HARARE – The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) has raised alarm over the government’s preoccupation with the controversial “Third Term” debate, arguing that it is diverting attention from the country’s worsening economic crisis, business closures, and excessive taxation.
Zanu PF is currently grappling with internal divisions, with one faction backing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s bid for a third term and another insisting on upholding constitutional term limits. The factional disputes have become increasingly public, undermining the ruling party’s cohesion, while several government ministers and parliamentarians have openly supported extending Mnangagwa’s rule until 2030.
In a Lenten Pastoral Letter dated March 3, 2025, ZCBC members expressed their concern over the deteriorating economic situation, which they say is being neglected as political elites focus on non-essential power struggles.
“We are all worried about the situation in the country. Politically, instead of focusing on bread-and-butter issues, we are caught up in distractions such as the ‘Third Term’ conversations—something that has brought divisions and unnecessary diversions from the things that truly matter,” the bishops wrote.
They highlighted the dire economic landscape, noting that businesses are shutting down, jobs are being lost, and those still employed are burdened with excessive taxation.
“Corruption is rampant and seems to be out of control. At the rate at which it is taking place, cutting through various sectors, the nation is doomed. One wonders why the corrupt seem uncensored and even rewarded whilst hemorrhaging the nation,” the letter reads.
The bishops further criticised economic policies that favour the elite while the majority of Zimbabweans continue to struggle in poverty.
“There is an ever-widening gap between the poor and the rich. Few individuals seem to be benefiting from the wealth of the nation. We would like to remind our people that poverty in the world today is not simply a misfortune, bad luck, or inevitable—the result of laziness, ignorance, or a lack of development. Poverty is the direct result of political and economic policies of governments, political parties, and big businesses.”
The statement from the Catholic bishops comes amid growing discontent over economic mismanagement and fears that the push for a third term could further destabilize Zimbabwe’s fragile political and economic landscape.
