1.0 Introduction On 10 February 2017, the Government of Zimbabwe gazetted the National Peace and Reconciliation Bill [H.B.2, 2017.] (the new NPRC Bill) to put the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) into operation and related matters. This bill is the successor to the National Peace and Reconciliation Bill H.B 13, 2015 (the old Bill) which was gazetted on 18 December 2015 and withdrawn from Parliament in May 2016 following criticism by the National Transitional Justice Working Group (NTJWG), the Parliamentary Legal Committee, as well as members of the public during the Public Hearings held from 10 to 18 April 2016. Among many weaknesses pointed out in this analysis, three stand out with the potential to kill the Commission from its foundations. These are the lack of victim centredness, interference by the executive in various ways as well as the deafening silence on gender. These three must be addressed if the Commission is to be effective. A few things have improved from the previous Bill. These are the Ministerial Certificate which can now be set aside by the Commission, the reporting which is now direct to Parliament and is time bound. There is still more that needs to be done to ensure that the law meets the acceptable standards for a Commission of this nature. Such improvements are suggested in this report. 2.0 The Long Title The NPRC Bill opens with a long title, which reads, To put the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission into operation; to confer additional jurisdiction on the Commission, including the investigative powers, to provide for the terms of office, conditions of service, qualifications and vacation of office of Members of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission and the appointment of the Executive Secretary; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing. 2.1 Comments on the Long Title Extract from Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act of 2005 Recognizing that introspection, national healing and reconciliation will be greatly enhanced by a process which seeks to establish the truth through a public dialogue which engages the nation about the nature, causes and effects of the civil conflicts and the impact it has had on the Liberian nation in order to make recommendations which will promote peace, justice and reconciliation;… The purpose of a long title is to give a short descriptive summary of the subject matter of the Act. After reflecting on the purpose of the proposed law, stakeholders felt that the current title is weak and does not embrace the full purpose of the NPRC Law. The NPRC Law is not just another Act but has a special place in the history of Zimbabwe as it inaugurates Zimbabwe’s process of dealing with its past by confronting the legacy of violence and commencing the process of transformation from a past of gross violence to a future of peace. Hence the long title must clearly show that purpose. It thus needs to be emphasised that the NPRC Law is not merely setting up an administrative tool for some simple task. It is a law of monumental significance, requested for by the masses of Zimbabwe to open a dialogue on violence, peace, truth and justice. A dialogue into the past and into the future is meant to assist the people of Zimbabwe to engage with an ugly and frightening past in order to design a better future. 5 NTJWG Analysis of the NPRC Bill, March 2017