Author and philosopher Joshua Maponga has proposed that Zimbabwe should introduce what he terms Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 4 (CAB4) to transform the country from a constitutional democracy into a monarchy, with President Emmerson Mnangagwa as its first King.
Maponga argued that democracy is a Western system unsuited to African countries and that Zimbabwe should become the first state on the continent to break away from it formally.
“Can’t we just apply our minds and use the same democratic system to create what I want to call now CAB4?” Maponga said.
“CAB3 was to extend the term of a President. Tear CAB3. Let’s do CAB4. Zimbabwe again will lead the way to become the first African state to break away from democracy back into monarchy.”
He added: “I have declared. We were the first to take the land. We will be the first again to break away from democracy and we go for the monarch.”
Maponga’s proposal comes against the backdrop of the contentious Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, known as CAB3.
CAB3, now the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026, made wide-ranging changes to the 2013 Constitution, including replacing the direct popular election of the President with election by a joint sitting of Parliament and extending the terms of office.
Maponga said that instead of implementing CAA3, Zimbabwe should use the same legislative process to create a monarchy.
Maponga launched a broadside against what he described as Zimbabwe’s educated community, accusing them of mimicking Western political thought.
“Think, African children! Our weakest link are our educated community. Fantasise sitting around talking lots of English. ‘I want to have a debate. A full confrontational debate.’ Call Biti. Call Tendai Biti himself. Call [Fadzayi] Mahere. Call Ostallos (Gift Siziva), and call [Nelson] Chamisa. Six of them, put them there,” he said.
“You are slow to think. You’re footnotes in your own history. Parrots, regurgitating other people’s ideologies, and you hate to think, structuring your own ideologies. You think you’re smart enough to perfect democracy. Look at Donald Trump. That’s democracy.”
Maponga also questioned the deference shown to Western monarchies while African traditional leadership is dismissed.
“Stupid Africans get offended by your own Kings and you pussyfoot around other people’s kings. ‘Hey, Mister Maponga, Mister Maponga.’ Mister Maponga, my foot! I’m not Mister Maponga, man. I’ve never been to Britain and received an award conferred to me as Mister who? Mister who? I’m not a subject of a queen. I’m not a subject of a king sitting somewhere in some Iceland, in some cold areas of Britain,” he said.
He further argued that Western powers have used democracy to justify interventionism:
“You walk up to another country, take a democratically elected president of another country and make him a prisoner. That’s democracy. Bomb Iran, that’s democracy. Bomb Afghanistan, that’s democracy. Kill Muammar Gaddafi, that’s democracy.”
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