Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
PARLIAMENT will have at least six Bills to deal with when it resumes sitting in two weeks time, the latest Bills status report shows.
President Mnangagwa has already signed into law the Private Voluntary Organisations Act while the Broadcasting Services Amendment Bill, which was passed by the Senate early this month, now awaits his signature before becoming part of the country’s laws.
Bills that are before the legislature include the Persons with Disabilities Bill, the Parks and Wildlife Amendment Bill, the Medical Services Amendment Bill, the Insurance and Pensions Commission Amendment Bill, the State Service (Pensions) Bill and the Mines and Minerals Bill.
The Persons with Disabilities Bill seeks to improve the rights and freedoms of people with disabilities.
The Bill will replace the Disabled Persons Act, which is outdated, and will align Zimbabwe’s disability law with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The Parks and Wildlife Amendment Bill seeks to, among other provisions, empower communities adjacent to parks in the management of wildlife and benefit from any related commercial activities and also compensate victims of conflicts involving humans and wildlife.
The Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill seeks to, among others, ensure communities benefit from mineral resources in their communities and address the rights of farmers where minerals are found on their farms.
The Bill has been in Parliament for some time now with President Mnangagwa withholding his assent as he felt some of its provisions violated the Constitution. The Medical Services Amendment Bill brings the Act into line with the Constitution, especially in the Declaration of Rights, where the right to healthcare for all citizens and permanent residents is entrenched along with the rights of children, the elderly, the disabled and war veterans, where medical services are a factor.
