Amendment Bill consultation window closes . . . Parliament to compile comprehensive report

Source: Amendment Bill consultation window closes . . . Parliament to compile comprehensive report – herald

Gibson Mhaka and Gibson Nyikadzino

THE historic 90-day public consultation period for the proposed Constitution Amendment No. 3 Bill officially lapses today, paving the way for the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to start compiling a comprehensive report on views gathered from Zimbabweans countrywide.

The Bill proposes a Parliamentary process for the election of the President and seeks to replace the current five-year term with a seven-year tenure.

It also introduces a raft of legal reforms aimed at strengthening constitutional governance, clarifying institutional roles, promoting political stability and enhancing the efficiency of the State architecture.

According to the Government Gazette, the Bill forms part of Zimbabwe’s continuing legal evolution.

The expiry of the consultations, conducted in terms of Section 328 of the Constitution, marks one of the country’s largest public participation exercises in recent constitutional reform processes, with Parliament receiving more than 300 000 submissions from citizens and organisations.

The proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill, gazetted on February 16, seeks to amend several provisions of the Constitution and could significantly reshape aspects of Zimbabwe’s governance, electoral administration and institutional framework.

The direct catalyst for the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill is Resolution Number 1, adopted at the ZANU PF 21st Annual National People’s Conference, which was held in Bulawayo in October 2024.

The resolution called for President Mnangagwa to remain in office till 2030.

In an interview on the final day of the consultation deadline, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi confirmed that the next stage of the process would now shift towards preparation of the committee report before the Bill is formally introduced for substantive debate in Parliament.

“May 18 is the day the 90 days of consultations will lapse, leading to the committee on justice preparing the report of consultations,” said Minister Ziyambi.

“The message to the nation will be contained in my second reading speech in Parliament. The detailed unpacking of the Bill will be in my second reading speech in Parliament.”

He said the views gathered during the nationwide consultations would be fully captured in the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee’s report.

“The views from consultations will be in the report that will be compiled by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Parliament adjourned to May 26,” said Minister Ziyambi.

Under Section 328 of the Constitution, Constitutional Amendment Bills are legally required to undergo a mandatory 90-day public consultation process before they can proceed through Parliament.

During the consultation period, Parliament received more than 300 000 submissions from members of the public through written submissions, emails and oral presentations made during nationwide public hearings conducted between March 31 and April 2 across the country’s 64 districts.

The consultations were aimed at ensuring citizens directly participate in shaping proposed constitutional changes in line with constitutional requirements on participatory governance.

Although the official consultation deadline fell yesterday, submissions continue to be accepted today as the final day coincided with a Sunday, in line with legal procedural requirements.

Minister Ziyambi said Parliament would first need adequate time to process and analyse the submissions before debate on the Bill could begin.

“Parliament, through the Portfolio Committee on Justice, after May 18, will sit to produce a committee report on public consultations,” he said.

“This process will need some days to be concluded, hence we can’t start debate on the Bill before the report is ready as we have to consider the views of the public in our deliberations.

“Hence the first reading can’t be done on the 20th of May. That’s the reason why the House was adjourned to May 26.”

Asked when he expects to deliver his Second Reading Speech in Parliament, Minister Ziyambi said it would be “any day after May 26”.

Under Zimbabwe’s legislative framework, the first reading of a Bill is largely procedural and involves the formal introduction of the Bill in Parliament without debate.

The substantive debate begins during the second reading stage, where the responsible minister outlines the rationale behind the proposed amendments while the chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee presents findings gathered during public consultations.

Parliamentarians then debate the merits and demerits of the proposed amendments before the Bill proceeds to the voting stages.

The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is expected to take between two and three weeks to compile a report on the views expressed during the public consultation period before tabling it in Parliament.

The committee has already started working on the report, receiving submissions from constitutional and statutory bodies likely to be affected, including the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, the Chiefs’ Council and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission.

In an interview, Committee Chairperson Eddison Zvobgo Jnr said the views gathered during the 90-day period will be used to inform how legislators will debate the Bill when Parliament resumes business early next month.

He said all the views gathered will be equally useful to Parliament as they will form the basis for how parliamentarians contribute to the debate on the Bill.

“So far, we have views from various groups on different issues in the Bill. For example, the views of women in rural areas pertaining to whether traditional leaders should join a political party or not are different from the views women in urban areas have. The same applies to various topics that people submitted their views on,” Cde Zvobgo said.

“Therefore, this feedback will then be used by parliamentarians to inform how they will debate the Bill. All feedback is useful.”

Constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority in both the National Assembly and Senate to pass.

Legal experts say the rigorous constitutional amendment procedure is designed to prevent rushed changes to the country’s supreme law while ensuring transparency and broad citizen participation.

Public consultations remain one of the most important pillars of Zimbabwe’s legislative process as they provide citizens, civic organisations and institutions with an opportunity to directly influence proposed laws.

The ongoing constitutional reform process has generated widespread public interest, with submissions reportedly touching on governance, electoral systems, institutional arrangements and broader national development considerations.

The lapse of the consultation period therefore marks the beginning of another crucial phase in the constitutional reform process as Parliament moves towards consolidating public views ahead of formal debate on the Bill.

Back to Home page