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Former ZimFirst spokesperson alerts Zimbabweans on Ziyambi's 2030 agenda
2 hrs ago |
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Former ZimFirst spokesperson and journalist Jealousy Mawarire has warned Zimbabweans about what he says are plans by Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi to introduce a Constitutional Amendment Bill in 2026 that could extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term to 2030 and alter key constitutional provisions.
Mawarire made the claims in a statement on X, saying Ziyambi was preparing to table a "Memorandum to Cabinet on the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2026", which he said contains several significant proposals.
"The most important, certainly, is the amendment of section 92. Section 92 gives every Zimbabwean eligible to vote the right to directly elect a president. That is the right Ziyambi wants to take away from Zimbabweans and repose in Parliament," Mawarire wrote.
He argued that the proposal contradicts one of the central objectives of the liberation struggle - universal suffrage.
"The armed struggle was fought for universal suffrage, what they called ‘one man, one vote', but Ziyambi now wants to take away that right and replace it with ‘16 million people, one parliamentary vote'," he said.
Mawarire also claimed that Ziyambi intends to amend section 212, which mandates the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to "uphold this Constitution", alleging that the minister wants the word "uphold" removed.
"It is quite clear that Ziyambi and Mnangagwa are afraid of a coup justified by section 212 where the army exercises its role of upholding the Constitution," he said.
He further alleged that Ziyambi wants to amend section 281(2), which bars traditional leaders from being partisan or advancing the interests of political parties.
"Only people who have been rigging elections through regimenting rural folks using chiefs would want to legalise this form of electoral fraud," Mawarire said.
He criticised another proposal to return custody of the voters' roll to the Registrar‑General, saying this would revive past controversies.
"So that they rig elections using the Registrar‑General like in the past? What was the use of the 2013 Constitution if we are going back to Lancaster House provisions?" he asked.
Mawarire added that Ziyambi wants to create a Zimbabwe Electoral Delimitation Commission solely responsible for marking electoral boundaries, which he argued could be used to gerrymander constituencies.
He also said Ziyambi intends to amend section 101, which currently allows the first Vice President to assume office as President until the end of the term if the sitting President dies or resigns. Instead, Parliament would elect a replacement within 90 days.
"It is clear this amendment is being done to block Vice President Chiwenga from succeeding Mnangagwa in the event he dies in office or resigns," Mawarire said.
"Surely, Ziyambi and his cabal are dragging the whole country into political chaos just because they don't want VP Chiwenga to succeed Mnangagwa?"
Mawarire made the claims in a statement on X, saying Ziyambi was preparing to table a "Memorandum to Cabinet on the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2026", which he said contains several significant proposals.
"The most important, certainly, is the amendment of section 92. Section 92 gives every Zimbabwean eligible to vote the right to directly elect a president. That is the right Ziyambi wants to take away from Zimbabweans and repose in Parliament," Mawarire wrote.
He argued that the proposal contradicts one of the central objectives of the liberation struggle - universal suffrage.
"The armed struggle was fought for universal suffrage, what they called ‘one man, one vote', but Ziyambi now wants to take away that right and replace it with ‘16 million people, one parliamentary vote'," he said.
Mawarire also claimed that Ziyambi intends to amend section 212, which mandates the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to "uphold this Constitution", alleging that the minister wants the word "uphold" removed.
"It is quite clear that Ziyambi and Mnangagwa are afraid of a coup justified by section 212 where the army exercises its role of upholding the Constitution," he said.
He further alleged that Ziyambi wants to amend section 281(2), which bars traditional leaders from being partisan or advancing the interests of political parties.
"Only people who have been rigging elections through regimenting rural folks using chiefs would want to legalise this form of electoral fraud," Mawarire said.
He criticised another proposal to return custody of the voters' roll to the Registrar‑General, saying this would revive past controversies.
"So that they rig elections using the Registrar‑General like in the past? What was the use of the 2013 Constitution if we are going back to Lancaster House provisions?" he asked.
Mawarire added that Ziyambi wants to create a Zimbabwe Electoral Delimitation Commission solely responsible for marking electoral boundaries, which he argued could be used to gerrymander constituencies.
He also said Ziyambi intends to amend section 101, which currently allows the first Vice President to assume office as President until the end of the term if the sitting President dies or resigns. Instead, Parliament would elect a replacement within 90 days.
"It is clear this amendment is being done to block Vice President Chiwenga from succeeding Mnangagwa in the event he dies in office or resigns," Mawarire said.
"Surely, Ziyambi and his cabal are dragging the whole country into political chaos just because they don't want VP Chiwenga to succeed Mnangagwa?"
Source - Byo24News
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