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“According to what we planned this afternoon, the draft constitution might be out by 19 January. The process is continuing well and we want to make sure that there are no further misunderstandings among the parties involved.
“The drafters and researchers have agreed to move on with the process and we will be giving researchers instructions as we continue with the process,” said Cde Mangwana.
Mr Mwonzora said the drafters could not use the national report in the drafting of the constitution as it contained constitutional and unconstitutional information.
“We have agreed that the process will continue and we are hoping to complete the drafting of the constitution by 19 January if we do not get any disturbances.
“Drafters have also agreed to continue with their work and they will not use the national report because it contains contradicting information and that would make them choose what to put and what not to put in the draft constitution,” he said.
Mr Mwonzora said the drafters would use information extracted by the Select Committee to prepare the draft constitution.
He said the team also agreed to make the final compilations by Tuesday next week and urged members of the public to be patient.
“We have given ourselves from Thursday to Tuesday next week to prepare all the required documentation.
“I would like to encourage people to be patient as we are doing our best to produce an acceptable draft constitution,” said Mr Mwonzora.
Mr Mkhosi said there were a number of disagreements in certain areas and the three parties still needed to iron out their differences.
“We have decided to move out of Harare and go to Mutare tomorrow where we will relook at the agreed issues as the three political parties in the Government of National Unity (GNU).
“We still have to sort out areas of disagreement and we have given ourselves one week. We are also working on a gap-filling exercise with drafters,” said Mr Mkhosi without naming areas of disagreement.
He said the three parties would have to argue until they come to an agreement as no party had the liberty to bulldoze its own decisions into the draft constitution.
Zimbabwe is in the process of writing a new constitution, more than 10 years after another attempt to come up with a supreme law of the country to replace the compromised Lancaster House constitution that was rejected by voters in a referendum.
Members of the public have expressed concern over the pace at which the constitution process was taking and challenged Government to come up with a specific time for its completion.
Online Reporter