perpetrators of these violations have never been accounted for, even in instances where reports have duly been made with respective police stations. Access to Information/Freedom of Expression As the year drew to a close, the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Information, Media and Broadcasting Services, produced its report on the public hearings it conducted on the Freedom of Information Bill, setting the stage for its debate and eventual enactment. It is trite to note that the report adequately captures submissions made during the earlier public hearings. Recommendations by the Committee on issues that need to be addressed, if they are heeded and not subjected to narrow partisan political agendas, offer glimmer of hope that could set the country towards enactment of a democratic access to information law. Zimbabwe should therefore seize this moment by ensuring that provisions of the Freedom of Information Bill which seek to foster the exercise and enjoyment of the right to access information, are in sync with Sections 61 and 62 of the Constitution which provide for media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information. Fundamentally, this Bill should also meet regional and international benchmarks, and as set out in the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights’ Model Law on Access to Information. Undoubtedly, this imposes immense national responsibility on the government and parliament to do the right thing. Parliament should therefore ensure that contributions from the public hearings are adequately captured and debated to fill identified gaps and inadequacies in the current Bill before it is passed into law. This obviously also applies to the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill and the proposed Protection of Personal Information Bill. In doing this, Parliament should not be influenced by narrow partisan political persuasions. Parliament should thus be driven by collective national resolve to set Zimbabwe on a clear democratic path that entrenches transparency and accountability of which access to information is a key ingredient. 14