BILL WATCH

http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk
Tel/Fax: 02380 879675
General: 07714736382
P O Box 248, Hythe, SO45 4WX, United Kingdom

Parliament adjourns

We introduce a new column this week, to keep readers abreast of the bills coming before both houses of Parliament in Zimbabwe.

HARARE - Both the Senate and the House of Assembly have adjourned until August 1. The Gazetted Land (Consequential Provisions) Bill has been gazetted [see summary below].

The Interception of Communications Bill has not yet had its first reading – it cannot now be introduced until August.The Suppression of Foreign and International Terrorism Bill introduced in the Senate on May 9 is still under consideration by the Parliamentary Legal Committee, so will now have to be dealt with in August.
The Companies Amendment Act has been passed by Parliament.

The following Bills are being prepared for Parliament by the Government Printer, but have NOT yet been gazetted: Domestic Violence Bill, Petroleum Bill

July 1,2006 has been gazetted as the date of commencement of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act No. 23 of 2004. No new Acts have been gazetted. The next Acts to be gazetted, assuming the President’s assent, are the Zimbabwe Investment Authority Act, the National Biotechnology Authority Act and the Companies Amendment Act.

Bills In the Senate: Suppression of Foreign and International Terrorism Bill - still being considered by the Parliamentary Legal Committee following its First Reading on the 9th May (also being considered by the Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs). The PLC reporting deadline has been extended.

This Bill aims to provide for the suppression of foreign and international terrorism, including mercenary activities. The Bill provides for maximum (but not mandatory) punishment of life imprisonment for engaging in foreign or international terrorist activity; training as a foreign or international terrorist; recruiting or providing training to foreign or international terrorists; possessing weaponry for the purposes of foreign or international terrorist activity. Judicial Service Bill, Gazetted on June 9 2006. This Bill aims to set up the Judicial Service [under the control of the Judicial Service Commission] as a separate service outside the Public Service. The Service will include the judges of the Supreme Court and High Court, the Labour Court judges, the presidents of the Administrative Court, the office of the Ombudsman, all magistrates and the staff of the Judicial Service Commission.
Interception of Communications Bill, Gazetted on May 26 2006. The purpose of this Bill is to establish an interception of communications monitoring centre and for the appointment of persons to that centre whose function shall be to monitor and intercept certain communications in the course of their transmission through a telecommunication, postal or any other related service system.

Gazetted Land (Consequential Provisions) Bill, Gazetted June 16 2006. The Bill aims to cater for certain problems that have arisen in the wake of section 16B of the Constitution, enacted last year by the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 17) Act. The Land Acquisition Act will be amended. The Rural Land Occupiers (Protection from Eviction) Act will be repealed. Two new terms, "Gazetted land" and "specially Gazetted land" will be adopted and defined. Occupation or use of gazetted land "without lawful authority" (offer letter, permit or lease granted by the State) will be prohibited on pain of criminal penalties. – With acknowledgments to Bill Watch.