ZIMBABWE’S deep-seated economic and political crises will not be resolved by President Emmerson Mnangagwa — or by merely replacing him.
While a change in leadership may bring fleeting relief, the entrenched rot at the core of our nation demands systemic overhaul.
Zimbabwe is in desperate need of transformative leadership, not routine recycling of failed politicians who view power as a means to self-enrichment rather than service to the nation.
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 task 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.
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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.
There is suffocating poverty, one that chokes dreams and turns necessities such as clean water, shelter and food to unattainable luxuries.
And yet, in stark contrast, symbols of grotesque wealth — gleaming SUV vehicles, towering mansions — stand out as painful reminders of an elite that thrives amid national ruin.
The current power struggles within Zanu PF, particularly the posturing of the Blessed Geza war veterans faction, are eerily reminiscent of the Douglas Mahiya faction’s manoeuvring before the ousting of Robert Mugabe.
Mahiya, 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 privileges for the leadership's ethnic, familial and provincial networks.
Zimbabweans must not allow this.
Geza and his allies claim to be fighting corruption and misgovernance.
Yet, there is little reason to believe their battle is being waged for the people’s benefit rather than their 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, escalating unemployment and 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 spiralling 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 the entire nation.
Mnangagwa himself could have quelled speculation about his term extension — 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 the elite seeking to maintain their grip on power.
The Geza 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 it’s seeking to extend Mnangagwa’s rule — not for the national good, but for its own enrichment.
The faction’s true agenda is clear: Entrenching corruption, not tackling unemployment or poverty.
Zimbabwe does not need another coup or another reshuffle 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-stakeholder 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 labour 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 summon the courage to speak truth to power, refusing to be complicit in economic paralysis and the erosion of formal enterprises.
The future of Zimbabwe cannot be left at the mercy of the whims of the corrupt political elite.
Elections held under the current political and constitutional environment will certainly not remedy our deep-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.
Time for complacency is over. Time to act is now.
- Trevor Ncube is chairman of Alpha Media Holdings and host of ICWT
