36 were provided. Assessment of progress was based on information provided by CSOs throughout the country that participated in the drafting of the report. It is hoped that the submission of the Stakeholders’ Report will go a long way in ensuring that the government fulfills its UPR obligations by 2016. National Transitional Justice Working Group The National Transitional Justice Working Group is a platform established by various non-state Zimbabwean transitional justice stakeholders to provide the interface between transitional justice stakeholders and the official transitional justice processes in Zimbabwe. A consultative meeting was held in Harare on 27 February 2014 to set the objectives, terms of reference and the structure of the group, 47 Civil Society Organisations participated. On 23 May 2014, 31 Civil Society Organisations representing various transitional justice stakeholders elected an eight member National Transitional Justice Working Group (NTJWG). ZLHR’s Roselyn Hanzi was elected as the representative for the Justice and Accountability thematic area. While elected by different organisations, members of the NTJWG serve the group in their voluntary personal capacity to advance the needs of transitional justice stakeholders as expressed in the strategic plan of the (NTJWG). ZLHR Annual Report 2014 Engagement with ZLHR Membership The ZLHR Board and secretariat conducted 8 consultative meetings in 2014 with its membership around the country to address and solicit views and suggestions on a range of issues. The meetings were held in Bulawayo, Gweru, Harare, Masvingo and Mutare, and included all members located in other cities and towns. ZLHR members were, in this way, able to contribute to the development and finalisation of ZLHR’s strategic plan and focus areas. The consultations also served to gather information and contributions to the reform of the Court Rules governing the civil and criminal procedure impacting on the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms of accused persons in the Magistrates’ Courts and the High Courts of Zimbabwe. Input was provided with a view to aligning the court rules with the new Constitution to ensure better protection of human rights. Members identified the gaps in the rules of court, practicality of implementation and other areas requiring improvement and made recommendations on possible amendments or even repeal of offending provisions. Discussions also focused on challenges to the legal profession, with a specific focus on the work of human rights lawyers, and how they can be protected and empowered to better represent their clients and contribute to constitutionalism and the rule of law in Zimbabwe. Recommendations from the consultative meetings assist in engagements with the Judicial Service Commission, as well as ensuring that ZLHR members remain active and invested in the work of the organisation, and that such work remains relevant to the legal profession, as well as broader society. Engagement with the Public ZLHR interacted with the public throughout the country primarily through its Mobile Legal Clinics and community dialogue platforms – information which has been provided in previous sections of this Annual Report. One-Year Anniversary of the new Zimbabwe Constitution On the first anniversary of the new Constitution of Zimbabwe entering into force, 22 May 2014, ZLHR hosted a panel discussion at the Zimbabwe College of Music. Speakers included two former judges, Justice Zak Yacoob (Retired South African Constitutional Court Judge) and Justice Moses Chinhengo (Former Judge of the High Court of Zimbabwe) and a member of the National Assembly – Hon. Jessie Fungayi Majome, MP. Civil society was encouraged to be vibrant in order to transform the constitutional culture of the country. The fact that the Constitution remains a concern for very few people, with most people either unaware of how it can assist them or concerned with meeting basic needs and requirements of daily life, requires Zimbabweans to rally behind the new Constitution, align subsidiary laws, and ensure constitutional awareness and use of the Constitution by the broader Zimbabwean population. Speakers urged parliament to make use of its numbers and enact laws in line with the new Constitution. Participants were generally skeptical of any progress that can be made given the political configuration that currently obtains in the country and low levels of respect for constitutionalism and the rule of law. However, the panelists implored participants to play their own role in the furtherance of democracy and good governance.

Select target paragraph3

Add to table of contents