OPPOSITION legislators yesterday demanded President
Emmerson Mnangagwa to clear the air on why soldiers have been deployed to
patrol the streets alongside the police.
MDC-T chief whip Innocent Gonese raised the issue with the
Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, saying section 116 of the
Constitution read together with section 213 requires that Mnangagwa should have
informed Parliament of the deployment of soldiers to carry out policing duties.
“The reason why I am raising this matter is because whilst
the President has the authority to deploy the defence forces, I believe
whenever that happens there is an obligation to inform the nation by the
President, but from my recollection we have not been informed by the President
of the need to deploy the defence forces,” Gonese said.
“I have no problem if it is done, but my worry is that the
deployment must be authorised by the President and I believe it is something
that must be done after due consideration and in that regard the nation must be
informed from the highest offices, because what we have only had are
pronouncements made by members of the Defence Forces and the Zimbabwe Republic
Police (ZRP) that they will be working together yet it is imperative for the
Head of State to inform the nation of the need for soldiers to assist the
police.”
Gonese said Mnangagwa could have notified Parliament and
the public through gazetting a statutory instrument or even through a general
notice.
Mudenda said he would engage Mnangagwa on the matter and
come back to Parliament with an explanation.
Home Affairs minister Obert Mpofu was also taken to task
over the same issue with Kuwadzana East MP Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T) asking if the
police were now going to perform their duties professionally following previous
reports of their heavy-handedness at roadblocks and during public
demonstrations.
Mpofu said he would hold a meeting with the police today to
discuss behaviour change and the ZRP corporate image so that there is mutual
respect between police officers and the public.
“The fundamental role of the police is to ensure there is
law and order and it will be in that context that I will deal with that issue
which is very emotive, and I want to address that head-on to ensure that the
police maintain their national status as a police service without compromising
on their responsibilities. On demonstrations, there is a law which is supposed
to be followed,” Mpofu said. Newsday
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