News / National
Zanu-PF blames opposition for public hearings chaos
3 hrs ago |
204 Views
Zanu-PF Treasurer Patrick Chinamasa has stopped short of describing the recent public hearings on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 as a ruling party event, instead accusing the opposition of deliberately provoking disorder.
Chaos erupted during the hearings at the City Sports Centre in Harare, where opposition figures claimed they were sidelined by parliamentary officials and prevented from meaningfully participating in the process.
In a post on X, Chinamasa alleged that opposition members attended the session with the intention of disrupting proceedings and attracting international attention.
"The City Sports Centre Public Hearing was marred by agents provocateurs and the naivety of some Zanu-PF supporters, who failed to read that the end game… was to disrupt the proceedings without showing their hand," he said.
Chinamasa argued that it was unrealistic for a minority opposition voice to be accommodated in what he described as a gathering overwhelmingly dominated by ruling party supporters.
"When a person attends a public hearing with a predictable, overwhelming 99.99% of Zanu-PF supporters… to express a 0.01% opposition view, I consider that provocative," he said, adding that such situations naturally lead to predictable reactions from crowds.
He further suggested that crowd behaviour in such settings is consistent globally, citing principles from behavioural sciences to explain the tensions witnessed during the hearings.
However, opposition leaders have dismissed the hearings as superficial, arguing they are merely procedural and designed to rubber-stamp the controversial constitutional amendment.
The proposed legislation seeks to extend presidential and parliamentary terms to 2030, a move critics say undermines democratic processes and public consultation.
Chinamasa also took aim at opposition figures, including Doug Coltart, accusing them of acting unwisely by attending the hearings with the intention of voicing dissent in a hostile environment.
Despite his criticism, Chinamasa said his remarks were not meant to justify the disturbances, but rather to highlight what he described as predictable human behaviour in large, like-minded gatherings.
Chaos erupted during the hearings at the City Sports Centre in Harare, where opposition figures claimed they were sidelined by parliamentary officials and prevented from meaningfully participating in the process.
In a post on X, Chinamasa alleged that opposition members attended the session with the intention of disrupting proceedings and attracting international attention.
"The City Sports Centre Public Hearing was marred by agents provocateurs and the naivety of some Zanu-PF supporters, who failed to read that the end game… was to disrupt the proceedings without showing their hand," he said.
Chinamasa argued that it was unrealistic for a minority opposition voice to be accommodated in what he described as a gathering overwhelmingly dominated by ruling party supporters.
He further suggested that crowd behaviour in such settings is consistent globally, citing principles from behavioural sciences to explain the tensions witnessed during the hearings.
However, opposition leaders have dismissed the hearings as superficial, arguing they are merely procedural and designed to rubber-stamp the controversial constitutional amendment.
The proposed legislation seeks to extend presidential and parliamentary terms to 2030, a move critics say undermines democratic processes and public consultation.
Chinamasa also took aim at opposition figures, including Doug Coltart, accusing them of acting unwisely by attending the hearings with the intention of voicing dissent in a hostile environment.
Despite his criticism, Chinamasa said his remarks were not meant to justify the disturbances, but rather to highlight what he described as predictable human behaviour in large, like-minded gatherings.
Source - newzimbabwe
Join the discussion
Loading comments…
