Zimbabwe has begun implementing the Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Act, with the transfer of the national voters’ roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar General’s Office already under way, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.
Addressing the Senate on Tuesday, Ziyambi said the constitutional changes took effect after President Emmerson Mnangagwa signed the Bill into law, and government institutions had started putting its provisions into operation.
He said ZEC, the Ministry of Justice, the Registrar General’s Office and the Ministry of Home Affairs were coordinating the migration of the voters’ roll, while committees had been established to oversee the wider implementation of the amendments.
“The law is now in force and working,” Ziyambi said.
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His remarks came in response to a question from Senator Anna Shiri, who asked when the constitutional amendments approved by Parliament would begin taking effect.
The minister said the government would now begin introducing amendments to existing legislation to bring it into line with the revised Constitution.
Among the laws requiring changes are the Electoral Act and the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission Act, following the transfer of some functions previously carried out by the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.
“We need to do several consequential amendments,” Ziyambi said, adding that more Bills would be brought before Parliament to give full effect to the constitutional changes.
Responding to separate questions, the minister said legislators would not be required to take a fresh oath of office unless Parliament was dissolved or they were newly elected or appointed.
He also rejected suggestions that the constitutional amendments had affected the legal status of the Senate, saying the House remained properly constituted and continued to meet the quorum required to conduct its business.
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