By A Correspondent | Retired Air Marshal Henry Muchena, one of the most prominent military figures opposing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s stay in power beyond 2028, says he and his wife are being followed by suspected State security agents.
In videos released by Muchena, he claims the men following him are linked to the security services, raising fears of growing intimidation against critics of Mnangagwa’s controversial ED2030 project.
Muchena has emerged as the public face of a group of retired generals and senior civil servants challenging Constitutional Amendment No. 3, which was passed by Parliament and signed into law by Mnangagwa in July.
The amendment extends the presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, effectively allowing Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030, while also replacing direct presidential elections with a parliamentary system.
Muchena and his colleagues opposed the changes from the outset, arguing that amendments affecting the constitutional framework should be subjected to a national referendum.
In March, the group submitted its objections to Parliament, warning against changing the Constitution without direct approval from Zimbabweans.
Muchena later met Mnangagwa and senior government officials on May 18 and 19 to present his objections. He subsequently said the meetings failed to resolve their differences and alleged that Mnangagwa responded to their concerns by saying, “whoever wins, wins.”
Muchena has remained defiant since then, insisting that the Constitution belongs to the people and that resistance to its alteration must remain lawful.
His latest allegations of surveillance come against the backdrop of increasing tensions within Zanu-PF over succession and Mnangagwa’s decision to remain in power beyond his previously expected departure in 2028.
The government has not publicly confirmed that State security agents are following Muchena or his wife, and the allegation remains his own account.
Muchena’s opposition has nevertheless made him an increasingly prominent figure in the internal resistance to ED2030, particularly among retired military commanders and liberation war veterans who argue that extending Mnangagwa’s tenure undermines the constitutional settlement approved by Zimbabweans in 2013.
