5.0 What is the duration of the NPRC? This chapter addresses two important issues relating to time. The duration of the NPRC and the time under which the NPRC will exercise its mandate. These two should not be confused. 5.1 Duration of the NPRC mandate The Constitution species in section 251 that the duration of the NPRC shall be for a period of ten years after the effective date. There has been some debate regarding what this provision means. Some people argue that the effective date should be understood in a narrow sense to mean the day immediately after the date on which President Robert Mugabe signed the constitution into law on 22 May 2013. However, others have argued that the use of the phrase 'after the effective date' means the NPRC can start to work any day after 22 May 2013 but only after it has been fully made capable of functioning through an Act of Parliament and the Commissioners have been appointed and are ready to begin work. 5.2 Period to be investigated The Constitution does not specify the time period to be investigated by the NPRC. In other countries the law mentions specic time period which is called cut-off date to be covered by such a commission. For example in Mauritius, the commission investigated violations from 1638-2008 i.e. 370 years, South Africa 1960-1994, Kenya 1963-2008. These dates indicate special periods in a country's political history. This kind of specic time regulations has advantages as well as disadvantages. The table below highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages of having xed dates for carrying out investigations. 22