“Detractors, think twice” – Zanu PF warns Constitution Amendment Bill opponents as bill heads to Parliament
ZANU PF Information Secretary Christopher Mutsvangwa has warned opponents of the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3), declaring that nothing will stop the legislative process after what he described as overwhelming public support during nationwide consultations.
The bill, which is expected to be tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, seeks to introduce significant changes to Zimbabwe’s governance framework and has already sparked legal and political challenges.
Among the changes is the extension of the presidential term from five to seven years and the shift of the presidential election from public vote to parliament. If approved, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term will end in 2030.
Addressing journalists at the Zanu PF headquarters on Monday, Mutsvangwa said the public consultations had demonstrated massive backing for the proposed amendments and urged critics to respect the outcome.
He said participation by Zimbabweans during the consultations should guide “detractors” accordingly “so that they are in sync with the rules and regulations of the party.”
Mutsvangwa also took aim at individuals within ZANU PF whom he suggested may harbour leadership ambitions.
“Those men who may have ambitions in the party, may be some who may have looked at 2028 as an opportunity to exercise ambition, it is legitimate within the party to have ambition,” he said.
“The assumption that a politician assumes that you have ambition, so the president cannot disparage ambition within the party, but when things have gone the way they are within the party about the support of the president, we expect that ambition to respond with humility to the reality of the fact that the president is currently unchallenged in ZANU-PF.”
He added: “You can always tuck ambition under your armpits, there will always be a chance, and maybe you have a good chance when that time arises, but for the time being, look at what the people said by their participation in CAB3, and curtail your ambitions accordingly.”
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has previously expressed reservations about constitutional changes, criticised proposals that would alter the current electoral system, arguing against changes that could see the “one man, one vote” principle replaced by a system in which Parliament elects the President.
Meanwhile, the bill is facing a legal challenge in the courts.
Mutsvangwa insisted that the consultation process had reflected the will of the people and left little room for opposition.
“CAB3 dismisses those who feel that you can somehow control ZANU-PF through influence. No, you control ZANU-PF through popular will,” he said.
“The universal support from the population of Zimbabwe has really made those who were thinking that something can happen about Zimbabwe…”
Turning to the court challenges, Mutsvangwa said: “Detractors, think twice, and even those who wanted to go to the courts, they had to throw up their hands and maybe they still have a way to do it. What has scared them, they have been intimidated by the popularity of the president.
“Zimbabwean population demonstrated, so we are not going to interfere with the other process. I told you they belong to the judiciary, they belong to the Parliament which is going to deliberate, they belong to, of course, the executive.” – NewZimbabwe