Temba Mliswa, president of the Zimbabwe Village Heads Association, says traditional leaders across the country fully support the proposed Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026, arguing that the sweeping constitutional reforms are necessary to strengthen governance, secure political stability, and drive Zimbabwe's Vision 2030 agenda.
In a 28-page submission formally sent to the Clerk of Parliament on Friday, Mliswa, representing the village heads, said the association's backing of the bill, commonly referred to as CAB3, reflects what village heads believe is a national need for stronger and more stable institutions.
"There is a particular kind of courage that history remembers," ZIVHA said in the statement, invoking the legacy of liberation icon Mbuya Nehanda and Zimbabwe's liberation struggle. "CAB3 is the continuation of that unfinished work."
The proposed constitutional amendments include major changes to Zimbabwe's governance structure, among them the election of the president through a joint sitting of Parliament instead of a direct national vote, extending presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, and expanding the Senate through presidentially appointed specialist members.
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According to Mliswa, the association believes electing the president through Parliament would reduce divisive and costly election cycles that often leave rural communities exposed to political tensions and instability.
"A parliamentary election of the President anchors executive authority in a deliberative body rather than in raw electoral mobilisation," the submission said.
ZIVHA also defended proposals to extend terms of office, saying longer leadership cycles would allow governments to complete infrastructure and development projects that are frequently interrupted by elections.
"Seven-year terms allow development projects to complete -- a rural road, an irrigation scheme, a school," the statement said.
The association further endorsed proposals to enlarge the Senate by adding ten members selected for technical expertise, arguing that Parliament would benefit from professionals such as economists, engineers and agronomists capable of strengthening legislative oversight.
Other proposed amendments backed by the village heads include the creation of a new electoral delimitation commission, transferring management of the voters' roll to the Registrar-General's Office, and restructuring Zimbabwe's independent commissions system.
Under the proposals, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission would be dissolved, with their responsibilities transferred to the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission.
Mliswa said consolidating the commissions would reduce duplication and improve service delivery, particularly in rural communities.
The submission also strongly backed provisions introducing a code of conduct for traditional leaders, saying the amendments would provide clearer legal protections for chiefs and village heads while allowing them to participate in national political processes without undermining their customary responsibilities.
Beyond governance issues, Mliswa linked constitutional reform directly to Zimbabwe's economic prospects, arguing that political stability and institutional continuity were essential to attracting investment and supporting rural development.
"The constitution is the operating system of the economy," the statement further said. "When it functions poorly, everything downstream functions poorly too."
The association argued that investors are less likely to commit capital in environments where leadership transitions and policy continuity remain uncertain, adding that CAB3 could help create conditions for expanded agricultural financing, infrastructure investment and broader rural economic growth.
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The endorsement comes as debate around the proposed constitutional amendments intensifies, with critics in civil society and opposition politics expected to raise concerns over democratic accountability, concentration of executive power and the weakening of constitutional checks and balances.
But Mliswa said the reforms should be viewed as a long-term nation-building exercise rather than a partisan political project.
"Stability is not the enemy of democracy. It is democracy's precondition," he said.
The association urged lawmakers across the political divide to support the bill, describing it as an opportunity to strengthen Zimbabwe's institutional framework and secure the country's future.
"The ancestors rose," Mliswa said. "The question before this Parliament is whether it will rise with them."
