No. LI/2017 h{arroxar PEecE 0) AND RscoxcILIATroN Col'nqssloN C*p, 10:32 ensuring that every report of the Commission shall carry a specific chapter on gender. (2) The Cornmission shall appoint or second a dedicated gender focal person to every unit, committee or trody that it may establish for the purpose of this Act. 10 Manner of conducting investigations (1) Subject to the provisions of this section concerning non-disclosure of certain evidence, the Commission may in its discretion conduct an investigation in the form of a public or closed hearing, for which purpose the Commission shall have the following powers- (a) to issue a subpoerwt to any pemon to attend hefore the Commission and to produce any document or record it considers to be relevant to the investigation; and (b) to put such questions to any person as the Commission considers will assist its investigation of the matter in question; and (c) to require any persou questioned by it to answer such questions and to disclose any information within such person's knowledge which the Commission considers relevaut to any investigation by it; and (d) during an investigation, to rcquest the assistance of the Zimbabwe Republic Police Officer-In-Charge of a police station for the relevant area and such Officer-ln-Charge shail be obliged to assist upon such request being rnde. (2) In conducting a hearing, the Commission shall not be bound by the strict rules of evidence, and it may ascertain any relevant fact by any means which it thinks fit and which is not unfair or unjust to any party. (3) The Commission shall afford any person who is alleged to be directly or indirectly responsible for perpetrating, implementing, perpetuating or permitting the continuance of any violence, dispute or conflict, fourteen working days from the date when he or she is notified of the allegations in writing by the Commission to respond to such allegations in writing. (4) Any person appearing before the Commission may be represented by a legal practitioner at his or her own exp€nse. (5) The Commission may recommend to the Director of the l.egal Aid Directorate that any person who is about to give or is giving evidence before the Commission should be provided with legal aid, and the Director shall take action on such a recommendation as if it had been made bv a courl in terms of section 10 of the Irgal AidAct fChapter 7:161. (6) Information obtained by the Commission or any member of its staff at a closed hearing shall not be disclosed to any person except(a) without disclosing the identity of any person who gave the information in confidence, for the putposes of the investigation and for any report to be made thereon: or (b) for the purposes of any proceedings for perjury alleged to have been committed in the course of an investigation. (7) Pursuant to the provisions of section 86 of the Constitution, the Minister responsible for national security may, at any stage during an investigation by the Commission, issue and lodge with the Commission a certificate to the effect that the disclosure of anv evidence or documentation or class of evidence or documentation 188