The MDC party has heavily criticised the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) and its Members of Parliament, alleging that they are compromised for not opposing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s desire for a third presidential term or an extension of his current one.
Despite President Mnangagwa’s recent statement to Zanu PF supporters in Mutare that he would not seek a third term, MDC leader Douglas Mwonzora dismissed these assurances as deceptive.
“The president’s party Zanu PF is talking about his presidential term ending in 2030. We know they want to extend the term of office by another term but their Zanu PF lawyers are aware that extending a term may be difficult so they want to extend the presidential term to say it is not five years but now seven years,” he said while addressing journalists in Bulawayo.
Mwonzora expressed concern that members of the opposition CCC in Parliament seemed to agree with this.
“Most of their leaders are in agreement. This is selling out Zimbabwe’s constitution, the people and is selfish because these MPs want to stay in Parliament for as long as possible,” he claimed, adding some political leaders were silent because they were “thoroughly” compromised.
“Others have left their political parties to form another party, abandon it, form another one and the people who are running this project are former officers from the Border Gezi masquerading as the opposition. They are busy taking the opposition for the ride.”
When asked about his certainty regarding CCC’s compromise, Mwonzora cited circumstantial evidence.
“There is a legal phrase res ipsa loquitur meaning facts speak for themselves. Don’t you see they are compromised? Don’t you see they have a given Emmerson Mnangagwa two thirds majority? Don’t you see the leader of the CCC was quiet when the recalls were done? Right now CCC in Parliament have not spoken against the third term, I dare them to speak against the third term,” said the MDC leader.
Mwonzora claimed intelligence indicated CCC MPs intend to support Mnangagwa’s term extension, questioning their credibility as an opposition.
Mwonzora said when he was the leader of the opposition in Parliament, he would occasionally meet President Mnangagwa and “never made a secret of it.”
“I would go to meet him as leader of the opposition but never, never did President Mnangagwa or his wife throw a party for me. President Mnangagwa’s wife threw a party for the CCC MPs in State House. What more evidence do we require?” he asked.
“Our brothers and sisters have been compromised and are supporting the third term, supporting the extension of the term of President Mnangagwa.”
He lamented MDC’s failed efforts to assist CCC in parliamentary duties due to their perceived ineffectiveness.
“The state of our councils, like Harare’s refuse crisis, reflects their incompetence. I dismissed underperforming councillors during my tenure,” he recalled, asserting leadership entails tough decisions.
Mwonzora urged CCC members to refute allegations of support for Mnangagwa’s extended term.
“They have not spoken against a third term, they have actually agreed that Mnangagwa must extend his term. Let them come out and deny it. They have not denounced it,” said the MDC leader.
“Right now we were lied to that there will be elections in June. You read that SADC was coming to conduct elections in Zimbabwe, June has come and gone. So these are people who are harping on the emotions of people of Zimbabwe, only to disappoint them so that people lose faith in the opposition, so they are compromised.
Meanwhile, Mnwonzora said the MDC was going to mobilise Zimbabweans to reject any constitutional amendment that revises presidential term limits.
“Fortunately there’s a section in the constitution that we wrote, coincidentally in Bulawayo at a local hotel by six people. A Bulawayo lawyer, Josphat Tshuma, Edward Mkhosi from MDC Green, Jacob Mudenda and Paul Mangwana from Zanu PF, myself and Alex Magaisa from the MDC-T crafted Section 328 that you cannot extend a term of office,” he said.
“If you want to do that, go via a referendum. If you happen to win, an extension shall not benefit the incumbent, it can’t benefit Mnangagwa. We are aware of criminals in Zanu PF who want to benefit from the term of office of president because they are now involved in state capture. There is serious state capture, selective application of the law and corruption in this country.”
