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In the gilded halls of the Lozitha Palace, amidst the heavy scent of tradition and the quiet rustle of royal protocol, a scene unfolded that has left regional observers and legal experts questioning the very definition of diplomacy. King Mswati III, the last absolute monarch of Africa, stood beside a man whose reputation precedes him […]

Bus Crew Brutality: A Growing Concern on Zimbabwe’s Roads Harare – A disturbing incident involving a Bolt Cutter Bus crew brutally assaulting school students has ignited public outrage and cast a harsh spotlight on the escalating issue of violence perpetrated by bus and kombi crews against passengers across Zimbabwe. The incident, captured in a viral […]

Johannesburg – As the ominous 30 June deadline looms, South Africa finds itself at a critical juncture, grappling with escalating tensions surrounding immigration. A mass exodus of Zimbabwean nationals is underway, with over 26,000 individuals having already returned home, many fleeing a climate of fear and hostility fuelled by anti-immigrant sentiment and threats of violence […]

Source: Grassroots mobilisation through cells a tried, tested concept: VP – herald

Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga engages fellow Makarichi cell members in Hwedza on Saturday, where he attended the ZANU PF National Cell Day meeting. — Picture: Mukudzei Chingwere

Mukudzei Chingwere in HWEDZA

ZANU PF’s emphasis on cell-based political mobilisation is a concept that borrows from the war of liberation, and its use in modern governance and politics guarantees grassroots participation and inclusive development, Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has said.

VP Chiwenga said this in Hwedza, his rural home, where he attended the Makarichi ZANU PF cell meeting with fellow villagers on Saturday.

The meeting was held in line with the party’s proclaimed national cell day, earmarked to maximise membership participation as well as auditing the party register.

Speaking to fellow comrades, VP Chiwenga said there was no better way to capture members’ views on national issues than engaging from the grassroots.

“Through the cells, we worked closely with the community and with the war collaborators to ensure the struggle succeeded,” said VP Chiwenga.

“Now we are in a new era, an industrial revolution. Let the lessons of the war of liberation guide our development journey; let us be united so we can develop our country. Let us summon the same unity that helped us win the war of liberation.

“Development of the country should also start from here; that is why, as the Government, we have come up with the Village Business Units. It is a concept that leaves no one and no place behind.

“But for these efforts to be a success, you must start your small projects, and we come in to assist you.”

He said he attended the event because he respected the party’s established procedures and protocols, adding that the day reinforced unity and discipline within the party.

Makarichi cell chairperson, Cde Stanley Mutete, who chaired the meeting attended by the Vice President, said he was in awe of the way the VP strictly subordinated himself to party   protocol.

Cde Mutete said the display of discipline and respect for established procedures reflected the seriousness with which the leadership approaches party work, adding that it inspired confidence among members and reinforced the importance of adherence at all levels.

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Source: War vets issue 72-hour CAB 3 ultimatum –Newsday Zimbabwe

SIX liberation war veterans have issued Parliament with a 72-hour ultimatum to halt Constitution Amendment No 3 Bill (CAB 3), accusing Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda and Senate president Mabel Chinomona of violating the Constitution, ignoring court processes and presiding over a process tainted by corruption.

The controversial Bill passed in the Senate with 75 out of 80 senators backing it, just a week after it passed through the Lower House with a 216-vote majority against 42 in opposition.

The Bill awaits presidential assent after the National Assembly noted amendments by the Senate.

However, in an open letter addressed to Mudenda and Chinomona, the veterans demanded that Parliament immediately suspends all proceedings on the controversial Bill and withdraws it from further consideration.

The veterans — Reuben Zulu, Godfrey Gurira, Shoorai Nyamangodo, Joseph Chinyangare, Dogmore Knowledge Ndiya and Joseph Chinguwa — warned that the proposed constitutional changes were “fundamentally flawed, substantively unconstitutional and procedurally fraudulent”.

The latest intervention comes months after the same group approached the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) seeking to stop the amendment process.

In that application, they argued that President Emmerson Mnangagwa acted unlawfully by chairing a Cabinet meeting that approved constitutional amendments from which he stood to benefit.

The application was, however, dismissed by a ConCourt bench that sat on May 20, which ordered that it be referred to lower courts.

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Now, the veterans have turned their fire on Parliament itself, accusing legislators of disregarding constitutional safeguards and their own standing orders.

“The passage of CAB 3 through Parliament, as overseen by your offices, represents a grave assault on the supreme law of Zimbabwe,” the veterans wrote.

“It is our considered view, supported by legal and factual opinions we have sought, that the process has been fundamentally flawed, substantively unconstitutional and procedurally fraudulent.”

At the centre of their challenge is section 328 of the Constitution, which restricts amendments that allow incumbents to benefit from the extension of tenure without the approval of voters through a referendum.

Citing the ConCourt judgment in Sibanda v Parliament of Zimbabwe, the veterans argued that Parliament cannot lawfully bypass those constitutional protections.

“The substantive effect of section 328(7) is simple and non-negotiable: the incumbent cannot benefit from a term-limit extension,” they wrote.

“The court was clear that it matters not how you word it; if the substantive result is to allow the incumbent to benefit, a national referendum is constitutionally required.”

The veterans argued that CAB 3 attempts to circumvent those restrictions through provisions they say effectively override section 328 without seeking the approval of voters.

“This is a brazen attempt to render section 328(7) subject to the Bill, effectively nullifying its substantive limitation without a referendum,” they added.

The veterans also raised allegations of corruption surrounding the passage of the Bill.

They cited media reports and public allegations that legislators received vehicles and cash linked to support for CAB 3, arguing that such inducements may have violated parliamentary ethics, rules and criminal law provisions.

“There is public evidence that Members of Parliament have been induced, rewarded or corrupted by vehicles and money linked to support for CAB 3,” the veterans wrote.

“The law prohibits the conversion of a constitutional vote to a marketplace of private reward.”

In one of the petition’s most strongly worded passages, the veterans argued that votes cast by MPs who allegedly benefited from inducements could not be considered constitutionally valid.

“A vote bought by cash and keys is not a constitutional vote; it is an exhibit in a criminal inquiry,” they wrote.

The former fighters also accused Parliament of failing to investigate allegations of bribery and conflict of interest despite possessing the powers to do so under its standing orders.

“Parliament, therefore, had the machinery to stop the rot,” they wrote.

“It instead allowed the vote to proceed, as if a constitutional amendment can be washed clean by pretending not to smell the sewage.”

The veterans also accused Parliament of permitting MPs to vote on the Bill while court applications challenging the proposed extension of parliamentary terms remained unresolved.

“As presiding officers, you have allowed 210 Members of Parliament to vote on CAB 3 while they were actively ignoring lawsuits served upon them by voters from their own constituencies,” the letter added.

According to the veterans, the conduct amounted to “a flagrant disregard for the rule of law and a demonstration that the Legislature holds the Judiciary and the citizenry in contempt.”

Among their demands, the veterans want Parliament to suspend all CAB 3 proceedings, declare the National Assembly vote invalid, halt Senate consideration of the Bill, institute a parliamentary privileges inquiry and compel MPs to disclose any benefits received in connection with the constitutional amendment.

They are also demanding that Parliament refers allegations of bribery and inducements to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Prosecutor-General for investigation.

In a direct warning to Parliament’s leadership, the veterans gave Mudenda and Chinomona 72 hours to act.

“We call upon you, in your capacities as presiding officers, to act immediately and decisively,” they wrote.

The petition concludes with a pointed reference to Mnangagwa’s liberation war credentials and legacy.

“President Emmerson Mnangagwa, as a fellow comrade, understands better than most the sacrifices that secured Zimbabwe’s independence,” the veterans wrote.

“It would, therefore, be a profound irony if actions taken in his name were to weaken the very Constitution that embodies the aspirations and sacrifices of that struggle.

“Such conduct would not enhance his legacy; it would cast a lasting shadow over it.”

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