Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP) convenor Jameson Timba has vowed to continue fighting Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) through the courts and "other constitutional means" after the controversial legislation sailed through the Senate on Wednesday.
The Bill secured the required two-thirds majority after 75 senators voted in favour while four voted against it, receiving support from both Zanu PF and opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) senators.
The Bill now returns to the National Assembly for consideration of Senate amendments before it can be transmitted to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for assent.
In a statement issued this Thursday , Timba said Senate's approval of the Bill did not resolve the constitutional concerns raised by citizens, civil society organisations, constitutional scholars and political actors during consultative meetings held early this year.
"While this development marks the completion of another parliamentary stage in the legislative process, it does not alter our firmly held conviction that CAB3 remains fundamentally inconsistent with the letter, spirit and democratic principles of the Constitution of Zimbabwe," Timba said.
He argued that the passage of the Bill through Parliament did not confer democratic legitimacy on provisions that seek to alter the constitutional architecture of the country without the direct consent of the citizens.
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"The passage of the Bill through Parliament does not resolve the constitutional questions that have been raised by citizens, civil society organisations, constitutional scholars and political actors across the country, nor does it confer democratic legitimacy on provisions that seek to alter the constitutional architecture of our Republic without the direct consent of the people," he said.
The Bill seeks, among other changes, to extend Mnangagwa's term of office together with legislators and councillors by two more years.
Timba said the Parliament vote demonstrated the determination of those backing the Bill to press ahead despite widespread objections.
"What is becoming increasingly clear is that those driving CAB3 are determined to proceed on a path that many Zimbabweans regard as unconstitutional, unnecessary and contrary to the principles upon which our Constitution was founded," he said.
"From the very beginning, we have maintained that there are multiple constitutional arenas through which citizens may lawfully defend their Constitution. Parliament was one such arena. The courts remain another," Timba said.
He expressed confidence in the judiciary's ability to independently determine the constitutional challenges already before the courts.
"The Constitution belongs to the people. The people are not spectators in constitutional affairs. They are the authors of the Constitution, the source of sovereign authority and, ultimately, the last line of defence against constitutional erosion," he said.