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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Senate is next Tuesday expected to vote on Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (Number One) Bill after the proposed law went through committee stage in the Upper House yesterday. The Bill sailed through the National Assembly on Tuesday. Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who oversees the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, steered the Bill, where he argued that the proposed constitutional amendments were consistent with global best practices.

The Bill seeks to confer the President the powers to appoint the Chief Justice, his deputy and High Court Judge president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission. Senators from the MDC-T walked out after the second reading after noting that they could do little to stop passage of the Bill.

During debate, Senators from the MDC-T opposed the passage, while those from Zanu-PF and traditional leaders led by Chiefs’ Council president Fortune Charumbira supported it.

In his second reading speech, VP Mnangagwa said even in Britain, the Queen was involved in the appointment of the head of the judiciary, while in the United States, the president does the same.

This, said VP Mnangagwa, meant that there was nothing untoward with what Zimbabwe was doing in amending the Constitution.

“We could have even amended it (the Constitution) the day after its passage in 2013. It is not cast in stone,” said VP Mnangagwa.

He said Government respected the Constitution and that was why Chief Justice Luke Malaba was appointed in terms of the current Constitution.

“Currently, the law provides for interviews and until this Bill becomes the law, the next Chief Justice will be appointed in terms of the current Constitution.

“We are obedient to the rule of law,” said VP Mnangagwa.

He was responding to concerns from MDC-T Senators, who had asked why Government was amending the Constitution soon after it had been adopted.

In his contribution to the debate, Chief Charumbira said Senators must be guided by the objective of the amendments, where it was felt as untenable for juniors to interview their seniors.

“Even in corporates, we have never seen the chief executive officer being interviewed by middle managers. It is like you as Senators being interviewed by councillors, you will object to that because they are juniors,” said Chief Charumbira.

“It is constitutional to amend the Constitution. We have put laid down procedures to be followed. You cannot ask why are you amending the Constitution because it was agreed that it can be amended provided the procedures have been followed.”