i)
Institutional/ Structural Issues
Structural considerations that form the
peace and reconciliation framework are
hierarchical arrangements, institutional
design and operational architecture of
the NPRC. Respondents indicated that
the institution responsible for facilitating
peace and reconciliation processes should
be independent in terms of being free
from influence by the government and
politicians. They also specified that “church
and community leaders should be involved
in educating the citizens on the NPRC.55
“
...Church leaders
and community
leaders should
be involved in
the educating the
citizens on the
NPRC”
This means there must be an inclusion
of civic society organisations in the
formal NPRC process. Communities
also proposed that the commission be
a le
decentralized in order to ensure that people
in remote areas are also able to access the
Commission’s service. However, what was
emphasized by all research participants
is the need for decentralising the national
peace and reconciliation architecture to
the ward level in order to reach out to a
wider audience.
The proposed decentralisation model
structure was a template of the Joint
Operations Monitoring and Implementation
Committee (JOMIC) which was established
during the Government of National Unity
(GNU) between 2009 -2013. One key
informant said the peace and reconciliation
process “should adopt the JOMIC model
by creating structures that investigate
thoroughly community level issues.”56
JOMIC was decentralised cutting across all
tiers, National, Provincial District and Wardbased structures led by Political Liaison
Officers. The structures were composed
of all political parties participating in the
GNU. Respondents were asked to indicate
the extent to which they want to see the
NPRC decentralised. Table 6 below shows
survey respondents’ views on the question:
Reconciliation
should
have
national
coordination structures at village, ward,
district and provincial levels.
De ire pea e an re on iliation tr t re
Administrative structures
Percentages
Village
20.9%
Ward
20.3%
District
20.2%
National
19.7%
Province
18.9%
Total
100.0%
Personal interview with a former Zimbabwe National Army Offer in Chinhoyi on the 12th of June 2016
Personal interview with a key informant interviewee in Mberengwa on the 5th of July 2016
55
56
32 RECONCILIATION PROCESSES IN ZIMBABWE
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