Story by Kenias Chivuzhe
SUPPORT for the Constitutional Amendment Number 3 Bill is growing among tertiary students, with learners from institutions of higher education describing the proposed changes as critical to sustaining development and achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
Students said the Bill’s provisions, which they believe promote political stability, modernisation of the electoral process and continuity in development programmes, align with the country’s Vision 2030.
Learners from various institutions of higher learning noted that ongoing initiatives such as innovation hubs at universities should not be disrupted by frequent election cycles.
“We support the Vision 2030. We want the development trajectory to be stalled by a leadership change. We have seen positive changes within our economy and we want the vision to be fully implemented,” a student said.
“We do not want to retard the current development trajectory by constantly going for elections. Term extension is the real deal for the country to record accelerated economic growth and political stability,” another said.
“As students in Mashonaland East province, we met and agreed that President Dr Mnangagwa should continue to lead the country until 2030. Regarding higher education, he is promoting the establishment of innovation hubs and that should not be disturbed by elections.”
Mashonaland East Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (ZICOSU) Chairperson, Alfred Mudarikwa, described the proposed amendments as a clear roadmap to the attainment of Vision 2030.
“A seven-year electoral cycle provides a predictable governance environment necessary for long-term policies such as education grants and campus infrastructure development to be fully implemented without disruption from frequent election cycles,” he said.
“To appreciate the significance of this Bill, one must consider the transition from National Development Strategy 1 to National Development Strategy 2. The country’s vision is to attain an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, which requires a stable administrative framework.
“The Bill also proposes reforms aimed at improving efficiency, such as placing voter registration under the Registrar-General, as well as introducing the Zimbabwe Electoral Delimitation Commission to enhance institutional integrity by separating boundary delimitation from election management.”
Other areas that have attracted public support include the appointment of ten additional senators by the President to expand the pool of potential ministers and the elevation of the standards of the legal system by raising the qualifications for the post of the Attorney General to that of a Supreme Court judge.
The merging of Gender Commission functions into the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission has been viewed as critical in eliminating duplication of duties.
