CHIWENGA FIGHT BACK?

Zanu PF has now shown its hand. Ten provinces have already said they want the party to push ahead with the decision that was made last year in Bulawayo. That decision was to keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa in power beyond 2028. By law, 2028 is the end of his second and final term. But the party wants to change that. They want him to stay until 2030. This will be discussed and pushed at the Mutare convention.

This is not a small move. It is a very big step because it is a way to give Mnangagwa a third term without saying it directly. The constitution says two terms only. But the Zanu PF faction around Mnangagwa is ready to force another way. This shows us that power and control mean more to them than respecting the law of the land. For the people of Zimbabwe, it means more years of the same suffering, the same corruption, and the same lack of hope.

The main question now is what Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga will do. For a long time, there has been talk about the fight between Mnangagwa and Chiwenga inside Zanu PF. It is an open secret that the two camps do not fully trust each other. Chiwenga and his allies believe he was promised power when Mnangagwa was done. Now they see that Mnangagwa is working to close the door and block that handover.

In Mutare, the pressure will be very strong. Chiwenga has three options. The first is to accept and keep quiet. That would make him look weak, and many of his supporters would lose hope in him. The second option is to resist quietly and try to delay things. But that will not stop Mnangagwa from moving ahead because ten provinces are already behind him. The third option is the most dangerous for him and the party. That is to reject the plan outright. If he does that, it will expose the deep cracks in Zanu PF. It could even push the fight into the open.

This struggle is not only about two men. It is about how Zimbabwe will be ruled in the next years. If Mnangagwa is allowed to stay until 2030, then the constitution will be meaningless. It will set a bad example that anyone in power can change rules to fit their wishes. It means elections will not matter because the ruling party will always twist the law. This is why this is not only an issue for Zanu PF members. It is an issue for every Zimbabwean.

People are tired of endless fights inside Zanu PF while the economy collapses. Families cannot afford basic food. Hospitals have no medicines. Young people are leaving the country because there is no future here. Yet those in power only think about how long they can stay in office. This shows clearly that the system is broken and does not care about the people.

What happens in Mutare will be very important. If Chiwenga bows down, it will mean Mnangagwa has fully captured the party and will likely get his way to 2030. If Chiwenga resists, then Zimbabwe could see a serious internal war inside Zanu PF. That war may not bring freedom or change, but it will weaken the ruling party. That may open some space for the opposition and for citizens to push harder.

For the people, the lesson is clear. We cannot wait for fights inside Zanu PF to give us freedom. We must push ourselves. We must not allow leaders to play with the constitution like a toy. If we let them do it today, they will do it again tomorrow.

Zimbabwe needs real change, not power games. What happens in Mutare will show us how far Mnangagwa is willing to go, and whether Chiwenga has the courage to stand up. But no matter what they do, the people must be ready to fight for a free and fair country.