Prominent government critic taken into custody in Zimbabwe

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A major Zimbabwean opposition figure and former minister who is contesting a constitutional change that would extend the mandate of President Emmerson Mnangagwa was arrested Saturday, his party said.

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The southern African country’s government, which has been led by the Zanu-PF party since gaining independence 45 years ago, launched a controversial constitutional reform project in February that would extend the presidential term by a further two years.

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Tendai Biti, a prominent lawyer and former finance minister, was organising a rally in Mutare, a town on the border with Mozambique, when he was arrested along with activists and journalists, according to the Constitution Defenders Forum (CDF).

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“I condemn the arrest and detention this afternoon in Mutare of my long-standing friend, fellow lawyer and former Cabinet Minister Tendai Biti,” David Coltart, major of Bulawayo, the country’s second largest city, posted on social media. “His crime? Speaking out against the Constitutional Amendment.”

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A student leader was also taken from a lecture theatre at Chinhoyi University after speaking out against the reform during a meeting held there, the student union Zinasu alleged on Saturday.

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Mnangagwa cannot stand for re-election after two terms in office. Designed to extend the end of his term from 2028 to 2030, the proposed reform also calls for the president to be elected by parliament rather than by direct popular vote.

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Given his support in parliament, there is little doubt that it will be approved by a two-thirds majority in both chambers. But for the opposition, such changes require a referendum.

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Aged 83, the “Crocodile”, as he is nicknamed, came to power in 2017 following a coup that enabled the army to oust Robert Mugabe, who had been president for 30 years.

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Elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2023, Mnangagwa is accused by his critics of allowing corruption to flourish and of suppressing human rights.

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Meanwhile, annual inflation has been near triple digits from 2019 to 2024.

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Opponents campaigning against constitutional reform told AFP they had been subjected to beatings or intimidation.

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AFP

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