It has been dubbed 'a cluster of 22 amendments meant to molest Zimbabwe's constitution' and on Tuesday Robert Mugabe did just that. Zanu PF pushed through amendments to the constitution that have effectively nationalized all farm land and given government free reign to withdraw passports for people it considers 'traitors'. A controversial two thirds majority courtesy of the March 2005 elections came in handy for the ruling party which needed just 98 votes to push through the changes but ended up getting 103.

The latest developments also pave the way for the introduction of a senate long seen by many as a platform for Mugabe to appease the political dinosaurs in his party. The opposition also did not seem to offer much voting resistance as only 28 out of 41 MDC MPs voted against the amendments. Tsholotsho's independent MP, Jonathan Moyo also voted against the bill. It brings to 17 the number of times Mugabe has fiddled with the constitution and in each case it has been to further entrench his rule.

The amendments are seen as an attempt to bar white farmers from filing court petitions over seized farm land and threaten travel bans on people calling for sanctions against the country.