By Ndinatsei Mavodza
MASVINGO – The ZANU PF Masvingo Provincial Executive Committee (PCC) has thrown its weight behind the Third Amendment Bill, which seeks to extend the presidential term limit by two years, during a meeting held on March 12, 2026.
Addressing a gathering that included visiting ZANU PF Politburo members, Masvingo Provincial Chairperson Robson Mavhenyengwa expressed the province’s firm commitment to the proposed constitutional amendment.
The provincial leadership was appearing before the top brass, which included Secretary General Jacob Mudenda, Treasurer General Patrick Chinamasa, and Secretary for Security Lovemore Matuke, Secretary for Legal Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi and secretary for commissariat Munyaradzi Machacha.
“As Masvingo, we are behind conference resolution number one and the Amendment Bill number three. We had our PCC and conducted inter-district meetings, educating people about the bill, and we are in the process of going down to all our 630 party districts, similar to what we did after conference when we went to the districts informing them about resolution number one,” said Mavhenyengwa.
He emphasized the importance of grassroots mobilization, noting that stopping at inter-district level risked leaving some communities uninformed and said they were having meeting at every level to make sure that all members are informed.
“We realised that if we stop at inter-district, some chairpersons will not cascade down our message to the people on the grassroots, so we are going down there as leadership to make sure that everyone is aware of what we are doing” Mavhenyengwa added.
Mavhenyengwa said Masvingo was fully prepared for the public consultations on the bill, which are set to be conducted by Parliament.
“We have seven centres established in Masvingo where consultations for Amendment Number 3 Bill will be done. So we are ready to defend the party and government position,” said Mavhenyengwa.
In his address, Secretary General Jacob Mudenda clarified the meaning behind the party’s 2030 slogan, explaining that it carried dual significance.
“The 2030 slogan means two things, making Zimbabwe an upper middle income economy by 2030, as well as extending the presidential term. People should not just make slogans without understanding what they mean,” said Mudenda.
Mudenda also issued a stern warning against factionalism, urging party members to rally behind established leadership structures. He emphasized that the Provincial Chairperson remains in position until the next election, likely after 2030, and called on all members to support him rather than creating parallel structures.
He further warned against regionalism, reminding party members of the liberation struggle’s unifying spirit.
“During the war, people were united for a common goal to liberate Zimbabwe, despite tribe or region,” he said.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026, seeks to introduce significant changes to the country’s supreme law. Among its key provisions is the extension of the presidential and parliamentary terms of office from five to seven years .
The bill also proposes replacing the current system of directly electing the President through a public vote with a parliamentary process, where Members of Parliament and Senators sitting jointly would elect the President.
Other proposed changes include the establishment of a separate Zimbabwe Electoral Delimitation Commission to handle the delimitation of electoral boundaries, transferring voter registration functions from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar-General’s Office, and expanding the Senate from 80 to 90 members through the addition of 10 presidential appointees. The bill also seeks to abolish the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and transfer its functions to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission.
However, the bill has attracted criticism from some quarters. The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has expressed concern that the amendments threaten to erode constitutionalism and concentrate excessive power in the executive.
The bill is currently undergoing a 90-day public consultation process before it proceeds to parliamentary debate.
