Antony Chawagarira
HARARE – Parliament is set to begin deliberations on the Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill this week following the completion of nationwide public consultations, marking a significant stage in the proposed constitutional reforms.
The Bill is scheduled for its First Reading in the National Assembly on Tuesday(today), with the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, expected to formally present the proposed legislation to legislators.
The Bill, which was gazetted on February 16, has generated widespread discussion among political parties, business organisations, civil society groups, traditional leaders and religious bodies, making its introduction to Parliament one of the most closely watched legislative developments of the year.
Speaking ahead of the parliamentary proceedings, Minister Ziyambi said all preliminary processes had been completed and the Bill was ready for presentation.
“I have already given notice of presentation to the Speaker and I will be giving the First Reading speech this Tuesday. Thereafter, we will have the Second Reading on Wednesday and we want to give all Members of Parliament an opportunity to debate so that we come up with an inclusive Bill. Debate will then continue after the parliamentary committees present their findings,” he said.
The Minister stressed the importance of transparency in parliamentary processes, particularly regarding voting on constitutional matters.”Parliament is where MPs represent the interests of their constituents, not their own. Therefore, it is not realistic for them to vote in secret. Parliament is a public institution and members of the public are entitled to know how their representatives are voting,” he said.
Government is seeking to conclude all legislative processes relating to the Bill before the end of June, more than 100 days after Cabinet approved the proposed amendments on February 10.
According to Minister Ziyambi, expediting the process would allow the country to focus on other national priorities.”Given that this is a Constitutional Bill, we want to move through the process efficiently so that the nation can focus on other matters. Our target is to ensure that all processes connected to this Bill are completed by the end of June,” he said.
Among the major proposals contained in the Bill are the extension of the electoral cycle from five years to seven years, the transfer of the functions of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission, and the repeal of Section 281(2) of the Constitution, which currently bars traditional leaders from belonging to political parties or engaging in partisan political activities.
The Bill now enters the parliamentary stage, where legislators are expected to scrutinise its provisions through debate and committee processes before it progresses to subsequent legislative phases.
Zimbabweans are expected to closely follow the debates, given the potential impact of the proposed amendments on Zimbabwe’s governance and constitutional framework.
