Zimbabwe’s ruling party has initiated a process to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s time in power by two years, a move that could see the 83-year-old leader remain in office until 2030 and has exposed deepening factional rifts within the party.
The plan was endorsed Saturday during the ZANU-PF party’s annual conference in the eastern city of Mutare. Justice Minister and party legal secretary Ziyambi Ziyambi told delegates that they had instructed the government to begin drafting legislation to amend the constitution to allow for the extension.
Mnangagwa, who is constitutionally required to leave office in 2028 after serving two elected terms, has previously described himself as a “constitutionalist” with no interest in clinging to power. He did not mention the proposed term extension during his closing remarks at the conference.
The move, which was met with applause from delegates, underscores the party’s firm grip on Zimbabwean politics since independence in 1980. ZANU-PF controls parliament, giving it a clear path to pass a constitutional amendment, though legal experts say such a change could also require a national referendum.
The push for a prolonged stay for Mnangagwa has been quietly building among his loyalists since his re-election last year in a vote widely disputed by the opposition and international observers. However, it is facing open resistance from a rival faction within ZANU-PF aligned with Vice President Constantino Chiwenga.
The internal dissent has spilled into public view. Blessed Geza, a veteran of Zimbabwe’s liberation war and an ally of Chiwenga, has used YouTube livestreams to condemn the term extension, drawing thousands of viewers. Chiwenga has not commented publicly on the matter.
Calls for mass protests against the government have so far gained little traction, with a heavy police presence deployed in the capital, Harare, and other major cities.
The political maneuvering comes amid a dire economic situation. Mnangagwa came to power in 2017 following a military coup that ousted longtime leader Robert Mugabe, promising democratic and economic reforms. Instead, his tenure has been marked by hyperinflation, mass unemployment and persistent allegations of corruption.
Critics accuse ZANU-PF of systematically crushing dissent, weakening the judiciary and turning elections into a managed ritual rather than a democratic contest.
“We will defend the Constitution against its capture and manipulation to advance a dangerous unconstitutional anti-people agenda,” opposition figure and lawyer Tendai Biti said in a statement on the social media platform X.
The government has shown little tolerance for dissent. On Friday, ten elderly activists, most in their 60s and 70s, were arrested in Harare and charged with attempting to incite “public violence” for allegedly planning a protest demanding Mnangagwa’s resignation. They remain in custody pending a bail hearing Monday. Earlier this year, authorities detained nearly 100 young people under similar circumstances.
The term-limit debate has accelerated a power struggle inside the ruling party, pitting those who want Mnangagwa to stay until 2030 against those preparing the ground for Chiwenga, the former army general who was instrumental in the 2017 coup.
