Back to Index

Communique: Second meeting of the Governance Implementation Committee
Centre for Peace Initatives in Africa (CPIA)
June 29, 2007

Download this document
- Word 97 version (113KB)
- Acrobat PDF version (164KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here.

The Second Implementation Committee meeting on Governance was held at Carribea Bay Hotel, Kariba on 27 -29 June 2007. Participants included political parties, civil society, trade unions, farmers, churches, war veterans, business, academia, students and the youth.

Following a resolution passed at Nyanga meeting held on 21 May 2007, the Kariba meeting focused on the draft Constitution rejected in 2000 in terms of areas that could be improved or refined to make it acceptable to the majority of stakeholders. The meeting noted that:

1. No constitution is a perfect document.

2. A constitution is a result of compromises that people of a nation make in the national interest. Zimbabwe is going to be no different from other countries. Our document shall always be a result of compromises that we make for our nation and shall not be a perfect document.

We have taken time to consider the 2000 draft Constitution, and we have consulted widely with constitutional experts, political leaders, members of the Civil Society. Many of the people we have consulted were involved in the constitutional consultations that preceded the referendum of 2000. These views have led us to believe in the following;

1. We must not reinvent the wheel.

2. We must build on our experiences.

3. That the 2000 draft Constitution, imperfect as it was, was as a result of compromises, but our people in their wisdom rejected it.

4. In view of the events of the past seven years, since the referendum of 2000, it is our strong belief that the Implementation Committee has made the right recommendation that the draft Constitution of 2000 be considered as a working document and that appropriate amendments be made to it.

Download full document 

Visit the CPIA fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP