Zim GBC News | Political Reporter
HARARE – President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s spokesperson, George Charamba, has issued a stern warning to opposition politicians against mobilising street protests over the recently approved Constitutional Amendment Bill, stating that any attempts to incite instability will be met decisively.
The warning follows Cabinet’s approval of a draft bill proposing to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, effectively suspending the 2028 elections and allowing the president to be elected by Parliament.
In a pointed message directed at opposition figures calling for public demonstrations, Charamba made his position clear.
“Ndizvo zviripo mufunge (that is how things stand) any whiff of fomenting instability will be met decisively! Changu kukuyambira maererano nemamiriro ekunze (I am warning you about the prevailing conditions),” Charamba wrote.
Opposition Vows Multi-Pronged Fight
Opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume has confirmed that his party will challenge the amendments through multiple avenues, including the courts, Parliament, and public protests.
“We are launching strategic litigation in the courts in response to the Cabinet approval. We are fighting in Parliament to ensure that we raise one-third to stop this Bill. And most importantly, we are calling on Zimbabweans to get into the streets to exercise our constitutional rights to protest against these illegal constitutional changes,” Ngarivhume said.
Mahere Warns of Slippery Slope to Monarchy
Legal practitioner and former Mount Pleasant Member of Parliament, Fadzayi Mahere, has raised serious concerns that the proposed amendments could ultimately dismantle constitutional democracy in Zimbabwe entirely.
Since 2024, Zanu-PF has been pursuing plans to extend Mnangagwa’s second term by two years, moving elections from 2028 to 2030. Tuesday’s Cabinet approval of the draft Constitutional Amendment Bill formalises these intentions.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Mahere issued a stark warning:
“What stops them from extending it further to a ten-year term, then a twenty-year term and then eventually doing away with terms altogether? What stops them from replacing Parliament with a system of Monarchy?”
Zanu-PF Signals Openness to Further Extensions
Speaking on ZiFM Stereo’s Current Affairs show The Platform with Brian Sithole, Zanu-PF Chief Whip in Parliament Pupurai Togarepi suggested that term extensions beyond 2030 could be considered if public hearings indicate support.
“If we go to the public hearings and the people decide the two years is not enough, we are going to consult people and they say we don’t want two years we want more years, who are we to say no because we are doing it for the people of Zimbabwe. We will hear from them and what they say carries the day,” Togarepi said.
The Chief Whip’s remarks have intensified concerns among critics that the 2030 agenda could progressively erode constitutional safeguards and weaken democratic accountability in the southern African nation.
As the bill moves toward parliamentary debate, the nation remains divided between those who view the amendments as a necessary extension of development timelines and those who see them as a threat to democratic principles established in the 2013 Constitution.
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