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Gwayi-Shangani Dam
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- Written by: J C Burke
- Category: Zimbabwe
- Hits: 33
David Coltart asked a perfect reasonable question {but "fully loaded"} [twitter] regarding this project: "When will it be finished"? which led to many questions - and ultimately led to this detailed analysis and report
We asked: Given our experience with Civil Engineering Projects can you research: Gwayi-Shangani Dam project - Zimbabwe
- With reference to the 1912 concept
- With when physical works were started and relevant details
- History of delays, mistakes, collapse and contractors involved since physical works began
- Any history/evidence of Zanu PF corruption or any kind of interference?
- Recent propaganda claims by the regime or ongoing claims over the decades?
This is a rich and well-documented topic. Let me now compile a comprehensive, structured analysis for you.
Gwayi-Shangani Dam — A Comprehensive Analysis
1. The 1912 Concept & Origins
The idea for the construction of a major dam for the continually drought-stricken Matabeleland Region was first mooted in the early 1900s. An estimate of the cost of such a construction in 1912 was £6,000.
In response to the bedevilling water shortages, the National Matabeleland Zambezi Water Project (NMZWP) was conceived in 1912, encompassing a dam and a pipeline. However, the project remained dormant under settler administration.
The concept was straightforward in engineering terms: the confluence of the Gwayi and Shangani rivers, approximately 6km downstream, offered a natural gorge suited for dam construction. The dam was planned with a holding capacity of 650 million cubic metres, as part of the NMZWP, which aimed to eventually pipe water from the Zambezi River to Bulawayo.
Voices from the Diaspora
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- Written by: Rumbidzai Thelma Chidewu
- Category: Blog
- Hits: 469
Voices from the Diaspora: Zimbabweans in the UK Refuse to Be Silenced
As a Zimbabwean activist living in the United Kingdom, I recently stood alongside fellow citizens from across the UK in a unified demonstration of resistance, hope, and patriotism. We gathered outside the Zimbabwe Embassy to protest against the controversial Constitutional Amendment Bill, commonly referred to as “CAB3”—a development many of us view as a serious threat to democracy and constitutionalism in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweans travelled from different parts of the UK, bound by a shared concern: the continued erosion of democratic principles and human rights in our homeland. Though we live in the diaspora, our connection to Zimbabwe remains strong, and we refuse to remain silent while the foundations of our nation are steadily undermined.
At the Embassy, what was intended to be a peaceful and lawful protest was met with resistance. One staff member attempted to shut us down, dismissing our presence and discouraging our right to voice our concerns. However, we stood our ground. We refused to be silenced. The Embassy exists to represent Zimbabwean citizens, and as such, it must remain a space where our voices and grievances can be heard.
Our protest was not only about the Constitutional Amendment Bill. It reflected a broader crisis affecting Zimbabweans for years:
- - The weakening of democratic institutions
- - The restriction of civic space
- - The intimidation of activists, journalists, and opposition voices
- - Persistent economic hardship affecting ordinary citizens
UK House of Lords Slams CAB3
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- Written by: Hansard Reports - 15th April 2026
- Category: CAB3
- Hits: 58
UK House of Lords Slams Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 as “Anti-Democratic” and “Profoundly Undemocratic”
London, 16 April 2026: - Full WEB LINK HERE
— In a significant intervention yesterday (15 April 2026), members of the UK House of Lords strongly criticised Zimbabwe’s proposed Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 3) Bill 2026 (CAB3), describing key elements as anti-democratic.
During an oral question session, Baroness Kate Hoey asked what discussions the UK Government had held with Harare over changes that would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to stand for a third term. She went further in her follow-up:
“Does he realise that the constitutional changes proposed will mean that the people of Zimbabwe will no longer elect their president, the electoral commission will be abolished, judicial appointments will become very unsafe, and there will be many more changes, all of which are anti-democratic?”
Baroness Hoey also highlighted ongoing;
“brutality, beatings, torture and imprisonment” against opposition figures and civil society, calling on the UK to speak out more strongly against what she described as the
“tyranny of the ZANU-PF regime.”
Lord Callanan (Conservative) echoed the criticism, stating:
“These changes are profoundly undemocratic, extending the current presidential mandate and abolishing the elections…”
Lord Bruce of Bennachie (Liberal Democrat) added that ZANU-PF’s justification for the changes showed
DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION
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- Written by: Henry Itayi Makambe
- Category: Corruption News
- Hits: 398
ZIMBABWE WlLL NOT BE SILENCED: DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION
On 21 April 2026 Zimbabweans will rise to say NO to constitutional manipulation and YES to democracy
The proposed amendments known as CAB3 are not just legal changes -- They are a direct threat to our Constitution, our freedoms and the future of our nation.
They risk extending power beyond the will of the people and weakening the very institutions meant to protect us.
We refuse to accept this.
Zimbabwe's Constitution was built through the voices of its people. It must not be reshaped to some political interests.
- Term limits matter.
- Accountability matters.
- Our votes matter.
Across the country and beyond citizens are speaking out despite fear, despite intimidation.
Because this is bigger than politics This is about justice.
This is about protecting the principle of one person one vote
On this day we will deliver a petition that carries one clear message
- -No to dictatorship
- -No to constitutional abuse
- -Yes to democracy
- -Yes to the will of the people
This is a call to every Zimbabwean. Stand up.
Speak out. Be counted
The future of Zimbabwe cannot be decided in silence
Zimbabwe’s Democracy Is Being Rewritten
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- Written by: Kelvin Mhlanga
- Category: Corruption News
- Hits: 690
Zimbabwe’s Democracy Is Being Rewritten — And The People Are Being Written Out
Zimbabwe is not witnessing reform. It is witnessing consolidation.
The ruling party, ZANU-PF, is pushing constitutional changes that would extend presidential terms and potentially remove the people’s direct right to elect their president. These proposals are framed as structural adjustments. In reality, they strengthen executive power at a time when democratic safeguards should be reinforced. Extending presidential terms from five to seven years potentially keeping Emmerson Mnangagwa in office until 2030 weakens one of democracy’s core protections: term limits. Term limits exist to prevent power from becoming permanent. When leaders begin adjusting those limits while in office, it raises legitimate concerns about motive.
Even more alarming is the proposal to shift presidential elections from citizens to Parliament. In a legislature dominated by the ruling party, this would effectively remove millions of Zimbabweans from directly choosing their leader. A president selected by politicians instead of voters changes the very nature of accountability but constitutional amendments are only part of the concern. Critics and civil society groups have repeatedly raised questions about the independence of state institutions, particularly the judiciary. Allegations of political influence over judges and key administrative officials have persisted for years. While direct evidence is often difficult to access in a constrained environment, the perception alone damages public trust.
- When court decisions consistently align with ruling party interests in highly political cases, citizens begin to ask whether justice is truly independent or politically aligned.
- Democracy does not collapse overnight. It erodes gradually through legal amendments, institutional pressure, and the quiet weakening of oversight bodies.
- Speaking in Geneva, journalist and activist Blessed Mhlanga warned about this steady erosion of democratic space. His message was blunt: “When leaders begin to fear the ballot, they begin to change the rules.”
He added a sharper line that resonated with many in the diaspora: “A constitution must restrain power not protect it.”
Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution was meant to prevent the concentration of authority that defined earlier decades. It was designed as a reset a contract between the state and its citizens. If that contract is now being adjusted in ways that disproportionately benefit those already in power, then the issue is not technical reform. It is democratic regression. The implications stretch beyond Zimbabwe’s borders. Millions in the diaspora whose remittances sustain families and institutions back home remain politically marginalised. Their financial contributions are welcomed, but their political voice remains limited.
History shows that when ruling parties reshape constitutions while questions swirl around institutional independence, confidence in governance declines both domestically and internationally.
The question Zimbabwe now faces is simple:
Is the constitution being strengthened for future generations or reshaped for present leadership?
Because when institutions appear compromised, and when electoral power shifts away from the people, democracy stops being a system of accountability.
It becomes a system of control.
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