Biti reaches out to Chamisa

Convener of the Constitutional Defenders Forum (CDF) and former Finance minister Tendai Biti says he is ready to work with his former opposition leader Nelson Chamisa in resisting what he describes as the mutilation of Zimbabwe's Constitution amid renewed efforts to amend the supreme law.

Biti and Chamisa parted ways in 2024 after Chamisa left the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), alleging that the party had been hijacked by Sengezo Tshabangu, whom he described as a Trojan horse for Zanu PF. Tshabangu went on to recall several Members of Parliament and councillors without Chamisa's endorsement.

Chamisa has since vowed to stop attempts to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tenure to 2030. While stressing the importance of forgiveness, Chamisa has ruled out working with MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora.

Under the current constitutional framework, Mnangagwa is expected to retire in 2028 at the end of his second and final term. For him to remain in office beyond that date, the Constitution would need to be amended through two separate Bills and endorsed by national referendums.

Biti's appeal follows Cabinet's approval this week of the principles of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, a proposed law that seeks to introduce sweeping changes to the 2013 Constitution.

Among the key proposals is the extension of the terms of both the President and Parliament from 2028 to 2030 — a move critics argue effectively sidesteps existing term limits without subjecting the matter to a referendum.

The Bill also proposes transferring the voter registration function from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) back to the Registrar General's Office. It further seeks to alter the judicial appointment process by allowing the President to appoint judges without public interviews, departing from current transparency provisions.

Addressing journalists in Harare on Friday, Biti said the proposals amount to a constitutional assault requiring a united national response.

"We are going to work with Nelson Chamisa. Up until he left politics, he was my president. So, we are going to work with everyone in the fight to protect this constitution," he said.

"We would like to see women on the forefront, we would like to see young people on the forefront, we would like to see millions of Zimbabweans in the diaspora working with us."

Biti said defending the Constitution transcends party lines and should include progressive elements within Zanu PF itself.

"All hands must be on deck. The constitution and the struggle for its protection cannot be monopolised by an individual or an organisation. We will therefore work with everyone in Zimbabwe. We are going to work with progressive elements in Zanu PF whom we know are opposed to these constitutional shenanigans.

"They are there. We are going to work with them. We are going to work with persons in the broad democratic movement whether it's MDC, whether it's CCC if it still exists, we are going to work with everyone," he said.

Biti also revealed that he had engaged constitutional law expert Lovemore Madhuku, whom he said was equally prepared to join efforts aimed at resisting the proposed amendments.

"I spent about an hour last night speaking to Professor Lovemore Madhuku. We are going to work together to stop this coup on our constitution."

Biti's CDF shares similar objectives with the Defending the Constitution Platform convened by Senator Jameson Timba, as civic and political actors begin mobilising for what could become one of the most consequential constitutional battles since the adoption of the 2013 charter.