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Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
TWO BULAWAYO lawyers are among 30 candidates shortlisted for the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) interviews to be conducted on 16 April in Harare.

In terms of Sections 237 and 251 of the Constitution, the Parliamentary Committee on Standing Rules and Orders (CSRO) is mandated to nominate candidates for appointment by the President to serve as NPRC Commissioners.

Section 17 of the Constitution states that at least four of the members should be women.

Ms Marilyn Mutshina, a former Bulawayo magistrate now in private practice and Mr Kholwani Ngwenya, a lawyer at TJ Mabhikwa and Partners in Bulawayo, will join 28 other candidates for the interviews to fill eight NPRC posts. Previous Commissioners had only served one term and are therefore eligible for re-appointment. Five of them are on the list of candidates to be interviewed and they are: Dr Godfrey Chada, Dr Gorden Chekenyere, Ms Patience Chiradza, Dr Leslie Ncube, Ms Choice Ndoro and Mrs Lillian Chigwedere.

Other aspiring candidates who were nominated include former MDC-T vice-president and lawyer Mr Obert Gutu, Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco) board member Dr Mildred Mushunje, Great Zimbabwe lecturer Dr Tinashe Rukuni, former Police Deputy Commissioner-General Dr Josephine Shambare, Mr Joshua Chibundu, Ms Gertrude Chimange, Dr Obadiah Dodo, Dr Donwell Dube, Mrs Nomaqhawe Gwere, Mr Peter Jack, Mr Okay Machisa and Mr Robert Mandeya.

The candidates also include Mrs Elizabeth Mandiwoma, Dr Lawrence Mhandara, Reverend Chiropafadzo Moyo, Rev Andrew Muchechetere, Dr Douglas Munemo, Mrs Tshimumoyo Ndlovu, Mr Ernest Nyamukachi, Dr Josiah Taru, Mrs Thammary Vhiriri and Ms Angelica Zodzi.

The eight vacancies arose following the expiry of term of office of the commissioners in February. The NPRC chairperson is directly appointed by the President but the Commission’s incumbent chairperson, Justice Sello Nare, is only serving his fourth year of office and so is not affected.

In a statement, clerk of Parliament Mr Kennedy Chokuda said due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the public interviews will be held in the Senate Chamber and viewed on national television and its social media platforms

“The public is also advised that the interviews will now be held on Friday 16th April, 2021 and in view of the prevailing Covid-19 regulations and restrictions, we invite and expect the public to follow the interviews on television, our Facebook page and our Twitter handle @ParliamentZim,” he said.

The functions of the NPRC as specified under Section 252 of the Constitution are to ensure post-conflict justice, healing and reconciliation, develop and implement programmes to promote national healing, unity and cohesion in Zimbabwe and the peaceful resolution of disputes.

They also include bringing about national reconciliation by encouraging people to tell the truth about the past and facilitating the making of amends and the provision of justice, develop procedures and institutions at a national level to facilitate dialogue among political parties, communities, organisations and other groups, in order to prevent conflicts and disputes arising in the future.

The Commission is also tasked with developing programmes to ensure that persons subjected to persecution, torture and other forms of abuse receive rehabilitative treatment and support, receive and consider complaints from the public and take such action in regard to the complaints as the Commission considers appropriate.

It is also supposed to develop mechanisms for early detection of areas of potential conflicts and disputes and to take appropriate preventive measures, to do anything incidental to the prevention of conflict and the promotion of peace, conciliate and mediate disputes among communities, organisations, groups and individuals and recommending legislation to ensure that assistance, including documentation, is rendered to persons affected by conflicts, pandemics or other circumstances. — @mashnets.