Raise presidential age limit: Women

THE ZANU-PF Women’s League has joined war veterans in pushing for a constitutional amendment to raise the presidential age limit from 40 to 52 years.

Members of the league from the country’s 10 provinces resolved to lobby for the amendment to ensure those who contest for the presidency are mature enough to fully grasp the gravity of what it means to run a country.

The resolution was made last Friday at a Women’s League National Assembly meeting held in Harare ahead on the 17th Annual People’s Conference in Esigodini.

War veterans last week also held a meeting calling for the amendment of the supreme law to raise the age limit of those who can contest for the presidential election from the current 40 to 52.

War veterans’ leader Cde Victor Matemadanda said they also believedl that the ages for those contesting for council and MP positions should be 18 years and above while those seeking to contest for Senate must be 40 years and over.

Women’s League Secretary for Administration Cde Monica Mutsvangwa said the party women were in full support of the war veterans’ proposal.

“We support the resolution made by war vets, their proposal to say that age limit be set on eligibility to presidential candidates,” she said.

The resolution was among a number of proposals that were handed over to President Mnangagwa for consideration ahead of the ruling party’s conference this week.

Women also endorsed President Mnangagwa as their sole candidate for the 2023 Presidential election.

They proposed the businesses sabotaging the economy through unjustified hiking of prices and demanding payment in foreign currency must toe the line or lose their licences.

They also lobbied for the arrest of all land barons and the alignment of the party constitution with the supreme law of the country to ensure 50-50 representation in powerful positions.

Women want the Herbert Chitepo School of Ideology to be decentralised to all provinces and to ensure that all State institutions are headed by graduates from the ideological college.

Those involved in the formation of parallel structures in the party, the women said, must be suspended.

They also called for measures to end imposition of candidates and to ensure free and fair primary elections.

The Women’s League asked for the repair of all roads to prevent road carnage.

They also proposed for the setting up of a Zanu-PF television channel to capture the party’s important programmes.