‘Underfunding cripples NPRC’

HEAL Zimbabwe has decried lack of political will and under-funding that has grounded the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) national healing and reconciliation programmes.

In its latest report titled Zimbabwe’s Transitional Justice Vehicle: A White Elephant, Heal Zimbabwe states: “The NPRC is administratively and structurally ready to carry out national healing and reconciliation processes because the commission has a structured institution with staff in Bulawayo and other towns. The NPRC staff and its peace committees have received recognisable capacity-building support through training and exchange programmes since 2018. The NPRC reports show that the commission has plans to implement public hearings and exhumations, but invisible hands have blocked the actions based on unexplained technical issues.”

Heal Zimbabwe said there had been lack of political will to ensure the NPRC functions independently as it has suffered interference while undertaking its obligations.

“Lack of political will by the government and political parties prevented adequate financing of the commission. This prevented the commission from functioning independently to the extent that its public outreach activities have been interfered with by national security institutions and political actors,” it said.

Heal Zimbabwe also alleged that the NPRC is discriminating against civil society organisations in its healing processes.

The report further attributed the commission’s underperformance to lack of parliamentary oversight.

“The commission’s reports demonstrate that there was very little interaction between the NPRC and parliamentary committees responsible for providing oversight to the commission. Without legislators’ oversight, the NPRC remains vulnerable to political control and interference by the government and political parties, hence losing its operational independence,” Heal Zimbabwe said.

NPRC spokesperson Obert Gutu was unreachable for comment yesterday.