By Correspondent
Prominent human rights lawyer Doug Coltart has warned that the amendments to the National Constitution and the ZANU PF Constitution are part of a coordinated project to facilitate the rise of a leader who can never win a popular vote.
In a statement Coltart described both processes as “anti-people” and said they are designed to institutionalise elite accumulation.
“The anti-people amendments to the Constitution of Zimbabwe and the proposed anti-people amendments to the ZANU PF Constitution are designed to facilitate the rise to power of a person who could never win a popular vote.
“(This is) because their politics is based entirely upon the mass accumulation of wealth by a tiny elite and exclusion and exploitation of the poor at a scale, ferocity, and brazenness that we haven’t seen before,” Coltart said.
“Don’t get me wrong.
“We have seen mass accumulation and exploitation before.
“But if we don’t stand together united against what is coming, right across the political, ethnic, racial, social, class divides, we will soon realize that we ain’t seen nothing yet.
Context of Amendments
Coltart’s statement comes as Zimbabwe enters the final stage of Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 (CAA3), and as ZANU PF pushes internal constitutional amendments.
CAA3, gazetted recently, has extended Parliament’s term and postponed general elections to 2030.
It has abolished direct presidential election and have the President elected by Parliament.
Presidential terms have also been extended from 5 to 7 years.
The Zanu Part
Simultaneously, ZANU PF has proposed amendments to its own constitution.
The various moves within the party have been read by some as creating a glide path for businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei.
Tagwirei, has in the last 12 months been co-opted into the government system and recently was appointed Investments Minister.
However, though his meteoric political rise he has never contested innany election.
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