SELF-PROCLAIMED Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu has backtracked on his earlier position on the proposed postponement of the 2028 elections and extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s rule saying there is no party stance on the subject.
This comes as exiled former Cabinet minister Savior Kasukuwere yesterday rallied Zimbabweans to unite and stop attempts to amend the Constitution and extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office from 2028 to 2030.
Tshabangu attracted a backlash after he appeared to encourage Mnangagwa to cling to power during the legislators’ visit to the President’s Precabe Farm in Kwekwe over the weekend.
This was days after his parliamentary chief whip Charles Moyo had said the party was pushing for the deferment of the 2028 elections.
However, Tshabangu’s spokesperson Nqobizitha Mlilo said the issue had not been brought before the party and there was no official position.
“As we have said before, there is no party position on postponement of national elections in 2028,” Mlilo said.
“That issue has not arisen as yet or been presented in the party or party parliamentary caucus.”
Mlilo made it clear that the CCC has not deliberated on or endorsed any proposal to delay the 2028 polls.
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He also spoke of the role of Members of Parliament as representatives of their constituencies, stating: “Members of Parliament represent their respective constituencies and the people of Zimbabwe in general.
“They are entitled to raise whatever motion they are sent by their respective constituencies to raise.”
Despite acknowledging the right of MPs to table issues from their constituents, Mlilo underscored that any discussion on deferring elections should be approached cautiously.
“Be that as it may, the deferment of elections, if things come to that, should not and cannot be a goal in and of itself,” he said.
Mnangagwa has repeatedly said he does not want to extend his term of office beyond 2028.
His loyalists are, however, in overdrive pushing the 2030 agenda in line with the ruling Zanu PF party’s national people’s conference resolution made last October to extend his term of office.
In a statement yesterday, Kasukuwere said Zimbabwe found itself entering another year under the shadow of a deepening political crisis.
“The spectre of constitutional amendments aimed at extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond its legally stipulated limits looms ominously,” he said
“This move, orchestrated by factions within the ruling Zanu PF party and government, signifies a disturbing escalation in the erosion of democratic principles in Zimbabwe.
“It is a situation demanding immediate and unified action from all Zimbabweans who yearn for justice, stability, and progress.”
Kasukuwere said the 2030 agenda exemplified the worst forms of elite capture and political self-interest.
“It is a glaring affront to a nation already crippled by a decade-long economic, social and political crisis,” he said.
“This move betrays the ideals of the so-called ‘Restore Legacy Project’, which was heralded as a turning point following the military intervention that ousted Robert Mugabe in 2017.”
Yesterday, the National Democratic Working Group (NDWG) urged Zimbabweans to unite and stop Zanu PF from amending the Constitution to extend Mnangagwa’s term of office.
Addressing journalists in Harare, NDWG Northern Region facilitator Wurayayi Zembe said human rights abuses witnessed in the recent past could not be allowed to continue.
“As the people-centred consultative movement, the NDWG calls upon all progressive political parties and pressure groups, in Zimbabwe and in the diaspora, to come on board and join other progressive forces constituting the NDWG to deliver a fatal blow to the current Zanu PF dictatorship. The national democratic revolution needs all hands on deck,” Zembe said.
He accused Zanu PF of wanting to rob citizens of their constitutional rights by suspending the 2028 elections.
“In our nationwide consultation and engagement with the people of our country towards the holding of a national democratic convention, the masses are calling for a strong response to the attempts by Zanu PF and its surrogate sidekicks to subvert the Constitution and extend their existence beyond what the people of Zimbabwe agreed to be an inviolable cardinal rule of how our nation must be governed,” Zembe said.
“People are demanding free, fair and democratic elections that will usher in a government of their choice.”
Legal expert Aaron Hamauswa warned of the democratic implications of tampering with the Constitution to benefit an individual.
“Zimbabwe’s Constitution provides clear term limits to safeguard against authoritarian rule,” he said.
“Any move to extend these limits undermines the democratic principles enshrined in our laws.
“While Zanu PF may have the numbers in Parliament, the real battle will be convincing the electorate to endorse such a change.”
Mnangagwa’s leadership has faced criticism over economic hardships, corruption and alleged human rights abuses.
Despite Zanu PF’s history of mobilising rural support, People Unity Party leader Herbert Chimuka said the party might struggle to sell this initiative to an increasingly frustrated populace.
“Zimbabweans are grappling with inflation, unemployment and declining public services,” he sad.
“Asking them to support a constitutional amendment that benefits the President personally might provoke resentment rather than loyalty.”
