BULAWAYO – President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday abruptly cancelled an appearance at Mine Entra in Bulawayo, but his office insisted the decision had nothing to do with a call for nationwide protests on the same day against the extension of his term.

“He had a foreign envoy to meet. The Mine Entra commitment was made several weeks ago, before this unforeseen,” presidency spokesman George Charamba told ZimLive.

The presidency later published pictures of Mnangagwa meeting Jagan Chapagain, secretary general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Mnangagwa had been scheduled to officiate at the annual mining industry business exhibition at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo and was due to land in the second city at 10AM.

Zanu PF central committee members who usually line the red carpet to welcome him had assembled with journalists when airport officials told them to “stand down” and leave – Mnangagwa would not be coming.

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga stood in for Mnangagwa.

The president’s aborted trip triggered frenzied speculation online as police deployed heavily in urban centres to thwart protests threatened by activists opposed to recently passed constitutional amendments extending Mnangagwa’s term by two years to 2030 and scrapping direct presidential elections in favour of a vote by parliament.

There was no sign of protesters in Harare or Bulawayo after days of threats by Zanu PF politicians, police chiefs and the commander of the Zimbabwe National Army.

Groups gathering under the banner of Sungano yeVanhu/Ubumbano Lomphakathi/The People’s Coalition still claimed partial victory and vowed to intensify protest action against Mnangagwa.

In a statement, the groups said: “The coalition observed the following: Significantly reduced movement and congestion in central business districts across the country; an unusually heavy deployment of police officers in urban centres; reports of an unusually high number of warrants of arrest issued by Magistrates’ Courts following the non-attendance of accused persons, largely attributed to transport challenges; no vendor activity at Freedom Square in Harare with the area occupied by police officers and water cannons and reports of reduced attendance at schools in several parts of the country.”

It said “taken together, these observations indicate that many Zimbabweans chose to stay away as a peaceful and lawful expression of their opposition to Constitutional Amendment Act No. 6 of 2026 (formerly Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3).”

The coalition said it would “shortly announce a comprehensive programme of peaceful and lawful civic action under the Constitutional Restoration Campaign.”