A parliamentary public hearing on proposed constitutional amendments in Zimbabwe turned violent in Harare on Tuesday, underscoring intensifying tensions around changes critics say would entrench the ruling party’s grip on power. The Associated Press reported that the violence broke out at a sports complex as people shouted, shoved and slapped human rights lawyer Doug Coltart while he tried to leave, leaving him bruised. The report said his cellphone was taken and his glasses were broken.
The hearing was part of a nationwide process that the government says is required before lawmakers vote on the bill, even though the public input is not binding on Parliament. Tuesday’s chaos came after a series of hearings that began across the country on Monday, where Tendai Biti — leader of the Constitutional Defenders Forum and a campaigner against the proposals — said opponents were faced with obstruction.
According to the Associated Press, Biti said critics at several hearings were drowned out by boos, heckling and intimidation, or were denied the chance to speak. The report also described a broader crackdown on critics of the proposed changes, including detention and alleged violence against opposition figures. Biti, a former finance minister, was released on bail last week after being detained for allegedly holding an unsanctioned meeting opposing the amendments, the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press report linked the Harare attack on Coltart to the same dispute over the constitutional changes that has been playing out across the country’s hearings. It said another opposition figure was hospitalized after being beaten by unidentified men that he said were police officers following a meeting on the proposed changes earlier this month. Police, the Associated Press said, denied involvement and said the gathering had been banned.
The constitutional amendments at the center of the hearings would, if approved, allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office for two more years beyond his current term, which is set to expire in 2028. The proposals would also shift the presidential election method from a popular vote to Parliament and extend the terms of both the president and lawmakers from five years to seven years, according to the Associated Press.
Mnangagwa has said he will step down at the end of his second term in 2028, the Associated Press reported. However, the report said he has not publicly opposed efforts by his governing ZANU-PF party to extend his time in office. The Associated Press also noted that Mnangagwa came to power after a 2017 military coup ousted Zimbabwe’s longtime leader, the late Robert Mugabe, and that Mnangagwa later won disputed elections in 2018 and 2023 that international rights groups criticized over alleged crackdowns on opposition candidates and supporters.
Critics argue, the Associated Press reported, that extending presidential terms requires approval through a national referendum. Authorities, the report said, have rejected accusations of suppressing dissent, saying the reforms are being pursued within the law as the parliamentary process moves forward.