‘l was happy, Parliament made the correct decision’—Mnangagwa speaks on passage of Constitutional Amendment No. 3

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has defended Parliament’s passage of the Constitutional Amendment Act Number 3 (CAB3), saying legislators made the “correct” decision and that the changes reflected a collective political process rather than the wishes of an individual.

Speaking to State media editors during an interview published at the weekend after signing of CAB3 into law recently, Mnangagwa said Members of Parliament (MPs) had exercised their constitutional mandate in approving the legislation.

“I don’t believe in individual persuasion or individual systems where the needs of or the wishes of an individual take the day,” he said.

“I felt they had done the correct thing. I expected them to pass it, and they did. So, I was happy.”

The President rejected suggestions that the amendment was driven by a single individual or faction, saying it emerged through collective decision-making.

“At the end of the day, it wasn’t an idea of an individual. You cannot attribute this to a particular individual or group of persons, but a collective evolution of the political process,” he said.

CAB3 introduced several changes to Zimbabwe’s Constitution, including provisions that will see Mnangagwa remain in office until at least 2030 instead of leaving at the end of his current term in 2028.

The President also dismissed speculation surrounding the signing of the Bill, which was not conducted in the presence of the media.

“If you look at me, I am not a guy who can be intimidated. What I do, I do freely,” he said.

Mnangagwa’s latest remarks come after he had previously maintained that he would step down when his second term ends in 2028. During a visit to China in September 2024, he told Zimbabweans living there that he already knew “the date I will leave, 2028. I will go home, and others will take over.”

In the latest interview, the the 83-year-old leader also defended his administration’s development agenda, saying government programmes were being implemented across the country.

“You can go in any part of this country, there is no part of the country, village, district or province which has no programmes. They have programmes, they have targets, which they set by themselves. What else would you want as a leader? I feel very proud. I can sleep comfortably with the type of country I lead,” he said.

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