‘Zim missed ACDEG opportunity to promote human rights’

WHEN the Zimbabwean Senate in March this year hastily ratified the African Charter on Elections and Governance (ACDEG) without debate on its principles, parliamentarians missed a good opportunity to discuss its principles and how the country can use it to promote human rights.

Most Senators had not even studied the charter, which was put in their pigeon holes, before Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi brought it for ratification by Senate after the National Assembly had done so.

Debate by opposition MPs had centred on elections, alignment of laws and human rights at a time at least 18 civilians were shot dead by soldiers during the January protests against steep fuel hikes, while another six were shot dead on August 1 last year in post-election violence.

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