A coalition of opposition figures and civil society activists has unveiled a new pressure group aimed at blocking any attempt to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office beyond 2028. The group, operating under the banner Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP), says it will actively oppose efforts by Zanu PF to amend the Constitution to allow Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.
Members of the platform argue that altering the Constitution without a national referendum would undermine the country’s supreme law and violate democratic principles. They insist they are prepared to challenge such moves through peaceful and lawful means.
Mnangagwa, who won elections in 2018 and 2023 — both of which were contested by the opposition — is currently serving his second and constitutionally final term. Zimbabwe’s Constitution limits presidents to two five-year terms, meaning his mandate ends in 2028.
Speaking to the media in Harare on Wednesday, DCP convenor Senator Jameson Timba urged citizens to unite against what he described as an assault on constitutionalism. He said the platform would mobilise Zimbabweans across the country to oppose any attempt to tamper with term limits.
Timba said the DCP would pursue its campaign through legal channels, civic engagement and parliamentary processes, stressing that defending the Constitution was an act of patriotism rather than rebellion. He called on Zimbabweans “of goodwill” to rally behind the initiative in what he termed a collective effort to safeguard the nation’s democratic future.
Legal scholars, including constitutional expert Professor Lovemore Madhuku, have previously maintained that extending Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond 2028 would require at least two national referendums, as stipulated by the Constitution.
Although Mnangagwa has repeatedly stated that he intends to step down at the end of his term and allow his party to select a successor, he has not publicly condemned voices within Zanu PF advocating for his continued stay in office.
The DCP brings together a broad range of political and civic actors, including labour lawyer and academic Munyaradzi Gwisai, Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume, National Democratic Working Group leader Job Sikhala, and Harare lawyer and Hatcliffe MP Urgency Gumbo. The group said it has also reached out to political leaders, civil society organisations, youth movements and women’s groups to join the platform.
Platform leaders emphasised that the initiative is not intended to form a new political party, but rather to provide a united space for citizens to resist what they describe as constitutional erosion.
The coalition also includes prominent activists such as Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president Obert Masaraure and former Zimbabwe National Students Union leader Emmanuel Sitima.
Timba said the DCP is a voluntary, inclusive and non-partisan alliance that brings together Zimbabweans committed to upholding and implementing the Constitution. He stressed that the platform does not seek to replace existing organisations, but to unite them around a shared principle of constitutional governance.
According to Timba, the group will roll out a nationwide mobilisation programme involving peaceful rallies, community meetings, religious gatherings, campuses and workplaces to build resistance against what it terms the “2030 agenda”.
Gumbo echoed the sentiments, reiterating that the platform is neither a political party nor an electoral vehicle, but a civic initiative centred on constitutional respect.
The launch of the DCP comes amid renewed calls for opposition unity. Recently, MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora urged former allies, including Tendai Biti and ex-CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, to set aside differences and form a common front against proposed constitutional changes.
Timba has also publicly called for renewed cooperation among opposition groups, while ruling out the inclusion of controversial figures he described as outsiders to the democratic cause.
