Senator makes emotional plea for national healing and urges colleagues to embrace Joshua Nkomo’s vision of putting Zimbabwe above individual interests.

Harare – Opposition Senator Sengezo Tshabangu on Wednesday delivered an impassioned address to Parliament, demanding that the Government put in place concrete measures for national healing as a condition for his support of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill.

In a speech during the Senate sitting, Tshabangu, who is the leader of the opposition in the Upper House, used his debate on the Bill to present a series of far-reaching recommendations that he said must accompany the constitutional amendments, including automatic voter registration, binding devolution of at least 15% of national revenue to provinces, and an end to the “toxicity cycle” of mid-term by-elections.

But it was his emotional appeal on the Gukurahundi issue that gripped the chamber, as Tshabangu warned that without addressing historical grievances, the people of Matabeleland would remain “foreigners in our own land.”

“Grievances cannot expire. The people of Matabeleland to date are still yearning and still in despair,” Tshabangu said. “This gives us the window. This is what motivates me to support this Bill. It is this clause.”

Tshabangu confirmed that he had engaged with the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi, and members of ZANU-PF at the highest authority, and while they may not agree to put the matter in the Constitution, he demanded that an Act of Parliament be passed within 12 months to continue the work of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission and “deal decisively” with the Gukurahundi issue.

“I want the Hon. Minister to commit himself that today, when he answers questions, he is going to put it into the Act of Parliament so that we bring this to a closure, so that this gives the President of Zimbabwe his legacy. It must speak to his legacy that once upon a time, he created this path such that the people of Matabeleland can still believe that they belong to Zimbabwe,” Tshabangu said.

“As long as this is not done, we are foreigners in our own land.”

The Senator drew parallels with Rwanda’s post-genocide consensus model, where minority voices govern at the top, and urged Zimbabwe to follow that path.

“Zimbabweans who have got genuine sense of belonging, genuine sense of ownership that they are Zimbabweans should not forget that there was a genocide in 1983 to 1987. We are still lagging behind and we want to be like Rwanda,” he said.

On devolution, Tshabangu made a passionate case for binding devolution, demanding that 15% of national revenue collected by the Government be transferred to provinces and districts every year, “not as the Treasury may determine, not when there is money.”

“15% by law, formula by deadline. Provinces must plan their own budgets; Harare must not decide if Matabeleland builds a clinic or Mashonaland builds a road,” he said.

He called for Parliament to pass a Devolution Act and Fund Act within 12 months that locks in the formula based on population plus poverty levels plus infrastructure, with “no more political discretion.”

“By 2030, every province must show clinics built, boreholes drilled, roads tarred with money they controlled,” Tshabangu declared.

He warned that without devolution, extending the Presidential term to seven years would merely become “seven years of central control,” but with it, it would become “seven years of local results.”

The opposition leader demanded a complete overhaul of the voter registration system, calling for automatic registration linked to the national population register, where every citizen would be automatically transferred to the voters’ roll at age 18 without further application.

“Registration at birth and ID issuance – when a birth certificate and national ID number are issued, the Registrar General must capture biographic and biometric data. At the age of 18, every citizen is automatically transferred to the voters’ roll without further application,” Tshabangu said.

He cited South Africa and Botswana as best practice examples where citizens are automatically loaded from Home Affairs and receive notification via SMS.

“This avoids the exclusion of the youth, rural voters, duplication of work, manipulation of manual rolls, late publications and zero accountability,” he said.

Tshabangu called for a return to the Government of National Unity model of 2008, where by-elections were suspended during the transitional period, arguing that by-elections had become “a flashpoint of violence, division and a waste of public funds.”

“When a vacancy occurs, the party that held the same nominees will replace the same candidate – no election, no division. For independent candidates, the second-place candidate from the last election steps in and ZEC Gazettes it within 21 days,” he proposed.

“This clause is fiscally prudent. It is stability and respect the mandate already given. It sweeps away toxicity and electioneering so that we can focus on clinics, schools, jobs and Vision 2030.”

Lessons from 2000

Tshabangu also issued a warning about the dangers of rejecting progressive constitutional reforms, recalling how Zimbabwe’s rejection of the 2000 Constitution draft – which included term limits and age limits – had cost the nation dearly.

“The draft of 2000 had term limits, age limits of 70 years. No President above 70 could rule if Zimbabwe had voted yes. Former President Robert Gabriel Mugabe would not have contested in 2010. He was 86. The same age limit would even have applied today to the current President. We lost generational change,” Tshabangu said.

He urged senators not to repeat the mistakes of history.

“Let us not say no to progress in 2016. If we say no to this Bill, look at where we are today because of the referendum that we lost in 2000. History cannot repeat itself. This is why we are here in support of this Bill,” he said.

Parliamentary President

Tshabangu strongly supported the proposal for Parliament to elect the President, arguing it would promote national consensus and allow minority groups to produce a President through merit rather than numbers.

“Under this system, Zimbabwe can produce a Tonga, Kalanga, or Venda to become the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Not by numbers, but by merit and national agreement, and that is the unity the struggle demanded,” he said.

He cited the examples of South Africa, where Nelson Mandela, a Xhosa from a minority group, was chosen by Parliament, and Botswana, where President Masisi, a Kalanga, was also chosen by Parliament.

“Examples are not theory; they are facts,” Tshabangu said.

Tshabangu also argued that a President elected by Parliament would be more accountable, answering daily to Parliament rather than only every five or seven years.

“A President who answers to Parliament daily is better than a President who only answers every 5 years. Botswana and Mauritius are examples and because of that, they constantly check the power balance,” he said.

“Seven years without daily accountability is a recipe for abuse. That is why CAB3 must strengthen the institutions that we see. The Liberation struggle did not fight for a king. It fought for a servant.”

On the appointment of 10 Senators by the President, Tshabangu disagreed with the proposal that the President should consult the National Assembly, arguing instead that the President should consult political parties in Parliament.

“We already allowed the President to appoint the judges. The judges were appointed by the President in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission. Why are we reducing the President to that level now to say, President appoints the Senators in consultation with Parliament, yet he appoints all these judges himself without any consultation? The President must consult the parties in Parliament,” he said.

Tshabangu concluded his address by framing the constitutional amendments as a bridge to a more united Zimbabwe.

“For a nation wounded by a winner-takes-all politics, this is a bridge for Presidents that belong to Zimbabweans, to elections where Zimbabweans are counted,” he said.

“A President who forms a government of national consensus – that is the promise of the liberation struggle fulfilled.”

The Bill was subsequently passed with 75 votes in favour and four against, with Tshabangu voting in support.