ED consolidation of power an indictment on constitutionalism

INAPPROPRIATE laws inherited from colonial rule have been the major source of poverty and alienation in rural communities where 68% of the population live.

To a larger extent, government has maintained the status quo in rural areas to manipulate people and exploit their natural resources.

Increased appetite for elitism and political dominance by the governing party, Zanu PF, is turning Zimbabwe into a predatory State.

Rural district councils have a mandate to uplift their communities under their jurisdictions through service provision.

These institutions have failed to fulfil their mandate by political elites and securocrats who are corruptly assuming responsibility of available resources to line their pockets.

The United Nations guiding principles for business and human rights implore the State to enforce laws that require business to respect human rights and periodically address policy gaps to ensure the adequacy of such laws.

Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe binds the State and agencies of government at every level to respect, protect, promote and fulfil human rights.

The insatiable desire to plunder public resources by political elites has made it difficult for government to balance business and human rights.

The consolidation of power by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as highlighted in the Constitutional Amendment No 2 Bill that he has since signed into law, is an indictment to constitutionalism and the rights of citizens to democratic governance.

Authoritarianism will further worsen the lives of communities made vulnerable by ongoing predatory extraction of minerals in Zimbabwe.

The exploitation of resources, for the benefit of political elites and securocrats is the worst sight of human rights violation.