Public Access to, Involvement in, and the Right to Petition Parliament in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Section 141 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) Act, 2013 guarantees public access to and involvement in Parliament. Section 149 of the same legislation enshrines the right to petition Parliament. This study examines these sections in order to ascertain the extent to which they guarantee public access to, involvement in, and the right to petition Parliament. Language rights constitute the basis for the enjoyment of these rights. These rights become meaningless if they are not guaranteed in one’s language of choice or in forms of communication suitable for persons with disabilities. This study found that the public is denied true access to and involvement in Parliament because linguistic access is denied to them. These rights are not guaranteed in one’s language of choice or in forms of communication suitable for persons with disabilities.