Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Braces for Anti-Constitutional Amendment Protests

What the report says

New Zimbabwe, in a report distributed by AllAfrica, said anti-riot police were deployed across Harare on Thursday afternoon and evening as authorities monitored the capital ahead of expected protests or a possible shutdown on Friday. The report said public discussion in parts of the city focused on planned demonstrations against Constitutional Amendment Act 3, or CAA3, with some residents anticipating violence.

According to the report, CAA3 extended President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure to 2030 and changed presidential elections so that legislators, rather than the broader electorate, would choose the president. The article said calls for action had spread mainly through social media and that no clear protest leader had emerged. It also noted that Zimbabwe’s constitution protects assembly, speech and protest rights, while saying authorities have treated such mobilization as a threat to the government.

New Zimbabwe reported heightened security activity beyond Harare, including in Beitbridge, where soldiers and police were said to have driven trucks through town and residential areas. The article quoted political activist Ostallos Siziba criticizing the security posture, and cited a resident who said police had advised people to continue with normal business while expressing fear that some areas could see state violence.

The report also said the Public Service Commission had circulated guidance allowing supervisors to let civil servants assess whether it was safe to report for work. Lieutenant General Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi, commander of the Zimbabwe National Army, was quoted as saying authorities wanted work, borders and daily life to proceed normally. New Zimbabwe suggested that even if protests did not materialize, some Zimbabweans might stay home to avoid possible clashes with security forces.