A constitutional amendment push in Zimbabwe just got a loud endorsement from ZANU PF's top parliamentary enforcer, and he's framing the whole thing as a democratic exercise.
Togarepi's take on the amendment process
Togarepi's take on the amendment process
- ZANU PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi argued that no constitutional amendment can be unconstitutional, since the constitution itself permits changes.
- Togarepi, who also serves as the MP for Gutu South, made these comments on ZiFM Stereo's The Platform with Brian Sithole on Wednesday.
- His position is that the bill skips the Parliamentary Legal Committee and goes straight to the people for public hearings.
- Once public input is gathered, the bill heads to the National Assembly, then the Senate, and finally to the President for assent.
- ZANU PF's Resolution Number 1 came out of the party's 2024 annual conference and targets President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term limits.
- Togarepi says the push originated from the party's general membership, who feel Mnangagwa has delivered strongly on development.
- The resolution seeks to keep Mnangagwa in office for an additional two years beyond what both the party congress and Zimbabwe's constitution currently allow.
- Togarepi claimed that churches and other stakeholders across different persuasions also back giving the President more time.
- Cabinet greenlit a draft Constitutional Amendment Bill on Tuesday that would stretch presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years.
- Minister of Justice Ziyambi Ziyambi tabled the bill at the first Cabinet meeting of 2026, held at the Munhumutapa Government Offices in Harare.
