Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) enjoys overwhelming support from both ordinary Zimbabweans and legislators, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.
Responding to issues raised by Members of Parliament during the Second Reading debate on the Bill yesterday, Minister Ziyambi said the proposed constitutional amendments are a reflection of views gathered during one of the most extensive consultation processes undertaken in the country’s legislative history.
He told the National Assembly that Government conducted a comprehensive 90-day public consultation exercise, which attracted hundreds of thousands of submissions and widespread participation across all provinces.
“The people of Zimbabwe asked for institutions that allow them to build. They asked in 540 037 written submissions, in 54 231 attendances at hearings in every province, and now through the contributions of 182 of their elected representatives,” said Minister Ziyambi.
He said the legislative process had been inclusive, incorporating views gathered from citizens, parliamentary committees and lawmakers who participated in the debate.
According to the Minister, Government demonstrated its willingness to listen by revisiting certain proposals after concerns were raised during consultations.
“We have listened. We have answered, and where people and their committees have asked us to reconsider, we have shown that we will,” he said.
Minister Ziyambi cited proposals relating to the participation of traditional leaders in partisan politics and provisions concerning the Zimbabwe Gender Commission as examples where public opinion and parliamentary consensus shaped the final outcome.
“The House unanimously agreed that the provisions relating to chiefs’ participation in politics and those concerning the Gender Commission be done away with,” he said.
He noted that the Bill had undergone rigorous scrutiny through parliamentary processes and emerged stronger as a result of the broad-based engagement.
“The support inside this Honourable House resonates with the support outside it. The debate has been long. The scrutiny has been real, and the Bill before us is stronger for both,” said Minister Ziyambi.
Addressing calls for a referendum, the Minister said the Constitution clearly outlines the circumstances under which such a process is required and that CAB3 does not fall within those categories.
“The Constitution reserves the national referendum for three categories of amendment, and three alone,” he said.
He explained that only amendments affecting Chapter 4 on the Declaration of Rights, Chapter 16 on Agricultural Land and Section 328 governing term-limit provisions require a referendum.
“For every other provision, the Constitution prescribes a different and equally rigorous road, publication of the Bill, a minimum of 90 days for public consultation, and the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the membership of each House at the final reading,” he said.
Minister Ziyambi also dismissed assertions that the Bill indirectly alters presidential term limits, maintaining that all constitutional provisions governing presidential tenure remain unchanged.
“The first true and only presidential term limit in this country’s history arrived in 2013 in the two-term rule under Section 91(2). That rule stands today exactly as the people adopted it, untouched by this Bill, in letter or in spirit,” he said.
The Bill now moves through the remaining parliamentary stages amid what has become one of the most widely participated constitutional debates in Zimbabwe’s legislative history.
Submissions sounds impressive until you ask the right questions. How many were genuinely unsolicited? Were dissenting voices recorded and reflected equally, or did the consultation become a mandate-manufacturing exercise?