Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa yesterday took aim at party members accused of launching premature campaigns to succeed President Emmerson Mnangagwa ahead of the party’s 2027 elective congress.
Zanu PF holds its elective congress in 2027, a year before Mnangagwa’s tenure expires.
Mnangagwa’s second and last term of office expires in 2028, but the party adopted a resolution at its annual conference last month to extend his tenure to 2030.
Mnangagwa has said he is not interested in having his tenure extended.
Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga is reported to be the frontrunner to succeed Mnangagwa, while in Zanu PF Kudakwashe Tagwirei is said to be a dark horse in the race.
Tagwirei, who was recently co-opted into the Zanu PF central committee, has since been the centre of attraction in Harare’s inter-district meetings in recent days to give feedback on the 2030 agenda among other conference resolutions.
The meetings have, however, raised suspicion among some senior party members, including fellow central committee members who view the gatherings as a campaign platform for the businessman.
Tagwirei has previously indicated that he has no presidential ambitions, but insiders say the net effect of the inter-district meetings is a marketing platform ahead of other contenders.
Mutsvangwa, who has previously been reported to harbouring presidential ambitions, yesterday warned presidential aspirants to hold their horses.
“Having ambition has no provision in the constitution. People should hold their horses until the announcement; everyone should rally behind President Emmerson Mnangagwa,” Mutsvangwa told journalists at a Press conference.
“There are people who are running around to be president.
“For anyone within the party that thinks they are the candidate ahead of the party announcing a vacancy, there is no natural successor. Anyone who has a presidential ambition should keep it in their heart like everyone else.
“If you declare yourself a candidate ahead of the party itself and the party having not announced the availability of a vacancy in the presidency, it is totally wrong.”
He said the party resolved at its annual conference that Mnangagwa’s term be extended.
“We had our Resolution Number 1 at the party conference in Bulawayo, which said that President Mnangagwa remains the President of Zimbabwe until 2030 and that resolution was unanimous; made by a majority,” he said.
“The President has said he will not go beyond 2028 and we will also have another congress in 2027.
“The decision of the President in 2027 will decide where the party will go as we have a congress in 2027.”
He said presidential aspirants jumping the gun should enrol at the party’s school of ideology.
“It’s never too late to enrol at the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology so that they can understand the party ideology,” he said.
“The mere fact that the President has said he will not go beyond 2028 does not give others a go. Having an ambition is not the basis upon which a person can be made a successor.
“It’s an open race, it’s for everyone. There are many others who can harbour that position.”
Even if the party pushes for an amendment to the Constitution, the supreme law of the land states that an office bearer cannot be a beneficiary of the amendment.
Zanu PF is reportedly pursuing the parliamentary route to amend the Constitution as it enjoys a two-thirds majority.
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