Bindura residents have slammed members of Parliament for not pushing for the establishment of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) which has now lost two years of its lifespan and not implementing the constitution .
The NPRC is one of the five Independent commissions established by chapter 12 of the Constitution. The main purpose of the NPRC is to ensure post-conflict justice, healing and reconciliation. The commission has a ten year mandate from the date that the constitution was adopted which is May 2013.
Speaking on Wednesday during a one day Bindura NPRC information kiosk that was being run by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, Zimbabwe Civic Education Trust, Heal Zimbabwe and Centre for Community Development, resident complained that parliament was concentrating on less important staff.
Tongai Mombeshora said, ” Our parliamentarians are only concerned about getting cars and their welfare in parliament hence they forget to push for important commissions such as the NPRC. The Peace commission is long overdue, we should hold our legislators accountable for not implementing the constitutional provisions.”
Mabel Zvorova said it was sad that two years after the adoption of the much taunted progressive constitution, most of the constitutional provisions were not being implemented. “Nothing in the constitution is being followed and we wonder why it is called the supreme law of the land. They have been talking about realignment of laws and nothing has happened. This commission has a life span and it’s shocking why they are not establishing it,” Zvorova complained.
Zachariah James who claimed to be a victim of political violence said, “Politicians know that they are perpetrators of human rights abuses hence the lack of commitment in setting up the NPRC.” James said politicians should never have been given the mandate to set up the National Peace and Reconciliation commission.
The 8 NPRC commissioners are appointed by the President from the list of 12 names submitted to him by the Parliament’s committee on Standing Rules and Orders. Parliament last year called for the nominations and until now the public has not been informed what has happened with the nominations.
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