nyasha gerald mukonyora II

Nyati, Mhina
Munhu Mutema
Pan-Africanist
Legal Practitioner

[Fadzayi Mahere🇿🇼 @advocatemahere]

🔸Today is a dark, dark day for our nation. A black cloud hangs over us. Our democracy has been in a coma for years but today, it breathes its last. Mourn we must. Tragedy, thy name is Zimbabwe.

We need new leaders.🇿🇼

[Fadzayi Mahere🇿🇼 @advocatemahere]

🔸Apa pataurwa chokwadi.🔥

We need new leaders.🇿🇼

[Gerrard Anko Ged Belts @MacBelts]

Another audio drops. Temba in conversation with Rutendo. Hanzi ED hapana paya akadyiswa nana July Moyo. Temba goes on to say that if you compare ED and Bob you can see Bob was a statesman kwete ED hapana chozikanwa paya 😂😂😂

[Fadzayi Mahere🇿🇼 @advocatemahere]

🔸If @ZANUPF_Official had any shame, they’d resign immediately. This is a man-made crisis and they are responsible for it. 2030 kuti muitesei? Shameful.

We need new leaders.🇿🇼

[Change Radio @ChangeRadioZW]

Calls for Referendum Grow Louder as Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 Clears Senate

Calls for a national referendum on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 are growing louder across Zimbabwe following the Senate’s approval of the controversial legislation. Citizens, legal experts, opposition figures and civic groups argue that a referendum is necessary because the proposed amendments seek to make significant changes to the Constitution, a document regarded as the supreme expression of the people’s will.

Supporters of a referendum say it would give Zimbabweans the opportunity to directly decide on constitutional changes that could affect the country’s governance, electoral system and democratic future. They argue that such far-reaching amendments should not be determined by Parliament alone but must receive the approval of the electorate.

The Senate voted 75 to 4 in favour of the bill, with one abstention, paving the way for it to be presented to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for assent. The bill has sparked intense debate, with critics alleging that some of its provisions require approval through a referendum before becoming law.

Opposition activists and civic organisations have vowed to challenge the bill through the courts and through peaceful citizen mobilisation. They maintain that the proposed amendments have been rejected by many Zimbabweans and insist that the people must have the final say.

The bill proposes several constitutional changes, including extending presidential terms from five to seven years and altering provisions relating to the country’s leadership succession process. Critics argue that the amendments could concentrate more power in the executive.

As the debate intensifies, attention is now turning to the next legal and constitutional steps. Whether the matter proceeds to a referendum, faces court challenges, or is signed into law by the President, Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 is set to remain at the centre of Zimbabwe’s political discourse in the coming months.

Meanwhile Jameson Timba notes,”The Senate’s passage of CAB3 does not mark the end of the struggle to defend Zimbabwe’s Constitution. Our fight has never been confined to Parliament. We remain fully engaged in the courts and, together with our Alliance partners, will soon announce the next phase of lawful, peaceful constitutional action under Section 59. The citizens of Zimbabwe are the last line of defence for the Constitution."

[Wakurawarerwa Jonah @CitizenWakura]

Advocate @Advo_Mureri secured bail for TAFADZWA . This is solidarity and leadership

[LeaderGeneral @LeaderGeneral1]

1/3 🚨 URGENT INTERNATIONAL ALERT 🚨

The situation surrounding Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) leaders is becoming increasingly worrying. Reports received, suspected State agents in four vehicles, two Ford Rangers and two Toyota Fortuners

@daddyhope @MacBelts @Chofamba

[Winky D @winkydonline]

Blessed Monday. The story continues, let's go.

[Freeman @freemanchari]

Our position!

[Gift Ostallos Siziba @Cde_Ostallos]

For the democratic movement, this is a moment for reflection and strategic rethinking. As the nation is subjected to deepening repression by the regime, it is increasingly evident that our foremost task is to build a credible and viable alternative. Doing so is imperative, because such a platform does not presently exist. Only through this can history properly record our role, otherwise we risk becoming an albatross rather than an instrument of democratic transformation. Enkosi🙏🏽

[Hopewell Chin’ono @daddyhope]

The Zimbabwean Members of Parliament whose names are crossed out on this voting sheet voted NO against Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3. Those whose names are not crossed out voted YES.

As can be seen from the list, every ZANUPF MP present in the National Assembly voted in favour of the bill.
ZANUPF was short of the numbers required to secure the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution on its own.

However, it received crucial support from opposition MPs, including many who entered Parliament through the recalls orchestrated by political charlatan Sengezo Tshabangu, as well as some MPs elected on the CCC ticket in August 2023.

The final result was 216 votes in favour and 42 against, giving the bill the constitutional majority required to pass the National Assembly and proceed to the Senate.

The vote will reignite debate about the role played by opposition MPs in determining the future of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, particularly on a bill that seeks, among other things, to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term of office.

[Hopewell Chin’ono @daddyhope]

So here are my two cents on the Constitutional Court rulings delivered today against the war veterans and former Member of Parliament Prince Dubeko Sibanda.

My belief, as a Zimbabwean, is that meaningful political breakthroughs rarely happen simply because those in power suddenly decide to do the right thing. Throughout our history, progress has usually come when pressure creates consequences and forces a response.

Zimbabwe did not attain independence because Ian Smith suddenly accepted a logical argument he could have accepted in 1965. It took 14 years of armed struggle before he recognised that the situation had become untenable and agreed to negotiate.

The 2013 Constitution did not emerge in a vacuum either. It came after a disputed election, political violence, international pressure, and a crisis that forced the parties into a Government of National Unity.
Likewise, what truly ignited serious opposition to ZANUPF in 2000 was the referendum defeat, which signalled to Robert Mugabe that the political landscape had fundamentally changed and that opposition politics could no longer be dismissed as the activities of small, inconsequential groups.

That is why I believe Zimbabweans who are waiting for the Constitutional Court to save the Constitution while the rest of us remain passive may be setting themselves up for disappointment. Without some form of pressure that creates consequences for political actors and institutions, there is little incentive for those institutions to act differently.

The Constitutional Court has once again relied on procedural and technical grounds to avoid determining the substantive constitutional questions before it. Whether under Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, Chief Justice Luke Malaba, or now Chief Justice Elizabeth Gwaunza, the pattern has often been the same: constitutional avoidance rather than direct engagement with difficult constitutional questions.

My view is that the Court understands that the legal arguments being raised are substantial. Addressing them on their merits would require a ruling with profound political consequences. By focusing on technicalities, the Court postpones that moment of reckoning.

These are uncomfortable realities, but they must be discussed openly so that Zimbabweans are not surprised by future developments.

If the contest over Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 is left entirely to legal arguments within institutions that have historically shown deference to political power, then the faction within ZANUPF sponsoring the amendment is likely to prevail. However, if sufficient pressure emerges from society, politics, civic engagement, and public opinion, the calculations of both politicians and judges may change.

This is not merely a ZANUPF issue. It is a national issue.
If this amendment succeeds, the consequences will extend far beyond the current political moment. Combined with constituency boundaries that critics such as Freeman Chari warned about in 2022 and 2023, the political system will become structured in a way that makes it extraordinarily difficult for an opposition party to win power, even under significantly freer electoral conditions.

Yes, the police may insist that citizens cannot demonstrate, even though the Constitution protects the right to peaceful protest. But when citizens accept restrictions without contesting them through lawful and democratic means, they inevitably reduce the pressure that compels institutions to respond constitutionally.

History teaches us that constitutions do not defend themselves. Courts do not operate in a vacuum. Political systems change when citizens, institutions, and leaders reach a point where maintaining the status quo becomes more costly than reform.

Without meaningful pressure, I do not see much changing. And if Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 ultimately succeeds, Zimbabweans will have to honestly ask themselves whether they did enough to defend the Constitution while there was still time.

[Namatai Kwekweza🇿🇼 @namataik_]

🔴Vane nzeve vanzwa! Batai mazwi vana vevhu, dzinenge tsumo!

[Doug Coltart ⚖️🇿🇼 @DougColtart]

Eish! 🤣 The #OneManOneVote campaign has hit the System hard!!! They are now putting up billboards trying to rewrite history to say that there was no such liberation struggle slogan! 🙈Citizens, please post all your pictures and videos of #OneManOneVote to remind them of the truth!

[Hon. Tafadzwa Mugwadi @TafadzwaMugwadi]

Service is service! We are leaders to serve and not be serviced! Service is just that and I reiterate! Service in anticipation of rewards is no Service, it is a job. And who are we in Service. We are Servicemen and service women. #KnowYourLeaders. Budge not. Service has no price!

[Youngerson Yahwe Matete 🇿🇼 @MateteYoung]

The constitution is clear. The power to govern is driven from the people. Parliament can never replace the people. It is the right of Zimbabweans to choose who becomes their president enshrined in s67 and entrenched in s328. This is why #CAB3 must be subjected to a referendum.

[Namatai Kwekweza🇿🇼 @namataik_]

🟦 "The Constitution of Zimbabwe is not a party manifesto, nor is it merely a government program. It is the supreme covenant between the people and those entrusted with authority."

The constitution exists to limit and distribute power, ensuring accountability and safeguarding the rights of all citizens.

Thank you, Hon. @agencygumbo , for your leadership and commitment to upholding the rule of law.
#DefendTheConstitution #RuleOfLaw #Zimbabwe #RejectCAB3 #2030Musipo❌

[Wakurawarerwa Jonah @CitizenWakura]

Give him thousand likes and retweets.

[Hopewell Chin’ono @daddyhope]

Agency Gumbo represents the kind of opposition Member of Parliament that every democracy needs. We are all Zimbabweans, but people hold different political views, ideologies and visions for the country. Those citizens deserve representatives who can clearly, intelligently and fearlessly articulate their positions in Parliament.

His contribution during yesterday’s debate on the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 demonstrated exactly what an effective opposition MP should do, scrutinise legislation, challenge those in power, and give voice to the concerns of the citizens he represents.

Agency Gumbo showed the importance of having opposition legislators who are informed, articulate and prepared to defend the constitutional principles and democratic values they believe in.

A healthy democracy is not built on conformity. It is strengthened when different viewpoints are robustly debated, tested and heard.

Gumbo’s contribution to the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 debate was a reminder of the vital role that a strong and credible opposition representative plays in any democratic society.