Civic groups under the banner of People’s Will Coalition on Tuesday submitted a letter to the new President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa calling on his administration to consider putting in place an inclusive government as a key pillar to building national unity, social cohesion while enhancing prospects for economic prosperity.
The letter signed by Rev Dr Kenneth Mtata, Secretary General of the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) and endorsed by various civic groups under different umbrella bodies including Media Alliance of Zimbabwe, Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust among others said a well thought-out transitional period and mechanism would offer the nation sufficient time to establish a conducive environment for free, fair and credible elections.
“In this regard, we believe that a well thought-out transitional period and mechanism would offer the nation sufficient time to establish a conducive environment for free, fair and credible elections. Our first election in this new dispensation should therefore be open to all citizens, including those in the diaspora.
“As a first step it is, therefore, critical that existing electoral laws and bodies be aligned to the 2013 Zimbabwean Constitution.
“Additionally, in order to enhance the integrity of our electoral processes and outcomes, your Administration should consider accreditation of all local, regional and international observer missions, and a continuous Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) process.
“Further, the BVR process should—in keeping with the constitutional right to access to information—be made open for verification by civil society,” said Rev Mtata.
The groups further appealed to Mnangagwa to address issues of corruption, human trafficking and other illicit financial flows which they said have effectively ruined Zimbabwe’s economic development.
“Your Excellency, we strongly concur with you, “Acts of corruption must stop forthwith.” The fleecing of public revenue through illicit financial flows, narcotics and more recently human trafficking is a blight to the conscience of our nation.
“Economic recovery and the provision of adequate jobs and social services are highly dependent on our collective ability to combat corruption and illicit financial flows,” read part of the letter.
Other issues raised in the letter includes, economic policy reform, gender inequalities, putting in place a debt sustainability framework among other issues the groups demanded Mnangagwa to act on.
The civic groups under the banner of People’s Will Coalition on Friday last week gathered more than 4000 delegates from all sectors of the population to deliberate on a wide range of issues including the role of citizens in the new political dispensation.
