MNANGAGWA’S NEW COUP: A DANGEROUS MOVE AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION

In November 2017, Emmerson Mnangagwa removed Robert Mugabe through a military coup. Many people thought this would bring change. But it did not. Mnangagwa has turned out to be just like Mugabe, maybe even worse. Now he wants to do another coup. This time, it is not with guns, but with the law. He wants to go against the constitution so he can stay in power longer.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi wrote a paper with a new plan. The paper says they want to change the constitution again. This change is called Constitutional Amendment No. 3. The goal is to give Mnangagwa two or three more years in power. This plan is not new. It had already been discussed before and was supposed to be pushed by MP Energy Mutodi.

At the ZANU PF conference in Bulawayo last year, a resolution was made. It said Mnangagwa can stay in power if he wants. So now the government is trying to make that happen. But instead of removing term limits the legal way, which needs a public vote, they want to use parliament to extend its time. If they succeed, Mnangagwa will benefit from it.

At first, the plan was to give Mnangagwa a third term. But that was too difficult. The law says for that to happen, there must be two national votes, called referenda. And even then, the current president is not allowed to benefit from that change. So that plan was dropped.

Now, the new plan is to delay elections and extend parliament’s time by two or three years. That way, Mnangagwa stays in power longer without removing term limits. But legal experts say this is not allowed. It is against the constitution. Parliament cannot just change the rules and give itself more time. Elections also cannot be postponed just like that.

The only way to legally change term limits is through a referendum. And even then, Mnangagwa cannot benefit unless a second vote is held to remove the rule that blocks him. Some lawyers say that even with two votes, a sitting president should still not benefit. This was done to stop presidents from holding on to power forever. This rule was added because of what happened with Mugabe.

Changing this now means rewriting the whole constitution. And that is dangerous. It removes the checks and balances that help control the president’s power. What Mnangagwa and Ziyambi are doing is not just wrong. It is a coup against the constitution.

A coup against the constitution is when leaders break or ignore the most important laws of the country. The constitution says power should be limited. It gives freedom and rights to the people. When leaders go against it, they are going against the people and democracy.

When one man wants all the power, that is dictatorship. It is bad for freedom, bad for development, and bad for the future of the country. Leaders are supposed to serve the people, not rule them forever. Public offices and institutions should not be used for personal gain.

In Zimbabwe, people have already seen what happens when power is abused. Now it is happening again. If Mnangagwa stays longer without elections, then the people have no voice. That is not democracy.

He says he wants to stay for peace and development. But that is just an excuse. Real peace comes from good leadership, fairness, and respect for the law. Term limits protect the country from leaders who never want to leave. They bring new ideas and stop the abuse of power.

Zimbabwe needs strong laws, not strongmen. The constitution must be respected. Mnangagwa must not be allowed to change it just to stay in power. This is a serious threat to democracy. And the people of Zimbabwe must speak out before it is too late.