HARARE – Zimbabwe’s human rights watchdog has raised the alarm over widespread intimidation and harassment of opponents of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 during parliamentary public hearings, including the use of men armed with whips to vet participants in Mashonaland West.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) deployed monitoring teams across all provinces from March 30 to April 4, 2026, to observe the Parliament of Zimbabwe’s CAB3 consultation exercise.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the Commission said that while attendance at the hearings was generally high and inclusive, a serious pattern of rights violations had been recorded at multiple venues.
“The commission observed instances where participants with divergent views to the proposed amendments were threatened, silenced, denied opportunities to contribute and in some instances physically attacked,” the ZHRC said.
It said entry points at venues were frequently controlled by youths who vetted participants, with supervised sign-in registers that effectively restricted who could gain access.
In Mashonaland West’s Mhondoro Ngezi, men holding whips were involved in screening participants at the door.
“Individuals and groups opposed to CAB3 were denied audience,” the commission said. “Whilst those in support of the Constitutional Amendment were able to give their views, the Commission noted the harassment and intimidation of dissenting voices.”
The ZHRC, which is chaired by lawyer Jessie Majome, said the conduct violated constitutionally protected rights including freedom of expression under section 61, freedom of conscience under section 60, the right to human dignity under section 51, personal security under section 52, and the right to equality and non-discrimination under section 56.
CAB3, tabled as House Bill 1 of 2026, is the most far-reaching constitutional amendment since the 2013 constitution was adopted. Among its most contested proposals are the extension of presidential and parliamentary terms, replacing a direct popular vote with an election of the president by Members of Parliament, and the transfer of the voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to the Civil Registry.
Other proposals include the appointment of additional senators by the president, the merging of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission into the ZHRC, and provisions allowing traditional leaders to participate in politics.
The ZHRC said these were among the changes that drew the most participation at the hearings it observed.
The commission said most venues were too small relative to the turnout, resulting in large numbers of would-be participants being unable to enter the halls to follow or contribute to proceedings.
The ZHRC called on all stakeholders to exercise tolerance and to respect divergent views, and reiterated the state’s duty to guarantee the full enjoyment of human rights by all citizens regardless of the views they hold.
“The constitutional amendment process must align with obligations under international and regional human rights law,” the commission said, citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantees participation in public affairs, freedom of expression, and equality before the law.
CAB3 has faced mounting opposition from civil society, religious leaders and retired military figures since it was gazetted, and several legal challenges have been filed in the Constitutional Court.
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