The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has indicated it sees no reason to intervene in Zimbabwe’s recent constitutional changes that allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to seek an additional term, according to South African presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.

Magwenya, speaking on the sidelines of the SADC summit in Durban which concluded on 17 August, said the regional body believes the amendment followed proper domestic legal processes.

Constitutional Amendment Act 3, signed into law in July, has drawn sharp criticism from analysts and opposition figures who argue it should have been subjected to a referendum. The changes extend Mnangagwa’s tenure from 2028 to 2030, abolish direct presidential elections in favour of parliamentary selection, and shift voter registration from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to the Registrar General.

Magwenya explained that the process had gone through various domestic legal steps, and SADC does not have a mandate to comment on such domestic matters unless they escalate into a regional crisis. He acknowledged that criticism is expected, but said the bloc sees no reason to express a view because the issue has not become a problem requiring regional intervention.

South Africa assumed the rotating chairmanship of SADC from Zimbabwe at the summit. The regional body’s stance comes as Zimbabweans continue to debate the legitimacy of the amendment, with many arguing the process bypassed a constitutionally required referendum.