Copac Thematic Committees reach critical stage

Parliamentary and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Advocate Eric Matinenga has said.
Minister Matinenga said this while officiating at a two-day training workshop that began in Harare yesterday for various thematic committees.
“The constitution making process is one of the major deliverables of the Global Political Agreement. Our process so far is people driven and if one looks at the various levels we have travelled, it gives credence to this,” he said.
The constitution making process started with the first all stakeholders meeting and was followed by an outreach programme where Zimbabweans freely expressed their views. However, some critics went on to criticise the outreach programme saying Zanu PF had coerced people following the widespread view that the new constitution should safeguard Zimbabwe’s sovereignty with the indigenous majority owning the country’s resources. Minister Matinenga said the process had reached a critical stage that would lead to the writing of the draft constitution.
“Now we have reached a stage where data would be analysed and collated both quantitatively and qualitatively,” he said.
The minister said a report would be produced after the two-week process and would guide the drafters of the constitution.
He said the stage was not about politicking or pursuing party interests.
“At this stage it is not about parties, it is about individualism, it is about producing a report of what people said. If you fail, you will fail the drafters and the drafters will fail the people of Zimbabwe.
“Without the report, there is no drafting, without drafting there is no constitution and without a constitution there is no Zimbabwe.
“You have to approach this task with the seriousness it deserves,” Minister Matinenga said.