Opposition leaders in Zimbabwe say they are disengaging from the ongoing public hearings on Constitutional Amendment No. 3, describing the process as “choreographed” and not genuinely consultative.
Tensions flared on Tuesday at the City Sports Centre in Harare, where the hearings were being held, after several opposition figures said they were denied the chance to speak. Human rights lawyer Doug Coltart was reportedly assaulted during the disturbance and his mobile phone was stolen.
Speaking at a press conference in Harare on Wednesday, opposition leader Jameson Timba said the hearings had failed to give citizens a meaningful platform to express their views.
“What we witnessed yesterday in Harare and indeed in other parts of the country cannot be described as a genuine consultative process. Citizens were denied the opportunity to speak, voices were drowned out and in some instances violence and intimidation were deployed against those expressing dissenting views, including journalists and lawyers,” he said.
“This is not consultation, this is orchestration. A constitutional process that excludes citizens cannot claim legitimacy. We hereby disengage from the current public hearing process,” he added.
Timba was joined at the press conference by Constitutional lawyers Tendai Biti and Professor Lovemore Madhuku.
Meanwhile, the Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) has also condemned the hearings, describing them as a “sham, stage-managed” process designed to manufacture consent rather than reflect genuine public opinion.
In a statement, the union said it had taken part in the hearings out of a “moral duty and civic responsibility”, but questioned the legality, transparency and democratic integrity of the process.
It said reports from both mainstream media and social media highlighted what it called disturbing incidents at the hearings. The union claimed that Doug Coltart, who also serves as a member of its board, was physically assaulted at the Harare meeting while trying to leave what it described as an increasingly hostile environment. It added that his phone was stolen and his glasses were damaged.
ARTUZ said video footage circulating on social media and eyewitness accounts suggested a wider pattern of harassment and intimidation, with some people opposing the amendment allegedly silenced through threats and denial of speaking opportunities.
“Public consultations have been dominated by partisan actors, undermining the integrity of the democratic process.The environment at these hearings is no longer safe for ordinary citizens, teachers and workers to freely express themselves. The constitutional consultation process has been compromised and lacks credibility,” the union said.
The union called for an immediate end to violence, guarantees of safety for participants and what it described as a genuinely open and inclusive consultation process.
“The future of Zimbabwe cannot be built on fear, coercion and exclusion. A legitimate constitutional process must be people-driven, not force-driven,” the statement said.
