Tendai Ruben Mbofana
In any functional democracy, or even in a mediocre corporate environment, failing to meet your targets usually results in a pink slip and an awkward walk to the exit.
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If you promise to deliver results within five years and you fail, the shareholders—who in this case are the long-suffering citizens—rightfully demand your replacement.
But Zimbabwe is not a functional democracy; it is a looking-glass land where logic goes to die and failure is rewarded with a longer lease on power.
The ongoing parliamentary public hearings on the Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill, or CAB3, have provided a front-row seat to this tragicomedy.
This bill seeks to extend the presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, effectively moving the goalposts in the middle of the game.
At one of these hearings, a ZANU-PF supporter—likely bused in from the rural areas and reciting a clearly coached script—offered a defense so ridiculous it would be hilarious if it weren’t so deeply insulting to the intelligence of the nation.
She sheepishly argued that these extensions are necessary because some Members of Parliament have not yet fulfilled the promises they made during the 2023 elections.
Her “logic” was that they simply need more time to get the job done.
Let that sink in for a moment.
We are being told that because an official proved to be incompetent or dishonest during their mandated term, the solution is to grant them even more time to continue being incompetent or dishonest.
It is the equivalent of a student failing every exam and then demanding the school year be extended by three months just for them.
It is a staggering exposure of the lack of understanding of basic governance matters by those whose poverty and lack of information are being weaponized by a ruling elite with a self-serving agenda.
This isn’t just about a few MPs failing to build a bridge or fix a road.
This logic is being used to shield the highest office in the land.
There is absolutely no reason why the sitting president needs two more years to “finish his programs.”
He has been at the helm since the 2017 transition—nearly nine long years of the so-called “New Dispensation.”
If a vision cannot be realized in a decade, two extra years are not going to be the magic wand that transforms the economy.
If the programs were viable and the political will was present, we would have seen the fruits by now.
Instead, we see a crumbling infrastructure, a decimated currency, and a population pushed to the brink of despair.
If the president were truly eager to complete his projects, the logical response would be to accelerate the pace within the time remaining until 2028.
Instead, his loyalists feel the need to manufacture “popular” support by busing in crowds to drown out any genuine civic participation.
The scenes from the City Sports Center in Harare today were nothing short of a horror show.
We witnessed a brazen assault on the democratic process as divergent voices were violently silenced.
Rowdy ruling party thugs took it upon themselves to bar opposition figures, activists, and legal experts from speaking.
Journalists—the eyes and ears of the people—were reportedly forced to surrender their equipment.
The assault on prominent lawyer Doug Coltart is a chilling metaphor for the state of our nation.
He was allegedly beaten, his phone stolen, and his spectacles broken.
When a state or its proxies feel the need to break a man’s glasses to stop him from seeing or speaking the truth, it is a confession of intellectual and moral bankruptcy.
If these constitutional amendments were genuinely good for the people, if they were based on sound logic and national interest, there would be no need for violence.
You don’t need to break someone’s spectacles to convince them of a “good” idea.
You only use force when your arguments are indefensible and your motives are predatory.
The most heartbreaking part of this entire spectacle is the exploitation of the marginalized.
The very victims of this system—those who struggle for clean water, affordable healthcare, and a basic meal—are the ones being manipulated into defending the chains that bind them.
They are coached to beg for more years of the same leadership that has failed to uplift them.
It is a cycle of subjugation where ignorance is cultivated as a political tool.
While these poor souls are used as props in a constitutional charade, the true intent of CAB3 remains clear.
This is not about “finishing programs” or “fulfilling promises.”
It is about securing more time for the ruling elite to loot national resources and consolidate their wealth.
It is about ensuring that the gravy train stays on the tracks for as long as possible while the rest of the nation watches from the sidelines.
The truth is simple—these amendments serve the narrow interests of a few at the expense of the many.
If failure is the new criteria for a promotion in Zimbabwe, then we have truly lost our way.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. To directly receive his articles please join his WhatsApp Channel on: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaqprWCIyPtRnKpkHe08