By Yvonne Manjengwa

Harare, 11 January 2018

The Heal Zimbabwe Trust (HZT) has applauded President Emmerson Mnangagwa for signing into law the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) Act on 5 January 2018.

The enactment of the Act into law comes at a time when the organisation has uncompromisingly advocated for the full operationalisation of the Commission with the latest initiative being the statement sent on 02 January 2017 to ensure the Independent Commission fulfills its constitutional mandate of promoting post conflict justice, healing and reconciliation.

Over the years, HZT has raised awareness on the importance of operationalising the Independent Commission using various initiatives that include collaborative neutral platforms, NPRC information kiosks, clean up and door to door campaigns, public meetings, training workshops among others.

“These activities helped citizens to become engaged and pro-active in calling for full operationalisation of NPRC”

In 2016 and 2017, HZT successfully mobilized citizens to add their voice to the NPRC draft bill during Parliamentary Hearings and it is at these hearings where citizens rejected both bills on the basis that they ignored reconciliation issues.

“The Bills also failed to clearly highlight how the NPRC would deal with key reconciliation issues such as Operation Murambatsvina and Gukurahundi among other issues. In the same years, the organisation also compiled a baseline report on the nature and formats the healing and reconciliation process should take”.

HZT believes in a bottom –up approach to healing and reconciliation, a process that is inclusive of people from every level of society.

However, Heal Zimbabwe notes that while the Act incorporated some amendments raised during public hearings across the country, there remain serious provisions in the Act which were not repealed to incorporate the public concerns.