Booed, beaten pushed out: Dissent crushed at CAB3 hearings
They would say, we want elections to be held after 7 years because elections breed violence, so if they are delayed we may have relative peace for a longer period.
Speaker after speaker, endorsed the Constitutional Amendment Bill Number 3 accross the 10 provinces
The bill seeks to extend the term of the President, local authorities and Members of Parliament from five to seven years and also to remove the mandate of voter registration from Zimbabwe Electoral Commission back to the Registra General among other provisions.
They would say, we want elections to be held after 7 years because elections breed violence, so if they are delayed we may have relative peace for a longer period.
This seems like a contribution coming from a good place given Zimbabwe’s histiry of violence during elections, only this wasnt.
A very choreographed sentiment was exhibited through all the public hearings, but, the participants did not understand the substance of what they were saying
Those that spoke against the bill, were either booed and in worst case scenarios persued outside the venue.
In Chitungwiza, a young man got a chance to air his views against the bill, before he could finish his contribution, the microphone was snatched from him and he was pushed out.
He only got to say a part of his speech that said,
“We have always been told that we are the leaders of tomorrow, but if one wants to extend his term when will we get our chance,” he said before he was booed and the microphone snatched from him.
Our reporters followed him outside so that they could get his view, but he refused to identify himself but agreed to give them a video interview.
But as they interviewed him, he was unsettled because Zanu PF linked youths were appointing at him, before they pursued him and beat him.
Him and a few others wanted the process to be abandoned and people to vote in a referendum which would guarantee security of persons opposed to the bill.
Another man identified as Kelvin Bhonzo, was beaten and is currently hospitalised.
Freely expressing opposing views was met with hostility.
Election Resource Centre (ERC) observed the lack of free expression in their Day 1 report.
“The clampdown on dissenting voices pre-public hearing appears to have had a chilling effect on open participation. Concerningly, the ERC received reports of an alleged abduction of a participant following submissions at the public hearing in Nketa, Bulawayo, raising serious concerns about the protection of constitutional rights, particularly freedom of expression and the safety of individuals after participating in the process,” reads the report.
In Gweru, former Mkoba MP, Amos Chibaya got in a near fist fight with suspected Zanu PF youths that tried to snatch the microphone while he was speaking against the bill
In Masvingo, CCC councillor Bernard Muchokwa and Tatenda Mandondo of Citizens in Action Southern Africa, who once defected to Zanu PF and later tried to join opposition politics, were almost assaulted when they moved forward to speak against the bill.
In Harare the meeting came to a brief halt as opposition leaders seated on Bay 8 at City Sports Centre were not afforded the chance to speak.
The situation degenerated into chaos where Human Rights Lawyer, Doug Coltart lost his phone and was assaulted.
Other opposition leaders such as Tendai Biti, Professor Lovemore Madhuku, Councillor Denford Ngadziore, Morgan Komichi and Fadzai Mahere had to flee the scene.
There was coordination as to the voices that spoke supporting the bill were the only ones that got a chance to speak.
There was deliberate selection of speakers to paint a picture of unanimous support for the bill, but who was in charge of selection of these speakers?
In Epworth, that man in white is showing Honourable Eleven Kambizi, of Zanu PF, who to pick.
In Harare, Zanu PF’s Harare Province Youth Chair, Emmanuel Mahachi, is seen taking charge of the microphone.
Harare Provincial Political Commissar Voyage Dambuza is also seen in the crowd pushing the microphone away from where the opposition leaders sat.
In Chitungwiza the roving microphone to participants was in the hands of Zanu PF,
Parliament staff were excluded from managing the speaker selection process.
ERC noted that microphone holders were not introduced as Parliament staff but were clearly pushing an agenda of selecting probill speakers
“The ERC notes that procedural inconsistencies across different regions have led to participant frustration and perceptions of partiality, there is an absence of standardised criteria for selecting contributors from the floor. Without transparent and systematic selection protocols, the process is vulnerable to perceived bias.
“Participants expressed concern regarding the lack of formal introductions for the Parliamentary Committees and administrators present. Clear identification of those presiding over the hearings is essential for institutional accountability,” read their Day 2 report on the Public Hearings.
