By Paul Nyathi

President Emerson Mnangagwa is today swearing in Retired Justice Selo Masole Nare as the chairman of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission.

Justice Nare replaces Cyril Ndebele who died in 2016 shortly after the commission was set up.

Justice Nare has been in the legal fraternity since 1998. Announcing Nare’s appointment last month, Chief Secretary to the cabinet Misheck Sibanda described him as deserving of the position.

“Retired Justice Selo Masole Nare is a seasoned legal expert, having served as a senior magistrate in 1998, then as President of the Administrative Court in Harare and Bulawayo in 2001 and 2003, respectively. He was later appointed Judge of the Labour Court (Bulawayo) in 2006 until his retirement in 2013,” said Dr Sibanda.

“He is also an elder in the Church of Christ Congregation in Bulawayo. The appointment of Retired Justice Selo Masole Nare is with immediate effect.”

President Mnangagwa signed the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill into law in January making operational the commission that was appointed in 2016.

The Commision immediayely went into gear holding its initial public consultations throughout the provinces.

Their activities were briefly blocked by human rights watch group Zimrights who put up a court interdiction claiming that the commission could not function without a substantial chairman.

Nare comes in at a time when the commission has been under pressure from Matabeleland activists who are accusing the commission of being dominated by people of Mashonaland origin. Nare is a Sotho from Gwanda South in Matabeleland.

The NPRC is established under Sections 251 to 253 of the Constitution to ensure post-conflict justice, healing and reconciliation, to develop programmes to promote national healing, unity and peaceful conflict resolution.