Restrictions imposed by the State on public discussions of the Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 have come under sharp scrutiny, with some Members of Parliament raising concerns over alleged limits on gatherings and the ability of citizens and legislators to freely express their views.
The issue surfaced during Wednesday’s parliamentary session, where opposition lawmakers questioned whether the consultation process surrounding the amendment bill was conducted fairly, openly and inclusively.
Their concerns are rooted in a broader pattern of shrinking civic space and mounting pressure on dissenting voices, a pattern that has become increasingly visible in recent weeks as critics of the Bill have reported intimidation and arrests, casting doubt on whether the environment for public consultation is genuinely open at all.
Kadoma Central MP, Gift Mambipiri, said reports indicate that only certain groups are allowed to hold meetings, while others, particularly from the opposition, are allegedly blocked or even attacked.
“I have heard the Minister saying he is seeing people giving opinions pertaining to the Bill freely. As we are moving around, there are some people from a certain party who are allowed to gather and give their views,” Mambipiri said.
“We are only seeing people from the party on your side (Zanu PF), who are the ones allowed to have gatherings and those from the opposition attacked if they decide to have such gatherings. What should be done so that people have these gatherings to discuss this Amendment Bill without being attacked?”
In response, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, claimed Zimbabwe’s laws provide clear guidelines for holding public gatherings.
“In Zimbabwe, we have a law, the Constitution, and the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA). There are rules and regulations that are expected to be followed when you want to have public gatherings. If you want a gathering without demonstrations, you give a specific time that is not an election time and a notice of seven days, which states the date, the venue, the number of people gathering and the reason for the gathering,” he said.
Kazembe said MPs are allowed to gather if they abide by the rule.
“If there is any suspicion by the police that there is something that is not going well, they call the convener and they discuss with the convener and also come up with solutions. If it is done correctly, the meeting will continue. It is allowed by the Constitution,” he said.
However, Dzivarasekwa MP, Edwin Mushoriwa, raised further concerns, noting some MPs had submitted applications to hold constituency meetings which were allegedly declined.
“As we speak, some Members wrote letters to the police seeking authority to have meetings with people from their constituencies but most of them were declined. Is that the Government policy that people are not given permission to hold those meetings,” said Mushoriwa.
Kazembe dismissed this, saying those whose applications are denied have legal avenues to challenge the decisions.
“MOPA allows an individual to appeal to a magistrate if their request has been declined. We also have an Independent Complaints Commission. If anyone realises that they are not satisfied with what the police have done, that Commission was appointed by the President. They can approach them and inform them that the issue has not been handled well by the police,” said the Home Affairs minister.
“So, we have two ways to deal with those who are aggrieved by the police’s decision.”
The Minister added that police are required to respond to applications within three days, depending on the circumstances surrounding the request.
“The police must take three days to respond, depending on how they view the application,” said Kazembe.