The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has signalled it will not criticise Zimbabwe’s constitutional amendment extending President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030, maintaining that the process respected local laws and does not amount to a regional emergency.
South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, speaking after the SADC summit in Durban, said the bloc examined how the amendment unfolded and found it followed various domestic legal steps. While acknowledging that some Zimbabweans have expressed grievances, Magwenya explained that SADC does not comment on internal matters as long as they stay within national legal frameworks.
Constitutional Amendment Act 3, signed in July, extends Mnangagwa’s presidency and removes direct presidential elections, giving parliamentarians and senators the authority to choose the head of state. The law also transfers voter registration duties from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to the Registrar General’s office. Opposition figures and activists had demanded a referendum, but the ruling Zanu PF successfully challenged that requirement in court.
South Africa took over the SADC chairmanship from Zimbabwe at the summit that ended on 17 August. Mnangagwa has already used his new powers to appoint 10 additional senators, including businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, widely seen as a likely successor.
