CCC divisions exposed in Senate CAB 3 debate

Deep divisions within the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) were laid bare in the Senate on Tuesday as lawmakers from the opposition party adopted sharply contrasting positions on the controversial Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill (No. 3), highlighting the difficulties the party faces in presenting a united front against the proposed changes.

The split mirrors developments in the National Assembly last week, where 35 CCC legislators voted alongside Zanu-PF to pass the Bill, while 42 opposed it and nine abstained.

The CCC holds 27 seats in the 80-member Senate, which is also composed of 33 Zanu-PF senators, 18 traditional chiefs and two representatives of persons with disabilities. For the Bill to pass, the government requires a two-thirds majority, equivalent to at least 54 votes.

Contributions during Tuesday's debate, which adjourned without a vote and is set to continue on Wednesday, suggested that opposition to the Bill within the CCC remains fragmented, with some senators rejecting it outright while others expressed support for key provisions.

Senator Solani Moyo of Matabeleland South delivered one of the strongest attacks on the Bill, describing it as a deliberate attempt to concentrate power in the executive and weaken constitutional safeguards.

She argued that extending the terms of the President, Parliament and other elected officials from five to seven years amounted to lawmakers extending their own mandates without seeking fresh approval from voters.

"Let us be clear, no elected body has the authority to extend its own mandate without returning to the people," Moyo told the Senate.

"If we as Parliament can extend our term once, what will stop us from doing so again and again without ever returning to the people? That cannot and must not be allowed. That is how democracies die, not in a single moment but through incremental extensions of power without accountability."

Moyo also criticised provisions that would remove direct presidential elections in favour of an electoral college system, increase the number of presidentially appointed senators, transfer management of the voters’ roll to the Registrar General and expand executive influence over judicial appointments.

She urged senators to reject the Bill in its entirety.

However, not all CCC senators shared her position.

Bulawayo Senator Linda Sibanda expressed support for several of the Bill's central provisions, including the proposed seven-year presidential term, the appointment of 10 additional senators by the President and the transfer of the voters' roll to the Registrar General's office.

Sibanda argued that the changes could support the implementation of Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy.

Her concerns were limited to proposals affecting the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission's delimitation functions and the planned merger of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission.

"I therefore support the Bill with amendments to retain the delimitation function under ZEC and maintain the Gender Commission. I so submit and support the Bill," she said.

Manicaland Senator Kudakwashe Matibiri, who chaired public consultations in Mashonaland West, told the Senate that many participants had expressed support for CAB 3.

Nevertheless, he argued that the Bill should still be subjected to a referendum to strengthen its legitimacy.

"We lose nothing in consulting the sovereign because it is in our history, it is in our DNA to do so and it will improve the integrity of this whole process," Matibiri said.

A similar position was taken by Mashonaland West Senator Tapfumanei Muzoda, who said the Bill had generally been well received during consultations.

His primary concern was the proposal to move voter registration functions away from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Rather than rejecting the Bill outright, Muzoda also suggested that the matter be referred back to citizens through a referendum.

Senator Sesel Zvidzai offered one of the more detailed critiques of the Bill but began his remarks by praising President Emmerson Mnangagwa's economic performance.

Zvidzai said he believed Mnangagwa had performed better than his predecessor and credited him with economic growth before turning his attention to what he described as the central constitutional question of who ultimately owns the Constitution.

He argued that constitutional authority resides with the people rather than Parliament or the Executive.

While opposition senators displayed divergent views, traditional leaders who addressed the Senate overwhelmingly backed the Bill.

At least 10 chiefs spoke in support of CAB 3 during Tuesday's proceedings, with none expressing outright opposition.

The only area where some chiefs raised concerns was the proposal to merge the Zimbabwe Gender Commission with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, an issue Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has already indicated will be reconsidered.

Senator Chief Chief Siansali welcomed the removal of a previous clause that would have permitted traditional leaders to participate directly in partisan politics.

"Compelling the chiefs into getting into the field against their subjects is so belittling. Seeing reason in that and repealing it is the best thing you have done to this Bill and to the country," he said.

Despite that objection, Siansali supported the remainder of the Bill, including provisions affecting elected provincial chiefs and local authority representation.

Other traditional leaders, including Senator Chief Chief Chitanga and Senator Chief Chief Chinyanga, also endorsed the legislation.

"We support this Bill, all of us as chiefs," Chitanga told the Senate.

The debate was adjourned shortly before 9pm following a motion by Ziyambi and will resume on Wednesday. With no vote yet taken, attention is now focused on whether the CCC can rally around a common position or whether the divisions evident during debate will be reflected when senators are eventually called upon to vote.