Story by Oleen Ndori
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has sworn in members of the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission at State House.
The Commission which will be chaired by Justice Webster Nicholas Chinamora includes Dr Elizabeth Rutsate, Andrew Mataruse and Oliver Mandipaka.
With over 20 years of experience as a lawyer and academic, Justice Chinamora says he will discharge his duties with honour and diligence.
“The mandate of the commission is to receive, investigate and make recommendations upon the individual complaints. If it requires that we deal with them by referring them to the organisations from which the members’ complaints come, we will do that. If it requires that we recommend that the courts intervene, for instance, in the case of claims for damages, then we do exactly that,” he said.
He further unpacked the mandate of the commission.
“The commission has been essentially established not to usurp the functions of courts or to usurp the functions of other commissions which are already in existence. This commission specifically is to receive complaints of misconduct against members of the security services. And by members of the security services, we are referring to the army, we are referring to the police, we are referring to the intelligence services and the prison service.
“If there is a complaint which has already been dealt with by the courts, we will lead the courts to complete that complaint and that investigation. If it is something which has already been reported to or initiated with, for instance, another commission, let’s say the Human Rights Commission, the Human Rights Commission will be left to deal with it. Our function is not to take over their function, even if it involves a member of the security services,” he added.
The Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission will investigate complaints against any misconduct on the part of a member of the security service in the discharge or purported discharge of duty.
