Bulawayo - The fierce backlash that forced pressure group Ibhetshu Likazulu to withdraw its Constitutional Court challenge against term extensions has taken a new twist, with several prominent voices who once slammed the move now filing their own cases in the very courts they labelled “captured.”
In an exclusive interview, Mbuso Fuzwayo, secretary-general of Ibhetshu Likazulu, highlighted the irony as fresh legal challenges against Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB3) continue to pile up at the Constitutional Court.
“Fortunately, or unfortunately, the people who were talking about the courts being captured they ended up in the same courts,” Fuzwayo said.
Ibhetshu Likazulu filed one of the earliest challenges focusing on the proposed extension of presidential, parliamentary, and local authority terms.
The group faced a relentless smear campaign, accusations of being funded by “the enemy,” and claims of collusion with Zanu PF.
Under intense pressure, it withdrew the application in March 2026.
Fuzwayo defended the original decision as a principled stand for ordinary citizens: “We can’t sit when people are violating the constitution. We have to challenge it in court. That was the motivation… But because a lot of people felt either, we’re not the right people or it was not the right decision… we withdrew.”
The group was alleged to have been paid $450 000 for the case but Fuzwayo maintained the group received no money and that portraying constitutional cases as prohibitively expensive undermines access to justice for the poor.
Since the withdrawal, multiple applications have been filed, including: A high-profile Constitutional Court case by war veterans (represented by Professor Lovemore Madhuku) contesting the procedural validity of CAB3. An application by former legislator Prince Dubeko Sibanda challenging key clauses on term extensions.
High Court efforts by activists Allan Chipoyi and former MP Amos Chibaya seeking to halt the process over allegedly flawed and violent public hearings.
Fuzwayo said his organisation still supports genuine efforts against CAB3 despite the earlier attacks. “To us as an organisation we will still support the efforts that’s being done by anyone fighting CAB3.”
He described the current push for the amendments amid economic hardship as “daylight rape” and questioned the selective tolerance of only pro-CAB3 activities.
The latest application last week was lodged by Youngerson Matet, a youth activist and founder of Project Launch 263, a nonpartisan and youth-driven organization that seeks to mobilize young people