With
wheels
now
in
motion
to
amend
the
constitution
and
allow
Mnagagwa
to
extend
his
rule,
open
disapproval
has
now
begun
to
emerge,
with
war
veterans
in
Masvingo,
the
Zimbabwe
Council
of
Churches
and
civil
society
organisations
taking
the
lead.
The
war
veterans
have
taken
a
stance
and
are
resisting
Mnangagwa’s
third
term
bid,
urging
him
to
respect
the
constitution
by
leaving
office
at
the
end
of
his
second
term
in
2028.
Speaking
to
a
Masvingo
provincial
paper
TellZim
News,
war
veteran
Western
Ezrah
said
it
was
unfortunate
that
some
people
were
misleading
the
President
asking
him
to
violate
the
constitution.
Ezrah
said
those
pushing
for
the
third
term
were
“mad”
and
should
think
again
before
they
force
the
President
to
break
the
constitution.
“In
2013,
the
people
of
Zimbabwe,
whom
we
liberated
through
the
war
of
liberation,
wrote
a
constitution,”
Ezrah
said.
“The
same
people
whom
we
freed
are
the
ones
calling
for
the
breaking
of
the
same
constitution
they
party.
wrote.
Calling
for
a
third
term
is
madness,
the
constitution
is
clear
and
the
President
should
abide
by
it.
So
those
who
are
pushing
him
to
continue
are
really
mad.”
He
went
on
to
say
the
party
had
clear
guidelines
and
those
pushing
for
the
third
term
had
no
idea
where
the
party
came
from
nor
where
it
is
going.
Another
war
veteran,
Retired
Major
General
Gibson
Mashingaidze,
said:
“I
am
a
constitutionalist
just
like
the
President,
I
survived
a
number
of
processes
within
Zanu
PF
because
I
am
constitutionalist.
So
as
a
constitutionalist
I
think
the
President
should
follow
the
constitution
just
like
he
promised.
We
all
heard
him
saying
he
will
step
down
when
his
second
term
lapses.”
The
third
term
call
began
in
Masvingo
province
earlier
this
year
and
spread
to
other
provinces
that
went
on
to
adopt
the
stance
on
the
grounds
that
the
President
should
continue
in
office
to
make
sure
that
he
achieves
his
2030
vision.
The
position
taken
by
the
war
veterans
resembles
a
common
position
within
the
military
which
is
opposed
to
the
third
term
bid.
During
the
height
of
Zanu
PF
succession
battles
in
2016,
war
veterans
drew
their
swords
and
challenged
the
then
president,
Robert
Mugabe,
against
overstaying
in
power,
saying
they
were
the
“stockholders”
of
the
then
acting
spokesperson
of
the
Zimbabwe
National
Liberation
War
Veterans’
Association
(ZNLWVA),
Douglas
Mahiya,
said
attempts
by
Mugabe
to
cow
them
into
submission
by
describing
them
as
a
Zanu
PF
affiliate
with
no
power
to
influence
succession
or
how
the
party
was
run,
were
“misplaced
and
would
not
succeed”.
Mahiya
said
the
former
freedom
fighters
gave
birth
to
Zanu
PF
and
were
the
owners
of
the
party,
defying
Mugabe,
who
had
described
the
war
veterans
as
an
associate
organisation.
At
the
time,
the
war
veterans
were
demanding
the
disbandment
of
the
G40
faction
which
had
coalesced
around
former
First
Lady
Grace
Mugabe.
Civil
society
organisations
have
also
denounced
calls
from
Zanu
PF
supporters
for
Mnangagwa
to
seek
a
third
term,
labeling
the
move
as
“unfortunate
and
illegal.”
Under
Zimbabwe’s
constitution,
a
President
is
limited
to
two
five-year
terms,
making
Mnangagwa’s
current
term
his
last.
Despite
this,
support
within
Zanu
PF
for
extending
his
presidency
beyond
the
constitutional
limit
is
growing,
with
the
slogan
“2030
VaMnangagwa
vanenge
vachipo
(Mnangagwa
will
still
be
in
office
in
2030)”
gaining
traction
at
party
events.
Mnangagwa
has
publicly
dismissed
any
ambitions
for
a
third
term,
affirming
his
commitment
to
the
constitution.
However,
concerns
persist
that
the
ruling
party
may
attempt
to
amend
the
constitution
to
allow
him
to
remain
in
office
longer.
In
a
statement
marking
the
11th
anniversary
of
Zimbabwe’s
constitution,
Crisis
in
Zimbabwe
Coalition
criticised
the
proposal,
arguing
that
it
undermines
democracy
and
the
progress
made
since
the
constitution’s
adoption.
The
Zimbabwe
Council
of
Churches,
led
by
the
Reverend
Wilfred
Dimingo,
has
also
strongly
opposed
calls
for
Mnangagwa
to
extend
his
term
in
office.
Dimingo
emphasised
the
church’s
unwavering
commitment
to
constitutionalism
and
the
rule
of
law,
stressing
that
extending
Mnangagwa’s
presidency
beyond
the
constitutionally
mandated
two
terms
would
undermine
democratic
principles.
In
a
recent
statement,
Dimingo
articulated
the
council’s
stance,
highlighting
the
importance
of
adhering
to
the
constitution.
“Our
position
is
clear
–
the
constitution
must
be
respected,
and
any
attempts
to
alter
it
for
personal
or
political
gain
are
unacceptable,”
he
stated.
Opposition
parties
are
also
opposed
to
the
third
term
bid.
Post
published
in:
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