Moneybags Could Buy Presidency, Matinyarare Flags Danger In Constitutional Amendment Bill

Controversial political and social commentator Rutendo Matinyarare has warned that electing the President through Parliament, as proposed in Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Bill, 2026, could be manipulated by wealthy individuals.

In a post on X, Matinyarare said that someone with money could bribe parliamentarians to secure the presidency, leading to the election of leaders who do not have the support of the general public. He said:

“I don’t want an underpaid, incompetent, and self-serving parliament like the one we have in Zimbabwe, picking our President based on who bribes the 200 MPs with more money, because then what happens in future when we as a nation don’t want a rich President (future President, not this one) who bribes parliament and only enriches himself and his allies, to continue governing?

“I don’t want to give a term extension to a President who allows our state apparatus to be used to beat, imprison, and burn the property of those who disagree with him, risking the country being put under new sanctions or being invaded by the West.”

Matinyarare said that, while he has consistently supported the ZANU-PF-led government, he cannot back a term extension for President Emmerson Mnangagwa without a referendum.

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