Retired Army Generals, War Veterans Oppose Proposed Zimbabwe Constitutional Amendments

Harare, 12 March 2026 – A group of retired Zimbabwean army generals and senior civil servants, many of them liberation war veterans, have formally opposed Proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, warning it threatens the principle that power must remain with the people.

In a submission to the Clerk of Parliament at Mt Hampden, retired Air Marshal Henry Muchena and other ex-combatants stressed the amendments should be subjected to a national referendum, rather than decided solely by Members of Parliament. The veterans invoked the nation’s liberation history, noting that ZANU-PF was founded on the promise that sovereignty belongs to ordinary Zimbabweans, not a political elite. The submission reads:

“These were not mere slogans. They were the covenant we made with every Zimbabwean, living and dead, that sovereignty would rest with the masses, not the privileged few.”

The submission cites key milestones: ZANU-PF’s early days when leadership was collective, the 1985 election of the late President Robert Mugabe as party president by the people, and landmark constitutional referenda in 2000 and 2013 that reflected the public will.

The ex-combatants warned that bypassing public consultation undermines both democratic norms and the Zimbabwe Defence Forces’ constitutional mandate to uphold the law. They referenced November 2017’s Operation Restore Legacy, when the military acted to preserve constitutional order during a political crisis, arguing the same principle applies now.

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While affirming loyalty to ZANU-PF and President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the veterans insisted that the Constitution belongs to all Zimbabweans, not the ruling party alone. The statement seen by ZiGoats.com reads:

“We did not fight for ZANU-PF members alone; we fought for the people. Many comrades never returned. They died with the promise that Zimbabwe would be governed by the people, for the people.”

The submission concludes with a clear call: Parliament must halt the current process and submit the amendments to a national referendum, ensuring the people, not a privileged few, remain the ultimate arbiters of Zimbabwe’s constitutional future.