In a chilling reminder of how far Zimbabwe’s democratic institutions have decayed, Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda has once again exposed his role as a loyal enforcer of ZANU PF’s authoritarian grip. This time, it was Citizens Coalition for Change MP Gladys Hlatywayo who faced the Speaker’s wrath. Her crime was daring to question President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s reckless comments during a diplomatic visit to Russia, where he labelled Zambia as a client state of the United States. This inflammatory statement, made to Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, has sparked a diplomatic crisis with not just Zambia but also Malawi, which Mnangagwa similarly dismissed as a US puppet. Yet instead of addressing the fallout, Zimbabwe’s ruling elite has chosen to gag its own parliament.
Hlatywayo, who is responsible for the CCC’s foreign affairs portfolio, rightly raised alarm over Mnangagwa’s undiplomatic outburst and its potential to destabilize regional relations. Her intervention was timely and necessary. Zimbabwe is set to assume the chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community in August. The last thing the region needs is a leader who throws insults at neighbouring states while cosying up to global autocrats. But before Hlatywayo could fully table her concerns, Mudenda shut her down. He declared that matters of bilateral or regional relations are reserved solely for the executive, insisting parliament had no right to question the president on such issues. This sparked a heated exchange, but Mudenda remained unshaken, upholding the dangerous view that parliament must remain silent when the executive blunders.
This is not just parliamentary censorship. It is a direct violation of Zimbabwe’s constitution. The constitution clearly states that all state institutions, including the presidency, are accountable to parliament. That includes foreign policy decisions that could have lasting impacts on national and regional stability. Yet Mudenda continues to behave like a ZANU PF foot soldier rather than a guardian of the legislature’s independence. His decision to silence Hlatywayo is part of a broader and disturbing pattern. Just recently, he ousted her from Zimbabwe’s delegation to the African Caribbean Pacific European Union assembly, a move widely seen as politically motivated. In May, he also backed a decision by ZANU PF and its allies to block the reinstatement of CCC MPs who were recalled through a bogus factional plot. This was in direct defiance of the Inter Parliamentary Union Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians, which had ruled in favour of the MPs.
Even more troubling is Mudenda’s latest reversal of portfolio committee appointments made by the CCC’s pro-Chamisa bloc. These committees are essential platforms for parliamentary oversight, yet ZANU PF’s manipulation of them ensures that only regime-friendly voices dominate. This is a calculated move to weaken any real scrutiny of Mnangagwa’s administration and ensure ZANU PF’s hold on power remains unchecked within parliament.
What we are witnessing is the hollowing out of the legislature. The three arms of government are supposed to work in balance: executive, legislature, and judiciary. Instead, Zimbabwe is sliding further into a one-branch state where the executive reigns supreme. The danger is not only to domestic democracy but to the entire SADC region. How can Zimbabwe credibly lead a regional bloc when its own institutions are being dismantled from within?
This moment demands more than polite appeals to constitutionalism. It requires active resistance to the erosion of parliamentary power. Hlatywayo’s silencing is a warning shot to all who dare to hold the regime accountable. If the opposition and civil society do not fight back now, the cost will be the total collapse of Zimbabwe’s already fragile democracy. And as always, it is the ordinary people who will suffer the consequences.
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