The government of Zimbabwe Friday gazetted the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission Act and the Copper Control Amendment Act, 2022 on Friday 21st October 2022.
Both Acts came into force on the 21st of October 2022.
Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission Act [Chapter 10:34] (No. 5 of 2022)
The Bill was passed by Parliament on the 16th of June but remained for some time with the Government Printer before being sent to the President for signature. Once it got to the President it was signed promptly.
Veritas, a legal think tank, says it is encouraging to have this Act in force well before elections.
Copper Control Amendment Act, 2022 (No. 6 of 2022).
The new, more severe, penalties introduced for offences by the Copper Control Amendment Act will apply only to offences committed on or after 21st October 2022. Section 70(1)(n) of the Constitution has this effect.
Health Service Amendment Bill
On Tuesday last week, opposition MPs asked Vice-President Chiwenga who doubles as the Minister of Health why the Government was persisting with the Bill when the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care had recommended its withdrawal and redrafting after proper consultation in its report on the public hearings on the Bill.
Vice-President Chiwenga said the Government wanted the Health Service Board to become a Service Commission, like the Police Service or the Defence Forces Service Commission, not an Independent Commission like the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission or the other Commissions.
On the Functions of the Commission, Chiwenga said the new Commission would supervise and monitor health policy planning and public health and supervise the technical performance of hospital management.
The Bill, as amended, was referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee for its report on the consistency of otherwise with the Constitution.