Province Bars Zimbabwe NGO From Organizing Meetings on New Constitution

Zimbabwe's on-again, off-again constitutional revision took a step forward on Friday as 210 rapporteurs for the public outreach phase that might begin later this month completed two days of training in Harare.

But a new controversy cropped up in Mashonaland Central province whose governor was said to have told local officials to prohibit meetings on the constitution called by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network.

Meetings scheduled this week in the province were canceled though police had earlier cleared them.

Provincial Governor Martin Dinha was said to have instructed local officials to bar such programs, which the election support group had organized ahead of the official outreach drive yet to begin. VOA could not reach Dinha for comment on those reports.

ZESN says some of those who were intending to take part in the meetings were threatened.

ZESN Outreach Officer Emma Chiseya in Bindura said the governor’s action reflected the level of intolerance that still prevails in some parts of Zimbabwe and also violates the 2008 Global Political Agreement under which the unity government operates.