The government will meet the deadline set by the Constitutional Court to formulate the Independent Complaints Commission Bill (ICC) which was scheduled to be in place by 5 November 2020, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
In September this year, the Constitutional Court granted the order sought and gave the Government 45 days within which to Gazette the necessary Bill.
During a Cabinet briefing yesterday, Mutsvangwa said the government approved the Bill which will see the setting up of a commission that will investigate and address human rights violations by security forces.
“Cabinet considered and approved the principles for the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission Bill as presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,” she said.
“The objective is to provide for the establishment and functions of the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission thereby operationalising section 210 of the Zimbabwe Constitution which says an “Act of Parliament must provide an effective and independent mechanism for the receiving and investigating complaints from members of the public about misconduct on the part of members of the security services, and for remedying any harm caused by such conduct,” she added.
The ICC came will address some human rights abuses by the security forces, who have been notorious for gross violations of human rights.
Since 2018, there have been several reports lodged against the security forces but the cases have gone unsolved mainly due to the politicization of the sector.
