Activists Seek Court Order to Halt Constitutional Amendment Bill

Two pro-democracy campaigners have filed an urgent High Court application seeking to stop Parliament from advancing the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill (No. 3), 2026.

According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), campaigner Allan Chipoyi and former Mkoba legislator Amos Chibaya want the court to interdict Parliament and Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda from proceeding with any further stages of the legislative process.

The application seeks to block steps including the tabling of any report on recent public consultations and the Second Reading of the bill.

The pair are also asking the High Court to order Parliament to hold fresh public hearings which they say must be safe, fair and inclusive.

Chipoyi and Chibaya who are being represented by lawyer Obey Shava of ZLHR argue that public hearings conducted between 30 March and 2 April this year were unconstitutional.

They contend that the consultations violated their right to freedom of expression which is protected under Section 61 of the Zimbabwe Constitution.

The applicants also argue that the hearings failed to meet standards of fairness and inclusivity and should therefore be declared invalid from the outset.

In legal papers, they say the process was a nullity ab initio – a legal term meaning void from the beginning.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill (No. 3), 2026 has generated debate among political parties, legal experts and civil society groups with critics raising concerns over both its contents and the manner in which consultations have been conducted.