The Committee meetings for the First Ordinary Session of the Seventh Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) are underway in Midrand, South Africa, ahead of the official opening of the session on July 27.
Zimbabwe is represented by a five-member delegation comprising Senator Chief Fortune Charumbira, Pupurai Togarepi, Tafanana Zhou, Elizabeth Masuku and Happymore Chidziva.
The Zimbabwean legislators are participating in committee deliberations with counterparts from across the continent, examining draft model laws, policy frameworks and committee reports. Recommendations emerging from the committee meetings will be presented to the full House during the Ordinary Session for debate and adoption.
PAP officials said the committee sittings are designed to strengthen the institution’s oversight role and promote greater legislative harmonisation among African Union member states.
“The committee meetings provide an important platform for parliamentarians to strengthen parliamentary oversight, harmonise legislation across the continent and accelerate the domestication of African Union treaties and protocols within member states,” PAP officials said.
The Seventh Parliament is also expected to prioritise strengthening the legislative role of the Pan-African Parliament while deepening cooperation with national legislatures and Regional Economic Communities in advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 development blueprint.
The official opening ceremony, scheduled for Monday, will be attended by senior African Union officials and representatives of the South African government.
“The session will be guided by the African Union Theme of the Year, ‘Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,’ which will inform debates, resolutions and policy recommendations throughout the sitting,” PAP said.
The session is being held under the African Union’s 2026 Theme of the Year, “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063,” with water security and sanitation expected to dominate discussions, alongside trade, agriculture, health, justice and gender issues.
