Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike [email protected]
MORE Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members continue to add their voices in support of the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill during ongoing debates in Parliament.
Yesterday, CCC Bulawayo Metropolitan Province youth quota representative Ms Sikhuphukile Dube expressed her backing for the proposed amendments in their entirety, including provisions relating to the extension of the
Presidential term and the election of the President through Parliament.
She commended the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Ziyambi Ziyambi, for tabling the Bill before Parliament.
“I also wish to express my appreciation to the Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for bringing this important Bill before the House,” she said.
“As a young woman serving in this Parliament, I rise to support both the report and the Bill because I view these proposed reforms not merely through the lens of today’s politics but through the eyes of future generations who will inherit but through the eyes of future generations who will inherit the institutions we build today.
“People who participated in the consultation process supported the Bill, reflecting a national desire for stronger, more efficient and development-oriented governance structures.”
Ms Dube also backed the proposed amendment that seeks to transfer responsibility for voter registration and the maintenance of the voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General’s Office.
“Madam Speaker, one aspect that particularly resonates with me is the proposal to transfer voter registration and the maintenance of the voter’s roll to the Registrar-General’s Office. My generation is growing up in a world driven by data, technology and integrated information systems.
“We, therefore, appreciate the importance of having accurate, centralised and continuously updated records. The Registrar-General’s Office already manages birth, death and national identity records, making that institution best positioned to maintain an accurate voter’s roll.
“This is not merely an administrative reform; it lays the foundation for a more reliable and efficient electoral management system, while allowing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to focus on its core mandate of conducting elections and voter education,” she said.
In supporting the proposal to extend the electoral cycle, Ms Dube said: “Madam Speaker, I also support the proposal of the President to be elected by Parliament and the extension of the Electoral Cycle from five years to seven years.
“As young people, we often speak about investment, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic transformation.
However, this aspiration flourished in the early years of the Zimbabwean Government. Investors, entrepreneurs, and development partners make long-term decisions based on predictable government environments.”
Ms Dube added that the committee had correctly observed that most development projects require longer implementation periods, and that extending the electoral cycle would provide greater continuity for national programmes.
“In many respects, the greatest gift one generation can give the next is not money or infrastructure, but stability. Stability allows roads to be completed, industries to grow,” she said.
Masvingo Province proportional representation member Ms Tsungirirai Rungwave also expressed support, saying the proposed amendments would help ensure uninterrupted progress in national development.
She added that the changes could reduce costs associated with conducting elections.
Last week, CCC proportional representation legislator for Manicaland, Ms Samantha Mureyani, also backed the Bill, particularly the proposal for the President to be elected by Parliament.
Hwange West MP Mr Vusumuzi Moyo (CCC) said returning voter registration to the Registrar-General’s Office would simplify the process for prospective voters.
Harare proportional representation legislator Ms Juliana Makuvire (CCC) said her constituents support the proposed changes.
“The people who elected me in Harare said they were in support of Parliament electing the President and were also in favour of extending the electoral cycle from five to seven years to reduce electoral toxicity and give more time to implement development projects,” she said.
CCC Budiriro North legislator Ms Susan Matsunga on Wednesday reiterated her praise for President Mnangagwa and the Second Republic for development projects aimed at improving the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.
