CAB4 Loading? Harare Province Wants Mnangagwa As ZANU PF Leader Until 2037, says Masimirembwa

ZANU PF Harare Province is pushing for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain party President and First Secretary from 2030 to 2037, provincial chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa has said.

Masimirembwa was speaking to journalists in Epworth at the weekend after celebrations to mark the passing of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026.

He said while the amendment allows President Mnangagwa to remain in office as President, Commander-in-Chief and Head of Government until 2030 to complete Vision 2030, Harare Province is looking beyond that.

“So we still want him for an additional seven years, from 2030 to 2037. He must lead the party. That is what Harare is saying,” Masimirembwa said.

He said the province will take the resolution to the party’s next conference in Bindura and wants Mnangagwa to remain President and First Secretary at the 2030 Congress.

“For us as Harare Province, we look at a continuum, that beyond 2030, what happens? The President has done exceedingly well for this country,” he said.

He said President Mnangagwa’s philosophy that “a country is built by its owners” and his foreign policy of being “a friend to all and an enemy to none” must be strengthened.

Masimirembwa described President Mnangagwa as the most senior surviving member of the liberation struggle and as a visionary and strategist.

He cited Zimbabwe’s election to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member, with 182 votes, and Mnangagwa’s tenure as SADC Chairperson and incoming COMESA Chairperson as evidence of his leadership.

He also referred to recent visits by regional leaders, including the Vice President of Uganda and King Misuzulu kaZwelithini of the Zulu nation, as a sign that many want to tap into Mnangagwa’s wisdom.

Masimirembwa praised Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi for steering the amendment through Parliament and said Zimbabwe’s position against retaliating to xenophobia shows unity.

“So that is the man we want to continue to lead ZANU PF beyond 2030 as its President and First Secretary,” he said.

Critics say Masimirembwa’s call to keep Mnangagwa as party leader until 2037 is laying the groundwork for another constitutional amendment, Constitution Amendment Bill 4 (CAB4).

CAB4 will mean amending the Constitution again to extend Mnangagwa’s term as State President beyond 2030.

What Masimirembwa is calling for in the remarks is different – he is saying Harare Province wants Mnangagwa to remain as ZANU PF President and First Secretary from 2030 to 2037.

That is a party position, not a state position. A party president is elected at a ZANU PF congress under the party constitution and does not require a constitutional amendment.

However, in Zimbabwe’s political context, the ZANU PF party leader has historically also become the ZANU PF presidential candidate. This could mean another constitutional amendment to remove the two-term limit or a reset of the presidential term.

Related:

ZANU PF Masvingo Province Joins Harare In Pushing For “CAB4” Mliswa claims cancelled politburo meeting foiled “procedural coup” against Mnangagwa