MNANGAGWA’S NEW COUP: A WAR AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION

In November 2017, Emmerson Mnangagwa took power from Robert Mugabe with the help of the army. Many Zimbabweans were happy. They thought change was coming. They believed things would get better. But nothing got better. Things became worse. Mnangagwa became just like Mugabe. Some say he is even worse than Mugabe.

Now, he is planning something even more dangerous. He is planning another coup. This time, it is not against a person. It is against the constitution of Zimbabwe. This means he wants to break the rules that protect the country and its people.

Some documents were leaked. They show that Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi sent a paper to cabinet. This paper is called Constitutional Amendment No. 3. It says Mnangagwa should stay in power for two or three more years. This is not allowed by the constitution. Many lawyers say this is illegal. They say it is the same as doing a coup on the constitution.

This plan is not new. It started last year. After the ZANU PF conference in Bulawayo, some leaders said Mnangagwa can stay in power if he wants. MP Energy Mutodi was supposed to bring this plan to Parliament. They were trying to change the rules without asking the people.

At first, they wanted to give Mnangagwa a third term. But that was very hard. The law says they needed two referenda to do that. A referendum is when people vote to change the constitution. Because it was too difficult, they left that plan.

Now they have a new plan. They want to extend the term of Parliament and delay elections. This way, Mnangagwa can stay longer in power without officially changing term limits. But this is still illegal. The constitution does not allow this. Parliament cannot just decide to stay longer.

Lawyers have made it clear. The only way to change the term is through a referendum. And even after that, the president who is in power cannot benefit from that change. To remove this rule, they need a second referendum. This shows how serious the writers of the constitution were. They wanted to stop any leader from using the law to stay longer.

Some people think two referenda can make it possible for Mnangagwa to stay. Others say it is not possible at all. But one thing is clear. The constitution was made to stop this kind of behaviour. It was made to protect Zimbabwe from another Mugabe situation.

Now Mnangagwa is using Ziyambi to push this illegal idea. Ziyambi is the leader of government business in Parliament. But what they are doing is wrong. It is a direct attack on the constitution.

A coup on the constitution is a serious thing. It means breaking the rules that give power to the people. It means ignoring democracy. It means one man wants to control everything. That is not leadership. That is dictatorship.

When leaders stop listening to the law, they become a danger. They stop listening to the people. They use power to protect themselves, not the country. That is what is happening now in Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa says he wants peace and stability. But this is not peace. Breaking the law is not stability. It is chaos. It is fear. And it is the beginning of something very dangerous.

Zimbabwe does not need leaders who are afraid to leave power. It needs leaders who respect the law. Leaders who know when it is time to go. Staying in power forever is not a solution. It is a problem.

If Mnangagwa changes the rules without asking the people, then elections mean nothing. The constitution means nothing. And Zimbabwe becomes a country with no future.