Venue chaos, arrest fears, mar day one of Constitutional Amendment Bill public hearings – ERC

OVERCROWDED venues, political tension and limited citizen participation dominated the first day of public hearings on the proposed Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.3) Bill, the Election Resource Centre (ERC Africa) has reported.

Public hearings on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.3) Bill began nationwide Monday and are scheduled to run up to Thursday, in line with Parliament’s constitutional obligation to gather citizens’ views on proposed changes.

In a statement released Monday, ERC said it had deployed observers to all 65 public hearing venues across the country to monitor proceedings and assess the inclusiveness and transparency of the process.

The elections watchdog said the pre-hearing environment had already raised concerns, citing administrative and legal challenges that affected civic participation.

“Reports were received regarding the restricted clearance of certain public meetings under the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA),” the ERC said.

The group also noted that arrests and detention of political representatives in cities such as Mutare and Gweru ahead of the hearings had heightened fears among stakeholders about the openness of the consultation process.

According to ERC, most hearings began on time across the country, with only minor delays reported in Bulawayo. However, venue shortages emerged as a major challenge in several districts.

“In Bulawayo, the ERC noted that the City Hall venue was significantly undersized relative to the number of attendees,” the organisation said.

Similar capacity challenges were reported at Manica Bridge Hall in Mutasa District, Raffingora Community Hall in Zvimba District, and Tsholotsho Centre in Tsholotsho District.

The watchdog also said large crowds and limited time meant only a small number of attendees were able to present oral submissions.

“Furthermore, the absence of a standardized, transparent criteria for selecting speakers from the floor created a risk of perceived partiality,” ERC said.

The public hearings are a key step in Zimbabwe’s law-making process, allowing citizens to contribute directly to proposed constitutional amendments before they are debated and passed into law.