Online Reporter
Zvamaida Murwira [email protected]
ZANU-PF says it is not afraid to subject the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) to a referendum, but maintains that the country’s supreme law does not require such a process for the proposed amendments.
The party’s Director of Information and Publicity, Cde Farai Marapira, said the consultative process undertaken so far was adequate and fully compliant with the Constitution.
Cde Marapira made the remarks on Monday evening during Star FM’s current affairs programme, Muriro on Monday, which hosted a panel discussion on CAB3.
“As Zanu-PF, we have never refused to go to a referendum, but as a party, we work within the parameters of the law.
If one is to look at the dictates of the Constitution of 2013, these issues that are at hand do not require the implementation of a plebiscite.
“But this process that we have done is enough, and to my understanding, this issue was before the courts, and this is our stance as Zanu-PF; not that we have any fear of a plebiscite, but it’s just that we work within the parameters of the law.
We do not break the law to suit our own ends or to suit anyone else’s ends.”
Cde Marapira said Zanu-PF had fulfilled both the spirit and letter of the law and “this is what we believe we are doing”.
The proposed constitutional amendments are aimed at improving governance and strengthening institutional effectiveness. Cde Marapira said the Bill sought to enhance Presidential accountability mechanisms and improve institutional efficiency.
“These changes align with Vision 2030… reducing constitutional ambiguities and creating a governance framework which is conducive to rapid development,” he said.
He also said extensive consultations had been conducted on the Bill and described the process as a “reflection of public input. Through this (consultation) we have crafted this Bill, and after the crafting of the Bill, public input has been actively sought through these parliamentary hearings and stakeholder engagements. We are very elated with the turnout and the number of submissions. This has shown that there has been wide uptake, wide discussion and wide contribution by the people of Zimbabwe towards this Bill.
“Zanu-PF has listened to the concerns raised and many of these concerns have informed our position. We believe the process has been sufficiently inclusive, but as with any process, there will always be room for improvement, especially in areas like civic education,” said Cde Marapira.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Portfolio Committee chairperson Cde Eddison Zvobgo (Jnr), who also contributed to the discussion, said the proposal for Parliament to elect the President was not unique to Zimbabwe.
“In terms of the election of the President, I must say that it is a misconception that there’s only one type of democracy. If you look at what’s happening in the United Kingdom, if the Prime Minister falls or if he is under some pressure, the next Prime Minister will be chosen by the Labour Party (from where PM Keir Starmer comes).
“If you also look at the United States of America, (President) Donald Trump lost the popular vote twice. More people voted against him than those who voted for him, but because of the electoral system they have there, he managed to win,” said Cde Zvobgo.
He added that allowing Parliament to elect the President would bring several advantages, including reducing election-related costs. “The decision to allow Parliament to vote for the President will reduce costs incredibly…
Remember, this is not the first electoral amendment and we have been through this process before and constitutionally, we have followed exactly what we did previously and nobody objected,” said Cde Zvobgo.
Addressing calls for a referendum, Cde Zvobgo said the matter was before the courts and therefore sub judice, but maintained Parliament’s position that a referendum was unnecessary.
“The issue is actually sub judice at the moment, but our view, obviously, as Parliament is that there is no need for a referendum. As you know, we have separation of powers in this country. The job of Parliament is to legislate, and it’s the job of the courts to adjudicate any issues that might arise.
“So, it is actually a case that is before the courts right now. We shall hear what input (comes from the courts), but our view as Parliament was that a referendum was not necessary because we are extending the electoral cycle,” said Cde Zvobgo.
Another panellist, Dzivarasekwa legislator Mr Edwin Mushoriwa, expressed reservations over the Bill, arguing that several provisions required further scrutiny.
He said he did not support the proposal to transfer voter registration functions from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General’s Office, and also opposed the creation of a separate delimitation entity outside the electoral management body.
Debate over CAB3 continues to generate interest across the political divide, with supporters arguing that the proposed amendments will improve governance efficiency, while critics maintain that some provisions require wider consultation and further review.
