Prisca Dube of ZLHR at Ngozi Mine Pic Credit:Chris Tabvura
The engagement was part of the organisation’s mobile legal clinics, which are being conducted countrywide.“The mobile legal clinic was unique in that it took place at one very unhealthy setting both in environmental and human dignity,” said PriscaDube, ZLHR’s programme officer. The ZLHR team responded to issues raised by residents and linked them to the rights that are now enshrined in the Constitution. During the mobile legal clinic, the team also spoke on issues related to obligations, responsibilities and what needs to be done for everyone to fully enjoy these rights.“It was an eye opener to the participants to fully understand that human rights belong to everyone by virtue of being human and are not tied to social status.
Time was taken to then explain who duty bearers and entitlement holders are as well as what role the entitlement holders have to play in order to hold duty bearers accountable,” said Dube.Ngozi mine is located on the outskirts of Bulawayo north-west of Richmond and east of Cowdray Park along the Bulawayo-Victoria Falls highway.
The mobile legal clinic was held in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) and Young at Heart, a drama group that has been involved in helping out the community at Ngozi Mine through lobbying for their welfare. The main objectives of the mobile clinic were to enhance citizens’ knowledge towards effectively and assertively participate in human rights discourse and the development of their communities, to increase appreciation of the importance of economic, social and cultural rights and the need to hold duty bearers accountable where these are violated.The other objectives include creating a platform where communities consult with legal practitioners and have access to legal aid on issues that need litigation and to enhance citizens’ knowledge of the work of Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Commission’s constitutional mandate under the 2013 Constitution.During the mobile legal clinic, representatives from Young at Heart started the ball rolling by presenting a drama that ushered in a toned down but informative discussion on the rights that belong to human beings and then anchored the plenary sessions at the end of the presentations that were made by both ZLHR and ZHRC’s representatives.
Both organisations were introduced to the participants by the community champion Nanzile Nyathi, who went on to explain why she had felt it was necessary for this community of around 400 families to benefit from a mobile legal clinic and how the information gained will assist in some of the challenges that are obvious to anyone who comes for the first time to this community. The drama highlighted the problems faced by the community.Dube, from ZLHR, then presented various scenarios to the participants to kick start the rights literacy session. Some of the scenarios or different hypothetical situations were gleaned from the preceding drama and the participants got to think of their own situations in relation to what human rights are, who these human rights belong to, whether there are different rights for different people and what the characteristics of human rights are. The participants’ reactions were used to link ZLHR to the people as their answers are the core reason of the organisation’s existence and constant engagement with the communities in light of the 2013 Constitution. To bring it closer home, the presentation by ZLHR shifted to asking what the participants were enjoying as human rights.
The participants mentioned that they have no access to water as the bowser that used to be delivered by Bulawayo City Council with water for their consumption has since been stopped by the city council’s new management.Time was taken to explain who duty bearers and entitlement holders are as well as what role the entitlement holders have to play in order to hold duty bearers accountable. The session explained in detail the above and in addition it was explained why there is need for communities to be aware, demand and promote fundamental rights such as the right to health, the right to education, the right to clean, safe and portable water and sufficient food, the right to a clean environment as balanced with property rights and the right to language and cultural development and expression.Dube emphasised that the right to water, education and health are pertinent to the enjoyment of human dignity and are rights that must be enjoyed by everyone.
It was further explained that duty bearers must not infringe on these rights and must be called to account.Alondoloziwe Sitsha, the ZHRC Compliance Officer also explained how the Commission was established, its structures, the Commissioners, the powers of the Commission to investigate human rights violations which were enunciated to the participants as well as the ways of approaching the Commission as individuals, groups and or affected communities.“The participants were clearly hearing about human rights and avenues of seeking recourse for human rights violations for the first time. We advised them to form committees to help articulate their issues and petition on matters of concern to them. ZHRC was invited to come back to this community and assist in the engagements with different ministries and the local authority as this avenue more than litigation would best address the plight of the people living at the squatter camp,” said Dube.
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