Drafting of the new Constitution has finally taken off the ground, Copac announced yesterday.
Copac co-chairperson Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) told journalists yesterday the three principal drafters, Justice Moses Chinhengo, Priscilla Madzonga and Brian Crozier had been given their terms of reference and had begun drafting the new Constitution yesterday.
“They will also be working in close consultation with the Select Committee and 17 technical experts,” said Mwonzora.
“The much awaited drafting process will take at least 35 days from the date of commencement of drafting,” he said.
Chinhengo, a High Court Judge in Botswana holds qualifications in legislative drafting and is a constitutional expert.
“He was admitted to the bar in 1985 and his career in the legal field has also seen him working as a chief law officer in the Legislative Drafting Department in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and he has also worked as an attorney,” said Mwonzora.
Madzonga was the Chief Legal Draftsman in the Attorney General’s office and was responsible for drafting all legislation in Zimbabwe, apart from being a member of the Commonwealth Association of Legislative drafters and a lawyer for more than 20 years.
Crozier is a University of Zimbabwe law lecturer with expertise in constitutional law and has served as Director of Legal Drafting.
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“He was responsible for training of drafters in the Division of Legal Drafting and gave advice to government departments on drafting as well as working as prosecutor and as an attorney of the High Court,” said Mwonzora.
Mwonzora’s colleague, Paul Munyaradzi Mangwana (Zanu PF) said the three would need to work without disturbances and so it would not be imperative to have observers around them while they were working.
“The people’s submissions for the new constitution are contained in the national report, and it is from this document that the agreed constitutional issues are drawn,” he said.
