In November 2017, President Emmerson Mnangagwa staged a military coup to remove the late former president Robert Mugabe. Many people hoped for change. But Mnangagwa became just like Mugabe. In some ways, he is even worse. Now he is planning another coup. This time it is against the constitution.

Leaked documents show Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has made a plan. He wants to change the constitution so that Mnangagwa can stay in power for two or three more years. This is called Constitutional Amendment No. 3. It is a clear attack on the constitution.

These ideas are not new. They were first made by Bikita South MP, Energy Mutodi. After last year’s Zanu PF conference in Bulawayo, a resolution was made. It said Mnangagwa could extend his rule if he wanted.

Instead of following the law to change the constitution and remove term limits, Mnangagwa is trying to use parliament to extend its time by two or three years. He will benefit from this without having to face an election.

At first, the plan was to give Mnangagwa a third term. But that would have been very hard. It would need two referenda. It would be complicated. So they gave up on that plan.

Now the new plan is simple: extend parliament’s life and postpone elections. This way, Mnangagwa stays in power without changing the presidential term limits.

Lawyers say this is illegal. Parliament cannot just change its time without the proper process. Postponing elections like this is also illegal.

If Mnangagwa wants to stay longer, he must go through a referendum. Even then, the current law says the leader cannot benefit from such changes. To change that, two referenda would be needed.

Some people think after two referenda, the leader can benefit. Others say the leader can never benefit because the people who made the constitution wanted to stop leaders from staying too long. They learned from Mugabe’s long rule.

Changing this idea would not just be a small change. It would be like writing a new constitution. That is very serious.

Whatever way you look at it, what Mnangagwa is doing is wrong. Ziyambi, who is Justice Minister and leader of government business in parliament, is helping him. This is a coup against the constitution.

A coup against the constitution means breaking the basic rules and laws of the country. In this case, the big rule is that leaders must not stay in power too long.

The constitution has term limits to stop power from being abused. When governments break these limits, they become a danger to freedom and democracy.

When leaders ignore the law and use public institutions for their own gain, they hurt democracy. They also take away people’s rights and freedoms.

In Zimbabwe, people have long been worried about too much power in the hands of leaders. Mnangagwa is doing exactly what people feared.

Trying to extend parliament’s term or Mnangagwa’s rule without following the proper legal steps is wrong. Lawyers call this a coup against the constitution.

The constitution says how amendments and extensions must be done. Skipping these steps breaks the law and the spirit of democracy.

By trying to avoid a referendum, Mnangagwa is denying people their voice. He is weakening democracy.

When leaders break the constitution, people lose trust in public institutions and the law. That is why this is so serious.

Mnangagwa is using excuses like “national development” and “security” to stay in power. But good governance means following the rules and giving up power when your time is up.

Term limits are important. They stop one person from becoming a dictator. They bring fresh ideas. They protect freedom and democracy.

Without term limits, democracy dies. Zimbabweans must protect their constitution before it is too late.