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Herald Reporter
The Home Affairs Ministry has no legal mandate to determine police operational issues, Justice and Legal Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamasa has said.
He was responding to questions raised in the Senate during the second reading stage of the Zimbabwe National Security Council Amendment Bill.
This Bill and three others yesterday sailed through the Senate and now await Presidential assent for them to become law.
The other Bills are the Criminal Laws Amendment (Protection of Power Communication and Water Infrastructure) Bill, the Attorney-General’s Office Bill, and the Energy Regulatory Authority Amendment Bill.
During debate on the National Security Council Bill, Minister Chinamasa said policy direction for the police could not be subject to a political appointee such as a minister and hence was reposed in the Commissioner-General.
He said a political appointee could be tempted to target his opponents by using the police against them.
The policy direction concerns were raised by non-constituency Senator, Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development Deputy Minister Tichaona Mudzingwa (MDC-T).
Minister Chinamasa responded: “If we were to allow political animals like ourselves to take charge of operations, we will regret by the end of the day because we will use that office to arrest those we think pose a political threat to us and not those committing crimes.
“A Police Commissioner cannot be directed on who to arrest because that would be a travesty of justice.”
Minister Chinamasa and his Energy and Power Development Minister, Elton Mangoma, steered the four Bills through Senate.
Minister Mangoma said Government had instituted investigations into circumstances surrounding the disappearance of at least US$35 million from Noczim.
The money from fuel suppliers — collected on Zimra’s behalf — went missing between February 2009 and February last year.
He said this had contributed to the recent fuel shortage as the State was left with no reserve stocks.