Wayne Lumbasi
Zimbabwe’s political landscape has been jolted by an urgent court challenge filed by a group of liberation war veterans seeking to block a controversial constitutional amendment they say could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s stay in office. The veterans have approached the Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe, arguing that the proposed changes undermine constitutional safeguards designed to limit presidential tenure and protect democratic accountability.
Court papers filed in Harare contend that the amendment bill would lengthen presidential and parliamentary terms and alter how future presidents are selected. According to the applicants, such changes would effectively benefit the incumbent and conflict with constitutional provisions that prohibit extending the term of a sitting president without proper public endorsement. They further argue that the president should not preside over or approve measures from which he could personally benefit, framing the dispute as both a constitutional and ethical matters.
The veterans are asking the court to nullify Cabinet approval of the bill and prevent any further steps toward enactment while the legal questions are resolved. Their filing emphasizes that Zimbabwe’s constitution was crafted to guard against concentration of power and insists that any structural change affecting presidential tenure must follow strict constitutional procedures. The case places the country’s constitutional protections at the center of a high-stakes political dispute, with the court now tasked with determining whether the amendment process complies with those limits.
Government voices have downplayed the challenge, describing it as the action of a small faction rather than a consensus among former fighters. Still, the case has intensified a broader national debate over constitutional reform. Within the ruling ZANU-PF, supporters argue that the amendments are intended to modernize governance structures.
The court is expected to outline timelines for responses and hearings in the coming weeks. The outcome will shape the immediate future of the amendment effort and could influence how constitutional boundaries are interpreted as Zimbabwe navigates a sensitive moment in its political evolution.
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