LONDON (Zimbabwe Investor) - The Diaspora constitutional consultations have started in the UK following an All Stakeholder Meeting in Forest Gate, London which brought together representatives of various Zimbabwean Diaspora groups and the recently set up Diaspora Task Force for the process.

The meeting on Saturday 30 January, started with the Task Force Chairperson Mr Zeb Manatse giving a brief narration of how the original Forest Gate meeting in October 2009 gave birth to what is now known as the Forest Gate Agreement (FGA).

Present was Mr Gabriel Shumba of the South Africa based Zimbabwe Exiles Forum. Shumba took time to update delegates on the developments in their region including a forum that was attended in South Africa by the Co-Chairperson of the key Parliamentary Constitutional Commission, Zimbabwean cabinet minister Mr Douglas Mwonzora. Shumba pointed, out amongst other highlights, that the minister had dismissed the possibility of the Diaspora being recognised as a constituency with representation.

The meeting in Forest Gate rolled out a plan of action which included awareness campaigns across the United Kingdom, fund raising and Diaspora process visibility within the main process in Zimbabwe.

Seventeen thematic themes have been identified and posted on the process website www.zimcc.com. The themes capture all areas that will be covered by the general constitution process in Zimbabwe. Collated submissions from the Diaspora will be put into a final document which is expected to feed into the submissions made by Zimbabweans in the country for the final draft to be put to a national referendum.

The rival political parties, ZANU (PF) led by President Robert Mugabe and the two wings of the MDC one led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the other by Deputy PM Arthur Mutambara, signed the Global Political Agreement following the disputed election in 2008, to enter into a transitional government of national unity. In the agreement was that the transitional period is required to come up with a new constitution that would culminate in the holding of fresh indisputable elections.