BULAWAYO - The Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) has come under fire from residents for not doing enough awareness campaigns on the making of the new constitution.The outreach team is expected to visit Bulawayo residents soon to gather their views, but in a snap survey carried out by this paper it was revealed that there are mixed feelings about the process.
Leonard Mpofu from Nketa suburb blasted COPAC for the information deficiency.
“I just heard that they are coming, but I don’t even know when they are going to carry out the programme. They should have a vibrant publicity team to inform us on the process. I foresee situations where they are going to just ambush us to participate in this process. We are supposed to be told in detail and in advance so that we go and
research before we go there and make meaningful contributions when they finally arrive,” said Mpofu.
Recently Gwanda residents raised the same complaint and also went on to say they were not given enough time to air their views.
“It’s not surprising that there are low turnouts in some places where COPAC has visited because it is not doing much advertising before they visit a certain place,” said a former councillor in Nkulumane suburb who requested anonymity.
Another resident, Sheila Mkwananzi, added that the COPAC team should have organised vigorous media awareness campaigns in the radios, television, newspapers and other forms of communication so that people would be geared up for the programme.
“If people in the towns are not aware of the on goings about this important event what about those in the rural areas where they are no news papers or have access to radios? The COPCA should do something about this but I think it’s a bit late,” she said.
COPAC Co-Chairperson Edward Mkhosi said they were aware of such problems but was quick to point out that their work was hampered by inadequate funds.
“The problem that we are facing is that we do not adequate funds as you will appreciate that a lot of money is needed to put up newspaper advertisements and carry such publicity programs. We have also other financial commitments of paying hotels bills, hiring cars and buying food for the outreach teams,” he said.
Post published in: Politics