Garwe: Fewer Elections, More Development Under Amendment No. 3b

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe has thrown his weight behind the Constitutional Amendment No. 3b Bill, defending the proposed overhaul as a pro-people measure designed to slash election-related disruptions and ensure long-term development programmes reach completion.

Speaking amid a heated political storm over the Bill’s provisions-which include extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years and scrapping direct presidential elections-Hon Garwe framed the changes as a necessary evolution for national stability.

“This amendment is about shielding our development agenda from the paralysis that comes with endless election cycles,” Hon. Garwe told journalists following a tense Cabinet session.

“For the ordinary person in the village, this means their road is finished, their clinic is staffed, and their children’s school is built-without the stop-start chaos of annual political campaigns,” he said.

The Bill, approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, seeks to replace direct popular votes for the President with a parliamentary voting system.

It also proposes extending the current term of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, originally set to end in 2028, to 2030.

Hon. Garwe, dismissed opposition claims that the amendments were a power grab, insisting they were the logical culmination of the ruling party’s 2030 agenda.

“The Zanu PF conference in Mutare resolved that we want to see this vision through.

“This is not about individuals; it is about ensuring policy continuity for the benefit of the masses,” he said.

Former Information Minister Jenfan Muswere has echoed Garwe’s sentiments, stating the reforms aim to reduce “election-related disruptions” and “allow sufficient time for the implementation of long-term national projects.”

Opposition and civil society groups, however, have vowed resistance, with some petitioning the African Union to intervene against what they term a “coup in motion.”