A group of suspected Zanu PF supporters on Monday allegedly disrupted a public hearing on the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Bill held in Chinhoyi by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs and the Thematic Committee on Human Rights.
Committee chairperson Douglas Mwonzora confirmed the incident yesterday.
“Yes, we had a public hearing on the Bill at Cooksey Hall in Chinhoyi. After a contribution by one person, some people started shouting saying the hearings must be stopped because they thought the person who had contributed had insulted President Robert Mugabe,” said Mwonzora in a telephone interview from Gweru.
“They also said they had not been made aware of the provisions of the Bill and did not know how to respond. On account of public safety, we had to call off the meeting. This is because we did not have adequate security from the ZRP.”
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said: “I did not hear about the issue.”
But, Mwonzora said an estimated 300 people had gathered for the public hearing.
He, however, said the committees would take on board the submissions of those participants that were able to speak at the hearing before the disruption. The committee has this week lined up hearings in Gweru, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Mutare and Harare to solicit public input on the Bill.
