A member of the Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF), a civic group campaigning against Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026, has been arrested following dramatic allegations of abduction and torture.
In a statement titled “URGENT ALERT: CDF MEMBER ABDUCTED, TORTURED AND SEIZED FROM HOSPITAL”, CDF said Baird Gore of Glen Norah was allegedly abducted after participating in a peaceful walkabout in CDF regalia.
According to the organisation,
“Baird arrived during this assault and was immediately seized, blindfolded and taken to an unknown location.”
The group claims he was,
“severely beaten and interrogated about CDF Convener Hon. Tendai Biti and the organization’s strategy to resist the unconstitutional 2030 Agenda.”
CDF alleges his captors demanded to know “Who was behind the recent CDF press conference” and “Who was funding CDF,” among other questions. The statement further claims that “his legs were deliberately run over once with their vehicle” and that he sustained “a suspected broken hand and other serious injuries.”
After reportedly being dumped at City Sports Centre, Gore filed a police report at Glen Norah Police Station and was taken to hospital. However, CDF says around 2am
“a team of armed uniformed and plain-clothed officers… stormed the hospital… and forcibly removed him.”
He was later transferred to Harare Central Police Station’s Law & Order Section. CDF maintains:
“Defending the Constitution is not a crime. CDF’s mission is peaceful. CDF’s mission is constitutional. CDF’s mission is democratic.”
Political commentator Ibbo Mandaza reacted strongly, saying:
“When will the purveyors of this evil ever learn that this only galvanizes the Zimbabwean people against them?… It won’t work; this is how the edifice crumbles.”
Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti who is the convener of the Constitution Defenders Forum condemned the arrest and said:
“We condemn in the strongest of terms the use of violence and terror tactics against any citizen… It is our constitutional right to peacefully defend that constitution. We therefore refuse to be cowered or intimidated.”
The Zimbabwe Republic Police had not issued a public statement at the time of publication.
The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 of 2026, which critics argue could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term to 2030 and alter how future presidents are elected.
As tensions rise, the case is likely to test both the rule of law and Zimbabwe’s constitutional order.
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