IS he going when his term ends in four years?
Or will he pull the rug from under the feet of citizens and go beyond the constitutionally mandated two terms?
These questions are cropping up every day with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s loyalists indicating that the leader is going nowhere despite his insistence that he would not butcher the Constitution to stay a day longer in office.
Over the weekend, a group of Mnangagwa loyalists under the umbrella Vapostori for ED joined the bandwagon saying the President should continue as kutonga kunoda ajaira which loosely means Mnangagwa should continue as he has the experience.
This has led to the creation of a slogan VaMngangagwa vanenge vachipo kusvika 2030 (Mnangagwa will be in power till 2030).
Every government meeting in which Mnangagwa presides over has also had the slogan.
The 2030 praise singers seem to be galvanised after Mnangagwa expressed his desire to extend his rule.
Speaking last month at the silver jubilee ordination anniversary of Archbishop Robert Ndlovu, Mnangagwa, who has previously denied attempts to extend his presidency beyond term limits, expressed a desire to rule for eternity.
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“Now me as President, anybody who preaches peace, love and harmony is my friend because then, the country would be peaceful, the country will be united and I can rule and rule and rule,” Mnangagwa said to wild applause.
In a recent interview with Brick by Brick magazine, Mnangagwa said: “There is not an iota of evidence where Zanu PF or I as President has ever expressed the violation of our Constitution.”
He said the third term bid was a figment of imagination of some people.
However, since that interview the 2030 movers have increased the volume in what critics say is a well-choreographed plan.
Mnangagwa has done little to rein in his lieutenant who have been busy with the 2030 chorus saying he would be there in office when Zimbabwe attains an upper-middle-income status by that date.
What is becoming clear by the day is a desire to extend the tenure after enjoying the trappings of power.
Term limits act as a bulwark against one individual from accumulating power and building a personality cult or the creation of “life Presidents”, a worrying recurrence on the continent.
A number of African countries have term limits.
Mozambique will in October this year elect its fifth President since 1975.
The makers of the 2013 Zimbabwe Constitution put the term limits in line with regional and international trends and this was voted for by citizens at a referendum.
It would be folly to “butcher” that covenant using whatever means.
We exhort President Mnangagwa not to pay too much attention to those who want him to extend his tenure as they are doing so to pursue their narrow interests. They want to continue in the gravy train notwithstanding that it is nearing its station.
History has shown those that cheer on a leader to make unpopular decisions are doing so for selfish interests. The same people that declared the late former President Robert Mugabe as “president for life” are the same ones pushing Mnangagwa to extend his stay.
Power is sweet; it is a drug, the desire for which increases with a habit, said British philosopher Betrand Russell. He was right as the 2030 choir goes into overdrive.
