ZIMBABWEANS have a duty — not tomorrow, not next year, but now.

It is the duty of every citizen to stand up when the country begins drifting into dangerous territory.

Nations are not only destroyed by dramatic collapses; sometimes they are slowly weakened by decisions that chip away at institutions, principles and laws.

Right now, Zimbabwe faces such a moment.

The country must resist what increasingly looks like an organised attempt to tamper with the Constitution in pursuit of narrow political interests.

A small clique within Zanu PF appears determined to force through Constitutional Amendment No 3 — a move widely seen as part of a broader push towards the so-called 2030 agenda.

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This is not simply a legal debate about clauses and subsections.

It is about whether the rules that govern Zimbabwe can be altered whenever political convenience demands it.

If that door is opened, it will not close easily.

Zimbabweans cannot be held hostage by a handful of political actors determined to protect their personal interests at the expense of the national good.

The Constitution is the property of the people, not a political instrument to be redesigned at party headquarters.

What is particularly striking is that opposition to the amendment is no longer confined to traditional critics of the ruling establishment. 

Concern has emerged from multiple quarters of national life.

War veterans — many of whom once formed the backbone of the ruling party’s political support — have raised objections.

Retired senior military figures have also voiced unease about the direction of the proposed changes.

Legal scholars, constitutional experts and civic organisations have similarly sounded alarm.

Despite their different backgrounds, these voices share one central message: abandon the amendment or take it to the people through a referendum.

If the proponents of the changes truly believe they are acting in the national interest, then submitting the proposal to the citizens should not be a frightening prospect.

After all, a referendum is the purest form of democratic validation.

So the question naturally arises: what exactly are they afraid of?

If the amendments are genuinely beneficial to Zimbabwe, surely the people will endorse them. 

If they are rejected, then that outcome simply reflects the democratic will of the nation.

That is how constitutional democracies function.

Instead of open engagement, however, Zimbabwe has begun witnessing troubling reports of intimidation, abduction and assault targeting activists and opposition figures who speak out against the amendments.

Such tactics have no place in a constitutional debate or democratic spaces.

Disagreement is not a crime.

Holding a different political opinion should never be the basis for harassment or violence.

The Constitution itself guarantees the rights of citizens to assemble, to express themselves and to participate in national affairs. 

Silencing dissent through fear undermines those very principles.

Zimbabweans must reject that path.

The country has already invested significant energy and hope into constitutional reform in the past.

The current Constitution emerged after years of consultation and negotiation, reflecting a collective national effort to build a more democratic framework for governance.

Thirteen years later, the nation should be strengthening those gains — not reversing them.

Constitutional Amendment No 3, in its current form, risks undoing hard-won progress.

Instead of deepening democratic practice, it threatens to reopen old debate about power, accountability and constitutional manipulation.

Zimbabwe deserves better.

The message to those pushing the amendment must, therefore, be clear: stop abducting activists, stop beating citizens for their opinions and stop attempting to bulldoze constitutional changes through intimidation.

Most importantly, stop this beast called Constitutional Amendment 

No 3.

If the proposal truly serves the nation, let the nation decide through a referendum.

And if it does not, then the responsible course is simple — abandon it and allow Zimbabwe to move forward under the constitutional framework the people chose.