By Fortunate Black
MUTARE, 7 April 2026 – A public hearing on the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill descended into chaos in Sakubva Beit Hall on Tuesday, with citizens alleging intimidation and police inaction, as the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) separately declared that the proposed changes would weaken democracy and must be subjected to a referendum.
The violent disruptions in Mutare were not isolated. A nationwide pattern of chaos, assaults, and alleged abductions has marred public hearings on the Bill, with the Harare session forcing an abrupt shutdown after human rights lawyer Douglas Coltart was assaulted and had his cellphone stolen .
Witnesses in Harare told reporters that groups of rowdy youths, believed to be aligned with ZANU PF, stormed the City Sports Centre, chanting slogans and blocking opposition figures from speaking . Journalists covering the event were reportedly trapped inside the venue, with some youths demanding that they delete footage from their phones .
The violence has prompted a formal withdrawal from the process by major advocacy groups.
The chaos extended beyond Harare and Mutare.
In Bulawayo, proceedings at Nketa Hall broke down after a woman opposing the bill was chased from the venue and reportedly attacked outside, forcing organisers to cut the meeting short . Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart alleged he was “studiously ignored” and denied an opportunity to speak at City Hall, despite sitting in the front row with his hand raised . Former legislator Gift Siziba claimed participants were bussed in from Matobo and Umguza to dominate proceedings .
In Chitungwiza, three youths who spoke to the media against the bill were reportedly abducted and later found injured, allegedly at the hands of state security agents . Witnesses described the atmosphere at the Chitungwiza Aquatic Complex as tense, with opposing views largely silenced amid fears for personal safety .
At Patchway Mine in Sanyati, a participant who attempted to contribute dissenting views was forcibly removed by five individuals allegedly aligned with ZANU PF . The main tent where contributors were selected was largely occupied by individuals allegedly pre-selected and coached, while hundreds of other attendees remained outside, effectively excluded from the process .
In Makande, Kariba Rural, while about 400 people attended a hearing, some attendees claimed people were transported from other areas to boost numbers, and many did not fully understand the bill but were simply following party directives .
The Election Resource Centre (ERC), which deployed observers across 65 public hearing venues, reported that the pre-hearing environment was marked by intimidation and systematic suppression of dissenting voices, citing the arrest of opposition-linked figures including Tendai Biti and Morgan Ncube in Mutare .
Senior opposition figures Tendai Biti, Jameson Timba and Lovemore Madhuku announced they have instructed their supporters not to participate in the hearings, which they described as a “stage-managed” process that excludes dissenting voices .
“What we witnessed yesterday in Harare, and indeed in other parts of the country, cannot be described as a genuine consultative process,” said Timba. “Citizens were denied the opportunity to speak, voices were drowned out, and in some instances violence and intimidation were deployed against those expressing dissenting views, including journalists and lawyers” .
The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) also announced its “total withdrawal and disengagement” from the hearings, describing the process as having “degenerated into a theatre of coercion, fear, repression, ruling party rallies, violence and intimidation”.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), the constitutionally mandated body to protect human rights, issued a forceful legal opinion rejecting the bill’s core provisions. Chairperson Jessie Majome said the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) would weaken democratic safeguards and must go to a referendum, directly contradicting the government’s push to avoid a popular vote .
Citing Section 328(7) of the Constitution, the ZHRC argued that any major change affecting presidential terms—including the proposed extension from five to seven years—requires direct approval from citizens.
“Such a change requires approval through a referendum… ensuring that fundamental changes must be legitimised by popular consent,” the ZHRC said. “It allows the President to remain in office beyond the limits ordinarily imposed… thereby weakening the protective framework designed to prevent entrenchment of executive authority” .
The Commission also condemned the proposal to move voter registration from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General, warning it would open the door to political interference.
“Efficiency without impartiality risks delegitimizing the entire electoral process,” the ZHRC stated .
Political analysts said the nationwide chaos and the ZHRC’s legal warning point to a deepening crisis of public trust. The ZHRC concluded: “Stability cannot come at the expense of accountability, and efficiency cannot substitute for democracy” .