11 May 2009
The Zimbabwe Times
HARARE – Parliament has drafted in the third legislator to become joint chairperson of a recently established select committee which will see through the drafting of the first home-grown Constitution over the next 17 months.
Cabinet minister David Coltart was last week appointed to join Nyanga North legislator, Douglas Mwonzora, of the Morgan Tsvangirai-led Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party and Zanu-PF’s Paul Mangwana, who represents Chivhi Central.
The move is an apparent attempt to replicate Zimbabwe’s compromise governing structure that has seen leaders of the country’s three biggest political parties leading a unity government.
Mwonzora and Mangwana, both lawyers, were appointed co-chairmen of the 25-member committee last month.
Coltart, the Minister of Education, Arts, Sports and Culture, and also a lawyer, is a senator with the smaller MDC led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara.
In an interview with The Zimbabwe Times Sunday, Mwonzora said the committee had also identified Mangwe legislator Edward Mkhosi, also a member of Mutambara’s MDC, to become Coltart’s substitute.
Mkhosi would step in when Coltart is engaged in his ministerial duties.
Mwonzora defended the new appointment, saying Coltart was chosen, despite his busy schedule as a government minister, because the committee wanted to tap into his rich legal background.
The appointments are still temporary as President Robert Mugabe and his colleagues Tsvangirai and Mutambara, are still to decide on whether to appoint a non-legislator to lead the crucial process.
This follows recommendations by parliament last month for the three political leaders to second a non-member of parliament who shall head the committee.
But in the absence of such candidate, the tripartite chairing system would proceed with its duties.
The select committee shall be responsible for the setting up of sub-committees to be chaired by a member of parliament.
The sub-committees shall also draw representatives from the civic society to assist the select committee in performing its functions.
During its tenure, the select committee shall conduct public hearings over the making of a new constitution ahead of its findings being tabled before two successive all stakeholders’ conferences.
The drafting of the new constitution will be succeeded by a referendum not later than July 13, 2010.
Both Zanu-PF and the Tsvangirai-led MDC have seconded nine of their parliamentarians to the committee while the Mutambara-led MDC has three of its members in the committee.
One member has been taken from the chiefs’ council while the remaining three have been chosen by presiding officers, whose functions are to supervise and monitor the work of the select committee and sub-committees.
This shall be done through regular feedback meetings in order to ensure that they adhere to the time lines laid down in the September 15, 2008 inter-party political agreement.
Meanwhile, the committee has raised US$3 million, less than a third of the targeted sponsorship, from international donors to finance the exercise.
Although parliament is still to finalise its budget, Mwonzora said more than US$10 million would be required to see the successful completion of the process.