HARARE – Two prominent Zimbabwean academics who had been appointed to represent the civil society on parliamentary committee leading the country’s constitutional reforms have been dropped at the request of rights activists.

Women’s University head Hope Sadza and former National University of Technology vice chancellor Phineas Makhurane – both regarded in some circles as too close to President Robert Mugabe’s ZANU PF party – had been appointed to the Constitutional Parliamentray Committee as rapporteurs.

But Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai told civic society leaders on Thursday that the two academics will be replaced by National Association of NGOs (NANGO) chairperson Dadirai Chikwengo and Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)’s Jonah Gokova.

Tsvangirai said the two educationists were removed from the committee after talks between himself and Mugabe.

He said: “There have been some consultations. NANGO submitted two names, Gokova and Chikwengo. Those will replace Sadza and Makhurane.”

Orgainsed civil society in Zimbabwe is split right through the middle over the Parliament-led constitutional reforms with some groups backing the reforms while others including the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions and the National Constitutional Assembly are opposed to the process that they say is open to abuse by politicians.

Meanwhile the COPAC this week resumed training of rapporteurs who will record views of Zimbabwe during an outreach programme to establish what citizens want included in the new governance charter.

The constitution making process is legging behind because of problems over funding and frequent squabbles between the country’s three governing parties over the direction of the reforms.

Zimbabweans hope a new constitution will guarantee human rights, strengthen the role of Parliament and curtail the president's powers, as well as guaranteeing civil, political and media freedoms.

The new constitution will replace the current Lancaster House Constitution written in 1979 before independence from Britain. The charter has been amended 19 times since independence in 1980. Critics say the majority of the amendments have been to further entrench Mugabe and ZANU PF’s hold on power

By Zimonline