By Munacho Gwamanda- Former Deputy Prime Minister and opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) National Assembly proportional representation member, Thokozani Khupe, has publicly endorsed a Zanu PF faction campaigning for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his rule beyond the constitutional two terms.
Khupe made the controversial declaration on Sunday during a visit to Mnangagwa’s Precabe Farm in Kwekwe.
“We are here at the President’s farm to look and learn because when you are talking about development, it is not rocket science; it is about copying from other people,” Khupe said. “As MPs, we have come to see what the President is doing because he is doing very well. People must learn to dissociate politics from good things. What we have seen at the President’s farm is that we can restore Zimbabwe to being the Breadbasket of Africa.”
Her remarks have sparked outrage among CCC loyalists, as she broke ranks with the opposition’s principles by aligning with Zanu PF factions.
Khupe’s stance was echoed by the party’s controversial secretary-general, Sengezo Tshabangu, who has been labeled a rebel within CCC ranks.
Tshabangu, speaking at the same gathering, went further in his praise for Mnangagwa.
“His Excellency said the role of opposition is to criticize constructively so that the ruling party can stay in power. We are here, Your Excellency, as a family. If improving your stay in power makes the people of Zimbabwe happy, so let it be,” Tshabangu declared.
The gathering featured more endorsements from Mnangagwa loyalists, with Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Owen Ncube openly advocating for Mnangagwa to remain in power beyond 2028.
“As a province, we continue to call for your continued stay as President beyond 2030,” Ncube said.
Adding to the chorus, Zanu PF Deputy Political Commissar Webster Shamu urged Mnangagwa to hold on to power indefinitely.
“Rambai muripo (Stay in power). The MPs are pleading with you to remain as the country’s President beyond 2028,” Shamu said, showcasing the ruling party’s entrenched bootlicking culture.
It is reported that at least 15 CCC legislators attended the Zanu PF meeting, further deepening divisions within the opposition party.
By endorsing Mnangagwa, these lawmakers have aligned themselves with a faction of Zanu PF members undermining Vice President Constantino Chiwenga’s ambitions to succeed Mnangagwa in 2028.
Critics argue that such endorsements flout constitutional principles by suggesting an extension of Mnangagwa’s rule beyond the legally mandated two terms.
Observers see these developments as part of Mnangagwa’s long-standing “divide and rule” strategy, which he has deployed since 2008 to weaken opposition forces and consolidate power.