Zimbabwe indigenous churches back CAB3 Constitutional changes

The Zimbabwe Indigenous Interdenominational Council of Churches (ZIICC), which says it represents more than 8.7 million members across Zimbabwe, has formally submitted its support for the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment No. 3) Bill, 2026 to Parliament.

In its submission, the church body argued that Parliament has exclusive constitutional authority to deliberate and pass the proposed amendments, saying that mandate was derived directly from citizens through the 2013 Constitution and the 2023 harmonised elections.

The churches maintained that public participation requirements had already been fulfilled and argued that no external institution has the power to veto Parliament's legislative processes.

ZIICC linked its support for extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five years to seven years to what it described as developmental and governance considerations.

The organisation said national development programmes tied to Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy had been disrupted by the 2019 political instability and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The churches also offered a theological justification for the proposed seven-year terms, citing the biblical Sabbath principle based on seven-year cycles of work and restoration.

According to the submission, church leaders had initially proposed a "seven-year political sabbath" in 2019 as part of efforts to promote national stability and development continuity.

Among the key reforms supported by the churches are proposals to transfer voter registration responsibilities to the Registrar-General, replace direct presidential elections with a parliamentary election system for the President, establish a dedicated Electoral Delimitation Commission, expand access to the Constitutional Court, and repeal restrictions limiting political expression by traditional leaders.

The churches described the proposal to have Parliament elect the President as a "pastoral necessity," arguing that it could help reduce election-related violence and political tensions.

Regarding the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, whose constitutional mandate expired in 2023, ZIICC acknowledged the commission's closure while pledging to intensify church-led peacebuilding and reconciliation efforts in partnership with government.

The submission concluded by urging legislators to pass the bill "without intimidation," while positioning churches as active partners in implementing national development programmes within communities.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment No. 3) Bill has triggered significant national debate, with critics arguing that some of the proposed reforms could weaken democratic safeguards, reduce direct citizen participation in elections and concentrate political authority.