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Editor — There is no doubt in my mind that the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) will probably continue to witness dwindling attendance figures at its “report back” meetings. 

The reasons are attributable to many factors but it will suffice to mention one or two of them which, regrettably, are of ZHRC’s own making, advertently or inadvertently, or even a combination of both. 

Not so long ago the commission held a report back meeting in the Matabeleland North province.

Unfortunately, the attendance was drastically low, rock bottom low even by comparison with the previous meeting.  Either the low attendance reflected the negligible number of invitations extended to the residents of the province or it was because, judging by the previous gathering, the people saw no value in the commission’s outreach endeavours. 

Whatever the case might be it is neither here nor there … as people are quite at liberty to take a position or hold an opinion or both these two at the same time.

However, personally I take a diametrically opposite assessment rather than take a  position or hold an opinion.  

A postmortem is appropriate, instructive and informative.  ZHRC management should know that the people they invite to their gatherings need to be taken not for granted but seriously as they consciously set aside or reschedule their commitments for the day.  They deserve to be rewarded both financially and food-wise. 

This is the norm worldwide. 

The invitees are usually leaders of their organisations and/or communities and are a vital component of the information and statistical data without which ZHRC work would not be worthy the paper it is printed on. 

It is very disrespectful that after the meeting has ended people wait for food for two hours and the meeting itself will have commenced 60 minutes or 90 minutes late.  People need to be respected, as I have said above.

On a more serious note ZHRC is a State- funded institution. Therefore it should not reimburse the chiefs only in respect of travel allowances or other senior government officials. 

The locals too deserve a token  financial “thank you” for their input without which the commission would not fulfil its national mandate. The  omission should not be so blatantly tight-fisted and mutely mean and stingy.  The ZHRC should not discriminate on the basis of status or position. This is against the Zimbabwe Constitution.

There is even a more serious and disturbing dimension to the ZHRC organisational approach at its meetings. The officials will always impose their demand on the audience to clap their hands when a chief has spoken or simply said “salibonani, linjani”.  

The audience is manipulated and reduced to animated toys. Personally I do not clap my hands because of the status or position of the speaker as of the content of the speech or contribution. 

At one of the gatherings in Matabeleland North Province one of the ZHRC officials actually stated that, “I see that some of you don’t clap your hands when a chief has spoken”, or something to that effect. People are not at these gatherings for chiefs. In the end ZHRC audiences will be drawn mainly from traditional leaders and government departments.

It becomes too monotonously repetitive to be told “Mtshayeleni izandla” even if I disagree with the speaker. 

To the ZHRC officials everyone attends their meetings is a minor who must be told to clap hands.  I think they need to brush up on their act before engaging the communities. 

It is none of the ZHRC’s officials’ business to observe who among the audience is or is not clapping hands for the chief.  Clapping hands is a personal choice exclusive to an individual, please.  The PA’s office and its staff are not part of ZHRC.  The office of the PA is largely a political one.

Subrosa, Lupane.