Heated Cabinet Meeting Over Plan To Scrap Direct Presidential Vote
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga and Sports Minister Anselem Sanyatwe were the only cabinet members who strongly opposed plans to remove direct presidential elections during a tense cabinet meeting on 10 February 2026, with Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri reportedly challenging their stance during heated exchanges.
Fresh details of the closed-door meeting chaired by President Emmerson Mnangagwa have emerged, shedding light on fierce disagreements over the proposed Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026.
The proposed changes include extending presidential terms from five to seven years and replacing direct presidential elections with a system in which Members of Parliament elect the head of state.
“South Africa No Example At All”
Attorney General Virginia Mabhiza was reportedly outlining the legal framework when tensions escalated.
ZimLive reports that Chiwenga interrupted after South Africa was cited as a comparative model.
“Cabinet etiquette is generally that when a minister is speaking you don’t interject. So it came as a surprise when Chiwenga interrupted Mabhiza, angrily so, after she said the amendments were modelled on the South African and Botswana example,” a source said.
“He cut in and told her not to mention South Africa, saying it was not independent and should not be mentioned in the same breath as liberation movements that fought to liberate their countries. The mood changed immediately.”
The same source said Mnangagwa intervened.
“Mnangagwa told Chiwenga to calm down, saying ‘we all must be honest about the ethos of the liberation struggle.’”
At one point, the president reportedly asserted his authority.
“I’m the president!”
Muchinguri-Kashiri Pushes Back
Sources say Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri directly challenged both Chiwenga and Sanyatwe during the exchanges.
“She challenged their attempt to claim the liberation struggle narrative,” a source said.
According to the account shared with ZimLive, Muchinguri-Kashiri argued that entering the military at a later stage did not confer superior liberation credentials.
The intervention reportedly added another layer to the already tense deliberations.
Several ministers, including Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, Energy Minister July Moyo and Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe, are said to have supported the proposals.
Chiwenga and Sanyatwe, however, reportedly opposed key aspects, particularly the amendment to Section 92 removing direct presidential elections.
Legal Experts Raise Referendum Concerns
The bill would also extend Mnangagwa’s second and final term, due to expire in 2028, to 2030. It proposes restructuring the electoral calendar and abolishing the Gender Commission and the Peace and Reconciliation Commission.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda is expected to table the bill from 17 February 2026, triggering a constitutionally required public consultation period of at least 90 days.
Constitutional law expert Lovemore Madhuku has argued that altering the method of electing a president may require broader public endorsement.
Legal scholar Thabani Mpofu was quoted as saying:
“It is fraudulent for Zanu PF to convert a five-year mandate into seven years.”
“The power to amend the constitution cannot reasonably be read to authorise such a subversion… Parliament is not parliament Almighty!”
With ZANU PF holding a two-thirds parliamentary majority, passage of the bill is widely expected if party discipline holds.
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