CONSTITUTIONAL and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga has accused Zanu PF of seeking to delay the constitution-making process by resurrecting issues that had already been resolved by the three political parties in the fragile coalition government.
REPORT BY EVERSON MUSHAVA CHIEF REPORTER
In a report titled: “Mechanisms to unlock the stalled constitution-making process” which he submitted to President Robert Mugabe, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara and Welshman Ncube, Matinenga said Zanu PF was bringing back issues resolved by the Copac management committee, just to delay the process.
The Copac management committee comprises Zanu PF, MDC-T and MDC negotiators to the Global Political Agreement.
Last week Mugabe and Tsvangirai ordered Matinenga to compile a report containing all contentious issues to enable the principals to try and break the deadlock that stalled the process two weeks ago after the parties failed to agree on how to handle submissions presented at the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference.
Zanu PF is pushing for the principals to drive the process while the two MDCs want Parliament to retain control.
In his report Matinenga said: “A robust assessment shows that these issues are the same disagreed issues noted in the Second All-Stakeholders’ Conference report. Each of the disagreed issues was at some stage, prior to the production of the current draft, a parked issue. Each parked issue was negotiated over a lengthy period of time and finally resolved.”
Matinenga said the conference report showed there were disagreements on several issues that included devolution of power, the National Prosecuting Authority, Constitutional Court, Executive, citizenship, land commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.
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He said Zanu PF responded to the first draft released by Copac in April by drafting its own 29-page document listing 225 issues that the party wanted addressed. The management committee met and resolved the issues.
Copac produced another draft incorporating the agreed changes on July 18. However, after a series of politburo meetings, Zanu PF responded again by coming up with 266 proposed amendments over the same issues.
“These are the same disagreed issues set out in the Second All-stakeholders’ Conference report,” Matinenga wrote.
As a way forward, Matinenga proposed the setting up of a committee of the people who formed the management committee, or a leaner committee, to expeditiously deal with issues raised to save the process from collapse.
“The parties need to find each other again. The whole draft must be edited and cleaned up. This should apply to the where the changes were not recommended and the areas where recommendations for change were made and not countered,” Matinenga said. He said the process would not take seven days, if the committee members were relieved of any other duties to focus on the task.
“In the event that there is no finality after this round, the Sadc facilitator will have to intervene,” he added.
Meanwhile, South African President Jacob Zuma’s facilitation team was expected in the country last night, to among other things, discuss the stalled constitution-making process.
