Major scandal erupts over Mnangagwa's alleged 2030 term extension plot

Zimbabwe faces a deepening political crisis amid explosive claims that senior ZANU-PF officials, in collaboration with elements of the judiciary, are engineering a backdoor constitutional maneuver to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term beyond the 2028 limit.

According to judicial insiders and political strategists, the plan involves filing a proxy application in the Constitutional Court (ConCourt)—intended to be dismissed on a technicality. This dismissal would then serve as a legal precedent to justify Mnangagwa's continued rule without triggering a national referendum, as required by the 2013 Constitution.

One senior government source revealed: “Officials from ZANU-PF, the Ministry of Justice and their political strategists want to cause a court application to be filed by proxy… to get the ConCourt under Chief Justice Luke Malaba to dismiss it to facilitate Mnangagwa's 2030 political agenda."

The controversy follows ZANU-PF's annual conference in Mutare, where delegates passed a resolution calling for the cancellation of the 2028 elections and an extension of Mnangagwa's presidency to align with the Vision 2030 agenda.

Legal experts warn that any amendment to presidential term limits requires a referendum and cannot be applied retroactively to the sitting president. The 2021 extension of Chief Justice Malaba's tenure - initially ruled unconstitutional by the High Court but later upheld by the ConCourt - is cited as a troubling precedent.

Prominent lawyer Advocate Thabani Mpofu raised alarm over shadowy legal filings, naming "More-Precision Engineering" as a possible proxy applicant in the unfolding scheme.

A senior constitutional lawyer described the plan as “a sinister political plot… an attack on the constitution, rule of law, and democracy."

The political climate has grown increasingly tense, with reports of an arson attack on the Sapes Trust - a venue for public debate - and a bomb scare at an activist's home, signaling a broader crackdown on dissent.

Observers warn that undermining term limits erodes democratic safeguards, and across Africa, similar moves have preceded coups, civil unrest, and authoritarian entrenchment.

With international media now reporting on the scandal, Zimbabwe stands at a pivotal moment: whether to uphold its constitutional order or slide further into executive overreach and judicial complicity.

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