South Africa’s opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the enactment of Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Amendment Act No.3, accusing ZANU PF of prioritising its grip on power over the welfare of citizens and betraying the ethos of the liberation struggle.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday signed Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3 into law after Parliament passed the contentious legislation despite fierce opposition from civil society, legal experts and opposition parties.
The new law extends the terms of office for the President, Members of Parliament and local authority councillors from five years to seven years, effectively postponing the next harmonised elections from 2028 to 2030.
In a statement, the EFF said the amendment represented a worrying shift away from democratic accountability.
“The liberation of Zimbabwe from settler colonialism remains one of the greatest victories in the history of Africa, and the sacrifices made by countless freedom fighters can never be erased or diminished.
“However, no liberation movement acquires a permanent entitlement to govern simply because of its historic role in defeating colonialism. The legitimacy won on the battlefield must continually be renewed through the democratic consent of the people.
“For decades, ZANU-PF has increasingly behaved as though the people of Zimbabwe owe it perpetual political loyalty because it was the movement that led the liberation struggle.
“This dangerous mentality has transformed a liberation movement into an establishment that appears more concerned with preserving its hold on power than responding to the daily struggles of ordinary Zimbabweans,” the party said.
Mnangagwa assented to the legislation despite previously insisting he had no intention of extending his stay in office beyond the expiry of his current term in 2028.
Opposition parties and civic organisations had repeatedly called for the proposed constitutional changes to be subjected to a national referendum, but those appeals were ignored.
The EFF said extending a presidential mandate through constitutional amendments rather than elections undermined democratic principles.
“This is uncalled for. The extension of a presidential mandate through constitutional amendment, rather than through the freely expressed will of the people at the ballot box, represents a deeply disappointing development.
“It creates the perception that constitutional instruments are being manipulated to entrench political power instead of strengthening democratic accountability.
“The EFF believes that the people of Zimbabwe cannot be held hostage indefinitely by a governing party. True revolutionaries understand that political power belongs to the people and that leadership is exercised on their behalf, not over them.
“Any government that fears returning to the people for a fresh democratic mandate is one that is certain it has lost the will of the people and should face the consequences or commit to better leadership,” the statement added.
The South African opposition party urged the Zimbabwean government to focus on tackling the country’s economic crisis and improving governance instead of extending political terms.
“The EFF therefore calls upon the Government of Zimbabwe to place the needs of its people above the political interests of those in power. Zimbabwe requires urgent economic renewal, accountable governance, functioning public institutions, and leadership committed to restoring hope to its citizens rather than extending presidential terms,” the party said.
