By A Correspondent
(News Of The South) – The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) will soon be operational following the appointment of a secretariat to carry out its programmes.
ZHRC deputy executive secretary Erick Mukutiri said at least five human rights officers and some supporting staff assumed duty on Monday.
“The executive secretary, who is the chief executive officer, also assumed duty on Monday together with a few supporting which includes information technology personnel and drivers,” he said.
“It is now in motion, the secretariat is now in place and is geared to run the programme,” he said.
Parties in the then inclusive government agreed to establish the ZHRC to promote awareness and respect for human rights, promote protection, development and realisation of human rights and freedoms as well as to monitor and assess observance of human rights and freedoms in the country.
The commission is made up of nine members who include the chairperson and eight others, four of whom are women.
For proper exercise of its functions, the ZHRC has a secretariat which includes an executive secretary, technical, administrative and support staff.
Mukutiri said 13 more human rights officers would be assuming duty by the end of July.
He said a deputy executive secretary responsible for administration would also be assuming duty soon.
The commission has since acquired a property which it is renovating so that it can move in from the one that it is renting.
“In the interim we will be operating from two regional offices namely the northern and the southern,” he said.
He said the Southern office would cover the Bulawayo metropolis, Matabeleland North and South, Midlands and Masvingo provinces.
The northern region would cover the Harare metropolis, the three Mashonaland provinces and Manicaland.
Mukutiri said the commission was working to open the Bulawayo office by end of the month.
“The interviews have been done and the office is ready for occupation,” he said.
He said limited resources were preventing the commission from establishing offices in the districts as provided in the ZHRC Act.
The government has allocated the commission some vehicles that it withdrew from Jomic although some of these are in a poor state and may not be useable, he said.
On funding, Mukutiri said government was providing the bulk of funds, with technical support coming from development partners who include the United Nations Development Programme, Danish Institute for Human Rights and the European Union.
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