Zimbabweans have taken to X and Facebook in force, roundly rejecting Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi's claim that Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3, which would extend election cycles and reshape how the president is chosen, does not require a national referendum.
The backlash erupted after a video circulated showing Ziyambi explaining that Cabinet has gazetted the Bill and will hold public consultations before it proceeds to Parliament, but insisting the changes are "procedural" and therefore do not trigger the referendum threshold.
Zimbabweans online were having none of it.
"This is undemocratic — you can't rewire the Constitution without asking the people first. No referendum, no deal!" read one widely shared post from @CCCHarare, a Citizens Coalition for Change-aligned page.
Another user cut straight to the point: "So we sit and watch while MPs decide if our leaders stay longer? This is not how a republic works."
Many reactions linked the Bill directly to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's tenure, which under the current constitution expires in 2028. Critics fear the amendments are designed to extend his hold on power without a popular mandate.
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"This Bill will make Mnangagwa a lifetime president — that's what they're really pushing," one post read, capturing a fear that spread rapidly across comment threads.
The anger was not just about the content of the Bill, but about the process. Commenters questioned why changes of this magnitude are being routed through Parliament rather than put directly to voters.
"Why are vast numbers of people not consulted? This isn't about procedures — it's about our rights," read one Facebook comment that drew hundreds of reactions.
Others were blunter still: "We know what this really means — less accountability, fewer elections, more power to a few."
Government officials maintain that the amendments are aimed at reducing prolonged electioneering and improving governance stability. But that framing has found little traction on the ground, where citizens say there is a glaring gap between official language about "reform" and the reality of shrinking political rights.
The social media storm does not stand alone. War veterans last week filed a constitutional application arguing that any amendment affecting presidential tenure legally requires a referendum, a position thousands of ordinary citizens are now echoing from their keyboards.
With public consultations yet to begin, the government faces a citizenry already on the offensive, and increasingly convinced that the stakes go far beyond election timelines.
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