Human Rights Commission gets down to business

Fidelis Munyoro Chief Court Reporter
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission will investigate all human rights violations and complaints brought to it by members of the public without fear or favour, the commission’s chairman, Mr Elasto Hilarious Mugwadi, has said.
He urged members of the public to register complaints of potential human rights violation with the commission.
Mr Mugwadi was addressing the media after a three-day workshop on Thursday to familiarise newly recruited members of the secretariat with international best practices in handling complaints and investigations.

“Complaints handling and investigation is an integral part of the work of the commission,” said Mr Mugwadi.
“The workshop was also intended to come up with a complaints handling manual that it will use to execute its mandate.”

Mr Mugwadi said the commission, which had been operating without a secretariat since its inception in 2010 due to lack of enabling legislative and cash, was now fully operational.

The secretariat, he said, provided technical and administrative support to the commissioners.
“The recruitment of the secretariat and the provision of budgetary support are major milestones in the history of the commission,” he said.

“The commission hopes that the workshop will enable members of the secretariat to develop distinctly transparent, accountable and equitable standards of operation that are consistent with regional and international practices and will also enable the commission to effectively deliver on its mandate.”

The workshop was facilitated by legal and human rights experts who included Prof Lovemore Madhuku and Prof Geoffrey Feltoe from the University of Zimbabwe, Advocate Tawanda Zhuwarara, chief operations officer of the South Africa Human Rights Commission, Ms Lindiwe Khumalo, Namibia’s office of the Ombudsman’s Adv John Walters, and Mr Ultik Spliid and Mr Robert Kirenga from the Danish Institute of Human Rights.

The ZHRC was established under Section 242 of the Constitution and its mandate is, among other issues, to promote awareness of and respect for human rights and freedoms.

It is also mandated to monitor and assess observance of human rights and freedoms in Zimbabwe and protect people against abuse of power and maladministration by the State and public institutions or by officials from such institutions.