Opinion / Columnist
It's now clear that ED had no intentions of stepping down!
15 Jul 2024 at 08:11hrs | Views
It took only ten days!
Only ten days for President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa to break the pledge he made in front of the whole nation.
On 4th July 2024, whilst addressing a gathering in Mutare, Mnangagwa assured everyone that he respected the constitution and thus was serving his last term ending in 2028.
He even urged his ruling ZANU PF party to prepare to choose a new leader at the next Congress.
Of course, I - as many others who knew the people we were dealing with in ZANU PF - immediately smelled a rat.
That is why I swiftly took to the pen and wrote an article entitled, 'Can ED really be trusted?'
This all appeared like the oldest trick in the book.
A leader who is greedy for power and has absolutely no intentions of stepping down pretends that he actually wants to retire and take a well-deserved rest.
Yet, behind the scenes, he would have stitched together a plan for his colleagues in the organization to push for his continued stay in power.
That way, he will then turn around and claim, "You all know that I genuinely wanted to retire and rest, but, as you've all seen, the people don't want me to go yet.
"So, as much as I wanted to leave office, I'm forced, as a matter of public duty and my love for my country and people, to remain in power."
This is already what we are witnessing in Zimbabwe.
Exactly ten days after Mnangagwa's shocking announcement in Mutare, various ZANU PF groups are now passing resolutions for him not to retire in 2028.
So far, both the party's Masvingo Provincial leadership and Midlands Youth League have issued resolutions 'urging' Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.
This is two years beyond the two five-year term limits provided for in the Constitution of Zimbabwe under sections 91(2) and 95(2b).
We all know that he was sworn in for his second and final term on 4th September 2023 - thus, he should be stepping down on or before 4th September 2028.
Yet, in spite of his promise - made in front of the whole nation - it is apparent that he had already put in motion plans to stay in power, under the guise of pressure from the party or people.
I saw this coming from a mile away.
The very fact that a head of state - who swore to uphold, obey, and defend the Constitution of Zimbabwe - even found it necessary to assure the nation and the world that he would respect this sacred document was, in itself, most suspicious.
Shouldn't upholding, obeying, and defending the Constitution have been obvious - which did not need any reassurances?
It is akin to a joke we used to tell in our childhood.
There was a man traveling on a bus that was stopped by the police at a roadblock.
Upon seeing some of the police officers boarding the vehicle, he stood up, shouting that he was not carrying any drugs on him.
As to be expected, such an unsolicited declaration of innocence raised serious suspicions amongst the police - who expectedly decided to search him, subsequently discovering a stash of drugs.
So, why would Mnangagwa - if he genuinely intended to respect the Constitution in its current form - see the need to tell the nation that he was going to retire at the end of his term?
Can anyone imagine South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, for instance, making such an announcement that he would be stepping down in 2029?
Would that not be construed as quite bizarre?
We all know that Mnangagwa can not be trusted.
Besides, he had invested too much already in his ambition to either remove term limits and seek another five years after 2028 or extend his current tenure by an additional two years to 2030.
Was the latter not the whole basis on which the '2030 ED will still be in power' slogan was premised - which he personally promoted?
Were we seriously expected to believe that he had a sudden change of heart and was now prepared to step down in 2028?
As a matter of fact, there were those in ZANU PF who sought to package Mnangagwa's 4th July statement as a way of ending those 'ED 2030' slogans and bringing order in the party.
Well, it seems as though either Mnangagwa has no authority over his party or his promise was, as usual, mere hot air - as not only have the slogans continued unabated but have gone a step further into actual ZANU PF resolutions.
As I mentioned in my 'Can ED really be trusted' article, these half-hearted assurances by Mnangagwa to step down were likely designed to fool rivals within the ruling party who wanted him out.
Zimbabweans need to note that a political party's state presidential candidate need not necessarily be its (party's) leader.
There is no such legal stipulation.
As such, a political party may nominate someone who is not its leader to stand as its presidential candidate in national elections.
In other words, Mnangagwa may indeed serve his final term as ZANU PF president and first secretary - yet still remain state president afterward.
This possibility is raised in Mnangagwa's own words on 4th July.
What did he actually say?
"Our constitution says after every five years, we go to Congress. At the Congress, we choose our president. Our president should have two five-year terms.
"I have had my first term, and it ended. We went to Congress, and you retained me. So, I am in my last five-year term, which will end soon.
"I will be going to rest, and we will go to Congress to choose another leader who will follow in my footsteps. My resting days are near."
In his speech, he kept making reference to 'Congress'.
Zimbabwe's president is not elected by any 'Congress' - but the ZANU PF leader is.
As such, he was referring to his tenure as the ZANU PF president - and not the state president.
In the same light, the constitution he was talking about was undoubtedly the ZANU PF constitution.
He was in no way talking about his position as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Let me give an example.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was president of the ANC from 7th July 1991 till 20th December 1997 - nevertheless, he was South Africa state president from 10th May 1994 to 14th June 1999.
As can clearly be seen, he continued as state president even though he was no longer ANC president.
Even if Mnangagwa were to step down as ZANU PF president, that does not automatically mean that he will also relinquish his state presidency.
It is quite possible that there was some agreement with his rivals within the ruling party - possibly vice president Constantino Chiwenga - to step down only as ZANU PF president in 2028.
Chiwenga will then take over the reins of the party whilst Mnangagwa fulfills his ambitions to be state president till 2030 - after which, Chiwenga will become state president.
As I have expressed before, please do not ask me why Mnangagwa appears so obsessed with reaching 2030 in power.
Why those two more years to his presidency are so important to him is only known to Mnangagwa himself.
However, that also is not a given.
It is widely believed that Mnangagwa does not want Chiwenga to take over the state presidency for two main reasons.
Mnangagwa reportedly does not feel secure under a Chiwenga administration, which may hold him (Mnangagwa) accountable for his past misdeeds.
Secondly, tribal considerations - which have always characterized ZANU PF dynamics from day one - are said to be at play.
Mnangagwa and his Karanga ilk do not want a return to Zezuru rulership in Zimbabwe - which was the norm under late president Robert Gabriel Mugabe's since the country attained independence in 1980.
Chiwenga is Zezuru.
As such, Mnangagwa is allegedly busy at work ensuring that only a Karanga - preferably one close to him, whom he can trust - takes over from him.
Nevertheless, in order for Mnangagwa to get those two more years, there is still a need for constitutional changes.
Let us not forget that ZAN PF still does not have the requisite two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament needed to amend the Constitution.
This is despite using characters as self-imposed opposition CCC interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu to decimate his own party's parliamentary presence.
Therefore, for Mnangagwa to be gifted his 2030 dream, he will require the support of Tshabangu's CCC - which is certainly guaranteed.
At the end of the day, all these shenanigans have proven that we all need to take whatever Mnangagwa says with a punch of salt.
Even upon his dismissal from both the government and ZANU PF in November 2017, Mnangagwa was described by party spokesperson, the late Simon Khaya Moyo, as a 'dishonest, divisive, and deceptive character'.
Zimbabweans can expect more twists and turns to this story in the future.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Only ten days for President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa to break the pledge he made in front of the whole nation.
On 4th July 2024, whilst addressing a gathering in Mutare, Mnangagwa assured everyone that he respected the constitution and thus was serving his last term ending in 2028.
He even urged his ruling ZANU PF party to prepare to choose a new leader at the next Congress.
Of course, I - as many others who knew the people we were dealing with in ZANU PF - immediately smelled a rat.
That is why I swiftly took to the pen and wrote an article entitled, 'Can ED really be trusted?'
This all appeared like the oldest trick in the book.
A leader who is greedy for power and has absolutely no intentions of stepping down pretends that he actually wants to retire and take a well-deserved rest.
Yet, behind the scenes, he would have stitched together a plan for his colleagues in the organization to push for his continued stay in power.
That way, he will then turn around and claim, "You all know that I genuinely wanted to retire and rest, but, as you've all seen, the people don't want me to go yet.
"So, as much as I wanted to leave office, I'm forced, as a matter of public duty and my love for my country and people, to remain in power."
This is already what we are witnessing in Zimbabwe.
Exactly ten days after Mnangagwa's shocking announcement in Mutare, various ZANU PF groups are now passing resolutions for him not to retire in 2028.
So far, both the party's Masvingo Provincial leadership and Midlands Youth League have issued resolutions 'urging' Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.
This is two years beyond the two five-year term limits provided for in the Constitution of Zimbabwe under sections 91(2) and 95(2b).
We all know that he was sworn in for his second and final term on 4th September 2023 - thus, he should be stepping down on or before 4th September 2028.
Yet, in spite of his promise - made in front of the whole nation - it is apparent that he had already put in motion plans to stay in power, under the guise of pressure from the party or people.
I saw this coming from a mile away.
The very fact that a head of state - who swore to uphold, obey, and defend the Constitution of Zimbabwe - even found it necessary to assure the nation and the world that he would respect this sacred document was, in itself, most suspicious.
Shouldn't upholding, obeying, and defending the Constitution have been obvious - which did not need any reassurances?
It is akin to a joke we used to tell in our childhood.
There was a man traveling on a bus that was stopped by the police at a roadblock.
Upon seeing some of the police officers boarding the vehicle, he stood up, shouting that he was not carrying any drugs on him.
As to be expected, such an unsolicited declaration of innocence raised serious suspicions amongst the police - who expectedly decided to search him, subsequently discovering a stash of drugs.
So, why would Mnangagwa - if he genuinely intended to respect the Constitution in its current form - see the need to tell the nation that he was going to retire at the end of his term?
Can anyone imagine South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa, for instance, making such an announcement that he would be stepping down in 2029?
Would that not be construed as quite bizarre?
We all know that Mnangagwa can not be trusted.
Besides, he had invested too much already in his ambition to either remove term limits and seek another five years after 2028 or extend his current tenure by an additional two years to 2030.
Was the latter not the whole basis on which the '2030 ED will still be in power' slogan was premised - which he personally promoted?
Were we seriously expected to believe that he had a sudden change of heart and was now prepared to step down in 2028?
As a matter of fact, there were those in ZANU PF who sought to package Mnangagwa's 4th July statement as a way of ending those 'ED 2030' slogans and bringing order in the party.
Well, it seems as though either Mnangagwa has no authority over his party or his promise was, as usual, mere hot air - as not only have the slogans continued unabated but have gone a step further into actual ZANU PF resolutions.
As I mentioned in my 'Can ED really be trusted' article, these half-hearted assurances by Mnangagwa to step down were likely designed to fool rivals within the ruling party who wanted him out.
Zimbabweans need to note that a political party's state presidential candidate need not necessarily be its (party's) leader.
There is no such legal stipulation.
As such, a political party may nominate someone who is not its leader to stand as its presidential candidate in national elections.
In other words, Mnangagwa may indeed serve his final term as ZANU PF president and first secretary - yet still remain state president afterward.
This possibility is raised in Mnangagwa's own words on 4th July.
What did he actually say?
"Our constitution says after every five years, we go to Congress. At the Congress, we choose our president. Our president should have two five-year terms.
"I have had my first term, and it ended. We went to Congress, and you retained me. So, I am in my last five-year term, which will end soon.
"I will be going to rest, and we will go to Congress to choose another leader who will follow in my footsteps. My resting days are near."
In his speech, he kept making reference to 'Congress'.
Zimbabwe's president is not elected by any 'Congress' - but the ZANU PF leader is.
As such, he was referring to his tenure as the ZANU PF president - and not the state president.
In the same light, the constitution he was talking about was undoubtedly the ZANU PF constitution.
He was in no way talking about his position as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Let me give an example.
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was president of the ANC from 7th July 1991 till 20th December 1997 - nevertheless, he was South Africa state president from 10th May 1994 to 14th June 1999.
As can clearly be seen, he continued as state president even though he was no longer ANC president.
Even if Mnangagwa were to step down as ZANU PF president, that does not automatically mean that he will also relinquish his state presidency.
It is quite possible that there was some agreement with his rivals within the ruling party - possibly vice president Constantino Chiwenga - to step down only as ZANU PF president in 2028.
Chiwenga will then take over the reins of the party whilst Mnangagwa fulfills his ambitions to be state president till 2030 - after which, Chiwenga will become state president.
As I have expressed before, please do not ask me why Mnangagwa appears so obsessed with reaching 2030 in power.
Why those two more years to his presidency are so important to him is only known to Mnangagwa himself.
However, that also is not a given.
It is widely believed that Mnangagwa does not want Chiwenga to take over the state presidency for two main reasons.
Mnangagwa reportedly does not feel secure under a Chiwenga administration, which may hold him (Mnangagwa) accountable for his past misdeeds.
Secondly, tribal considerations - which have always characterized ZANU PF dynamics from day one - are said to be at play.
Mnangagwa and his Karanga ilk do not want a return to Zezuru rulership in Zimbabwe - which was the norm under late president Robert Gabriel Mugabe's since the country attained independence in 1980.
Chiwenga is Zezuru.
As such, Mnangagwa is allegedly busy at work ensuring that only a Karanga - preferably one close to him, whom he can trust - takes over from him.
Nevertheless, in order for Mnangagwa to get those two more years, there is still a need for constitutional changes.
Let us not forget that ZAN PF still does not have the requisite two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament needed to amend the Constitution.
This is despite using characters as self-imposed opposition CCC interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu to decimate his own party's parliamentary presence.
Therefore, for Mnangagwa to be gifted his 2030 dream, he will require the support of Tshabangu's CCC - which is certainly guaranteed.
At the end of the day, all these shenanigans have proven that we all need to take whatever Mnangagwa says with a punch of salt.
Even upon his dismissal from both the government and ZANU PF in November 2017, Mnangagwa was described by party spokesperson, the late Simon Khaya Moyo, as a 'dishonest, divisive, and deceptive character'.
Zimbabweans can expect more twists and turns to this story in the future.
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
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