Zanu-PF, MDC-T fight over citizenship

A STORM is brewing between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) over the issue of dual citizenship as the constitution-making exercise enters a defining stage.

If Zanu-PF's bid to outlaw dual citizenship carries the day, it will hit the hardest locals domiciled outside Zimbabwe's borders who were forced to leave at the height of the country's economic and political upheavals.

Constitution Parliamentary Select Committee (COPAC) co-chairperson, Douglas Mwonzora, who is also the MDC-T spokesperson, confirmed differences over the matter.

"There is no convergence, no agreement on that issue. The MDC's position is that citizenship ought to be by registration and by descent. Dual citizenship ought to be allowed", said Mwonzora.

Paul Mangwana, another COPAC co-chairperson, said during the outreach process, the majority of Zimbabweans said no to dual citizenship, and that is the position that should be adopted.

"Seven out of the country's 10 provinces said they want mono-citizenship. When you see me having problems with people, they would be talking about issues that did not come from the people", said Mangwana.

Last week, the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, said it remains greatly concerned about shortcomings in the constitutional-making process and the continued failure to embrace minimum measures that would allow the exercise to have popular ownership and confidence.

According to the Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiative (CRAI); which is dedicated to ending statelessness and the arbitrary denial of citizenship in Africa, Zimbabwe is one of the countries on the continent said to be practicing denationalisation, which campaigners described as was a  severe human rights abuse, entrenched because of political party interests.

"Although the African Charter prohibits discrimination based on distinctions 'such as race, ethnic group, colour, sex, language, religion, political or any other opinion, national and social origin, fortune, birth or other status', governments regularly ignore this policy and discriminate groups based on many of these attributes", said CRAI.

CRAI is currently lobbying African governments to adopt a treaty to establish principles and rules to eliminate arbitrariness and discrimination in the proof, acquisition, enjoyment, and loss of citizenship on the continent.

"Denationalisation can be executed for many reasons â€" groups can be denied legal nationality due to their ethnicity, citizenship can be taken away due to party affiliation, and individuals can be rendered stateless for any perceived threat against the state", observed CRAI.