National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) party leader, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, has dismissed ZANU PF’s proposal to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office to 2030, saying such an amendment would be unconstitutional and bound to fail.
Speaking to Great Dyke News by phone, Professor Madhuku said a constitution cannot be amended to benefit a specific individual, arguing that any legitimate change must apply generally and permanently.
“You can’t amend the constitution to deal with a particular person at a particular time,” he said. “If they want to change the length of the presidential term, it has to apply to everyone forever, not as a one-off change for President Mnangagwa.”
He added that any amendment of this nature would require a referendum, and expressed confidence that ZANU PF’s effort would not succeed. “People must not feel that ZANU PF will succeed — they will not. They are just wasting everyone’s time,” Madhuku said.
The remarks come after the ruling party, at its National People’s Conference in Mutare, passed a resolution directing its Secretary for Legal Affairs and the Minister of Justice to begin the process of extending President Mnangagwa’s term to 2030.
President Mnangagwa has previously stated that he is a constitutionalist and will step down when his current term ends in 2028.
