Parly Watch
16 May 2013

ZHRC PLEADS WITH PARLIAMENT OVER RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS TO EXECUTE MANDATE AHEAD OF ELECTIONS

THE dormant Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) on Thursday 16 May 2013 pleaded with legislators to resource the institution to enable it to execute its mandate of promoting and protecting human rights.

ZHRC chairperson Commissioner Jacob Mudenda disclosed that the Commission was saddled with a lot of challenges that Parliament could help resolve through imploring the government to channel financial resources towards making it fully operational. The ZHRC Commissioners led by Commissioner Mudenda appeared before the Senate Thematic Committee on Human Rights chaired by Senator Misheck Marava, where he gave oral evidence on the operations of the Commission.

Commissioner Mudenda was accompanied by Vice Chairperson Dr Ellen Sithole, Commissioner Sheila Matindike, Commissioner Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube, Commissioner Elasto Mugwadi and Commissioner Kwanele Muriel Jirira. The ZHRC Chairperson urged Parliamentarians to amend some sections of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) Act which he reasoned interfered with the Commissioners’ independence and impartiality. Commissioner Mudenda said amendments to the ZHRC Act were pertinent to make the Commission more independent of the government particularly in the investigation of violated or alleged violated human rights as well as being solely accountable for its finances as a corporate body. Commissioner Mudenda told the Senate Thematic Committee on Human Rights that ZHRC had received some financial assistance from the Danish Institute for Human Rights (Danida) which will be applied towards capacity building workshops, scheduled for 22 and 23 May 2013, provincial stakeholder meetings focused on addressing human rights in relation to elections and to produce information, education and communication materials.

ZHRC, Commissioner Mudenda said, has also approached some development partners to assist with the procurement of vehicles and facilitate the Commissioners’ mobility throughout the country in conducting advocacy work. He said Commissioners were currently conducting the Commission’s business using their personal vehicles and through public transport, a situation which he said was undesirable. He urged legislators to move a motion in Parliament to press for the resourcing of the ZHRC and the amendment of some sections of the ZHRC Act which he said hindered the execution of the Commission’s mandate. Commissioner Mudenda indicated that ZHRC Commissioners were not being rewarded for the work they were currently doing for the Commission and would want to be remunerated in the same way Ministers and Judges are rewarded.

The ZHRC Commissioner said the institution has engaged a human resources consultancy firm to assist with recruiting the secretariat’s staff members while a Chief Executive Officer will be appointed soon and he/she will be responsible for carrying out the decisions of the Commission and the day-to-day administration and management of the affairs, staff and property of the Commission. One of the Commissioners, Commissioner Mudenda said, had been benevolent enough to loan the ZHRC US$500 which the Commission had used to open a bank account and has since reimbursed her. Commissioner Mugwadi disclosed that ZHRC recently engaged the Zimbabwe Republic Police regarding the need for the Commission to input into the police syllabus on human rights during the cop’s training programmes.

Commissioner Japhet Ndabeni-Ncube pledged that the Commissioners will not resign in protest over clauses that compromise their independence and impartiality but will stay put and press for the amendment of the offensive sections in the ZHRC Act, which in December 2012 frustrated former chairperson Reg Austin into resigning.
 

 
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