HARARE
—
Vice
President
Constantino
Chiwenga
delivered
what
appeared,
on
the
surface,
to
be
a
spiritual
address
at
a
Roman
Catholic
Church
event
in
Murewa
on
Saturday,
but
his
choice
of
scripture
carried
unmistakable
resonance
against
the
backdrop
of
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
push
to
rewrite
Zimbabwe’s
constitution
and
cling
to
power.
Extolling
the
virtues
of
Saint
Francis
of
Assisi,
Chiwenga
urged
leaders
to
embrace
“humility,
radical
simplicity,
peace
building
and
compassionate
outreach
to
the
most
vulnerable,”
qualities
he
described
as
forming
“a
balanced
leadership
framework.”
He
then
turned
to
the
Book
of
Isaiah
in
the
Bible,
and
the
story
of
King
Hezekiah.
“When
God
asks
you
to
do
something,
never
question
why.
Why
has
God
done
this?”
Chiwenga,
a
Catholic,
told
the
congregation.
“Hezekiah
reigned
over
Judah
for
a
very
long
time,
and
became
a
very
prominent
king.
He
began
to
see
himself
as
not
fit
for
death
and
thought
he
was
supposed
to
reign
over
Judah
forever.”
Chiwenga
said
God
sent
the
prophet
Isaiah
to
warn
Hezekiah
that
his
time
was
up,
he
had
a
few
days
to
live
and
that
he
must
put
his
affairs
in
order.
But
the
king
refused
to
accept
it.
“Hezekiah
would
have
none
of
it,
hitting
on
the
walls
of
the
palace:
‘What
kind
of
a
God
are
you?
There
is
no
any
other
king
who
can
reign
like
me.’”
God
relented
and
granted
Hezekiah
15
more
years,
but
the
extension
proved
disastrous.
The
king,
his
judgement
clouded,
revealed
his
kingdom’s
military
secrets
to
spies
from
Nebuchadnezzar,
who
later
returned
to
crush
him.
“He
never
managed
even
three
months
(as
king)
of
the
extended
period,”
Chiwenga
said.
“He
spent
the
extended
15
years
down
in
jail.
God
did
not
take
away
the
15
years,
he
let
him
have
them,
but
he
was
in
jail.”
The
parable
landed
with
particular
resonance
in
the
wake
of
the
tabling
of
the
Constitution
of
Zimbabwe
Amendment
(No.
3)
Bill
2026
in
parliament.
The
bill
introduces
a
sweeping
package
of
changes
that
would
fundamentally
redraw
the
country’s
political
architecture
in
ways
that
benefit
Mnangagwa
and
neutralise
potential
rivals,
including
Chiwenga
himself.
One
of
the
most
dramatic
provisions
abolishes
the
direct
election
of
the
president
by
popular
vote.
The
president
would
instead
be
elected
by
members
of
parliament
sitting
in
a
joint
session
of
the
Senate
and
National
Assembly.
To
win,
a
candidate
would
need
more
than
half
the
valid
votes
cast
by
MPs.
The
bill
erodes
provisions
on
automatic
succession
by
the
vice
president
in
the
event
of
the
president’s
incapacitation,
resignation
or
death
–
closing
a
path
to
the
top
office
for
Chiwenga
and
Kembo
Mohadi,
the
second
of
Mnangagwa’s
two
deputies.
Chiwenga,
a
former
Zimbabwe
Defence
Forces
commander
who
is
widely
regarded
as
co-architect
of
the
November
2017
military
coup
that
brought
Mnangagwa
to
power,
has
long
been
viewed
as
a
potential
successor.
The
amendment
dims
that
prospect
significantly,
with
political
analysts
warning
the
presidency
could
now
go
to
the
highest
bidder,
with
leadership
rivals
appearing
prepared
to
bribe
MPs
to
wrest
control
of
both
Zanu
PF
and
the
government.
The
bill
also
controversially
proposes
extending
both
presidential
and
parliamentary
terms
from
five
years
to
seven,
which
lawyers
and
opposition
parties
say
is
unconstitutional
and
would
require
at
least
a
referendum
to
permit
incumbents
to
benefit.
The
bill’s
memorandum
offers
a
governance
rationale
—
that
longer
terms
“eliminate
election
mode
toxicity”
and
allow
“sufficient
time
for
project
implementation.”
Mnangagwa’s
current
term
runs
to
2028,
and
he
is
constitutionally
barred
from
seeking
a
further
term.
His
supporters
say
the
proposals
in
the
amendments
are
not
a
breach
of
the
term
limit
provision
in
the
constitution
but
merely
an
extension.
The
bill
also
proposes
raising
the
number
of
senate
seats
from
80
to
90,
with
the
president
empowered
to
appoint
10
additional
senators
chosen
for
“professional
skills
and
other
competencies,”
further
expanding
the
president’s
control
over
the
upper
chamber.
MPs
are
expected
to
vote
on
the
bill
in
late
May,
before
the
president
signs
it
into
law.