The Bill sailed through the Senate this week with a
two-thirds majority of 65 to 10 after 11 senators from the Douglas Mwonzora-led
MDC-T faction coalesced with Zanu PF legislators.
Mnangagwa moved with speed to sign the Bill into law
despite opposition from civic organisations and lawyers who intended to
challenge the way the Bills sailed through Parliament.
In General Notice 907, Chief Secretary to the President and
Cabinet Misheck Sibanda said: “… The following laws have been assented to by
his Excellency the President are published in terms of section 131(6) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe. Manpower Planning and Development Amendment Act, 2020
(No 12 of 2020). Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No 2) Act (No 2 of 2021.”
Zanu PF yesterday claimed that it pushed for the amendments
because the issue of a running mate was chaotic and a major cause of strife,
citing the United States, Kenya and Malawi as examples.
“The issue of running mate is not working in other
countries and it causes strife. You are aware of the issue in the United
States, who are champions of the clause and how the former President Donald
Trump acted. We don’t want to reach a situation where we have strife for us to
remove the running mate clause,” Zanu PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told
journalists at the ruling party headquarters yesterday.
“There’s no problem in studying other countries where the
issue of the running mate caused problems. It’s not only in the US where it has
caused problems, even in Kenya and Malawi, they had such problems. We can’t
wait to fall in a ditch when we know that we will fall in. You want us to wait
and get bruises and see whether they are treatable?”
He said there was nothing amiss for Zimbabwe to remove the
running mate clause as a number of countries did not have it, including
neighbouring South Africa.
“There’s nothing amiss about it. There are a number of
countries which don’t have the running mate clause. Even in South Africa, it is
not there. It is not like countries not having the running mate clause are
heading for disaster. We have to do what we want. The succession issue is a
matter of political parties to resolve internally,” he said.
Khaya Moyo denied that Zanu PF had colluded with Mwonzora’s
party to pass the controversial amendments.
“We, as a party, don’t have any inclination to bribe anyone
for anything. We are a principled party with values and if our values appeal to
you and you vote with us, we can’t stop you. We have policies which appeal to
the people and they vote with us, we don’t bribe. That’s democracy, we are a
clean party,” he said.
The ruling party spokesperson said Zanu PF was proud to
have steered the passage of the Bill, which he claimed attests to the seriousness
of the government to adjust the Constitution in line with its standards of
governance.
“We, however, take note of the spirited attempts by the
sworn critics of the government misinforming the public about the amendments,”
he said.
“Nothing can be further from the truth. These amendments
are aimed at strengthening our flourishing constitutional democracy through the
deliberate creation of a stable institution of the presidency by removing the
imported running mate clause which has proved to be chaotic where it has been
used.” Newsday
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