SELF-IMPOSED Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu yesterday used the debate on the Constitution Amendment No 3 Bill (CAB 3) in the Senate to table a national unity agenda, linking his conditional support for the controversial legislation to broader reforms.
He raised several issues ranging from Gukurahundi healing to electoral reforms and a possible government of ‘national consensus.’
Tshabangu, whose support has become crucial to Zanu PF’s efforts to secure the two-thirds majority required to pass the constitutional amendment, told the Senate that lawmakers should approach the Bill in the spirit of the 1987 Unity Accord signed between the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and former President Robert Mugabe.
“I rise today not merely to debate the text before us, but the spirit of a moment that changed our nation forever,” Tshabangu said.
“When Father Zimbabwe, the late Dr Joshua Nkomo, signed the Unity Accord with the late President Robert Mugabe on December 22, 1987, he told Zimbabwe something profound: ‘Do not look at the content of the agreement, but at the spirit behind it’”.
Drawing parallels between the Unity Accord and the current constitutional reform process, Tshabangu argued that nation-building required leaders to place national interests above partisan considerations.
“The spirit of the Unity Accord was not about clauses,” he said.
“It was about healing. It was about choosing the future of Zimbabwe over the grievances of the past.”
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Tshabangu said he engaged Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, as well as other senior Zanu PF leaders, over issues he believed should accompany constitutional reforms.
“I have engaged the minister. Yes, I have engaged members of Zanu PF in the highest authority,” he told the Senate.
Although he did not disclose the details of the engagements, Tshabangu’s remarks came against the backdrop of ongoing negotiations between him and Zanu PF over his support for the Bill.
The senator argued that constitutional reforms should address long-standing national questions, particularly the unresolved legacy of the Gukurahundi atrocities.
“As long as this is not done, we are failing our own people,” Tshabangu said, adding that many Zimbabweans still yearned for a genuine sense of belonging and ownership of the country.
He said the constitutional amendment process should be viewed as an opportunity to deepen national healing and reconciliation while ensuring all communities felt fully integrated into the Zimbabwean State.
Tshabangu revived calls for political arrangements similar to the Government of National Unity (GNU) established under the 2008 Global Political Agreement (GPA), arguing that consensus-building helped to stabilise the country in the past.
He also called for reforms to reduce the frequency of by-elections, saying they had become costly and often fuelled political tensions and violence.
“The GPA of 2008 proved it worked,” Tshabangu said. “Let us not abandon the wisdom that brought peace when we needed it most.”
According to Tshabangu, the amendment should be viewed as a vehicle for national cohesion rather than a partisan project.
“It prioritises unity over division,” he said.
“It extends healing of Gukurahundi. It guarantees every Zimbabwean registers to vote without begging to be counted.
“It returns power to the provinces. It puts presidents under daily watch. It ends the toxic cycle of mid-term by-elections.”
If the government considers Tshabangu’s request, the Bill will be referred back to the Lower House for further debate.
