Ten new senators, including prominent businessman Kudakwashe Tagwirei, were sworn into Zimbabwe’s Senate on Tuesday following their appointment by President Emmerson Mnangagwa under a constitutional amendment that has drawn sharp criticism.

The swearing-in ceremony took place in Harare after the enactment of Constitutional Amendment Act No. 3, signed into law in July, which increased the Senate from 80 to 90 members. The law allows the President to appoint 10 senators based on their professional skills and other competencies, after consulting the National Assembly.

Alongside Tagwirei, the new senators are Jabulani Sibanda, Mary Mliswa, Nokuthula Matsikenyere, Godwills Masimirembwa, Lucy Chitaga, retired Major-General Gibson Mashingaidze, Makhosini Hlongwane, Brilliant Dube and Irene Mutumbwa.

Critics have questioned whether the appointments genuinely meet the constitutional requirement for professional skills, arguing they appear to reward loyalty to Zanu PF and support for the constitutional changes. Several appointees hold key ruling party positions: Sibanda chairs Zanu PF in Bulawayo, Masimirembwa leads the party in Harare, and Mliswa heads the party in Mashonaland West. Tagwirei, an advisor to Mnangagwa, joined the Zanu PF Central Committee last year and campaigned for the amendment.

Others include retired Major-General Mashingaidze, who chairs the War Veterans League in Masvingo and backed the reforms, and Hlongwane, who returns to active politics after years away from the spotlight since the 2017 transition. Dube had been part of the Constitution Defenders Forum opposed to the amendment but reportedly changed her position before being appointed.

The new chamber now has 90 senators. The appointments were made after consultation with the National Assembly, but opposition figures and civil society have maintained that the process lacks genuine merit-based selection.