ALLOW me to comment on the just-ended People’s Constitutional Convention held by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA). I believe Lovemore Madhuku should explain how he expects to take charge and mobilise the people to participate in his “people-driven” process if he failed to organise a convention.Accommodation arrangements were in shambles and some organisations had to make alternative arrangements for their delegates to avoid any embarrassment.Again not all of the delegates were fed as the food was served in a chaotic manner and when the convention ended some delegates were still stuck in Harare as NCA could not raise their bus-fares. Meanwhile Madhuku and his secretariat were nowhere to be seen.Madhuku should have learnt from the blunders made at the All-Stakeholders Conference and put his house in order. It might be true that the NCA is broke but why then did they call for a convention of 3 000 delegates when they could only support 10 people?It is clear that the convention was held merely to endorse what was already concluded as there were no adequate plenary sessions to warrant any resolutions. We were just invited to endorse someone’s position and be used as fronts to indicate that NCA has support —— which it does not have.If we had known, our organisation would not have accepted the invitation to participate in the convention. We ended up footing bills that had not been budgeted for and were thrown aside like trash after being used. On trying to make follow-ups to ensure that our delegates got their bus-fare reimbursements the staff at NCA told us they had done their part in inviting us to the convention, it was up to organisations to ensure their delegates got home.By the looks of it Madhuku will not be able to “take charge” and mobilise the people to be on his side. I think the people should participate 100% in the ongoing constitution-making process regardless of the way it was initiated —— it seems more credible.At this rate Madhuku will not be able to take his product outside Bumbiro House or not even across the street to David Livingstone School.
Used and Dumped,Harare.
