Copac stops drafting new constitution

January 10, 2012 when it expects to have given them terms of reference.
This development is bound to further delay the constitution-making process.
The Select Committee yesterday summoned the drafters, former High Court judge Justice Moses Chinhengo, lawyers Ms Priscilla Madzonga and Mr Brian Crozier to explain why they had not used the national report that contains views gathered during the outreach programme.
Copac co-chairpersons, Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana (Zanu-PF) and Mr Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) confirmed the development last night.
“We agreed that drafters should stop drafting the constitution and that they will only do so after full instructions,” said Cde Mangwana.
“They will only resume on January 10 because the Select Committee will be coming back on January 2 and then put together the instructions.”
Cde Mangwana said it was better to delay the constitution and produce a better constitution than rush to produce a flawed document. Mr Mwonzora said they had discussed communication between the drafters and the Select Committee where it was unanimously agreed that drafters would only consider communication that come from the three co-chairpersons in agreement.
He said they had also reviewed the four chapters drafted so far where the drafters explained their mandate given to them by the three co-chairpersons.
“It was agreed that indeed the drafters had acted in accordance with the instructions given to them by the three co-chairs on behalf of the Select Committee.
“It was also found correctly that the three co-chairpersons had agreed and advised the drafters not to use the national report because it was agreed that it was not the duty of the drafters to interpret what the people of Zimbabwe said,” Mr Mwonzora said.
He said it was also agreed that the three co-chairpersons had allowed the drafters to fill some gaps as long as they would indicate them as suggestions. Zanu-PF last week raised reservations with the way the drafters had ignored the majority people’s views on citizenship, land and homosexuality.