Defend The Constitution Platform

The DCP is an inclusive, nonpartisan political organisation:
Political because constitutional defence and implementation are inherently political acts...

[Defend The Constitution Platform @DCPlatform25]

DCP STATEMENT ON THE JOINT COMMITTEE REPORT ON CAB3

The Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP) has noted with profound concern the statistical report presented by the Joint Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs regarding public hearings on Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).

Far from resolving questions about public sentiment, the report raises even more serious questions about the credibility, representativeness and legitimacy of the consultation process itself.

For months, citizens across Zimbabwe raised concerns about the conduct of the hearings. Reports emerged of intimidation, violence, bussing of participants, exclusion of dissenting voices, disruption of proceedings and the effective denial of meaningful participation in several centres.
It is therefore astonishing that Parliament now seeks to present statistics from such a disputed process as a reliable measure of the views of the Zimbabwean people.

The central question remains unanswered:
If Government and Parliament are confident that CAB3 enjoys broad public support, why is there such resistance to a referendum?

A referendum is the most democratic, transparent and legitimate mechanism for determining the will of the people on fundamental constitutional questions.

The Constitution was adopted by the people.
Any proposal that fundamentally alters Zimbabwe's constitutional architecture should equally be subjected to the direct verdict of the people.
Instead, Zimbabweans are witnessing what appears to be an increasingly rushed process aimed at securing parliamentary approval before citizens, the courts and the nation have had adequate opportunity to fully interrogate the implications of CAB3.

The attempted acceleration of parliamentary debate, coming immediately after the release of a highly contested report, raises legitimate concerns about whether the objective is genuine constitutional reform or the rapid conclusion of a predetermined political process.
Equally concerning is the decision that parliamentary proceedings should continue notwithstanding ongoing constitutional litigation and the growing number of constituency-based legal actions brought by citizens against Members of Parliament.
While Parliament is entitled to regulate its own procedures, constitutionalism requires that institutions exercise restraint whenever fundamental constitutional questions remain before the courts and the nation.
Democracy is strengthened by consultation, patience and consensus.
It is weakened by haste, exclusion and the perception that outcomes have already been decided.
DCP therefore reiterates its position:
Referendum First.
If Government believes CAB3 has the support of Zimbabweans, it should submit the matter to a national referendum.
If Government is unwilling to seek the consent of the people, then CAB3 should be withdrawn in its entirety.
No statistical report, however presented, can substitute for the sovereign voice of the people themselves.
The Constitution belongs to the people.
The people must decide.
#DefendTheConstitution #RespectThePeople
#Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP)

[Defend The Constitution Platform @DCPlatform25]

🚨SOLIDARITY CALL
We call upon all progressive forces to stand in solidarity with our comrades as they appear before the courts tomorrow. Let us fill the courtroom with the spirit of unity and demonstrate that repression will never silence the students and the youths

📍 Mbare Magistrates Court-Court 2
📅 01 June 2026 at 8:30

Justice for our comrades. Freedom for student voices. The struggle continues.

#FreeTheZINASU4
#SolidarityFoever #JusticeForStudents #FreeOurComradesNow

[Commander Vital🇿🇼 @MaronjeseVital]

ARTUZ @ARTUZ_teachers is the synonym of Consistency in the dictionary of genuine representation.

We are patiently waiting for the STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS this coming Sunday!!!!

[Cde_Che🇿🇼 @Che_Guevara_ZW]

Dear @edmnangagwa,

Please stop this behavior of harassing and jailing young people who hold different political views from yours on the issue of #CAB3. With me here is Emmanuel Sitima whom your regime has arrested on frivolous and cooked up charges of maliciously damaging property worth $10 belonging to a ZANU-PF Youth Chairperson in Waterfalls, as if that was not enough you went on denial him bail both in the Magistrate Court and the High Court of Zimbabwe saying that there is possibility he will abscond from court and interfere with state witnesses. How can you deny someone bail for damaging property worth $10? But some of us we know very well that this is targeted and political persecution because Sitima is one of the youths who have been vocal against your unpopular and nonsensical Constitution Amendment No.3 Bill of 2026! Mr. Mnangagwa, all we want is just freedom, that's all we want. "Freedom". Freedom for children to learn, freedom for men to work, for mothers to love, for a nation to grow, and that's all we want "EQUALITY" for everyone! Sitima is just one of MANY, the foot soldiers. There will be many, many more to follow, so there is NO Court of Law, NO Police Force, NO Army that will stop the tide of REVOLUTION from turning. There is no Punishment that you can lay out in your courts today, NO Law this Government can pass that will kill the will of the PEOPLE because we will FIGHT, we will Continue to FIGHT until all our PEOPLE are Free! and maybe we can even free you from yourselves. So you can hurt/hate us, degrade us, torture us, arrest us, and kill us, but we will FIGHT, and we will be FREE one day, we will be FREE!!!! AMANDLA!, AWETHU! #FreeZinasu6 #FreeAllPoliticalPrisonersZW

@CyrilRamaphosa @_AfricanUnion @MmusiMaimane @FloydShivambu @Julius_S_Malema @SADC_News @duma_boko @BWPresidency @UN @CIVICUSalliance @ANCParliament @MbalulaFikile @Cde_Ostallos @daddyhope @BBCAfrica @HStvNews @amnesty_zim @DCPlatform25 @JamesonTimba @BitiTendai @cdfzim @Dr_JAMavedzenge @TMFoundation_ @AfriRenPodcast @MbuyiseniNdlozi

[Tsitsi Mutamba @mutamba_tsitsi]

My heart and soul is with Emmanuel Sitima and Takunda Mhuka who are still in remand for strongly opposing #CAB3. I continue to stand in unwavering permanent solidarity with them . Bail is a constitutional right!
#FreeEmmanuelSitima
#FreeTakundaMhuka
#FreeAllPoliticalPrisoners

[moffat mushonga @MoffatMushonga]

@DCPlatform25 @DougColtart @OMasaraure @JamesonTimba @mutamba_tsitsi @DCPYouths @zulukingggg @OpenParlyZw @agencygumbo @DubekoSibanda @namataik_ We are a laughing stock, so 10usd property damage and there is no bail for that. People were pledging 0.5 million at a wedding party and Zacc is silent about it. They are only vicious at boarder posts to people who have bought 10 Man U jerseys for the family.

[Prince Dubeko Sibanda @DubekoSibanda]

Why is our judiciary assisting tyranny & automatic governance? Bail is a right, not a privilege

[Defend The Constitution Platform @DCPlatform25]

🚨🚨🚨🚨Today, the High Court added its signature to an injustice.

Emmanuel Sitima was again denied bail.

Not for the first time. First, it was Mbare Magistrate Court that locked them away. Then we appealed to the High Court, hoping for reason. Hoping that someone in a robe would see the absurdity of it all. Today, the High Court shut that door too.

Fifty days ago, these two young men were arrested. Fifty days. The charge? Malicious damage of property worth $10. Ten dollars. Between the two of them.

Let that rot sink in.

They have spent nearly two months in a cell for an amount of money that one would even get in less than 2 weeks ,Mbare said no to bail. High Court said no to bail today. On what grounds? That they might "interfere with witnesses"? That $10 of alleged damage makes them a flight risk?

No. We all know the truth.

Emmanuel and Takunda are not in jail for damaging property. They are in jail for their mouths. For their courage. For standing up against #CAB3 while the rest of us whispered. They spoke at a time when speaking gets you disappeared. And the system from Mbare to the High Court decided to make an example of them.

This is political persecution. Plain and simple. The magistrate at Mbare knew it. The judge at the High Court knew it today. They denied bail not because the law demanded it, but because power demanded it.

We are angry. Not the loud, performative anger of social media. The deep, cold anger of people who have watched this circus too many times. A broken window if that even happened does not justify 50 days in prison. But opposing #CAB3? That's the unforgivable crime.

So here is our message to the system:
You have denied them bail twice. You think we will forget. You think we will tire. You think two young men in a cell is a small price to make the rest of us afraid.

You are wrong.
We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Emmanuel Sitima and Takunda Mhuka.

Not tomorrow. Not after another appeal. Now.And we demand that every single person who reads this shares their names until the High Court's denial today becomes a shame that cannot be hidden.

#FreeEmmanuelSitima #FreeTakundaMhuka
#CAB3MustFall
#NoTo2030

@amnesty_zim @dandaro_online @DCPYouths @DougColtart @DubekoSibanda @EmmanuelSitima7 @ercafrica @LynneStactia @weleadteam @zulukingggg @zimsolidarity01 @SABCNews @SADC_News @SASUnion @Zinasuzim @ZBCNewsonline @CrimeWatchZW @NewsHawksLive @daddyhope @ZLHRLawyers @TIZim_info @zhrc365 @hrw @UNHumanRights @ibbosnr @IHRF_English

[Cde_Che🇿🇼 @Che_Guevara_ZW]

We derive our mandate from being citizens of this country! And the mandate is to defend the motherland and our future as the young people! @nelsonchamisa

#HomelandOrDeath #NoTo2030
#DefendTheConstitution #HandsOffOurConstitution

[Commander Vital🇿🇼 @MaronjeseVital]

A colleague of mine sent me the EmpowerBank application form today, completely naive, saying he found an interesting opportunity for the youth😂.

I looked at the actual terms in this document, and the truth is clear. Zanu PF’s YOUTH EMPOWERMENT is a SCAM made to help ZVIGANANDA (the rich elite) while ordinary youth cannot even buy a loaf of bread.

Look at the harsh rules in this form. They want a painful 30% annual interest, 6% in upfront fees, and a USD $10 application fee and $5 initial deposit. They are literally taking money from broke youths just to process a form. A short 12 month repayment period gives a new business no time to survive.

The paperwork is another huge roadblock. They ask for 3 to 6 months of past sales records, formal company registration(CR2, CR5, CR6, Tax Clearances), and a guarantor with a steady formal job. In a country where most young people survive day to day in the informal economy, who actually has this?

This bank does not want to uplift poor youths, it is just a way to keep wealth among the politically connected.

This economic exclusion is exactly why the youth must strongly reject Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).
#RejectCAB3
#EmpowerBankScam

[Agency Gumbo @agencygumbo]

Ignore, the fake news. My position has not changed. I oppose CAB3 as a citizen, as a lawyer and as a Member of Parliament. We are escalating our efforts to build a force of MPs that will radically resist CAB3 as it makes its way to Parliament. If I am chairing anything, it is the RESISTANCE!

[Tariro Mandizvidza @TariMandie]

Precisely. And that same sovereignty is exactly why Zimbabweans must be allowed to openly debate, shape and support CA3 without intimidation or manufactured outrage. The Constitution is not a frozen museum piece, it is a living national document that must evolve with the country’s realities, governance needs and democratic aspirations. True constitutionalism is not about weaponising the Constitution for political convenience, but about allowing citizens and Parliament to participate in lawful reforms through established democratic processes.
#CA3bho #CitizensFirst #DefendDemocracy

[Jameson Z. Timba @JamesonTimba]

Movements lose direction when they begin chasing every voice instead of advancing their mission.
Our task remains unchanged: defend the Constitution, protect constitutionalism, support lawful processes, engage communities, and keep citizens at the centre.
The issue has never been personalities. It has always been Zimbabwe.
Stay focused. Stay organised. Stay peaceful.
#DefendTheConstitution

[Defend The Constitution Platform @DCPlatform25]

SOVEREIGNTY
Zimbabweans,
Constitutional authority ultimately derives from the people. This is not just a legal principle ,it is a daily practice.

Sovereignty is exercised when citizens stay informed about national issues, when they ask thoughtful questions of their institutions, and when they engage their elected representatives with respect and clarity. Democratic responsibility does not pause between elections. It lives in the conversations we have, the expectations we communicate, and the accountability we uphold.

Let us continue to deepen a culture where citizenship means participation, and where the Constitution remains a living document through the active engagement of the people it serves.

The Constitution belongs to the people.

#DefendTheConstitution #CitizensFirst

[Tsitsi Mutamba @mutamba_tsitsi]

#CAB3 is just one stark, devastating eg of this slow collapse, joining the 30+ African coups and attempted coups we've seen since 2020.We are witnessing the widescale death of democracy in plain sight.Young politicians have a choice: build it back or let the authoritarians win.

[Defend The Constitution Platform @DCPlatform25]

Takunda Mhuka and Emmanuel Sitima have been remanded to May 26 to fix a trial date. For nearly 50 days, the State has failed to bring a simple case of a broken windowpane to trial, a glaring reflection of Malaba’s justice system.

#FreeAllapoliticalPrisoners
#FreeTakundaMhuka
#FreeEmmanuelSitima

[Defend The Constitution Platform @DCPlatform25]

Citizens,
Parliament may be adjourned, but citizenship is not. Moments like these remind us that defending constitutionalism is not a single event it is sustained civic engagement. This period must be used to deepen public conversation, strengthen communities, and remain engaged with those elected to represent us. The Constitution belongs to the people.
#DefendTheConstitution

[Tsitsi Mutamba @mutamba_tsitsi]

It's painful to truly witness how the regime keeps trying to thwart solidarity. Hamauswa and 3 other students were arrested simply for attending a solidarity court for Emmanuel Sitima and Takunda Mhuka. Their bail ruling is on Monday and we will continue to show up for our cdes!

[ValentineZiko @Saynotohumanri1]

State not opposed to bail in the case of ZINASU President Liberty Hamauswa, DylanChisenwa, RichardNyamande & Takunda Mareverwa. State proposes USD 100 bail each & to report weekly at police station. Magistrate to deliver bail ruling on Monday 18 May at 1400hrs.
#FreeZinasu4

[Commander Vital🇿🇼 @MaronjeseVital]

Did you know that if CAB 3 is passed, citizens will no longer be allowed to vote for a President and only MPs in Parliament will be allowed to vote, completely reversing our liberation struggle's gain of ONE MAN, ONE VOTE just to keep Mnangagwa in power until 2030 or even beyond