Catholic bishops say third-term debate distracting the nation from real crises

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE Catholic Bishops Conference (ZCBC) members have expressed concern over the government’s fixation on the “Third Term” debate while bread-and-butter concerns like business closures, and crippling taxes threaten to plunge the nation further into crisis.

Zanu PF is currently facing internal divisions, with one faction supporting President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s third term and another demanding adherence to constitutional limits.

These internal divisions have spilled into the public domain, weakening the ruling party’s unity; several government ministers and parliamentarians are supporting the move to disregard the constitution and extend Mnangagwa’s rule until 2030.

In a Lenten Pastoral Letter dated March 3, 2025, ZCBC members said they are worried about the country’s struggling economy as politicians focus on non-essential issues.

“We are all worried about the situation in the country. Politically, instead of focusing on bread-and-butter issues, we are caught up in distractions such as the ‘Third term’ conversations. Something that has brought with it divisions and unnecessary diversions from the things that do matter.

“Economically, we are not faring well. Businesses are closing, and many people are losing their jobs. The few who are still lucky to be working are burdened under the regime of taxes.

“Corruption is rampant and seems to be out of control. At the rate at which it is taking place, cutting through various sectors, the nation is doomed. One wonders why the corrupt seem uncensored and even rewarded whilst hemorrhaging the nation,” the letter reads.

The bishops criticized economic policies for favoring the elite while most Zimbabweans struggle with poverty.

“It must be said that in our society there is an ever-widening gap between the poor and the rich.

“Few individuals seem to be benefiting from the wealth of the nation. We would like to remind our people that “Poverty in the world today is not simply a misfortune, bad luck or inevitable -the result of laziness or ignorance or a lack of development. Poverty in the world today is the direct result of political and economic policies of governments, political parties, and big business.”