Tacilicako Muleya, the ZHRC Acting Provincial Coordinator for Matabeleland North
province
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has opened its Matabeleland
North Provincial Office in Hwange District, a development which is set to benefit
residents in all its seven districts.
The newly established office is the latest and fifth provincial office to be opened in
addition to the four already existing provincial offices in Harare Metropolitan
Province, Bulawayo Metropolitan Province as well as Manicaland and Masvingo
Provinces. The Head Office is located in Harare.
According to Dr. Delis Mazambani, who is the ZHRC Executive Secretary, the newly
established Matabeleland North Provincial Office is a positive step in line with
government’s efforts on decentralisation of services.
Furthermore, the move will ease financial burdens for clients from the province as
they will no longer travel long distances to Bulawayo to access the nearest ZHRC
offices.
The new ZHRC office is located at Lubhancho House, in Number 1, and will be
headed by Tacilicako Muleya, in an acting capacity for Matabeleland North province.
It was highlighted that the Commission is the official National Human Rights
Institution in the country, which is established in terms of section 242 of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe of 2013, as one of the five Independent institutions
supporting democracy in Zimbabwe.
ZHRC’s broad mandate is to promote, protect and enforce fundamental human
rights, fundamental freedoms and administrative justice as guaranteed in the
Declaration of Rights contained in Chapter 4 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. This
broad mandate includes awareness raising on human rights and administrative
justice as well as receiving complaints of rights violations from the public and
securing appropriate redress for complainants.
Dr. Mazambani revealed that in addition to receiving complaints from the public,
ZHRC has also inherited the administrative justice mandate that was previously
performed by the Office of the Ombudsman or Public Protector’s Office, which
involves protecting people against abuse of power and maladministration by State
and public institutions and officials of such institutions.
“There is no fee to be paid for one to be able to submit a complainant to ZHRC,” she
said.
Any aggrieved persons can lodge their complaints by directly walking into ZHRC
offices or by contacting the Acting Coordinator on 0772 617 366 or 0714 754 699.
Clients may also reach the ZHRC through email at infor@zhrc.org.zw or
michaeltacih@gmail.com
