Zimbabwe opposition groups fight against proposed constitutional change

Despite enduring beatings and intimidation, a coalition of opposition groups in Zimbabwe continues to fight against a proposed constitutional amendment that will see President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term extended.

Law professor, Lovemore Madhuku, was assaulted in early March in an attack he blames on police-backed security agents who he says stormed a meeting of his opposition party.

It is one of many incidents reported by groups mobilising against the proposed constitutional amendment passed by cabinet last month.

But Madhuku, who is leader of the National Constitutional Assembly, said it has not weakened his resolve to fight the changes.

“We will not be the first ones to be overpowered by a superior force of the state which is because they have the monopoly of state power,” he said.

“If we are shot, we will die. If we are beaten up … we may be hospitalised or even crippled. But we are not going to care.”

Police deny involvement in the incident, but this assault and others echo previous crackdowns against Zimbabwe’s opposition blamed on state forces.

Human Rights Watch warned last week that authorities are using violence and intimidation against opponents of the proposed change.

Prominent opposition lawmaker Jameson Timba said he and a colleague had been under surveillance since speaking against the amendment.

Both found an “X” painted at their homes the day they planned to hold a meeting at the offices of the pro-democracy Southern Africa Political Economy Series Trust.

Its building was bombed last year as debate over the possibility of extending presidential terms gained momentum.

“We are not scared,” said Timba, who spent more than five months in jail in 2024 on charges of holding an unlawful meeting.

The Defend the Constitution Platform leader said they will not stop and that the constitution gives ordinary Zimbabwean the right to protest.

“The right to petition peacefully against those things we disagree with. And that option is open to us, and we will exercise it at the appropriate time,” he said.

The proposed amendments raising the most alarm would extend the presidential term from five to seven years and replace direct presidential elections with a vote by lawmakers.

They would keep 83-year-old Mnangagwa in office after his constitutionally limited two terms end in 2028.

Critics say they would also entrench the grip on power of the ruling Zanu-PF party.

It has governed the resource-rich country since independence in 1980, overseeing crippling economic crises and accused of corruption and repression.

“Since the bill has been introduced, there has been a systematic shutting down of those whose voices that oppose it,” said political analyst Blessing Vava.

He said the amendments are being pushed by “people that have been benefitting because of their proximity to Mnangagwa” and do not care about the future of the country.

“They don’t care about the respect of the constitution, but what they care about is the economic benefits that comes with the elongation of President Mnangagwa’s term,” he said.

The proposed amendment are likely to be passed by parliament which is dominated by Mnangagwa’s party.

A spokesperson for the ruling ZANU-PF party says the president is well loved and that the opposition is spreading fake news.