'Mnangagwa is panicking'

Law enforcement officers on Tuesday disrupted the launch of a campaign opposing alleged plans by the ruling Zanu-PF party to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term beyond 2028, but opposition figures say they remain determined to resist any constitutional amendment.

Police reportedly stormed the SAPES Trust offices in Harare, where opposition politicians Tendai Biti, Job Sikhala, Munyaradzi Gwisai, and Jacob Ngarivhume were due to address the media and civil society representatives.

The meeting, aimed at mobilising resistance against what organisers describe as a "term-extension plot" to keep Mnangagwa in power until 2030, was cut short after officers ordered participants to disperse.

Sources also alleged that the SAPES Trust conference room had been petrol-bombed earlier in the day by suspected state agents, damaging property and heightening tensions.

Speaking after the disruption, Sikhala vowed that the opposition would not be silenced.

"It shows the state of national panic," he said. "You can see the riot police approaching right now - this is a dictatorship in panic. But Zimbabweans must not panic. We are going to announce the next course of action soon."

The crackdown comes amid growing unease following Zanu-PF's resolution at its recent Mutare Conference to explore legal avenues to extend President Mnangagwa's tenure beyond the constitutionally mandated two terms.

Inside the ruling party, the proposal has reportedly deepened factional divisions, with a camp aligned to Vice President Constantino Chiwenga said to be resisting the idea and backing his eventual succession bid.

Meanwhile, civil society and church leaders have warned that extending Mnangagwa's presidency could have severe political and economic repercussions.

Kenneth Mtata, programmes director for the World Council of Churches (WCC), said the move would undermine the progress made since the 2017 transition.

"The proposal to extend the presidential term will hurt Zimbabwe at many levels," Mtata said.
"It will destroy international trust, jeopardise debt restructuring efforts, discourage investment, and reopen old political wounds. Most importantly, it will erase any chance of the President leaving a positive legacy."

Mtata added that policy instability and coercive governance would "set Zimbabwe back years" in its efforts to rebuild democratic institutions and attract global partnerships.