Shakespeare Muzavazi
Gweru residents have come out guns blazing against the Mugabe‘s attempt to amend the Constitution of Zimbabwe to ensure that only he has the prerogative to appoint the Chief Justice.
In a heated meeting held recently residents said the government should amend the road other than wasting time and energy on the constitution.
Mugabe’s attempt to amend the constitution through constitutional Amendment Number (1) bill to enable him to appoint a new Chief Justice faced another setback.
Taurai Samambwa, a Gweru resident said the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) should be given the sole mandate to appoint top judicial officers through public interviews as provided for in the constitution.
“The Constitution ushered in 2013 clearly states that the Chief Justice is appointed following thorough public interviews were their competence is tested for all to see.
But we are not happy with current efforts by the Executive to arm twist the Constitution and ensure they have the sole appointing authority”
Another local Johnson Chibwe said the Government should not waste time in amending the constitution instead it should amend the roads.
“Several issues in the country are not getting the attention they deserve, the road network has crumbled and all the money being used here to convene public hearing and legal suits in the courts should be used to ensure basic services are delivered to citizens,” added Chibwe.
Pastor Karima, another citizen queried the effort and commitment by the government to amend a Constitution whose full implementation is already a sticking point saying “let the Constitution which is three years, work first before the amendment begin.’’
Another attendee identified as Doubt Ncube said too much of anything can be dangerous to human kind therefore, all the problems the country is facing are as a result of have investing all the powers in the hands the President, and therefore judges should not be chosen by the President but should be elected via an interview.
However another resident, Stanley Pandora weighed in saying the Government should do as per their wish to amend the Constitution
‘’If they wish to amend the constitution they should go ahead and do so, the leader should do as per his wish, if the President wishes to amend the constitution then he should do what pleases him’’, said Pandora.
The Parliamentary Committee on Justice led by Ziyambi Ziyambi is on nationwide drive to gather public views on the contentious amendment to the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe which seeks to abolish the role played by the Judicial Services Commission JSC in interviewing the candidates for the Chief Justice post and give that power to the executive.
