War Veteran Seeks Urgent High Court Order to Stop CAB3 , Argues Chivayo's Gifts Tainted Parliamentary Vote

A war veteran has filed an urgent High Court application to halt the certification of Zimbabwe's Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill No.3 (CAB3). Reuben Zulu argues that the parliamentary vote approving the Bill was unlawfully influenced by luxury gifts given to legislators by controversial businessman Wicknell Chivayo.

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The Constitution cannot be amended by cash and keys.

The application names CCC legislator Samantha Murenyanyi and Zanu PF MP Remigious Matangira as respondents, along with parliamentary officials. Murenyanyi and Matangira allegedly received vehicles from Chivayo after supporting the constitutional amendments during National Assembly debates. Murenyanyi also reportedly received US$50,000 designated for constituency development, despite not representing a geographical area.

These gifts have drawn criticism, with opponents describing them as vote-buying tactics aimed at influencing the legislative outcome. Zulu is seeking an interim order to stay the Bill's certification, authentication, and presidential assent process until allegations of inducement are independently investigated.

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A constitutional majority must be a constitutional majority.

"The Constitution cannot be amended by cash and keys," Zulu stated in his founding affidavit. "A constitutional majority must be a constitutional majority." He is bringing the application in the public interest to protect the integrity of Zimbabwe's constitutional amendment process.

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The matter is not an invitation to this Honourable Court to manage Parliament's ordinary business. It is a constitutional legality challenge directed at a specific vice: the certification and validation of a constitutional amendment vote allegedly contaminated by rewards, gifts, inducements and conflicts of interest.

Zulu contends that the legislators involved should not have participated in the process without disclosing the benefits received and without an independent investigation. He also alleges that Parliament ignored a letter from concerned citizens warning that the amendment process had been compromised by "criminal inducements, gifts and rewards." The Senate has already approved CAB3, and the National Assembly has completed its review, leaving the Bill awaiting certification.

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We warned Parliament that CAB3 was tainted by criminal inducements, gifts and rewards.