CCC Dismisses Fake Statement Claiming Welshman Ncube Supports Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3

HARARE – The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) faction led by Welshman Ncube has dismissed as fake a statement circulating on social media that purportedly shows the party leader backing the controversial Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3). In a statement issued on Wednesday, party spokesperson Willias Madzimure said the document falsely attributed to Ncube was fabricated and designed to mislead the public.

"The document purporting to be a statement by President Welshman Ncube on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 is FAKE. It is a malicious fabrication," Madzimure said.

Madzimure said the emergence of the document was significant given the ongoing national debate surrounding CAB3 and what he described as growing resistance to the proposed constitutional changes.

"It comes at a time when proponents of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 are increasingly struggling to secure broad public support and meaningful consensus, even within sections of ZANU-PF itself," he said.

"Having failed to generate sufficient public traction for Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, there now appears to be a desperate attempt to create the false impression that President Welshman Ncube is a supporter of CAB3."

The opposition party urged supporters and the public to disregard the statement and rely only on official party communications.

The CCC faction reiterated that its position on the Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 remains unchanged and has been consistently articulated by legislators aligned to the party in Parliament.

"The position of the CCC party led by Prof. Ncube on CAB3 is a matter of public record and is being articulated in Parliament by the MPs loyal to the Party," Madzimure said.

He criticised both the content of the proposed amendments and the process through which the bill was developed.

According to Madzimure, the processes behind CAB3 have been "opaque, secretive, exclusive, non-participatory, cabal-driven and therefore fundamentally flawed." He argued that constitutional reform should be conducted through a transparent and inclusive national dialogue.

"To be legitimate, a constitutional reform process must always be transparent, open, honest, sincere, in good faith, and driven by a genuine desire to improve upon the constitutional governance architecture of the country," he said.

The party further argued that the manner in which CAB3 has been pursued has limited meaningful public engagement on constitutional reform. Madzimure said the process had "prevented and inhibited proper, open, honest and effective national discourse on what would be proper and merited constitutional reform measures at this juncture of our national history."

The CCC faction maintained that it remains committed to protecting Zimbabwe's Constitution, democratic accountability, and citizen participation in governance.

Constitution Amendment Bill No. 3 has become one of the most debated political issues in Zimbabwe this year. The proposed amendments include provisions relating to presidential and parliamentary terms, as well as changes to aspects of Zimbabwe's electoral framework. While government officials and supporters of the bill argue that the Constitution does not require a referendum for the proposed amendments, critics have called for a national vote before any changes are adopted.

Opposition parties, constitutional lawyers, church groups, civil society organisations, and some war veterans have publicly argued that Zimbabweans should be given an opportunity to directly determine whether the proposed constitutional changes should proceed. As debate over CAB3 continues, political parties on both sides of the issue are intensifying efforts to influence public opinion ahead of parliamentary consideration of the bill.

Welshman Ncube CAB3