By Darlington Gatsi
POLITICAL analyst and former opposition party leader Jealousy Mawarire has accused former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo of involvement in a plot to scrap the 2028 elections and extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure.
The alleged plot is detailed in a blueprint document titled “Breaking Barriers Initiative,” which aims to amend Section 92 of the Constitution.
According to Mawarire, the document will be smuggled into Parliament to set in motion plans to extend Mnangagwa’s rule.
“That document talks about, it is an attempt actually, to legally, so to speak, extend the President’s term of office by amending Section 92 of the Constitution. Section 92 states that the president is to be elected by all the registered voters in Zimbabwe.
“The repeal of Section 92, which is being pushed by that document, would then result in a situation where the President would be elected only by Parliament. The thinking is that if that constitutional amendment goes through, it has the legal effect of ending the President’s current term,” said Mawarire.
In the build-up to ZANU PF’s National People’s Conference, which began on Tuesday, attention has been focused on last year’s Bulawayo resolutions, including the proposal to extend Mnangagwa’s reign.
This is despite the Zanu PF leader having publicly denied any ambition to rule beyond 2028, when his mandate expires.
Mawarire also claimed that a clique of influential businessmen is pushing for the document to be tabled to prolong corruption through state avenues.
“This is motivated by criminality because the guy has accumulated a lot of wealth, and he knows that, along the way, there are issues to do with human rights violations that he wants to run away from, and this one is a very good cover for him to go for as long as possible.
“I am actually thinking this guy is pushing to die in office. If you look at 2035, how old will he be? A lot of people are not happy with how he is running the country,” said Mawarire.
In a post on his social media account recently, Jonathan Moyo dismissed the allegations as baseless.
“But first it would help to unpack the proverb itself, for its origins reveal a deeper truth. Far from literal, it stems from the grim reality of rabies: a suspected animal is often quarantined or euthanised to curb the spread of its disease, making the disease a perfect pretext for destruction. Though sometimes attributed to French or German roots, the proverb is universal, it’s a cautionary tale against false accusations as cover for harm.
“At its core, the proverb delivers a twofold moral maxim: Beware of false accusations or pretexts for unjust actions. On the dark side, it warns against the toxic tendencies such as the kind of poisoning Zimbabwean politics today”.