ZELA Designs Toolkit for Parliamentarians
The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) has developed and published a toolkit aimed at equipping lawmakers with resources to pose relevant questions and draft motions in Parliament focused on natural resource governance, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
ZELA’s toolkit serves as a timely resource to enhance legislative oversight of natural resource management, promoting transparency and accountability in Zimbabwe’s extractive industries.
Speaking on Saturday at the 2024 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)-Parliament Indaba, organized by ZELA and ActionAid, Chiremba highlighted the event’s theme: “Positioning CSOs’ Submissions into the 2025 National Budget on Domestic Resource Mobilization (DRM) Strategies and Responsible Mining Standards in the Mining Sector.”
Tafara Chiremba, a representative from ZELA, outlined the toolkit’s purpose and scope, stating that it covers issues related to natural resource governance.
“Just to give you an overview, some of the topics we’ve been discussing from day one are actually included in this publication. Additionally, we have provided legal and policy questions that MPs should consider asking in Parliament based on current issues in the natural resource sector. One of the contributors to this toolkit is Dr. Tsabora, our technical advisor, who contributed significantly to this publication,” he said.
Chiremba further elaborated on the toolkit’s sections, noting that it includes essential guidance on motion drafting for issues related to natural resource governance.
“Since raising critical motions in Parliament is one of your areas of focus, we’ve included preliminary guidance on motion drafting, along with principles to help you in raising motions related to natural resource companies,” Chiremba said.
According to Chiremba, the toolkit also provides sample motions addressing various natural resource issues, which MPs can adapt and present in Parliament.
“These examples can be refined with additional information before being presented in Parliament,” he added, emphasizing the toolkit’s utility.