Chiefs fully back Mnangagwa's term extension

Zimbabwe's national chiefs council has publicly endorsed Zanu-PF's controversial "2030 resolution," which seeks to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tenure beyond constitutional limits. Council president Chief Mtshane Khumalo stated that traditional leaders have no grounds to oppose the ruling party's push, asserting that the matter originates from Zanu-PF and not from the chiefs themselves.

Speaking on the sidelines of the annual chiefs' conference, Khumalo said: "The 2030 issue is not derived from chiefs; it is from the ruling party Zanu-PF itself. So, if Zanu-PF decided that, then the chiefs have nothing else to do, but to follow what the ruling government would have decided."

The ruling party has reportedly courted chiefs with gifts, including US$1,500 in cash and high-end Samsung and iPhone handsets valued at around US$1,000, days after Mnangagwa's donation of heifers under the Presidential Livestock Empowerment Programme in Masvingo. Critics have described these gestures as attempts to secure loyalty ahead of 2030, although Khumalo rejected claims that the gifts constituted political inducements.

During the conference, Mnangagwa praised chiefs for their "unwavering and gallant support" of Zanu-PF and pledged further incentives, including vehicles, mobile phones, and improved provisions for electricity, water, sanitation, medical aid, and funeral insurance.

Political analysts, however, warned that the chiefs' support underscores the ruling party's politicisation of state institutions. Rejoice Ngwenya, a political analyst, argued that the 2030 issue is fundamentally a constitutional matter for citizens to decide via referendum, not a decision to be made on their behalf by chiefs.

The endorsement by the national chiefs council adds another layer of controversy to the 2030 agenda, highlighting the intersection of traditional authority, political patronage, and constitutional governance in Zimbabwe.