Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party is set to amend the constitution to nationalise all land, automatically nullifying court petitions by thousands of white farmers hoping to reclaim their confiscated property.
Many of the farmers have refused to surrender their title deeds, arguing they are still the rightful owners of the farms from which they have been forcibly evicted by ruling party militants since 2000. Some of them have won court battles, but most of their applications are still pending in the administrative court.
Welshman Ncube, a professor in constitutional law and chairperson of the Zimbabwean parliament's legal committee, said this week that Zanu-PF members had signalled to him that as soon as parliament opens next month, they will introduce three constitutional amendments urgently wanted by President Robert Mugabe.
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These amendments will declare all land to be state owned; abolish the Electoral Supervisory Commission, leaving the recently established Zimbabwe Electoral Commission as the sole body tasked with running elections; and introduce a 40-member upper house, the senate, whose members would be chosen on the basis of the results of last month's disputed elections for parliament, which would remain as the lower house.
| 'Mugabe has indicated that the senate issue is particularly urgent' |
Ncube, who is also secretary-general of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said: "Mugabe has indicated that the senate issue is particularly urgent and he wants to see the body fully established within three months of parliament's opening next month."
He said that Zanu-PF proposed to establish four senate seats for each of the 10 provinces, allocated on the basis of the outcome of the March 31 elections. This would give the MDC just 12 seats in the senate and Zanu-PF the rest.
Mugabe has already assured some of his supporters who were defeated in the elections that he would find seats for them in the senate. This should help him heal cracks in the party.
Mugabe will have no trouble passing his proposed changes as he has the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to amend the constitution. Zanu-PF insiders confirmed that the three amendments mentioned by Ncube had been agreed on by the Zanu-PF politburo as the most urgent ones.
They said another amendment to hold the parliamentary and presidential elections at the same time would be introduced later. The effect is likely to extend Mugabe's current term from 2008 when the next presidential elections are due, to 2010 when the next parliamentary elections are due.
If the constitutional amendment sails through as expected, it would be the final nail in the coffin of the white farmers.
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