By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — A recently leaked internal memorandum from Zimbabwe’s Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) has surfaced, revealing that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was cautioned against advancing a package of constitutional changes now at the centre of national controversy.
The classified document, reportedly circulated within senior government circles, characterises the reform proposals as a dramatic departure from established law and warns of serious political repercussions if enacted.
According to the memo seen by journalists, the CIO described the draft amendments, tabled in cabinet by justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi as an unauthorised and potentially destabilising initiative.
It criticises plans to abolish direct presidential elections and to lengthen terms of office from five to seven years as far beyond the limited mandateoriginally framed by the ruling party’s internal resolutions.
The intelligence assessment also takes aim at provisions that would transfer the responsibility for compiling the voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar‑General, and shift delimitation powers away from ZEC — changes that, if passed, would fundamentally alter Zimbabwe’s electoral landscape.
The memo’s release, although unverified by government spokespeople, highlights deepening divisions within the governing Zanu PF party over the trajectory of Zimbabwe’s political architecture.
Factions aligned with the “2030 agenda” have been pushing for reforms that would keep Mnangagwa in power beyond the constitutional end of his term, currently scheduled for 2028, while other party figures and security analysts have voiced concerns about undermining democratic norms.
The leaked document specifically criticises the framing of the reforms as a continuation of party resolutions, arguing that they exceed Resolution Number One and risk breaching constitutional safeguards — including the requirement that any change to presidential term limits must be decided by a national referendum.
Political analysts say the leaking of such a memo — especially from a key state intelligence body — is itself significant, suggesting not only policy disagreement but also potential friction between Zimbabwe’s security apparatus and the executive branch.
Opposition parties and civil society groups have seized on the alleged warning, framing it as evidence that even within state institutions there are serious reservations about the proposed overhaul of the constitution.
They argue that the reforms jeopardise hard‑won democratic mechanisms and threaten to concentrate power at the centre.
