7 January 2020.

NCA Party Statement on the gazetting of the proposed amendments to the Constitution.

•NCA party is alarmed by the gazetting of proposed amendments to the Constitution by the arrogant Zanu pf government last week.

•As NCA party we are fully aware that the intention by Zanu pf to amend the Constitution is supported by the fact that during the inclusive government Zanu pf and Mdc parties agreed that a party with two thirds majority in parliament can make changes to the Constitution. Therefore the deceitful Constitution crafted by Zanu pf and Mdc parties allows this unacceptable state of affairs now degenerating into serious problems of dictatorship.

•The NCA party believes that it will continue to set a dangerous precedence to allow any political leaders of the day to make changes to the Supreme law of the nation as it is expected in a reasonable democracy that laws must come from the people through people driven processes.

•The current undemocratic Constitution is not people driven as it never came from the people of Zimbabwe but was imposed on them by COPAC, a confused parliamentary grouping that was made up of selfish and greedy politicians from Zanu pf and Mdc political parties. By the time this chaotic Constitution was being crafted each of the two political parties hoped to win the 2013 general elections and then change any provisions in that disorderly Constitution to suit their own partisan interests that are not beneficial to anyone except their kith and kin.

•However despite this unfortunate background of a bad Constitution, crafted by covetous politicians, which allows the tempering of it’s provisions, it remains the duty of every responsible and peace loving Zimbabwean to resist Zanu pf’s parochial amendments to the already wicked Constitution.

•A close look at the gazzetted proposed amendments replicates Zanu pf’s agenda to perpetuate it’s hegemony and primitive rule in Zimbabwe as well as an intention to consolidate a decade of undemocratic governance.

•At our last meeting of POLAD, a platform comprising of 18 Presidential candidates who contested last general elections in 2018, in Kadoma on 21 December 2019, it was unanimously agreed and even announced in a press statement that the government must put on hold any amendments to the Constitution to allow all interested stakeholders to make their own proposals especially on election related amendments that constitute electoral reforms.

•The gazzetting of Zanu pf partisan amendments is a clear disregard of POLAD resolutions by government and it shows the lack of seriousness by Zanu pf to ensure that we have a credible election that is free and fair in 2023.

•All the proposed amendments by Zanu pf government will not have any positive contribution towards the much needed assurance that future elections will be conducted to the satisfaction of everyone besides the selfish Zanu pf leaders and their usual uninformed supporters.

•As NCA party the electoral reforms that we encourage all Zimbabweans to demand from Zanu pf government includes, but are not limited to, that:

•A sitting President must not appoint ZEC Chairperson and all ZEC Commissioners,

•Any ZEC must not run a general election more than once,

•A sitting President must not appoint Judges to ensure that in the event of any electoral dispute the Courts can deal with the matter satisfactorily,

•All Zimbabweans in the diaspora must be allowed to vote,

•In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President we must have a by election to allow the electorate to choose a new President unlike what Zanu pf intend to do, through their awkward amendments, to make it law that in the event of vacancy in the Presidency office the political party of the said President gives us a replacement without having a by election.

•As Zanu pf government has displayed arrogance in pursuing unreasonable partisan amendments to the Constitution we urge all Zimbabweans to register their displeasure by adding their voices to reject these hopeless amendments.

•The NCA party, as usual, will continue to raise it’s own voice against the intended partisan amendments to the Constitution by the egocentric Zanu pf government.

•As NCA party we will continue to utilize the POLAD platform and any other platforms at our disposal to disagree with the proposed irrational amendments to the Constitution by Zanu pf.

•We urge all Zimbabweans to reject narrow-minded amendments to the Supreme law. The current Constitution is bad and we must not watch as Zanu pf further worsens the outlook of the already undemocratic Constitution.

Issued By
Madock Chivasa
NCA National Spokesperson
+263 775 614 471 / +263 772 904 492
Email [email protected]
Facebook Page National Constitutional Assemby.