Constitution Amendment Bill (No. 3) Debate Continues in National Assembly

Harare, Zimbabwe – The National Assembly is set to resume debate today on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill (No. 3), with expectations that the Second Reading stage will conclude this week. This legislative development has already seen a remarkable level of engagement from Members of Parliament.

To date, over 110 legislators have contributed to the debate, marking a record number of participants for such a parliamentary discussion. Additional contributions are anticipated as the debate approaches its conclusion.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi indicated last Friday that he plans to address the various points raised by MPs later this week.

“We are still happy to have a couple more MPs, those that are willing to debate again,” Minister Ziyambi stated. “So, on Tuesday (today), we allow those that want to debate, but once we feel that all the MPs that are willing to debate have debated, I would then give my responding speech, addressing issues that were raised by Honourable members, and that will pave the way for us now to move to the committee stage of the Bill.”

The Committee Stage is a critical phase where legislators will meticulously examine the Bill clause by clause. During this stage, MPs have the opportunity to propose amendments, which the Minister will then either accept or reject.

Notably, a significant number of legislators, including some from the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), have voiced their support for the Bill during the ongoing debate.

Upon the completion of the Committee Stage, the Bill will proceed to its Third Reading in the National Assembly before being transmitted to the Senate for further consideration and approval.