A storm is brewing within Zanu PF as a campaign for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030 gains momentum, despite his repeated public pronouncements to the contrary and growing resistance from within the party and the military.
New regalia emblazoned with the “ED 2030” slogan has emerged, highlighting the deepening divide within the ruling party, The Standard has reported.
This push for an extended Mnangagwa presidency is causing significant discontent among some Zanu PF members, who argue that the campaign violates the party’s constitution. The constitution stipulates that party regalia and slogans must be approved by the central committee before distribution. However, the “ED 2030” slogan and associated regalia have not received such endorsement.
Sources within Zanu PF suggest that provinces are being pressured to pass resolutions supporting Mnangagwa’s continued rule until 2030, a move seen as an attempt to thwart Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s presidential ambitions. This orchestrated effort is expected to force the party’s legal team to initiate the process of amending the national constitution through Parliament.
Zanu PF director of information, Farai Marapira, neither confirmed nor denied the existence of these resolutions or the legality of the “ED 2030” slogans. He stated that each province has the democratic right to pass resolutions in support of the President, dismissing the reports as “just rumours”.
“We cannot speak of resolutions when we are not at the congress and after all the provinces have the right to practise their democratic right but at the moment l cannot jump into conclusion,” Marapira said.
Mnangagwa himself has publicly distanced himself from the term extension campaign on three separate occasions this year, insisting that he will retire at the end of his current term in 2028.
During a recent Politburo meeting, he reiterated Zanu PF’s commitment to constitutionalism, stating, “Further, each and every one of us, here in the politburo, and indeed all members, have a sacrosanct constitutional obligation to uphold the unique character, principles and nature of our Party, Zanu PF.”
The “2030 VaMnangagwa vanenge vachipo” (2030 Mnangagwa will still be ruling) slogan, championed by loyalists such as former State Security minister Owen Ncube, further fuels speculation about Mnangagwa’s intentions.
However, Mnangagwa’s ambitions appear to face a significant roadblock in the form of the Zimbabwean military. Despite his public pronouncements, the military, a powerful force in the country’s political landscape, seems determined to prevent any extension of his presidency. This resistance adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing power struggle between Mnangagwa and Vice President Chiwenga, who is considered a potential successor.
“Although he publicly agrees to retire in 2028, he is privately signaling his supporters to push for a constitutional amendment to extend his term until 2030. This proposal is unpopular among the security forces and the general public, with only a few self-interested individuals supporting it.”
“There are various opinions on the succession issue. Most of the members in the party have said he should hang on to power, but he has said that he will follow the Constitution,” Dube stated. “We have not heard him saying he wants to cling on to power beyond his term of office, but we should know that while men propose, God disposes.”
Dube also voiced his reservations about the advice Mnangagwa is receiving, suggesting that some advisors are driven by self-interest.
“Advisers are problematic, those advising him are only looking at things that benefit themselves only,” he said.
“We must be careful with advice that we give to the President so that it does not benefit individuals only because we want his legacy to remain; these things can destroy his legacy after working so hard as minister, survived hangman’s noose and at the end of the day his legacy is destroyed like that.”
This isn’t the first time Dube has spoken out on succession. In 2017, he publicly urged then-President Robert Mugabe to name a successor amidst growing internal tensions within Zanu PF.
The confluence of internal dissent, military opposition, and public pronouncements against a term extension creates a precarious situation for Mnangagwa. The “ED 2030” campaign, despite its visible manifestations, faces significant hurdles.
Mnangagwa, who will be 86 years old in 2028, faces increasing pressure to clarify his intentions and address the growing unease within his own ranks and the wider Zimbabwean public.
