Zimbabwe government declares CAA3 constitutional amendment irreversible

The Zimbabwean government has declared the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Act, 2026 (CAA3) irreversible, asserting that the law has completed all constitutionally prescribed stages of enactment. In an opposing affidavit, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, and Attorney-General Virginia Mabiza argued that the amendment is now in the implementation stage.

Under the new framework, judges and senators have already been sworn in. The government is currently resisting legal challenges from a group of six war veterans who are contesting the new presidential electoral system. The CAA3 amendment shifts the election of the President from a direct popular vote to an election conducted by Parliament.

The respondents argued that the applicants' attempt to bypass the High Court and challenge the changes directly in the Constitutional Court is legally untenable. The Constitutional Court has reserved judgment on the application.