Mahere warns Zanu-PF could scrap term limits entirely

Zimbabwean lawyer and former Fadzayi Mahere, once MP for Mount Pleasant Constituency, has cautioned that Zanu-PF's proposed constitutional amendments could pave the way for indefinite presidential and parliamentary terms.

Since 2024, Zanu-PF has been openly pursuing plans to extend Emmerson Mnangagwa's second term by two years, from 2028 to 2030. On Tuesday, Cabinet approved a draft Constitutional Amendment Bill proposing to increase both presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years.

Reacting on X, Mahere warned:

"What stops them from extending it further to a ten-year term, then a twenty-year term and then eventually doing away with terms altogether? What stops them from replacing Parliament with a system of Monarchy?"

Speaking on ZiFM Stereo's Current Affairs show The Platform with Brian Sithole, Zanu-PF Chief Whip in Parliament Pupurai Togarepi suggested that term extensions beyond 2030 could be considered if supported by Zimbabweans:

"If we go to the public hearings and the people decide the two years is not enough, we are going to consult people and they say we don't want two years we want more years, who are we to say no because we are doing it for the people of Zimbabwe. We will hear from them and what they say carries the day."

Mahere's warning highlights growing concerns that the 2030 agenda could erode constitutional safeguards and weaken democratic accountability in Zimbabwe.