I believe everyone should be treated equal,we are witnessing some verbal and physical attacks on the minority white population and just because they did not treat us right it has been proven that this concept of an eye for an eye will leave everyone blind ,so any kind of inflammatory speech should not be tolerated ,be it against black pple or white people.On the issue of gays,I think they are so many gays in america because many children has been raised by single parents and on many occasions they did not have a father figure and they ended up copying some habits from the streets or from the TV .This distorted their configuration and they ended up thinking that being gay is normal.I have never heard anyone close to me who is said to be gay,I think those africans who are trying to be gay they have seen too much Tv and they are trying to be American.I think gays should not be protected by any legal right ,because if we do we should also consider allowing pple to walk nacked in the street as well just like what they do in the Americas .

It is unfortunate that when we were colonised we had no written laws though our traditions and customs were well known. We should therefore preserve the good things and abolish bad ones. Culture is dynamic. We should add better things according to this developed world. We should also endeavour to develop. We must also be able to distinguish between a traditional chief and president/prime minister of a country. When making a constitution we must not try to please an individual for the constitution is paramount for future generations. Everyone including leaders must abide by the constitution.

It is unfortunate that when we were colonised we had no written laws though our traditions and customs were well known. We should therefore preserve the good things and abolish bad ones. Culture is dynamic. We should add better things according to this developed world. We should also endeavour to develop. We must also be able to distinguish between a traditional chief and president/prime minister of a country. When making a constitution we must not try to please an individual for the constitution is paramount for future generations. Everyone including leaders must abide by the constitution.

This is a waste of time. Every commonwealth country except for the white commonwealth countries has changed its constitution or has bashed it beyonmd reconition. There is nothing wrong with the original constitution given to you by the British. Any system that does not have the mechanism to remove the crooks out of the system is doomed to repeat its mistakes and untimately fail.Abuse of power by the incumbent is what should be uppermost in your minds. Not changing your constitution.

The developed world has constitutions that have remained the same. What they have done is to strengthen istitutions and not individuals as we do.The self interest of the individual cannot be satisfied in the short run. And the interest of the nation cannot be achieved even in a 100 years.

Zimbabwe is one of the few countires in the world where women are still marginalised. I believe the constitution needs to be changed to give women rights over their children, make them equal partners in marriage and in rights over their children.

In Zimbabwe, the child still belongs to the father! Looking at the abundance of irresponsible fathers out there, no wonder we have Zimbabwean men as some of the few men who are just difficult to deal with, complacency and pride based on very few concrete evidence. Its a wonder that Zimbabwean men have been made to believe that the ability to father children and pay lobola is the highest test of manhood. Most of our men graduate to manhood but very few are responsible fathers, just look at all the children being raised by single mothers and still the man is given all the legal rights over the child. Most countries have changed this law to allow the woman of an unmarried couple to have legal rights over the child, very few women would keep their kids away from their fathers anyway.

It amazes me that for a woman to have legal rights over the child, she has to declare the child fatherless. Its pathetic that we have a law that we know doesnt work and is against women's global rights, yet we keep it and encourage anyone who feels the law is unfair to have kids and not tell the fathers. It is also infringement of international children's rights, a child has the right to have both a father and mother, and it shouldnt be a disadvantage to have both parents registered on their documents.

Why a married woman cant have legal rights over the child escapes me. If parents are married, they should have equal rights over the kid, if they are not, the parent with custody should have legal rights. I have seen women who have single handedly raised their children but cant get passports for their children, because the father's name appears on the birth certificate so it means the two parents are married, what skewed reasoning, so divorced from reality in Zimbabwe.

I think as a nation, we should come to a stage where we encourage our men to find their manhood in something of substance other than having kids and getting married/paying lobola and having dominion over, and taking ownership of their kids and wives. I believe in life, there are better levels of achievement. I lament as I watch our men get tortured by the realisation that women cant really be bought, yet they still hang on to that sinking ship. Paying lobola (which is negligible really compared to anyone's income) and believing that will give them powers over their wives was never proven true even in those olden days. No wonder men now feel so confused by the reality around them, they are failing to cope and most end up on self-destruction paths.

Social workers need to educate society and men and make them realise that times have since changed and they have to realise what is really going on, accept it and look for ways to cope with the change.

Executive authority should be divided between the people of Zimbabwe and the President and cabinet. There should be a representation from the ordinary people picked at random for any executive decisions by the president and cabinet. The president should just chair the decision making process and endorse whatever the ordinary people would have agreed on. Executive authority simply must be an echo of the people's decisions; that is, the president only moderates and sanctions what the people say. Nothing must come from the president and his cabinet without a decision by the people. That way, we will respect the president as being ours and not theirs.Power sharing between the president and his cabinet, and the people should be 2:3. He must consult more, his people, for any executive decision to be made. That will nip run-away presidents we are accustomed to. The president cannot just pardon known criminals for the purpose of releasing his boys, at the expense of wrongfully imprisoned people, without consulting the people he represents. The president cannot have the law of equity in his hands, alone, and yet the courts do not have it; the people must decide whether to award a poor woman a house she has stayed in for all her life, which the husband sold after a quarrel. The president should not have the authority, alone, to send our children to die in other countries under the guise of executive powers. The people must decide. Even if we have representatives in the form of MP's, they may have been lobbied to agree with him as they, sometimes, must to tow the line; the people must decide at every stage which requires executive decision. The president must work for his authority.

it is also vital for the government to monitor how the tax income is is spend. tax income should be spend in a way that benefits and is agreed upon by the taxpayers. thus tax income should have a stipulated way of how it is spent, and parliament aught to approve every spending

no to dual citizenship be zimbabwean and carry zimbabwean documents, people please dont come to zimbabwe because its peaceful and when things are not okay you look for your british passport to runaway

Zimbabwe needs to focus on priorities. Spending huge sums on intelligence services simply does not make sense. Yes, Zimbabweans need security but fair and free elections, and independent judiciary and so on must be the priority.

I beg to differ to this section. While I appreciate the fact that all indigenous langauges are recognised but to make just 3 langauges as official languages does not make an difference from the current situation whre the other indigenosu langauges are almost at the verge of extinction. Why not make all indigenous langauges be official in their own areas. FOR MORE REASONS PLEASE CLICK ON THE NCA DRAFT WEBSITE ON COMMENTS WHERE I ARGUE MY CASE OUT ON WHY ALL LANGUAGEAS SHOULD BE MADE OFFICIAL.

I believe dual citizenship is the only way that will bring our professionals back home. maybe only the soldiers and possibly police could be exempted, if there are any concerns about loyalty and allegiance in times of conflict.

There should be no more than 120 Constituencies -

In Africa, women do not marry. They do not pay lobola, or bring cash and cattle to the parents of the man...therefore, if, through affirmative action, you are going to take away the means of income from the man, it is only fair that the new imbalance be corrected: ban lobola and any form of dowry, to protect men.

We cannot accept a Western norm and force it on a people who have their own norms and force them to live with the consequences....just to please or conform with Western values.

African women will not get into marriage with unemployed African men. Take this example, generalized, and microcosmic, there are 10 jobs...10 boys and 10 girls. in the old sysytem the 10 boys got the jobs, and married the 10 girls....resulting in an even distribution of wealth.

Now, however, due to affirmative action, 5 girls get 5 jobs, and 5 boys get the other 5 jobs. Because no African girl would be seen dead with an jobless man ...so they marry the 5 employed boys. leaving 5 unemployed boys to marry 5 unemployed girls.

Ever wondered why there is an ever widening gap between the poor and the rich? Theres your generalized illustration...

You cannot force western morm on people who still think, live and base their decisions on their own was and expect stability!

"...For purposes of promoting a multi-party democracy, the state must provide funds to political parties....", we are not mature enough to receive the money as ammunition for political activities...money should not be dished out, but the government must be billed for verifiable activities and services consumed by the parties. Any money given out will be used for personal luxuries...as a reward for victories in elections!

The state shall not be compelled to protect or cater for, individuals or groups that choose to participate in morally unsound activities, professions or acts...and that such individuals will be punished by the law if their activities should cause the corruption or harm of others.

We cannot abide mahure, mbavha or pfambi. These 'human rights' which seek to turn our societies upside down must be stemmed before it is too late.

"freedom to practise and propagate and give expression to their thought, opinion, religion or belief, whether in public or in private and whether alone or together with others; and". This clause shall not give anyone the right, or freedom to propagate any messages or opinions that conflict with the spirit of Ubuntu and Bantu morality.

Gays, and prostitutes and suck ilk may not be allowed to recruit, have displays meetings or conference within the borders of Zimbabwe....and may be punished by Zimbabwean law if they seek to recruit Zimbabweans from outside the country

unless such association is for the purpose of immoral acts or the perversion of minors, and society be it directly, or indirectly

"...must be informed promptly of the reason for the arrest or detention".. As we have seen over the last 30 years, promptly, for ZANU-PF, can be anythnig from 1 month, to 1 good full year, please change this line to "must be informed within 12 hours of the reason for the arrest or detention;" or some other such specific period of time. Likewise, the use of terms like " without delay" must be avoided.

"a court as soon as reasonably possible and in any event not later than forty-eight hours after the"...this is perfect! Just what the doctor ordered: specifics!

Judicial officers, police or army personell cannot be protected if they act outside specific, verifiable instructions. And if the said instructions give rise to litigation, the individual who gave such illegal instructions, must pay the compensation from his pocket, or possessions to the extent that the litigation so requires. Taxpayers cannot continue to pay for parties like ZANU_PF to do as it pleases on the understanding that there are no consequences. We must have a constitution that make people think very very carefully, before they give illegal instructions or commands.

the rights of he individual must be clearly and sufficiently define and explained as pertaining ONLY to his individual space and self..and must not and may not interfere with, or take away from, the rights of the community.

Where am I coming from? In Ubuntu, Hunhu, it is inappropriate for anyone to behave inappropriately, or be anti-social, in public because 'he has the right to'. Not clearly defining the scope of 'human rights' with respect to 'community rights' (the rights of the surrounding society with respect to the individual)...we will run into problems America and UK and South Africa, are now grappling with..social chaos.

"When interpreting a written law, and when developing the common law or traditional customary law, every court, tribunal and forum must be guided by the spirit and objects of this Chapter"...Somehow this implies Western law as supreme and our Bantu customs and laws as subordinate.

The new constitution must do away with the term 'customary law' or 'common law'. Our laws and customs must be identified as THE LAW. Why must our marriage systems be treated by our own constitution as worthless? Same with our own methods of justice delivery.

Our ways were always superior in maintaining social order...why must they be subordinate?

We need to reawaken our Bantu consciousnesses and take back our colonized minds.

Granted that no such convention, treaty or law goes against the spirit of Ubuntu, and the cultural norms of the Bantu people of Zimbabwe...

We cannot continue deciding our fates through the eyes and opinions, rules and laws of Westerners. We have our own identity, our own common sense, our own sensitivities.

Allow me to tell a quick story: When a parent is at home with the kids, they do things according to the parent's wishes and instructions. When the parent goes to work, he/she leaves instructions...guidelines for what must be done, when and how.

When the white man was here, he set his laws upon our backs, wiped away our ways, and customs and social structures. When he left, we stayed behind with his laws...that continue to this day, to weigh down on us. We live in Africa ruled by foreign laws and reasonings, contrary to our own common sense. We are effectively, as far as legality goes, visitors in our own land.

The new constitution must unequivocally state that no law, shall supercede Bantu law and custom. In years to come Ubuntu/Bantuism will be taught as the panacea for the world's social ills...our constitution must take the first giant step in reclaiming and enshrining African pride and dignity in a document that will chart the path back to our cultural heritage.

That said, the comnstitution must clearly identify Zimbabwe as a part of the Bantu nation that spans right across Africa, and is home to many varieties of Bantus and that it's founding principles recognise the laws and customs thereof, as the foundations of the constitution...not Roman, or Dutch, or british, or America,...but Bantu.

Ther eis a misconception around the globe...being born in Africa doesnt make you one with the Africans... Africans, Bantus, have a far higher level of moral consciousness...one wherein the question you ask is actually considered stupid. Stupid in that its like asking 'is the sun hot?'.

To us, sodomy is not even debatable...it just does not have a place here.

I would also like to advocate for the inclusion of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation as we all have an orientation whether Hetersoxual or Homosexual.

Although this issue has been politicised by Zanu PF mainly to divert peoples attention from the real issues affecting Zimbabwe,

I believe it is important to provide for constitutional protection as in so many cases, a violation of this fundamental right often leads to a violation of almost all the other rights of individuals who fall into this category. Like the President put it, all have rights except for gays and Lesbians