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Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
Civil society organisations (CSOs) have been urged to closely monitor and engage Parliament to enhance the policy making processes, as well as the institution’s interaction with the public.

Speaking at a capacity building workshop held in Mutare last week, Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST) programme advisor Mr Phillip Muziri said it was important for CSOs and members of the public to understand the roles and functions of Parliament for them to know when and how to engage the institution.

“With the coming in of the Ninth Parliament of Zimbabwe, it is important that civil society organisations and the public understands how Parliament functions,” he said.

“It is SAPST’s mandate to educate and sensitise civil society organisations and the general public on legislative, oversight and representative developments and how to influence outcomes at Parliament. SAPST facilitates capacity building programmes for CSOs and other stakeholders to ensure they can meaningfully engage parliament.

“We want to ensure that Parliament’s visibility is enhanced and that it ably discharges its representative, legislative and oversight roles. There are misconceptions on the role of MPs, for instance, so these workshops clarify this. We believe stakeholders should make effective use of the parliamentary system.”

The one-day workshop also sought to enlighten stakeholders on the budget process, petition process and the significance of public hearings in the policy making process.

Mr Muziri said Parliament was compelled by the Constitution to facilitate public involvement in its legislative and other processes.

He said the petitioning process was one of the most successful ways of engaging Parliament adding that stakeholders should attend public hearings for their input to be considered during policy making.

Mr Muziri said similar workshops would be held across the country throughout the life of Parliament.