ZImbabwe: Zanu PF Draft snubbed ahead of the 2nd all stakeholders conference
By Mark Chingono – Zanu PF “draft” constitution which contains 266 amendments will be illegitimate at the 2nd Stakeholders conference to be held late next month, Copac co chairperson Douglas Mwonzora has said.
Zanu PF created own draft saying that there are glaring omissions in the draft constitution made by Copac. The former ruling party argues that the issue of running mates was not in the questionnaire that Copac crafted hence should be amended.
But Copac says that the only document that will be valid at the 2nd All Stakeholders Conference is the Copac draft that the representative of the three political parties in the Global Political Agreement (GPA) signed.
“The Copac documents are the only ones which are to be discussed upon at the conference. This is done so as to instil discipline in the whole process. So that is why we are confining every delegate to the Copac draft as the sole draft constitution that will eventually be decided upon at the referendum,”Mwonzora said.
Mwonzora was speaking at a meeting organised by the Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on Thursday, a meeting which aimed at charting the way forward for the Civic Society ahead of the 2nd All Stakeholders Conference.
“We have tolerated Zanu PF long enough and it is now time for the Zimbabwean to decide what they want,”Mwonzora said.
According to Mwonzora, documents available for the delegates include the National Statistical Report which will be explained, views from institutions and views from the outreach which will be juxtaposed with the conditions in which the people gave the views.
Zanu PF is alleged to have imposed certain views on the people and even went to the extent of threatening them.
But Zanu PF representative in the Copac, Paul Mangwana snubbed the meeting and sent a representative who argued that his party saw some impurities in the draft and proposes a compromise of the document.
“We saw that we could not keep impurities in the draft constitution, therefore we decided to amend. So we should compromise this document by allowing an amendment and produce the National Statistical Report,” a Zanu PF official said.
However the Civic Society in Bulawayo says that the draft constitution is flawed and compromised already, so there is no need of a further compromise.
Effie Ncube a member of the Crisis Coalition of Zimbabwe argued that people should participate in the constitution making process so that their voices are not drowned by politicians.
“People of Zimbabwe should participate in the constitution making process because Copac told the process will be people driven. So why should we leave the process to three political parties to decide for the people,”Ncube said.
Among the contested issues by Zanu PF is the issue of running mates, public prosecutor and devolution of power among others.
But the two MDC formations have already endorsed the document and are pushing for a yes vote, come referendum.
