Mnangagwa’s Failure and the Urgent Call for a New Zimbabwe

By Trevor Ncube | Feb. 13, 2025

Politics as usual, punctuated by hollow elections, has failed Zimbabweans.

Zimbabwe’s deep-seated economic and political crises will not be solved by President Emmerson Mnangagwa—or by merely replacing him. While a change in leadership might bring fleeting relief, the entrenched rot at the core of our nation demands a complete systemic overhaul. Zimbabwe is in desperate need of transformative leadership, not the routine recycling of failed politicians who view power as a means of self-enrichment rather than national service.

Politics as usual, punctuated by hollow elections, has failed Zimbabweans. The time for timid half-measures is over. We must summon the collective courage and resolve required for the arduous work of nation-building. Zimbabwe needs visionary leadership to rekindle hope, allowing its people to dream once more. A nation should offer freedom and prosperity to all, not just to a privileged, politically connected few.

For the majority of Zimbabweans, life has become an unrelenting battle against multifaceted, soul-crushing poverty. Dignity is eroded daily in a survival struggle that leaves no room for aspirations. This is a suffocating poverty, one that chokes dreams and turns necessities such as clean water, shelter, and food into unattainable luxuries. And yet, in stark contrast, symbols of grotesque wealth—gleaming SUVs, towering mansions—stand as painful reminders of an elite that thrives amid national ruin.

The current power struggles within ZANU-PF, particularly the posturing of the Blessing Gezi war veterans’ faction, are eerily reminiscent of the Douglas Mahiya faction’s maneuvering before the ousting of Robert Mugabe. Mahiya, once a key player in that coup, now defends Mnangagwa—his relative—declaring, “ZANU-PF is ready to tear the constitution and throw it into the dustbin to facilitate the extension of Mnangagwa’s term to 2030.”

With the benefit of hindsight, it is evident that Mugabe’s removal was never about democracy or the people’s will. It was a factional power struggle over control of resources. Mnangagwa’s supporters have failed to articulate any compelling reason to override the constitution—likely because none exists. Their real motivation is transparent: to secure continued access to wealth and privilege for their ethnic, familial, and provincial networks.

Zimbabweans must not allow this.

Blessing Gezi and his allies claim to be fighting corruption and misgovernance. Yet, there is little reason to believe their battle is waged for the people’s benefit rather than their own factional interests. Their obsession with securing political power blinds them to the real crises engulfing Zimbabwe: an imploding economy, a collapsing healthcare system, crumbling infrastructure, and escalating poverty.

ZANU-PF’s internal feuds do nothing to ease the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans. Neither war veterans’ faction speaks of empty supermarket shelves, the spiraling currency crisis, or sky-high unemployment. Their struggle is not about improving livelihoods—it is about preserving political tenure for an individual at the expense of an entire nation.

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Mnangagwa himself could quell the speculation about extending his term—if he so desired. He claims to be a constitutionalist, yet he remains silent as his loyalists openly threaten to dismantle the country’s democratic framework. His refusal to rein in these dangerous ambitions is an abdication of leadership of the highest order.

Many Zimbabweans initially welcomed the military intervention that removed Mugabe, but we have since learned a painful lesson. The infighting within ZANU-PF is a grave threat to national stability and economic recovery. Ordinary citizens have nothing to gain from these factional disputes; they are mere spectators in a political circus orchestrated by an elite few seeking to maintain their grip on power.

The Gezi faction may voice grievances that resonate with the struggling masses, but history has shown that war veterans are often political pawns rather than champions of democracy. The Mahiya faction was handsomely rewarded for backing the 2017 coup, and now they seek to extend Mnangagwa’s rule—not for the national good, but for their own enrichment. Their true agenda is clear: entrenching corruption, not tackling unemployment or poverty.

Zimbabwe does not need another coup or yet another reshuffling of the same corrupt factions. Replacing Mugabe with Mnangagwa did not solve our problems; neither will replacing Mnangagwa with another out-of-touch ZANU-PF operative. The only viable path forward is a national, all-stakeholders’ conference to establish a transitional authority. Our nation’s crises demand inclusive leadership—not the rule of a single individual or party. Business leaders, the Church, civil society, women, youth, and labor must join forces with political entities as equal partners in rebuilding Zimbabwe.

Mnangagwa has systematically dismantled the progressive 2013 constitution, consolidating power to serve his personal and familial interests. National institutions, public coffers, and Zimbabwe’s vast natural resources have been ruthlessly exploited to benefit a privileged few. Meanwhile, ZANU-PF has degenerated into a mere shadow of the liberation movement it once was, and the opposition remains weak and fragmented, lacking the moral authority to champion the cause of the oppressed.

It is time for all Zimbabweans who love this country to rally behind a national reconstruction effort. Business leaders must find the courage to speak truth to power, refusing to be complicit in the economic paralysis and the erosion of formal enterprise. The future of Zimbabwe cannot be dictated solely by the whims of corrupt political elites. Elections held under the current political and constitutional environment will certainly not remedy our deeply rooted problems.

This is no longer just a political struggle—it is a fight for national survival. If Zimbabweans do not act now, we risk condemning future generations to an even graver fate. The time for complacency is over. The time for action is now.