ZANU PF Chief Whip Pupurai Togarepi has defended the party’s decision to reject a secret ballot in Parliament on the Zimbabwe Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, saying MPs elected through political parties are obliged to publicly defend party positions when voting on constitutional reforms.
Speaking to ZiFM Stereo News, Togarepi argued that public voting is consistent with Zimbabwe’s parliamentary tradition and is necessary to ensure citizens can clearly see where MPs and political parties stand.
“This is important so that the public understands where the party stands,” Togarepi said. “Have you ever seen political parties or MPs in Parliament voting through secret ballots? These are political parties. MPs are elected on party lists and openly express their positions. There is nothing to hide.
“We have never used secret ballots before. This is not the first constitutional amendment,” he said. ‘We have passed many constitutional amendments before, and we cannot suddenly make this one unique simply because some people have their own agendas. MPs go to Parliament on party tickets. They do not simply go there independently. Every political party has an interest in any legislation that comes before Parliament. When a political party adopts a position, that position is communicated through its MPs.”
Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, which has already completed the mandatory 90-day public consultation required under section 328 of the Constitution, is now moving towards decisive parliamentary stages. ZANU-PF’s commanding majority is expected to determine the outcome.
The ruling party currently controls more than 190 seats in the National Assembly, comfortably above the two-thirds threshold needed to amend the Constitution.
ZANU PF did not secure a two-thirds majority in the August 2023 harmonised elections. It reached the threshold months later after a series of controversial recalls and by-elections.
At the polls, ZANU PF won the presidency and a parliamentary majority but was 10 seats short of the 180 needed for a two-thirds supermajority. The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) won enough seats to block unilateral constitutional amendments.
In October 2023, Sengezo Tshabangu, a previously little-known figure, wrote to the Speaker claiming to be the CCC’s “Interim Secretary-General”. He “recalled” dozens of elected CCC MPs and councillors, saying they had ceased to be party members.
Although CCC leader Nelson Chamisa dismissed Tshabangu as an impostor, Parliament and the courts upheld the recalls. By law, the vacancies triggered by-elections.
ZANU PF campaigned aggressively in the by-elections. Taking advantage of opposition infighting and legal challenges, it won several urban and peri-urban constituencies in Bulawayo and Harare that had backed the CCC.
By February 2024, after winning a final round of six by-elections, ZANU PF surpassed 180 seats, securing the majority needed to amend the Constitution without opposition votes.
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