HARARE – Prominent lawyer and National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) leader Lovemore Madhuku has criticised Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda, accusing him of being too politically compromised to preside over the public consultation process on Constitutional Amendment No. 3.
Madhuku, speaking after a violent attack on him at his party offices in Harare on Sunday, questioned Mudenda’s impartiality as Speaker of Parliament, arguing that his parallel role as Zanu-PF Secretary General undermines the credibility of the legislative process.
“Jacob Mudenda, the Speaker of Parliament, who is also the Zanu-PF Secretary General, does not know what his job is,” Madhuku said.
“He respects more his duties as Secretary General of Zanu-PF. He has lost all focus on his job as Speaker of Parliament.”
Madhuku alleged procedural irregularities in the handling of the proposed amendment, claiming the Bill was not properly presented before Parliament prior to being circulated for public consultation.
“He went to collect the Bill from Ziyambi Ziyambi. Now, where did that Bill come from? It was never presented in Parliament,” he said, referring to Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi. “We heard that it would be gazetted. Where did the Speaker get it from?”
Madhuku described the consultation process as “meaningless,” arguing that Mudenda’s political allegiance makes it impossible for him to independently oversee a constitutional reform exercise.
“To expect the Secretary General of Zanu-PF to preside over a parliamentary process is to expect too much,” he said.
Constitutional Amendment No. 3, approved by Cabinet last month, proposes significant changes to Zimbabwe’s governance framework, including extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years and altering the method of electing the president.
The changes could effectively extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure beyond 2028 without a fresh popular mandate.
Madhuku’s remarks come in the aftermath of an assault in which he was attacked by balaclava-clad men who stormed an NCA meeting. He alleged that uniformed police officers present at the scene did not intervene.
Police have denied deploying officers to monitor the meeting and said they are investigating the incident.
The attack follows a series of reported abductions and assaults targeting activists opposed to the proposed amendments. Madhuku, representing several war veterans, has since filed an application at the Constitutional Court seeking to halt the amendment process.
