Bill watch parliamentary committees series 9/2016

In Bill Watch Committee Series 8/2016 dated 5th April Veritas set out the original programme received from Parliament. Veritas highlighted to Parliament that there were no hearings in Bulawayo, Harare and Mashonaland West in the programme.

Parliament then issued a Revised Programme making extensive changes to the programme which now [see below] caters for public hearings in Bulawayo, Harare and Mashonaland West [Chinhoyi] but drops the previously scheduled hearings in Bikita, Mutoko, Murehwa and Mvurwi.

PLEASE THEREFORE DISREGARD COMMITTEE SERIES BULLETIN 8/2016
AND USE THE REVISED PROGRAMME SET OUT BELOW.

The Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Thematic Committee on Human Rights and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security will be holding public hearings on the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill, from Monday 11th April to Saturday 16th April, and a final hearing in Harare on Wednesday 20th April.

Committee members will divide into two teams for the hearings outside Harare: Team A to cover Matabeleland North and South, Bulawayo and Midlands; and Team B to cover Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, East and West, and Masvingo. They have already been able to hear presentations on the Bill at a workshop held for the committees in Harare on 6th April.

Relevant documents available in soft copy

Veritas made the soft copy of the Bill widely available when in was gazetted in December 2015, and issued a two-part commentary critiquing it for its non- compliance with the Constitution [circulated as Bill Watches 7 and 8 on 15th February 2016]. The Bill was sent to the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] for a report on its constitutionality. The PLC issued an adverse report on the Bill, which was announced in Parliament on 17th March and made available on the Veritas website. Please see details on how to obtain these documents at the end of this bulletin.

PLEASE NOTE THAT PERSONS WEARING MILITARY UNIFORMS, INSIGNIA OF RANK, FLAGS OR BADGES AND POLITICAL PARTY REGALIA WILL NOT BE ADMITTED TO THE HEARINGS.

Programme for Team A
Midlands, Matabeleland North and South, Bulawayo

Monday 11th April Kwekwe

11.00 am Kwekwe Theatre

10.00 am Gweru Theatre

9.00 am Chinotimba Hall

3.00 pm ZPC Social Club

2.00 pm Plumtree Town Council Hall

10.30 am Lupane Local Board Community Hall

3.00 pm Bulawayo Holiday Inn

12 noon Gutu Council Boardroom

10.00 am Masvingo Civic Centre Hall

10.00 am Mutare Civic Centre Hall

2.00 pm Mbuya Nehanda Hall, Dombotombo

1.00 pm Tendai Hall

2.00 pm Cooksey Memorial Hall

10.00 am Senate Chamber, Parliament

The purpose of the public hearings is to give the public an opportunity to express their views on the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill. Stakeholders, interested groups, organisations and all members of the public are welcome to attend the hearings, at which they will be given the opportunity to make representations.

The committees will be reporting back to their respective Houses, so the hearings provide an excellent opportunity for members of the public to convey what they think of the Bill to all members of Parliament.

If you want to make oral representations at a hearing, signify this to the committee clerk before the hearing, if possible, so that she or he can notify the chairperson to call on you. An oral representation is more effective if followed up in writing. If you are providing a written copy, it is advisable to take as many copies as possible with you for circulation at the hearing.

Written submissions and correspondence are also welcome and should be addressed to The Clerk of Parliament, Attention: Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Thematic Committee on Peace and Security and Thematic Committee on Human Rights and:

• 
  sent by email – addressed to clerk@parlzim.gov.zw, or
  
• 
  delivered – if delivering, use the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue entrance to Parliament, between Second and Third Streets, Harare, or
  
• 
  sent by post – to P.O. Box CY298 Causeway, Harare.
  

Queries about the public hearings can be addressed to the committee clerks [Precious Zenda and Absalom Kunzwa] or to the public relations officers [Linda Manyemba and Catherine Mpofu Muvhami]. Parliament’s telephone numbers: (04) 700181-8, 252936-50

This is an extremely important Bill, which has drawn much criticism. All interested organisations and individuals are urged to make their views on it known to the committees by making representations at the public hearings or making written submissions. Does the Bill make satisfactory provision for the sort of National Peace and Reconciliation Commission that can do the job envisioned by the Constitution? Read the Bill and other documents available from Veritas [see below] and then tell the MPs at the hearings committees whether you think the Bill is good enough. It would assist the committees if you pin-point clauses you think are defective and suggest specific changes you think should be made to the Bill.

Please access the documents by following the links to the Veritas website given in the following list or, if without Internet access, send a request by email to the address given at the end of this bulletin.

• 
  National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill
  

• 
  Veritas commentary on the Bill, Part I
  
• 
  Veritas commentary on the Bill, Part II
  
• 
  Parliamentary Legal Committee’s Adverse Report on the Bill [announced in the National Assembly on 17th March]