HARARE — The government has backed away from two of the most controversial provisions contained in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, with Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi confirming that proposals affecting the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the political role of traditional leaders have been removed from the legislation.
The concessions came as Parliament concluded the Second Reading stage of the constitutional amendment process on Wednesday, paving the way for a decisive vote in the National Assembly on Thursday before the Bill proceeds to the Senate.
Addressing legislators after seven days of debate, Ziyambi acknowledged that parliamentary scrutiny and public submissions had significantly influenced the final shape of the Bill.
Among the provisions abandoned was a proposal to merge the Zimbabwe Gender Commission with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission as part of a broader institutional restructuring exercise. The proposed merger had attracted criticism from lawmakers across the political divide, who argued that gender issues required a dedicated constitutional body.
Ziyambi said the government had initially advanced the proposal in pursuit of administrative efficiency but accepted the recommendations of Parliament’s Joint Committee, which advised against the move following public consultations.
The minister told legislators that consultation processes were intended to shape legislation rather than merely legitimise predetermined decisions, adding that the government had accepted Parliament’s position on the matter.
A second contentious proposal involving the political rights of traditional leaders was also withdrawn.
The amendment sought to remove constitutional restrictions that prohibit chiefs from actively participating in partisan politics. Government officials had argued that the current constitutional framework created contradictions by allowing chiefs to sit in Parliament while simultaneously limiting their political involvement.
However, parliamentary committees concluded that traditional leaders must remain politically neutral because of their role in administering customary law and resolving community disputes. Following those recommendations, the government agreed to drop the proposed changes.
The withdrawals represent a rare retreat on key constitutional proposals and are likely to be viewed as significant victories for critics who had raised concerns about the potential implications of the amendments.
Record Parliamentary Participation
Ziyambi used his closing remarks to highlight what he described as unprecedented parliamentary engagement during consideration of the Bill.
According to figures presented to the House, 182 Members of Parliament made substantive contributions during the debate, far exceeding participation levels recorded during previous constitutional amendment processes.
The minister said 111 legislators supported the Bill without qualification, while a further 31 supported it with reservations regarding specific provisions. Thirty MPs opposed the Bill entirely, while 10 raised concerns without indicating a final position.
Government supporters cited the statistics as evidence of broad legislative backing for the constitutional changes, although opposition lawmakers maintained that several provisions remained deeply controversial.
The minister also defended the consultation process, stating that parliamentary committees had received more than 540,000 written submissions from members of the public and conducted hearings attended by over 54,000 people nationwide.
Critics have challenged both the methodology and interpretation of the consultation exercise, arguing that public participation figures alone do not resolve substantive constitutional concerns.
Electoral Changes Remain at Centre of Debate
Despite the removal of the Gender Commission and chiefs’ clauses, the most politically significant elements of the Bill remain intact.
The proposed amendments would fundamentally alter Zimbabwe’s electoral architecture by replacing direct presidential elections with a parliamentary election system and extending the current electoral cycle from 2028 to 2030.
If adopted, the changes would lengthen the tenure of both Parliament and President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s current administration by two years.
Opposition legislators argued that the amendments would effectively allow incumbents to benefit from constitutional changes, contrary to the spirit of democratic safeguards embedded in the 2013 Constitution.
Ziyambi rejected those claims, insisting that the Bill does not alter presidential term limits and therefore does not require a national referendum.
He argued that constitutional term limits concern the maximum number of terms a president may serve rather than the duration of an electoral cycle, maintaining that the existing two-term presidential limit remains unchanged.
The minister further defended the proposed reforms as necessary to address recurring electoral disputes, policy uncertainty associated with frequent election cycles, public sector politicisation, corruption linked to political instability and growing social divisions.
Final Vote Looms
Following the conclusion of the Second Reading debate, Parliament moved into the Committee Stage, where lawmakers examined the Bill clause by clause in proceedings that stretched late into the night.
Deliberations included heated exchanges over issues such as voting rights for Zimbabweans living abroad, with opposition MPs pressing government ministers on diaspora participation in future elections.
By the end of the session, the amended Bill had been referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee for review ahead of the Consideration Stage and final vote scheduled for Thursday.
The ruling party enters the vote with a commanding two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, giving the Bill a strong likelihood of passage. Should it clear the lower chamber, the legislation will move to the Senate, where the governing party and its allies also hold overwhelming numerical strength.
The parliamentary vote is expected to mark another significant milestone in Zimbabwe’s ongoing constitutional reform process, while debates over the long-term implications of the proposed changes continue both inside and outside Parliament.
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