CIVIC society organisations (CSOs) under the banner This Constitution, Our Constitution Campaign, are organising a mass demonstration in Bulawayo next week to protest against the wanton violation of the country’s laws by top government and Zanu PF officials.
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU
The demo, set for next Thursday, will see various civic groups taking to the streets demanding respect for the Constitution and alignment of the country’s laws to the charter. Director of the campaign, Abigail Mupambi said the protest is aimed at forcing President Robert Mugabe to call his ministers to order and uphold the rule of law, adding they stood ready to defend the supremacy of the Constitution.
“The banner (campaign) is being raised by several civic society organisations and more civic organisations have come on board to partner us during the march,” she said yesterday.
“We, the people of Zimbabwe, have realised that our future commonly lies in the fulfilment of our aspirations and will as enshrined in the Constitution. “We recognise our responsibility to defend the supremacy of the Constitution.”
CSOs that form part of the campaign include Bulawayo Youths Arise, Youths Advocacy for Reform and Democracy, Active Youths Zimbabwe, Progress Co-ordinating Trust, Zimbabwe National Students’ Union, Zimbabwe Activists Alliance and the Zimbabwe Liberation Peace Forum.
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“We take it up ourselves as civic society members representing all constituencies to defend our Constitution, which is currently under siege. We take it upon ourselves to demand a stop to massive human rights violations hitting our land,” Mupambi said.
“Over and above, they are brutalising people for practising their constitutional rights. There are several pieces of legislation that need alignment.
“The Constitution is not accessible and is unknown by the people. It is supposed to be taught at school, but three years down the line, priority is being given to the national pledge instead.”
After the Constitution was signed into law in 2013, the government was supposed to align nearly 400 laws to the new charter.
Recently, Attorney-General Prince Machaya blamed failure to align the laws to the Constitution on ignorance by some line ministries on what was supposed to be harmonised and failure to get policy direction.