Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Crisis: When Law Becomes a Weapon

Zimbabweans attend hearings to discuss a bill proposing to extend the presidential term.

In my opinion, we are watching the death of a democracy through a “thousand legal cuts.” Tendai Biti’s warning that Zimbabwe is undergoing a “slow coup” should be a wake-up call for the entire SADC region. I believe that when a constitution is amended to suit the survival of an individual rather than the will of the people, it ceases to be a social contract and becomes a tool of oppression.

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I suspect the marginalization of the judiciary is the most dangerous part of this overhaul. If the courts are no longer independent, I believe the “legal” path to a third term is virtually guaranteed. I suspect that international silence will only embolden this consolidation. In 2026, the question for Zimbabwe isn’t just who leads, but whether the law still matters.