Zimbabwe’s ruling party, ZANU-PF, set the nation’s political scene abuzz this weekend by announcing plans to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term by two years—a move that could keep the 83-year-old leader in power until 2030. The decision, revealed at the party’s annual conference in Mutare on October 18, 2025, has ignited both jubilation among loyalists and a firestorm of criticism from opposition figures and rival factions within the party itself, according to multiple reports including those from Reuters and AP.
Justice Minister and ZANU-PF legal secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi took center stage at the gathering, announcing that delegates had instructed the government to begin drafting legislation to amend the Constitution. “Initiate the requisite legislative amendments,” he declared, signaling the start of a process that, if successful, would allow Mnangagwa to sidestep the constitutional two-term limit set to end his presidency in 2028. The news was met with thunderous applause from hundreds of party delegates, reinforcing ZANU-PF’s reputation for tightly controlled, security-focused governance since Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980, as reported by AP.
Zimbabwe’s Constitution is clear: a president may serve only two five-year terms. Any extension would require not just a simple legislative tweak but a full-blown constitutional amendment. Legal experts, such as law lecturer Lovemore Madhuku, have suggested that the process could even require two national referendums—a daunting prospect in a country where political tension runs high and public trust in the electoral process is fragile.
President Mnangagwa, for his part, has long described himself as a “constitutionalist,” repeatedly insisting he has no interest in clinging to power. Yet, since last year’s hotly contested election, loyalists have quietly campaigned for him to stay in office beyond 2028. The president himself notably avoided the topic in his closing remarks at the conference, and Vice President Constantino Chiwenga—his main rival within the party—has remained silent on both the proposal and the recent protests it has sparked, according to Arab Times.
The maneuver has exposed deepening fissures within ZANU-PF. On one side are Mnangagwa’s supporters, who argue that continuity is essential for stability and the completion of ongoing projects. On the other, Chiwenga’s camp—bolstered by war veterans and party insiders—warns that extending Mnangagwa’s rule would be both legally and politically dangerous. Chiwenga, a former army chief who played a pivotal role in the 2017 ouster of longtime leader Robert Mugabe, has cultivated a following eager for generational change at the top.
Blessed Geza, a veteran of the liberation war and a vocal Chiwenga ally, has taken to YouTube to denounce the extension campaign, drawing thousands of viewers. Despite his calls for mass protests, demonstrations have largely fizzled, with police deploying heavily in Harare and other major cities. Still, the government’s response has been swift and forceful: on October 17, ten elderly activists—most in their 60s and 70s—were arrested in Harare for allegedly organizing a protest demanding Mnangagwa’s resignation. The group remains in custody, charged with attempting to incite public violence, and awaits a bail hearing on October 20. Earlier this year, authorities detained nearly 100 young people in similar circumstances, according to Eastleigh Voice.
The opposition has vowed to fight any attempt to rewrite the Constitution in court. Tendai Biti, a prominent opposition lawyer, minced no words in a statement on X: “We will defend the Constitution against its capture and manipulation to advance a dangerous, unconstitutional anti-people agenda.” Legal insiders and some party members alike have warned that any change to the core rules of Zimbabwe’s democracy will not go unchallenged, and the courts are likely to become a key battleground in the weeks ahead.
The political drama unfolds against a backdrop of deep economic distress. When Mnangagwa came to power in 2017, following the military-led removal of Mugabe, he promised a new era of democratic and economic reforms. Instead, Zimbabweans have seen little relief: hyperinflation has ravaged savings, unemployment remains stubbornly high, and corruption scandals have dogged the government. Critics, both at home and abroad, accuse ZANU-PF of crushing dissent, weakening the judiciary, and reducing elections to “managed rituals” that lack genuine competition, as noted by AP and Eastleigh Voice.
Despite these challenges, ZANU-PF’s control over Parliament gives it significant leverage. The party’s parliamentary majority means that, at least on paper, it could push through a constitutional amendment if it can keep its internal factions in line. However, the specter of legal challenges and the possibility of referendums complicate matters. As AP observed, similar constitutional changes in other African nations have often prolonged the rule of incumbent leaders, sometimes at the cost of political stability and public trust.
The debate over Mnangagwa’s future has also become a proxy for deeper questions about Zimbabwe’s direction. Supporters of the extension argue that the country needs steady leadership to navigate its economic and diplomatic challenges, especially as it seeks to re-engage with the international community and attract investment. Opponents counter that Zimbabwe cannot afford another chapter of personalized, entrenched rule—especially after decades of economic hardship and political repression.
For many ordinary Zimbabweans, the spectacle of top-level power struggles and constitutional brinkmanship is all too familiar. The years since independence have seen repeated cycles of hope, disappointment, and renewed calls for change. The latest maneuver by ZANU-PF has reignited those debates, with citizens, activists, and legal experts all weighing in on what the future should hold.
With the party’s annual conference now over and the legislative process set in motion, all eyes turn to the next steps: the drafting of the amendment, the potential for legal and public opposition, and the ongoing contest between Mnangagwa’s loyalists and Chiwenga’s challengers. Whether this bid to extend the president’s rule succeeds or founders, it is certain to shape Zimbabwe’s political trajectory for years to come.
In the end, the fate of Mnangagwa’s presidency—and perhaps the shape of Zimbabwe’s democracy itself—will hinge on the outcome of this high-stakes constitutional battle. For now, the nation waits, wary but watchful, as its leaders chart a course through uncertain waters.
