By Darlington Gatsi
DESPITE law enforcement officers foiling the launch of a campaign against the extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term, opposition leaders remain resolute in their stance against the amendment of the constitution by ZANU-PF.
Zimbabwe Republic Police officers stormed the SAPES Trust on Tuesday morning, clamping down on a scheduled address by Tendai Biti, Job Sikhala, Munyaradzi Gwisai, and Jacob Ngarivhume.
The opposition figures have initiated a resistance against ZANU-PF’s plot to extend President Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030, beyond its expiry in 2028.
The launch, however, suffered a major setback when a conference room at the SAPES Trust was petrolbombed by suspected state agents.
Sikhala said the move would not deter the opposition from fighting the extension of President Mnangagwa’s hold on office.
“It shows the state of national panic as we are speaking here, you can see the riot police officers are now approaching here, demonstrating that the dictatorship is in panic. Zimbabweans do not panic, we are going to announce the next course of action after this,” said Sikhala.
The recently adopted resolution by the ruling party at its just-ended conference in Mutare, to set legal wheels in motion for President Mnangagwa to stay beyond 2028, has ignited political tensions.
Within ZANU-PF, a clique backing Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is opposing the move to amend the constitution, rooting for the former army general to succeed Mnangagwa.
World Council of Churches (WCC) programmes director, Kenneth Mtata, said the move to extend Mnangagwa’s term will have ripple effects on the country’s position in the global community.
“The proposal to extend the presidential term will hurt Zimbabwe at many levels. Here are five main reasons
“First, it will undermine all the hard work of international re-engagement pursued since 2017. It will signal to global partners that Zimbabwe cannot be trusted to honour its own constitutional and democratic commitments.
“Second, it will jeopardise the ongoing debt restructuring efforts. Third, this extension will discourage investment. Recently, Forbes magazine is said to have identified Zimbabwe as one of the most attractive tourist destinations. Investors would be wary of systems that change rules to suit political convenience. Policy inconsistency and instability will scare away the very capital needed for national economic recovery.
“Fourth, the term extension will shatter the fragile social trust that had begun to form after years of political violence. Coercive force and intimidation would likely return to our national life in order to enforce such an unpopular measure. This will reopen old wounds and further divide communities once again.
“Fifth, this decision will remove any chances of the President leaving a positive legacy. He will be classified with all those leaders remembered for clinging to power, rather than those honoured for serving with integrity and stepping aside with dignity,” said Mtata.