By Staff Reporter
Zanu PF’s Harare province has ignited a major internal dispute by endorsing a plan to postpone the party’s next National People’s Congress from 2027 to 2030.
This move is designed to keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa as party leader until that delayed congress, effectively extending his tenure and aligning the party’s leadership timetable with recent constitutional changes.
The resolution, adopted at an inter-district meeting in Harare, calls for the postponement of the congress and nominates Mnangagwa as the preferred candidate for First Secretary and President of Zanu PF at the rescheduled 2030 congress. This shifts the party’s internal power dynamics and places the timing of the congress at the heart of the ongoing succession battle.
The backdrop to this development is the Constitution Amendment Act No. 3, which extended the national electoral cycle from five to seven years, moving the next general election to 2030. Proponents argue that Zanu PF must align its internal congress schedule with the national electoral timetable to ensure continuity between the party leadership and the presidency.
However, this plan has sparked sharp criticism. Opponents contend that only a congress, Zanu PF’s highest decision-making body, can legally postpone an elective congress or extend the term of the party leader. Allegations have also surfaced that provincial structures are being influenced with money to support the postponement, bypassing proper constitutional procedures.
Zanu PF’s director of information, Farai Marapira, defended the provincial resolutions as legitimate preparatory steps for the annual National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi, where the final decision will be made. Yet political commentators warn that relying on provincial or executive bodies to alter congress timing risks undermining internal party democracy and sets a precedent for manipulating rules to protect incumbents.
This postponement, if approved, would delay the succession contest for the party leadership and consolidate President Mnangagwa’s control over Zanu PF’s structures until 2030. For Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga, this represents a significant setback, pushing his hopes for succession further into the future and forcing his supporters to contest not only the leadership but also the timing and conditions of the leadership race.
The upcoming National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi will be the decisive moment for this contentious proposal. The party’s stance on postponing the congress to 2030 will reveal whether this initiative remains a Harare province position or becomes official Zanu PF policy, with profound implications for Zimbabwe’s political future.
