JOHANNEBSURG - Zimbabwe's new constitution has cost a staggering $1,000 (R8,000) per word to draft and is not yet complete, legal watchdog Veritas said on Monday.
The total cost of drawing up the charter and holding a referendum will cost more, and President Robert Mugabe's Zanu–PF party may reject it anyway.
Veritas said drafting the new constitution has already cost the country $40 million (R320 million).
It said $5 million (R40 million) was needed to complete the draft and another $30 million (R240 million) to hold a referendum later this year.
As things stand, the cost is already $1,000 per word.
Veritas said Zanu-PF wants major changes to the draft, which will not be possible by the end of May, when the draft is due to be completed.
It is not clear whether Mugabe and his party will accept another delay.
After a disputed election in Zimbabwe, Mugabe was forced to sign a power-sharing deal with Movement for Democratic Change.
The 2008 deal compelled the two parties to draft a new constitution before fresh elections.
Mugabe has led the country since its independence from Britain in 1980.
(Edited by Thato Motaung)