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SENATE HANSARD 15_June_2016_25-57
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 15th June 2016
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE
SENATE
POSTPONEMENT OF THE CAPACITY BUILDING
WORKSHOP ON SDGs
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: I have to inform
the Senate that the Capacity Building Workshop for the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) where all chairpersons of Portfolio and Thematic Committees and Whips for Parties have been invited to has been postponed to next week, from 23rd to 26th June 2016.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MEDIA, INFORMATION AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MATHUTHU): I
move that Order of the Day, Number 1 be stood over until the rest of the
Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the
Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. TAWENGWA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
LEVELS OF CORRUPTION IN THE COUNTRY
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on monitoring the
Executive performance in dealing with reported cases of corruption.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TIMVEOS: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the motion raised by Hon. Sibanda and seconded by Hon. Makore. The issue of corruption has become widespread and rampant in the nation. When we talk of corruption – everyone knows that there is corruption as what Hon. Sibanda said. Our country, out of 171 countries is on number 150 and it is embarrassing. As Government, we need to look into it and see where exactly we are going wrong. Why is it that people keep on embarking on such corrupt activities?
Madam President, I want to consider that if we had good laws or people being brought to book because of corrupt tendencies, I think that would be a message to others to stop engaging in corrupt activities. When you are involved in corruption, you should either be brought to book or have your limbs cut off and that would be a lesson to others.
Currently, our economy is not performing well but if we were to consider the money that was abused and misused in Chiadzwa, US$15 billion, under corrupt means, it would do something to our economy. I think there is need for us to investigate where the money was taken to and then we bring to book those who abused those funds. Knowing that the people have been brought to book will also help people to understand that as a nation, we are serious in dealing with the issues of corruption.
I would like to look at the issues of Net-one, CMED and also the ZRP on the highways. Do you know what Hon. B. Sibanda said, I thought about it and realised that it is true. Almost every Zimbabwean is now involved in corruption because if you are caught at a roadblock, charged with a fine of $20, you can negotiate your way out and pay them $5 which the police will not receipt. However, by engaging in such corrupt activities, people will be disadvantaging the nation. If that US$5 was to be put to the fiscus, it would go a long way.
Let us look at PSMAS, the pension funds that were looted as well. I remember the name Cuthbert Dube, it became very popular during that period but nothing was done to him. Yes, he lost his job but he was not brought to book and not even arrested. We need to re-consider, since Independence we need to sit down and do some statistics in order to find out how many people were arrested and served their sentences for corruption. I would like to urge my fellow Senators that we should come up with legislation that inhibits corruption.
On another note, I want to look at the issue of the police officers; there was a lady who found US$2000.00 which had been hidden by the police in the bush at a roadblock. It is an issue that was quite viral in the past weeks – which is corruption. So, as Hon. Sibanda said, we can talk about it again and again. If we look at children today, functions and all other things but we also need to look at corruption and investigate the funds that have been lost due to corruption. If we were able to harness the money that is being taken through corrupt activities, will that not help our nation? So, I want to support Hon. Sibanda for his motion and his recommendations on what we should do as Senators for us to bring an end to corrupt activities.
HON. SEN. CHIMHINI: Thank you Madam President. I rise to support the motion moved by Senator Sibanda. I also wish to thank the comments that were made by Chief Charumbira and Senator Mawire, where the two Senators called for action. We come here, we debate and it ends there. I think this is the time as Senators that we take a position that when we debate issues of national concern, action is taken. I want to say at the end of the debate, there must be some practical action that is going to take place because this is a very important motion. The motion is calling for action and we should stop finger pointing. At times when we debate these important motions, we end up politicizing, we debate on partisan grounds. We want to look at this issue as Senators who are representatives of the communities where we come from.
It takes two to tango Madam President. The first thing is that we should not be the other partner when we talk about ‘two to tango’. In other words, we should not be involved ourselves as Members of Parliament. At times we are also caught up in these issues of corruption and if we start by declaring corruption as a cancer ourselves and practically stop participating in corrupt activities, we may start making a difference.
Madam President, it is difficult in most cases to prove corruption cases and I am proposing that the Anti-Corruption Commission must be fully empowered so that when they investigate, we do not have Executive influence. At times they fail to do their work because they themselves are threatened in the process, so we cannot stop corruption if there is Executive interference in the operations of the Anti-Corruption
Commission.
It is also important Madam President that when we look at appointment of boards, why should we have one person sitting in so many boards? In these boards, these are the people who decide the salaries of management. So, if they are going to decide on the salaries of management, they are also deciding on their own salaries as board members. In so doing, there is a lot of corruption that takes place. So we must demand that one person sits on one board. Why should we have same people sitting on so many boards? This is part of corruption because that is where people make money. There were examples that were revised while discussing ZBC corrupt activities. After court processes there was no strong case because the board members themselves approved the management salaries. Board members were also receiving very high allowances and to me that is part of corruption –
[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]-
Madam President, it is also important that as we discuss this motion, we should also look at possibilities of improving the economy. Corruption may also be an issue that is coming from the poverty levels of this country. It may be coming from issues of unfair distribution of resources and we are simply saying as we discuss this motion, we should look at possible ways where we can resuscitate our economy so that we have equitable distribution of resources in the country. We should also maybe have what I may call ‘Operation Hupfumi Wakahuwana Kupi?’ because I do not understand, Madam President, when someone is building a property worth millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars. A civil servant and no one bothers to ask where that money is coming from. I am not wrong if I conclude that there must have been some level of corruption. If you are talking of people who have so many farms and so many stands in urban areas, how have they managed to get these? I conclude there is some level of corruption. So, Madam President, I am saying there are so many things that can reflect corruption and we need to deal with that and get solutions to it.
As Parliamentarians, we had an organisation at Parliament in the
Sixth and Seventh Parliament called African Parliamentarian Network
Against Corruption (APNEC). This was an attempt by Parliamentarians to look at corrupt activities and get solutions. Unfortunately, in the
Eight Parliament it was not resuscitated. I am calling upon this august
House that we resuscitate it because it was an opportunity approved by Parliament that we have an organisation of Parliamentarians that would resuscitate APNEC and start looking at corrupt activities and find solutions so that once there is a corrupt activity, it is exposed and people take action. We must start, as Parliamentarians, to lobby for action. I thank you Madam President.
*HON. SEN. BHOBHO: Thank you Madam President. I want to thank Senator Sibanda for the motion that he raised on corruption. It is true that we need to work as a united force when it comes to corruption. No one is happy when funds are being abused. We need to work together to end this evil because the President is in trouble. He is always moving to different countries trying to ensure that his people’s welfare is met. We end up saying that the President should declare a national disaster in terms of hunger because we have lazy people who do not
want to work but engage in corrupt activities. It is good for us to stand up.
There is a company that has a policy that once a person abuses funds or defrauds a company, that person is fired, but as a Government, we are not able to do that and we let them go, yet what they would have done is bad. Sanctions have also affected our economy because these are the sanctions that have caused this corruption.
So, let us consider this issue and realise that it is us, the children of Zimbabwe, who are suffering. Yes, we need to come up with measures to ensure that the people who have engaged in corruption are brought to book. It is like having a person who is a witch. Once we call them a witch and just talk about it without doing anything, it does not make sense. So, we need to pin point and name and shame people engage in corruption because if we go to the police and request that they give us evidence, they will give us names of people who are engaged in corrupt activities, but we, as Senate, also need to assist as the eyes of the people.
Let us not just watch and sit idle like we do.
We were put in this august House to be the eyes. We should not only look at our constituencies. We are in this august House to look at all areas in any part of the country. You came into this House to come up with measures to ensure that we reduce the level of corruption. We know that laws are broken here and there, even in the Bible at the beginning of the world. So, today we need to strengthen our oversight role and take up the issue of corruption, not along party lines, but as people of Zimbabwe. It does not matter whether you are light in complexion, dark, fat or thin. The President works for his nation and we should take a leaf from him. I hope and wish that all of us could have the same commitment that the President has. I pray that I may have the same commitment.
Instead of assisting the President, we stand idle while corruption takes place. As we debate in this House, we are debating about our nation, what is affecting our nation. This motion is very pertinent and we should all work together and look at the root causes so that we can assist each other in our nation. Sanctions have affected even our children up to today. Do you know that if you hurt yourself, the scar will not go away? Where I got hurt while I was still a child, the scar is still there. So, right now, the sanctions issue is like the scar. The President is trying hard to address this issue, but the scar will still remain. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMANIKIRE: Thank you Madam President. I
also want to add my voice to the motion that is being debated, the motion that was raised by Hon. Sibanda and seconded by Hon. Makore. I think that at my age, some are embarrassed of telling us their ages. I am not embarrassed, I am 68 years old.
At independence that is when corruption came into being, when we attained independence in 1980. I want to thank the Hon. Senator who spoke before me. The President, yes, we are disadvantaging him. We put him in a tight spot because corruption began with the people that he was working with and he did not know what to do because he came from the war with his people and that becomes an issue. So with time, this ill kept on growing and growing. I was also in the field.
Forgive me. Let me say what I want to say. Comrade Chikore was given diesel at the Ministry of Energy and he finished it. Hon. Kangai was given maize at the GMB and all the produce was – [HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -.
*THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Order, order.
Hon. Senator, please take your seat. Hon. Members we do not talk about things that we do not have evidence of. A person who is convicted in court has evidence. We cannot debate about a person who cannot come here and defend themselves. Yes, the motion is on corruption. Let us debate the motion but without mentioning names of people who are not here, especially people who have now passed on and can never come to this august House to defend themselves. So, I urge you Hon. Senators not to get carried away whilst contributing. Let us remember our rules. We do not talk about a person who does not have the opportunity to come and defend themselves. Let us talk of facts that can be supported by the Courts of Zimbabwe.
*HON. SEN. CHIMANIKIRE: Thank you Madam President. I
thought maybe by bringing our thoughts together and looking at how corruption began will assist us. For that reason I am sorry Madam
President.
What I am saying is that corruption is something that has become rampant and difficult to get rid of. Even today when children are in the kombis, they say that the police are being given money around 5.00 p.m so that the next day the kombis can ply their route without interception by the police. After the unfreezing of nurses posts, my child got a job and he called to say I should send him $200 that needed to be paid otherwise he would not get the job. That is money that is going to someone who is employed but engaging in corruption.
Tell me, how can a mother at home and is not earning anything get the money to pay? It means the child can go to school. So, corruption is very difficult to get rid of. I got sick in 2013 and they needed $300 for me to be admitted. I requested my kids to go back home and look for the money. The children told me no, there is someone that we have already given $100 for us to get a bed. That is now corruption and I do not know what is happening. Is it something that has been spread around? Even the committee that is going around trying to curb corruption, whoever they get hold of and try to bring to book is never arrested.
So, as this august House, what can we do to bring corruption to an end? Even children in our homes are even engaging in corruption. They can actually trick you and engage in corruption in the house. If you ask them where the money went, they will keep on telling you to ask so and so and you do not get an answer. So, it is an ill that is spreading and I do not know how we are going to run this nation considering that corruption is now everywhere. I thank you.
HON. SEN. TAWENGWA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
DETERIORATION IN THE ROADS AND RAILWAY
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on alarming incidents of road carnage due to dilapidated infrastructure, obsolete vehicles and human error.
Question again proposed.
+HON. SEN. BHEBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate on the motion that was brought to this House by Hon. Musaka and seconded by Hon. Sen Chipanga. This is a very important motion to debate in this House for I thank the mover of the motion. So, it is very good and important that we debate this motion due to the road carnages that have been happening of late. When you looked at the motion, you ask yourself tomorrow I really have to travel by road. People will actually see you getting outside your house and thinking deeply whether you will reach your destination or not because of the road carnages that have been happening.
First and foremost, when you think of travelling, even if you are not a Christian - the first thing that you do is to pray and ask for journey mercies from God, for we realise that too many accidents are occurring on our roads. That is why I feel this motion is very important for us to debate. I was also touched by the words articulated by Hon. Sen Chief Charumbira who said that this motion was debated during the last Parliament. It is being debated again in this current term of Parliament and will be debated again in the coming Parliament but there is nothing or any action being taken. Therefore, I feel like we are just discussing just for sake of passing time.
We realise so many people have lost their lives due to road carnages. I heard on the morning news when it was reported that there are ten people who died and also some Dynamos supporters, all due to the bad state of roads and the cars being driven that are not road worthy. You realise that when someone is travelling, the people that are left behind will only relax after the person travelling has confirmed that they have reached their destination. I realise Mr. President that most of the speakers who debated before me have highlighted one important thing that we should do, that is to take action on everything that we debate. Yes, we have been singing that there are too many accidents that are happening on the roads and some of the things that have to be done to all the drivers of public transport have already been said.
I will give an example and say, maybe 10 out of all the drivers in Zimbabwe got their licenses properly whilst most of them got them through bribery. I do not know what can be done so that when someone is getting their licence, they have to get it in a proper way and not through bribing and everything has to be checked. I think what causes most of the drivers to bribe to get their licences from VID when they are trying to secure their provisional, you realise that the person keeps on failing, maybe let us say number 12. The following week they say you failed number 13; the next day they say you have failed number 14. For example, one speaker said they can say there is a missing page in the passport and when it comes to VID, it means there will be a missing number. Therefore, those who will be trying to acquire their provisional, what they will then do is to add the number and that will be through bribery. At the end, we will have drivers who are not well versed with the rules of the roads. They will end up getting their licences through bribery.
I therefore, urge all Zimbabweans to get their licences through proper ways. We know that there are too many automatic vehicles, most people are using automatic cars and do not know how to drive manual cars. How I pray that the Zimbabwean Government tightens road laws, because we have had so many accidents. We have lost so many lives through road accidents. An overload bus will pass through a road block carrying extra fuel in containers to refill their cars using small pipes. Such buses will pass through the roadblocks; what I want to know is how they pass roadblocks. This is another sign of corruption and bribery that the policemen will be getting.
Most of the Hon. Senators who spoke before me have highlighted that this thing has been debated over and over again but there is no action that has been taken whilst so many lives have been lost through road accidents. I wish Government could take action on this. I do not know whether I am supposed to go to the President to enquire if there are ways that can be done. When travelling to Nkayi; if you leave Harare in the morning, it will take you long to get to Nkayi centre. If you try to travel further, it will be difficult because of bad roads; you cannot travel to other places.
This is a very difficult issue that we are discussing. If you go to Binga, even some residents from Binga do not even know Bulawayo for they do not have proper roads to travel on. So many lives have been lost through road accidents. Some of the highway roads that we have do not have humps. If there are humps, it forces the driver to reduce speed and if there are no humps, the driver will travel at whatever speed along that highway ignoring the speeds limits.
Another issue that I want to bring up is, if only we could put a limit or time limit on the huge trucks, the time they are supposed to be traveling on the roads. These are the few words that I have Mr.
President. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President, for giving
me the opportunity to support the motion that was raised by Senator Musaka. Our transport - air, road and rail are in a deplorable state, it is true. Before I proceed, I also want to put emphasis on the words alluded to by Senator Chief Charumbira that, why is it that we continue to talk and talk yet no one is listening to us. They are turning a deaf ear on us.
As the three pillars of State, Parliament is the third arm and has its role.
We debate a lot and oversee the work of the Executive which is also one of the pillars of the State because they are the ones with the powers. They have the wisdom as well as strategies to solve such problems. They ignore us; we live in hotels, eat, drink and go back and nothing is being done. I want to put emphasis on the fact that the
Executive needs to act on that. I also want to say that the head of the
Executive is His Excellency President Mugabe. The head of the
Judiciary is Chief Justice Chidyausiku and the head of Parliament is the Speaker of Parliament. We request that they take whatever we debate in this Senate seriously so that we can assist each other.
If you look at the state of our roads here in Zimbabwe, even those that are tarred, some of which were once tarred, are in bad state. An example that was given by Hon. Sibanda was that he went to Sanyati and was deeply pained. If you use the Sanyati road, you will be shocked that it is actually better to go through the bush than using the road because of its deplorable nature.
The time that you are supposed to spend on the road is doubled because of its deplorable state. The vehicle that you will be using is also at a risk of getting damaged because in terms of suspension, it is will be destroyed by the road network. For that reason, you end up pumping a lot of money in order to repair the car. The money that you will spend should have been used to send children to school, buy food and clothes them. That is no longer possible because you have to maintain the vehicle that was destroyed by the poor road network. So, we end up being poor because of the poor state of our roads as money is now being spent on maintenance of our vehicles. The roads are also a network to business people.
When a person is coming to invest in Zimbabwe, they will consider the road network because they know that their business might end up expensive or a challenge because of poor road network. We end up losing business and investors because of our poor roads. Our children too end up not getting jobs because of lack of investors; business is what will make our economy strong. The economy itself will be affected by the poor roads. If our roads were good - [Cell phone rings] - My apologies, I forgot to switch off my phone.
If our road network was in a good state, we would have business people investing in Zimbabwe on their way to other countries. They would be crossing to Zambia, Namibia and Mozambique. So Zimbabwe is supposed to be the hub where all roads should converge in Southern Africa. If our roads had been in a good state, it would actually bring a lot of income to the nation and jobs would be available to our children. The Government is mandated to make Zimbabwe the hub of road networks in order to develop our economy. So you will find people prefer to use roads that border our country because of the deplorable nature of the roads. So we urge those mandated with the duty to see to it that our roads are roadworthy to look into the issue.
Just consider that the railway line would be used one day for rail transport - it is surprising. Some are sinking and the signals that were once there are now obsolete and not working. The downfall of NRZ has immense impact on the economy. Our goods used to come through the rail but those goods are no longer coming through because of the poor railway network. The train that came from Mozambique to Botswana is no longer coming and the South Africa to Zambia one no longer passes through here. There is no partnership because the railway network is bad. Instead there is an increase in haulage trucks moving on the roasds and Masvingo road has claimed so many lives because of its poor road network.
Because of the terrible state of our roads and rail network, we are experiencing economic challenges. People are not getting their salaries and poverty has increased in this nation. Railways at one time used to employ 7 500 workers. Their families and may be about 20 000 people are living in poverty because of the NRZ. If the NRZ is modernised and resuscitated and Hon. Sen. Musaka talked about it, that it should become a good transport system, to travel with. If you use the modern rail transport system, there is comfort and you can travel safely. If we were to resuscitate our railway system, people would stop using cars preferring to travel to Bulawayo using rail transport. Currently, that is not feasible.
If we look at air transport, long ago children used to go and tour the airport to see the aircrafts landing and departing. It was funny seeing those airplanes. Zimbabwe is a nation that touches many hearts in
Africa, China, Russia and America. Once the people abroad hear of
Zimbabwe, they become excited. That used to happen before. Why is that it is a thing of the past? Is it not possible for Zimbabwe to regain its economic status? That brought foreign currency and improved the tourism sector. It will assist Air Zimbabwe to be able to pay its workers salaries as well as increasing money to the fiscus for them to support
Government activities.
What we are witnessing is the deterioration of the roads, air and railway transport. So what we want to say is that those people who are occupying these posts to deal with such issues should not sit on their laurels but need to work hard. If they do, the cost of transport will become unattainable. The business man will pass on the cost to the consumer and we end up buying expensive goods. Yes, men we experience poverty but women experience more poverty and including the youth. However, it is the girl child who experiences a lot of poverty as well as people with disabilities, the elderly as well.
As leaders and the three arms of the State, we need to take responsibility and ensure that the lives of the people are improved and come up with measures that will assist our nation to become habitable.
Zimbabwe is on an economic downturn in these three areas - air, road and rail transport. So we are mandated to take ownership of failure of these institutions, that is the road net work as well as the NRZ.
HON. SEN. D. T. KHUMALO: Thank you Mr. President. I am saying this motion comes up with at least three systems of communication which are listed here - that is air, road and railway. A lot of us have discussed the issues of the road. I have discovered that roads in different areas are sometimes worked different times.
I will give you an example of the road that goes to Nkayi. That road is not good, it is very bad but to my surprise, it is usually worked towards elections. When I arrived from where I was in 1995, that road had been started. Until now, only 30 kilometres are done. When the elections come, it is quickly done so that people can say now the road is being done. Can we be honest and do things like we are developing our people and ourselves, not just for campaigning. That road is called a campaign road.
I hope it would be a road to be worked on not only during campaigns, because people die even when there are no campaigns. So, we are requesting some of those things and not only that road. I have just brought that one but there is also the problem of the Beitbridge road, from Harare to Beitbridge. People have talked about it and I should not say much. The Victoria Falls road, people can think that it is a good
road. Within the 40 to 60 kilometres, there is a serious bumping area. I know that they are now working towards Insiza but that area needs to be worked on because vehicles cannot just travel smoothly.
Those who do not know usually fall into accidents on that area because the road is bumpy. It needs preparation so that we avoid the accidents which are happening in those areas. On air travel, we used to be proud just after independence when we were travelling. Everybody would say your country Zimbabwe is very good and things are done properly. When you are flying things are done on time. You do not have a next page like in other countries where they have a second page.
When we started discussing the issue of these second pages like what somebody has said, our air flights have gone down. As we can see, we are learning that when we make mistakes and mix things, corruption plus business, things do not go well. At that time, we were not at this stage of corruption and things were better. We were travelling in a better way. I had a six month stint in Mt. Darwin. I went there at the right time where people were ploughing. I used my hands and got a lot of maize. I took that maize to my parents. I went by railways and it did not cost much. Does the country not see that the railways are a cheap source of travel and a cheap source of transporting our goods?
Railways need to be thought of by any country which needs development. Railways do not break every time like the roads. Now because we are using trucks, last time the Minister of Finance and Economic Development indicated that there is need to resuscitate the railways. It will not be easy to resuscitate the railways because people who own trucks will always give us a discouragement in a different manner. They may be discouraged by having the second page or the third page, unless we need to take a stand as a country and say we do not want haulage trucks. Haulage trucks (magonyeti) must go so that the railways is revived. This way, our economy will be better than what it is.
The railways will improve our economy. We will transport our goods easier and at a low cost. So, I hope what the Minister said that the railways needs to be resuscitated, we are all going to work hard and refuse the use of haulage trucks which are destroying roads. The small vehicles find it difficult to travel in roads which have haulage trucks and with our understanding, Zimbabwe is a central country where South Africa has its goods going to Zambia and Malawi. The railways would be a better system than using the haulage trucks which are destroying our roads.
Our economy would flourish because once you start using the railways; you hire more people than the haulage trucks but your business and your goods travel faster. Someone said the railways are much slower than the haulage trucks; they are slower in countries which are not doing it properly. If you do it properly, like the other countries, as Zimbabwe, we will be number one in the use of the railways. Since China is our best friend, why do we not imitate good things from our best friends? The next one is the United States of America. May be we can leave this one but however, we need to go forward.
We say let us lean to that and I am saying where we want to lean to as a country. Why do we not imitate such countries like China, India and Canada? These are the countries which are developing because they are using the railways. They have studied and seen that it is the best method of ferrying goods. It is cheaper and faster. I know Zimbabwe is saying it is slower. It is slower because we are not doing it properly. Let us go and learn from our best friends how to do things.
We are not even mentioned among other African countries as a country that uses railways. I hope as a country, we will appreciate to improve on our railways. Let me give a few advantages of railways. You organise and keep time. You can put your time and say the schedule is this one. It is easier to keep the schedule of railways. It can carry heavy or bulky goods, for example in mining, you can go and process within Zimbabwe in another corner and it will be easier. Now each group is trying to process value addition here and there but if our railways were working properly, we could have a central place where we do our value addition.
We could not be moving our diamonds to China so that they do it for us. We could be putting these things together within our country. It is cheaper, economical and there are fewer employees needed within the railways. I am dealing with the transportation which is in this country. It says different transportation and railways is part of that transportation system. It only needs one driver and an assistant at one time when the length of it can be 600 metres. That means it can have 200 coaches which can be pulled by two people. So it is as much cheaper using the railways. It is generally safe to use the railways, that is why the developed countries and the developing countries like China which is catching up in development, is using the railways.
So, as a country and as the Members of the Senate, can we help our country to develop the railways and can we remind the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development that he promised that the railways is going to be resuscitated and we move forward. That will mean our economy will be better than what it is. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MASHAVAKURE: Thank you Mr. President for
giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the motion raised by Hon. Sen. Musaka. I will start by some of the issues that were mentioned by my previous speaker. Most of us agree that railway transport gives real cost to the products because it is a cheap mode of transport and it is an issue that we can all agree on.
There is also an issue these days, we have heard that there are those who go through the border and say that they are on their way to Zambia but dump their things at the border post which are then sold at a cheaper price. I think if such goods are brought in through the railway system, it will assist us. If a coach comes with a consignment going to its destination, I do not think there will be such tendencies to engage in shortcuts and our prices will become affordable. We will no longer have unfair competition.
There was the issue of signals that was mentioned that these are no longer working. I do not think they are so expensive to replace. We have a lot of copper in Zimbabwe but with the current technology of mobile phones and satellites, if we use the mobile companies that we have, Econet, Netone and Telecel, we will get these signals up and running in no time. It will not be as expensive, unlike if we want to start relining the copper cables once again. We now have a lot of cell phones and satellite, I heard TelOne saying that they have a base station that has international satellites in Gweru – those are the things that we can use through the airwaves and that can actually be used to control the signals.
I think the Government needs to really consider this issue especially the signal systems for the railways. Resuscitation of the railways has advantages and I think it will also resuscitate other industries such as ZISCO Steel. Steel is important when it comes to railway transport. So, if we look into it, we will have multiple benefits from it.
On the issue of road transport, currently we are all bemoaning the deplorable state of our roads; the Beitbridge-Bulawayo to Victoria Falls roads need dualisation for them to be road worthy. So, when we sit down and come up with such ideas, we should also consider other roads such as Mutare-Masvingo-Mbalabala-Zvishavane-Gweru-Kwekwe. I think we need to dualise all the roads since we would have started because once you have started, it is better to ensure that you embark on the project on a large scale, not to say we will eventually do this and
that.
The planning for all roads should be done now, if we have finished the two major roads, then we can look at Mutare-Masvingo-Mbalabala and all other networks; so that once one is completed, we automatically engage on other road, even if it costs US$100 or US$200, we need to come up with a comprehensive plan and not to lie idle for the next five or ten years.
If you look at the pot holes that are on the roads; one day I took my car for service specifically, wheel balancing. However, it took three days, when I inquired, I was told that where they take their vehicles to, the vehicles hit potholes and that really affects the rims of the tyres. The company that does this actually straightens the rims as well. So, they told me that the other wheel had a rim that was burnt, so it had to be professionally done to straighten it. They worked on it and it was out in no time. I ended up paying $500 for the service and the wheel balancing as well as straightening the rim.
So, I think those responsible for roads in towns and in other areas, should ensure that this is addressed because people end up losing money to maintenance of vehicles because of the potholes which is money that can be channeled to other use such as looking after our families. The road infrastructure needs attention. In other areas for example, in Highfield where we stay; as I was growing up, I was told that these haulage trucks should not be found in the residential areas. We were told that as heavy as they are, 10 tonnes, 15 tonnes to 30 tonnes; because of their weight, it will have an impact on the piping that is underground.
However, those responsible authorities who are supposed to bring to book these truck drivers who bring haulage trucks in residential areas ignore this and hence the haulage trucks are always a common sight in the residential areas. As a result, there is always pipe bursts in different areas because of these haulage trucks. I think local authorities and those who are responsible should address these issues. Even where there is a road junction for example at Machipisa shopping centre, you find haulage trucks parked there and it is very difficult to maneuver your way through. So, the responsible people should take action. Even at ZBC, I heard that there were haulage trucks that were blocking the way and drivers actually had to go round through Mbare Musika in order to get to their destination. So, it is important that the responsible authorities take action. These haulage trucks also do not normally adhere to the traffic lights and need to be brought to book.
On the issue of accidents that are happening because of the fraudulently acquired licences; I think the issue is that the licences are difficult to attain. What makes the attainment of licences difficult? That is what we need to look into because that is the root cause. Once the clever ones realise that the money is not coming through, they end up sending messages on multi-social media telling people that there is no cooking oil and people will rush and buy in bulk such products. So, I think we need to investigate why these licences are difficult to attain. The provisional licences that they first acquire are a challenge because people always fail. I realised that at one time when my sons went to get provisional licences, they had challenges. One had challenges in getting a provisional licence and the other had challenges in getting a licence.
What I was then told is that the time that a person is given to respond to the provisional licence questions does not allow time to think. So you need to work within the given limited time. So, I think you would find that those who pass will not have done well, but that they will have won a lottery. It is a fluke, it is not genuine. So, I think the time allocated for the provisional examination is where we should start off and ensure that the time is revised. When people fail, they become frustrated and once there is frustration, corrupt activities then take place.
Secondly, on the issue of provisional licences the challenge in
Zimbabwe is that we said we are an Anglophone country. We are English speaking because we do not want to use our vernacular languages. Others say it is tribalism while others say it is underdevelopment. What then happens, from what in know and from what I have heard, is that the provisional licences are in English and also the Highway Code that was read to me. Instead of testing the practical driving, we test the English that is written for provisional licences. So, I think there is something that needs to be done away with and people should use their vernacular languages in writing a provisional licence. They should know what they should do when they get to a T-junction in vernacular. So, it is important that we have those examinations written in vernacular.
In other areas, they use their languages such as Arabic or French and the tests are not as difficult in other countries as it is here. Provisional licences should not be scarce here because this scarcity is what then breeds corruption. That should be addressed. I think that once we do that and ensure that the Highway Code is in our vernacular languages or even having colleges that will train people for provisional licences and also, allotting enough time for writing provisional tests, that should assist us. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF DANDAWA: Thank you Mr. President for
the time that you have given me. I want to add my voice to the motion that was raised by Hon. Musaka. What I have also realised that needs to be addressed to deal with the problem of road carnage incidence is the issue of potholes that are found on the roads. Our expectation is that there should be road maintenance or the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development should expeditiously attend to some of these cases because they delay in taking action hence, causing accidents.
There is another issue. Last time there was an Hon. Minister who said that commuter omnibuses should not be given long routes. Yes, it is a good idea, but what I have realised is that the drivers who are driving commuter omnibuses, once they acquire licences today, tomorrow they are out driving a commuter omnibus carrying 15 people. They are not experienced drivers and the police on the road do not even look at the driver’s licences to see if they have five years experience. The law says that a person driving a commuter omnibus should have five years driving experience. In Mbare, that is not happening. Even in and around the urban centres. The police need to look into it.
They are also supposed to have a medical which should be renewed at certain intervals. That is not being looked into. They are just attaining licences and going to drive commuter omnibuses. That is contributing to the number of accidents. I think the police should also assist in checking whether the drivers have their medical papers, the five years experience, as well as the age factor.
On the issue of licencing, we need to seriously look into this because others are getting licences and yet they cannot drive. They are told, as long as you go through the drums and parallel parking, you are given a licence. So, once you do parallel parking, hill start and the drums, you get your licence, yet the issue is on driving on the roads. So, the VID officers are engaged in corruption. We need to consider this and ensure that we address this issue. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUSAKA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE FIRST AFRO-ARAB
LEGISLATORS AND BUSINESS SUMMIT
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the First Afro-Arab Legislators and Business Summit held in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.
HON. MASUKU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
CONSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS CENTRED ON
DEVOLUTION OF POWER
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the call for Government to implement the devolution of power as provided for in the
Constitution.
HON. SEN. CARTER: Thank you Mr. President. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute on this motion moved by Senator Ncube. The national Constitution adopted in 2013 provides for the devolution of power of Government from central to democratically urban and rural councils.
Under section 276 (1), these elected councils have the following principal function; “Subject to this Constitution and any Act of Parliament, a local authority has the right to govern, on its own initiative, the local affairs of the people within the area for which it has been established and has all the powers necessary for it to do so.”
For three years now, the Government has failed to show any goodwill towards implementing devolution. There has not been any legislation brought before Parliament to even begin the complicated debate which will follow this topic. We must ask the question, why not? Devolution is about local empowerment but our Government is actually working in the opposite direction to that. I would like to illustrate that the Government using the Local Government Laws Amendment Bill seeks to amend section 157 and 114 of the Rural District Councils Act and the Urban Councils Act respectively.
Here is an opportunity to align local Government to the
Constitution. I know this Act is coming up and it will be debated but just to allow a bit of freedom just to illustrate what is coming in that Act, because it relates to devolution. The Act should be amended to reduce the excessive powers of the Minister. It should devolve power to councils. It should empower the councils to take control and responsibility for their work and then to hold them accountable.
Yet the proposed legislation which we will see later coming to this House does not do any of this, it only proposes an independent tribunal that should be established for the purpose of removing mayors, council chairpersons and councilors. So the Government is cherry picking from the Constitution and amending it to suit its own agenda and increase the control at the centre. The proposed tribunal which it will bring should only be in place within the context of devolution. The Constitution understood that this process will take place within the process of devolution. Without devolution in place this tribunal will not be independent and will be used to strengthen the power of the Minister, which goes against, not only the spirit but also the letter of the
Constitution.
Government speaks of the Constitution providing a new vision for
Zimbabwe but it only implements those parts which suit its agenda. The
Government is not wholehearted in its approach. When it comes to the Constitution, Government fails to walk the talk. It continues to put politics before production as it looks ahead to the next election. We will not see devolution in the near future, I am afraid.
At the heart of devolution is the concept of democracy and this is really the issue that our Government fears. Our Government is obsessed with control because it does not trust its own people with democracy and because Government is working against the spirit of devolution and therefore democracy, we as democrats cannot be persuaded to trust a Government which is skeptical of its own Constitution. I thank you Mr.
President.
*HON. SEN. MURONZI: I want to add a few words on the motion on devolution of power and provincial assemblies. I thank Hon.
Sen. Ncube and Sen. B. Sibanda who raised the motion to remind the Government that it needs to implement this provision. I see this provision as good, that each province should have its own provincial assembly seeing to the development of their province but at the same time reporting at national level.
The issue of devolution deeply concerns me. I was born in Mutoko and we stayed there for years while the area was still more of a bush. We did not see any hyenas coming to feed on our animals but when people were resettled, we realised that the hyenas were now coming to the households to devour our livestock. What pains us is that we are the people in the community and there is nothing that we get from the granite that is mined there. There is no production that is taking place. There is no road network and clinic that was built by the people who extract this granite rock. Instead of the traditional leaders and the community benefitting from their resources that is not happening – instead, people are experiencing poverty and are being troubled by the hyenas that are coming from the mountains which are devouring our hard earned livestock. That actually pains me.
So, I support this motion in that if only the Government could implement these provincial assemblies in line with devolution of power. I also want to remind and urge people in this august House. I am deeply touched because this issue was requested for by people during the Constitution making process and it was agreed. There were actually names that were announced by ZEC of who makes up the provincial assembly. What pains me is that when this motion is brought to the House, we need to assist each other to ensure what is positive is seconded.
I become concerned when others say that the Government does not have money but does it give you joy to know that people were put in as provincial assemblies, you are here but you say there is no money for the assemblies. You come here and you complain when you do not get your coupons. You were put there as a representative of the people. I think that spirit of saying the Government does not have money should be brought to an end. It is not for us to defend the Government because in future you will not get leadership positions because of this statement that the Government is broke.
What we should stand up and say is that the Government should source funding to ensure that implementation takes place. Whatever you are saying out there is being heard. The people know. Let us say the Government should look for funds. People are getting everything that we are saying. The Board that a member should be sitting on in provincial assemblies should be in place and that person should be getting money so we need to change our language. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MAPUNGWANA: With profound respect President
of the Senate, I would like to first thank the President of MDC-T, Dr. Richard Morgan Tsvangirai for appointing me to represent MDC-T in this august Senate.
Mr. President of the Senate, on the 17th of July, in the year of our
Lord 2012, Zimbabweans went for a Referendum and expressed their wishes and will on how they want to be governed by the Zimbabwe Government. On 23 May, in the year of our Lord 2013, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, signed the draft Constitution into law. The President of Zimbabwe in terms of the Constitution assigned relevant Ministries to come up with Bills, so as to align certain provisions with the people driven Constitution. It is now 36 months which relates to 3 years after the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe signed the Constitution. Let me air fundamental implications in regards to some constitutional issues which are yet to be implemented, in particular by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.
Mr. President of the Senate, allow me to quote the Constitution of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Chapter 14 under Provincial and Local Government, Section 264, Subtitle Devolution of Governmental Powers and Responsibilities.
Subsection (2) (a) up to (f)
Section 2 says; ‘the objectives of the Devolution of Governmental Powers and Responsibilities to provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities are
- To give powers of local governance to the people and enhance their participation in the exercise of the powers of the State and in making decisions affection them.
- To promote democratic, effective, transparent, accountable and coherent Government in Zimbabwe as a whole;
- To preserve and foster the peace, national unity and indivisibility of Zimbabwe;
- To recognise the right of communities to manage their own affairs and to further their development;
- To ensure the equitable sharing of local and national resources;
- And to transfer responsibilities and resources from the National Government in order to establish a sound financial
base for each provincial and metropolitan council and local authority.
On the 7th of April 2016, the Speaker of the National Assembly advised the House that on the 25th of February 2016, Parliament of Zimbabwe received a petition from Public Policy Research of Zimbabwe and its partners in civil society beseeching Parliament to ensure that relevant Government Ministries and departments implement Chapter 14 of the Constitution; and the petition was referred to the Portfolio
Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. I believe the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing forwarded their recommendations to the Minister.
Mr. President of the Senate, Section 270 Paragraph (2) of the Zimbabwe Constitution demands that an Act of Parliament must provide for the establishment, structure and staff of provincial and metropolitan councils, and the manner in which they exercise their functions. It is a fact that ZANU PF advocated for a unitary state during COPAC. It is in the public domain that the Minister of Local Government and the Mayor of Harare are at logger heads.
After the Minister of Local Government had received recommendations regarding the petition from public research of
Zimbabwe beseeching Parliament to ensure that relevant Government
Ministries and departments implementing Chapter 14 of the Constitution, the Minister decides to choose and pick sections of the
Constitution which he wants to align.
Currently, the Minister of Local Government has introduced a Bill [H.B 1, 2016], which says that an Act of Parliament must provide the establishment of an independent tribunal to exercise the functions of removing from office Mayors, Chairpersons and Councillors, but any such removal must only be on the grounds of
- Inability to perform the functions of their office due to mental or physical incapacity
- Gross incompetence.
- Conviction of an offence involving dishonesty, corruption or abuse of office or;
- Willful violation of the law, including a local authority bylaw.
Mr. President of the Senate, it is quite obvious that this Bill is targeted to deal with MDC-T Mayors and Councillors. It is quite obvious that the Minister does not want to implement Chapter 14 which deals with Provincial and Metropolitan Councils. It is unprofessional and bad governance to have a Government Minister implementing laws which are only favourable to his own party.
Selective application of the law is unconstitutional and anyone practicing that is not fit to hold a public office. A motion was presented to this House regarding the aligning of Chapter 14, by Senator Siphiwe
Ncube. The response from ZANU PF Senators was very clear that the
Government has no money to implement Chapter 14 of the Constitution. Let me remind this House that any alignment of the Constitution carries costs with it.
Mr. President of the Senate, Bulawayo Metropolitan in terms of the Zimbabwe Constitution has what it takes for it to have a provincial council instituted.
Section 269 of the Zimbabwe Republic Constitution qualifies Bulawayo Metropolitan to have a provincial council to be instituted without any further delay. Mr. President, Bulawayo has a Mayor, who in terms of the Constitution is to be the Chairperson of the Bulawayo
Metropolitan Council. Bulawayo has all the members of the National
Assembly whose constituencies fall within the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province. Bulawayo has the women Members of the National Assembly who are elected in terms of Section 124(1) (b) of the Constitution.
Bulawayo has Senators elected in terms of the Zimbabwe Constitution.
Zimbabwe does not need many resources to institute Bulawayo
Metropolitan Council because the above office bearers are there and the infrastructure is there which can be used to facilitate the sitting of Bulawayo Metropolitan Council. If implementation of Chapter 14 is viewed as a weakness to ZANU PF strategies, obviously ZANU PF will take an insidious route to hide behind lack of resources by the Zimbabwe Government yet US$15 billion dollars goes missing from diamond mines. Zimbabwe’s annual budget is at US$4-5 billion. If that missing US$15 billion was put into circulation, we would not be talking about cash shortages, and witnessing long queues at the banks.
The Reserve Bank Governor will not have muted the idea of bond notes because US$15 billion can take care of Zimbabwe for 3 years. Zimbabwe has been robbed of its 3 years because someone, somewhere was sleeping on duty to guard Zimbabwe’s money. If one does not take his/her garden, that garden reverts into a jungle, and the law of the jungle is survival of the fittest.
Section 114 of the Constitution, paragraph 4 (a) up to (e).
The functions of the Attorney General are:-
- To act as the Principal Legal Adviser to the Government
- To represent the Government in civil and constitutional proceedings;
- To draft legislation on behalf of the Government;
- To promote, protect and uphold the rule of law and to defend the public interest; and
- To exercise any other functions that may be assigned to the
Attorney General by an Act of Parliament.
Mr. President, the painstakingly slow pace in aligning some of the
Acts to the Constitution is retrogressive to Zimbabwe. Let me take this august Senate back to 1974, and make comparison with the present
Government. When Mozambique closed its borders with Rhodesia, Rhodesia decided to open another export route to South Africa by building a railway line linking Rutenga and Beitbridge. Engineering experts by then had to put the timeline for construction of the 145km railway line to take 24 months to complete. The project was completed in 93 days ahead of the schedule.
It has taken Zimbabwe nearly 20 years to plan the construction of a
30km railway line linking Harare and its dormitory town of
Chitungwiza. It took Rhodesia in the Federation of Rhodesia and
Nyasaland just 4 years (from 1955-1959) to complete construction of
Lake Kariba, the world’s largest man-made water body. It has taken Zimbabwe several decades to construct some few dams in the country such as Tokwe-Mukorsi dam, Gwayi-Shangani dam and Manyuchi dam among others.
Madam President of the Senate, the painstakingly slow pace in aligning some of the Acts to the Constitution is retrogressive to Zimbabwe. Let me take this august House back to 1974 to make comparison with the present Government. When Mozambique closed its borders with Rhodesia. Rhodesia, decided to open another export route to South Africa by building a railway line linking Rutenga and Beitbridge. Engineering experts then had to put the timeline for construction of the 145 km railway line to take 20 months to complete but the project was completed in 93 days ahead of schedule.
It has taken Zimbabwe nearly 20 years to plan the construction of a 30 km railway line linking Harare and its dormitory town of Chitungwiza. It took Rhodesia in the Federation of Rhodesia and
Nyasaland just 4 years from 1955 to 1959 to complete construction of
Lake Kariba, the world’s largest man-made water body. It has taken Zimbabwe several decades to construct some few dams in the country such as Tokw- Mukorsi, Gwayi-Shangani dam and Manyuchi dam among others. This laissez faire approach by the Government of
Zimbabwe has contributed to the underdevelopment of the country. –
[HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.]-
Mr. President Sir, Zimbabwe citizens have a right to take Parliament of Zimbabwe to the Constitutional Court under rule 21 (d) of the Constitutional Court Rules of 2016, cases that may be entertained directly without seeking leave from any court (d) deals with determination on whether Parliament or the President has failed to fulfill a constitutional obligation. Mr. President of the Senate, before
Zimbabwean citizens take this august House to invite the Attorney General to come and answer questions relating to his office in regards to the drafting of legislation, in particular Chapter 14 of the Constitution in order for this House to know and take action of the bottleneck, I may quote from a scholar Mr. Warren Wiersbe. He says that the world’s corruption is a result of its defiance.
In our Holy Bible, Proverbs 29 vs 4: a just king gives stability to his nation, but one who demands bribes destroys it. Ministers and top Government officials are equated as ki.ngs in the Bible. We have has cases where top Government officials are involved in corrupt activities. That according to the Holy Bible destroys a nation. Zimbabwe has been destroyed by such people. Finally, I would like to thank this august House for giving me an opportunity to air up fundamental implications without being disturbed. – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.]
HON. SEN NCUBE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MARAVA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
RESCUSCITATION OF THE ZAMBEZI WATER PROJECT
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the resuscitation of the Zambezi water project.
Question again proposed.
HON. B. SIBANDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. NCUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
FOOD SECURITY AND NUTRITION CHALLENGES
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on malnutrition among urban and rural communities.
Question again proposed.
HON. D. T. KHUMALO: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MARAVA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 133RD ASSEMBLY OF THE INTER-
PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU)
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Zimbabwe Delegation Report on the 133rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary
Union (IPU).
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
REHABILITATION OF WAR SHRINES AND RECOGNITION OF
DEPARTED WAR LIBERATORS
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion calling for the rehabilitation and maintenance of War Shrines.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MARAVA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE
PRESIDENT AS CHAIRMAN OF AFRICAN UNION
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion to congratulate His Excellency, the President Cde. R.G. Mugabe and the Government of Zimbabwe on successfully leading the African Union (AU) and
Southern African Development Community (SADC) as Chairperson.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
MOTION
TRADITIONAL CHIEFS MANDATE
Twelfth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the role of traditional leaders.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MAWIRE: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 16th June, 2016.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MASUKU, seconded by HON.
SEN. MOHADI, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Nine Minutes to Five o’clock p.m.