Parly invites public to  nominate commissioners Mr Zvoma
Mr Zvoma

Mr Zvoma

Herald Reporter
Parliament has invited the public to nominate people to be appointed as chairpersons and commissioners on five independent commissions. The nominations are in line with the new Constitution, and the closing date for submission of nominees is May 23, 2014.
The institutions are the Zimbabwe Electoral, Zimbabwe Human Rights, Zimbabwe Gender, Zimbabwe Media and the National Peace and Reconciliation commissions.

Nomination forms are available at Parliament offices in Harare and can also be downloaded on www.parlzim.gov.com

According to the new Constitution, members of most commissions are appointed by the President in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission and the Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders.

Only appointments to the Zimbabwe Media Commission and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission do not require the President to consult the JSC.

New bodies created by the new Constitution are the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

Short-listed candidates will be subjected to public interviews by the Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders before lists of nominees are submitted to the President.

The President will appoint chairpersons and eight other members to each commission from a list of not fewer than 12 nominees.

The eighth member on the Zimbabwe Gender Commission will be a nominee from the National Council of Chiefs.

The new Constitution requires that commissioners be chosen for their integrity, experience and competence.

Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma, yesterday told The Herald that the terms of office of commissioners on existing commissions had either expired or were about to lapse.

“The invitations are requirements of the new Constitution. We are mandated by the Constitution to carry out that constitutional obligation and what it means is that we advertise the posts just before expiration of the incumbents’ terms,” he said.

According to Section 235 of the Constitution, the Commissions are not “subject to the direction or control of anyone and must exercise their functions without fear, favour or prejudice although they are accountable to Parliament for the efficient performance of their functions”.

Commissioners should be apolitical.

The ZEC chairperson must be a judge or former judge of the Supreme Court or the High Court, or a person qualified for appointment as such; while the ZHRC and NPRC chairpersons should have served as legal practitioners in Zimbabwe for at least seven years.

 

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