By Fanuel Chinowaita
WATSOMBA, Zimbabwe, 9 May 2026 – The Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) yesterday succeeded in holding a public meeting at Watsomba Business Centre, an event that was only greenlit after a last‑minute approval, despite several earlier notifications being turned down.
The gathering dispersed without major incident, but the movement’s momentum was checked hours later. At exactly 1645 hours yesterday, a Mutare Civil Court order banned a separate CDF programme that had been planned for today 9 May at Moffat Hall in Sakubva.
The court action extends a pattern of prohibition that previously saw National Convener Tendai Biti arrested in Mutare for convening a meeting and his case remains before the courts. Addressing the Watsomba crowd, Convener Trevor Saruwaka delivered a detailed and forceful critique of Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3.
“If they want to change the Constitution, they have to do a referendum,” Saruwaka declared. He accused Parliament of rushing a process on a document most Zimbabweans have never been taught. “People do not know the constitution. Parliament must first teach it before they talk of changing anything.”
Saruwaka then laid out the specifics of CAB 3, warning that it proposes to strip citizens of the right to directly elect the President and instead hand that power to MPs and senators.
“We are not agreeing with that. Letting MPs and senators vote for the President is something we cannot accept,” he told the gathering. “Every citizen must be able to vote for the President of his or her choice. That is a fundamental right you cannot take away and hand to a few politicians in Harare.”
Moving methodically through the bill, Saruwaka detailed what he termed its most dangerous disadvantages: the extension of presidential, parliamentary and local government terms from five to seven years; the effective extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030 through transitional provisions; the abolition of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission; the transfer of the voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to the Registrar‑General; and the granting of absolute power to the President to appoint all judges, from magistrates to the Chief Justice, without public interviews.
“All these things are being done without the people’s consent. They are removing the pillars of our democracy one by one,” Saruwaka concluded.
Godfrey Mubatsa matched his colleague’s energy. Addressing the crowd in both English and Shona, he declared, “Constitution izamu raamai, haribatwi” — the constitution is the mother’s breast, it must not be touched. “We will fight and make sure that the Constitution cannot be played with. No citizen has the right to deny others their constitutional freedoms to assemble and express themselves,” Mubatsa said.
He pointed to the barrage of prohibitions — as proof of a coordinated crackdown, stating, “Every time we apply to meet, they find a reason to stop us. But we will continue to exercise our rights, and we will challenge every illegal prohibition.”
The meeting was not without tension. Several ZANU‑PF members were present at Watsomba Business Centre. While a handful attempted to disrupt the proceedings, others within the ruling party intervened, urging their colleagues to stay silent and allow the gathering to continue.
Eyewitnesses said the internal calls for restraint averted a potentially volatile confrontation.
National Convener Biti’s legal battle continues
In a parallel legal fight, CDF National Convener and former Finance Minister Tendai Biti was arrested in Mutare on 21 March 2026 alongside former Beitbridge Former Mayor Morgan Ncube for convening a meeting to discuss the controversial bill without notifying authorities.
The pair were charged under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act and subsequently granted US$500 bail each by Mutare magistrate Honest Musiiwa, with stringent conditions including a bar on convening public gatherings without police clearance.
Speaking after his court appearance, Biti was unequivocal in his defiance. “They have started by abolishing open elections for the President and that is the execution of a clear roadmap towards autocracy, monarch, kingdom,” Biti said. “We say no as CDF and we will die for that. We will defend this constitution at all costs. As I keep on saying we are prepared to die and we will die for this constitution.”
Biti accused ZANU‑PF of laying the groundwork for one‑party rule, arguing that scrapping direct presidential elections would enable unaccountable figures to rise outside the electoral process. The CDF has condemned his bail conditions as “excessive” and “unconstitutional,” and the case remains ongoing in the Mutare courts.
The CDF’s confrontations come amid deep national divisions over the amendment bill. ZANU‑PF has officially defended CAB 3 as necessary for political stability and the achievement of Vision 2030, but cracks have appeared at the highest level.
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga is widely reported to oppose the extension of presidential term limits and the abolition of direct elections. Attorney‑General Virginia Mabhiza further escalated internal tensions by warning that Cabinet members who do not publicly support the bill should resign — a statement interpreted as a direct challenge to Chiwenga.
The CDF and allied civic organisations maintain that Section 328 of the Constitution requires any amendment to be approved at a national referendum and they have vowed to challenge both the process and the substance of the bill in the courts and in the streets.
“The constitution belongs to the people, not to a group of politicians in Parliament. If you want to change it, go back to the people who created it,” Saruwaka had told the Watsomba crowd, a call that now echoes against a backdrop of locked meeting halls and ongoing court proceedings.