RENOWNED Harare-based lawyer Jacqueline Sande-Kamanga has launched a scathing attack on Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi over the controversial Constitutional Amendment Number 3 Bill (CAB3), accusing him of undermining constitutionalism for political gain.
"He sponsored a bill riddled with mistakes and impracticalities. He rushed his ill-thought out, impractical, poorly drafted piece of legislation through Parliament for political expediency, sacrificing constitutionalism and good governance in the process," Sande-Kamanga said writing on X.
Ziyambi, a former MP for Zvimba West, is one of the few ministers appointed from outside Parliament. He lost his parliamentary seat following back-to-back electoral defeats in Zanu PF primaries by current Social Welfare deputy minister Mercy Maruva-Dinha.
The senior legal practitioner warned that CAB3 risks eroding Zimbabwe's democratic gains. She argued that the manner in which it was pushed through Parliament sets a dangerous precedent.
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"Taking an entire nation down the democratic drain into the gutter of governance, into the abyss of authoritarian rule and into the pits of tyranny," she said.
Sande-Kamanga also questioned the minister's motives, describing him as "a profoundly self-serving individual." In her closing remarks, she delivered a stinging rebuke: "An example of a statesman not!"
CAB3, which proposes changes to judicial appointments and other governance structures, has drawn criticism from civil society, opposition parties, and legal experts who say it threatens judicial independence. The bill also seeks to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term of office and that of Parliament and councils beyond 2028 when their tenure expires.
Minister Ziyambi, who hopes to be rewarded with yet another ministerial job and senatorial post if CAB3 is enacted, has previously defended the Bill, saying it is meant to align the Constitution with practical realities of governance.
