ZANU PF Declares War on Absentee MPs: Disciplinary Axe Falls on Those Who Ditched Crucial CAB3 Vote
HARARE — The ruling ZANU PF party has resolved to invoke disciplinary measures against its members of Parliament who absented themselves from the National Assembly vote on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill, commonly known as CAB3.
The resolution was adopted at the party’s 23rd National People’s Conference, held in Chinhoyi.
It states: “That the party invokes disciplinary measures against ZANU PF members of Parliament that absconded from Parliament and failed to vote in the crucial Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 vote.”
The announcement was publicised on Monday by party-aligned accounts, including a post from @zanupf_patriots that featured a graphic outlining the resolution alongside imagery of the parliamentary chamber and a gavel.
CAB3 passed the National Assembly on 18 June 2026 with 216 votes in favour and 42 against, exceeding the two-thirds majority of 187 required for a constitutional amendment.
The Bill later cleared the Senate and received presidential assent, becoming law. Among its provisions are the extension of presidential, parliamentary and local authority terms from five to seven years.
Fourteen ZANU PF legislators, including several Cabinet ministers and deputy ministers, did not participate in the June vote.
Their absence drew internal scrutiny at the time, with reports of investigations and, in at least one case, provincial disciplinary proceedings.
Some absentees cited official government duties; others faced questions over their explanations.
A list circulated by party supporters and reports from the time of the vote named the following as among those who did not vote: Angeline Gata (Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education), Joel Sithole, Jenfan Muswere (Minister of Skills Audit and Development), Marian Chombo (Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Mashonaland West), Sheillah Chikomo (Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs) and Tatenda Mavetera (Minister of Information Communication Technology).
Others were reported as being on official ministerial duties, including Rajesh Kumar Modi (Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce), Barbara Rwodzi (Minister of Tourism), Tongai Mnangagwa (Deputy Minister of Tourism) and Dingumuzi Phuti (Deputy Minister of ICT).
Additional names that featured in contemporaneous reports of absentees included Ozias Bvute, Dexter Maunganidze, Levy Mayihlome, Jennifer Mhlanga and Kudakwashe Mnangagwa. Insiza South MP Spare Sithole later faced separate provincial disciplinary proceedings for missing both the 18 June vote and a subsequent sitting on 30 June.
The conference resolution formalises party action against those who failed to vote on the legislation, which ZANU PF has described as central to its Vision 2030 agenda.
No specific timeline, confirmed final list of individuals targeted, or details of the disciplinary process were immediately released in the publicised resolution text.
The move comes amid broader conference outcomes focused on party discipline, alignment of the party constitution with the national charter following CAB3, and organisational matters.