A Government Gazette Extraordinary yesterday smoothed the way for the transition to independence on April 18.

The gazette formally fixed the Independence Day and formalised the transition of the 1979 Constitution to the Zimbabwe Constitution as agreed to at the Lancaster House conference.

It also provides for a report on the provisional delimitation of Zimbabwe into 80 common roll constituencies as soon as possible after independence, to be followed two years later by the delimitation itself.

The gazette provides for the recognition of High Court judges appointed before independence, and allows for people stripped of citizenship to reapply within two years.

It also provides for the continuation of the state of emergency until the first Parliament of Zimbabwe sits to decide for itself on emergency powers.

Lessons For Today

A gazette is an official Government publication. Government uses it to publish acts and bills, statutory instruments, regulations and notices in terms of acts, change of names, company registrations and deregistrations, financial statements, land restitution notices, liquor licence applications and transport permits.

The word gazette is derived from the Italian term gazetta. In the 1600s, there was a Venetian news sheet that became known as a gazetta because it cost a gazetta, a small-valued Venetian coin. Other experts suggest that the word comes from gazza, a kind of bird -- specifically a chattering magpie -- that would spread news.

Gazetting the processes leading to independence was a critical issue since it provided legal basis to what was happening on the ground.