By Byron Dzinorevei
This statement by President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa declaring that he will not extend his term beyond 2028 appears less a firm commitment to constitutional adherence and more a strategic decoy aimed at defusing immediate political pressure.
A closer analysis suggests several underlying dynamics at play.
First, the announcement seems timed to placate a vocal segment of the war veterans, the GEZA REVOLUTION, whose calls for his resignation letter have grown increasingly insistent.
By publicly stating that his tenure is fixed, President Mnangagwa seeks to create a narrative of adherence to constitutional limits.
However, this move could be interpreted as a temporary measure designed to ease external pressures while 2030ists (probably including him) internally regroups.
This pronouncement is a strategy to buy time. The repeated emphasis on not overstaying his term masks a broader tactical recalibration.
Behind closed doors, there are strong indications that his inner circle or “foot soldiers” has been instructed to continue advancing this agenda.
This suggests that while the rhetoric emphasizes term limitations, the operative strategy might focus on maintaining or even expanding this agenda through less transparent means.
Furthermore, dismissing or downplaying the veterans’ demands in public statements could be interpreted as an attempt to isolate dissenting voices on a formal platform, while silently shifting political power structures to ensure that pressure points are neutralized.
In this sense, the statement acts as a dual purpose tool l but publicly, it reassures certain constituencies and international onlookers regarding a commitment to term limits, and privately, it allows the 2030ists to consolidate the constitutional amendment plan in a potentially reconfigured political landscape.
In conclusion, while President Mnangagwa’s statement nominally addresses concerns over an extended term, the evidence suggests it may be more of a tactical façade.
The alignment of this announcement with ongoing internal communications urging his supporters to “pursue the agenda” hints at a calculated effort to leverage apparent concessions while safeguarding long-term political control.
If you look closely, on the headlines, ZANU PF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PRESIDENTIAL TERM LIMITS SAIL THROUGH.
This shows inconsistency between the President’s message and the status quo, why is ZANU PF moving ahead with an amendment that the beneficiary is not interested in?
This facade, therefore, appears designed less to HUKU-WING people and more to delay confrontation with war veterans and other political adversaries, providing the 2030ists with critical time to regroup and strategise.
If sincere, the President should just read the riot Act against all those moving forward with this idea because this will just work as his strategy that when the plan fails, he will entirely throw his lieutenants under the bus, but if the plan succeeds he again will come and say, I AM A CONSTITUTIONALIST, I WILL ABIDE BY WHAT THE “NEW CONSTITUTION” will be saying, that is going beyond 2028.
Unfortunately, Zimbabweans are now clever to see through such chicanery.
*Byron Dzinorevei is a political analyst
