NATIONAL
TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
WORKING GROUP
ZIMBABWE
NPRC BRIEFING
The National Peace & Reconciliation Commission | 04 November 2018
Ensure Independent, Competent and
Well- Resourced Secretariat for the NPRC
ABOUT THIS
BRIEFING
The National Peace and Reconciliation
Commission (NPRC) is one of 5
independent commissions established by
the Constitution of Zimbabwe to
entrench a culture of human rights and
d e m o c r a c y. S e c t i o n 2 5 1 o f t h e
Constitution established the NPRC.
Section 252 outlines the ten functions of
the NPRC which include ensuring postconflict justice, healing and
reconciliation. (For more information
about the NPRC, see “A Guide to
Understanding the NPRC”, published by
the NTJWG (2018). The guide is available
on www.ntjwg.org.zw/nprc.html)
Section 234 of the Constitution gives the
NPRC power to hire and fire their own
Secretariat. This means that the
Commission must develop: a recruitment
policy, needs assessment and job
descriptions; and, advertise and hire
competent staff without being directed
by anyone.
The Procedures
On 5 January 2018, the government
p r o m u l g a t e d t h e N a t i o n a l Pe a c e a n d
Reconciliation Commission Act [10:32] (The
Act). Section 14 of the Act provides that the
Commission shall, in consultation with the
Minister (responsible for national healing) and
the Minister responsible for Finance, create the
Commission's staff establishment. This must not
be understood to mean that the named Minister
can influence who the NPRC can recruit as this
would be a violation of section 234 of the
Constitution and would severely compromise
the NPRC. The named Ministers can only offer
the necessary administrative support since this
process is funded from treasury.
Sections which follow provide further detail
about the establishment of the Commission’s
staff.
The National Transitional Justice Working Group
(NTJWG) views the Secretariat of the NPRC as
central to the NPRC processes and key to the
integrity of the NPRC itself. It is in this regard that
we issue this briefing as the process of recruiting
NPRC Secretariat has started. It is our hope that
the views we share here will be well received by
the NPRC as they can only benefit their work and
the people of Zimbabwe.
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ENSURE INDEPENDENT, COMPETENT AND WELL - RESOURCED SECRETARIAT FOR THE NPRC