By Rex Mphisa
A senior government official has said people in the grassroots are demanding that the constitution be amended to extend terms of members of parliament, councillors and the president to seven years.
Albert Nguluvhe, who is Matabeleland South Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution said it is surprising when those opposing the amendment bill only mention the name comes up.
“Do people know that even Mps and councillors terms are included? Why are people concentrating on the President alone? In any case, he refused to go beyond the constitutional term and it is the people seeking to amend that constitution to allow him a seven-year term. Its coming fom the people,” he said.
He was addressing congregants at a function he was guest of honour invited by the Apostolic Churches Council of Zimbabwe at an open space west of Mangavha Shopping Centre in Beitbridge.
Nguluvhe said in 1980 people just voted for political parties which chose their leaders and that practice is not in Zimbabwe alone.
“I am surprised by people who think its new, this is what it was in the beginning. We never had faces of leaders on he ballot, we had party symbols, the party which wins choses its leader,” he said.
“We are simply fixing the constitution to allow the President to finish his projects which everyone in Beitbridge has witnessed.”
Voting for the president only started with harmonised elections and that can also be amended.
Addressing reporters later Nguluvhe said he had been invited to witness the ACCZ at Beitbridge openly supporting Constitutional Amendment Bill number three.
“I have come to witness their support right at the grassroots. This shows t is not eing imposed on the people but it is coming from them. Not everyone can go to parliament to say what they feel but here they can say it.”
Nguluvhe said it was easy for people to support he second republic because of its tangible projects all over the country.
“We have Gwaayi River Dam which is 80 percent complete, it was on the drawing board for years. We have the border you see here and the highway to Harare which had taken years to build. Our independence and other state functions were in the past centralised in Harare but now they are spread all over,” he said.