Harare- Human rights activists in Zimbabwe have described the proposed Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 3 Bill as the death of democracy and the resurrection of fascism in contemporary Zimbabwe politics.

Parliament of Zimbabwe approved for the Constitutional Amendment No. 3, in February which among other amendments, proposes to extend the presidential term from five years to seven years, allowing President Mnangagwa to be in power until 2030, centralize power in the Executive as well as widening the powers of the president.

South Africa based legal scholar, Justice Mavedzenge during an interview with Newzroom Afrika said the introduction of the Constitutional Amendment Bill is a reflection of the consolidation of power by an authoritarian leader who enjoys power more than ensuring that citizens have better welfare.

“What Cabinet approved is a planned Constitutional coup, what President Mnangagwa seeks to do is to extend his time in office without following due process that is prescribed in the Constitution,” said Mavedzenge.

At the dawn of President Mnangagwa’s tenure in 2017, his administration voiced its commitment to human rights reforms. However, since the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill, isolated cases of arbitrary arrests, attacks and abuse of political, human rights activists and journalists have been reported.

Human Rights Watch in a report this week noted with concern how the proposed amendment has attracted attack on the country’s democracy.

“Over the last few months, the police and unidentified armed men have threatened, harassed and beat up several people who are opposed to the proposed Constitutional Amendment,” reads part of the HRW, report.

Professor Lovemore Madhuku, prominent lawyer and leader of the opposition political party, National Constitutional Assembly, was attacked at his party offices. The unidentified men assaulted members of the NCA who had gathered for a meeting, including Madhuku.

“Civil society group, the Constitutional Defenders Forum, in February was ordered to stop meeting stating that it was not incompliance with the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act. A video was also posed on March 5, showing armed police officers at the law firm offices of Tendai Biti, the Forum leader. The Forum reported being assaulted by the police to silence alternative voices,” reads the HRW report.

Xholani Nyoni, former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) coordinator, Matobo District, Matebelalnd South, now in political exile in Ireland says authorities use domestic law as an instrument of repression to threaten and instill fear among its political opponents and dissenting voices.

Nyoni says, as a member of the CCC in Matobo district he experienced political repression, intimidation, violence and in some cases physical and verbal torture at the mercy of the ruling party supporters making it difficult to practice his constitutional rights to support the political party of choice.

He argued that President Mnangagwa’s administration is afraid of scrutiny and competition hence its crackdown on dissenting voices that can hold it account.

“My house was burnt to ashes in 2018, whilst I was at a neighbor’s funeral. The incident was targeting my life. Several occasions during the 2018 elections I was brutalized. I constantly received threating messages from ruling party youth leaders in my district. The realities of weaponization of the law to punish dissent and criminalize opposition party supporters continues making Zimbabwe’s political terrain to remain uneven,” Nyoni said.