Political Reporter
HARARE – A senior ally of President Emmerson Mnangagwa has ignited a political firestorm by declaring there will be “no elections in 2028,” signalling an alleged push to extend the President’s final term and revealing an intricate succession plan designed to sideline Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
Daniel Garwe, Zanu PF’s Mashonaland East provincial chairman and a key Mnangagwa loyalist, made the explosive remarks while addressing a party District Coordinating Committee (DCC) meeting on August 11th.
“There is no election. DCC, do you hear? There are no elections,” Garwe stated emphatically.
“We’re going to 2030 building the country, whether they like it or not, shame or no shame, we’re unstoppable.”
Garwe framed this assertion around Mnangagwa’s “Vision 2030” economic blueprint, declaring it “unstoppable” and claiming “no-one born of a woman” could halt its progress. His comments are widely interpreted as a direct challenge to Vice President Chiwenga, the perceived leading contender to succeed Mnangagwa.
In a thinly veiled attack likely aimed at Chiwenga and other rivals, Garwe mocked unnamed figures, alleging one “plucked a live black chicken” in rituals seeking power. He added pointedly,
“The one ruling is Mnangagwa… Don’t kill chickens in vain.”
Extending Mnangagwa’s constitutionally mandated second term, which expires in 2028, would require significant amendments to Zimbabwe’s supreme law – a move certain to face fierce resistance from opposition parties and potentially from factions within Zanu PF itself.
While party insiders reportedly told ZimLive that Mnangagwa has privately affirmed he will step down in 2028, a complex succession strategy appears to be unfolding behind the scenes. Sources indicate Mnangagwa’s allies are actively working to block Chiwenga’s path to the presidency.
The reported plan involves elevating sanctioned business tycoon Kudakwashe Tagwirei to the presidency of Zanu PF at the party’s congress in 2027. Under this scheme, Mnangagwa would resign on schedule in 2028. Tagwirei, having been appointed Vice President by that time, would then assume the presidency to serve out the remainder of an extended term running through to 2030.
If successful, this maneuver would mark an unprecedented shift in Zimbabwean politics, placing a business figure, rather than a career politician or military leader, in the country’s highest office for the first time.
The declaration of “no elections” and the emergence of this succession plan signal intense internal Zanu PF battles and potential constitutional turmoil as the nation looks towards 2028.
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