Online Reporter
Nyore Madzianike
Senior Reporter
THERE is an urgent need for every citizen and security professional to embrace the emerging and compelling doctrine of constitutional patriotism, Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said.
He made the call last week while delivering a presentation titled “Enhancing National Security Through Effective Legislation: Zimbabwe’s Parliamentary Imperative” to National Defence Course Number 14 of 2025 at the Zimbabwe National Defence University (ZNDU) in Harare.
Adv Mudenda said constitutional patriotism compels all citizens to place the Constitution at the centre of the rule of law and to uphold the unflinching observance of the Bill of Rights.
He said the Bill of Rights guarantees equality before the law and the full panoply of fundamental rights that constitute the essence of human security.
“This address has sought to demonstrate that national security is not merely a function of military might or intelligence capability.
“At its most enduring level, national security is grounded in constitutionalism, legality, the rule of law and the vitality of parliamentary democracy.
“Accordingly, there is an urgent need for every citizen and every security professional to embrace the emerging and compelling doctrine of constitutional patriotism.
“Constitutional patriotism compels all citizens to place the Constitution above all else as the cornerstone of the rule of law and the unflinching observance of the Bill of Rights, which guarantees equality before the law and the full panoply of fundamental rights that constitute the substance of human security,” he said.
Adv Mudenda reaffirmed that Parliament will continue to discharge its mandate in developing Zimbabwe’s national security legal framework.
He challenged the Zimbabwe National Defence University to undertake rigorous research on national security issues and submit its findings to Cabinet.
“To that extent, the Zimbabwe National Defence University is challenged to conduct rigorous empirical research on national security issues and to channel the results of that scholarship to the Cabinet, which remains the primary institutional forum from which Bills are generated for subsequent consideration and enactment by Parliament.
“The generation of evidence‑based policy recommendations, grounded in rigorous research and guided by constitutional values, can be the University’s most enduring contribution to Zimbabwe’s national security architecture.
‘Kure kwegava ndiko kusina mutsvubvu’, ‘induku enhle iganyulwa ezizweni’, or ‘kulimusimbi mubotu takulampi pee’.
“Accordingly, the Zimbabwe National Defence University must assiduously pursue robust research into the phenomenon of security dynamics,” he said.
The Speaker also said political pluralism is an indispensable pillar of national security.
He warned that instability within political parties, if not addressed through coherent legislative frameworks, could erode constitutional democracy upon which durable national security ultimately rests.
“Political pluralism, as a defining feature of Zimbabwe’s democracy since independence in 1980, is itself an indispensable pillar of national security.
“A polity in which diverse political voices are channelled through lawful institutions directs political energy and social tensions through constitutional mechanisms, rather than through potentially destabilising alternatives.
“The provisions of Section 129(1)(k) and (l) of the Constitution, governing party membership and floor‑crossing, are directly germane to this security analysis.
“Inter‑party and intra‑party political instability, if not addressed by coherent legislative frameworks, can erode constitutional democracy upon which durable national security ultimately rests,” he said.
Adv Mudenda said Parliament must therefore discharge its responsibility to legislate on the conduct of political party activities in ways that promote stability, inclusivity, democratic legitimacy and political integrity.
