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Vice President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa contributes to debate on the General Laws Amendment Bill in Parliament yesterday. — (Picture by John Manzongo)

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
The General Laws Amendment Bill was crafted to deal with minor changes to existing laws while those that need substantive amendment will be dealt with separately, Vice President and overseer of the ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa said yesterday.

VP Mnangagwa said this during the Second Reading of the Bill in the National Assembly while presenting the Bill during its second reading.

“What is on the table are issues that are inconsistent with the current constitution. Out of the 426 pieces of legislation (that need amendment) we have identified 126 which we consider non-consequential,” he said. “The balance is under two categories where in some cases we have to repeal the existing Act and that work is ongoing and the other is when we have to make substantive amendments to the Act.”

VP Mnangagwa said most of the amendments were to do with change of names or offices to conform to the new constitution although others like the Electoral Act, the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act and the Trademarks Act had significant amendments.

Contributing to debate on the Bill, MDC-T Kuwadzana representative, Mr Nelson Chamisa said the proposed amendments were insignificant. “I have noted the incompleteness of the work that has been done,” he said. “They mostly deal with non-consequential amendments and I have concluded that they (amendments) do not deal with the Constitution.”

He added that the amendments to each law should have been brought separately to ensure they are dealt with comprehensively.

MDC-T chief whip and Mutare Central representative Mr Innocent Gonese concurred saying amendments to the Electoral Act and the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act should have been done separately since they require extensive amendments to conform to the Constitution.

“It is preferable that where you have contentious Bills, you bring them separately. It is important that those Bills should have been brought separately so that Zimbabweans can discuss these Bills that have far reaching consequences,” he said.

MDC Matabeleland South proportional representative Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga also proposed amendments to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act to raise the age of consent to 18 years as a way of protecting children from sexual abuse.

Vice President Mnangagwa said he was open to further discussion on the matter when debate resumes during the Committee stage where he is expected to deal with the legislators proposed amendments to the Bill.