Zimbabwe: Mutsvangwa Says Zanu-PF Feared 'Detractors' Would Hijack 2028 Elections

What the report says

ZANU-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said the ruling party believed Zimbabwe could have faced political disruption in the 2028 elections if it had not advanced constitutional changes that extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s stay in office to 2030. He made the remarks at the party’s headquarters on Thursday, according to New Zimbabwe, as cited by AllAfrica.

Mutsvangwa argued that the Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 was intended to protect the country from what he described as risks posed by opponents of the liberation movement. He said the party’s assessment was that the constitution needed to be adjusted to ensure greater stability at the transition point around 2028. The article says the amendment has already passed the legal and legislative process and was signed into law by Mnangagwa earlier this year.

The report also notes that the change has been politically contentious inside ZANU-PF. It was viewed by observers as limiting the ambitions of Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, and it reportedly deepened factional divides between supporters of Chiwenga and those backing Mnangagwa to remain in power beyond 2028.

Mutsvangwa further told potential presidential hopefuls to wait until Mnangagwa’s extended term ends in 2030. The development matters because it highlights continued tension over succession, constitutional change and leadership stability in Zimbabwe’s governing party.