US $6million needed for Zimbabwean constitution making process

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By SARAH NCUBE
Published: June 7, 2009

ZIMBABWE- HARARE- The Zimbabwean government is still to avail funds for the constitution making process as the provincial consultations begin this week.

According to sources close to The Zimbabwe Telegraph more than US$6 million is needed for the process. Two co-chairpersons for the Parliamentary select committee Douglas Mwonzora and Paul Mangwana in Harare disclosed this in a meeting.

” We are still to get feed back from government on our budget proposal we submitted. On our part the Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders approved the drafts but there has been no word fro government,” said Mangwana.

The constitution making process is divided into three phases with each stage requiring about US$2million. Both Mwonzora and Mangwana would not say when they expect to get the money.

Resources such as cars, computers and posters would be needed for the process. The first stage covers the period between now and first stakeholders, another for the second stakeholders the third being that for the post-Stakeholders conferences.

An estimated 5000 delegates with each province contributing 500 will attend the first conference. Lack of funds would discredit the process as some remote area in the country might be left out.

Asked on the involvement of thousands of Zimbabwean living abroad Mangwana said though it is their wish to include them lack of funds might be the limiting factor.

“Their involvement would depend on resources. We plan to send our teams to countries like South Africa, America, Britain and Australia but money would be the big factor. A website would be set up where the can post their views,” he said.

The national Constitutional Assembly, Law Student Association, MDC and Front for Democracy in Zimbabwe have submitted their drafts. Zimbabwe is currently governed under the 1979 constitution agreed at the Lancaster House talks in London.

The constitution has been amended 19 times since the country’s Independence in 1980.An attempt to introduce a new constitution between 1999 and 2000 failed after the NCA and other civil society organisations, backed by a nascent MDC, successfully campaigned against a government-sponsored draft.

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