Biti attacks Maponga's proposal for Zimbabwe monarchy

Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has criticised philosopher and author Joshua Maponga's proposal to transform Zimbabwe from a republic into an indigenous monarchy, arguing that the idea would undermine the country's republican system.

Maponga has proposed what he calls Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 4, or CAB4, under which Zimbabwe would adopt an "Indigenous Consultative Royal Democracy" and President Emmerson Mnangagwa would become the country's first king.

There is currently no formal CAB4 before Parliament. The term refers to Maponga's proposed future constitutional amendment and follows the recently enacted Constitution Amendment No. 3.

Biti, responding on X, accused the government and its supporters of preparing the ground for what he described as a "Munhumutapa Empire".

"The regime and its odious crew of unpalatable cymbals is readying itself for CAB4 and the creation of a Munhumutapa Empire," Biti wrote.

He described the proposal as an attack on the republic and said the defence of Zimbabwe's republican system had become a central political issue.

"It signifies the death of ZANU-PF, the death of common sense and the death of the Republic," Biti said. "The biggest fight now on our hands is defence of the Republic. Nothing more. Nothing less."

Maponga's proposal is rooted in his argument that liberal democracy is an imported Western political model that does not adequately reflect African systems of governance.

In July, Maponga argued that Zimbabwe was caught between democracy, dictatorship and traditional monarchy, and called for a political system drawing on indigenous institutions, traditional leadership and pre-colonial governance traditions.

The debate has gained additional attention following Government's decision to declare September 15 an annual public holiday known as Munhumutapa Day.

The declaration was made through Statutory Instrument 148 of 2026, which states that September 15 shall henceforth be a public holiday known by that name. The date coincides with Mnangagwa's birthday, although the statutory instrument itself does not state that the holiday was created to mark the President's birthday.

Government has described Munhumutapa Day as a celebration of the historical legacy of the Mutapa Empire and its relevance to Zimbabwe's development.

The proposal for a monarchy has nevertheless generated criticism from commentators who question whether a single pre-colonial kingdom can provide the basis for the political identity of modern Zimbabwe, which comprises communities with different historical and cultural traditions.

Lawyer Thabani Mpofu has argued that recognition of the Mutapa legacy should not come at the expense of other historical traditions and communities. He has questioned what a national focus on the Mutapa Empire would mean for Zimbabweans whose ancestral histories are associated with other kingdoms and states.

Other commentators have similarly questioned the historical and constitutional implications of making an incumbent president the proposed monarch.

Supporters of Maponga's position, however, argue that reclaiming indigenous political traditions can form part of a broader process of decolonisation. They contend that African societies should not automatically be required to replicate political systems developed outside the continent.

The disagreement therefore extends beyond Maponga's proposed constitutional model to a wider debate over Zimbabwe's history, national identity and the relationship between indigenous political traditions and the country's constitutional republic.

For now, CAB4 remains a proposal rather than a Bill before Parliament, and no formal constitutional amendment creating a Zimbabwean monarchy has been introduced.