Tinotenda Hove -ZANU PF Treasurer General Patrick Chinamasa is facing mounting criticism after dramatically reversing his stance on proposed constitutional amendments, in what observers describe as a troubling shift that raises questions about consistency and transparency in the ruling party’s reform agenda.

Just two years ago, while addressing a ZANU PF conference in Bulawayo in 2024, Chinamasa had maintained that any significant changes to the Constitution would require public approval through two separate referendums. At the time, he stressed that the people must directly endorse such amendments.

Now, following the gazetting of the Zimbabwe Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill (2026), Chinamasa has adopted a starkly different position — insisting that no referendum is required.

On 24 February 2026, writing on X, Chinamasa shared comments attributed to Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi published in The Herald. In the article dated 20 February, Ziyambi argued that the proposed amendment merely extends the electoral cycle from five to seven years, and therefore does not necessitate a referendum.

Citing the minister’s explanation, Chinamasa declared unequivocally that “there will be no referendum.”

In a statement that has since drawn sharp reactions, he defended the legal approach taken by the drafters of the bill, saying: “In framing Constitutional Amendment Number 3, Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and the Attorney General, Virginia Mabiza, with her battery of seasoned lawyers, have creatively chosen a legal solution/route that is the least costly and the most expeditious way to skin the cat.”

Critics argue that the phrase underscores what they view as a calculated effort to sidestep direct public scrutiny in pushing through sweeping constitutional changes.

Chinamasa went further, urging Zimbabweans to rally behind the amendment, claiming it was necessary for national stability and development.

He framed the proposal as being driven by popular demand, declaring: “As for the President and First Secretary of ZANU PF, His Excellency, Cde Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, I say to him, Your Excellency’s views on the ZANU PF Resolution Number 1 do not matter anymore. Vox Populi Vox Dei. The Voice of the People is the Voice of God.

“The people spoke and are still speaking and demanding Your Excellency to comply and serve the Nation up to 2030.
“I know it is not in Your Excellency’s nature to take a path that goes against the Will of the People.”

However, detractors question how “the voice of the people” has been established without a referendum — the very mechanism Chinamasa previously described as necessary.
The Constitutional Amendment No. 3 Bill proposes extending the presidential and parliamentary term cycle from five to seven years, a move that would effectively prolong the tenure of President Emmerson Mnangagwa beyond 2028.

Chinamasa has argued that frequent leadership changes disrupt policy continuity and undermine economic progress. Yet critics counter that constitutional safeguards exist precisely to prevent the concentration and extension of power without direct public consent.

The dramatic reversal has intensified concerns that the amendment process is being reshaped to suit political expediency rather than democratic principle — a development that could further deepen public mistrust in Zimbabwe’s governance framework.