Harare – Tensions exploded in the National Assembly Thursday, as opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators staged a dramatic walkout after one of their own, proportional representation lawmaker Samantha Mureyani, broke ranks to voice support for the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3).

The walkout occurred as legislators debated clauses of the bill, which seeks to extend presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years and replace direct presidential elections with a system where the president would be chosen by MPs sitting jointly .

Mureyani, who entered parliament in May 2024 as a CCC proportional representation member of parliament for Manicaland, told the House that her constituency supported the amendments — a position directly contradicting the party’s official stance against the bill .

Her intervention drew immediate fury from CCC colleagues, with several MPs rising on points of order before the opposition contingent walked out en masse in protest.

Said St Mary’s legislator Brighton Mazhindu:

“Under normal circumstances one would have expected the legislator to oppose the bill but we were suprised when she started supporting every clause of the bill.

We feel that she has betrayed her constituency, the one that she purports to represent.An opposition MP cannot just stand up and align with the status quo. We feel its a betrayal of the electorate,” said Mazhindu.

He said unlike Mureyani, if he is given the chance to debate the CAB3, he would represent his constituency and ensure that he does not divert from the people’s will which is to reject CAB3.

“There are clauses that take away the people’s right to vote, their right to chose a president. So my constituency is expecting me to represent them. Given a chance, i will represent them,” he said.

Legislator for Zengeza West constituency, Innocent Zvaipa echoed the same sentiments adding that Mureyani’s submissions suprised other opposition MPs.

He said:

“Considering where we are coming from, i was not expecting it. Our constituencies expect us to represent them. The urban constituencies are saying no to CAB3. As an MP you dont say what you think is correct.”

Zvaipa said legislators had the mandate to represent their constituencies hence even Zanu PF MPs were supposed to reject the bill and fulfil the wishes of the majority.

The dramatic scene underscores deepening divisions within the embattled opposition, which has been rocked by internal strife since 2023 when Sengezo Tshabangu emerged claiming to be the party’s interim secretary general.

Tshabangu, sent shockwaves within Zimbabwean politics in October 2023 when he wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly purporting to recall 15 CCC MPs and 17 councillors .

The recalls, which were ratified by Zanu PF-aligned parliamentary officials, triggered a cascade of by-elections that fundamentally altered the balance of power in Parliament. More recalls followed in November 2023, with another 13 MPs and five senators losing their seats.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) subsequently appointed Tshabangu loyalists to fill the vacant proportional representation seats — including Mureyani, who was among six new MPs gazetted in May 2024 .

CCC founder Nelson Chamisa abandoned the party in early 2024, complaining it had been “hijacked, bastardised and contaminated” by impostors and fraudsters .

The constitutional bill has drawn fierce opposition from civil society, the Law Society of Zimbabwe, and voters who have filed court challenges seeking to force a referendum on the proposed changes .

The Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE) has urged legislators to reject the bill, particularly a clause seeking to abolish the Zimbabwe Gender Commission .

“If the Commission is abolished, Zimbabwe risks weakening one of the few constitutional mechanisms dedicated to advancing gender justice,” WALPE said in a statement .

The Law Society has warned that clauses extending term limits cannot apply to incumbents without first holding a referendum, saying the drafters had deliberately engineered a “workaround” that violates the constitution .

Parliament continues debate on the bill next week on Tuesday, with a vote expected at a yet to be revealed date.