Foreword On 22 May 2013, President Robert Mugabe signed into law the new Summary box Constitution of Zimbabwe following a long constitutional reform process• dating as far backunder as 1999. One322 of the key features of this The Constitution section provides that Parliament must ensure that funds are made available for all Constitution is Chapter 12,sufficient which establishes five Independent the Supporting CommissionsDemocracy. created under Chapter 12 independent to do their work Commissions One of the effectively. commissions in this Chapter is the National Peace and • According to the NPRC Act, the NPRC will not be wholly Reconciliation Commission whichforis funding, given the to dependent on the(NPRC), Government but duty can seek ensure post-conflict justice, healing, and reconciliation. This funding from other sources subject to certain procedures. • Section 234 ofthe theefforts Constitution gives the NPRC power to hire Commission represents of many organisations including fire its own Secretariat. churches, and victim groups, non-governmental organisations and international organisations that have been clamoring for a commission to help the society come to terms with its violent past. It represents the hopes of many victims (and survivors) of past human rights violations that truth, justice and healing may see the light of the day. The successes or failures of the NPRC are still to be seen. But what is clear is that an important conversation has already started. The success of the NPRC will depend on the general support from all stakeholders and the cooperation of the government. This Guide to Understanding the NPRC is our contribution to ensuring that the NPRC is visible, its purpose understood and supported by all. The Guide is simple to use and understand. Written in plain language, the guide is a valuable resource for civic education, community leaders and facilitators, schools, survivors of human rights violence human rights defenders, lawyers, lawmakers and anyone who wants to understand the NPRC and its work in Zimbabwe. We hope you will find this guide useful. Muchadehama, Alec (Mr.) NTJWG Chairperson Harare, 2017 41 5