COMPLIANCE
Establishment of sub-committees and outreach teams: In January 2010, the Constitutional Parliament
Committee (COPAC) trained Parliamentarians and the Public Outreach Teams. The three day trainings
were meant to provide adequate information on how the outreach programs would be conducted. 70
outreach teams were established in total, which comprise of 10 members each (3 core members –
one from each party, 3 rapporteurs, and 4 members from civics35) plus a technician to operate video
and voice recorders.
COPAC published the names of the 210 rapporteurs in the Sunday Mail of 4 April 2010 and their
training took place later that month. The rapporteurs are tasked with recording the people’s views
expressed during the consultative outreach meetings. COPAC has also included members of other
political parties in the outreach process.
Talking points: Technical teams were constituted to draft the talking points for the outreach programs,
albeit being seconded from the political parties represented in parliament. Later, the talking points
were revised following concerns raised by civic groups that they were too prescriptive. Thus, they
have been reduced in number and are much clearer and it is hoped that this will promote more
discussion and permit freer input36. COPAC reported at a briefing meeting held on the 28th of July
2010 that participants at outreach meetings are not allowed to read from pre-written scripts so that
they allow people to articulate their own views.
Widespread national consultations: During the period under review, although delayed, the second
stage of the constitution making process which is the outreach stage was launched on the 16th of
June 2010 at Harare International Conference Centre by the three principals, breathing confidence
into the process and calling for inclusivity and non-violence. The accreditation of the outreach teams
was undertaken on 21 June and the induction on 22 June. The nationwide public consultations
commenced on 23 June when the outreach teams were deployed to the ten provinces to facilitate
and capture the people’s views. In order to mitigate the issues of intimidation and violence COPAC
has allowed citizens to submit written views with some form of identification. However disclosure of
identification on the written submissions has raised concerns around security of the persons, given
the legacy of victimisation which has dogged the country over the last decade.
COPAC engagement with civil society and the press: Since the launch of the outreach phase, COPAC
has been holding press conferences with journalists and briefing meetings with civic society each
Wednesday to engage and give an update on the constitution making process. For example, COPAC
held a meeting with civil society leaders on 6 July to regularise monitoring by civics after media
reports claimed that COPAC had called for the arrest of monitors, and had called Civic organisations
monitoring the process ‘bogus’. Although COPAC was quoted in the media several times threatening
to arrest monitors and calling civil society names, it later allowed civics to deploy observers into the
The rapporteurs were however appointed on political party tickets, with each party seconding one person to record events.
35
Veritas, Constitution Watch- 6/2010 ëRevised Outreach talking pointsí, 20 May 2010.
36
CIVIL SOCIETY MONITORING MECHANISM (CISOMM)
SIX MONTH SHADOW REPORT ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE INCLUSIVE OF ZIMBABWE
27
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