CONSULTATIVE hearings on a new constitution began in five provinces yesterday with officials explaining the constitutional review process to the public.


The hearings will culminate in an all-stakeholders’ national conference on July 10 where thematic committees will be selected to hear the views of the public on what they want included in the supreme national law.

Harare Province held its first consultative meeting yesterday and in attendance were Matabeleland North Governor and Resident Minister Thokozile Mathuthu and her Harare counterpart David Karimanzira, Speaker of the House of the Assembly Lovemore Moyo, and Minister of State in Vice President Joseph Msika’s Office Flora Bhuka.

Also present were the co-chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on the Constitution Mr Douglas Mwonzora, committee member Mr Brian Tshuma, and MPs from the province.

The constitutional process had appeared to be derailing after ZANU-PF legislators sought to delay hearings because they said they were not prepared.

But on Wednesday members of parliament held separate meetings with civic society groups, churches and political parties in the country's 10 provinces to identify delegates to would attend a major conference next month.

"The constitution-making train is leaving station and I want you to be on board," Douglas Mwonzora, who co-chairs a parliamentary select committee coordinating the process, told hundreds of delegates attending a hearing in Harare.

Up to 5,000 delegates will attend a national stakeholders' conference in the capital in July choose members for various committees that will travel around the country soliciting people's views on the constitution.

Civic groups want to ensure politicians do not have an undue influence on the process to push their own agenda at the expense of the people. 

Mwonzora said all draft documents, including those produced by churches, the MDC and lobby group National Constitutional Assembly would all be considered.

ZANU-PF has requested that a draft agreed between it and MDC in 2007 be used as the discussion document.

The draft was never used because ZANU-PF and MDC were bitterly divided on the timing of its adoption. Mugabe had sought to have it adopted after last year's elections while the MDC had wanted it used before those elections.

The official Herald said in an editorial that using the 2007 draft would save money.

Zimbabwe's new administration has struggled to get aid from sceptical Western donors who are pressing for more political and economic reforms. Harare says it needs up to $10 billion to fix an economy shattered by a decade of recession.

"The constitution making process is taking place in an environment of acute resource constraints," Lovemore Moyo, speaker of parliament, told foreign diplomats.

"We call upon you ... to lend your support to this process."

Reuters and the Herald contributed to this report

By Staff reporter and agencies