OCTOBER 2019 ANALYSIS | PROFILES | NEWS | RECOMMENDATIONS | PARTICIPATION About this Briefing This Briefing was presented to the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) on the 17th of October, 2019 drawing from the engagements done by NTJWG in the second quarter and the views it obtained from stakeholders who care about the national peace and reconciliation process in Zimbabwe. The brief was compiled through a network of stakeholder organizations across the country. Stakeholders, through various platforms have been doing media and environmental scanning, taking note of all matters relevant to transitional justice in Zimbabwe. In this Briefing, the NTJWG looked at the outreach program, establishment of peace committees; NPRC’s reporting obligations, civil society interventions, inclusion of survivors, among other key developments in the establishment of the NPRC. This brief constitutes a summary of the issues presented to the NPRC, the responses given by the NPRC and an update of its activities given by the NPRC. Outstanding Reports NTJWG welcomed the appointment of the Media and Communications Officer for the Commission and hopes this will go a long way towards making the work of the Commission more visible and ensure greater compliance with reporting obligations. The NTJWG highlighted the issue of the NPRC Annual Report which remains outstanding. Officially the NPRC became operational on 5 January 2018, following the promulgation of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Act (10:32). According to section 323 of the Constitution, the NPRC should present its annual report to Parliament describing fully its operations and activities not later than the end of March in the year following the year in which the report relates. This means that the 2018 Annual Report for the NPRC became due by the last day of March 2019. This is both aConstitutional and a statutory obligation. Section 16 (7) of the NPRC Act obliges the NPRC to further make public, the Annual Report and any other reports expected to have been presented to Parliament, within thirty days. Beyond the law, this is a good practice as it will quell accusations against the NPRC carried in the media to enable it to inform the people of Zimbabwe of the work it is undertaking. The NPRC Commissioner agreed that the Commission needs to be more visible and indicated its intention to have a media blitz to inform the public of its work. The NPRC also highlighted its plans to train journalists and editors on reporting on peace issues. The NPRC’s Interventions in Support of Survivors and Victims The NPRC is mandated by section 252 to deal with past conflicts to ensure post-conflict-justice, healing, and reconciliation. Since its establishment, several conflicts have happened in Zimbabwe, created many victims. These include the 1 August 2018 shootings, January 2019 shutdown atrocities and the 16 August 2019 violations. These are major conflicts on the national radar to warrant the attention of the NPRC. NTJWG encouraged the commission to establish a mechanism for tracking these upcoming conflicts and finding a way to interventions in line with its mandate. The survivors and victims of these conflicts have high expectations for redress. The NPRC Strategy highlights a victims-centric approach to healing and reconciliation and Suite 4, Number 1 Raleigh Street, Harare, Zimbabwe. Tel:+263 242 770170. Email: info@ntjwg.org.zw www.ntjwg.org.zw REF PS09/2019NTJWG

Select target paragraph3