LHARARE – The Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF) has called on Zimbabweans to gather at the Constitutional Court in Harare at 9:30AM on Monday as the court hears a challenge to recently passed constitutional amendments extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term and scrapping the direct election of a president, among key changes.

In a statement on Sunday, the CDF urged “all Zimbabweans, constitution defenders, human rights activists, civic society organisations and all citizens who believe in constitutionalism” to attend in solidarity.

The case was brought by Eliphas Kawa and Hazvineyi Machingura. They cite the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Parliament, the president and the Attorney General as respondents.

The CDF said while the matter is primarily an application for direct access to the Constitutional Court, it raises “an important constitutional question concerning access to constitutional remedies and the right to approach the Constitutional Court for a declaration of constitutional invalidity.”

The applicants also argue that the amendment cannot take away their right to elect a president of their choice under section 67 of the constitution without a referendum. They further contend that the president’s appointment of 10 senators undermines the basic structure of the constitution.

“This is more than a court appearance: it is an opportunity to demonstrate our collective commitment to defending the Constitution,” the CDF said.

The group said the Constitution “belongs to the people, and its defence is a collective responsibility.”

“CAB3 may have been signed into law but the fight is far from over,” the CDF said.

Mnangagwa signed the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill into law on July 7, 2026, and it is now Act No. 6 of 2026. The Act extends his current term by two years to 2030 and postpones the next general election from 2028 to 2030. It also lengthens the presidential election cycle from five to seven years.

When first tabled in the National Assembly, the Bill secured 216 votes, 29 more than the two-thirds majority required, while 42 CCC members voted against it.

Legal experts have questioned whether the amendment can lawfully apply to Mnangagwa without first being approved in a national referendum. The MDC has separately filed an urgent Constitutional Court application arguing that Section 328(6) of the Constitution required a referendum before the president assented.

The application by Kawa and Machingura is one of several challenges to the constitutional amendments currently pending before the courts.