A Professor in South Africa on environmental law, who was presenting in a workshop on Climate Change and Law in Harare today has said that Zimbabwe should not copy climatic changes policies from other countries when making laws as national contexts differ from country to country.
Tumai Murombo, who is also the Director of the Mandela Institute of Law said there is a habit of copying and pasting policies which makes it difficult on implementing.
“You cannot copy a climate change policy.” Murombo said “Zimbabwe is not South Africa, it is not Botswana, it is not Britain although it is a former colony.”
Allegations of Zimbabwe copying laws from other countries emerged last year with the Minister of Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) and Couriers Services Supa Mandiwanzirara by then having to defend the Computer and Cyber Crime Bill which was said to have been copied from Lesotho.
Murombo who was presenting on the topic “Legal Best Practices in Sustainable Development Law and Policy on Climate Change” during the workshop said that there are no best practices in the world for climate change as measurements of progress are yet to be done.
The Professor, who is also a co-founder and the chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA), also said Zimbabwe has to learn from other countries and not copy.
“The development of a National Climatic Policy should be grounded in national context but informed by global trends and international principle,” said Murombo.
Murombo said whatever the country does in making the climate change laws must be inclusive and participatory to avoid pulling down other sectors of the economy.
Climate change has been causing raw water shortage in urban areas with 54% to 78% of urban residents having challenges in accessing clean water and proper sanitary facilities.
President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa launched the National Climate Policy on the 4th of June 2018 last week to climate proof all socio-economic development sectors of Zimbabwe to address the national challenge of reducing Zimbabwe’s vulnerability to climate and climate related disasters, while developing in a low carbon pathway.
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