National Museums reviews Act

The National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) is in the process of conducting a review of the NMMZ Act (CAP 25:11) of 1972, to align it to the new Constitution of Zimbabwe. The review process that began in August 2014, facilitated by Dr Dawson Munjeri, Zimbabwe Permanent Delegate to UNESCO and renowned heritage legislation expert, has reached public consultation stage.

The presentation of the draft will start in Manicaland Province at the offices of the Manicaland Provincial Administrator on the 23rd of September at 10am. After that, NMMZ will conduct other stakeholder consultations in the remaining nine provinces.
Once the public hearing exercise is complete, the Act will be presented to the Government legal drafting team. Various stakeholders in the sectors dealing with the protection, preservation and promotion of heritage, arts and culture in Manicaland are being invited to the public presentation of the draft Act to air their comments, inputs and contributions.
The new Act, among other things, seeks to establish a Board of Trustees to manage museums and the national heritage of Zimbabwe; to provide for the establishment, management and development of national museums and the identification, protection, conservation, safeguarding, promotion and transmission of the national heritage for the present and future generation.
Apart from a few cosmetic changes the NMMZ Act (25:11) is one of the few colonial pieces of legislative instruments that has not been amended substantially since Independence. Hence the need to overhaul the law governing the preservation and conservation of cultural and natural heritage in Zimbabwe was long overdue. Other countries in Southern Africa like South Africa, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Mozambique have long amended their heritage laws. The review of the heritage Act is therefore imperative to align it to current heritage management practices elsewhere internationally.
One of the fundamental inclusion in the new Act is the protection and preservation of the legacies of the liberation struggle (Chimurenga/Umvukela). The Act will protect and preserve places and sites associated with the liberation struggle such as battlefields, massacre camps, mass graves, detention and restriction camps, sites marking colonial occupation and exploitation and other historically significant places in the liberation of the country from colonial rule.
The new Act also provides for community participation in the protection and safeguarding of heritage sites scattered throughout the country. It has incorporated the aspect of heritage management agreements where owners of the heritage can be given rights to protect, present and promote a monument.
The protection of intangible cultural heritage has also been identified to be of paramount importance and the Act also provides for the protection of aspects like cultural practices, knowledge, skills and artefacts and instruments associated with various cultural practices.
Archaeological and paleontological pre-development impact assessments will now be mandatory by any person wishing to undertake any major land developments which disturb the environment. This will result in substantial savings in the country's cultural and natural heritage being destroyed during development.
The NMMZ Act (25:11) is one of the more than 400 pieces of legislation that the government of Zimbabwe will align to the new Constitution by the end of the year.