By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
HARARE — ZANU PF has explicitly linked the recent extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office to the country’s long-running battle against international sanctions, framing the constitutional change as a direct expression of the will of the people in the face of external pressure.
In a solidarity statement ahead of the 8th SADC Anti-Sanctions Day on 25 October, the party’s National Political Commissar, Cde Munyaradzi Machacha, defended Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3, which extended the President Mnangawa’s tenure, arguing that it was a mandate derived from the masses.
The statement merges the party’s foreign policy narrative—demanding the removal of sanctions—with its domestic political consolidation, suggesting that the country’s resilience against Western sanctions requires the continuation of the current leadership.
“More than four million spoke with one voice”
Machacha anchored the defense of the term extension in the outcomes of the recent 23rd ZANU PF National People’s Conference held in Chinhoyi.
“Just days ago, our Party concluded the 23rd ZANU PF National People’s Conference in Chinhoyi under the theme ‘From Resolutions to Results: Consolidating Economic Development and Deepening Empowerment Towards Vision 2030,'” Machacha said.
He claimed that the conference demonstrated overwhelming grassroots support for the President Mnangagwa’s term, stating: “Through it, more than four million of our members spoke with one voice. They pleaded with His Excellency to continue leading the country to prosperity in fulfillment of Vision 2030.”
Machacha then directly connected this party mandate to the contentious constitutional amendment.
“That mass support found expression in Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 which resoundingly extended the term of office of His Excellency the President Cde. Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa,” he said.
“The message is unmistakable: Zimbabwe must continue on the path His Excellency has set, the path of development, empowerment and prosperity for all.”
Linking sanctions to domestic resilience
The statement frames the term extension not just as a domestic political choice, but as a necessary component of Zimbabwe’s resistance to what the party describes as an “illegal sanctions” regime.
Machacha argued that despite two decades of sanctions that “narrowed our access to capital and markets,” Zimbabwe has emerged “stronger, more confident and more united than ever before.”
He credited the President with transforming “a season of hardship to an indelible moment of achievement,” citing party statistics showing a rise in GDP from US$16 billion in 2017 to US$66 billion in 2026, and exports growing from US$2 billion to over US$20 billion.
Diplomatic wins cited as validation
The statement also positioned recent diplomatic milestones as a validation of the President’s leadership and the party’s resilience narrative.
Machacha pointed to Zimbabwe’s election to the United Nations Security Council on 3 June 2026 with 182 votes, and the country’s current chairmanship of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which President Mnangagwa assumed this week in Harare.
“Together, these affirm the Second Republic as a respected peer in the community of nations, all made possible by the global statesmanship of His Excellency,” he said.
The call for total removal
Despite celebrating these perceived diplomatic victories, Machacha maintained that the sanctions regime remains a burden, issuing a direct call for its end.
“We call for the total, immediate and unconditional removal of all sanctions on Zimbabwe, whether under the Global Magnitsky framework or any other revised regime,” he said. “The time has come for a new chapter defined by cooperation and mutual respect.”
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