EXILED former Zanu PF commissar Savior Kasukuwere has said he remains unapologetic in his rallying call to Zimbabweans to reject Constitutional Amendment Bill No 3, which proposes sweeping changes to the Constitution.
Under the proposed amendments, the term of the President and that of Parliament will be extended by two years from 2028, when it constitutionally expires, to 2030.
The amendments will also seek to take away the electorate’s power to vote for the President and place it in the handsof Parliament.
Observers have linked the proposed 2030 amendments to Mnangagwa’s succession.
The 2030 debate has become a rallying point for President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s critics, including from within the ruling party.
The Bill also proposes several amendments, such as the abolition of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission.
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Recent reports linked Kasukuwere with a political comeback via Tendai Biti’s Constitutional Defenders Forum (CDF), which is leading opposition to the constitutional amendments.
CDF has previously stated that the forum will work broadly with civil society organisations and other democratic actors to resist Amendment Bill No 3.
In an interview with NewsDay, yesterday Kasukuwere, who was popularly known as Tyson when he was Zanu PF’s commissar under the late Robert Mugabe, said the amendments were “fraudulent” and should be rejected in their entirety.
The former Local Government minister alleged that the amendments were pushed by Zanu PF-linked moneybags.
“I view the constitutional changes as a fraudulent and disastrous exercise, and a money-making exercise for criminals to abuse the Constitution of our country to enrich their pillaging and their corruption,” Kasukuwere said.
“There is no other political motive, or reason why this is being done. This is unnecessary and must be resisted. This is where I stand.
“They have their own imaginations and may spread rumours to try to malign characters, but we remain guided by the principles of our country.”
Parliament has announced that dates for public hearings into the proposed amendments will be revealed soon.
The Bill has divided opinion, with proponents arguing that it is necessary to remove the toxicity bedevilling the country’s politics.
They said the Bill was development-oriented as it would allow the government to focus on the economy and other development initiatives without being distracted by elections.
Critics view the Bill as an assault to democracy and unnecessary.
They have also raised concern that the Bill will not be subjected to a referendum, citing certain sections of the Constitution regarding changes to term limits.
Addressing journalists yesterday in Harare, Zanu PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said the Bill did not require a referendum.
“Certain misrepresentations have been made about the Zimbabwe Constitution, with some trying to claim that they are the authors of that Constitution,” Mutsvangwa said.
“The real author of that Constitution is the Parliament of Zimbabwe. It is the one which writes the Constitution.”
Former Zanu PF legal officer Paul Mangwana echoed similar sentiments.
“The Constitution says if the term is extended for more than three years, that’s when it requires a referendum, hence in this case, it doesn’t require one,” he alleged.
Mangwana said a constitution is a living document that allows for amendment as provided for in the document itself.
“There are only three provisions in this Constitution which require a referendum for an amendment, he said.
“The Bill of Rights is one of those provisions. The land provisions cannot be amended without a referendum.
“Any other provision to this Constitution can be amended due to this majority.”
However, the proposed amendments without a referendum are facing a pushback amid indications that the government is fearful of street protests.
A number of activists have recently been subjected to harassment, some allegedly abducted and beaten for opposing the Bill.