The powers of traditional chiefs have been clipped under the new constitution draft adopted by Copac on Thursday, ending years of alleged abuse of power by the traditional leaders whom critics say had become Zanu PF sympathisers.
REPORT BY MOSES MATENGA STAFF REPORTER
According to the draft which is set to be presented to Parliament for debate next week, the chiefs will no longer have to publicly support any political party and have powers to distribute land, but retain authority to administer communal land. Elections for the Chiefs’ Council will now be conducted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
Chapter 15:1 on traditional leaders reads: “Traditional leaders must act in accordance with this Constitution and the laws of Zimbabwe, observe the rules pertaining to traditional leadership and exercise their functions for the purposes for which the institution of traditional leadership is recognised by this Constitution and treat all persons within their areas equally and fairly.”
Reads chapter 15.2: “Traditional leaders must not be members of any political party or in any way participate in partisan politics, act in a partisan manner, further the interests of any political party or cause or violate thefundamental rights and freedoms of any person.”
If fully implemented, the proposed draft is set to mark the end of partisanship by the traditional leaders who have openly proclaimed their allegiance to Zanu PF and in most instances fanning violence by discriminating against those perceived to be in opposition to the former sole ruling party.
Recently, Chiefs’ Council president Chief Fortune Charumbira openly told chiefs to support Zanu PF while the MDC-T said chiefs and their headmen where fuelling violence by restricting beneficiaries of the Presidential Inputs Scheme on a partisan basis.
Charumbira urged chiefs during a meeting in Bulawayo late last year to continue supporting Zanu PF, utterances which would be outlawed in the new charter.
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Elections for the president, vice-president and members of the Chiefs’ Council, according to the draft, will be conducted by Zec.
Efforts to get hold of Charumbira were fruitless yesterday as all his mobile numbers were unreachable.
