EIGHT out of 10 Zimbabweans say they want elections in 2028.
That is an overwhelming, unmistakable message: citizens reject Zanu PF’s attempt to tamper with the Constitution and extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s stay in office.
The 2013 Constitution was not imposed.
It was negotiated, agreed upon and overwhelmingly endorsed by Zimbabweans across political, social and generational lines.
It was the product of national consensus, not partisan convenience.
For Zanu PF to now attempt to mutilate that same Constitution — merely to benefit one individual — is a betrayal of that national agreement.
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Mnangagwa is not the Alpha and Omega of Zimbabwe.
The country does not begin and end with him.
Zimbabwe is full of capable, intelligent and innovative leaders, many of whom could build on Mnangagwa’s work, correct his mistakes and lead the nation into a new chapter.
Democracy should never hinge on one person’s continued presence in office.
Yet Zanu PF is determined to construct exactly that scenario.
The latest Afrobarometer survey confirms what Zimbabweans have been saying in private conversations, public spaces and civic forums: 79% of citizens want the 2028 elections to proceed as scheduled.
While they raised concerns about how elections are conducted, their stance on whether elections must happen was unequivocal.
Zimbabweans are not demanding miracles.
They are demanding respect for the law — the very foundation of any functioning republic.
But Zanu PF is playing a different game.
It wants to grandstand as a democratic party while simultaneously engineering a political environment that blocks competition, silences internal ambition and elevates one man as irreplaceable.
The party has even taken the extraordinary step of warning its own members not to show interest in leadership positions.
Declared Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa this week: “Having ambition has no provision in the constitution. People should hold their horses… everyone should rally behind President Emmerson Mnangagwa.”
This statement exposes the contradiction at the heart of Zanu PF’s political culture.
A party that claims to uphold democracy is telling its own members that ambition — the engine of political participation — is forbidden.
At the same time, it insists that extending Mnangagwa’s tenure is somehow constitutional, rational and patriotic.
If ambition has “no provision”, why does tenure extension suddenly have one?
What Zanu PF wants is not stability.
It is control — control over succession, control over internal dissent and control over the national political landscape.
But Zimbabweans are not fooled.
They know that amending a 12-year-old Constitution for one person is reckless and dangerous.
They know the consequences of weakening constitutional safeguards.
They have lived through eras where power was personalised, institutions were hollowed out and national interests were sacrificed for political survival.
That is why the Afrobarometer findings matter.
They reflect a citizenry that understands what is at stake — not just an election date, but the future of democratic governance itself.
Zimbabwe does not need a third-term project disguised as constitutional housekeeping.
It needs strong institutions, predictable transitions and leaders who respect the law, not manipulate it.
The message from the people is clear:
We want elections in 2028.
We want the Constitution intact.
We want a Zimbabwe that is bigger than any one man.