Timba demands clarity on Zanu-PF's Resolution 1

Senator Jameson Timba has called for urgent transparency and constitutional adherence following Zanu-PF's resolution at its National People's Conference in Mutare to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term of office from 2028 to 2030.

In a strongly worded statement issued yesterday, Timba said the ruling party's directive to its Legal Affairs Department to "implement" the resolution by next year's conference raised "profound constitutional concerns" that required immediate clarification.

"The resolution fails to specify how such an extension would be pursued - whether through Parliament or a national referendum," Timba said. "That omission is not a technicality; it goes to the heart of constitutional legitimacy."

He warned that any attempt to alter the Constitution in favour of the incumbent would be unconstitutional, citing Section 328(7) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which prohibits amendments that extend the presidential term from applying to the sitting President.

"This safeguard exists to prevent precisely the kind of self-benefiting alteration now being implied," he noted.

Timba stressed that any change to presidential term limits must be subjected to a national referendum, giving citizens - not party delegates - the power to decide the country's leadership structure.

"Zimbabwe must not be governed by conference resolutions or partisan directives," he said. "We are a constitutional democracy, and the supremacy of the Constitution must remain non-negotiable."

The opposition senator added that genuine national development, including the attainment of Vision 2030, could still be achieved "under constitutional order and democratic renewal," without the need to tamper with term limits.

"Development does not require defying the law; progress cannot depend on prolonging tenure," Timba said.

He called for a formal clarification from both the Speaker of Parliament and the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs on the intended process to implement the resolution, as well as a public reaffirmation by all Members of Parliament of their constitutional oath.

Timba also urged Zimbabweans, including civic organisations, churches, and professional bodies, to remain "vigilant and peaceful" in defending constitutionalism.

"Zimbabwe's Constitution is not a partisan document," he said. "It is the people's covenant - written by their will, protected by their vote, and binding upon all who exercise power in their name."

He concluded his statement with a call for "clarity over confusion, legality over convenience, and constitutionalism over political expediency."