Writes Lloyd Rabaya The Election Resource Centre (ERC) yesterday raised concern over the continued intimidation of its accredited observers and staff who observed the harmonised elections. The coercion comes after the arrest of a combined 39 ERC and Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) observers on allegations that they had intended to announce the 2023 harmonised…
Writes Kumbirai Mafunda Zimbabwean authorities are holding incommunicado about 40 employees of some civil society organisations (CSOs) after seizing them on Wednesday 23 August 2023 in Harare. The CSO employees drawn from the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) and Election Resource Centre (ERC) were rounded up around 9: p.m. on 23 August 2023 and detained…
Writes Marlvin Ngiza Young people have come out guns blazing against the apostolic sect, accusing them of perpetrating child marriages in Masvingo province through the unjustified spiritual claims and basis that men under these denominations were allegedly getting married to teenagers. Speaking about the development, the ‘Child Not Bride’ Founding President, who is also the…
The President of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira has welcomed Mrs. Lindiwe Khumalo into her new position as Clerk of Parliament, ahead of her oath of office later today. The two held an introductory meeting to discuss key priority areas. The President engaged the Clerk about her role in ensuring the practical…
Writes Lovemore Chazingwa The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), has released its latest comprehensive August 2023 election calendar for accurate guidance and planning purposes for all stakeholders. The roadmap is fed from His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa issuing Statutory Instrument 85 of 2023 in terms of Section 144 of…
Hon Enaam Mayara, the Speaker of the Senate of Morocco, has congratulated Hon Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) on his re-election as a member of the Senate of Zimbabwe. “This is a significant accomplishment and a testament to your hard work, dedication to your country, and commitment to our continent….
Writes Elvis Dumba Kariba – A worrying trend of the involvement of young children has been noticed in the current political landscape as politicians solicit votes in the forthcoming harmonized elections. The media has been urged to be ethical and sensitive to children in covering election stories. The sentiments came out during the Zimbabwe Media…
Writes Marlvin Ngiza The amendment of Section 193 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act Chapter (9:07) which previously provided for the detention of people who are deaf or mute or both and did not provide sign language interpretation during court proceedings has been applauded with expressions that the development was going to necessitate access…
The 21st Zimbabwe-Zambia-Botswana (ZIM-ZAM-BOTS) Senior Parliamentary Staff Seminar put a spotlight on the sterling work undertaken by the various Parliaments during the COVID-19 lockdown period across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and worldwide. In his keynote address to the participants, Advocate Jacob Francis N. Mudenda, the Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe during that…
As South Africa commemorated Women’s Day, Kwanele Foundation, a South African based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) advocating and standing against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, hailed the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and its President, Hon. Chief Fortune Charumbira for honouring the pledge to protect women and girls and promote their rights. In May this year, Kwanele Foundation marched…
Senator Chief Fortune Charumbira has bounced back as a legislator after his unopposed election as Deputy President of the Chiefs’ Council today in Bulawayo in polls conducted by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). After displaying leadership acumen as both the President of the Chiefs’ Council and the Pan African Parliament (PAP), the National Chiefs’ Council…
Writes Nhau Mangirazi Kariba – The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi has challenged the media to help politicians to be tolerant during the campaign period ahead of forthcoming elections. Nyathi made the remarks during the media election reporting training in Kariba where he said there is a need to respect each…
Writes Linda Masarira, LEAD President Some time ago, I registered my concerns about the flawed delimitation report and suggested that the process be redone. Ironically, myself included had settled to just go into the elections without the contentious issues being addressed. Beyond the delimitation report was also the issue of the unconstitutional amendment of the…
The “End violence vote for Her campaign” launched in Harare today seeks to foster and increase women’s political participation and uptake of leadership positions in various spheres of life. The campaign comprises a coalition of development and women’s rights organisations including the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women),…
Writes Elvis Dumba Chinhoyi – The 2023 Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has set in motion a 2023 harmonized general elections process today by presiding over the National Council of Chiefs elections, marking the first stage of this year’s harmonised polls. The elections supervised by ZEC Provincial Elections Officers in all the eight non-metropolitan provinces in…
Aspiring Member of the House of Assembly for Mt Pleasant Constituency, Mr. Beadle Musatye Gwasira has promised to bring meaningful development and sanity to the area. Speaking to this publication ahead of the impending plebiscite scheduled for 23 August this month, the experienced politician and tactician said there is more that he is planning to…
On behalf of the Bureau and the entire membership of the Pan-African Parliament, His Excellency, Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, the President of the Pan-African Parliament, has commended the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government and the astute leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for urgently responding to the brazen coup d’ etat in the…
Writes Elvis Dumba Murombedzi – Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) parliamentary candidate for Zvimba North Constituency, Willard Jenami said former President, Robert Mugabe denied him an opportunity for being installed as a chief due to his links with the opposition. Speaking during a campaign rally in Murombedzi, Zvimba that was addressed by CCC Presidential candidate,…
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has launched the multi-media electoral rights awareness campaign for the 2023 harmonised elections which is running under the theme; “My Vote, My Right, My Country”. Addressing journalists, Mr. Elasto Mugwadi, the ZHRC Chairperson said his organisation is the National Human Rights Institution (NHRI) for Zimbabwe with a dual Constitutional…
On behalf of the Bureau and the entire membership of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), the President of the Pan-African Parliament, His Excellency, Chief Fortune Zephania Charumbira, has noted with grave concern the unfolding situation in the Republic of Niger, which has all the trappings of an attempted coup by a section of the military. Chief Charumbira…
The Gender Observatory has been commissioned as a mechanism for monitoring gender issues during the 2023 Harmonised Elections. In her address, at the Zimbabwe Gender Observatory Sensitisation Workshop and Commissioning of 2023 Gender Observatory Members in Harare today, Commissioner Margaret Mukahanana-Sangarwe, the Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) appreciated the financial support from the…
The Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) have signed a memorandum of understanding with a view to strengthening bilateral collaboration between the two institutions. During the signing ceremony, Hon Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan African Parliament, commended the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human…
Writes Tafadzwa Muranganwa A local Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO) is worried about the high incidences of acquittals of child molesters and rapists. Speaking at a media conference in the capital on Friday, Zimbabwe Association of Church-Related Hospitals (ZACH) programme coordinator, Dennis Dzikiti revealed that the rate of acquittals of child molesters and rapists is worrying even the…
The Pan-African Parliament took part in the strategic reflection on the African Governance Architecture (AGA) held in Nairobi, Kenya from 9-11 July 2023. The engagement, organized by the African Governance Platform (AGP) ahead of the 5th Mid Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union, aimed to enhance synergy and collaboration in joint flagship projects promoting the…
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine has expressed its profound appreciation to the European Parliament for the recent adoption of their report. The Embassy of Palestine in Zimbabwe commends the European Parliament’s unwavering support for the two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and the call for recognition of Palestinian statehood….
Exiled former minister, Dr. Walter Mzembi has said today’s High Court judgment barring independent presidential candidate Saviour Kasukuwere from contesting is a sad day for democracy in Zimbabwe. “Today’s judgement by the High Court prohibiting our independent candidate Honourable Saviour Kasukuwere has been received and noted by our Legal Team in Harare who are now…
Writes Elvis Dumba Zvimba – Young people in Zvimba South Constituency have said they are pinning their hopes on the constituency’s ZANU PF House of Assembly candidate, Dexter Taurai Malinganiso, to positively turn their fortunes through inclusion. The young people said they believe Malinganiso understands their needs as he relates to them better as they…
Writes Marlvin Ngiza The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has been encouraged to make the election environment conducive for people with disabilities by ensuring easy accessibility of polling stations and the availability of disaggregated data for full-fair participation of the group. In an interview with Spiked Online Media, Disability Reform Coalition Chairperson Masimba Kuchera said that there…
Civil Society Organizations gathered in Lusaka for a three-day consultation with the Pan-African Parliament’s Committee on Gender have called for a progress report from African Union member states on the implementation of existing laws, designed to close the gap of gender inequality. Participants have further enquired about the status of the domestication of the Maputo Protocol. Citing…
The 53rd Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Assembly has roared to life in Tanzania and will focus on the Theme “Modernising Agriculture to Address Food Insecurity and Youth Unemployment in the SADC Region: The Role of Parliaments” and is running from 2 to 8 July 2023. In his presentation at the meeting,…
Writes Elvis Dumba Trelawney – The multimillion-dollar mining industry to be set up in Mapinga will give way to the establishment of a new city alongside Great Dyke in Mapinga and is anticipated to become an employment hub for residents of Zvimba and the rest of Zimbabwe. This was revealed by Zvimba South Constituency ZANU…
Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe and member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee is currently in Lisbon, Portugal attending the 290th Session of the IPU Executive Committee Meeting from 28th to 30 June 2023 where he is also campaigning for the Presidency of the lawmaking entity. The…
The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union (PSC) are set to hold their annual consultative meeting to take stock of the peace and security situation on the African continent today, 30 June 2023. The high-level consultative engagement will take place on the margins of the 1160th meeting of the…
Writes Elvis Dumba Chinhoyi – Former Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidakwa is confident of reclaiming his position as Zvimba South Constituency Legislator . Chidakwa said his focus is on fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of Zvimba South Constituency community in developmental projects. Speaking to the media after filing his nomination papers with Zimbabwe…
An urgent court application challenging the constitutionality of Sections 2(a) and 2(b) of the Electoral (Nomination of Candidates) (Amendment) Regulations, 2022 (No. 1) Statutory Instrument 144 of 2022 filed yesterday, the 19th of June 2023 is before the Constitutional Court. Advocate Choice Damiso instructed by the Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) is representing…
Writes Elvis Dumba Banket – Parliament is expected to correct a constitutional blunder that was a result of a printing error. This was revealed by the Minister of Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi. The legal guru said they only noticed the error recently following information availed by the opposition members from Citizens Coalition…
Writes Bernard Marr Next-generation technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and hybrid cloud computing are creating unprecedented opportunities for businesses. But many find that they face challenges when it comes to modernizing apps and infrastructure in order to take advantage of them. Large enterprises, in particular, are often reliant on systems that have been in place…
Writes Engineer Jacob Kudzayi Mutisi Zimbabwe has a relatively well-developed digital economy with nine financial institutions listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE). With the introduction of the Cyber Security and the Data Protection Bill and the act that is now law. It is now the duty of the Zimbabwe Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) to…
Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) is leading a high-level delegation to the first Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue in Marrakesh. H.E. Chief Fortune Charumbira and his delegation have arrived in Marrakesh, Kingdom of Morocco to take part in the Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue. Organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union…
Amnesty International Responding to the news that the Senate passed on 7 June 2023 the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Amendment Bill 2022, commonly referred to as the “Patriotic Bill”, which criminalizes “wilfully injuring the sovereignty and national interest of Zimbabwe”, Flavia Mwangovya, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, said: “The…
HE Chief Fortune Charumbira, the President of the Pan African Parliament (PA) has urged revamping of the entire African Union (AU) architecture to ensure that it meets and exceeds the expectations of the people of Africa served by the AU organs. Chief Charumbira made the remarks yesterday in his speech during a retreat on African…
The United Nations (UN) and the Pan African Parliament (PAP) are establishing mechanisms of working together on delivering sustainable development on the African continent. There was evidence that the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) continues to generate interest from various key political and socio-economic stakeholders around the world as its renewal project, led by its leadership in…
Writes Kumbirai Mafunda Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) is greatly saddened by the passing of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill H.B. 15, 2022 (introducing so-called patriotism provisions) in the House of Assembly on 31 May 2023. It now awaits to be presented and debated by the Senate. The Bill was gazetted…
In a collaborative effort, the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Permanent Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, and the Committee on Monetary and Financial Affairs have unanimously agreed to support the European Parliament’s Financial Transaction Tax on Climate Action (FTTCA) law. Their resolution further calls upon member countries of the European Union to adopt…
The Sudanese conflict, which broke off over a month ago, has left hundreds dead and hundreds of thousands either homeless or fleeing the country. Convening in Midrand for the Second Ordinary Session of the Sixth Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), Pan-African Parliamentarians held a debate on the resurging armed conflicts on the African continent,…
