ABOUT 10 000 congregants of Johanne The 5th of Africa International brought business to a standstill at Birchenough Bridge Centre as marched in support of Constitutional Amendment No 3 Bill on Saturday last week.
The amendment seeks, among other provisions, to extend presidential terms from five to seven years and to scrap direct presidential elections, among other sweeping changes.
The church leader, Archbishop Andby Makururu, led the march from his shrine just after Birchenough Bridge along the Mutare-Masvingo Highway to Save River, about five kilometres from the business centre.
“We are here in Birchenough Bridge in Manicaland province for two days and on Saturday, we just had a march in support of the Constitutional Amendment No 3 Bill, which we are in full support of,” Makururu told NewsDay in an interview.
“We are saying no to elections in 2028, as we need to build our country; elections can stop development, so we are saying we need President Emmerson Mnangagwa to finish his work. We transformed lives as many members were in attendance during the march and our church service as I gave a powerful sermon while I led proceedings.”
Makururu has gone on a charm offensive, touring the southern Africa region to talk about the proposed constitutional amendments in Zimbabwe, claiming they will benefit the region. He said elections were destabilising the peace enjoyed by countries in the Sadc region.
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Critics say the proposed amendments are major and require the input of citizens via a referendum.