BULAWAYO – Bulawayo mayor David Coltart says he will step down in 2028 rather than take advantage of a controversial constitutional amendment that effectively extends the terms of elected office bearers by two years.

Coltart, a former education minister and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) politician, was elected councillor for Ward 4 in August 2023 and subsequently chosen by fellow councillors as mayor.

Under the constitution as it stood when he was elected, Coltart’s mandate was due to expire in 2028, alongside those of other councillors elected in the 2023 harmonised elections.

But Constitutional Amendment No. 3, passed by parliament and signed into law by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in July, extended the life of the current parliament and local authority councils by two years, while also paving the way for Mnangagwa to remain in office until 2030.

The amendment was fiercely opposed by the opposition and civil society, particularly because it avoided a referendum on extending the presidential term.

Critics argued that the government’s decision to extend the current president’s term through parliament circumvented existing constitutional safeguards.

Coltart was among the most vocal opponents of the changes and says he will not accept an extension to his own mandate arising from what he regards as an unlawful process.

“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 told NewsDay.

“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.”

His resignation would leave the Ward 4 council seat vacant and trigger a by-election, although it was not immediately clear whether Coltart would seek re-election and ask residents to give him a fresh mandate.

Coltart is a popular mayor in Bulawayo, winning praise from residents for his public stance against corruption and mismanagement at City Hall and his push for improved service delivery and development.