Build One South Africa (BOSA) unequivocally condemns the signing into law of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026 (CAB3), which represents one of the most serious assaults on constitutional democracy in Southern Africa. CAB3 is not a constitutional amendment, it is a constitutional power grab by ZANU-PF.
By abolishing the direct election of the President, extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, expanding presidential control over Parliament and the judiciary, and weakening independent constitutional institutions, ZANU-PF has fundamentally rewritten the rules of Zimbabwe’s democracy to entrench its own political survival.
For decades, ZANU-PF has governed through fear, intimidation, political violence and the suppression of dissent. Under President Emmerson Mnangagwa, the people of Zimbabwe continue to endure repression, shrinking democratic space and economic devastation while those in power continue to consolidate their grip on the state. T
he people of Zimbabwe deserve leaders who earn their mandate from the ballot box, not constitutional amendments designed to avoid accountability.
South Africa cannot remain silent in the face of authoritarianism. It is an indictment on the ANC and the Government of National Unity (GNU) that they continue to look away while undemocratic machinations unfold on our northern border.
South Africa has both a moral responsibility and a constitutional commitment to promote democracy, human rights and the rule of law throughout the region. Silence in this instance is complicity.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and democratic governments across the continent must speak with one voice
against constitutional changes that assault democracy and concentrate power in the hands of a small political elite.
Too many liberation movements across Africa have become liberation movements in name only. Having secured political freedom, they now seek to preserve power for themselves rather than protect freedom for their people. They invoke the language of liberation while abandoning the democratic values that made liberation possible. Africa does not need stronger strongmen.
Africa needs stronger institutions. Strong constitutions. Independent courts. Free elections. Independent electoral commissions. A free press. And governments that remain accountable to the people.
BOSA stands in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, civil society organisations and all democratic forces committed to protecting constitutional governance and the right of every Zimbabwean to freely choose their leaders.
The struggle for democracy in Zimbabwe is not Zimbabwe’s struggle alone. It is a struggle for the future of constitutional democracy across our continent.
Media Enquiries:
Graham Charters – BOSA Communications Director – 072 635 0440