ZHRO Strongly Condemns CAB3
- Details
- Written by: ZHRO and Petitioners
- Hits: 143
ZHRO Strongly Condemns ZANU-PF Violence and Sabotage of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 Public Consultations
31 March 2026 –London/Harare
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO) unequivocally condemns the scenes of violence, intimidation, and blatant exclusion that have turned Parliament’s so-called “public consultations” on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill 2026 into a shameful #ZanuPfCharade.
Today’s hearings — particularly at Harare’s City Sports Centre and other venues — descended into chaos as ZANU-PF-aligned thugs assaulted citizens, stole property, and physically prevented opposition voices from being heard. The vicious attack on human rights lawyer Doug Coltart, the targeting of Constitution Defenders Forum members, and the systematic denial of the microphone to critics are not isolated incidents. They are the predictable outcome of a process designed from the outset to manufacture consent rather than seek it.
This is not public consultation. This is state-sponsored theatre, backed by violence, in a desperate bid to amend the Constitution for the personal benefit of those in power — most notably to extend President Mnangagwa’s rule under the guise of “Vision 2030”. ZHRO has repeatedly warned that genuine constitutional change requires freedom of assembly, protection of dissent, equal access to platforms, a diaspora vote, and an independent process. None of these exist in ZANU-PF’s Zimbabwe in 2026.
Instead, we see the same old tactics of intimidation that have defined 46 years of misrule.
ZHRO reiterates its call:
Reject this fraudulent process. Adopt a Constitution for the People, Not the Party. Our Model Constitution — already submitted as a formal contribution — offers a genuine democratic alternative that protects rights, limits power, and puts citizens first. [See the Proposed New Constitution HERE for Discussion, Download and Reflection.]
We demand:
- An immediate independent investigation into today’s violence and accountability for those responsible.
- A full, free, and fair national referendum on any constitutional amendments.
- An end to the criminalisation of peaceful dissent.
ZHRO stands in solidarity with every Zimbabwean denied a voice today. The struggle for a free, just, and democratic Zimbabwe continues.
Issued by:
Zimbabwe Human Rights Organisation (ZHRO)
www.zhro.org.uk | @ZHRO_Zimbabwe
Biti Abducted
- Details
- Written by: AFP, John Burke and Stanford Biti
- Hits: 142
The AFP {Agence France-Presse. is a French international news agency, one of the world's three largest alongside Reuters and the Associated Press (AP). Despite being French in origin, it operates globally and distributes news in multiple languages. The "AFP" initialism comes from its French name.} have penned an article regarding Tendai Biti's illegal and unconstitutional "Arrest" (or abduction in practice - by the ever vengeful Mnangagwa led mafiosa regime).
Below it was publised in the Nigerian Vanguard! itself no bastion of democracy - as a matter of irony!!
""Tendai Biti, a prominent lawyer and former finance minister, was organising a rally in Mutare, a town on the border with Mozambique, when he was arrested along with activists and journalists, according to the Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF).""
“I condemn the arrest and detention this afternoon in Mutare of my long-standing friend, fellow lawyer and former Cabinet Minister Tendai Biti,”
David Coltart, mayor of Bulawayo, the country’s second largest city, posted on social media. “His crime? Speaking out against the Constitutional Amendment.”
Beatings - intimidation - Zanu PF at Work
- Details
- Written by: Mary Taruvinga - AFP
- Hits: 135
modernghana.com/news/by Mary Taruvinga
Beatings, intimidation as Zimbabwe (regime) bids to extend presidential term
HARARE — Professor Lovemore Madhuku struggled to focus without his spectacles, broken in an assault that shocked many in Zimbabwe when footage of his injuries was shared on social media. His lips were still swollen, and bruises lined his back, the aftermath of an assault he blamed on police-backed security agents who stormed a meeting of his opposition party in early March. The attack is among a series reported by groups mobilising against a proposed constitutional amendment passed by cabinet last month that would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term.
But it has not weakened his resolve to fight the changes, said Madhuku, a law professor and leader of the National Constitutional Assembly. "If we are shot, we will die. If we are beaten up... we may be hospitalised or even crippled. But we are not going to care," the 60-year-old told AFP. Police denied involvement in the attack by men in balaclavas, but this assault and others echo previous violent and sometimes deadly crackdowns against Zimbabwe's opposition, blamed on state forces.
The proposed amendments raising most alarm would extend the presidential term from five to seven years and replace direct presidential elections with a vote by lawmakers. They would keep Mnangagwa, 83, in office after his constitutionally limited two terms end in 2028. Critics say they would also entrench the grip on power of ZANU-PF, which has governed the resource-rich country since independence in 1980, overseeing crippling economic crises and accused of corruption and repression. Prominent opposition lawmaker Jameson Timba, 61, said he and a colleague had been under surveillance since speaking against the amendment. Both found an "X" painted at their homes the day they planned to hold a meeting at the offices of the pro-democracy Southern Africa Political Economy Series (SAPES) Trust.
The SAPES building was bombed last year as debate over the possibility of extending presidential terms gained momentum. "We are not scared," said Timba, who spent more than five months in jail in 2024 on charges of holding an unlawful meeting. "We will not stop," the Defend the Constitution Platform leader told AFP. A member of the separate Constitution Defenders Forum told reporters he was beaten last month by armed men who ran over his legs with a SUV and interrogated him about the group's strategy to challenge the amendment.
"Since the bill has been introduced, there has been a systematic shutting down of those whose voices oppose it," political analyst Blessing Vava told AFP.
"We are in a very dangerous space," he said, recalling the role of the military in crises in 2008 and 2017.
Death Bed Regrets and Hope
- Details
- Written by: John Burke
- Hits: 406
Whist researching Twitter/X for a support letter for one of our members, I came, perchance, upon the [litteral] death bed message (24hours ago) of Blessed Geza
Full Message:
Fellow Zimbabweans,
I come to you at this unusual hour, my heart heavy with sorrow. I am in pain that I might not see the new Zimbabwe after Emmerson, but I take solace in the hope that you will continue the faith for a free and prosperous nation - the Zimbabwe I fiercely fought for.
I have walked a difficult path, one filled with pain and sacrifice. Like many of you, I joined this struggle at a tender age. We fought fierce battles, and the memories of our dear comrades who fell to the enemy’s guns and bombs still haunt us. But this did not deter us; it fortified our resolve. Each of us hoped to witness a better Zimbabwe, one where every dream counted. The colonial system was oppressively and socially, economically, and politically discriminatory, The oppressors stole our dignity, our humanity, and our livelihoods.
Page 1 of 43
