The Law Society of Zimbabwe (LSZ) has also joined the growing discontent over the conduct of public hearings on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB 3), describing the process as “severely restricted and grossly inadequate” for an issue of such national importance.
LSZ President, Councillor Lison Ncube, raised alarms over the ‘compressed’ four-day consultation window, which ran from March 30 to April 2, 2026, covering just 65 centres across a the country.
“The LSZ notes that the four-day timeline and the number of public meetings scheduled for the whole of Zimbabwe in a country of over six million registered voters were severely restricted and grossly inadequate for an issue of such national importance,” Ncube said in a statement.
The Society further highlighted allegations of inaccessible venues, intimidation, harassment, abduction and violence had marred the proceedings, pointing specifically to reported attacks on Professor Lovemore Madhuku, harassment of lawyer Doug Coltart at City Sports Centre and the arrest of Tendai Biti in Mutare.
“Members of the public raised allegations of intimidation, harassment, abduction, and violence. Some media houses also reported disruptions in media recordings and journalists’ work,” Ncube stated.
Read: https://cite.org.zw/shock-mounts-as-violence-silences-citizens-at-constitution-hearings/
The LSZ president also invoked Section 328(4) of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, which mandates Parliament to convene meetings and provide facilities enabling public scrutiny of Bills, arguing that excluding citizens from input “negates the spirit of the Constitution.”
“The legal fraternity state that these concerns and allegations militate against the credibility of the standard expected of the public hearing processes and should be looked into and considered by the Speaker’s Office as part of the overall assessment of results of the Consultative process,” Ncube said.
The Society warned that the flawed parliamentary process potentially undermines democratic principles enshrined in the country’s Constitution and the rule of law.
LSZ’s statement comes on the heels of damning observations made by Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) this week, which issued a candid assessment of the public hearings saying the process was fundamentally flawed and unconstitutional.
This view opposed official narratives that portrayed the nationwide hearings, as largely peaceful, inclusive and well attended.
Many Zimbabweans praised ZHRC for speaking publicly about its findings that exposed serious breaches of constitutional provisions and human rights standards.