Zimbabwe stands at a somber democratic crossroads. The recent passage of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) in the National Assembly was not a triumph of legislative will, but a betrayal of the electorate.
As this controversial bill proceeds to the Senate, the Upper House must not mirror the folly of those MPs who prioritised personal enrichment over their constitutional mandate.
The mathematics of the Lower House vote reveals a calculated treachery. Zanu PF, holding 181 seats, fell short of the 187 required for a two-thirds majority.
Yet, the bill secured 216 votes because 38 opposition legislators abandoned their voters to side with the ruling party.
This constitutional mutilation occurred despite public consultations showing that citizens are overwhelmingly opposed to these amendments.
We must be blunt: this was a sale of the people’s trust. Commentators have rightly warned that the current legislative environment is polluted by pseudo-opposition characters who are easily bribed and show no fear to act against popular will.
When legislators prioritise personal and partisan interests over the wishes of the people, they reveal themselves as pretenders. The use of financial inducements to sway such a fundamental vote is a direct assault on the spirit of the liberation struggle.
Senators, you are now the final legislative barrier against elite political interests determined to entrench their hold on power.
The 2013 constitution was designed specifically to limit arbitrary authority and protect citizens from the excesses of unchecked power.
To rubber-stamp this bill is to dismantle those very safeguards. While organisations like the Constitution Defenders Forum and legal minds like Lovemore Madhuku prepare for popular mobilisation and litigation, the Senate has the immediate power to stop this betrayal of the people.
We implore you to vote according to your conscience rather than your pockets.
Do not allow the Senate to be remembered as the chamber that finalised the auction of Zimbabwean democracy. Stand with the people, maintain your principles, and reject CAB3.
Finally, we address a personal plea to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Should the Senate succumb to the same personal and partisan interests that tainted the Lower House, the burden of history falls solely on your shoulders.
We implore you: do not sign this bill into law.
To do so would be to finalise a betrayal of the people of Zimbabwe and the very spirit of the liberation struggle. This amendment is widely viewed as a vehicle for elite political interests" to entrench their hold on power" rather than serving the national interest. By withholding your pen, you can protect the 2013 constitution’s core purpose to limit arbitrary authority and protect citizens from the excesses of unchecked power.
Do not let a predetermined legislative process define your presidency, but choose the people over a corrupted Parliament.