adminThe war veterans national chairman Cde Jabulani Sibanda said in a statement that Copac should be immediately disbanded because it has “betrayed the views of the people of Zimbabwe”.
“It is also clear that Copac’s intention is to as much as possible delay the constitution making process so as to avoid the holding of elections this year,” he said.
“Our considered view is that His Excellency, The President in terms of the current constitution must dissolve Parliament and announce a date for elections.”
Cde Sibanda said they were shocked by the preliminary reports indicating the intentions of Copac.
“We, the war veterans of Zimbabwe, having read the preliminary reports of Copac Drafting Committee published in The Herald, hereby express our shock, indignation and displeasure at the total disregard of and departure from what the people of Zimbabwe said they want in their constitution through the outreach programme,” he said.
Cde Sibanda said at least 71 percent of the people said they wanted a Unitary State, yet the Copac drafters wanted to leave the word unitary from the definition article.
“The people demanded that the liberation history of the country be captured under the Founding Principles, but the drafters want to relegate the liberation history to the Preamble only,” said Cde Sibanda.
“The people have emphatically asked for an Executive President who should keep the Public Seal, yet the drafting committee wants to leave the fact of who keeps the Public Seal to Parliament.”
Cde Sibanda said the drafters wanted to make English, Shona and Ndebele the official languages when people spelt out 17 local languages they wanted to be recognised.
He said the drafters wanted to smuggle homosexuality under the disguise of natural differences when people totally rejected it.
“The drafters suggest that the constitution cannot solve the land issue in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“This suggestion is made despite the fact that the people demanded that the constitution must protect the land by making the land reform programme irreversible.
“In the Founding Principles, 84 percent of the people said land and natural resources are our heritage, yet this was totally left out.”
Cde Sibanda said the people wanted founding fathers of the nation and war veterans should be recognised in the new constitution .
He said a trust fund should be set up for them, while they are given disability funds, affirmative action, free health and education for them and their children and employment.
“Yet all the drafters could offer the freedom fighters was “Accord due respect” said Cde Sibanda.
He said people rejected dual citizenship and want the death penalty retained.
“The drafting committee has extensively imported values from foreign constitutions at the expense of the people’s views,” said Cde Sibanda.
Copac has come under fire from different quarters for failing to incorporate what people want in the new constitution.
President Mugabe once said that Copac officials were delaying the constitution making process to continue benefiting from donor funds.
Zanu-PF has said general elections would be held this year without fail.
Online Reporter