The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) has called on Government to subject the Constitution of Zimbabwe (Amendment) Act (No. 3), 2026 (CAA3) to a national referendum, saying the law has deepened national polarisation instead of bringing finality.
In a pastoral letter to the nation dated 27 July 2026, the ZCC said it was speaking after prayerful reflection on the state of the nation and in fulfilment of its pastoral and prophetic mandate.
The Council said it was addressing Zimbabweans “neither in hostility nor in partisan interest, but out of love for our beloved country.”
The letter comes after CAA3 was signed into law on 7 July 2026.
The ZCC said the enactment of CAA3 has not ended contestation around the law.
“We observe that the signing of CAA3 into law on 7 July 2026 has not brought the contestation of the same into finality. Instead, CAA3 has deepened national polarisation and generated serious constitutional, political, and moral contestation,” the Council said.
It noted that several court applications have been filed by citizens and organisations challenging the validity of the Act, while other citizens have expressed an intention to exercise their constitutional right to demonstrate.
The Council said constitutional questions of such magnitude should not be treated as contests in which one political side must triumph over another.
“The National Constitution is a sacred covenant. All issues of contestation concern the social covenant by which all Zimbabweans agree to live together. When the Constitution becomes a source of deep division, every responsible leader must seek a path that restores public trust, protects peace, and honours the sovereignty of the people,” it said.
The ZCC said its position throughout the Constitution Amendment Bill (No. 3) (CAB3) process was that amendments affecting presidential and parliamentary terms, the manner in which the President is chosen, and safeguards relating to term limits and term extension should have been subjected to a national referendum in accordance with Section 328 of the Constitution.
“In our analysis, the enactment of CAA3 does not extinguish the grave constitutional concerns raised by the Church, legal experts, and many citizens. Our position, therefore, remains unchanged: the people of Zimbabwe should be given the opportunity to directly express their will through a free, fair, transparent, and credible national referendum,” the letter said.
The Council said it had submitted to Parliament that such amendments required a dedicated, independent commission mandated to undertake broad, meaningful consultations “rooted in the will of the people, free from the conflict of interest that arises when the institutions and people advancing the Bill are its direct beneficiaries.”
It said it was not too late for Government to choose a path of listening.
“A referendum would not be an act of weakness; it would be an expression of confidence in the people, a safeguard of legitimacy and a means of reducing the division now threatening our common life,” the ZCC said.
The Council said it recognised that several court applications challenging the legality of the CAB3 processes and the enactment of CAA3 are now before the courts.
It called upon all parties to respect the judicial processes and urged the courts to discharge their constitutional mandate independently, impartially and without fear, favour or interference.
“No person or institution should threaten, intimidate or vilify litigants, lawyers, judicial officers or witnesses for lawfully participating in these proceedings,” it said.
On planned protests, the ZCC affirmed the constitutional rights of citizens to petition, assemble, demonstrate and express their views peacefully as provided in Sections 58-61 of the Constitution.
It appealed to those intending to protest against CAA3 to do so peacefully, responsibly and within the law, and said protests should not become platforms for violence, destruction of property, intimidation, hate speech or harm to fellow citizens.
At the same time, it called upon Government, the police and all security institutions to facilitate and protect the peaceful exercise of constitutional rights.
“Law-enforcement responses must be lawful, necessary, proportionate, and restrained. There must be no arbitrary arrests, collective punishment, intimidation or use of force,” the Council said.
The ZCC said Zimbabwe does not need factional camps of winners and losers and called for an honest national conversation.
It called upon political leaders, Churches, civil society, traditional leaders, business, young people, women and citizens across the political divide to reject inflammatory language and pursue a principled inclusive national dialogue towards unity, peace, justice and prosperity.
The Council urged Government to create and participate in a credible space for engagement on the constitutional questions raised by CAA3 and other issues of national interest.
It said dialogue should not be a substitute for constitutional safeguards but should help the nation agree on an inclusive and collective way forward leading to a national referendum for CAA3.
The ZCC rejected attempts to portray principled constitutional advocacy as hostility to the State and rejected claims that those who hold different views are serving foreign interests, saying its members belong to the nation and seek its flourishing.