Proposed Constitutional Amendments Don’t Require Referendum, Says Former COPAC Co-Chair 

Speaking
at
a
ZANU
PF
press
conference
at
the
party
headquarters
in
Harare
on
Wednesday,
11
March
2026,
Mangwana,
who
co-chaired
COPAC
during
the
drafting
of
the
2013
constitution,
said
no
referendum
would
be
required
for
the
proposed
constitutional
amendments.
Said
Mangwana:

“The
question
is
whether
the
incumbent
should
benefit
from
the
current
amendment.
Yes,
there
is
that
provision.
If
they
are
a
term
limit
provision,
then
the
current
president
is
not
going
to
benefit
from
an
extension
of
term
limits.

“People
are
failing
to
understand
something
in
the
Constitution.
The
Constitution
provides
that
any
period
below
three
years
is
not
considered
to
be
a
term,
and
I
think
that
is
a
very
important
piece
of
the
law.

“The
current
amendment
is
extending
[the
Presidential
term]
by
two
years,
which
falls
short
of
three
years.
So
if
there
is
an
extension
by
two
years,
in
terms
of
the
Constitution,
it’s
not
a
term.

“The
proposed
amendment
seeks
to
extend
by
two
years,
which
falls
short
of
a
term.
So
he
[Mnangagwa]
is
not
benefiting
from
an
extension
of
a
term
because
a
term
is
three
years.

“I
should
clarify
that
the
proposed
amendment
seeks
to
extend
by
two
years,
which
does
not
make
it
a
term.

“In
the
same
manner,
when
the
current
president
came
into
office,
he
finished
the
term
of
office
of
the
former
president,
[Robert]
Mugabe.

“That
period
of
nine
months,
which
he
served,
is
not
considered
to
be
a
term
because
it’s
less
than
three
years.

“In
the
same
manner,
an
extension
by
two
years
is
also
not
considered
by
law
to
be
a
term.
So,
in
effect,
he
is
not
getting
another
term.

“It’s
not
a
third
term,
and
it’s
not
an
extension
which
requires
an
amendment
to
the
law
as
provided
by
the
same
Constitution.”

Post
published
in:

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