ZAPU leader warns against ‘unscrupulous’ bid to strip Zimbabweans of hard-won rights

The Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) leader, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, has issued a stern warning against attempts to erode fundamental constitutional rights, as opposition to the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 continues to mount. Nkomo reminded Zimbabweans of the founding principles of the country’s constitution, which he said were rooted in the liberation struggle.

“Please allow me to remind you of the fundamental basis of our constitution. You will remember that when we waged the war of liberation, the promise was land to the people, the mantra was one man one vote, the slogan was power to the people. These three principles are the original foundation of our constitution as far as I am concerned,” Nkomo said to CITE.

“These doctrines are enshrined in our constitution and we hold them to be true and sacrosanct. We cannot as a nation sit back and allow the unscrupulous and greedy amongst us to take away from the people their right to vote, their hard‑won land and their power to make decisions that affect their well‑being as a nation.” Nkomo added that these fundamental rights must never be taken away, “not now or ever”. He called on all Zimbabweans to unite against the Constitutional Amendment Bill No.

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3, also known as CAB3, with the same spirit that won the country’s freedom from “previous secular regimes, domination and oppression”. Nkomo’s remarks come as three constitutional advocacy organisations formally withdrew from the ongoing public hearings on CAB3, declaring the process a sham and announcing a coordinated citizen‑driven campaign in its place. Convenor of the Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP), Jameson Timba, made the announcement at a joint press conference in Harare on Wednesday.

Timba was flanked by opposition leader Tendai Biti of the Constitutional Defenders Forum (CDF) and Professor Lovemore Madhuku of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA). The Bill has ignited fierce opposition across civil society, especially considering that the parliamentary public hearings on the amendment bill have descended into chaos, with scenes of violence, intimidation and disorder widely attributed by critics to Zanu PF’s heavy-handed tactics. Among the Bill’s most contentious provisions is a proposal to extend the presidential term by two years, believed to have been designed to keep President Emmerson Mnangagwa in power beyond 2028.

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