HARARE — Violence, arrests and intimidation marred the first day of parliament’s public consultations on Monday over a controversial constitutional amendment seeking to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term in office.
Several hearings were cut short after clashes broke out, including at Nketa Hall in Bulawayo where a woman who voiced opposition to Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill was chased from the venue and pelted with stones by a group of assailants outside.
Opponents of the changes said they were systematically blocked from speaking as Zanu PF – which tabled the amendments – was accused of bussing supporters to hearing venues to drown out dissenting voices.
Parliament is gathering public submissions from March 30 to April 2, ahead of a parliamentary vote scheduled for May.
Critics say the process is a sham and unconstitutional, demanding a referendum in which Zimbabweans vote directly on the amendments. Mnangagwa loyalists and MPs who stand to benefit from the term extension insist no referendum is required, setting the stage for a bruising confrontation with the opposition and rights groups.
The Nketa hearing collapsed after a woman in a T-shirt bearing the words “No to 2030” got into a shouting match with supporters of the amendments.
“When we went to vote, we voted for the president to be in that seat for five years. What is he going to achieve in two years that he failed to achieve in 10 years?” she said before being forced out of the hall.
The disturbance spilled outside, where witnesses said she was chased through an open field and stoned by unidentified men.
Organisers struggled to restore order before officials were eventually forced to end the hearing early.
Denford Sithole, a student leader who had spoken against the bill, was then led away from the hall by an unidentified man in civilian clothes, raising fears he had been abducted.
He was located hours later at Bulawayo Central Police Station, where he had been “charged simply for wearing a Zimbabwe National Students Union Learnmore Jongwe T-shirt,” according to former CCC MP Gift Ostallos Siziba.
In Bindura, student leader Tafara Magodora – earlier reported abducted from a bus stop near Bindura University – was subsequently confirmed to have been arrested.
Police said in a statement: “The ZRP sets the record straight that Tafara Magodora was arrested in Bindura for assaulting a fellow student at the campus on March 28. He has since paid an admission of guilt fine and is not in police custody.”
MP Elizabeth Masuku, chairperson of the Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, had opened the Nketa hearing by outlining the process and explaining the 22 clauses in the bill.
Siziba said he raised his hand repeatedly but was never called to speak.
“Zanu PF bussed people from Matobo and Umguza, hoping to manufacture support for this infamous bill,” he told journalists. “Instead, many looked confused, puzzled and completely out of place. The whole exercise collapsed under its own weight. It’s a mess.”
A second hearing ended prematurely at Kwekwe Theatre after Melody Chingarande, the only participant who spoke against the bill, was booed and ejected from the venue. Sympathisers escorted her to Kwekwe Central Police Station as she faced threats from a crowd packed with Zanu PF supporters bussed in from outside the city.
In Chiredzi, Masvingo province, participants who appeared to have been coached were raising three fingers in what looked like a choreographed system to ensure only pro-amendment speakers were given the microphone.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Monitors said two men who opposed the bill at the Aquatic Complex in Chitungwiza were “abducted by individuals belonging to a group known as Black Vendetta, reportedly based in Unit O.”
Anyway Ngona and Charles Andersen were severely beaten and later dumped in the city centre. The group called on authorities to “urgently investigate and ensure accountability.”
Bulawayo mayor David Coltart said opposition voices were deliberately shut out of the process.
Coltart, who attended the hearing at the Large City Hall, said: “The chair of the meeting studiously ignored both Judith Todd and me. I was there on time, sat in the front row, put my hand up every time a call was made for people to contribute, and stood up with my hand raised when it was clear the chair was studiously ignoring me.
“The meeting was brought to an abrupt end at about 11.30AM, and as a result, both Judith Todd and I were denied the right to contribute and give our views.”
Zanu PF had ordered city centre vendors to attend the Large City Hall hearing, where doors had to be shut after an unexpectedly large crowd arrived.
Exchanges between participants were at times heated, though officials managed to keep that session from breaking down.
MPs are expected to vote on the bill in May, amid mounting threats of legal action from lawyers who argue that extending the terms of parliament and the president requires a referendum – and that even if one were held, the incumbent could not benefit.
Tendai Biti, leader of the Constitutional Defenders Forum, called the parliamentary outreach a “sham prepaid process” but urged Zimbabweans to participate regardless.
“While we maintain our serious reservations about the unfair and inadequate nature of these hearings, we are determined to ensure that the voice of the people is placed firmly on record,” he said.
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