Lucy
Chivasa,
a
lawyer,
journalist
and
activist,
said
amendments
being
advanced
under
the
Constitutional
Amendment
Bill
risk
silencing
already
marginalised
communities,
including
women,
people
with
disabilities,
linguistic
and
tribal
minorities,
and
politically
excluded
groups.
Speaking
during
an
online
discussion
on
constitutionalism
hosted
by
Community
Podium,
Chivasa
said
reforms
often
framed
as
technical
or
administrative
adjustments
can
have
deep
and
lasting
social
and
political
consequences.
“One
of
the
biggest
concerns
for
me
is
the
proposal
to
merge
the
Zimbabwe
Gender
Commission
with
the
Zimbabwe
Human
Rights
Commission,”
she
said.
While
folding
women’s
rights
into
a
broader
human
rights
body
may
appear
efficient,
she
warned
it
could
dilute
specialised
advocacy
and
reduce
focused
attention
on
systemic
gender
inequality.
“There
are
things
that
the
Gender
Commission
was
doing
for
women
that
cannot
simply
be
overshadowed
in
a
larger
commission,”
Ms
Chivasa
said.
She
also
raised
alarm
over
proposals
that
would
allow
Members
of
Parliament
to
elect
the
president,
instead
of
a
direct
popular
vote.
Ms
Chivasa
said
such
a
system
could
entrench
political
exclusion,
particularly
for
communities
whose
voting
preferences
are
already
in
the
minority.
“We
cannot
pretend
there
is
no
regionalism
in
voting
patterns,”
she
said.
“Urban
voters,
for
example,
are
often
in
the
minority
nationally.
At
what
point
is
their
will
going
to
be
seen?”
Another
controversial
proposal
is
the
creation
of
a
Delimitation
Commission
to
take
over
the
drawing
of
constituency
boundaries,
a
role
currently
performed
by
the
Zimbabwe
Electoral
Commission.
Ms
Chivasa
questioned
whether
removing
this
function
from
ZEC
would
improve
transparency
or
instead
fragment
oversight
in
ways
that
benefit
the
executive.
“For
me,
this
is
about
consolidating
power
within
the
executive,”
she
said,
adding
that
democratic
governance
depends
on
the
independence
and
impartiality
of
the
three
arms
of
the
state.
Concerns
were
also
expressed
about
proposals
linked
to
the
management
of
the
voters’
roll,
which
Ms
Chivasa
said
could
become
vulnerable
to
political
interference
if
placed
under
institutions
that
report
directly
to
the
executive.
Meanwhile,
women’s
rights
organisations
under
the
umbrella
of
the
Women’s
Coalition
of
Zimbabwe
said
the
Bill
contains
several
amendments
with
serious
implications
for
women.
In
a
statement,
the
coalition
said
women
make
up
52%
of
Zimbabwe’s
population
and
warned
that
the
proposed
changes
signal
“a
drastic
systematic
overhaul
of
the
progressive
and
prescriptive
constitutional
order”.