HARARE – The Adventist Lawyers Association (ALA) has strongly condemned what it described as a “barbaric” attack on prominent lawyer and opposition leader Lovemore Madhuku, warning that the incident reflects growing threats to constitutionalism and democratic governance in Zimbabwe.
In a statement issued Monday, the ALA said the assault on Madhuku and other citizens opposed to Constitutional Amendment No. 3 signalled an alarming erosion of civic space and respect for the rule of law.
“We note with utter shock and disappointment the attack on Professor Madhuku and several citizens in the wake of ‘Agenda 2030’,” the association said.
“Such acts have no place in a constitutional democracy. They strike at the very foundation of the rule of law and must be intercepted, and perpetrators thereof brought to justice.”
Madhuku, leader of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), was reportedly attacked on Sunday after balaclava-wearing men stormed a consultative meeting at the party’s offices in Harare.
According to his account, uniformed police officers in two nearby vehicles did not intervene.
“We had called an NCA consultative meeting to confirm our stance opposing Constitutional Amendment No. 3,” Madhuku said.
“The police were there for most of the time. The five or so guys came in with balaclavas and ordered everyone to leave. Then they came straight for me and started beating me up.”
He said the assailants accused him of “creating problems” and beat him with baton sticks. Madhuku is receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital in the capital and told journalists he was in pain but stable.
In a statement, national police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said no police personnel had been deployed to oversee or monitor the meeting and that the Zimbabwe Republic Police was investigating the incident.
The assault comes amid mounting tensions over Constitutional Amendment No. 3, which would extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond 2028 to 2030 and introduce significant changes to the electoral framework.
The proposed amendments include altering provisions on presidential elections and extending presidential and parliamentary terms.
Madhuku has filed a Constitutional Court application on behalf of six war veterans seeking to halt the amendment process. The matter is pending before the courts.
The ALA framed its concerns within broader constitutional principles, warning against what it termed “constitutional engineering,” “incumbency entrenchment,” and “executive consolidation.”
The association argued that term limits are safeguards against the concentration of power and that any attempt to dilute them undermines democratic accountability.
“We reject any path, however legally framed, that weakens constitutional safeguards, diminishes electoral integrity, and consolidates power in ways inconsistent with democratic norms,” the statement read.
The lawyers also cited a pattern of reported attacks and intimidation against individuals and groups opposing the amendments, including members of the NCA and activists aligned with other civic formations.
Calling for national leadership to uphold constitutional integrity, the ALA urged authorities to ensure meaningful public participation in any reform process and to protect citizens’ rights to lawful assembly, expression and political participation.
“A constitutional democracy must accommodate scrutiny, criticism, and peaceful dissent,” the association said.
“The criminalisation and intimidation of lawful political expression signals institutional fragility rather than strength.”