Documents in possession of The Standard show that Copac has shelved discussions on gays and lesbians’ rights. The documents also reveal that the committee is divided on whether Satanism should be included or not in the new constitution.
The contentious issue of gay rights was referred for political discussion because there were people who were of the notion that homosexuality did not qualify to be a right.
“The debate was based on the feeling that the constitution is there to protect minority rights while others felt that people spoke strongly against the issue during the outreach programmes, which they argued was a clear indication they wanted it forbidden in this country,” the report says.
Tsvangirai opened a hornet’s nest with calls for the legalisation of homosexuality. While in the UK recently, Tsvangirai said he hoped the new constitution would come up with freedom for sexual orientation, immediately drawing the ire of Zanu PF and cultural activists in Zimbabwe.
The prime minister has been questioned on why he seems to say one thing to a Zimbabwean audience and another to a foreign audience. Mugabe has described homosexuals as worse than “pigs and dogs”.
On the issue of Satanism, the report says the technical committee could not reach a consensus because others argued there was freedom of worship already and therefore, it encompassed Satanism because it’s part of worship.
The report also shows that the country is set to ban the interception of telephonic private conversations and replace it with the “Namibian Section 13”.However, The Standard could not by the time of going to print verify what the Namibian Section 13 says.
