Villagers not accessing Constitution in Insiza

Revelations have emerged that out of the 44 people in Insiza who attended the Local Level Advocacy Programme Training facilitated by Habakkuk Trust  recently only two had come across the national charter (constitution) since it was passed into law in 2013.

The meeting was held as from the 23rd and 24th of June 2015 in Insiza District ward 2.

Participants were concerned over Citizenship and Rights, saying there was an inaccessibility of the document and were enthusiastic to learn more about their rights as enshrined in the Constitution.

"Most of us here have not seen or read this constitution before and that is why it is important for constitutional education to begin at Early Childhood Development stages," Pelagia Dube said.

Two people attested to having copies of the Constitution included the Councilor  Jeremiah Langa and Village Secretary  Evans Hlongwane, who ironically indicated that though he has a copy of the Constitution at his home, he has had never read the document as it is written in English.

Section 7 of the Constitution states that the State must promote public awareness of the Constitution and encourage its dissemination to the citizens through mechanisms that include the translation of the Constitution in all official languages. However, the delays in translating the Constitution, limited circulation of the document and lack of government programmes publicizing the document has led to fewer citizens knowing about their rights and other constitutional provisions.

Habakkuk Trust through the Local Level Advocacy Programme seeks to build the capacity of the communities thereby enhancing their participation in key decision and policy making processes as well as development planning.