Police block Madhuku’s meeting over constitutional changes, three NCA members arrested

Police on Wednesday blocked a National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) meeting to discuss the recently enacted Constitutional Amendment No. 3 and briefly arrested three party members.

The three were detained for several hours before being released after being profiled.

This comes days after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 into law, completing the legislative process after Parliament passed the controversial Bill.

The amendment postpones Zimbabwe’s next harmonised elections from 2028 to 2030, extending the terms of the President, Members of Parliament and councillors by two years.

The police cordoned off the NCA’s headquarters in Harare after learning that the opposition party intended to hold a meeting to discuss its response to the constitutional changes.

According to the NCA, at least 50 police officers were deployed around the party offices, preventing members from accessing the premises.

NCA president Professor Lovemore Madhuku told NewZimbabwe.com the party was forced to postpone the meeting before relocating to a secret venue where it eventually proceeded.

“This was an unavoidable meeting in the light of the fact that last week President Mnangagwa signed Constitutional Amendment Number 3 into law. NCA had to meet to examine those developments, to review its position and map an appropriate way forward,” Madhuku said.

“Unfortunately, when we woke up today, we discovered that there were police officers all over the place. They had cordoned off the NCA head office. No less than 50 police officers in different parts and not allowing anyone to enter.”

He said the party abandoned its original venue and reconvened several hours later at a location unknown to the police.

“We did not then bother to go to our offices. We then had to reschedule our meeting by several hours and then we had to find some secret venue not known to the police and we eventually had our meeting some three hours later.

“That meeting recommitted the NCA to its opposition to what is now the law in terms of the Constitution. We are totally opposed to the fact that we will no longer have direct presidential election. We will have this indirect system and we are totally opposed to that.

“We are totally opposed to the lengthening or increase in the term of office from five years to seven years. We believe that it is ridiculous to have such a long period of seven years as the term of office and we would insist that we go back to the five-year period.”

Madhuku said the meeting also reaffirmed the party’s participation in Sungano Yevanhu, a coalition of political parties and civic organisations opposed to Constitutional Amendment No. 3.

The alliance, convened by Reverend Kupakwashe Mtata, includes the Constitutional Defenders Forum (CDF) led by Tendai Biti, the Defend the Constitution Platform (DCP) convened by Senator Jameson Timba, veteran political and labour activist Munyaradzi Gwisai, and other organisations campaigning against the amendment.

“We recommitted ourselves to those positions.

“Further, we went on to endorse the fact that we will be participating alongside others in an alliance known as Sungano Yevanhu. We committed ourselves to remain part of that alliance. We also support the initiative that has been taken to go to the courts.

“The NCA just came together to renew its position and to inspire its membership to remain on the path of opposing the Constitutional Amendment Act Number Three,” he said.

Meanwhile, opponents of the new law have already filed court applications seeking to have Constitutional Amendment No. 3 declared invalid, arguing that it is inconsistent with the Constitution.

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