The
President,
a
self-proclaimed
constitutionalist
who
knows
very
well
that
a
constitutional
amendment
that
prolongs
a
term
of
office
does
not
benefit
the
incumbent,
should
instead
persuade
his
persuaders
to
focus
their
energies
on
expediting
the
effort
to
enable
Diaspora
vote,
a
target
which
the
President
missed
in
2023.
In
2018,
during
his
maiden
visit
to
the
United
Nations
General
Conference,
President
Mnangagwa
told
Zimbabweans
living
in
the
United
States
of
America
that
it
was
his
intention
to
have
diaspora
based
Zimbabweans
voting
in
the
2023
elections.
Having
missed
his
target
for
Diaspora
Vote
in
2023,
President
Mnangagwa
must
now
strive
to
ensure
he
leaves
behind
a
legacy
of
accountability
and
truthfulness
when
he
leaves
office
in
2028.
The
faction
of
Zanu
PF
that
is
persuading
President
Mnangagwa
to
overstay
in
power
claims
that
the
idea
to
have
President
Mnangagwa
overstay
in
power
was
hatched
at
the
Zanu
PF
Conference
of
2024.
The
Conference
was
probably
attended
by
about
10,000
people.
We
are
confident
that
President
Mnangagwa
is
smart
enough
to
know
that
10,000
people
cannot
make
a
decision
that
is
binding
to
the
over
16
million
Zimbabweans
living
in
the
country,
and
an
estimated
four
million
Zimbabweans
living
in
the
Diaspora.
The
minority
should
not
be
allowed
to
ruin
it
for
the
majority.
A
National
President
presides
over
the
whole
country,
not
only
his
political
party.
If
Zanu
PF
wants
President
Mnangagwa
as
Party
President
until
2030,
that
is
their
choice,
but
by
constitution,
he
cannot
stay
beyond
ten
years
when
the
constitution
is
amended
during
his
term
as
Zimbabwe’s
President.
President
Mnangagwa
knows
too
well
that
even
if
the
Constitution
was
amended,
he
cannot
constitutionally
benefit,
so
we
expect
him
to
uphold
that
provision
and
tell
the
persuaders
that
their
wish
is
impossible.
The
next
elections
should
be
held
any
time
between
June
and
September
2028,
more
than
three
years
away.
A
good
President
should
be
able
to
complete
the
targets
he
has
been
working
on
for
eight
years
(2017
–
2025)
by
then.
If
the
argument
is
about
completing
Vision
2030
as
those
who
want
President
Mnangagwa
to
overstay
in
power
claim,
let
them
be
reminded
that
the
late
President
Mugabe
was
the
first
to
embrace
Vision
2030
for
Zimbabwe,
but
he
was
forced
to
resign.
If
the
late
President
Mugabe
was
not
allowed
to
complete
his
term
in
order
to
complete
vision
2030,
why
should
President
Mnangagwa
have
his
term
extended
when
he
is
only
continuing
the
work
that
President
Mugabe
started?
Whoever
succeeds
President
Mnangagwa,
whether
from
Zanu
PF
or
any
other
political
party
will
have
the
mandate
to
complete
Vision
2030.
The
Diaspora
Zimbabweans
play
a
pivotal
role
in
the
national
economy.
Every
Parliamentarian
who
read
the
country’s
2025
National
Budget
presented
in
Parliament
towards
the
end
of
2024
will
know
that According
to
the
Zimbabwe
2025
National
Budget,
diaspora
remittances
are
projected
to
reach
approximately
US$2.51
billion
in
2025,
playing
a
key
role
in
sustaining
the
country’s
current
account
surplus
and
significantly
contributing
to
the
national
economy.
Finance
Minister,
Professor
Mthuli
Ncube,
highlighted
the
crucial
role
of
remittances
in
household
livelihoods
and
economic
stability.
President
Mnangagwa
has
previously
described
Zimbabweans
in
the
Diaspora
as “equal
to,
and
just
as
important
and
as
deserving”
as
the
Zimbabweans
living
in
Zimbabwe. In
his
opening
address
at
the
first
meeting
of
the
2025
Cabinet
Year
at
State
House
on
17
February,
President
Mnangagwa
said
“all
Zimbabweans,
including
those
in
the
Diaspora,
should
be
well
catered
for”.
Catering
for
the
Zimbabweans
in
the
Diaspora
should
include
offering
them
their
democratic
right
to
vote
as
the
President
explained
to
Zimbabweans
living
in
the
United
States
of
America
in
2018.
If
President
Mnangagwa
is
the
listening
President
that
he
says
he
is,
he
should
investigate
some
of
the
people
in
the
party
who
are
luring
him
to
do
what
he
has
said
is
unconstitutional.
It
is
unconstitutional
for
a
sitting
President
to
benefit
from
a
term
extension
resulting
from
a
constitutional
amendment
made
when
they
are
already
in
office.
The
Diaspora
Vote
Initiative
will
make
an
effort
to
engage
President
Mnangagwa,
parliamentarians
from
across
the
political
divide
to
encourage
them
to
make
the
right
priorities.
Diaspora
Vote
should
take
precedence
over
imposing
an
unwilling
President
onto
the
people
of
Zimbabwe.
For
further
details,
please
contact
Padmore
Kufa,
Spokesperson
for
the
Zimbabwe
Diaspora
Vote
Initiative
on
+61
414
477
659
or
email
us
on zimdiasporavoteaussienz@gmail.com.
Post
published
in:
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