Douglass Mwonzora, a senior member of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirais MDC-T party, who co-chairs the Constitutional Parliamentary Committee (COPAC) with Paul Mangwana and Edward Mkhosi of Zanu (PF) and Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambaras MDC-M respectively, said there was little the committee could do to stop violence.
We can do so much but the ball is in the court of the three principals. Political parties are allowed to canvass for their position but as of violence, it is the three principals that are able to stop it, Mwonzora told The Zimbabwean.
The outreach exercise that is expected to run until November enters its second week today but has been eclipsed by reports of serious administrative glitches and resurgent political violence especially in the three Mashonaland provinces.
Tsvangirai, Mutambara and President Robert Mugabe last week jointly appealed to Zimbabweans to avoid violence during the constitutional outreach exercise.
But human rights groups say Zimbabwe army soldiers and Zanu (PF) youths all loyal to Mugabe have led violence and intimidation campaigns in the three provinces that the presidents party regards as its backyard.
Soldiers have marched in Karoi town in Mashonaland West province threatening war against anyone who voices opinions contrary to Zanu (PF) positions during the outreach exercise while youths from Mugabes party assaulted and severely injured monitors from three civil society groups in the same province.
In a statement the civic society groups said: We are concerned about the increasing undue intimidation and harassment of our monitors. We therefore appeal to COPAC to ensure the safety of the monitors in line with the call for tolerance of divergent views as well as zero tolerance to violence by the principals at the launch of the outreach process.
But police spokesman Wayne Bvudzijena — as has become customary of him where political violence is involved — rejected the claims of violence and accused the MDC-T and civil society groups of spreading lies.
We are not aware of these reports of violence. What I can tell you is that we are adequately deployed. But I cant tell you how many police details we have deployed on the country save to say the entire country is covered, said Bvudzijena.
The police are accused of failure to arrest perpetrators of violence during past elections including in cases where those who committed violence and murder were identified to the police.
The Zanu (PF) youths and soldiers are reportedly out to intimidate villagers to back the controversial Kariba draft constitution as the basis of a new governance charter for Zimbabwe.
The Kariba draft secretly authored in 2007 by Zanu (PF) and the two former opposition MDC formations largely leaves untouched the immense powers that Mugabe continues to enjoy even after formation of a power-sharing government with his former foes.
Zanu (PF), which controls enough parliamentary seats to block passage of a new constitution, has previously said it will not support any draft constitution that is not based on the Kariba document.
The proposed new constitution is part of reforms agreed by Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara that are meant to democratise Zimbabwes politics.
The coalition government is expected to call fresh elections once a new constitution is in place although there is no legal requirement for it to immediately do so.
Zimbabweans hope a new constitution will guarantee human rights, strengthen the role of Parliament, as well as guaranteeing civil, political and media freedoms. (See pg3 for more stories on the constitutional outreach exercise)
Post published in: News