Coltart rejects extension Bulawayo mayoral term without free CAB3 referendum - yet accepted without free elections!
Bulawayo mayor David Coltart has rejected any automatic extension of his tenure under the Constitutional Amendment (No. 3) Act of 2026 (CAA3), insisting that he will leave office in 2028 unless residents grant him a fresh mandate through a lawful, free and fair referendum.
Coltart, who has previously said he intends to step down at the end of his current term, said he would only consider remaining in office beyond 2028 if Bulawayo residents explicitly approved an extension through the ballot box.
"If there is a referendum, free and fair, a lawful referendum, and the majority of the people say we are happy to extend, in those circumstances, then I have a further mandate from the people," Coltart said in an interview.
"But without that mandate, it's two things – it's a breach of the constitution and it is also a breach of trust, because when I was elected, my contract with the people was five years.
"There was no talk about me having a seven-year term. In my view, it's a breach of trust.
"So I am not changing in that regard. If there's no lawful mandate from the people, my contract with the people has ended."
Coltart's position comes amid an ongoing national controversy over CAA3, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed into law in July.
The sheer hypocrisy of this stinks to the high heavens.
So Mayor Coltart insists he will “leave office in 2028 unless residents grant him a fresh mandate through a lawful, free and fair referendum (on CAB3).”
Ask him “Did you take up the mayoral office because residents granted you a mandate through lawful, free and fair 2023 elections?” Both SADC and AU election observers condemned the 2023 election process as flawed and illegal. And that did not stop Coltart taking up his seat.
He knew that participating in the flawed elections process would give Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate the Zanu PF dictatorship. What is more, he and his fellow MDC/CCC leaders have known this since the 2013 elections!
“The worst aspect for me about the failure to agree a coalition was that both MDCs couldn’t now do the obvious - withdraw from the (2013) elections. The electoral process was so flawed, so illegal, that the only logical step was to withdraw, which would compel SADC to hold Zanu PF to account. But such was the distrust between the MDC-T and MDC-N that neither could withdraw for fear that the other would remain in the elections, winning seats and giving the process credibility,” confessed David Coltart in his Book, The Struggle Continues 50 years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe.
Has David Coltart finally developed a conscience or is this him, joining the rats, abandoning the sinking MDC/CCC ship! Smart move!
He abandoned the white racist Rhodesia, at least, many blacks forgave him for his part in Ian Smith’s white supremacist Rhodesia and counted him as one of the “good” whites. No doubt he is expecting some people to consider him one of the “competent and incorruptible” MDC/CCC leaders!
There was a father who had four sons. He asked the first son to do something for him. The son rudely reply that he would not do it. He latter reconsidered and carried out the task.
The second son assured the father he would do the requested task. He did not do the work.
The third nodded to his father and carried out the task with no fuss.
The fourth made a big fuss assuring his father he would carry out the task only to perform the task without much care and attention. Con his father into believing the task was carried out with due diligence and care. "Masiya ndaita!" as one would say in Shona.
Which of the four sons would the father be least pleased with?
Which of the four sons would he be most pleased with?
Which of the remaining two sons would he be better pleased with?
David Coltart has been participating in flawed elections, "so flawed, so illegal, the only logical step is to withdraw," as he readily confessed. He did not withdraw out of greed as he readily confessed too. He knew participating will give Zanu PF legitimacy and it did.
Of course, it is insulting to those suffering the consequences of what the tyrannical Zanu PF is doing to be reminded of their suffering by the individuals who gave Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed.
Should the nation be impressed with CCC leaders who participated in the flawed elections, gave Zanu PF legitimacy and then made a big song and dance about how they objected to CAB3. Of course these leaders are cynical and manipulative, so why should the nation be impressed?
Is Coltart refusing the automatic term extension because he is only now seeing the evil of perpetuating the dictatorship or could it be that he can see the dictatorship is doomed and in ingratiating himself to the voters ready to con them again!
A rat that abandons a sinking ship is just a rat seeking to save its own life! For all we know it may well be the rat the directly or indirectly cause the events leading to the sinking of the ship!
The father will be least pleased with the son who should know better but acts out of cynicism, deceit and hypocrisy!
18 comments:
@ Tshuks Berry
"Don't you think you're just being extreme about this whole argument of yours, we have heard that CCC shouldn't have participated in the flawed elections but remember these MPs, councillors, senators were given the 5 year mandate by the electorate, so are you saying he must accept the mandate which he was not given by the people. I thought you would be advocating for all those MPs that seemed to condemn CAB3 in parliament to join Coltart and say we will serve the mandated term by the electorate. Whether the elections were flawed or not, they were chosen by the people."
David Coltart did participate in the flawed 2023 elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy out of greed, that is a fact. He knew that and has known that for decades. So one must never ever take everything at face value, especially from cynical, deceptive and conning hypocrites like David Coltart.
The phrase "cunning as a serpent and gentle as a dove" originates from the Bible in Matthew 10:16, where Jesus instructs his disciples as he sends them out into a hostile world.
Wise as serpents: This calls for acute situational awareness, sharp discernment, and strategic thinking. Instead of being naive or walking blindly into danger, believers must recognize hidden motives, understand hostile environments, and exercise caution.
Innocent as doves: This demands purity of intention, harmlessness, and moral integrity. Even while exercising sharp strategy and self-protection, a person should harbor no malice, cause no intentional harm, and maintain a peaceful spirit.
Zimbabwe is a failed state because our people have been ignorant, naive and gullible, so gullible they have been conned to do stupid things again and again. If we are ever going to escape from this hell-on-earth we are in then we must be as cunning as a serpent and as gentle as a dove and stop being as blind and foolish as a garden slug!
@ Chesa
"Give us your way forward!"
Millions of Zimbabweans believed Nelson Chamisa & co.'s idiotic lies that CCC would win 2023 elections because Chamisa plugged all the Zanu PF vote rigging loop holes and participated in the flawed elections. I am explaining to these people why these were lies, why it was idiotic of them to have believed the lies and the consequences of their folly.
They believed in the lies because they believed it was the way forward. I am explaining to them why it was not the way forward and what they need to know so that they are not so easily conned ever again.
I am educating these people. Knowledge is power!
"Give us the way forward!" So you think educating the people is NOT giving them the way forward???????
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1wGWjlngebwKQ
DAVID COLTART refusal to serve as Mayor of Bulawayo beyond 2028 and thus refuse to accept the validity of CAB3 is very significant. It will put the pressure of all his fellow MDC/CCC members holding public office to do the same, especially those who made the big song and dance condemning CAB3.
Still the nation must not forgive nor forget that Coltart & co.'s participated in flawed 2023 elections out of greed that landed us in this mess in the first place. Coltart is just a rat abandoning the sinking Zanu PF dictatorship ship. This is just a move to ingratiating himself to the gullible voters ready to con them yet again!
@ Tshuks Berry
“The problem is you think all that you say is a fact, but all you are trying to do is to impress upon us that CCC gave Zanu pf legitimacy as if it was the only party that participated. POLAD was taken as an organ that legitimised Zanu pf dialogue with opposition parties and yet Chamisa refused to be part of it. Did Zanu pf stop it's agenda? No it didn't.
At least CCC tried to break the two thirds majority until Zanu pf came up with a Tshabangu imposition to recall legitimately elected members of Parliament.
We have heard your unconvincing point of CCC giving Zanu pf legitimacy. What we want from you, without hailing insults, is a way forward. Instead of disqualifying every effort by men and women who are trying something.”
In the 2023 elections Mnangagwa won 52% of the votes
Chamisa 44%
Remaining 9 4%
Any rational person would say the participation of Chamisa and the 2 million who voted for him (44%) gave Mnangagwa legitimacy. Only the irrational person would insist that the remaining 9 candidates who got 4% gave Mnangagwa legitimacy.
It was the participating in the flawed elections that gave Mnangagwa legitimacy, the fact that some of the participating CCC candidate did not win the seat whilst other won but were recalled by Tshabangu is irrelevant. The damage was done by participating.
These are the facts and they are obvious to some and a complete mystery to others. I know!
Of course, you can twist the argument all you want and insist those making the above conclusion are “ hailing insults”. I concern myself with the facts.
"Yes Chamisa fooled people. So what is next?"
If the idiots had learned the lesson from 2018 elections then they would not have believed Chamisa's idiotic lie again in 2023 and conned to participate in those flawed elections.
In other words only an idiot would admit "Yes Chamisa fooled people!" and then in the next breath ask "So what next?" It is clearly obvious that the initial admission was made without much thought!
Anyone with half a brain and has fully comprehended the full import of Chamisa fooled the people and the people themselves now know they were fooled would never ask "What next?" The answer is obvious - "let's see if the people will be fooled again!"
Of course, if one is not a full shilling and is known to agonise over accepting that Chamisa lied; this is a different matter!
@ Tshuks Berry
“Mr Mukori sir, as you continue with your one sided view of the Zimbabwean election, you actually reveal the small sightedness of your argument, if CCC had not participated
1 - who says all those that voted for Chamisa would not vote for another possible challenge to Zanu pf, obviously that 4% would have been more than 4% meaning they would still give Zanu pf legitimacy.
2 - even if it remained at 4%, and Zanu gets 96%, it would still claim legitimacy, legitimacy is rendered by having more than one party participating in elections, there's no crime in having 2 parties participating in elections, worse in 2023, the 4% was a combined result of more than 10 political parties if I'm not mistaken. So do you think Zanu pf was going to be worried about CCC not participating, never.
My last point still comes back to you, what do you suggest as the way forward.”
Let’s deal with facts and not meaningless suppositions. 44% or 2 million voted for Chamisa because they believed his idiotic lies.
If they had not participated then Zanu PF would have won but the whole world would have noted that nearly half of the eligible voters did not participate because they believed the election process was flawed and illegal. This is exactly what SADC and AU elections observers said in their report. This time, they would have gone the extra mile and denied Zanu PF legitimacy.
This is obvious to me but clearly not to you! Kings do not argue with pigeons - I am the “small sighted” pigeon! Subject closed!
https://www.facebook.com/wilbert.mukori.5/videos/2532992827181309
Mnangagwa used vision 2030 forced through CAB3 extending his stay in office by a further 2 years although the constitution stipulated that he could serve as State President for a maximum of 10 years. The nation was told that he was the only leader who would deliver vision 2030 - an upper middle income status for the country by 2030.
The reality on the ground is telling a different story. Mnangagwa has been in power for 8 years already and 49% of our people are still living on US$1.00 per day or less - a far cry from the US$12 per day Finance Minister, Mthuli Ncube, keeps wittering about. The presence of vendors, many of whom constitute the 49% living in abject poverty is a daily reminder to regime that vision 2030 is a mirage.
The regime has failed to revive the Zimbabwe economic and so instead of finding jobs of the 49% living in abject poverty the regime wants the vendors swept off the street, they are the real rubbish the regime does not want to see. This is what comes of a system where those in power are not accountable to the people!
Vendors are human beings, mot even a tyrannical regime can sweep them out of existence. The vendors will be back on the streets because they have nowhere else to go!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ7S4w1U57A
Mnangagwa promised to turn Zimbabwe into an upper middle income nation spending US$12 per person per day, according to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, up from the present US$1 or less; vision 2030. Vision 2030 was then used to justify why his stay in office must be extended beyond 10 years maximum stipulated in the constitution. CAB3 has been imposed to postpone 2028 elections and give Mnangagwa what he wanted.
The truth is Mnangagwa has been in office for nearly 9 years already and still there are no signs of any meaningful economic recovery.
Indeed, the 49% living in abject poverty, including the millions eking out a living as vendors, are a daily reminder Zimbabwe is a failed state and vision 2030 is a mirage. So the nation will now ask itself why they should extend Mnangagwa and his cronies term of office, rewarding them for conning the nation with an economic mirage!
2028 elections must go ahead and Mnangagwa and Zanu PF will have a lot to answer for if they fail to hold free, fair and credible elections in 2028!
The vendors will remain on the streets because they have nowhere else to go. They will not be wearing the "VENDORS 4ED" T-shirts!
@ Isaac Makomichi
“With business leaders like Dr. Tagwirei standing behind President Mnangagwa, I am confident that Vision 2030 will be achieved. A country is developed by its own citizens, and we need economically capable builders who can support the President's vision. That is why we appreciate the support Dr. Tagwirei is giving to President Mnangagwa.”
Makomichi you are just a neurotic psychopath, Zimbabwe’s answer to Nazi Germany Joseph Gobble. You have obsessed with praising Mnangagwa you are now given to saying all manner of outrageous things divorced from the truth and reality.
Vision 2030 is about turning Zimbabwe into an upper middle income nation spending US$12 per person per day, according to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, up from present US$1 per person per day, by 2030. Mnangagwa has been in office since November 2017 and the income has moved an inch. So what makes you so sure the economy will grow 12 fold in the remaining 4 years?
Corruption was bad during Mugabe’s rule, it has gone into overdrive under Mnangagwa. Dr Tagwirei is one of the looting brigade generals. No nation on earth has ever prospered from looting!
Indeed, looting is one sure way to economic ruin because looting is renowned for its criminal waste of human and material resources! Tagwirei & co. are renowned for their extravagant waste of resources on luxuries and the filthy rich few whilst the masses are denied the basics of life. Look at the expenditure at his son’s wedding a few months ago!
Mnangagwa himself has all but given up on delivering vision 2030 and hence the reason why he is demolishing people’s houses and rounding up street vendors. The millions living in poor housing and eking a living as vendors are a daily reminder vision 2030 is a mirage and his solution is to airbrush the poor out of Zimbabwe society!
Vision 2030 is a mirage and not even a neurotic psycho can pretend they do not see that!
A neurotic psychopath—often called a secondary psychopath—is a person who displays psychopathic traits alongside high emotional instability, anxiety, and distress rooted in a difficult or abusive childhood environment.
Mnangagwa has failed to deliver the economic recovery much less the economic boom of vision 2030. He is going after street vendors because they are the daily reminder of his failure. CAB3 was passed on the promise Mnangagwa will deliver vision 2030.
Now that it is clear vision 2030 is a mirage CAB3 must be ditched so that Zimbabweans have the chance to elect competent leaders who will deliver economic recovery! Zimbabwe is going to become ungovernable if Zanu PF fails to hold free, fair and credible elections in 2028.
He thought he would be spared the harassment if he supported Mnangagwa and even called himself “Vendor4ED”! It did not work!
As for Mnangagwa he forced the nation to pass CAB3 extending his stay in office a further 2 years on the promise he will turn Zimbabwe into an upper middle income nation by 2030. It is clear he lied and so the 2028 elections must go ahead as planned.
The idea of rewarding Mnangagwa and his cronies with term extension so they can continue to loot and drag the nation even deeper into the abyss is absurd!
Mnangagwa has cheated the people of Zimbabwe, rigged elections and even murdered many in cold blood and has got away with it again and again. Enough is bloody enough!
Zimbabweans must demand free, fair and credible presidential and parliamentary elections in 2028! No if! No but!
@ Andrew Chaponda
“Do they allow such chaos in UK where you are...why do you have such low expectations of your people. Remove the illegal vendors from the streets...I don't want to retire in a country with such chaotic streets, clean it up once and for all.”
So you think these vendors want to sell tomatoes on the street living from hand to mouth if they had better employment opportunities?
What a hypocrite! Millions of Zimbabweans have left the country to escape the economic hardships and/or political oppression. Many of these street vendors would leave the country too if they can.
All you care about is that you want to retire in a Zimbabwe with no poor people. Where do you want they to go?
Where did you leave Zimbabwe in the first place?
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1dJrPreAeDXKX
Corruption was bad under Mugabe and it has gone into overdrive under Mnangagwa.
One MP reveal in parliament how the government was swindled out of UA$17 million in the Zimphos fertiliser project. What is most disheartening is that the MP was speaking to an empty house! MPs were not interested!
Corruption is a serious cancer because it is a criminal waste of human and material resources. The few filthy rich waste their ill gotten wealth on luxuries as we witness during the wedding of Dr Tagwirei's son. Meanwhile the impoverished masses cannot even afford the bear necessities of life!
CAB3 has just extended Mnangagwa, MPs and senators' 5 year term in office by another 2 more years on the pretext they are doing a great job of delivering economic boom, vision 2030. It is clear vision 2030 is a mirage and the nation must demand that 2028 presidential and parliamentary elections must take place without failure!
https://www.facebook.com/wilbert.mukori.5/videos/1707613104123212
One has only to listen to Chamisa and it is clear he has learned nothing from the 26 years of blundering from pillar to post.
What is really disconcerting is the public response to what he has said. Some people like it! In other words these people have too learned nothing, he will lied to them and con them to do such idiotic things as participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate the nation’s suffering just as easily as he did in the past.
“A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again.”
Alexander Pope 1688 - 1744 English writer and poet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-af2DZZFJA
“Zimbabwe's economy grew by 8.3% in 2025, while foreign direct investment increased from US$597 million in 2024 to US$965 million in 2025. The tourism sector alone attracted more than US$1 billion in investments during the NDS 2021–2025 period and the momentum is continuing." said Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube.
These figures do not make any sense!
How can Zimbabwe's tourism be booming 438% when the travellers, foreign and local, cannot get to their destinations because of the sorry state of our roads. Even the major roads like Bulawayo to Victoria Falls road are in such a sorry state it takes 15 hours to drive 364 km.
The 8.3% economic growth must be in the mining sectors with the small-scale miners, "Makorokoza", and the Chinese who are shipping mountains out of the country. 80% of the US$2b gold per year mined is being smuggled out of the country, so Minister Ncube knows about it but government is not getting a penny.
The looters are protected. Mnangagwa, Chiwenga and other senior Zanu PF leaders were named in the 2023 Al Jazeera Gold Mafia documentary. Talk of State capture, in Zimbabwe the Mafia are the State, the State is the Mafia!
https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1rxmqpeoNQvxy
Both Zanu PF and MDC/CCC leaders have lied to con Zimbabweans to do stupid things like participating in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy, give the opposition a share of the spoils of power and to perpetuate the nation's suffering. The people have believe lies so dumb and stupid it beggars belief!
In the long run nations get the government they deserve and we, in Zimbabwe, deserve this corrupt and murderous Zanu PF dictatorship complete with its corrupt and utterly useless MDC/CCC sidekick! A nation this dumb and stupid we believe anything deserve to suffer and we are suffering!
@ General M
Chamisa has learnt nothing from his past of lying and blundering from pillar to post. If you believe he has learned something then please correct me and tell us what he has learned.
Of course, you failed to name even one thing Chamisa has learned because we all know he has learned nothing!
You are are defending him because you cannot bear to hear the truth said about Chamisa. He is your demigod who can do no wrong much less held to account.
Chamisa is a public figure and, per se, is accountable to the people for what he says and do that affects the public. Lying to con millions to participate in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate the nation's suffering certainly affects us all. And so Chamisa must account for what he did in the past and for lying to the people now that he has solutions to the nation's problems when he has clearly learned nothing.
"Always blaming huya paground Wilbert uyitewo zvacho zvaunoti zvirikutadzwa neopposition."
Chamisa is accountable to those on the ground as well as those who are not on the ground. So you think you are special just because you are on the ground?
This is the same idiotic argument idiots like Chris Mutsvangwa have often used to justify Zanu PF dictatorship - "We fought in the liberation war!" And you, in your infantile stupidity have come up with - "We are on the ground!" FM! What an village idiot!
@ General M
Chamisa has learnt nothing from his past of lying and blundering from pillar to post. If you believe he has learned something then please correct me and tell us what he has learned.
Of course, you failed to name even one thing Chamisa has learned because we all know he has learned nothing!
You are are defending him because you cannot bear to hear the truth said about Chamisa. He is your demigod who can do no wrong much less held to account.
Chamisa is a public figure and, per se, is accountable to the people for what he says and do that affects the public. Lying to con millions to participate in flawed elections to give Zanu PF legitimacy and perpetuate the nation's suffering certainly affects us all. And so Chamisa must account for what he did in the past and for lying to the people now that he has solutions to the nation's problems when he has clearly learned nothing.
"Always blaming huya paground Wilbert uyitewo zvacho zvaunoti zvirikutadzwa neopposition."
Chamisa is accountable to those on the ground as well as those who are not on the ground. So you think you are special just because you are on the ground?
This is the same idiotic argument idiots like Chris Mutsvangwa have often used to justify Zanu PF dictatorship - "We fought in the liberation war!" And you, in your infantile stupidity have come up with - "We are on the ground!" FM! What a village idiot!
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