Bulawayo mayor David Coltart says he will step down in 2028 and will not remain in office until 2030, following the controversial extension of terms for elected office bearers.
Coltart’s mandate, and that of other councillors elected in the 2023 harmonised elections, was due to expire in 2028 under the constitution as it stood when he was elected.
However, the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026 (CAA3), has extended the life of the current parliament and local authority councils by two years.
The Act, which was passed by Parliament and signed into law by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in July, extends the presidential and parliamentary term from five years to seven years.
This effectively postpones the next general elections from 2028 to 2030, paving the way for Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030.
The amendment was opposed by the opposition and civil society, particularly because it avoided a referendum on extending the presidential term.
Coltart was among the most vocal opponents of the changes and says he will not accept an extension to his own mandate arising from what he regards as an unlawful process.
“If there is a referendum, free and fair, a lawful referendum, and the majority of the people say we are happy to extend, in those circumstances, then I have a further mandate from the people,” Coltart told NewsDay.
“But without that mandate, it’s two things – it’s a breach of the constitution, and it is also a breach of trust, because when I was elected, my contract with the people was five years. There was no talk about me having a seven-year term. In my view, it’s a breach of trust.
“So I am not changing in that regard. If there’s no lawful mandate from the people, my contract with the people has ended.”
His resignation will leave the Ward 4 council seat vacant and trigger a by-election, although it was not immediately clear whether Coltart would seek re-election to ask residents for a fresh mandate.
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