MNANGAGWA’S SECRET COUP AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION

In 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa removed Robert Mugabe from power through a military coup. Many people thought this would bring change. But Mnangagwa only became another version of Mugabe. In some ways, he has become worse. Now he wants to do something even more dangerous. He wants to break the constitution so that he can stay in power for more years.

There is a plan from Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to change the constitution. This plan is called Constitutional Amendment No. 3. If this happens, Mnangagwa could get two or three more years in office. This is not just a plan. It is an attack on the constitution. It is like another coup, but this time it is not with guns. It is done by changing laws in the wrong way.

This plan is not new. It was first brought forward by MP Energy Mutodi. The idea started after a ZANU PF meeting in Bulawayo last year. At that meeting, they agreed that Mnangagwa should stay in power if he wants to. But instead of doing this the legal way by removing term limits, they are now trying to just delay elections and extend the life of parliament. This is a trick to give Mnangagwa more time without changing the rules properly.

The first plan was to give Mnangagwa a third term. But they saw that it was very hard. To do that, they would need two referendums. That takes time and is not easy. So they gave up on that plan. Now the new plan is to delay elections and keep the same parliament for two or three more years. Mnangagwa will benefit from this. But lawyers say this is wrong and against the law.

Parliament cannot just decide to stay longer. That would be breaking the constitution. Elections cannot be postponed just like that. The only way to change term limits is to go through a referendum. And even then, the person in power cannot benefit from that change. That is the law. To allow Mnangagwa to benefit, they would need a second referendum. But even with two referendums, some people say it is not allowed. The constitution was made to stop this kind of thing. It was designed after the Mugabe years to stop leaders from staying too long.

Changing this rule would be very serious. It would not just be a small change. It would be like writing a whole new constitution. This is why what Mnangagwa and Ziyambi are doing is very dangerous. It is like a coup against the constitution.

A coup against the constitution means breaking the main laws that protect the country and the people. The constitution says that no leader must have too much power. That is why there are term limits. When a leader breaks those limits, it is a threat to democracy. It is a danger to people’s rights and freedoms. It also means the leader is using the government and its powers for personal benefit.

In Zimbabwe, we have seen this before. Leaders do not respect the law. They use power to stay in charge and stop change. This plan to extend Mnangagwa’s rule without elections is wrong. It goes against the rules and hurts our democracy.

Mnangagwa says he wants to stay in power to help the country. He says it is for development and peace. But real peace and development come from fair leadership, not from one man staying in power for too long. Term limits are important. They stop leaders from becoming dictators. They help protect the people and make sure new leaders can come with new ideas.

Mnangagwa’s plan is not about helping Zimbabwe. It is about keeping power. And that is a big danger to our future.