Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum Special Report Enforcing the Rule of Law in Zimbabwe UNFPA and the PTA Clearing House), and the Unlawful Organisations Act to lift restrictions on a specific company (Walmer Ranching). He has chartered all new tertiary educational institutions, in addition to largely ceremonial uses of the Constitution and the Commissions of Inquiry, Flag of Zimbabwe, Honours and Awards, and Public Holidays Acts. Among numerous other and perhaps less expected statutes he has used have been the Civil Protection, Control of Goods, Customs and Excise, Electoral, Emergency Powers,1 Exchange Control, Income Tax, Law and Order (Maintenance), Magistrates Court, Parliamentary Salaries and Benefits, Rural District Councils, Rural Councils, Urban Councils and Water Acts. His statutory interventions in local government comprise over 42% of the total. Table 3.1. Frequency of presidential use of subordinate legislation under statutes Act N used % Civil Protection Commissions of Inquiry Communal Land Constitution Control of Goods Customs and Excise Electoral Emergency Powers Honours and Awards Income Tax Legal Assistance etc Magistrates Court Mines and Minerals National Heroes National Council for Higher Education Parliamentary Salaries and Benefits Presidential Pension Privileges etc Provincial Councils Public Holidays Rural Councils Rural District Councils Urban Councils Water Other (used once each) 7 12 4 23 26 14 64 14 6 21 2 4 2 8 3 20 3 5 2 3 6 125 58 4 14 1.6 2.7 0.9 5.1 5.8 3.1 14.2 3.1 1.3 4.7 0.4 0.9 0.4 1.8 0.7 4.4 0.7 1.1 0.4 0.7 1.3 27.8 12.9 0.9 3.1 Total 450 100.0 As would be expected in such heavy use of Statutory Instruments, there have been errors and, more worrying, illegalities. SI 191/1998, altering regulations under which the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe may intervene to stabilise fluctuations in the exchange rate, was issued under the Emergency Powers Act, when the state of emergency had finally expired on 25 July 1990. Presumably – unless the change was intended to be invalid – the Act used should have been the PP(TM)A. The PP(TM)A itself makes no provision for use by anyone other than the State President, but in 1993 two well-respected Cabinet ministers, Bernard Chidzero and Dennis Norman, appended their signatures to General Notices (516A and 568B) using it in order to get commuter omnibuses on the roads quickly. 1 Nine of his total of 14 uses of the Emergency Powers Act were to control rents and/or prices. 20

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