By Karen Nyeraurombo
Kenias Shonhai from ZimRights says the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission can only operate effectively if it is allowed to choose its own secretariat staff.
The country is in the process of coming up with a commission that will receive complaints from the citizens.
Complaints to the commission will mainly be about abuses suffered by citizens at the hand of the security services.
Security organs such as the police, the military and the CIO have been accused of human rights violations.
The violations have come in the form of unfair arrests, abductions and harassment of human rights defenders and journalists.
Speaking during an interview on Tuesday-Talk, Shonhai said if the secretariat is appointed by the President, they will have allegiance to him.
“The Commission itself is not self regulatory and it does not choose its own officers but rather the President does it for them. If the people are chosen then their allegiance lies with him so it becomes difficult for the citizens to trust the commission.
“If the President wants it to operate it will operate then if he doesn’t want it to operate then it will not operate. The regulations must be made by the Commission itself not the President,” he said.
He said the President is too involved in the Commission such that it has no choice but play to his wishes.
Rashid Mahiya from Heal Zimbabwe Trust echoed the same sentiments, adding that the commission can suffer issues.
“If the people do not believe in the commission and if it does not give the impression that it is independent then people will not have confidence in the commission.
“And if the people are appointed by the President then the chances of them being independent are slim,” he said.
Commissions such as ZEC and ZACC are currently failing to operate effectively because citizens do no trust their independence. Get more Covid-19 Stats from CovidZW.info
Allow Complaints Commission to choose its own officers
