The Harare and Bulawayo constitution outreach meetings are set for this coming weekend.
Constitutional Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC ) teams will come to Harare and Bulawayo on 18 and 19 September and the meetings will be held concurrently in every ward and we have set two venues for each ward, and this meansthere will be 30 meetings at a time in Harare alone. said COPAC co-chair Douglas Mwonzora.
Responding to concerns about the lack of publicity, Mwonzora said he was glad the state-run Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings, which had previously refused to accept COPAC adverts, had started running awareness adverts.
We are publishing the venues and times of the meetings in the newspapers and we are also putting up posters and repeated adverts on national radio and televisions and we will also notify all the political parties on the meetings schedules, he added.
Speaking of the alleged incidences of intimidation in places like Highfield, Mwonzora said he was doubtful if the people of Highfield would allow themselves to be intimidated just like that.
There had been complaints by some residents in Highfield, Mbare and Dzivaresekwa about a sudden increase in the number of Zanu (PF) meetings in their areas.
The Zanu (PF) people are suddenly mobilising and holding meetings where they want to force everyone to attend, but this has not caused any chaos as people are just ignoring them and going ahead with their business, said a resident of Dzivaresekwa.
Mwonzora said the drafting of the new legislation would start in November and the referendum was likely to be held in February next year.
Post published in: News