War veterans have rallied behind a group of retired military commanders opposing proposed constitutional amendments by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government, warning that the changes undermine the democratic principles of the liberation struggle.
The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) threw its weight behind the retired generals on Thursday, hours after they delivered a scathing submission to Parliament describing the proposed amendments as a “constitutional coup”.
Last month, Cabinet approved a raft of constitutional changes — dubbed Constitutional Amendment Number 3 — that would extend Mnangagwa’s term by two years to 2030.
The proposals would also remove citizens’ right to directly elect the president, transferring that power to Parliament, while stripping the military of its constitutional mandate to defend the Constitution.
They further allow traditional leaders and senior civil servants to participate in political activity, which is currently prohibited under the Constitution adopted through a national referendum in 2013.
Mnangagwa’s government and the ruling Zanu PF have pressed ahead with the amendments despite growing opposition both within the country and internationally.
Retired army generals and senior civil servants, led by former Air Marshal Henry Muchena, told Parliament the proposed changes represent a fundamental betrayal of “the people’s will” and cannot be legitimately enacted without a referendum.
“The submission by the retired commanders is a powerful reminder that the liberation struggle was fought so that the people of Zimbabwe would be the ultimate custodians of state power,” ZNLWVA national chairman Andrease Ethan Mathibela said in a statement.
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“The principles of majority rule, universal suffrage and popular sovereignty were the central pillars of the struggle.”
Mathibela said those principles were embodied in the 2013 Constitution, which was adopted through a popular referendum.
“The Constitution is not merely a legal document; it is the collective covenant of the people of Zimbabwe,” he said.
“Any attempt to amend such a foundational instrument must always be guided by the supreme will of the people and not by transient political convenience or elite interests.”
The war veterans said amendments affecting the foundations of democratic governance should only be made after broad national consultation and, where necessary, through a referendum.
“Defending the Constitution must never be mistaken for political hostility. It is, rather, an act of patriotism and national duty,” Mathibela said.
“The liberation struggle did not end with the lowering of the colonial flag in 1980. Its true completion lies in protecting the democratic foundations of the Republic and ensuring that the people remain the ultimate authority in the governance of their country.”
In their submission to Parliament, the retired generals — who described themselves as “stockholders” of the ruling party who forged the nation “in blood and fire” — accused proponents of the 2030 agenda of rebuilding the Rhodesian system they fought against.
They said the proposed amendments must be subjected to a national referendum “or face the judgment of history”.
The veterans argued that abolishing direct presidential elections would undermine the principle of “one man, one vote”, for which they said they took up arms during the liberation struggle.
“We did not fight for a Zimbabwe where the majority are spectators in their own country’s affairs,” the submission reads.
“We are being told that only a select few will choose a leader on behalf of 17 million Zimbabweans. This is totally unacceptable.”
The retired commanders also invoked key rallying calls from the liberation war — Gore Re Musangano (1977), Gore Re Vanhu (1978) and Gore Re Masimba Evanhu (1980) — saying these slogans embodied the promise that sovereignty would rest with the masses rather than a privileged elite.
They also warned of the return of what they called the “Zvigananda”, a term used to describe the privileged African elite during the Rhodesian era.
According to the submission, the architects of the amendments risk recreating the restricted franchise that characterised the colonial system.
“They seek to do this quietly, without a referendum, without the people’s voice being heard. We frown upon this,” the submission states.
The generals also cited Section 212 of the Constitution, which mandates the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to defend the supreme law — a responsibility they said was given directly by the people in the 2013 referendum.
They warned they could not stand by as “ambitious opportunists” strip away that mandate.
“We will not move an inch,” Muchena said.
