Legal expert and former CCC deputy spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba has rallied Zimbabweans to continue opposing Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026, which is scheduled for debate in Parliament this week.
By Advent Shoko
Among other provisions, the Bill seeks to extend the terms of incumbent Members of Parliament, councillors and the President by two years to 2030, a proposal critics have widely interpreted as a term extension. The 2013 Constitution currently limits elected terms to five years.
The proposed amendments would also empower the President to appoint 10 additional senators with technical expertise, a departure from the current system in which senators are largely elected and may rise to office through public popularity.
As debate over the Bill intensifies, Siziba urged citizens not to relent in their opposition, arguing that the proposed changes undermine constitutional democracy.
Speaking on Monday, he said:
“This week, Mudenda’s Parliament is set to begin debate on the infamous Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3. Fellow citizens, it is now abundantly clear that the regime is determined to alter the Constitution of our country without the consent of the people, from whom all legitimate power is derived.
As ordinary citizens, we have rejected this Bill because it threatens the very foundations of constitutional democracy. We have opposed it to the best of our abilities. Yet this is not the moment to tire. It is not the moment to capitulate.
History teaches us that every generation is confronted by defining moments that test its commitment to freedom and justice. This is one such moment. We must stand firm in defence of our Constitution and the principles that safeguard our collective future.
#NoTo2030″
The Bill is widely expected to pass through Parliament given that its proponents, the ruling ZANU PF party, command a comfortable majority in the National Assembly.
However, opposition to the proposed amendments is unlikely to end there. Legal efforts are already underway to compel Parliament to subject Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026 to a national referendum should it successfully clear the parliamentary process.
The coming weeks are therefore expected to determine not only the fate of the Bill, but also whether the battle over Zimbabwe’s constitutional future shifts from Parliament to the courts and ultimately to the people themselves.
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