ZAPU President Sibangilizwe Nkomo has warned that any attempt by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his rule beyond 2028 will face strong resistance, reported CITE.
While categorically rejecting support for a coup, Nkomo said ZAPU demands fair and transparent elections in 2028, adding that Mnangagwa must step down once his second and final term ends.
Speaking to journalists in Bulawayo, Nkomo condemned Mnangagwa’s efforts to prolong his presidency, labelling them as “the grandfather of all illegalities.” He said:
Mnangagwa sneaked into power on the back of a military coup in 2017 and now seeks to extend his rule by staging another coup against the constitution of Zimbabwe. It is a treasonous ambition that no patriotic Zimbabwean should entertain.
Nkomo asserted that since Zimbabwe gained independence from Britain in 1980, ZANU PF has consistently taken the country’s citizens for granted. He said:
Our considered view is that this chicanery dates back to 1980 when Zanu stole the people’s votes after we attained our independence from colonial rule.
ZANU PF chose to replace the colonial regime, inspired and instructed by the Rhodesian era and continues to take the citizens of Zimbabwe for granted. The people, along with ZAPU and even the ancestors, are fed up.
Nkomo dismissed the ZANU PF national conference held in Bulawayo in October 2024, where delegates resolved to extend Mnangagwa’s presidential term from 2028 to 2030, declaring that only those who profit from death and suffering are advocating for such a move. He said:
We categorically reject claims that Zimbabweans wish to endure more suffering beyond 2028. Only the merchants of death and suffering can agitate for the extension of Mr Mnangagwa’s presidential term even by a week.
His first term, powered by a military coup, and the second one, secured from a stolen mandate in August 2023, have been disastrous enough for the people.
There is no vision that Mr Mnangagwa is presiding over. There is no iota of evidence to suggest that in 2030, Zimbabwe will provide upper-middle income for ordinary Zimbabweans.
Nkomo said any attempt by President Mnangagwa to extend his rule beyond 2028 will face the resistance “it rightfully deserves.”
Mnangagwa’s administration will see a side of us they have never witnessed before. We will take the lead in making this country ungovernable as long as there is no electoral mandate from the people.
We will only respect the will of the people derived from free and fair elections in 2028, as prescribed by the constitution.
We also call on the people of Zimbabwe to withdraw their consent and refuse to be governed by Mr Mnangagwa’s government beyond 2028.
Civil disobedience will be encouraged while further steps to undermine Mnangagwa’s rule will be considered should his rogue regime foolishly choose to dig in.
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