Zimbabwe officially launches constitutional outreach

Headlines, News — By on June 17, 2010 4:55 am

By Never Kadungure

Zimbabwe officially launched the beginning of public hearings to determine what people would like to see in a new constitution. All three party leaders Robert Mugabe, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara appeared together at the posh Rainbow Towers Conference Centre for the launch and each gave a speech calling for a violence free exercise.

It was Mugabe’s speech however which was the most hypocritical. ‘As leaders we agree in totality against violence but the problem lies with the people on the ground. Hence the need to have a committee of at least 10 people from each party that will meet the principals, discuss and come up with a mechanism that would guarantee there is no violence.’

Meanwhile his party goons were setting up bases at five schools in Maramba Pfungwe in Mashonaland East province, disrupting normal learning at the schools ahead of the constitution making process. Each school has either ZANU PF youth officers who are on the payroll of the Public Service Commission, self styled war veterans or ZANU PF councillors.

The training is being done daily in the morning, which has seriously affected learning at the schools as the trainers disrupt lessons one of the teachers at the affected school who spoke on condition of anonymity said. The youths are trained with wooden guns on how to handle military weapons. The investigations showed that if any of the children failed to turn up for training, ZANU PF youths would be sent to their homes to force them to attend.

Tsvangirai meanwhile said people should freely contribute to the process without fear of intimidation.

“I encourage Zimbabweans to resist any intimidation aimed at influencing the process. The world is watching both the process and the content, to the final draft. The nation will not forgive those who try to disrupt the process. Let us all unite and participate in the process. Our new constitution must and will be a lasting legacy,” he said.

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