PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 3rd November, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
HOUSE DECORUM
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have one announcement, I have also made an observation, we are getting out of the COVID-19 impact, Chief Whips, can you make sure that we have at least a tenth of our Members of Parliament in the House. I say at least 10% of the Members of the House must be in the House.
I have to advise the House that Hon. Members must desist from approaching the Chair or the Presiding Officer unless they are invited to do so by the Presiding Officer and be guided accordingly. Yesterday, in particular, I will give an example where we got a troop of Hon. Members approaching the Chair. That is disorderly behaviour in terms of Section 109 of our Standing Orders.
Also rising in a group is not permissible and shouting whatever you will be shouting, that is disorderly behaviour and we shall not entertain that from today. We want Hon. Members to just rise and be recognised accordingly in an orderly manner.
HON. JAMES SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker and Good afternoon. My matter of national interest is to bring to the attention of this august House and the nation at large the decay in the delivery systems at national Government Central Hospitals.
I will give an example of what is happening at Mpilo Central Hospital. I am referring to corrupt activities which are unnecessarily exposing patients that are already suffering to more suffering and to premature death.
There are patients that have been on the queue to go to theatre since December 31, 2021 and they have not been able to have the opportunity to go to theatre. The reason is that each time their allocated dates arrive to go to theatre, excuses are given. They are told that there are no doctors to attend to them; they are told that there are no necessary materials in the theatre; they are told that their temperature is too high for them to go to theatre.
However, the truth is that it is because they would have not paid a bribe to doctors that range between $300 to 700 or more. Surprisingly, doctors are able to carry out procedures using the same theatres on their private patients without paying anything to the hospital.
Secondly, the X-ray machine and the Scan, most of the time the machines are said to be out of order. So, if ever anyone is lucky at that time to be attended to, when they get to the other end where the doctor is looking at the X-ray picture, the patient is told the X-ray is not clear because the X-ray machine is faulty. So they are referred to facilities outside or private operators where they have to do another X-ray.
On the scanning machine, pregnant mothers who have to do a scan are told that there is no jelly but surprisingly, again, the officer operating the scan will be having their private jelly. So they only attend to their private patients from their private practice but who come and use the hospital scan with the jelly. Anyone referred by Mpilo is told that there is no jelly, yet those coming from outside who will be their private patients will be attended to.
The same applies to medicines, when the doctor has written a prescription and they are supposed to be given medicine from the hospital dispensary, they are told there is nothing yet it is not true. When the patients are asked to pay directly to nurses in the ward, surprising the medicines are made available.
So, these are some of the examples that are happening at Mpilo Hospital. Therefore, I would request that the Ministry of Health and Child Care carries out an investigation and bring a Ministerial Statement to this House. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You have raised such a fundamental and profound observation which I feel should have been raised yesterday when the Hon. Minister of Health was here. I concur with you because I had a relative son admitted at Parirenyatwa with a broken arm. He could not be operated upon for six months until I was informed and immediately called the hospital, only then was the young men operated upon. So it is a real situation and I feel very sorry that you could not have raised this yesterday…
HON. JAMES SITHOLE: I did not get the chance yesterday.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Next time, you speak to your Chief Whip and make sure that you are on the list to raise such very fundamental and profound issues that have to do with our health delivery. We will proceed to engage the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care to make a statement on the issue of health delivery in terms of delayed operations at central hospitals. I thank you.
*HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my issue is on constituency offices, this time we have auditors who are coming to our constituencies from the Auditor’s General Office and others from here. They will not find us, there is communication breakdown. I am appealing that we must be allocated constituency offices. I know that we are about to close this Parliament but this will help a lot and this will help the new Members of Parliament also. Some will make excuses not to be audited because of that. Our constituency development office members are not given anything, they are sacrificing, so you cannot assign them to wait for an auditor for a week. If we have offices then we will have a permanent person at the office.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. Just to inform you Hon. Member and the other Hon. Members, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development has been engaged, the tenders were floated and the winning company should begin the construction of at least 70... – [HON. TEKESHE: Inaudible interjection.] – nhai vaTekeshe, ndirikukupindurai mavekutaurazve. Aiwa tsika dzenyu dzakamira sei - teererai, mabvunza mubvunzo wakanaka. Programme iyoyo yekuvaka yavekutangisa. We will start with 70; we will make sure that every Party is covered: MDC-T, CCC and ZANU PF. The majority of Hon. Members of Parliament belong to ZANU PF Party so they are the ones who will get the greatest number of those 70. That is the proportional democracy.
Before the end of next year, we will have finished 210 constituency offices so that you will meet those who intend to meet you in your constituency offices. There will be personnel like secretaries, and there will be electricity and everything will be there. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Markham you are hesitating to stand up.
HON MARKHAM: I was a bit slow but I would like to bring up a point of order. Mr. Speaker, you recall in this House I requested for the Chinese loans to be reported on by the Minister of Finance which he gave us. I have spent a lot of time looking at this report from the Minister. I am afraid and worried Hon. Speaker, about his figures that he reported to us in the House. I was in the office checking on the figures to make sure there were no typos. His figures do not balance by $873 million that he gave us. He gave us a rough figure of $2.7 billion that we owe the Chinese Government, of which we have repaid $153 million not billion. So the outstanding balance if you take those two figures apart, he says $1.7 billion, it is not, it is $2.64 billion that we still owe them. To me, that is a shocking revelation purely because we are not thinking that the Hon. Minister did not check his figures, we are talking of a national debt here.
What worries me is that the figure of the loan is actually understated by $71 million, I have checked that personally. The repayment is overstated by $200 000 and the total difference is $873 400 000. My concern now Mr. Speaker is if these figures are wrong like this, it worries me because yesterday we were supposed to get a full turn out of ministers but we did not and it just worries me that we are getting feedback of this information that is not correct.
I thought the Minister is unwittingly fed this information or we have been fed a lot of rubbish. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am sure you can say that differently.
HON. MARKHAM: I believe we are being fed untruths. Totally incorrect information and as a result could the Hon. Minister give us another statement. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What I suggest Hon. Markham, can you put that as a written question asking for those details and inconsistencies. From there, I am sure we could be able to have subsequent discussion emanating from his response to your observations.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker but I would like to draw your attention, there is a lot of hesitance from the Minister to supply this and that question set for nearly 3 months on the Order Paper.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I will make sure that it is attended to.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker, I want to raise another issue, Hon. Kazembe offered us on the registration of voters, three and a half months ago that they will not leave any people behind in no place, whatever he said, you back me Hon. Speaker. Up to now following that statement, nothing has happened. He has been very quiet since the registration process stopped end of September/October. He has not given us a statement. Obviously, now he intends to go back and fit in the 2000 people that were left behind in Hatcliffe and the 500 that were left behind in Borrowdale.
THE HON. SPEAKER: So you are pleading for extension of the registration?
HON. MARKHAM: In your own words Mr. Speaker, you stated that it was a directive from His Excellency the President and he must register all those people, so I would like him to register those people. I did offer to take them to the head office but with that number it would be much easier if he will come to us.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am sure the mobile registration you need can be organized. I want that to embrace the whole country, there might be other areas also wanting the electorate to register before the elections ensue.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker, I conquer. However, I do suggest that they sort out the problems in Hatcliffe and Borrowdale first, before they get to the rest of the country. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: In our vernacular languages when you have two or three wives, you must make sure that you balance up your attention to them. You cannot be seen to be inclined to one family but your concerns will be taken as a priority.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker, in my house I look after the elders first.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. Clerk of Parliament, if you could ensure that we bring this to the attention of the Hon. Minister so that the outstanding areas that need registration of voters does take place timeously.
HON. MADZIMURE: On a point of Order Hon. Speaker it is a small one.
THE HON. SPEAKER: How small is it?
HON. MADZIMURE: It is very small. I just want to remind the Minister of Home Affairs because he promised to bring the Ministerial Statement regarding how they have concluded the investigations on the disappearance of Itai Dzamara. The matter must be brought to closure because the family is not sure where the whole matter is and it will be better if he is declared dead so that they do the rituals and the matter is put to rest. The Minister promised long back and I even asked this past month for him to come and give a Ministerial Statement but this has not been done. Could the Minister be reminded to bring that Ministerial Statement because it is important for the family to know where the State is now and if he is dead, then he is declared dead?
THE HON SPEAKER: Hon. Biti, just refresh my memory. A person that has been unfound, say for15 or 10 years, is it correct to presume that person to be dead?
HON. BITI: It is much less Mr. Speaker Sir. It is two years. The duration is not of much importance but the circumstances. An application is made and then it is advertised in the Government Gazette. The idea being that if he is alive or at a small house, they will say he is there. That process needs to be done but it is quite problematic especially in Matabeleland.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, thank you very much for that clarification.
HON. MASENDA: I rise on a matter of national importance which is based on the fact that we are getting into the new agricultural season. I want to request the Minister of Agriculture to bring to the House a Ministerial Statement to say at what prices are we going to plant our crops such as maize and tobacco. I would go further to say I would want the Minister to put the prices in US dollars and say which portion is going to be given as US dollars and which portion is going to be given as RTGS. I am a tobacco farmer myself and the price of tobacco has been stagnant …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon Member you are now getting into debate. Allow the Minister to give his statement on the pre-planting prices of the crops. Once he has done that, you then make a suggestion.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 21 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 22 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT ON THE BILATERAL VISIT TO RUSSIA
HON. SHAMU: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the delegation report on the bilateral visit to Russia held from 26 to 30 September 2022.
HON. MASOKA: I second.
HON. SHAMU:
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda,
Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, led a Parliamentary
Delegation on a Bilateral Visit to Moscow, Russia, from 26 to 30 September 2022. This, in fulfilment of Zimbabwe’s foreign policy as articulated by His Excellency, the President, Cde. Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, that “Zimbabwe is a friend of all and an enemy to none”. Additionally, the Bilateral Visit was to enhance Parliamentary Diplomacy. To that end, the visit culminated in the signing of a Cooperation Agreement between the National Assembly of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on 27 September 2022.
1.2 The delegation comprised the following Members of Parliament who are also members of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade:
Hon. Webster Kotiwani Shamu, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade;
Hon. Nyasha Masoka, Member of Parliament;
Hon. Alignia Samson, Member of Parliament; and
Hon. Godfrey Dube, Member of Parliament.
1.3 From the outset, the delegation wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the following for their sterling work in ensuring that the Parliamentary engagement to Russia was successful, fruitful and memorable:
H.E. Mr. Nikolai Krasilnikov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Zimbabwe and his staff; and
Mr. Muponisi Dzapasi, Charge d’Affaires, Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe and his staff.
1.4 The well thought out and comprehensive programme which was prepared by the Hosts included the following highlights:
- Meeting with Hon. V.V. Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation;
- Speaker’s address to the State Duma at the plenary session;
- Meeting with Hon. Valentina Matvienko, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
2.0 Wreath laying ceremony at the Kremlin Wall
2.1 The official programme started off on a sombre note with the wreath laying ceremony at the Kremlin Wall. In honour of the memory of fallen heroes, the Hon. Speaker laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with Hon. Members laying bouquets of flowers. To conclude the programme at the Kremlin Wall, the delegation was taken on a tour of the tombs. Russian historical luminaries including Suslov, Stalin, Kalinin, Dzerzhinsky and Brezhnev are interred at the Kremlin Wall.
3.0 Meeting with the Chairman of the of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
3.1 On 27 September 2022, the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation led by the Hon. Speaker Volodin hosted the Hon. Speaker and his Delegation at the State Duma Buildings. In attendance during this meeting were multi-party representatives from the State Duma who despite their political differences were united in their quest to strengthen the existing relations between the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Accordingly, the Host Speaker welcomed this opportunity to exchange views on issues of mutual interest, particularly as it comes in the aftermath of the global COVID -19 pandemic which prevented face to face interaction.
3.2 Hon. Advocate Mudenda extended his appreciation to the host Chairperson for the excellent hospitality and special logistics put in place for his delegation. Within the context of the cordial relations that exist between Zimbabwe and Russia and by extension between the two legislatures, the Hon. Speaker underscored the importance of such interface which has been characterized by high level visits between Harare and Moscow, including the visit by H.E. President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. Indeed, such interactions give impetus to development of permanent relations.
3.2.1 In this context, he welcomed the Agreement of Cooperation between the two legislatures as a tool that will compel both parties to implement areas of cooperation. Accordingly, the two Speakers pledged to strengthen the relations between the two legislatures not only through bilateral meetings and consultations, but also the interface of specialized Committees focusing on specific areas of cooperation such as agriculture and mining where Russia has expertise and Zimbabwe stands to benefit. The interactions must be pointed, dynamic and mutually beneficial.
3.2.2 Hon. Advocate Mudenda called for accelerated implementation of signed agreements if the two countries are to derive any benefit from the cooperation.
3.3 The two Speakers acknowledged the support the two countries have rendered each other at the international fora, with Russia having stood by Zimbabwe in 2008 when they vetoed a UN Draft Resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe while the Parliament of Zimbabwe has supported the Russian position at such international fora such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The illegal sanctions imposed by the United States of America and the West have brought untold suffering the generality of the people. Hon. Advocate Mudenda chronicled the historical background of the land reform programme which attracted the wrath of the West. The two sides agreed to continue supporting each other at the international fora emphasising that friendships should be based on the principles of trust, reciprocity, respect for each other’s interests and sovereignty. In this context, national sovereignty must be based on the UN Charter which states that all states are equal.
3.4 Russia values its relationship with Africa hence the Russia-Africa Conference with African Parliaments. Due to the exigencies associated with the COVID – 19 pandemic, the Conference has been in abeyance. Consultations with African countries are underway on the suitable date for the next Conference. In this regard, an invitation was extended to Hon. Advocate Mudenda and his delegation to attend the Conference.
3.5 Additionally, Russia will send representatives to attend the 78th Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) and the 44th Conference of the APU scheduled for Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, from 5 to 10 November 2022. Russia has submitted a request for an Observer status at the APU. Hon. Mudenda assured his counterpart that the Conference which is being held in one of the world’s seven wonders will live up to its billing.
3.6 In acknowledging Russia’s big brother role in geo-politics, the Hon. Speaker encouraged Russia to continue on its positive trajectory in exercising its influence in the geo-politics of the world.
4.0 Signing of the Cooperation Agreement between the National Assembly of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
4.1 Following the fruitful interactions, the two Speakers proceeded to sign the Cooperation Agreement between the National Assembly of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. The Agreement will govern the socio-economic and political cooperation between the two legislatures and is anchored on mutual trust and understanding.
4.2 Through engagement between specialized Committees, the two legislatures will share experiences and best practices for mutual development. (Refer to Annexure 1 for the full text of the Agreement).
5.0 Address by Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe to the Plenary Session of the State Duma
5.1 On this historic Bilateral Visit, the Hon. Speaker was accorded the rare privilege to address the Plenary Session of the State Duma. In his address, the Hon. Speaker referred to the existing strong bilateral relations between Russia and Zimbabwe which predate Zimbabwe’s independence when Russia proffered arms to the cause. Russia unflinchingly supported the country’s struggle for independence.
5.2 The Hon. Speaker gave a historical context of the Russian Federation’s special operation in Ukraine which is predicated on the legitimate historical security concerns arising from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) and the United States of America’s unrelenting expansionist policies which pose a danger to the Russian Federation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
5.3 Furthermore, he articulated Zimbabwe position which supports concerted efforts towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the spirit of multilateralism and solidarity as defined by article 2 of the United Nations Charter. In this context, the Hon. Speaker commended the Russian Federation and Ukraine for initiating dialogue seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict as led by President Erdogan of Turkey.
5.4 The Hon. Speaker condemned the use of sanctions as they result in untold human suffering, loss of life and infrastructural destruction on both sides of the conflict. He, therefore, underscored the importance of earnest and constructive dialogue. (Refer to Annexure 2 for the full text of the speech)
6.0 Excursions
6.1 Guided Tour of the Kremlin: On 26 September, the delegation was taken on a guided tour of the magnificent and historical heritage site which incorporates the Armory Chamber (Museum) and the architectural ensemble of the Cathedral Square comprising the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals among other majestic features. The impressive Armory Chamber is home to a collection of artefacts with a historical and cultural value preserved over centuries. The artefacts include state regalia, ceremonial royal clothes and coronation dresses as well as an extensive collection of gold and silverware.
6.2 Tour of the Zaryadye Park: On the 27th of September 2022, the Hon. Speaker and his delegation were treated to an eight (8) minute interactive video which virtually transported them to some of Russia’s tourist attractions. In addition, the delegation was virtually transported to the formation of Moscow focusing on cultural monuments, protected areas and historical places.
6.3.1 Tour of the Patriot Park: Additionally on the same day, the Speaker’s Delegation undertook a guided tour of the Patriot Park which is the largest museum in Russia dedicated to the display of military armaments and weaponry used by Russia and a collection from eleven (11) foreign countries used during the Second World War. The museum features armoured vehicles and weaponry in use then by the Russian Imperial Army, the Russian Empire as well as during World War I and II. The Delegation was impressed by the concerted effort of the Russian people to keep their military heritage for the current generation and posterity. For that reason, this Museum is open to the public, including young people and school children who interfaced with the delegation. The involvement of young people and school children in such tours affirmed the national policy which demands that such generations be exposed to the military patriotic education. As the delegation left the museum building, the delegation was shown an array of different types of war planes and jet fighters as well as helicopters that were used during the wars. These revealed the progressive development of air force models during the war period.
6.3.2 After being treated to a military meal luncheon using military cutlery, the delegation then toured the majestic Main Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. This Cathedral, with its impressive and magnificent architectural designs is dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War as well as the military victories of the Russian people in all wars. This Cathedral sits on two levels – lower level features painted murals of their victory and their outstanding Generals and it is also a venue for services held from time to time on military special services. The upper level which has a larger space is dedicated for use by a maximum of 5 000 military personnel when they celebrate special military events such as was the case when they celebrated 75th Anniversary of the Russian victory in the patriotic war. What also impressed the Zimbabwean Delegation was that the Cathedral is a venerated church in Russia whose domed conical spikes are enameled in pure gold and that the main Cathedral is the tallest in Russia.
6.3.3 The delegation was overally impressed by the preserved military hardware and weaponry which was a revered Russian heritage.
6.4 Tour of the Central Museum of the Great Patriot War 1941 to 1945 and Memorial on Poklonnaya Hill: On 29 October 2022, the delegation was taken to the Museum of the Great Patriotic War which is also known as the Victory Museum. The museum is located in Moscow at Poklonnaya Gora. It features interactive exhibits and memorials of the Eastern Front of World War II, known in Russia as the “Great Patriotic War.” In a magnificent display of artistry, the Museum recreated exhibits with a striking resemblance to scenes from the war. In commemoration of the heroes on the home front, the museum also features exhibits on the contribution to the victory by frontline workers, ordinary citizens, scientists, health and cultural workers.
7.0 Meeting with the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
7.1 On 29 September 2022, the Federal Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation led by Hon. Speaker Matvienko hosted Hon. Speaker Mudenda and his Delegation consequent upon Hon. Matvienko’s visit to Harare in June 2022. The Federation Council Speaker expressed her gratitude for the warm hospitality extended to her and her delegation during the visit. In the same vein, she expressed appreciation for the unflinching support of Russia- Zimbabwe strong bilateral relations demonstrated by His Excellency, the President, Cde. Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who displayed a deep understanding of the historical perspective regarding the Russia military campaign in Ukraine. She informed the Delegation that as soon as she arrived from Harare, she briefed President Putin on her successful visit to Zimbabwe. Consequently, President Putin dispatched four delegations to Zimbabwe including a ten (10) member University Team from Russia who were tasked to implement specific agreements in their respective fields. As a sign of appreciation of Zimbabwe’s strong bilateral relations, President Putin directed that eleven (11) tonnes of wheat be donated to Zimbabwe to alleviate the impact of sanctions which had negatively affected the wheat stocks in Zimbabwe. Hon. Matvienko further expressed the hope that His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, would accede to the Russian invitation for him to attend the Russia-Africa Summit scheduled for St. Petersburg next year.
7.1.2 Regarding the bilateral relations between the two legislatures of Russia and Zimbabwe, Hon. Matvienko strongly hoped that the two legislatures would continually collaborate in support of each other’s positions at the international fora, particularly where the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their respective countries would be threatened. On that score, the Hon. Matvienko lauded the signing of the agreement between the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe as a concrete testimony of cementing Parliamentary diplomacy between the two Assemblies. Relatedly, she looked forward to the signing of a Cooperation Agreement between the Russian Federal Council and the Zimbabwean Senate in the near future. In the same vein the Hon. Matvienko informed the delegation that a Friendship Association had been formed between the two Senates as another way of strengthening the bilateral relations between the two legislatures. She hoped that a similar Friendship Association would soon be established between the National Assembly of Zimbabwe and the State Duma.
7.1.3 The Host Speaker appealed to the Zimbabwean Delegation that efforts should be made to ensure that the two legislatures promoted accelerated economic development between their respective countries, especially in the areas of mining, education, health services and energy development. The two legislatures were expected to enact laws that promoted the ease of doing business and expeditious financial business transactions in the context of fighting the illegal economic sanctions imposed by the United States of America and its allies. The Hon. Speaker Mudenda agreed totally with the suggestions of Hon. Matvienko on issues that she raised. However, the Hon. Speaker Mudenda decried laissez faire situation in which the signed Memoranda of Understanding and Agreements did not have time lined implementation matrix. So far, there are 18 signed Memoranda of Understanding/Agreements whose outcomes are yet to be realized. It was, therefore, incumbent on the two legislatures to exercise robust oversight in ensuring that the signed Memoranda of Understanding/Agreements were implemented expeditiously.
7.1.4 Hon. Matvienko also advised the Zimbabwe Delegation about the root cause of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine which hinged upon the coup that ushered in the current Ukraine administration which was supported by NATO countries and the United States of America thereby creating security concerns by the Russian Federation along its borders. In that regard, the Zimbabwe Delegation appreciated the detailed background on the Russian Federation military campaign in Ukraine. Accordingly, the meeting discussed the possibility of the Russia military campaign in Ukraine being raised as an emergency item at the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Rwanda. It was underscored that the Russian Parliamentary Delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union should exercise extensive diplomacy manoeuvres to forestall that possibility. In doing so, the Russian Parliamentary Delegation should anchor its arguments that the founding fathers of the IPU, Cremer and Passy, advocated for the resolution of disputes through dialogue in terms of Article 2 of the United Nations Charter and International Law with the understanding that Russia has a fundamental right to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity in terms of article 51 of the UN Charter.
7.1.5 Hon. Matvienko requested the Hon. Speaker of Zimbabwe to pass on warm greetings to His Excellency, the President and the First Lady whom she admires as a leading champion in philanthropy targeting gender equality and the protection of women and girls in Zimbabwe. Hon. Matvienko informed the Zimbabwe delegation that the Zimbabwe First Lady had been invited to visit Russia in November 2022 where she would be expected to accept a donation on behalf of the Angel of Hope Foundation. She also asked the Zimbabwe delegation to relay her warm regards to Hon. Mabel Memory Chinomona, President of the Senate, as she appreciated the cordial meetings she had held with the Senate President in Harare and subsequently in St Petersburg. Hon. Matvienko was looking forward to Hon. Chinomona’s expected visit to Russia in December 2022 during which visit the Cooperation Agreement between the two Senates would be signed.
8.0 Recommendations
8.1 The Bilateral Visit which culminated in the signing of the historic Cooperation Agreement between the National Assembly of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation should now translate into tangible outputs for the mutual benefit of the people of Russia and Zimbabwe. To this end the strengthening of existing relations through the accelerated implementation of the Agreement is of paramount importance. The following activities may be undertaken for sustained relations:
Specialised Committee exchange visits in order to share views and best practices on parliamentary processes in specific economic sectors should be encouraged;
Concerted efforts by the two legislatures to ensure the implementation of Memoranda of Understanding and Agreements;
Rendering corroborative support at the international fora;
Participating at Conferences that further the cause of the two legislatures;
Parliament of Zimbabwe together with the Executive must strive to promote historical and cultural heritage of Zimbabwe which should be digitalised.
Domestic tourism is another area that Zimbabwe can learn from Russia as well as how to package and brand the different tourist attractions to not only encourage foreign tourists but domestic tourists as well.
9.0 Conclusion
9.1 The Delegation extends its appreciation to the Parliament of Zimbabwe and Government for affording it the opportunity to undertake the high-level bilateral exchange visit. The Delegation, therefore, calls on Parliament to ensure sustained relations with the State Duma of Russia and the Federal Council anchored on mutual trust for the benefit of the people of Russia and Zimbabwe.
Annexure 1
Agreement on Cooperation between the National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation
The National Assembly of the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, hereinafter referred to as the Parties;
Attaching great importance to the development of traditional relations of friendship, mutual understanding, and cooperation between the peoples of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Russian Federation;
Acknowledging the important role of legislative bodies in promoting multidimensional cooperation between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Russian Federation in political, economic, trade, cultural, educational, and other spheres;
Desiring to further improve constructive relations between the legislative bodies of both States;
Advocating maintenance of peace, stability and security as well as recognising the necessity of active mutual cooperation in countering new challenges and threats;
Building on the belief that cooperation between the Parties will contribute to the preservation of democratic values, promotion of the rule of law, and observance of human rights;
Recognising that interaction in the said spheres is mutually beneficial and serves the interests of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Russian Federation, have agreed on the following:
Article 1
The Parties shall promote the establishment of permanent links between committees, commissions, parliamentary groups and administrations of the Parties and exchange delegations in order to study the best practices of drafting and adopting legislative acts and parliamentary programmes.
Article 2
In order to ensure coordination of parliamentary processes in the international arena the Parties shall hold consultations, provide support to each other when issues of mutual interest are discussed in international organisations.
Article 3
The Parties shall regularly exchange information on their activities, legislative acts, printed periodicals and other materials relating to the activities of the Parties.
Article 4
All information, that the Parties have agreed to consider confidential, shall be treated as such, except in cases where the Party gives written confidentiality waiver of specific information.
Article 5
All information on the issues of this Agreement shall be exchanged between the Parties in written letters.
Article 6
The financial support for the implementation of this Agreement shall be provided by the Parties separately, on the basis of the principle of reciprocity and within the limits of the funds envisaged in the cost estimates of the Parties.
Article 7
The issues concerning interpretation and application of this Agreement shall be settled by the Parties through negotiations and consultations.
Article 8
Amendments and additions may be made to this Agreement by mutual agreement of the Parties in writing.
Article 9
This Agreement shall be applied from the date of its signature. Either Party can terminate this Agreement by giving a three months’ written notice to the other Party. This Agreement shall then terminate 90 days after the date of the receipt of such notification.
Signed_______ on ____________ 2022, in two copies in the English and Russian languages, both texts having equal legal force.
Speaker of Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe |
Chairman of the State Duma |
Annexure 2
Your Excellency, the Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Hon. Vyacheslav Volodin;
Hon, Members of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation;
Members of my delegation;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Comrades and Friends
At the onset, allow me to tender my profound gratitude and that of my delegation for the gracious invitation extended to us by the State Duma. The hospitality accorded to my delegation and the related welcome logistics have been superb beyond expectation. We feel very much at home. I take this auspicious opportunity to bring to you warm fraternal regards from our President, His Excellency, Dr E.D. Mnangagwa, and from the entire citizenry of Zimbabwe. Lest we forget, Russia and Zimbabwe enjoy cordial political and economic bilateral relations which predate Zimbabwe’s independence. That independence would never have been attained had Russia not proffered arms and military hardware as well as demonstrating practically the unflinching moral and political support for our freedom fighters. Russia unwaveringly believed in Zimbabwe’s quest for self-determination, freedom and independence. We are here to cement that bedrock of our tested bilateral relations now being propagated by our current parliamentary diplomacy as undergirded by the need for mutual benchmarking visits such as this one to the State Duma. There is need for our two Assemblies to continually share best Parliamentary practices in order to enhance democracy, the rule of law and the upholding of human rights in our respective jurisdictions. Thank you for the invitation by the State Duma of the Eighth Convocation for this opportune occasion to learn from each other’s parliamentary best practices.
Hon. Members, our visit here in Russia takes place in the middle of the Russian Federation military campaign in Ukraine which started on 24th February 2022. The war is now in its seventh month and not abating.
The Russian Federation’s special operation in Ukraine, though demonised by western media, is predicated on legitimate historical security concerns arising from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) and the United States of America unrelenting expansionist policies which pose an incontrovertible danger to the Russian Federation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
As is common cause, on Saturday 2nd March 2022 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution that strongly admonished the Russian Federation for launching a special military operation against Ukraine and called for an immediate cessation and unconditional withdrawal of Russian military forces. The resolution was supported by 141 of the General Assembly’s 193 Member States with Zimbabwe among the more than 30 countries abstaining from voting. Five countries, including Russia, Syria, Ethiopia and Belarus voted against it. Zimbabwe’s position remains steadfast in support of concerted efforts towards a peaceful resolution to the current conflict in the spirit of multilateralism and solidarity as defined by Article 2 of the United Nations Charter.
However, this conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine is complex and deeply rooted in history and geopolitical dynamics. It is instructive to note that for centuries the histories of Russia and Ukraine were intricately intertwined. Russian history began in what was called Kievan-Rus which is the current Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. The Russian religion and culture spread from there. Additionally, some of the most critical battles for Russian freedom, starting with the Battle of Poltava in 1709, were fought on Ukranian soil. The Black Sea Fleet - Russia’s means of projecting power in the Mediterranean – is based on a long-term lease in Sevastopol, in Crimea. It is, therefore, axiomatic that the historical linkages between Russia and Ukraine are intricately coiled.
Notwithstanding this history, in the aftermath of the breakup of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and the end of the Cold War, NATO continued its scorched earth policy of advancing towards Russia by progressively co-opting former Soviet Republics into its political wing. From 1999 to date, former Warsaw Pact members who include Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary have joined NATO. They were later joined by Bulgaria, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. The effect of this incorporation into NATO, which began to establish military bases in the respective countries, was that the Russian Federation was literally hemmed in by its Cold War adversaries. Overt attempts by NATO to incorporate Ukraine within its ambit, which shares a 2000-kilometre border with the Russian Federation and is the largest of former Soviet states, raised a sense of insecurity on the part of the Russian Federation. That political context should be understood in that respect. Accordingly, the Russian Federation justifiably feels threatened by the presence of a NATO nuclear arsenal within touching distance of its borders and the Russian Federation’s special military operation should be understood in this context. The military operation is thus a pre-emptive move intended to protect the Russian Federation from an inescapable Nato foe and now bolstered by the American hegemonic hankering for the unwarranted unipolar world that clearly cannot be trusted in maintaining world peace and security.
As Henry Kissinger prophetically observed that:
“The European Union must recognise that its bureaucratic dilatoriness and subordination of the strategic element to domestic politics in negotiating Ukraine’s relationship to Europe contributed to turning a negotiation into a crisis.”
Zimbabwe is not convinced that the United Nations resolution condemning the Federation of Russia and the barrage of sanctions imposed against it is the correct way to bring an end to the current crisis. On the contrary sanctions actually add more fuel to the raging political fire, resulting in untold human suffering, loss of life and infrastructural destruction on both sides of the conflict. It is Zimbabwe’s considered view that an earnest and constructive dialogue is the only viable option out of the deepening crisis. For Africa, it is imperative that the diplomatic dialogue needs consummation in order to curtail the negative impact of the conflict on the African continent’s trade with Russia and Ukraine. Between 2018 and 2020, Africa imported US$3.7 billion in wheat (32% of the continent’s total wheat imports) from Russia and another US$1.4 billion from Ukraine (12% of the continent’s wheat imports). Similarly, Ukraine exported $2.9 billion worth of agricultural products to the African continent in 2020. About 48% of these products were wheat, 31% corn, and the rest were sunflower oil, barley and soya beans.
The disruption of trade as a consequence of the conflict, is a concern for the African continent, which is a net importer of wheat and sunflower oil. The disruption of shipments of essential commodities is adding to the general concern about food price inflation. Bread prices and cooking oil prices have been going up since the beginning of the war, pushing masses of Africans into poverty. On that note, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) buys half of the wheat it distributes around the world from Ukraine. With the war, supplies are squeezed, and prices are rising, including for fuel, increasing the cost of transporting food in and to the region. Food inflation particularly affects people in poverty, who spend more of their income on food even when consuming the lowest-cost options. The World Bank reported that in African cities, food accounts for 60% of total expenditures for the bottom 20% of urban households and 35% for the wealthiest, making it hard to absorb price hikes. People forced to spend more on basic staples have to adapt by purchasing lower quality food, eating less, and reducing essential non-food expenditures like health or education.
Firstly, as has already been alluded to above, Zimbabwe is alive to the geopolitics and the historical context which informed the Russian Federation’s reaction and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. Secondly, as an unfortunate victim of the illegal and unilateral western embargo over the past two decades, Zimbabwe can closely relate to Russia’s situation and is convinced that cohesive measures will not result in any meaningful solution. That is why our President, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa, rejected President Biden’s call that Zimbabwe should support sanctions against Russia. President Mnangagwa retorted that victims of sanctions are comrades in arms against the sanctions battle. In the same vein, Africa abhors the H.R. 7311 – Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act now before the United States Senate, which is an affront to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of African Countries who may be deemed to want to support Russia. Its main objective is “that the United States —
Should regularly assess the scale and scope of the Russian Federation’s influence and activities in Africa that undermine United States objectives and interests; and
Determine how —
To address and counter such influence and activities effectively, including through appropriate United States foreign assistance programs; and
To hold accountable the Russian Federation and African governments and their officials who are complicit in aiding such malign influence and activities”.
Zimbabwe firmly believes that dialogue is the only option for peaceful settlement of disputes as enshrined in Article 2 of the United Nations Charter and at International law.
Zimbabwe affirms that it is the duty of the international community to ameliorate conflicts. To that end, the international community must tirelessly facilitate honest engagement to find a durable solution to the current Russia – Ukraine conflict. In that regard, Zimbabwe appeals to the international community to foster this approach in order to curtail the emerging destabilization of the global economy with its attendant palpable imported inflation spiral.
Given this context, it is commendable that the Russian Federation and Ukraine have already initiated dialogue seeking an expeditious and peaceful resolution to the conflict as led by President Erdogan of Turkey. The two parties to the conflict are, therefore, encouraged to further intensify their efforts toward finding a lasting solution to the crisis which threatens the security interests of both parties and the consequential human calamities, especially the concomitant refugee crisis currently devastating the lives of women and children, let alone the destabilization of the world economic order. In that vein, the Turkish diplomatic manoeuvres should be sustained and applauded by the international community. Diplomacy through dialogue can only succeed where there is a mutual realization that states have a duty to affirm their sovereignty in a spirit of co-existence and without inadvertently unduly raising existential security concerns of other sovereign states. Given the obtaining historical and geopolitical paradigms, while it is accepted that in line with the UN Charter every state has the right to associate with any other state on the basis of the sovereign equality of nations, each State also has a sacrosanct responsibility to avoid overt and covert threats towards other States. The security threats to the Russian Federation’s sovereignty in this context are apparent and are of a historical nature since the 14th century. In that regard, it is only through dialogue between all parties to the conflict that a peaceful resolution to the dispute can be found. The dialogue must be predicated on a clear understanding of the root cause of the conflict, mutual trust, the need for flexibility and commitment to engage in constructive and peaceful dialogue. Cessation of hostilities is possible where both parties respect previous multilateral and bilateral treaties signed by them, including the unimplemented Minsk Protocol of 2014.
To this end, the United Nations Security Council has a duty to work without bias or undue influence toward an end to the current conflict. After the cessation of hostilities, the United Nations must facilitate the deployment of a credible monitoring team to secure unhindered access to post-war recovery and humanitarian operations. Guided by the principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity, and independence, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners should constantly review and scale up the delivery of life-saving support to refugees and internally displaced people in the war zone. Peace is possible where men and women of good will have a meeting of minds in respecting the principle of solidarity and multilateralism which espouses human co-existence on mother planet.
I conclude by celebrating the State Duma’s parliamentary diplomacy which has enabled my delegation to be hosted here. It is my ardent hope that the State Duma will reciprocate our visit by sending a delegation to Zimbabwe at its earliest convenience. Allow me to express my delegation’s hope that peace and security will soon be attained in the conflict zone. The spectre of a Third World War which may be triggered by the incessant conflict is too ghastly to be contemplated and imagined. The consequences of World War One and Two where more than fifty million lives were lost and many more millions wounded should not be repeated. In that regard, our minds should be tickled to remember that both wars were ended by the Treaties of Versailles and Paris respectively. Herein lies the nugget of wisdom to end conflict through round-table diplomatic dialogue.
Long Live the Russian Federation under the leadership of President Putin!
Long Live the Republic of Zimbabwe under President Mnangagwa’s leadership!
Long Live the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation!
Long Live the Parliament of the Republic of Zimbabwe;
Thank you for your attention!
HON. MASOKA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Good afternoon. I rise to second the report on the delegation to Russia moved by Hon. Shamu. With utmost humility, I seek this august House’s esteemed wide attention towards a few pointers emanating from the Parliamentary expedition to Russia, which I was privileged to be a part of.
The visit was premised on the fundamental quest to harness and enhance inter-parliamentary relations between Zimbabwe and Russia across multiple facets of mutual interests viz-a-vis the matrix of crafting enabling mechanisms deliberated and designed to cater for humanity’s betterment within the context of strategic geo-political fundamentals. After we have been duly accorded the chance by the Russian State Duma to have a look at the institutional major of rational self-introspection, audit profoundly underlined by the patriotic zeal and resilience, we came to realise that Russia got to where she is today through shear hard work, unity of purpose and innovation, not through subsidised mercy.
In the same vein, Zimbabwe’s progress now has been crafting and championing home grown initiatives that are for Zimbabweans by Zimbabweans. Therefore, it is imperative to note that as a nation, we need to be bold and unwavering in addressing and bridging the gap of wholesome indifference, which ultimately has churned out a generation which is sadly detached from the umbilical code of the country’s history. We need, as a nation, to take a leaf from Russia’s proactive stance in preserving the motions as well as the growing of its history. We have to ensure by way of concerted efforts, that the generality of Zimbabweans and youths in particular are systematically weaned from distorted narratives and therefore avoid the tragedy of leaving a generation running astray, unadorned of the truth into the arms of manipulation.
The fact that we have in our midst a generation of youths lost in the fog of cultural and historical identity crisis, calls for immediate measures to ensure that the virtues, ethos and exploits of our storied Chimurenga testament becomes the staple gospel religiously taught in our schools from a tender age. The trifle still of holes in defence to our country’s history and identity as a nation ought to be addressed as a matter of urgency by investing and churning resources towards establishing the requisite institutional centres where the virtues of ubuntu, discipline and patriotism are imparted to the youths.
I believe it is out of misinterpretation, the more or campus upside down, coupled with an existential patriotic deficit which compels you to find occupation in abusing drugs and ultimately themselves by holding the candle to detractors bent on undermining the nation’s economic, social, territorial and sovereign integrity. We cannot fold our hands and watch as distant detached spectators whilst the tempestuous tide of youths delinquencies sweeps our youths into the shows of catastrophic ignorance.
In that vein, I feel that the National Youth Service needs to be revived and revitalised in order to proffer a crucial narrative deliberately designed to ideologically rescue our youths who lost as they are in the confluence of confusion, have inadvertently found it fashionable to cut their feet in order to fit in the shoes of foreign borrowed ways, behaviour or conduct largely at variance with the ethos of ubuntu.
Mr. Speaker Sir, youths constitute the bulk of our human capital. As a nation, in order to harness the glorious dividend of patriotic, focused and innovative youths, the National Youth Service ought to be activated into motion with prudent immediacy so as to proffer ideological, cultural, as well as, social orientation which reflects who we are as a nation.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we cannot afford to overlook the fact that we live in a world where we have to put up with the arrogance of those who wrongly view themselves as more human than others, in a world where hawkish demigods prescribe that where we cannot supply guns, we will supply the reason for war. There arises a pertinent need to rekindle the candle of ubuntu and patriotism whose flickering light lies at the mercy of the prevailing whirlwinds of youths despondency feigned by ignorance at large.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as is exemplified by Russia, the cornerstone of a country’s success is premised on unity and being true to itself. Zimbabwe cannot afford the inconvenience of being discordant when it comes to denouncing the illegal economic sanctions strangulating our motherland. There is a compelling need to reactivate our deleted consciences and ensure that none amongst us is dabbling in the business of selling the country’s economic soul to the highest bidder.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Zimbabwe will always be our motherland, never our ex-mother. So in that respect, it is my fervent hope that we shall all, as progressive Zimbabweans, take a leaf from Russia, which in 2008 chose the path of reason and thus effectively vetoed concerted mercenary machinations to consign Zimbabwe’s economic fate to the Golgotha devised by the merchants of misinformation. We need to put our heads together as Zimbabweans and effectively turn off the tap of economic sanctions. Mr. Speaker Sir, as the tap of economic sanctions drips with the bitter water of mass pauperisation, I think it is high time Parliament comes up with a legislation that deals with those who are keen at mopping the floor instead of turning off the tap of misery.
Indeed Mr. Speaker Sir, the Constitution needs to do away with its conspiratorial silence which by default is making a lot of noise. By the way, poisoning the pond cannot be a way of saving the fish. Poisoning the economy can never be a way of helping its people. History has taught us that you can take a fly out of the toilet but you cannot take the toilet out of the fly. So it is imperative that this august House reigns in on unrepentant economic mercenaries who solicit and partake in asymmetrical assassination of our beloved country.
I believe that as patriotic legislators, we have an overriding obligation to craft and promulgate a curative legal remedy which ensures that those who hold the candle of economic saboteurs and their enablers are obliged to take a seat on the law’s proverbial last bus to repentance. We need also to remember the prayer that we always hear that we have an obligation as legislators in this House, to speak with one voice and to defend Zimbabwe as one. We might differ in our political persuasions but it is incumbent upon all of us to be patriotic and to fight for this country. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
HON. MATEU: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. First of all, I want to thank the delegation that travelled to Russia, which included the Hon. Speaker on behalf of Parliament. Mr. Speaker Sir, Parliamentary engagements are very important. I want to thank Parliament, including the Hon. Speaker for his address to the Russian Duma.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to give reference that the interface between Zimbabwe and Moscow is very important as it is important for us as a country to be friends to all countries. Mr. Speaker Sir, I note that there are 18 agreements between Russia and Zimbabwe but these agreements have not been fulfilled. I ask that when we plan our trips and engagements with other countries, we need to ensure that we are going there to do business that benefits the citizens of this country.
Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to turn to the report that was given by Hon. Shamu and I will turn to sanctions. Mr. Speaker Sir, there is no Zimbabwean who wants either their country or citizens to be under any sanctions. However, I do want to say that we must ensure that the fundamental human rights as in Chapter 2 of the Zimbabwean Constitution are absolutely adhered to. Because of the geopolitics that we currently live in, it also means that globalisation affects the way things go.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as we speak in this House, there is a devastating war that is currently happening in Ukraine. This House must condemn such a war as it is not beneficial to either the citizens of this country or indeed to the global citizenry. The Ukrainian war reminds us of where we are as a country and world. I want to tell you Mr. Speaker Sir, the effects of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Russia is a major producer of chemicals, especially fertiliser. Moreso, Ukraine is a major producer of grain, mainly wheat. A number of countries, I can mention about 18 African countries rely on wheat that comes from Ukraine. In fact, countries like Ethiopia and Eritrea get their grain from Ukraine. The current embargo that is there on the shipment of grain from the Ukrainian coast to Africa has been so much hindered because of the war that is currently happening in Russia.
I would have wished that the Speaker of this Parliament would have been very abrupt in his speech to the State Duma that Zimbabwe and indeed this Parliament is against any war, does not take any sides within the politics of Russia or the Eastern bloc and that we are absolutely neutral and all we want is peace so that the repercussions of the current war do not affect us as Zimbabwean citizens. We have seen how the prices of goods such as fuel are going up. There is currently a big crisis of fertiliser in this country. All this is because of the ongoing war that is currently happening in Ukraine. Yes Mr. Speaker, we do want sustained bi-lateral relations with Russia for I think they are of benefit to us as a nation. We also must tell Russia the truth about its actions in the global arena.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Second Report on the Russian Delegation visit recommended that we must have a revival of the National Youth Service, which I heard from Hon. Masoka. I want to condemn this report Mr. Speaker Sir. Zimbabwe is an independent country. The basis of which we institute any service, be they to the youths or pensioners must be reciprocal to us Zimbabweans and they must benefit us as a nation for Zimbabwe. I do not see, Mr. Speaker Sir, we are in a calamity as far as our economy is concerned. Mr. Speaker Sir, we are actually in a calamity in terms of the reports that we heard yesterday about the many child pregnancies happening in schools, about the abuse of drugs and alcohol in our institutions and in our youth. Therefore, if there is any youth service that should start right from us addressing the issues that are currently affecting the youth of today.
There was a lot of talk Mr. Speaker Sir, about patriotism in the report. I would dare not to think that there is any person in this august house who is not patriotic. Being a patriot does not mean that you are in support of a particular political party,being a patriot means that you are first of all honest to your country. It means that first of all you love your country. Loving your country does not mean that you love any political party,it means that you love your country and you adhere to its principles and especially the Constitution that was enacted in 2013.
So, this idea of patriotism being that we must instill some kind of ideological persona to our youth must be reciprocal and must be condemned with the utmost condemnation because this would be tantamount to brainwashing of our youth. We must live in a liberal social democratic country where people make free choices. The choices that are given within the Constitution, that are guaranteed in the Constitution, Mr. Speaker Sir, that a person is free to choose any political belonging, there is freedom of association, freedom of whomever I want to hang with, freedom of whomever I want to vote for. That is the Zimbabwe that we must beseech.
The idea that the delegation from Russia is telling us that because they went to Russia, now that they have seen how people in Russia, especially the men, were being asked to go to the front-line, we have seen a lot of migration. We see it on the news every day. Men from Russia are actually leaving Russia because they are being forced to go to the frontline. Never must we force our youth to be part of any national youth service that intends to brainwash them ideologically in the name of patriotism. Patriotism means I love my country. Mr. Speaker Sir I am a patriot. First of all, I love my country before anything else, before any party. That is why we are here to ensure that we, as Zimbabweans and the citizens of Zimbabwe benefit from everything.
So, in conclusion Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank the Hon. Members who went to Russia and I hope that the engagements with Russia do continue. However, these engagements must be thrust in the truth and nothing else but the truth. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank Hon. Shamu for a well elaborate report on their visit to Russia in particular because of the intertwined relationship that we have with Russia. It is actually an issue that speaks to the core, the heart, the pith of the umbilical cord that exists between these countries and the relationships cannot be washed or wished away. This is why I want to second in the following manner Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the relationship with Russia dates back to the days before independence when a lot of our cadres in particular from ZAPU were trained during the liberation struggle in Russia. Having said that - fast forward to 2008 when Zimbabwe nearly was brought before the Security Council in the United Nations when David Miliband was also the Foreign Secretary at the UN. During that time, Russia and China vetoed the UN assertion to bring Zimbabwe before the Security Council. So we were not friends and partners with Russia during the liberation struggle alone, we have gone further because Russia has a similar foreign policy as Zimbabwe, that of non-interference and non-intervention in foreign sovereign states. This policy really does speak to the core of the heart of the developing and or the developed states in the mind, Mr. Speaker Sir, because there should not be any interference and there should not be any intervention in foreign states by the world’s powerful or perceived powerful powers Mr. Speaker Sir.
I want to actually go and delve into exactly what the vetoing or what the relationship meant in 2008 in the UN. Mr. Speaker Sir it says Zimbabwe and Russia, as I have said, share a common foreign principle and policy - that of non-interference and non-intervention in the affairs of sovereign states. Russia vetoed the UN Council sanctions on Zimbabwe in 2008 and the United States and the western members of the Security Council had supported the Zimbabwean authorities be punished for actions that in their opinion undermined the democracy and suppressed human rights in Zimbabwe.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this was after a very comprehensive agrarian reform programme of 2000 and it was after having visited the constitution of the Lancaster House Agreement that spoke to and about 10 years after our independence where the British and their kinsmen were supposed to relinquish the land on a willing buyer willing seller basis. Having seen that there was some delinquent behaviour, the First Republic then went ahead to take back the land which was never paid for by the British and their kinsmen Mr. Speaker Sir. To that end, the British and the West and the Europeans wanted to sanction Zimbabwe during the time when Russia and China vetoed those sanctions.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Russian Foreign Minister explained that verbatim, ‘Russia has taken into account that the situation in Zimbabwe did not pose a threat to regional, let alone international peace and security and therefore did not warrant the adoption of sanctions against Zimbabwe’. That was a strong statement Mr. Speaker Sir and it speaks to the core, the heart, the pith of the relationships. This shows that there are blood relationships between Russia and Zimbabwe. So as I speak about the Russian relationships, they should be taken seriously Mr. Speaker Sir. The eighteen agreements that exist between the countries should be ratified and should be carried forward for the mutual benefit of the countries.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the other issue I want to talk about is reverse engineering. There is a lot happening in Russia. If we take even some of the gadgets from Russia and do reverse engineering here, we can overtake and surpass the First World order Mr. Speaker Sir and continue to augment and compliment Education 5.0 and Vision 2030 by His Excellency, the President Cde. Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa. We have gone past the days of the liberation struggle. Now we need to emancipate ourselves economically. Russia vetoed the sanctions on us when we had undertaken the agrarian reform programme and there is what the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo always said about Lima.
If you turn around that word Lima, it says ‘Mali’, meaning we can have copious amounts of monies because of just the agrarian reform programme. So when Russia vetoed this, it was alive to the fact that it had completely given us our freedom through the land reform programme.
As I wind up, I want to go further and say what David Milliband then said, the British Foreign Secretary and U. S. Ambassador to the U.N. He stated that we are disappointed that the United Nations Security Council should have failed to pass a strong and clear resolution on Zimbabwe. Russia’s stance are incomprehensive and raising questions about her reliability as a G8 partner sticking her back out for Zimbabwe. The Russian Foreign Minister made clear Russia’s stance by stating that we, the Russians and the Chinese categorically reject the aspirations of certain Security Council member states to take this body outside its charter prerogatives, that is beyond the limits of supporting world peace and security order. We consider attempts like these to be illegitimate and dangerous leading towards unbalancing the whole United Nations System.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this is a strong statement that is routed in the values and relationships that are founded and grounded in the ethos and values of the liberation struggle. Zimbabweans fought a protracted liberation struggle. Some went to war without even the knowledge that they were going to come back for the liberation of this country. If anybody speaks against this relationship, they speak against the war of liberation, that which was wedged to emancipate and to empower the formerly marginalised black majority.
As I take my seat, I want to congratulate the Speaker and the delegation that went to Russia that invigorated, rehabilitated, fostered and maintained the robust, resilient, effective and efficient relationships that we have with our comrades in Russia who have stood shoulder to shoulder with Zimbabwe as a big brother. I thank you for giving me this opportunity to vociferously, effectively and efficiently speak to this report that has been tabled by Hon. Shamu and that was supported by Hon. Masoka.
HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I also want to thank Hon. Shamu, the Speaker and his delegation on their visit to Russia. I just want to raise two issues. We acknowledge and appreciate the role that was played by Russia in supporting the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe and no one would wish the continued relationship to go away. It is also important that the relationship should be refined and where there are errors in the relationship, it is important that if there is brotherly relationship, the errors are identified.
One major issue is in the area of natural resources. I wish that Zimbabwean Parliament and Zimbabweans at large will also learn the issue that Russia considers in terms of sovereignty over natural resources. Here in Zimbabwe, we are giving away our natural resources and even Russia has participated in the mining of diamonds and alluvial gold resources. For example, along Mutare River, if you go to Manicaland in Penhalonga, this is where the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ) where Russians were also directors and this company has its roots from the liberation struggle.
It speaks of a parasitic relationship. I heard Hon. Nduna talking about a big brother. There is still this big brother mentality and Mutare River’s original purpose was diverted and the Russians through the DTZ were given exclusive rights to extract alluvial gold in Zimbabwe and they were disregarding the environmental rules in our country.
Therefore I say inasmuch as we want this relationship to go, can it be a relationship which results in mutual benefits for both countries. As citizens of Zimbabwe, we cannot continue to lose out. We would also want to copy Russia how it also considers the aspect of natural resource governance. In Russia, it is not easy to open a mine if you are a foreigner. Why is Zimbabwe not copying from the Russians that the natural resources belong to the citizens of this country?
If we address that area, we are going to enjoy and make sure that our citizens enjoy this relationship. This relationship should not just be an elite coercion where we just have the elites, those who fought the liberation struggle and the Russians who supported the liberation struggle just benefitting. We want the people of Chiadzwa to benefit and we want the people of Penhalonga to benefit from the engagements that we are having with Russia. We would want the technology transfer to also come to Zimbabwe. When are we going to end this praise and singing, just praising that we have all weather friends. Why are they not giving us technology? One day here it was discussed here that we have for example, Zimbabwe is known as a cattle country; we produce a lot of leather but we are not even able to produce leather belts or leather shoes, yet we are proud of having this kind of relationship with the big brother Russia. Where is Russia’s technology? We would want the technology also to be transferred to our country.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this is one important point that I thought was important. Lastly, we want Russia and Zimbabwe to also improve on human rights records. We do not want these countries to be on the wrong side in terms of international relations. Yes, Russia is doing well in defending Zimbabwe at the international fora but we also want the two countries to improve on the participation of the citizens in terms of governance, especially on the issue that I have raised on natural resource governance.
HON. MUDARIKWA: I want to thank the mover of the motion Hon. Shamu and Hon. Masoka who seconded the motion. I also want to thank those who debated before me but also try to correct what they have said.
Hon. Hamauswa said we are not making shoes; go to Bata there, we have the Bata Shoe Company, other indigenous companies and other people making shoes in Zimbabwe. If you do not personally like Russia, do not try to create a situation of confusion.
There is this other Hon. Member who was talking against the issue of national service. National service is a common thing in all countries. It creates a sense of belonging and also national service creates a situation where youths are given relevant skills to develop themselves but in a situation where there is political polarisation; in Zimbabwe, some opposition parties are there to oppose. They tell you that sugar is sour, which is not true.
Let me go back, when we debate anything, we have to look at the historical context of how Russia assisted the people of Zimbabwe. We have people like Ambrose Mutinhiri, Cde Tshinga Dube, a former Member of Parliament, the late Robson Manyika, all these people were trained in Russia for the simple reason that go and fight against colonialism.
Colonialism has a problem because it then sits in the lives of other comrades, it is neo-colonialism, and it is part and parcel of their mindset. Whatever you do, they do not believe that they are liberated. They do not even see the value of liberation because of neo-colonialism and these are merchants of an element where people who do not believe in themselves.
If there is anything that Russia has done, it is is to assist so that the sanctions that were initially proposed by the British through United Nations were turned down. The current sanctions were issued outside the United Nations, that is why they are illegal, they are outside any UN Convention, they were issued out of a race that they are white people, and we must collaborate.
There is a book I once read which was written by one of the Kenyan Mao-Mao Fighters. He says, one morning he met a guy who was laughing in the road. He asked what is wrong and he said, today I had a dream. I dreamt being a white person”. So some of us, when they debate, they debate from a background of having a dream, one day when they will be white and they remain black, Africans, Zimbabweans, oppressed by the same sanctions.
Sanctions are not selective, they do not look at Mudarikwa or this one, and they affect the economy of Zimbabwe. So, we want to thank Russia for supporting us when Britain wanted to impose sanctions on us. The Issue of Russian Youth, we were there on a cultural exchange programme, the Russian COMSO begins with youths at secondary school level. They are taught to understand who they are and what they represent.
For example, India was colonised by the British for 400 years, we were colonised by the British for 100 years but when you go to India, you will never see any Indian with a British name. At one point when I wanted to be baptised in one of the churches which I cannot mention, they wanted me to change my name saying Simbaneuta is not a European name, when you die you go via Europe. All this is part of colonisation because the Christianity that came to Zimbabwe, Africa came via the London Missionary society.
The London Missionary Society was a front of Cecil John Rhodes which looked into ‘how do you colonise the people’. When we were colonised by the British, there were again some sellouts who collaborated with the British so that the war could be defeated.
Even during the times of slave trade, there were some collaborators who collaborated with the British who came here to buy slaves. They organised armies to capture, therefore, sellouts will remain there, even the time of Patrice Lumumba, he put up a nice battle to defeat Belgium but sellout Morris Chombe joined in to disturb the revolution of Democratic Republic of Congo. Until today, the selling out of Morris Chombe is haunting the people of Congo, so sellouts remain there in Africa, they will remain part of us but it is our role to pray for these sellouts that one day they must see the light.
The issue of bilateral agreements, there are 18 bilateral agreements which have been signed. It is important that the Committee on Foreign Affairs look at these bilateral agreements and then create a system where we can implement because I understand some of the bilateral agreements have to deal with the development of our agriculture – how do we mechanise our agriculture. We must move away from every man, we must be a modern agricultural economy that uses tractors and everything and move forward.
The mining sector, Zimbabwe has got the largest deposits of different minerals. The problem we have is we always believe that foreigners must come here and help us, it is our problem here. We sign and pass bilateral agreements of Belarus Structure and not even one of us has got a tractor. We think as if we are not part of the whole thing. So we must be participants in any economy. You must not be spectators; it is important that the attitude of being spectators moves out of our minds. So, the mining sector needs our support.
The transfer of technology – technology transfer from these developed countries is very critical and that is why you see Russia where it is. If we cooperate with Russia, they will transfer certain technologies that are appropriate to our people and then we move forward.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in conclusion, I want to thank the Hon. Speaker Hon. Jacob Adv. Mudenda for the speech he presented to the Duma, it was a well detailed speech. It had a lot of in-depth insights but the only unfortunate thing is, I think in future when these types of events happen, we need to get even some CDs, they can be put on our phones when the Speaker is addressing the Duma. The Publicity side of our activities as Parliament must be enhanced. All Hon. Members must have the speech of the Hon. Speaker. Once he delivers it there, it must straight out go to our phones.
You can see we are I.T compliant; it is unfortunate some of these young guys are BBC, they are born before computers, and they do not really value the issue of I.T. So Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank you very much for allowing me to contribute on this very important debate. I thank you.
(V)HON. R. R. NYATHI: I also want to add my voice on this very important bilateral visit that was taken by our Committee and was presented by Hon. Shamu. First of all, Hon. Speaker Sir, I think that these kinds of visits are very important to us as Zimbabweans. As much as you know that in terms of development we are a bit behind from Russia. What made me happier was the fact that in the presentation, we learnt that Russia became what they are today because they were focused, hardworking and we have a lot to learn from them because they did not become what they are because of assistance from other countries, but they worked hard by themselves to develop their own country.
I also want to stress that these visits are very important because they bring to Zimbabwe the much needed foreign currency because of the natural heritage that we have; natural historical sites that we have, for example everyone wants to come and see the Great Zimbabwe ruins. Everyone wants to come and see the great wonders that the Lord has bestowed upon our beloved land, Zimbabwe as you go and see the majestic Victoria Falls.
So, this will help us so much that if our Committees keep on visiting Russia they can bring the much needed foreign currency as people come and see what the Lord has bestowed upon our land. I also want to mention that as we focus further and put the ideas together that have been brought in this House which I believe if we put them in practice, Zimbabwe will never be the same again.
All Zimbabweans must learn to love their country, we must be patriotic as this is the only country that we call ours. I was listening to some other Hon. Members as they were debating and they were talking about political factors affecting Russia and the war in Russia. I just want you to understand that the war that is going on between Russia and Ukraine is historical and anyone that wants to study history will see that this has got nothing to do with Zimbabwe but we must also make sure that we do not forget yesterday because of what we are today.
You must understand that in order for us to win our liberation, it was because of our big brother Russia who supported us with weapons and training the gallant sons of Zimbabwe. Some are still living and some are already late. So that relationship we must always treasure it and keep it as important as possible. It is also important for me to note the fact that when we encourage our young people to go for a National Youth Service, we are not trying to brain wash the young people but we are trying to hand over to them the history of this country, how we became Zimbabweans and how it was before. It is also important that we teach them to love themselves and to love their country. We also teach them how they can develop their country economically, how they can work very hard so that they can become prosperous business people. They can also study how Zimbabwe was liberated and the heroes that perished in order for us to enjoy who we are today. It is also important that in that process, our young people must also learn of the evils of colonialism because we do not need any other person to tell us and to tell us what we should be and what we must be doing and what we will be. We must tell our own destination of where we are coming from and where we are going and our youth must also uphold that vision. That vision tells us who we are as Zimbabweans.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we have a lot of minerals in Zimbabwe and some of them, we have not yet discovered. We know that the most of the fights that are going on about our country are because our distracters are thinking that they will come back again and enjoy our mineral deposits and what Zimbabwe has been favoured by God to have like good weather, climate, minerals and everything. So it is important for us as Zimbabweans to make sure that we uphold and hold fast without letting go that which the Lord has bestowed upon us.
In conclusion, I also want to thank the Hon. Speaker Adv. Mudenda for leading this delegation to go and study how we can develop Zimbabwe to a developed state like Russia. So I think that it is important also that if we learn more from these developed countries Zimbabwe will never be poor and we will develop from one stage to another and vision 2030 becomes a reality as soon as yesterday. I thank you for giving me an opportunity to air my views Hon. Speaker Sir.
HON. SHAMU: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to thank the Hon. Members who have contributed to this very important report beginning obviously with the seconder of the motion Hon. Masoka, Hon. Mateu, Hon. Nduna, Hon. Hamauswa, Hon. Mudarikwa and Hon. R. R. Nyathi - they have made the report richer than it was before. In saying so, I would like to move that the report be adopted.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I second.
Motion with leave, adopted.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the House reverts to Order of the Day, Number 18 on today’s Order Paper.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE ON THE FIRST, SECOND, THIRD AND FOURTH QUARTER BUDGET PERFORMANCE REPORTS FOR THE YEAR 2021
HON. SHAMU: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Fourth Report of the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade on the First, Second, Third and Fourth Quarter Budget Performance Reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
HON. R. NYATHI: I second.
HON. SHAMU:
- INTRODUCTION
In tandem with Parliament’s oversight function, the Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade analysed all the 2021 Budget Performance Reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The analysis subjected the Ministry to a litmus test checking whether the Ministry managed to achieve its 2021 targets as well as whether it was on course to accomplish its mandate espoused in the National Development Strategy 1(NDS1) from page 171-176, by 2025. Having done that, the Committee came up with palatable recommendations that, if implemented, would assist the Ministry to execute its mandate in a robust manner for the attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030.
2.0 METHODOLOGY
The Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade (Herein after referred to as the Committee) analysed four Quarterly Budget Performance Reports for the year 2021 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade with technical assistance from the Parliament Budget Office. The Committee sought clarity from the Ministry on a myriad of issues that were responded to, through oral evidence sessions and written submissions. Subsequent paragraphs outline the Committee’s findings.
- COMMITTEE FINDINGS
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s Vision and Mission
Vision: “To create the necessary conditions for a prosperous, peaceful nation and an effective participant in the community of nations.”
Mission: “To promote the political and economic interests, image and influence of the Republic of Zimbabwe in the international community and to protect the interests and safety of Zimbabwean nationals abroad through.”
Website: www.zimfa.gov.zw
The Ministry has responded to the e-government drive positively. The majority of documents are available on its website, inter alia;
- Foreign Policy
- Service for Consular and Electronic Visa Application
- Zimbabwe Trade Policy Vision 2030
- List of Ratified BIPPAS
Ministry’s key result areas
These are as follows,
- Improved international relations
- Informed nation and international community
- Improved diaspora participation in national development
- Improved earnings from trade in goods and services
- Improved exports of services
- Enhanced ease of doing business
- Resource Allocation, Disbursements and the Overall Impact on the Ministry Budget Performance
Year |
Allocation (ZWL$) |
Actual Disbursements (ZWL$) |
Variance (ZWL$) |
% Actual Disbursements |
% Variance |
2020 |
2 642 948 204 |
1 512 068 097 |
1 130 880 107 |
57.2% |
42.8% |
2021 |
8 640 000 000 |
4 956 575 585 |
3 683 424 415 |
57.3% |
42.7% |
Fig.1: Budget allocations, actual disbursements and variance for 2020 and 2021
3.2 The table above (fig.1) illustrates a comparison of resources that were allocated and disbursed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade for the 2020 and 2021 budget years. It is of paramount important to note that for the two budget years, the Ministry managed to get an average actual disbursement of 57% of the total allocation for each year from the Treasury. The resultant variance was around 42%. In light of the foregoing, the Committee was deeply concerned by the humongous amount of money that was not released by Treasury which had a negative impact on the Ministry’s attainment of its intended targets for the years under review.
3.3 The table below (fig.2) illustrates the 2021 budget allocations and disbursements per each quarter for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The Committee observed that, the Ministry’s targeted budget for the first and second quarter, which is from January to June 2021 was ZWL$ 4 billion however, the actual disbursement from Treasury was around ZWL$ 828 million. The resultant variance was ZWL$ 3.2 billion. Given a miniscule 31% of the total targeted budget that was disbursed by Treasury for the first half of the year 2021 and a whopping 79% of undisbursed funds, the Committee was displeased to note that the enormous amount of money that Treasury could not release was tantamount to derail the Ministry’s annual targets due to unfunded mandates.
Quarters |
Targeted budget(ZWL$) |
Actual disbursements (ZWL$) |
Variance |
% Disbursements
|
% Variance |
1st Q |
2 000 000 000 |
671 919 186 |
1 328 080 814 |
36 % |
64% |
2nd Q |
2 000 000 000 |
155 853 472 |
1 844 146 528 |
8 % |
92% |
3rd Q |
3 640 000 000 |
3 338 582 449 |
301 417 551 |
92% |
8% |
4th Q |
1 000 000 000 |
790 220 478 |
209 779 522 |
79 % |
21 |
Fig.2: Budget allocation, actual disbursements and variance per quarter for 2021
3.4 Further to the above, the Committee noted that, though Treasury disbursed 90% of the targeted budget of the Ministry for the second half of the year, July to December 2021 as illustrated in fig.3 below, the damage had already been done in the first half of the year in terms of missing the set targets for the year. This emanated from the fact that all the activities and programs that the Ministry could not execute in the first half of the year carried them forward into the last half of the year which was underfunded by 10% of the targeted budget. Also, that inflation took its toll on the disbursed funds resulting in the erosion of value/ buying power of the local currency due to exchange rate fluctuations. The situation was further exacerbated by late disbursements of funds by Treasury which had become a common phenomenon judging on the basis of the analysis of the 2020 and 2021 budget performance reports from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
3.5 Cognisant, that in 2021, Treasury released only 57% of the total budget allocation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, a scenario that is reminiscent of the year 2020. Also, bearing in mind that, Treasury disbursements were done in an erratic and unpredictable manner in the face of skyrocketing inflation, the Committee was deeply dissatisfied with Treasury’s lackadaisical approach in releasing the Ministry’s budget allocation. The Committee further noted with concern that, this precipitated a myriad of challenges for the Ministry in implementing its budget, chief among them being unfunded mandates which culminated into unmet targets for the year.
Fig. 3 B
Year 2021 |
Total Targeted budget(ZWL$) |
Actual disbursements (ZWL$) |
Variance |
% Actual Disbursements
|
% Variance |
January-June |
4 000 000 000 |
827 772 658 |
3 172 227 342 |
31% |
79% |
July- December |
4 640 000 000 |
4 128 802 927 |
301 417 551 |
90% |
10% |
Budget allocation, actual disbursements and variance for each half of the year 2021
3.6 To add on, in 2021 the Ministry had planned to rehabilitate four of Zimbabwe’s foreign missions namely, Windhoek, Geneva, Paris and Gaborone as well as to purchase 3 new Chanceries and 3 official residences in Ankara, Kigali and Abu Dhabi. Also, to procure furniture and equipment in Pretoria, Maputo, Windhoek and Washington. However, due to delays in release of funds as well as non-disbursement of the huge chunk of the Ministry’s total budget allocation, this was not fully achieved in 2021. In its fourth quarter submissions, the Ministry reported that, renovations were work in progress at embassies in Nairobi, Maputo and Windhoek.
3.7 Bearing in mind that, our Embassies are at the epicentre of the engagement and reengagement exercise, a bedrock for attracting both foreign direct investments (FDI’s) and diaspora investments. The Committee observed that there was need for Treasury to fully release the budget allocation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International so that the Ministry expedites the refurbishment and construction of Chanceries that befits the office of our Ambassadors.
3.8 It is of paramount importance to note that, Embassies are the official points of contact between foreign governments and the host government. Hence, Ambassadors serve as the personal representatives of the Head of state and government. According to page 33 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade’s 2021 Strategic Plan, the Ministry had planned to purchase 39 vehicles, 9 for the Head Office and 30 for our missions scattered across the globe. However, by year end, the Ministry purchased only 8 vehicles which were awaiting delivery. Thus, there was an enormous shortfall of 31 vehicles which was orchestrated by erosion of value of the Ministry’s budget due to exchange rate fluctuations and runaway inflation coupled with untimely release of funds by Treasury. Hence, without adequate motor vehicles the mobility of Ambassadors at our missions remains problematic. This affected the effective and efficient discharge of their duties particularly, luring foreign investors whose investments are vital in catapulting our economy into an upper middle income by 2030. In light of the foregoing, the Committee deemed it prudent for the budget of foreign missions to be provided in US dollars so as to circumvent loss of value of the budgeted funds.
3.9 Diaspora Participation in National Development
The Ministry successfully engaged the diaspora community resulting in growth in diaspora remittances. The diaspora community showed its eagerness to support the home land/Zimbabwe by remitting through formal channels humongous sums of money amounting to US$ 1.430 billion. It is important to note that in 2020 diaspora remittances were valued at US$ 1 billion. This entails that there was a 40% increase in diaspora remittances in 2021. Hence, the Ministry’s efforts to increase diaspora participation from 25% in 2020 to 85% in 2021 as espoused in the 2021 Expenditure estimates yielded fruits. This is testified by the direct proportion between the intensified effort in engaging the diaspora community by the Ministry and the total amount of money that was sent back to Zimbabwe.
3.10 International Trade and Investments
The Ministry has a vision of achieving the 7:14 targets by the year 2030 that is, having exports valued at US$ US$ 7 billion by 2023 and US$ 14 billion by 2030. As at 31 December, the country’s export proceeds were valued at US$ 6.94 billion. The Committee was pleased to note that the Ministry was on course to achieve its set targets, as the Ministry had managed to attain 49.9% which is almost half of the total 2030 target as illustrated in the table below.
Item |
Actual proceeds in 2021 (USD) |
Target by 2023 (USD) |
Target by 2030 (USD) |
Percentage export proceeds in 2021 |
Export proceeds |
6.94 billion |
7 billion |
14 billion |
49.9% |
3.11 Moreover, the Ministry intended to create 5 new markets in 2021. As such, it established new markets for Phosphate and fresh flowers in Brazil. In a bid to enhance international trade, the Ministry participated at the Expo 2020 Dubai where it was envisaging to open up investment opportunities with the United Arab Emirates as well as 192 Countries that participated in the event. The year ended whilst the Ministry was still participating in the event which took place from October 2021 to March 2022. Hence, the impact of participating at the Expo would be reported in the 2022 budget performance reports. Though, establishment of markets for locally produced goods would improve earnings from trade, the Committee noted that, the Ministry could not on the annual performance of the Ministry with regards to the sum of markets established in 2021.
3.12 Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation
The Ministry had planned to sign and/or ratify six (6) Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAS) in 2021, with Botswana, Mozambique, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Out of the six, only four were tabled before the Public Agreements Advisory Committee. The following agreements were signed; Zimbabwe-Mozambique Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation was held resulting in the signing of two Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs). MOU on Labour and Employment and MOU on Information Sharing. Also, MOU between Embassy of Zimbabwe with Asia-Africa Silk Road International Business Co and MOU on Trade and Investment Cooperation between the Zimbabwean Embassy and Tungshu Group Co. Limited. The Ministry engaged the Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Legislation (CCL) who granted permission for the signed BIPPAs to be tabled before Parliament. The Ministry made a Commitment to the Committee to present them before Parliament during 2022.
3.13 International Relations
Through the engagement and re-engagement exercise, various meetings were held at Presidium, Ministerial and senior officials’ level with the People’s Republic of China. Resultantly, relations between Zimbabwe and China were elevated from an all-weather friendship to strategic partnership. The cemented relationship increased the scope of China’s involvement in the development of Zimbabwe. As such, in 2021, China donated 400 000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Zimbabwe to help the country combat the pandemic. However, the Committee noted that there is need for the Ministry to intensify its efforts towards re-engagement with the international community through prioritising re-joining the Commonwealth as a launch pad to unlock international good will in line with the NDS1 (page175).
3.14 Consular Services
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade had planned to assist 1100 repatriates in 2021. However, the Ministry’s performance surpassed the set targets by a very huge margin. In this regard, in 2021 alone, 60 989 consular services were offered to Zimbabweans locally and abroad. The Committee commended the Ministry for such dedication to national duty and hard work which are a vital cog in the development of our nation notwithstanding a plethora of challenges underscored in the foregoing and the prevalence of the Covid-19 pandemic which almost grinded the world to a halt.
3.15 However, despite all the challenges outlined in the preceding paragraphs, the Committee was delighted to note that, the Ministry’s allocation of resources across its programmes was corresponding from the first up to the fourth Quarter Budget Performance Report. Programme 1, Policy and Administration got 5%, and Programme 2, International Cooperation and Diaspora got 95%. The resource allocation information reported throughout the year reconciled with the information in the 2021 Expenditure Estimates.
3.16 More so, the 2021 Mid-Term Budget and Economic Review reconciled with the Ministry’s consolidated expenditure outturn. As at 30 June 2021, the Ministry had utilized 18% of its resource allocation. The agreement of the figures as reported by the Ministry of finance and Economic Development against the Ministry’s quarterly reports figures give stakeholders confidence on the financial information that the Ministry presents. This was commendable.
3.17 Lastly, the Committee was pleased to note that the Ministry was implementing recommendations made in the 2020 Auditor General’s report. These are disclosure of mission expenditure in the appropriation account, crafting a risk management policy, implementing a disaster recovery and the operationalization of the Ministry’s Audit Committee that was set up 2019.
4.0 COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
These are as follows;
That, the major challenges that affected the Ministry to fully achieve its 2021 objectives and would continue to do so if not abated, is Treasury’s late disbursements and non-release of full amounts of the budgeted funds.
That, inflation and exchange rate fluctuations eroded the value of the Ministry’s budget which thus affected its overall budget performance.
That, the budget for foreign missions should be done in United States Dollars so as to circumvent erosion of value of the budgeted funds. Also, to enable expedite the construction and refurbishment of our missions abroad for them to befit the office of Ambassadors.
- COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee recommends;
That, in 2022, Treasury should release full amounts of the budgeted funds for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in much more predictable manner so that the Ministry would complete all the unfinished projects of 2021, particularly the renovations for embassies in Nairobi, Maputo and Windhoek.
That, during the 2023 National Budget, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development should set aside a United States Dollar budget for foreign missions so as to enable the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade to purchase the 31 vehicles, 3 Chanceries and 3 official residences in Ankara, Kigali and Abu Dhabi which could not be procured in 2021 due to inadequate funds.
That, by October 2022, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade should ensure that its Audit Committee is fully functional as well as the Risk Management Policy and the Disaster Recovery Plan.
As part of the capital budget, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade must ensure that, the 2022 to 2025 National Budgets set aside funds to procure or construct at least 3 properties for our diplomatic Missions abroad annually so as to reduce rental costs.
The NDS1 provides for the need for acceleration of the rationalisation and streamlining of diplomatic missions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade should come up with a comprehensive strategy for the rationalisation exercise by 30 November 2022 so as to cut costs.
CONCLUSION
In light of the above, it is evident that with robust oversight of the Executive, prudent utilisation of public resources can be realised, paving way for the attainment of an upper middle income economy by 2030. This has been witnessed in the reporting and submission of the Ministry’s financial performance reports. It is therefore imperative that release of budgeted resources be made quarterly and predictable so that meaningful outputs and outcomes can be realised. I thank you.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 8th November, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the House reverts to Order of
the Day, Number 12.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
INSTITUTE OF LOSS CONTROL AND PRIVATE SECURITY MANAGERS BILL [H. B. 5, 2021]
Twelfth Order read: Second Reading: Institute of Loss Control and Private Security Managers Bill [H. B. 5, 2022].
HON. CHIDAKWA:
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Following the gazetting of the Institute of Chartered Loss
Control and Private Security Managers Bill [H. B. 5, 2022], the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services undertook public hearings in accordance with Section 141 (a) and (b) which states that, “Parliament must (a) Facilitate public involvement in its legislative and other processes and in the process of its Committees; (b) Ensure that interested parties are consulted about Bills being considered by Parliament, unless such consultation is inappropriate or impracticable.” The Committee took into account the technical nature of the Bill and decided to adopt a targeted approach in conducting the consultation. Thus, this report is a summary of the comments on the content, context and relevancy of the Bill made by the affected practitioners in the loss control and private security management profession.
1.2. Methodology
The Committee held a meeting with Hon. Dr. Murire who unpacked the provisions and the general contents of the Bill.
Practitioners in the loss control and private security management field were invited to a targeted public consultation to submit their contributions in writing or make oral presentations before the Committee. The following corporates sent representatives to attend the public consultations:
Banking Sector
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Bankers Association of Zimbabwe, Ecobank and Stanbic
Telecommunications
TelOne, NetOne and Econet
Mining
Fidelity Gold Refineries, Mimosa and Hwange Colliery
Academia
University of Zimbabwe and Bindura University of Science Education.
Other Government Institutions or Parastatals
Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife (Zimparks), National Social Security Association (NSSA), Grain Marketing Board (GMB), Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA), Central Mechanical Equipment Department (CMED)
Private Security Companies
Aldwyn Security, Rams Security, Zero-Crime Tolerance Security
2.0 COMMITTEE FINDINGS
2.1 Unpacking of the Bill
2.1.1 Hon Colonel (Rtd) Dr. Murire opined that currently there was no legislation that directly dealt with the professional conduct of personnel employed in the field of loss control and private security management. Unlike other professions such as engineering and accounting, occupations in loss control and private security were not recognised as such in the country. He said the need for an institute for such fields of work would go a long way in professionalising the private security industry and would ensure that prospective employers got value for their choices of employees.
2.1.2 The proposed law sought mainly to provide for the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Management Council. It provides minimum professional qualifications for admission of members and develops standards, guidelines, best practices and a code of conduct to be observed by members. While membership would be voluntary, he said such membership had several advantages in terms of performance and conduct of accredited members versus unregistered personnel. He went on to clarify that the law would not regulate how private security organisations operate, rather, it would focus on individual employees who would have registered as members of the institute.
2.1.3 Responding to the Committee’s concern over the mushrooming of private security companies in the country vis-à-vis State Security, Hon Dr. Murire suggested that a separate law that would regulate the specific operational activities and expectations of private security companies would need to be enacted in order to deal with that. He highlighted that the private security industry had the potential of becoming a threat to national security in the absence of a robust regulatory framework. The personnel in the private industry have outnumbered state security and there is more sophisticated equipment and technology in that sector. He therefore called for an expeditious review and possible amendment of the current Private Investigators and Security Guards Control Act (27:10) so that it goes beyond licensing but also regulate even the operations and extent of training of private security.
3.0 Submissions in Support of the Bill
3.1 The generality of participants applauded and supported the Bill on its objective to introduce professionalism in the conduct of loss control and private security management. They acknowledged the rationale for the need to ensure that practitioners in the aforesaid industry are formerly registered to reduce and subsequently eliminate incompetence in this very critical field in the corporate world. They asserted that the establishment of a professional council, like in many other professions, would guarantee credibility to the profession and boost the confidence of both employers and employees engaged in loss control and private security management. They purported that membership to an established council brings uniformity and security to practitioners as their conduct in the field of work would be guided by a common set of standards benchmarked against international best practices.
4.0 Areas of Concern in the Bill
4.1 Concern was raised against the title of the Bill and some of its clauses as follows;
4.1.1 Short title of the Bill
The Bankers Association of Zimbabwe raised concern on the title of the Bill which they felt seemed to be targeting a small group of loss control and private security professionals trained by a specific professional board (institution) and leaving out those who trained through other institutions like Bindura State University, National University of Science and Technology and others. They argued that it was very selective in its application as it seemed to exclude many key practitioners in the loss control and private security industry. They therefore recommended that it should allow every interested but eligible practitioner to qualify for registration irrespective of the curriculum under which he or she earned the qualification that he or she may possess.
It was proposed that the title of the Bill should read “Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Management.”
4.1.2 Clause 9 (m) and (n)
There is no clause giving effect to the creation of the Quality Review Board cited in Clause 9 (m) and (n).
4.1.3 It was observed that the Bill includes training as part of the functions of the institute and they felt this aspect should be left to universities and colleges and hence must be removed from the list of functions of the Council. It was further argued that by being a training institution, the Council will become both a player and a regulator should the Bill become law.
4.1.4 Clause 17
The Code of Conduct must have a legal binding force and not merely a booklet.
A sub clause should be inserted to provide for what constitutes the disqualification of a member resulting in deregistration of that member based on the code of conduct.
4.1.6 It was further highlighted that currently there is no professional legislative framework providing for the registration of all professional loss control and private security practitioners hence they felt that the Bill should have a public perspective rather a private perspective.
4.1.7 Participants felt that there was need for wide consultation before the Bill was drafted and awareness campaigns so as to make people contextualise the content, objective and principles behind the Bill.
4.1.8 Participants felt that the bill should spell out that the making of regulations by the Minister should be through a statutory instrument rather than to be silent on how they will be made and effected.
4.1.9 Members of the academia argued that paragraph 21 (1) sounded more of retaliatory than condition setting hence should be removed.
5.0 COMMITTEE’S OBSERVATIONS
The Committee made the following observations:
5.1 There is need to incorporate sub clause under Clause 9 to give effect to the creation of a Quality Review Board cited in sub clauses (m) and (n) of the same clause;
5.2 It is necessary to outline the conditions and procedure for deregistration or disqualification of a registered member. If this is to be provided through regulations, the Act must clearly provide for that;
5.3 The absence of a clause providing for the making of regulations through a statutory instrument by the Minister and after consultation with the Council leaves a gap in the application of the proposed law;
5.4 The Committee noted that some members who attended the consultation did not possess professional loss control and private security management qualifications hence they may not qualify as members of the institute should the Bill become law;
5.5 The Committee observed that there was little understanding of the difference between a private Bill and public Bill;
5.6 It came out clear that participants appreciated the need to professionalize the loss control and private security management, hence their call for a public professional regulatory framework for the loss control and private security management;
5.7 It was observed that the title of the Bill highlighted “managers” which referred to the regulation of players within the profession as opposed to “management” which denotes regulation of the conduct of the profession itself;
5.8 The Committee observed that a regulatory framework for private investigators and security guards does exist and is provided through the Private Investigators and Security Guards (Control) Act Chapter 27:10. Section 2 (2) of the Act reads “The Minister may, by statutory instrument, designate an association of private investigators or security guards for the purposes of designated association in subsection (1) and;
5.9 There is urgent need to amend the Private Investigators and Security Guards (Control) Act Chapter 27:10 in order to extend its scope and make robust and more relevant to the current trends in security systems in both public and private domains.
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Following the above findings and observations, the Committee recommends that the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Managers Bill (HB.5.2022) be allowed to pass with the amendments as outlined below:
- The short title to read “An Act to provide for the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Management, to provide for the establishment of a council; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental to the foregoing”
- A sub clause be inserted under Clause 9 to give effect to the creation of a Quality Review Board cited in sub clauses (m) and (n) of the same clause;
- A sub clause be inserted in Clause 17 to provide for what constitutes the disqualification of a member resulting in deregistration of that member based on the code of conduct and;
- Clause 21 of the Bill should clearly state that the Minister shall, through a statutory instrument, make regulations after consultation with the Council.
6.2 The Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage should expedite the amendment of the Private Investigators and Security Guards (Control) Act Chapter 27:10 so as to address this occupation which is now in need of being treated as a profession and join other professions like accountants, auditing and engineering. Specifically, clauses should be incorporated to provide for;
- The professional membership and regulatory needs of qualified professional loss control, private investigators and private security practitioners and;
- Broadening of its scope on the definition of security guards so as to include registration and regulation of other means of private security service provision such as drone surveillance, cyber, biometric and electronic security systems other than human guards.
6.3 Section 2 (2) which reads “The Minister may, by statutory instrument, designate an association of private investigators or security guards for the purposes of designated association in subsection (1) should be so defined as to provide a clear definition of designated association which should include professional associations.
Structural similarities of the amended Act, with respect to professional regulation, may be borrowed from the public accounts and auditors board Act Chapter 27:12.
The amendments should also take into account the need to bring on the regulation of in house loss control or proprietary security outfits in whatever name they may be referred to and practitioners thereof.
7.0 CONCLUSION
It is, thus, the Committee’s understanding that private law specifically services the interests of those affected by it and not necessarily the generality of the population or any other group with contrary interests. It follows, therefore, that the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Managers Bill (HB.5. 2022) is a private law whose primary objective is to self-regulate the practice of loss control and private security management to ensure the integrity of the quality of service offered by registered members. In that respect, the Committee recommends that the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Managers Bill (HB.5.2022) be allowed to pass. I thank you.
HON. DR. MURIRE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Committee for its concise and up to point report, specifically for capturing all the aspects of the Bill. I noted from the report that there were concerns about the establishment of an institute which may become a training institution. Mr. Speaker Sir, a professional institute is not necessarily a training institution but purely it is a professional body as per the term. The mandate of a professional body is to regulate the conduct of its members so that they operate and conduct themselves within the confines of the profession.
It is the mandate of the professional body to put in place parameters within which professionals should act, namely that there must be standards in such a manner that whoever joins that profession is restricted to observe the ethics of the profession. Also, whoever conducts an assignment anywhere, any other independent professional within that profession can come and follow the same procedure and come up with the same result. I will give you the example of the medical profession. Medicine is a profession. There are procedures that are followed when a doctor is operating a patient. Those procedures will result in a patient being treated. If ever there is any doubt as to how the operation was conducted, that is, in cases where perhaps the operation is not successful, any other medical professional would come and examine the procedures that were done in discharging that operation. From that, it could be certified whether the procedure was done correctly or not.
This is similar to the aspirations of the Security Management and Loss Control Profession. We are saying, in this instance, if somebody goes to the Reserve Bank and designs a security system for that organisation, that can be validated by another independent professional who comes and examines the procedures and processes that were followed in order to pass or certify that system. Currently, there are no such guidelines. We have members or practitioners who design systems in organisations and those systems are not certifiable because we have no professional boards that set standards. This is what the Bill seeks to achieve. The training issue comes in when the interests of the profession are supposed to be captured by training institutions. For example, we now have University of Zimbabwe offering a Certificate in Security Management, that is an academic course. We have Bindura University and NUST offering a Degree in Security Management. All that came up as a result of the realisation that security management is now practiced at a higher level of knowledge, both technically and physically.
From that perspective, those people would now seek to be professionals. Now, it is the responsibility of the professionals, who are members in the field to feed back to the institution and guide them on areas that they should train practitioners. That is the only area where a professional board comes into the training domain. Training institutions are also registered by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and the law under that Ministry governs how training is offered and delivered. This act is not to be administered under Ministry of Education as a regulation for training purposes but as a professional law for regulating the practice of members. Therefore, the fear that the institute will partake in training is not available.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I have noted what the Committee has come up with and what they captured from the presentations that were made. Most of them are relevant and they need to be addressed. The Committee has recommended that the Bill be passed with amendments. This is a welcome move Mr. Speaker Sir and some of the amendments which they highlighted are already appended on the Order Paper and they will be addressed accordingly.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank as well Members who debated in the initial motion and I am happy that the aspirations of the practitioners in the Loss Control and Private Security Management will be realised by the adoption of the Bill. With those remarks, I therefore move that the Institute of Loss Control and Private Security Managers Bill [H.B.5, 2022] be now read a second time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Committee Stage: Tuesday, 8th November, 2022.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI, seconded by HON. TEKESHE, the House adjourned at Six Minutes to Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 22nd November, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 2nd November, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
RESPONSES TO HON. MARKHAM’S QUESTIONS
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Members order! You must recall Hon. Members, from your Hansard reading on four items, rather five items that were raised by Hon. Markham; very voluminous. I intend to table this before the House and the rest you will read them through your emails on the soft copy. These are the responses as requested by Hon. Markham.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
*HON. J. SHAVA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs who is also the Leader of the House. What is the Government policy regarding the incarceration of children who are below the age of 18 years old? They are being made to share the same jails with vulnerable orphans from the Social Welfare Department. For instance, children and orphans who are taken from the streets; these children are being mixed with those who are serving different jail terms. What is the Government’s policy on this issue?
THE HON. SPEAKER: I thought that question had been asked before. Not only that, it was also raised by Hon. Joanna Mamombe during the Pre-Budget Seminar. – [HON. MURAYI: I am sorry Mr. Speaker Sir, maybe I was absent on the day and did not hear the response.] – I have ruled my friend. I have ruled, there is no clarification… - [HON. MURAYI: Because I am only hearing the question now.] - You must read your Hansard, you must read your Hansard. Can you read your Hansards diligently? Thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir! Mr. Speaker, I may have missed it but I did not hear any Apologies. We were promised that there would be full attendance by Hon. Ministers today. I thought I should draw that to your attention unless five ministers are the full Cabinet. I thank you. – [AN HON. MEMBER: Because Pomona is here today!] – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, Order, my apologies Hon. Markham. Hon. Markham, thank you very much for that Point of Order. Here are the Hon. Ministers who have tendered their apologies:
Hon. O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs;
Hon. E. Moyo, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education;
Hon. Prof. M. Ncube, Minister of Finance and Economic Development;
Hon. Prof Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development;
Hon. R. Maboyi, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage;
Hon. E. Ndlovu, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education;
Hon. M .M. Ndlovu, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry;
Hon. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development;
Hon. P. Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare;
Hon. Dr. S. Nzenza, Minister of Industry and Commerce;
Hon. Dr. Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development;
Hon. D. Garwe, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities;
Hon. Dr. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; and
Hon. Mutsvangwa, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services. – [HON. ZWIZWAI: Inaudible interjection.] – Hon. Zwizwai, you need to be procedural, a point of order was raised which I accepted and it is in terms of the Standing Orders.
*HON. HWENDE: On a point of order! Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of order pertains to the attendance of Ministers; this issue has been raised for a long time now. The list of apologies from the Ministers is very low and that shows that Ministers and their deputies are not taking Parliament business seriously.
Two weeks ago, the Vice President was here and I was very fortunate that when he left this House, he called all the Ministers who were in this House and he told them that he would punish them if they do not come to Parliament. He said this outside the House – [Laughter.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Hwende, may you sit down.
HON. HWENDE: I have not finished…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you take your seat…
HON. HWENDE: But why? I must be heard.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have understood you, can you take your seat. I have understood your concern. The Hon. Vice President also made his commitment in the House and you are confirming that when you saw him outside the House. It is coincidental that a number of Ministers have gone with His Excellency the President to the Ivory Coast and obviously you must have seen that on the news.
There has also been a bereavement of the first born of our National Hero, Gen. Tongogara. Other Ministers have gone there to console the family. So, it is a coincident Hon. Hwende that there are these two events that have taken place.
I thought you were going to say the Hon. Vice President is here – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- The Hon. Vice President has got weighty business behind him, he has come yet he is also the Acting President but he has decided to come to Parliament – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]- Thank you.
*HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Ziyambi. Which law can protect men from women who are making them look after children that do not belong to them deliberately? Many families have broken down because of this – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: That question is very specific and also there is no survey that has been done to come to that conclusion. Perhaps you can bring forward that question in writing to allow the Hon. Minister to do his research.
*HON. CHIBAYA: My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care; it is about civil servants, the whole country has witnessed PSMI clinics closing which has resulted in the suffering of civil servants. My question is; what plans do you have to restore normalcy to that situation?
*THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN. (RTD) DR. C. G. D. N. CHIWENGA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I believe as I am speaking, this august House should be aware that things were not in order at PSMAS. We were not going to allow corruption to continue, so the PSMAS board was dissolved. As I am speaking, we are enacting an interim board. I know that this has brought challenges to civil servants and other members of PSMAS but we are working on resolving that issue. Right now there is a forensic audit that is being carried out and this issue is being investigated fully by the regulatory authority.
We cannot continue until we are certain of what transpired, so we must allow those who are investigating time to investigate. The point is that there was corruption at PSMAS. Government contributes 80% of the contributions whilst civil servants are contributing 20% which constitutes 100% towards PSMAS contributions. We intervened and said that medication should be availed to PSMAS hospitals so that they continue to function. We talked to Dr. Maulane and we held discussions with PSMAS leadership on the medication needed and there is no hospital that is going to be closed. What Hon. Chibaya said pertains to administrative issues. We want them to expedite the opening of hospitals and this is what we are doing as Government. After the forensic audit at PSMAS then the august House will be informed in due time. I thank you.
*HON. MURAI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to thank the Acting President for his response. I wanted to understand the timelines because we are still contributing and people are dying because they do not have access to health care. What time should we expect that the situation will improve?
*HON. (RTD) DR. C. G. D. N. CHIWENGA: The issue regarding timelines is a pertinent issue and we want to expedite the opening of hospitals. We are going to engage PSMAS executives, Dr. Maulana and his team, together with our Permanent Secretary and the Ministry staff who would give us feedback on when they will be ready. We have already allocated funds through the Minister of Finance so that the outstanding amounts are cleared. The meeting was done and Treasury promised to pay the money because like I said there was no due diligence before at PSMAS.
Regarding medication, we want to know the logistics between NATPHARM, the Ministry and PSMAS. I believe all of us want to have solutions as soon as possible so that we do not inconvenience pregnant women. We are going to expedite that, I thank you.
HON. DR. LABODE: My concern with the decision taken by the Ministry Mr. Speaker Sir is that currently our institutions have no medicines, the whole of Zimbabwe and everybody is going to the private sector to buy. Where is this magic going to come that will suddenly make everything work despite the fact that this is managed by the same person who failed to manage Harare Hospital and Parirenyatwa? People are being made to buy medicines, so we need an explanation - where will this magic come from? I thank you.
HON. (RTD) GENERAL DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Speaker, PSMAS was not being run by Government; it had its own management following the Act of 1930 when the civil service medical aid was put in place; we followed that but because government contributes 80% of the money that is where our interest is. Our workers were not getting the service that they were supposed to get and that is why we were interested. We had given them their independence that they do their own things but they have not run the things properly. Eighty percent comes from the tax payers’ money, it must be accounted for.
So the issue of whether the person worked at Parirenyatwa and was then employed at West End had nothing to do with the Government. These are not the issues that are being looked into. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: When issues are very clear Hon. Members, let us move to the next questions.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: My supplementary question is a follow up on what the Minister has just said. I wanted to find outwhether there is going to be compensation for those who have been inconvenienced considering the current state of affairs where you find women struggling to deliver. I thank you.
*HON. RTD GENERAL DR. CHIWENGA: The question that was raised by the Hon Member, there is no policy which speaks to the compensation which covers a parastatal. Government has a responsibility because Government is a shareholder. The only compensation is that when investigations are done and we find that there was corruption, those who did corrupt activities will be incarcerated. If it is discovered that they stole the money and used it for different purposes, the State seizes whatever it gets and they are forfeited to the State. We are going to wait until the results of the forensic audit are out and the august House will be informed accordingly.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Members on my left, can you be collected.
HON. SARUWAKA: My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business, Hon Ziyambi. We have seen a number of Government programmes being named after the President like Presidential Inputs, Presidential Goats Scheme and Presidential Boreholes. In light of that trend, what is Government doing to stop the abuse of such programmes by ruling party activists who misinterpret such programmes to mean that funding is from the First Secretary of ZANU PF’s pocket yet these funds are from Treasury? What is Government doing to make sure that such programmes are not abused by party activists?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question and secondly, I want to thank him that he is very much aware of the efforts that the Head of State is doing in ensuring that the mandate that he was given by the generality of the people of Zimbabwe is realised in terms of service provision. The President is elected by the whole of Zimbabwe and as such, I am very happy when I hear the Hon.Member indicating the various programmes that His Excellency is doing in terms of service provision.
What I am aware of is the celebration by members of the ruling party of the programmes that the President is undertaking and not any thieving. If there is any thieving, the police are ready to pounce on anyone who abuses whatever programme is happening. What we are aware of is that the generality of Zimbabweans are celebrating the efforts of His Excellency, the President to ensure that they are taken care of. I thank you.
HON. SARUWAKA: It is unfortunate Mr. Speaker Sir, that instead of addressing the question, the Minister simply decided to …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Just ask your supplementary question for clarification –[HON. CHIBAYA: Inaudible interjection]. I am addressing myself to Hon. Saruwaka. Hon. Chibaya you are not Hon. Saruwaka.
HON. CHIBAYA: I am assisting you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I do not need any assistance.
HON. SARUWAKA: What effort is Government doing to stop the abuse being perpetrated by ZANU PF activists who are taking over such programmes from civil servants mandated to run these programmes because they are saying these are ZANU PF programmes yet these are Governmentprogrammes? What is his Ministry doing to make sure that no one abuses these programmes?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Let me start by indicating that in his speeches, His Excellency indicates that thereshould be zero tolerance to corruption. If there is anyone who is doing anything outside of their mandate, the police are ready to arrest those individuals. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! Those who abuse the scheme should be arrested when reported –[HON. ZWIZWAI: It is not a question of being reported but varikusiya vamwe vanhu panze. Vana Wadyajena vachiri maChairman enyu yet vakanotenga mota yeyellow].
HON. GONESE: My question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs. I hope he is here. The question is based on upholding of the rule of law. We have witnessed the spectrum of political violence; recently, we had Members of Parliament - including Hon. Toffa who is here in the House and has broken arms which are in a sling, and Hon. Phulu who were both assaulted –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - They were assaulted during the campaigns. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
On reflection, I had formulated my question and directed it to the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs but I have realised that we have got the Acting President in the House. I am now redirecting my question to the Acting President because it is really a fundamental issue which is founded on the principles of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and founding values...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you are now debating, can you direct your question to the Minister of Home Affairs.
HON. GONESE: I have redirected my question to the Acting President.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am directing you to ask the Minister of Home Affairs – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
HON. GONESE: I stand guided Mr. Speaker. Let me go to the essence of the question. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
This is a manifestation...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese, continue with your question. I cannot hear you.
HON. GONESE: I am saying this is a manifestation of what we have been witnessing in this country. Reports were made and suspects identified but up to now, no one has been arrested for that heinous crime. What steps is Government taking to ensure that the principles of the administration of justice and upholding the rule of law are upheld so that we do not have a continuation of this ugly situation, particularly in the context of the upcoming elections?
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Let me start by thanking the Hon. Member for asking such a pertinent question. His Excellency the President is on record and on every platform, he is pleading with Zimbabweans to be peaceful as we go toward elections. He is on record saying ‘no to political violence’. When he says that, he does not point at any particular person, neither does he point at any political party. He is simply saying ‘no to political violence’ – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Order, order! Order, order! [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- Order Hon. Munengami! Hon. Chibaya! Can you listen to the Minister’s response then you can ask a supplementary question. If you do not do that, I will be forced to ask you to leave the House. Will you just allow the Hon. Minister to answer the question?
HON. KAZEMBE: I was saying that the Head of State and Government is on record – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! I am making a ruling, anyone who is going to stand up now before the Hon. Minister finishes his response, I will ask you to go out. You have a room to ask a supplementary question if you are not satisfied with the Hon. Minister’s response. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I will continue from where I had left. I had said the Head of State is on record denouncing political violence and when he does that; he does not pin-point any particular party; neither does he speak to any person. As such Mr. Speaker Sir, the police has also made an announcement and I have also done so to say nobody is above the law and political violence or any violence for that matter is not acceptable. Mr. Speaker Sir, whenever violence occurs, fortunately or unfortunately, the police does not act on social media or drama – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: I was checking that there was a request that the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs gives a Ministerial Statement and it was you Hon. Chibaya – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order! One person at a time! So I would rather we have the Hon. Minister prepare that statement and we will debate in full – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
An Hon. Member having stood up on a point of order
THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you sit down? I have not finished, sit down – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order. That request was made and therefore, by next week the Hon. Minister will come up with that statement and we shall have full debate arising from that statement. Thank you.
Hon. Members having stood up on a point of order.
THE HON. SPEAKER: No point of order. Can you sit down?
Hon. Gonese having stood up
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese, can you take your seat? – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order, order. Hon. Gonese, please sit down? Can you take your seat please? Hon. Maronge! I have discussed the issue with the Chief Whip and that matter will arise – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Can you sit down? Hon. Minister Kazembe, please approach the Chair.
Hon. Minister Kazembe approached the Chair.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, the Hon. Minister will explain on the issue of the social media aspect and then we end the debate there and wait for his Ministerial Statement. – [HON. ZWIZWAI: Inaudible interjection.] – Hon. Zwizwai, please can you leave the House! – [HON. ZWIZWAI: I can leave but know that it is a woman who has been beaten up.]- Leave the House! [HON. ZWIZWAI: Kuita basa rekurova vakadzi. I will leave but your conscience will bother you because you know the truth that a woman was beaten up.]- Can you leave the House? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me the opportunity to explain the issue of the social media that I mentioned. I was giving a background leading to my answer; the answer that I was going to give. In short, I was simply not saying social media in reference to the issue that is being discussed. I was giving a background so that I will give an answer; the same way the Hon. Member gave a background. In the same manner, the Hon. Member gave a background to his question; I was also giving a background to my answer. So I got cut off mid-way before – In fact I got my statement concluded before I concluded it. It was misinterpreted.
I will try and explain what I meant – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Mr. Speaker Sir, I was saying police does not make decisions or act upon information that is not a fact. When an issue is reported, they investigate and get to the bottom of it and arrest. They do not arrest to release and when people are released, it is either investigations will be on-going, or they will be on bail or there could be some other reasons but it does not mean that, that case has been thrown under the carpet. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Can you conclude?
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. That is the background I wanted to give, not what is being implied in our minds here. I do not want to go deeper into the issues; I will include them in my statement. Even the drama I am talking about, I will explain it –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Member there, the lady; the Hon. Minister has agreed to bring a full Ministerial Statement. All other related issues will be debated arising from his Ministerial Statement next week.
*HON. MARONGE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. What measures have you put in place to alleviate the issue of hunger in terms of distribution of food in those areas which are hunger stricken? If you have any plans, when are you going to start distributing the maize?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE): I would like to thank Hon. Maronge for that question. We have already started distributing the maize to different areas. The distribution was not much because there was the process of compiling names of those in need in order to have a database. Currently, we have people who are employed, who are compiling that database so that we will not leave anyone who is in need out. As we speak, maize is being distributed.
In short, I can assist the Hon. Member by giving him statistics of how we distributed maize this month. In Manicaland, we distributed 2500 metric tonnes Mashonaland Central, 1 400 – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order Hon. Minister, can you sit down – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hon. Biti, can I be heard in silence? Hon. Deputy Minister, you simply have to confine yourself to policy. The detailed response is for written questions. Just stick to policy.
*HON. MATUKE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. In response to the question which was asked, maize is being distributed in hunger stricken areas as we speak. Starting this month of November, we are distributing large quantities because lists of those in need have been completed. I thank you.
*HON. MURAI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary question to the Minister is; when they compile names of people who are in need of food aid, how do they tell who is in need and who is not since everyone is in need of food aid? Why can you not just give food aid to everyone, especially in rural areas? If they start selecting, they will….
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is your supplementary question?
*HON. MURAI: How do they know that this person needs food assistance?
*HON. MATUKE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I thank the Hon. Member for the question. I believe the Hon. Member is educated. I say so because there is no Government that will just go and give out food aid. There should be a database of beneficiaries. The person who is in need is entered in the database. As I stand here, I cannot receive food handouts. We cannot give the whole country. There are others who do not even want the grain. Thank you.
*HON. MUCHENJE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My supplementary question is, for those people who compile the database, what do they really look at to determine whether one is in need of assistance or not? As MPs, we know the people and we can assist in the selection process.
*HON. MATUKE: I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. A needy person is the one who has not been able to harvest in the last farming season. Firstly, we check to see whether he or she managed to harvest anything. Some had food for one month, some three months and some did not harvest anything. Some failed to harvest but they have livestock, maybe 50 cattle or 200 goats. We look at a number of issues because one can sell a cow and buy a tonne of grain. However, there are people who do not have livestock and do not have children who are working...
Hon. Chibaya having received phone call in the Chamber.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order. Hon. Chibaya, you are not allowed to receive phone calls in the House. Can you leave the House, please? You are not supposed to be entertaining phone calls in the House.
HON. CHIBAYA: I was not speaking on the phone. I was scratching my head.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you leave the House. You were on the phone. Please can you leave the House.
HON. HWENDE: Kana makuda kuti tese tibude ingotaurai tibude.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Kana muchida kubuda budai.
Hon. Chibaya was escorted out of the House by the Sergeant-at-Arms.
*HON. MATUKE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I was explaining the question that was raised by the Hon. Member that a person who is experiencing hunger is someone who does not have anything. A person can fail to harvest but may have livestock. One can be a parent to an MP. We also look at the income that you get. We look at a person who does not have anything from grain to livestock and they should be in the database. If a person has failed to harvest and does not have livestock, he needs assistance. As we compile a database, we do not consider religion, politics and there is no nepotism. If there are such circumstances that are happening, you can come to our offices. Everyone who needs food assistance has the right to get relief food under President Mnangagwa’s Government.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My supplementary question to the Minister is, do you make follow-ups to find out whether social welfare officers are writing the people who are really needy? In the rural areas, they are compiling their lists on political grounds where they write people belonging to the ruling party.
*HON. MATUKE: It is not Government policy to avail relief food based on religion or politics. If there are such issues that are happening, we request that the information be brought to our offices so that we address them.
+HON. H. MGUNI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. As we are now facing the farming season, there are a lot of dams that need to be de-silted so that we harvest water. What is the Government policy regarding the issue?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Leader of Government Business, desiltation of dams now that the rains are by the corner – what is Government policy?
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Yes it is true that is an issue and Government is seized with that matter and we hope and trust that as we go towards the end of the year, as we prepare our budget, those issues will be included in the budget, otherwise preparatory work is in progress. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*HON. TEKESHE: My question goes to the Minister of Home Affairs. People are being made to pay cash for fines at road blocks yet we have the Form 265 which the police are saying is no longer applicable. Why is Form 256 no longer being used because people are being forced to look for cash to pay fines at roadblock when they do not have the money?
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): I would like to thank the Hon. Member. I was not aware that is the issue but now that he has raised it, I will definitely look into it Mr. Speaker Sir. I was not aware that is what is happening on the ground, but if I could probably also add to that, Mr. Speaker Sir, to avoid that as we move forward, such inconveniences as Government and as Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, we are deploying a traffic management system together with the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services which will ensure that there is no such human interface which then results in these inconveniences and to a certain extent, corruption.
Once we deploy those systems, these issues will go away because we will deploy electronic gadgets which will automatically detect traffic offences and instantly ensure that there is a penalty. If there is need for someone to pay, payment is done automatically. We are already working on that system together with the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is a delayed question from yesterday. You requested that I could ask the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. It is premised on the 821km Plumtree-Mutare Road. What is Government policy relating to the maintenance, rehabilitation and rejuvenation of the road that passes through local authorities that is on the agreement of the DBSA US$206 million loan because the maintenance has been left to the local authorities on the road that was constructed by Group Five or Intertoll, Mr. Speaker Sir?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Hon. Member has raised a very pertinent question that would also give me a platform to articulate that contract to the august House. The contract entails the company to maintain the road throughout. Therefore, if the road passes through local authorities, it is still the purview of that company to maintain the road and we are now seized with the company where there was the issue to do with local authorities saying it is supposed to be done by the company and we are saying this is our road and the company must take charge until the end of the contract.
So I want to assure the august House that it is not under the purview of local authorities. The company must superintend over the entire stretch. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. NDUNA: Supplementary question Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: A supplementary question when the Minister was so comprehensive?
HON. NDUNA: The people of Chegutu West constituency would like to know the retrospective aspect – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: We are not talking about constituencies here. This is why I almost foresaw that you are going there. The Hon. Minister’s response was comprehensive.
HON. NDUNA: The application in retrospect– [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Not Chegutu and so on.
HON. NDUNA: May I ask clarity on application of the expense in retrospect, Mr. Speaker Sir. The local authorities have actually incurred an expense in maintaining the said extent of the road and in particular, Mr. Speaker, maybe three quarters of that road has been maintained by local authorities. Would it please the Minister to apply the agreement that is about to be amended in retrospect so that the expenses can be recouped by the local authorities?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you are now delving into specifics. I think you would rather follow up that question in writing because it will require the minister to look at the statistics and agree or disagree with yourself. So put it in writing.
HON. MATEU: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; in their absence, the Leader of the House. Mr. Speaker Sir, we have had shambolic ordinary level examinations in this country where over 100 students have been caught having various question papers. What is the Government doing to bring the integrity of our education system into light due to the leaking of the various examination papers?
What is the Government doing to ensure that we have integrity within the education system and within ZIMSEC itself? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Yes, it is worrisome what has just occurred. I Investigations are underway to ensure that we get to the bottom of that issue so that those who are involved are accounted for but going forward, Mr. Speaker Sir, as you would appreciate, the Government has taken a stance to go e-education, smart education and that entails that including examinations will not be done the way they are being done today where it is very easy for papers to leak because we would then have an examination of questions bank which is electronic and no one would have access to that. So in short, Mr. Speaker Sir, the Government has taken that stance. It is following that trajectory to make sure that we go e-learning, smart education. I thank you.
HON. MATEU: My question is what is going to happen to the papers that have already been written by students. Are they going to stand or are they going to rewrite because surely 100 people being caught is just a tip of the iceberg? We do not know the extent that these papers have leaked. Are these examinations still going to stand or is the Government going to ensure that new examinations are written? Thank you.
HON. KAZEMBE: Mr. Speaker Sir, as I alluded to earlier on, investigations are ongoing so the results of the investigations will inform the way forward. I thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: Mr. Speaker, the Hon. Minister in his response, alluded to the fact that he is going to go e-learning. Considering the ICT penetration in our schools, how serious is the Government hoping to achieve that considering what went on in this House when people were debating the issues of education deficiencies that we have – how are you going to do it all yesterday?
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Government is now using what is called the whole of Government approach. This means if there is a strategy or a policy that needs to be implemented; it is done so through various line ministries which have something to do with that particular objective. So in this particular case, whilst the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will be trying to deploy e-learning, at the same time the Ministry of ICT also has a strategy and with your indulgence Mr. Speaker Sir, the Minister of ICT is here and he can also explain what they are doing to ensure that no one and no place is left behind. I thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: Mr. Speaker, the City of Harare has disowned the Pomona deal. The Ministry of Local Government has gone on to pay the debt that is being alleged to have been accrued by the City of Harare using devolution funds. Where did the Minister of Local Government get authority to pay a private company through the use of devolution funds without the authority of the City of Harare?
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. MOYO): Mr. Speaker Sir, the Government of Zimbabwe together with the City of Harare, entered an agreement with Geogenix and the negotiated agreement was underwritten by the Government of Zimbabwe as a guarantor. So anything that would abrogate would be taken over by Government and Government has done so; it is paying so that Pomona can be fixed and it is being fixed. As Government, we want to appreciate the fact that this time the very environmental hazard that was happening at Pomona is being undertaken and for the first time, even the fires that started in October and would continue for two months were extinguished within 24 hours because of what is going on hence the Government is paying because it is enjoined to make sure that, that project does not default and Government takes the risk of that default. I thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: The Hon. Minister is very clear that it was a Government...
THE HON. SPEAKER: If the Hon. Minister was clear, why do you proceed then? Ask your supplementary question?
HON. MADZIMURE: Minister, did you bring the agreement to this House and also what Act of this House allowed the Ministry to disburse the money intended for devolution without the authority of the City of Harare?
HON. J. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. When we have a Government guarantee over any entity in the country and if there is a potential default, Government Treasury is the one which undertakes to take over the payment and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is paying. I thank you.
HON. CHIKOMBO: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. My understanding is that the deal that existed between the City of Harare and that organisation, Geogenix has since been disbanded by the City of Harare and it does not subsist anymore. So what is he guaranteeing? Is he guaranteeing a deal that does not subsist? I did not get the answer from the Hon. Minister.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You did not get what?
HON. CHIKOMBA: Let me be more perspicuous and cogent – I am saying...
THE HON. SPEAKER: What did you say the least bit, you did not get what?
HON. CHIKOMBO: I said let me be more cogent and perspicuous.
THE HON. SPEAKER: No, that is not what you said. What did you say, the last part of your question?
HON. CHIKOMBO: Okay, my supplementary question Mr. Speaker is...
THE HON. SPEAKER: No, the last bit of your question.
HON. CHIKOMBO: I said he did not answer the question as given or as alluded to by the questioner who is Hon. Madzimure. So I am supplementing the question by saying the deal that existed between City of Harare and Geogenix has since been cancelled by the City of Harare which was a partner in this deal and in that arrangement, the Government was the guarantor. So now that the deal does not subsist anymore, what are they still guaranteeing? Thank you.
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, when that deal was negotiated, chaired by Government with the Attorney General in attendance, we were aware that if this deal has to be cancelled, it has to be cancelled properly. When we discovered that it was not cancelled properly, we knew that we would be in default and therefore we have gone ahead to make sure that we protect the integrity of the country in terms of investments and in terms of doing a job which we know we have to do and that is why we are going ahead with that project. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: My supplementary to the Hon. Minister is; how can devolution funds be used to guarantee a project in perpetuity? In other words, he is making the sole decision to use devolution funds for this year - that is fine but in perpetuity next year, he is guaranteeing with devolution funds which have not been approved yet. How can he do that? Thank you.
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, there is nowhere in the agreement where it says it is guaranteed by devolution funds. This is the imagination of the Hon. Member. There is nowhere where it is written like that. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: I had already asked for the point of order but he is jumping the gun. The elections have not occurred yet. Thank you. - [Laughter.] –
HON. DR. LABODE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir! Mr.
Speaker, my question from yesterday was carried over to today. Please, we must not close Parliament without raising that issue of yesterday.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I will give you the opportunity. – [HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you.] – Thank you.
HON. BITI: Mr. Speaker Sir, can the Minister of Local Government and Public Works justify why he, as the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, notwithstanding the fact that the City of Harare cancelled its agreement with Geogenix, continues to pay an agreement that is exposing the citizens of Harare to a debt of USD22 000.00 per day?
The Constitution in Section 264 says local authorities are run by elected people and not the Hon. Minister. What is the Hon. Minister’s take in this corrupt agreement; that is my supplementary question to the esteemed Minister of Local Government and Public Works?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you need to withdraw the word ‘corrupt’ because that …-[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Yes, yes. We need to come to that conclusion Hon. Member.
HON. BITI: May I rephrase it Mr. Speaker?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, may you withdraw that?
HON. BITI: Mr. Speaker …
THE HON. SPEAKER: May you withdraw that?
HON. BITI: May I rephrase the question?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, you may but withdraw that because …
HON. BITI: I withdraw the word ‘corrupt’.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes.
HON. BITI: Hon. Speaker Sir, the Joint Venture Act (JVT) of Zimbabwe approved by this Parliament recognises Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). The law says, ‘A public body will enter into an agreement with a private sector when the public body does not have money.’ So the private sector will pay and then will be repaid either on the basis of a build-operate-transfer (BOT) or BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) agreement. What is so special that you have a joint venture agreement, a Triple P where the private sector is being paid by a broke public sector? This is why I used the word I used because it is unheard of, unprecedented, immoral and unacceptable. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. J. MOYO): Mr. Speaker Sir, this project was appraised by the City of Harare. We joined in the appraisal as Government and as Government we have responsibility over our lower tier authorities throughout the country, not just Harare. Harare is no exception.
So, when the Government was approached by the City of Harare and we know that there is a problem in Pomona. Government agreed to say we should proceed with this project. We have gone ahead and appended our guarantee and that is why we are going ahead with the full appraisal of the technical people of the City of Harare. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order, I accepted Hon. Biti as the last person to pose a supplementary question. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hon. Member, may you listen? I had called on Hon. Miranzi, is she here? – [HON. MPARIWA: Virtual.] – Virtual. May I plead with you Hon. Miranzi because of the time factor. There is a question that we deferred yesterday from Hon. Dr. Labode.
HON. DR. LABODE: Yes, thank you. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. Hon. Minister, I am sure in the past week you have heard of at least those that the media was able to pick, three girls aged between eight (8) and nine (9) who are all pregnant in Zimbabwe and those are the cases that we know about. Hon. Minister Nyoni once came here and presented a statement of 5 000 pregnant girls in three months aged below 15 years.
Also, the report on Primary and Secondary Education indicated that 10 000 girls below the age of 15 have dropped out of school because they are pregnant. My question is; what is the Ministry’s plan or strategy? How are we going to sit and twiddle our fingers and watch our children die while trying to deliver? Can a nine year old really carry pregnancy? Can a nine year old really carry pregnancy? Please Hon. Minister, we want to know what the Ministry is doing, because this thing lies within your Ministry. You have to tell us what we can do as Government, civil society and as everybody to deal with this issue? Thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. GENERAL RTD. DR. CHIWENGA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Hon. Member asked a very pertinent question but I suppose the question is in the form of a suggestion to say from this august House, what is it that all of us can do?
When it comes to immoralities in society, this is no longer what we treat as Ministry of Health and Child Care. We come up with policies and that is why we presented in this august House Mr. Speaker, that we cannot have the issue of having children of 12 to 13 years going on their own to get contraceptives. We are on record saying this cannot be accepted, neither can we have children to say they consented when they are 16 years; we also said that is not acceptable. We go to majority age; 18 years.
Therefore, as the law, we have pushed and this august House agreed. It is now a law that below 18 years, they are all children and this is what we must stick to. Now comes the issue of children being abused at school or lack of moralities, children start having children based families; that cannot be accepted; it is not morally correct. So, we are starting from this august House that we all have constituencies; we must use the structures from the kraalhead to the headmen, councillors, to make sure that people are educated. It is not for the Government to try alone, because these children have parents. They have both the father and mother in the house. What are we doing as parents?
Go to any other organisation like civil society or whatever, it starts from what is it that we are doing? This is a matter that we must take back to our constituencies for parents, first of all to have the responsibility. Secondly, it would be followed by where that child is also going to be morally raised, that is schools; from ECD going up. This is the education system. We need to have programmes in all our schools to teach our children.
When we all grew up, the majority of Hon. Members here, we did not have televisions and neither did we have radios but now children watch television; they just switch off the volume and watch, that is where they pick up wrong things. We need all of us to take the task as ours and not as a task for the Ministry of Health and Child Care alone. I thank you.
HON. DR. LABODE: Hon. Minister, the nation has tried, parents have tried and you have even brought a Bill, the Medical Amendment Bill saying you will arrest parents who do not take kids to institutions for treatment. While we want to believe that we can control this thing, it has run away from us and we cannot control it.
We want to think we can do a church business to deal with this matter; it has run out, it has become a scourge, it is an epidemic, it needs men and women to stand otherwise we are losing children.
Minister, it might be time for us to adopt the Kagame effect, those who do not know, Kagame is the President of Rwanda. When Kagame saw that things were getting out of hand…
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is your supplementary question?
HON. DR. LABODE: There is no child Mr. Speaker Sir in Rwanda, below the age of 18 who shall be forced to be a mother. You sent us to Rwanda; me, Hon. Moyo and Hon. Mataruse to go and understudy this thing Mr. Speaker. Let us stop playing around, playing twiddling fingers, and it will not stop this thing…
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is your supplementary question Hon. Member?
HON. DR. LABODE: What the Minister is saying for me is not enough, it has failed. What else can we do as a nation? It is there. Why not go the Kagame way?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Labode, can you explain the Kagame way?
HON. DR. LABODE: When we visited Rwanda with the Chairperson of the Education Committee, Hon. T. Moyo and the Chairperson for Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Maranyika, we went to understand how Rwanda managed to review their Termination of the Pregnancy Act. We spoke to civil society, to media and to the Minister of Justice and Government, people and everything pointed to State House. They said we were galvanized by the President to move towards ensuring that no child who is supposed to be a child will be made a mother unless she so wishes. In consultation with the parents in Rwanda, if a child is pregnant at the age of nine years, doctors will ask both parents and the child what they want to do. If the parents say the pregnancy should be kept and the child says she does not want, Kagame says listen to the child because she is the one who is going to be affected by this thing forever. So, that is the Kagame Effect which has now become an international slogan. I thank you.
HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Speaker Sir, we have got the law. If it is a matter of rape or the child does not have the mental capacity, the pregnancy is terminated - it is there. Thirdly, the affected girl has got the right to say I want the pregnancy terminated.
We do not have to follow laws of other countries; laws are made in this august House. The proposal can be brought in here and discussed, ask the Ministry in charge for consultations and bring a Bill to amend. However, what I thought the Hon. Member could have raised was what is happening to the perpetrators. That matter is not being addressed and has not been addressed. We cannot address only to the victim and leave the perpetrators going scot free – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – That is what we need to address in this issue and the way we can address is to bring in a Bill and it will be discussed. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Hon. Speaker, my issue has been partly covered. However, I would like to bring to your attention that while our laws are there, we now shift blame to the whole Government with the laws not being implemented, particularly when it comes to dealing with a perpetrator. We go back to the Minister of Justice and the Minster of Home Affairs when it comes to perpetrators, they do nothing to the extent of protecting them. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is your supplementary question?
HON. MARKHAM: It was a point of clarity.
THE HON. SPEAKER: A point of clarity does not need ministerial response.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE HON. SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 68.
HON. BITI: I move that Questions without Notice be extended.
HON. CHIDZIVA: I second.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Five minutes. Time for Question Without Notice extended by 5 minutes.
*(V) HON. MIRANZI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Agriculture. The Government embarked on a Land Reform Programme in 2000 but what is surprising is that fellow black people are chasing their fellow black brothers and partnering with the Chinese. – [technical fault] - There is a company called Global Platinum which is abusing people. What is Government policy concerning people who are being chased away from where they were staying for more than 20 years?
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, your question is about something that is happening now, so I request that you put your question in writing so that the Minister can research and answer you – [AN HON. MEMBER: Minister akutiza uyo.] –[HON. MEMBERS: inaudible interjections.] –
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
MEASURES TO IMPROVE STABILITY OF MOBILE CELLPHONE NETWORK IN SPITZKOP NORTH
- HON. MOKONE asked the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services on the immediate measures that are taken to improve the stability of the mobile cellphone network in the Spitzkop North location of Gwanda Matabeleland South Province.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): With regards to the particular area in Gwanda Spitzkop is a relatively new settlement which is partially blocked from our existing nearby sites and technical has no coverage of its own. We installed in the year 2020 second, third and fourth generation active equipment in order to ensure that there is coverage. Most of the complaints that we have received are related to low speed internet and in terms of our plan, like I have indicated, we have already installed 4G equipment, we are in the process of establishing 5G equipment before the end of this quarter. I thank you Hon. Speaker.
COMPLETION OF REFURBISHMENT OF MANAMA HOSPITAL
- HON. MOKONE asked the Minister of Health and Child Care to inform the House when the refurbishment of Manama Hospital will be completed.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA): Renovations at Manama Hospital have been scheduled in phases where Phase 1 was focusing on the disaster affected areas. The scheduled works were targeting areas to do with electrical, building, carpentry, painting and plumbing. Progress to date is as follows:
- electricals – 90% of the work has been done;
- plumbing – 90% of the work has been done; and
- carpentry – 80% of the work has been completed.
We hope to finish the outstanding works by December 2022. The delays that we are experiencing are due to lack of funding. We are doing our best and are in communication with Treasury that the works at this hospital be completed because of its importance. I thank you.
HON. MOKONE: Why can you not prioritise the issue of maternity wards in Manama because that is another critical area that was affected when the winds swept away the hospital?
HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: That is a very good suggestion. We are going to rearrange our priorities and the Hon. Member will be informed.
NSSA PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS VERSUS PAYOUTS
- HON. I. NYONI asked the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to inform the House why NSSA pension contributions are being increased while pension pay-outs remain static?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE): The increase in pension contributions are based on actuarial assessment and advice to sustain increases and NSSA has been increasing and reviewing upwards pension levels currently with effect from the first quarter of 2020. The pension levels have been reviewed monthly in response to the fluid economic environment effectively from July 2022. We continue to increase and monitor our economic trends. I thank you.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: My supplementary question is that from January to April, NSSA contributions were a bit bigger and then from April after another three months they were increased. Thereafter, they were also increased. From September up to December they have been increased and this year only the increase on contributions have gone up more than four times yet the payments that are made to pensioners have only been done once. Can the Minister give clarity on why there are so many increases yet there is very little being done for the pensioners?
HON. MATUKE: As I mentioned before, the increase on pension is done on actuarial assessment. I would want to ask the Hon. Member to allow us to bring a schedule of the rate of increase from the period mentioned and also compare that with the increase on NSSA pensions because off head, I do not have the information which he is relating to. It is slightly different from the question which he asked. I thank you.
GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE TO YOUNG PEOPLE ON OBTAINING IDENTIFICATION DOCUMENTS
- HON. SARUWAKA asked the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to explain to the House how Government can assist young people accommodated in children’s homes to obtain their national identification documents considering the fact that they cannot sit for national examinations without these documents, a situation that leaves them vulnerable to the extent that it is difficult for them to participate as equal citizens with their national counterparts.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE): May I request that we defer this question to next Wednesday when we have an adequate answer for it.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
NETWORK CHALLENGES BEDEVILLING ECONET USERS
- HON. M. MPOFU asked the Minister of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services to explain to the House
a) The causes of network challenges which are bedeviling Econet users countrywide;
b) When the timelines by which the Ministry expects to have eradicated the problems so that clients are not inconvenienced.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): Mr. Speaker Sir, I thank the Hon. Member for the question, on question (a), key issues affecting service delivery are:
- Power availability; operators including Econet, experience network outages that are linked to power grid failures that affect base stations.
- Shortage of foreign currency; investment in new capacity and coverage requires forex and this has not been availed to the sector. This results in congestion and frequent breakdowns of existing ageing equipment which impacts service delivery.
On question (b) the answer is as follows; the coming of Hwange 7 and 8 will solve the power challenges in February 2023 and we are expecting forex availability to improve as we journey towards 2030.
DIALYSIS MACHINE FOR KADOMA GENERAL HOSPITAL
- HON. CHINYANGANYA asked the Minister of Health and Child Care to inform the House when Kadoma General Hospital will have a dialysis machine.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA): Currently, dialysis is still available at central and some provincial hospitals. The Ministry of Health and Child Care has not yet decentralised to that level.
MEASURES TO ADOPT LOW-COST MODERN HOUSING TECHNOLOGIES
- HON. HAMAUSWA asked the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities to inform the House measures being put in place to adopt low cost modern housing technologies in order to reduce the housing backlog.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SIMBANEGAVI): The Ministry is in the process of adopting the use of new building technologies in order to reduce housing backlog. The process started with expression of interest from private organisations willing to partner the Ministry. The next stage was request for proposal to ascertain the type of partnership. Flight of tender was also done and PRAZ approved three contractors, namely Leengate, Turnall and Virtus. They presented models of building technologies which are steel-framed commercial building, fibre cement and green building respectively.
The process of due diligence was conducted with site visits to South Africa where the contractors did the projects. Currently, the Ministry’s technical department is working on coming up with a standard model to be adopted by the contractor since the contractors use different models. The contractors will use the standard models for financial costing. It is a self funding arrangement whereby the contractor funds the construction and receives payment after completion of the project. The first site for implementation of the standard model will be Dzivaresekwa new flats.
ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MUSEUM FOR AFRICAN LIBERATION
- HON. HAMAUSWA asked the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to inform the House whether the establishment of the Museum for African Liberation in Warren Park was preceded by any stakeholder consultations.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Currently, the project of the Museum for African Liberation in Warren Park is being spearheaded by the Institute of African Knowledge and I am not privy of the process they have taken to date.
ARREST OF CATTLE RUSTLERS FROM ZAMBIA
- HON. GABBUZA asked the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to inform the House:
a) Why there have been no arrests of cattle rustlers from Zambia who have stealing livestock in Saba and Lubanda wards in Binga
b) What measures the Government has instituted to curb commission of such crimes and recover the stolen livestock that have been identified across the border.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Hon. Member for the question you have asked on the issue of cattle rustling. Let me start by highlighting that at the recently held Zambia-Zimbabwe Joint Permanent Commission on Security and Defence (JPC) held in Livingstone Zambia in October 2022, the issue of theft of livestock from both countries was discussed at length and it was agreed that the two police services, that of Zimbabwe and Zambia, should work together to curb this scourge and as I speak, efforts are underway to address the scourge.
On arrests, I would have to find out if there are any known culprits from Zambia that our police officers have failed to arrest after receiving information on stock theft. It could be an issue of lack of information resulting in no arrest being done. But as a country, whoever is involved in such acts, whether locals of foreigners, the law will take its course. As a Ministry, we are in the process of resourcing our police officers with patrol vehicles and other electronic gadgets like drones to try and address this scourge. We have started with Matabeleland South where to date we have established police bases in known areas where these livestock rustlers use when crossing into or outside Zimbabwe. I would also like to engage you Hon. Member together with the Commissioner General of Police to identify strategic places where we can establish police bases to patrol the affected areas of Saba and Lubanda.
b) the Ministry through the Joint Permanent Commission on Security and Defence with Zambia resolved that our two police services should continue holding meetings as well as conducting joint investigations and patrols along the common border to first curb the scourge and that the livestock authorities should undertake a benchmarking exercise for the animal identification and traceability systems in both countries so that best practices that identify animals to the individual level are adopted and whenever livestock is recovered it is repatriated back to the country of origin.
STATUS OF GLOBE AND PHOENIX MINE
- HON TOBAIWA asked the Minister of Mines and Mining Development to inform the House:
a) whether Globe and Phoenix Mine in Kwekwe is legally recognised and if so, to explain why it was allowed to conduct operations next to a school, a situation which compromises the livelihood and well-being of the students at Globe and Phoenix Primary School;
b) the measures in place to curb illegal mining activities particularly close to road infrastructure, a situation which affects the movement of goods and people, thereby impacting negatively on their livelihood, particularly their residential infrastructure.
THE MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHITANDO): Globe and Phoenix Mine is a legally registered mine. The mine was registered between 1960 and 1970. Some of the claims were transferred to a number of people. A stakeholder meeting involving Ministry of Mines, EMA, ZRP, SDA and Claim Holders was done in April 2022. The claim holders advised the Ministry that they are not mining inside the school. The mining operations next to the school are illegal mining operations by small scale miners.
- b) The Ministry makes awareness campaigns discouraging miners from illegally mining close to road infrastructure hence miners can also peg far away from the road infrastructure
The Ministry also carries out intensive monitoring of mining activities through the inspectorate to ensure mining does not negatively affect the environment.
The Ministry works with Government security agencies such as ZRP Minerals Fauna and Flora Unit to help curb illegal mining activities.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that all Orders of the Day on the Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day Number 20 has been disposed of.
HON. MATSUNGA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
CONSIDERATION STAGE
HEALTH SERVICES AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 8A, 2022]
Twentieth Order read: Consideration Stage: Health Services Amendment Bill [H. B. 8A, 2022].
Amendments to Clauses 2, 3 and 5 put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, adopted.
Third Reading: With leave, forthwith.
THIRD READING
HEALTH SERVICES AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 8A, 2022]
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGWA): Mr. Speaker Sir, I now move that the Bill be read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
MOTION
JOINT REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON WOMEN AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT AND THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT ON THE ENQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF WOMEN MICRO FINANCE BANK
HON. P. ZHOU: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the joint Report of the Portfolio Committees on Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Thematic Committee on Gender and Development on the inquiry into the impact of women microfinance bank in empowering women since inception.
HON. NYAMUDEZA: I second.
HON. P. ZHOU: 1.0 Introduction
The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the Government are anchored on leaving no one behind, especially vulnerable groups such as women. The 2030 Vision by Government acknowledges the empowerment of women and men in order to realise their full potential as both individuals and groups in communities. The Zimbabwe National Development Strategy 1 (2021 to 2025), sections 741 to 750 provide for enhanced gender mainstreaming to boost women access to finance. Government is implementing this strategy through capitalisation of the Zimbabwe Women Micro Finance Bank (ZWMB). The ZWMB was granted approval by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe to operate on 29th May 2018.The bank opened its doors to the public on 12 June 2018 and was officially launched on 25 June 2018 by His Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. The Women’s Bank’s primary is to enhance affordable and accessible lines of credit for women businesses and projects. The bank also offers training on the sustainable utilisation of the loans to women.
Despite this great initiative made in Zimbabwe, women still face significant challenges that undermine their productive potentials. The purpose of the inquiry was to assess the impact of the ZWMB in empowering women since its inception.
2.0 Objectives
The key objectives of the inquiry were:
- To assess the impact of the Women Microfinance Bank towards women economic empowerment in small and medium businesses and the vulnerable.
- To assess whether bank was accessible to its intended beneficiaries in different places.
- To ascertain the challenges faced by women in accessing loans from the bank.
3.0 Methodology
3.1 As part of its inquiry the Committees received oral evidence from the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development. The Ministry officials presented that the Women Microfinance Bank was a deposit microfinance bank established to champion women’s financial inclusion and empowerment through access to affordable funding.
3.2 It was submitted during the oral evidence that the bank operates under the purview of the Ministry of Women Affairs Community and SMEs Development just like other Government parastatals and is under the supervision of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe like any other financial institution in the country.
3.3 The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and SMEs Development presented to the Committee that the bank received its capital budget from the Treasury.
3.4 The Committee received oral evidence from the Women Micro Finance Bank officials. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) highlighted, that in order to maintain proximity and accessibility of the bank to people, the bank has opened a total of 26 branches and some of these were inform of offices and satellite offices. In addition, the bank had a total of 144 mobile agents across the country and 39 fixed agents. Dr Marikana the CEO, also informed the Committee that the bank’s head office was in Harare and some major branches were doted in other provincial towns of Zimbabwe.
3.5 In terms of loan facilities offered, the officials submitted that, there were designed deposit loan products that seek to address the challenges of women’s needs including the youth. Furthermore, the bank provides for group lending which ensure women benefit from loaning as a joint liability group and the beneficiaries have a common denominator to co-guarantee each other.
3.6 The Bank Officials further submitted that the bank products strategy was micro enterprising women loan account that targeted various women in economic activities at small scale. The other product strategy was farming women SMEs loan accounts which was targeted at SME women farmers with A1 and A2 farms based on the size of production. In addition, the bank offers Personal loan for working women and this was a salary-based loan to employees in companies.
3.7 The Committee conducted public hearings from the 16th to the 23rd of May 2022, to gather information from the public on the impact of the ZWMB in empowering women since its inception. The Committee was divided into 2 teams and covered the following places shown in table 1 below.
Table 1. Places visited by the joint Committees
3.2 Impact of the bank on Empowerment
DAY | PLACE | Venue |
16 May 2022 | Kariba
Masvingo |
Mahombekombe Hall
Chivi District Office, Masvingo Civic Center |
17 May 2022 | Chiredzi
Kadoma
Gweru |
Chitsanga Hall,
Kadoma Town Hall, Mutapa Hall |
18 May 200 | Birchenough Bridge
Gwanda Esgodini |
Birchenough Bridge Hotel
Gwanda Community Hall Heany Memorial Hall |
19 May 2022 | Hauna
Hwange |
Matondora Business Centre
Lwendulu Hall |
20 May 2022 | Rusape
Marondera
Bulawayo |
Vhengere Hall
Mbuya Nehanda Hall Small City Hall |
23 May 2022 | Chinhoy
i Bindura |
Chinhoyi Civic Center,
Tendai Hall
|
3.2 Impact of the Bank on Empowerment
4.0 COMMITTEE FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS
4.1 Awareness of the BankAamong the Public
The Committee observed that the majority of the members of the public in all the visited areas were not aware about the existence of the bank, the purpose of the bank and how to access the agents or office of the bank. In Kadoma, Chiredzi, Birchnough Bridge the Committee, noted with concern that all the residents were not aware of where the bank was located. Members of the public especially those from small towns and from rural areas such as Hwange, Mhangura, Kariba submitted to the Committee that information about the existence of the bank was only heard from radio and television. However, the programmes of the bank and its agents had not reached out to the outskirts areas.
The Government of Zimbabwe established the women microfinance bank primarily to assist women to access loans for their small and medium businesses and projects. During the public hearings, the majority of the public presented to the Committee that they have not managed to access the loans. A disturbing concern was in Hwange where from an attendance of 400 women, only one person confirmed that she managed to get the loan from the Women’s Bank.
Subsequently, the Committee confirmed with those who managed to access the loans from ZWMB and noted that the loans were useful and of much important in supporting their projects and small businesses. Members of public who received the loans confirmed that they had received 150USD vendor loans which were payable on weekly basis. Submissions from other beneficiaries in Esigodini were that women started grinding mill project as a group which had empowered them financially as well as saving the distance, they used to travel to get the service. It was observed, by the Committee that most of the beneficiaries of the loans were groups as compared to individual applicants and these recipients confirmed that the loans boosted their businesses such as cross border trading, chicken production, sawing and farming projects
4.3 Repayment of the Loans
The Committee was delighted to receive confirmations from the people who benefited from the loans that they have not faced any challenges with repayment of the loans. However, a disturbing concern was on the loan repayment period given to clients. The members of the public submitted to the Committee that when they received the loans, the bank would require repayments in thirty days. The Committee noted from the submissions that this was too short a period of time for those who will be doing projects such as chicken production and farming which require more than thirty days to harvest.
However, some of the beneficiaries acknowledged the loan repayment system as flexible since the bank can negotiate and agree with clients on payment timeframe. For example, in Gweru some vendors indicated that they had negotiated with the bank instead of repaying everyday; they pay twice per week.
4.4 Interest Rates for loans
The Committee was informed that the interest rates range from 6,5% - 10% per month. Considering that women are the vulnerable people which the bank target to empower and uplift, these interest rates were regarded a bit high.
4.5 Currency of Disbursements
There were different opinions regarding the issue of currency that the bank should use for loaning. Some members of the public wanted the bank to disburse loans in foreign currency that is United State Dollars since the inputs and other items required for the projects require payments in foreign currency.
On the other hand, some were of the view that when the Bank intends to disburse loans in local currency, the loans should be disbursed instantly to avoid being eroded by inflation.
4.6 Inclusivity of the Bank to other Vulnerable Women
Women with disabilities requested, that a certain percentage of the loans should be set aside for women with disabilities. Representatives for people with disabilities lamented that since the inception of the Bank in 2018, a record of about less than seven women with disabilities countrywide accessed the loans. In addition, people from Chiredzi, Hwange, Masvingo underscored the need for the bank to be advertised using sign language and brail to reach all people with different disability forms. In Gwanda representatives, from the disabled groups informed the Committee that the bank should advertise in their meetings so as to raise awareness to their members.
4.7 Collateral Security
Members of the public submitted before the Committee that the bank requests for collateral security for individual loans applications. In this regard, there was an outcry in all visited areas from members of the public that women were vulnerable who needed start-up capital to acquire asserts therefore, do not have collateral security. In essence, the public requested that the bank should accept their businesses as collateral security.
The Committee, also observed that the bank has made it easier for group lending and there was no any requirement for collateral from group members. In addition, the Committee noted that group members and project or business were accepted forms of guarantee for the loan as collateral.
4.8 Bank Feedback to Clients
The Committee noted that there was no feedback from the bank or any other communication with clients who opened accounts and applied for loans. Submissions were that there should be a feedback mechanism within a specific time-frame which responds to whether a person has managed to get the loan or not for example in two weeks. Not receiving feedback would keep them waiting in vain.
4.9 Trainings and Capacitation of Women
The Committee noted that those few women among the public who confirmed to have received the loans also wanted a proper training of business management and how to utilise their loans in accordance with their business or project plan. Members of the public confirmed that financial literacy trainings were not given to the beneficiaries. A suggestion was submitted that in the future, the bank should adequately train loan beneficiaries on financial literacy and how to run certain businesses.
4.10 Challenges Faced by the Bank.
4.10. 1 Transport
It was presented to the Committee, in all visited areas, that there was no transport facility for bank agents and loan officers to use during assessment of projects. In addition, the officers presented that it was not feasible to cover different areas without having a proper means of transport. Members of the public bemoaned that loan officers were not covering all wards in each district that they service. Transport challenge as highlighted by bank agents and loan officers delayed approval of loan applications mainly because the paper work was to be submitted to provincial offices where the bank had branches. Transport challenge was therefore, regarded as a barrier to accessibility of loans by women because of delays in assessment of projects and submission of paperwork to the few branches of the bank throughout the country.
4.10.2 Bank Staff, Agents and Points.
The Committee was dismayed to witness that the bank was grossly understaffed. During the public hearings, the Committee observed that the loan officer who serves Bulawayo was also the same officer covering Esigodini and the loan officer who serves Bindura was the same officer who serves Harare. Additionally, these were different provinces with different districts hence there should be many officers to administer and service each area. Women from Mhangura submitted that loan officers and agents were only found in Chinhoyi and members of the public were to travel long distance to access the bank services. The understaffing of the bank was also witnessed in Chiredzi, Gwanda and Hwange where it was confirmed that one officer was responsible for loan applications, training and assessments of projects therefore, causing delay in loan approval and assessment of businesses and project.
4.10.3 Language
Members of the public especially from Hwange, Kariba and Gwanda underscored the need for the bank to consider language diversity when deploying loan officers. They indicated that they encountered language barrier as some of the loan officers were not able to communicate in local language. They appealed that the bank should deploy people who know the local language of the particular area.
4.10.4 Offices and bank premises
During the public hearings, the Committee was informed that the bank had no any premises or offices for its operations in some areas. The Committee noted that in places such as Hwange, Esigodini and Hauna Shopping Center, the bank had no office for the loan officer to be accessed by members of the public. In Gwanda and Kadoma the bank shares an office with the Ministry of Women Affairs Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development. Members of the public also submitted that in areas where the Bank indicated it had presences the majority of the people were not aware of the location of the premises.
4.10.5 Approval and Disbursement of Funds
There was an outcry from the members of the public that the bank was highly centralised in Harare. Apparently, most women and loan officers mentioned that after all the ground work was completed in districts where bank clients are, the paperwork will be submitted to the province and to the Bank Head Office in Harare for approval. Some of the members of the public in Chinhoyi and Makonde districts submitted that they were also being advised to travel to Harare Head Office for loan application and approval.
The Committee observed that the centralisation of the bank for approval and disbursement of loans affected the timeous disbursement of loans and promote loss of value of the Zimbabwean dollar applied amounts due to inflation.
5.0 COMMITTEE RECCOMENDATIONS
5.1 The Ministry of Women Affairs Community and SMEs Development and the Women Microfinance Bank, should establish new bank branches, new offices for agents in different districts and growth points, to improve accessibility to the intended beneficiaries by 31 July 2023.
5.2 Starting from 30 November 2022, the Women Microfinance Bank should approve and release loans within seven to ten working days after the loan application and the loans should be pegged in United States Dollars and disbursed at the prevailing official rate at material time to ensure that these loans received are not affected by inflation.
5.3 That Women Microfinance Bank should monitor and evaluate the women projects and businesses and increase the amount of loans given so that women can venture in projects that they intended, beginning January 2023.
5.4 That the Women Microfinance Bank should give at least a grace period of sixty days to loan applicants to run their businesses and projects before beginning the repayment of the loans.
5.5 That for the 2023 budget disbursements, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, should consider releasing half of the allocated funds for the bank in US dollars to allow the bank to offer loan facilities in US dollars for the big projects and businesses that require foreign currency.
5.6 That the Women Microfinance Bank, Ministry of Women Affairs Community and SMEs and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should reconsider lowering the current interest rate of 6.5 to 10 percent per month, to a rate below 6 percent for the loans to be affordable to vulnerable women by November 2022.
5.7 That the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development in the 2023 National Budget should allocate a budget to the Women`s Micro Finance Bank to support its operational costs such as transport, office shortages and workforce shortages.
6.0 Conclusion
In every country women continuously need financial support, business capacitation and financial literacy for their empowerment. Zimbabwe in the right direction to financially support the growth and expansion of women’s businesses and projects by setting up a referral financial bank for accessing affordable lines of credit despite having some challenges. ‘When you empower a woman, you have empowered the nation’. Government should support the women’s bank in order to empower women in a meaningful way. I thank you Hon. Speaker.
*HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Government has embarked on a very good initiative so that the rural women can also be empowered. Women constitute the majority of the population in Zimbabwe. In my opinion, women are more concerned about their families than men.
The funds allocated are minimal. I request that the Government increases its allocation to the Women’s Bank. Currently in other communities here in Zimbabwe, they are not even aware of the bank. We discovered this when we went around the country conducting public hearings. The bank is not accessible to many people. Even in urban areas, some women do not know about the bank. Others stressed that they wanted agencies closer to their communities so that they do not travel more than 100 kilometers to borrow money from the bank.
Another factor that is affecting women is the issue of security. Most women do not have collateral but they are very hard workers. Our Government, in consideration of women being the majority - we have a lot of women who are farmers; they farm cotton, sunflower and maize. In the event that we have good rainfall, the women are able to get some money. They are not able to get loans from the bank to buy inputs. We request the Women’s Bank to loan out in foreign currency so that the rural women in Dotito, Checheche and Malipati can benefit. From Malipati to Chiredzi, probably the road is not accessible because there is no bridge in Chilonga, so the women will not be able to access the money. My request is that the bank should expedite the approval of loans.
There is the other challenge that is being ignored by the Government which is also in the education sector. In the education sector, you find the deployment of teachers who cannot speak Ndebele in Matabeleland. This issue is also cascading to the Women’s bank. Currently, some of the loan officers cannot even speak Ndebele, Shangani and other languages. These are issues that need to be addressed. In these various areas, the people also want loans. That affects the work of Government as it promotes nepotism because there is a tribe that is at an advantage. Development in Tsholotsho, Malipati and Dande is the development of Zimbabwe as a whole.
In conclusion, if you support a girl child or a woman in business, you have empowered the whole nation. More companies in Zimbabwe are employing women and they are being empowered. We will see what the Government is going to allocate during the budget period. Our request is that the Government increases its allocation to the bank in this forthcoming budget. We also look forward to the loan officers to expedite allocation of loans to the women. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
*HON. R. NYATHI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir for giving me the opportunity to debate the motion that was moved by Hon. Zhou. I realised from the report that the bank is not operating in line with its mandate to assist the women. We know that women have been disadvantaged for a long time and have lost out on many opportunities. The Government has realised the need to come up with that bank for those educated and uneducated for them to be empowered.
The motive of the Government was to ensure that all the people in Zimbabwe can live a decent life. The Government, together with the Head of State, is working hard to ensure that in 2030 no one is left behind and that everyone will be living a decent life through a middle income economy. This report has reflected that the bank has 26 branches. It was also said that they have mobile agents that number 144 000.
If you were listening Hon. Speaker Sir, I am sure you heard that the report said that there is one woman who was able to access the loan, which shows that despite the bank having 144 000 agents, 26 branches and a head office, only one woman benefited from the loan. So we are realising the Government has availed the funds but those who are allocating the loans are not doing so properly. They should improve in this aspect.
There is another issue that really touched me and that is a person is given a loan of only US$150 and they are requested to pay back the loan after one week. This is discouraging women to apply for the loans. You cannot give someone a loan and then request that they pay back after seven days. This does not give them adequate time to use the money and get profits to pay back the loan.
It would also help if the loans to farmers could be paid back after three months or so. Another challenge is that the interest rates for the loans are a bit too high, Hon. Speaker Sir - 6.5% to 10% and paying it weekly is too high that it is discouraging most women from applying for these loans.
Another important point that was brought up by the report is on the issue of agents. It was said that some of the agents were working in areas where they could not understand the languages spoken in those areas. This raises the question to say - are these banks serious in their work? How can they employ someone from Chipinge who speaks Ndau or a person who comes from Rusape who speaks Chiwungwe and then deploy that person to work in Matabeleland or Tsholotsho? How are they expected to carry out their work when they do not understand the languages of those areas?
Hon. Speaker Sir, I request that these issues contained in the report be looked at so that this bank is able to help the citizens of this country because what I am seeing are what we term cognitive consonants and cognitive dissonants, that is to say advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantages highlighted by this report outweigh the advantages or the benefits of the loan facility of the Women’s bank towards the women of this country. I think this a very good report that shows us the situation that is on the ground. I implore that another report looking into issues of how the bank can improve its operations so that women and girls, the less privileged of our community can access these loans so that we attain Vision 2030 and the lives of the people of this country are improved. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
+HON. STELLA NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would also like to add my voice to this report from the Chairperson Hon. Madiwa which has been brought to the House by Hon. Zhou.
I am a member of the Women Affairs Committee. I also attended the public hearings to gather views of the women on the Women’s Bank. Women do not know about the Women’s Bank. It is not known. We went right round Zimbabwe and we found out that women do not know about the Women’s Bank. In other words, this Women’s Bank is not assisting the ladies at all even in towns where the bank is and in other areas it is not even visible.
The bank should be visible even from the road, but those who know about it, people like Members of Parliament, most of us do not tell our people about it. In my constituency, I invited over 200 women and staff from the Women’s Bank to come and address the women but they did not come. In the evening they called me and said the women should instead come to the bank the following day. I personally went with them and went to the bank. They were given forms to open accounts and they were each paying RTGS700. Imagine I am talking about over 200 women. They opened accounts and each paid RTGS 700. They were then asked to get into groups so that when they disburse funds it would be easier for them when they work in groups and they promised to visit them at their constituency, which is the Luveve Constituency.
Even up to now they have not visited. They never visited us and now the women are getting fed up. They are always asking when these people are coming and also the people from the bank are always promising to come, but they never come. The ladies in Bulawayo are now saying this money was never meant for Bulawayo. They now think that the funds are being channeled elsewhere and they think they do not deserve to be given the funds because when we looked at the provinces that have benefited from these funds, we tried to look at what criteria was used. We found that the whole of Matabeleland that includes Matabeleland South, Bulawayo and Matabeleland North were the least to benefit from the Women’s Bank.
So, I would like to say this bank is not there for women. It is just like any other bank that is there in the country. We were expecting that the bank would promote women because mostly women’s projects are small. Here we are talking about US$150. For those who have benefited, but Mr. Speaker, what can one buy with US$150? If you want to run a business with US$150 you cannot buy chickens, you cannot buy chicken feed and you cannot even buy medication for the chickens. So this bank is non- existent as far as the women are concerned. I will repeat, it is just as good as non-existent.
Those who have spoken before me spoke about the loan officers. They do not know the language spoken in those areas. How then can you communicate with a loan officer who cannot speak your language? May we make a request that loan officers be deployed to areas where they can speak the language so that they can communicate with people and these projects where people get US$150 are small projects where people can buy tomatoes and sell them. These are people who are not selling tomatoes. These are old ladies and they do not understand the language that is spoken by the loan officers. We want loan officers that speak the language that is spoken in that area so that they can explain to them what happens. In other words, this bank has no money Mr. Speaker Sir.
If it had money and after people had opened bank accounts, they should have deposited money into those accounts. We invited the bank officials to our Committee and asked them whether this bank was still functional because it had not been serving the purpose that it was meant for. There are other banks that people can get loans from. Even the bank charges, there is no difference with other banks.
My request is that the Government reviews the Women’s Bank and find out if they have enough funds to give to the ladies. We are talking about people who make a total of 52% of the country’s population if they all go to the Women’s Bank. So, this bank is not serving anything. The ladies are complaining that they take $700.00 each and they want to know what they do with their money. If only a few could have benefited but they were told to get into groups but not even three of them got the funds from the bank. What we are saying is that the ladies are not getting anything and also, they are saying if they get the money, you stand a better chance to get it again.
A person can get it for the second or third time yet others would not have benefited at all because they will be referring to that person as their client and that person will be benefitting at the expense of others who would not have benefited. So our request is that the Government should fund this bank fully for women to access the fund. As we have already said, we are saying leave no one behind but what we are saying is that the ladies are being left behind. May be it is the men who are benefitting from these funds because those are the questions that the ladies are asking or is it their friends who are benefitting or not. We expect the ordinary women from the rural areas to access those funds because they want to run small businesses. We should not give it to people who are running these businesses.
The little that is there should be shared so that ladies can also run their businesses. These ladies do not want to be begging all the time but they want to run their small businesses, to order their jiggies and sell them. They are ready to pay the bank. If they do get the funds, they will repay their loans. So, when we went around talking to the ladies they told us that this bank was not their bank because it was not being advertised at all. There was no advertisement whatsoever on the Women’s Bank and secondly, they do not know where to find the bank and when they apply, they do not get any responses like the women in Bulawayo. I am always bothering the people at the Women’s Bank.
At one stage, I was told by Dr. Makanda because the women were complaining and I was saying that if they do not want to give them their money, they should refund the ladies the $700 that they paid. Dr. Makanda said Cowdry Park has so many women and there are over 75 000 people in Cowdry Park. Cowdry Park is bigger than Gwanda at the moment. If you check and find that the women in Cowdry Park were asked to get into groups but none of them ever got the funds. She said to me, if they do not get any loan, just call me, but it should not be like that.
The system at the bank does not require me to call Dr. Makanda because there is a system and there are workers. Here, I am talking about the bank that is in town. I am talking about the bank in Bulawayo that has systems in place and I have been there. I have spoken to them and I even went with the ladies who were complaining and that is why we are bringing this report to this august House so that they can look at what can be done so that funds can be availed to the bank. As women, we should be able to get the loan from the banks and the ladies just want to get funds to educate their families.
The women’s bank does not have enough staff. This is a bank that is supposed to be all over Zimbabwe but it is only found in 26 places only and yet Zimbabwe is big. There are districts not to mention provinces. Each district should at least have a women’s bank not just a look alike, but the proper bank that is going to disburse money to the ladies and the girl child so that they also get money to run their own businesses. These ladies should get funds from the bank so that they can start their own small businesses and grow from there.
So that is our request and this should be looked into. If it is not assisting the ladies, then we should know that there is no bank at all, but for now, what I can say is that this bank is not helping ladies at all. The few who are known are the ones who are accessing those funds. It is our request that all the women should access those funds and all the girl children should access the funds. Thank you.
(v) HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to dwell into the issue of the Zimbabwe Women’s Micro-Finance Bank. For a start, statistics show that in the State of Chicago there are actually more women businesses than men. On average, they are growing at an average of twice those that are owned by men, yet they just receive 16% of business loans in that State that more or less mirrors what is happening in Zimbabwe. There are slightly more men-owned banks than women-owned banks. More men-owned businesses than women-owned businesses; yet the trajectory is still the same Mr. Speaker Sir, to the extent that 84% of business loans go to support male-owned businesses against just 14% of women.
So four years ago, when this bank started operating on 29th May, 2018, we were so happy and said ‘Aaah now, at least, there is a bank that they can rely on to improve their welfare’. Mr. Speaker Sir, the disappointing thing is that if we look at the products that are offered by this bank; there are quite a number of them. For instance, we speak of what they call Mouth One. Mr. Speaker Sir, for you to get Mouth One, you need to pay 10% interest per month in what they call ‘Accountants Cost Straight-line’. Then you also need to pay 10% upfront in order to get that loan. What woman can get that 10% Mr. Speaker Sir? I urge that this issue of collateral should be removed, not only from Mouth One but also from Mouth Two, G-Mouth One, G-Mouth Two, Marble One, Marble Two, GLGL01; GLGL02; Micro One; Micro Two and SML01. It should just go Mr. Speaker Sir.
Now, let us compare what is being given to women, from the same bank, and not another bank Mr. Speaker Sir. If you now look at their portfolio for civil servants, the portfolio for civil servants is called, SSBSL One. If you want to take any money that is below RTGS2 000 000.00, they do not require anything up front; there is no collateral, you just get it. So, that is what we want Mr. Speaker Sir. If you are a Government pensioner under GPNL02, your maximum is RTGS1 000 000.00 but there is no collateral that is required.
So Mr. Speaker Sir, this bank was promulgated for women. It is not coming to assist women. It is coming to exploit women. We want it to give loans to women not at 10% interest rate Mr. Speaker. The maximum interest rate must be 3%; after all, the bank is being given money by Government. So, the 10% must fall away; the bank must not run on commercial lines. It should run on concessionary lines so that it assists women. We want to have more women led businesses than men by 2030. I think women can make more businesses than men.
Mr. Speaker Sir, a study was conducted and it established that for clothing manufacturing line that a woman ventures into, she is more likely to employ a woman, youths, and people with disabilities. These are the real themes that we want to support. How do we now support that when we have a situation where a micro-finance bank wants people to pay on weekly basis? On weekly basis, who can be sure that I am going to make money this coming week? A good number of businesses know that at the end of the month is when they get enough funds to pay salaries and repay loans. Now, if we say a woman who is already struggling should pay what they owe within a week or on weekly basis; I do not think that is the setup that we want.
So, this august House Mr. Speaker Sir, must not only fight for an increase in the amount of money that should be allocated to this bank but also look at the modalities that the bank operates on. The main observation that I am going to make is that female entrepreneurs have very strong entrepreneur competence that when they are faced with obstacles, they are able to fight those and grow their businesses better.
Actually, a survey conducted in Zimbabwe states that women-owned businesses are more likely to survive over the two-year stage when most first owned businesses fail. Women are doing better than that and on average, female-owned businesses perform much worse than male-owned businesses. Why? The reason is because we are not really supporting them. So, we need to galvanize and reorient this Women’s Bank so that it serves the purpose of women.
On the same note Mr. Speaker Sir, what we are talking about is that the Women’s’ Bank also appeals to the Youth Bank. We also want them to go down on loans, interest rates, and requirements; this is what we want Mr. Speaker Sir. With that, I thank you so much. I thank the movers of the motion and to also thank Chairperson Madiwa, for allowing other members to spearhead reports like this. It is something that we encourage and with that, I thank you.
*HON. MATSUNGA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Allow me to add my voice to the report that was tabled by Hon. Zhou. I would like to thank the Committee on Women Affairs for conducting a tour on the operations of the Women’ Bank whose duty is to empower and develop the women folk.
Hon. Speaker, in summary, I would like to state the following, since the majority of the issues have already been covered. The Women’s Bank has shot itself in the foot and hence it has derailed the empowerment and development of women. I say so because, ever since it was launched, it has not even on a single day, issued substantial loans to women. I am fortified in this regard because of the fact that, where I stay, I have not come across anything tangible that the bank has done.
(V)HON. KWARAMBA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. You had called me to debate.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Sorry Hon. Kwaramba, I had given the floor to another Hon. Member. So, you will be coming after her.
*HON. MATSUNGA: Let me proceed and reiterate that the Women’s Bank, since its inception has dismally failed to empower and develop the women folk. It has not given them any loans that have furthered the women’s business interests. The Women’s Bank should not put stringent measures that are meant to disadvantage the not well heeled in society. The bank should focus its activities on ensuring that loans are disbursed to women with very little or no collateral security or other requirements because a lot of women have spent a lot of time chasing a mirage.
It is my considered view that the bank should, at all material times, aim to develop and empower the women. In Zimbabwe, the majority of women are hardworking and self-employed to such an extent that if the issue of collateral security is removed, women will be able to self-sustain.
Thirdly, what I want to say Hon. Speaker is that officers of the Women’s Bank are not found nation-wide. The officers are found in only three places, as has been indicated in the report - which means that the other places have no access to the bank. This renders the inaccessibility of this bank to its intended beneficiaries. It would have been prudent if the bank had carried due diligence in terms of accessibility of its potential clients before it opened its doors to the stakeholders.
It is my considered view that the bank should be found at least in each of the 10 provinces. I urge the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to put pressure on the bank so that it complies with at least a bank per province. This will ensure that ordinary women that we represent are able to receive services that meet the standard service provision as envisaged at the time the bank was set up. I say so because I actually gave up on the bank myself.
My plea to the Government is to ensure that the bank performs at optimum level. I am further taken aback by the unreasonable requirement that every woman who requires a loan should produce a pay slip. It is common cause that the majority of women are not formally employed, hence the pay slip and collateral security requirements are a hindrance in their quest to receive bank loans.
The project proposals and the groups that were mandatory before one could access a loan have proved to be a great hindrance in them. Lastly, I urge the Government to ensure that the Women’s Bank serves its purpose, because the Women’s Bank is our only vehicle to women’s development.
HON. KWARAMBA: I would also like to add my voice to the report tabled by Hon. P. Zhou arising from our visits to assess the operations of the Women’s Bank, whose mandate is to ensure that there is empowerment and development of women. The bank as witnessed by our observations during the visits, is not living up to its reputation.
First and foremost, there has not been awareness of its existence to the majority of women. We therefore urge the bank to carry out awareness campaigns to the remotest areas of the country so that grass root women are aware of the existence of their own bank.
Secondly, 2000 women paid their money to open up accounts so that they will be eligible for loans. Low and behold, only five women were granted loans. The question that then arises is that is this bank keen on empowering and developing women or it is just on a fund raising campaign? Where are these huge sums of money that the women-folk are paying when opening up these accounts going to?
Furthermore, people are disgruntled by the huge interest rates that they have to service on their loans. In Mhondoro, we also found that the repayment period is too short. The lady in question was said to have been granted a 100 000 ZWL loan and upon approaching the bank, she was informed that there was nothing. Within a very short period, she was shocked to find that the bank now required her to pay interest. The ZWL loans value is quickly deteriorating such that when they access the money, it will not be able to carry out the proposed project.
Furthermore, bank officials should be knowledgeable about the operations of their bank. There was an instance where one of the bank employees exhibited gross incompetence by failing to answer questions posed to him or her competently. The bank should employ personnel that have an appreciation of money matters. Furthermore, the bank is now operating like a micro-finance company and it required too many collateral security forms.
The rest of the issues have already been raised, but as women we want a bank that is pro-women, that enhances their empowerment and development and deliver tangible wealth to women so that they will achieve Vision 2030.
(v)*HON. MAKONYA: I also support the report that has been tabled by Hon. Zhou. As a woman, it hurts me to observe that the Women’s Bank since its inception in 2018 had a clear mandate to develop and empower women but to-date, it has dismally failed to live up to its billing. During our visits, we were disappointed to note that women are not even aware of the existence of this bank. Mr. Speaker, the women constitute 52% of the population and the women have now become the bread-winners instead of the men. For instance, men are now remaining at home whilst women are engaging in cross border trading.
While it is expected that the bank will give loans to these women to enable them to develop and empower themselves, the truth of the matter is that the bank has been found wanting in that regard. The majority of the women during our visits expressed total ignorance of the existence of this bank, let alone the existence of loan facilities.
The women also decried the men’s attitude when it comes to provision of collateral required by the bank as the majority of men are opposed to having marital property being used as collateral security. I urge the bank to scrap away the collateral security requirement. I thank you.
(v)+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to add my voice on the report which was brought to the House by the Women’s Affairs Committee. In my view, I think this Women’s Bank should change its name because it is not assisting women in the society. This bank is similar to CABS and CBZ. It is like a bank giving loans to the society for it is not assisting women in the community. Mr. Speaker Sir, if we take a view at other towns like Tsholotsho, Binga and Nkayi, they do not know whether this bank exists at all.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this bank is only assisting people who live in urban areas and it charges high interest rates. It is like a loan shark when you are borrowing from this bank. So many women are facing challenges when trying to borrow money from this Women’s Bank because they cannot meet the requirements.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I suggest that this bank be closed because it is not assisting women in the society, for they require collateral as guarantee in order for them to get the loans. This bank does not assist women as individuals but they request that you come as a group for you to access a loan. Speaking from experience Mr. Speaker Sir, I wanted to go to Dubai and they said I only qualified for US$300, what was I going to do with US$300 Mr. Speaker Sir? I ended up cancelling my expedition to go to Dubai because the money was not enough for me to buy goods. If this treatment can be done to an Honourable Member of Parliament, what more do you expect from a rural woman and if I qualify for US$300, what will other women in the rural areas qualify for? The Youth Bank is now much better than the Women’s Bank because they are offering more money. It is better if they change the name of this bank. In short, that is all Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. P. ZHOU: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. S. NDLOVU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 2nd November, 2022.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI seconded by HON. MOKONE, the House adjourned at Five Minute past Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 1st November, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. SPEAKER
NON-ADVERSE REPORTS RECEIVED FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that I have
Received Non-Adverse Reports from the Parliamentary Legal Committee on the following: a) Electricity Amendment Bill [H. B. 7. 2022]; b) Medical Services Amendment Bill [H. B. 1, 2022]; c) Statutory Instruments Nos. 138 to 149 of 2022 published in the
Gazette during the month of August, 2022 except for Statutory Instrument 144 of 2022 which is still under consideration; and d) All Statutory Instruments published in the Gazette during the
month of September, 2022.
PETITIONS RECEIVED FROM MR. C. KAHARO, FIRINNE TRUST (VERITAS), WARD 10 ZENGEZA WEST CONSTITUENCY, AND UNIT N, CHITUNGWIZA
THE HON. SPEAKER: I also have to inform the House that Parliament received the following petitions:
I) Mr. C. Kaharo, requested Parliament to enact a law that will give the Electoral Powers to recall non-performers from Parliament and councils in order to strengthen public institutions and promote our democracy. The petitioners suggested the establishment of a Constituencies Inspectorate to monitor the performance of both Members of Parliament and councillors based on the party manifestos of elected candidates.
The petition was referred to the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – I knew; I would expect that reaction. Yes, hokoyo, the inspectorate is coming;
II) Firinne Trust (Veritas) beseeched Parliament to enact a law to outlaw the death penalty. The petitioners implored the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to present before Parliament, a Bill to remove the death penalty from Zimbabwe’s Statute Book.
The petition was referred to the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
III) Petitions from Ward 10 in Zengeza West Constituency requested that Stephen Mugariri, a tenant at Nyatsime Beer Hall premises, be given three months notice to vacate the said premises. The petitioners also requested that the Chitungwiza Council furnish them with details of action taken within 14 days after receipt of the petition.
The petitioners did not meet the requirements stipulated in the Standing Orders and the petition was deemed inadmissible. The petitioners have since been informed accordingly.
IV) Sitting tenants from Unit N, in Chitungwiza requested Parliament to ensure that the ministers of Local Government and Public Works and National Housing and Social Amenities exercise their oversight role on the Chitungwiza Municipality by implementing the Government directive of issuing title deeds to genuine sitting tenants occupying house numbers 12100 to 12151 in Unit N. Seke.
The petitioners did not meet the requirements stipulated in the Standing Orders and the petition was deemed inadmissible. The petitioners have since been informed accordingly.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Please straight to the point, may I warn you. Do not come up with issues that pertain to Question Time tomorrow. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Good afternoon Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Good afternoon.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you. Mr. Speaker Sir, my point of national interest is premised on the 821km, Plumtree-Mutare Highway in that it would be prudent to revisit the agreement as it impedes or it actually milks dry the Government coffers in the following manner Mr. Speaker Sir …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Nduna, may I be allowed to cut you short? That is a question for tomorrow.
HON. NDUNA: I will say it is not Mr. Speaker Sir…
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have ruled. Ask that good question tomorrow.
HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I rise on a point of national interest. I am sure Mr. Speaker Sir in the last week you have heard about three girls: two 9 year olds and one 8 year old who are pregnant, almost full term, one is about to deliver.
This is a tragedy. As a nation, we have been talking about this and it is about time we act, even if we have to move and act with the Kagame Effect. The Kagame Effect – Kagame pronounced a law that said no Rwandese child who is below a certain age say (15), will be allowed to deliver a baby because she is a baby also. He made sure that the final decision on whether that pregnancy is terminated will lie with the child.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, ask that issue tomorrow to the Hon. Minister of Health.
HON. DR. LABODE: No Mr. Speaker, we need to do something now.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Ask the question tomorrow, that is a very profound observation – [HON. LABODE: Inaudible interjection.] – Hon. Dr. Labode, tomorrow is your feast day…
HON. DR. LABODE: I was saying the Minister does not come to the House, this thing just keeps on. It is an urgent issue, the President should address it. In Rwanda, it was the President who made the decision - that is why it is called Kagame Effected International Label.
THE HON. SPEAKER: We will call for a decision tomorrow.
HON. MARKHAM: My point of national interest is the expression of the National Budget and I have had a lot of questions from the public on the issue of - yes we talk about the expenditure side of the budget, where we have an issue, it has happened in the last three or four budgets and the revenue is generally referred to that. We need a more detailed revenue flow for one reason, that is, we are constantly being told for example by the Ministry that there is delay in release of funds to them.
We have been constantly told of the amount we can earn from mining concessions and joint ventures, etcetera. Can we have a detailed statement from the Ministry of Finance to explain to us how much money we are actually getting from all these national resources that are being taken? I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Budget debate is coming in full swing and interrogate the proposed budget that will be tabled on the 24th November and have your assegais ready to attach.
HON. MARKHAM: Mr. Speaker, that is what I was doing, getting the assegai ready. I was hoping the Minister would give a budget statement on revenue so we actually know what we are talking about because quite frankly on revenue flows and money coming in, we know nothing. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I still repeat, hold fire until the budget is presented and you will have a feast day.
*HON. CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My issue pertains to the words that were said by Hon. Vice President Chiwenga responding to the august House regarding the Public Service Medical Institution (PSMI). The issue was that all medical hospitals and clinics were closed and the Minster said that they were not, but the issue is that they closed. Pensioners and members of PSMI are contributing including the Hon. Members of Parliament are also contributing but the clinics and hospitals are closed. So I request that the Hon. Minister should investigate the issue so that he ascertains what the PSMI is getting from the contributors and what money is used.
To me, this is like fraud. Public Service and pensioners are exposed, some are dying because they do not have access to medical facilities.
THE HON. SPEAKER: May you pose that question tomorrow during Question and Answer Session and if you are not satisfied, we will request for a full ministerial statement from the Hon. Minster.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. What I would like to reiterate is that Members of Parliament from Victoria Falls, Binga, Lupane, and Nkayi incur a lot of expenses because they do not have time to rest in Bulawayo. Hotels no longer accept Members of Parliament to rest there.
THE HON. SPEAKER: That has nothing to do with this House, come to my office.
HON. L. SIBANDA: I will come to your office, Hon. Speaker Sir, thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir – [AN HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjection.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, if you want to talk to your colleague, you sit down and whisper.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I rise as a follow up to the issue which I raised in this august House on the 19th of October, it was on a Wednesday....
THE HON. SPEAKER: Is that a matter of national interest.
HON. GONESE: It is about contempt of Parliament in terms of Standing Order No. 27 and 67 by Hon. Ministers, so I just want to remind the…
THE HON. SPEAKER: What happened was, when we raised the issue, the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health said if we could give him chance as he had spoken before that he will make sure that the Hon. Ministers would be here and we said fine we proceed that way, otherwise we are ready with the list. So we are waiting to see what will happen tomorrow.
HON. GONESE: Mr. Speaker Sir, you had indicated that the Administration of Parliament was going to avail the names.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am ready with the names, you did not hear me properly; I was ready with the names and prior, the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care had said he takes responsibility to make sure that the Hon. Members should attend and if I could hold on to that list.
HON. GONESE: I hear you Hon. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 14 be stood over until Order of the Day, No. 15 has been disposed of.
HON. MAHLANGU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
THIRD REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ON THE PROVISION OF SANITARY WEAR IN RURAL SCHOOLS
HON. T. MOYO: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Third Report of the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education on the provision of sanitary wear in rural schools, progress made on the construction and refurbishment of schools, access to ICT equipment and the extent to which rural schools were able to conduct online lessons during COVID-19 lockdowns, and availability of teachers to conduct physical lessons.
HON. MAHLANGU: I second.
HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I am going to present a report of the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education on provision of sanitary wear in rural areas, rural schools and progress made on the construction and refurbishment of schools, access to ICT equipment and availability of teachers to conduct physical lessons when schools open during second term.
Introduction
Standing Order No. 20 (d) mandates Select Committees to monitor, investigate, inquire into and make recommendations relating to any aspect of the legislative programme, budget, policy or any other matter it may consider relevant to the government department falling within the category of affairs assigned to it, and may for that purpose consult and liaise with such department. In light of that provision, the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education invited the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education for oral evidence session to discuss progress on implementation of its 2022 budget.
- During the inquiry, the Committee received a petition from Sanitary Aid Zimbabwe and Deaf Zimbabwe Trust on access to sanitary wear by learners and provision of comprehensive education, therefore this report is also responding to the two petitions.
Objectives
- To evaluate the provision of sanitary wear in rural schools,
- To assess progress on the construction and refurbishment of schools,
- To assess the availability of ICT equipment and the extent to which rural schools were able to conduct online lessons during COVID-19 lockdowns, and
- To verify if teachers were available and conducting lessons when schools opened during second term.
METHODOLOGY
The Committee invited and received oral evidence from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on Thursday, 10th March 2022. On 17th March, during deliberations of the oral evidence received, the Committee resolved to embark on a verification visit to selected government primary and secondary schools to ascertain the information and facts that were submitted by the Ministry.
The Committee was divided into two groups and conducted verification visits to the following selected schools across the country; Team A visited Mutimuri Primary School (Gokwe), Ngomeyebani Secondary School (Zvishavane), Neshaya Primary School (Hwange) and Katasa Primary School (Nkayi). Team B visited Kasika Primary School (Rushinga), Chimoyo Primary and Secondary Schools (Mutoko), Chakohwa Primary School (Chimanimani), Mutonhori Secondary School (Zaka) and Mazungunye Secondary School (Bikita). The meetings were attended by the school heads of the host school and in some cases other school heads from the district including the District Schools’ Inspectors (DSIs).
COMMITTEE FINDINGS
Provision of Sanitary Wear in Rural Schools
The Ministry received an allocation of about ZWL$1.23 billion for the procurement and distribution of sanitary wear to meet the welfare needs of the girl child during the year 2022 year. The Ministry managed to contract five companies to supply and deliver sanitary wear to the country’s ten provinces. The Ministry highlighted that as of 10th March, most provinces had received the sanitary wear except for Masvingo and Midlands which had received partial deliveries.
However, during the verification visit, the Committee established that some schools had already received both reusable and disposable pads while other schools had not received any of the sanitary wear except from the schools’ development partners. Out of all the districts visited, only Zaka had received and distributed sanitary wear to all the schools in the district. The Committee was informed that all schools had received on average about 560 reusable pads and between 48 and 72 disposable pads.
The School Head at Mutimuri Primary School confirmed having only received a single box of disposable sanitary wear with 10 packs (120 units of pads) since 2019 while they had not received anything for the 2022 year. In Rushinga District, Kasika Primary School had only received a few disposable pads and fabrics of sanitary wear material which were yet to be sewn. At Ngomeyebani Primary School, about 265 girls were in need of sanitary wear in 2022. The school received their first consignment of sanitary wear in 2020 and another in April 2021 consignment. In March 2022, the school had received about 3912 units of disposable pads and 960 units (96 packs of 10) of disposable pads, which was inadequate.
In Mutoko District, only two schools had received reusable pads from the government while most schools had not received anything except from the school development partners.
Some schools like Katasa, Chakohwa and Mazungunye had never benefitted from the government sanitary wear project to schools.
Construction and Refurbishment of Schools
The Ministry highlighted that the Government had availed ZWL$4,690 million for the construction of 35 model schools (19 primaries and 16 secondary) in the 10 provinces of the country. The Committee was informed that sites for the 35 schools had been proposed and the modalities for site assessments were being finalised. The Committee was informed that the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works was currently working on the designs by improving the drawings of the 17 OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) constructed schools. Construction of the 35 formal schools was expected to be completed within the next five years.
School Infrastructure - the Committee established that there has been no progress yet on the construction of the proposed 35 schools. Some DSIs expressed ignorance as they had no such information of the proposed sites of the new schools set to be constructed in their provinces.
The Committee’s visit to Mutimuri Primary School in Gokwe North revealed that it was a satellite primary school with no proper infrastructure. The school has an enrollment of 318 pupils and seven teachers. The school’s state of infrastructure was in an appalling state as it comprises of temporary sub-standard classrooms made of pole and dagga while other classrooms were made of grass thatched open sheds. The Committee also established that some of the learners were learning under a tree, which exposes the learners to dust during windy days and cold weather during rainy and winter seasons. There was no single classroom at the school made of bricks and roofing sheets as is the normal standard of schools in Zimbabwe. The only building which was under construction was the ECD centre which was being funded by the SDA.
The Committee also established that there was no proper road infrastructure to connect the school with its mother school, Umbe Primary School and other critical service centres such as clinics, hospitals, other schools, shops and the growth point/town. The same situation obtained to Mutimuri Secondary School and its mother school, Denda Secondary School. Both schools are located in a low lying area which is prone to frequent flooding during the rainy reason. The schools are usually affected by floods during the first three months of the year, hence schooling ends prematurely, during early December and resumes in February/March.
Fortunately, the Committee established that there were plans to relocate the schools to higher ground at the Cassa Banana area. The CEO for Gokwe Rural District Council (RDC) Mr Munyawo, briefed the Committee that the RDC would be done pegging the Cassa Banana area for the construction of the school by 31st July 2022. The council had already begun engagements with the department of Spatial Planning in Gweru for the exercise to be executed.
Chimoyo Secondary School confirmed having received some Public Sector Investment Programme funds for construction of school infrastructure. Most of the schools in the district have benefitted a lot from the SDC as most parents in the community engage in gainful economic activities such as horticulture production. The DSI in Mutoko confirmed that Mashonaland East Province will have one of the 35 proposed schools, which is yet to be constructed in Rushinga District.
Out of all the schools visited by the Committee, Mutonhori High School in Zaka had some of the best school facilities which are well maintained. The school has a good water supply system which is backed by solar powered boreholes, orchard, school tuck shop and piggery production which contribute to the school’s revenue streams. The school also has specialist rooms for textile, food technology, agriculture, science and ICT laboratories, which makes it a modern school in Zaka District. The Committee was informed that the school has since been given the authority by the Government to offer boarding facilities which will soon be constructed.
Generally, the rest of the schools shared the same sentiments that the Government must play a pivotal role in the maintenance and upgrading of schools to meet the standards required, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Most school heads called upon the Government to disburse the Basic Education Assistant Model (BEAM) funds and school grants which are central to school development. Most schools bemoaned poor teachers’ accommodation, limited ablution facilities, limited school blocks, lack of ECD centres, lack of proper water and sanitation facilities and the dilapidated school blocks that require urgent attention as some are a hazard to the children.
Teachers’ accommodation at Mutimuri Primary School comprise of a sub-standard two roomed flat roof house shared by two teachers and an unfinished five roomed house shared between the headmaster and other teachers. The latter had no plastered walls. There were no staff toilets at the school. Both teachers and learners used the same blair toilets which were in a sorrow state. The Committee also found that there were no clean sources of water at the school as it relies on water from Ume River where teachers and pupils have dug wells on the river bed.
At Kasika Primary School, there is only one-four roomed teachers’ house which is shared among the five teachers at the school while there is an unfinished four roomed house meant for the teachers. The Committee also observed that there were no toilets nearby and the teachers would rely on the school toilets which were situated faraway. At Neshaya Secondary School, teachers accommodation is a huge challenge as the school has a big enrolment with 14 teachers sharing houses. The worst incident recorded by the Committee was a case whereby a teacher was sharing a single room with his wife and three children at Neshaya Secondary School.
Most secondary schools visited are in dire need of science laboratories and specialised classrooms for other practical subjects like ICT and home economics. At Neshaya Secondary School, the two Science laboratories were incomplete, without ceilings, requisite apparatus for the science subjects and no water reticulation. At Mazungunye Secondary, the school head bemoaned the lack of government support to upgrade the school to become a modern school since it is the only government school in the district. However, the school head shared with the Committee communication between the school and the Vice President’s Office, which has shown interest in providing resources to upgrade the school into a modern one. The Committee was informed that the Surveyor General had visited the school and had done sitting for extra school blocks, a library, computer and science laboratories. Progress had been stalled by Cyclone Idai and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee was asked to assist the school with follow-up on the matter.
Katasa Primary School had classroom shortages as witnessed by only two functioning classroom blocks, each accommodating 153 learners. The third block was dilapidated with heavily cracked walls and a collapsed roof. Therefore, grade 1 and 2 as well as grade 6 and 7 pupils shared a classroom. The four classes were being taught by a single teacher, who is the headmaster. Grades 3, 4 and 5 also shared a single classroom and they were taught by a single teacher too. The school had no ECD block.
Most schools visited by the Committee had challenges with water and sanitation infrastructure. At Neshaya Secondary School, there was no running water/borehole water. The school relied on a ZESA breather that was located 3km away from the school for its water needs. The water source was also used by wild animals. In one incident, a teacher went to fetch water at the ZESA breather and was confronted by a wounded elephant. There was a high probability of incidences of human-wildlife conflict around the water point; the school needs a clean and safe water source.
The Committee also established that Neshaya Secondary School had received a donation of a submissive water pump that needed to be connected to the main electricity line. The Committee also found that all the necessary equipment for the connection to be done were in place but ZESA was just taking too long to execute the exercise. At Kasika Primary School, it was established that power lines and a transformer were also available and yet there was no electricity in the area. The school head highlighted that the issue had been several times with ZESA but no action had been taken to complete the project.
Availability of ICT equipment and the ability of how rural schools to conduct online lessons during COVID-19 lockdowns;
- The Ministry highlighted that the computerisation of the education system was being undertaken from a multi-stakeholder approach in terms of distribution of equipment and internet connectivity. It was highlighted that the Ministry and its stakeholders were responsible for strengthening and equipping schools with ICT gadgets while the Ministry of ICT and Courier Services complements the Ministry’s efforts by providing internet connectivity. The Committee learnt that in Harare Province, about 298 primary schools and 234 secondary schools were connected to internet followed by Manicaland Province with 239 at primary level and 182 at secondary level. The least number of schools with internet connectivity were in Matabeleland South.
- In terms of availability of ICT gadgets, Harare Province with a total of 16 850, had the highest number of ICT gadgets in the form of computers followed by Manicaland Province with a total of 12 764. The least number of ICT computers were in Mashonaland Central Province with a total of 4 804. The equipment had been purchased and donated by the following stakeholders and partners, but not limited to the President of Zimbabwe and School Development Committee,
- The Committee also established that most rural schools had no ICT gadgets, electricity and ICT trained teachers to facilitate the learning of the subject. Schools such as Kasika, Mutimuri, Katasa had no electricity as well as the ICT gadgets that can be used by the teacher during lessons.
- The Committee established that Neshaya, Chakohwa and Chimoyo Secondary Schools had electricity and had been connected by POTRAZ and ZARNET. Neshaya school had received 10 laptops from POTRAZ in 2020 and a desktop from the Ministry. However, schools like Chimoyo Secondary and Chakohwa Primary Schools were facing challenges of paying the monthly subscriptions to keep connected as the charges were exorbitant.
- The Committee also established that the laptop to learner ratio was too low as on average 10 to 20 learners were sharing a single laptop or desktop computer during ICT lessons, making it difficult to teach. At Chimoyo High School, only two computers were being shared among 520 learners. The Committee toured Chakohwa Primary School computer laboratory which had 19 desktop computers against 1164 pupils donated by parents and development partners. Sadly, the learners were learning while either standing or sitting on the floor as there was no furniture to use. The computer to pupil ratio at Chakohwa Primary School stood at 1:61.
- Schools such as Ngomeyebani and Mazungunye highlighted that they last received computer donations from the first republic and now were obsolete. However, the school head at Ngomeyebani mentioned that the school had resorted to renting about 20 computers from a company called Q-Rent. It was noted that this was costly as about ZWL $65 962 and ZWL $85 875 was paid as rent for the 20 computers during first and second term. The money used to pay computer rentals is deducted from the school levies.
- The Committee also gathered that most schools in rural areas did not manage to conduct online lessons during the COVID-19 era due to lack of the requisite equipment and absence of connectivity to the internet. The school administration and the parents could not afford online lessons as most of the learners come from underprivileged families owning affording a laptop/ICT gadget is considered a luxury.
Verification of Teacher Availability and Learning During Second Term
The Ministry highlighted that when schools opened during the first school term of 2022, the academic term was characterised by disturbances where some school heads, deputy heads and teachers did not turn up for work or in one way or another disrupted teaching and learning. Whilst the teachers’ unions called this action incapacitation, the Government viewed it as collective job action against conditions of service. In light of that, the Government swiftly moved in and offered teachers an improved package that was announced on national television by the Honourable Minister of Finance and Economic Development and were eventually accepted and an agreement signed between the Public Service Negotiators and the Zimbabwe Confederation of Public Sector Trade 20 Unions (ZCPSTU) at the National Joint Negotiating Council (NJNC).
The Committee’s visits to schools established that teachers were present and teaching. However, the major challenge noted by the Committee was the high turnover of teachers in the remote schools with inadequate and poor infrastructure such as Mutimuri and Kasika Primary Schools.
The Committee observed that teacher moral was at its lowest as they face a wide range of challenges ranging from low inadequate salaries, lack of clean sources of water, poor and inadequate accommodation, inaccessibility of the area to other critical service centres like hospitals and cellphone networks among others. The school head at Chakohwa Primary school who confirmed that he will be retiring in four years’ time bemoaned the poor package for pensioners, which he noted as scaring for him to imagine. He pointed out that he had been in service for close to 40 years and yet he is scared of facing retirement as he is aware that he will walk away with nothing substantive.
At Kasika Primary School, the teachers have to travel a distance of about 3.5kms to access cellphone network and other services such as clinics and shops. The road network in some areas also discourages teachers from staying on the job as some buses are only available during the night. However, one headmaster in Zaka District pointed out that teachers were indeed present physically but practically absent as they were just coming to the register.
The Committee was informed that between 2020 and 2021, Kasika Primary School was run by the school head alone who manned all classes from ECD A to grade 7. The school only received six teachers during the year 2022, who are unlikely to stay longer in the area given the poor working conditions. It was highlighted that two teachers had already transferred leaving the four teachers available to teach composite classes as follows, ECD A and B, grades 3 and 4, grades 5 and 6 while there is only one teacher for grade 7. The DSI bemoaned the recruitment method which favours teachers from other regions to come and teach at the school while the local teachers are being side-lined. An example was given of a teacher who only reported for duty for a week and applied for a transfer while qualified teachers in the area remain unemployed.
The Committee also gathered that most schools in the rural communities were facing shortages of teachers mainly for Science, Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology for both ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels.
BEAM Facility
Most school heads raised concern over the BEAM facility which is crippling the proper functioning of schools due to non-release of funds by the Government. Many schools had gone for many years without receiving such funds hampering implementation of school projects. The Committee established that a school like Kasika was in a poor area where even the parents are incapacitated to even pay school fees. The school has a net enrolment of 128 learners of which in 2021, only 56 were on BEAM. The school head called on the Committee to ensure that Government meets this obligation which has a negative bearing on school operations when the funds are not released on time.
Mazungunye, Chakohwa and Mutonhori High School heads also bemoaned the huge number of learners who have been enrolled under the BEAM programme and yet the funds are not being disbursed religiously. Mazungunye School has about three quarters of its learners on BEAM and yet over the past three years no funds had been disbursed. The school head noted with concern the selection process which is flawed as the process is top-bottom rather than bottom-top approach. Most schools acknowledged being given figures for pupils to be enrolled on the BEAM facility without proper targeting based on needs assessment.
Madam Speaker, we have observed that those students who are on BEAM are turned away by more schools. They are turned away for non-payment of fees, whether they are on Government projects, social safety net, that is BEAM or failure to pay fees by the parents. That contravenes the Education Amendment Act which states that students should not be excluded from school. That is a violation of the basic right to education which is a fundamental right enshrined in the Constitution. The DSIs and Ministry officials are not doing anything because these schools are contravening the Constitution. I think there is need for action to be taken so that schools are not turned away.
As a Committee, we received an incident of a school in Marondera where students were turned away last week on Thursday when they had an exam on Friday. Mr. Kunonga had to transport students who had not paid fees as a way of enforcing payment and in the process, that violated the children’s right to education. They were given a condition to go back to school, a condition of paying fees and in the process, some of the students ended up failing to sit for the exams.
Teaching of Practical Subjects (Agriculture, Physical Education, ICT, etc.)
The teachers across the board, particularly at Chimoio High School submitted that the teaching of practical subjects such as agriculture, physical education and ICT had become a daunting exercise given the limited resources to support the learning process. The teachers also noted the lack of specialised teachers to teach ICT and PE where the teacher has to go the extra mile and teach the subject regardless of his or her training background.
School Drop-outs Due to Pregnancy and Other Challenges
The Committee also inquired on the number of children, particularly girls who dropped out of school as a result of pregnancy or early marriages, among others challenges affecting school going children. The Committee gathered that the majority of girls had dropped out of school due to early marriages and pregnancy while the boys dropped out due to work related challenges such as engaging in mining activities. Chatiza High School in Mutoko District had the highest known record of school drop-outs in the district as 27 learners, all aged between 15 and 17 years, dropped out of school in 2021. Nineteen girls were married off or fell pregnant while nine boys dropped out of school. Most schools across the board, particularly secondary schools confirmed experiencing school drop-outs due to pregnancies and early marriages. Chimoyo High School lost 11 learners aged between 14 and 17 due to pregnancies and early marriages in 2021.
Continuous Assessment and Learning Activity (CALA)
Most teachers across the board bemoaned the new elephant in the room called CALA, which they believe is not being implemented in a holistic and fair manner across schools. The teachers at Chimoio and Mutonhori complained about the overload on the learner, parents and the teacher as they were expected to do three CALAs per learning area for grade 7s and five CALAs per learning area for ‘O’ level. The teachers also noted lack of commitment and cooperation from the parents due to lack of knowledge of the subject matter. Thus, the teachers proposed that the Committee undertake an inquiry on the benefits and practicality of the CALAs project in the education curriculum.
COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
The Committee observed the following;
Sanitary Wear
That the distribution of sanitary wear to schools remains a major challenge across all provinces despite the Ministry acknowledging that most provinces had received their allocations. The Committee gathered that there are transport challenges associated with the distribution and collection of the sanitary wear by school heads from the provinces as most schools are incapacitated.
That there is no clearly written down formula on how sanitary wear must be shared and distributed across provinces and schools. The Committee noted with concern the distribution of sanitary wear in Zaka District, which was shared equally among the schools without necessarily focussing on the enrolment of girls per school. For example, a recently established school like Chiedza Primary School received 48 packs disposable and 560 reusable pads, a satellite school like Makumire also received 48 packs and 560 reusable and an established school like Jerera with many girls received the same numbers.
Construction and Rehabilitation of Schools
On construction and rehabilitation, the Committee observed;
That while the 35 schools earmarked for construction across the country have been identified, there had not been noticeable progress on the project.
- That there was limited consultation of key stakeholders by the Ministry on identification of the sites for the proposed 35 schools.
- The Committee is concerned that satellite schools remain poorly developed and yet there are proposals for completely new sites altogether. A question would be asked as to why a school like Mutimuri without any infrastructure was not earmarked for such projects?
- That most schools’ infrastructure is dilapidated and requires rehabilitation, while some established schools require ICT and science laboratories so that the schools become modern in line with the new curriculum, which promotes the teaching of STEM subjects.
Teacher Availability
On teacher availability, the Committee observed;
That access to basic amenities and infrastructure remains critical in the retention of teachers in rural school. The Committee observed that most schools in the rural area learners were travelling long distances to access schools, clinics, shops and transport or even network had the highest staff turnover. Most teachers simply report for duty and within a week they seek transfers.
- That teacher recruitment remains a challenge especially that the recruitment exercise is not decentralised.
- That most teachers were finding it difficult to teach practical subjects without the enablers such as the ICT gadgets, laboratories and instruments and garden tools for agriculture among others.
- There was also need for the Government to invest in the training of teachers who specialise in science subjects and other technical subjects such as ICT, Physical Education and Agriculture.
- That there is urgent need for the Government to address the welfare of teacher welfare.
Availability of ICT Equipment.
On availability of ICT Equipment, the Committee observed;
- That most rural schools were not able to conduct online or radio lessons during the pandemic due to the unavailability of ICT gadgets in schools and the learners. The Committee noted with concern that to date some schools do not have electricity or internet connectivity, which impacts significantly on teaching during emergency situations as experienced with COVID-19 pandemic.
- That the pupil to computer or laptop ratio in most schools is appalling as most of the schools testified to having one or very few gadgets to use during ICT lessons.
Other Observations
- That the BEAM funds are not being disbursed religiously, thereby compromising service delivery in most schools as they have no other sources of income other than school fees. The Committee observed that most schools also witnessed an increase in the number of learners being covered by BEAM, which further strained budgets for schools when the government is not disbursing the funds.
- That the Committee further inquire and scrutinise how CALA is being implemented in all government schools.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education must review the current procurement and distribution process of sanitary wear to schools to ensure that all the intended beneficiaries are reached using the most cost effective and efficient system by 31st December 2022.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should develop a clear written down formula on how to distribute sanitary wear to different schools in a fair and timely manner by 31st December 2022.
- The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should prioritise the disbursement of grant-in-aid funds and PSIP funds towards school construction and rehabilitation during the 2023 financial year.
- The Ministry of Energy and Power Development should prioritise rural electrification of schools that are already close to electricity power lines by 31st December 2022.
- The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should decentralise teacher recruitment to provinces or districts as a measure to enable the deployment of local teachers in their home area by 31st December 2022.
- The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development must always honour and disburse BEAM funds timeously and religiously to all beneficiaries to enable schools to function properly and efficiently.
- The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare must revive BEAM School Committees in urban areas so as to ensure that the facility remains restricted to poor and needy households only by December 2022.
CONCLUSION
The Committee applauds the government for setting aside resources for the development of the education sector, particularly enhancing access to education for all through the disbursement of funding towards the procurement and distribution of sanitary wear, ICT equipment, construction of school infrastructure and rehabilitation, among others. However, the Committee noted with concern the lack of an effective structure and monitoring mechanism to ensure that budgeted resources reach and benefit the intended beneficiaries. I thank you.
HON. MURAMBIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise to second a report that was presented by Hon. Moyo who is the Chairperson of the Primary and Secondary Education Committee. We moved around the country visiting schools, to ascertain the information and facts that were submitted to the Committee by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. As we moved around the schools, there are a number of issues that we observed. We were mainly focusing on four issues, the first one being the provision of sanitary wear in rural schools.
On this score, I would like to thank the Government for availing sanitary wear to schools, though they are not enough. Some of the Heads of schools highlighted that they did not receive enough sanitary wear and some highlighted that they had not received anything and they were relying on sanitary wear that was purchased by their Schools Development Committees (SDCs). So I am appealing to the Government; the responsible authorities to make sure that schools are provided with enough sanitary wear so that the girl child benefits.
The second issue that we were looking at was the issue of construction and refurbishment of schools. To begin with, what we observed is in some areas, the roads are in a bad state. So it gives a challenge to the Ministry Officials when they want to visit some of the schools in remote rural areas. So, there is need for the responsible authorities to make sure that the roads in rural areas are maintained and upgraded.
The third issue that we observed is the issue of teacher accommodation. The houses that are in most of the primary schools in rural areas are very old and in a dilapidated state. There is a need to look at the issue of housing in most of the schools in rural areas. In some schools, the houses are very few. We have a situation where, 7, 8, 9 or 10 teachers share one house. In some cases, we are having teachers who are sharing the bedroom with their house maids. So there is no privacy at all in some schools.
The fourth issue is the issue of classroom blocks, which are very old and dilapidated. I think the Government has to put maximum effort in ensuring that the schools are upgraded, refurbished and renovated. We were also looking at the provision of ICT equipment in schools and how schools carried out online learning during the lockdown. On this one, we noted with great concern that some of the schools had no ICT gadgets at all. We also want to thank the Government for availing computers in some of the schools. However, in some of the schools that were provided with computers, the computers are not enough. Looking at the computer/pupil ratio, you could see that one computer is shared among 15 to 20 pupils. So computers are very few and there is need to make sure that more computers are provided to schools so that learning becomes meaningful in schools in rural areas.
We also observed that in most rural schools, electricity is a challenge. There is no electricity at all. There is no network connectivity, so it becomes a challenge for pupils to do online lessons even during the lockdown period.
Let me move on to the issue of teacher availability in schools during the opening of the second term. Some of the teachers reported for duty in time but others came late to schools. The challenge that they cited was teacher incapacitation. I think on that score, teacher remuneration needs to be looked at because when teachers are poorly remunerated, they cannot do their work as expected. They cannot carry out their work whole heartedly because they are not getting what they are supposed to be getting.
We also noted that in some schools, there are no toilets in the teachers’ quarters. Teachers rely on the toilets used by school pupils. That one is another issue which needs to be addressed. There is no clean water in some of the schools. There are no boreholes and teachers have to scramble with the community, murwizi, mumufuku. That one is a very big challenge that needs to be addressed. With these few words, I thank you.
*HON. R. NYATHI: Good afternoon Madam Speaker. I want to add my voice to the motion which was moved by Hon. Moyo, seconded by Hon. Murambiwa which was looking at the welfare of teachers and students, especially the girl child. Looking at the provision of sanitary pads, I saw it fit that we need to take these as crucial because when a girl child in the rural areas does not have sanitary wear, this can affect the girl’s psychological and mental well-being. There are a lot of biological effects which affect the mental state of the child in terms of grasping whatever they are being taught at school.
I want to appreciate the Committee which did a good job in gathering this information. They mentioned that in rural areas, there are many schools which lack ICT. When students write their examinations, they write the same examinations with those that are in urban centres. Those in the rural areas are disadvantaged because they do not have equal opportunities with those in urban centres. For us to have quality and equity in schools, we cannot have exams which are meant for the rural and the urban areas. The best is to try by all means as Government to avail opportunities to children in rural and urban areas through equitable distribution of ICT and other technology.
The other thing which I saw which was mentioned by the previous speakers is the issue of infrastructure which is found in rural areas like classrooms and teachers’ houses. You would find that most rural schools do not produce good results compared to urban schools. If you are a teacher, you need a good place to produce good results. At the end of the day, the environment speaks to the results. You would find that students are affected by different weather conditions, whether it is raining, cold or hot because some learn in open spaces. This affects their performance, so it is important to look at the budgets that are allocated to rural schools. Government should make effort to allocate money to rural schools so that schools can be constructed in order to bridge the gap between students in rural and urban areas.
It is important to also note that rural students walk for long distances to school and they arrive at school tired. It affects their performance and at the end of the day, you end up thinking that they are not good at school but it is because of the environment. If you move that student to urban areas, you will discover that they will perform far much better than those who are in urban areas.
The other issue which was mentioned regards teachers. The accommodation which is given to teachers in rural areas is not sufficient. You find teachers sharing the same house, maybe two families or more. This means that we have taken away their decency and their privacy. They now live like boarding students. These are qualified professionals who are supposed to be honoured and respected in society. These are the people who mould everyone. It is important that in schools we find ways of providing proper and adequate accommodation for teachers so that they are not affected. This is reflected even upon marking of pupils books. These are people who take work to their homes and you find that they will be seated on their beds marking books. At times, they are expected to produce reports. This type of accommodation is not good for them.
Hon. Speaker Ma’am, I also noted the issue on their transport. It is important that teachers who work in rural areas are given a special allowance for transport. Those who work in remote areas must be given allowances which will cushion and motivate them in the discharge of their duties so that those who teach in urban areas are motivated to go and teach in rural areas. It must not be like those who teach in rural areas are the poor and those who do not excel. Those who teach in urban areas should desire to go and teach in rural areas. In rural areas, there is no transport, there is no proper accommodation and two or three families share the same house. When they want to invite their spouses, sometimes they do not have a place. My desire is that if possible teachers should be given decent accommodation so that when they are married and have families they can have their privacy.
The previous speaker mentioned that when they were gathering information around the country, they noted that some teachers live with their maids and children and this exposes them. It is important that rural teachers are given individual houses where they can have two or three rooms where they can buy their own properties because it is important that teachers also have properties which they will use after retirement. After retirement, they would need that furniture but without proper accommodation, it is difficult to buy furniture.
Hon. Speaker, it is important that as legislators, as Government, we need to create a conducive environment so that our teachers can go and teach in rural areas with motivation and good working conditions. I want to thank the Portfolio Committee on Education which went around the country and gathered this crucial information which feeds into Vision 2030 which is supposed to make sure that by 2030, everyone will be having a decent life. This would allow us to realise the President’s Vision 2030. Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to debate.
*HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add a few words concerning the report which was given by Hon. Moyo and his seconder. Hon. Speaker, if you are to consider the recommendations made in the report, most of the issues have been mentioned before.
If you are to consider the recommendations that he made, most of those recommendations were mentioned by other committees and some Members of Parliament on the investigations that were done and we posed questions to the different Ministers. If you look at it Madam Speaker, you will see that there are three ministries that can be affected by this report. So we want to thank them and we keep reminding each other.
I am happy that the report has come through before the budget has been presented and debated which then affects in planning that if anything needs to be addressed, this is the opportunity because we can continue talking of sanitary wear that it is not available in rural areas as children are using cow dung. This past week, it was mentioned that children are using cow dung and unclean methods to deal with menstruation. This has been investigated and there is no sanitary wear and if there is no sanitary wear, a child can use anything. It is embarrassing because the child does not have the requisite sanitary wear to use during menstrual period. It also affects their education and performance in class.
Madam Speaker, I heard Hon. Moyo talk about the gap between the rich and the poor in the rural areas but it is also happening even in urban areas because the money that we use is the same. So if a person does not have the money, it means he is faced with a challenge. When we look at the rights of the children, we need to consider the rights despite being in rural or urban areas. There are other children in urban areas who cannot afford sanitary wear.
I wanted to ask Hon. Moyo that we even have children in urban centres who cannot afford sanitary wear. We are legislators in urban centres and we have seen children go hungry and without sanitary wear. So when it comes to distribution and the beneficiaries, those children are disadvantaged and they should be incorporated. Some of them are even under BEAM. So that is what I want to add to the recommendations.
We are saying that for a child who is under BEAM, it is important that a child should be availed the necessary resources. If you are to move around in communities, you can tell that a child is under BEAM because most of them do not have the adequate uniform or shoes and some of them do not even have food to eat. So that is a challenge that I thought I would also add that communities are facing challenges. You know that when hunger strikes, it strikes all those families.
What I also wanted to add is that even the food that they have to eat at schools, what we know as the school feeding scheme, that should be reintroduced to ensure that children get that one meal a day to enable them to learn and have a future because learning with a hungry stomach does not yield results.
In rural areas, Hon. Moyo said there is no WiFi. Even in urban centres, it is not there. So I hope that when he looks at the report, he will look at the recommendations and ensure that schools get WiFi. I once requested MPs to stand up asking who had a cellphone and they all stood up. We all need cellphones, even the poor need cellphones and children need to have the resources and the phones for them to use in their education and the necessary WiFi.
Madam Speaker, you know that in the 50s, 60s and 70s, Zimbabwe was number one in the region in terms of education. We can still claim that title if we are to seriously consider the recommendations that have been given by Hon. Moyo and his Committee.
Madam Speaker, let me look into the issues of BEAM funding. Yes, we always hear people talking that their children are being expelled from school because they are not paying. So the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should be adequately funded to ensure that the fees are paid because those in rural areas, by the time that money gets to them, they would have lost a lot of lessons and it affects their education.
Two weeks ago, the Minister responded to questions and said that he is working towards the payment of BEAM funds for all children but what we are saying is that if the Ministry is not allocated the requisite funds, they will not be allowed to cover the areas requiring BEAM. So that money should be adequately allocated and available. You find children are also concerned why they are under BEAM. One thing we should know is that poverty is not voted for, so it is a recommendation we can take up to say that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development will be able to look into the issue especially on BEAM and vulnerable groups and that money should be availed for sanitary wear and school feeding programme to ensure that they learn on a full stomach. On the issue of electricity, I think last week whilst at the Pre-Budget seminar, a lot was been said on Rural Electrification Agency REA which has not done much in order to avail electricity in rural areas. It is our hope that if you look when you go and buy ZESA tokens, everyone is paying for REA. It means REA has got its own money before you even buy electricity. So what it means is that they can pull together those funds and ensure that schools are connected with electricity and that should assist the rural areas in terms of acquiring electricity.
It also becomes easier for the teachers to mark the school books. The challenge that we have is that our teachers are leaving. There is a brain drain - just a few weeks ago, we took other teachers to Rwanda, which means that the teachers are there but they do not have employment. You heard Hon. Moyo saying that he visited one school and there were only two teachers. In our colleges, each and every year the President graduates a number of teachers. So it is my hope that the money that is used for funding teacher education should come with employment for them to be able to rent service. Long ago, people used to go to colleges and it would all be paid for by the Government and they would have to pay back.
Currently, we heard that the Government has stopped taking teachers. On the issue of morale, I think I mentioned before when a report was brought in and Ambassador Misihairabwi-Mushonga was still the Chairperson of the Committee, we mentioned on non-monetary benefits. We talked about their clothing and we requested that a clothing allowance be availed to them. Years ago, people used to have accounts in shops like Sales House and Edgars and that enabled people to get clothes and pay on a monthly basis but currently, they can no longer afford this.
So it is better that they get an allowance so that they can be smartly dressed. For teachers, they have to be in a jacket and tie but if I do not have the money to buy a tie, do you expect me to wear a tie and jacket when I cannot afford? Long ago, our teachers were well respected and it was a noble profession and even the wives of teachers were respected. My request is that we restore the dignity of the teacher. Years ago, if you asked a child what profession they wanted to do they would say I want to be a teacher but today if you ask a whole class what profession they want, may be ten will say they want to be teachers. We even have teachers in this House, those who were teachers in their life. Let us look into this matter.
I now want to conclude by talking about the issue of accommodation. Hon. Nyathi talked about that matter and he said that there is no adequate accommodation for teachers. It is the same thing with their welfare. If the flats that are being built in urban centers were built in rural areas, it would be good and you will find that there will be an urban rural migration because of the good accommodation. We need funding to ensure that the accommodation issue is addressed so that teachers have decent accommodation.
On the issue of water, it was said that there is no water and proper toilets. If water is not available, it affects the women more. A girl child who is at home is requested to go and fetch water. My request is that the Ministry of Water embarks on borehole drilling plan to ensure that water is readily available especially in rural areas because it will reduce the burden of unpaid care work. Water is life and it is a right and that should be addressed. Without water, there is no hygiene and health. Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity and I want to thank the Committee that went and investigated on this matter.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Madam Speaker for affording me this opportunity to add my voice on the debate on the report of the Committee Chaired by Hon. T. Moyo. I will not waste much time touching on most of the issues that my fellow Hon. Members have debated on. I will debate not in any particular order but issues that I thought that came to my mind whilst I was listening to the debate. It is quite unfair for schools to be dismissing and denying school children who are on BEAM to attend lessons. This should be looked at seriously.
I think it should be criminalised so that headmasters or school heads know that children on BEAM should not be denied access to education at all. It is not their fault Madam Speaker but it is the fault of a certain Ministry whichever it is, whether it is the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Social Welfare that we need to look at and not to deny the child their right. It is their right to education Madam Speaker Ma’am.
Let me quickly move to the recruitment of teachers that has been talked about many times that we need to decentralise the employment of school teachers. This issue has been on the table and has done rounds many times but it seems it is falling on deaf ears. Imagine a teacher who was born and bred in Muzarabani and then he is sent to teach in Matabeleland or in Tsholotsho where sometimes you need to use the vernacular language to explain to children, they cannot be able to communicate effectively, It also impacts on the pass rates of schools in rural areas. So we call upon the Government to quickly see how they can decentralise the employment of school teachers because as we move, we need to improve our pass rates in rural areas.
If you go to rural areas and you look at the teacher to pupil ratio, it is unbelievable. Some teachers are teaching as much as 70/75 children per teacher which is unacceptable. I think the normal rate should be about 30 or below 30. In private schools even 15 or 20 and here is a teacher who wants to teach 75 children needing attention from one person, it is absolutely insane. We need to look at that Madam Speaker and encourage Government to employ more school teachers.
The issuance of sanitary wear Madam Speaker touched my heart when Hon. Moyo was reading his report. It seems sanitary wear was distributed but somewhere along the line, did not reach the intended destination. How can a whole Government release sanitary wear to schools with no one monitoring distribution? Madam Speaker, this is a point of concern because somewhere along the line, someone is stealing these or someone could be stealing these – I do not want to be misquoted, someone could be stealing these and selling them and putting the money in their pockets whilst our young girls are suffering in the rural areas. So, we need strict monitoring on that.
Let me move onto rural school infrastructure Madam Speaker Ma’am. I think it is deplorable. I was watching the presentation by Hon. Moyo, and almost shed a tear as I saw one of the school structures there; to say in this day and age, we still have mud and pole classrooms; that really needs to be looked at. We need new buildings and renovations to be made in schools.
Madam Speaker, let me move onto recommendations on what I feel we need to do as a Government and as a people. Firstly Madam Speaker, if it is possible, we need to identify businesses that are benefiting from resources where these schools are lying and make them participate in the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). For example Madam Speaker, we have mines that are benefitting from national resources in certain areas where schools do not even have roads. Particularly the Chinese are mining and not engaging in any CSR; serious challenges that we have. So we need to identify such businesses that are benefiting from natural resources from these areas to practice in CSRs. We should also identify certain businesses Hon. Speaker that need to partner with the schools in these areas so that they can improve the education of children in those particular areas.
I move onto my second recommendation Hon. Speaker Sir that there is need to capacitate our Schools Development Councils (SDCs) to have financial literacy, like my Hon. Brother Hon. Tendai Biti. We need financial literacy in school SDCs Hon. Speaker Sir so that they can run small businesses that can help schools to maintain and renovate their school structures. I think there was an example of a school in Zaka, if I am not mistaken in the report, that is doing very well and the SDC is performing.
Hon. Speaker, I also recommend to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to release BEAM funds, if possible Hon. Speaker, directly to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. I wonder why this money is going through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. We heard just two weeks ago, that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development alluded to the fact he has already paid all the BEAM money to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare yet school children are being turned away because the money is yet to reach the intended destinations. Why does the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development not have a plan to pay the BEAM fees directly to the schools or to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education?
We need to electrify our schools through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Hon. Speaker Sir, so that teachers can feel comfortable and be able to catch up with the rest of the world. We are living in a global village Hon. Speaker Sir and anyone who is beneficially employed has got capacity to buy a television set and also be up to date with the world to see what is happening around the world.
Hon. Speaker, the Government needs to avail textbooks to rural schools. It is a known fact Hon. Speaker that rural areas have a low disposable income versus urban areas. Hence books and other tools of trade are needed in rural areas to make the work of the rural teacher much easier.
From the Committee Report, it seems that the District Schools Inspectors (DSIs) are not visiting schools constantly. Had they been visiting schools and doing their jobs properly Hon. Speaker, we would have long detected that sanitary wear is not reaching the intended destination. So, we need to have a mechanism where our DSIs get to do their work correctly.
Hon. Speaker, let me now touch on the issue of devolution funds. It is my thinking Hon. Speaker that devolution funds be budgeted with a bias towards the improvement of schools under their jurisdiction. When they are crafting the budget, there should be, you know like we do with certain quotas in Parliament where we have a certain quota for a certain class or sector of people, we should have that cluster or sector in our devolution fund to say, out of this devolution fund, this is going particularly to improve schools or to build new school blocks; that will improve our rural infrastructure Hon. Speaker.
Again Hon. Speaker, through Parliament, Government needs to make a deliberate effort to capacitate Members of Parliament financially by increasing their Constituency Development Fund (CDF), with a bias towards renovating and improving schools and building of new blocks. This will also help to see our education being resuscitated because if we do not do this Hon. Speaker, it is very difficult for only one Ministry to do the renovations, build new school blocks and to provide books. It is my thinking and submission Hon. Speaker. Thank you for the time that you have given me to offer and speak about these issues. Before I sit down, I want to also inform you that I am a son of a rural school headmaster. So I know about these issues, they are real and we really need to up our game Hon. Speaker. I thank you.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Good afternoon to you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Good afternoon to you Hon. Banda.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to this report with my colleagues in Primary and Secondary Education Mr. Speaker Sir.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I think the first point of concern is that we need the report that Parliament receives from the Ministry. It looks like some of the information that we are given is cooked up so that we have the wrong picture. So I want to urge ministries, especially the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to give us accurate information so that whatever they present to Parliament is the truth. Remember, they will be coming under Oath. So when they give us a report and we go to verify only to find that things are not as they stated, then there will be a serious disconnect between the Ministry and Parliament.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I will just round off with a few issues that were captured in the report. The first issue of concern Mr Speaker Sir is that of sanitary wear. I remember Her Excellency Ambassador Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, had she been here today, I think she would have literary removed her pant and showed us the pad or maybe that she would not even be putting on one. Why? Because we are not giving school children anything. The Ministry claims that all the pads are going to the schools but the factual report by Parliament shows a completely different picture.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we cried in this august House so that sanitary wear can be given to each and every girl who is in class so that they can focus on school. What we have here is haphazard. Remember Mr. Speaker Sir that this is just a sample and not what is transpiring throughout the school population. So Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to urge the Ministry to ensure that they use the funds that have been provided to supply pads. We cannot just wait for development partners to assist us on this because Parliament passed this motion and it really has to be taken up like that.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to move to the next issue, which is that of construction of schools. Mr. Speaker Sir, in the budget, there were about 35 schools, actually there were even more but now the Ministry is saying there are 35 model schools and there is a budget of about 4,69 million ZWL. They are saying something has started but when the Committee went on the ground, they found that nothing has started as yet. So, this is just showing that there is something very wrong. This has to be corrected with immediate effect because we are in a time of post COVID whereby schools and classes were made smaller and now we need more infrastructure.
So now, if we are talking of a budget which is just sitting and not being used, how can you be giving more money to building more schools which we require when we are not using the little that we have been given? It is better to use the little that we have been given and then go back to the Ministry of Finance to say this money has already been used, can you give us some more. So, this calls for more action from the Ministry and also from the Ministry of Finance and even from us as Parliament so that we all ensure that these schools are built, not even within the five years that they have stipulated. Why build a school in five years, why not two or three years? If we can do a road like the Harare-Beitbridge Road in three years, honestly we can do schools in fewer periods than that.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we all want to go to the issue of teachers; we really need to do more for our teachers. Just last week, I met my former Geography teacher, I felt sorry. I think we need to do more on these teachers so they can continue to produce more. We also need to ensure that teachers remain respectable and loved.
Let me now turn to the issue of availability of ICT equipment. It is a challenge in the rural schools even in urban areas. Not every parent in town is able to afford a gadget for the student. So you find that the pupils suffer even in urban areas because they do not have these gadgets. So there is something that has to be done so that we can also assist them.
With those few words, I want to thank you so much and I also want to thank Dr. Moyo for presenting such a touching motion.
(v)HON. MBONDIAH: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I just want to add my voice on the motion by Hon. Moyo which is a very touching report. I am just going to specifically speak on sanitary pads. Mr. Speaker Sir, as a mother and as a woman, going on your menstruation is nature hence sanitary pads must be availed at all times. According to the report that Hon. Moyo has presented, it stated that not all schools got these sanitary pads. If we look at the number of schools in Zimbabwe, there are so many and money will never be enough to supply sanitary pads to all these children.
I recommend that the Government, instead of buying these sanitary pads, should provide material and sewing machines to schools. When we were growing up, we used to have a class of fashion and fabrics. These children can actually learn to make sanitary pads within the schools rather than waiting for sanitary pads which we do not know when they are going to be availed hence denying the children their right to education because they are not able to attend class.
There is also need to engage parents, particularly in the rural areas. When these sewing machines are supplied and materials are supplied to schools in rural areas, parents can actually come in and volunteer to sew sanitary pads. It is the practical solution in view of the fact that all parents want their children to attend school. No one would want their child to stay at home because they are having their menstruation cycle.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I plead with the Ministry of Finance to provide funding to schools to buy these machines. I know in rural areas, there is a problem of electricity but there are machines, for instance the Singer Sewing Machines which do not need electricity. You can actually get those to capacitate schools, engage the SDC’s in school and engage the parent in the local community to come and sew these sanitary pads for their children so that they get a basic education and they will all attend class regardless of going on their menses or not.
*HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the report that was done by the Committee on Primary and Secondary Education and moved by Hon. Moyo.
I just want to add my experience when we traveled as a Committee. We observed that the issue of sanitary wear is a challenge in many schools. The biggest challenge on the issue of sanitary wear is the procurement of it and being disbursed in schools. It is my view that Government should revise the ways of distributing the sanitary wear. The Government should disburse sanitary wear to district levels where these children can easily access them.
Secondly, during the tour of schools by the Committee, it was noted that a lot of schools do not have electricity and yet the pupils need to move on with e-learning and the new curriculum. Therefore, I am pleading with the Government to urgently electrify these schools so that the rural pupils can also use computers.
Thirdly, we noted that teachers are very few in rural areas and I think the Government should build modern houses at each and every school in the rural areas so that teachers are motivated to work in remote areas like Tsholotsho, Mwenezi, Binga and other rural areas.
Lastly, I would like touch on the issue of BEAM. Most of the schools are incapacitated because BEAM funds are availed late. You will find that in a school, three quarters of the pupils are on BEAM funding. How then can the school operate, how can they develop when there are no funds? We request the Government to consider timeous release of BEAM funds so that at least in January, children on BEAM have their funds allocated. These are the few words that I thought I would add to what Hon. T. Moyo said.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I just want to add my voice on the report given by Hon. T. Moyo. I am not in the Committee on Primary and Secondary Education. The report speaks to the heart of the education system; we owe it to posterity. I know for a fact when some of us went to school, I remember my father worked for Supersonic; it was a radio making factory. He did not get much, he got pittance from his work. We went – [AN HON. MEMBER: Mr. Speaker Sir, the Hon. Member is not connected.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: He is connected.
HON. NDUNA: I am connected, just in case the Hon. Member wants to see my face; I have connected to video as well. Mr. Speaker Sir, we would go to our rural home every weekend and during that time, we passed through a plethora of road blocks as we went to Gokwe Mindamirefu. It was during the liberation struggle and we would also go to Mberengwa. It was with a reason to go and try to sell the cattle in order that we could go and embark on our education. I remember I left Lobengula Primary School and went to McKeurtan Primary School in Entumbane and then later on went to Gifford High School.
In all that Mr. Speaker, if you look at his salary and where we were getting our education, there was not much but it is the sacrifice that I want to talk about where he would then sell cattle in order for us to be where we are today and to be where we wanted to be at the time. It was a family of four boys and two girls, so there was not much in terms of salary. I touch on that point in particular where I am encouraging parents to continue to sacrifice for their children. BEAM is not much, there is a local component and there is an international component going on to BEAM.
Where I come from, you will find that there are councillors who have even advanced their children to access BEAM education, that is not right. It should not be condoned Mr. Speaker that able bodied parents sent their children to go and access BEAM. If at all BEAM should be for the disadvantaged children or even those with parents cannot access any form of employment or those that are disabled, we have 15% of those that are disabled. These are the children who must access BEAM including those of war veterans who are incapacitated, who have different disability capacities of different percentage. These are the children that should be accessing BEAM, not children of city fathers and children of Members of Parliament and people that even have the capacity to do food for work. Those are not the children who should be accessing BEAM.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to say when we went to school, there used to be umkara or milk at the gate where we would access milk before we went for classes. It was in order that there is complementation and augmentation of the little that we would have ingested during breakfast if at all before lessons. Yours truly debated on school feeding programme during the Eighth Parliament and I am very happy that the listening Government did introduce the issue of primary school feeding programme. I request that that be continued in order to augment on BEAM that is free education and also for the children that are coming in from far off in terms of the feeding. Otherwise our children especially in the rural areas are going for more than 5 kilometres only to sleep in class and wake up only to travel back home in the night.
Mr. Speaker Sir, to augment their education aptitude, I request that there must be continuation of the school feeding programme in so far as infrastructure is concerned. These are my proposals and they should be taken seriously because according to Section 72 of the Constitution, there is no longer any land issues that should find themselves in the courts of law. The Constitution speaks of that and in particular, Section 72(VII)(C), it implores this Parliament to make sure that the people of Zimbabwe should be enabled to assert their right to land.
There is a global initiative agreement I think that speaks to compensation of improvements in the farming community especially – [HON. BITI: 3.5 billion.] – 3.5 billion I am told Mr. Speaker Sir. When Government embarked on a land redistribution exercise, it was for the land, it was not for the infrastructure especially for the beneficiaries. So, I propose that the houses that were in those farming communities and including any infrastructure that was there, should reside with Government, it should not be for the beneficiary of that land or of that farm so that we can use that infrastructure for classes, clinics, if the school exists or otherwise Mr. Speaker Sir, especially if this land falls under Section 72 on the Land Redistribution Exercise complimented by the Agrarian Reform Act of 2000 Mr. Speaker Sir. So this is how you can augment that infrastructure. I go further, I will be bringing a motion to this House where the people that are in the compounds should be allowed to use those houses and extend those houses where we should pipe water, install electricity and build roads to the places we call komboni or compounds.
In the future, because the powers now reside with the President, the powers that be should now give title deeds to those houses so that we do not have people going into towns to access both education and housing infrastructure development. The compounds should be given title deeds and people should be allowed to extend houses in those areas and part of the farms should also give room for infrastructure development; electricity and piped water to the houses, clinics and schools. This is the only way we can urbanise the rural areas. We cannot continue to have the haves and the havenots. There is a big gap and this is how you can treat that gap.
Coming to ICT, His Excellency the President of the Second Republic, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa has embarked on an ambitious Information Communication Technology programme where he is giving computers to schools. He has given to Pfupajena Primary and Secondary Schools 40 computers each. This is my proposal that as he has promised through his other arms, to come to Tiverton Primary which is in Ward 25 with Tinashe Manjovha as the Chairman. He has also promised to come to Bosbury Primary to give computers and the Chairman there is Cde Lameck Nyamarango. He is also going to Cde Nkomo in Ward 28 at Zvamaida Primary School to give computers.
My proposal is this one; that these computers in those areas, there be provision of WiFi so that there can no longer be a situation where the rural lights are living as though they are in an era which is BBC – born before computers. They should come into a scenario where there is coordination, cooperation and networking using these computers so that when the children leave primary school, there is need to have ICDL (International Computer Drivers’ License) using what we have to get what we can, that which we have been given by His Excellency to improve the education system. There should not be any difference when we go to the University of Zimbabwe.
Mr. Speaker, there is a module that speaks to computer learning in the Law Faculty and a programme that I am currently pursuing. You can see that the children that have come from the rural schools struggle, not only to write the exam but also to have aptitude on embarking, controlling and having programmes and issues on the desktops and laptops. This should not be happing in this era of the 21st Century where we have children who have no access to information communication technology, let alone embark on a the control of the same.
Now on water and ablution, let us get to an era where when you get into an ablution facility you can take off your jacket and hang it. Whilst you are seated on that pan you are able to read your newspaper and also access your Ipad. This is not happening in the rural areas. If at all, there is what is called open defecation where you are going behind a tree and relieving yourself. In this 21st Century, it should not happen either in the urban or rural sector. It is happening in my Ward 5 in Chegutu West constituency in the urban society. People are still squatting Mr. Speaker.
At number N23A, it is a sorry sight. The issue of water and ablution should be revisited but how do you visit it in the urban sector especially if at home you cannot have access to ablution facilities that are impeccable? You definitely have no ablution facilities in the schools. In this day and era, we should not be having squatting toilets and ablution facilities. As I have alluded to, you should be able to remove your jacket, hang it on the door and carry on with the business of the ablution block.
There is a saying that says anonzwa manyoka ndiye anorara akatsamhira gonhi. In some of these schools there is no gonhi/door to talk about in these ablution facilities. We cannot continue to have blair toilets in this day and age. It is a miracle that our children go into these blair toilets and come out alive. Some of them could even fall into that pit latrine and never to be found again. I shudder to think how many might even have lost their lives through falling into those areas.
In the urban sector, there is how you can solve the issue of water, sewer and reticulation in the schools is the issue of solving the amount of water that is treated at the water treatment plant. If there is a deficit, this is where the challenge resides. There is need in the urban sector, first and foremost to attend to the water treatment plants. Some of them were built in the 50s and 70s, especially where I come from in Chegutu. We have what we call clarifiers, eight of them and the last one was built in 1979. So, there is a deficit of water. We need 22 mega litres and we are only treating 10 mega litres. We also have six sedimentors and that needs augmentation and complementation. This is how you can treat the issue of water and sewer reticulation in the urban sector by attending to the water treatment plant.
How do you deal with it in the rural part? I am currently embarking on a borehole drilling programme that has been advanced by His Excellency the President Cde. Dr. E. D Mnangagwa. He has given me a drill rig and he has commissioned me to drill two boreholes per village. I have 24 villages in Ward 24, 35 villages in Ward 25 and 13 villages in Ward 28. My work is cut out for me but I am saying it should not end only in borehole drilling. There is need to electrify those boreholes, there is only one-four roomed teachers’ house which is shared among the five teachers’ households and pipe the water in the households in the villages including to the schools. This is what is currently obtaining and this is how we can solve the issue of water.
Lastly, we find condoms in men’s toilets. I have been a man all my life and I have seen that condoms are dotted around all toilets – we should also find pads for our children in the ablution blocks. Before independence, women were treated like children – no voting rights and working rights of any nature. We should not continue to treat women as slaves. We need to make sure that the formally marginalised black majority in particular, access good hygiene starting from our primary schools. If we do not find pads for free in the toilets, withdraw the condoms so that the man and the girl child are at par. We need to have equal rights for our children. I thank you for giving me this opportunity to viciously, effectively and efficiently air my views in the manner that the people of the constituency of Chegutu would have heard me debate; that is Patricia Nyamadzawo, Sarah Chikukwa, Lameck Nyamarango, Mr. Nkomo and Tinashe Manjova. I thank you.
HON. BITI: Thank you very much for allowing me to debate on this very important issue. I would also want to thank the Committee Chairperson – Dr. Moyo and all those who seconded the report. The report, although it primarily targeted at the issue of sanitary wear, is really a microcosm of the state of the education sector in the country; the state of our schools in the country.
When you read this report, the most shocking thing for me is how as a people we have disinvested from education. The greatest achievement of the late Cde Robert Mugabe was his achievements and attainments on education. For a long time, Zimbabwe had the highest literacy rate on the sub-Saharan continent with our literacy rate being around 95%. We have lost that privileged position. Somewhere along the line, we got comfortable and forgot to continuously invest in education. Some of the statistics will shock you. In the first decade of independence, our Government was investing outside salaries. Twenty per cent of the budget towards education and education infrastructure – in the last 20 years, bar wages and wages to education still comprise the biggest component of the wage bill because teachers are the biggest number of Government employees. If you remove the wage bill, the investment on education is a mere 2% and the net result is what you see in this report. Takarara nezamu mumukanwa and we completely and totally disinvested from education.
If you read this report, and I want to talk about schools that I know, if you go to Mt Darwin North at a place called Nyakatondo, there is a school called Kapfudza Primary School and Gomo Secondary School. The esteemed Member of Parliament for Mt Darwin can testify to this – there is no water at these schools. The teachers have to fetch water from Mukumbura River but on the Mozambican side. Parents there will tell you that no teacher lasts for three terms. They come for one or two terms and after the third term, they make an application and leave the school. Obviously, that has ripple effects on the quality of education being reproduced at that school.
If you look at Mashonaland Central in particular, the quality and result of education is low. If you look at the demographic health survey of 2011 and 2015 – Mashonaland Provinces have the worst statistics globally on education, maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate in the entire country on ablution facilities that Hon. Nduna was talking about. My point being that we disinvested from education.
I want to give two or three examples from the report and allow me to read paragraph 4.2.10 – there is a school called Kasika Primary School, there is only one-four roomed teachers’ house which is shared amongst the five teachers; the report says teachers but they have families. So, five households are sharing one room.
I will give another example from the report. There is a school, I think it is in Gokwe – Mutimuri Primary school which has a sub-standard two roomed flat house shared by two teachers and unfinished five roomed house. There are no staff toilets. Teachers and learners use Blair toilets.
Katasa Primary School has two functioning classrooms yet it has 153 learners. There is another school there which the report mentioned where the teachers complex actually has no school. Teachers have to go far away to the Blair toilets that are in the school facilities, which Blair toilets were designed for children. It is important that our Government invests real money in education.
The issue of the poor infrastructure of educational facilities is linked to the lack of rural development in Zimbabwe. We need an accelerated programme of rural development. Forty three years after independence, we have an enclave economy – we have a narrow society where 30% of the population lives, which population houses places like Borrowdale or Highlands but 70% of our people are living in the rural areas where there is no electricity or tarred roads.
It is a crime Hon. Speaker Sir that only 30% of the population of Zimbabwe has access to electricity. It is a crime that 44 years after independence, only 44% of our people have access to tapped water. It is a crime Hon. Speaker that 44 years after independence, a huge chunk of our population in some provinces – I will not mention which one, 79% of our people are still using the bush as a form of ablution.
Where I come from in Mashonaland East, there is a lot of fruit trees you will find in the bush – mango and peach trees and you will know that Nyamuzihwa vakambopfuura neipapo vakaita zviro zvavo because there are no ablution facilities in the country. It is so important that we develop infrastructure. One of the things that worries me Mr. Speaker, is the population boom by 2045, the population of Zimbabwe would have doubled in the next 20 years, the population of Harare alone would be 10 million people but we do not have the necessary infrastructure to deal with these issues. It is therefore important that we find the resources to modernise Zimbabwe. The development and urbanisation of rural areas (DURA) is an urgent priority.
Where do we get the funding? The first point is, let us create a sovereign wealth fund. Our minerals Mr. Speaker Sir, are being grabbed by foreigners. Lithium for instance, has literally been taken over by the Chinese in Zimbabwe. We have got iron ore at Manhize which has been taken over. Let us create a sovereign wealth fund. Let us charge these huge mining giants proper royalties. The oil that is being dug in Muzarabani; Section 139 of the Mines and Minerals Act is very clear. You cannot be given a special mining lease without showing that you have got USD100 million on the table. I can assure you Mr. Speaker, most of these people that have been granted special mining leases in Zimbabwe do not have even USD5 million. They are just coming here to grab our assets. The issue of a sovereign wealth fund is very critical.
Secondly, let us create a development fund. We have created a devolution fund but there is no law to back those devolution funds. Even the provincial councils that are supposed to be elected to manage those funds are not there. Let us actualise devolution so that we have duly elected provincial councils with a provincial council chairperson or a provincial governor and a provincial Government as defined in Chapter 14 of our Constitution. The devolution councils and provincial councils were created for development, Section 269 of the Constitution. They were created for development, nothing about us without us. It is only the people in Tsholotsho who will know which school to start with, which bridge to start with. Devolution is a developmental agenda and let us actualise devolution so that devolution funds are not the private property of the Minister of Local Government but they are actually administered by the Minister of Finance to the provinces so that they can deal with the development issues.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I lost my grandfather, so I have been spending a lot of time in the rural areas. The state of the roads with the rain season just starting now, we are not prepared for a disaster. I can assure you that if the met predictions that we are going to have heavy rains and some floods in some areas are true then a lot of people are going to lose their lives unnecessarily because we are not prepared but I am discussing and talking about education. We need to monetise education. We need to walk the talk. Mr. Speaker, I am speaking very nice and very good English because Robert Mugabe sent me to school at Goromonzi High School where we were paying USD8. My parents will never afford it. My father was just a taxi driver at Rixi Taxis. Goromonzi was an elite school at that time and to go there you needed to have four points. I would never have been able to go to school without going to an elite Government school, namely Goromonzi High School. So education is a passport Mr. Speaker Sir. Education is a licence to life. When I went to school, there was a saying that said, ‘why worry Goromonzi after Form 4’. Even ‘O’ level was a licence but now even someone with a PhD, it means nothing. We need to invest in education. I want to thank the Committee for the visits that they made in Binga, Gokwe, Manicaland and Chakohwa,there is a fair representation. That is why I say this report is a macrocosm of the state of education in this country. This report is saying we have underfunded education but a country that underfunds education is underfunding itself. It is cutting its feet because education is the driver. Education is the licence, education is literacy and education is opening up, kuvhura maziso. We need to go back to the matrix of the first decade of independence where 20% of the real budget outside wages was devoted to education. There are some countries now Mr. Speaker, that are producing people that are going to moon. There are some African countries that are making major developments in research and technology. Zimbabwe, we cannot even make a spoon. Go to the industrial sites, we are just assembling things that are made by other people. Why is it by now, Willowvale Mazda Motor Industries ought to be manufacturing the country’s cars. I was in Lesotho two days ago, I saw a car made by a Mosotho being displayed there. Everything about that car was made in Lesotho. Here we cannot even make chisharo chebhasikoro. It is not good enough Mr. Speaker. Our children are still being taught how to apply for a job: ‘Dear Sir, I am applying for a vacancy,’ when our children should be taught ‘Mr. Bank Manager, I am a start up, I need USD5 000 to start a start up to make computers. We are far Mr. Speaker and it is not good enough. I thank you very much.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I also want to add my voice to this report presented by Hon. Torerayi Moyo, seconded by Hon. Murambiwa Ofias. Apart from our procurement challenges, I would like to say there are some people within the distribution channel of sanitary wear who are not doing justice to the process therein. Mr. Speaker Sir, we all applauded the fact that we had introduced free sanitary wear in schools in this august House. We had a feeling that things were going to move smoothly but some people are sitting on the assignments. Mr. Speaker Sir, if you look at a situation whereby when we went around to check on the distribution and availability of sanitary wear in schools, most of the schools did not have sanitary wear. At this point in time, I want to applaud the DSI for Zaka which is in Masvingo, Mr. Chidzurira who actually had to go to the provincial office to collect the sanitary wear so that it could be distributed in his district. Otherwise, the district Zaka would have gone without sanitary wear when the sanitary wear is there at the PED’s office. I strongly believe that we may not achieve our mantra of living no one and no place behind if we are going to have people that keep having some mentality of some inertia of some sort in terms of our distribution in this case, of sanitary wear.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the construction of schools is quite an issue and in 2021, the Ministry was talking about a deficit of 20 000 schools that are needed in Zimbabwe. If we look at the rate at which we would like to have schools constructed with 35 schools to be constructed over five years, I think getting to 20 000 schools would be a miracle. So our Ministry and Government need to engage the parents in our communities and provide them with the resources so that they can help in construction of schools together with the private sector. Our parents are eager Mr. Speaker Sir, these days to have junior or infant schools being constructed in their communities because there is now the concept of ECD which was never there. ECD implies, we have to reduce the distances that our children travel at ECD level. At the moment a primary school would have a maximum of 5km but with ECD in, we hope it is going to be reduced and our parents are going to be excited to make sure that they have got schools close by. At the same time, a school which was visited, Mazungunye High School used to be one of my neighbouring schools. It is a Government school and the state we see now at Mazungunye Government School is far below what we are seeing in other council run schools. They were even lucky to have a resident person in that community who had to give them some accessibility to WiFi because they did not have it up to last year, 2021.
This school is one such school where we used to have teachers wanting to go there, headmasters wanting to be in charge of that school. Also, parents were proud of the school. It was a marvelous school during its time in the 1990s but now it is one of the schools that is in a very bad state of disrepair. This implies that our Government needs to look at its own schools as a responsible authority and make sure they are an example to other schools.
The issue of ICT, COVID-19, actually taught us that we need to understand disasters can come at any time. It was during this COVID-19 that we saw some vulnerable groups like learners with disabilities being at a greater disadvantage than most of the children because where other children used radios; where other children used computers, you would find those with disabilities could end up being at a greater disadvantage. I also want to propose that our Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education work closely with the Ministry of ICT and the Ministry of Energy and Power Development so that it is made sure that in our school system, especially rural areas, we have got power so that we can learn using ICTs. They should also make sure we get connectivity because having computers with no connectivity is nothing.
When we get to Kasika Primary School, it was quite a nightmare to see Hon. Nyabani, the Member of Parliament in the area carrying teachers after the exercise; he had to carry teachers to a place very far away in his own car, where they can go and phone wherever they wanted to phone because at the school there is no network connection. They had to go for about 20 km away from the school, implying that when there is no connectivity; when there is no ICT, there is almost no learning, especially at the era we are now. We also find at Chakohwa, the computers were there but the children were just crowded at the computers, standing. You cannot believe there is proper learning when a child stands up for the whole lesson, 30/40 minutes, while trying to struggle and get some information from a computer. It also means the resources need to be improved.
There is also the issue of teacher presence. I look at it as a tripartite exercise, where we have got teachers that could be present and effectively teaching. We have others who were present but not teaching and others that were not there because no deployment had been made. So I would like to say, we saw fewer teachers who were at the schools doing effective teaching because some teachers are generally motivated to teach, whether there is good remuneration or not. It is just a calling to teach according to them.
The majority were there for the purpose just to be seen as being present. For example Mutonhori School in Zaka, when we get to Mutonhori, we were actually given a marvelous reception with children playing drummies and the school was so neat but when we delved into the discussions, one of the participants who happened to be the deputy headmaster said they were just encouraging teachers to teach there. Looking at the school, very nice but when you try to encourage teachers to teach, there is no teaching because teachers need to be self motivated; implying they have to be given the necessary tools of trades, including their own salaries which need to be improved. At least the Government is doing something by way of giving non-monetary incentives but the issue still continues and we hope with our listening President, we are going to see more and more being given to our teachers so that they can teach effectively.
I cannot round off my debate without talking about the issue of BEAM. Wherever we went, it was talked about and we see BEAM as one standing point where we can begin our free basic education. Now the situation is quite difficult for our teachers and the schools because where there is no money, schools cannot run; teachers are de-motivated. As we have already heard, some children were being sent away, even when they are on BEAM simply because the schools have to run. Our President, His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa has already pointed to the fact that there will be free basic education in 2023. We have to brace for it because the challenges that we have been having with BEAM, we need to have some standing points which will enable us to drive towards free basic education by 2023. I thank you
(v)HON. S. NDLOVU: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on this report which was moved by Hon. T. Moyo and seconded by Hon. Murambiwa. It is disheartening 44 years after independence having schools without electricity; schools which have not yet embraced ICT because there is no electricity and computers. This is why we have schools which get 0% pass rate at grade 7 because there are few teachers at certain schools. There is no infrastructure which teachers can use. There are no toilets; how do you expect teachers to stay at such schools? There is no electricity but we are blessed because we have got enough sun. I see it fit for Government to put solar systems in schools so that we can have enough electricity. Water is a crisis in schools including schools in urban areas.
In my constituency Luveve, they have drilled two boreholes to try and avert the crisis of water in schools and the community at large. They were doing irrigation in those areas so that they can earn money through the projects.
There is the issue of CALA in schools, which requires students to research. How can they research if they do not have electricity? That is why we have poor performance in rural schools because there is a certain percentage that is contributed from CALA before examinations are written by grade seven pupils. We are in a big crisis in terms of ICT connectivity. There is no electricity in those schools even though they should be provided with ICT equipment.
Mr. Speaker Sir, let me touch on the issue of BEAM. BEAM funds are not being paid on time in schools. During the opening of schools in this third term, in my constituency Luveve and other constituencies in Bulawayo, the local authorities disconnected the supply of water to schools because they owe millions of dollars. For two weeks, there was no water in those schools but school children were at school and they need ablution facilities. The schools had to demand money from parents. There are also pupils on BEAM, which is not being paid on time. Other Hon. Members suggested that BEAM funds for the whole year should be released in January. Pupils get poor marks because they are being chased away for non-payment of fees. How can a child excel in such a situation; hence my request that the funds should be disbursed on time.
The road network is very bad. Teachers stay in houses that are in bad shape and they are demoralised. In my constituency, there is a school where teachers occupy a four roomed house that accommodates about 10 people. With this situation, how is a teacher supposed to be confident in class? Confidence would be lost because of the environment they are in. They will be teaching students who do not even have chairs to sit on. They will be using ICT equipment but they will be sitting on the floor in those classes. We are making a request to the Government to assist schools that are in rural areas so that they as well meet the standards of schools in urban areas.
In Matabeleland South where I come from, pupils are facing challenges. Some do not even have uniforms, food, there is no electricity and the classes are few. After completing Grade 7, these children go to South Africa because there is nothing that is motivating them. They see their parents who are in South Africa coming back driving luxurious cars. They want to follow that path and go to neighbouring countries.
The teachers who are in rural areas have challenges. May the schools be equipped with necessities so that the pupils excel in school. In rural areas, the parents are willing to donate bricks for the construction of classroom blocks. In my constituency, we are funding the construction of a clinic as the community. Government should intervene so that new schools can be constructed and people should donate bricks for the construction of schools. Mr. Speaker Sir, 44 years after independence, we should not be singing the same song for the schools to be constructed. We are still talking of schools which were constructed using pole and mud.
I would want to thank the Committee for visiting schools in Binga and Gokwe so that they verify facts on the ground. The Ministry of Finance should budget money towards the construction of schools and houses for teachers. There is a school in my constituency, in Cowdry Park where there are only two blocks. Some students are learning under the trees. We want these pupils to excel in schools and they should get adequate equipment. We also want the students to excel in CALA and they should be given adequate resources.
We have got enough resources in our country that we should use, but they are being used by other people who come from other countries, which is not good. We want to use our own resources.
I would like to thank this Committee which did a splendid job. I would like to thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MUNETSI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for giving me this time to add my voice. I want to thank Hon. Moyo who was seconded by Hon. Murambiwa for coming up with this magnificent report about the state of schools in some parts of our country. I marvel when I look at teachers that they are a dedicated lot, if you look at the conditions of service that some teachers go through.
I am going to take a very short space of time because most of the things have been said and to say them again would just be to buttress what other Members have said so that it carries weight. We have schools all over our constituencies where we come from and I come from one of probably the worst constituencies in the country, Makoni North and I have said in my constituency there is not even a centimeter of tarred road. It is all dust, out in the rural areas.
Be that as it may, I also have schools that are in the same condition like the schools that you saw when you went around, Dr. Moyo. The nature of classrooms that some children are learning in is squalid. The desks are worn out, some are tied by some wires, there are no learning aids. Some of the houses there are older than me. I have seen a house where my headmaster used to stay. It is still there and a teacher is staying there. I am over 50, so you would see the type of house that I am talking about and you will discover that it is quite old. The playgrounds are pasture land. People from the villages come and herd cattle around the school yard. There is no fence. I do not know if you came across such types of schools Hon. Dr. Moyo when you went around.
There are no fences around the schools. Those who come herding their cattle can just pass by between the classrooms, they peep through the windows, get into classrooms, tear off books, they tear off the very little number charts in the classrooms. There is no protection in some of those schools.
The roads to some schools are in a sorry state. I have one major road in my constituency, Makoni North where some schools are 20km from that main road and those small roads that go to the main schools were attended to donkey years ago. I do not know how many years. I was elected as MP when the roads were in that state. So I am saying there is a lot that we need to look at in schools in our area.
Electricity is zero in some schools, the toilets are worn out, ICT zero, sports uniforms for some schools in the area is a dream, teacher-pupil ratio is 1 to above 60 in all classrooms, the water situation in most of the schools is a nightmare. You cannot talk of water in schools. Some children come every morning carrying a litre plastic container with water, maybe to drink during break or to water a few flowers in front of the headmaster’s office.
Sanitary wear has come just but now and it is needed like yesterday. We need to have sanitary wear in our schools but looking at the way it is being treated, it is like it is a mammoth task. Some schools have heard about sanitary wear but have never received those sanitary pads in their schools. They have just heard about it; some schools have received. I think it is best for the girl child to have sanitary wear at schools so that in the event of a mess up, they can quickly be attended to by the lady teachers at the schools and can have smooth learning without being booed by other students at the school.
Let me just suggest a few ideas for our schools. The issue of BEAM has been spoken by every Hon. Member who stood up and I want to believe when it is going to be read by the powers that be, they should take immediate attention to make sure it is released to every school timeously. I want to implore the Government to bring back Government building grants which used to be there in schools then. When we went to schools in the 70s and 80s, it was a marvel to be at school. You would enjoy going to school even though we went bare footed but it was so nice. There was learning. You could tell when you got to a school that there was proper learning at a school. Now if you get to some schools these days, some pupils are playing in the play ground, some are chasing each other in the classroom, teachers are standing at a verandah discussing one or two issues - whether to buy a kettle or what, you do not even know. It means that the education system has deteriorated a lot from what it was before.
I want to think that schools can also lobby from NGOs if they can assist to purchase the sanitary wear for children at the school. Education 5.0 can also come up with provincial factories for sewing sanitary wear for the children. Let us use the research so that if we give them material, they can work and produce such things quite easily.
I hate to see children in my constituency - when I come from a town setting, some are playing hockey and I get to a school in my constituency the children are playing pada, some are playing nhodo, muchuti which has nothing to do with their tomorrow. Some are sitting on a computer and someone is playing hweshe in the play- ground. They are just kept around the school until the sun sets. Let us revamp our education system so that it becomes vibrant as before. I thank you.
(v)*HON. KARUMAZONDO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for affording me this opportunity. I want to thank the Committee for the work that they have done. I also want to thank the Ministry of Education and the Public Service for what they have done. There are about 13 districts where they realised that there were not enough teachers which include UMP, Rushinga, Mbire and Gokwe North. There are about 13 districts and all the issues that have been raised concerning roads network and REA have caused that these districts do not get enough teachers. The Public Service, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education, saw it fit that teachers should be deployed there.
I am saying all the issues that have been raised by the Hon. Members - that is the reason why those districts do not attract teachers. So I am appealing to the programme of REA that it should extend its services to those districts because teachers do not stay for long and they are transferred willynilly. Mr. Speaker, where I come from in UMP, we have a school called Rungani Primary school. It had about 96% pass rate in Grade 7. Children who come from those rural areas cannot attain 100%. We are saying what the Second Republic is engaged on, like what our President is doing, those schools in those districts, especially the ones that I have mentioned, if they can be resourced so that teachers do not transfer for development purposes.
The school that I have talked about Rungani Primary School, there is another school like that which attained zero percent because that area is arid and there is no water. There is no network and teachers do not stay there for long. The road network is very poor and the roads are not maintained. I am saying if we get those things, teachers will stay there and children will learn well.
The other thing I want to say Mr. Speaker Sir is, when the Committee was touring; I think the Government should construct boarding schools for primary and secondary because the primary school was able to attain 96%. What happens is that the issue of computers, many schools cannot operate them because of poor network.
The children are disadvantaged when they look for Form One places because they do not have network and they cannot get access to good schools. Some parents can afford to send their children to boarding schools but because of poor network they lag behind in submitting their applications as compared to parents in urban areas. I think the Ministry of Education should construct boarding schools in those areas. The road network, I think the Ministry of Finance should resource those areas so that roads and clinics could be constructed. The DDF should be given money so that we do not only wait for the Ministry of Transport to construct roads.
On the issue of boreholes, we want to thank the Second Republic, our President E. D. Mnangagwa for drilling boreholes. I was asking that when it comes to the drilling of boreholes, if we can get boreholes which are drilled up to 100 metres, you find that children in the primary schools cannot get access to that water because the distances are long and school children cannot get water from those boreholes. So we are just appealing if they can be solar powered so that they get water.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank the Second Republic, our President E. D. Mnangagwa for what he did in those 13 districts. The people who stay in those areas are very happy and the children are happy because of this opportunity which they have now, of accessing water and road network. These districts which are lagging behind, I think they should be well resourced and looked after. I want to thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for according me this opportunity. Thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I just want to thank the Committee Chairperson and the Committee for the splendid job of bringing to light what is happening in our schools.
Mr. Speaker, the school conditions and situations must be looked at holistically and this is the only way we can solve this problem. To begin with Mr. Speaker, before we get to the issues of sanitary wear and other things, the teachers must be treated and paid well. It is important to do that because we expect teachers to apply themselves fully. So, because of the low salaries that they get, combined with the conditions of service, it becomes very difficult for a teacher to be motivated. When a teacher is not motivated, he or she will not pay attention especially to those children who may have challenges. Challenges come not entirely from the learner’s inability to grasp but because of other underlying issues like even the issue of sanitary wear.
Failure to obtain one when a child gets to the point where she needs those things really affects the child’s confidence. It attacks the core and dignity of that child. Imagine Mr. Speaker, a child is busy making a presentation in class, in front of the whole class, and nature calls. She finds herself at her period because she does not have sanitary wear, she messes herself up; that would deal a severe blow to the child’s confidence because from there onwards, she will not want to make a presentation, stand up in class or to participate in class. So, those are the things that we must look at. The teacher may not even understand why the child’s performance has gone down because he or she does not have reason to spend his or her time thinking about an individual child since he or she also has her own problems. So, dealing with this education conditions and situation holistically will help us to achieve what we want to achieve as a country.
Infrastructure must also be provided Mr. Speaker; accommodation for teachers. In this day and age, can we really say we are serious when we have one four roomed house accommodating five teachers? Whether they are single or not, where is their privacy? Mr. Speaker, when we do not have houses for teachers, how do we then expect to have classroom blocks? This is not only happening in the rural areas. I have my own schools in Kambuzuma. Last week but one, I went to Mutiunokura Primary School in Ward 36; I wanted to consult the school on their preferred books. Fortunately, I had 300 books for the five primary schools in my constituency because of CALA and the new curricular that require a lot of research schools now require a lot of books. So, I had gone there for those consultations.
I found learners outside with a board and the teacher teaching. The students were writing whilst kneeling on the ground, here in Harare; that is the situation that we have. The school needs not less than three classroom blocks. The number of learners there is 1 600, an average of 60 students per teacher; this ratio is terrible. Do you even expect the teacher to know the learners by name? It is impossible, or for a teacher to pay attention to individual learners. You know, where we used to be summoned by our teachers when we were still in school, that you, you and you see me in my office - nothing of the sort is happening nowadays, the teacher does not even care but even if he or she cares, how long does it take him or her to interact with 60 to 75 learners? It is impossible. So because of that Mr. Speaker, it makes education a nightmare.
The issue of adequate water, as we drill boreholes, why can we not make it a deliberate system where in a ward, a borehole is drilled at a school? The reason is very simple. You have more than 500 learners at one school, making it crystal clear that it must be a priority for the provision of water. Then we install solar boreholes for those learners because simply using the bush pump is a mammoth task. Sometimes the water table is very low and you expect a Grade One (1) or ECD child to pump water out of that deep borehole. Impossible Mr. Speaker; we are subjecting our children to very hard labour.
People may say, how do we fund that? By simply making our institutions just accountable, without raising any money from anywhere else but simply making them accountable and by simply dealing with corruption, we can fund those. Look at what has been coming out in hotels where Hon. Members’ nights in hotels is astronomical; if you calculate the hotel rates at bank rate, it is coming to USD400 to USD500.00 a night. You only need to save three times to drill a borehole and save three times to install solar at a school. So, it is important Mr. Speaker, that we look at that seriously. Sanitation is very important.
I had a situation where I got a partner who installed a solar system at one of our boreholes. We discussed and asked for one tank to be reserved for schools. We have three schools next to each other and we have water to those schools including a clinic and police station from one tank. This has alleviated the water problem where at a school we have 1 600 learners and 60 teachers. Even when council water does not come out, they can still use the borehole. These are some of the issues we can do.
Mr. Speaker, on the issue of electrification of rural schools, this is something that we must not even be debating about. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, through the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, should come to this House to table a programme for schools electrification. Why? This is because the curricular points to the fact that learners cannot go through their lessons and examinations without using technology; impossible because they need to research. Part of their examination marks come from the research they make through the use of technology and we expect the same children in the rural areas to compete with those in the urban areas where they have got access to their parent’s phones and electricity to get positions at the next secondary school. It can never happen but we expect them to do that even if you go as a parent, a grandfather, to a secondary school, they will tell you go and apply through the portals that are there. You ask a question, what are you talking about, what portal are you talking about in Murambinda there? There is nothing of that sort, so we are simply segregating our learners those in the urban areas and those in the rural areas but we still expect them to produce the same results, same exam, same time; one hour and at the end of the hour pens down, yet this one was still wondering what are you talking about. Come time for the results, we say that there was a zero pass rate and people ask the question why did that happen – how could it not have happened when the learning aids and everything was not available? The teacher was demoralised, rain season like this time around, those kids have got nowhere to run to because the roofs of some schools are still thatched roofs. A lot are leaking even those that have got corrugated material, that material has been lifted up and down by the wind several times.
So, Mr. Speaker, I want to implore the Government to respond to this report and say exactly what plans they have for once. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education must come to this House with a comprehensive report that will be responding to the issues the Hon. Members have been raising. This has been coming from all the Members of Parliament, not a single one has disputed the contents of the report. So, because of that, it makes it a very important debate that the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education must make it a priority at the end of the debate, which I think Hon. Moyo is going to close because I think all the facts have been laid bare.
HON. SHAMU: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I just want to say a few words in support of this very important motion. I am taking the motion into the context of the fourth industrial revolution that the whole world is now in and Zimbabwe is obviously no exception. Mr. Speaker Sir, the developments that we see in the world today obviously call for flexibility, innovation as we move on in our socio-economic transformation.
That in itself calls for us to produce a nation whose people go through an educational process that provide them with logic that they need to use in a very systematic manner in order to achieve their objectives. His Excellency, the President has enunciated the policy which we are all aiming at achieving, that is Vision 2030.
That can only be done if we take on board the serious suggestions made by this report but we even go back to 1999 when we received the Professor Caiphas Nziramasanga Report which speaks to the issues that we are raising today. I feel that today we do talk of the need for us to increase productivity. We are talking of the need for efficiency, the need for us to see our industries producing quality products. They must be quality in the process of production so that we can compete on the world market and that in itself means we need to take the issue of education seriously.
I would like to add my voice to all those who have supported this report in its totality and that we really need to make sure that when the Minister comes to respond, we come up with timelines for the implementation of the decisions that would have come out of this report. As we speak, we have found that countries like Namibia are now in strides in education on the basis of the professor Caiphas Nziramasanga Report and yet sometimes in our own country, we tend to take lightly the importance of implementing some of the ideas that are generated by our own nationals.
Therefore, I would like to commend the mover of the motion Hon. Moyo and the Committee for a job well done but what we need now is results. I thank you.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER
NON-ADVERSE REPORT RECEIVED FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I have received a Non-adverse report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee on the Health Services Amendment Bill [H.B, 8 2021].
HON. T. MOYO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. L. SIBANDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 2nd November, 2022.
On the motion of HON. T. MOYO, seconded by HON. L. SIBANDA, the House adjourned at a Minute to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 25th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I move that Order of the Day Number one, be stood over, until all Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2021
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for the Year 2021.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President. It is not a debate as such. The report was posted on our E-mails, on 23rd June, 2022. On most E-mails, for example mine, it was a blank report. I followed up last week, with the Journals office. I spoke to one of the officials there. He called ZEC, who agreed to put the report on the flash disk. Again, he posted on our E-mails and it was blank. I made another follow up again and nothing has been done as of now, especially on my E-mail, I do not know on other Hon. Senators. So, I do not think anyone has read it. We then suggested that we get hard copies but up to now the hard copies have not been brought to us. I thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. MOHADI): I think this was re-opened but unfortunately most Members did not open it. Since most of the Members did not have a chance to see the report, I think we can proceed with other motions.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 26th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the delegation to the Seventh Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians Network of Development Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 26th October, 2022.
On the motion of HON. SEN. KAMBIZI, seconded by HON. SEN. TONGOGARA, the Senate adjourned at Seventeen Minutes to Three O’clock p. m. until Tuesday, 8th November, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 20th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWICHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senators, you are reminded to put your cellphones on silent or better still to switch them off.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have a list of Ministers who have tendered apologies and they are as follows:- Hon. Rtd. Gen. Dr. Chiwenga, The Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. O.C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs; Hon. W. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. Sen. M. Mutsvangwa, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services; Hon. M. N. Ndlovu, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry; Hon. J. Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works; Hon. Dr. A. J. Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement; Hon. E. Moyo, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. Z. Soda, Minister of Energy and Power Development; Hon. M. Chombo, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works and Hon. Dr. J. C. Mangwiro, Deputy Minister of Health and Health Care.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. SEN. MANYAU: My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. We hear that at Social Welfare, there are funds for projects for the disabled to venture into projects. However, we have never had anyone among the disabled who has managed to access these loans. Among the disabled we have a lot of people who have got brilliant ideas and project proposals but they do not know how to access these monies. We also heard that the requirements for one to obtain the loan are very difficult. So, Minister what is the Government policy concerning this issue?
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA): Thank you Mr. President and let me also thank Hon. Sen. Manyau for raising a very pertinent question. However, the issue also came to my attention yesterday when four people living with disabilities came to my office asking about the revolving fund which is supposed to be assisting them to start empowerment projects. They echoed the same sentiments that they are not accessing the loans.
Therefore, I have asked the responsible department within the Ministry, headed by Mr. Mutetwa to give me the report indicating the money available, the number of people who have applied, those who have managed to access the money as well as the number of those who failed indicating the reasons also. Generally, we said that there must be money which is responsible for assisting those people. It is the report that I am supposed to receive from Mr. Mtetwa but generally Hon. President, we said that there must be money for helping people living with disability to venture into empowerment projects. They must write down their projects, get assistance and be advised on how best they can run the projects. They must not do those projects on their own but they must get assistance and get enough information on how these small businesses can be best run and managed. There is need to get information from the Ministry in that same department. We want to help people because they do not have anything. This money must be given to people depending on the project proposal and the knowledge they would have received. All this is being done by the department so that a person can access help.
I request that I must be given the information, the report that talks about how many managed to get the money, those who failed and the reasons because we have got that money in our coffers. We want that money increased so that we can increase the number of beneficiaries living with disabilities in the country. We must not leave anyone behind towards vision 2030. I will come back in this Senate to give full information on the report that I am going to receive from the department which is responsible for disabilities in the Ministry. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President. I also want to thank the Minister for giving the response concerning the project for people living with disability. My supplementary is that in your Ministry, do you have any department that deals with monitoring and evaluation? If there is that department, it was going to address the gaps that people are not able to access these funds whilst they are supposed to benefit.
*HON. PROF. MAVIMA: Thank you Mr. President, I want to thank Hon. Sen. Tongogara for raising that pertinent question. The department is there which is responsible for monitoring and evaluation but this is an issue of today and I do not want to wait for the report that will come in the first or second quarter. I want to be given enough evidence by the heads of the department, Dr. Mtetwa is preparing the report. I also mentioned that this issue was brought up after the disabled people came to me yesterday raising the issue that they are trying to access money for projects but have failed. All along, I thought that people were accessing the monies but that was not the case. I thought people were receiving their monies for projects since we had our disability policy. That is another thing that we are going to use to empower our people who live with disability so that they can venture into projects. Even though the department is there, I need the information urgently, I am not going to wait for the report. After the department has done the report, may be by the end of the day, I want those doing implementation to give me the information urgently.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: One more Minister has joined the Chamber, Hon. Minister Z. Soda, the Minister of Energy and Power Development.
HON. B. MPOFU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to ask the question. My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. My question is on policy; what is Government policy on teachers teaching primary school children without the knowledge of their language. An example is a teacher teaching with limited knowledge of Ndebele teaching primary school children in a school that is predominantly of Ndebele community. What is Government doing about that especially on primary schools?
THE MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. NDLOVU): I would like to thank the Hon. Member of the Senate for the pertinent question because it is prevalent throughout the region in Matabeleland where quite a number of teachers are deployed there without the requisite Ndebele language knowledge. The policy is that when a child is still young at ECD level up to grade 3, the child must be taught in his/her mother tongue but we have a challenge of teachers from that region. We have been advocating for more teachers to be trained from that particular region without success. Most of the children in that region opt for other qualifications. The majority of them do not finish school. They leave for South Africa or Botswana and they do not finish their primary and secondary education. That is the biggest challenge that we have. We have been in touch with the training colleges to investigate the shortage that is there and I am very disappointed that we have failed to get children into those colleges. I am very disappointed. We have failed to get volunteers even in my own constituency which is Bulilima.
I volunteered to pay for a teacher standing in front of me that - do you have children who want to train as teachers because we have shortage of teachers. They said they do not want to be teachers; she wanted to become a nurse. She does not want to be an engineer but wants to be a nurse. So we have got a problem as a country and in that particular region, we have got a problem of no recruitment into the higher and tertiary education. That is a big challenge. That is why we have low pass rates because a child understands a subject when he/she is taught in the mother tongue. We have a problem and I am appealing to Members of Parliament, those from where the minority languages are out of the 16 languages. We have got an appeal and we are appealing to you to assist us to make sure that we market the colleges that can train teachers for us. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MANYAU: I thank you Mr. President. Our Minister talked about shortages of teachers. Hon. Minister, what are you doing for teachers who teach children with special needs? I was amazed when you said you offered to pay for a teacher and I am appealing if you can do the same to our children with special needs. We do not have teachers who can teach sign language yet they are expected to compete with us when it comes to looking for jobs. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Sen. Manyau, I will allow that to fly but it is not a supplementary. The previous Sen. asked for Ndebele teachers but your so-called supplementary is on sign language, but I will allow you Hon. Minister to respond.
HON. DR. E. NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President for allowing the question to be responded to. The Hon. Member, I am sure is aware that from the Ministry’s point of view, we have done our level best to come up with Braille and even lessons for those who are disabled in terms of cassettes, speakers and radios to make sure that we facilitate. The teachers, yes they are in short supply including schools. We have fewer schools for the disabled and I think there is Emerald Hill in Harare and also one in Bulawayo, the St. Georges. We are trying our level best to make sure that we facilitate sign language and Braille in our schools. I thank you.
HON. SEN. B. MPOFU: Thank you Mr. President for allowing me to ask a supplementary question. Thank you Hon. Minister for the response. I wanted to find out from the Minister if this is a confirmation that there is no unemployment of primary school teachers of Ndebele dissent. Thank you.
HON. SEN. B. MPOFU: Thank you Mr. President. I do not think there are facts there. It is a talk that is very prevalent in our society. The truth must be told that we have got a screen in the office. Because of the ICT computers and software that we have, all the teachers that graduate register with the Ministry. After registration with the Ministry – we have transferred that register to the Public Service Commission which has got a register of all the teachers that have graduated. I am yet to be informed that there are Ndebele teachers that are available that have not been deployed. If the Member of the Senate has got the list, he can afford me at my office just across, at Ambassador House, so that we use that list; but on our screens we are told that we do not have Ndebele teachers, we do not have Venda teachers, we do not have Kalanga, Sotho, Ndau and Tonga teachers.
They are in short supply. There are a lot of teachers who claim to have knowledge of those languages and when we deploy them there we find that they do not have. That has caused a lot of trouble for us because the teacher will be there for three months and then he applies to change the school. They use that trick in order to be deployed. I would really appreciate those Ndebele teachers that have not been employed, that have not been engaged. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare about the school going children. We used to have a programme whereby those children were fed at school, especially the ECD and primary school going children, particularly during this dry season and in the Lowveld areas where they did not harvest. Do you have anything in place for those children?
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA): Let me thank Hon. Sen. Mohadi for a very important question related to the school feeding programme which I am familiar with because I used to be the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. It is essentially not a social welfare programme. There is a school feeding policy within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education which is supposed to be run by that Ministry. There is an element where they get grain through Social Welfare as part of the general distribution that Social Welfare does but it is a programme that is run within the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
It has other elements including the development of nutrition gardens at schools and mobilisation of parents to contribute towards the provision of the needed items. The initiation should be done by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. We can collaborate with them in the implementation of this programme. In this season, when we have shortages and food insecurities across the country, it is a very essential programme and it has been proven to increase school attendance, retention and even improve pass rates. So, it is a programme that is needed.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Minister Ndlovu would you want to make a comment.
THE MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY
EDUCATION (HON. DR. E. NDLOVU): Yes, thank Hon. Mohadi for the question. This question is very pertinent and yesterday I was very emotional about it. We were given the money to source for food and various materials for the Ministry but only to find out yesterday that we have had challenges in terms of the procurement processes that are taking place in Government.
I think you are aware that there is a lot of control now following the discovery by Government that certain companies were using black market rates to give us quotations as Government so there is strict monitoring from the Procurement Unit so that we prevent such behavior by the private sector. As a result, our school feeding programme has suffered a blow as we have been unable to procure. The construction of schools has been delayed because we have not been able to procure the materials because of this procurement process which is cumbersome. There are a lot of investigations that take place before you can be given authority by the Ministry of Finance for payment.
We really want our children to have the food on the table and we would appreciate if the Ministry of Labour could afford us maize meal to feed our children. If they have got the beans and cooking oil the better so that at least in the meantime, whilst this procurement system is being addressed, our children can have something. You know, a hungry brain does not work. Children need to have something in their tummies. The day before yesterday when I was driving from Makoni, I saw little children coming from school very late and I was saying imagine if there is no food in school. That means that child since morning has not had food in their tummy and you expect results out of that child. You cannot.
So, it is really a worrisome situation which we are trying to address as Government. I hope and pray that very soon, the procurement issues will be addressed and ironed out, especially in partnership with the private sector where we procure the products. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Minister. Let us hope the procurement issue is sorted out as soon as possible because it is affecting a lot of things. Here in Parliament, our Hon. Members are having challenges having nowhere to sleep and it is not a good situation at all.
*HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: My question is directed to the Minister of Energy. The issue of electricity is something which is very important for the Zimbabweans and Zimbabwe at large especially when looking at the issue of businesses, schools, irrigation and social living conditions of all Zimbabweans. Hence Mr. President, I am requesting the Minister to clearly explain what Government policy is on the issue of electricity to be made available to all Zimbabweans including all those who are in the peripheries. When are we going to be able to access electricity in terms of prices among other things?
*THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA): I want to thank Hon. Sen. Kambizi for raising a pertinent question on the provision of electricity throughout the country which will help the economic development of the country and business to move forward including irrigation, mining and so on. At the end of last month, there is a problem which happened that electricity was disconnected throughout the country. Many people were troubled as to what had transpired. The disconnection of electricity was caused by a veld fire which damaged an electricity line. This caused problems on the systems which controls electricity from Kariba.
Let me also talk about the issue of deficit in electricity. Yes, there is deficit in electricity because the level of economic activities or the growth of industry in the country focusing on the issue of development is now far much better than the amount of electricity which can be generated in the country including the electricity which we buy from other countries. The countries that we buy electricity from are also facing challenges because they do not have enough to provide their own countries, hence it also affects us.
Right now South Africa is also affected by the deficit of electricity, hence they give us the extra they get which is now reduced compared to the past. As a country, we used to believe that we receive electricity from our neighbouring countries but when they have problems we are also affected. When Hwange Power Station was constructed in 1983 and 1986. That power station had a capacity of 920 mega watts but over the period, this power station has operated without any rehabilitation. Right now we expect about 400 mega watts leaving a deficit of 520 mega watts as the power station is not fully functional. In Kariba, we get hydro electricity which is produced through water but what is happening is that the water level has gone very low and we do not expect to produce much electricity until year end. The amount of electricity being produced is low because of the little amount of water being captured in the dam. The other issue is that we also share Kariba Dam with Zambia. The question then is; what is Government policy on the issue of electricity deficit? Development is higher compared to the amount of electricity which is needed. Government has got many policies in place to lessen the shortage. We have another power station in Hwange, which used to have six units that were operational. Currently, Government has added two more units which are Units 7 and 8. These two units are expected to produce 600 mega watts after completion of refurbishment. We expect the first unit to produce 300 mega watts of electricity in November. Plans to commission that unit are under way. This is because some of the components used to make a unit are put in stages and then evaluated to ensure expectations are met. Presently, the electricity deficit is between 250 and 300 mega watts and that is causing the load shedding during afternoon and evening peak. We expect this to be a thing of the past as soon as one of the units starts working. Load shedding is soon going to come to an end.
The other end which we expect to be operational in March or April next year is going to produce about 300 mega watts. Government is also giving us the opportunity to phase out all the recurring problems. As soon as Units 7and 8 are functional, then there will be need to rehabilitate other units, which are Units 1 and 6. Right now we are checking on what needs to be done in these units and we call that detailed project reports. If we complete refurbishments, we will be able to produce the installed capacity of 900 mega watts. We expect to get more water this rain season so that the Kariba Dam water level can rise. When Kariba power station is not functioning well, the Hwange Power Station will chip in so that we do not have an electricity deficit in the country.
We also have other people who work as independent power producers and are playing their part in constructing power stations. We are at present getting around 80 mega watts from independent power producers. I also alluded to buying electricity from other countries and in the past two months, we managed to buy electricity from ZESCO, a Zambian electricity company. ZESA can negotiate with EDM from Mozambique to get electricity. EDM has said it can sell about 150 mega watts. These are some of the interventions being done by Government to end the electricity deficit. For those companies with machinery that uses a lot of electricity, ZERA is offering them licences to have their own solar power stations so that they can produce their own electricity. Some companies in the mining sector have started generating their own electricity and these are companies such as Caledonia Mining. Our expectations are that by year end, they will be able to produce their own electricity adequate for use at their premises. If they generate extra electricity, they can sell to ZETDC. We also have Batoka, in the Zambezi River offering the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe an opportunity to work together. We can come up with another power station like Kariba which is expected to produce about 2400 mega watts to be shared between the two countries. So we are still to do a feasibility study to see how the environment will be affected by this development.
Hon. Sen Kambizi also asked about rural electrification. In 2002, the rural electrification company was formed with the purpose to ensure that the rural people can also get electricity just like the urban folk. This company is going forward doing its mandate and continues to invite us to commission rural electrification projects. This project is being done and it uses 6% of the money that we buy electricity with; 6% of that money is channeled towards the Rural Electrification Programme.
Unfortunately, if our budget allocation is not enough, it takes time for the project to reach other areas. We expect all rural schools, clinics, chiefs’ homesteads, and Government offices like AGRITEX and veterinary services to have electricity, including those people who are committed to having electricity. There are people who need electricity for irrigation purposes on their farms. This is one of the mandates of the Rural Electrification Programme but some of the delays are caused by lack of funds. Some of the money will be allocated through this Senate that will see how much money is allocated to the Rural Electrification Programme. When the money is not allocated timeously, it means that the project will take time to achieve. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is going to be directed to two ministries. My first question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. The question stems from an audio that is circulating that was generated in Mberengwa.
There was a conference that was addressed by senior members of ZANU PF. The audio has brought much fear and anxiety among people in different communities. The audio was instructing people who are supposed to disburse food relief to not disburse food to members of opposition parties. It also mentioned that what happened in 2008 was better compared to what is going to happen this time around; people are going to be beaten. What is Government policy with regards to the promotion of peace in the rural areas as we head towards the elections? How is Government going to guarantee that people who support opposition parties will get food and farming inputs because normally distribution starts around this time of the year? Everyone deserves to be given food but here, there is an audio that is circulating, of senior ZANU PF officials instructing people to do otherwise.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: An audio you said Hon. Sen. Komichi, I am talking to you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I beg your pardon Mr. President.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I am confirming that you said your question is based on an audio…
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: An audio yes, because names were even mentioned …
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: No, no because anybody can make an audio, agreed? – [HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Yes.] – That is why I think in courts they do not accept such evidence. Anyway, I will ask the relevant Ministers to respond because it is not necessarily credible information as it were. So firstly, the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and thereafter the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
*THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA): Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity. I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Komichi for raising a pertinent question. What is good about this question is that it helps to clearly explain Government policy; especially Government policy on how we are going to alleviate a problem that is happening in the country, that is drought in different areas of the country.
I am not going to argue with him about the audio that is purportedly circulating on social media. I want this House to know the difference between Government policies and Government initiatives on the issue of drought relief in the country. We have 3.7 million people that are going to be allocated food relief by Government between January and March next year, and all these people are Zimbabweans. The Government policy is to make sure that no one is going to die because of hunger. It does not matter whether you are black or white; which denomination you believe in or political affiliation but it is everyone’s right.
As long as you are a Zimbabwean, we are not going to let you down or not give you food – that is what I was instructed by the leader of Government, His Excellency Dr. Mnangagwa when we discussed this issue in Cabinet. We proposed to His Excellency that with the amount of food that we have in our silos, it is very important that we disburse 65% food relief and the remainder must fend for themselves else we risk cleaning out our silos at the risk of experiencing another drought in the next season. His Excellency denied the proposal and said that we should disburse 100% food relief and ensure that every family that is food insecure gets food. So that is Government policy, that is what we are doing as Government. Food is there, we are getting reports from the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture every week about the quantities of food left in our silos. The food that we have in our silos is enough to feed this country for 12 months, which means that we are going to harvest again and remain with a surplus. Therefore, Zimbabweans will not die of hunger.
On the issue of rumors, I do not work with rumors. As a Minister, I work with instructions from His Excellency, the President that no Zimbabwean will die of hunger. My mandate therefore, as the Minister of Social Welfare is to make sure what His Excellency has said comes to fruition.
The Government is not dull to an extent that we want votes in 2023 and then we start selecting who receives food aid. If it is true that the audio was from some Members of ZANU PF, then their minds must be examined because we want 5 million votes in the next election, hence we cannot get those people if we do not give everyone in the country food aid.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI): Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to comment on the issue of social media. As Home Affairs, we do not listen to social media. However, as Hon. Maboyi, if I send a voice note, the people from my constituency can easily depict my voice, so I think the people from where this audio originated can as well help us identify the source or culprit in that audio. We really want to put that habit of abusing the social media where activists circulate falsehoods on social media. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I think for the benefit of the Minister of Home Affairs, the audio captures the name of Cde Mudha Owen Ncube and Cde…
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order! I think we all know that the question of the social media is one which is topical in this world today. Credibility and the way social media is being manipulated, used to divide nations and used to do all sorts of things, it is not wise, neither is it credible for this House to spend our time disusing social media issues.
Questions without Notice were interrupted by THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order No.62.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I move that time for Questions without Notice be extended by twenty five minutes.
HON. SEN. CHINAKE: I second.
HON. SEN. GUMPO: My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. The road between Harare and Chirundu; road users are very grateful that you have put a unit working on that road especially between Karoi and Makuti. However, because the road has not been resurfaced for over 30 years, I think the base has become so weak that it is very difficult to successfully cover the potholes. So, what can be done in order to accelerate the programme because the rains are near? I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Your question will be inadmissible because it is on a particular issue. Question time without notices are for questions on policy, however, I will allow the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development to respond if he has got the facts with him.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): I want to thank Hon. Sen. Gumpo for that very important question because the Hon. Sen. has touched on a very important road which is our flagship as a nation. That road starts from Beitbridge, Northbound to Harare then Chirundu, vis-a vis Chirundu-Harare-Beitbridge.
As you know Mr. President Sir, we are seized in rehabilitating the stretch between Harare and Beitbridge, not necessarily patching but we are rehabilitating complete reconstruction of the road. I am happy to say as we close here, there will be over 400km of that stretch and the whole stretch is less than a 1000 km from Beitbridge to Chirundu. Mr. President Sir, I am happy that with the advent of the Second Republic, the road has been problematic in the sense that we would bid and not perform but alas, upon the advent of the Second Republic, we have seen an accelerated pace in rehabilitating this road and I want to assure this august House that as we then move with speed on the Harare-Beitbridge as we are doing, we are also gravitating towards the Chirundu Boarder Post and not necessarily the road itself but we are also rehabilitating Chirundu Boarder Post starting 2023, we will be working on the Chirundu Border Post to actually mirror the Beitbridge-Harare Road that you know is at an advantaged stage as we speak.
Mr. President Sir, that stretch, the Hon. Sen. has highlighted, now we are just maintaining it but we have already arranged a team of contractors to start working from Chirundu Border Post, so I want to allay the fears and especially to those from Mashonaland West, to say that road is at the centre of His Excellency the President and is very aware of that stretch. You will see us soon after the rains rehabilitating moving plant and equipment to that stretch as we are also doing along Harare – Beitbridge; so is our gateway to the SADC region. We know very well that is a very important road and that is why I said it is a flagship road. We are seized as a Ministry and I want to ask and seek for indulgence from the people of Zimbabwe to say as we patch the road, that is not the long term, we are going to rehabilitate, reconstruct the road and you will see us commencing the works along that road very soon.
We also hope to finish by mid-next year and we would have completed the Harare-Masvingo Road, then Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge and Harare-Chirundu will be the next road that we will be working on. So, I want to assure this august Senate that we are going to have a complete road network covering Chirundu-Harare and Beitbridge. Also to say for Manicaland, we also come and rehabilitate Forbes Border Post and you will see us rehabilitating Harare and Nyamapanda Road. Just in the near future, we are descending on Harare-Chirundu, to assure the Hon. Senator. I thank you Hon. President.
*HON. SEN. CHINAKE: Thank you Mr. President, my question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. We have problems of papers leaking during examination time, what is Government policy to alleviate the issue of leakage of exam papers? Every year, our children are being disadvantaged, they pretend they are sitting for an exam they do not know whilst they know the papers already.
*THE MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. DR. E. NDLOVU): Thank you Mr. President and Hon. Sen. Chinake. This is very sad indeed. At the moment we are investigating what really happened in that case. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: Thank you Mr. President, my question is directed to the Minister of Transport. What is Government policy on contractors who have inadequate and inefficient equipment but they win tenders to rehabilitate the roads? They can rehabilitate for a few metres and their machinery breaks down and they disappear for weeks, only to resurface with a struggling grader after a few weeks? I would also want to know if there is a monitoring vehicle to quickly resolve such challenges, especially when we look at timeframes and that equipment and tenders that are paid without adequate machinery.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. President. Let me also thank Hon. Sen. Mabika for giving me this platform to articulate issues to do with our procurement procedures. Mr. President, the desire of Government is to make sure that we empower our citizenry. Secondly, one who is given a tender must perform satisfactorily since we are tapping into the fiscus of the nation. I want to assure the august Senate that there is no way we can give a tender and be happy if we have shoddy works. A similar question was also posed in the august House, the National Assembly where we warned contractors that times of getting money from Government are over, especially if you do not do proper work. I am happy to say that the current legislation that we have allays the fears of contractors just being paid without performing.
We only pay when we are happy. We have got what we call Interim Payment Certificates. Those who are into construction or provision of services would know where you can only raise that IPC and be paid after monitoring exercise. So, we have seen mushrooming of bogus companies with the intent of undercutting when they tender but when we ask them to go and perform the work, they have been found wanting. Also, it was my humble plea in the National Assembly and in this august Senate to say let us have punitive measures especially aligning our Procurement Act which will then allow us not just to focus on the pricing modalities. We need to move away from that not focusing mainly on the price because the tendency amongst some of these unscrupulous contractors would tender lowly so that they get the job. When they go out, they will not perform, so this is something that we are working on as a Ministry of Transport to deregister such contractors and we have got a register in each province. They would move from one province to another under-cutting and not performing and this will result in the scenario that has been said by the Hon. Senator. So, I want to thank the Hon. Senator for bringing up that and say we are not paying for shoddy work. Even if you check our books, that time is over.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by the HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order No. 67.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Unfortunately, we have two questions with notice and both the questioner and the Hon. Minister are not present. So all the questions With Notice on the Order Paper are deferred to next week.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SEN. WATSON KHUPE
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the passing on of the late Member of Senate, Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MANYAU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to wind up the motion. I want to thank everyone who expressed the way they worked with the late Hon. Sen. Khupe. It is true he left a gap which will never be filled because he was someone who was easy to work with, a humble man. I want to thank everyone and I move that the House now adopts the motion.
Motion that this House:-
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate representing Disabled Persons, Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe on Saturday, 16th July, 2022;
PLACES on record its appreciation for the services which the late Hon. Senator rendered to Parliament and the Nation at large;
RESOLVES that its profound sympathies be conveyed to the Khupe family, relatives and the entire Nation for the loss of the Hon. Senator, put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 7th Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 25th October, 2022.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS IN MOBILE EQUIPMENT ON MATTERS SPECIFIC TO AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I move the motion standing in my name that:
WHEREAS section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any international treaty which has been concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President does not bind Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament;
WHEREAS the protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment entered into force on 1 March, 2006;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is a party to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment;
WHEREAS Article XXVI (3) of the aforesaid protocol provides that any State which does not sign the protocol may accede to it at any time:
NOW, THEREFORE, in terms of section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Parliament resolves that the aforesaid protocol be and is hereby approved.
Allow me to express my sincere gratitude to this august House for allowing me to move the motion to consider the accession to the Protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment by the Republic of Zimbabwe. Mr. President Sir, my Ministry and the Civil Aviation of Zimbabwe have seen it prudent for the country to go through the process to accede to this protocol so that the country can fully benefit from international agreements relating to aircraft equipment like this one.
Mr. President Sir, Section 327 (20) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any international treaty which has been concluded or executed by the President’s authority does not bind Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament. The protocol before you was signed at Cape Town on 16th November 2001 and entered into force on 1st March 2006. Thus, after the conclusion of the protocol, Zimbabwe is able to accede to it anytime in terms of Article XXV1 (3) or the protocol. Furthermore, Zimbabwe is already a party to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment and the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO), which was signed in Chicago on 7th December 1944.
The protocol addresses the need to adapt the Convention to meet the particular requirements of aircraft finance and it extends the sphere of application to include contracts of sale of aircraft equipment. This protocol sets up a legal framework to facilitate asset-based financing of aircraft by improving predictability as to the enforceability of security, title reservation and leasing rights in aircraft and therefore protecting lenders and lessors and allowing borrowers better access to credit at lower costs. It is intended to protect interests of aircraft vendors and financiers by overcoming disparities in national laws through establishing a legal framework. Mr. President Sir, consequently, this will significantly reduce credit risk and the cost of financing associated with equipment that moves rapidly between jurisdictions, including aircrafts. In light of the above, it is pivotal that Zimbabwe accedes to this international legal framework to fully unlock the benefits of these aviation mechanisms. I so move Mr. President Sir.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I want to thank the Minister of
Transport and if I look at the date this paper was presented, 1st March 2006, many years have passed till now. Thank you for taking this big role, otherwise things were not right. I also want to support this motion because it gives us the opportunity to have access to aircraft equipment that is durable and in good condition. It will also help us as a country to be able to work with other countries doing business and building relations. We also see that the aircraft industry in Zimbabwe has been destroyed or it was receding but right now, the economy of the country is boosting. I do not know but can we resuscitate our routes like Asia and Europe so that the country can have business and development. This Memorandum of Agreement which was done will enable us to have the aircrafts to have spare parts and more lifespan in their operation. To that end, I agree and support you Hon. Minister and plead with this House to approve this cause.
*HON. MHONA: I want to thank Hon. Sen. Komichi for supporting this issue and cause. It is very true that the issue which he has raised is very pertinent because the issue of aircraft and allowing us to work together with other countries is going to help us. Even the aircrafts which we used to look for from others is going to be easy. He also mentioned that sourcing some of the parts which we use on some of our aircrafts is going to be easy. If you look at this Memorandum of Understanding, we are able to borrow aircrafts from other countries whilst we also lend other countries. This will enable the movement of crafts to be easy. I also want to thank this august House and this has been hanging for a long time without any progress in the manner we do business but this has brought some light and we hope to progress well.
Motion put and agreed to.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA), the Senate adjourned at Five Minutes past Four o’clock p.m until Tuesday, 25th October, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 20th October, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, I wish to inform the House by way of a reminder that the Pre-Budget Seminar will take place from Friday, 21st October, 2022 to Monday 24th October, 2022 at the Harare International Conference Centre. Our starting time is 0830 hours.
HON. T. MLISWA: Hon. Speaker Sir, I have a point of order.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, can you be connected.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. First of all, let me apologise for coming late. I was supposed to be in before the Speaker’s procession and I apologise.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Are you also apologising for the rest of the Members who came after the procession?
HON. T. MLISWA: I think they are well represented by their Chief Whips.
THE HON. SPEAKER: They were led by Hon. Hwende, a veteran politician and Member of this House. Next time, you must be here before the Speaker’s procession. Proceed.
HON. T. MLISWA: It is to do with accommodation. Hon. Members are facing difficulties in getting accommodation in the two hotels you spoke about. They are actually being told not to be booked. That is the situation. I know this was cleared but on the ground, it is the other way round. It is not happening as you …
THE HON. SPEAKER: What exactly is the problem?
HON. T. MLISWA: They are not accepting Members of Parliament to check in.
THE HON. SPEAKER: When did this happen?
HON. T. MLISWA: It is actually happening as we speak. Hon. Members came through and this is the problem that they are facing.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I called the Clerk of Parliament mid-morning to enquire whether everything was in order in terms of the bookings for the Hon. Members. His response was, everything was in order. There was a little bit of a problem at the beginning and things have been sorted out.
HON. T. MLISWA: No. We just got this information. We thought things were sorted out but the problem continues. Maybe he needs to intervene again.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Someone is explaining about some block booking.
HON. T. MLISWA: Yes, that is what is stopping Hon. Members from being checked in. Because of the so-called block booking, there are so many reasons that they are giving and we do not know whether it is true or not. If it is some kind of sabotage, we do not know – [HON. MUNENGAMI: Vamwe warikuti tiri kungobhuka one political party.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: One political party? While you are up standing, which political party is being favoured? Anything further than that?
HON. T. MLISWA: No, I think it is just for you to know maybe. The Clerk can also intervene again so that we then have a good start tomorrow.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, the Clerk had a meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development two days ago and the payment processes were cleared and Treasury should have released funds for payment to the respective hotels. There was assurance that everything should be in order. I have called the Clerk. I want to hear what exactly is going on.
Hon. Vice President, I did not see you coming in,my apologies.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA): Mr. Speaker Sir you were facing the other side and you were discussing something.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, this problem of accommodation.
HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: I think it will be sorted out.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. When you hear such a statement not from a Vice President, but from an erstwhile commander, I think the command has gone. Thank you Hon. Vice President. Thank you very much.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Just to announce that today I am the Chief Whip. Having said that, it is important and just that I speak to Section 68 up to section 70 of the Constitution that speaks about the justice delivery system - right to administration of justice, Section 68, right to a fair hearing, section 69 and right of accused person in section 70. Mr. Speaker Sir, would it please the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to have the society or the generality and the electorate of the public to help the justice delivery system in so far as infrastructure development for the same is concerned.
I come from a place that is so small and minute that takes care of criminal charges numbering more than 100 a day and civic cases.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What does the matter relate to?
HON. NDUNA: The matter relates to the justice delivery system in a very minute, small space in Chegutu and in various other spaces. I would want Hon. Speaker Sir, to hear from the Hon. Minister how if at all he would want the electorate to be involved in infrastructure development to expand the place so that there is…
THE HON. SPEAKER: What place?
HON. NDUNA: The court rooms Mr. Speaker Sir, in particular that of Chegutu which deals with about 100 matters per day, of criminal and 50 day civil cases in confined spaces. The electorate wants to help in infrastructure development.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member that is a straight forward question that should have been asked yesterday to the Hon. Minister in terms of national policy.
HON. NDUNA: Would it please him to involve the electorate? The electorate is hungry in wanting to help infrastructural development. They have got their own money but without the authority...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I have ruled that this should have been asked as a straight forward question yesterday during question time and the Hon. Minister, Leader of Government Business was here full time, that question should have been raised yesterday.
HON. NDUNA: And you will indulge me next week?
THE HON. SPEAKER: No, indulgence next week. We are with the budget, after that we have got other national issues.
HON. NDUNA: Appreciated Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Tekeshe, I hope you will not also lead us into question time.
*HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My issue is on the point of order that was raised by Hon. Mliswa on the welfare of Hon. Members.
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Sit down Hon. Tekeshe. I addressed that yesterday.
HON. TEKESHE: You rebuked us but it is you who chairs the Committee and all these other things and there is nothing new you said.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! Can you sit down!
HON. TEKESHE: He said nothing new. We have been putting everything to you but now you are saying Chief Whips are not doing their job.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! Can you sit down!
HON. TEKESHE: I can sit down but my heart will be still standing – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! The matters of welfare are being taken care of and there are only two outstanding issues that remain. Thank you.
(v)HON. MOKONE: Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, 15th October 2022, it was the International Rural Women’s Day and we join the whole world in commemorating this day. Mr. Speaker, it is my wish that we see more women becoming more involved in all societal spheres, be it economic and political, in line with Sustainable Development Goal Number 5 which speaks about gender equality.
When looking at women in politics, I would like to actually bring it to your attention that women have been victimised in politics and we have seen pictures of women wearing their undergarments as far as it is a violation of women’s rights. As I conclude Mr. Speaker, it is my prayer that the Minister of Women’s Affairs come to this august House and address the House on the measures that are being taken to make sure that women participate in politics freely without being victimised because women are now afraid of getting involved in politics.
Again, I would like to also urge the Minister of Women’s Affairs to tell this House on what measures have been taken to assist women who have been victimised so far in politics, especially women in Matabeleland South Province. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much, you are speaking on specific issues. Refer that matter to the Gender Commission if you have got all the details accordingly and the Gender Commission will investigate.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. This is a follow-up from yesterday. As you recall, yesterday I raised the issue of the Hon. Ministers who were not present, who were not on the list of those who had sought leave of absence. You gave a ruling that by the end of day, the Administration of Parliament was going to compile a list of the errand Ministers and that it will be read out to this august House to enable us to move a motion for contempt of Parliament against the errand Ministers. Even the Hon. Vice President and the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs supported us that these Hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers are aware of the Constitutional requirement for them to be present and they can only absent themselves when they have sought leave of absence. I just wanted to make a follow up to find out whether that has been done so that we can proceed accordingly and due process can then follow.
THE HON. SPEAKER: At 1245 hours, I inquired from the Clerk of Parliament and he was cleaning up the list and I am sending someone now to go and collect that list. Thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 2 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 3 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
HEALTH SERVICES AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 8. 2021]
Third Order read: Resumption of Committee: Health Services Amendment Bill [H. B. 8. 2021].
House in Committee:
On Clause 5:
HON. NDUNA: Thank you. I want to touch on the issue of going on industrial action. The essential services cannot go on industrial action. They cannot have a situation where they can have a cake and then eat it. Examples are that of the police, military and the health services. The health service is an essential part of the country we call Zimbabwe. I will give you some little examples in so far as it relates to the labour laws of Zimbabwe which was crafted, debated and passed in this august House. It actually says there is criminalisation to the right to strike in terms of those that offer essential services. Essential services speak to and about Section 76 and when it talks about the Constitution, it is the right to health, right to have care. This is where these people reside in and this is where they are supposed to take care of business. Now, when you want to be ultra vires the law, you change the law and you do not do as you please. It is my thinking however that as long as the issue of the right to health still resides in the Constitution on page 36 of the Constitution, in the Bill of Rights as long as it is still there and it has not been repealed. It is right, tried, just and moral to have those people in the health services being categorised as those that offer essential services. In so doing, it should not be allowed to have an industrial action. Otherwise we are shooting ourselves in the foot.
Madam Chair, as I conclude, I just want to touch on one more issue. Clause 5 says it provides for the pronouncement of the health services as an essential service. This is a delayed action but it is coming as it does to aligning the Acts of Parliament, a plethora of them with the Constitution which is sui generis in a class of its own and which is above all other Acts. According to Section 2 of the Constitution, there is need to repudiate and invalidate all other Acts that are ultra vires the Constitution to the extent to which they are inconsistent with the Constitution.
The other day I said the General Laws Amendment Bill that came in the Eighth Parliament, consequentially amended or aligned about 144 laws to the Constitution albeit this was not aligned to the Constitution and unlike the Kenyan Constitution of 2015, our 2013 Constitution did not give timelines in terms of alignment of the Acts to the Constitution. We should not miss the opportunity to both align the Labour Act with the Health Services Act to the Constitution.
As I conclude, I want to say this is a platform, a pedestal where we should be adhering to Section 117 of the Constitution of making laws for the peace, order and good governance of the people of Zimbabwe. It would not be right for us to abrogate our legislative authority. Parliamentarians and exactly as I do, I stand here to make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the people of Zimbabwe and I say Clause 5 should definitely be aligned to Section 76 of the Constitution in so far as it relates to the issues of essential services. Anything else would be ultra vires and should be repudiated to the extent of its inconsistence.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity and having said that, there is a clinic that we have just finished constructing in Chegutu West Constituency led by Cde. Lameck Nyamarango and we will be requesting the Vice President to come and officially open it. We are going to be having six doctors to mann that institution and none of them will be going on strike and we will be having more than ten nurses to also mann that institution. So, I want to take what is happening to Chegutu to bring it into Parliament so that patsika remberi ndopanotsika reshure, so that we align these Acts to the Constitution. I rest my case.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Madam Chair for giving me this opportunity to have another bite of the cherry. As I indicated when I was on virtual yesterday, there are critical issues which I wanted to bring to the attention of the Hon. Vice President. Before doing so, I would like to respond to some of the issues raised by Hon. Nduna. First and foremost, Madam Chair and the Hon. Vice President and Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, when we are looking at the provisions in this particular clause, we must remain mindful and cognisant of the fact that we went through a pain’s taking process to adopt this Constitution. We had COPAC, Hon. Members of this august House extensively consulting the people of Zimbabwe.
I want to respectfully disagree with Hon. Nduna where he talks about alignment of the Medical Services Bill and the Labour Act to the Constitution in the manner in which he is seeking to portray. I want to point out that he is mistaken because when you look at the provisions in Section 65, it enumerates what the people of Zimbabwe, through their representatives identify it as the essential services and that is restricted to the security services. Those are the ones which are specifically mentioned in the Constitution.
We are talking of your Army, Defence Forces, Police Service, the Intelligent Services and probably Prison Service. Those are the four which were properly identified as constituting essential services and which are actually precluded from enjoying the labour rights which are enshrined in Section 65. Hon. Nduna has made reference to the right of health as a justification for separating the medical services from the other professions. With due respect, that cannot be correct - when we look at the rights enshrined in our Constitution, we also have a right to education. The fact that you have got the right to education does mean that all the teachers are now going to be classified as essential services for the purpose of preventing them from enjoying the labour rights which are enshrined in Section 65.
We also have got environmental rights – are you now going to tell me that the workers who fall under the Ministry of Environment are also going to be precluded from enjoying their labour rights because there are environmental rights in the Constitution? That cannot be so and I therefore wish to point out that the reference by Hon. Nduna to those provisions relating to the right to health is misplaced. It has no relevance and it has no probative value.
I now turn to the specific clause that we are debating. First and foremost, we have got draconian provisions which have been put or which are being sought to be inserted into this particular Act. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- Yes, these are draconian because when you look at the mischief, what is the mischief? It is to try to prevent nurses, doctors, geographers, lab technologists and other members of the health professions from participating in collective job action. Before I go into the draconian penalty provisions, I just wish to point out that Section 65 is wide in its scope and because it is wide in its scope, it is important and imperative for the Hon. Vice President to appreciate that you cannot just take away the right the right to strike. If you go ahead and enact this into law, you are actually preventing members of the medical profession from engaging in a lot of the activities which are set out in Section 65 and I think it is important for me to highlight these specific rights because it says that every worker has got a right and those labour rights include the belonging and forming of trade unions and so forth. I am alive to the fact that the Bill goes ahead to lay out the specific measures which they are going to be allowed to do and not do.
However, as others spoke before me yesterday, what is of grave concern and seriously worrying the people of Zimbabwe, and this is reflected in the reaction during the public hearings that were conducted, I believe that you must not pay lip service to Section 141. When we embark on these public hearings or consultations, we must take heed of the submissions which are made by the people of Zimbabwe. I know the Minister of Justice was waiting for me to elaborate on why I am saying these measures are draconian because when you look at the offence, whether it is inciting, it is not like people are inciting others to commit public violence or something
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON (HON. MAVETERA): Hon. Gonese, I think yesterday you raised the same issues.
HON. GONESE: I never spoke about the draconian provisions yesterday. Go and check in the Hansard.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Order, yesterday you mentioned this issue and that is when the Hon. Minister responded to you. Those issues about having the right to job action, you mentioned about them yesterday. So for us to continue Hon Member, let us get new issues.
HON. GONESE: Yesterday I never spoke about the penalty provisions, you can check in the Hansard. I did not. I was on virtual and I never debated that issue.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: I will guide you so that we speak new issues rather than for us to repeat things.
HON. GONESE: I am saying that the provision of a penalty which talks of a fine of level 10, I never spoke about that yesterday and secondly, in the alternative of three years imprisonment or to such fine and imprisonment. The new issue that I am going to talk about, yesterday the Hon Vice President was saying that we as the Legislature are now trying to be the judge and the jury rolled into one. I want to respectfully point to the Hon. Vice President that firstly, we have got a doctrine of separation of powers. We have got the Executive whose role is to govern. We have got the Legislature whose role is to pass laws and we have got the Judiciary whose role is to interpret the law. As the Legislature, we are entitled to give guidelines and parameters, which is why in all statutes we have got a maximum penalty. All I am doing now is to ask the Hon. Vice President to reduce the penalty provision firstly, from level 10 to level 3; secondly, in the alternative, to a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months.
We must look at the offence which is being talked about. The offence which is being talked about is to incite people when they are going for industrial action. When people are going on industrial action they are trying to enforce their rights. It takes two to tango; we cannot just blame the medical personnel if lives are going to be lost. We must also blame Government which is failing in terms of the provision of the right to health where in the last paragraph it says that the State must take all measures to ensure that there is a progressive realisation of those rights; those progressive members, including the availing of sufficient resources which the State is not doing. So we must not say that we want to prevent medical personnel from going on strike because it will result in loss of life but we must in the same vein and by the same token say that the Executive must actually prevent this from occurring by ensuring that they avail enough money which enable firstly the doctors, nurses and other health personnel to go to work with smiling faces. That can only happen if they are paid handsomely and properly.
The second thing is that Government must avail all the medication which is necessary and for those reasons, I will therefore implore and plead with the Hon Vice President and the Hon Minister of Justice and my colleagues from across the political divide, to ask that this particular provision should actually be reduced in line with the proposal that I have made. I therefore rest my case Madam Chair.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: I also want to contribute to the debate which is before this House, especially on Clause 5. What is crucial in this regard is the rights of members of the Health Services Board to participate in respect to labour issues. The manner in which Clause 5 is crafted regardless of the fact that health personnel are treated like essential services but to curtail their right to industrial action and then limit them with heavy penalties hanging on their heads, is not the best thing that we can do especially in the Second Republic. We need to ensure that the rights of a worker are protected, no matter which profession. If you do a proper analysis you then realise that the rights of nurses and doctors as an employee of the health service profession or an employee of the Republic of Zimbabwe also need to be taken into consideration because failure to do that we will have problems.
I would have liked a situation where the Hon. Vice President would actually relook into this clause and make the necessary adjustment pertaining to the restrictions of rights to strike for health services. The limitations that are being placed by Clause 5 exceed the necessary limit. In fact, the cure of a problem is bigger than the problem itself that it seeks to solve. We should never forget the fact that health personnel are human beings and they have got their rights which are contained within the Constitution of this country. Whatever limitations we come up with should be limitations which have a human face because the people that are running our health system are not robots but are human beings with needs. We need to acknowledge that as a Government, more often than not, will fail to meet certain requirements of the employees. So as employees, they have got a right and we need to make sure that we tinker the manner in which the Hon. Minister had actually put in terms of Clause 5 so that at least we remove some of these restrictions to make it easier. I thank you Madam Chair.
HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you Madam Chair. I just want to ask for clarification on two issues. If you look at 2 (b), where it says no collective job action, whether lawful or unlawful,it shall continue uninterrupted for period of 72 hours. My question is; what would be happening in those 72 hours? I thought by 72 hours, we mean that the Ministry or the authority or the Executive will be also looking into that matter within 72 hours because it says the strike cannot continue for 72 hours. So, it means that the Executive is giving itself a responsibility to deal with that strike within those 72 hours.
Secondly, my other issue is on the issue of organising a strike. As long as we allow people to have representatives, it is the responsibility of those representatives to lead their members. So, criminalising the issue of an executive that is lawful, I do not think it is proper. What we are simply trying to do is to take away the responsibility of anyone organising people for the good of those that they are leading. I am of the opinion that the moment we criminalise people from organising themselves, we are trying to look at them like for example, unoona mazimombe mahombe anemazinyanga achitinhwa nekamwana kadiki. Why, it is because mombe idzodzo hadzisi kubvumidzwa kutidzimboisa misoro pamwe chete dziudzane kuti kamwana karikutitinha aka kadiki, despite the fact that they are being beaten by that young child.
Why can we not allow people to sit, organise themselves and even decide on taking action? It is also the responsibility of the Executive to interact with those groups and listen to them. Listen to the members’ concerns and avert any strike. What we must be concentrating on is averting any form of strike. If it is the issue of the equipment that is required for the doctors to perform their duties in a manner that we are all proud of, then we must listen to them. If it is the nurses, then we must listen to them and say, what are these salaries you are talking about.
If there is an agreement between the Executive and those workers, we will never have a strike. I think what we are doing here is to make sure that even a discerning voice is not heard. It is not always true that the minority is always wrong and the majority is always right. Even the minority must also be listened to. Even those few discerning voices within the health sector must also be listened to. The moment we do that we are building a nation because we are building a consensus amongst ourselves. You will find that as we listen to these voices, even if we are paying them so little and they understand the reasons they are being paid so little, those people will perform and ensure that they afford our people the best services.
The situation where we make sure that there is no strike, there are discerning voices, it does not mean we are going to get the best of what we expect from them. My plea is that if the Hon. Vice President should look at the situation of the 72 hours and say within those 72 hours, it is expected that the issues raised will have been dealt with, it can make sense. Without that, it does not mean anything as far as I am concerned. I thank you.
HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Chair. I just want to buttress and thank colleagues who have spoken before me. As we have ratified several instruments of the International Labour Organisation, including the right to unionise, and the right to stand for office in the labour movement (trade unions); I know the point of punitive action in terms of the 72 hours has been adequately dealt with but also there has to be some kind of agreement between the Government and those who organise for the collective job action to actually give a feedback to the constituents they represent.
My point is on the vanobikatea, magarden boy, they are not an essential service. Can we not pull them out of this pool of workers because they are not part of the essential service, varikungokubikiraitea, varikungotsvaira.If we lump them together with the health workers, in terms of the occupation, I think it will not be fair on them. I actually urge the Minister to take away these workers out of the grouping that we are dealing with so that at least there is a demarcation in terms of these workers. Maboss, maboss, vanobikateandevamweand even salaries are different and their services are different. I thank you.
HON. DR. MURIRE: Thank you Madam Chair. I rise to add my voice on the debate. I note that members of the security services are treated as an essential service that cannot demonstrate and they cannot be part of trade unions. According to what he is saying, doctors and nurses have got injections – [HON. MEMBERS:Inaudible interjections.] – The main reason that I think members of the Security Services are not allowed to demonstrate is because of the importance of security to the nation. In the same thinking and reasoning, the Health Services is a very critical component of our social life. It is a sector that safeguards the lives of people. People are involved in accidents. Yesterday we were told of children who were involved in a bus accident and we lost six of them. May their souls rest in eternal peace. Imagine that accident had happened when doctors had their services withdrawn. It means we would have lost all those lives.
I believe the essence of coming up with a law to regulate the Health Services is to bring order and sanity in the profession and in the sector so as to save lives. If we do not have a law to regulate the sector and leave that sector in a state of …
HON. T. MLISWA: I have a point of order.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Order Hon. Murire. What is your point of order?
HON. T. MLISWA: These are issues which have been discussed. We have been here, tataura zvese. Chief Whips, can you talk to your Members that we cannot keep on repeating issues.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Noted Hon. Mliswa. Hon. Dr. Murire, may you please proceed.
HON. DR. MURIRE: Thank you Madam Chairperson. I agree with Hon. Mliswa that we have been too much on this subject but I also stood because people were debating in an angle that I thought was not making much sense. We need to have a law to protect lives. Those lives can be protected by regulating the manner in which health services can be withdrawn or should be maintained so that we always make sure that if accidents happen, if people get ill, if epidemics occur, there is essential services as opposed to leave the sector unregulated so that all those events take free course. I thank you Madam Chairperson.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN. RTD. DR. CHIWENGA): Madam Chair, I have listened attentively to the issues raised by Hon. Hwende who talked on the mischief of the Bill in trying to stop the right to strike by our professionals. He named them and I do not think it is necessary for me to repeat. Hon. Mushoriwa, also was talking about the right to participate in labour issues by the Health Board, the right of workers to be protected and the right of the professionals. Hon. Madzimure said the Executive must also take note that they should resolve the issues within the 72 hours, which is a quid pro quo situation. They should not criminalise but they listen to the minority. Hon. Mpariwa mainly concentrated on the right of the labour unions.
Hon. Murire was talking on the right to life for every citizen of this country. Having listened to the issues which were raised by Hon. Members here, I want to say when we look at the mother law, which is our Constitution and we look at the Act, what we are trying to do is to align the Act to our Constitution. In the interest of all Zimbabweans, whether they are in the minority or majority, life can never be compared as you are in the majority or in the minority.
I want to say that we are looking still as the situation remains stagnant. I want to repeat to Hon. Members that when we say we are reconstructing, the Second Republic is reconstructing the country, we are talking of all projects which we are doing day in and day out. It is not like it is a joke. We are drilling gas and oil in Muzarabani, we are building the industrial park which is worth $13 billion. This is for the development of Zimbabweans. It is us the three pillars of Government to lead by example - Legislators, Executive and the Judiciary. We cannot discuss issues as we are no longer going to move away from the situation which was there yesterday, two months or four months ago when Hon. Members were doing their consultations. When consultations are done, as an example, I can say the Zimbabwe dollar rose close to ZWL1000 against the US dollar but now it has come down. That is a fact and it will continue to come down – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - [HON. HWENDE: Inaudible interjection.] - No. Hon. Members, you were talking about economic issues which had nothing to do with the issues we are discussing. The issues of the unions have got nothing to do with when we are making up the laws. It is like we are now splitting hairs. I am not very sure what the Honourable who raised the issue of the union, Hon. Mpariwa - we will talk about it. When it comes to deal with the issues to do with labour, then we can raise those issues.
Secondly, in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, there are no ordinary people. Those electricians or those who are floor sweepers are doing that in high dependence intensive care units where it is a matter of life and death. There are no ordinary people in the Ministry of Health and Child Care. Everybody in there is doing work which will make you and me and our citizens out there, whoever gets admitted in a hospital, to survive. So there are no ordinary people. All of them have a role to play.
The issue or the question of money, Hon. Member, is going to be there. We will discuss that one when we assemble our people in Rufaro or in whatever area and we are discussing. That will be the platform to discuss about that. We will not want to discuss about those issues. This is not a political rally. We are making laws for our country. So we want to make progress.
When people commit a crime and in this case it is a crime of life or death, there has to be consequences which must follow. That, we should understand, but having listened to you Madam Chair, I propose that Clause 5 in lines 26 and 27, we make the amendment by the deletion of , ‘level 10 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years or to both such fine and such imprisonment’, and the substitution will read as follows; ‘level four or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or both such fine and such imprisonment.’
HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Chair, there was a submission which was made by Hon. Mpariwa which I think the Hon. Minister scratched the surface. He talks about the issue of cleaners being part of the health system, but if you read the proposal, it says that in terms of disciplinary matters, the people have to be disciplined under the Health Services Regulation of 2006, under SI 117 of 2006. If you read that SI 117 of 2006, people like gardeners and sweepers were not defined within the definition of health personnel and I am just wondering whether there will be a change in that respect because the SI that is being referred to does exclude the people that Hon. Mpariwa was talking about. The nurses, the doctors were included but other non health workers were excluded. So to that extent, we thought maybe there is need for that leeway, that there is a definition of who are the people that are being talked about so that it says nurses, doctors then exclude non health personnel because they have never been part of the system from way back.
HON. HWENDE: I think we are now remaining with just few issues that need to be considered. I agree with Hon. Mushoriwa - let us have a list of the workers that we are referring to. If you see also the trend in the region when they are treating to the right to strike by health services workers, the trend nowadays is to allow the workers’ committee to agree on a minimum service level agreement and once that is in place, it is easy for the law then to apply.
So it ensures that the hospitals, all critical services are covered and those, the type of workers can then be subject to the provisions that we are given.
I want to thank also the Vice President, the Minister of Health and Child Care for agreeing to reduce the term limit, but what we need to look at, we thought it was going to be smarter to criminalise the people that are participating in the illegal strike as defined by the new Act rather than the union because they never call for a strike without consulting the members and in most cases, there is always a resolution and union members themselves vote whether they want or not to participate in a strike. Once that resolution is made, the decision is not for the union leaders, it is for the ordinary workers. So a penalty that affects the union leader who is simply communicating in a representative manner, the person is representing the decision of the workers, we cannot penalise that but rather let us penalise the people that are forbidden from striking and who then go on and strike. Let us compromise, then we will have dealt with the other issue. I can see the Minister is shaking his head. I must state that we are here to make laws; that is our role and if our role was not to make the laws, we would not be here. The Minister must also listen to what we are debating because we are playing a constitutional role. So for the Minister to shake his head whilst Members are debating, I think it is not fair - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Can you protect me? Hatidi vanhu vanongouya kuno uku kuzofadza Vice President nokuti vari pano apa. Endai munofadzana kuma party kwenyu uko. We are here to do serious business ....
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Hwende, can you proceed, have you finished?
HON. HWENDE: I have finished but you must also, in future, protect people that you have given the floor. We have seen that when it is a Member from this side, you do nothing, you are being heckled .....
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Hwende, this is the third time you have said it, it is because you are working on emotions; do not work on emotions, just be factual. Let me be honest with you, I think you have said it a lot of times; when we are sitting on this Chair, we are not partisan, we look at issues when they come.
HON. HWENDE: It is your conduct when treating Members from this side and we have raised it numerous time.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Can you please proceed.
HON. HWENDE: No, you ought to be fair when you are a Chairperson. Thank you.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Members, can you please say new issues so that at least we can conclude. We have really taken a lot of time on this issue since yesterday. If I hear you repeating an issue which has been said before, I will stop you.
HON. CHIKWINYA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Perhaps without necessarily challenging your ruling, but I think if Members who have spoken before are repeating themselves, you can rule them out of order. I have never participated in this debate.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: It was not specific to you, it was a general statement.
HON. CHIKWINYA: Thank you. May I summarise the proposal that we are presenting to Clause 3 of 16 (a) that the intention of the clause is to criminalise a member of the governing board and I simply want to rephrase it for the purposes of the Minister to actually capture the intention of the legislature. Before I even go there, may I bring it to the attention of the Hon. Minister that one of the tests when laws are presented before the courts is the intention of the legislature. What was our intention when we made this law? World-over, there is no intention to criminalise labour activities. When labour matters are being dealt with, they are not being dealt with at an individualist level but at a union level. Therefore, my proposal to Clause 3 is that members of a union, not leaders who would have participated in a strike; the withdrawal of labour which goes against the proceedings as agreed to in Section 2 (b) therefore may face the criminal procedures as said by Hon. Hwende.
Where we are trying to come from is that if we leave it in this state, you have literally killed the whole unionism at a work place. Who would want to become a union leader when he knows that when I am acting on behalf of others, I will remain being criminalised on my own over a union decision? I thought the Minister could either consult his drafters to capture the intention of individuals being collectively responsible for their particular action. The other point is ....
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Chikwinya, the first statement that you make was raised yesterday and it was responded to, you can check with the Hansard.
HON. CHIKWINYA: It seems Madam Chair that there is a union of leadership sitting there ......
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: No, I am the one Chairing, no-one else is assisting me – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. CHIKWINYA: The Minister has made amendments and I am in disagreement with those amendments. Am I not allowed… - [THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFARS (HON. ZIYAMBI) Inaudible interjection] - It does not still capture the liability of the leader. If my intention has been captured, the Minister will simply correct me. The Minister is there but why am I being corrected by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs when the Minister of Health and Child Care is there?
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Can you please proceed.
HON. CHIKWINYA: I want to believe that my point has been taken, if the matter has been captured....
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: We want new issues Hon. Chikwinya, we have spent a lot of time on this clause ...
HON. CHIKWINYA: Hon. Chair, you are reducing this to you and me item. I am about to say if my proposal has been captured and has been agreed to, may the Minister reiterate for capturing purposes because so far he has simply addressed the issue to do with the sentence from level 14 to level 4. I am not hearing the issue of the collective liability of everyone who is being involved in an illegal strike. If that has been captured, you can allow the Minister to come on the floor and repeat what is now on paper.....
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Yesterday, there was the issue of individual liability which was agreed to, not collective.
HON. CHIKWINYA: Madam Chair, may the Hon. Minister read the new clause so that at least we move together.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Can you please go on to the next clause.
HON. CHIKWINYA: My next clause is the issue of disagreeing with criminalisation of labour matters. I totally disagree, I am a lawmaker and I am presenting it here; you cannot say it has been said before. I am representing Mbizo Constituency and the nation at large. I totally disagree with the issue of criminalising labour matters and I put it across to the Minister that he has travelled across the globe .....
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: The problem that I am having with you Hon. Chikwinya is, you are repeating issues and I made a disclaimer before you stood up and I said anyone who is going to repeat issues, I will stop that person. We cannot continue saying the same issues, and I am not being personal but I am just looking at the principle of what we have discussed. We were quite clear that we do not have to repeat issues. Let us have new issues.
HON. CHIKWINYA: Madam Chair, the fact that issues are being repeated means they are of concern from all Hon. Members. Are you saying if people want to reiterate a point to the Minister to change his heart they should keep quiet? Why are we 310 in this House? If it was enough to have one person speak, we were simply going to elect one person.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: The reason is if you want to speak, you most definitely have to tell us and then you speak. Thank you.
HON. CHIKWINYA: I am reiterating a point for the purposes of emphasis and the Ministers may simply come back and say I have heard you but they do not want to change...
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Order Hon. Chikwinya.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Hon. Chair, Hon. Members must avail themselves to the House to debate. If you decide to do your business on a day when a matter is being discussed and then you want us to perpetually debate it as and when you avail yourself to the House, our Standing Orders do not allow us to debate an issue continuously. So the Hon. Member was supposed to be here. We debated about this and the Hon. Vice President responded. He has a lot of work to do. We cannot spend days debating the same issue just because he was not in the House and he did not even bother to read proceedings of what happened. So, I implore you Hon. Chair to ignore and for him to accept that if he wanted to be heard, he was supposed to be present yesterday when we debated about it. Thank you.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Chikwinya, we want new issues.
HON. CHIKWINYA: On a point of clarification Madam Chair. Am I not allowed to emphasise a point in Parliament?
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Thank you. According to Standing Order 111, it says the Chair might direct a member to discontinue his/her speech and resume his/her seat after having called to order such a member for persisting or irrelevant or tedious repetition of his/her argument or those used by other members in debate or for disregarding any ruling observation made. So, I am going to stand on Standing Order 111 (a). Thank you.
HON. CHIKWINYA: So are you saying I must resume my seat?
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: If you have got new issues, you can proceed but if you do not have, please sit down.
HON. CHIKWINYA: I have new issues. My new issue Madam Chair is that when we come to Parliament and we make tedious, tiresome statements in your view as you have stood by, the same statement resonates with the masses of Zimbabwe and they are coming from our constituencies who do not want to be criminalised for labour matters. I want the Hon. Minister to face that here and not in Rufaro Stadium. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: I think with due respect, the issue of non health workers is critically important that they are part of this because we have got mothers and grandmothers who cannot wash themselves. So what happens when they are in hospital and they are not there? There is the aspect of food – who serves the food and who keeps the food? There are aspects of machines being turned on and off and we do not have a health expert, that very same ICU which makes you survive does not need a health worker, it needs a technician. If you now say that they cannot be part of it - in fact, they are the most important. The issue of health and the toilets, somebody goes and messes up the toilets - who will clean them? So we cannot have the spread of diseases while we are there. So, they really have to be a part of this so that it is a total package of health service and without them, then it is not a total package. I totally disagree with my other Hon. Members who believe that they should not be part of this. In fact, it is an essential service. Thank you.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: That is what the Hon. Minister said. He said it and repeated it a lot of times and so, let us go to a new issue.
HON. T. MLISWA: No, you do not understand my point. The point of debating is when another Hon. Member says something which I disagree with. That is the point of debate unless if it is a different language then I can sit. But I am saying I am not agreeable to what my colleagues are saying. Ndinowirirana nokuti ivo vanofanira kunge vari ipapo nekuti vanebasa ravanoita rinokosha. So I think to me my plea to my colleague members is that a lot has been done in terms of Hon. Hwende, Hon. Chidziva and Hon. Gonese. We were here working very hard on this issue. It was supposed to end yesterday and we must at some point, be together for the good governance of this country, move forward and so forth. That is what I would want to appeal to my colleagues that we went through this and I think the Hon. Vice President has shown leadership by conceding to say yes, level 4, six months because three years was a bit too much. I think if we can just pass this and move onto the next, we will do well for the country.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Chairman. I am not debating. I am looking at the provisions of Standing Order 105(1). Question put when debate concluded. I am now raising an objection and I want it to be recorded notwithstanding the concessions made by the Hon. Vice President. It must be put for the decision of the House or the Committee and I just wanted to be proactive. I know what has happened in this august House previously. When the question is put then the Committee has proceeded in a convener manner. My point in rising is just to ensure that this matter is put to the vote because there is a provision that you must now put it for the decision of the Committee because you are in Committee and we need to make a decision. Those who are objecting must be recorded as having objected. That is what I am seeking. Thank you.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON Thank you Hon. Gonese, I was putting forward the question so that we can get a response from that. Thank you.
Question having been put.
HON. GONESE: I call for the division of the House.
[Bells rung.]
[House divided.]
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]
Hon. Members having approached the Chairperson for clarification.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: The question on which the House is divided is that the amendment proposed by the Hon. Vice President stands part of the Bill. The Ayes should stand to my right and the Noes to my left. Those on virtual should indicate YES in support of the amendment or NO in opposing the amendment. Each side should appoint two tellers who will be assisting the Clerks-at-the-Table and IT for tallying purposes. So we are going to start immediately.
Hon. T. Mliswa and Hon. Chikwinya having engaged in a heated debate.
HON. T. MLISWA: Ngayidzokere ku three years because vayiramba ye six months. In fact ngayikwire to 10 years, ngaitokwidzwa to 10 years. Ngaikwidzwe to 10 years. Teach them power, they do not know power. Havazive power ava. They are not strategic – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] - Ngavazive kuti muri kutonga. Handitambe nemi, I propose 10 years, let it go to 10 years. Six months varamba. I propose 10 years, havanzwisisi, havashandiki navo, havatongeke. Three years is too lenient. You are poor on strategy – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] - Ten years (chorus on 10 years) Tava kuda 10 years, ndovanofurira vanhu ava, zvabuda pachena. Ndati ndimi munofurira vanhu.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Order, order! Hon. Members. Hon. Nduna and Hon. Mliswa, would you mind if you do it somewhere so that you cannot be seen up-standing whilst the Hon. Member who has asked for the floor is talking – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] – Order, Hon. Mliswa.
HON. GONESE: I just want to clarify Madam Chair. My apologies; after listening – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Order, order Hon. Mliswa. Let us respect each other. May you allow the Hon. Member to contribute?
HON. GONESE: Madam Chair, with your indulgence, after having listened carefully, I intend to point out that when I heard the injection, I think there was an error in terms of understanding the stage where you were. I want to clarify that my objection was not to the amendment. The amendment is to the effect that the penalty provision from level 10 to level 4 and the alternative term of imprisonment is reduced from three years to six months. That was not my intention to reject the amendment but rather to object the clause.
So I am begging the indulgence of the Chair and the Committee that my objection is not to the amendment but my objection is to the clause, the whole Clause 5. So I should withdraw the objection to the amendment.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Gonese, that was not right. What you did was not right and I think it was not honourable for you to do that. – [HON. GONESE: That is why I have apologised.] – We need to guide each other going forward. When the Hon. Minister stood up and proposed that amendment, I wanted to put the question, then you objected to say you wanted to debate. That is when Hon. Mushoriwa stood up. It is better for us to follow proceedings rather than for us to just argue for the sake of arguing. We need to be quite procedural and we need to be listening to the floor of events so that we go forward. I think you owe an apology to the House. – [HON. GONESE: Yes, I have withdrawn the objection to the amendment and I have apologised to the Committee.] – Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: This exposes the level of incompetence of this Parliament. We were here yesterday, committed to the cause, Hon. Hwende, Hon. Chidziva, Hon. Gonese on Zoom and no one was here. We must respect those who spent time to work and not allow those who believe they must come the last minute and spoil the party. This is a waste of taxpayers’ money first of all. The opposition must go to the Herbert Chitepo Ideological College. They need to be enrolled at the Herbet Chitepo Ideological College. They have no ideology, they were never part of this country and they are here to waste the country’s time. When you had an ideology we were working together in good faith. Hon. Gonese is a seasoned lawyer and a seasoned Member of this august House and as a result, he cannot stand here to move and withdraw the motion wasting tax payers’ money. I object to his withdrawal because it is not in good faith. They want to create unnecessary headlines. May the due process of the Parliament proceed with the voting? We have already voted, you called for a vote so let us do it. His withdrawal is unfaithful; it is not genuine because he will come back again with another withdrawal. So may we continue with the vote? I thank you.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. The procedure is that when a person proposes and if he then withdraws, I think that is in order. The second issue on the Chitepo School of Ideology, I will report to the Hon. Speaker so that he can enact that they can all go to the Chitepo School of Ideology. Thank you very much.
Amendment to Clause 5, put and agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, put and an objection having been made.
HON. MUSHORIWA: That one we oppose as a matter of principle.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON: So, if you object, it is my humble prayer Hon. Members that we are not going to ring the bell again and be in the same circumstance that we had just now. As far as we are concerned, if we are going to ring the bells again and we go through the same process, I think I am not going to take any objections because truly speaking, we cannot be wasting people’s time.
Hon. Mushoriwa, I am directing that the bells be rung and I do not expect any other objection that is going to come through. We will do the same procedure as we did before. I thank you.
[Bells rung.]
House divided.
AYES 40: Hon. Chibagu G, Hon. Chikwama B, Hon. Chombo M, Hon. Dzepasi G, Hon. Gandawa M.A, Hon. Gorerino O, Hon. Kapuya F, Hon. Karumazondo M.T, Hon. Khumalo M, Hon. Khumalo S.S, Hon. Madhuku J, Hon. Madiwa C, Hon. Makari Z.G, Hon. Masango C.P, Hon. Masenda N.T, Hon. Masuku E, Hon. Masvisvi D, Hon. Mayihlome L, Hon. T. Mliswa T.P, Hon. Mpame C, Hon. Mudarikwa S, Hon. Dr. Murire J, Hon. Musakwa E, Hon. Mutambisi C, Hon. Ncube S, Hon. Ndiweni D, Hon. Nduna D, Hon. Nguluvhe A, Hon. Nhambo F, Hon. Nyabani T, Hon. Nyabote R, Hon. Nyere C, Hon. Raidza M, Hon. Saizi T, Hon. Seremwe B, Hon. Shamu W, Hon. Sibanda M, Hon. Tshuma S, Hon. Zhou P, Hon. Ziyambi Z.
Tellers: Hon. Nduna and Hon. Kapuya
NOES 26: Hon. Banda S, Hon. Biti L.T, Hon. Chidziva H, Hon. Chikwinya S, Hon. Gabbuza G, Hon. Gonese I.T, Hon. Hwende C, Hon. Machingauta C, Hon. Madzimure W, Hon. Mamombe J, Hon. Maphosa L, Hon. Matewu C, Hon. Mbondiah M, Hon. Mokone S, Hon. Moyo C, Hon. Mukapiko D.L, Hon. Musarurwa W.I, Hon. Mushoriwa E, Hon. Mutseyami C.P, Hon. Nyokanhete J, Hon. Nyoni I, Hon. Saruwaka T, Hon. Sibanda L, Hon. Tekeshe D, Hon. Tobaiwa J, Hon. Watson M.J.
Tellers: Hon. Mutseyami and Hon. Tobaiwa.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Order, I have 40 Ayes and 26 Noes. Therefore, the question is accordingly adopted.
Amendment to Clause 5 put and agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 6 to 9 and Schedule, put and agreed to.
Schedule put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Bill reported with amendments.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI), the House adjourned at Eight Minutes to Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 1st November, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 19th October, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have received the following apologies from Hon. Ministers:
Hon. O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs;
Hon. Prof. P. Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare;
Hon. Sen. M. Mutsvangwa, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services;
Hon. M. N. Ndlovu, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry;
Hon. Amb. Dr. F.M. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade;
Hon. Dr. A.J. Masuka, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement;
Hon. E. Moyo, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education;
Hon. Z. Soda, Minister of Energy and Power Development; and
Hon. Prof. A. Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development.
However, the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care said he should be here at 4 o’clock. Hon. Leader of Government Business, is there any explanation of other Ministers who are not here?
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Hon. Speaker. I think for the benefit of others, it would be proper for Hon. Ziyambi to explain your question to us Members why the Ministers are not here. I think it would be proper for Hon. Ziyambi to explain to us Members why the Ministers are not here when you asked the question. It is us who should know why they are not here. You are well informed that he is the Leader of Government Business and he should respond to that.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker, I know the Ministers who have travelled and have commitments. Hon. July Moyo has travelled outside the country.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Minister, you are not connected.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I know some who are out on duty. Hon. July Moyo is not around, Hon. Masuka travelled, Hon. Murwira also travelled, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa travelled also, Hon. Muchinguri-Kashiri has commitments. She sent her apology, otherwise she would have been here. I am not very sure about the Deputy Ministers, why they are not here. I cannot speak for them. I hope the others will come. I am not sure why they are late but the message is very clear that we should be attending Parliament sessions and be able to discharge our constitutional duty to be in Parliament on Wednesdays to answer questions. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I am indebted to the Hon. Leader of the House and the Leader of Government Business and also the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs for his attempt to explain the absence of the other Hon. Ministers. However Mr. Speaker, in terms of our Standing Orders, it is my submission that for those Hon. Ministers who are away on duty, as the Hon. Minister has indicated - they are Government officials, they are Ministry officials and I believe that if they take their responsibilities seriously, they would have endeavoured to send their applications of leave of absence to your office. Over and above that Mr. Speaker Sir, we have other Ministers for whom the Hon. Leader of Government Business cannot explain as well as Deputy Ministers.
Mr. Speaker Sir, for those who come late, that is a different story, but for those who will not come at all, it means that they have shown disdain and contempt for this institution and my humble request is that by the end of today, with the administration of Parliament, I believe that there should be a follow up so that those who would not have been able to come, who have not given an explanation, who have not sought leave of absence, that a motion of censure be put forward and it can only be done if we have those details at the end of the day. I think it is about time Mr. Speaker. It is something which we have been talking about over and over again. Those would be my submissions Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Gonese for your accommodating observation. We will wait until towards the end of business and then the Clerk with his officials will then come up with a list which we can use to charge for contempt of Parliament because I have written to His Excellency more than once. Once I write, Hon. Ministers troop in. After two sessions they disappear and then they are reminded.
I am aware that they are reminded in Cabinet through the Leader of Government Business and they have not taken Parliamentary business seriously in terms of section 107 (2) of the Constitution. So we will have to move accordingly and charge those that will not appear in contempt of Parliament in terms of our Standing Orders.
(v)HON. NDUNA: Yes, Hon. Speaker Sir. I have noted we have forgotten to announce notices of motion.
THE HON. SPEAKER: We did. Do you have a notice of motion?
(v)HON. NDUNA: I do not have but just procedurally Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. MUNETSI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Proceed, the Leader of Government Business is here. I am afraid he is going to be burdened.
HON. MUNETSI: We discovered there are some inputs that are at GMB depots but there is no fuel to ferry the inputs to intended destinations.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Do you have a phone near you there that is on?
HON. MUNETSI: I am using this.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The other one, switch it off.
HON. MUNETSI: It is off. My question is; when are you going to avail fuel at GMB depots to ferry inputs to intended destinations?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker, the bit that I can confirm is that the…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you please unmute.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question and what I can confirm is that the distribution of inputs has started but the Hon. Member is asking a specific question on the availability of fuel at a particular depot. That question is very specific and if he can direct it to the officials within the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. They will ensure that fuel is availed to that particular depot so that the inputs that were delivered to that particular depot can be distributed. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member if your question has got specific elements, it invites that you put it in writing. Thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is a carry-over from yesterday pertaining to the Ministry of Health and Child Care. What is the Ministry of Health’s policy on paying suppliers who are reporting that they are more than six months behind on receiving payments for what they have supplied to the Ministry of Health, bearing in mind we already had an answer from the Ministry of Finance stating that they have paid everything that the Ministry of Health has asked for. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister of Health indicated that he will be here by 1600 hours, you can hold on to that question.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. MUSAKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. What is the policy position on contractors who have been given major jobs to resurface and tar serious Government projects such as the Makuvaza-Mashoko-Nandi Road? They have demonstrated total lack of capacity and probably continue receiving payments from Government and they do not have even the equipment to do the job. What is the policy position because the public literally gets confused by seeing people wasting national resources?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir and let me also thank Hon. Musakwa for that very important question. I need to highlight the terms of the procurement process. The Hon. Member has raised a very important point which is quite pertinent in terms of performance by contractors. We promised as a Ministry in this august House that we will not tolerate shoddy work by contractors. Apparently, the current framework of the procurement work does state for the lowest bidder to the extent that we then focus on pricing model. At times we find some who would mislead in order to win the tender. This has been happening Mr. Speaker. I once also raised this point to say we need to revisit our pieces of legislation so that we punish those who would then wasted the time of Government.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy that the Hon. Member has cited a particular road, especially from his constituency. As a Ministry, we are seized with such a number of contractors. At this juncture, we detain and terminate the contracts in the event that you do not perform. As we speak, I am happy to advise Hon. Members that if the contractor was paid, we will not allow the contractor to continue receiving any further payment. I am sure the contractor is now failing to perform because he is not getting the funds that he was anticipating. It is not like Government is continuing to pay whilst the contractor is not performing. Since he has mentioned a particular road, I am also willing to engage bilaterally the Hon. Member so that we work closely with our provincial road engineer and in this particular case Masvingo, so that we go and advise accordingly on that particular stretch of the road.
I want to assure the august House that the time to continue paying shoddy work is no longer there. I want to also assure the august House that as we carry out the work, Hon. Members should be vigilant like what Hon. Musakwa did, so that we take to account those contractors who are not performing. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*HON. MLAMBO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. What are you going to do to companies leaving construction equipment on the roads, some of them for three months? That equipment ends up causing accidents yet they will be lying idle, not being used at all. I am referring to a road from Chipinge to Mt. Selinda.
*HON. MHONA: I want to thank Hon. Mlambo for that pertinent question. It goes back to the same issue; there are some people who come and show Government that they have the capacity to work on the roads when they do not. I am glad that he referred to a road in Chipinge where he comes from. In fact, I am aware of that road and I also want to assure him that those are some of the companies that have misled Government that they have the capacity yet they lead to that disaster that the Hon. Member is talking about. It is not Government policy that when a contractor is awarded a tender to do a job, the contractor goes and sits there; they are supposed to go and work.
Mr. Speaker, we now know these bogus contractors that come and mislead Government. We now have that information and such companies will be blacklisted and not awarded tenders. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, who does the due diligence because we keep hearing these stories. Which department is responsible for ensuring that this company has the reputation of making good roads and they must be given that, not only that but they should go and see the roads that they have done? I know you are a very competent Minister - unless this was happening before your time, why do you not review the current contracts and also do a due diligence on the companies?
There is also the aspect of payment, are you paying these contractors on time? If you go through the Harare-Beitbridge Road, the company that made that road stopped. It downed tools because they say they were not paid. The Mandamabwe Road, again they also say the contractors were not paid – so why do we contract companies, we do not pay them and they down tools? Is it a question of them not being paid and again the due diligence? I would want the Hon. Minister to respond to these issues Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MHONA: Let me also thank the esteemed Hon. T. Mliswa for the very important question that he has raised. The issues to do with procurement, I am happy that we are guided and we know that we have got PRAZ. Whatever we do, whether it is from the Ministry of Transport or any other Ministry, it goes through PRAZ and there is also the SPOC which does an oversight of all those contracts. I am happy in terms of the procurement, soon after flighting a tender, we then partake into the procurement processes and the due diligence that the Hon. Member has asked, this is the time when they are interrogating the contracts. They are supposed to make sure the issues to do with due diligence are addressed.
However, like what I have alluded to earlier on, the fact that they will not be focusing mainly on the pricing modalities, you find that one might be qualifying but when it comes to the lower price, for you to award the tender to someone who is pricing higher than the lower bidder, it will also be against the procurement regulations which is what I kindly ask Hon. Speaker to revisit and say it is not only the pricing modalities. One might tender with a lower price but without capacity.
I am happy that as we go onto the ground, we then see the elements, the signs of fatigue of that particular contract and that is when we then come in with the Department of Roads since we superintend over road authorities to say this contractor is struggling. However, because we have entered into a contractual obligation, there are also terms to exit that certain contract. We determine, give the right to the contract and the contractor also have to respond and justify why he/she is not up to scratch in terms of performance. So this is the process.
As the Hon. Member has indicated, the issues to do with payments, others would say we have capacity but when we ask them to go and perform, they will start demanding advance payment which is also problematic. The fact that you give someone advance payment, if he does not go to work, we also have another problem. We were looking for contractors who have got capacity and I am happy with the fact that as we engage our local contractors, we now know most of those that can perform and those that do not perform.
The Hon. Member has raised again a very important road which is Harare/Beitbridge. I am happy that the issues to do with payment to Government, the issues to do with pricing model where a number of contractors were not paid because others were overcharging, not relating to the contractors doing roads, I am just saying in general, the issues to do with Government payments, and others were not being bonafide players in the industry.
I am happy that we have done our revaluation. We have resubmitted to Ministry of Finance and payments have been coming slowly and we are happy that the road as we speak, there is no contractor who is not back on his particular section when it comes to Harare/Beitbridge. So as we speak, they are busy working on that particular road. I want to assure the august House that our target come next year would have been done by that particular stretch and we will be focusing mainly on Harare/Chirundu Road.
This is something that we are working on and also other players in the construction industry, payments are coming but there was no way we could continue just paying because we needed justification to those who were hedging. Unfortunately, where payments were coming, may be six months later, any business player would want to hedge, but alas! Now we want to get value for our programmes and this is particularly what is happening with Government to say you need to be paid for the actual value of the work that has been rendered. Thank you.
HON. HWENDE: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker. I would want to suggest that the Minister of Transport, if they can prepare a report on all the major roads because if you have listened...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Ask your supplementary question.
HON. HWENDE: What I am going to supplement, is also that you have seen a lot of MPs...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Please do not confuse the process, ask your question Hon. Hwende.
(v)HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Would it please the Minister to change the law in so far as it relates to the time for payment of indigenous black contractors who are doing business? My question calls for a holistic approach to that. Thank you.
HON. MHONA: Hon Nduna has asked a question which calls for a holistic approach and he was talking about the Minister changing the law which I then have to pose again to this very august House that the Minister does not change the law. If we would want as the august House and agree, we then agree since we make laws as legislators. He was saying we need to shorten the period.
From the Ministry, if we request through the Budget, it is ideal to any Ministry to then get the funding. There is no way we would come here and ask for bids, get given the money and not perform. We know that everything goes to Treasury and the owners of the purse are the legislators, the august House. As we then take charge of the purse, you can make sure that ministries have adequate funding and you need to take the ministries to account for what you have allocated to them and disbursed. This is what we have that if we have got the funding, we will pay. Surely this is the issue that we are seized with to say as a Ministry, we want to pay our contractors on time - that is Government policy.
(v)HON. MAGO: May the Minister explain to me what the policy says on payment of NSSA pension benefits.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): The question pertains to the procedure and the processes that NSSA is doing to disburse pension funds. I suggest if she can put that question in writing so that the Minister would then come and explain the procedure of how they are doing it. I do not think it is a policy issue. It is a question of the procedures that they are doing and when they are supposed to be effecting the pension funds. I thank you.
HON. CHIKOMBO: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs and in his absence, I will direct the question to the Leader of Government of Business. Recently, we have realised the upsurge of politically motivated violence which started in Mbare and it is now across the country in Matobo. What is Government policy in assuaging the political violence that is taking place across the country?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): The policy of Government is that we have zero tolerance to violence. His Excellency at each and every gathering emphasises that point. The spokesperson of the police recently also emphasised that particular point that we should not have violence. What we have noticed is that when certain events are about to happen, certain individuals would then fan this violence and dump it on a particular section of our society. The general message that has been portrayed and the President has been very clear that as we approach the elections, let us ensure that we are humane and we do not fan violence. The police are doing the same. In fact the police indicated that they will apply the law without fear or favour.
The call is that all of us as Zimbabweans must heed that call and ensure that we do not employ tactics of playing victim when we have started violence.
HON. CHIKOMBO: My question is - what have you done as Government to make sure that you bring those perpetrators of violence to book because what happened last weekend in Matobo is reminiscent of Gukurahundi where women were subjected to torture and there is banditry and insurgence that is taking place in this country? Is it just an issue of talking through ZTV and other platforms or it is about walking the talk? The issue of violence is rearing its ugly face across and we cannot fold our hands and stand akimbo when such an increase continues unabated. What have you done as of now to make sure that you bring those culprits to book? I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: The Hon Member is excitable and he believes in abusing the word ‘Gukurahundi’ in areas where things are not related – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]. He must withdraw the word ‘Gukurahundi’.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir, if I can have your indulgence. My point of order is that when the Hon Minister who is the Leader of Government Business is responding - I think we must be sensitive. We are dealing with a very critical issue and when certain things have happened, I do not believe that it is appropriate to refer to the Hon Member as being ‘excitable’ and when the Leader of Government Business is responding and he is making insinuations…
THE HON. SPEAKER: What are you saying Hon. Gonese?
HON. GONESE: I am talking of the language used by the Hon. Minister of Justice. The Hon. Minister of Justice, in responding, indicated that Hon. Chikombo was excitable. This is why I am making this point of order. That language is not appropriate. So my submission is that the Hon. Minister of Justice must be brought to order in terms of the language; in terms of the sensitivity. When we are looking at a situation where – he might not be privy to the images which Hon. Members on the left have seen, I have seen pictures of Hon. Toffa. I have seen pictures – yes, it is important Mr. Speaker Sir.
When responding, the Hon. Minister should be sensitive. The point I wish to emphasise is that when the Hon. Minister of Justice is responding, he must also appreciate that we are dealing with a very sensitive subject. He may not be aware of some of the information. As a result, he should not be dismissive because his first response was of a dismissive nature, that people are now playing victim when they would have been aggressors.
When Hon. Chikombo raised a supplementary question, he was emphasising a point based on the information that he is privy to. At the end of the day, I believe that it is not appropriate for an Hon. Minister of this Government to actually refer to him as being excitable. Reference to Gukurahundi emanates due to the fact that when Gukurahundi occurred, you are very aware that initially it was just dismissed. Later on, our late President acknowledged that mistakes had been made. I want to say, in the case of Mark Chavunduka and Ray Choto, we had a situation where the late Hon. Minister Moven Mahachi said that the two had scratched themselves when there was clear evidence that they had been tortured at the hands of officers in the army.
I believe in those circumstances, it is not proper if the police are being accused of being partisan, but it is because so many cases have been reported and no action has been taken.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You are now debating.
HON. GONESE: I know. This is the way I believe that the Hon. Minister of Justice should be asked to withdraw, particularly the word ‘excitable’. I do not think it is appropriate. I do not think it is proper and I think he is being dismissive of a situation where an Hon. Member of this august House, Hon. Jasmine Toffa has been subjected to beatings. I have seen the pictures. They have been circulated. She is in hospital as we speak. This is something which is very serious Hon. Speaker Sir.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. There is a tendency among some Hon. Members to speak more than the bereaved. Each time some Hon. Members stand up, they try as much as possible to smuggle in issues of Gukurahundi, which the President is addressing. Everything that happens in Matabeleland, whether political or not political, they want to bring in issues of Gukurahundi, which they know themselves they do not know how to solve.
I believe it is inappropriate to use this Parliament to bring in issues of Gukurahundi which the President is addressing. I have never seen any one of them acknowledging the good work that the President is doing to ensure that it goes to closure. So, the reason why I said he is very excitable about the word Gukurahundi, not about what he said is because each time he stands up, he tries as much as possible to smuggle in the word Gukurahundi. They should have acknowledged that the President is doing a lot to ensure that we remain a unitary State, but each time they try as much as possible to do that. That was the point that I was making Mr. Speaker Sir. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Members.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker Sir. The decorum is critical for this Parliament to be respected. The Hon. Minister used the word ‘excitable’ and Hon. Gonese’s call was - can he withdraw. Fire to fire does not help when issues are brought up, which he said were not relevant. He does not mean that he has the ammunition to now go ahead and attack. We must respect this – he must behave appropriately. The word ‘excitable’ was not good, and to also talk about us crying more than the bereaved. This is an Hon. Member of Parliament we are talking about, who was beaten up and prior to the prayer from the Hon. Member was that it be investigated thoroughly. We cannot have us as MPs being beaten up despite which side. It hurts us. We represent people. When we are here you must know we represent people. There is never a day I have asked why Mliswa has been arrested. No. Why is the law not taking its course in a fair and just manner?
*HON. MACHINGAUTA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Do not abuse the points of order. I thought Hon. Mliswa had wrapped it up.
*HON. MACHINGAUTA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of order is important Mr. Speaker Sir. On 29th September 2022, in this august House, I raised an issue with regards to politically motivated violence and requested the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Kazembe Kazembe to bring a Ministerial Statement into this august House to inform about the roadmap towards free and fair elections touching Sections 155 to 157 of the Constitution, Section 66 of the Constitution which speaks to the same as well as 67 of the Constitution that address that issue. I also asked him to look at Section 219 that addresses the conduct of the police services as they transform from police force to police services. We have realised that there are now issues coming up where there are reports of politically motivated violence. We want peace in this country. I hereby request Hon. Minister Kazembe Kazembe to bring that Ministerial Statement. Hon. Prince Dubeko Sibanda also requested that the Chief Whip must inform the Hon. Minister to bring that statement. We were told that it was the role of the Parliament Administration to inform the Minister to come and respond to that. So I hereby request that that statement be speedily brought to this House so that we address the issue of peace before elections so that there will not be any disputes. I thank you.
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Were you answered with regards to your request?
*HON. MACHINGAUTA: Nothing came up but the cases of violence are increasing. That is why I am now requesting that the statement be brought to this august House as a matter of urgency so that the issue is attended to.
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. Your request will be taken up to the Hon. Minister and that will wrap up some of the issues that may come up. Thank you very much.
(v)HON. MUCHIMWE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question goes to the Minister of Transport. Having been informed that the funds for servicing the Marange Road were allocated, may I know the problem that is causing the work not to be done?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Muchimwe, that is a specific question – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hon. Chikombo and Hon. Hwende, can I be heard in silence please. Hon. Muchimwe, the question you are asking has been covered already by the Hon. Minister.
(v)+HON. E. MASUKU: [Technical glitch.]
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Masuku, your line is bad. Your connectivity is poor. Can I have Hon. Chidhakwa?
HON. CHIDAKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am directing my question to the Deputy Minister of Finance. It has become expensive to transfer and withdraw money from banks and other money transfer systems or agencies. What is Government policy position on tax exemption for the poor and vulnerable population such as pensioners and those living with disabilities? Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is the issue about the people you have mentioned?
HON. CHIDAKWA: It is on the exemption Mr. Speaker Sir. The charges are too high.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The tax exemption?
HON. CHIDAKWA: Yes Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question which is specifically asking about the high bank charges. I think this is an issue that we have been talking about in this Parliament. The bank charges that are being levied by our financial institutions are very high. Even if we look at the performance of our banks, above 84% of their profits comes from bank charges and we have engaged the banks and BAZ, and the major reason that they have given us is that most of their solutions are imported.
We have implored on BAZ to say let us try to ensure that the solutions that we use in Zimbabwe are local solutions. At the moment we cannot direct them to reduce the bank charges but what we are saying is collectively as BAZ, they need to re-look at their charges so that they are in-line with the market and they need to make sure that they are competitive and seek for local solutions, especially for the software they are importing.
HON. BITI: I have a supplementary question for the esteemed Deputy Minister of Finance. Bank charges are too high and the fact that even on his admission, banks are making profits from bank charges, seventy nine percent of bank profit is coming from bank charges when the business of banks is selling money and therefore making money from interests. Surely, the Ministry of Finance must regulate or cap bank charges. Equally, the interest rate of 200% is too high. Most people in this august House are farmers and business people. You cannot borrow money at 200%. The interest rate of 200% is choking business.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you please ask your supplementary question?
HON. BITI: The interest rate of 200% is unprecedented in the history of economics. The Government must lower the rates of interest to allow business to have oxygen. High interest rates of 200% are driving this economy into a recession because business is of borrowing. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, you did not ask your supplementary question.
HON. BITI: My supplementary question is, can the Government cap bank charges? Can the Government lower the punitive rate of interest of 200% which is leading businesses to collapse because the oxygen of business is working capital derived and obtained from commercial banks?
HON. CHIDUWA: I think what Hon. Biti mentioned to say the interest rates are very high and it has never been seen in our history. I think what we have done as a Government is, we just applied basic economics. This is basic economics because the interest rate is supposed to follow the inflation rate. At the end of the day, what investors want is to ensure that they will get a positive return. As the inflation rate moves, the interest will also move in tandem but for this peculiar case in Zimbabwe, what we wanted was to nip the speculative bubble that was there. People were borrowing money in order to participate in the parallel market and there was no production which was happening. In the case of production, what we have done as a Government is, for those who are borrowing for speculation we will apply the 200% interest rate but for those who are into production we are using 100%. So, I think this is in order and is basic economics.
HON. GONESE: The original question’s import was whether the Government had a policy relating to vulnerable groups and in particular those with disabilities; the elderly were mentioned. I would also add those people who have chronic illnesses and so on, pensioners. My supplementary question is whether Government has considered having a moratorium for those specific groups who are disadvantaged and vulnerable because his response was just general. The question was whether he can come up with a position of Government.
HON. CHIDUWA: On pensioners, I think they are exempt from IMTT and on the bank charges; the issue that is being asked is whether we should come up with a moratorium. I think this is something that we can consider but at the moment we do not have such a policy.
HON. TEKESHE: I just want to know from the Minister, we are talking of interest rates which are very high but banking is about interests. We are supposed to be getting interests when we bank our money but at the moment you bank your money and it is all eroded by bank charges. Why are we not getting any interests from the money we are investing in the banks?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I thought Hon. Gonese had brought us back to the relevance. It is a question of the pensioners – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Can I hear Hon. Chinyanganya, what were you saying? I had closed supplementary questions.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: You have ruled him out, so it follows that there is supposed to be another one.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, you have not spoken. Hon. Mliswa is speaking a lot.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker for indulging me. My supplementary question is, the Hon. Minister was only responding on the issue of bank charges but there is the mandatory Government aspect of taxes; the 4% and 2% tax charges on transfers. He never talked about those. What is...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, we were talking about the pensioners and other vulnerable groups. Do not go into another field please. Stick to the original question.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Hon. Speaker, can you give me the chance to ask my question. I am saying they are also affected by those Government mandatory taxes on money transfers. So, what is Government doing to assist those vulnerable groups not to be charged IMTT?
HON. CHIDUWA: On the issue of IMTT, I think I had responded to that.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The question is; can the pensioners be exempted from that tax?
HON. CHIDUWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I think these are issues that have been asked, whether there can be a moratorium on that and I said those are issues we can look at and deliberate further on.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of clarity Mr. Speaker Sir. The Hon. Deputy Minister said inflation is high and because of that, the banks have increased the interest rates but the salaries that people are getting are not high. So, how then can interest be high when the people’s salaries have not been increased according to inflation? If inflation is high, the people’s salaries must be increased so that the bank interest is high. I want clarity on that from an economic point of view. How does it work?
THE HON. SPEAKER: That point of clarification does not arise because it does not relate to the pensioners.
Hon. Members, I want to remind you that we have not forgotten the issue of attendance by the Hon. Ministers. At the close of the session, we will do a wrap up of those Members who have not come and then on Thursday, a motion shall be moved accordingly in terms of Sections 27 and 67 of the Standing Orders as read together with Section 107 (2) of the Constitution. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: I have been waiting and it so seems that my name is not on the list again.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Order Hon. Nduna, you were called and you did not respond. So, it is not like your name was not called. You were not available at that time.
*HON. CHAMISA: My question is directed to the leader of the House in the absence of the Minister of Home Affairs. What is the reaction time of the police in case of violence? How much time should they take spraying teargas in a residential area where there are pregnant women and young children? What is Government policy regarding that issue? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you for the pertinent question Hon. Chamisa. The response is that our police follow laws and apply reasonable force to maintain peace and order. They do not use excessive force which harms people, so I cannot say it is a minute, hour or five hours. It depends on the extent of violence and the situation on the ground determines the response, which does not injure people but which stops violence. So we cannot limit that to a specific period of time as it depends on the situation on the ground.
*HON. CHAMISA: My question was that after violence, how much time does it take the police to stop tear-gassing people resulting in accidents. Right now you find people in a stampede. Some people will just be selling their wares but the police are now perpetuating a stampede and violence. We are not violent people in Zimbabwe but we have pregnant women and children who live in that congested area. I am talking about the post violence era, how much time does it take for calmness to prevail? I thank you.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: I would like to thank Hon. Chamisa for his supplementary question which speaks to a specific event and those who are directly in charge of that can respond to a written question. So, I urge the Hon. Member to put it in writing. I was talking about policy issues but this is a specific issue which can only be responded to by those dealing with the issue. I thank you.
HON. CHAMISA: My question was, what does the law say?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: That is what the Minister responded to. Unfortunately, you were very specific but the policy issue has been addressed.
*HON. P. MOYO: My question is directed to the Minister of Transport. What is government policy regarding tollgates? It has been a number of years before tollgates have been constructed. Government said that this is being worked on. So, I want a response on the purpose regarding tollgates.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question. Those who know the tollgates we have, we have two different types of tollgates. Longer roads, the Mutare to Plumtree Highway - there are nine tollgates. Then we also have other tollgates in other parts of the country which are twenty-two altogether. Government policy is that we want them to be uniform so that they are similar to the Plumtree to Mutare Highway. This means that the question which was posed by the Hon. Member indeed is true in that it is specific and those who are directly in-charge of that to a written question. So may the Hon. Member put his question in writing? I was talking about policy issues but this is quite specific, on a specific event. It requires those who are dealing with the issue. I thank you. – [*HON. CHIKOMBO: My question was on policy!] –
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): That was the Minister’s response Hon. Member. He explained that unfortunately, you were very specific but that has been addressed. I thank you. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order, order Hon. Members!
(V)*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: Thank Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. Hon. Minister, what is Government policy regarding tollgates?
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: What exactly about tollgates Hon. P. Moyo?
(V)*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: It has been a number of years before tollgates were constructed and Government said that this is being worked on. We want a response on the progress regarding construction of tollgates.
*THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. I would like to thank the Hon. Moyo who asked about tollgates which means that she is one of those who know the tollgates we have. We have two different types of tollgates along the Mutare to Plumtree highways amounting to nine. Then we also have other tollgates in other parts of the country that are 32 in total.
Government policy is that we want uniform tollgates; we want them to be uniform so that they are similar to the Plumtree to Mutare highway. This means that the question that was posed by the Hon. Member is indeed true. When we sit down to deliberate on the annual national budget, then we need to have a budget for our tollgates. Let me promise that the new tollgates that we are constructing are they new type called plaza tollgates. Hon. Moyo, this is the type of tollgates that we are going to build, the model is called, plaza. The current tollgates are in disrepair and not in good condition. We are going to eliminate them one by one as we replace them with the plaza tollgates. I thank you.
(V)*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: My supplementary question to the Hon. Minister is, since he mentioned that the tollgates are being fixed, may the Hon. Minister give us a specific timeframe as to when these tollgates are going to be constructed? I thank you.
*HON. MHONA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. As I am speaking, we are currently working on designing our tollgates. We have a number of tollgates that were in residential areas and these tollgates are being moved outside residential areas to the peripheries of towns. So when our budget has been …. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No, no, Hon. Members, the Hon. Minister is not being heard in silence. – [*HON. MEMBERS: It is those on virtual who are making noise.] – It is alright, we have done that. Hon. Minister, you may proceed.
*HON. MHONA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I was saying that pertaining to the question that was posed by Hon. Moyo; as a Ministry, we are through with the designs. Those who know, there were a number of toll gates that are found in residential areas totaling six. So, I believe that as time goes on, and when the budget is available, we will need to continue working on these tollgates so that we fulfill that promise. I thank you.
(V)*HON. NDUNA: Madam Speaker Ma’am, would it please the Hon. Minister to rejuvenate the issues of the payment systems on the tollgates because what you get is a receipt that says whether you pay in foreign currency, the United States Dollar or in RTGS. It is just written cash $2.00; if you pay in United States Dollars, then the receipt should reflect USD2.00 and if payment is made in RTGS, then it should reflect the same because that is used for arbitrage.
There may be instances where the accounts people or tellers take the United States Dollars and exchange them with RTGS at the official rate as opposed to banking the United States Dollars. So, a lot of money is being lost through theft at the tollgates because of an accounting system where they are supposed to write that they have received RTGS and where they are supposed to indicate that they have received United States Dollars. Would it please the Hon. Minister to change that mode of accounting at their tollgates so that there is no further hemorrhage and pilferage by the tellers at the plazas and tollgates?
HON. MHONA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. Let me also thank Hon. Dexter Nduna and to correct the statement Hon. Madam Speaker Ma’am. The hemorrhage that the Hon. Minister is talking about, I want to allay his fears that we now have cameras in each cubicle. We can now monitor all those cash transactions from a central point whether they are swipe cards that the cashiers are managing from their cubicles.
So, it is a thing of the past for cashiers or tellers to exchange money in the cubicles which used to happen. I concur with the Hon. Member that yes, it was a cash cow in the organisation where people were stealing. Yes, there is no way you can actually eradicate pilferage but we have minimised that through the installation of cameras in various cubicles for each and every tollgate that we have. I thank you.
*HON. MUNENGAMI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May you please be connected?
*HON. MUNENGAMI: Am I connected now? Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. The Government introduced the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). This is a programme where Government urged those who cannot afford to register with BEAM, which resulted in 60% or 90% of children in schools, especially in primary schools registering with BEAM. Unfortunately, after urging these children to register with BEAM, some are not receiving payments from Government. This has affected the operations of schools. What is Government planning to do regarding the payment of BEAM to children so that their future is assured? Thank you Hon. Minister.
*THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE): Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would want to thank the Hon. Munengami for such a pertinent question. Indeed, Government is paying for a lot of young children, which could be 90% of our children like what was said by the Hon. Member. This was affected by the fluctuation in rates. When this money cascades down to schools, you find that it is eaten by inflation and is no longer enough to cater for the needs in schools. However, there is money that is being released by the Ministry of Finance. We are two terms behind but as I was speaking with the Deputy Minister of Finance, I was saying that this is quite a pertinent question. We agreed that in the near future that money is supposed to be paid. Looking at the parallel rate at the moment, the official rate is not much different from the parallel rate. When the money is going to be paid, it should cater for the needs of schools. We know that there is an exercise that has been ongoing. The audit of public finances will culminate in the release of funds so that schools benefit from this. This is a pertinent question which needs to be addressed so that schools get their monies.
*HON. MUNENGAMI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. In short, schools will be closing soon and in January school children will be back. Can you give us a rough estimate on when BEAM monies will be paid so that we have timelines on when they will be paid? I am saying that because we want schools to know that this is the state of affairs. Most schools have been affected. My request is; may the Hon. Minister please engage so that we have feedback as soon as possible? Thank you very much.
*HON. MATUKE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I believe your question is very important. The issue is that schools should receive funding as soon as possible. My request is that before answering the question, I sit with the Minister of Finance. We distribute funds that we receive from the Ministry of Finance. My request is that maybe we engage so that we come with a response next week on Wednesday.
*HON. MUNENGAMI: My request is that since the Minister of Finance is here, may he respond because they were discussing?
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you asked your question directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. That is not procedural. You can ask your question directing it to the Minister of Finance.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I wanted to ask my question to the Hon. Minister to say we have seen some headmasters expelling school pupils that are on BEAM because the Government has not paid their school fees. Is there such a policy? Are they allowed to do that?
HON. MATUKE: Thank you very much for such an important question. There is no policy that would allow the headmaster to send pupils under BEAM back home. I think it is an issue of advising the headmasters not to send those pupils away. It is not within our policy to do that. Thank you so much.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker. I just want to seek clarity from the Minister. Does that include schools that have not had BEAM for three years? Do they get carried forward and the total would just lapse at the end of the year? They have not been paid and they never can be paid. I have a school that has not received BEAM in three years. I thank you.
HON. MATUKE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I think our arrears are not exceeding two terms. If there is any school – [HON. MUNENGAMI: It is more than three years.] – No. As far as I know, we have paid BEAM for the whole of last year. I think we have paid off that, but as for this year… [AN HON. MEMBER: Three years.]- Not three years. I would be very happy if I could…
HON. BITI: Tafara Primary School.
HON. MATUKE: It is fine, it becomes specific. I could go and check and then provide a record of those who were not paid for the past three years. It is not a problem. We can still go back and check because it becomes specific. Thank you so much.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Madam Speaker, my supplementary question is; Hon. Minister, because Government disburses the payments late, most of the schools are saying by the time the payment is done, due to inflation that money will be valueless. May the Hon. Minister liaise with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development before they disburse the funds to ensure that they adjust it according to the inflationary rate so that it retains its value from the time it is supposed to be paid because they are saying the schools are unable to use that money to pay for the services they would have used. So may Government adjust the payments to cater for inflation? I thank you.
*HON. MATUKE: Thank you. I think what the Hon. Member said is not a question but a suggestion. We will consider the Hon. Member’s suggestion. Thank you.
*HON. TEKESHE: My question is directed to the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, in his absence the Leader of Government Business. There was a judgment that was done 12 years ago that said children are not supposed to be sent away from school but up to now, that judgment has not been implemented.
Twelve years ago, Justice Mafios Cheda made a judgment that pupils are not supposed to be sent away from school but up to today, that is still happening. Last month the Minister stated in a statement that children are not supposed to be sent away from school. Up to now, nothing is happening. How long does it take for Government to implement the judgment that would have taken place in the court?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank Hon. Tekeshe for the question about what Government policy is with regards to sending away of pupils and he answered himself that the Minister responded and said pupils are not supposed to be sent away from school.
The second question is; how long does it take in terms of implementation? That requires the respective Hon. Minister to respond to that whether they do not have the requisite tools to implement the judgment. I thank you.
*HON. TEKESHE: Supplementary question Madam Speaker.
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I am wondering what your supplementary question is because the Hon. Minister said that question needs the Minister to respond.
*HON. TEKESHE: My supplementary question is; 12 years ago the Minister came here in this House and lied that children were not supposed to be sent away from school yet 12 years later, they are still being sent away from school. How can we have trust in the Hon. Minister?
When the judgment was passed by the honourable judge, it was with regards to the right to education. So my question is; 12 years after that judgment, are you not infringing on the children’s rights to education? I think now I have rephrased my question better.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the supplementary question. Firstly, we cannot say the Minister lied. The Minister should come and explain why the Ministry has not yet implemented what the Hon. Minister promised that children are not supposed to be sent away. So in my view, that has become a specific question so that the Hon. Minister can explain and then we can look into their explanation or reasons so that we get satisfaction. At the moment, we cannot say the Minister has lied. That would be a bit too forward in my view.
This question is supposed to be put down in writing because it is specific and the question may refer to specific schools, and refer to that judgment arguing with specific examples of schools where pupils are being sent away, then the Minister can respond accordingly. After that he may now accuse the Minister of lying in front of the Honourable House. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: My question is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development. Minister of Finance and Economic Development, there are late payments of Zimbabwean dollars to farmers who are supposed to be paid in RTGS.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May you please connect Hon. Mliswa.
HON. T. MLISWA: My question is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and it relates to the late disbursements of funds to farmers. They have delivered maize, two to three weeks RTGS is not there. Bonuses for the civil servants again, they have not been paid in Zimbabwean dollars yet we print the Zimbabwean dollar, it is our own currency. We are in short supply of the United States Dollar, now we are in short supply of the Zimbabwe dollar. How can the farmers pay their workers in Zimbabwean dollars when they have not been paid for what they have produced at the end of the day? For at least three weeks now, they have not been paid and there is inflation. Are you going to factor in a percentage to the civil servants who have not received bonuses and to the farmers in terms of the late payment which is currently going on? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am and thank you Hon. Mliswa for the question. As a matter of correction, for us, our currency is the Z$, not the RTGs and in terms of the investments...
HON. T. MLISWA: As you say, we never do RTGs in USD, we do RTGs in Z$, so I do not know what you are trying to say.
HON. CHIDUWA: As a matter of policy, we endeavour to make sure that we make all the payments on time. This is what we have done through the Grain Mobilisation Committee where I am a member. So with regards to the late disbursements, I think this is just administrative because for us Ministry of Finance, we only disburse upon request. If there are any late disbursements that are there, I think this is an administrative issue that we can manage between the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Lands and GMB. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, the Minister cannot say three weeks without people getting their income they can survive - they need to buy food. Are you telling me that people must go without food for three weeks and it is okay? This Z$ component we are talking about is available and I think it is only proper to say that we will look into it and we disburse the money because you seem to now be starving people of Z$, whether you want to make it strong or not, but you are making it weaker because of the bubble burst. It was pretty clear and I think you are excited about starving people of Z$ which is their money, may be thinking that the currency will strengthen but this bubble burst is a danger because farmers who are in the rural areas need to pay school fees and people need to pay rates in Z$. So if we work and we are not being paid in Z$, the bonuses of the civil servants are paid in Z$ - what do you then expect people to survive on for three weeks and you are happy in that Committee that people have not been paid?
HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I think I have already responded to the question that this is an administrative issue. What is just needed is for us as Treasury, Ministry of Lands and GMB to ensure that the payments are disbursed if there are any that are outstanding. This is administrative.
Questions without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY SPEAEKR in terms of Standing Order No. 68.
HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I move that time for Questions with Notice be extended.
HON. TARUSENGA: I second.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Hon. Markham, I understand there was a question which the Hon. Speaker said you are supposed to ask when the Hon. Minister of Health and Child Care and also our Hon. Vice President comes in.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question originates from my point of national interest yesterday. We were told in this House by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development that all money is disbursed immediately when it is asked for by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. My question is why are suppliers holding and complaining that they were not being paid six to nine months after they delivered goods? Is it because of delays within the Ministry of Health to call for the money or is it the Ministry of Finance delaying in paying? I thank you.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. (RTD). GEN. C.G.D.N. CHIWENGA): Madam Speaker, the issue of payments in Government systems are supposed to be a matter which Hon. Members of Parliament will know and should understand. We do not print money but we collect revenue and revenue has to be collected by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. When the money is available, then it gets disbursed. If we print money which is not there, there are consequences and that is inflation. So as the Second Republic, we took a position to never print money when it is not there but only money which is there is disbursed. We pass budgets and we allocated money to different ministries but it is against the revenue anticipated and if there is something which causes fissures in that process, there might be delays.
There are also administrative delays which can be caused in the payments. For instance, yesterday there was an issue which was raised here about us parliamentarians going for the budget seminar. The hoteliers whom we have summoned – a room which was costing USD120, when they heard that there is a seminar for parliamentarians, some of the rooms shot up to USD600 and we said why? That is what delayed and these are some of the practical things where you get some people greedy out there. You have discussed several things in the parliamentary Committees where there will be administrative issues to be sorted out and Government, by policy, cannot just dish out the money.
We are aware that there are delays which are there and some of the delays have been legacy issues which have to be solved. We try our level best, together with the Ministry of Finance, to make sure that whoever delivers is paid and no tender or demand for supplies should be done when the monies are not there. Some of the issues might have been legacy issues where people were used to just order even if the money was not there on the books. That causes delays and these are some of the areas which Government is addressing and the Ministry of Finance, together with all the ministries is addressing and when I put on my other hat, we have said to the ministries you must stick to corporate governance practice.
On those who have not been paid, I want to assure the august House that they will be paid and we thank the Hon. Member for having raised this issue to remind us. I thought I should explain the procedures we take but we are going to look into the matter because we do not want somebody to suffer when they have provided the resources and as Government we do not pay on time. This is a matter we will address together with our colleagues in the Ministry of Finance. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: I want to thank the Minister for his response. However, on a point of clarity, I would like it noted that the Minister of Finance told us that he paid immediately. He actually misled us as a House but I thank the Minister of Health for his clarity on the situation and also the comfort that he gives to the suppliers that they will be paid eventually for the goods that they have supplied.
HON. HWENDE: Supplementary question. I appreciate the response from the Vice President and the Minister of Health. My supplementary question is that the Minister of Finance was here some two months ago and was asked about the cancer machines – I am sure you are aware of the problems that we have with lack of cancer machines in the hospitals. His response was that the money is there at the Ministry and he is waiting for the Ministry of Health to request for the money so that they can import the cancer machines. When are you going to request for the money from the Ministry of Finance so that you can acquire the cancer machines because a lot of Zimbabweans are dying because of the absence of cancer machines? I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Hwende, that is a totally different question from the initial question – [HON. HWENDE: It is an extension.] No, that is a new question. You have to ask it next time. If you want to be indulged, it will be for a new question and not for you to do a supplementary question which is different from the initial question.
HON. T. MLISWA: I have a point of order in terms of PSMAS which has been closed and Hon. Members are all subscribed to PSMAS to support Government. Right now when we are sick, where do we go? It is an emergency issue and our families are on PSMAS. I have 19 children and their medical aid is on PSMAS and if one of them is sick, what do I do now when we are in this situation? This is a service that we have already paid for. Clarity is sought from you Vice President and Minister of Health on PSMAS which has closed. Where can Members of Parliament go to when they are sick when they have already paid medical aid which is being deducted?
I want to end by thanking you for coming to this House. There are certain Ministers that had left this august House. When they saw you coming they ran back like little kids showing that they do not respect the Leader of Government Business. I do not know why they have not gone to continue with businesses that they were going to do in their offices. Hon. Ministers, you must be ashamed to see yourselves running like small kids because the Vice President is here. You must be here whether he is here or not. Hon. Ziyambi has been getting a tough time. Today we have just censured Members of the Cabinet and Deputy Ministers who are not coming to Parliament. You must know that Hon Vice President. Ndanyara kuona vanhu vakuru kunge vachadonha pamapinda muno umu.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD.GENERAL DR. CHIWENGA): Thank you Madam Speaker and let me first address the question by Hon. Hwende. We have five cancer machines which are working and they are not enough. We have done our shopping list as we discussed and agreed with the Ministry of Finance in order to address all our hospitals in terms of equipment. Some of the equipment was dilapidated and some were now no longer compatible with the times. We have to standardise all our equipment so that even if we transfer a professional from Plumtree to Mutare, he will not have a problem. They will have the same type of equipment and this way, we can guarantee our citizens that wherever they will go, they will be attended to.
I delayed coming here because this was exactly one of the issues which we were discussing on equipment, including the cancer machines for our people because cancer is a non communicable disease but it has now become one of the major killer diseases. We never thought kids could be affected by cancer but we are now having young kids being affected by cancer and we need to address the issue because it is not everyone who has got the money to send kids outside the country for treatment. We have to do it here and we have got the experts. All what they have been missing has been equipment. This is a matter which we have discussed seriously with the Ministry of Finance and we have now presented our list of all the equipment to them which we want to put in all our hospitals. Currently, we have got five machines working and we are aware that they are not enough.
On PSMAS, the issue of PSMAS is now common knowledge to every Zimbabwean that there is a forensic audit which is taking place. I am happy that Hon. Mliswa said that he has got 19 kids. If you have got 19 kids and you pay $40 for 19 kids, how do they get treated? So, these were some of the issues which we are saying if we have got the money, it has to be a maximum. If you want to have many kids, in fact I want Members to get this right. Because the population has got to balance, we have got to have children but if you are to have children, you must be able to support them. The way you support them is, you increase your contributions. The Government pays 80% and the member only pays 20%. That 20% had become meaningless. There are so many problems which are currently sub judice, Madam Speaker, if I can be excused on that matter because the issue is under thorough investigation of what was happening. A lot of things were not going right at PSMAS.
Having said that, we have said all PSMAS institutions must be opened and we have put medicines. I have directed the Permanent Secretary and the staff to open all PSMAS institutions which had closed down. We are putting medicines into those institutions so that our people get attended to. The issue of what should be done now, it is a matter which we will be discussing with the Ministry of Finance, the regulator and all stakeholders concerned, to say in the meantime, whilst the investigations are going on, we want the services because people will not stop to be sick. Therefore, they have to be attended to.
Right now the equipment which we are procuring include equipment for surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy equipment, humeral therapy and external beam radiotherapy machines. These had gone out of service and we had the old machines. We are ordering but those which had gone out of service, we are getting them repaired so that at any given time, we do not have a machine breaking down and then we do not have a replacement immediately. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER, in terms of Standing Order Number 68.
An Hon. Member on virtual having wanted to be indulged in order to seek points of clarity.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, the time has been extended and we have already exceeded by 10 minutes. I am sorry we are just acting on our Standing Rules and Orders.
HON. MUTSEYAMI: On a point of order! I think it is appropriate for the Hon. Ministers who are failing to respond to these questions to be addressed through the office of our Speaker. I have seen questions which have been on the Order Paper for quite some time and it looks like it is becoming more of a culture. Probably the Minister of Health who happens to be the Hon. Vice President as well as a Member of the Cabinet takes note that we have a serious problem here.
We have in the House Hon. Ministers who do not respond even to written questions and when they come here, they always give excuses that these questions took long to be in the office but they would have been there for months and it is quite sad. So there is need for the office of the Hon. Speaker to address this to the Ministers.
However, it is fortunate that the Hon. Vice President is here and he is as well listening to the challenges and he has done quite a number of presentations here but these other ministers are failing to address written questions which are given a jurisdiction to respond to the Permanent Secretary. Hon. Speaker, may you make a ruling.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA): Thank you Madam Speaker. The concerns of the Members are noted…
(v)HON. GONESE: On a point of Order. My point of order relates to the extraordinary circumstances of this week, in terms of our normal procedures where a Member is not present, the answers are handed over to Hansard. However, this week Parliament had specific challenges in terms of accommodation as a result of which Hon. Members are not physically present in the House.
I have noted that there are a few Members who had questions on the Order Paper who were not able to attend Parliament both physically and virtually, may the Hon. Ministers present answers, notwithstanding the absence of the Hon. Member who has asked the question? I would request that the Hon. Ministers actually give an oral response, the reason being that the Member in question would have failed to attend because of circumstances beyond their control.
In this regard, I want to point out that I was in the House earlier on, when I tried to connect I faced some challenges and I had to use my own data because where I am, there is no WiFi. So for that reason, Madam Speaker, I would ask that even if the Hon. Member may not be present, may the Hon. Minister indulge because it is also important to produce oral answers to enable other Members who may have supplementary questions. I think it is in the interest of the country because this week it is not as if some Members did not want to attend but those from outside Harare were told to connect virtually and we have got serious connectivity challenges. I thank you
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Gonese. However, you also need to understand that everyone was told to join in virtually and also there is a provision for data that we have as Parliament. One thing we need to understand is that when the Member is not available, the Minister is supposed to handover to Hansard and that is what was happening. So, it will be not in line with our Standing Rules and Orders for us then to be asking the Minister to respond when the Hon. Member has been given an opportunity to go virtually.
HON. (RTD). GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I was saying the concerns raised by Hon. Members - we have taken note seriously and Members of Cabinet will attend and answer the questions. When they are given the written notice, they must within the stipulated time respond. We are going to address the issue, yes, we send Members out to various tasks for Government but the Deputy Ministers in those circumstances will then have to come but we do not send all Cabinet Members out of the country at once, maybe it will be one or two. So they will attend forthwith.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Vice President for that response, I am sure a lot of Members really wanted to get that response. I thank you.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
RUMBLE STRIPS ALONG MUTARE-NYANGA HIGHWAY
- HON. SARUWAKA asked the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development when the Ministry will put rumble strips along the Mutare-Nyanga Highway at Watsomba Business Centre where the incidents of accidents is extremely high as a result of speeding.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): My Ministry has been informed of the accidents happening at the business centre and is in the process of mobilising materials required for construction of rumble strips. Rumble strips are grooves of indents on the road designed to alert inattentive drivers through noise and vibration, thus reducing the number of accidents. Our reasonable expectation after construction is that motorists will reduce speed when approaching the centre and are alerted by the strips to exercise caution. I thank you.
CONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGES DESTROYED BY CYCLONE IDAI
- HON. NYAMUDEZA asked the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development to inform the House when the reconstruction of the following bridges which were destroyed by Cyclone ldai will commence:
- Tanganda Halt Bridge;
- Musani Bridge; and
- Nyamure Bridge.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): The devastating effects of Cyclone Idai are still being experienced in affected areas and my Ministry has plans in motion to improve road infrastructure for easy accessibility. My Ministry is committed to ensure that the Tanganda Halt Bridge under the Department of Road Chipinge will be constructed. DOR has already done geotechnical investigations and forwarded the same to the design office. The finalisation of the design is imminent as well as the funding for the project. In the interim, there is another high level bridge crossing 200-300m upstream of Tanganda River that can be used whilst awaiting completion of construction works. I thank you.
MEASURES TO ENSURE COMMUNITIES ENGAGING PRIVATE PLAYERS ON WASTE MANAGEMENT ARE NOT CHARGED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES
- HON. HAMAUSWA asked the Minister of Local Government and Public Works to appraise the House on the following
The measures being taken by the Ministry to ensure that communities engaging in private waste management are not charged again by their respective local authorities;
The legal instruments that have to be put in place in order to regulate activities by private players in the course of solid waste management which do not deprive councils of their resources or impose extra tax burden on the citizens.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): The Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15) and the EMA Act specifies that local authorities are the providers of, inter alia, solid waste management services within their areas of jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing prohibits communities in voluntarily engaging private players in waste management, collection and disposal which is a welcome initiative and a best practice. However, it will be prudent enough if such an arrangement or engagement is done in consultation and consent with the respective local authorities. This would enable the local authority of the community concerned to agree on payment modalities or a free structure, taking cognisance of the pre-arrangements entered into. It also enables local authorities to supervise quality control service in delivery.
On part B, legal instruments which regulate the activities by private players in local authorities’ service delivery already in place. This includes subsidiary legislation in the form of by-laws of Parliament.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE HON. TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA) in terms of Standing Order No. 68 .
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 16 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day Number 17 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
HEALTH SERVICES AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 8, 2021]
Seventeenth Order read: Committee Stage: Health Service Amendment Bill [H. B. 8, 2021].
House in Committee.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA): Sorry Chair on Clause 3 (III), I propose an amendment of subsection 3 to read ‘On appointing members of the Commission, the President shall pay due regard to fair representation based on gender and region.’
HON. T. MLISWA: I think if we can give capacity there, it is gender; region but there must be capacity too. Capacity is critical because you can put gender but capacity must be there. If you just put gender, region, it means nothing, it must be clear – [THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: Capacity is there, it is there on appointing.] – I am not getting you there. Ko nyaya yema youth? – [THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: Inaudible interjection.] – Gender mataura but youth.] – Hon. Vice President is happy with youths, he is not refusing. Imi munoda kuvarambira sei? That is why they are not here in Parliament because we are not specifying it in the clause – [THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: Inaudible interjection.] – Gender, region you have considered but there is nothing wrong with youths. That is why he came up with that amendment because he did consider the aspect of gender because we had debated but what about youths?
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. T. Mliswa, please give the Hon.Vice President a chance to reply.
HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Chair, yes the Hon. Member makes a valid and candid point, that is why there is a Ministry of Youth in this Government. There is a Ministry of Youth which is a stand-alone, which means Government has paid attention to that issue. The youths, remember in terms of our Constitution are from the ages of 16 up to 35 years. So they are already covered in this, I do not know what we will be talking about but in terms of our Constitution, youths are up to the age of 35. We have got Members of Parliament who are below the age of 35 and Ministers who are below the age of 35, so they are youths. This means that youths are taken care of. I am not very sure if that is going to be a real fundamental issue that we want to put each and every apostrophe and comma to everything. I submit Hon. Chair.
(V)HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Hon. Chair, I have listened to the proposal by the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care. In my respectful submission Hon. Chair, I do not think there is actually a substantive difference from the original sub-clause. When you look at what the Hon. Vice President has said, it is simply to specify issues that are already covered by Sections 17 and 18. My request and my plea to the Hon. Vice President is to separate the two issues which are covered by Section 17 and 18. Yesterday we had extensive debate on these matters and I submit with due respect that the two issues should be separated. The reason being that in terms of fair regional representation, it is very difficult to come up with a question of equality because there are 10 provinces, so at the end of the day if you are going to have five members in that Commission together with the Chair and Vice Chairman, making a total of 7, you cannot cover all the 10 provinces.
However, in respect of gender Mr. Chairman, whilst we have got two genders - male and female, so we are talking of two categories, I know that in other jurisdictions in other countries they will have other categories that we do not have in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, we are only talking of two and yet again in our debate we firstly asked that the provisions in this clause should specify that where the chairperson is male then the vice chairperson should be female. I know that the Hon. Vice President’s response indicated that it is something that they are always going to consider but it is better to have it in black and white because this will be administered by another person in the future. We want to pass legislation for posterity; why not have a scenario where we specify that the chairperson and vice chairperson should be different genders? More importantly, when it comes to the provisions of section 17, because we have got only two genders, what is the harm in saying that at least two shall be women, because we are going to have five, then we know there is a guarantee. We had made a proposal to have an even number, then the Hon. Vice President indicated that we already have the chairperson but it will take the chair, the vice as well as the five and it still remains as an odd number. So we cannot guarantee that we have an equal number of the two genders. If the Hon. Vice President is not inclined to take my proposal to have an even number, be that as it may, let us still have the protection of the gender which was previously disadvantaged. Whoever is going to administer it, kindly if the Hon. Vice President being the current Minister is sensitive, it does not mean we will always have a sensitive Minister of Health and for that reason, I still insist that we lose nothing Mr. Chairman, we lose nothing tezvara vangu soko mukanya, Hon. Vice President by simply separating those two issues in subclause 3. Talk of gender representation in specific terms so that whoever administers is bound by those provisions that at least half or if it is not half because we have an odd number, be specified that two shall be women. I believe that guarantees fair representation of the gender which has previously been marginalised, which has previously been disadvantaged.
In concluding, I want to respectively disagree with my colleague Hon. Mliswa. He is talking about merit, about women not being there in Parliament. That is not what we are talking about. We are referring to women who are already covered by subclause (2) where it says that, ‘must be chosen by their knowledge and experience in the health service’. We are not talking about elections. So let us not conflate the two issues. Issues relating to election and issues relating to appointment are different. Here we are talking about people who are already competent but there is no guarantee that we will have equal gender representation. That is the reason why I am still pleading with the Hon. Vice President, my tezvara that look, we lose nothing by separating those two. I know fairer representation in terms of Section 18 is already covered in specific terms but in terms of Section 17, please, please, please, let us have that specific provision so that whoever administers the Act will be bound by those specific conditions. I so submit Mr. Chairman.
HON. GEN. (RTD). DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Chairman Sir, I take note of Hon. Gonese’s concern but Hon. Gonese is a learned Hon. Member. Section 320 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which talks about membership of commissions and conditions of service of members, sub-section (4) reads, ‘where a Commission has a Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson, they must be of different genders’. Now I do not...
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Sorry Sir, you are not connected. May you be connected?
HON. GEN. (RTD). DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Chairman Sir, I am repeating again that Section 320 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which reads, ‘membership of commissions and conditions of service of members’, subsection (4) clearly stipulates, ‘where a Commission has a Chairperson and a Deputy Chairperson, they ‘must’ be of different genders’. It is not ‘may’. It is a command in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Therefore, the repetition required by Hon. Gonese is of no consequence. It is there, the Constitution is supreme to any Act. I submit Mr. Chair.
(v)HON. GONESE: Hon. Chair, I have raised my hand Mr. Chair, I have heard the response and I want to indicate, can I be recognised?
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Gonese, I can give you the floor but I think the Hon. Vice President has given you a very good response to your concerns.
(v)HON. GONESE: No, I need a response so that I can show that his response is not correct. Can I be given the opportunity to show why it is not correct?
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Go ahead.
(v)HON. GONESE: I am reading Section 320 and I am opening my Constitution, it says except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, every member of a commission appointed for a term of five years which is renewable for one additional term only and it is talking of specific commissions which are in Chapter 12. Let us look at (2) of Section 320, it is talking of commissions which are provided for in terms of Chapter 12, they are actually mentioned. It is my respectful submission that what the Hon. Vice President has pointed out only applies to the constitutional commissions. It does not apply to other commissions which are established by the Act of Parliament. There is a distinction and I submit, and I want to reiterate that the answer given by the Hon. Vice President does not cover commissions which are established in terms of an Act of Parliament. I so submit.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Gonese, it is very clear and it is there. I do not think it is worth our time to continue labouring on this. It is actually in the Bill again on point 4, that Section 320 of the Constitution shall apply with the necessary changes to the Constitution. I do not know what else you are trying to raise. What is it that you want to add on this because it is very clear Hon. Gonese?
HON. T. MLISWA: The Hon. Vice President has given me more oomph because when I spoke about the youths, he clearly referred to the Ministry of Youth being there and he will consider that but there is also the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. While there is a Ministry and they are recognised in Government, gender has been put there to recognise women. So on the same token, I would like the youths to be involved because they are 60% of the population from the demographic point of view. The Hon. Vice President went on to further talk about Section 320 of the Constitution which talks specifically about the gender aspect being dealt with, that where there is one sex, the other will be vice and the other will chair and so forth. With the youths, that was not done and unfortunately we missed it out when the Constitution was being done. Now, we need to correct it by ensuring that it is there because we cannot go anywhere without 60% of the population not being factored in anything that we have to do in this country. This is the time we must represent the youths properly and I demand that, that clause for the youths be there. We would have done injustice to the youths. The very same struggle that we enjoy, that we won – the Hon. Vice President went there when he was young, there was no need for a Constitution but it was the young people who drove the struggle. Why are we not including the youth to sit in the boards? Currently, all the other boards, the youth are not incorporated so we have learnt lessons, we do not want to repeat the same mistake. May the youth be included? – [HON. ZIYAMBI: They are included. They are not excluded.] – In all the boards that we have in the entire country, how many in terms of percentage are youth? We have done a disservice to the youth and I know the Hon. Vice President will push for the youth agenda in incorporating them and all we have to do is to put “comma, youth”.
HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: Whilst I appreciate what Hon. Mliswa is saying, if he wants that to be done, then it must go into the ‘mother Bible’, the mother law, the ‘Holy Bible’ and then when we go to the legislation, we are aware about the issue of the youth. This is why we have said and they are being taken care of but we do not make pieces of legislation. If we want to do that, I ask the Hon. Member to propose an amendment to the Constitution and not to make an amendment to an Act of Parliament or Statutory Instrument, then it will not have been aligned to the Constitution. Whatever we do must be aligned to the mother law.
HON. T. MLISWA: The Constitution is very clear about the involvement of the youth. In so doing, then the alignment must be in the Act and there is no way we must amend the Constitution first then the Act. It does not work like that Madam Nyawo. Educate them on that. The Act is different. You do not use the Constitution to deal with the Act. The Act is coming through to support the Constitution and that is why I am saying the youth aspect must be there. I will debate this until tomorrow. The incorporation of the youth is critical and if we have to vote, we vote but let us not have a situation where the citizenry thinks that we are against the youth. We must support the youth and if we have to go for a vote, we will.
On this one, it is about principle more than else. You want to rush. We do not want to be rushing Bills in Parliament. We have got to incorporate the youth. Not only that, I would also want to incorporate the disabled, handichamira manje. You need to incorporate them in terms of the percentage. There is the aspect of the disabled as well. The disabled are 15-20% of the population, where are they? You have gender and religion, it is important. Those are vulnerable groups and we cannot leave out. The Constitution is very clear about the people who are disabled. The youth and disabled must be part of that.
HON. RTD. GEN. DR. CHIWENGA: Hon. Mliswa has gone academic, there is nowhere either in the Constitution or Acts of Parliament where youth have been excluded. Nowhere, the law is open-ended. If we are now going to be putting everybody in the Acts of Parliament and Constitution, we shall certainly say we want war veterans, female and male war veterans to be identified and so on, and here we are talking of a board of only five members. The Constitution is very clear when you go on to Section 320 (4), it is not excluding anybody. So we can take a disabled and put him if that person is competent. We can take the youth if they are competent because we are talking of ‘gender’ here and ‘gender’ talks of female and male. We are not talking about the size or age of that ‘gender’. It has to be understood that way. What the Constitution is talking about here is about ‘gender’ and the ‘gender’ has not been qualified to say adults. It is ‘gender’ and so it is whole encompassing.
(v)HON. GONESE: After listening to Hon. Mliswa and the response by the Hon. Vice President, I have looked at the Constitution and I am holding it as we speak. The Hon. Vice President made reference to the provisions of the Constitution and has suggested to Hon. Mliswa that there is need for an amendment to the Constitution. When I looked at the document myself, I respectfully wish to point out that there is actually need for an amendment because Section 20 of our Constitution makes specific reference to the youth and it also talks about the youth being given opportunities to associate and to be represented and participate in socio-economic and other spheres at large.
I have also looked at Section 22 which refers to persons with disabilities. Again, the provision is there that the persons with disabilities must also be given those opportunities. Whilst I understand and appreciate where the Hon. Vice President is coming from but having listened to the submissions by Hon. Mliswa, I think he makes a valid point. We are not talking of all the groups but we are looking at those particular groups which he believes, and I believe that he is on point that the youth should also be covered not because the Hon. President making the appointment is going to cover everyone but because the Bill has already made recognition of the provisions of Sections 17 and 18, which the Hon. Vice President has gone on to further elaborate by making specific reference to the persons covered by those two sections. I submit that we will not lose anything because it is not going to be binding in terms of having all the groups covered at the same time but that those specific groups which are being mentioned have to be taken into consideration when the appointments are being made. At the end of the day, it is simply a question of appreciating that let us try to recognise some of these critical groups. We are not saying that we have to cover the elderly, whatever, but I think that in making his submissions, Hon. Mliswa was making specific reference to the youths being the future of this country. They are the leaders of tomorrow and I believe that if that particular provision is inserted, it does not prejudice anything because the discretion is still going to be left with the appointing authority. The appointing authority will be properly guided to include specific categories which will be: gender, regional representation, youths and persons with disabilities. Let me conclude and say that the Constitution covers youths and persons with disabilities and appeal to the Hon. Minister to give serious consideration to the insertion and addition of those two groups.
HON. T. MLISWA: Let me concede that the Hon. Vice President will ensure that the youths and the disabled are incorporated. There is no reason why I can doubt the Hon. Vice President, especially being a retired renowned General.
Amendment to Clause 3 put and agreed to.
Clause 3, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clause 4 put and agreed to.
On Clause 5:
HON. HWENDE: I think the only problem that I have is that Clause 5 of the Bill is inserting a new section into the Act, which restricts the right of members of the health services to engage in collective bargaining, meaning the right to go on strike. Under the new section that is being proposed, the health service will be deemed to be an essential service referred to in section 65 (3) of the Constitution, which currently states that except for members of the security services every employee has the right to participate in job action. So, only security services are mentioned in the Constitution. So, the attempt by this clause to amend the Constitution is ultra-vires. It cannot stand because we need to amend the Constitution first since the Constitution is clear that only members of the security services and we need to drop that. Also, it is assuming that everyone in the health service sector is essential service and that is not correct. There are people that are working there. Some are gardeners, secretaries and some are serving tea, therefore we need clarity but our biggest problem is the attempt to amend the Constitution which makes that clause unconstitutional.
(v)HON. GONESE: I have looked at the clause and the attempt to include members of the health sector as an essential service as envisaged in Section 65 (3) of our Constitution. The first point I want to make is that the framers of this Constitution, in their wisdom decided that only the security services should be specifically mentioned as an essential service. It is in that respect that only they are precluded from engaging in collective job action and also from going on strike. I am in disagreement with the attempt to include the health sector, partly for the reasons given by Hon. Hwende but I also want to add that in my respectful submission, this would be a very bad law. Hon. Hwende has already mentioned that there are some members of the health services who are not an essential service. Even if they were essential services, I believe that they are not in a sensitive sector like the security services. We cannot allow soldiers or police service to go on strike but when we are talking of the health services, just like the other civil servants, that is the teachers and so on; if there is poor remuneration as is currently obtaining, they should have every right to engage in collective job action.
Whilst the Constitution allows for a law to be passed, to add other people to essential services; I submit that firstly, the proposal is not good law. In saying this, I am also looking at the provisions of Section 86 of the Constitution which places a limitation on certain rights and freedoms. I believe that limitation is not applicable in casu or in the present case, for the simple reason Mr. Chairman that the fundamental rights and freedoms that are set out in Chapter 4 in terms of the fundamental rights and freedoms enjoyed by the people of Zimbabwe can only be interfered with if there is a law of general application and I am going to read the provisions to illustrate my point, ‘…and to the extent that the limitation is fair, reasonable, necessary and justifiable in a democratic society based on openness, justice, human dignity, equality and freedom taking into account all relevant factors and the nature of the right of freedom concerned.’
I believe that this limitation does not extend to the Bill or to the provision that is intended to be covered by the Bill. Why do you want to…- [Technical glitch.] – workers if we do not allow them to participate in collective job action? The Constitution in its wisdom, only identified the security services and I submit, let us leave it at that. Let us allow our doctors, nurses, radiographers, laboratory technologists and so on, if they are not being properly remunerated, to also be able, like the teachers and other civil servants, to engage in collective job action. In particular, if their concerns are not addressed, let us allow them to go on strike. After all, the Labour Act has got specific provisions that actually allow due process to take place. Let us allow that due process to take place but let us not … - [Technical glitch.] - What it means is that the Government must recognise the essential nature of the service they are providing by giving them adequate remuneration.
As we speak Mr. Chairman, we have had situations where the health workers have been going on strike ad infinitum because their concerns have not been addressed. Let us be sensitive, let us address their concerns and prevent the brain drain. As we speak, so many doctors are in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia and this applies to all other health workers who have ….- [ Technical glitch.] – …the essential service that they are providing, not by preventing them from engaging in strike but giving them adequate remuneration… - [ Technical glitch.] -...for them to be able to carry out their work.
Once we do that, there will be no need to try to come up with an Act of Parliament that precludes them from engaging in strike action because there will be no need for them to strike because they are being taken care of. Those will be my submissions and I am vehemently opposed to … - [Technical glitch.] -
(V)HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Mr. Chairman for recognising me. I would like to also debate on the issue of health workers going on strike. We need to be very conscious of health workers being very important and those who benefit from the service of health workers have rights enshrined in the Constitution, that is right to health, right to life and if health workers were to go on strike and these people are denied health services; from the word go, that strike is illegal and criminal because the law says people must be given the right to life.
So in my view, I would like to persuade fellow Members of Parliament to allow this law to pass and to ensure that health workers do not go on strike because what they provide is critical. I agree with Hon. Gonese that it is important that they are paid well, looked after, their expectations are looked after but also every citizen must also get the service. These health workers, important as they are, having also the need to have incomes that look after their families; they also sign a contract and swear that they will ensure that people get service and they will not deny their patients/clients service when they need it.
So I think Hon. Members, with all due respect to the expectations and needs of health workers, if we allow them to go on strike, if we allow a situation where they go on strike, we are also saying to hell with people’s lives, to hell with the health of our people, to hell with the health of delivering mothers, and to hell with the health of children. So I think we need to understand that the import of this section is to save lives and it is enshrined in the Constitution. I think we need to allow the Minister to proceed with this law as is so that our people can gain and get health services when they want it.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: Thank you Hon. Chairman. My point is that it is important for the Hon. Minister to look into the concerns. This is a service that we require and we anticipate that professionals who are in the diaspora should come and take up responsibilities. In that vein, those who provide this service at times might feel that Government is not looking into their issues, plight, welfare and this result in mass exodus of professionals who seek greener pastures.
So it is important that those who are in the health services are comfortable that Government and the Ministry is looking into their issues instead of just saying that they have no right to demonstrate or strike. The moment that is done, then it means that their plight will not be listened to. I do not know how this can be phrased in such a way that their plight is taken seriously. I thank you.
(V)HON. WATSON: I am sure that the Hon. Minister is aware that the health issue is a big issue in Zimbabwe. He is also perfectly aware that in the amendment to the Health Services Act, he is providing for access by every Zimbabwean to private medical facilities. So, in the event of a Government worker or doctors strike action, Zimbabweans will have the right to access private medical facilities so that their right to life will be better guaranteed than they are at the moment.
So I am also in agreement that this clause is meant for health workers themselves to simply resolve issues in the health sector that cannot be resolved by legislation. Thank you.
(v) *HON. C. MOYO: Thank you Hon. Chairperson. Let me say that this is the boundary between life and death. For them to suffer in silence, we will find a lot of people dying because they know that they are not allowed to strike or demonstrate. Health workers should be happy so that they preserve people’s lives. If they suffer in silence, this will culminate in patients suffering. As a listening Vice President, it is important that he listens to what the people want so that the health professionals protect and look after the health of patients. I thank you Hon. Chairperson.
(v)HON. MBONDIAH: Thank you Hon. Chairperson. I would like to add my voice and to just say it is of paramount importance that we cater for the needs of nurses and doctors. I am more particularly concerned about women who have been neglected by nurses and doctors who have lost children during child birth because nurses are not attending to them because they have their concerns which have not been addressed. “Wari kufiramukati se socks, sezvataurwanaHonourable.” I do not think this clause would save lives in Zimbabwe because the moment you put that clause through, these nurses and doctors would just sit and say we have been denied the right to demonstrate and express ourselves. Hence, they will just sit and watch patients die. So, that is my submission Hon. Chairperson. I thank you.
HON. GEN. (RTD).DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Chairman, I listened very attentively to Hon. Members’ concerns but I think they are shooting the issue from the hip. I am not very sure what the Hon. Members are basing on if they have read the Act and the Constitution. Let me first start with the mother law. On Section 65 (3), which they have quoted, it reads …
HON. HWENDE: On a point of order, I have noticed the manner in which the Hon. Minister is responding. I think it will help if he refers to what the individual Member has submitted.
THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON (HON. MUTOMBA):Hon. Members were actually hitting the same thing from different points.
HON. GEN. (RTD).DR. CHIWENGA: Thank you Hon. Hwende. I am answering to issues which you have raised, Hon. Gonese, Hon. Togarepi who was in support, Hon. Chidziva, Hon. Watson and Hon. Moyo. I have combined because all what you have said is all the same but you were using different verbiage, but you were talking the same point.
So, if you might allow me Mr. Chairman Sir, I was on the issue that the issues raised by the Hon. Members, firstly I will start with Section 65 (3) where it says, “Except for members of the Security Services, every employee has the right to participate in corrective job action including the right to strike, sit in, withdraw their labour and to take other similar concerted action but a law may restrict the exercise of this right in order to maintain essential services.” That is exactly what this act is all about.
When we go to Section 48 (1), “every person has the right to life.” Nowhere in the mother law is written that any person can withdraw somebody’s life because you have got a grievance to settle with whoever, be it an employer, somebody else and you say you must die because I have got a bone to chew with my employer. It is writtennowhere. In terms of being human, you cannot take somebody’s life because you have a score to settle with somebody else.
We have been very considerate in this Act. Section 5 (2) reads, “notwithstanding anything in the Labour Act, [Chapter 28:01] –
(a), the Health Service shall be deemed an essential service referred to in Section 65 (3) of the Constitution and
(b) no collective job actionwhether lawful or unlawful shall continue for an uninterrupted period of 72 hours or for more than 72 hours in any given 14-day period”.
So, we have given them the chance to strike but that strike must be restricted because there is life to be saved. If Hon. Hwende you are there in the ICU, people abandon you and you die, your family will take the Ministry of Health to court to say our relative died because of negligence.
Now, the issues which are being raised by Hon. Members are administrative issues which are affecting the entire country and this is what we are addressing, the conditions of service for our members and I took time yesterday to talk about what we are doing in terms of conditions of service for our professionals. It is not only about salaries. Salaries come at the tail end but we are talking about their accommodation, transport, tools of trade, the equipment which they use in hospitals and this is what we are doing. As I speak now, we have already done - in terms of the equipment, a shopping list which is more than US$4 million to equip our hospitals to make sure that whoever goes to the hospital receives attention and services and given, in particular a citizen of our country, the life which God decreed, that the individual must be on this mother planet either for 60 years, 70 years or for 100 years. We must try and achieve that.
So I want to thank you Mr. Chairman that nobody has been refused. We have taken note. They can put their point, but they must not extend what they are mixing to say people are now going to other countries and so forth, that is an issue. It is a matter which is affecting, not only Zimbabwe but all countries in the world and as Zimbabweans we are trying to address the matter of conditions of our members. So I want to thank the Hon. Members but all their concerns are captured in the Act itself. Thank you.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: The third point that says the members of the health service who incite or organise any job collective action contrary to subsection whatever as it goes; this particular section is discouraging members of the health service from joining unions because unions can organise demonstrations. What it then means is that those who would have joined will be affected, the issue that individual members who would be members of a union will be charged because unions incite or organise demonstrations. So maybe there should be a specific wording that should be used so that those who participate in a demonstration are charged instead of approaching it from a holistic point.
HON. HWENDE: Just to add on to what Hon. Chidziva is saying because the implication of this clause is that all the members of a union - let us assume that…
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: You are not connected.
HON. HWENDE: This issue is a simple one. I think it just needs rewording because let us assume that you are a member of the union and you disagree with the decision to strike but you are still in the executive, the way it is worded, you can actually also be criminally liable. That is where the problem is. So it needs to be reworded.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: What is your proposal there?
HON. HWENDE: Also even the three years imprisonment for labour work is excessive. Being a union leader you cannot be sentenced for three years. The problem we have is that the Government is failing to pay its employees and you have seen that even in the past where a custodial sentence has been proposed, it has never worked as a deterrent because people still strike since there are a lot of issues that result in people striking, particularly where you are paying doctors US$300. What do you want them to do?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Let me come and explain.
HON. HWENDE: If you want to explain, it is also better. You can come and explain and then we can come again so that maybe if there is a misunderstanding, you can help.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Let me explain so that we do not labour on issues that are not correct. Thank you. Let me just speak to the clause, what it is saying and then allow the Hon. Vice President to explain the Act.
If you go to Clause 5 (2), it explains the restrictions that are there. Firstly in (a), it says the health services is now deemed an essential service consistent with section 65 which indicates that a law may designate any other as an essential service. It then says no collective job action, whether lawful or unlawful shall continue for an uninterrupted period of 72 hours or for more than 72 hours in any 14 day period. So what this provision is doing is, it is restricting the time line which the health services can go on strike, then it goes on now to say on what you were now reading. It says now, if you are a member of a trade union do not incite people to go on strike or organise a strike which is not within the timeframes that have been stipulated within the law.
So it is saying any individual who is a member of the governing body of any trade union or representative of a body of members of the health service which incites…
HON. HWENDE: Which union now?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Any, it does not matter - any union that incites members within the health services, which incites or organises any job action contrary to subsection 2 (b). So when you are reading this, you must go to what subsection 2 (b) says; that individual who organises shall be guilty of an offence, and it is not a mandatory jail sentence. The judiciary is given a leeway to give a fine depending on the gravity of the situation, a custodial sentence.
So it is the standard way that legislation is drafted. It is not saying it is a mandatory custodial sentence but it is giving a level of fine or. So it is consistent with ‘to organise’ as an individual, contrary to Section 2 (b). That is what it is saying and if you do not understand the law, I do not know...
HON. HWENDE: Wait Hon. Minister. This section is saying ‘any individual who is a member of the governing body of any trade union or a representative of members of the health service which incites’, this ‘which incites’, is not referring to the individual man. It is referring to the body and the union. That is where the problem is to say that if your union incites and whilst you are may be a committee member who is not also agreeing with this...
HON. ZIYAMBI: It is saying any individual who belongs to a body...
HON. HWENDE: And the body which incites, that is where the problem is. That is what it is saying.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Hon. Chairman, if you read the way subsection (3) is couched, it is saying any individual who is a member of the governing body of any trade union or if you are a representative of a body of the health service, and you go on to incite, which incites. So you want ‘who incites’.- [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-
(v) HON. LABODE: As the Committee, we recommended that this whole section be deleted because they are unfair to the Labour Act than the Labour Act to take precedence. What the health workers told us categorically is that if this law passes and this clause becomes law, they will make sure that they will not go on strike but they will go slow, which means where they were seeing ten patients they will see one patient and we will see how you are going to sue them when they are at work. That is what they were saying everywhere, that they would go slow while they are working. Thank you.
(v) HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Mr. Chairman. I find myself in a very difficult position. I heard the Hon. Vice President responding to the submissions made by Hon. Members. Yesterday I realised that the Hon. Vice President is my tezvara and it is very difficult to say to your tezvara you are lost, but the bottom line is that I do not think he actually understood the import of my contribution. To start with Hon. Vice President, I was very alive and cognisant of the provisions of that section. The first point I want to make is that in my contribution earlier on, I alluded to the fact that a law may restrict the exercise for this right in order to maintain it.
I was very alive to that particular provision but I then took a ride and went on to indicate what the circumstances are under which such a law abides and that is when I made reference to the limitation of rights and pretexts set out in Section 86 of the Constitution. In reference to that particular section, I pointed out that such a law must be reasonable and justifiable in a democratic society based on openness, just human dignity, equality and speed.
I want to add that the purpose of that limitation in particular, should be considered in the context of whether it is necessary in the interest of defence, public safety, and public order and so on. I want to distinguish the health services from the security service. I want to go back to Section 65 and I want the Hon. Minister of Justice as well as the Vice President to pay particular attention to what I am going to say. When you look at Section 65 (3), do not read it in isolation, you must look at the whole section. The section says ‘Every person has the right to fair and safe labour practices and standards and to be paid a fair and reasonable wage’. The second one says, ‘Except for members of the security services, every person has the right to form and join trade unions and employee or employers’ organisations of their choice and to participate in the lawful activities of those unions and organisations’.
So you find that the Constitution is aware of the right to the general labour rights. It then goes on to separate members of the security service. Obviously, members of the security, we are talking of the army, the police; if they go on strike for example, that is tantamount to a coup and that is the reason why they include it. We must not equate their position with that. I am aware about the right to life but what I said earlier on still applies. I am also going to join what I am going to say with what Hon. Dr. Labode indicated. The intention of the enforcement of labour rights is to allow the employee to engage in negotiations, active job action and if that fails, it should be given the further option to go on strike. If you now pass a Bill in the manner it is formulated, you are actually saying that this law puts the health workers in the same bracket...
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Gonese, may you stop repeating yourself.
HON. GONESE: I am not repeating myself but I am simply responding to the fact that in their responses, the Hon. Minister of Justice as well as the Vice President, seem to imply that all of us in our Constitution were lost in terms of the provisions of the Constitution and this is what I am emphasising. I used the word ‘it is bad law and when I say it is bad law, I am saying that it is not good for the good order of this country. That is the point I am making. I am aware that a law can be passed in order to include other sectors under security services. I am saying it is a bad law and that is my point. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Why would you want to repeat that one Hon Gonese.
HON. GEN. (RTD). DR. CHIWENGA): I want to refer to the issues raised repeatedly by Hon. Chidziva, Hon. Hwende, Hon. Labode and Hon. Gonese. All what is contained in here has given the professionals the right to strike. All what has been put by this Bill is in terms of the Constitution whether you go to Section 48 or 65, it is covered. Even the one which Hon. Gonese is talking about on the limitations and when you go to section (b) the purpose of the limitation in particular, whether it is necessary in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health, it is contained. It is there. I do not see where the argument is.
In terms of the law, when you are putting the law, you give the judiciary the right or space when they look at the matter. This is why there will be a fine or a mandatory sentence. This is why we are proposing a fine or a jail sentence and that is the maximum that they can go to. They cannot go beyond. We are saying we are dealing with human life and it is a right for everyone, including Hon. Members here who are talking about this. You want to come and debate tomorrow – you cannot debate when you are in Zororo or Warren Hills Cemetery or wherever you are buried. We want to protect you. Let us not mix conditions of service of paying people and then try to put them in there. This situation is not going to be there.
Had it not been for sanctions where this country lost US$40 billion over this period, we could have been away from this. We would not have been talking about conditions of service which are being referred to. Now, the Second Republic has said sanctions or no sanctions, even if anyone calls for sanctions daily, we do not care. We are going to build this country on our own. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. I thank you.
HON. HWENDE: In a country like ours where people are being paid meagre salaries, to criminalise workers who go on strike for getting low salaries such as US$300 for doctors and nurses which is not enough for them to pay monthly rentals is not good. How many years have we been paying doctors and nurses US$300? –[AN HON MEMBER: You called for sanctions]. We have never called for sanctions. No one has ever called for sanctions. You are always using sanctions as an excuse. Why do you always have to use sanctions as an excuse? No!
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: What you are raising now is not relevant to the clause.
HON. HWENDE: With due respect, the reference to me calling for sanctions must be withdrawn because I never called for any sanctions. I am an elected Member of Parliament for Kuwadzana East Constituency and no one has ever called for sanctions. I come from CCC, a party that is new which has never been on record for calling for sanctions.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Can you highlight your issue that I have given you the floor to highlight.
HON. HWENDE: The reference to sanctions cannot stand because with due respect, I stand here on behalf of the people ofo Kuwadzana. No one has ever called for sanctions in Kuwadzana. I also represent CCC. CCC has never called for sanctions. It is unfortunate that my contribution is being disregarded by the Minister on the excuse that I called for sanctions that I do not know of. You must protect me as the Chairperson.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: This is why I have given you the floor to highlight what you want to highlight. All what you are highlighting is completely out of the clause. Can you highlight the issue that you want to hammer home?
HON. HWENDE: I have never called for sanctions. I do not know and I cannot answer for that. Why should I talk about sanctions?
HON T. MLISWA: Hon. Zhou usashamisire nokuti Vice President vari pano, uchida ku promotwa. Wapedza vasikana vese ma intern pano paParliament iwe – [HON MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] - unoabuser vana iwe. Uri gunguwo iwe –[ HON. ZHOU: Dzoka kuZANU PF] – ndagara ndiriko ku ZANU PF, baba vangu was a liberator not iwewe. Uno abuser vana, ndinayo report yako.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Mliswa please! Hon. Zhou, please!
HON. T. MLISWA: Unotora vana uchivapa masweets mumota mako, haunyari – [HON. ZHOU: Hauna nyaya iwe]- Yaa utaurise, vakauya kwandiri vakati tanzwa tashaya zvokuita, uri abuser wevana iwe. Ma intern otadza kuuya kuzoita basa pano nokuda kwako, wasvibisa Parliament.
HON. HWENDE: Thank you very much Hon. Chair. I will go straight to my submission. When we started debating this Bill, we highlighted a very important point that came from the public consultations. One of the reasons why this Bill was rejected throughout the country was because of this same clause that we are now discussing. People do not agree that genuine trade union work must lead to union leaders going to jail for three years. They rejected it and they are rejecting it here also.
As a Government, we know the problems that we have. This Government cannot pay people sufficient salaries. We have got doctors that are earning US$300 and nurses are earning US$300. So it is inevitable that strikes will be an order of the day. Why do we not concentrate on improving the welfare of the doctors instead of concentrating on jailing them, people that are raising important issues? We are forcing our health services workers to go to work without any medical equipment. Hamuna kana magloves chaiwo; hamuna kana zvinhu zvekushandisa but then you want to criminalise genuine work…
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Order Hon. Hwende. Some of the issues that you are raising have been answered already.
HON. HWENDE: Chairman, imi magamuchira mari yenyu, vashandi vomuzvipatara havasi kutambira. The crisis iri muzvipatara does not call for custodial sentence dzatiri kuita pano apa. The people rejected it and you must accept that we must debate on this issue thoroughly because we cannot pass a law inosungisa vanhu vari kumirira vashandi
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Hwende, order. Respect the Chairperson please. I think your concentration must be on the imprisonment. Everything that you are actually saying…[HON. HWENDE: I am motivating you to see why it is wrong to imprison a union worker arikumiririra a doctor who is being paid $300. That is all I am trying to highlight here. My suggestion is, we must scrap this whole section because it is this section that was rejected by people. If this Parliament respects the people and respects the legislators who are here, kana this amendment isiri a command law, then it must be dropped. So I submit] –
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Hon. Chair. I think in many ways the Hon. Vice President has convinced us that it is a profession which should be taken seriously and we cannot have people who commit themselves to profession, allowing people to die in hospital. I think that has been taken on board but quite critical is the aspect of the labour rights that people have that has not been understood. The fact that we send people to jail, I think the best jail is, even if you have to suspend them from that profession, it makes sense.
The aspect of jail like you said is not something that we would want us to be seen to be doing that. The Second Republic, Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health know that it needs to reform from the First Republic. As such, this is the opportunity to reform. The engagement, re-engagement which is happening is premised on reforming and we cannot reform for the worst. We have got to reform for the best. So my appeal and prayer is that the Hon. Vice President considers a lesser sentence than jail. I think there are many issues that have been put in, in terms of people not going out there to think strike, 72 hours; you have given them a right to strike for 72 hours, which is good but for 14 days, they cannot. I think those ones actually help in ensuring that we continue with a better health system.
The people again in terms of the consultations which were done, we represent the people, they were very hard on this one. They did not want it to be there. So it will be unfair for us to speak against the people. Here we are representing the concerns of the people during the consultation time which we do. As such, we are mandated and obliged to speak on behalf of the people. I am sure you know that even for this Bill to come through there were arguments. They wanted it to be thrown out, but they were told to let it continue and we express the will of the people while we debate. So what we are doing is expressing the will of the people, having come from the people. The Hon. Vice President must be privy to this, that there was an argument on debate on this Bill not sailing through; not being accommodated but I got up and said no, it must proceed and anybody who has got anything to say against it or for it can debate. That is the reason why I am also debating the fact that this issue was not welcome by the people. As such, it must find its way out. I thank you.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: Hon. Chairman, on the issue of insulting, I would like to know from the Minister, if a union calls for a demonstration, according to Part b which says 72 hours, after 72 hours, the union will call off as required but the individuals continue with the demonstration, what will happen?
HON. RTD. DR. CHIWENGA: Mr. Chairman Sir, I fully understand what the Hon. Members are saying here but they are running short that we will also be treading into one pillar of Government which is the Judiciary. If you put something and limit the judiciary, what are you going to be saying? You want to make the law and be the jury and judge also?
On this section, it is clear, it is not ‘shall’ but it is saying ‘a fine not exceeding level 10 or to an imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years or to both such fine and such imprisonment’. It will be depending on the case where somebody has caused the death of a person; there have to be consequences which must go with it.
Now, those who spoke about the action that can be taken against a union, I believe that I had responded to this issue that we are removing ‘which’ replacing with ‘who’ – that we have agreed to. It is the individual, not the union but that individual who has caused the strike so that it is in line with that individual.
However, on the issue of the promulgation of the law, as the Second Republic, that is why we are running with these programmes and projects. We will convene and work on things. It is not that we have money to throw away into Manyame River but this is money for the benefit of Zimbabweans, including professionals. When we give them a lot of money, then we have to come back to this august House to amend the law. We do not do that with laws but it is important that we enact laws then we can work on the amendments.
Poverty is there but it is not permanent, it can be alleviated, we are the Second Republic. We need to work together, that is why you find that we have Clean up Campaigns and you find some people believing that taking such actions, people believe that this is correct. The Sunshine City was destroyed because of that. We do not want such things to continue but we want to be progressive instead of being retrogressive.
We build our nation together; it is not going to be built by anyone else. We should not focus on the past but we need to look at the future. Let us not concentrate on the past but let us work hard so that we have a tomorrow.
I want to respond to Hon. Chidziva who spoke about this issue. We do not live in the past Hon. Hwende but we want to look into the future. Do not be pasted in history. We do not want to live in the past, so even in this august House, the legislature is a collective decision. When a law is enacted, then it is enacted by Parliament.
We are not talking politics, we are going to concentrate on politics next year when we go towards the elections in the right platform, and then we do politicking. Here we are in the legislature; we are here to enact laws, so we need to focus on that instead of politics. When people insult one another, it is because some are being childish.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: I noticed Hon. Chairman that the Minister did not get my point. My point is that an individual who has incited people to demonstrate, then after 72 hours he decides to withdraw his call for a demonstration but workers then continue with the demonstration, what will then happen?
(v)HON. GEN. (RTD). DR. CHIWENGA: The law is clear, it is not selective. If workers go ahead with their demonstration, then they are violating the law and the law will take its course. We cannot continue discussing such issues. If a demonstration has been called off and you continue with the demonstration, then you are violating the law. This is misconduct and the law of misconduct will apply.
These are nitty gritties and I do not believe that minor issues like that should be dwelt on especially when discussing the law.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that we report progress and seek leave to sit again.
House resumed.
Progress reported.
Committee to resume: Thursday, 20th October, 2022.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI), the House adjourned at Nine Minutes to Seven o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 19th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWICHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senators, you are reminded to put your cellphones on silent or better still to switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Number 1 and 2 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SEN. WATSON KHUPE
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate, Hon. Sen. Khupe.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 20th October, 2022
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 7th Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation held from the 1st to the 3rd of August 2022 in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 20th October, 2022.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO THE PARLIAMENT OF RWANDA
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the Benchmarking visit to the Parliament of Rwanda.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Thank you very much Mr. President, I think that there has been enough time to respond to this motion and I wish to thank Hon. Senators who contributed immensely towards the benchmarking visit to Rwanda, to the lessons that we learnt from there and to the exchange of information that was then forthcoming. Indeed, we learnt a few things from our perspective from Zimbabwe and we took note of some recommendations, which we hope that this Hon. Senate will be able to carry through and push so that some of those visits are not just visits but actually bring out recommendations that can be pursued. I wish to thank Hon. Members who contributed to this debate so immensely and I seek for the adoption of the motion. I thank you.
Motion that this House takes note of the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the Benchmarking Visit to the Parliament of Rwanda on the 20th to 25th February, 2022 put and adopted.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE HELD IN ITALY
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to Victims of Terrorism.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Thank you Mr. President, Hon. Senators contributed immensely on this motion and also looked at the issue of counter terrorism with regard to victims of terrorism and a lot of issues apply to us and internationally. It was a high level meeting indeed that took place in Rome where we participated very vigorously. I am aware that there will be further meetings of this nature in the future but for now, I think Hon. Senators have adequately articulated their views on this motion. Again, I wish to seek for the adoption of the motion and I thank Hon. Senators who contributed so well.
Motion that this House takes note of the Delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to Victims of Terrorism held at Palazzo Montecitorio-Nuova Aula Dei Gruppi Parliamentari Rome, Italy, from 7th to 8th June, 2022 put and adopted.
MOTION
PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR COMPLETION OF DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for Government to provide adequate funds for the completion of dam projects.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: This motion has amassed 21 days. The mover of the motion is not here, which means this motion is not going to be adopted but it falls away. So Hon. Senators, when you move motions, you must keep track of your motion so that it does not fall away. In this instance, sadly it has fallen away. Hon. Sen. Muzenda had moved and Hon. Sen. Tongogara had seconded the motion, it is now just a formality, the motion has fallen away.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA, the Senate adjourned at Twelve Minutes to Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 18th October, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, I have one announcement. I have to inform the House that the 2023 Pre-Budget Seminar will take place from Friday, 21st to Monday, 24th October, 2022 at the Harare International Conference Center. Hon. Members from outside Harare who require accommodation will be accommodated at the Rainbow Towers and Ambassador Hotel. Hon. Members are expected to check in on Thursday, 20th October, 2022. Further updates pertaining to the seminar will be shared during the course of the week.
HON. T. MLISWA: We thank you Hon. Speaker for the announcement of the Pre-budget Seminar which is starting from the 21st t October. I think it is also important for you to know that the conditions which the Members of Parliament are facing are rather sad. Not only that, just the decency and dignity, we are fast losing it because of the accommodation crisis, we have Members of Parliament staying at places like the Harare Club, which is a no star and a brothel. Our human dignity is at stake. I think if at all there are no means of accommodation, it is good to advice Members of Parliament not to come, rather than exposing them to such places. Others are married and being seen in such places does not augur well. It causes a lot of pain and disharmony in a family.
The challenges which we are facing right now, reflect on a number of issues. On our terms of conditions, being a Member of Parliament, I have never signed a contract or agreement to my terms or conditions of my salary, allowances, the package of the car, pension and so forth. I think it is important that once that is done, it sets a good precedence, moving forward. Even if Parliament itself is not able to do that but there is a written document, which guides Members of Parliament on what they are entitled to.
Not only that Mr. Speaker Sir, we have several times said why can we not be given money to find our own accommodation and cook our food because the health we are exposed to in terms of food in the hotels is not healthy. If we had been given money to pay for our accommodation and food, these issues would not be happening monthly. Right now, I know certain things are probably beyond your control but we are just lost sheep. I am glad that the Hon. Vice President is here. Hawasisina kwekugara vana wenyu maMembers of Parliament and it is becoming difficult for us to conduct our responsibilities, our mandate by standing here.
I do not know Mr. Speaker Sir, you have Ambassador Hotel, what class hotel is it? What class hotel is a Member of Parliament entitled to stay in? You have got the Rainbow which is probably Four Star or Five Star and then the other Member goes to a Two Star hotel. So whether there is discrimination, how then are we equal when one is in a Five Star hotel and the other one is in a Two Star hotel?
THE HON. SPEAKER: You are now debating Hon. Member. I thought you had made your point.
HON. T. MLISWA: In conclusion Mr. Speaker Sir, it becomes very difficult. If we cannot at all afford, then I think it is best we go home and we just continue without work until Parliament has enough funding for us to continue our mandate, but we are doing this in a much compromised position. I want you to know that.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. When you speak of some contractual agreement, we are now toward the tail end of the 9th Parliament and some of you were in the 8th Parliament, others in the 7th Parliament, others in the 6th Parliament and so on. In the structure of Parliament, you have your whips minus yourself of course, who is an independent. Your whips are directly responsible for the welfare – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- Can you listen? Either you want me to respond to the point of order, so please behave. Thank you.
The issue I was saying, you have the whips and they are expected to bring such proposals to the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders. The whips come from the political parties – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- Please can I finish or else I keep quiet and save my energy to attend to the Hon. Vice President.
So if there are certain perhaps miscommunication and so on, you have the accounting officer, the Clerk of Parliament and you have me. Bring these things to our attention and we will act accordingly. When I was away there has been some proposal or decision from Treasury, which decision we have attended to as of yesterday and I want to believe as we go forward, the issue will be sorted out accordingly. There were two major issues as far as I was informed – the housing loan and the second vehicles. Those were the outstanding issues. As far as accommodation, the hotels; this has been a problem not only for Parliament but also for ministries of Government and Treasury is coming up with some solution. That is why we are able to secure accommodation at the Rainbow Towers.
There are differentials Hon. Mliswa, I agree. I am not sure whether the Ambassador is a Three Star hotel. What is important is, while we come to some finality with Treasury, the Minister is arriving only today and we should be able to iron out some of these issues that affect you directly. Indeed, you deserve the dignity as law makers of this nation. No country can operate without the law and Parliaments make the law, and that is why you are Hon. Members. In that regard – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- Hon. Madzimure, do you want to listen to me?
To that extent, that honour needs to be respected and protected. So as a way forward, we will ensure that by tomorrow when the Minister is within the country, we iron out some of these issues which not only affect Parliament but have affected all the Government ministries because they owe the hotels. Some hotels have been owed from six to nine months. Are you listening Hon. Mliswa? They have been owed for a long time and what they are owed now has been eaten up by inflation. These are the concerns also from the hotels. They also want value for money. So these are the issues and we will sort it out. Any challenges are there to be sorted out and get solutions accordingly and I am sure we should be able to find lasting solutions to that effect. So your point of order Hon. Mliswa, is understood in that context. Thank you.
(v)HON. NDUNA: Hon. Speaker Sir, on a point of clarity if you indulge me. I see you have papers in your hand Hon. Speaker Sir. I was wondering since I am on virtual, whether my name is also appearing in your bunch of literature Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Nduna. I am not holding a bunch of papers. You must be very careful with your language – [Laughter.] - I am an English teacher. So I am not holding a bunch of papers. I have got some papers with a list and I got this list only from two parties, CCC and MDC-T. I have not received any list from ZANU PF, so I go by the list as agreed.
HON. BITI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I rise on a matter of national importance. On Friday, 14th October 2022, six young children perished in the foggy area of Juliasdale in Nyanga due to an unfortunate road accident. Road traffic accidents are now so numerous in our country such that they have now become the third highest killer of persons in our country after non-communicable diseases, Tuberculosis and then road traffic accidents.
A lot of these road traffic accidents are happening due to negligence. Unlicenced drivers, drunken drivers, speeding drivers, tired and exhausted drivers and unfit vehicles are on the streets. So we want the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, the esteemed Hon. Mhona who is here, to ensure that there is a revolution, a revisiting of the Highway Code so that we have got a strict regime of driving, driver qualifications, retesting and a points system.
Mr. Speaker, I am also concerned about State failure. When that accident took place in Nyanga, there was no emergency service. The bus plunged into a canyon. There was no emergency service in Nyanga, Rusape and Mutare to lift the children from the gulley that they had sunk into. There was no Fire Brigade. There was nothing – State failure. Mr. Speaker Sir, we are losing unnecessary lives and the Government of the day must come up with measures to ensure that we do not lose lives to unnecessary processes. I therefore kindly ask the esteemed Minister of Transport, Hon. Mhona, to come and present a Ministerial Statement on how he intends to deal with this scourge of our people being killed unnecessarily through negligence and State failure. I thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Biti. Our condolences go to the six youngsters definitely; who passed on prematurely. Hon. Minister of Transport, I am sure you have heard for yourself the concerns, if you could kindly bring a Ministerial Statement accordingly and indicate the way forward...
HON. ZIYAMBI: Point of clarification Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I just want the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care to clarify something because there was an allegation that the State failed yet there was adequate response. – [AN HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjections] - Iwe usanyepe, wanyepa, so I request that Mr. Speaker Sir – [AN HON. MEMBER: Rwako ruri rudo, siya mukuru.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Leader of Government Business for your intervention but I had not finished my response, mandibata pahuro. I was saying Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, if you could come up with that Ministerial Statement. Also as someone who traverses these roads as well, I hinted to you that small moving traffic must keep to the extreme left, they do not, and they are one of those elements that really cause traffic jams in terms of not keeping to the rules and so on.
There was an allegation that the State did not come in, Hon. Vice President, you wanted to clarify some issues?
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (THE HON. GENERAL (RTD). DR. CHIWENGA): I rise to clarify on the issue raised by Hon. Biti. Sure, we are all sad and the entire nation is sad about what happened to the young children who lost their lives at that prime age. These are the leaders of tomorrow and we expect that they grow up to maturity. When the accident happened, the first clear mistake was that it was during the night, children should never travel at night and that accident occurred during the night. That matter is being addressed by the relevant Ministry which is the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
We have discussed that matter. Mr. Speaker Sir, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development is also going to be holding seminars to address that issue of drivers on highways and what needs to be done. Once he has done that programme which he has been ordered to do, he will come with a Ministerial Statement to Parliament. He will advise Parliament on what Government is doing to alleviate this problem.
Coming back to the issue of the accident scene, let me inform Hon. Members that we bought new ambulances which we have deployed to districts, especially districts that are far away. Nyanga is one of those district hospitals; it was given two brand new ambulances and we have given all far away districts like Chimanimani, Binga and all areas which are very far away from getting help if an accident occurs. When the accident took place, we had ambulances from Nyanga Hospital, ambulances from the Ministry of Defence at All Arms Battle School, Mars and everybody.
We managed to evacuate everybody within the golden hour and what we call the golden hour is, if one hour passes before somebody gets help, in this case we could have lost more lives. Those who perished, five died on the spot and one died on the way to hospital but thereafter, we managed to save lives. It was because of the reaction, not only from the Ministry of Health but from everybody whom we laid our hands on. They came and Mars came as far as Mutare and we managed to evacuate everybody. I wanted to clear that point.
The issue of our driver not behaving well on the roads is being attended to and Parliament will be advised on the measures which would have been taken. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Vice President for that clarification. Those who were involved to rescue lives, definitely are highly commended. As you rightly said Hon. Vice President, we might have lost more lives if that hour was not attended to.
HON. MUNENGAMI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. The issue is not only for the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. I think the policing aspect on the roads also needs to be revisited. Police officers are also amongst people who are causing some of these accidents. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Transport also need to engage so that at least we can find a way forward.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am sure the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development will liaise with his colleague, the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you and good afternoon Mr. Speaker Sir. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I just want to raise five quick issues. The first one is I requested the list of the debt acquired from ZIMCODD, key debt I have not received. What I have received is the same list which I got four months ago which is inadequate for the acquisition of a debt of over a billion dollars for the national fiscus.
My second question is: we have been prejudiced under the justice internal report on the handover. We have been prejudiced as a nation on the intrinsic value of land of over USD3.07 billion and we cannot get a copy of the justice internal report, I begged for it. I have also asked for an ERP roads so that we know which roads are being done, whether in our constituency or nationwide so that we either participate or watch. To date, we have never received the ERRP as Members of Parliament.
There are two statements that I asked for Hon. Speaker. About four months ago, I asked the Minister of Home Affairs and it was yourself at the time and the question was on the issue of registration as to why many people, particularly in my constituency Hatcliff, we are being left behind on the registration and in your ruling, you said that the President had said no man must be left behind and they must fix the problem. The problem to date has not been fixed.
I have seen the Minister of Home Affairs since then and he said he would have a statement to deliver which has not been delivered. Secondly, at the end of September, when the current programme was finished, he would come back and pick all those people left behind and to date, nothing has happened.
My final one and am glad the Vice President is here. Four months ago, when I asked on a point of national interest as to why suppliers to the Ministry of Health have not been paid for six months – my question is if it is a problem, we need to know but secondly, the Ministry of Finance stood up and said anything that is being requested has been paid. These payments had not been requested and that is my issue. Is the Ministry of Finance delaying payment or is the Ministry of Health delaying calling for it? All this has effect in the national budget which we are about to discuss for next year. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The last bit was not included in the first four batches. Why do you not ask that as a question tomorrow to the Minister? The rest of the questions – before I left for Kigali, I had instructed that we want detailed responses by Thursday this week. That was the deadline. I am hoping that we should be able to get responses to those four major items you raised last time.
HON. MARKHAM: I thank you for your intervention Mr. Speaker.
*HON. MATAMBO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I rise on the issue of the intensity of the war in Russia. This is what is happening in areas where there are elections in Zimbabwe. Currently, we have heard of issues that have happened where people are campaigning and guns have been used. If you look at what is happening, there are people who are in this House. As we prepare for 2023 elections, my request is that the violence that is happening and conflict ends in Russia and not spill over to Zimbabwe to intimidate those who are going to contest. This also reminds us of Gukurahundi and the sound of gunfire continues to intimidate the people. So, my request is that as legislators in this august House, that might be encouraged and spill over into Zimbabwe. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Mr. Matambo, I do not get the connection of Russia.
*MR. MATOMBO: Our nation Zimbabwe is not engaged in armed conflict and as legislators, we are silent on what is happening in certain areas. If you look at what is happening, a lot has happened and if you look at videos that are on social media, there are some vehicles with party symbols of people who are causing violence. I am saying that violence should not be found in Zimbabwe but let it be done in other countries. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I think we all want peace and we work towards maintaining that peace. You can ask a question tomorrow as to what measures the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs is taking to ensure that there is peace in the country.
(v) *HON. NDUNA: On a point of Order Mr. Speaker Sir. Seeing that my hand has been up from minute number one, would it please you Mr. Speaker Sir, seeing you did not receive a list from the ruling party ZANU PF because of connectivity or otherwise, will it please you over and above the net that you have received to indulge me on just one point of privilege at the tail end of other Hon. Members’ submissions.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. I sympathise with you Hon. Nduna but I must follow the rules that you passed here. The matter should be resolved between yourself and your Chief Whip.
HON. GONESE: On a point of Order Mr. Speaker Sir. It is in relation to what Hon. Nduna has just said. It is in terms of Standing Order...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese, please approach the Chair later on. Can you allow Hon. Madzimure to proceed?
*HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The issue that I want to raise is concerning buses that ferry people in urban centres, the ZUPCO buses. We have quite a lot of buses that we received from Belarus such that when one is traveling from Harare to Bulawayo, you are supposed to meet over 20 buses but currently there are no buses on our roads. If you leave this House around 5p.m. and you travel to Copacabana and Simon Muzenda termini here in Harare and you also go to Egodini in Bulawayo, you will find the public packed like sardines in mshika-shika vehicles. If such a vehicle is involved in an accident most people will perish. People are using those small vehicles as transport because the buses are not available. We have bought a lot of buses. I urge the Minister of Local Government to come and explain to this august House what is happening with the buses from Belarus. How many buses did we import and how many are in use?
The money that is being used to hire buses that are not roadworthy for public use, where is it going? He promised that we will have a reliable transport network and that has not yet been achieved. Currently, we do not have a reliable urban transport system. ZUPCO is not in operation and I urge the Minister to come and explain to this House the measures that he has taken as to whether we are progressing or regressing because there is no public transport for the people.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Your question needs to be put in writing so that it is answered accordingly because you want details that you have to be satisfied with in terms of your question.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 7 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 8 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
HEALTH SERVICES AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 8, 2021]
Eighth Order read: Committee Stage: Health Services Amendment Bill [H. B. 8, 2021].
House in Committee
*HON HWENDE: On a point order. This House represents the people. We are bound by the fact that we represent the people; the Bill that you have brought before us was rejected by the people out there and the report was brought into Parliament. I do not know what you want us to do as Parliament.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): That is not procedural that once a public hearing has been done, a Bill is withdrawn. You capture points and they are debated - [HON. HWENDE: Inaudible interjection] –The true representative…
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Hwende, I have not recognised you. Please may you take your seat? [HON. HWENDE: Inaudible interjection] – Hon. Hwende, may you sit down please. I have given the Minister of Justice the floor, may you sit down. He is supposed to respond to what you have said.
Hon Hwende having resisted the request of the Chair.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Hwende, I do not think you would want to compel me to send you outside. Please, Hon. Hwende.
HON. HWENDE: If you want to send me out, you are free because we are going to sit here and discuss a Bill that was rejected by the people. If you want to send me out, go ahead. I do not have a problem.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Can you resume your seat.
HON. HWENDE: I have a right to raise concerns like what I did.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: You have got a right, I have given the Minister a chance to respond - [HON. HWENDE: It is procedural, you are supposed to respond] – You are not supposed to argue with me Hon. Hwende. [HON. HWENDE: But you are being unprocedural.]- Who? – [HON. HWENDE: yourself.] – Out – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] – [HON. MADZIMURE: You cannot do that.] - Hon. Madzimure, may you resume your seat.
Hon. Mushoriwa having wanted to raise concerns also.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: Hon. Mushoriwa please, the Minister is trying to respond to what Hon. Hwende has just raised. – [HON. MUSHORIWA: I thought procedurally you are supposed to make a ruling when a Member raises an issue.] – This is the reason why I have asked the Minister to respond – [HON. MUSHORIWA: The Hon. Minister undermined the seat of the Chair…] - May you give the Minister a chance to respond?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Hon. Chair. I just wanted to respond to say that there is no procedure in our Standing Rules that says after a public hearing, you withdraw a Bill. Parliamentary processes must be followed; the report presented, debated and the relevant Minister will respond to those issues and the relevant organ that passes laws which is this august House, will make a determination, not to come with premature arguments that we must withdraw the Bill because of public hearings. I so submit.
HON. GONESE: Mr. Chair. I have listened very attentively to the submissions made by the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. I would like to draw his attention to the provisions of Section 141 of our National ‘Bible’, which is our Constitution as read with the provisions of Section 119. Firstly, as legislators, as representatives of the people and also the Executive must take into account what the Constitution requires. We must not just look at the letter but the spirit behind the provisions that are in our Constitution.
In this regard, I want to refer to the issue of public access to and involvement in Parliament. Parliament is actually required and the words used are ‘must.’ Parliament must facilitate public involvement in its legislative and other processes and in the processes of its Committees, if the Portfolio Committee embarked on public hearings as required by the provisions of this Constitution. It is my respectful submission that the Executive must take into account those submissions. Whilst I agree with the Hon Minister that there is no legal requirement but this is the reason why I am referring to the spirit behind those provisions. When we look at the provisions of Section 119, it talks about Parliament making laws for the peace, order and good governance of the people. Is it good order and governance if we as the legislature, ignore the views of the public?
I believe that when this Committee Report was presented, it was quite clear that throughout the country, there was unanimity as regards the Bill, the spirit of the Bill and so on. I would enjoy the Hon. Minister together with the Hon. Vice President, to look at that report again and in that respect, to really consider again perhaps at this appropriate stage, to report progress and seek leave to sit again so that they can consult. After consultation, they may find that it is actually wise not to proceed with this Bill, which the people of Zimbabwe as represented by those who participated in the public hearings have expressed and have indicated that they are not in favour and are not in agreement with the intended legislation. I therefore seriously request my hon. colleagues to take that course of action. I request you as the Chair, to report progress to the Speaker and seek leave to sit again so that they can do those necessary consultations. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Hon. Chair. I am very happy that the Hon. Member has indicated that there is no procedure but he is just appealing. Where public involvement is a must, it is expressed like that in the Constitution, where we are required to go to a Referendum after passing something. In this regard, the Parliamentary processes must be followed. If there are issues that were rejected by members of the public, they are subjected in the debate during the Committee Stage, not to say that once a public hearing has been done on sample size, that is undetermined; we do not stop everything. That is totally wrong.
I believe we must proceed with the business of the House and if there are issues that they believe were strongly raised, then they can be debated in here, not to come up with processes and procedures that are not within our Statutes. If the public is required to make a determination, the Constitution is very clear that we go to a Referendum. These are public consultations and he is very right, the public was involved in Parliamentary processes and it is also very correct that they must and Parliament must do that, which is what we are doing but not to say that once a report has been done by a Committee, all the processes are stopped. I so submit.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Chair. I am confused, I need your help. What is the point of public hearings and Committee write-ups if you will ignore what they said? What the Minister has just said, he has told us categorically, irrespective of what people think on the Committee they will proceed. They will alter what they want and then they will just proceed. Why do we not stop that and do what they want. I so submit.
HON. T. MLISWA: It is prudent that the Chairperson of the Health Committee, Hon. Labode also talks about it. I think it will be proper for you to also ask her pertaining to what people are saying. She chairs the Committee and she must be able to give a true reflection of what happened.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: This is the reason they went out to the people. This is the purpose of this Committee to debate on those clauses that you feel that you have received issues that are not acceptable by the people that you are representing. So, I cannot understand why. You have got the room to highlight those areas when we reach the clause that you are concerned about. You will debate and raise those issues. Please can we just proceed?
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order, I think it is important that we follow the rules. Those who have objections must raise them while the debate is continuing. That is the procedure.
Clause 1 put and agreed to.
On Clause 2:
HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you very much. When we went out for public hearings, a lot of health worker stakeholders felt very strongly that when the Health Services Bill was coming in to insert a commission, it was going to be like other commissions in the Constitution and not a department in the Ministry of Health. I feel strongly that maybe we need to go back to the drawing board and redraft this Bill so that it sets up an independent commission. Thank you.
HON. BITI: Hon. Chair, Clause 2 is the nub of the Bill. The Bill from a drafting point of view, with great respect to those who drafted it, leaves a lot to be desired. What commission are we setting up here? From the preamble of the Bill, it looks like we are setting up a commission to deal with labour issues, to look after the interest of employees and to employ health personnel. In other words, we are weaning out of the Public Service, now known as the Civil Service. We are weaning health workers from the Public Service Commission. If that is the intention, then it must come out in Clause 2.
When you look at Clause 2, it is marrying two processes. It is marrying the labour component, the process of weaning out health workers from the Public Service Commission, which is not a problem. It also has components now of oversight, of looking at grievances and issues in the health sector. Those two are now more consistent with an independent commission that Hon. Dr. Labode was talking about. If the function of this commission is to deal with labour issues, it is an executive commission and not an independent commission.
If, however, this commission’s functions are to play an oversight role in the health sector, then it is an independent commission covered by Chapter 12 of the Constitution. You have got a problem now with Clause 2 because it is a hybrid. It is a half donkey, half horse, half mule, half cow because the people who drafted it are not clear what they are trying to achieve. Are we trying to create an executive commission that deals with employment issues, negotiation of salaries and so forth? This clause Mr. Speaker Sir, is badly drafted.
If we go on the hybrid as it seeks to do, then surely it must have more powers. One of the powers that we must give to the commission is the power of oversight over the health sector. There are so many shortages of drugs and so on. If we are going to create that oversight component, which is incorporated in Section 4, then let us give them that function.
Of concern as well Hon. Chair, we have three provisions that are disturbing. The first one is the curtailment on the power of the commission to make regulations, except with the approval of the Minister. That is not how it works. The Minister of Justice, the Leader of the House, will confirm that ZEC will make regulations on their own because it is a commission. Any other commissions have got powers of making regulations. Here, they cannot make regulations. They have to be approved by the Minister, which is why Hon. Dr. Labode is saying are we creating a department of the Ministry. If we are creating a department of the Ministry, then we cannot call it a commission. If it is a department of the Ministry of Health, that is a contradiction in terms of the law.
Second problematic thing is the provision in Section 2 that says the commission will operate on policy directive from the Minister. It cannot. That is why we are separating the Executive and this commission to the extent that we have got some Chapter 12 components of independence. The Minister is nowhere near. They work together but they are nowhere near, just like ZEC works with the Minister of Justice. They work together but they are nowhere near.
Thirdly, you have got a provision, I think it is the last provision on Sub-section 2 that says, “in fixing salaries, allowances and other benefits of members of the Health Service, the Health Services Commission must act with the approval of the President, given on the recommendation of the Minister”. If it is a labour issue, when the Public Service Commission negotiates with labour unions in Zimbabwe, it does not need the consent of the President. Article 98 of the ILO Conventions is the independence of the tripartite mechanism codified in our Labour Act. Unions negotiate. Once unions negotiate and agree, the Executive is out, particularly the President. It is collective bargaining and if you look at the preamble of the Bill, it says we want to promote collective bargaining. If there is collective bargaining, the employer and the employee have agreed where does the President come in? The commission is not an extension of the Ministry and a department of the Ministry. So I see a mixture of bad philosophy, ideology and drafting because it cannot sail. This provision as it stands right now, cannot sail Hon. Chair. Thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you Hon. Chair. I just wanted to say that I completely concur with Hon. Biti. The purpose of making laws is trying to make things better and clarify grey areas. As far as this section is concerned, it shows that we are not trying to clarify but we are trying to complicate issues. We are trying to involve people who are not supposed to be involved in some of these issues. The spirit of making laws Hon. Chair, should always be based on the fact that we want good governance. We want to allow people to enjoy their work. We want our people to be proud to be health workers, we want our people to know that they are loved by their Government. So, whatever we do in this House should be done for the sole reason of making life easier for our people; to make our people love their country. So we must not in any way try even to outfox people, try to make sure that we put them in a corner, it does not help anyone.
So if this Commission is going to be an independent Commission, then that would be better but if it is an extension of the Ministry, then it does not help anyone. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: I have been looking at the particular Clause 2. Firstly, the intention of that clause is to replace the existing Section IV in the principal Act and substitute it with something entirely new. I want to associate myself with the remarks that were made by those who have eloquently spoken before me and that is to the effect that when we look at the problems that have been bedeviling the health sector, the idea of having a Commission is to wean the health workers from the Public Service and to have a Commission that is responsible for all matters that relate to health. It is in that vein Mr. Chairman Sir, that I propose to submit that what we require is what has been already mentioned by others that we now need a Commission that is autonomous, that is able to make decisions for the efficient running of the health sector. If we are going to do that Mr. Chairman, we therefore need to appreciate that the intended provisions in this particular clause are actually misplaced because they negate and defeat the whole purpose if the intention is to ensure that matters under the health sector are run efficiently and independently of the rest of the civil service.
There was recognition that we must actually have a Commission, which is why that Act was enacted in the first place. What we are supposed to be doing now is to improve on it and not to take two steps forward and then take four steps backwards. I am saying we will be taking four steps backwards if we have provisions that actually entail the Commission to get approval from the Minister. Otherwise what is the purpose now of having that Commission? Again, we will be going several steps backwards if we subject this Commission to directives by the Minister, which is what is provided for in sub-Clause 2; sub-Clause 3 and sub-Clause 4.
I therefore submit that if we want to improve on the existing Act, we must therefore enact provisions that actually enhance the independence, the effectiveness of this particular Commission. We cannot do that if we have interference or the hands of the Executive poking their fingers into the affairs of the health sector, which is not supposed to fall under the purview of the Commission. I therefore submit that the Hon. Minister and I can see that he is consulting with the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs whom I am sure is appreciative of the points and submissions that we are making.
Therefore, this particular clause cannot be passed as it stands. Unfortunately, we have not had time to make an appropriate draft and I would submit that if the Hon. Vice President appreciates the points that we have been making, then they should then consult the drafters to remove those offending provisions in that particular clause so that we remain with a Commission that can then perform its functions effectively and independently of the Ministry, and the Executive so that they can then make decisions that will increase and enhance the work of the health workers. These will be my submissions Mr. Chairman Sir.
(V)HON. NDUNA: Thank you Hon. Chairman Sir. Hon. Chairman, I am happy that we have an attempt to align the Acts of Parliament. The challenge that we had, I speak like this before I deal with Clause 2, is that we did not put timelines in terms of accomplishing the issue of aligning our statutes with the Constitution. Whereas the Kenyan Constitution of 2015 gave timelines to say, okay by such time you will have to have aligned your Acts of Parliament with the Constitution, the issue that I seek to understand is that first, I applaud the Executive for bringing the health services in alignment with the Constitution. I want to know if it would not be prudent to align the Health Services Act with Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Commissions as it is because leaving it in the current form, as we speak, does not speak to the issues of alignment, and the General Laws Amendment Act that came in the Eighth Parliament consequentially amended a lot of laws. I think more than 100 to 142 or thereabout laws but you will find that the Health Services Act did not fall under this ambit. It would be prudent to take the Health Services Act and align it with the Constitution. My suggestion would be, would it not be prudent to put it under Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Commissions?
In my view, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, independent as it is, for budgetary concerns and otherwise, and for appearing before Parliament or to have a representation in Parliament, they fall under the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, chaired by Hon. Mataranyika. We bring them to that Portfolio Committee and it is not only fair that we have a reporting avenue and station by the Health Services Commission, which is the Ministry of Health and Child Care led by the able Hon. Vice President Chiwenga. So it is my thinking that let it fall under the same ambit and modus operandi like Chapters 12/13 Commission, where if these people are going to be interviewed they come through Parliament or the names are submitted to His Excellency and then those commissioners are appointed, and in equal measure, they are disappointed through the same vein. Even if it is the argument, I ask that let the alignment take root of the Chapter 12 and the Chapter 13 Commissions and then everything else, this is as I debate Clause 2, should fall under the same ambit. I have no clue if ZACC is allowed to actually go on a riot or otherwise. So we are going to come to those clauses and it is my thinking that let us align the Health Services Act by making sure those Commissioners are appointed according to the Chapter 12 or the Chapter 13. This is my submission Hon. Chair.
HON. GONESE: I just want to clarify Mr. Chairman in regard to the speakers on the gadgets on those monitors because I have noted that I could only hear Hon. Nduna clearly when I went to my gadget. There was a day I was making a contribution from outside virtually and Members were indicating that they could not hear me and I had to cut short my contribution. I just want to find out from an administrative point of view as to whether our monitors there have got speakers which can enable Hon. Members to hear from the speakers on the monitors without having to use their gadgets because I thought that the purpose of having those screens is to enable those in the House to see the Hon. Member contributing on the screen as well as to hear the Member on the virtual. I just want clarification. I think it is an important issue.
(v)HON. NDUNA: Does he want me to come again?
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (HON. MUTOMBA): Hon. Nduna do not worry, we were hearing you loud and clear.
HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Chair. Just a small proposal and just a minor contribution on the role that we might actually belabor the Commission with issues to do with collective bargaining which are adequately covered in the Labour Relations Act. I note that we have the Labour Act before the House in the form of amendments. We could actually remove all the issues to do with collective bargaining negotiations to the Labour Relations Act and then we let the Commission run smoothly without any issues to do with the labour relations because Zimbabwe is on record for violating ILO Conventions in violating the role of the humans when it comes to negotiations and collective bargaining. So I submit that at least if we could take all issues to do with collective bargaining with the workers and then we just leave the Commission to do its work independently. Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: What section are you debating on Hon. Mpariwa?
HON. MPARIWA: Clause 2 (4).
HON. BITI: I propose Mr. Chairman, to the esteemed Minister that we make the Commission a Chapter 12 Commission because the components are already there in section 2 on the functions. We then create, whether you call it a board that now deals with employment issues; so we separate the functions of the Commission and the labour collective functions.
The problem now is; we are conflating the two functions. That is why when you go to Clause 3, the Chairperson of the Commission is the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, is the Chairperson of the Civil Service because the concern is labour issues but the functions under Clause 2 are not labour issues; they are health issues. It is our health functioning. If that is the concern, then it is a Chapter 12 Commission which must be independent, but if it is a labour issue then the Chairman of the Public Service can chair. They are labour issues, they are trade union issues, which is why Hon. Mpariwa’s point makes sense that we then harmonise that with the Labour Act because the problem now is that Clause 2 has currently been framed as hybrid. It does not know what it is trying to do. Is it trying to deal with oversight matters which are covered by Chapter 12 Commission or is it trying to deal with labour issues? You cannot marry the two. That marriage does not work. You divorce before you have consummated the marriage. It does not work.
HON. HWENDE: Thank you very much Hon. Chair. I think we can easily cure this issue that Hon. Members are raising by amending or removing the last three points 2, 3 and 4 because 2 is the one that is turning the Commission into a department of the Ministry together with number 3 and number 4; that one that is dealing with fixing of salaries and allowances. So my suggestion is, let us remove those ones and see how the remaining sections can be dealt with. Thank you.
HON. GENERAL. (RTD). DR. C. G. D. N. CHIWENGA: Hon. Chair Sir, I have followed the debate from Hon. Members. First, I want to clear the issue of Commissions. There are two types of Commissions in the Constitution. The first, you are dealing with independent commissions like ZEC, ZGC and ZACC. This is Chapter 12. Now, this is a Ministry and just like a Ministry, it is under the Executive, it is not independent. The Ministry of Health and Child Care is not independent. That is why it has a Minister in the Executive. So the employees in the Ministry are treated just like any other employees in Government.
Then the second one is the other types just like the Civil Service Commission. We have got the Uniformed Service Commission, we have got the Police and when you go into these, I will talk now to the bible as the other Hon. Member has talked about.
If you take section 203 of the Civil Service Commission, the section is the same and it is not verbose, it is very clear. When you now go to page 84, subsection 4, it says, “In fixing the salaries, allowances and other benefits of members of the civil service, the Civil Service Commission must act with the approval of the President given on the recommendation of the Minister responsible for Finance and Economic Development and after consultation with the Minister responsible for Civil Service”. You go to Section 18 which is the Defence, it is the same. When you go on the Defence Ministry, it is on subsection (3). In fixing the salaries, allowances and other benefits of members of the Defence Forces, the Defence Forces Service Commission must act with the approval of the President given the recommendation that the Minister responsible for finance and after consultation with the Minister responsible for Defence Forces and you go to the Police. It is the same and it is in this Holy Bible, the Constitution of the country.
Now where Hon. Members are getting mixed up is that Chapter 12 is dealing with independent commissions. This is not an independent commission. It is a Commission under the Executive and as it is under the Executive, the Health Service Commission plays a major role. We all fall sick here including Hon. Dr. Labode, and when you fall sick, you cannot treat yourself, nyoka haizvirume. You have to go and get treated and there has to be order in that. Whilst this is special, this is why it has to be manned in its own corner to make sure that the conditions of service are well looked after.
So, I do not see where Hon. Members have confused themselves. Even those who were asked when consultations were done, people might not have consulted the Constitution. The Health Service Commission is not a labour movement. It is a profession which is charged with the safety of all citizenry of this country and if we do not look at that, we are taking them from the Health Service Board and we want to put them into a Commission but with special attention just like the Defence Forces and the Police Service Commission. They have their own but it is a Commission and it is not an independent Commission. I submit Chair.
HON. BITI: Mr. Chairman, we hear the comments of the esteemed Vice President and also Minister of Health and Child Care, but he must listen to Hon. Members as well. It is clear that there is need and the evidence received from Zimbabweans shows that there is need for an independent Chapter 12 kind of situation over Public Health Delivery System in Zimbabwe. That function is not an Executive function. Health is the right to life. The right to life in Section 48 is the most important right in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. So what Hon. Members are saying is that let us have an independent Chapter 12 kind of Commission that is dealing with Public Health Service Delivery in Zimbabwe and that can easily be created by this amendment by separating what the Bill and what the Minister wants to achieve.
The Minister wants to achieve an Executive Employment Commission that takes out Public Health workers from the Public Service Commission just like the Defence Service Commission, the Police Service Commission, the Prison and Correctional Services Commission which is spelt out in the Constitution. We have no problem with that. If that is the case, we go to bad drafting because I want to compare Section 2 with Section 218 of the Constitution.
Section 218 establishes the functions of the Defence Forces Commission. So, streamline Section 2, you can just reproduce Section 217, simple. What is the function of the Defence Service Commission or what is the function of the Health Service Commission? It is to employ and grade people. It is to negotiate their salaries and we have no problem with that.
This Section 2 is more expanded. So simplify, I go back to my point that this provision, Section 2, is drafted inelegantly and we say to the drafters, just go and cut and paste Section 217 on the Defence Service Commission which the Minister and Vice President knows a lot about. Just cut it and paste and we know that we are just dealing with an Executive Commission that deals with employment issues, conditions of service and collective bargaining of health workers. We have no problem with that but still, there is a lacuna.
There is a gap - Zimbabweans including these Hon. Members are saying there is need for a Chapter 12 Commission to oversee Public Health Delivery in Zimbabwe. Let us create it namhla, let us create it khatesi. There is no problem because health is so important. The right to life is so important and the esteemed Vice President has said, every one falls sick and when you fall sick, you cannot treat yourself. We all need that Commission.
We have a Gender Commission, Human Rights Commission and we have the Media Commission. So let us have a Health Commission so that we can begin to see where the people are getting the service and that Commission will give a report through the Minister whether there are cancer machines and other machines. There is nothing wrong with the request that we are requesting from you the Hon. Minister of Health and Child Care and Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Thank you.
*HON. HWENDE: Thank you Mr. Chairman. I was looking forward to the Minister who is the Vice President to touch on issues that were raised by Hon. Members in this House. On that issue I want to thank him for his presence in the House. Last week, I am sure you remember that we requested that he comes to the august House so that we could see him because from the time we were elected in March, we had never seen him in this House. I want to urge him that tomorrow during Question time; he may also be present because we have a number of questions that are related to his Ministry. Some hospitals are failing to provide medication and also food. The examples given by the Minister – the same commission that is under Defence Forces is not delivering. That is why the conditions for armed forces are terrible. Why should we copy something that is not delivering?
Even if you see the way the Bill was rejected by the people, it is the same issues that we are raising. If you look at all the Members of Parliament that have contributed, everyone is saying the same thing. Not even a single one is supporting this Bill. It was rejected by the people and it is being rejected here in Parliament and that leaves only the Minister. My appeal to the Minister is, let us take it bit by bit so that we can create a commission that helps you to save lives because people are dying.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to again emphasise to the Hon. Vice President the reasons why we are saying that we must depart from the norm. I want to reiterate that when we look at matters or our health, they are very critical and this is the reason why on this continent we have got the Abuja Declaration. I am just giving that as an example to illustrate the importance of matters affecting our well-being. We do not have a similar declaration on any other Ministry but in respect of the Ministry of Health and Child Care, there was a specific declaration adopted by the African people that we must have 15% of the budget going to health. I am simply using that as an example to illustrate the importance of this particular Ministry as well as the importance of the health sector. That is the reason why it deserves special treatment. We cannot equate it to the other executive commissions which have been put in the Constitution.
As lawmakers, we have got that latitude to create a commission which gives independent powers. The Constitution does not preclude us from doing so and this is the reason why we are pleading with the Hon. Vice President, together with the Minister of Justice who is sitting next to him that look, we have got a unique situation which needs a unique solution.
Right now we have a brain drain. Our doctors and nurses are leaving the country and one of the reasons is the issues in the health sector. A lot of the doctors who have complained have indicated that sometimes they do not have the tools of trade and these are some of the issues which we want an independent commission. Obviously when I say independent, we cannot have it under Chapter 12 but it can be similar to the commissions which are under Chapter 12. This is all that we are asking. There is nothing in the Constitution which prevents that course of action from being taken. There is nothing on any of our statutes which prevents us and we are asking the Hon Vice President to reconsider and at this moment in time it may not be possible for him to agree. That is the reason why I am going to submit that this is a clause on which perhaps if the Hon Vice President is not able to agree at this point in time but since he is the Vice President, I want to believe that he consults the Ministry officials whom I believe are in this august House.
When we dealt with issues under the Ministry of Finance, the Minister was able to consult while we are here. If he is able to consult his Ministry officials and realise that what we are saying is in sync with what the people said and if we are going to make laws for the good order and governance of this country as envisaged by Section 117 of our Constitution, we can adopt that course of action. He can consult and he can agree to amend some of those offending provisions which still leave the commission under the control of the Executive. Let us have an independent commission which is then able to actually perform its functions in such a manner that is going to improve the health sector to the extent that all the issues which fall under that particular sector are then adequately dealt with without being hamstrung or affected by bureaucracy which affects and permeates the rest of the civil service. Those will be my submissions and my plea to the Hon Vice President.
HON MADZIMURE: The fact that our health workers are leaving the country in their numbers is an indication that there is something that is not right. We cannot pay a blind eye to that. I see this as an opportunity to do our best in making sure that we restore what used to be a profession that anyone else wanted to be part of. What we are saying is not to embarrass the Minister or the Vice President but just to amplify the voices of those people whom we represent. These are their feelings that we must take this opportunity to do the best that we can.
My plea is that let us use this Bill as a window of opportunity to make sure that we correct all the things that we have failed to do all this while as far as the health sector is concerned so that we retain the best brains. We now have specialists everywhere. Our children have gone out there to study medicine and we want them back. The conditions must be suitable for them to come back.
It is so important for those people because they also follow parliamentary proceedings for them to be encouraged by how we show our concern towards their welfare and issues. I strongly feel that this commission must be an independent commission that is effective. What people are saying is that we are trying to put the health workers in a box where they will have nowhere else to go. This I think is not very good.
HON. RTD. GENERAL DR. CHIWENGA: I have been listening very attentively to Hon Biti, Hon Madzimure, Hon Gonese and Hon. Hwende. I know I did not want to talk about what you are saying. – [Laughter] – Let me say it is this august House, the lawmakers who have said in 2013 they passed this Constitution. After passing the Constitution, they said all the other Acts must be aligned to the Constitution. We cannot then find ourselves running away from that Constitution where we went, all of us out to explain to the people of Zimbabwe to adopt this Constitution. Before we have even gone an inch to follow what the people of Zimbabwe said they wanted, we want to tear this Constitution apart. No, we do not do things like that.
There is no independent commission under the Executive. I hear they have talked about those other independent commissions like ZACC, I am the line Minister. PRAZ is a commission, I am the line Minister but I never interfere with them. All what I do is, when their work cannot be done, that is when they come to my office to say we want an amendment here and we make those amendments. That is all what we do. This is public health we are talking about. Public health cannot be independent. This is why Zimbabwe ranked number one in the African continent when the pandemic struck. Even if we did not have, we took everything we had to serve our people.
Right now we are the only country who forked out 84% of our own resources and put $305 million to make sure every Zimbabwean is safe from this pandemic. –[HON. BITI: Zvakabiwa] – My dear, let us not talk about what we read in social media. This is why we have got ZACC. We are an effective country when it comes there; you steal, we arrest. We do not give – of course Hon. Biti when he puts on his other hat, he goes and defends those criminals – [Laughter] – When he comes here, he is putting another one, now he is saying no, no. So what we want here is to make sure that our health delivery system is put in the right perspective.
I want to tell the Hon. Members, may be when we went out, people were still with that hang-over of the First Republic. This is the Second Republic. I have heaps of letters in my office where they are saying now everything is good. To advise you, doctors and nurses are coming back to Zimbabwe. It is cold out there –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]– You were Minister of Finance, how is the Euro performing against the Dollar - it is now 97 cents. So what will be the price of a pound of meat?
Now we have to work. Ndosaka tiri kuti nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, haivakwi neumwe munhu. It is you and me who are going to build this country, not anyone else. Tombosiya zvimwe zvepolitics paside, tovaka nyika yedu. Kana tava kunopinda mugame repolitics totaurirana zvepolitics, yava imwe game iyo asi kuvaka nyika. What are you going to be known for when you are gone, when I am gone, when she is gone, wakasiya waitei? So what we are saying is independent, you cannot say now in the Executive there is an independent commission. We are putting everything to make sure that all our members, professionals – why they were running away; why they were so disgruntled is because Hon. Labode and others when they were still running the hospitals, they put administrators who had doctorates like me but I am not a doctor and say go and run Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
We want to put professionals. This is why we structured the Ministry of Health. If you now come and see – this is why it is now completely different. Hospitals are being run by professors and physicians. That is their job, to run the hospitals. Everybody else who has got no business in the hospital is out. We have restructured the hospitals to where we have the medical gaps, a clinic and then a district. In between the clinic and the district, we have now put two hospitals; one, a 20 bed hospital with two theatres and another, a 60 bed hospital with three theatres. So it is not an overnight thing Hon. Hwende. I think you are seeing on our - if you have a chance even on the social media, it is there, we have just finished Harare South. We are now building the Cowdry and we will be building hospitals in between the district hospitals.
When you go to Lupane Hospital, it is different. We are putting accommodation for a floor sweeper to a professor who will be running that hospital. The structures which were there, some left by the regime which we kicked out of our country in 1980, they were not concerned about health workers. These are the things which we are correcting.
When we say conditions of service, we are talking of accommodation, transport, and salaries come at the tail end. We want to deal with what it is that the doctor or the professional in the hospital wants. Equipment, we are now buying – it is a matter of time. We do not want to shout about it that we are now re-equipped; we have bought the equipment for the hospitals. We want you to see it.
This is why our professionals are now starting to see reality and this is what we are pleading with you as Hon. Members of Parliament to say let us pass the Bill as what we have recommended. We have not changed anything - this will be the best health delivery system in the world.
We do not want to be a replica, what you are saying that there is an independent health system; I would want to know which country has an independent health system in this world. We want a county which has got an independent health system, if it is there, then I am not sure and we would want to find its record what it would have done.
Hon. Chair, I think from what the Hon. Members were asking, this is what I would say. On the issue of an independent – I think they have gone far away, they are no longer aligning what we have agreed that we want to align every act to the Constitution. I thank you.
HON. LABODE: Just this morning we were in a zoom meeting with the Ministry of Health officials on the budget. I am asking where would the money come from to create those rosy beautiful conditions of service, yet in the last budget 8 billion was allocated for drugs and only one point something billion was actually disbursed. This explains why there were no drugs in any hospital. So, if we cannot even provide a drug, how do we provide a house, how do we provide a car? Simple drugs that we would find in a khaki paper long back in the1980s, we used to go with a khaki paper at Mpilo Hospital and you would be attended by a doctor without even paying a cent.
The picture that we received from the Ministry of Health and Child Care, it was frightening, Members could not even debate. There is not even money for medicines, let alone for luxuries for the workers.
THE HON. CHAIRPRESON: Unless the Minister has got something to say, your point is a bit out of Clause 2.
*HON. BITI: On Clause 2 Hon. Chair, I want to thank the responses from the Vice President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. During the liberation struggle, we used to call him Dominic Chinenge – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- I was there and we were intensely involved in the liberation struggle with Cde. Chocha and Cde. Shiri who are now late. On the issue of an Executive Commission, we seem to be in agreement but we are saying that there are provisions that are under Clause 2 that are not properly worded and are not consistent with other provisions like in 207. So, if that wording is removed, then it would be clear. Permission which deals with employment conditions of our health workers which harvest them from the Public Service Commission and places them on par with Police Service Commission, Defence Services Commission, and Intelligent Services Commission.
What we are talking about Hon. Minister, if we remove the provisions that we have highlighted, what we are saying is that when we fought the liberation struggle, we fought for the people. So, we are saying that separate from the Executive, that is not independent. Let us look into the issue of the public health delivery system and how it is functioning because life is vital and it is only possible if there is health and that is superintend by the health workers in the Ministry.
Under Section 210, we have independent complaints mechanism and that only assumes that something is wrong, that is why I said that we need to take Section 2 but we need to tweak those provisions that we have highlighted so that 207 and section 2 are in alliance. So, let us have foresight so that there is oversight. The work of the board will then look into the public health system to see how it is operating. So it will look at the issue of the budget to see whether Hon. Minister M. Ncube has availed enough funding to the Minister of Health in line with the 15% Abuja Declaration.
The board will also look into issues of whether the hospitals are functioning well, which is similar to the Gender Commission that we have as well as the human rights Commission that we have and the Media Commission that we have as well as the Child Rights Commission that the Minister of Justice intends to bring to the House.
We have heard about the Executive because right to life is important. If we have a Human Rights Commission with provision of rights to human dignity, then it means we need to put dignity to the right to life as provided for in the Constitution. I thank you.
HON. DR. MURIRE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I clearly understand and heard what Hon. Members are saying. If I understood them very well, we are agreeing on the need of the Executive Commission and there is no problem. Now, I would have thought that if members are in need of an independent Commission then that could be the business of another day and that can be passed through a motion in this House, and the matter will be looked into- [HON. MEMBERS: Ko chii nhai?] – I have the floor. So Mr. Chairman, my proposal is that we proceed, dealing with the...-[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – keep quiet and listen to me, you had your time and I was listening –HON. BITI: Inaudible interjection.] – iwe uri mbavhaka Biti wakaba 20 million tinoiziva iyoyo so let us not talk about it.
Mr. Chairman, I thought my proposal is that we proceed with the business of the House that is the Bill which is under discussion, not a separate issue that is being suggested. I submit Hon. Chair – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
*HON. GEN. DR. (RTD) C. G. D. N. CHIWENGA: Mr. Chairman, I hear what the Hon. Members are saying but what they are running short of is to say what is it that they do not like here. If we had passed 2 (II) then we go on to 3, and we finish the Bill. After that then they will say on this clause, we want it to be modified in this manner but we are not getting it. We are not really pointing out the real issues. We are not really saying out what it is you do not want.
You must not go round in circles; I urge you to highlight those things that you do not want and the reason why you want these clauses amended; whether certain clauses are in ultra vires the Constitution, you must state. When women go to the borehole, the will be talking and discussing their issues and when men hear this, they will be also discussing that today I want to beat my wife. Others will just talk but when they get to their houses they will not beat their wives, they will be beating the walls and when you hear that you start beating your wife. Surprisingly in the morning, you will see my wife going to the borehole scratch free yet you will have beaten yours.
We want to know what the real issues are Hon. Chair, I am requesting Hon. Members to highlight what exactly it is they want and what they do not want in that Bill, then we look at it and address the matter. I thank you – [HON. MEMBERS: Dai maigara henyu muchiuya tisina maproblems kana dai izvezvi tiri mumahotel.] –
*HON. HWENDE: My first two points are that under functions of the new Commission and you compare with those of the board that was in existence, you have taken away the supervising and monitoring of the health policy, planning and public health, so it means our board has less power – [AN HON. MEMBER: What did you say?] – supervising, monitoring, health, policy, planning and public health was there but now it is no longer there; then also monitoring the technical performance of the hospital management boards and of State aided hospitals and setting financial targets for them; you also removed this. Despite the fact that you have elevated the title to a Commission but you can see that it is now coming with less powers and my humble request is, let us reinstate those two so that we can move forward, I thank you.
HON. GEN. DR. (RTD) C. G. D. N. CHIWENGA: Thank you Hon. Chair, (f), (g), explicitly cover what Hon. Members are saying, (f) says ‘to ensure members of the health service carry out their duties efficiently and impartially’, (g) ‘to advise the President and the Minister on any matters relating to the health service’, that is monitoring and supervising. Unless if they are saying let us cut and paste, but it is exactly the same and when you go up at (d) to investigate grievances and to remedy the grievance of the members of the health service concerning official Acts or omissions - now Hon. Member, you are a lawyer and you are supposed to understand these issues. Well, we have no problem with adding the two points but we think over killing has no problem. We are going to add the two points.
THE CHAIRPERSON: Can we have the proper amendments Hon. Hwende?
HON. HWENDE: Thank you very much Hon. Minister. I think the first point, you are saying supervising and monitoring health policy planning and public health. The second one we are saying, monitoring the technical performance of hospital management boards and of State aided hospitals and setting financial targets for them. This is what was in the old Act that we are currently amending. If you are agreeable, you can leave it as it is. Thank you.
*HON. BITI: Mr. Chairman, 4 (d) is saying to investigate and to remedy the grievances of members of the health service concerning official Acts or omissions. I am proposing that it should read, to investigate any grievance so that it gives members of the public the right to complain to the thing. The way it is worded, the word to investigate ‘grievances’ is limited in nature by saying, grievances of members of the health service. As a lawyer, you know that words of a general nature are limited by words of a particular nature. In English, it uses the generic rule. So I am proposing that it should read, to investigate any grievances. Thank you Hon. Minister of Justice Sir.
Amendment to Clause 2 put and agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 3:
*HON. BITI: Thank you Mr. Chairman. It is now nine years since the existence of the Constitution and there are two issues which we are paying lip service to and possibly the most important one is the issue of gender which is codified in terms of Section 17 which makes it clear that all board or commission appointments must be 50:50. The second one is Section 18 which must ensure that there is fair regional representation. So we are paying lip service. Even this Bill pays lip service. The Bill says in subsection (3), “in appointing members of the commission, the President shall pay regard to the provisions of Sections 17 and 18”. Paying regard is different from being bound. I propose we remove Section 3 and simply say, ‘half the members of the commission shall be women’.
All these members must pay regard to equal regional representation and we leave it like that because the discretion does not lie with the President. The President has no discretion when it comes to equal gender representation. The President does not have discretion when it comes to fair regional representation. It is the Constitution that says there must be equal representation of men and women. There must be fair representation. So let us remove the permissive, “the President shall pay regard…” and replace it with “…the peremptory of the members of the board, 50% shall be women”. Also, I propose that if the chairperson of the commission is a man, the deputy chairperson must be a woman and vice versa. That way we are no longer paying lip service to the ideals of this Constitution that we went to war for. Takaenda kuhondo but we are now respecting the substantive provisions of the Constitution. I thank you Mr. Chairman.
HON. MAPHOSA: Thank you Mr. Chairman. My issue is on the Chairperson of the Commission who must double up also as chairperson of the Civil Service Commission. I think there will be work overload there. Like what the Minister of Health says that there are a lot of people coming back, let us try and look for someone who can take responsibility of being commission chairperson than to load persons with double load. Also in the health service, there are a lot of stakeholders, let us not look at doctors alone. Let us have a wide spectrum and make sure that we pick from all the stakeholders. Thank you Chairman.
HON. LABODE: Thank you Chairman. I am just buttressing what Hon. Lindiwe just said. I was one of the lobby people who lobbied for the Ministry of Health workers to leave the Public Service Commission. It is because we felt they could not represent our needs and we felt that we were mismanaged. So how do you then take it – you are saying you are creating a commission and yet taking us back to the Public Service Commission through backdoor. That was rejected and that should be removed. Thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: I just want to emphasise the issue of one person doubling chairing this Commission of the Health Services and Defence Services Commission, and everything. I cannot even understand the logic because it does not add value and in any organisation, if you draw an organogram with such a structure, it is bound to fail. It does not work.
HON. GONESE: I want to associate myself with the remarks which have been made by the Hon. Members who have spoken before me. However, I just want to make an additional point on the composition which refers to the Deputy Chairperson appointed by the President from recommendations from the Minister. Again, I would submit that whilst I appreciate that this is an Executive Commission but I believe that we should not have that appointment being made on the recommendation of the Minister. I believe we have got associations which represent the health profession and I would propose that recommendation should be made from the various associations. I do not know how but I believe this will be a better way of dealing with it so that we do not have too much power imposed in the hands of the Hon. Minister.
So, in addition to the points which have been made by the other Hon. Members, I propose that we remove that power otherwise it ends up being a Ministerial appointee which I am not very comfortable with. We want to have a Commission which is going to look into issues related to the health sector. I believe that the people who are affected should have a say as to who is going to be appointed. That is my proposal that let us have that formulation to be amended so that it is not imposed in the hands of the Minister.
HON. CHIWENGA: I hear what the Hon. Members are proposing and saying. Firstly, let me answer about the Chair. All the Executive Commissions have one Chair because where we take our budget is one pot and that one pot has to be properly looked after. Before, I heard the talk about the Abuja Declaration but I did not answer it. We are the only country that had 22%. Abuja has got 15% but we went to 22% of the budget – [HON. MEMBERS: Ah!] – Ehe, zvakapaswa muno. Hon. Hwende, motozoita manhingi acho. – and so they will be one but when there is a Chair, it does not mean that it is the Chair who has got the overall say. The Chair has got a Committee he chairs. It is like now you are there chairing and the Hon. Speaker is not there. Are you not chairing? You are chairing and we are dealing with this very important matter. I want to advice all the Hon. Members that all Executive Commissions have one Chair and this is in the Constitution.
Now, going to the question of fair representation. As Executive, we are very aware of that and this is why the Executive had to extend the issue of women. His Excellency the President extended. The women representation was supposed to end but it had to be extended and we are happy that this august House accepted that. We are very aware of that and we are saying having done that, the women must still go and fight the men in their constituencies. That is the democratic process but we must make sure we have protected them. In this manner, when you look at all the Commissions we have put in place, if the Chair is a man, the deputy is a woman. If a woman is the chair, a man is the deputy. So, we do it and that is what the Constitution says and we have followed the Constitution to the letter and spirit.
Over killing issues Mr. Chair, I do not think it is the purpose of making laws. I will support Hon. Biti where he was saying “fair”. There must be fair representation because equal representation might not be possible. Here we are talking of five members and we have ten provinces, how do we do it? There is fair and there is a mechanism which will make sure that all the four corners of the country are represented. That is how the issue of amending Section 3 came about and we put fair representation. I have no problem with it because when you say we want equal, it might not be possible but if there is fair representation, it is possible.
You know, now we have boards where they are all women and I have got one board I chair which is Food and Nutrition. More than half of the members are women and they do a perfect job, and are doing well. We are very aware of what we need to do. Mr. Speaker was in Rwanda where Rwanda has managed to have half-half, even Members or Parliament and all the other areas but we are going there. That is what we want to achieve and that is why we are encouraging our women to be active. People have got to be appointed.
Hon. Members who have been asking me, you cannot take me into your law firm. What am I going to be doing there? I would be an administrator but then do what? You want me to at least have done some articles so that I can understand what you want me to do? So we want our women to be fairly represented but we are also encouraging them to be active and not to sit and wait for the men to appoint them to various posts. Soon we are going for elections and you think we are going to say Hon. Biti stand down so we can put a woman there - no, we will say this is democracy, let us go for elections so everyone can get a position fairly. That is why we have said we will put aside that quota for women but we want to encourage women to participate when it comes to these issues. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: I did not know that the Hon. Vice President is actually my father-in-law because my wife is also a soko. Later on I will acknowledge him properly as the son-in-law but at this point in time, I think that the Hon. father-in-law of mine has conflated two issues. When Hon. Biti made his submissions, he actually separated the issue of gender and that of regional representation. So I think that is the point which has eluded my father-in-law. In the last Parliament, I was a Member of the Parliamentary Legal Committee and we had situations where appointments were being made which were not in compliance with the provisions of Section 17 of the Constitution. As the PLC, we actually passed adverse reports as a result of which changes were made. I am making this point to support the point that there may be situations where there is no compliance and to vaccinate ourselves against that scenario. Presently, the Hon. Vice President is gender sensitive and he would ensure that such appointments are in compliance. However, there may be a male chauvinist who will be in charge of that particular Ministry and if we do not have a specific provision, there is no guarantee that the principles of equal gender representation will be adhered to. If you look at the Constitution of this country, in terms of the independent commissions, it has not said that there must be equal representation of men and women. The people that have been marginalized are the women and so the formulation simply says at least half must be women. That is how we should put it. When there is an odd number, I have two suggestions which are: increasing the number to an even number and then put the provision; half must be women or we can say at least two if the number is maintained as five. That will ensure that we do not have one or zero which is very possible if a male chauvinist is making those appointments. We want to have a situation where we have to rely on the PLC because we have no guarantee as to what composition the PLC will have. The Hon. Vice President must distinguish the issue of fair regional representation. I think in his response, he was conflating the two. Let us separate the two and with women let us be very specific because we lose nothing by so doing.
Then lastly, on the issue of the Chairperson, the Constitution does not actually say all executive commissions are going to be chaired by the Chairperson of the Public Service Commission. Look at the provisions of the Constitution in relation to the Judicial Service Commission, which is not a Chapter 12 institution. At the end of the day, there is no provision in the Constitution which makes it peremptory for the Chairperson to be Chairperson of the Public Service Commission. It actually gives us latitude and what it means is that as long as we have doctors like Dr. Vincent who is the chairperson now, we will then have a situation where there will be no women who will chair any Executive Commission as long as we have a male chairperson of the Public Service Commission. So, I believe that if the Constitution is permissive to have some executive commissions chaired by independent chairs, I believe there is no harm in making that provision.
The next point I want to make submissions on is on the appointment of Members of the Commission. I notice that I made submissions on the Vice Chairperson and even the other five members are recommended by the Minister but I believe it is not in accordance with the principles of democracy and good governance. When there are changes in ministerial appointments, each Minister comes with their own appointments of members of the board and I believe that we should move away from that scenario where we are giving too much power to the Ministers. The Hon. Minister did not respond to my submissions. I believe that particular clause should also be amended so that we have latitude to have the professions which are represented in the Ministry of Health having a say in who should be a board member. I think you can start with this one because in all the other provisions, it is the Minister who makes those appointments but that is not good practice. So, let us start with this particular Commission to move away from that practice.
HON. MADZIMURE: I would like to put emphasis on the issue of the Chairperson. The previous Civil Service Commission Chairperson was male and the current one is male as well. So, it means you will never have a woman chairing and this has been the case since 1980. Is that what we want? So, we can use this one as a starting point because it is not provided for in the Constitution but it is administrative. I do not think there is any problem with the Vice President starting from this one and making sure that even a woman can chair this Commission. We have a lot of women who are very capable and we cannot always have a woman as the Vice Chair and the Chair always being a man. That is not acceptable and even in the eyes of women we will not be portraying ourselves as people who are gender sensitive.
HON. MLISWA: I differ with my Hon. colleague Members of Parliament. I think there are enough laws which have been passed to empower women and we cannot be constantly on affirmative, everything to do with women and youths affirmative, yet women are 50,5% of the people who vote but you still want to feel sorry for them. Why can they not vote themselves into power? You also want to put a law that the majority will always have a woman president. That is the next thing but the 50,5% of the people on the voters’ roll are women. Why are they putting them and not putting themselves in power? It is a mindset approach and we cannot deal with it.
The issue of the board chair is the prerogative of the President from a constitutional point of view. Certain powers are there. If you are not happy, change the Constitution and cut down the powers of the President. It is like the Ministers are appointed. We cannot say why have he appointed all men. It is his prerogative when he is in power. So, maybe you want a woman to be President and it will be all women. Some of these issues, I think are really to do with performance more than anything else. The merit of somebody doing a job is more important than the agenda.
We have got women here who are on PR. How many of them speak on behalf of women? They do not. I raised the issue of sanitary wear here but I am not a woman. Did it take a woman to do that? Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Hon. Majome supported it. Where were the others? These two by the way, Hon. Majome had a constituency, she was not PR. You cannot take a donkey to the water and force it to drink. We must move. It is a cultural issue. Let us have competent people running things. That is what is important at the end of the day.
Hon. Dr. Labode is a good example. She was one of the first Provincial Medical Directors. Learn from her. There was no law to make her the first woman Provincial Medical Director. She went to school and she excelled. Was there a law? She chairs the Portfolio Committee on Health. Where does it say that there must be a woman in the Standing Orders? Why are you so behind? Let us allow people who are competent to move on and do things which are critical. Women must also pull their socks and not vote for us men if they want to run the show. Time for election is coming where there is democracy. Democracy is coming. In the last election, we had Mai Mujuru, you did not vote her; Thokozani Khupe, you did not vote her and now you want to bring a law. We cannot be doing that all the time. Let us move with people who are competent and that is it. “Mune hondo dzenyu dzisina basa.”
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Hon. Chair, I just want to comment on Clause 3 (3), where it says “in appointing members of the commission, the President shall pay due regard to provisions of Section 17 and 18 of the Constitution”. What Hon. Members are debating is already covered. When the President is supposed to have regard for those sections, which even indicate – [HON. HWENDE: Point of order.] – There is no point of order. You are just trying to rise up and disturb. Section 17 says the State must promote full gender balance in Zimbabwean society. It goes here to say the State must take all measures including legislative to ensure that both genders are equally represented. So, it is there, it is covered. Even Section 18 on fair regional representation is equally covered, so I do not think it is necessary to overkill it. Thank you.
HON. BITI: Thank you. Hon. Chair, I think we must make it clear that the composition of the commission must comply with Section 17 and that there is no discretion. I agree with the esteemed Minister, the Vice President that the issue of fairness on regional representation is a different thing but we are not conflicting gender equality with regional representation.
The fresh point I want to make Hon. Minister relates to Section 3 (4) and Section 3 (5). Section 3 says Section 320 of the Constitution shall apply with necessary changes to the Commission and Subsection 5 says the Second Schedule shall apply to the qualifications of members of the commission, their terms and conditions of service and the procedure to be followed. There is a contradiction. Section 320 says the conditions of service are set by the President but the Second Schedule says the conditions of service are set by the Minister, so there must be reconciliation. Subsections 4 and 5 are not speaking together and the Constitution overrides the schedule. *The Second Schedule is in the original Act. In the Act, conditions are set out by the Minister but Subsection 4 says, we apply Section 320 with modifications. If you read Section 320, it states that conditions are set out by the President. So, we now have a schedule that speaks about the Minister and Section 320 which speaks about the President. The Constitution is supreme to the schedule. Thank you Hon. Chair.
HON. GONESE: Before the Hon. Vice President responds, I just wanted to point out that the Hon. Minister of Justice quoted the provisions of Section 17 and I do not know whether he understood the import of what he was quoting. What he was quoting was that the State must take legislative measures. These are the legislative measures because when you are enacting an Act of Parliament, that is the legislation Hon. Minister. “Inga muri gweta wani.” *What you have quoted supports our point to say we now need Acts of Parliament that will reinforce the provisions of Section 17. What it means is, if it is passed into law, it will stipulate that 50% should be women. Section 17 talks about the inclusion of women. When the Hon. Minister responds, I hope he will take that consideration that there should be gender balance. These are the legislative measures and they empower the provisions of Section 17. I thank you.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: Thank you Hon. Chair. Mine is a small issue. I wanted to check that when we are working on this Bill, it should serve employees who are under the health services. We need to take into cognisance the point that there are unions which are known which work with the Ministry. Why not allow such unions the opportunity to second two or three people who would sit on the commission? I thank you.
HON. GEN. (RTD). DR. CHIWENGA: Thank you Hon. Chair. I hear what the Hon. Members are saying. First, let me answer Hon. Gonese. I suppose Hon. Members are aware that we have got the Public Entities and Corporate Governance Act (PECG). It is the one that keeps all the registers across the entire country, no minister goes out there. Yes, it could have happened in the First Republic that you go and employ a relative, maybe it used to happen during the First Republic but this is the Second Republic – [*HON. MEMBERS: Manga murimo muFirst Republic!] – Aaah we were not there… – [Laughter.] – But Hon. Member, you were a lawmaker then… – [HON. BITI: Ndimi manga muri soja guru reFirst Republic!] – Ayehwa tanga tisingaite mutemo, iwe ndiwe wayiita mutemo handiti?
So that PECG keeps a register, I think there was a confusion here Mr. Chairman where I thought we always think Hon. Members have sharp minds that they will remember what they would have passed here. We have the PECG Act and in the PECG Act, we also have the Corporate Governance Unit which is known as the CGU; that is an independent unit that keeps the register. When there are members who are required to go to a board, the Minister goes including the President and me. We go in there and say, we want people and they give us the lists that they have. It is only procedure where you cannot put an administrative unit in the Constitution or in this Act but they are there. When the PECG Act was passed by Parliament, I think Parliament was quite aware that it was addressing a thing, whether it was happening or not happening, where people were not being selected properly. So they are there, there is no minister who would go from his house and pick whoever he/she wants … - [*HON. BITI: Aaah uyu arikupika magirlfriends, uyu weku Agriculture uyu, girlfriend yakaiswa kuCOTTCO!] – So I wanted to clear that.
This Corporate Governance Unit is responsible for that to take up individuals to be considered. When we go now to this Act, there is a Chairman of the Public Service Commission. I suppose Hon. Members here know that the Deputy is Miss Ndiweni, the Deputy Chairperson of the Public Service Commission and there are five members. So, the issue where he was saying we want six is covered; Chairperson plus five, they become six or Chairperson or they may want to include the Deputy there then they become seven – whatever the number. It is clear on (c); it says a minimum of two and maximum of five members. So, that is covered in that area. I thought this was the issue.
We agreed with Hon. Biti that the issue of fair representation must be put and that is given. So, these other things are just … - [*HON. BITI: Tirikuda kuisa vakadzi ipapo chete!] – You are now asking me to propose an amendment to the Constitution. The Constitution in Section 17, is clear and it talks about appointments and how these appointments are to be made and this is covered in the Constitution. The list that you gave me has no proper gender representation and what have you but this point that you are raising Hon. Member is already covered in the Constitution. Mr. Chairman, do we now want to put something that is not there? Aaaah we are over carrying the issues. I thank you.
*HON. HWENDE: Just a small intervention there. The minister is not paying attention.
THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF COMMITTEES (HON. MUTOMBA): You are not connected Hon. Hwende.
*HON. HWENDE: Minister Ziyambi, may you allow the minister to pay attention? Let me start by thanking the Hon. Minister for his response and acknowledge that I am very impressed with his articulation of what is to be done … - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -in the health sector. I think the challenge that was indicated by Hon. Dr. Labode; your plan is clear and well thought-out but the issue of budget allocation to the Ministry of Health and Child Care; you mentioned the 22% from Abuja and we need to correct it. Hon. Mthuli Ncube sometimes budgets a certain percentage and that money is allocated but is not disbursed to the ministry.
I stood up to appreciate and we are going to support your Ministry when we engage in budget debates in this august House. We also request that you continue coming to this august House because if you come, then we will continuously engage each other and enjoy the rapport. I thank you. – [*HON. ZIYAMBI: And may you continue in that spirit!] –
HON. ZIYAMBI: Hon. Chair, I move that we report progress and seek leave to sit again.
House resumed.
Progress reported.
Committee to resume: Wednesday, 19th October, 2022.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! Hon. Vice President, you see how your presence has mesmerised the Hon. Members of Parliament. Good to have you around.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I move that we stand down Order of the Day Number 1 and revert to Order Number 2 on today’s Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE PROTOCOL TO THE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL INTERESTS IN MOBILE EQUIPMENT ON MATTERS SPECIFIC TO AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): I move the motion standing in my name that;
WHEREAS Section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any international treaty which has been concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President does not bind Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament;
WHEREAS the protocol to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment entered into force on 1 March, 2006;
Whereas the Republic of Zimbabwe is a party to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment;
WHEREAS Article XXVI (3) of the aforesaid protocol provides that any State which does not sign the protocol may accede to it at any time;
NOW, THEREFORE, in terms of section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Parliament resolves that the aforesaid Protocol be and is hereby approved.
Hon. Speaker Sir, I feel humbled at this particular moment to the Hon. Members who have graced the debate of today until this far and to say the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has a convention to the accession to the protocol to the Convention on International Interests in the Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment.
Hon. Speaker Sir, allow me to express my sincere gratitude to this House for allowing me to move and debate on this very important motion to consider the Accession to the Protocol to the Convention on International Interest on Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment by the Republic of Zimbabwe.
My Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe have seen it prudent for the country to go through the processes to accede to this protocol so that the country can fully benefit from international agreements relating to aircraft equipment like this one.
Mr. Speaker Sir, section 327 (20) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any international treaty which has been concluded or executed by the President’s authority does not bind Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament. The protocol before you was signed at Cape Town on 16th November, 2001 and entered into force on 1st March, 2006. Thus, under the conclusion of the protocol, Zimbabwe is able to accede to it anytime in terms of Article 26 (3) of the protocol. Furthermore, Zimbabwe is already a party to the Convention on International Interests in Mobile Equipment on Matters Specific to Aircraft Equipment and the Convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO), which was signed at Chicago on 7th December, 1944.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the protocol addresses the need to adapt to the Convention to meet the particular requirements of aircraft finance and it extends the sphere of application to include contracts of sale of aircraft equipment,
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! There are Hon, Members who are exercising their teeth. That is not allowed in the House. So please stop the munching. If you want to do the munching, you may leave the House accordingly.
HON. MHONA: Hon. Speaker Sir, the protocol addresses the need to adapt to the Convention to meet the particular requirements of aircraft finance and it extends the sphere of application to include contracts of sale of aircraft equipment. This protocol sets up a legal framework to facilitate asset based financing of aircraft by improving predictability as to the enforceability of security, title reservation and leasing rights in aircraft and therefore protecting lenders and lessors and allowing borrowers to better access to credit and at lower costs. It is intended to protect interest of aircraft vendors and financiers by overcoming disparities in national laws through establishing a legal framework. Consequently, this will significantly reduce credit risk and the cost of financing associated with equipment that moves rapidly between jurisdictions, including aircrafts.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in light of the above, it is pivotal that Zimbabwe accedes to this international legal framework to fully benefit from these aviation mechanisms. I so move Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
On the motion of HON. T. MOYO, seconded by HON. GONESE, the House adjourned at Sixteen Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 18th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE
PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the House that the pre-budget seminar will be conducted from Friday 21st October to Monday 24th October 2022 at the Harare International Conference Centre. Hon. Senators who require accommodation will be accommodated at the Rainbow Towers and New Ambassador Hotel starting from the evening of Thursday, 20th October 2022. The Programme for the Seminar is being forwarded to Hon. Senators for their information.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 and 2 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SEN. WATSON KHUPE
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate, Hon. Sen. Khupe.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: Madam President, the death of Hon. Sen. Khupe was a big blow to us as a House and a Committee – especially the Gender Thematic Committee. Madam President, there are some people who are born with a good heart, Hon. Sen. Khupe is one of them. He was a lovable man who loved everyone. He was very empathetic towards people and he would always volunteer to help people. What I am saying was said by the majority of the people who went to pay their last respect when he died.
Everyone was giving glowing testimonies of the good deeds that the Late Hon. Sen. Khupe did in this country. We have lost a good man, I do not know if God is going to raise a suitable replacement in his mould.
He was development oriented, a patriot and above all, a man of the people who was very humble despite him being an oracle. I was deeply touched by his untimely death and I believe I am not the only one who suffered this loss. I rest in the fortitude that whatever it is we need in this country is also what God likes. I wish God would grant his soul eternal peace and let him rest in his bosom.
*HON. SEN. GWESHE: Madam President, I am also one of the people that were deeply hurt by the sudden departure of the late Hon. Sen. Khupe. I worked with him in the Sustainable Development Goals Committee. He used to perform his duty with diligence; I am not saying this because of it being a taboo to speak evil about a deceased person. Hon. Sen. Khupe deserves all the accolades that we are placing on him.
We once to traveled with him and our bus could not pass through but despite the odds being heavily stacked against him, he was able to reach the destination and we duly discharged our duties. He was a very knowledgeable person who was always willing to share his knowledge with others. He was a man of the people; I witnessed this by the multitude that came to mourn him.
Lastly, I would want the Almighty God to grant him eternal peace, I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 19th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation of the 7th Annual General Meeting on the African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Madam President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHISOROCHENGWE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18th October, 2022.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO THE PARLIAMENT OF RWANDA
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the benchmarking visit to the Parliament of Rwanda.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Madam President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. G. MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE HELD IN ITALY
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to victims of terrorism.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Madam President for affording me the opportunity to add a few words on the motion on the report that was moved by Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa, that victims of terrorism be supported. In this report, there are several countries including Egypt, Spain, Kenya and Italy, which means that terrorism is now a global menace, hence there is need to look for ways to ensure that those who are victims of terrorism be supported from their governments through parliamentarians who should come up with laws that should be enacted to ensure that such victims can be assisted and the modus operandi of assisting them.
The victims of terrorism among other things, suffer from lack of shelter, food, medication and their children do not go to school; the problems are too numerous to mention. Mr. President, at the moment, they are urging that there be ways to look for methods to support terrorism but I consider that we should look at the cause and when all this is done, we must put our hands together to look for a way to support victims of terrorism. What can they do to ensure that they put an end to terrorism because putting eradication to terrorism will be the solution?
We may enact laws that people should be given food and assisted but once terrorism is not stopped, the terrorists will continue perpetrating acts of terrorism such as bombing. When I saw this report, I observed that European countries are the causative agency of terrorism. They are the main sponsors of terrorism. I also observed that European countries and other developed countries have planes and they simply go and bomb these unfortunate victims. Others are attacked to an extent that they flee their countries and become refugees. People leave their homes and become refugees in other countries; they will just take with them a few belongings. The reason why countries terrorise other countries is that they are after their minerals. The other reason is that the terrorising countries will be against the elected Government and would want regime change. So they end up committing acts of terrorism.
Mr. President, the Italian President, the GH Chamber of Deputies succinctly summed it up by saying in their country there was terrorism but the victims to date are still suffering and they have not yet healed from this scary experience. It will take them a lot of time to become settled and it is a bit difficult. They also talked about the bombing of Nigeria and it shows that these developed countries do as they please. He also spoke against the war that is taking place in Ukraine. They are conducting this war because if they do that, the rest of the world will suffer because they are super powers and they cannot be bothered by that.
Mr. President, I would like to welcome the recommendations that were made by the Zimbabwean delegation that went to Rome. They observed that indeed, it is true that we may not have any acts of terrorism in Zimbabwe that are bombing our country. It was observed that there is a problem nearby on our neighbour’s doorstep at Cabo Delgado in Mozambique. They also urged the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans and the Ministry of Home Affairs are properly funded so that there is sufficient security in our areas so that if there are any insurgencies, they will find us ready for them and ready to protect ourselves.
When I observed the issue of the war Mr. President, I also observed that it is important. A stitch in time saves nine. It is better to prevent war than to have war because we will have a lot of casualties, loss of property and other things. The victims may not have sufficient support due to lack of funding. We have witnessed the difficulties that we faced when we had the Chimanimani disaster. Too many requirements were needed to assist our people in Chimanimani and as a country we were unable to carry this burden. Fortunately, we had other well-wishers who came to assist us so that our people could not be hard hit by the effects of the disaster. If it were possible Mr. President, our borders should not be porous. They should be properly and well defended. That would be good for us as a country.
Most of the time the people that are at the border areas are affected by such insurgencies and as a country we may not be able to assist all of them because of terrorism. The effects of the terrorists will be devastating because they are heartless people. They are just out to inflict pain on us hence they will bomb other people’s countries and cause people to suffer.
Mr. President, I would want to thank you for the opportunity that you have granted me to add a few words on such an important report that talks about the welfare of the victims of terrorism. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 19th October, 2022.
MOTION
PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR COMPLETION OF DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for government to provide adequate funds for the completion of dam projects.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Mabika who raised such a pertinent motion. The issue of climate change has brought about hardships in countries. Let us take an example of Zimbabwe’s rainfall pattern year in and year out. There was a time when we got good rains last year but it was just for a short period. Dams were field to the brim by the rains that fell last year but in terms of our harvest, Matabeleland, Masvingo, Manicaland and Midlands did not have good harvest because of a short rainfall season. Hence it leads one to be unable to plan their farming season. This is a global trend and at times we experience floods and then normal rains and it alternates globally. This phenomenon is now a problem globally. This is unlike what used to happen in the past. We would first receive rains around 15th November up until April the following year and people would do the farming and have good harvest. If there be drought, yes it would happen but we would use the signs of mazhanje tree. When the tree had many fruits, it would show that there would be hunger and they would take measures to ensure that we get good harvests.
The motion by Hon. Sen. Mabika urges the Government to have a change of tact so that if it was to rain for three to four weeks and they will not be more rain, there should be water harvesting through dams. The more dams we have in Zimbabwe -, the better for us. It is important that every province has several dams so that when it rains, all the water is captured. If it is going to be a short season, we will still have our dams full of water and we will benefit. Once we have water bodies filled with water, we will have a lot of irrigation schemes that can then sustain our country. We should not just rely on rainfall.
When the Committee on Peace and Security went around seeing the effects of the drought, every area we visited, we went to the GMB and we were told because of the irrigation scheme, they were able to harvest 10 tonnes. In Matopo, they had about 40 tonnes because of the irrigation. What it then means is that wherever there are irrigation schemes,, people were happy with their harvest because they were good. In areas where there are no irrigation schemes, such as Chivi, there was zero delivery of maize. A lot of places experienced poor rain season and produced 2 – 3 tonnes, and there was no bright future for the residents of those areas.
It is important that we have dams in this country and I need not emphasise the point. The large part of the Government’s budget should support the construction of dams so that every year we are able to count say five dams per season. It is a plan that the Government should take seriously into consideration so that going forward, we may not know what might happen to our weather pattern due to climate change. All these years, I have experienced hardships but it looks like this year it is going to be much more difficult. Thank you Hon. Mabika for such a good motion. She has a good vision and I urge Government to support it through deeds and the disbursements of funds by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Climate Change so that our tomorrow might be brighter and we may have food security. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. MBOWA: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to this important motion that was brought by Hon. Sen. Mabika that was urging the Government to seriously consider the construction of additional dams so that we may alleviate our hardships with regards to water. It is an important motion to the nation. In my appreciation and support of the previous speakers that supported this particular motion that indeed and in truth, Zimbabwe was once the breadbasket of Southern Africa. Because of climate change, we can no longer plan or estimate; whereas in the past, we had defined seasons. These days we are not able to plan in terms of the rain season because the rain patterns have changed in terms of the onset and end of the rain season.
We want to support what Hon. Mabika said that the dams would help us in ensuring that the farmers and our crops are sustainable so that we can go back to our title of being the breadbasket of Southern Africa. Very few farmers who have water bodies are producing potatoes and water melons from market gardens shows that this is also aiding economic development of this country. The more dams we have in different regions will assist in people having irrigation schemes so that throughout the year, such crops are readily available and by so doing, we will have kicked out hunger. There is economic development of that particular area and the nation at large.
The Government should, through its budget, place priority on dam construction. As a Committee, we went to Mahenye and we found them very busy using the small dam in that area where wild animals and people were drawing water from the same dam. Three people had died due to wildlife and human conflict. There should be dams set aside for wild animals and those for the people. If there are water reservoirs and water bodies that can store the water, if it rains for a week for example, then the people and animals will not be in conflict in terms of drinking water.
Animals are also moving from their sanctuaries to drink water from people’s dams. Elephants and lions are not becoming common in places where people are settled as they will be looking for water. This motion is important and Government needs to look into it very seriously. This should be incorporated in the budget so that we have water bodies or dams. More so, this also helps in moisture content. The water table will be improved because of these water bodies.
Our water table is now very low. We had some people that were looking for water and their 200-metre water rig was unable to get water. They eventually got water at 260 metres which means the water table has now deteriorated. It has gone down. I fully support this motion that was brought by Hon. Sen. Mabika and Government should look into it seriously, containing water for animals and people for a long time which is unlike the case with boreholes. This will enable the people within the environs of the water body to live a good life.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 19th October, 2022.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. TONGOGARA, the Senate adjourned at Eleven Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER
PETITIONS RECEIVED FROM CHIPO JIRI, THE WOMEN’S LAW IN SOUTHERN AFRICA AND RESIDENTS OF EIFFEL BLUE CHEMUKUTE TOWNSHIP AND PARK TOWN
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on Monday 3rd October, 2022, Parliament received a petition from Chipo Jiri of Zororo Bar, beseeching Parliament to call upon Harare City Council to provide access to decent accommodation or shelter to families currently residing at the disused Zororo Bar. The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works, National Housing and Social Amenities.
I also have to inform the House that on Monday 3rd October 2022, Parliament of Zimbabwe received a petition from the Women’s Law in Southern Africa beseeching Parliament to amend the electoral law and Political Parties Finance Act to provide for the allocation of funds for campaigning and provision of training for women candidates for election. The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.
In addition, on Tuesday 4th October 2022, Parliament of Zimbabwe received a petition from the residents of Eiffel Blue Chemukute Township and Park Town in Kadoma beseeching Parliament to protect the Constitution and the rights of residents of Eiffel Flats by ensuring that the environmental damage caused by mining activities is mitigated, the health of citizens protected and to ensure that residents are allocated and fairly compensated for their properties. The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development.
HON. A. NDEBELE: On a point of privilege Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of privilege?
HON. A. NDEBELE: Thank you Madam Speaker. My point of privilege is that there is a report that is before this House by the Parliamentary Committee on Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation that among other recommendations, seeks to direct the Sports and Recreation Commission to reinstate the recalled ZIFA board members led by former President, Mr. Felton Kamambo. The report is entitled ‘The State of Football Administration in Zimbabwe’. Madam Speaker, from the outset, I wish to agree and reiterate sentiments expressed by members of this House that the report is biased. I will quickly get into that and it becomes a matter of privilege for all of us who are members of this House.
Madam Speaker, I wish to officially invite a reaction from your Chair to set up a Privileges Committee that will put a number of things to test with respect to the Committee or some of its members if you want. Madam Speaker, I wish to state that some members of the Committee that brought this report are pushing for the reinstatement of the said football board are conflicted in the entire saga. Points of interest for your attention Madam Speaker, without wasting your time that I want tested so that we preserve the integrity of this House as well as the integrity of that particular committee. This process is too pronged. It will either save the face of the committee when it has been put to test as well as save our face.
Madam Speaker, is the chairperson of this committee one of the few beneficiaries of grassroots sports equipment donated to him by the same executive committee that they want reinstated at ZIFA House? If so, is he not conflicted? If the Chairperson himself is a beneficiary, did he declare this apparent conflict of interest and why did he not find it prudent to recuse himself from the committee proceedings for the sake of transparency? Third and lastly Madam Speaker, the committee relies almost entirely and heavily so on a dossier. They speak of a dossier...
The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs having approached the Chair.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, remember it has to be one minute.
HON. NDEBELE: This is of national interest but I am rising on 7 (2) (d), privilege. So if the Minister is the one who shared that we need to correct him as the Leader of Government Business – [THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Inaudible interjection.] – But you do not speak to me directly. You speak to me via Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, please may you wind up?
HON. NDEBELE: I am winding up Madam Speaker. The entire report leans heavily on a dossier.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): On a point of order Madam Speaker. Those are points to debate about the report that was tabled. He got an opportunity in the Committee to raise the conflicts of interest, he did not and he wants the House to debate about what they debated in the committee. If as a member of the committee has points that he wants to debate about the report, he can then debate and criticise it but he cannot rise on a point of order when he is part of the Committee and he is bringing their divisions within the Committee to the august House. I move that we proceed with Government Business. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please, may you approach the Chair Hon. Ndebele.
HON. NDEBELE: He made several wrong insinuations. I am not a Member of that Committee...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, may you approach the Chair – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. NDEBELE: I know its rumours. I am saying we must stop the report until a privileges committee has been set up – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – It is proper. I am in order, I know. I am not a Member of that Committee. He is making a misrepresentation. Therefore, I am rising to ask this House to set up a privileges committee. Madam Speaker, you are the one who is supposed to make a ruling on this...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I asked you to approach the Chair Hon. Ndebele. Please, may you approach the Chair?
HON. NDEBELE: This is not a village court. Hatisi kuPPC pano – [THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): You are totally lost.] – No, I am not. Ko warwadziwa nei?
Hon. Ndebele approached the Chair.
*HON. P. ZHOU: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I rise on a point of national interest.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members. Allow the Hon. Member to be heard in silence.
*HON. P. ZHOU: Thank you Madam Speaker for protecting me. I want to thank the Government for being able to prevent the loss of the winter wheat from quelea birds. Last year we had serious problems from this bird and we lost a lot of grain through millions of quelea birds that destroyed our wheat. Farmers were no longer sleeping because they would wake up early in the morning to go and blow vuvuzelas with their workers and were now behaving as noisy people but this year, we want to thank the Crop Protection Unit. Using the GPS technology, they were able to assist us to inform them about the quantities of the Bill that we had found. Last season, people got three to five tonnes per ha instead of eight tonnes. Invariably, these quelea birds can destroy 30% of your crop. I would like to thank the Government for its hard work. I want to also thank the Government for the producer price that it has set and a lot of farmers are happy. They would want the same extended to the unit price of maize. Thank you very much for the opportunity Madam Speaker. I thank you.
*HON. BITI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise on a point of national interest which pertains to the issue of special mining leases which are provided for under the Mines and Minerals Act, Chapter 21:03. These special mining leases in terms of Section 139 say these are huge investments that require a lot of money, say a minimum of US$100 million but you find that these special mining leases are now being granted to people that do not have money. They are now being distributed like cakes at a wedding. I am talking of the platinum leases like the one given to the Russian company, DGI which has stopped operating at the moment.
These special mining leases are now too numerous. Another example is that of Manhize in Chivi where there is mining of iron ore. Manhize was giving iron ore resources of 43 billion metric tonnes but no money has come to Zimbabwe. It hurts because we are mortgaging our country with these special leases and at the end of the day, Zimbabwe receives nothing. I request the Minister of Mines to come and give a statement on special mining leases that he has given from 2018 to date; how much money he has raised from them; what was the criteria used in awarding licences; what investments have been done by such mines and why he did not come before Parliament for us to be in a position to grant those mining leases because Zimbabwe is now being impoverished. I want Hon. Chitando to come and give us a report. Zimbabwe belongs to its own people and we should not sell it. Thank you.
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Biti. We have heard you and the message will be conveyed to Hon. Chitando to come and make a Ministerial Statement in response to the issues you have raised – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –Order, order Hon. Members.
*HON. KASHIRI: Madam Speaker, I rise in this august House on a point of national interest requesting you and Zimbabweans at large to come and support our own local girl-child Kudakwashe Chivandire who will be in the boxing arena against a girl-child from Mexico. I urge that we all support in the spirit of the girl-child. That was on a lighter note.
Time for one minute points of order was suspended in terms of Standing Order Number 62 (2)
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that Order of the Day, Number One be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE AND THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Agreement between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Republic of Turkey on Trade and Economic Cooperation.
Question again proposed.
HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to speak to this particular ratification tabled by the Minister. I note with amusement in terms of having this said document being ratified by Zimbabwe because if you see Madam Speaker, most of the goods we have in the country and the people that are going out to get goods to come and sell, especially women and the young people; everyone is flying to Turkey to get goods so that they resale. Most of the small shops around Third Street and Robert Mugabe, that very side, all the goods, handbags and so on, I was trying to do my shopping locally. You will find that most of the goods that are being sold there are coming from Turkey and I think this will be a good way in terms of promoting economic development and for the country to benefit from its own generation. I hope and trust that we will be able to ratify more treaties so that we open up to more investors since Zimbabwe is open for business. I would like to applaud the Minister for bringing this particular treaty to Parliament for ratification. I thank you.
HON. MADZIMURE: Madam Speaker, I am in support of creating relationships with other governments but I have one issue which is that, we seem not to pay particular attention to the crucial issues when we negotiate these agreements. What must come out of all these agreements is a two-way relationship where Zimbabwe benefits and the other country also benefits. However, it is most important that we always look at our interests as a country. If we look at the agreement and some of the issues in there, it allows trade to grow between us and Turkey but as alluded to by Hon. Mpariwa, we do not have quality goods that we are exporting to Turkey. The agreement should be meant to develop our industry. The agreement should open up the market for our industry. Once we enter any agreement, we must concentrate on those small lines in the agreement that benefit individuals from Zimbabwe. In this case I am referring to those industrialists. It must allow our industrialists to learn from Turkey, import technology and equipment from Turkey. Several agreements that we have entered into have opened Zimbabwe to those countries but Zimbabwe has not penetrated these markets because we do not pay attention to the details.
In other countries, the moment an agreement is signed, a committee responsible for that particular agreement is set up to see how they will be going to benefit from the agreement? In Zimbabwe, we do not have that. The evidence is very clear and if you drive into our industrial areas at around 5 p.m. and wait to see how many people will be coming out of some of these complexes, there are very few people and it tells you that there is no production that is going on inside. So, who is benefitting from all these several agreements that we have entered into? We are not. It must be reflected through the development of industry. Right now if we look and ask each other where all we are wearing is coming from, do we have any local product, even the socks, we do not have. This tie is from Turkey, China, India et cetera and there is no Zimbabwean product. As a result, we are now doing running battles with the vendors in Mbare who are selling those clothes and our industry is not developing.
My plea is that any agreement must be carefully looked into in order to take advantage of that agreement to exchange even technology itself with countries like Turkey. What makes our clothes even expensive is the type of machines that we use. We also do not have manpower that looks at the technology itself for a particular company and recommend and we are not preparing even our entrepreneurs for them to understand how to maximise even productivity itself. My plea is that once we enter an agreement, we must follow it up after a certain period like two years. The Minister must come back and say this agreement that I asked this House to ratify; this is how it has performed for the country and not just to ask us to ratify and it is filed and it becomes the end of that particular agreement. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Firstly, I would like to thank the Hon. Members for the debate and the contributions. I have taken note of some of the concerns raised that perhaps we need when these agreements are signed; one, a progress report on what benefits would be accruing to the country and I am pleased that the majority have supported the ratification of the agreement. Having said that, I now move that this House resolves to ratify the agreement.
Motion that:
WHEREAS Section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe
provides that an international treaty which has been concluded or
executed or under the authority of the President does not bind
Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Agreement between the Republic of
Zimbabwe and the Republic of Turkey on Trade and Economic Co-
operation was signed on 10th October, 2018, in Turkey, the Republic of Turkey ratified the Agreement on 7th April, 2022, in Ankara. Zimbabwe has not ratified the Agreement;
AND WHEREAS the entry into force of this agreement is on the
date of receipt of the last written notification, by which the parties
notify each other through diplomatic channels, of the completion of
their internal legal procedures required for the entry into force;
AND WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous to ratify to the said Agreement:
NOW, THEREFORE, in terms of Section 327 (2) (a) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid
Agreement be and is hereby approved for ratification, put and agreed to.
CONSIDERATION STAGE
PRIVATE VOLUNTARY ORGANISATION AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 10A, 2012]
Amendments to Clauses 2, 3, New Clause 3 (a), Clause 4, Clause 5,
New Clause 6 (a), New Clause 6 (b), New Clause 6 (c), New Clause 6(d), New Clause 6 (e), New Clause 9 (a), New Clause 9 (b), Clause 10, Clause 11…
(V)HON. MUSHORIWA: Hon. Speaker, we did not hear the
Clerk. What Order of the Day Number is that?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: It is Order of the Day Number Three.
New Clause 20, New Clause 21, New Clause 22, New Clause 23, New Clause 24, New Clause 25, New Clause 26, New Clause 27, New Clause 28, New Clause 29, New Clause 30, New Clause 31, New Clause 32, New Clause 33, New Clause 34 and New Clause 35 put and debate ensued.
HON. BITI: Madam Speaker Ma’am, we are aware that the Speaker has made a ruling on the issue of the Private Voluntary Organisation (PVO) Bill and the fact that when the Bill …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are not connected.
HON. BITI: Madam Speaker when the Bill was committed to Committee Stage by the Hon. Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Hon. Prof. Mavima, there were Members who were on virtual who were denied the … - [HON. TOGAREPI: We cannot restart that, there was a ruling!] - I am debating Hon. Speaker Ma’am and I stand protected. My good friend has got a right to reply.
Hon. Speaker Ma’am, there were people who were on virtual who were prevented from debating. There were people who rushed into this House protesting the fact that they had been barred from debating and Hon. Mushoriwa was one of those people. For me, what I found most disturbing and unacceptable was that the particular Minister chose a time and moment when he, for lack of a better word, sneaked debate on the PVO Bill when he knew that Hon. Members had not been placed on notice and were not in the House.
This is a Bill of national importance; this is a Bill with catastrophic ramifications. So, on issues of procedure …- [HON. TOGAREPI: Inaudible interjection.] – Madam Speaker, I need protection from Hon. Pupurai. He cannot make noise. This is a chamber for debate and not for noise. If he has got anything to answer or to rejoin to what I am saying, you will give him an opportunity but he cannot, as it were, make noise. He is a very experienced Member of Parliament. So, the point I am submitting Madam Speaker Ma’am, is that on a question of procedure, this House has not followed its processes as defined in the Standing Orders. Therefore, we should not expose ourselves to …
HON. TOGAREPI: On a point of order Madam Speaker! Madam Speaker, I think we are still following parliamentary processes and the Hon. Member cannot bring in new things when we are already at a certain stage and have gone past that stage. We cannot do that. Let us follow procedures. If he wants to debate, let him debate … - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – No, no, no he is not debating. He wants to … - [HON. MEMBERS: He is debating!] – No, no, let us follow parliamentary processes.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker, my point of order is that this matter was raised in here and the Hon. Speaker made a ruling. - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – And the Hon. Member wants you to make a ruling on a matter that was ruled; all the points that he raised - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – All the points that he raised, the Hon. Speaker made a ruling. – [HON. BITI: It is a preamble to my debate Madam Speaker.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Biti, I think you have to debate the - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – No, you are talking about the procedure - [*HON. BITI: Madam Speaker, if you write a composition by Shakespeare at ‘O’ Level, you give an introduction. This is an introduction and a preamble. In Shona, it is called, ‘nhanga nyaya’! This is Third Reading debate Madam Speaker Ma’am] – No, no, we do not have to debate about the procedure. We have to debate the clauses and not the procedure. – [HON. MEMBERS: We are not yet on Third Reading debate!] –
HON. MADZIMURE: On a point of order Madam Speaker! Madam Speaker, it is clear that - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Madzimure, I did not recognise you. Please may you resume your seat! - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hon. Biti, please may you proceed but do not debate on procedure, debate on the clauses. – [HON. BITI: I am now going to the clauses.] –
HON. BITI: Madam Speaker, we cannot surely sit as Parliament to legislate and curtail the rights of individuals and organisations. Our Constitution gives rights to individuals, organisations and corporate bodies such as NGOs have got rights that are codified in Chapter Four (4) of the Constitution …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, your microphone is off.
HON. BITI: So, to allow the Executive to treat non-governmental organisations and private organisations that they can run, that they can control their affairs, that they can control their board at their whim is archaic. This is 2022 not 1962 Southern Rhodesia. Four decades after independence, we cannot sit in this House to pass fascist laws – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Biti, may you approach the Chair.
Hon. Biti approached the Chair
HON. BITI: The provisions have the net effect of allowing the Government, the authorities to literally take over the existence of an NGO. They allow the Minister under certain circumstances, to change the board of an NGO. They allow an NGO’s books of accounts literally to be frozen. They allow the NGO itself to be suspended under certain circumstances.
We already have a judgment that came out in 1995; the judgment is called Sekai Holland vs Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. The then Minister of Labour and Social Welfare was the late Nathan Shamuyarira and may his soul rest in peace.
Our Constitutional Court said a corporate organisation, whether it is a trust, an NGO, it is a human being. Our Constitution in Sections 45 and 46 says, ‘there is no difference in the protection of rights between natural persons and non-natural person’s juristic persons’. So, what we are doing in this Bill is to encroach on the rights of individuals and NGOs. Can you imagine a law that says Government can come into your House and look at what you have eaten, how you have slept, where you have slept? It is not possible and where you are keeping your accounts; it is not possible.
We have an obligation to protect the Constitution. Section 119 (2) of the Constitution says this Parliament must protect and uphold the Constitution, particularly the bill of rights codified in Chapter 4 of the Constitution but we are passing a Bill Madam Speaker, the Government of Zimbabwe receives a minimum of a billion US dollars in overseas development assistance. We receive at least 300 million US dollars from the US to deal with HIV/AIDS. In fact, ironically, the biggest contributor of overseas development assistance in Zimbabwe is actually the United States of America, followed by the European Union, followed by DFID. The bulk of this aid has nothing to do with what the Government is afraid of - human rights, democracy and so forth. It is actually going to our people, going to irrigation projects in Nyanyadzi, going to the irrigation projects like Muchenje in Dotito, going to schools in the form of BEAM. BEAM receives a substantial amount of money from overseas Development Assistance.
So what we are doing is that we are cutting our noses in order to spite our faces. This is a terrible Bill, a modern democratic Zimbabwe, 43 years after independence, cannot be passing such a Bill. Herbert Chitepo, Ndabaningi Sithole, are turning in their graves, Edson Sithole, wherever they buried him, is turning in his grave, Joshua Mquabuko Nkomo who died on 1st July, 1999, is turning in this grave, Robert Mugabe who died on the 6th September, 2019, is turning in his grave.
Madam Speaker, we should abandon this Bill, it is not in the best interest of the people of Zimbabwe. It is not in the best interest of constitutionalism in Zimbabwe and we cannot pass a Bill to serve the interests of a political party that is paranoid. I appeal to the Hon. Minister to withdraw this Bill – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker, I would like to add my voice to what has just been said. The original idea of this Bill was to clear the NGO and Trust issues; because we were in the grey area with the financial Action Task Force. While the Bill was coming to Parliament, we were taken off the Gray list and we were fine. Now, if that was the reason for this Bill to be brought to Parliament, why have we continued? The only debate particularly that from Government and obviously us, was for the softening of the words of this Bill, yet the Minister has made it even harder. So, what is the point of debating a Bill if you are not going to listen to the parliamentarians including your own people? We did consultations throughout this whole country and every one came through very strong for the benefits of the PVOs and Trusts. We ignored that, so why are we going for consultations? In fact, the Bill has changed so much that we went to them with the White Paper and we came with the Blue one to Parliament.
Madam Speaker, I wanted to debate this but I could not because apparently on Zoom, you do not have the same rights as a person sitting in this Parliament but I had to dress in my suit at home. The Minister himself is videoed telling you what to do and ignore the people on Zoom - that is shutting down democracy – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Madam Speaker may I ask if the Hon. Leader of the House has got immunity because he is not being corrected at all?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please debate the clauses not the procedure.
HON. MARKHAM: I will go through a couple of clauses. Madam Speaker – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] - I talk from some of the Trusts I am involved in and I would mention this, and the Minister is aware of this because I asked him. For wetlands for example, we want to add value for the value of the wetlands by buying. The reason for that is once you bought one, you can sell the carbon on credit and buy the next one. So you are adding value to the wetland and you are getting carbon credits regularly to buy more wetlands. The issue is this, this Bill allows you to kick out, even as a trustee, it allows you to take over the wetlands once they are bought on some whimsical assumption that we are politically orientated. Now I ask the question, who is going to invest money in a programme like that which will bring millions of dollars? Who would invest money when they cannot have a say as a trustee because it may be taken and where do they park their assets because they will just be taken? We have a record of just taking things in this country, farms included. So, my question is this on a PVO Bill- [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – It is not closed; you have not paid me. - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Okay, he is still your Minister because he is signing documents. - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Tell your Minister, he is signing documents. Madam Speaker - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, may we have order please.
HON. MARKHAM: May I ask the reason why they are not protecting me?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, may we have order please!
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, let us talk about the clause where they are targeting and dealing with every PVO and trust the same way, if what the Minister says in his preamble that the reason is there are errant PVOs, why are they not being brought to book? Why are they not being targeted if they have got a 100 NGOs and one is misbehaving, why have they not been targeted? Could the Minister name one NGO that has been targeted or bought to book for either being political or for misusing money or for misrepresenting the facts? There are none, otherwise he would have done that. With insurance companies, we have issues with the insurance companies who run array so we are busy debating a Bill to make them self-regulatory. On this one, why are we not putting in someone or an umbrella body to regulate NGOs? Every year you have to go and apply for a license. There is no time frame; it is not presumed that once you have applied you continue running, it is not in the book.
So you invest a million dollars, it comes end of the year and you re-apply for your license and they do not answer what do you do? There is no timeline, so you spend your money but you have got no security. No one is going to do that. What is going to happen is that every single NGOs is going to hold their money from where it comes until they need it desperately and that is going to slow down? I would like to reiterate, our medical facilities and our schools are sponsored primarily when it comes to things like medicines and textbooks by PVOs but we ignore that. If we have a problem with one NGO or a PVO with this particular issue, then target it. Why do we have to go to this draconian Bill, make it stronger and pass it here and run it through this Parliament like it is running water? If you compare it to the Financial Adjustments Bill which is now nearly 18 months old, there is no rush to push that $9. 6 billion over expenditure through this House.
Madam Speaker, I had not even touched on the issues of the effect of this Bill. This Bill will reduce donations coming to this country. Whether we like it or not, we need every penny we get. I further want to add; if trustees are pushed out, most of the trustees are the core of communities in this country. They are the core of the communities and if you start messing around with them there is no confidence and we will blame sanctions.
My last point Madam Speaker, where do the family trusts stand because I talk of trusts but let me talk of family trusts? How many tens of thousands and most of us in this House have got some sort of family trusts – how is that affected? The way I read it, I can kick you off if I want. Madam Speaker, there is no way I can remain with the family trust. It is not worth a risk. Whatever I have got, whether it is a house, a car, bicycle, a pair of jeans that are put in the family trust that can be taken away on someone saying it is political or someone saying it is illegitimate or it is immoral. I say this because it is going to affect tens of thousands of Zimbabweans. Madam Speaker, I call desperately for this Bill to be withdrawn. I thank you.
*HON MUCHENJE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to add a few words on this particular Bill. My considered view is that it is not a good law. Zimbabwe as a poor country and the state of affairs that we have and hunger, we require aid from outside the country. We cannot stand on our own. We cannot be an island, just like a home; it should not be an island. It is my thinking that if we are talking of home, if there is a dog that is in the habit of cannibalising the chickens, we only deal with that dog cannibalising the chickens and not the entire pack of dogs. I urge the responsible Minister to seriously consider the assistance that comes from the NGOs in schools, hospitals and in needy communities. NGOs assist us. They should weed out bad NGOs and leave the good ones operating. The one size fits all should not be applied. There should be different strokes for different folks. . We should not be serving very few narrow interests to the detriment of the entire nation which will end up suffering. Hon. Minister, we cannot pass this Bill in this form because it hurts us as ordinary people as well as it hurts us as Members of Parliament and those that we represent. It also destroys the development of Zimbabwe. NGOs were going to help in ensuring the development of Zimbabwe. We were receiving inputs such as fertilizers and even pesticides from NGOs and once they are banned there is no help forthcoming. Should there be a drought in this country, they will assist us with food. We therefore urge the Hon. Minister to withdraw this Bill. It does not serve our interests and it is not good for us. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 18th October, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that we revert to Order of the Day, Number 13.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
INSTITUTE OF LOSS CONTROL AND PRIVATE SECURITY MANAGERS BILL [H.B. 5, 2021]
Thirteenth Order read: Second Reading: Institute of Loss Control and Private Security Managers Bill [H. B. 5, 2021].
Question again proposed.
HON. DR. MURIRE: Mr. Speaker, I rise to present the second reading of the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Management Bill. This Bill has got a background with the intention to professionally control the operations of private security management. It is the responsibility of the State to provide security to its citizens but world-over States are overwhelmed with that obligation to the extent that they are no longer capable of providing security to citizens wherever and whenever it is required.
It is obvious and certain that private security management has developed to fill in the gaps. If we come to our country, we will see that security in Zimbabwe per se is mainly provided by private entities to the extent that the workforce in private security is now much more than that employed by private security. On that background, I am proud to say it to the House that I am the author of the first curricula of professional security management training in Zimbabwe. That was ten years ago and with that curriculum, security management and loss control is now a profession. We now have people who have graduated with first, masters and PhD degrees in Zimbabwe but there is no professional institution or regulating authority which can monitor their professional performance.
It is on that basis that this Bill has been introduced in this House. I therefore go through the principles of this Bill. The Bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Managers; to provide for the establishment of a council; to provide for matters connected or incidental to the foregoing. The proposed law introduces professional best practices in loss control and private security management occupations, in particular the individual clauses provided as follows;
Part 1 Clause 1, provides for the short title of the Bill. Clause 2 provides for interpretation of terms used in the Bill. Clause 3 provides for application of the Act and Clause 4 sets the objects of the Bill. Part 2 Clause 6 affords the opportunity for establishment of the Institute of Chartered Loss Control and Private Security Managers which shall be a professional association and a body corporate capable of suing and being sued in its own name. The functions of the Institute are listed in Clause 7 which includes liaising and collaborating with its members in practice, business and employment in accordance with its mandate.
The institute shall be managed and directed by a board known as its Management Council. The Management Council shall consist of 13 members as set out in Clause 9 and shall function in accordance with Clause 9. For the day to day administration of the institute, the Council shall appoint an Executive Secretary who shall be assisted by officers the Council considers necessary as given in Clause 2.
Parts 3 and 4; the registrar of loss control and private security managers and application for registration are provided for in Clauses 12 and 13 of the Bill respectively. While Clauses 14, 15, 16 and 17 provide for the manner in which a person will become a member, annual general meetings, and extraordinary meetings and that the institute shall publish a Code of Conduct that directly addresses the professional conduct of loss control and private security managers.
Mr. Speaker, Parts 5 and 6; Part 5 contains two clauses. Clause 18 provides for the funds of the institute which shall be managed by the Treasurer and subject to audits in terms of Clause 19. Clause 6 contains a reciprocity clause which provides that where any country specified by the Government, by notice in the Gazette prevents citizens and residents of Zimbabwe from becoming members of any institution similar to the institute and subjects them to unfair discrimination in that country; no subject of any such country shall be entitled to become a member of the institute or practice the profession of loss control and management in Zimbabwe under the name of the institute.
Clause 21 provides that the Minister, after consultation with the Council, may make regulations providing for all matters which by this Act are required or permitted to be prescribed or which in his or her own opinion, are necessary or convenient to be prescribed in order to carry out or give effect to this Act. Mr. Speaker, these are the principles.
The framework under which this institute is envisaged to operate is similar to that of the Public Accountants which is a self-regulating body. It is similar to the Institute of Engineers as well as the legal practitioners. This Bill has been presented with sight that private security and loss control is now a profession like I earlier on said. We have got a pool of qualified people who are employed as private security directors, private loss control managers in various organisations including the RBZ, Econet Wireless, ZESA, CBZ and UZ, to name just a few organisations.
I am proud to let the House know that within this profession, we have posted one of our graduates who is now a Chief Security Officer for the Qatar Airline who graduated from institutions that we are operating in Zimbabwe, yet locally there is no professional body to accommodate them. Most of those who are now regarded as professionals are affiliated to international organisations like the Chartered Institute of Security Management in United Kingdom where our members are now affiliated, paying exorbitant fees in foreign currency, the foreign currency which we are very much in need of yet we can have our own local self-regulating professional body.
The two members - currently Mr. Chidyamoto who is internationally renowned as the Chief Security Officer for the Africa Development Bank has graduated from these institutions. He is a Chartered Security Manager affiliated to UK yet we can have our own. I therefore present this Bill for a second reading.
I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday 18th October, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that all Orders of the Day be stood over until Order of the Day Number 22 has been disposed of.
HON. L. SIBANDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 60TH SESSION OF THE OACPS PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY AND THE 41ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the 60th Session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and the 41st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
HON. MLAMBO: I second.
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I rise to present a report on the 60th Session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and the 41st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The meetings of the 60th Session of the OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and the 41st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly were held in Strasbourg, France from the 29th of March to the 3rd of April 2022. The sessions were of vital importance primarily for two reasons, namely: they were the very first physical congregation of the assemblies since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and that the Joint Parliamentary Assembly was the last one under the Cotonou Partnership Agreement.
1.2 The following Members and Officers of Parliament participated at the meetings:-
Hon. General (Rtd) Michael R. Nyambuya, Deputy President of the Senate and Head of Delegation;
H.E. Ambassador Amon Mutembwa
Hon. Priscilla Moyo, Member of Parliament;
Hon. Elias Mudzuri, Member of Parliament;
Mr. Chiwoneso Mike Mukura, Embassy of Zimbabwe, Brussels.
Ms. Rudo Nellia Elizabeth Doka, Director - External Relations;
Mr. Felix Chidavaenzi, Research Officer; and
Mr. Obvious Muchenu, Security Aide to the Hon. Deputy President of the Senate.
1.3 REMARKS FROM THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AFFAIRS-SIR CLEMENT BEAUNE.
1.3.1 Sir Clement Beaune reaffirmed the EU `s determination to work frantically with ACPs through the creation of an international Agreement to deal with global pandemics like COVID-19.
1.3.2 Noting, Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on Climate Change, Global South countries will be affected more and to that end, of the EU`s 150 Billion Euros investment, 20% will go towards climate action for sustainable accelerated development in the ACPs.
1.3.3 Importantly, 150 initiatives are being prepared and will be accessed through European Financial institutions by National Development Agencies for mutual benefits.
1.4 ADDRESS BY THE CO-PRESIDENTS OF THE ACP-EU JOINT PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY.
1.4.1 Hon Zourinho, the Co-President from the EU, welcomed the President of the OACPs, Hon. Peter Kenilorea (Jnr), from the Solomon Islands and all Members of Parliament to the first physical meeting in two years due to COVID-19. He expressed gratitude to the members for keeping the Joint Parliamentary Assembly active and alive during the trying times imposed by the pandemic. He congratulated the mayor of Strasbourg for her efforts towards the zero waste target and energy transition plan for the beautiful and historical city of Strasbourg and called upon the partnership to condemn Russia for what he referred to, as an invasion of Ukraine which he said was against the ideals of democracy, rule of law, prosperity and peace among others. It is for that reason that the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its global impacts discussion, found its way on the 41st ACP-EU session`s agenda for discussion without resolutions.
1.4.2 Hon Peter Kenilorea, the Co-President from the OACPS, expressed pleasure to be physically joining colleagues in Strasbourg, France and working with the EU Co-Presidency for the very first time. He expressed his gratitude to the Mayor and French Presidency for offering to host the assemblies at the backdrop of the pandemic, which was no easy decision. He took time to express his deepest condolences on his behalf, and on behalf of the OACPS, on the untimely demise of the European Union President, David Sassoli. The CoPresident reiterated the multiple crisis that were confronting the globe that included climate change and COVID 19, among others, that required working together and Multilaterism towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He reminded members of the importance of the ACP-EU JPA in facilitating political diplomacy and facilitating political debates. In concluding, he called upon the EU to sign on the new partnership agreement.
1.5 REMARKS BY DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFORMATION, AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, HON EMMA THEOFELUS, REPUBLIC OF NAMIBIA.
1.5.1 Hon Theophilus noted, in her remarks, that even though great effort was being applied in including the gender dimension to various strategic priority areas and development, it fell far short of the required.
1.5.2 Furthermore, the current form of the partnership does not address youth concerns fully.
2.0 STATEMENT BY JUTTA URPILAINEN, Member of the Commission with responsibility for international partnerships.
2.1 Commissioner Urpilainen made a statement and a lively debate with members around topical issues in the fold of the Post Cotonou Partnership Agreement, the Russian – Ukraine war, The global Gateway, Climate Change and food security among others.
2.2 She highlighted the team Europe initiative to strengthen manufacturing of vaccines to the tune of 1 billion Euros in Africa and the creation of three to four regional hubs on the continent to produce vaccines with the ultimate goal of strengthening basic health care systems in partner countries and Africa. More than 30 billion Euros was pledged for the ACP states with three billion Euros to be set aside for Covac. Ten percent of the funding, she said, will be committed to migration and the priority will be to address the root causes of migration in terms of governance and border controls.
2.3 The global vaccination strategy where 1 billion Euros would be spent on upgrading systems, training and ensuring capacity of transporting and equitable distribution of vaccines was emphasised.
2.4 It was her sincere hope that the Post-Cotonou Agreement would be ratified as soon as possible.
3.0 THE GLOBAL IMPACTS OF THE RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN CRISIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:
3.1 Massive destruction of property, loss of precious lives and many people injured physically and emotionally among other ills.
3.2 The blocking of wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine, impacts negatively on food security in African countries dependent on the two countries for supplies.
3.3 Ultimately, refugees not seen since World War 2, particularly students, women, children as well as the disabled need to be hosted in neighbouring Europe.
3.4 The energy and gas situation will worsen in countries dependent on Russia for these commodities, particularly in the whole of Europe.
3.5 In the process, billions of dollars will be lost directly and indirectly in the war and its impacts.
3.6 In expressing his deep concern over the Russian-Ukraine crisis, Retired. General Michael R. Nyambuya pointed out that there is no outright winner in any war and as such, should be avoided at all costs.
3.7 He urged parties involved to find each other through peaceful means as enshrined in the United Nations Charter with dialogue being the only way forward.
3.8 Hon. Nyambuya made reference to over 20 years of Zimbabwe’s victimization through the use of unilateral cohesive measures like the sanctions and noted that sanctions cause untold suffering to the ordinary person and ultimately result in humanitarian crisis.
3.9 A clarion call was made to the International community not to further complicate the already complex situation but rather aid in finding durable solutions through peaceful settlement of disputes.
4.0 URGENT TOPIC ON THREATS TO STABILITY AND SECURITY IN THE WESTERN AND SAHELIAN AFRICA.
4.1 Members were concerned as to why that region continues in that sorry trajectory without an ending. Many ACP countries appealed to the EU countries to be part of the solution and not the problem.
4.2 Honourable Retired. General Michael R. Nyambuya made a critical intervention on the urgent topic, which attracted a lot of admiration from peers.
4.3 He unpacked the plethora of threats to peace, security and stability in Western and Sahelian Africa in the fold of trans-boundary criminal activities, organized crimes as well as democracy deficits among others.
4.4 He highlighted how COVID-19, the impact of climate change and religious extremism compounded the situation in the region under discussion. In conclusion, noting historical and economic links in the ACP-EU partnership, the retired General called for multilateral collaborations and cooperation between organizations for symbiotic benefit.
4.5 The Hon. Deputy President of the Senate and Head of the Zimbabwean delegation, Retired. General Michael R. Nyambuya, received a standing ovation from colleagues when he boldly registered his dismay at the failure by ACP states to utilize regional bodies like ECOWAS to decisively tackle challenges and harness opportunities for development.
5.0 URGENT TOPIC ON OVERCOMING THE GLOBAL COVID 19 PANDEMIC: COOPERATION FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND INVESTMENTS TO ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE.
5.1 Jakkie Cilliers, Head of African Futures and Innovation Institute for Security Studies in Pretoria, South Africa gave a presentation on the subject matter and the major take home points included the following:
5.2 Impact of COVID-19 on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita (PPP) are such that Recovery to 2019 average incomes are likely to be attained in 2024.
5.3 Consequently, Africa has a larger disease burden than other continents, particularly malaria and zoonotic pathogens such as HIV and hence COVID-19 is no exception.
5.4 More so, modern medicine allows urbanization in Africa without the associated basic infrastructure and this translates to a large Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) deficit.
5.5 Given that Africa is rapidly approaching its epidemiological transition, chronic diseases will consequently substitute communicable diseases as the prominent cause of death and escalate health costs.
5.6 The Zimbabwean delegation position on the subject matter resonated well with all those speakers that related with the notion that COVID-19 had resulted in devastating socio, economic, political and cultural consequences.
5.7 Accordingly, the virus respects no political boundaries, race and religion. While Universal Health coverage is noble as alluded to by many European representatives, for many ACP countries the priority is just to provide their people with basic health care.
5.8 The Zimbabwean delegation fully subscribes to the notion that vaccination is the only sustainable way out of the pandemic but is concerned about the obtaining realities of vaccine nationalization and vaccine discrimination.
5.9 To that end, Hon. Nyambuya called for the world to set aside their parochial differences for the common good.
6.0 A huge section of the European community was of the notion that people in the ACP were refusing to take up vaccination, a position disputed by the ACP countries.
7.0 RECOMMENDATIONS ARISING FROM THE MEETING (S).
7.1 The European community and a few others sympathetic to Ukraine are of the opinion that Russia must stop the aggression and leave the Ukrainian territory as a matter of urgency and without conditions. They further requested everyone and in particular the ACP to condemn Russia in the greatest terms and support Ukraine with resources to continue defending herself as long as she has the willpower to continue fighting.
7.2 Friends to Russia, including many ACP countries, recommended peaceful means to settlement of the dispute, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter. They also advocated for non-imposition of unilateral cohesive measures like sanctions on anyone. The position for the ACP was reached at the OACPS meetings.
7.3 ACP states implored the EU to consult with them before declaring any sanctions which ultimately impact negatively on the ACP. To that end, the expectation now is that Europe should invest in the ACP to cushion them against the impacts. Furthermore, the ACP expects a shift in the migration policy.
7.4 European tertiary institutions were called upon to accommodate the displaced ACP students from Ukraine without discrimination or favour.
7.5 As a way forward, a clarion call was made for efficient and more equitable vaccine production, distribution and an end to vaccine discrimination as a sure way to fight and recover from the pandemic.
7.6 The Retired General challenged peers to take advantage of the vast resources in the OACPS and not just look up to the West for solutions. He highlighted that Zimbabwe`s continued involvement in ensuring peace and stability through physical interventions in countries in distress depended to a greater extent on the unconditional lifting of the illegal sanctions imposed by America and her allies.
7.7 Integrated urban planning including dealing with WASH backlog in informal and slum areas must be prioritized.
7.8 Development and updating of national pandemic preparedness planning must be prioritized and to that end, the Portfolio Committee on Local government must take stock of our own disaster and risk reduction (DRR) architecture by the 30th of August 2022.
7.9 International cooperation including on international patent regimes and solidarity to address the Global education crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic must take centre stage.
8.0 RESOLUTIONS
8.1 National testing and vaccine manufacturing capacities, particularly in the ACP countries, must be enhanced as a matter of urgency. To that end, our portfolio committee on Health and childcare may need to check the feasibility of that route and operationalise the plan in the pipeline by 31 August 2022.
8.2 Activation of Coordinated incident management and response systems in the partnership.
8.3 The multilateral system be mutually beneficial to all Member States in the partnership.
8.4 Regarding the OACPS – EU Partnership Agreement, The transition from COTONOU Agreement to the POST COTONOU Agreement must happen with the proposed signing scheduled at the end of July 2022.
8.5 The youth amplified the recommendation that the youth assembly as well as the women`s assembly be conscripted into the formalized structures of the JPA like other major organizations, a position which is in tandem with Zimbabwe’s vision.
8.6 Noting the successful conclusion of the crafting, negotiation and adoption of the post Cotonou Agreement, Member States are expected to ensure that the Rules of Procedure are brought to finality as soon as possible, followed by ratification.
8.7 To conclude the sessions, the ACP-EU Members enthusiastically debated and voted on 58 series of Motions for resolutions on “Enhancing the Resilience of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) against Climate Change and Natural Disasters”.
8.8 Calls on governments to use rebuilding after a natural disaster as an opportunity to adjust their models in a bid to make their societies and their construction practices more sustainable and environmentally friendly, achieve energy autonomy for SIDS based on renewable marine and terrestrial energies, secure food autonomy to overcome the problem of dependence on imports, as well as water autonomy with more efficient water management through the recovery and reuse thereof; To this end, it is prudent for joint committees of Local Government and that of Environment, Climate and Tourism to review how the climate induced disasters are being handled in the country by end of September 2022.
8.9 Stress also on the need for better waste management, especially in coastal areas, which are of strategic significance for the passage of waste from land to sea in SIDS. Jointly, our portfolio committees on Environment, Climate and Tourism and that of Local government must build on their earlier work around waste management in the country towards efficient, sustainable waste management systems by 30 November 2022.
8.10 Highlights the critical role of civil society in harnessing public opinion and state action; calls on the EU and ACP states to engage and include non-state actors, who are front runners in the fight against climate change.
10.0 CONCLUSION
10.1 Co-President Zourinho informed delegates that Southern Africa would host the 42nd ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Mozambique. The dates for the meetings will be communicated in due course. I thank you.
HON RAIDZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for giving me the opportunity to debate on the motion that was moved by Hon Moyo in relation to the visit that they undertook to France about the 60th Session of OACPS Parliamentary Assembly and the 41st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. From the report, there are a number of issues that were discussed at these very important meetings.
To start with, I want to discuss issues around waste management. From the report that we got, we heard that many of the people who went there were of the view that waste management is a very key issue that many of our local authorities in the member States were supposed to take very seriously. If we come back home here in Zimbabwe, we are battling so much with the issues of waste management. If you move around here in Harare, you see a very disturbing trend of waste that is lying all over in the city. We used to know Harare as a sunshine city but since the turn of the millennium, we are now seeing dirt all over. We are seeing dirt all over despite the fact that we have elected officials and employees in these city councils. At the end of the day, there is no much work that is being done.
From the report that we got, the delegates to this meeting congratulated the Mayor of Strasbourg for her efforts towards the zero waste target and energy transition plan for the beautiful and historical City of Strasbourg. What we are lacking in this country is a plan. We are not hearing what plans are our local authorities having in terms of their waste management. Recently, we heard about the Pomona deal. From the presentation that we have been hearing and reading. These were some of the efforts that those who were innovative were trying to bring to City of Harare. Unfortunately, because of personal interests and conflicts, we are hearing that this deal must not go ahead. The City Fathers want to continue seeing waste that is not being collected. I believe that this deal needs to be given an opportunity and then after that, we can do our evaluation as a country to see whether this kind of model can help us or not. For us to throw away every innovation that is proposed to us, I think it is not right.
(v)HON S. BANDA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. My point of order is that the Hon. Member is misrepresenting the House. The City Fathers are not against a deal that is done properly. They actually want Pomona to be turned into a waste generation facility which provides electricity. To say that they are not doing that is very wrong. I want the Hon. Member to withdraw that.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: The point of order is overruled. If you have got any objection to what is being said, I will give you the floor to counter the point he has raised.
HON RAIDZA: My issue is all about innovations to say if someone brings up an innovation that we think can improve our waste management in this country, I think we need to give it an opportunity for it to see the light of the day because currently if you move around all our municipalities and cities, we realise that we are moving backwards.
The other issue that I wanted to talk about is the discussion that was around COVID-19 investments. In this meeting, the delegates really debated at length to say many of our African countries need to put some money aside or invest in manufacturing companies that can help us in times of need like what happened during the pandemic. We realised that during COVID-19, us as African countries were not having easy access to these critical vaccines that would be helping our nations. In this meeting, many of our ACP countries were encouraged to look into how best to prepare and invest in such type of manufacturing companies.
Regarding the issue of climate change, climate change is real and many of our countries need to take this issue very seriously and come up with mitigation factors to make sure that we are not caught unaware and some of the effects of climate change will not really take a toll on our people. I believe that if we look at some of the programmes that we are doing in this country like Pfumvudza, it is a programme that was introduced by His Excellency Dr E. D. Mnangagwa as a climate proofing mechanism in terms of our farming. We know that we are no longer having reliable rainfalls. It is very difficult for us to always have productive seasons all the time and that is why we ended up having Pfumvudza. I want to applaud our Government for being proactive when it comes to some of these issues that will end up affecting our people.
On the issue of Russia/Ukraine war, I liked the recommendation from the leader of our delegation Hon. Sen. Major General (Rtd.). Nyambuya. Hon. Sen. Nyambuya in that meeting recommended what we call peaceful settlement between the warring parties. He went further to say that when there is a war, no one comes out as a winner in most instances but the lives of the general populace get disturbed during the war. I like and I want to support the idea that was proposed by the leader of our delegation that the two nations are supposed to find a peaceful settlement rather than the views that were being proposed by those who were supporting Ukraine when they were saying they would rather look for more ammunition to support Ukraine so that they remain fighting. If these two nations remain at war, it is the general populace that will suffer.
Another issue that Hon. Sen. Nyambuya talked about is the issue of sanctions which were placed upon Russia by European countries that it was not necessary because those sanctions were hurting the ordinary people in Russia, like what is happening in our nation here in Zimbabwe. We know the effects of sanctions because many of our people at times think that the sanctions that are on our country are targeted sanctions. However, the results on the ground reflect otherwise. Really, these sanctions are not targeted but they are sanctions against the country of Zimbabwe. That is why the moment we start talking about sanctions we realise that these sanctions were placed upon our leaders. They were placed upon key industries of this country. Even ordinary business people cannot have access to any foreign funding or any capital for them to do their business because Zimbabwe is regarded as a high risk country due to these sanctions.
By that alone, we can realise that these sanctions are not targeted at individuals because they are not affecting individuals. They are affecting our industries, the general populace and they are affecting people even from Mberengwa East there. Those people get the feel of these sanctions. That is why Gen. Nyambuya was strongly against the imposition of sanctions. By imposing sanctions, you are directly attacking the sovereignty of each and every nation.
The last point is on the youth issues. This point was raised by the Minister from Namibia, where he encouraged the Assembly that they must take youths in all its structures and in all its processes because we know that if we move with our youths, it means for posterity we will be guaranteed that our nation will continue to move forward. So I want to support the observations and recommendations that came from this meeting and the recommendations made by the delegation that went for this meeting. Our Local Government Portfolio Committee and our Environment Portfolio Committee need to really take these issues very seriously as the recommendations will help our nation as we are to move towards Vision 2030. I thank you.
(v) HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. I pleaded and I am aware I have to close my debate today. Can I be accommodated to just close my debate and thank everybody; the APNAC one. It cannot carry over to the next Session. So I am asking whether the Chief Whips are there? Handiko, saka ndoita sei? Ndobhururuka here, ivo ngavandi taurirevo kuti vachandipa mukana, kungo closer chete ndotenda vanhu. Saka imhosva here?
(v) HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker for giving me the floor to contribute to this debate. Firstly, allow me to thank the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the Government of Zimbabwe for allowing our Parliamentary team to go to the ACP-EU meeting. I support the resolutions that they have come up with, particularly the one on CSOs. CSOs bring relief, laughter, resources, goodness, fundraising, grants, things that may be the country may not get without them. So, I trust that this very resolution also appeals to the Private Voluntary Organisations Bill, which we will of course debate another day. This is what exactly is being discussed here that we should not let some organisations suffer. We should make them to be there so that they can do important work for the nation.
I now move on to the issues of gender and youth representation. The call being made here is something that we appreciate the most. I also want to thank that the reforms being proposed, we are going to have more women and youth councilors wherein we are going to have more youths and women representative even in Parliament. That is something that is highly appreciated and I want to thank them for that. What was not really clear is on climate change. How much is coming to Zimbabwe? They are saying that about 20% will be going towards poor nations, developing nations, islands, et cetera. How much of that amount is coming to Zimbabwe? How are we going to utilise it so that we run away from effects of climate change which have destroyed agriculture, which have made agriculture to have regressive development? This is an opportune moment for Zimbabwe to also partake and receive things that are straight forward. Now, here is the question - Zimbabwe may not be able to receive some of these funds, because we are on the sanctions list.
Some of the issues that are required are dialogue within this country. We are talking of dialogue in Russia; between Russia and Ukraine yet in Zimbabwe, Opposition and the Government do not see eye to eye. So I want to thank the Deputy President of the Senate for what he has come up with. This dialogue should not just happen in Russia and Ukraine. Let it begin at home, let us talk. Let us dialogue. When we go into next year, let us do electoral reforms so that elections can be fair both sides, so that when we go in, we do not go in as enemies because we are not enemies. We may differ but what we are is, we are Zimbabweans. Let us love one another. Let us prepare for a peaceful election…
HON. RAIDZA: On a point of order. I just wanted to remind Hon. Banda that His Excellency, our President Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa has established together with other Opposition leaders what is known as POLAD in this country as a way of bringing all political parties together for them to have dialogue that can take this country forward. So when he is saying there is no platform for political parties, I am failing to understand the debate from the Hon. Member.
(v) HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Allow me to answer my good friend, Hon. Raidza on that. While we appreciate POLAD, we realise that there are other members who are not within POLAD. So at the end of the day, the dialogue that is going to be there is limited. We want a dialogue that encompasses everyone, be it churches, youths and women. I just want to thank Hon. Priscilla Moyo for the fruitful report and the fruitful discussion that they had at that Forum. I hope that the next one that is in Mozambique will also clarify how much will come in to South African nations so that climate changes do not affect us a lot.
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. L. SIBANDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 18th October, 2022.
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): I have to inform the House that Parliament of Zimbabwe is currently conducting a customer satisfaction survey. Head Hunters International was engaged to conduct the said survey on behalf of Parliament. The main objective of the survey is to solicit for feedback from all key stakeholders with regard to service delivery so that Parliament continuously improves processes to meet stakeholders’ requirements. In this regard, all Hon. Members are kindly requested to cooperate during the said exercise. Consultants from Head Hunters International will be administering questionnaires in the Members Dining during sitting days and at the Pre-Budget Seminar.
PRE-BUDGET BRIEFING SEMINAR
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I wish to remind Hon. Members that there will be a Pre-Budget Briefing Seminar on Monday, 17th October, 2022 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, Harare in the Main Auditorium.
HON. DR. MURIRE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I did not understand the Parliament customer satisfaction survey. Is it customer satisfaction on the service to Parliamentarians or it is customer satisfaction survey for the service to the public? If it is to the public, is it going to be administered outside? I did not understand the whole gist of the survey for clarification Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Murire. This exercise is all about service delivery by Parliament. Thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I move that all Orders of the Day on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 30 has been disposed of.
HON. RAIDZA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY NETWORK AGAINST CORRUPTION (APNAC) ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO KENYA
Thirtieth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) on the benchmarking visit to Kenya.
Question again proposed.
*HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker for affording me this opportunity to also add my voice on the benchmarking visit made to Kenya on this cancerous practice called corruption. Those that spoke before me indicated that corruption is abhorrent. I would want to thank the leader of the Zimbabwean Government, H.E. Cde. E.D. Mnangagwa who is at the forefront in the fight against corruption. This is shown by organisations that ensure that those that are involved in corrupt practices are dealt with. Corruption tendencies are detrimental to our country.
In Kenya, we met several organisations and none would want corruption to be encouraged. In fact, they are in full force fighting against it. In Zimbabwe, we have different political organisations. Political organisations in Kenya are standing together as one to put an end to corruption. Political will is needed among the political parties that we speak with one voice and we fight on the same front because we have a leader who does not condone corruption. I have earlier on pointed out that the Anti-Corruption Commission was put in place. Furthermore, we should put an end to corruption and it should start from the schools. In schools, we should have a curriculum that abhors corruption. We need to tame them young and it will not become difficult when they become adults because they know that being involved in corruption can lead to incarceration. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*HON. MAVETERA: I thank you Hon. Speaker and I would like to thank those that brought in this report. Usually people travel out of the country on a fact finding visit to see what other countries are doing to fight corruption, but we do not get feedback. That is why I would like to thank those that went to Kenya on a fact finding visit. I want to thank His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe because he always discourages corruption. In 2019, APNAC did a commemoration for anti-corruption day which is commemorated every 9th day of December. In 2019, the President of Zimbabwe talked to the people of APNAC and I remember what the President said when we were discussing about the catch and release situation. The President said we must put in place a whistleblower protection so that all people who go and report will be protected. The other cases are that the courts do not find enough evidence to prosecute and they will end of up releasing the accused persons.
There is no country that promotes corruption but what happens is that when it comes to the issue of corruption, it depends on the individual not as a country. It does not mean that when one person who belongs to a certain political party engages in corrupt activities, then we say the whole party is corrupt. Let us tackle corruption individually. It does not mean if you are from a certain church or place, so everyone from there will be labeled. Let us desist from pointing fingers but let us be responsible individuals because the moment we blame a certain sector or type of people, we bring enmity amongst people. It does not matter what church one goes to, the political party they belong to, the type or marriage they are in, or whether they are married or not; that is not it when it comes to corruption issues. Corruption is done individually; any person can engage in corruption despite the fact that they are from a certain political party.
There is no school of corruption and I want to say this Hon. Speaker, corruption especially we the youth are totally against it and nobody likes or supports corruption. I want to thank our President Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa for not supporting corrupt activities. I say that whoever engages in corruption must be prosecuted.
Let me end up by saying if a person is prosecuted for stealing a phone, that phone is not seen by the judge but the person is sentenced. When both the accused and the complainant go to court, sometimes it depends on who will have facts to defend his or her case wisely. No one will have seen the phone in the courts but it is the words of the accused against the complainant. On corruption, why do we say we do not have evidence to prove that the person engaged in acts of corruption? For our country to go forward, we must discourage corrupt activities. As youths, it is our desire that we grow up in a corruption free country. We do not support corruption at all and all those that are involved in corrupt activities must be prosecuted.
<HON. DR. MURIRE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise to add my voice to this motion. Corruption is a bad practice, corruption has destroyed our country and in everything that we do, if corruption is involved, whether in private or Government sectors, such practice is bad and detrimental to the development of our country. We are mourning about the imposition of sanctions and if we add corruption, it is like coming from the frying pan right into the fire.
I would also want to further state that if we are talking about corruption, it is quite difficult that if someone is arrested and appears before a court and is remanded in custody for two weeks and later to be found out that the person is innocent. I would want to say that I was once arrested on corruption charges and I was later discharged. Most of the times there may not be substantial evidence. Even if you free that person, the media and the people will have known that someone has been arrested for corruption. The names of the people will be tarnished.
I urge the Government and the police that all those who investigate corruption must be fully capacitated on how to deal with corruption issues so that they will not be the phrase ‘catch and release’. This is now putting the Government and police in bad light. In the public domain, they will then say that he committed an offence and was released. The truth is that the person was released because he was innocent. People would want to find out why there was an arrest in the first place. If ZACC and police are given adequate training in dealing with investigations, by the time they make an arrest, they must have sufficient information to prosecute and if the perpetrators appear before the courts, there will be enough evidence to prosecute. You can only be arrested after investigations by the police. They should not be arresting in order to make investigations. They should first carry out investigations by the matter of lifestyle, the manner one behaves - it is so easy to get to know what corruption is all about. It takes two to tango. Corruption requires two people. For example, you can say so and so is having a love affair with someone’s wife, but if you do not have concrete evidence, then there is nothing to show. If you are a man, you many end up shooting yourself because you would not have found anything. They should be properly schooled if it is the police and ZACC in terms of how they carry out investigations of corrupt cases so that our image will not be spoilt and that we do not become the leading country on the most corrupt countries list.
When you go to the prisons, there are no numerous inmates that have been convicted but there are just three persons that had been arrested on petty cases. A lot of these big names are published in newspapers as being corrupt but they are not in prison. As a country, it is important that we ensure that our police are capacitated to be able to deal with how they can investigate corruption cases in Government departments, Government ministries and in the private sector. There should be people knowledgeable in dealing with fraud cases or corruption. That is what I thought I would add my voice to Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank you for the opportunity that you have granted me.
(v)*HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank Hon. Mliswa for the motion he has brought to the august House, a motion on corruption. We are all aware of the rampant corruption taking place in the country. I would like to thank all those that are fighting corruption especially in this House. I would like to thank Shumba Murambwi, Hon. Temba Mliswa; Hon. Rusty Markham; Hon. Mushoriwa and Hon. Biti for fighting corruption. I also thank you Madam Speaker for your fight against corruption. I thank you.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: I want to thank the Speaker of Parliament for giving us an opportunity to go to other countries on a benchmarking exercise to understand the issues when we debate. I thank all the Members of Parliament who contributed to this. It means a lot and I think we know what we have to do. A corruption robs us all and we must be involved and play a part in our small way. The President is very clear about zero tolerance on corruption. Once he sets a tone, we must follow suit – [Technical glitch.] – I therefore move for the adoption of the motion:
Motion that this House takes note of the First Report of the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC) on the Benchmarking visit to Kenya, put and agreed to.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI, seconded by HON. S. MAHLANGU, the House adjourned at Five o’clock p. m. until Tuesday, 18th October, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 13th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Today is Thursday; in the Senate we start with Questions Without Notice. I have a list here of Hon. Ministers who have tendered apologies and I will read out the list.
Hon. C. D. G. N. Chiwenga, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. J. Mangwiro, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. J. G. Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Hon. E. Ndlovu, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Prof. M. Ncube, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Prof. Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. K. Coventry, Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Hon. K. Kazembe, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon. W. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon. P. Mavima Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Hon. S. Kanhutu-Nzenza, Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. R. Modi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. V. P. Haritatos, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Hon. D. Marapira, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Hon. D. Garwe, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Hon, C. Chiduwa, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. F. M. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
Some of the Ministers never come to this House. We have never seen them.
PRE-BUDGET BREIFING SEMINAR
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I wish to remind the Senate that there will be a Pre-Budget Briefing Seminar on Monday, 17th October, 2022 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, Harare in the Main Auditorium.
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the House that Parliament of Zimbabwe is currently conducting a customer satisfaction survey. Head Hunters International was engaged to conduct the said survey on behalf of Parliament. The main objective of the survey is to solicit for feedback from all key stakeholders with regard to service delivery so that Parliament continuously improves processes to meet stakeholder requirements. In this regard, all Hon. Members are kindly requested to cooperate during the said exercise. Consultants from Head Hunters International will be administering questionnaires in the Members Dinning during sitting days and at the 2023 Pre-Budget Seminar. I thank you for your usual cooperation.
MINISTERS PRESENT IN THE HOUSE
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: In the Senate Chamber today, we have the Hon. Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa who is also the Leader of Government Business. We also have the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. F. Mhona. These two Ministers always come for Question Time and I would like to applaud you. Hon. Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. E. Moyo, again someone who comes regularly to this House. We commend you, the three Hon. Ministers.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
+HON. SEN. KHUMALO: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would like to direct my question to the Leader of Government Business, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa. It has been a long time…
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I am sorry I do not understand.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Maybe if you can try English.
HON. SEN. KHUMALO: I do not know English. I am afraid I will make too many blunders.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. E. Moyo will translate for you.
+HON. SEN. KHUMALO: Please, thank you very much Mr. President. I would like to direct my question to the Leader of the House. It has been a long time people seeking death certificates especially in Bulawayo. The question is that, crucial documents like death certificates which are necessary for the children of a bread winner who would have passed on, to get death certificates and to process different monies, if those documents are not found, you will find some children suffering. Hon. Minister, may you intervene so that this problem is addressed? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you very much. I am sure that question was for the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs. In his absence, I will answer that question from Hon. Sen. Khumalo, it is a very important question. Mr. President, you know that any kind of I.D is very important and the policy of the Government of the Second Republic is to make sure that our citizens do have access to their documents, be it a passport, birth certificate and also in this particular case death certificate. We know the importance of a death certificate as she rightly says that it is the only way those survivors can actually access whatever the deceased would have left.
In this particular case, as a policy of Government, we have actually decentralised. You have seen the Minister himself moving around addressing these issues and the mobile registration which is being carried out countrywide. We have actually made sure that certain areas which had been marginalised for a very long time, we made sure that there is at least mobile registration going on in those areas. Instructions have been given to the Ministry of Home Affairs that these documents which the citizens are entitled to are given to them without much delay.
Mr. President, I would like to know the area with that problem so that at least I can pass that information to the Minister of Home Affairs and that they deal with that problem as quickly as possible. The policy of Government is to make sure that all our citizens have access to birth certificates, death certificates and all other documents. Ooh she mentioned Bulawayo, so that is the place with that problem; it is because I was relying on my interpreter. I will pass on that information to the Registrar General to make sure that at least people access death certificates of their deceased relatives.
HON. SEN. KHUMALO: Mr. President, since I am talking about important documents, what mitigation measures can we put in place so that families can access monies from their deceased relatives’ work places? It is a dire situation, people are going hungry. They want to use the death certificates to get their birth certificates, money and other important documents.
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: I hear what Hon. Sen. Khumalo is saying that it is a dire situation and that they desperately need monies and other things. This is now a question of implementation but as a policy, I have explained clearly. I will pass on the information to the Registrar General so that he can see how he can deal with the issue. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: Thank you Mr. President, my question is directed to the Leader of the House. There are a lot of veld fires. Some people are being arrested but the laws are not punitive. There are a lot of people who are dying and some are dying trying to put out fires. What is Government’s plans regarding perpetrators of arson so that they get deterrent sentences and that such cases are expedited in courts because in traditional courts, we deal with such cases but we are not seeing justice happening in the magistrates courts? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President. I would also like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu for the pertinent question, particularly looking at this very week, those who watch television, Cabinet took quite some time looking at the effects of veld fires. Veld fires are now prevalent and there is loss of lives, property, wildlife and domestic animals. In the last few weeks, we saw in Matabeleland South, loss of lives. There were a lot of damages ranging from paddocks and we lost ten people; these are quite young people aged 20 to 50 years. We also noted that throughout the country, we have lost a lot of fields, some with wheat. As a country, we are proud of the wheat production and we are looking forward to have a good harvest but because of such fires, it is painful that people who perpetrate this arson are people who do so for very petty reasons like those who will be hunting for mice. As Hon. Sen. Chundu said, he is the custodian of the area, this is quite a painful issue, and our traditional leaders tell people not to start veld fires. You find old people losing their homes, 200 hectares of wheat was destroyed by fires. So, EMA through the Environmental Management Act which was enacted by Government and which looks at perpetrators of veld fires, that they are prosecuted. I understood what the chief said that traditional courts deal with these cases but when cases like those of arson are brought to the Magistrates Court, they are not dealt with in a just manner, especially considering that such people would have destroyed people’s lives and property.
This Act will have to be looked into so that it comes back to the august House to ascertain whether the law is prohibitive, but we need to ascertain whether the law is punitive enough so that when people have participated in arson, then they will be deterred by heavy sentences. Let me end by saying that I thank you Mr. President Sir, and I also thank Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu. I am going to engage the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Ziyambi so that the Act should be looked at. Even the Attorney General should look at the law and the law will be brought to this august House so that it is reviewed or amended. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHUNDU: Hon. Minister you spoke well. Whilst we are waiting for the law to come to this august House, is there no provisional action that can be taken maybe through the Executive using the presidential powers because if presidential powers are used, you find people will be deterred from participating in arson. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu who is really concerned with the issue of arson and we understand it. Cabinet is really seized with the matter. We spoke at length concerning the issue and the suggestion will be taken up to Cabinet but we emphasise and we understand this issue. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Mr. President. My question was supposed to be directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. However, I would like to direct the question to the Leader of the House. We are heading towards the rainy season and we are not seeing the different activities that are normally done by farmers. The fear is, will people be able to farm this year like what they normally do? We have heard that the President is going to distribute Pfumvudza inputs, so what is the Ministry of Lands doing so that the prices of inputs are reviewed or that people can afford such prices? Sometimes there is need for surety and you find people getting 120% interest for loans – I do not think it is viable. Thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would also like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe for his pertinent question regarding the rainy season. Indeed, we are in October and he expects to see the Ministry of Lands preparedness towards the farming season, not only for Pfumvudza beneficiaries but for the rest of our commercial farmers, A1 and A2 and other big farmers. Let me say that food security in our country is quite important to our Government. Every Tuesday in Cabinet, the Minister of Agriculture gives a report to demonstrate his preparedness towards a successful farming season so that there is food security in Zimbabwe.
Firstly, there is the Pfumvudza initiative which the distributions are already ongoing so that when people have started cultivation – when rains come they will be prepared. We know that the Land Bank and Agribank is busy assisting those who use tractors during land preparation. We also note the issue of loans which is being looked at by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development through the Land Bank. We are looking forward to farmers being assisted. Money might not be enough to cater for all the farmers.
We do not want to import food from other countries. Zimbabwe is capable of producing wheat. We have produced a lot of wheat and we have surpassed the period since 2004 where we have been harvesting 2/3 months of wheat but this year we have surpassed that standard. This means this year we are not going to import but our foreign currency, instead of importing will be used for other purposes in Zimbabwe. So because of that, when looking at our staple food which is maize, we want to plough enough maize so that people would not die of hunger.
Let me also say that because we have tilled our land and we expect to have a bountiful harvest, this is important to us. In the past season because of Pfumvudza, we had grain reserves. Right now as a country, we do not want to import because we have grain reserves of what we got during the past year.
So Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe, I would like to promise you that Government is seized with the matter of agriculture and a lot is happening. This is quite important because I believe that the Minister of Lands, Dr. Masuka should come with a ministerial statement to this august House explaining everything that is happening and the state of affairs regarding the preparedness of his Ministry.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Leader of the House for the response. The problem is banks because the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe is charging 120% interest rate. In addition to that, some equipment was looted at some farms after the Land Reform Programme because we do not have title deeds which are required by banks for us to access loans. Most of the people that have housing stands in urban areas were built through cooperatives and they do not have title deeds. What are people going to do to produce enough food because people are going to starve and they will not be able to farm because they do not have title deeds that are required by our very own banks?
*HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: This is not a supplementary question but a totally new and different question which is very important. We are going to request the Minister of Agriculture to come, respond and clarify on these issues. The issues that were raised include prohibitive interest rates that are a hindrance for people to access funding from the banks. The other issue that was raised is collateral. Most of the people who are into agriculture do not have the requisite collateral such as title deeds. I hope that the Minister of Agriculture will come into this House to respond to those issues and cover all those points.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. Could you explain or update the House on the strategies and plans being implemented by Government through your Ministry to improve access to quality, equitable and inclusive education as envisaged in NDS1 by disenfranchised populations that are found in remote places and overcrowded places in urban areas.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): The mandate of the Ministry is to provide quality, equitable and inclusive education to the population of Zimbabwe. Government, through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, is doing everything possible to achieve that. I will just enumerate a few things that we do to achieve that equity, quality and inclusivity.
First of all, our enrolment policy is an open one, right from ECD up to ‘A’ level and we do not bottle-neck at any point in our system. That is on access. Coming to quality education, we have rolled out competence based curriculum which is intended to transform our education system from the yesteryear learning where we emphasised on remembering to a situation where we are concentrating mainly on problem solving, analysis and innovation. Our philosophy in education at the moment is science, technology and innovation. All that embraces what I have spoken about in terms of quality.
You cannot have quality education without quality teachers and we also have a staff development programme or human resources development programme supported by Government partners where our teachers go for upgrading to different universities where they acquire degrees particularly in the sciences where we have a huge deficit of teacher supply. Such universities include Bindura University, University of Zimbabwe, National University of Science and Technology – these are some of the examples where human capital development is being done.
The other element is on the use of ICTs. We know that with the advent use of ICTs, they have become very important. We know that our connectivity is not universal in the country but we are trying to partner with service providers so that access to internet is provided. With the collaboration and working together with the Ministry of ICT, we have seen the rollout of ICT gadgets in our school system. It is a slow process but we will get there.
Coming to equity, the issue of equity becomes very important where we want to equalise opportunities to our children in both rural and urban areas. Currently, on the ICT front, you will see that a lot of issuance of ICT gadget is happening largely in the rural areas where there are underprivileged communities. That is where it is mainly happening. The Ministry is also in collaboration with other partners producing textbooks which help particularly the disadvantaged communities so that they have access to textbooks.
Our schools are divided into three categories. The primary school sector is divided into three categories where there are P3 schools. These are very rural and disadvantaged schools. Then we have P2 schools – P stands for primary and 2 is a code talking to the geography of the school. These are peri-urban schools and also western suburbs schools. Then we have the P1 schools, these are largely in the former Group A schools that are largely elite. We concentrate very much on the P3 side of schools and these are the schools that are receiving a number of complimentary grants where if parents are constructing a school and they reach a particular level and after prioritisation, they are given grants. We are currently giving grants to such schools to compliment the efforts of parents in the construction of schools.
When schools are being built, communities contribute monies and Government also gives grants and our partners also give grants. We have, as a Ministry, also invited partners to come into the education sector in the provision of infrastructure, we have churches, private individuals and trusts coming in. These are some of the efforts to achieve quality, equitable and inclusive education.
On the inclusive part, we are also aware that in our school system, we have included in our curriculum, all the languages that have been included in our Constitution. You find that those communities whose languages were marginalised previously are now included in the school system by way of curriculum including their languages. Our children from ECD to lower levels like Grade 2 are taught in their local mother tongue and that is a way of including them. Yes, it might not have reached 100% but all efforts and those small steps every year, we are trying to achieve to achieve that goal. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MANYAU: The Minister spoke of inclusive education - are you aware that with regards to inclusive education, children are disadvantaged because of their different abilities. Many schools are now doing away with special classes. You will find that where there is a class of 50 pupils, it is not possible for slow learners or mentally challenged pupils to be able to cope with the rest of the class. They are being put in classes that are not proper. Some of them are being placed in very bad classrooms, for example in Norton, they were put in a storeroom. In Chinhoyi, I heard that pupils who understand sign language were gathered in a classroom where there is no learning because the teacher does not even know sign language. So as Government, is there any follow-up that you are making? Is the inclusive education that you talk about working or the children are just being taken hostage by force?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you very much Mr. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Manyau for the follow-up question. People with intellectual challenges, largely in a school system, are screened. Our Ministry runs from head office up to district level. We have got a department called Learner Welfare Special Needs Education Department. So, they are supposed to screen learners for intellectual disabilities so that special classes are created and then special strategies that are commensurate with those incapabilities are then attended to by special teachers.
Our special teachers are trained, largely at United College of Education in Bulawayo. Yes, granted we are not so many as to satisfy the needs in the country. However, in our Inclusive Education Policy, our teachers are expected to do some targeted teaching so that they do not leave anyone behind in their teaching strategies. However, those with severe challenges are then supposed to be taken to special institutions where specialists and perhaps peers are present and then those can be assisted.
There is the issue of the hard of sight children, some can see but they cannot see properly. One of the strategies that we have for those challenges is the enlarged print. That enlarged print is applied for. Last week we assisted some two students at Solusi Secondary School with a similar problem through our Learner Welfare and Special Needs Department. Once those difficulties are identified, we encourage that the heads of schools notify our offices and then a budget is always provided by Treasury every year for devices to assist those who are not so hard-hit and those who are so hard-hit are expected to be housed in special institutions.
In the case of examinations, when grade 7, form four and form six students are being entered for examination purposes, they are supposed to indicate the number of students who require large print and then ZIMSEC provides that large print. I thank you.
HON. SEN. C. NDLOVU: Thank you Hon. President. Hon. Minister, you talked about ICT devices which are being distributed in schools. Do you have percentages or figures of how many schools have received those devices in rural areas, especially so that we know we are not leaving anyone behind?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you very much Mr. President. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question. I may not have figures. I would not want to thumb-suck figures as I will be saying the wrong things. However, from a cursory point of view, what I would say is, there is some distribution taking place. I think it is significant in some cases. I will cite an example; about a month or two ago when the President was opening the Beitbridge Border Post where 10 schools were chosen from across Matabeleland South and each one given 30 computers. I know it is happening and last week I think they were in Manicaland. Also some schools benefited from that exercise but I cannot give the percentage but we are walking towards that.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President. My supplementary question to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education is that you mentioned that you are looking at quality education at each and every primary school. How do you then achieve quality education where we still have schools that are built with dagga and others using old farm houses as classrooms?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Mr. President. Thank you Hon. Sen. Mohadi. Yes, we have in the country some schools whose infrastructure leaves a lot to be desired but I would like to focus more on what we are doing to eradicate that than to magnify it. It is a problem yes, but every year we are putting into action some programmes to address those problems. Going to Mashonaland Central, I think it is Mbire District, we saw a few years ago those kinds of schools but some proper classroom blocks have already been built in some of those schools. Yes, we still have a deficit but we are walking the journey.
We also want to encourage our local authorities to also use devolution funds for the construction of those schools because education is a very important service to our communities. So, all funds, CDF funds, MPs should come on board and also assist in those areas so that it becomes everybody’s responsibility to ensure that quality infrastructure is provided and therefore quality education. We have a deficit of over 3 000 schools currently and some effort is being done to reduce that deficit but it requires that all of us put our shoulders to the wheel to ensure that we achieve that level of quality through various funds that we have within our communities. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business. What is the state of preparedness for the nation to end violence like the violence that happened at Mupedzanhamo so that people are confident that during the 2023 elections there will be peace? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President. I would also like to thank Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi for that pertinent question regarding the nation’s preparedness to a peaceful nation without violence. The Government did a good job and had a workshop in Kadoma with both the public and private media and political parties in order to come up with a charter regarding reporting and positive portrayal of issues, which is based on facts. This brings harmony and is quite an important issue. We know that as media, we have a responsibility of educating, informing and entertaining people. With that in mind, towards the 2023 General elections, we urge those who will be participating in elections to speak words that are constructive and not words that destroy. Everyone should give factual information, without lying and insulting others, especially considering the election period.
Our police will continue training so that they can apprehend culprits who should go through the court process. They should be prosecuted to stop violence. As Zimbabweans, we are a very peaceful nation. We are known for being peaceful and we urge people to continue being peaceful. We do not want violence. Elections are something that we agreed as a nation. They must not bring violence because when there is unity, the nation will have economic development. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Mines but during his absence, I would ask my question to the Leader of Government of Business. In Chegutu, there are reports of the “mashurugwi” or people who move around with machetes. Does Government know about these “mashurugwis?” Are they Zimbabweans or they are people from outside Zimbabwe? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Moeketsi for her question which shows that she is concerned with what is happening in Chegutu. I believe the issue of machetes is something that we have read about. I do not know whether it only happens in Chegutu but we have heard reports from different parts like Kwekwe and other areas. This is a painful issue for the people of Zimbabwe who are known for being peaceful and for respecting the sanctity of life. What really has changed in our ethos as a people? We continue educating people that we need to value human lives. These issues I believe are specific. There is need to specify the areas so that police is deployed to such areas. The Government policy is that anyone who uses a machete is committing a crime. One life is important just like the lives of many. Government policy is that this issue should be stopped forthwith and eliminated from our society, a society which is known for uniting people and respecting human lives. I do not think that this is an issue of mines but this is an issue of violence and lack of respect of human life among illegal panners. The Ministries of Home Affairs and Mines have to work together in order to eliminate this issue. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MWONZORA: Thank you very much Mr. President Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs but because he is not available, I will direct my question to the Leader of Government Business who had a very busy day today. Mr. President Sir, after the 2018 elections, various observer missions - including the Common Wealth, the EU, SADC, AU and even the Motlante Commission, made specific recommendations about reforms that were needed to make Zimbabwe’s elections free, fair and credible. Has the Government done anything about these recommendations? If so, what is it that the Government has done seeing that we are going into elections in 2023?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you very much Mr. President Sir. I would want to thank Hon. Sen. Mwonzora for that important question. I am surprised Hon. Sen. Mwonzora is not aware of what Government has done, being a member of POLAD himself. I just want to say after 2018 elections, various observer missions, especially the Motlante Commission made recommendations. There has been an Inter-Ministerial Committee which has been looking at all those recommendations. Each particular institution of Government has been given their part, for example has been training. I talked about it earlier. They have been training on how to deal with people during elections. There has been training of media, training of our journalists on how to report during elections. ZEC themselves have a lot which they are doing to just make sure that at least our elections will flow smoothly. There has been a lot which has been done to make sure that we have gone through all those specific recommendations and as I said, every institution which had some work to do in order to make some improvements, that has been given to them. There has been a lot more training, just making sure everyone is ready to carry out their tasks, their mandate, to make sure that at least we have got free, fair and credible elections as we go to 2023. I thank you.
Questions without notice interrupted by the HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order No. 67.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Hon. President, I move that Question Time be extended by 30 minutes.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: I second.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Sen. Komichi, I will only allow an extension of 15 minutes.
Motion put and agreed to.
HON. SEN. MWONZORA: Minister, I want to thank you for the answer to my question, but in your answer, you concentrated on the training that is being done to law enforcement agents, but some of the recommendations include specific measures to make sure that all Zimbabweans are enfranchised and some of the recommendations are that Zimbabweans who were hurt or harmed as a result of violence that emanated from elections be compensated. Has this been done, if so what has been done?
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: Thank you very much Mr. President. I think that is a very specific question. I think he has got more information and I advise Hon. Sen. Mwonzora to put it in writing to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Mwonzora, can you put your question in writing and direct it to the responsible Minister.
HON. SEN. MWONZORA: Thank you very much Mr. President Sir.
*HON. SEN. MANYAU: Thank you Mr. President. My question goes to the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, but since she is not in the House, my question will go to the Leader of Government Business. As people with disabilities, we are affected by the issue of drug abuse. People with disabilities take drugs not because they want to but because they are trying to run away from the reality that they are facing in their lives. As Government, are there strategies to deal with those with disabilities against taking drugs?
If you address this issue just like what you do with the youth on the issue of drug abuse, it is actually different because they have different reasons why they are engaging in drug abuse.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Manyau for a very important question. It is a very touching question on the issue of those who are living with disabilities who are being seen taking drugs. The issue of drug abuse in the country is a topical issue. It is a troubling issue in our country. We are actually wondering that as a country, what exactly is it we are supposed to do. We are supposed to put our heads together so that we come up with a sustainable solution against those who are abusing drugs. Some are university going people, others are elders in the community and others are those living with disabilities. We are a concerned Government because this has reached alarming levels as a country.
There was an inter-ministerial committee created to focus on the issue of drug abuse in the country by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. The inter-ministerial committee is meant to look into the issue of drug abuse and what we can do to get rid of that; also looking at the issue of how drugs are getting into this country.
We are also looking at youth, why they are taking drugs. Are there any strategies such as rehabilitation that we can have youth being taken to these rehabilitation centres? Some men are beating up their women after having taken these hard drugs such as mutoriro and guka. We are having a lot of school dropouts as a result of these squabbles emanating from drug abuse. We have teen pregnancies on the streets as a result of these drugs.
As a Government, we are also looking at rehabilitation centres. One of the problems is that some of the rehabilitation centres that we have in the country are very expensive. Government is looking into the issue to say what can be the sustainable solution. We are actually creating employment so that we remove them from this drug abuse system. Their mental health is now a concern. Most of the problems we are seeing being experienced by the youth are actually mental health issues. There is no psychological mental stability with our youth nowadays.
Just like she mentioned, taking drugs is a way of escaping from their problems as most of the youths are refusing to face the reality in their lives. What they are actually doing instead is taking drugs as a solution. The reason is that after taking drugs, they spend quite a number of days away from the problems they see.
This inter-ministerial committee will get in and focus on what the problem really is. They will also look into those with disabilities, assist them, and understand fully how they can be assisted as a people. Their problem is actually different from those who are not disabled. So, we will research more into their issue. We are willing to assist as a Government. It is an issue that is of concern to the Government. We are actually hands on working there to establish what exactly can be done. An enemy can actually use those drugs to disturb the health of our youth, disturb their growth development as a people. This is an issue that the Government is looking into with urgency.
Minister Mavima will look into the issue to say those with disabilities, how can they be assisted, what kind of sustainable solutions can be given to those people so that everyone who has got such a problem will get assistance. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Hon. President. This country has experienced serious crimes committed by armed robbers, serial killers, rapists and many crimes. These criminals have their rights and they are protected by the State. My question is; these particular criminals that I have mentioned have been given bails, these armed robbers. Today the country is aware of Job Sikhala, Godfrey Sithole and others; is this not a violation of their rights? Is this not selective application of the law and the Constitution? Zimbabweans want to know how the Government is tackling this matter. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President. Firstly, let me start by indicating that the question that I am being asked is that I am being asked to interrogate judicial decisions which according to the Constitution, I do not have a right to interrogate neither do I have a right to question them when a judgement is passed. Even when I question, you also indicate that the Minister is now interfering with their area of jurisdiction. However, sometimes I comment as an ordinary citizen who is just aggrieved but not to say that I can get into details of asking why you are giving this particular decision and why you are not doing this particular decision.
However, my understanding is that you are on bail on a specific case and there are conditions that are attached to that. If you violate your bail conditions then the bail will not be granted should you commit another offence. That is the general principle. The individual so concerned, my understanding which I just read, not to say that I was schooled by the Judiciary from going to ask about judicial decision but that is not my duty; the decision of the courts was on the basis of the fact that a bail was granted, bail conditions were violated and that is the reason to deny bail.
Over and above that Mr. President, I would not be very competent to question their decision. A judge or a magistrate, when they are dealing with a case, even their superiors cannot even direct them. They must enjoy their independence when they are dispensing that particular case. So, I submit that the general rule or advice is for us not to play politics but to follow court rules when we are in courts and then when we are outside or in this august House, we can then use the rules that pertain to what we do here. When we are in court, sometimes as politicians, we must refrain from abusing the courts for political expedience. I thank you.
Questions without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order Number 67.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. President, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 5 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 6 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 5 be stood over until Order of the Day, No. 6 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2021
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for the year 2021 presented to this House of Parliament in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. I submit.
Motion put and agreed to.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): People are happy with it. Thank you Mr. President Sir. This is a constitutional requirement that our Independent Commissions must submit reports to Parliament and I am very happy that the Senate has taken note of the report and I so move that...
HON. KOMICHI: On a point of order Mr. President. We are all shocked Hon. President – where is the report? Can we be given time to look at the report? It will be very unfair even for you Hon. Minister. So I suggest that we be given time to debate this in our next session. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Okay Mr. President. I therefore move that the debate do now adjourn. Thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 18th October, 2022.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI), the Senate adjourned at Six Minutes to Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 18th October, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER
PRE-BUDGET BRIEFING
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that there will be a pre-budget briefing seminar on Monday, 17th October 2022, at the Rainbow Towers Hotel, Harare in the Main Auditorium.
CHANGE OF DATES AND VENUE FOR THE PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I also wish to advise the House of the change of dates and venue for this year’s pre-budget seminar. The dates are now 21st to 24th October, 2022 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in the Main Auditorium. All members of Parliament are invited to attend the two events. Hon. Members are requested to confirm their attendance with the following Public Relations personnel on their contact numbers:
Ms. T. L. Manyemba 0772803810;
Ms. E. Huwa 0772359534;
Mr. T. Kahlamba 0773055640 and
Mr. F. Muchimba 0776448686.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have received a list of Hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers who have sought leave of the House: Hon. Vice President C. D. G. N. Chiwenga, Hon. O. C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Hon. Prof. P. Mavima, Hon. Dr. E. N. Ndlovu, Hon. K. Kazembe, Hon. R. Mavhungu-Maboyi, Hon. Prof. A. Murwira, Hon. Prof. M. Ncube, Hon. C. Chiduwa, Hon. Chitando, Hon. K. Conventry, Hon. Sen. M. Mutsvangwa, Hon. J. G. Moyo, Hon. Dr. F. M. Shava and Hon. D. Musabayana.
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, you read out a handful of apologies but I can only see one Hon. Minister in this House and I would like to make that point of clarity for the people on Zoom that the only Hon. Minister attending is the Minister of Transport and the media as well should understand that on the apologies that have come in, there is an assumption that they are in the House but there is only one Hon. Minister in the House today – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Matangira.
*HON. HWENDE: Thank you Madam Speaker, I need clarity regarding the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. C. G. D. N. Chiwenga. Since I was elected as a Member of Parliament in March, I have never seen him in this House. We have a lot of issues that we want to ask him concerning the health of the nation. Since March, now we are in October, our term of office is going to expire before we even meet him. My question is: is he still the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care or he is now out of office? - [AN HON. MEMBER: Unonyepa.] –
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Member. I would like to inform you that the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care is still in office – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order Hon. Members, order please, Hon. Matangira and Hon. Murai, order please. Hon. Matangira, order or else I will send you out - [AN HON. MEMBER: Zvaakapfeka nhasi ndozviri kuita kuti adai.] -
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mhona will be our acting Leader of Government Business – [HON. PARADZA AND HON. MATANGIRA: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Paradza and Hon. Matangira, please, may we have order in the House.
HON. KABOZO: Good afternoon Hon. Speaker and thank you for affording me this opportunity to express myself in this institution. My question is directed to the Minister of Finance in his absence, I will direct my question to the Leader of Government Business. What is the Government policy measure in place with regards to the worn out US dollar notes which are in circulation? I have noted with concern that even at our tollgates they are no longer accepting even slightly torn notes - which is worrisome, taking into consideration that we do not print US dollar notes here in Zimbabwe. What is the Government policy measure in place to get rid of this activity? I so submit and I thank you – [HON. MATANGIRA: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Matangira, please.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I did not get the question.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You were busy talking to Hon. Matangira and not listening to the question. Hon. Kabozo, please may you repeat your question.
Hon. Kabozo repeated his question.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you very much Madam Speaker. The owners of the notes, through their embassy issued a statement that was made public on the usage of those notes. I think as Government, we cannot issue a contrary statement to what they said. I thank you.
HON. KABOZO: Thank you Madam Speaker. Is the Minister aware that there are agencies across the country who buy the tattered and torn USD notes at a rate half of the amount of the note on offer? For example, if you have a USD20 note which is tattered and torn, you are given USD10 note, which is daylight robbery. What is the Government doing to get rid of this discord in the market? I rest my case Madam Speaker and I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. This is not our currency. It is a US American government currency. We do not have any control whatsoever over it and we do not even control what happens beyond our borders. So I am not the right person to issue a policy over a currency that does not belong to the Zimbabwean Government. I thank you.
*HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Environment. Veld fires have affected a lot of places in Zimbabwe. What plans does the Ministry of Environment have in place to curb these veld fires and what mechanisms are there in place to assist victims that are losing properties as well as livestock? I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. The issue of veld fires has disturbed us a lot, especially this year. There are laws in place which can cause people to be arrested but mostly what is happening is that our forests have been destroyed. The challenge is that the perpetrators of these veld fires cannot be identified. Those fires are just witnessed. It is an issue that was discussed yesterday as a result of the tragedy that happened in Esigodini where 10 lives were lost as they were trying to put out the fire. The tragedy was declared a national disaster by His Excellency the President. The victims are being assisted. What is of paramount importance is not what the Government is doing in terms of veld fires but Government can observe what is happening in all our areas. It requires all of us to look into the issue and own it as individuals so that our land, livestock and fields are not destroyed. This is an issue for Hon. Mudarikwa, MPs, the traditional leadership and all the communities to ensure that they put a stop to the veld fires. Thank you.
*HON. MUDARIKWA: Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Leader of Government Business for his response but it is my plea that the relevant Minister should come to Parliament and issue a statement in response to these issues and the modalities they have in place to curb the fires and to ensure that awareness is created on veld fires. As MPs and the local leadership, we should ensure that the Natural Resources Board committees are put in place as was the case before. I thank you.
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: We have understood your request Hon. Mudarikwa. The relevant Minister - the administration of Parliament is going to get the request.
*HON. MURAI: I heard the Minister’s response which is vital as regards veld fires. I wanted to find out if there are any measures that are being put in place to ensure that once the veld fires have started, are there any fireguards to stop spreading these fires? Furthermore, are there any committees that are in place to fight the veld fires and the communities as well because it is the duty of everyone? These fires are started during the night and hence the perpetrator is not easily located. Do we have such measures in place in all these places where veld fires are prone? Thank you.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: We still have fireguards in place in rural and communal areas. The traditional leadership; the chiefs and headmen or village heads are in the forefront in ensuring that there are fireguards in place. The owners of the farms should put fireguards in place but the problem that we have is that where we even have a fireguard, because of the windy conditions, the fire will leap over the fireguard. Fines are in place but off head, I cannot tell what they are because there have been changes to the fines several times.
In the past few years, these have been deterrent fines but even if we put fireguards, if we have not conscientised one another especially those that look after mice and rabbits cause veld fires willy nilly, we will not win. It is my fervent hope that the experts, through the Minister, will come and give a statement as per the request in a bid to know the measures that have been put in place so that these veld fires cannot continuously cause us sleepless nights.
(v)*HON. NDUNA: Veld fires are caused by those that smoke in their motor vehicles and throw away cigarette stabs. Can there be a law that is enacted to that effect so that the veld fires will not be caused by cigarette smokers? I also urge the Minister of Home Affairs that these smokers be ticketed when they get to roadblocks. I thank you.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Hon. Nduna is saying that the people that are responsible for causing veld fires are those who smoke from their vehicles and there should be a law that bars people from smoking whilst they are in their motor vehicles. There is a law that people should not be smoking in public. We go back to what I earlier on mentioned that the issue is all about awareness. There are laws that are in place that cover everything that he is talking about.
*HON. MUSARURWA: My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care as well as the Minister of Justice. What position has been taken by Government with regard to young girls that are dying whilst giving birth? The question arises because in the past, we had an outcry of Memory Machaya who died at the age of 14 whilst giving birth. At the moment, we have Nokutenda Hwaramba who also passed away while in labour. From Memory Machaya to the present case of Nokutenda Hwaramba, what measures have been put in place by Government to ensure that young girls do not die trying to give birth?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Firstly, such children, all things being equal, should not be pregnant. It is an offence for the person who impregnated that girl. So, we do not expect such behaviour. It is illegal because the Ministry of Health and Child Care, from research, observed that the child’s body will not be ready to deliver a child, which will end up in both the child and the mother to remain alive. Our laws make it illegal for children that are under age to be pregnant and give birth. We want to arrest the perpetrators who are raping our children by making them sexually active before they are of age. It is these murderers or offenders that should not be protected by the community when the police come wanting to arrest them because the law enforcement agency, upon investigating the case, the relatives and neighbours will never make a clean case of it that the child was molested by an old man who lives in the area. Let us urge our children and our communities to desist from impregnating young children. I thank you.
*HON. MUSARURWA: Thank you Hon. Minister for the response. My supplementary question is; what has been done about Memory Machaya’s case? We now have another case of Nokutenda who is yet to be buried. What has been done so far because if I remember well, you did say some time back that you had made some investigations pertaining to Memory Machaya and you were trying to see if the person who committed the murder should be arrested. So has the culprit been arrested? Can you please give us an update on the issue? I thank you.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. The Hon Member wants to understand how far we have gone with the investigations. But if I try to answer that question, I may give a wrong answer because I do not have the dockets for that case. This is now a specific question and I urge the Hon. Member to put the question in writing so that the responsible Minister can respond. I thank you.
HON. MAPHOSA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. When the issue of Memory Machaya was brought to this House, it was an outcry for these religious groups to stop taking advantage of minors and abusing them. The Minister promised and said there was a team on the ground investigating the issue. So, I do not think it needs dockets. We just want the Minister to clarify if anything happened after their investigations because he is the one who promised this House. When we want anything to do with dockets, we will ask Hon. Kazembe to come with the answer. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Maphosa, let me try to assist you. The Minister responsible is Hon. Kazembe and not Hon. Ziyambi. So, the answer that he proffered is answering the question asked.
HON. MAPHOSA: Sorry, Madam Speaker, I do not mean to go against your ruling but if that is the issue, then we have to transfer that question to Hon. Kazembe so that he comes with that answer to this House. The nation is looking at us and they are worried because these issues seem to be protected by us the law makers. So I ask you to make a ruling that Hon. Kazembe, the Minister of Home Affairs, comes to this House on these issues and give us an update.
THE HON DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon Maphosa, that is exactly what Hon. Ziyambi said. He asked the Hon. Member to put the question in writing so that Hon. Kazembe can bring a written response.
HON. DR. LABODE: Madam Speaker, I am hurt and shocked that the levels of teenage pregnancies in Zimbabwe have reached epidemic levels and for us to sit here and pretend there is a social norm or a family core that will deal with that issue is very sad. I remember Minister Nyoni came in this House and presented a report of 55000 teenage girls who got pregnant within a month. The report on Education said 10000 teenage girls left school because of pregnancies and we sit here and pretend it is something that will just disappear. What I am saying is that we have a serious problem at hand. We need to do everything within our power and deal with Section 35 of the Public Health Act. We know that our young women are indulging in sex. Why do we want to pretend that they should not go to health facilities and get that service that can serve them? We have to do something.
HON. CHINYAN’ANYA: My supplementary question is: what is Government doing to conscientise especially the apostolic sects because that is where this issue is rampant in trying to impart the knowledge that child marriages are outlawed. This issue needs to be addressed, especially among the apostolic sects. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I spoke strongly against child marriages and the position of Government is that it is wrong. Whether done by apostolic sects, Methodists or Seventh Day Adventists, it remains wrong. All of us have a responsibility because I do not think we have one sector of our society which is Apostolic Faith. We are all related. It is our duty to teach our relatives on the wrongs of child marriages. So I implore my dear Hon. Member to also take it upon himself to preach the gospel that child marriages are wrong. I thank you.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Madam Speaker, it is public knowledge that anyone who impregnates a 15 year old should be …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: May you please be connected.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Madam Speaker, I know that children are not supposed to be sexually abused.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, Order, you are still not connected Hon. Madzimure.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Madam Speaker, I am saying a child who is 14 to 15 years is likely to be sexually active but when that child is pregnant and you take the child to health facilities; to come up with a rape case that should be reported. Most people are now avoiding going to health facilities because they are afraid of reporting. My question is: what should be done to avoid a scenario where this child is denied healthcare because of fear of someone’s conviction?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. I do not understand the Hon. Member’s question. If the child goes to hospital, she can be given medication but once she gets there, the medical personnel will want to know who impregnated her.
Even when you are injured in a beerhall fight, you are first advised to report the matter to the police so that the police can apprehend the perpetrator. As Government, when an underage pregnant child comes to hospital, we want to know who impregnated that child.
(V)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. However, I have heard of his absence and therefore, I will ask the Leader of Government Business. Hon. Speaker, there is an association for teachers that goes by the name of ‘Teachers for ED’ which is coercing District Schools Inspectors and school headmasters to attend its meetings and functions. What is the Government policy in protecting teachers from this coercion, and intimidation by a political association of teachers? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Hon. Sibanda says that there are teachers who are being forced to join a political party that is not of their choice. Our law does not allow anyone to join a political party except of their own free volition. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Leader of the Government Business please, may you listen to the question? You may proceed Hon. Sibanda.
(V)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Madam Speaker, my supplementary question to the Hon. Leader of Government Business is, looking at the fact that this association is politically aligned; will those members of that association be allowed to be polling officers in the next general election, looking at the fact that they are politically aligned? I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Madam Speaker, we do not have a policy of going about asking civil servants for their political cards before they are enrolled to do work that they are supposed to do. I thank you.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. She promised that in October people would be receiving food but people are hungry and we are almost at the end of October. When are people in the communal lands going to be receiving this food? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, last season certain areas received good rains whilst others did not. The Department of Social Welfare went and carried out an investigation to ascertain where there are insufficient grains in the form of maize. So the areas were then identified so that starting last month, they could receive food hand-outs but if his area is in dire straits, maybe the department of Social Welfare officers did not go to his area.
So if he were to inform the District Development Coordinator (DDC) they will be assisted because the position is that areas that received relatively good harvest are not going to receive anything, but those that are hard hit will be assisted. We do have DDC if omissions were made, we do have DDC’s that are in such areas as well as employees from the Social Welfare Department. If they are quickly alerted, the plight would be alleviated. I thank you.
*HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I believe the Minister has tried his best to answer Hon. Nyabani’s question. My request therefore is that all of us may not ask the same question because there are a lot of areas where food relief has not reached. I therefore request that the relevant Minister comes to the House and gives a ministerial statement on the issue of food distribution so that everyone is in the know and that the areas that might be left behind may also be assisted so that there is proper accountability. If Hon. Nyabani’s constituency did not receive the same plight, the same may also apply to other Members of Parliament’s constituencies. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: This is a good request, the responsible authorities will ask the relevant Minister to bring a ministerial statement pertaining to your request.
HON. NDUNA: To add on to that question, what is going to be done to those that are able-bodied who may be involved in food for work? Can he also address that issue when he comes to this august House?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Hon. Nduna, we have understood you. Yes, there is food for work; it is done per district depending on the investigation as to how many people do not have food and how many are able-bodied and those that are vulnerable. Those that are able-bodied may then be involved in projects that will aid their communities.
HON. MASENDA: My question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
*HON. HWENDE: On a point of order! Madam Speaker, you have observed that from the time that I have been here, it is only the ZANU PF Members of Parliament who have been asking Ministers questions. Wednesday is a question time; it is a time when we ask the Executive about current events. You are just giving ZANU PF members the chance to ask questions, why then are we here? They should have simply gone to the ZANU PF caucus and ask each other questions instead of us sitting here without asking questions.
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you are not being sincere, I am using these pieces of papers that I have. We are going to have two from ZANU PF and one from CCC and one from MDC – that is my modus operandi.
*HON. MASENDA: Our Government allowed the use of multi-currency including RTGS. There is a law that is mandatory that fuel operators should have some fuel that they sell in RTGS and that is not being done. What measures is Government taking to ensure that these service stations are compliant to sell diesel and petrol in RTGS because most people do not earn USD? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. It is true that it is sold in USD as well as ZWL. Those that do not get foreign currency are allowed to sell in USD. Those that would have acquired foreign currency from the auction should sell in USD. The percentage of our fuel that is sold in ZWL is not more than 20%. It is a correct observation that the majority of fuel service stations are selling using USD because we have allowed all those that are into the fuel industry to use their own free currency to buy fuel and continue operating using their foreign currency and resale in USD.
HON. A. NDEBELE. Good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity. Madam Speaker, what is Government policy with respect to the establishment of a comprehensive, efficient and affordable public transport system. I am raising this question Madam Speaker on the basis of a clearly failed relationship between ZUPCO and private transporters in the provision of public transport. I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Member. I did not get the question and I ask the Hon. Member to repeat the question.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, please can you ask the question again.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, I just wanted to check what Government policy is in respect of the establishment of a comprehensive, efficient and affordable public transport system? I indicated that I am raising this question on the basis of a clearly failed relation between ZUPCO and private transporters in the provision of public transport. If I may add more for the Minister’s assistance, in Bulawayo in the last 3 weeks, we have not been getting transport during the week except end of day Friday. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you very much Hon. Speaker and Hon. Ndebele for the pertinent question. I understand where you are coming from. What has happened is that after the COVID-19 pandemic, we have amended the Statutory Instrument which limited the mass transportation to only ZUPCO. We have opened the transport system to private players and also we have awarded some companies who are already constructing buses to add to the compliment that is in the system.
We have seen that so many companies have moved away from ZUPCO but we have given them routes, it is not going to be easy but in a few weeks, you are supposed to see change because they are now getting their routes. If there was a crew from Budiriro, they will get their permit to ply that route so very soon you are going to see a change but right now, we are in the middle of amending the Statutory Instrument; that is why you saw that there was a glitch on the transportation system. I thank you.
HON. A. NDEBELE: When Government was in the thick of things in the provision of public transport, we noticed that the fares were fairly affordable to the ordinary man. What measures have been put in place to ensure that the status quo remains, even when the entire spectrum has been opened to private players because affordability is a real issue in this economy?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker and Hon. Ndebele for the question. We have tried to put a lid on the charges; we have tried to control the fares that are being charged. We give a leeway of plus or minus what the transporters can charge. We also have to bear in mind that these people are also in business to make money. So we cannot really say they cannot charge an affordable fare to the public. At the same time, we also have to protect the masses and that is what ZUPCO is there to do. What we have done is that we have made choices more available; one can choose to wait for ZUPCO or to try to go and board a bus. We are going to try and control the fares but we are limited to a certain extend.
(V)HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker. In the Eighth Parliament, Government through the gold finger or the Hon. Minister of Finance, gave to the mass transport bus operators, a 100 bus cap to be introduced or imported on a 5% duty. Government went further in the Ninth Parliament to give 100% duty free importation to bus operators. Could it please the Minister to remind the bus operators that Government has actually given them the opportunity to make money by removing duty on the buses; they can extend that hand to the masses for an effective, efficient, resilient and robust mass transport system which is both cheap and affordable to the masses.
Would it please the Minister to remind the bus operators to actually give a hand that they have been offered by Government on the importation of buses on a duty free platform?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Hon. Speaker and Hon. Nduna. What you have said is exactly what we try to make sure that we put in the formulation when we were trying to come up with a cap for the increases in the fares. We try to remind the transporters and I think they are taking heed. I thank you.
HON. BITI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker, my question to the esteemed Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works is that contrary to what she has said, the law still reposes a monopoly for all forms of transport to ZUPCO and that law is Section 4 (II) of the Public Health COVID-19 Regulation Statutory Instrument [83:2020]. Only today, I was in the Constitutional Court trying to argue that that provision is unconstitutional; so the question still remains relevant to the Minister. Why are you still keeping the monopoly of public transport ZUPCO when ZUPCO has failed and perhaps the Leader of the House can help? Why should ZUPCO be allocated to the Minister of Local Government and not to the Minister of Transport who has the skills and the Acts of Parliament that are necessary to administer public transport and to harmonise public transport so that the people of Zimbabwe are well served? I thank you very much Madam Speaker Maam. Ipai Mhona mhani basa. July Moyo imbavha iyi.
HON. TOGAREPI: On a point of order. Madam Speaker, I think Hon. Biti must withdraw his statement. Vati vaJuly imbavha. I think it is wrong and it is unparliamentary.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Biti, please may you withdraw your statement which you said July Moyo imbavha?
HON. BITI: I withdraw. July Moyo is not a thief.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. The question by Hon. Biti is - why the urban transport system is not with the Ministry of Transport. Urban transportation worldwide and it is not unique to Zimbabwe, is with the local authority or Local Government. So that has been the case. The issue is about the management of that particular transportation system which must be enhanced. Even if you transfer it to Ministry of Transport, I do not think that is the problem that we are faced with in our urban transportation system. Our urban transportation system started declining when sanctions were imposed on us – [HON. MEMBERS: Ahhh.] – You recall Madam Speaker that when we were in the 90s when we were...
HON. MOLOKELA-TSIYE: On a point of order. The Hon. Minister may need to be reminded that the so-called sanctions are not more than 25 years old. ZUPCO has been having problems throughout since 1980. In the 90s we had transport problems. So the problems of ZUPCO are far older than sanctions. Stop using an excuse that does not exist.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Ndikakupindura unochema. Thank you Madam Speaker. Notwithstanding that the Hon. Member who has spoken is completely lost,we had an efficient transport system in the early 80s and that is not a fact. It is a myth. Having said that Madam Speaker, the problem that we had is, in any business you need to retool and ensure that you renew your fleet. The problem we had now with sanctions imposed on us, we had a shrinking economy, we were not free to trade with everyone. That compounded even our transport system. I am saying so on the backdrop that everything having been equal, we should have developed our transport system to a level that we would marvel with. However in 2018, His Excellency embarked on a programme to ensure that we have new buses within ZUPCO and that process has eased the transport shortages and ensured that transportation in Zimbabwe is affordable. That programme is continuing. We are even having collaborations and partnerships, joint ventures to ensure that we have buses that are assembled in Zimbabwe. All this is being done to ensure that we ease the transportation shortage. So the issue per se is not where the local municipal transportation system is housed but to ensure that we have adequate reliable buses within our roads. I thank you.
HON. A. NDEBELE: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order Hon. Ndebele?
HON. A. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, with the greatest of politeness due, may I request for a ministerial statement so that it does not look like I am putting the Minister in a corner because in her response, she speaks of limiting transport fares to a certain amount, an amount she did not state readily. She also speaks to controlling the fares and the establishment of a bus manufacturing plant and there are no timelines attached thereto. Therefore, I am requesting that we give her time to bring to this House, a ministerial statement that will enunciate all these steps that her Ministry is considering in the provision of an efficient public transport system.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Ndebele. I am sure the Hon. Deputy Minister has taken note of that.
HON. MARKHAM: On a point of clarity to help the Minister. Madam Speaker, the ZUPCO budget is under Spatial Planning. As a result of ZUPCO budget being under Local Government Spatial Planning, no spatial planning is happening because there are no funds because ZUPCO is taking all the money. The Ministry is actually handicapped. So in the statement, can the Ministry separate Spatial Planning and ZUPCO because there is no master plan for water, for sewerage, for roads, for clinics and for anything in Local Government and for all rural and urban constituencies because the Spatial Planning has had no money for 15 years? I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you. The Hon. Deputy Minister has taken note of that.
HON. RAIDZA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. On the issue that Hon. Ndebele has raised, I also want the Minister to include the policies and other things that they are doing as a Ministry as a way of encouraging more investors to come in that mass transport system so that we end up having an efficient mass transport system in the country.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Raidza. I am sure the Hon. Deputy Minister has taken note of that.
(v) HON. NDUNA: Mass transport system includes – [Technical glitch] –
HON. MATAMBO: In the continued absence of the Minister of National Security, I will pose my question to the Leader of the House. What is the Government’s policy regarding threats or claims to State security? On three occasions, the Government mentioned the presence of a third force in the country and up until this very day, nothing has been done to apprehend the third force. I have seen that the victims, when the Government mentioned the presence of the third force, are the ones who have actually been arrested. He mentioned the presence of the third force when there was abduction and torture of the girls. They also mentioned the presence of the third force when there was massacre of people on 1st August and the Government acknowledged the presence of the third force. Up until this very day, and we are heading for the next elections which are due in 2023, nothing has been done.
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. S. NYONI): That is a very pertinent question. I think the security of the nation and of any nation is a priority to a nation. If he could put that in writing so that it is answered properly, then all his concerns will be addressed.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Matambo, please may you put the question in writing as the Minister has said.
+(v)HON. E. MASUKU: [Technical glitch].
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Masuku, that is a very specific question can you please put it in writing.
+(v)HON. E. MASUKU: Madam Speaker –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, the question must be put in writing so that the Hon. Minister will bring the answers to the House. – (v)[HON. E. MASUKU: Inaudible interjection.] – Maybe I misquoted her. I must have misunderstood her. My Ndebele must have lost me there.
HON. RAIDZA: My question is directed to the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development. Last year we heard the leader of the country speaking strongly about the issue of ensuring that we end GBV in Zimbabwe. What measures have been put in place to ensure that we eradicate GBV that involves women and young children? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. S. NYONI): This is a very important question that the Hon. Member has raised. I think Zimbabwe is having a second pandemic, the GBV, which is happening in homes and also workplaces through sexual harassment and we are seeing it happening in young girls including rape. When His Excellency signed the high level compact, he was really showing as the Head of State, that it is unacceptable in our nation. As a result of that signing, my Ministry has disseminated that document to provincial level but unfortunately it continues.
I am appealing to Hon. Members that let us join hands and bring a stop to GBV. It happens because of several reasons and some of those reasons are within our control. Again, what we have done as a Ministry is that we have set up one stop centres throughout the country. So far, we have done it in six provinces where if a woman faces GBV, they can go to these centres which are built close to hospitals so that they have access to medical care, counselling, the Victim Friendly Police and our Ministry will also be there so that a woman may need to stay there and acquire a skill for themselves before they are relieved. All that is needed to rehabilitate a woman who has gone through GBV and will be in that centre. We are just about to open one in Bulawayo which is now complete. Thank you very much. We all need to unite to end GBV, thank you.
HON. MOKONE: Minister, you mentioned about six provinces where you have set up centres where women can actually report gender based violence. What about in the four remaining provinces, where can women go and report if they are being exposed to gender based violence?
HON. NYONI: Thank you Madam Speaker. That is a very important follow up question. As a Ministry, we take seriously the issue of gender based violence because when a woman undergoes violence of any sort, she goes through trauma that is not just physical but also mental and psychological. As a result, we have also set up mobile one- stopcentres and in areas where we do not have one-stop-centres built, we also have mobile one-stop-centres. The phone numbers will be made available to those provinces so that women can call and the mobile one- stopcentre or the organisations that are working with the Ministry can then attend to those women. We do not want any woman out there who has undergone gender based violence to feel alone and continue to suffer. This is why we are saying let us stop gender based violence. Our priority is to prevent it but when it happens, we should all join hands to ensure that the victim or survivor is taken care of because in most cases, it is not their fault but the side effects that follow the trauma is not good for a woman.
The mobile one-stop-centres are available and the Ministry will make available the phone numbers that members can call. We also hope that apart from the above, they can report to the police. We are having these facilities because we do not want it to be just a police case. We want, when a woman reports, to also have the psychological counselling, a doctor and someone to give them hope that being or undergoing violence is not the end of the world. I thank you.
(v)HON. NDUNA: On a point of order, …
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Nduna, with all due respect, my job does not allow me to review a decision that was made by the previous Speaker, so your point of order has been overruled.
HON. MUNETSI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of SMEs. A decision was reached in Cabinet about cooperative models.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members, may we have less noise in the House please. Can you please lower your voices so the Hon. Member can be heard?
HON. MUNETSI (Spking) …a decision was reached in Cabinet about Co-operative Model laws and this was meant to include cooperatives in the drive to attaining Vision 2030 … - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Hon. Members, order, order! Order Hon. Munetsi, may you take your seat. Hon. Members! Hon. Members! You are forcing me to send you out of the House! Less noise in the House Hon. Members! You may proceed Hon. Munetsi.
HON. MUNETSI: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker Sir. I was saying that a decision was reached by Cabinet about Cooperative Model laws. This was meant to include cooperatives in the drive towards attaining Vision 2030. Let me just find out from the Hon. Minister at what stage are we in the implementation of that model? Thank you.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Members, I do not enjoy sending any one of you out of the House. You may proceed Hon. Minister Nyoni.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Yes. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, this is a very important question. Cooperatives the world-over have been found to be one of the oldest development and most effective models because they attack different aspects of development and human beings and in society. First, they help people to come together in what we call solidarity economy and work together and trust each other.
Secondly, it also mobilises resources to minimise the resources that people will be using. The Hon. Member is right; Cabinet tasked the Ministry to look into the cooperative department or model that we are using in Zimbabwe to see if it is still competent to the global practice and relevant to the situation we face in Zimbabwe. As a result of that, I led a team of the Ministry and others to Rwanda that has a very good development model using cooperatives. In Rwanda, they are using cooperatives to mobilise their society for almost everything. So, as a result of that visit, we have passed - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members! Hon. Chimina! Hon. Chimina!
HON. DR. S. NYONI: As a result of that visit, we have tasked a study that is being done by one of our universities to make sure that it is professionally done. The university is on the ground right now to do a study using our report, comparing and also researching on the best practices of other countries and also the lessons learnt by ourselves through our own model.
The report will be out in November then from November on, my Ministry will be able to craft a new cooperative model but apart from that, I am sure the Hon. Members are aware that based on that best practice, we will then craft and review the Cooperative Act so that the cooperative movement becomes a strong, well informed, well organised, well researched and well grounded movement to propel our society towards Vision 2030. I thank you.
*HON. CHIMWAZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. People who live with disabilities are in dire poverty and in dire straits because they are found in public places begging with children who are dressed in school uniforms. What is Government policy as regards people who are living with disabilities in terms of monthly grants that they receive? How much are they receiving in terms of foreign currency? Thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE): Thank you Hon. Speaker. Hon. Speaker, the Hon. Member tried to pose a question, so let me try and respond. The Government has employed a director who is in charge of disabilities, who is responsible for issues pertaining to people living with disabilities. There are several programmes that we have.
Firstly, let me inform this august House that if we have people who live with disabilities and would want to receive wheelchairs or clutches, the Government, through the Department of Social Welfare, has created a department that deals with people living with disabilities. It also receives an allocation from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development so that it looks solely into the issues that pertain to people living with disabilities.
Let me take this opportunity to inform this august House that there are a lot of aides that have been bought for people who live with disabilities such as wheelchairs and clutches. If there are such people that are within your communities, if they approach our ministries through our provisional and district offices, they will be assisted in line with the budget that we received to buy equipment for people living with disabilities.
There are a lot of Government institutions where such people can be assisted in many ways especially free education. We want to encourage Members of Parliament in various constituencies to quickly bring forward such people with disabilities to the Ministry so that they are assisted.
There are some funds that are dedicated for people living with disabilities for self help projects. They will also be assisting in ensuring that they run viable and sustainable projects. So, in brief, I would want to tell the Hon. Member that if they have specific areas and people that are facing such challenges, they should approach our Ministry. The Ministry can also send its officials to go and assess so that these people can be assisted. I thank you.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would want to thank the Hon. Minister for such a good response. My supplementary question is that I heard him talking about funds that are dedicated to people living with disabilities. May the Hon. Minister disclose the offices where such people can approach for assistance? The majority of them are unaware of the existence of such funds that are being given by the Government. I thank you.
*HON. MATUKE: I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question. All our district countrywide have social welfare offices. In the not too distant future, we shall be having officers that specifically deal with people that are living with disability. However, go to any of our district or provincial offices to understand how they can be assisted. If at all there are any challenges you can come through to our head office with your list of people in need of assistance.
HON. MOKONE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. The Hon. Deputy Minister said that they have decentralised the distribution of essentials to people living with disabilities but I would like to know what criteria you are using to distribute things like wheelchairs? In my province, in Matabeleland South, we have seen a lot of people struggling, in need of wheelchairs but they cannot access them.
HON. MATUKE: I think it is an important question. The distribution is through your local offices. We have got social welfare officers in every district and all what we need is to approach the office and put across your request and requirements then we can distribute those items direct to those offices. You can even call at our office with proof that you have people who are handicapped within your district.
*HON. MUCHENJE: There are people who are living with disabilities in the streets and are not able to access assistance. I question one of them why they are not being assisted, some of them are blind, they are led by small children who do not know where the Government offices are.
As you assist those who can move on their own, how are you assisting those that are on the streets?
HON. MATUKE: We are helping those that are far away from us but they are those that are immediately near us that are on the roads. We do not have a law that forces people to be removed from the roads. It is Government intention that the many places that have been put in place can assist such people. They can be assisted through structures of Members of Parliament and other leadership that is in the districts where we live.
We remove such people from the streets and take them to these places but the difficulty is that they get a lot of money through well wishers unlike the support that they receive from these institutions. So, we may not be in a position to arrest them or possibly remove them. We cannot therefore, push them off the streets so that they can go to these institutions.
HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My supplementary question is that there are people that live with albinism, can they receive their ointment from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare?
HON. MATUKE: It is a right for everyone living with disability to be assisted by Government despite the fact that sometimes resources might not be enough but it is their right to get assistance. If these people are located, whether individually or as a group, the Government is mandated to assist them because they should live just like any other able bodied person.
Therefore, those people with albinism are very important and we categorise them in the same group with those living with disability and in need of assistance. In terms of their special lotions, as long as these people are identified and located, assistance will always be rendered to them for as long as resources are available.
Questions without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 68.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
COOPERATION ARRANGEMENTS WITH MBERENGWA REHABILITATION AND ORPHANAGE CENTRE
- HON. RAIDZA asked the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation to inform the House when the Ministry will complete the requisite cooperation arrangements with Mberengwa Rehabilitation and Orphanage Centre in Mberengwa East Constituency for the benefit of the youth.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND RECREATION (HON. MACHAKARIKA): The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation has been in discussion with the owners of the establishment as far as 2020 on modalities of collaboration and since then, there is no agreement that has been reached. Plans are in place to further engage the owners and the local authority with a view to ensure that the centre is fully functional.
Hon. Speaker Sir, also the Government policy is to establish multipurpose youth interact centres in every human settlement in order to increase opportunities for the development and empowerment of the youth. In this respect the Mberengwa Rehabilitation and Orphanage Centre provides this opportunity and the Ministry will seek the assistance of Mberengwa District Council to complete the requisite cooperation arrangements with the Mberengwa Rehabilitation and Orphanage Centre. Mr. Speaker Sir, I thank you.
HON. RAIDZA: My supplementary question - I did not get the answer clearly Mr. Speaker Sir from the Minister. Is it the Minister’s submission that Murawu will need to enter into a cooperation agreement with the rural district council or the Ministry will continue to be involved in this whole arrangement that we are pushing for this VTC to be opened in Mberengwa East Constituency? Thank you.
*HON. MACHAKARIKA: Thank you Hon. Speaker for the clarity that Hon. Raidza seeks. As Government, we are there to work with local authorities and the owners of places to ensure that we bring development to those areas in line with our policy as the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation. As a Ministry, we will try our best to have dialogue with them so that this can be quickly concluded and there will be development in Hon. Raidza’s Mberengwa Constituency. Thank you.
ENGAGEMENT OF YOUNG CITIZENS OF HIGHFIELD WEST IN PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES
- HON. CHIDZIVA asked the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation to inform the House what the Ministry is doing to ensure that young citizens in Highfield West engage in productive activities which keep them away from indulging in drug and substance abuse.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND RECREATION (HON. MACHAKARIKA): The Ministry has been carrying out drug awareness campaigns among the youth not only in Harare but in all the 10 provinces. The National Youth Day attracted more than 40 000 people from all the 10 provinces who attended the event with the theme, ‘Alleviate Drug and Substance Abuse by the Youth’.
Also the Ministry through the ZYC has been organising awareness discussions on Capitalk Radio, Classic 263 Radio and Zimbabwe Television Network on drug and substance abuse during the first quarter of the year 2022.
With specific reference to Highfield West, the Ministry has been carrying out the following activities among others to ensure that youth engage in productive activities which keep them away from indulging in drug and substance abuse.
1 Carrying out drug awareness campaigns.
2 Creating platforms for entrepreneurship training.
3 Establishing and supporting sport clubs for talent identification.
4 Encouraging youth to enroll with our Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) for skills development.
5 Implementing the Integrated Skills Outreach Training Programmes.
6 Assisting in drafting business planning and promotion proposals so that the youth can access funding from financial institutions such as the Empower Bank.
7 Monitoring and Evaluation of youth business enterprises and also offering a platform for on-line business courses through our youth interact centres.
I want to thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am satisfied by the majority of your response but that is your manifesto of your intentions in Highfield West because that is where the problem is, where youth are idle, but what you have stated is what you are supposed to do. When do you intend to carry out this programme? I thank you.
*HON. MACHAKARIKA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank Hon. Chidziva for his supplementary question. As I have earlier on stated in my response, we are there to ensure that Hon. Members such as Hon. Chidziva’s constituency is developed. It is also his right to come to us and show us areas that may need assistance so that we can collaborate with each other. As he has posed this question, we are there to work hand in glove with him. We need to have a good relationship as we are all Zimbabweans and we are in the same country. I thank you.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you Hon. Minister for the response and everything that you have said. In his response, he did not mention about what is at the fore of the issue that relates to the youth in terms of recreational facilities. Hon. Speaker, why our children are continuously not having any recreation is because football grounds, tennis courts, volley ball, basket ball courts are no longer in place countrywide. You can no longer find children where there is infrastructure for sporting activities. Those sporting infrastructure take the children out of the streets. What plans do you have as a Ministry to ensure that this is done because this will keep them busy and by the time they go home, they will be tired, have their meals and go to sleep? What measures do you have in place for our constituents and have you identified such possible projects in our respective constituencies? I thank you.
HON. MACHAKARIKA: Thank you for the supplementary question Hon. Madzimure. Let me hasten to point out that as the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture, it is our mandate to work with Local Government. We do not have recreational facilities that belong to our Ministry but we work hand in glove with local authorities so that we can come up with the infrastructure. Look at Kuwadzana, we put infrastructure in place for sports. I expect that by the time we sit down with the local authorities, we will come up with agreements that will lead us into constructing several recreational facilities as you have mentioned. I thank you.
HON. BITI: Mr. Speaker Sir, the issue of drugs is affecting our youth. The drug called crystal-meth, also known as mutoriro, guka, traditional drugs also prepared in the hemp known as mbanje, the abuse of cough mixtures is spreading and is rife, particularly in schools. So I want the Minister to tell us what measures his Ministry is taking to ensure that we stop the importation of these medicines into Zimbabwe, deal with the barons, the drug lords that are bringing these drugs? Wherever you go to court, wherever you read in the newspapers, it is only the runners that are being targeted but the real mbingas, the masterminds of these drugs are not being arrested. What programme is the Ministry putting for the rehabilitation of these children because often times when these children become wasted, become drug addicts, the society looks down upon them and even parents chase them away. They commit crime in order to feed their drugs and they become the scam of the nation. Thirdly, what programme is the Ministry putting in place to rehabilitate these young people who have fallen prey to these dangerous drugs? Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Biti but my assessment of your question is that your first two points look like they are actually new questions which I believe are supposed to be directed to the policy? Your third question I think it is for him to answer unless if the Minister has got the answers to the three points that you have raised. Thank you.
* HON. MACHAKARIKA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Let me thank Hon. Biti for the supplementary question. When we look at the concerns that you raised, these are very important. Let me say that we are in the process of starting programmes to inform the youth about the dangers of drugs. Tomorrow we are going to launch a programme that will teach the youth so that they are discouraged from indulging in drugs. I want to thank Hon. Biti for the supplementary questions. We are there to ensure that we create awareness countrywide so that the youth cannot be indulging in drugs which will be detrimental to our country. I thank you.
PROMOTION OF BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL IN THE COUNTRY
- HON. CHINYANGANYA asked the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation to inform the House what the Ministry is doing to promote baseball and softball in the country.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND RECREATION (HON. MACHAKARIKA): The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation drafted its 2021 to 2025 Strategic Plan which feeds into the National Development Strategy 1 which itself is driven from Vision 2030 of ‘An Empowered and Prosperous Middle-Income Society’. In the NDS1, major outcomes relating to sport are ‘increased participation in sport and recreation and ‘improved sport performance’. To achieve increased participation, Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) supervises, guides and supports the activities of registered National Associations, including the Zimbabwe Baseball Association and the Zimbabwe Softball Association.
The two organisations are registered with the SRC with a clear mandate to deliver baseball and softball to the people of Zimbabwe. It is important to note that the two sport codes are not compliant as national associations and are not present in the ten provinces of the country. To date, the associations are present in three provinces hence the thrust by the Ministry through the SRC to capacity build, grass root develop, strengthen, improve governance and compliance as we foster provincial, national, regional and international participation. In that regard, the SRC is spearheading the delivery of baseball and softball to the people of Zimbabwe as reflected below:
Capacity building:
The SRC aims to enhance the technical and administrative capacities of the baseball and softball associations by conducting a series of workshops in Sport Administration for Association Secretaries General, Sport development and promotion for Development Directors, Resources mobilization for Treasuries and Marketing Committees, event management for event conveners, anti-doping, safe sport, and Women Leadership Programme for women sport leaders.
Governance and Compliance:
This year, the SRC has conducted two virtual quarterly meetings during which national executive members were exposed to a wide range of topics deliberately designed to assist National Associations including baseball and softball to embrace good corporate governance principles in their day to day operations without which it would be difficult to convince benefactors to come on board. Other areas also touched upon are safe and clean sport, high performance, marketing and business development among other areas.
Grassroots Development:
The Ministry and SRC promoted and supported the holding of local leagues, community tournaments, festivals and galas at which various sport codes were involved and baseball and softball have been included on the activities. Local competition activities also help to mobilise youth and keep them away from the vagaries of drug and substance abuse and other undesirable conduct.
Strengthening of Community Sport Clubs:
The Ministry and SRC, through their provincial and district structures, assisted multi-discipline and single sport clubs to revamp their administrative structures, review constitutions, conduct membership recruitment drive and mobilise resources. This way, the clubs are more effective in providing baseball and softball activities for their membership in the community.
International participation:
In order to provide opportunities for testing and measuring talent and its development, the Ministry and SRC provide administrative and moral support to clubs and national teams to participate in regional, continental and international events. The baseball association was provided with the necessary clearances to participate in the Baseball 5 regional tournament held in Tanzania in May 2022. The arrangements around the above tournament were communicated very late by the organisers and the Ministry could not support financially due to inadequate lead up time and only the tour clearances were provided. Thank you.
*HON. HWENDE: On a point of order. The issue of absence of Ministers has been raised several times. There may be no point in us sitting here because as you can see, the Ministers are not coming to this august House. Last time that we had question time, it was the same situation. Today we face the same predicament; there are no Ministers to answer questions. From time to time, we have been making these requests to you as Mr. Speaker, to ensure that Ministers do come and attend. If it is becoming too much for them, they need to leave their posts as Ministers. There are youths who were voted into the Central Committee and if they are tired, they should allow these youths to come through.
CONSTRUCTION OF A SECONDARY SCHOOL IN BULAWAYO EAST CONSTITUENCY
- HON. I. NYONI asked the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education to inform the House when the Ministry will construct a secondary school in Bulawayo East Constituency.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is aware of the critical shortage of school infrastructure countrywide, including Bulawayo East Constituency. With respect to Bulawayo East Constituency, the Ministry is aware of a critical shortage of schools especially in Mahatshula suburb. That need has already been prioritised and a secondary school is budgeted for in the 2023 financial year.
In addition to that, there are also plans to decongest crowded classes through the construction of additional classroom blocks in existing schools. We have also had some partners coming on board to build new schools and in some cases, additional classrooms in existing schools.
HON. I. NYONI: Bulawayo East Constituency has eight primary schools and these are Government primary schools and council primary schools. This is the constituency that also has private schools. These are secondary schools in the area. This takes to a point whereby most of those students that are in the Government and council primary schools have no secondary school to go save for the one girls secondary school. It is quite clear that the need for secondary schools is quite urgent. Can the Minister give some time frames when the secondary schools will be built in the constituency? After Grade 7, some children have to go quite some distance; they have to board transport which is a problem at the moment.
HON. E. MOYO: In my response, I did indicate that the construction of secondary schools is an ongoing exercise and we have already prioritised one for next year, which is Mahatshula where council has been approached for land for the construction of a Government secondary school within that constituency. It may be difficult at a glance to construct all the required schools but however step by step, we are taking that initiative and also inviting partners and other private players to come on board to assist, especially the church community. For next year, that has already been prioritised. One school that I know which has already been prioritised is Mahatshula Secondary School.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: I just want to understand from the Hon. Minister. For schools that were promised to be constructed in 2022 which were around 200, how many of them have been constructed so that we have got a realistic knowledge on whether they are going to be built.
HON. E. MOYO: For 2022, we have started the construction of eight schools, one school in every rural province in the country. That is already ongoing. The number that was initially budgeted for could not be reached as a result of partly inflationary pressures which resulted in the inadequacy of the budget to cover all the schools. We trimmed down the number of schools to be constructed in 2022 to eight and we had to start off with the rural provinces where the walking distances by students is very long. Going into next year, the budget out-turn is going to determine the number of schools that we are going to construct. However, we are aware of the serious problem that we have in terms of infrastructure in the schools.
We have a lot of partners that have come up who are building a number of schools countrywide. I may not have the statistics at the moment but in terms of Government infrastructure provision, what I have given is what is obtaining on the ground.
(v)HON. WATSON: They are assisting Government with schools that will be Government schools and not private schools because the crisis is that there are insufficient Government schools and it is cost related.
HON. E. MOYO: I am not very sure if I picked up the import of the question, however, I will answer the way I seem to have understood it. The provision of education especially the infrastructure in education, in terms of the Constitution, private players are allowed to come in and participate in the provision of educational infrastructure in the country. Government, through district local council authorities, is providing the majority of educational infrastructure in the country. Therefore, Government schools are quite small in number but Government does assist the councils in the construction of schools in the country. I think Government is doing its best in terms of that provision of infrastructure for education. I thank you.
HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary question is what are the requirements for the construction of a secondary school if the community is prepared to construct one? How long will it take to let members to go ahead?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for that question. The procedure is that a resolution must arise from the community concerned, which requires a school. Through their representatives, either councillors or Members of Parliament, that resolution is taken to the local authority who must also confirm the availability of land for the construction of that particular school. Once that has been done, then an application to the Ministry’s District Education Office, is made. The application is to get authority to establish and construct a school. The Ministry will look at their management information system to see if really it is going to be a viable school. Once satisfied that it is going to be a viable school and that the local authority has confirmed the existence of land for the construction of that school, then a recommendation is passed on to the provincial office to say as a district, we support the application to establish and construct a school. Their input is taken to head office. Then the final decision is taken at head office and a letter of authority to establish and construct is then given.
Normally, all things being equal, that process should not take more than three months. That is our normal timeline. Once that is done, then physical planning plans are issued and the Ministry also issues the standard classroom plans, administration block and cottages. Those are obtainable from our Ministry or from the Ministry of Local Government. Construction can then commence. I thank you.
MEASURES TO PROTECT STUDENTS AT GLOBE AND PHOENIX PRIMARY SCHOOL IN KWEKWE
- HON. TOBAIWA asked the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education to inform the House the measures that have been put in place to protect students at Globe and Phoenix Primary School in Kwekwe after the damage of infrastructure and the closure of the ECD classroom due to destructions caused by mining activities.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question. The Ministry is saddened by the invasion of our schools by illegal miners, putting the safety of our learners on the ropes. About the Globe and Phoenix Primary School in Kwekwe, the matter was reported to the police and the miners have since been banned and mining activities at the school have stopped. The ECD learners at the school have relocated to a renovated house within the school premises and plans to rebuild the classroom block are underway. I thank you.
*HON. TOBAIWA: Thank you Hon. Minister for the response. Hon. Minister, police came and ordered the miners to stop mining activities last month but as we speak, the road which is supposed to be used by school children has been dug again. Also, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has pegged yet another mine just a few metres from the school. What steps can be taken by your Ministry so that the school children at that particular school are protected? On the other hand, you are stopping mining activities at the school but Ministry of Mines continues to offer some miners a mine close to the school again, less than 50 metres from the school. What can you do as a Ministry to protect the school children?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the supplementary question. Ordinarily, when a mine is to be established, a certificate from EMA has to be obtained. I am not very sure whether the community was consulted because they must ascent to the establishment of a mine. They should be issued with that EMA certificate.
At the moment, because I am not aware of that latest development, I am going to take it up. We will carry out investigations and perhaps link up with our colleagues in the Ministry of Mines to establish what really is obtaining. We believe that the learning of our children is a big priority in the country. Therefore, we must give them precedence over anything else. That will depend on our interactions with our sister Ministry. I thank you.
The Minister of Energy and Power Development having walked in, the Hon. Speaker reverted to Question 5
INSTALLATION OF TRANSFORMERS IN MBERENGWA EAST CONSTITUENCY
- HON. RAIDZA asked the Minister of Energy and Power Development to inform the House when transformers will be installed at the following institutions in Mberengwa East Constituency –
(a) Murongwe Clinic in Ward 3, which has been without electricity for over 10 months;
(b) Chomunyaka Primary School in Ward 8;
(c ) Ruurangwi Primary School in Ward 8 and
(d) Richard Hove homestead in Ward 8, under Chief Mataruse of Zibengwa village
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA): Thank you Hon. Chair. I would like to thank Hon. Raidza for the question. Allow me to respond as follows; ZETDC has started receiving the first batch of the ordered 10 000 transformers. We are expecting to receive 1 500 transformers by the end of November, 2022. Some of these will be allocated to cover critical institutions like schools and clinics. The transformers which the Hon. Member has requested will be covered in the allocation that will be done in November, once we start to receive the first batch of the 1 500 transformers which we are expecting. I thank you.
HON. MAHLANGU: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. It might sound as if it is a new question but it is not a new question. Since the Minister said they have got the batches of those transformers, my question is in urban communities, they are paying installments. Why is it that after they have done everything for themselves, they should pay the amount equivalent to $279 at the prevailing rate for ZESA to go and install transformers while they have bought them on their own?
HON. SODA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. We have a scheme where customers can provide their own equipment in the event that there is a fault and ZESA does not have the equipment in stock. Many times this is happening when the customer would be expecting to be reconnected immediately. We have come up with a scheme where customers can provide their own equipment and it can be installed immediately once that has been availed to ZETDC. The people that would have made contributions to buy the equipment will get electricity units in lieu of the amounts that they would have put together to buy the equipment. That means if a transformer bursts or develops a fault and customers cannot wait until ZESA mobilises resources to buy a replacement transformer for their area, they can put together resources and buy the equipment. They will be repaid through provision of electricity units.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the other question which was asked by the Hon. Member is: why are the customers supposed to pay for connection fees. Maybe that will become a specific question because I may need to interrogate where that has happened, especially connection fees for a transformer. Customers are not supposed to pay for reconnection of their transformers but where a customer would have provided materials to have connections at their own facilities, they are supposed to be paying for connection fees. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MOKONE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My point of order Mr. Speaker …
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Are you raising a point of order or it is a supplementary question?
HON. MOKONE: It is a point of order.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Go ahead.
HON. MOKONE: You said that you are expecting about 10.000 transformers and you are expecting the first batch of 1500 by December. My plea to you is, may you please also consider a location in Gwanda Central by the name Spitzkop North? It has not had ZESA for the past 20 years and they are saying there are no transformers for them to connect the location. May you kindly consider that location? That is the location where I stay as well. We depend on solar energy, there is no ZESA at all.
*HON. HAMAUSWA: I would want to thank the Hon. Minister of Energy and Power Development for responding very well. I am happy that he has got plans to buy transformers that are going to be distributed in areas with transformers that are no longer functioning. There are transformers which are being given to other communities but we see that communities are the ones that are going to put security on the transformers. Hon. Minister, what is the Government policy to protect the transformers from thieves? Is it the responsibility of the communities to protect the transformers? You said if residents buy a transformer, they will be reimbursed in the form of electricity units. However, there are communities like Warren Park, Donview and Cold Comfort where residents contribute their money to protect their transformers from thieves. We are happy that they are responsible citizens but is that not the duty of ZESA to make sure that transformers are secure? There are people who live in rural areas who are not able to mobilise funds to put security around their transformers.
HON. SODA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. There are many ways to protect ZESA equipment. For example, there is the target hardening which has been explained by the Hon. Member. This is a way where you look for ways to protect the transformers. When thieves come, they will not be able to temper with the transformers. ZESA is putting burglar bars around the transformer, which makes it impossible for the thieves to take the transformer or it will delay them. Protecting transformers is the role of ZESA. Transformers are ZESA properties even if communities buy their own transformer when they feel that Government is taking too long. The people are reimbursed their monies through electricity units because transformers are a property of ZESA. People can take decisions on how best to help ZESA in protecting transformers because the transformers are servicing them. Some employ security guards. If the transformer is stolen, replacement takes long. Hence, some communities take it upon themselves to mobilise funds to protect the transformers. In responding to the Hon. Member’s question, it is the role of ZESA to protect transformers. Some communities partner with ZESA so that ZESA property is protected and people get electricity all the time.
*HON. HAMAUSWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, my point of clarity is: does it mean ZESA does not have the capacity to use modern ways to protect the transformers? This makes it easier because someone in the office in town can see that there are thieves who are trying to steal a transformer in Warren Park. Thank you.
*HON. SODA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Like what I have already explained, there are many ways to protect ZESA equipment. They have CCTVs that are being installed so that they can monitor the equipment. They are also installing anti-intrusion devices where properties are. In some areas, they are using drones to monitor the area where there are transformers. ZESA is using the modern technology and also working with the community using CCTV and drones. In the near future, ZESA will use smart meters that use artificial intelligence. If someone is trying to temper around where there is a smart meter, it will send a signal that there is something going on with the transformer. We are going to see all these things being implemented even the meters that are being used now are going to be changed. Right now, ZESA has a number of meters that are going to be changed. The problem of people that are not paying their electricity bills will be a problem of the past also.
*HON. NYOKANHETE: My supplementary question is that people are buying their own transformers, if ZESA takes long to attend to them, there is a problem when they need refund from ZESA. An example is that I bought a transformer in Masvingo but the money has not yet been reimbursed up to now and it is almost two years now. What is it that can be done regarding this issue?
*HON. SODA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. This is not a policy question but those are some of the problems which might arise from Masvingo and not to all areas. Can you specify the area so that we get enough details to help you? The policy says when someone buys property for ZESA whilst ZESA does not have enough funds, the person must be reimbursed because it is ZESA property.
Question 20 having been read out and the Minister responsible not present
*HON. HAMAUSWA: Mr. Speaker, this question has been on the Order Paper for long. We kindly ask the Minister to come and attend to this question.
WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
ELECTRICITY CHARGES AT COMMERCIAL RATES FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES
- HON. B. DUBE asked the Minister of Energy and Power Development to explain to the House:
a) The reason for charging electricity supplied to local authorities at commercial rates given that they are struggling to pay off outstanding electricity bills:
b) Whether the Ministry is considering reviewing that policy?
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA): I thank the Hon. Member for the question. Allow me Mr. Speaker to respond as follows:
The cost of electricity is the same for all customer categories whether they are local authorities or not, also the non-cost reflective tariff to USc10.63 is being charged across all the customer categories. When one assesses the tariff across the customer categories, commercial rates are actually lower than the domestic rates as this is meant to support the business fraternity.
Further, local authorities are charging market rates for their water supply rates and land prices and have even pegged them in US dollars effective 1st August 2022 whilst the utility’s charges are still in ZWL. Effectively, if one is to convert the current ZWL electricity charges at interbank rate, the tariff is even less than the USc10.63 that was approved by the regulator ZERA yet the average import rate is USc10.7 whilst the cost reflective tariff of USc16 is required by the utility, even as supported by World Bank consultant studies. Additionally, there is no subsidy to fund the gap; the losses are all being carried by the utility. As such, the local authorities need to pay for the value of the electricity that they are consuming and assumedly, this cost is part and parcel of the budgeted figures that are used by local authorities to come up with the rates and water charges that are being billed to the customers. ZESA does not have any subsidies that can be extended to the local authorities but all sectors of the economy are supposed to play their part in paying for the value of the electricity that they are utilising.
The Ministry has no capacity to provide subsidies at the point in time. As long as there are no provisions for subsidies from the budget which Parliament approves, it would be impossible to give a non-commercial tariff to the local authorities. The local authorities, through their line Ministry, may have to call and motivate for support from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
COMPENSATION OF ELECTRIC POWER CABLES TO RESIDENTS OF HIGHFIELD WEST
- HON. CHIDZIVA asked the Minister of Energy and Power Development to inform the House:
a) When ZESA will compensate residents in Highfield West for the electrical power cables they bought to replace stolen cables;
b) When ZESA will revive its sub-office that services Highfield West and Glen Norah, to facilitate convenience in payments of bills by the community.
c) When ZESA will conduct a feasibility study in Highfield West to assess the capacity of the current installed transformers in servicing the growing community;
d) When ZESA will separate Gazaland Industrial Area from the residential grid in order to curb continuous power cuts in Highfield West.
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA): I thank the Hon. Member for the question. Allow me Mr. Speaker to respond as follows:
- ZESA has a Customer Supplied Material Scheme through which it reimburses customers who would have procured replacement materials on behalf of the utility. However, the policy follows strict procedures to avoid abuse of the facility.
The utility has checked our records and there is no outstanding reimbursement pertaining to Highfield West clients. In fact, the utility is not aware of any replacement cable that was bought by the clients that is due for reimbursement. Should there be any such replacements that have not been reimbursed, the clients should approach ZETDC office.
The utility has been working on simplifying and creating convenience to the customers, especially in ensuring that the customer accesses all their required services at the touch of a button in the comfort of their homes. Most of the customers, 730 000 out of a customer base of 830 000 customers, have been migrated to prepaid metering and the remaining are being concluded by year end. The utility has worked to ensure that the third-party vendor foot print for the acquisition of electricity tokens has been reduced to at least 5kms of reach of the customers. It has also enrolled all the banks and all the mobile money platforms as part of the third parties that allowed the customers to access power and to pay for their electricity. Further to that, a National Call Centre has been set up with different handles that include social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, sms, Twitter, the websites as well as the short code 704. All these are meant to create convenience to the customer and remove the need for the customer to travel to ZESA office. The utility is working to ensure that the ZESA office is in the customers’ homes. These are the reasons why the small sub-offices remain closed as the country is driving towards technology.
ZESA is continuously monitoring and evaluating the performance of its network and where necessary, reinforcement and reconfiguration of projects are implemented.
At the moment, there are no transformer capacity challenges in Highfield West. The challenges that have been faced of late are those of transformer vandalism that have resulted in temporary back feeds and voltage problems in some areas. These challenges are not indicative of long-term transformer capacity limitations but are rather short comings of temporal back feeds.
- The challenges of power cuts in Highfield West have nothing to do with the linkage between the industrial and domestic loads. The power cuts are more to do with the supply and demand mismatch that result in the utility having excess load shedding.
The utility, in its master plan, has a plan to reinforce the Gazaland Industrial area by way of erecting an additional 11kV feeder.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Mr. Speaker, I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 9 be stood over until Order No. 10 has been disposed of.
HON. HWENDE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION (APNODE) HELD IN RABAT
HON. MAVETERA: Mr. Speaker, I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Delegation to the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development and Evaluation (APNODE) on the 7th APNODE Annual General Meeting held from 1st–3rd August, 2022 in Rabat, Morocco.
HON. MATHE: I second.
HON. MAVETERA: 1.0 Introduction
1.1 The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda led a delegation of Parliamentarians to the 7th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development Evaluation (APNODE). The AGM was held from 1 to 3 August 2022 in Rabat, the Kingdom of Morocco. Running under the theme, “Effective Parliamentary Public Engagement for Inclusive Development,” the AGM was held at the House of Councillors of Morocco.
2.0 Composition of Delegation
The Zimbabwe delegation
2.1 The Speaker’s delegation comprised of Hon. Sen. Langton Nechombo, Hon. Paurina Mpariwa, Hon. Omega Sibanda and Hon. Tatenda Mavetera. Members attended the APNODE Executive Committee’s meeting held on 1 August 2022 before proceeding to join other Members of APNODE at the Orientation Session which Hon. Mavetera chaired. After the Orientation Session, the Members participated in a training session on, “Using Evidence in Policy and Practice: Lessons from Africa,”
Hon. Mavetera chairing a session
3.0 Special Session for Speakers and Presidents
3.1 The Speaker of Parliament’s first engagement at the AGM was a special session for Speakers of National Assemblies and Presidents of Senates held on 1 August 2022, hosted by H. E. Enaam Mayara, the President of the Moroccan House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco. The House of Councillors is the equivalent of the Senate in Zimbabwe. Also, in attendance were Sen. Lindiwe Dlamini (Senate President in Parliament of the Kingdom of Eswatini), Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta (Speaker of the National Assembly of the Gambia), Hon. Delfim Santiago Das Neves (Speaker of the National Assembly of São Tomé and Principe), Hon. Simplice M. Sarandji (President of the National Assembly of the Central African Republic) and Hon. Mary Ayen Mijpk (1st Deputy Speaker of the Council of States of the Republic of South Sudan). The session was held behind closed doors.
From left to right, Hon. Delfim Santiago Das Neves, Hon. Simplice M. Sarandji,
Sen. Lindiwe Dlamini, His Excellency. Enaam Mayara,Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda, Hon.
Fabakary Tombong Jatta.
4.0 Official Opening Ceremony
4.1 On 2nd August 2022, the AGM was officially opened by the President of the House of Councillors in the Kingdom of Morocco, His Excellency Enaam Mayara. Hon. Mayara welcomed the delegations to the Kingdom of Morocco. He acknowledged the presence of five leaders of Parliaments at the AGM and noted that the meeting was a landmark development for APNODE. He commended the theme of the AGM for reflecting inclusive development which he admitted was an important aspect of people’s development aspirations. Parliamentarians were called upon to contribute towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. His Excellency Enaam Mayara indicated that challenges could be overcome through unity of purpose leveraging on Africa’s abundant natural resources. He pledged the Kingdom of Morocco’s support for APNODE to ensure that the Network achieves its objectives and assured the meeting that the House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco would join APNODE as an institution following in the footsteps of Zimbabwe.
4.2 The Speaker’s Remarks
4.2.1 As part of the opening ceremony, there were several Speakers who included the Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe who made some remarks. In his remarks, Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda acknowledged the incisive opening remarks by the President of the House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco, which had covered critical areas on Development Evaluation (DEV). He also recognised the dynamic Chairman of APNODE, Hon. Adomahou and his Executive Committee for doing exceptionally well in driving the APNODE agenda. The Speaker tendered the Zimbabwe delegation’s gratitude for the hospitality extended to it and through His Excellency, President of the House of Councillors send a congratulatory message on the anniversary of the 23rd year of the King of Morocco’s accession to the throne.
4.2.2 Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda then drew the attention of participants to the African Union (AU’s) Agenda 2063 alluded to by the host President of the House of Councillors. He outlined the eight (8) key areas to which the Agenda addresses as follows:
- African Identity and Renaissance;
- Struggle against Colonialism and the Right to Self Determination for people
still under Colonisation;
- Integration Agenda;
- Agenda for Economic and Social Development;
- Agenda for Peace and Security;
- Democratic Governance;
- Determining Africa’s Destiny; and
- Africa’s place in the World.
4.2.3 The Speaker pointed out that these were very challenging areas where development evaluation should apply its critical thought. He reminded participants that there were only eight (8) years left to get to 2030, the set period of achieving the SDG targets. Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda noted that following its formation in 2014, APNODE only had fourteen (14) member states out of a possible fifty-four (54) countries. He viewed this as a serious indictment on the current Members who had joined the team that champions Development Evaluation (DEV).
4.2.4 He called upon all Parliaments under the AU flag to raise the APNODE flag higher as he opined that inclusive development must be championed by all Parliaments under the AU not only by the current Parliaments that have APNODE Chapters.
4.2.5 The Speaker encouraged participants not to despair by reflecting on the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, where the idea of the organisation was championed by fourteen (14) people in two groups, the Casablanca group and the Monrovia group. He explained that eventually, the two groups had collapsed into one group and in 1963 the Organisation of African Unity had been formed by thirty-three (33) member states. Fifty-nine years later, virtually all fifty-four countries had become members of the African Union.
4.2.6 Furthermore, Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda expressed the view that APNODE should create a sense of urgency in ensuring that all the fifty-four (54) AU countries and their Parliaments embrace APNODE without fail. He highlighted that Development Evaluation was the heart of Parliaments’ oversight, representation and legislative roles. He emphasised that since Parliaments look at value for money in the expended Budget, the taxpayer’s money that emerges as the public purse, Parliaments were enjoined to ensure that there is prudential accountability of that public purse.
4.2.6 He proffered that the APNODE Executive Committee was enjoined to address the five (5) regions that constitute the Pan-African Parliament for them to embrace and that resources had to be mobilised so that the Executive moves around to convince those Parliaments that are still hesitating to join APNODE. He stressed that this was a critical assignment. The Speaker argued that doing so would be a demonstration that African Parliaments share the African identity and its Renaissance. He further pointed that the implementation of Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA) would not be effective without the use of barometer of Development Evaluation.
4.2.7 The Speaker highlighted the cardinal need for the continent to be seen as one Africa, with one voice singing the APNODE melody. He identified the current COVID-19 pandemic as a risk that countries had to contend with in APNODE’s journey as it had destabilised the countries’ Gross Domestic Products (GDP), in some instances resulting in zero Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. He stated that Parliaments were expected to ensure that their governments get out of the zero-growth rate by coming up with mitigatory measures.
4.2.8 The Speaker also identified climate change as another risk to be addressed by Parliaments as the risk is likely to derail the development agenda. He observed that climate change had in fact destabilised the world economy as funds that were meant for development ended up being utilised for infrastructural reconstruction after the disastrous impact of climate change. He noted that the droughts, floods and the tornedos had been extremely destructive of people’s livelihoods. Thus, Parliaments have the responsibility to come up with stout budgets to address the climate change adversities.
4.2.9 Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda referred to the Russia-Ukraine conflict which had also destabilised the world economy. He indicated that in the middle of that destabilisation, Parliaments should play a role in ensuring that the conflict does not continue to destabilise their economies. He expressed his pleasure with the efforts which have been taken by the Inter-Parliamentary Union of establishing a taskforce from the five (5) African geo-political groups to engage the Parliaments of Ukraine and the Parliament of the Russian Federation so that lasting peace can be attained through dialogue. He bemoaned the effects of war which brings about massive destruction of human life and infrastructure, hence the need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
4.2.10 The Speaker highlighted that it was important for Parliamentarians to bear in mind the risks that may threaten the championing of APNODE’s vision, mission and objectives among Parliamentarians in the Continent.
4.2.11 Additionally, the Speaker stated that ACFTA together with Agenda 2063 should be tools that bring Africans together to achieve continental development. He observed that quite a number of Parliaments had not ratified Agenda 2063 and the ACFTA. He further expressed his displeasure for the Eswatini and his delegation’s failure to travel from their two respective countries directly to Rabat as they had to pass through Dubai and France, then come down to Rabat in Africa.
4.2.12 He stressed the need to establish an African identity, a Renaissance, that Africa must awaken and exploit its natural resources which are enormous. Hon. J. F. N. Mudenda demanded that Africans should refuse to be the “Dark Continent” in the world and that APNODE should assist in ensuring that such a misconception about the African Continent is re-directed elsewhere.
4.2.13 The Speaker concluded by wishing APNODE and the African Union success in embracing development evaluation as a tool to influence inclusive development.
5.0 APNODE’s Annual Report
Hon. Mpariwa presenting the Network’s Annual Report
5.1 Hon. Mpariwa presented that Network’s Annual Report (2021-2022). The following were key areas covered in the report:
- Meetings of the Executive Committee;
- The Network’s Strategic Plan and Costed Work-Plan (2021-2023);
- Expanding the Network;
- Cementing the Network through National Chapters; and
- Capacity Building; and Resource Mobilisation.
6.0 APNODE’s Financial Report
Hon. Senator Chief Nechombo presenting the Network’s Financial Report
6.1 Hon. Sen. Chief Nechombo presented the Network’s Financial Report (2021-2022) with the following key highlights:
- Opening balance of US$ 25 947, 26;
- Network’s membership fees;
- In-kind donations from development partners;
- Expenses incurred during the financial period; and
End of year balance of US$ 41 087, 26 because no capital expenditure was incurred.
7.0 High Level Panel Discussion 1
7.1 On the same day, the Hon. Speaker of Parliament participated in a High-Level Panel discussion on the topic “Eight (8) years to realise the SDGs: Re-imaging African Parliamentarian’s Strategic Imperatives.” The other Speakers who were present at the AGM also took part in the discussions and shared their country experiences. The following are some of the issues raised during the panel discussion:
- That Parliaments should play a more constructive role in ensuring that sound national policies are formulated and implemented.
- That the implementation of Agenda 2023 places people at the centre of development which should, therefore, encompass the youth, women and vulnerable groups.
- That Parliaments should ensure that National Budgets reflect the demand for government development agenda and must provide robust oversight to avoid imprudent management of the public purse.
- That in pursuing the development agenda, peace, security and liberties are prerequisites.
7.2 The Hon. Speaker of Parliament made the following interventions:
- The topic for discussion called for reimaging, rebranding and repositioning of our Parliamentary processes which accentuate the implementation of SDGs.
- Zimbabwe had suffered economic sanctions in the last twenty-two (22) years but had set its vision of an upper middle-class economy by 2030 despite the heinous sanctions.
- In Zimbabwean law, reforms had been instituted to achieve the ease of doing business and in the process attracting both domestic and foreign investments.
- The Transitional Stabilisation Policy (TSP), an economic policy characterised by austerity measures had helped the country to save resources for other sectors during the implementation of the TSP’s successor programme, the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
- Parliament of Zimbabwe had established an Expanded SDGs Committee under the supervision of the Hon. Speaker and the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders in order to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs by 2030.
- It was no longer business as usual as some Ministries had to work during the weekends in order to ensure the achievement of SDGs as directed by His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe under the periodic 100-days performance cycle.
8.0 High Level Panel Discussion 11
Hon. O. Sibanda participating in a panel discussion
8.1 Hon. O. Sibanda participated in the second High-Level Panel discussion whose topic was “Institutionalising Evaluation as a Governance Tool: What Role must Parliamentarians play to realise this Goal.” Hon. Sibanda made some of the interventions below:
- Zimbabwe had a National Evaluation Policy and a Ministry in the President’s Office responsible for Monitoring Implementation of Government Programmes.
- The Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda was Parliament’s champion on issues of Development Evaluation.
- A couple of awareness workshops had been held with Parliamentarians on Development awareness.
- Civil society organisations, churches, community leaders and other stakeholders must be capacitated on the importance of Development Evaluation.
9.0 Closing Ceremony
Hon. Speaker chairing the closing session
8.1 On 3 August 2022, Hon. Advocate J. F. N. Mudenda chaired the closing session of the AGM. The host President of the House of Councillors of the Kingdom of Morocco, His Excellency Mayara delivered the closing remarks. He congratulated all the participants for a successful AGM which the people of Morocco felt honoured to have hosted. He thanked the APNODE Executive Committee for the trust demonstrated in selecting Morocco as host of the AGM and announced Parliament’s resolution to support APNODE to ensure that Network achieves its objectives. He assured participants that the Parliament of the Kingdom of Morocco was working hard to overcome its challenges that militated against the improvement of the lives of the people. He concluded by indicating that the Kingdom of Morocco was open to future cooperation at bilateral and or at multilateral levels. To buttress his support for APNODE, he affirmed that their Parliament would also join as an institutional member of APNODE.
Indeed Mr. Speaker Sir, I think it is quite important for us to continue emphasising the need for development evaluation for us as a country. We realise that we have APNODE which is a chapter where Hon. Members of Parliament should be involved in and there we are talking of making sure that as Parliamentarians, we need to evaluate the work that we are doing. We realise that we have the CDF and if you look at it, there is not much that has been done. There is need for us as a country to be able to evaluate and really find out what ways we can be able to do to make sure that it is fully implemented.
You realise that we have got a team here in Parliament which goes to evaluate what has been done by parliamentarians when it comes to CDF. So what we need to then do as Parliament is for us to evaluate our work. We need to be able to come up with measures that will make sure that we are effective as parliamentarians. Let me thank His Excellency, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for setting up a Ministry which is responsible for development evaluation.
On that note, it is quite important for us to make sure that we evaluate even when it comes to devolution. We have devolution funds and it is important for us to make sure that we evaluate how effective devolution has become. We also need to make sure that as parliamentarians, our main role is to make sure that we play the oversight role on ministries to do with monitoring and evaluation. The moment that we look at development evaluation as a country, we become effective. As it is, a lot of people are saying that Parliament does not have teeth but at the end of the day, the moment that we start monitoring and evaluation and have certain ways to start evaluating what we do, I believe that we can be effective. I thank you for giving me this opportunity to present this report.
*HON. MUTAMBISI: I want to add a few words on the delegation that attended the APNODE meeting. Firstly, I would want to thank the President, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for his vision by bringing up the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation headed by Hon. Gumbo. We have a lot of things that are taking place especially in our councils. We should investigate and see what is happening there if there is no corruption and also look at the devolution funds to find out if people are getting access to all those things through us parliamentarians playing our oversight role. With these words, I want to say that as Parliament we are encouraged to do our oversight role on everything that is taking place by evaluating the programmes.
With these few words, I want to thank the delegation that went to APNODE and learnt a lot of things. They will also teach us how to evaluate all these Government departments.
I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MOKONE: I second
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that all Orders of the Day be stood over until Order of the Day Number 19 has been disposed of.
HON. MOKONE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that all Orders of the Day be stood over until Order Number 19 has been disposed of.
HON. MOKONE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE AND THE REPUBLIC OF TURKEY ON TRADE AND ECONOMIC COOPERATION
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. DR. MUSABAYANA): I move the motion standing in my name that:
WHEREAS Section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe
provides that an international treaty which has been concluded or
executed or under the authority of the President does not bind
Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Agreement between the Republic of
Zimbabwe and the Republic of Turkey on Trade and Economic Co-
operation was signed on 10th October, 2018, in Turkey, the Republic of Turkey ratified the Agreement on 7th April, 2022, in Ankara. Zimbabwe has not ratified the Agreement;
AND WHEREAS the entry into force of this agreement is on the
date of receipt of the last written notification, by which the parties
notify each other through diplomatic channels, of the completion of
their internal legal procedures required for the entry into force;
AND WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous to ratify to
the said Agreement:
NOW, THEREFORE, in terms of Section 327 (2) (a) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid
Agreement be and is hereby approved for ratification.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate be now adjourned.
HON. MOKONE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI seconded by HON. NYOKANHETE, the House adjourned at Seventeen Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 12th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
PRE-BUDGET BREIFING SEMINAR
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the Senate that there will be a Pre-Budget Briefing Seminar on Monday, 17th October, 2022 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare in the Main Auditorium.
CHANGE OF DATES AND VENUE FOR PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I also wish to advise the Senate of the change of dates and venue for this year’s Pre-Budget Seminar. The dates are now 21st October up to 24th October, 2022 at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare in the Main Auditorium. All Members of Parliament are invited to the two events. The Hon. Senators are requested to confirm their attendance with the following Public Relations personnel on their contact numbers:
Ms. T. L. Manyemba 0772803810
Mrs. E. Huwa 0772359534
Mr. T. Kahlamba 0773055640
Mr. F. Muchimba 0776448686
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senators are reminded to put their phones on silent or switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Thank you Mr. President. I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SEN. WATSON KHUPE
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate, Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe.
Question again proposed.
HON. MATHUTHU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the motion that was raised by Hon. Sen. Manyau on the passing on of the late Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe.
Mr. President, Hon. Sen. Khupe represented his constituency very well. He had all the attributes of a leader. I will always remember him for facilitating a donation of 25 wheelchairs in my constituency in Matabeleland South through the Bulawayo Rotarians. He had promised to assist in sourcing for more wheelchairs because my constituency was in need of more than 100 wheelchairs at that moment.
Mr. President, Hon. Sen. Khupe left a legacy of assisting those in need regardless of their religion, their status in life or their political affiliation. As Senate, we will miss his robust contribution on matters of national interest. To the Khupe family, I say it was not your loss alone but a loss to the entire nation. May his dear soul rest in peace. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. R. NYATHI: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on this motion raised by Hon. Sen. Manyau on the demise of Hon. Sen. Khupe. Mr. President, life is so complicated; Hon. Sen. Khupe was very close to everyone. Every time he would approach people whom he wanted to open up to. That means he was not affected by his physical condition, he was as good as everyone else. He was very committed to his work even in Committees. If he was caught up with something in his constituency and was not able to get assistance, he would call me even when I was in Hwange, to say ‘I am calling others, I am not getting through to them, I would like to be assisted in a certain area’. This is why you see people saying a lot about you when you are gone. The late Hon. Sen. Khupe was a person who was very good. Even here in Senate, it was rare that a motion could be agreed to or withdrawn without him contributing. He loved his children. He would tell you that these are my children. He was a very free person in everything that he did when he was still alive.
Even in his constituency, they have lost someone who was popular and upright. We are grateful for everything that he has done. We have learnt a lot from Hon. Sen. Khupe from the way he used to behave; he was not a person who would treat others badly. You can even see now that these are things that Hon. Sen. Khupe taught us. This can happen in life; he accepted it because it is part of life. He taught himself that regardless of his condition, a person can still survive.
Mr. President, the reason I stood up to contribute on the motion about Senator Khupe is because we miss him. We know where he used to sit at that corner; every time we would see him sitting there. With these few words, I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. G. MOYO: Thank you Mr. President for allowing me to add my voice on this motion. Hon. Sen. Khupe was a free person. When we first came to Senate, he would greet us and talk to us; he was not selective. In this House, he would debate every motion. Hon. Sen. Khupe loved his job; he debated well in this House. Even when he passed on, when we went to Bulawayo, it showed that he was representing a certain group of people. There were many disabled people, which showed that he worked well with the people he was representing. Many disabled people came to attend his funeral. We want to thank him for the work that he was doing, of representing people living with disability.
In this Senate, we remember him because of his contributions. He was very committed to his work. With these words, I want to say thank you. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. MURONZI: Thank you Mr. President for according me this opportunity to debate on this motion concerning the late Hon. Sen. Khupe. I was with him in two Committees, one on Gender and also SDGs where I was a member as well. Hon. Sen. Khupe lived with disability but he loved working. Whenever we went out, he would be part of it. We would go to Mukumbura and he would be there. He was a leader. Some people are born leaders. He represented his constituency very well, even contributing in Committees - he was number one.
He would be the first one to greet you happily. He was a very free man and he loved his job. So it is not only the Khupe family that has lost but all of us lost because there are people who when they depart, you really feel it, but for other people it is a day as usual. When it comes to Hon. Sen. Khupe, we were really pained by his death. When we went to Mt. Darwin, he was not feeling well but he would strive to do his work. I say Hon. Sen. Khupe, rest in peace. Thank you.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 7th Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President for according me this opportunity to add my voice on this Report of the Delegation to the 7th Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation. It is a good thing that as African countries, there are such meetings which bring together all the countries in Africa and gives an opportunity to each and every country to learn from the meetings so that we make sure that we implement what we have learnt for development.
I want to thank the Speaker of the National Assembly for he was the Head of the Delegation. You find that the people who accompanied him had something to contribute. He gave an opportunity to each and everyone to contribute. Mr. President, this helps because as a Member of Parliament and if you are given this opportunity, you gain confidence so that you do not disappoint. So I want to thank the Hon. Speaker for that. He tried to explain about APNODE, what it stands for because some other countries are not willing to join. The Hon. Speaker explained to the people so that they understand that at first it started with two groups like Casablanca and Monrovia which came together to come up with an organisation of African Unity. So from this group you find that there are 14 out of 54 people. So our Hon. Speaker was trying to explain to the people so that they understand because some have not yet joined up to now.
The Hon. Speaker did a very big job in teaching people because we understand at different levels. Some are quick to understand and others take time. So what he did really helped some people from other countries that have not yet joined so that they join. Our Hon. Speaker went further and spoke about our country and things that hinder development, like COVID-19 which stopped a lot of things during the lockdowns. He also spoke on climate change including droughts, floods and tornadoes which hinders on programmes that are in place because funds will be channeled towards those disasters. Those are some of the things he was trying to explain because here in Zimbabwe we were trying by all means to go ahead with development but it was hampered because of those disasters. He also talked about Africa which was often referred to as the “Dark Continent.” He encouraged that we should remove that stigma of being called the “Dark Continent” so that we work together in trying to develop the economies of our countries and come up with the African Continental Free Trade Area so that it progresses so that anyone or goods from African states can travel freely in Africa, which will help us as Africa to be united and work together for development.
He also talked about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which he said should not affect us as Africa because some of our goods were coming from Ukraine but as people who have power in their hands, we should come up with ways and means to use our wealth for the benefit of our nations. This is witnessed because this year we have enough wheat to take us up to the next season, which is a very good thing. If we continue crying, nothing will come out. If there are challenges in other areas because we have our own minerals, we should work with those resources so that we come out of those challenges.
In conclusion, I want to appreciate such reports because at times we might not understand but when you send a delegation to these meetings, it really helps because we learn from others and other countries also learn from us about the good things that we do. Thank you Mr. President.
HON SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October 2023.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO THE PARLIAMENT OF RWANDA
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the benchmarking visit to the Parliament of Rwanda.
Question again proposed.
HON SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October 2023.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 51ST PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to stand before this august House. After this report was tabled, a lot of Hon. Members had time to study it and debate. As I wind up this report, I would like to thank all those who contributed on the report and all those who had time to learn more because reports sometimes are hard to understand. I urge Hon. Members that whenever there are reports of this kind, they should take their time and make more research so that they also contribute to the reports.
I now move that the motion that this House takes note of the report of the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum be withdrawn from the Order Paper.
Motion, with leave, withdrawn.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE HELD IN ITALY
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to Victims of Terrorism.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would like to thank the delegation that went to Italy where they addressed issues on terrorism worldwide. The report they presented indicated that terrorism is rampant all over the world. If you go to Arab countries, Iraq, Iran and Syria, there is a lot of terrorism going on. Even in Canaan, there is terrorism. A lot of countries here in Africa; our neighbour Mozambique, there is terrorism. Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), even right in DRC, they are living with terrorism. Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Libya, they are affected by terrorism.
Of late, we have Ukraine, whose people are dying and the country is being destroyed. What is found in terrorism is very painful to us. The ordinary people are the ones who suffer. Wherever there is terrorism, two giants will be fighting but they will be fighting for something that does not concern the ordinary people in that country. You will find that where there is terrorism, people without anything to do with it are at the receiving end, especially children. Children are the ones who are really affected. Women are also affected. They also go to war but most of them will be looking after the family.
Many times where there is terrorism, it is men who perish and there will be a of lot widows and orphans. Other people will become victims of landmines and some can become disabled. Terrorism destabilises a country because there is political polarisation. People will be against each other. If we look at our neighbour Mozambique, you will find that people in those areas are now against each other. They hate each other. They cannot work together. If we go back to places like Cabo Delgado, when terrorism started, Mozambique was supposed to get investment worth billions of dollars from a Total company. If that US$64 billion was sunk in Mozambique in the form of gas mines, the people of Mozambique would be sitting pretty right now. That investment is no more and it is no longer being talked about. We pray that - may the Lord help us that the mine that we are sinking in Muzarabani, that spirit of terrorism would not affect us in Zimbabwe.
Looking at DRC, the mineral resources in Eastern DRC, those who write say that is where the world is. They have about 35% of the whole world in terms of minerals. So as a result, those who are mining illegally want to stay there because there is a scramble for mineral resources in DRC. I have seen that countries that are involved in terrorism, the natural resources are the triggers of those terrorism activities. Wherever there is terrorism, there are minerals involved, oil, diamonds or gas. If you look all over the world, you will find that where terrorism is, there are riches in terms of mineral resources. So, you wonder who fuels those terrorism activities. These are people who have a lot of money from the western world. They are the investors and they fuel terrorism.
If we come to Africa, it will leave us in a lot of troubles but in other countries, at least they can come back to shape. In Africa, we are really affected by terrorism and we have no means to come back in form. Terrorism leaves people destitute. You will be left with a lot of stress. Your confidence is taken away and opportunities for development as a person, you cannot do anything. There will be no future for the children in that country because of terrorism. Terrorism leaves a trail of disasters; a trail of poverty. For example, if you look at Libya. It is a country which was rich that if you get married you would be given a house and if you have a child you are given a car but now it is history. This country was an example in Africa where people benefited from their natural resources. Yes, he was a dictator but he looked after his people well.
Terrorism is being propagated. If you look at the map of Ukraine, you find the destroyed houses, the disabled that are being left behind and properties that are destroyed. Ukraine used to feed the world-over but because of terrorism in Ukraine, fuel in Zimbabwe is now expensive. We cannot get rice and flour but if you ask us the reasons behind the war in Ukraine, we do not know. Terrorism is troubling us and we feel the pain.
As leaders, we are mandated to sit down and make sure that Africa comes up with conflict resolution mechanisms that are home grown. We should believe in dialogue when dealing with conflict because potential conflicts are all over. I have cited Muzarabani. It can one day cause us some troubles in Zimbabwe. We should be united as Africa, starting with Zimbabweans then going over to SADC. We should have unity of purpose and we should put people’s interests upfront. We should have economic interests first and put aside political interests that give us challenges. I am appealing to the leadership of Africa that we should have peace, order and unity. Thank you.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. NKOMO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
MOTION
PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR COMPLETION OF DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for Government to provide adequate funds for the completion of dam projects.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MKHWEBU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th October, 2022.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MATHUTHU seconded by HON. SEN. CHISOROCHENGWE, the Senate adjourned at Twenty-Six Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER
PETITIONS RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL RAILWAYS OF ZIMBABWE WORKERS, MR. R. RWENYA AND SOPHIA TAKUVA
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on Thursday 27th September, 2022, Parliament received a petition from the National Railways of Zimbabwe Workers beseeching Parliament to call upon the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Development to fire the National Railways of Zimbabwe General Manager and dismiss the board of directors among other things, for a number of allegations. The petition was deemed inadmissible as the petitioners did not meet statutory requirements and the petitioners have been advised accordingly.
I also have to inform the House that on Monday, 26th September, 2022, Parliament of Zimbabwe also received a petition from Mr. R. Ngwenya, the Executive Director for the Coalition for Market and Liberal Solution, beseeching Parliament to enact a law on the rights to shelter and harmonise all laws that deal with property rights and title deeds. The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works, National Housing and Social Amenities.
I further have to inform the House that on Wednesday 26th September, 2022, Parliament of Zimbabwe received a petition from Sophia Takuva representing African Women in Mining Empowerment Trust beseeching Parliament to push for the review of the mining laws in Zimbabwe in order to promote decent work for women in the mining sector. The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development.
CHANGES TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I also have to inform the House of the following changes in the membership of Committees. Hon. Musa Ncube moves from the Portfolio Committee on Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development to the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care. Hon. Paurina Mpariwa moves from the Portfolio Committee on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: Madam Speaker, I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 27 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day No. 28 on today’s Order Paper has been disposed of.
HON. RAIDZA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORTS, ARTS AND RECREATION ON THE STATE OF FOOTBALL ADMINISTRATION IN ZIMBABWE
Twenty Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Youth, Arts, Sports and Recreation on the state of Football Administration in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
HON. MARKHAM: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, are there no points of privilege or matters of national interest today?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I called for any notices of motion but no one stood up and I do not have any list.
HON. MARKHAM: Sorry Madam Speaker, I was under the impression that the Chief Whip will give you the names.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: We cannot go back; we have already passed that stage.
*HON. KWARAMBA: Hon. Speaker, we were waiting for you to announce that we can now present our points of privilege.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I do not have any names with me here. Usually the Chief Whips gives me the names.
HON. KWARAMBA: But they did not ask for our names and we were confused on what to do? I thought since we were on break, you were just going to give us the privilege to raise matters of privilege.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry but we have already passed that stage. We cannot go back.
HON. KWARAMBA: Mine is on breast cancer.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You will do that tomorrow; I will give you time tomorrow.
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, can we have a Committee on the incompetence of the Chief Whips, to check on the incompetence of the Chief Whips. We get nothing about what is being debated or the Business of the House Committee or the Order of the Day and we give names and we get nothing. Everything just gets bulldozed – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Can we have order in the House please – Hon. T. Zhou.
HON. RAIDZA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker for the opportunity you have afforded me to add my voice on the Report that has been brought to this House by the Committee on Sport regarding the state of our football in this country. As we are all aware, this report was submitted to this House and by this time we are only getting an opportunity to debate it. However, we have seen some disturbing issues in our newspapers where this report was being reflected by some of our reporters as if this report was already adopted by this House but the procedure of this House is that for the report to be a Parliament report, it would be after the adoption by the House and by giving us as Hon. Members an opportunity as well to debate the same and give our input in the same report that comes to the House from various Committees. I want to urge you Madam Speaker that we need to look into some of these issues so that we continue to keep the integrity of this House because some of the issues that we see out there are not really the position of this House.
Going back to the report Madam Speaker, I have a few issues that I want to add. We know that football is one of the key sporting activities in this country and we need to put our heads together as leaders to make sure that those who are living out of this key sporting activity continue to earn their living out of that. Besides earning a living out of the sporting activity, football provides entertainment. As we are seeing, some of our young people these days are struggling with drugs, cocaine, guka and other drugs because of low activity that is happening in our football arena. As a result of this suspension that happened to the ZIFA Board, we are realising that many of our youths are not being inspired much to go into football because they are seeing as if their careers are being limited to Zimbabwe alone. I want to encourage the Sports and Recreation Commission, the ZIFA Board itself and Minister Kirsty Coventry to seriously look into these issues and into the impact of the suspension that is happening to our football by FIFA. We know that football is governed by the rules and if the rules are broken, we are bound to have such punishment that we are seeing currently in our country. So we have a duty as Hon. Members here to encourage the warring parties. We know there are a number of issues that have been raised by the Sports and Recreation Commission to ZIFA and their counter allegations, and at the end of the day FIFA ended up suspending our country whereby our footballers are not in a position to travel outside this country or to move from South Africa or any other nation where they are playing football.
I want to encourage these parties that are involved in the suspension of ZIFA to follow the law to the latter. I believe when these laws were put in place Madam Speaker, they were there to protect the interest of the footballers themselves, of us the supporters and all other people who enjoy the good sport that is in football.
Without wasting much of your time Madam Speaker, let us continue to encourage those who were given the judiciary duty or the responsibility to make sure there is sanity in football. It is not good for the country to continue seeing our administrators and policy makers quarrelling over some of these issues that we believe solutions can be found. They need to put the interest of the footballers, interest of our children and the interest of the nation at large at stake rather than to push more of personal interest or personal egos and by end of the day, make sure that our country is suspended.
I want to thank you Madam Speaker and I want to encourage these people to sit and find solutions as a matter of priority. We need to continue seeing our children going outside the country pushing forward their careers and them earning a living out of sporting. Thank you very much Madam Speaker.
HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to add my voice to the important debate. I would want to concur with Hon. Raidza. Madam Speaker, we only live once in life. Once you start your journey, it progresses like that. You do not live today and live the same day again tomorrow. Effectively, this means that we have our children who are teenagers and it is at this particular age when they attract attention from various sporting sponsors, scholarships givers and clubs that would want to buy or give the youths scholarships. Currently as we speak, Zimbabwe is not participating in any soccer tournament. Effectively, what it means is that our children do not have a window from where they can be seen in their careers. Our children do not have platforms from where they can be seen and opportunities to display their skills in front of the world.
Madam Speaker, it appears to be very simple to a person who is not a sportsperson. We have children who cannot do anything else other than playing soccer. It was their hope that their legs will take them far but because we are banned from those international platforms, their sporting years are going to waste. We all celebrated when Hon. Kirsty Coventry was appointed Minister of Sport because of her experience and participation in sport and she also understood what it means to participate at that particular level. The moment you go internationally, you are done in terms of finances, whatever sport it is. More-so, if it is soccer. You look at Marvellous Nakamba from his humble beginning; look at the car that he drives, his life, the changes he has made to his family, fellow villagers and the community of Bulawayo where he now has a foundation.
We have to be serious and consider other people’s lives as our own lives because for people to all agree that we will be banned, for what reason? Even the accusations that were being made concerning what is now called mismanagement of funds; it is not even Zimbabwe’s funds. These are funds from associations and it is their responsibility to deal with those issues. If the Government would want to intervene, then when it decides to do so, it must then have a programme to say this is what we are going to do and this is the end result. As I speak right now, there is no one who knows what has gone wrong in as far as Zimbabwe participating in soccer activities is concerned. Some people would say no, we do not care, let them ban us, we will come back. You are saying let them ban us as an association but not as an individual. Those soccer players’ lives are doomed.
I urge the Government to look at sport from a business point of view. They must consider the lives of our youths. Why we now have the issue of drugs these days is because we are not participating in anything. Why would I want to go and watch a soccer match at the National Sports Stadium for teams that would not contribute a single person to the national team because we are not participating at any level? The excitement is gone and people have nothing to do, and they indulge in drugs. These appear to be very small things but are very important because when we grew up, we had very planned weekends and soccer was one of those activities that we planned for. We cannot continue to behave as though things are normal, especially in the football fraternity. We cannot pretend.
Soccer players put our country on the map. These days we have Zemura who plays for Bournemouth. Just look at how much that boy now earns and what that amount can do to our struggling economy. He can decide to build a shopping mall and complete it without borrowing money from anyone. Why, because of his participation in soccer. We have got a lot of young men in England right now who are playing for lower division teams but the majority of them end up playing for the English juniors, from there they join the national team and they become British when they are Zimbabweans.
I do not know how we think as Zimbabweans. There are certain things that we normalise which are not even normal at all. The Minister of Sport could have even resigned because of what is happening in sport at the moment. What is the purpose of having a whole Ministry if they cannot solve things that are so simple? Why do we have a whole Ministry? What are they presiding over if you do not have those kinds of sports? I urge the Government to take this matter very seriously.
On another note, the issue of infrastructure, because we are not participating, no one concentrates on the infrastructure. Even if we were to be rehabilitated today, we are not going to play our matches at the National Sports Stadium. We are going to play in Zambia and this is exactly where the team had already planned to go and play their matches, in Zambia. Zimbabwe cannot host a single match in Zimbabwe but we say we are a developed country; we are developing and moving towards 2030, without a soccer pitch that is at international level.
We are talking of upper middle income. You move around in all our suburbs. Go and see how dilapidated what used to be soccer stadia are now and no one pays attention to those things. So, how are we developing if we cannot start developing the issue of sport itself? I urge the Ministry to at least be serious and help our children. We have a lot of countries and clubs establishing academies here but they do not have platforms where those players they will be eyeing to recruit are given an opportunity to shine. We do not have and I do not think it will make any sense at all for us to go into the next season without having solved the issue of the Zimbabwe Football Association.
It does not make any sense to continue playing that football when you know you are going nowhere and the age, you do not then say Zimbabwe at one time was suspended for three years. At that time, I was seventeen and now I am twenty, so because I lost three years, I am still seventeen, no. You are already 20 years and according to the body itself, there are certain things that you could have done before, that you cannot do today because you will have lost a lot of time. I urge the Minister to be a bit serious and solve this problem so that Zimbabwe again joins other countries in doing what the world loves most, which is soccer. As Zimbabweans, we are so indifferent in some of these issues. The same way we got out of the Commonwealth saying it is a club of what, what, today we now want to go back. This is exactly what we are saying, let us be suspended and then we start applying and will be asked to meet certain standards for us to be readmitted when we could have avoided being banned or suspended. This is my submission Madam Speaker, especially on the issue of soccer, if we can please help our children by making sure that we allow them to develop and showcase their talents and skills to the world. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for recognising me on this very important issue. I am degreed in sport and fitness studies, having been a head of sport at Eton College, which is the royal family school where Prince Harry and Prince William went to school. I have been involved with the best of sport around the world. I have been instrumental in bringing people like Andy Cole and John Fashanu to Zimbabwe in a bid to ensure that we are exposed to sport and to the way of doing sport. That was out of the fact that sport is a multi-billion-dollar industry which requires you to go to school.
The question is how many of those in sports administration have gone to school to study sport? How do you expect to be represented in court by somebody who has not studied law? How do you expect to be treated well in a hospital by somebody who has not studied medicine? It is only in Zimbabwe where you have people who have not done sports administration who are presiding over sport, which exposes the fact that their intention is not to do sport. Sport is about passion. That is why today I am not involved in sport because it is a circus and an insult to my spending of so many years to be degreed to impart my knowledge internationally to this country.
I was a fitness coach for the national team, I was Dynamos Chairman and the only person to have chaired Dynamos but was a Caps United fan. After having been the Caps United fitness coach, they won the 1996 BP Cup and the league. I was the coach for the Davis Cup tennis team. I was the coach for the Black tennis family that you know from Byron Black to Carla Black. The list is endless. These are international sports people and the question is how come I am not in the matrix of sport today? No one can beat my CV in sport. I was involved with rugby having been the Director of Coaching in rugby and the National Coach was Ian Robertson then. Those who know rugby can tell you that Ian Robertson was one of the most outstanding rugby players having played for the Springboks in Rhodesia which was rare. I was director of coaches for Cricket and set up seven provinces and that is how people like Hon. Kapuya was identified to chair Midlands, Hon. Mukhuhlani and Hon. Mandiwanzira, I identified him to run Manicaland because we needed to decentralise cricket.
The reason why I talk about decentralisation of sport is where the sport is. Cricket and rugby were becoming superior to other sports because of the infrastructure and the policy of sport which existed in these schools. I went to Frank Johnson School which was a Group A and then Lord Malvern School which was a group A school. There was no way you could leave Frank Johnson after playing cricket, soccer or any other sport without then playing the same sport in high school. This means that at primary school, the foundation is solid. There is a development plan, from primary school, you move into high school and partake in the same activities and from there, you play for the national team. That is the structure that you have. Where can you talk about such a sporting structure today in sport? The same way that certain opportunists and chancers have invaded the political field by having resources rather than the history, by not belonging to a party structure but uses money to be in party structures, that is what has happened to sport again. The infiltration of criminals who have come in to take what belongs to the sport people. The same in politics, those who are getting to the top without a structure are only there to cause disaster for that organisation. So, in everything, where is the sporting structure in this country or the policy on sport? Primary and Secondary school sector is critical. You catch them while they are still young so you have a situation where sport ends up being politicised. Politicians, with all due respect, Hon. Chiyangwa a charismatic politician was running ZIFA. Where does he understand sports administration from? I know him to be a great businessman but I do not know him to be a great sportsman but it tells you where you have got the left foot fitting into the right foot and the right foot fitting into the left foot which creates confusion when one is looking at your feet and asks how come the shoes are in the opposite direction?
The reason why I bring this up is that the report by the Portfolio Committee is totally biased. It is not thorough, I have studied it and I will now go into the merits and demerits of that report. If there is anything, it was a political report. It had factual errors, a couple of misrepresentations especially on the sexual harassment issue. The report states that ZIFA advised the Portfolio Committee that individuals cited had been fully charged, which is not true. The issue of women being abused is serious in sport but they could not even stand for the women to be involved in sport. Today in America, women’s football has emerged as the most powerful ever. Women are playing football because they are protected by the laws of their country. There is no way women are being abused but they are competing. America, the other day just said the same amount of money which is paid to the national team of America must be paid to the ladies main team. The abuse talks about them being in football to abuse women not to run sport. How could you ignore that? Referees and players are abused and you do not bring that to the fore, so already in their report, they were wrong. Why they were wrong is because they are interested parties.
The other issue is they state that the SRC made a decision without due process. Again that is not correct. One of the things which I had to talk about is that you cannot undermine your own institution which is an Act of this Parliament. The SRC is an Act of this Parliament and once it is an Act of this Parliament, then sport is governed by this Parliament. Those who believe that they do not want to do sport in this country are free to go and affiliate with FIFA. So why is ZIFA not affiliating to FIFA or CAF if they are not prepared to adhere to the laws of this country? This institution must protect the laws of this country unless someone in that committee was paid to forget that they must superintend and make sure that the SRC Act is in force and it can only be in force when you are seen to be protecting it. If we do not want sport to be under any Act, let us repeal it but there is no national team which bears the flag of Zimbabwe which can leave this without Zimbabwean laws being applied. The SRC was right to get rid of these people and must face the music has been going on for a long time. Sport had died because criminals had suddenly besieged the activity and no one wants to be involved. No man of integrity wants to be involved with such people. I do not want to be involved in sport. I am not interested in sport yet that is my passion at the end of the day. I have chosen to be involved in politics rather than sport. If you see me abandoning my career and going into politics, which is also a career that is not worth talking about but again, I am there talking about how I am just so put off about what is happening in sport; they do not consult, they do not know what is going on.
This report invalidates the SRC Act and its power to the International Federation and undermines our national law and sovereignty. Our national laws and sovereignty, they are busy supporting international laws. If they believe that they want to be international – they are free to be international and to be part of this global thing but as long as they are here, Zimbabwe’s laws are superior, they fit into the international laws. So, let us start with respecting our laws first.
They have a tendency of going, FIFA, and sport as know, is run by the mafia. You cannot run sport if you are not part of the mafia. You know from Sepp Blatter, FIFA President. We have seen the FIFA President being in this country. It is a group of Mafios, people who believe in it and very dangerous in that regard. It is a powerful sport. They have abused and used it, and so equally, there is also a mafia group in Zimbabwe that is aligning itself with the mafia of international sport, especially with FIFA. . FIFA is dirty and the last thing you want to do is to be associated with FIFA. It smells of a lot of things. So I think, it is rather sad.
Zimbabwe is only recognised when it comes to votes; when they are paid to support the President of FIFA, the President of CAF - that is the only reason why they are there. The money from FIFA has been coming to this country. Where is it going? There is a FIFA village. Why has the Portfolio Committee not done an enquiry on the money that was given for the FIFA village? Where did the money go? Then you still want companies to put money where people are busy dipping their hands – that will not happen. It is no wonder why sport is poor. Sport requires people of integrity, people of great social standing, people who are passionate, people who can account and people who are transparent. For as long as those values are not inculcated in individuals running sport, they will not get money. I would never support a company that puts money into people who steal. You would rather just keep that money.
We were always funded in this country in terms of sport Madam Speaker; we were never short. Natbrew Breweries and all the companies, we have blue chip companies today that are run by black people like Econet and they do not want to see the brand of Econet being destroyed by people who are criminals, so they stay away. You would rather have a situation where that money, unfortunately like Hon. Madzimure said, goes into the development of young people. The Coca Cola Tournament was there and we all knew about it. So for us, it talks about their bad ways of running sport in this country.
Madam Speaker, we talk about these shortcomings by banning senior ZIFA officials for sexual harassment of female referees. The committee’s recommendation implicitly condones sexual harassment and other corrupt practices within the running of football and swore upon the statutory mandate and independence of SRC. FIFA acknowledges the problems within ZIFA as does the executive arm of Government and the judicial arm of the State. All those three recognised that ZIFA is in a mess; the judiciary of this country, the Government of this country and the SRC. So now, they are saboteurs. These are the people who, in terms of the Patriotic Bill, must be the first victims. They are not patriotic because they do not believe in the laws of their country. If they do not believe in the laws of their country, hamba! hamba! hamba! They must go where they can enjoy that mafia, not undermine our laws here.
They are a portfolio committee that must respect it. The SRC is likely to completely ignore the Committee’s report; it has to be guided by the findings of the Restructuring Committee. The BDO Forensic Audit report as well as the ultimate ZIFA Congress, whose authority over football issues, the committee does not appear to understand or appreciate deliberately or otherwise. There is a structure; there are elections which they go to. Forensic Audit is important; the BDO of Forensic Audit does not support them in any way. Instead of them complying and working on their weaknesses, they are determined on other things.
FIFA recently slammed a five-year ban and hefty fine on ZIFA referee Committee Secretary General. So to me, what have they done about that? So, FIFA itself …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, you are left with five minutes.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you. FIFA itself, which they are appealing - slammed a Zimbabwean referee with a five years ban. What did they say? So why are they not standing up for that referee? FIFA exercises its powers to be able to do that. Let it work on its power and let us allow our own laws to also be effected.
We have a boxer called Monalisa Sibanda Simon. Women who are here, I want you to listen to this story. She came to my office today. She is the first female boxer to be a champion. She was met by the President at a ceremony and the President then told people to facilitate a meeting for her to come to State House. She told me that she is facing problems. There is a letter that she showed me from Hon. Togarepi, writing to the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation to facilitate a meeting for her to meet the President and that has not happened. They are busy doing this.
There are clearer and honest sports people like Monalisa Sibanda Simon who have put this country on a map. Just yesterday, I do not know, is it because the Hon. Minister is white and does not see black women doing well? We do not know. She said to me Hon. Mliswa, is it because I am black? When the Hon. Minister Kirsty Coventry won a medal, we were all happy about it but today I am black, I cannot be taken there. I cannot be show-cased; that is a sad case. These are the issues we should be bringing here. She is a mother of three and being a mother of three, she has worked hard. She has done everything to the tee but today, they are stopping her from going to see the President who, himself said, can you make sure she visits State House. It is my prayer that the women in here, the caucus, I will introduce you to her and you will see her Curriculum Vitae. Why can she not go and see the President with what she has done? She has put this country on the map and all that.
Instead of us dealing with these criminals who want to keep stealing money, they must face their day in court. The current President is in court. Why does he still want to remain the ZIFA President? We must have best practice just like in this Parliament, if you are a Member of Parliament and you are implicated in any criminal activity that is before the courts, you do not have to wait for the courts to tell you to step down; your own integrity must get you to step down and allow due process to happen. We are missing men of integrity and dignity, especially in football. I wish soccer could be run by women in this country because most of the times, anything run by women is successful.
Look at the gender, there is no gender in ZIFA. The Vice Chairperson of ZIFA must be a woman, the portfolio committee must recommend that in the ZIFA Constitution, at any point in time, there must be gender parity; without gender parity we are not going anywhere – that is the reason why they do not want women close to ZIFA because women would be able to expose their stealing. Let them recommend for us to see women being part of ZIFA and let us see women’s football growing because we have that.
I want to thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity. Like I said, this is my life of sport, I understand it better, I understand the structures and I have been involved in international sport in many ways and many countries, from Zambia and so forth. I am not at all going to be involved in this sport which is run by criminals. The Physical Education teachers from Cuba, where are they? Where are they to be running sport? The Physical Education teachers, Hon. Saruwaka went and did a Sports Degree. Where is he today? Why is he not part of the sporting development of this country? We chose to be politicians, which is not the career we want, our real careers, we were robbed by criminals. It is about time they were brought to book. Thank you.
(v)HON. O. SIBANDA: Good afternoon Madam Speaker Ma’am.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Good afternoon.
(v)HON. O. SIBANDA: Thank you for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate. What I want us to understand Madam Speaker is that there is ZIFA, which is the Zimbabwe Football Association. The Zimbabwe Football Association is a company of FIFA, it is a privately owned organisation operating as an association, and this is found in their statutes of ZIFA. For us to come up with this document as a Portfolio Committee; we had to inquire from various people, that is SRC, the Ministry itself and the ZIFA Board gave us a report. On the report, we looked at statutes; we did not manufacture things from our head. What is critical is for us to see that we worked within statutes, the ZIFA statutes, the SRC Act which is an Act of Parliament and how the Ministry operates its all sports codes. We should understand what the job of the SRC is from starters. We should, as a Parliament, understand that SRC is a conduit between all sport codes in the country and the Government. It is the communication tool between sport codes and the Government.
However, there is an SRC Act which has got several chapters. These chapters explain the functions of the SRC. Some of the functions of SRC, if you look at that in 21, they talk about looking into the issues of infrastructure and making sure that national teams play all over even individual players play on international duty, that is to assist them financially, on preparations and looking after the visiting team when they come into the country.
However, it should be noted that there is article 30 of SRC which should be repealed. The Committee indicated through the report how this chapter is actually destroying our sports. Let me draw you back a little bit to 1980 when we came from the war. The Chairman of SRC then was Mudede who was there without understanding the statutes. He caused Zimbabwe to be banned from 1980 to 1985 until our very own Hon. Speaker, Hon. Mudenda took over in 1985. This is when Zimbabwe was readmitted again after being suspended out of football during the 70s because of the war and because he did not understand how SRC functions.
Then just in 2004 when we qualified to go to Tunisia 2004 AFCON, the Chairman was Anton Mandiwanzira who chaired SRC. Because there were issues to do with ZIFA when the councillors revoked the mandate of Leo Mugabe, FIFA intervened and said once you removed Pamire who was installed by the Congress, then it means you are not participating in AFCON. They had to reinstate the football people, Pamire and others. During the same time, SRC had chosen Westerfol to be the President of ZIFA which was against the statutes because they were using article 30 which as a Committee, we have said should be repealed because it does not auger well with sporting codes – that is what we observed which is very clear.
We have already recommended to the Ministry that article 30 should be repealed because it is not user friendly; it works in cross purposes with all sport codes in the country. Remember cricket was suspended and what happened! Remember handball was suspended as we speak; basketball has got issues with SRC, they want to micro-manage all the sports codes with the duties they are supposed to be doing. For example, look at the national stadium; we were given a template by CAF to make sure that our stadium is usable on international games. Nothing has happened; the Ministry sends people to South Africa for benchmarking visits from the Ministry. Benchmarking yet you have got a template, there was no reason of comparing National Stadium with Ellis Park Stadium.
Coming to the ZIFA; as ZIFA operates within the confines of the laws of Zimbabwe, that is why article 1 of the ZIFA constitution says ‘we shall abide by the country law’. The moment they breach the country law, then there is an issue, they should be brought to book. In this case, we are saying where we have breached the country law – that is what we want to see. We found out through investigation and interaction with various organisations and we discussed that there is little.
We come to the allegations which were leveled against those who were running football. There was sexual harassment which we do not condone; we are 100% against the girl child being abused. Our hearts bleed if we look at the girl child being abused.
We looked at the ZIFA report, it is very clear; they sent letters and charged those who were involved. They sent letters to FIFA proclaiming that these people have got allegations of abusing the girl child, that is the referees, the players and thanks to FIFA that banned one Zhoya because of the initiative which we got from the submission which was given to us by ZIFA. They did well, we do not condone sexual abuse of women; we want totality, we want gender equality, we want people to work together as human beings and that is all we are saying.
On the issue of abuse of funds, it must be noted that FIFA funds ZIFA 100 per cent and FIFA is the only organisation which can ask for audited statements. What you should note also is that ZIFA on its own works hand in glove with SRC. We saw reports which were coming from ZIFA to SRC and SRC to ZIFA which were very clear. It should be noted that the DT of SRC was also suspended because of the allegations that he allowed national teams to go out of the country without COVID papers.
All this, we proved that it was not true because during the COVID period, no one was moving outside the country without proper documentation from Ministry of Health and Child Care. So how then did our national teams go across our own border into South Africa without being noticed that they were not complying with COVID regulations?
Again Madam Speaker, if you look at one of the charges, they are saying ZIFA was not doing junior sports but the people who caused the suspension of Mamutse, the ZIFA C.E.O and the DT from SRC as the under 20 teams, under 17 teams, those are the juniors - I am sure they did not give due diligence to that. What they were charging ZIFA is exactly the same juniors who went out, whom they are now saying ZIFA did not care about junior development. I think junior development in the country lies squarely with the provisional structures of ZIFA, which is clearly defined. Some people may fail to get funding and as a result, these junior structures might not be working.
However, I want to applaud especially academies in Harare, individuals have done a lot for football in Harare. There are plenty academies in Harare who are doing extremely well using funds from people’s pockets.
I want also to thank those who are funding football from their pockets. It must be noted that the national teams are squarely a baby of the Government because they raise the flags. The league we are playing now is called social soccer because we have been suspended. No team can go out of the country to represent Zimbabwe – not even one. It is also my submission that ZIFA, when they do their annual general meetings, that is where they do their audited accounts. Those audited are sent to SRC, stamped and sent to FIFA for future funding. So, ZIFA was never going to receive any cent from FIFA if those audited statements were not done. FIFA sent their external auditors which are BDO which was being mentioned by one Hon. Member who spoke here. The same company again, the forensic audit – that is conflict, they cannot do that. We realised that something is wrong within the system. They cannot do things; they were sent by FIFA to do an external audit which they did. The same audit went to SRC, FIFA and that is why FIFA kept funding.
If you look at the funds which FIFA advanced to ZIFA, there are specific funds for specific projects. However, if those funds are abused or misused, the person who has got the authority to deal with those funds is the partner, which is FIFA that is doing that. Some might stand up and say we can do without FIFA, which is fine and which is exactly what we are doing but we are not going to see international football in our country. We are going to have limited player movements in our country. Football cuts across the country, it brings peace, it brings joy, it brings business, it brings everything. If you look at those who sell freezits, groundnuts et cetera, they make money. Why should we sanction ourselves with things that we can solve amicably within our systems? The issue of these sub-committees, the restructuring Committee, Forensic Audit Committee - that is a nullity Madam Speaker. They are not recognised by the owners of the game, FIFA who funds Zimbabwe.
FIFA does not have monopoly in terms of Zimbabwean structure. We are funding our projects but if you feel that we are not doing enough, you can move out of our association, that is what FIFA says. Once FIFA is involved with their own funds, there is no way we can come and interfere with what FIFA said to us and everybody knows. We look at constitutional issues, we look at even our own Constitution, children and everyone is entitled to sports and sport comes in different ways; be it cricket, basketball and anything, this is what we are talking about, let them play and let us not stop them from playing.
These sub-Committee, I repeat including the structures which they have put for the Executive of ZIFA is a nullity, it will never be recognised by FIFA. The only thing we can do is to comply and comply with diplomacy. There is a lot we can do before we can start celebrating the work of the sub-Committees. My question Madam Speaker is that, who is funding these sub-Committees? Where is the money coming from? One Hon. Member talked about Chivandire and Dominic, those are the people who are supposed to be funding because they are raising the Zimbabwean flag. That money should be directed there even if it is soccer money because soccer now is not being played just direct those funds to go there and assist Chivandire who is supposed to play on Saturday and I say good luck to my little players.
Madam Speaker, I say if you look for ways of solving the ZIFA issue without being emotional, without personalising sports, I agree with other Hon. Members who talked here and said we need to revoke this suspension and negotiate and move forward. These Committees which have been set will never solve any football things. As I speak, even if Kamambo the President drops dead today, I am not saying he is to die, FIFA will remain suspending us if Machanaz and every one decides to leave ZIFA today and say we have resigned, we remain suspended, we reinstate them in absentia that is what we do. We cannot make Zimbabweans happy because of doing wrong things. Clubs PSL clubs are spending huge monies going Kariba, Bulawayo and wherever spending monies on social footballs. We cannot continue allowing this. Now Platinum is on the verge of qualifying to play in Africa but the truth is that they are not going to play anywhere near international football. We are missing a lot in terms of funding junior development. I admit that spending some of the money which was meant for junior development never found its way to the process, agreed but these are things that we can solve without causing suspension.
I also look at the Government, the Sport Integrity Bill through the Ministry of Sport; we need Sport Integrity Bill in place of Article 30 which we are going to repeal because it is not user friendly. The Sport Integrity Bill will solve every issue we are talking about because we will be following a process. As we speak, if you go to sport, our policy on sports is not visible. We cannot enforce any of it because there is nothing and we have been pushing as a Committee, the Sport Integrity Bill and other Sports Bills to be approved by Parliament including Youth Bills; they are not being approved from the Attorney-General. We do not know what is happening and we are still waiting. I am saying that without SRC and ZIFA sitting on a round table and forget about their personal egos and forget about emotions, we will not go anywhere. Let us look at Zimbabweans, Zimbabwe is a soccer loving country. Football is the most loved sport in the world and the country, I support it 100% in a celebratory mood as I speak.
I have been in football with Giants Highlanders, with my own team called Windermere, Junior Development; I can count a lot of players, Milton Ncube who at the moment has got nothing to do with what we are discussing. I have been a president of player agents that is to do with player placements in the world. I have done that and moved over 200 players from the country and they are doing well. I am happy one member mentioned Nakamba, look at Benjani, look at Claudius Zviripai, Vitalis Zviripai, Alois Bunjira, plenty of them but we cannot bar them from playing because of egos.
I request they are many ways of doing it but one of them was supposed...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you are left with five minutes.
(v)HON. O. SIBANDA: Just one-minute Hon. Speaker. I am saying that there were better solutions in SRC than radical decisions that are killing football. They were supposed to write a letter they are allowed to communicate with ZIFA noting their observations. The injustice leveled against ZIFA board should have been written down by SRC to FIFA and communicate and tell them that 1,2,3 is what we are observing, sexual harassment misuse of FIFA funds, misuse of Government funds. They did not do that and put their recommendations and say that we request that you dissolve the ZIFA board. We request that you come and do proper elections and do some amendments in your constitution which our submissions in terms of amendments are these, then we were going to find a common solution.
His Excellency the President Cde. Mnangagwa raised a lot of money, over 3 million at Cresta. When we mentioned it, people teased us, that money is there somewhere; we are simply saying SRC, look into this money that was raised by the President. Why is it that football is suffering? That is why that money was raised by the Head of the State yet you went to Cameroon and you went to Egypt. This is positive development on football, football is about achieving set goals, and set goals is playing football and qualifying for tournaments. The winning of the tournaments is another issue, what we need is qualifying and taking the championship in doing this and that. Football is to place players around the world where they can play. There are several players who were moved from Zimbabwe. All what I am saying is that we want sanity in football.
I am saying that through this Parliament, there are a lot of things what could be done. A lot of reform must be done in football 100%, I agree but all what I am saying is that let us find each other. Part of speech not recorded due to network failure. After all Mr. Speaker Sir, their term of office has already expired. Just allow the process to go for elections then new members will come in and run football to the best of their ability. The way we are doing it, it might take 10 to 20 years. As one Hon. Member said, one player might be 17 now; by the time we admit it, he will be 26. Nakamba is 28 and by the time we admit it, he will be 34. This is wrong Hon. Speaker. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for affording me this time. I request that please let us find sanity in football. Let us revoke all what happened between SCR and ZIFA, let us find ourselves and move forward as a country. I thank you.
(v)*HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Committee for the contribution and the work they have done. I would like to support what was done by the SRC, including the Minister of Sport. They did something that was good to remove criminals from office. Criminal activities in these offices have destroyed the football sport in this country. Football is a national sport but the individuals who were in office have embarrassed us and the neighbouring countries around us. Looking at the Egypt trip, Government raised a lot of money but the transport that was provided was filled with prostitutes to have fun. They did a lot of embarrassing things to this country, things that were not expected from people who were on assignment. They should have been apprehended by now by the organisation against corruption - ZACC. Mr. Speaker, I almost joined the Premier League because I am into sport. I support football. It is a very good sport. I played football when I was a young man. I see a lot of unscrupulous activities being done by Kamambo and colleagues. Such corrupt and embarrassing activities are very disappointing and I feel the pain in my heart. All the things that were being mentioned by others that no one can be bought – those are lies – [microphone switched off.] – We are wasting national funds protecting criminals. These are criminals. This is criminality. Those who were paid by FIFA, let them keep the money. We will not entertain such behaviour. Why did FIFA not suspend other countries who were in similar situations?
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Minister has done a splendid job. It is a job well done. She might not be good in other areas but for this particular issue, she did well. What kind of behaviour to say money has been paid to a country but surprisingly, that money goes to an individual account to his wife and home? What is that? Honestly, do you think we can support people with such behaviour? We will never entertain that. We should have stiffer penalties for such criminality behaviour. We should never entertain or see such people near our sporting facilities or near our sport. These are the people that destroy games that are meant for people to enjoy. Sport is going to entertain people. People gather at stadia and other sport facilities so that they enjoy and forget about other problems they have experienced in life but we have some people who are there to destroy sporting activities. On behalf of my constituency that does not favour corruption, that does not stand in for corruption, we say we will not and never entertain such behaviour from such officials. We should send a clear signal. Our country has been destroyed and left in shambolic state because of corruption. We would like to support what was done by our Minister.
The audit that is meant to take place should apprehend others in addition to those that have been apprehended. What development has been done by ZIFA? Nothing is tangible. We do not care about their money and I say, to hell with their money. How can they say Government should shut up, the Minister should shut up? Who should reprimand them? We are saying to all corporates in Zimbabwe, come together, come to the sport and sponsor our activities. We will not entertain people who are stealing money from the football fraternity. How can they take prostitutes on to a plane taking them to a football match when they are supposed to be having football supporters? We have a lot of football supporters from different clubs in the country but surprisingly and shockingly, those people are left behind when the national team travels beyond the borders. In place of supporters, they take prostitutes. We do not want to see those people in our vicinity. They should never be seen near sport. They have troubled our souls for the football lovers. They have troubled the souls of those in the country who love sport.
People are just gathered from different countries and say we are going to play football from Turkey, Germany, UK but there is no sport there. People are just squandering cash. Football is actually employment. We will never support such rotten behaviour. I have a lot of issues to say today because I am very disturbed. They must rot in jail for not less than 20 years. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. I. NYONI: I would like to contribute on this very important report on sport, particularly football. We are all aware that sport brings communities together and income to those who participate in it. Sport plays a very important part in the development of individual players. Let me buttress on what was highlighted by Hon. Mliswa and Hon. Madzimure.
We are aware that Zimbabwe cricket in 2019 was suspended from international cricket because of alleged interference by Government through the Sports and Recreational Commission. It was particularly on the appointment of the ZCC Board members. The result was, Zimbabwe was not allowed to participate in the ICC events and because of that, no funding from ICC was forthcoming until the SRC and our local ICC sat down and came up with a common position which resulted in the upliftment of the suspension by the ICC.
It appears that the situation regarding our soccer, particularly ZIFA is following the route that cricket went through. The suspension of ZIFA has long term effects on our soccer. Soccer is a livelihood for many young people. As I highlighted earlier on, soccer also builds moral character for our young people. Soccer’s value chain is quite diverse. We have the sale of soccer regalia, accommodation and other things that generate through soccer in terms of income. Our national and local soccer teams are now unable to attend any international and regional tournaments because of the suspension that was put on ZIFA. This can only be done after the suspension is lifted.
We are also losing much on FIFA funding for these FIFA programmes because of the suspension. It is therefore very important that the FIFA guidelines are followed so that soccer is brought back to its normalcy. Those that have been suspended; the Sports and Recreation Council and the current ZIFA Interim Board need to sit down and come up with a common position which can then be communicated to the soccer mother body, FIFA, so that the suspension is lifted. There is no way the situation can continue like this because we will continue losing out as a nation. Thank you.
(v) HON. MUCHIMWE: – [Part of speech not recorded due to technical challenges] – Zimbabwe team trying to join other teams around the world. I remember the time when Fabisch managed to get the team to reach Los Angeles but to my surprise, he was fired because he was defeated there. He should have been promoted so that those skills he used to reach that place could be improved. One thing I realised is that the national team is selected from people who are in rural and urban areas. Mr. Speaker Sir, there are so many young men who are quite talented in the rural areas but because there are no sponsors in the remote areas, their skills die down. A proper system must be seen visiting the country’s provinces, down to districts and schools, to choose footballers who should be trained in urban areas. I believe if this is done, it would build a strong team in Zimbabwe. This must not be done for football alone but other sporting activities, otherwise lack of support as well. I believe if such a system is adopted, it will build strong super teams in the country. I thank you.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this topical debate. FIFA has got very stringent rules over how they view things. Whenever they view something as state interference, they just go to the extreme end and press the red button. I call upon FIFA not to go for the red button whenever there is a problem. There is a green button and also an amber button. They need to come and understand what is really happening on the ground. We thought that it was political interference with no basis then maybe we would have said FIFA were right. In this particular case however, I think FIFA has been overzealous and they now need to come in with a lenient hand and remove these limitations that they have put immediately. They should find out exactly what really transpired. At the moment there are about three or four countries whose soccer associations have been suspended. Zimbabwe and Kenya were suspended in February on the same day. Chad was suspended in 2021 and Russia is also under suspension. What this means is our soccer begins to go down because nobody looks at us as a country or at our players because the international platform has been removed. If it had been removed for other things, then well, but honestly for a sexual scandal? No - Mr. Speaker Sir, I think our Parliament should also join the race and write a sober letter to FIFA explaining exactly what happened and the steps taken by the SRC. So I am in support of the current ZIFA presidium, Acting Chief President who is Hon. Gift Banda. With those few words, I rest my case Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MARKHAM: Mr. Speaker Sir, I just want to bring to the attention of the House that the shocking thing is we waited until we were banned by FIFA. I find it shocking because the rot in football seems sorely from the administration. The administration has destroyed football to its knees. There is not a stadium here that would pass any international standard. We have administration which loots the coffers dry. I will give you an example, when I was with the City of Harare, the football team was doing quite well to the extent that they got into playing against a club in Madagascar. The delegation that went over there by the law could not be more than 45. City of Harare tried to take 54 people. They took more than 45, I assure you. They went via Johannesburg with a stopover but where is Harare football now. This is the shocking corruption that is happening in our sports facilities. So in our management, we have to sort out the corruption. It happened with cricket, people have mentioned the cricket and it is on its way up to the extent that next week they start the world cup. Two years ago, you would not have said that about our cricket team. As Zimbabweans, we are very proud and we often applaud our sportsmen that have left the country. Then when you ask the question why they left the country, we got golf players, rugby players, cricketers, swimmers, rowers and they all find their way into the Olympics but they do not live in Zimbabwe. Why have they left? If you look at what I call individual sports, they tend to do better because the administration is smaller and because it is smaller, it then tends to be corrupt. Football was looted to its knees. So, we have to get rid of the corruption.
The next issue I would like to bring up is that we also have to look at the Ministry of Sport, which from our knowledge of lower skills budget, the initial application was for $13 billion, mostly because of the mess of the infrastructure and the administration. The Vote passed was $3 billion and at the half way stage of the $3 billion not half of it had been delivered. So, how do we expect the Ministry to operate when they are not given the money? Why do we wait until someone drops an axe on us because it is very hard to pick up from there? We do not get responses.
Even our coverage on ZBC might as well be black and white in some cases. We have got to improve those standards and it all comes back to administration and management. The rugby team has struggled being a small following but the management is good and I would like the issue that Hon Mliswa brought up where the woman looks after the purse. Let us try and get more women involved in management so that this corruption is stopped. In Hatcliffe where there is no rugby field, a young lady has managed to have a rugby team. It is her way out of poverty and yet we are failing these young sportsmen. Not everyone is born with academic acumen. A lot of people have got a lot of talent and we drop the showcase.
My last very important point is we faced the avalanche of COVID, which has slowly gone away but we are still stuck in the COVID mentality. In my constituency, there are very few schools that have gone back to playing sport because of the economic crisis, COVID habit, salary of teachers and all very good reasons but sport is an integral part in bringing up children. I bet when it comes to the national budget, we consider sport, particularly football. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Good afternoon Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you for allowing me to add my weight to this very important motion. I will not repeat what other Hon. Members have said but Mr. Speaker Sir, from the outset, I wish to state my considered position that I am in support of the decision that the SRC took against the Mr. Kamambo led board at ZIFA.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I am equally grateful to central Government for the support that they rendered to the SRC in their efforts at cleaning local football in particular. Mr. Speaker, I wish to state unreservedly that I am shocked to discover that there are some members of this House who are clearly trying to use this motion to smuggle back the beleaguered and disgraced Kamambo Board to ZIFA House. It is shocking, I must say. It is important to accept that we have taken the back step, gotten banned from international activities; but if it is what it takes to clean local football, then let it be Mr. Speaker Sir.
I wish to look at what transpired at ZIFA through a legal lens Mr. Speaker Sir. I realise the ZIFA itself has a constitution and of course, the fact that the interim board, in pursuit of the provisions of that constitution held at the beginning of the year, I think in April, an Emergency General Meeting. It was at that Emergency General Meeting that the mandate of the Kamambo led board was revoked. So, they acted in accordance to their constitution and so, it is too late for any member, a well meaning Member of this Parliament to try and bring ghosts back to ZIFA House. Their mandate is dead, it is gone and Hon. Members must accept that. It was revoked in accordance to the ZIFA Constitution.
This is where I stand in cleaning local football; let us not be discussing the return of the Kamambo led board. I agree with those members who said that our courts should speed up processing them so that we find them in prison where they belong. It is now fashionable in this country that people steal from institutions they are mandated to administer and they walk scot-free; they enjoy the fruits of the act of stealing. For ZIFA, because I come from a footballing constituency, we the people of Magwegwe, would like to see asset recovery in action where people who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar are punished accordingly. If they bought luxury vehicles, or the best of houses in the leafy suburbs of Harare, we wish to see those houses being forfeited to the people and the children of Zimbabwe.
With those few words Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to discourage those Members of Parliament who are moving that the Kamambo Board returns to ZIFA House through the back door. I am totally against that and am in support of the actions of the SRC. We take a back step to clean our football and one day we shall rise again. I thank you.
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Can you hear me Mr. Speaker Sir?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Loud and clear, please proceed.
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: Can you hear me?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, you seem to be breaking but can you try now?
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: Can you hear me Mr. Speaker Sir?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, I can hear you loud and clear. Please proceed.
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to also contribute and add my voice to the ongoing debate on the motion on our soccer. I want to thank the Committee on the findings and recommendations. I just have one issue that I want to emphasize on that it is really important that we promote grassroot soccer activities.
One of the important issues that I would want the Sports Commission to also look into is the development of grassroot soccer facilities in the constituencies. For example in my constituency in Warren Park, we have good space for sporting facilities but these sporting facilities have been lying idle and have dilapidated tractors. As a result, over 14 teams are actually struggling to have sporting facilities yet Mr. Speaker Sir, for us, proper development is important in promoting meaningful recreation in our communities; it is also important in creating income opportunities.
I want to emphasize on income opportunities that it is not just for the soccer players but where we are having 2000 people, we also find people who also come there to sell their goods during the sporting activities. There is a lot of social activities that will be happening. So this will create a chain of business opportunities for our communities. So Mr. Speaker Sir, we also use sporting facilities or sporting activities to deal with an immense problem of substance and drug abuse. If we have opportunities for our youths to play soccer, basketball, tennis and other sports, then they will have no time for drug abuse and Mutoriro. So we really need to rethink strategies of promoting grassroot soccer development.
I end my contribution Mr. Speaker Sir by also imploring the Committee to also liaise with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and local councils to make sure that all sporting facilities in Zimbabwe are recorded and protected. We need a database of sporting facilities. In my constituency Mr. Speaker, at a shopping centre called Chidehwe, in Warren Park D, we have lost a soccer pitch which was turned into private property. This is something that should not happen Mr. Speaker Sir. All sporting facilities have to be protected; there must be a database for all our sporting facilities. No one should be found encroaching into those sporting facilities but they should be protected. They provide opportunities for entertainment for the elderly people. We have elderly people and if you come to my constituency during the weekends, you see those in their 70s, 80s, coming to watch soccer. However, if the sporting facilities are being scrolled out to private people, it will not be helpful to our communities.
I end my contribution with this clarion call to make sure that all our sporting facilities are protected and preserved. I thank you.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you very much for allowing me to also debate on this very important issue. I thought I should also add my voice concerning this issue. I would not say we are quite happy with the decision which was made especially as the women that also practice football here in Zimbabwe.
I think there was some time that we had to come into this House and debate about how women are treated when it comes to football. I understand very well that a lot of times we have seen men going for football even the Warriors, whenever they go to camp, you realise that they are capacitated but when it comes to the females, you realise that there is quite a challenge there. There is a great discrepancy when it comes to the treatment of women soccer players.
You will realise that there was an outcry at one point in time when we realised that the women were sleeping at schools yet when it comes to the men when they are in camp, they are even going to the hotels and they are given very high per diems.
So, if ever we need to be very serious about the state of football here in Zimbabwe, we need to make sure that we treat the females and the males equally. It is not fair for us as a country to be given preferential treatment because they are men. I believe that it is quite important for us to also treat the females the same way that we treat the males. I think when you look at this issue, we realise that when the females go outside, they do quite extensibly very well but when it comes to the men, they do not perform very well yet they are given all this capacity. So, I thought I should also add my voice when it comes to this.
Indeed, the decision was quite a very difficult decision for us but we are happy that even with the Hon. K. Coventry, there was a time that she came to the Portfolio Committee and then she said she wanted us to establish what are called sports champions. We created that group and we were informing each other about what needs to be done. I think I need to thank the Hon. Minister for such a proactive approach whereby she also realised that it was quite important for us as Parliamentarians to also be involved when it comes to the state of football.
When we had the research that we did in the Portfolio Committee, to be honest, a lot of people were not happy and they were not quite happy with this decision which was made but we are happy that at least now Government has intervened. Great strides are going to be made when it comes to football. Indeed, like I said and as I conclude, there is great need for us to treat the women quite well. They are the Mighty Warriors and they also deserve what any other footballer needs.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to debate on this motion. I want to start this discussion by saying that I do not support anyone in ZIFA, whether it is the Kamambo board or the Gift Banda led board, but what I do support is soccer because in my constituency Dzivarasekwa, we have quite a number of aspiring young people who want to play soccer at a professional level. Whenever there is a crisis, it does not matter where - in this case when there is a crisis in the administration of soccer in a country, the promotion or sorting the mess should never - [technical glitch]- in other words, I am saying the cure to a problem should not be bigger than the problem itself.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I understand and I know that there are several allegations that have been leveled against the SRC. We have been told there are allegations of corruption, we have been told that there are allegation of sexual abuse and other – [technical glitch]- and my point is to say if indeed…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Mushoriwa, there are a lot of interferences on your gadget. I do not know where you are, is it the best place that you can talk from? Can you not shift a bit? You are not very loud and clear this side.
HON. MUSHORIWA: I was saying that the sporting problem should not be worse than the problem that we intend to cure. I was arguing to say that we were expecting by now to see the course of law taking action. If there is anyone who is accused of corruption and us being taken as those people that could have benefited from corrupt activities, if there are people that abused our young people who are in soccer, we should have expected criminal cases to have been charged so that other people would be in jail right now.
For the sake of football in this country and other sporting disciplines, I find it hard to understand; we have been told and we now have got a challenge in the sense that – [Technical glitch] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: We are having problems hearing you Hon. Mushoriwa. We cannot hear you, you are no longer clear Hon. Mushoriwa.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to add my views on the report by the Portfolio Committee on Youth. Firstly, on the issue of sports in general or football, those people who are involved in playing football will be the youths, but when the board is being set up, there are no youths elected into that board. Instead, you find that there are elderly people. That is why you see that the Secretary General who was suspended was accused of not wanting to give the young people or the youth an opportunity to go and play sports but instead he wanted to give the opportunity to the elderly where they would fake their ages to go and play the games. This happened because there are no youths who are in the board. It is very important to have youth in the board so that they can select the youth who are going to represent them and play the games.
The second issue is the issue which has been mentioned by Hon. Mavetera, the issue of the abuse of women. If you see that there is an allegation of abuse of power, you are supposed to resign the following day, you must resign there and then. If there are allegations of corruption or abuse of women, even if people suspect that you have abused someone without evidence, you must resign. You must resign so that you protect the dignity of the country.
The very big issue which must be looked into is the issue of appointments. There must be a congress that must be held by ZIFA which is accepted by FIFA. We must not retain those who were holding the posts previously. This issue is not about politics but we must take into consideration the feelings of the whole nation since this issue of sporting is the issue of the whole nation. We must not look into relations which we have with different people, but we must be focusing on the development of sports so that people can have recreational activities so that we avert the issue of drug and substance abuse.
If sporting activities are resumed, many youth are going to be focusing on sporting and they develop the country. Right now there are no sport academies which used to be there that promoted sports. If the youths are encouraged to take part in sporting activities, they are going to be concentrating on sports instead of taking drugs. Let us resolve this issue so that the sporting academies are established and those who are able to play soccer or other sporting activities in other countries can be given the opportunity to do so.
I do not have much to say, but I am recommending this issue to be resolved immediately. I thank you.
HON. T. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MOKONE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 29 to 33 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 34 on today’s Order Paper has been disposed of.
HON. RAIDZA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. LEONARD CHIKOMBA
Thirty Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the death of Hon. Leonard Chikomba.
Question again proposed.
HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. Hon. Speaker, I want to thank the mover of the motion but also I want to thank most of the Hon. Members who debated and Hon. Members who attended the funeral across the political divide.
With Hon. Chikomba, we shared the same totem. Taiyera makudo tese, taiyera tsoko tese. I knew him from over 20 years ago when he was a bus driver driving from Harare going down there when I was doing business out there of buying and selling goats. When I met Chikomba, he was an ordinary person including many people like my brother here Hon. Zhou. He has a little bit of blood from the Soko. You know, he was a strong man, fit, clear. He knew what he wanted. Hon. Chikomba got into politics by default. He moved to Chitekete. There was nothing. He built that centre and there was no electricity but he had a big generator which he used to share electricity with everybody at Chitekete. He built a good house. He is originally from Mwenezi, Mwenezi means mwene weZimbabwe, the owners of Zimbabwe, varidzi veZimbabwe, mwene weZimbabwe, that is known as Mwenezi. That is where we also originated from and migrated from 1500 until we ended up here in Chishawasha. The good thing about Hon. Chikomba is that he had time for everybody and he understood what is known as rural development. He knew that the biggest enemy of the people in the rural areas was poverty, because poverty removes responsibility from a person and gives that responsibility to a wild animal.
So Hon. Chikomba made sure that he encouraged those people to produce cotton. Most of the houses there were all built from funds raised from growing cotton. Everybody used to call him Bhudhi. Hon. Chikomba valued the public. When he was a bus driver, everybody appreciated him because he always greeted people. He was always clapping hands saying handeyi vanaBaba nanaAmai and those are the drivers who never drank whilst they were driving. If he is driving he was always drinking water and at one time he told me that his bus was written 80 km/hr and there is no point for me to exceed that speed.
He was a polished driver and he knew what he wanted. When he moved into politics, he moved into politics without back-biting, the type of politics we now have. He never spoke about tribalism. He would say Mukanya, this world is made of hard working people. We must work hard and he would say those who steal money book seven hotels and do not sleep in any of the hotels but they sleep in the car because they are always scared of the police. So, Hon. Chikomba had money which he earned from his farming and transport businesses. When he came back the second time, he joined the Committee on Mines and Energy and that is where I worked with him. He contributed a lot and he knew that it is important that the mining industry first and foremost, must benefit the affected community.
He was very good and well vested in the current Mines and Minerals Act which protects the people in the villages and he supported that. He was hoping that during his term of office he would see the new Mines and Minerals Bill come through the august House. Many people who came for the funeral saw what Hon. Chikomba was made of. There was a huge crowd and it was a heroic send off. He was a hero par-excellence and you could see that at his funeral, it was as if it was a king or someone who had died. Everybody who came there and I was talking to some Hon. Members from the opposition, some drove all the way from Mutare. They left Mutare around 2.00 a.m. so that they would be in Gokwe/Kabuyuni in the morning.
I left Harare at 6.00 a.m. and I was driving at a high speed and I was in Gokwe/Kabuyuni and in other instances I was driving at 200 km/hr. I can tell you that as I was driving I was driven by the spirit of giving a heroic send off to a man, a hero par-excellence. I want to thank His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa for according the provincial hero status to Bhudhi Chikomba. Everybody was there and that shows when you work for the people, you will be rewarded. He was rewarded and my wish was if they can hold a memorial service, all the Hon. Members should go there and say thank you to the people of Chitekete, thank you to the Chikomba family and thank us the Mukanyas because we are part of the royal blood of Zimbabwe. When you have one of you doing good work, you feel proud and you want to be associated with such a person.
I also want to thank Parliament of Zimbabwe, our Hon. Speaker, Advocate Mudenda for allowing Parliament staff to attend the funeral. All the people who attended there, we saw that there was great love, emotions and everything. All the relatives were all there and some stayed one week after the funeral and that shows the importance of this man. Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to conclude by saying Bhudhi Chikomba, Gamba remagamba, Mukanya, Mwana waPfumojena, waDerere Godzonga, Nzvere naChinamaringa Mhembere, famba zvakanaka mwana wevhu. Wakarwa kurwa kwakakosha, nanhasi ticharamba tichikuyeuka. Patinoita memorial service tichazoda kuti tiunzewo mari inonzi Chikomba Fund ichazenge ichibatsira nherera kuti dziende kuchikoro, kunyanyisa vanasikana kuti vasazonge vari vanorasika. Tatenda.
*HON. MAVETERA: Thank you Hon. Speaker for awarding me this opportunity to pay my condolences following the death of Hon. Chikomba. We lost one of us. I want to thank all those who managed to travel to Gokwe for the burial of Hon. Chikomba. Many people attended the burial. There is a saying that if someone is dead and he is good and clean, we see his commitment and his working together with people. The number of people who came for his burial showed that he was a loving person, dedicated and even the staff, Hon. Members and the management of Parliament managed to attend the funeral.
I had a personal encounter with Hon. Chikomba. I met him in Parliament. He had an allegation against him that he took money from Goddard. There was a panel of inquiry which was set so that they can look into the issue. The issue was broadcasted in the media. There was Hon. T. Mliswa and Hon. Sibanda among others. We also managed to look into the issue as the panelist who were given the opportunity to look into the issue, but the issue turned out that people were lying and the media was lying. It is very bad to tarnish people. As Parliament we have come up with a law which manages the media and the law must be implemented. Mr. Speaker Sir, social media is not good. Right now, as a country, we are preparing for the elections and many lies are going to be circulated on the social media platforms. People tend to use social media to tarnish the image of someone because they know that in politics, it is the only weapon they can use to destroy someone.
Recently, I was talking to Hon. T. Moyo when he was written in the media. The story does not exist at all because people tend to use media to destroy someone. This is the issue I want to talk about Hon. Chikomba. As parliamentarians, we are fighting a lot of things because a lot of stories are being raised or written in the media and most of the things, we did not do them because people do have an agenda. Hon. T. Moyo’s image was extremely tarnished but he won resoundingly at the recent elections. People tend to write or spread lies about other people because they know who people prefer the most. Mr Speaker Sir, can we have laws which protect people from such behaviours. Yes, the laws are there but can they be implemented so that people are protected? If someone spreads lies or talks something bad about someone on social media platforms, they must face the full wrath of the law. I am raising these issues because these are some of the issues which were faced by the late Hon Chikomba.
Hon. Chikomba had a nickname called Chinyerere. I heard this name when we went for his burial. Hon. Chikomba was a humble, jovial, respectful individual. He used to wear big baggy trousers that was his trade mark. An individual is known for his or her trade mark. For example, Hon. Mukaratigwa dresses like an Indian. We worked with Hon. Chikomba for a long time and he was a team player who worked very well with other people.
Many people went to his burial. The number of people who attended his burial showed that he was a peace loving person. I encourage everyone to emulate the good deeds which were done by the late Hon. Chikomba. Let us do away with jealous, gossip and hatred because it does not help us. There are people who just hate you without doing anything bad to them. For example, someone can decide to hate Hon. Mokone because of her long hair like a white person’s. Leave her alone, each and every person has his or her own trade mark. It is very important to love each other and accept that we are different. Hon Chikomba taught us love. The new Member of Parliament for Gokwe-Kabuyuni is among us; I encourage the Hon. Member to continue with the work and the good deeds which were done by the late Hon Member. Continue to love and guide the people of Gokwe-Kabuyuni.
We say may his dear soul rest in peace. I am not good at reciting totems like what Hon. Mudarikwa has done. May his dear soul rest in peace. Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for granting me the opportunity to contribute to this motion. At the outset, allow me to thank Hon. Ngwenya and Hon. Moyo for this valedictory motion on the passing on of the gallant Hon. Leonard Chikomba, lovingly known as bhudhi in this House, at his church, in his constituency, in the transport and numerous other business entities where he was involved with immense success.
Unfortunately, a number of us that were engaged in the budget consultative process far away from Kabuyuni could not make it for his burial. We discussed it and we felt that Hon. Chikomba, being Hon. Chikomba, would have loved us to carry on with duty. We felt duty bound to honour the consultative process in his name. I had an occasion to phone and speak to his son; it was really a very difficult telephone conversation. Allow me to express my heartfelt condolences to his widow. It is so difficult to refer to her as such and to the son and his entire extended family, without forgetting that the loss also lies with our nation as well as the ruling party ZANU PF. To that extent, I express my heartfelt condolences to His Excellency and the entire ruling party.
I wish to express my appreciation for Hon. Chikomba’s services to this nation and let me add that if the ruling party had not moved this motion, we in the opposition were ready to do that. It is unAfrican to compare the passing on of brothers but God help me in saying that the passing on of Hon. Chikomba was unexpected and even today there are times I sit there and expect to see him walk up to his usual place. His death was as painful and as deeply felt across the aisle as that of the late Hon O. Mguni, the late Ambassador Amos Midzi, a fantastic patriot and passing on of our very young, the late Hon Kennedy Dinar. You would remember the young and affable fellow that sat across to your left Mr. Speaker Sir. May their souls rest in peace? I know there is this wafawanaka syndrome, where in the spirit of ubuntu, we speak well of the departed but ‘bhudhi’ made it easy for us to love him because he loved us from the bottom of his heart. Despite his status as an accomplished businessman, he had time for all of us, entirely, all of us - he gave of his time to chat with us. He saw all colleagues and equals in all of us. I have also listened to members of staff who serve this our Parliament, talking about him, with a lot of affection. You cannot doubt, he treated them as equals as well.
Mr. Speaker Sir, there shall come a time because I am learned, when I will write my memoirs; when I will write in detail my historical account of my short stay in Parliament. I will write about an Hon. Member that would not take pictures with Members of the Opposition because in his mind, even if he claims to be a church elder, associating with us from the Opposition is an abomination. This was not Leonard Chikomba. He loved all of us. He had no fear of associating with progressive and patriotic political views from the Opposition.
Allow me to narrate briefly, how I became friends or a sawhira with this gentleman called ‘bhudhi’. We had been sent by the Committee on Media to view base stations and we went to Pumpkin hotel. After a long day’s work of going up the mountains to view base stations, we went our different ways and I am sure everyone felt like cold drinks of an adult nature. So, around midnight, we all went back to the hotel. I met Hon. Chikomba somewhere along the corridor and I realised he was struggling a little. I also noticed that in one of his pockets, he had like a wad of 100 USD bills. It was a lot of money and expectedly, Chikomba was a successful business person. So, what I did was I took him to his room, locked the door from outside and said to him, I will push the key underneath the door because in your current state, I do not believe you will even lock the door.
The next morning, he remembered vividly what I had done. From there we became bosom friends; myself, from the opposition, Chikomba from the ruling party. I will be remiss if I give the impression that hardliners like the one that I mentioned from the ruling party do not exist on our side. They do, regrettably but one wishes such positions could only be replaced by shared ideas; contested ideas because at the first level, we are Zimbabweans. I am happy to stand here and acknowledge that speaker after speaker that addressed themselves to this motion attested to the fact that ‘bhudhi’ was never a divisive figure. He was tolerant, in his political surge. By this I must be very clear, ‘bhudhi’ was patriotic. He loved the ruling party and he loved His Excellency the President of this country. His last video that we were sent when we were out there on duty, we saw him talking to his love of the country; his constituents, his political party as well. I must be clear because some may then send wrong messages that he also delved in the politics of the opposition. He just loved his political party but also appreciated the fact that you can be a diehard Member of the ruling party and still be accommodative of those of a different political view.
I believe there is absolutely no reason why we should debate about the departed if our express intention is not to learn from their good deeds and if our express intention is not reminiscing about the good times we spent with them. I have taken to the floor to do exactly that. I want to share a few lessons that I drew from the late Hon. Chikomba. I will not repeat ad nauseam everything that the others have said but there are three striking things that I wish to put on record. His humility was unparalleled, he was humane, compassionate, he was humble. Those three character traits are so difficult, especially to politicians. Hon. Chikomba was also much to the surprise of many, very prayerful and God-fearing.
You remember the mess – thank you Honourable for reminding me of the Goddard issue. Hon. Chikomba was deeply worried about that. It was a story that was created from nowhere, where Goddard and team said since this young man hired your trailers and this fact had been admitted before a Parliamentary Committee, how much did he owe you? Hon. Chikomba said I was owed US$2 700. Then this White gentleman, Mr. Goddard said, now that we are no longer using the USD, how much do you think is equivalent to the USD that you are owed by this young man so that we organise and you are paid. Hon. Chikomba said, I think the equivalent is $500 000. We were all shocked to read in the newspapers that four Members of Parliament were trying to extort money from Mr. Goddard. Come to think of it Mr. Speaker Sir, the account that Hon. Chikomba was asked to leave with Mr. Goddard so that his accounts could process his payment was a Zimdollar account. So, where is the compatibility? How could they then deposit US$500 000 in that account, for what? In the process, when they realised that their story could not stick, they tried to separate us along political party lines. I was asked to visit some office before coming before the Privileges Committee to accept a brown envelope, and I said hell no. I said there is no way I will take money. I could use the money but not dirty money. This is how it ended. Unfortunately, everyone in the country is quick to believe the lies that are told by a white man. He told absolute lies in order to attract Government business. Towards the end of that story, he was now saying Hon. Mliswa and Hon. Ndebele were out, implying that Hon. Chikomba and Hon. P.D. Sibanda were dirty. I said there is no way I can take dirty money in order to tell lies. I totally refused Mr. Speaker Sir.
It has been a tumultuous second term for me. Apart from the Goddard case, I was then said to have raped someone and yet the material tore in my defence. I was outside the country. My diplomatic passport says so. Ko ukanyengwa nafarm manager wangu because he drives a Mazda B16 okunyepera kuti ndini Honourable wacho, without verification then you go and report to the newspapers kuti ndabatwa chibharo na Hon. Ndebele, ndizvo here Hon. Speaker?
Hon. Chikomba was one of the very few people from this House that were first to phone me and say what is going on, take heart, stand your ground, clean yourself up. This is the nature of the person that we are saying farewell to - very few people. It was still a united opposition. The leaders of my party then decided to play God when people prejudge you before they get to associate with facts,lawyers of repute for that matter. I am grateful to Hon. Chikomba for he stood with me. I recognise other people, the young affable mayor, Jacob Mafume, Zwizwai Murisi, Advocate Phulu and Ambassador Matemadanda. All those fit in that league of gentle people who interface with facts before anything else.
Mr. Speaker Sir, there are political vultures as Hon. Mavetera indicated. This family that was running with the false narrative that I had done something against their daughter was getting funding from my predecessor’s son who is a doctor in America. The guy had the audacity to send me a WhatsApp message to say if you step down I will ask them to drop the case. I said I am a lawyer, let me face the music. I would really like to thank Hon. Chikomba for his association with the Kabuyuni Constituency. I am happy the people also chose a good associate of his to carry on with the business of representing them. As I round off Mr. Speaker Sir, I know they worked together.
Also, let me thank Hon. Chikomba for raising a single son who is a responsible citizen. A few months ago, we bumped into him before his father passed on in Dubai. He dropped everything that he was doing to show us around as Hon. Members of a Committee that was visiting Dubai. May Bhudi’s soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MKARATIGWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I would like to reflect on a humble man. Hon. Chikomba was indeed a likeable man. Yes, he hailed from Mwenezi but I got to know him as someone who hails from the Midlands and the remotest part of Midlands which is Gokwe North. He was a humble, responsible and unifying man who actually managed to serve the people of Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency so well. Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency has got a number of citizens from different origins. You will find Shona, Ndebele, et cetera. They speak various languages. The late Hon. Chikomba managed to bring all of them together. He wanted to work with the traditional leadership from that constituency so well. He managed to lead by example. We all loved and cherished Hon. Chikomba. In fact, he is our hero.
I would like to thank His Excellency, the President of this republic, Cde. Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for hearing our call and conferring Hon. Chikomba a liberation war hero. Indeed, he was buried with honour and with a gun salute. Those we love Hon. Speaker Ma’am, are never really lost to us and so is Hon. Chikomba. We feel them in so many ways. When he was alive, Hon. Chikomba used to interact with a lot of us. He was a member of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development. We respected him and he respected us. We interacted with him so well with passion. He interacted with us with compassion and he always provided wisdom, kind and unifying words whenever we would probably not agree on certain issues. He was a unifier. He always led by example within the committee. He would not pick a fight, he would not quarrel and he would not make noise. He was humble, quiet and focused on harmony on ensuring there is harmony and committee business would go on so well.
I knew Hon. Chikomba interacting so well with the now incumbent Hon. Spencer Tshuma. In other words, he was someone capable of actually nurturing, training and ensuring that he works well with others. Perhaps it was an indication that he gave us while he was living that he interacted so well with Hon. Spencer Tshuma and today he is an MP. He is responsible for the same constituency that Hon. Chikomba so loved and took stewardship of. I hope and pray that God will guide Hon. Tshuma as he takes on the responsibility that Hon. Chikomba used to tackle so well; through friends they always cared about and dreams they left behind and beauty that they added to our days. People like Hon. Chikomba will always be remembered through the offsprings that they brought to this earth. When I attended the funeral of Hon. Chikomba, that is when I got to see his family for the first time. I knew about his family through the interactions that I had with him; indeed he left a well groomed and happy family; a family that he had actually prepared to sustain itself. Indeed, he left a duplicate in his son; he looks very much like him. When you see him walking, if you are not very close to him, you would think it is Hon. Chikomba.
He used to talk much about his son and his grandson. He always said my wealth will not go to my son but to my grandson. He named his grandson Leonard after him. We were also reminded during his funeral that he left everything including the house to his grandson; which means he was preparing for a well guaranteed, comfortable future for his grandson. He prepared well for his family and he left a legacy for them. He used to talk about having taught his son to do business, having liberated him. By the way, Hon. Chikomba was a businessman par excellence. He founded a transport business, a chain of supermarket businesses, he was into agriculture and he ran the businesses very well. He managed to actually ensure that his son, while he lived, was also able to run the transport business on his own as if it was his own business, to ensure that his legacy lives on; something that we cherish indeed Madam Speaker.
I am actually dismayed by the way Hon. Chikomba died. He died whilst on duty, he was coming from Gweru and was almost getting to Chitekete where he resides; maybe less than 20 km away from his homestead where he met his fate. He was driving himself; he was an Hon. Member of Parliament driving himself without an aide. I call upon this Parliament to closely look at the welfare of Hon. Members and just like Hon. Chikomba was able to leave a legacy for his family, I call upon Parliament to examine this area and ensure that they capacitate and ensure that Hon. Members are able to be taken care of while they live. They should have drivers and aides so that they will never tire in the course of their duty. They should have adequate pension and other emoluments while they live so that they are able to actually carry out their duties comfortably without worrying about anything and ensure that they live long. I pray that Parliament will review this area and consider it positively in light of the way that Hon. Member of Parliament, the late Hon. Chikomba died. May his soul rest in peace; I rest my case Hon. Speaker Sir.
(v)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to debate on part of Hon. Chikomba’s life. Physically and geographically, he was my neighbour – [Network failure] -... who are the people who I even represent today in the august House, the great VaTonga people. He was a gentleman who was well regarded within the community and he was a respectable man – [Network failure] - He was a man who was regarded as a person that people would look up to. I worked with Hon. Chikomba as a Member of Parliament and I interacted with him on a number of activities in Parliament and as an Hon. Member. His desire was to be as much as possible, a person who represented the interests of other people rather than being prominent in his life. He was a dedicated man. His death was one that nobody would wish to go through in their lives. I happened to have an opportunity to really go to the scene of accident where Hon. Chikomba lost his life.
Hon. Speaker, the story is a story that was undesirable in the century that we are living in. We cannot speculate and say what exactly caused the accident but it is common cause that the nature of the road at the scene where Hon. Chikomba lost his life is one – [network failure] – I know that all the citizens expect Members of Parliament to be taking part in maintaining the roads but we find ourselves to be victims of the same roads too. The late Hon. Member was on duty; he was coming from a public activity. He was not coming from a personal activity... [network failure] -
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Hon. P. D. Sibanda, we have lost you.
(v)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Hon. Speaker, I submit that...
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: You are breaking Hon. Member. So your debate is being interrupted. I think we have lost you now.
(v)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: [Part of speech not recorded due to network failure.]
*HON. S. TSHUMA: Thank you Madam Speaker for affording me the opportunity to debate on the motion about Hon. Chikomba. This is a very disturbing incident that happened to one of our fellow legislators. He perished in a road accident on his way from work. He was like a father to me. I knew a lot about his life and the way we were living at home. He was a nice and humble person to everyone but I did not know much about how he worked and lived with other fellow MPs. We were shocked and surprised when we saw a lot of MPs who came to his funeral including the opposition MPs. That is when I saw that he was not only humble person to his family but to everyone. He was not someone who was selective or who could segregate people. I never thought that one day I would be an MP. He would pass through Kadoma every time on his way to Parliament and when coming back from Parliament, checking on me. He molded me into the person that I am today. It is sad that he left us while he was still grooming me. I never thought such testimonies about him could come from the Opposition MPs like Hon. Ndebele.
I would like to thank all the MPs for the love and good work relations they had with my father, Hon. Chikomba. He was a hard worker. One thing that people should learn from Hon. Chikomba is that he was someone who knew the importance of his wife. He would tell me that all the management of businesses is under your mother. I have trained her. Let me say Madam Speaker, if we are to go to his business, there is no difference in the way it was run during his husband’s time. This is because he has trained his wife good business management. I was with her yesterday and she promised that she will never stop farming because of the passing on of her husband. She is someone who respects her husband even though he is no more.
This is a lesson to us men who are still alive to train our wives how to manage businesses. We should not look down upon them because they are also able. If possible, those who could may go and see how she is managing the businesses. There are even improvements. Hon. Chikomba did not become what he was because of politics or when he became an MP. He always told me that he started from humble beginnings. He would sleep when all passengers were off the bus because he was a bus driver. He told me that he would tell his son that he wishes if he was a learned person but the son, Eddy, would respond that, if you were a learned person, we might not be what we are today.
It is painful that Hon. Chikomba is no longer with us but I am encouraged by your testimonies that he was a humble person. It is my prayer that I be able to take up and continue from where he left with the humbleness that he had to everyone.
It is my prayer that the good things that have been said about Hon. Chikomba will console the family. It will allow them to know that Hon. Chikomba was good to everyone in the whole country. It is with a heavy heart that I say this. I cannot continue pertaining to the good things that were done by Hon. Chikomba. He passed on, on Saturday. He had called and spoken to me for about six minutes on Thursday night. He told me everything and most of those things were important, especially those to do with the constituency.
He always addressed me as his son, asking me to come and assist him back in the rural areas. There are a lot of things that we used to do together. This thing really touched me upon hearing about the passing on of Hon. Chikomba. Death has no timetable. If only it was known when one would depart, he was going to give me his last words. Unfortunately, this is what death does and separates us. It is my prayer that God strengthens us. I cannot fit in his shoes. My prayer is that God leads us. I will try my best for the constituency. Thank you.
(v) HON. NGWENYA: I would like to thank all Hon. Members who debated on this motion and therefore move for its adoption and production of a booklet or compendium of all the pages by Hon. Members to be handed over to the bereaved family of Hon. Chikomba;
Motion that this House:
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the passing on of the late Member of Parliament for Gokwe-Kabuyuni, Hon Leonard Chikomba, on Saturday, 28 May, 2022;
PLACES on record its appreciation for the services which the late Hon. Member rendered to Parliament and the nation at large;
RESOLVES that its profound sympathies be conveyed to the Chikomba family, relatives and the entire Nation for the loss of the Hon. Member, put and agreed.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that all Orders of the Day be stood over until Order Number 33 is disposed of.
HON. MOKONE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 51ST PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM HOSTED BY THE PARLIAMENT OF MALAWI
Thirty-third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report on the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum hosted by the Parliament of Malawi in Lilongwe, Malawi.
Question again proposed.
HON. MPARIWA: Let me begin by thanking you for giving me this opportunity to actually acknowledge the debate that took place in terms of this particular motion. You may recall that when I tabled this motion, I highlighted a number of successes about Zimbabwe and how united the delegation was. The performance of the delegation, we have become a unique group of delegation when it comes to the SADC PF, a dynamic group which participates in every debate and I want also to pay tribute to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Mudenda who has been outspoken in terms of wanting the SADC PF to be turned into a legislative assembly.
As such, he has been delegated with the power to move around the SADC countries to persuade Government to adopt the motion that the SADC PF becomes a legislative assembly. The way he articulates issues at the SADC PF, you would think he is the President of the SADC PF. We are a proud delegation when we go to SADC because of the ability and access to the Speaker when it comes to wisdom and consultation.
I want to also pay tribute to even the secretariat that goes with us to the sessions of the SADC PF that they have become part of a culture where when we need help it is just at the click of a button. I would wish all the delegations that go out there on behalf of Zimbabwe are as united as the SADC PF group. I want to thank Parliament for making it possible for us to meet the deadlines of SADC PF and those who produced the report that we tabled in this Assembly. With that Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity and all the members who listened to my debate during the presentation. I now move that this the report be adopted.
Motion that this House takes note of the Report on the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum hosted by the Parliament of Malawi in Lilongwe, Malawi, put and agreed to.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI, seconded by HON. MOKONE, the House adjourned at Twenty-Six Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 11th October, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senators are reminded to put their phones on silent or switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Thank you Mr. President. I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second Mr. President.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SEN. WATSON KHUPE
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate, Hon. Watson Khupe.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to add my voice to the motion that was raised by Hon. Sen. Manyau, a motion that fittingly speaks about the late son of the soil, Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe who passed on in July 2022.
Mr. President, the late Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe was a Zimbabwean disability activist and a politician who served this House since 2018. He untimely passed on in July at the age of 59. The late Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe represented a specially allotted constituency for people living with disabilities. Mr. President, the late Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe was, according to my own observation, a very educated man as I shall highlight in my contribution. He held various qualifications as follows:
A diploma in bookkeeping that was awarded by Certified Bookkeepers of South Africa in May1989; a Diploma in Community Based Development, a diploma that was awarded by Quad International Institute St. Francis Xavier University in Canada in January 2022; a Masters’ in Business Administration, a Masters that was awarded by the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo.
The late Sen. Khupe had several certificates as follows:
He held a certificate in Introduction to Disability Research Methods for members of the disabled persons’ organisation. He got that one from the University of Stellenbosch in Germany in October 2009. He also had a qualification on Community Based Conflict Transformation and Peace Building from the Quad Institute of Administration in September 2007. He also had another qualification in Mainstreaming and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities in Southern Africa. This one was awarded by Japan International Corporation Agency in August 2006.
He also had one or two honors that I feel I should mention. He was given an honorary member for the town of Antigonish Nova Scotia, Canada, an award that was given to him in appreciation of the late Hon. Sen. Khupe’s work as a community and civic participator. Being buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery in Bulawayo is on its own an honour because Lady Stanley Cemetery is reserved for the city’s luminaries in Bulawayo. So for me, it was quite an honour for him.
Mr. President, the late Hon. Sen. Khupe was an expert in policy formulation, research, management, advocacy, designing and programming of livelihoods income projects. From February 2011 to March 2015, he was the project manager for income generating projects for the disabled people at the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Zimbabwe (MDAS), an organisation which he founded. From 2010 to 2012, he represented the disabled people during the constitution making process in this country. In 2010, he co-authored a report on disability and the incredible work of disability organisations in Zimbabwe, the late Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe’s report that was published in the UK website.
Mr. President, people living with disabilities used to be seen as beggars but through the leadership of the late Hon. Sen. Khupe, most of these people are now able to work for themselves. Some are vendors, some are working in carpentry and others are working in the private sector.
Mr. President, the late Hon. Sen. Khupe was a linguist. He had full professional proficiency in English, full professional proficiency in Shona, full professional proficiency in NdebeleZulu and he also had full professional proficiency in Kalanga. Such types of persons are difficult to forget when we lose them. The late Senator was ably described by his family as a caring father and husband who always plans and cares for his family.
In as far as this House is concerned, Hon. Sen. Khupe was ever present and was always making his presence felt by his numerous and meaningful debates. This House Mr. President, will miss his contributions. Accordingly, may his soul rest in eternal peace. I thank you – [HON. SENATORS; Hear, hear.] –
ANNOUNCEMENT BYTHE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
WEARING OF MASKS
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senators are reminded that the wearing of masks indoors is still mandatory. Government has not yet relaxed that.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: Thank you Mr. President. I want to add my voice on this motion which was raised by one of us. Hon. Sen. Khupe was a clever man who was devoted and did not miss sessions. We worked with him in one of the Committees. He would attend and go on all outreaches representing people living with disability, which means he was really representing them because he wanted the community to get what they deserved. I saw that he was full of love and he loved his community of people living with disabilities. He tried by all means to help them. When we hear people talking about him, we can tell that he was intelligent.
A cellphone having been ringing
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order Hon. Senators. This is a reminder; it is the instruction of this Chamber to put your phones on silent or switch them off.
HON. SEN. SHUMBA: Thank you Mr. President. Hon. Sen. Khupe departed untimely. He was in the Committee of SDGs and wherever we went as a Committee, he would be there, which means he was passionate about his job. He was a learned person and we see that we really lost someone who was precious but there is nothing that we can do because it is the work of the Lord. We mourn with the Khupe family. I remember him approaching me asking me to invite him to Mwenezi to meet with people living with disabilities. So, I was in the process of trying to engage him because where I come from, the place is so remote that people are still hiding children living with disabilities and they do not allow them to attend schools.
I was really saddened because before he came to Mwenezi, the Lord took him. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to start by passing my condolences to the Khupe family, friends and relatives who lost such a cadre. I want them to know that we are together in this loss because he was our fellow Senator. He was a man who was living with disabilities; and indeed living with disabilities does not mean inability. The late Senator was a man who would stand with fortitude, fighting for colleagues who live with disabilities in Zimbabwe. He would explain that it is important to appreciate whatever situation we are in. He would urge them to be courageous and work towards the development of the country. Let me repeat by saying that Hon. Sen. Khupe was a jovial person. There is no Hon. Senator who would just pass without being greeted by Hon. Sen. Khupe.
He was a very sociable person. He would also talk to different Senators about those who live with disabilities emphasising that he was always available to address their plight. He was a true representative of men, women, young people and children who live with disabilities. He did not choose people to represent but represented everyone. We remember Hon. Sen. Khupe for his good deeds. We moved around with Hon.Sen. Khupe, with different committees like HIV and AIDS Thematic Committee. He was a man who would take his vehicle and visit different areas together with his fellow Senators. He would trace the stories of those who lived with disabilities and would stand with them. He would support them and he was a capable cadre who represented those living with disabilities. We want the whole nation to continue appreciating and supporting those who live with disabilities. Even those who are in this august House stand upon that same position. We heard that Hon. Sen. Khupe was educated. He did different courses to improve himself. He was a hero and looking at his history, we appreciate that he trained for different responsibilities. So we remember him for that and his life presents a lesson to even those living with disabilities who should emulate what Hon. Sen. Khupe did.
He would identify different courses and would pursue them. We appreciate the Khupe family. It pains my heart that we moved around the country on Budget consultations. We went to Matabeleland North together with him and we also went to Binga in his car. He would come and we saw two places in Bulawayo. We went to Matabeleland South in Maphisa and he was also present. We went to Umzingwane together with Hon. Sen. Khupe and when we parted, it is unfortunate that after a few days we were informed of his death. After touring, then it was a sad parting. There is this adage that a good person is indeed good and God loves him. We say Hon. Sen. Khupe, may you rest in peace. You fought a good fight; we lived with you and worked with you. We will meet in the near future. I thank you Mr. President.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: I would like to say that I am pained with the loss of the late Hon. Sen. Khupe. It is painful to lose many people in this august House. Hon. Sen. Khupe was a good person who had a good reputation. Many people were saying; is it true that he is dead, and this means that he was a loving person who loved his job. During his funeral, there were a lot of disability organisations and this shows that he was a man who represented his constituency well. We are taken as people when Hon. Sen. Khupe passed on. We lost a brigadier but the painful thing is that some were being mentioned time and again. So, the question was - we desire that he could have been given recognition but we were informed that everyone plays a role.
We are happy that he was appreciated by many people and many people came to his funeral. He was a man who cared because many people who worked with him came in that short period of time from the august House. When we worked with Hon. Sen. Khupe, we appreciated the good job that he did because he was a man who was passionate about his job. The people who live with disabilities lost a true advocate of their rights, a true representative of their community through the life of Hon. Sen. Khupe. Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 7th Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians Network on Development and Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. NKOMO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October 2022.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Those who have got motions which have been debated, you can wind them up because I have a feeling that this session might be coming to an end. If you do not have them adopted, they will lapse and that would be a pity, especially if your motion is one which has relevance to the current situation and the recommendations will be useful going forward.
I strongly recommend that those who can wind up, please do so - otherwise you will lose out.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO THE PARLIAMENT OF RWANDA
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the benchmarking visit to the Parliament of Rwanda.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President. Let me thank Hon Sen. Parirenyatwa who introduced this report on the benchmarking visit to Rwanda. I noted quite a few issues which I emulated. Firstly, this is a country which faced the tragic genocide of 1994 where the Tutsis and Hutus were killing each other. Almost one million people died in 100 days, which means that this was a troubled nation. Those who write indicate that after the genocide, the perpetrators who were supposed to be taken to court - if western processes were supposed to be followed, it was going to take 100 years to deal with these cases because those who were found guilty were so many because the death of one million people is perpetrated by quite a number of people.
What pleases me with the Rwanda situation is that the Rwandan people sat down and decided to introspect for indigenous solutions for posterity. They convened their traditional courts which are called Gachacha in their indigenous language. Gachacha is a grassy area where you can sleep. This is where they derived the name Gachacha. The due processes which were supposed to be done by lawyers, prosecutors, judges and other systems were put in the hands of traditional leaders of that particular area who dealt with the issues of genocide in Rwanda.
The Rwandese are confident people in whatever they do. They did not fear that this was too big an issue for them to deal with so that they could engage the United Nations, Britain, France and other countries. Today we see Rwanda on the world map being renowned for national healing and peace. Rwanda is known for peace and unity. Those who visited Rwanda could not distinguish whether one was Tutsi or Hutu because there is no segregation and tribal distinctions among the people because they have reached a certain level of unity. This helps us in that they work together to build their country. They do not shift blame to others. They do not laugh at each other. They do things collectively. They have a 61% representation of women in their Parliament which means that they have confidence in the leadership of women in their Parliament.
The other positive thing that I saw in the report is that the people of Rwanda identified a unique governance system. They go to elections but after elections they unite. Our challenge in most African countries is that after elections, there is conflict until the next election. Instead of focusing on rebuilding our economy, we focus on electioneering year-in and year-out. Since 2018, there have been a number of rallies in this country of people campaigning. When we get money, we go to Gutu, Gokwe and all these different areas. We remove our focus from building our economy as we remain in the election mode.
After an election in Rwanda, the winning President unites all the political parties which garnered seats in their Parliament. The President appoints his deputy from a different party and a prime minister from another party. This vision results in development because people do not focus on elections only. For instance, if we were to talk about a Zimbabwean minister from ZANU PF or MDC, they will not focus on the negative things but rather on how to develop their ministry. No one will be used by foreigners and imperial forces. The governance system in Rwanda is a good model which should be emulated by other African countries so that we become a people who are developmental. There is no total freedom in Africa because we do not have a home grown governance system. Our governance systems are western models.
Have you noted that when we take international observers, what it means is that you cannot deal with your own issues but international observers are prescribed so that they come and give us marks in percentage terms. Out of hundred, you will find that you are told you did not meet their criteria because may be you got 30%. This point should be looked at this way; when we look at what is happening in Rwanda, you become totally independent. Total freedom is what we need to fight for in Africa.
The governance system allows people to focus on the economy. I saw that these people have a Government board, which supervises different ministries; their operations and this is done by the Rwandese. Their terms of references were developed by the local people and they keep that standard. The team which visited Rwanda said that when you go to their police headquarters, you would wonder whether you are still in Africa. The high standards which are performed by the people of Rwanda, you will ask yourself whether you are still in Africa. So, this is possible. We learn from others. Other African countries including Zimbabwe should emulate the people of Rwanda because they are people who challenged the status quo. So we cannot focus on what was written in the past by some people long back, which has nothing to do with our country. I believe this report should be studied by decision makers so that we learn from the people of Rwanda.
Rwanda is able to pay its civil servants handsomely. Those who went to Rwanda made consultations and they were laughed at by the people of Rwanda when they discovered what Hon. Members were earning. They were told that the Hon. Members of Rwanda were earning US$6 000 and civil servants were earning US$7 000. So, we need to build our country. Elections are okay but we need to work with a home-grown and African model, which is not Western based. That is what I do not agree with. We need to work and please ourselves and not pleasing the British, French nor the Americans and others. Where is the freedom and independence? Let us find home-grown solutions in whatever we do so that we learn. Let us take what the Rwandese did as a case study.
We had Gukurahundi here in Zimbabwe. We do not have to bury that issue. What I know is that when you go to Matabeleland, those who did not see Gukurahundi, when you engage them, they are as emotional as they were when they got into the open so that if there are issues, they are ironed out. We can take a leaf from the people of Rwanda. We need to be responsible. We need to get healing for the wounds in Matabeleland, copying what our colleagues in Rwanda did. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. DUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 51ST PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 51st Plenary Assembly of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE HELD IN ITALY
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to victims of terrorism.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
MOTION
PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR COMPLETION OF DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for Government to provide adequate funds for the completion of dam projects.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MKHWEBU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th October, 2022.
MOTION
PARENTING AND EMBRACING A RECEPTIVE CULTURE FOR CHILDREN LIVING IN THE STREETS
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on vulnerable children living in the streets.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to support this motion, which was brought to this august Senate by Senator S. Mpofu. I note that it is a very important motion. When looking at young children who are found in different streets all over the country, I note that in most urban centres, especially in Harare, these children will be begging and picking things from vehicles. They are indulging in a lot of things, including pilfering.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order. Our records show that you have already contributed on this motion. Hon. S. Mpofu, if you do not wind it up today, your motion will lapse.
HON. SEN. S. MPOFU: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to take this opportunity to wind up my motion on children living in the streets. This motion generated a lot of debate amongst Members. It was debated extensively and almost 95% of Hon. Senators here debated on the motion.
Therefore, I would like to sincerely thank all the Hon. Senators who debated on this motion. Important issues were raised on children living on the streets. It was my wish Mr. President that the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare was here to respond to this motion which was debated extensively. With those few words, I would like to move that the motion be adopted:
Motion that;
RECOGNISING Government’s mantra of leaving no one behind as envisaged in vision 2030;
ACKNOWLEDGING that institutional care and social protection programmes instituted by Government and Development Partners to promote livelihoods of vulnerable children who are living on the street;
CONCERNED at the ever-increasing numbers of such children in the Harare Central Business District (CBD) and other cities around the country, a situation which violates children’s rights to essential services such as education, health, safety, shelter and protection in general, as enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of Children and the Constitution;
FURTHER CONCERNED that life in the streets exposes children to sexual exploitations, drug abuse, physical, emotional, and psychological abuses, which are detrimental to their general welfare and productive livelihood;
CALLS UPON this House to implore Government to ensure that, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, assesses the root causes and addresses specific needs of such children so that they do not continue to live in the streets;
Sensitize communities on responsible parenting that embraces a receptive culture towards children living in the streets and ensure that they do not reconsider living in the street being provided better places to live put and agreed to.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MATHUTHU seconded by HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA, the Senate adjourned at Twenty-Five Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 29th September, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
*HON. MASENDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. It is unfortunate Madam Speaker Ma’am that for basic necessities like cooking oil, you find retailers demanding US dollars which prompts consumers to go to the black market to buy the foreign currency at exorbitant rates. This situation is not limited to retailers but schools and hospitals are also demanding US dollars. Farmers who engage in market gardening are equally affected in that they procure inputs and implements using US dollars whilst they are expected to sell their produce in the local currency. They have to buy the different forms of energy using foreign currency from electricity, fuel and all other alternative forms of power.
Madam Speaker, wheat producers also need foreign currency for fuel and other inputs. The transport sector is facing a similar challenge which culminates in the fluctuation of prices as they seek to make profits from their investments. Madam Speaker Ma’am, there is a law which applies to the procurement of products and services using US dollars, why is it that farmers are not given alternatives? I therefore, implore this august House to promulgate laws which will protect farmers because as it is, it is difficult for those in the farming industry to operate viably.
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Masenda. I encourage you to ask the question next week during Question Time to the responsible Ministry.
HON. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Good afternoon Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Good afternoon Hon. Mutseyami.
HON. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Madam Speaker for according me this opportunity. My question of national interest is for the attention of the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Hon. Speaker, the 30th August internationally, is recognised as a day of the victims of enforced disappearance and those who will be missing. There is a Convention which recognises that. Our Republic of Zimbabwe is not a signatory to that Convention. It is the Convention to do with the enforced disappearance and missing people.
My humble appeal and the question to the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is why the Hon. Minister does not address this gap because we are a family in this world and the world is a global village. I humbly request the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to come up with a Ministerial Statement so that we interrogate and have clarity on grey areas with regard to this issue.
Madam Speaker, we have to note that Zimbabwe as a country, is a victim as a result of this. We have had the disappearance then of one called Manyama in Bulawayo, Rashiwe Guzha, Itai Dzamara whilst we are not a signatory to a Convention which addresses that situation. So my appeal is for the Hon. Minister to look into that. Thank you very much - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – [AN HON. MEMBER: Edson Sithole] – I have just noted a few, we have as well Hon. Edson Sithole and many others who have gone missing in this country.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mutseyami, I will ask the Government Chief Whip to convey the message to the responsible Minister to bring the Ministerial Statement to the House. Thank you.
*HON MACHINGAUTA: Madam Speaker, I said I am going to talk about the provisions of the Constitution and also what is happening in Zimbabwe, if these provisions are followed, all Zimbabwean citizens will be happy.
Madam Speaker, our Constitution of Zimbabwe in Section 67, talks about political rights. If we go to Sub-section 1(a), it says every Zimbabwean citizen has right to free and fair regular elections. That is what our Constitution says. If we go further to Section 155 on Chapter 7, it talks about principles of electoral systems concerning elections. Sub-Section 1(a) of Section 155 further speaks to every Zimbabwean having a right to peaceful free and fair elections. If we go to Sub-section 1 (d) of the same section, it speaks of free from violence and other electoral malpractices. Our constitution goes further to say …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Machingauta, I want to remind you that you are supposed to talk for a minute only
HON. MACHINGAUTA: Okay Madam Speaker, let me try to be fast. Thank you.
Section 66 talks about the freedom of movement. Section 58 talks about freedom of association and disassociation. Madam Speaker, we are near elections but if we look at what is happening in our country, we see that there is political violence in provinces like Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, and Midlands and other areas like Seke. I plead to the Minister of Home Affairs to bring a Ministerial Statement to this august House which shows us plans and ways which the Ministry has so that we have free, fair, non-violent elections on the upcoming elections.
In his Ministerial Statement, he must also cover Section 219 which talks about the role of police service because if you closely check right now, we are experiencing the role of police while we have already transformed to police service. The statement must instil confidence to Zimbabweans on how the police has transformed. First thing when we return, I urgently urge the Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Kazembe Kazembe to bring the Ministerial Statement which covers all the raised concerns. This will help in maintaining peace and tranquillity in the country and we will be able to live in peace and harmony. Thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. D. P. SIBANDA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. I have observed that on the submissions that have been made by Hon. Members, you have directed the Government Chief Whip to notify the Minister. I am not sure how effective that is, looking at the fact that Parliament has got administrative machinery that is capable of relaying that message direct instead of apportioning that obligation to a Chief Whip. The Chief Whip cannot be accountable to the whole House in the same manner as when the Speaker directs the Administration of Parliament to put across that message to the relevant Minister. That is my observation. Thank you.
HON. HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Sibanda. I have consulted with the Administration and they said they will communicate with the responsible Ministers.
(v)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
*HON. MUKAPIKO: Thank you Madam Speaker for affording me this opportunity. I stood up to request the Minister of Home Affairs to enable us as Members of Parliament to convene meetings with our constituents because it is difficult for us to meet with our people as a result of the laws that are being applied by the police to political gatherings. This is because at the moment there is no clarity on whether feedback meetings by Members of Parliament are allowed as we have seen in the past that some Members of Parliament are barred from meeting their constituents on allegations that these are political gatherings. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUITY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Member. I believe this should be taken up by the Ministry and I believe the Minister will look into the issue.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 14 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 15 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
(v) HON. P. D. SIBANDA: On a point of privilege Madam Speaker. Hon. Speaker, I approach you in terms of Standing Order Number 73 as read with Standing Order Number 72 (d), of the Standing Orders of the House. There is a circular or a memorandum dated 28th September, 2022 coming from Traditional Leaders Support Services Acting Director (Administration) in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. This circular is indicating allocation of fuel from the Ministry of Local Government to particular departments and individuals. Amongst the individuals that are listed on point number 3 of that circular, is one V. P. Mohadi of Mashonaland Central on 12 October, 2022; 1 960 litres.
Hon. Speaker, this is a payment that is coming out of public coffers, which was distributed by Parliament of Zimbabwe. This country no longer has, in State Presidency, a person called V.P. Mohadi. Now, Mohadi is known as the Second Secretary and Vice President of a political party. The question that we have as a nation is, how many other ZANU PF officials are drawing resources from the public purse? Is that allocation lawful in terms of our Public Finance Management Act? I propose that the Hon. Minister of Finance together with the Minister of Local Government should come to the House and give Ministerial Statements on the use of public resources by people who are not public officers. We want also Hon. Speaker, that an audit be taken on how many other unentitled people are drawing from the public resources at a time when public services in terms of clinics are basically non-existent; at a time when civil servants are crying for better wages. We are seeing non-public officers accessing State resources. I therefore request that the two Hon. Ministers should come to Parliament and explain how that is possible. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Sibanda. How authentic is your source of information?
(v)HON. P. D. SIBANDA: It is very authentic and if the Ministers can prove otherwise, let them do that. However, this is very authentic because Members are all aware that Mr. Mohadi has been visiting each and every district. What we did not know was the source of funding. Now this source of funding has come out in the open. Therefore, an inquiry is desirable to determine whether this is authentic or not authentic.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Sibanda, I am encouraging you to bring the source of information first before I make a ruling.
(v) HON. P. D. SIBANDA: I will do so Hon. Speaker.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES ON PETITIONS PERTAINING TO SERVICE DELIVERY AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DEVOLUTION
HON. CHIKUKWA: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works, National Housing and Social Amenities on five petitions pertaining to service delivery and implementation of devolution.
HON. RAIDZA: I second.
HON. CHIKUKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I will table the report of the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works, National Housing and Social Amenities on five petitions pertaining to service delivery and implementation of devolution funds.
- Introduction
According to Section 149 of the Constitution, read together with Standing Order No. 191 and Appendix E, every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has a right to petition Parliament to consider any matter within its authority, including the enactment, amendment or repeal of legislation.
Parliament received five petitions from the Masvingo United Residents and Ratepayers Alliance, Headlands Residents Committee, Budiriro High Density Community Water Supply, Gweru Residents Forum and the Southlands Community. The petitioners beseeched Parliament to discharge its oversight function on issues pertaining to service delivery and participation of the citizens in the utilisation of devolution funds. The petitions were referred to the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works, National Housing and Social Amenities.
2.0 Methodology
The Committee held oral evidence with Harare City Council on the petitions from the Budiriro High Density Community Water Supply. The Committee invited the Headlands Residents Committee to a meeting to get an in-depth understanding into the issues raised in their petition. Further the Committee conducted public hearings in Masvingo, Gweru, Headlands, Budiriro and Southlands in Harare on the petitions from 3 to 8 April 2022.
3.0 Committee’s Findings from the Petitions
The section details the Committee’s findings from the inquiries conducted on the petitions.
Petition from the Gweru Residents Forum
The Committee considered the petition from Gweru Residents Forum (GRF) and conducted public hearings in Gweru. The hearings were attended by the petitioners, residents of Gweru and Gweru City Council officials and Councillors. The Gweru Residents Forum was disturbed by the non-consultative process in the utilisation of devolution funds by Gweru City Council. Resultantly, the petitioners bemoaned the lack of participation by residents in the selection of devolution projects. Gweru City Council was accused of conducting its business without considering the views of the residents including the tendering process of City Parking, servicing of residential stands and construction of bus termini.
The petitioners beseeched Gweru City Council to implement standing orders that are in compliance with the Constitution of Zimbabwe and to revoke Section 26, 30, 49 which were said to be on pages 10 and 11 of Gweru City Council’s Standing Orders. The Standing Orders were excluding the participation of ordinary residents and members of press in Council meetings. The Acting Town Clerk responded by noting that while the Urban Councils Act provides for the participation of the public in the council meetings, the Act also placed limitations on the meetings that public could attend. These limitations were on meetings pertaining to the Human Resources and tender/contract deliberation meetings.
Pertaining to the utilisation of devolution funds, the public expressed concern on the failure by the Council to consult the residents. In most cases, Council would only come back with feedback pertaining to how the funds were utilised and sometimes the projects would not be of priority. It was also submitted that in Ward 5, the CBZ housing cooperative had last received water six months ago. They were relying on a borehole donated by a donor in Nehosho but that borehole had since been converted to a water kiosk by the Council, again without the consultation of the public.
The Acting Town Clerk, Mr. Chikwekwe in his response to the issues raised pointed out that the local authority was conducting consultations on the utilisation of devolution funds concurrently with budget consultations. The submissions from the public during that consultative process would then inform the selection of priority projects which include those earmarked for devolution funds. It was further pointed out that while there was no specific legislative framework on devolution, the local authority was conducting its operations guided by Circular No. 3 of 2019. However, it was observed that the Circular did not outline the implementation modalities and the role that the local authority has to play in enhancing citizen participation in the devolution process. It was opined that there was a need to expeditiously develop the devolution legislation which will explicitly define the implementation framework of devolution in Zimbabwe. The same sentiments were echoed in all the local authorities visited by the Committee in this and prior fact-finding missions.
Petition from Masvingo United Residents and Rate Payers Alliance
Masvingo Residents were disturbed by the manner in which Masvingo City Council was utilising devolution funds without consulting the residents. The residents were further concerned that several years ago, the Masvingo City Council received funds in the form of a loan from National Social Security Authority (NSSA) towards the completion of the Mucheke Main Trunk sewer project but the project has not yet been completed despite the project being included every year in the Council’s budget.
Additionally, the petitioners were concerned with perennial water shortages in all the ten wards in the City due to intermittent power supply and persistent pump breakdowns at the Bushmead Water Treatment Plant at Lake Mutirikwi. Areas such as Mucheke, Rhoden and Runyararo West had gone for three months without water. The petitioners were concerned that the protracted water shortages would result in the increased water-borne and enteric infections as well as the spread of COVID-19. The petitioners also observed that at Mucheke Hospital, patients were now asked to source their own water and theatre operations had been suspended due to the incessant water shortages.
In his response to issues raised in the petition, the Town Clerk, Mr. Mukaratirwa pointed out that, pertaining to the Mucheke Main Trunk Sewer project which started in 2013, Council indeed received US$2.1 million from NSSA. The project stalled in 2015 after the funds had been fully utilised. Government further gave permission to the Council to acquire a loan to complete the project and NSSA extended a US$900 000 loan which was not enough to finalise the project. The project stalled until 2019 when, through the devolution funds, Council moved to complete the project. The Council expected to complete the project by the end of 2022.
Regarding public consultations in the utilisation of devolution funds, the Town Clerk indicated that the local authority was carrying out the consultations simultaneously with the budget consultations. It was from these consultations that the local authority would prioritise projects that would be implemented using the devolution funds. He added that the selection of projects was informed by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works which required them to constantly submit quick-win or 100-day cycle projects. In that regard, and in most cases, the local authority would implement projects that were reflective of the guidance from the Ministry.
Members of the public also submitted that Masvingo City Council was failing to provide adequate services to the communities settled in the Victoria Range area. They bemoaned poor service delivery in the area despite religiously paying rates and levies to the local authority. Some pointed out that some parts of the Victoria Range area were yet to be fully serviced and as a result, some of the people were living in degrading and inhuman conditions. The Town Clerk responded by acknowledging that the local authority was constrained in its capacity to service the area. He pointed out that the local authority was providing the services to the area as a way of assisting the citizens of Victoria Range as legally, the area was still under the jurisdiction of Masvingo Rural District Council and that local authority was facing challenges to provide services to the area. This situation however was not peculiar to Masvingo only but was also observed in other areas of Zimbabwe such as Bulawayo where the City Council was providing services to some parts of Umguza to prevent the spread of enteric infections to their area.
Committee’s Observations for Gweru and Masvingo Petitions
The Committee noted that there were problems on how Councils were utilising devolution funds, service delivery and lack of civic participation in Council business. Even Members of Parliament in their Constituencies confirmed that they were not being consulted on decisions concerning the use of devolution funds.
The Committee also noted the need for an engagement with the Ministry of Local Government and Local Authorities on issues of implementation of devolution and utilisation of the funds, lack of service delivery and civic participation in council business.
The Committee observed the urgent need for the formulation of the Devolution Bill which will outline the systems and processes necessary for the full and effective administration of devolution agenda.
The Committee noted with concern that Local Authorities only engage the residents during their budget consultations and as a result devolution funds were treated as one such revenue stream for the Councils yet the Constitution set parameters for devolution funds.
Committee’s Recommendations on Masvingo and Gweru Residents Petition
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should submit to Parliament the Devolution Bill that will guide Local Authorities on utilisation of devolution funds among other mechanisms by end of July 2022.
Local Authorities should conduct separate public consultations on the utilisation of devolution funds by 31 December every year.
ZACC should investigate tenders for the refurbishment of Gweru bus terminus and Gweru city parking by July 2022.
Petition from the Headlands Residents Committee
The Headlands Residence Committee was concerned about issues around sewer system, stands allocation, water provision, road infrastructure, rates and rentals. The petitioners were also concerned about lack of transparency, abuse and misappropriation of residents’ funds, corruption and poor service delivery to residents of Headlands by Makoni Rural District Council.
The petitioners explained that residents of Headlands were facing a number of challenges emanating from the administration of Headlands Growth Point. They outlined that on rates and rentals, Makoni RDC did not consult residents on increases but just went ahead and impose figures on residents. It was mentioned that the residents were not represented at the Council’s budget consultative meeting to afford them an opportunity air their views.
The petitioners also complained that they were houses which were bought in 1972 on a rent to buy basis but up until now Makoni RDC was still collecting rentals and rates. The petitioners said that the owners of those houses were expecting to get title deeds instead of continuing to pay rentals. Residents were wondering for how long they will keep paying for the houses and also the value of those houses. Council was accused of issuing summons and final demands for the lease rentals yet residents were expecting title deeds. The petitioners felt that there were some corrupt activities by Makoni RDC officials concerning the matter of home ownership.
Another challenge cited by the petitioners was that Makoni RDC sold stands in Sunview and Sunset as developed stands but these areas did not have roads, water and sewer reticulation system. The Council also charged residents for refuse collection and sewer charges when it was not providing such services. In Sunview, the petitioners informed the Committee that some stands that were sold are surrounded by huge rocks that make it impossible to build houses while some stands are occupied by graves. Residents who were allocated stands on graves were told to conduct exhumation and reburials on their own with the relatives of the deceased.
The petitioners were also concerned that revenue collected from plantations, Inyathi Mine was supposed to contribute towards development of Headlands. The petitioners alleged that Maungwe Investment (a timber plantation in the district) was owned by the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Makoni RDC. The petitioners alleged that the Maungwe Investment did not get the tender procedurally and that the company does not employ its labour from the local communities. Instead, it hired from outside the Headlands community thereby denying locals employment opportunities. The petitioners further alleged that Maungwe Investment was using Makoni RDC equipment such as tractors, trailers and management cars for its private activities.
The Headlands petitioners bemoaned the inconsistencies in the application of housing construction policies by Makoni RDC. They said that the local authority did not allow residents in Headlands to construct houses using farm bricks which were affordable and accessible yet in Nyazura and Chendambuya which are also under Makoni RDC they were allowed to use farm bricks.
The petitioners said that Headlands was managed by a Town Manager yet it had a rural setup which should be managed by a superintendent. They felt that Makoni RDC set up Headlands as a town settlement to justify hefty charges such as stage fees which were higher than fees for the rural setup. They also complained that in a rural setup graves were not sold but in Headlands the residents were charged $US50 per grave yet the grave site was not properly developed with no roads, water, toilets or refuse bins.
The petitioners also alleged that some house ownership in Headlands were being changed by the Town Manager without following proper procedures such as cessions. The Town Manager was accused of asking residents to come during weekends to be shown their stands.
In areas where there are sewer pipes, they were now too old and no longer able to cater for the growing population, thereby resulting in constant outbursts. The sewer ponds were said to be too small for the population and were not properly constructed. Of more concern to the petitioners were the stands that were being pegged around sewer ponds.
In response, the Chief Executive Officer of Makoni RDC, Dr Pise explained that Makoni RDC held a stakeholder consultation meeting on the increase of rates and rentals and only a few residents attended and did not register any objections. He explained that houses in the old location were allocated to applicants on rental basis. Sitting tenants were then offered to buy the houses and only those who managed to pay off the given purchase price were now the owners of the 63 out of 96 houses.
Dr. Pise also explained that the stands in Headlands were not title surveyed so there were no title deeds. The Council explained that consultations with the residents of Headlands on the issue of title deeds were done and only 10 people attended. It was highlighted that all stand holders in Headlands had leases.
In response to stands in Sunview and Sunset, Dr. Pise explained that applicants entered into agreements with Makoni RDC on the servicing of stands and paid according to agreed payment plans. However, some stand holders have not cleared up to their debts. It was submitted that 40 stands in Sunset were connected to sewer, roads were attended to, reticulation system was in progress, blasting of stones was done in Sunview and title surveying was done in Sunset. The Council explained that servicing was progressing according to collection of revenue. In Sunview suburb, there were 200 stands fully serviced with water and roads and over 200 stands to be serviced. Sunview is a low density area thereby residents have own site sewer. The Council had started exhumation of graves and was at an advanced stage.
The Council explained that Maungwe Investments was a wholly owned Private Limited Company of Makoni RDC and declares its annual dividends to Makoni RDC. The Chief Executive Officer is a board of director of Maungwe Investments by virtue of him being an employee of the Council. Maungwe Investments’ dividends contribute towards service delivery. The company hires permanent and casual labourers from the community. The Community of Headlands gets firewood from the company on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Makoni RDC admitted that it banned the use of farm bricks under Environmental Management and Climate Change Resolution No. FC 97/2019. Farm bricks were banned as part of building material because of climate change resilience. Headlands is a semi urban area and standards set are the same as for urban set up.
Committee’s Observations
The Committee noted the need for the Makoni RDC to conduct several meetings and consultations with the residents of Headlands. Some issues raised by petitioners could have been solved if the Council engaged the residents effectively.
Makoni RDC should consult its residents on issues of development, Maungwe Company and use of Council funds to avoid misconception because of lack of knowledge.
Committee’s Recommendations on Headlands Petition
The Makoni RDC should consult residents of Headlands on issues pertaining service delivery, council budget, revenue collection and devolution funds every quarter.
The Makoni RDC should solve the issue of rent to buy houses in Headlands with the residents and come up with a possible solution to issue title deeds by December 2022.
Budiriro High Density Community Water Supply Petition
The Committee had under its consideration a petition from Mr. Duma of Budiriro High Density Community Water Supply. The petitioners quoted the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in its General Comment No. 15 on the Right to Water which provides that States are required to ensure that each person has access to sufficient, safe, acceptable, accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. The domestic uses of water include the prevention of death from dehydration, reduction of the risk of water related diseases, consumption, food preparation, washing and personal and domestic hygiene requirements. Section 77 (a) of our constitution provides that every person has a right to safe, clean and potable water.
The Budiriro Community pleaded with the Government of Zimbabwe and Harare City Council to urgently heed to its call towards the fulfillment of the right to water by mitigating the water supply challenges that the Budiriro Community was facing. The petitioners indicated that there were more than 5000 households that had not received tap water in the last five years. This was attributed to reservoirs which were meant to cater for 12 000 households but were now catering for almost 25 000 households. They also indicated that a Consortium from House Number 12 400 to 13 100 had no water for the last three years, Gleneagles Consortium had only 200 households out of 1300 receiving erratic water supply (from Stand Number 14 000 to 15 300). Households Numbers from 6 100 to 6 400 and 17 330 to 17 436 had no water for the past four years. In the CABS, Old Mutual Park area, households from 19 000 to 22 000 last received water in 2017 and Budiriro 4 Extension had not received water supply for the last four years.
The petitioners indicated that after the establishment of the Old Mutual Park, Gleneagles Consortiums, Budiriro 4 Extension and Budiriro West, there was no development of corresponding water infrastructure to cater for the growing population except the CABS reservoir. However, the Committee was informed that the constructed reservoir was condemned and was never commissioned.
The petitioners requested City of Harare to immediately address the issues of water challenges in Budiriro by coming up with short and medium plans. They also requested City of Harare to introduce a rationing system in the areas affected and make the CABS water reservoir functional by urgently addressing all the issues that led to the condemnation of the reservoir.
As part of its inquiry into the petition, the Committee received oral evidence from the City of Harare. Eng. Moyo the Acting Town Clerk for City of Harare informed the Committee that the water supply situation in Harare was not adequate due to the ever increasing demand. This was attributed to the expansion of the city while the water supply infrastructure remained static for many years.
He explained that City of Harare was currently producing an average of 320 mega liters per day while the Harare Metropolitan Province requires a minimum of 1200 mega litres per day. At some point in 2021, the Council managed to pump 420 mega litres but gone down to 320 mega litres because of the shutting down of Prince Edward water works. Prince Edward was shut down because of inadequate raw water in dams that supply the water works. Given the situation the City of Harare was facing; the Council came up with an institutional plan where residents share the little water that is available. The City of Harare’s target was that every household should get water at least twice a week. ,However, some residential areas in the southern suburbs like Budiriro, Glenview and Highfields were getting water about five times a week but there were other areas in Budiriro that were not getting water at all. The City’s water demand management strategy is that from Monday to Friday water is being pumped to Alex reservoir which supply Northern Suburbs of Highlands, Mount Pleasant, Avondale and the southern region which includes Glenview, Mufakose and Dzivarasekwa. Eng. Moyo further explained that on Friday nights, water was being pumped to Letombo in Msasa Park to service the Eastern suburbs and supply Greendale and Highlands areas and during weekends the concerned area that is Budiriro does not get any water.
It was also mentioned that CABS in Budiriro Ext, which had about five thousand stands was established in 2009. The local authority constructed a reservoir tank but the tank was not designed adequately so it was not receiving any water, resulting in sharing of water from the original Budiriro reservoir with the CABS area. They explained that the request by petitioners to rationing of water was already in place.
The Committee was informed that the Council was currently working on rehabilitating the valves in the Budiriro area so that they can effectively shut off the areas under rationing. This was being done through devolution funds from the Central Government.
In response to the proposed solutions by petitioners the local authority indicated that it was procuring new valves and replacing the aged pipes in the area. The Council normally pumps water from Morton Jeffry with one medium and small pump towards Marimba and Lochinvar reservoirs, so during the pumping process City of Harare usually shut down the outlet valves so as to improve supply to those areas either CABS or Budiriro.
Regarding its long and medium term plans to mitigate the water challenges, it was pointed out that while the Council had plans to operationalize the CABS reservoir, it was also their aim to continuously have their existing reservoir at a height of seven meters but that could not be achieved because of inadequate pumps at the Morton Jaffray water-works which was producing only 320 mega litres instead of the required 1 200 mega litres.
The Committee was informed that City of Harare and Central Government were working on improving water supply in order to avert the water crisis. Tenders had been advertised for valve and pipe replacement programmes and residents were also encouraged to pay their bills.
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in response to the petition indicated that Harare City was facing many challenges which include, among others, the expansion of the City and the aged water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure which had led to over 60% non-revenue water. Furthermore, it was highlighted that residents owed the council about ZWL13 billion, which, if recovered would ameliorate the perennial WASH challenges in the City.
Committee’s Observations on Budiriro Petition
The Committee observed that while the petition was from Budiriro, the majority of areas in Harare and Zimbabwe were facing WASH challenges which required urgent intervention by the Government.
The Committee noted with concern that lack of adequate WASH facilities heightened the risk of water-borne infectious diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery in most of Harare’s high density suburbs.
The Committee observed that the water supply infrastructure in Harare was obsolete and was leading to substantial losses in revenue due to the non-revenue water.
The Committee observed that Harare City Council was not effectively following up on debtors hence the failure to recover some of the funds owed by the public.
The Committee observed that the dams that supplied Harare with water were now inadequate due to the expansion of the City.
Committee’s Recommendations on Budiriro Petition
Since water is a right, devolution funds should be channeled towards water and sanitation to solve the perennial problem of water in Budiriro and other suburbs in Harare where water is a problem starting from 2023 financial year.
The contractor who constructed the reservoir for CABS area should rectify the problem to enable the reservoir to function properly and supply water to residents by December 2022.
Budiriro and Glen View suburbs should be declared red zones in terms of water provision to avoid outbreak of water borne diseases by August 2022.
City of Harare should replace water valves and old pipes in Budiriro by December 2022.
City of Harare should come up with a lasting solution to the water problems in Budiriro by providing water to every household at least three times a week by July 2022.
City of Harare should ensure water meter reading employees visit each household to take actual readings and desist from billing residents based on estimates by August 2022.
Petition from Southlands Residents Association
The petitioners were aggrieved that the right to education for the children of people living in the Southlands/Tariro Township had been violated by the City of Harare. Specifically, the petitioners observed that based on the initial surveyors plan for the area, there was land allocated for the construction of five schools. However, it was observed that City of Harare had allocated the land to land developers thus leaving the community without space for construction of affordable, accessible and available schools. Essentially, the petitioners believed that this was in direct contravention of the right to education.
Mr. A. Makara, the Chairperson of the Southlands Residents Association indicated that they approached Harare City Council concerning the issue. They presented to the Committee that five sites were earmarked for the construction of schools (3 sites for primary schools and 2 sites for secondary schools) in Southlands. However, much to their dismay, private players had occupied the sites and were in the process of developing residential areas. They further pointed out that their engagement with the Harare City Council yielded low positive results as they were told that they were supposed to find donors to construct the school in the area. Essentially, Harare City Council had reneged on its mandate to provide adequate education facilities in areas under its jurisdiction.
The petitioners bemoaned the lack of adequate education facilities in Southlands, yet the area had a growing number of children of school going age. They further observed that their children had to travel very long distances to find proper education facilities. This daily commute, as they pointed out, was too costly for them, cumbersome on their children who had to wake up early and come back home late and exposed them to risks that threatened the children’s health and wellbeing.
In response, Mr. Sithole from Harare City Council indicated that contrary to the allegations in the petition, the local authority had not allocated the sites to private land developers. Instead, the local authority, guided by the physical plan of the area produced by the Physical Planning Department in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, the local authority intended to construct seven primary and three secondary schools. He further pointed out that the local authority had intended to implement these projects using devolution funds, but those funds have been constrained. It is because of that reason that when they engaged with the petitioners, they pointed to the need to engage private partners in the construction of these education facilities.
Committee’s Observation
The Committee observed the need for City of Harare to engage the residents whenever an issue of lack of provision of services has been raised. The Committee also noted that residents need to constantly approach the Council with their problems so as to come up with some solutions.
The Committee noted that the issue of schools involves the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and the City of Harare. These three entities need to come up with a solution to the issue of construction of schools in Southlands.
Residents of Southlands should also fulfil their obligations by paying rates to City of Harare to raise funding for the area to be developed.
Government should come up with lasting solution to settlement such as Southlands which were allocated to Housing Cooperatives. The beneficiaries went on to build houses where there were no basic infrastructure services such as sewer and water reticulation, roads, clinics and schools.
Committee’s Recommendations
Government through the Ministries of Local Government and Public Works and Primary and Secondary Education and City of Harare should work together to ensure the available of schools in Southlands by December 2023.
Treasury should allocate resources to cater for the construction of schools in Southlands in the 2023 National Budget in order to avoid violation of the right to education as enshrined in our Constitution.
Going forward, Government should not allow construction of houses where there is no offsite infrastructure.
4.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, the report detailed and exposed the limitations in the implementation of devolution, provision of adequate services and the lack of public participation in the local economic development discourse. It is therefore imperative that the Government considers the plausible recommendations proffered by the Committee in order to ameliorate the challenges observed. I thank you.
*HON. RAIDZA: Thank you Madam Speaker and how are you. I want to support this report which has been brought in by Hon. Chikukwa in connection with the tour of the Local Government Committee as a follow-up of five petitions that were brought into this House. The issues that were at stake were in terms of the devolution funds which were not transparent in terms of their uses in Masvingo, Gweru and also lack of water supply in Budiriro and some challenges in Makoni Rural District. What we gathered from our visits is that most of the things are pathetic. In our Constitution, there is the issue of devolution, returning power to the people. The Government brought in the devolution and decentralisation policy and in that policy, the Head of State, His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa wrote in his preamble on the policy document, explaining the importance of the policy on devolution and decentralisation. Some might not get it clearly on how to implement it but he said that, let me repeat. In that policy, he stated that we are bringing back devolution in order to bring back power to the people so that the residents should be in control of development in their area. However, if we look at the complaints that were raised in Masvingo and Gweru, you find that after passing the Bill and Hon. Prof. Ncube gives the money to the councils, that is when the challenge started because the council officials are corrupt.
Firstly, they did not want the residents to know that there are some devolution funds that have come from Government. The residents will hear it as hearsay. The policy of Government is very clear that when the money is released, the residents should be informed and they would work together and come up with challenges that they are facing.
We also heard that there is a project which was started in 2013 in Masvingo and that project would not be completed. They even borrowed money from NSSA but still the project was not completed. In fact, the money that was borrowed was not used for the project. To the residents, that project was very important. You will find that the way that the devolution funds were being handled was not clear to the people. It was only the council officials who would do whatever they wanted.
From our investigations and as a Committee, we noticed that corruption was a hindrance to the development. Even if the policy and the Constitution are clear but corruption and theft which is rampant in our councils is the one that is causing animosity between the residents and the councillors.
If you read the report of the Auditor General from 2019, 2020 and 2021, you will find it disturbing. In 2020, out of 90 only 46 councils were able to bring their books for audit. In 2021, the numbers even decreased from 46 to 21. Maybe in 2022, we might not get any councils bringing their books for audit. If you want to look at issues of development in the rural areas you will find that it works with transparency. The reason why books should be audited is that people want to see how money has been used. If accounts from council are not audited, there will be a challenge because people will suspect that there is corruption and theft going on.
As Parliament, because we are giving them 5%, we are supposed to come up with ways where these monies should be accounted for. That will put our minds to rest as Parliamentarians because we would want to know whether the money is being used for the intended use. If they do not want to be audited, it means there are shenanigans that are going on.
If you read from the media, you will find that places like City of Harare, they lost a lot of money, about US$200 million. Losing such amount of money, what more the devolution money, is it safe? Also, as a Committee, we were also faced with a challenge, like in City of Harare where they paid for 25 refuse trucks and none has been delivered since 2017. We are continuing giving them money yet what they have, they are not using it properly. They also do not want the Auditor General to audit their books. So when we are talking of people getting services in urban areas, we should talk about it and make noise targeting the town bearers from the Town Clerk to the least person. These people are hindering the progress of this issue that is in our Constitution and is being led by our Government which is aiming at bringing sanity in our councils.
I would also want to talk about companies which are said to belong to local authorities. We have Maungwe Investment Company in Rusape but that company is the name of the CEO. If you read the Auditor General’s reports, you will find that most councils have a lot of companies but they do not want to bring them to the fore so that they can be audited to find out what is really happening in those companies. What it tells us is that by refusing with that vital information, they know the corrupt activities that they are involved in because by putting the company in the name of the chairman and the CEO, is the beginning of fraud. In our laws, there is nothing wrong in stating that council is the shareholder of such and such a company. We have City Parking in Bulawayo, Harare, Gweru but what happens with the money that is collected from there? We do not see it in the Auditor General’s report. We do not know how it is helping the residents. They are collecting money every day but after collecting the money, we do not know where the money is going. As we are investigating, we find that those monies end up in the pockets of officials in council and councillors.
Madam Speaker, if it were possible, there should be an enquiry to find out where all the investments that are being done by the City of Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Gweru are going. Who are benefitting because the residents are not getting anything out of those investments? The challenge that we have of poor service delivery is being blamed on the Government. We are saying the Government should help them but they should also do their mandate. What we are seeing in our councils is that people are just stealing. After that, they blame the Government and say the Government is not doing anything. What are they doing with the rates that people are paying? Where is the money going? That is the question that we should ask them. Devolution funds are just adding on the money that they are collecting from the people. Most residents in urban areas refuse to pay rates to the councils because they have realised that even if the councils are given money, they are not doing anything to alleviate the challenges that residents are facing. The issues that we hear these days are that there are thieves in the councils. As Parliament, I think we should make sure that our laws are in place and they follow the mandate that they were given.
If we look at Kenya, they ended up removing the councils and bringing in counties because what happens when these councils are abusing funds, the people suffer. They ended up working with the Government and counties. I want to support this report on the cry of all the people that have been mentioned.
I also encourage the Minister of Local Government to bring in the Devolution Bill to reduce the challenges that we are facing. If that Bill comes and we look at it, it can help our Government to come up with a good law that will help the people. We have seen the challenges that are being faced by people. If the Bill is expedited, it will help so that we can trace some of the monies that are not being used well. It will bring clarity on implementation of devolution so that when we get to 2020, at least everything will be in place. I thank you.
*HON. MACHINGAUTA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for giving me the opportunity to debate the report which was presented by Hon. Chikukwa who Chairs the Local Government Portfolio Committee. We moved around the country and we found that the accounting officers or directors were in acting capacity. They do not do due diligence because they are on an acting capacity. Because there is no Local Government Board which has a responsibility of hiring substantive accounting officers, I think the Local Council Board can employ and appoint accounting officers. I will give an example of City of Harare where there is only one substantive director, the Director of Health and the rest of directors are acting. On an acting capacity, someone cannot make substantive decisions.
As we moved around the country, we noticed that Chapter 14 of the Constitution which speaks to devolution of powers, there are powers which are decentralised. You would find that on issues like the ZINWA and ZINARA that get the dictates of the Constitution, if we look at Section 276, our Constitution empowers local authorities to exercise their authority without interference. In this case, you find the Minister of Local Government interfering in council operations. The then Mayor Makombe at one time pointed out the fact that he was instructed by the Local Government Minister, Hon. July Moyo, to buy pumps. My request is that the Minister of Local Government should respect the Constitution of the land and observe the law. When people are empowered, there should be consultations. On the same issue, there is no consultation. It seems as if this is the Minister’s private bag which he carries wherever he goes.
Tenders are also the purview of the Hon. Minister. These are issues which have even come to this august House. My request is that we need to respect the Constitution. We wrote it and voted for the Constitution as Zimbabweans and it is our right to observe the law. Not following the Constitution is not right and this is retrogressive.
Let me continue saying that on issues regarding water, there are some areas which do not have access to water because of load shedding. Some areas have water maybe once in two weeks. The water comes at 10 p.m. to maybe 5 a.m. You will find women and children going to boreholes to fetch water. Women do not have time to do other duties but to pursue the issue of fetching water. Section 77 of the Constitution says that every citizen has a right to clean water. Government should intervene on this issue because it is constitutional. Government has that responsibility of rehabilitating dams around Harare and other cities because relying on water from boreholes in towns is not the right thing. Kunzvi Dam should be rehabilitated. We heard that there were monies but we do not know how it was used. All the other dams should also be rehabilitated so that there is enough water in Harare and other cities.
On the same issue, there is need for the accounting of the different allocations like the $144 million from China, which was earmarked for the Morton Jaffray Waterworks. We do not know how the money was used. There is need for investigating some of these monies and how they are used. Whether the money was donated or it is from other sources, the Central Government should empower those who are responsible for investigating such issues. There is need for clarity on that issue. It must be clear that every national initiative is driven by the people of Zimbabwe. It must not be from top down but should be from the people to officials. Whether it is devolution funds or tenders and other monies which should be channeled to water and the provision of water.
I will repeat that women are in trouble because they are forced to forsake other duties. They spend a lot of time fetching water. You find them sleeping at 10.00 p.m. They wait for the water to come then at 5.00 a.m. they wake up in the morning to cook for whether Hon. Biti or whoever. So if there is water which is coming from the taps, then you would find that women are able to rest.
It is important to empower women who should be employed in some influential positions. This is constitutional. I am sorry that I will continue, Hon. Chair, regarding that issue because I know that this is happening. Even at home, sometimes we do not have quality family time with my family because you will find that women are always busy doing these other chores. So I believe that they should be honoured and this should be looked into.
Lastly, we need to consider the recommendations which came from the report. Parliament should take recommendations from the Local Government Committee that were read out by Hon. Chikukwa seriously. Ministers should also look into the report and apply the recommendations. It does not matter whether you are tall, short or you belong to any political party but the issue of access to water is universal. It cuts across the political divide. It is important that water is found in Zimbabwe and being supplied to all people. I thank you.
HON. BUSHU: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the debates that have been going on related to the motion made by Hon. Chikukwa who is the Chairperson of the Local Government Portfolio Committee.
Whereas most of the issues seem to have been covered, I would like to appeal to this House to give attention to three major issues. The first one is that the House of Parliament has taken the petitions from the people of Zimbabwe seriously. The second one is that we have issues related to water that seem to run through all the problems that were brought to this House. The third issue is that encapsulated in all is the issue that relates to governance and bordering around corruption which is the cause of all these problems to come about.
Madam Speaker, if you look at the problem in Gweru, the City Council did not consult residents. Looking at Parliament, when Parliament comes up with a budget, when Parliament comes up with a piece of legislation, Parliament goes out and consults and the provision in the Constitution is that the people to whom the services are going to be provided must be consulted and when we do not consult, then it becomes a problem.
Whereas the City of Gweru says there is no provision for consultation in their standing rules with the residents, it is contrary to the Constitution. It is also not correct. It can also not be morally defended. So what we are saying is that consultation is key. Madam Speaker, you will find that the same complaint of none consultation runs through Masvingo, Southland Park and Makoni Rural District Council.
What we are saying is the Committee has picked up issues that are affecting Zimbabweans. Issues that are pertinent to ensuring Government as a whole, including municipalities, provides service to its people. Now when we look at all this again, Madam Speaker, we are saying that the City of Harare for instance, is a vast area. Everyone knows that in a lot of areas, water has not been available. It is something that has been worked on and what we are saying is that there are mistakes that were made in the past. Now that Government is intervening, the city fathers must ensure that water gets to the people. If the city fathers fail to do so, we implore Government to support the city fathers to ensure that our people get the water and we avoid the water borne diseases like diarrhea, cholera and dysentery. Very soon we will be getting into the rainy season and this problem may arise. These problems are likely to arise and we will be talking about these again and allocating money to ameliorate the problems that we would have had.
Madam Speaker, your Committee made very important observations and what I would like to do is to implore this House to take seriously the work that was done by the Committee because the Committee called in respondents and also visited the areas which means a thorough job was done and the investigations and the results thereof are very clear to us all.
So I implore this House to adopt the recommendations by the Local Government Committee and implore that the Minister of Local Government and National Housing takes those recommendations seriously and implements some of those recommendations, particularly the issue of bringing the Devolution Bill into action so that we look at it as Parliament. It has been overdue, it is four years old now and what we are saying is we are aware that it is at the Attorney-General’s office but it must come through. It is being used as an excuse and therefore what we would like to do is to avoid excuses as we serve our people. I thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity and I feel that this House will do a good job in implementing the same.
*(v)HON. R. R. NYATHI: I want to thank you for according me this opportunity to contribute what I witnessed as a member to this Committee on Local Government in support of the report which has been brought in by our Hon. Chair Hon. Chikukuwa. I have two or three points which I want to add. The first one, I want to talk about Budiriro area where we received a petition concerning the water situation. The main reason why they are not getting water is that the tank that was installed is not pumping out enough water. When the Old Mutual houses were built, that is when they started experiencing low levels of water supply. Prior to that, they had agreed with council that they would construct a reservoir which would supply water to the residents.
Mr. Speaker, even if water is pumped into that reservoir, it does not reach a level where it can be pumped out to the residents. So when we engaged the residents in Budiriro, they took it lightly that they were given water for certain hours and mostly midnight. This is causing challenges to the elders and people living with disabilities because they are only receiving water at night. This is a very big challenge to the extent that we recommended that people who constructed the reservoir should be followed up so that they rectify the problem because water is a basic right; everyone should get water any time and not be rationed. Some are nursing sick people in their homes and water is a necessity and a basic human right.
When we were now talking about the devolution funds, I was surprised because there were some people from District Development Coordinator (DDC), they were surprised that they attended meetings in which they were supposed to deliberate on how to use the devolution funds. It means devolution funds are not being administered properly. The office of the DDC is supposed to work with the council in consulting residents on what they want to be done by the devolution funds. They just find the projects going on but they do not know who is behind.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we were very lucky that when we went there we had the local Member of Parliament who was not aware. He is not consulted; he just sees things being done, which shows that this Bill on devolution has got a lot of things that need to be looked at so that people move together in the same direction. I also witnessed this same challenge in Gweru. The devolution funds are not getting to the people, they are not being consulted. The residents of Gweru were complaining because they are not being involved in the Committee which comes up with projects that need to be done using the devolution funds.
Hon. Speaker Sir, I am a Member of Parliament for Shurugwi North, I represent 13 wards in town. As I speak, at times it is surprising to hear people complaining about the devolution funds, even when electricity goes up, they do not know, no one explains to them - they just receive bills. I think in this New Dispensation, the President wants us to do all our things in transparency, leaving no one behind. So we want to encourage each other as Parliamentarians that this issue of devolution should be clear and inclusive to everyone so that we move forward together.
Wherever we visited Hon. Speaker, we found that devolution funds do not have a separate account. When they are giving a feedback report to the residents, councillors are not separating the devolution accounts; they are mixing the accounts both in the rural council and town councils. It is very important that when devolution funds are coming from the central government, there should be a separate accounting system which shows what the devolution funds have been used for.
I also want to talk on residential stands. We want to support that people should not be given unserviced stands so that we have order. What we are saying as a Committee is that this Bill which you are talking about should be expedited in this House so that it is scrutinised and we see who the beneficiaries of the devolution funds are. I think there are people who misuse money when we talk of provincial councils, local councils, metropolitan councils and MPs, thinking that thy know their job descriptions.
You are aware that our President is a lawyer, so when it comes to legal issues, he is very thorough. That is why he emphasised that the devolution money should come from our budget. When we came the 2013 devolution was there on our budget but was not implemented. Now with the coming in of the New Dispensation, they found that this devolution money will help in the mantra of leaving no one behind. We are looking forward to this Bill, it will quicken the progress in development of our areas so that by the time we get to 2030, there will be no poor people. Thank you Hon. Speaker.
(v)HON. WATSON: Thank you Hon. Speaker for this opportunity to contribute on the motion. I would want to reiterate what the two colleagues before me, Hon. Machingauta and Hon. Bushu said. These issues affect not just the Committee and I want to thank the Committee for the report and all the work they have done...
HON. T. MLISIWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): What is your point of order Hon. Mliswa?
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for affording me this opportunity to rise on a point of order. I am the Chairperson for the Welfare Committee of Parliamentarians, a pressure group which is not part of the Standing Orders. I am disturbed to hear that there has been deliberation pertaining to our welfare where we should be getting ZWL9.2 million for CDF which really is not enough. We worked with ZWL50 000 per constituency which if you calculate ZWL50 000 at ZWL650.00 which is the official bank rate, you get ZWL6.8 billion and our vehicles, ZWL30 000. This ZWL30 000 motor vehicles, if you calculate that at ZSL650.00 which is the rate again, it should be ZWL19.5 million per vehicle. You then also get ZWL60.8 billion. If you put that together, you are probably getting ZWL13 plus billion, which means there is no enough money. What is disturbing is the arrogance of the Committee which deals with our welfare, to continue making decisions without talking to us. We need to be consulted just as the budget and everyone is consulted. Why is it that when it comes to our welfare issues, we are not consulted? So I would like to say that this must be thrown out of the window with immediate effect until we are consulted. The pressure group has got nothing to do with Chief Whips; it has nothing to do with anyone. It is a pressure group and this is the pressure group I am mandated to put. We ignore and this issue must get to the leader of this House, Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda, that we need to be consulted in terms of our welfare. We are not children. So may these decisions made be suspended immediately until they approach the Welfare Committee which represents these Hon. Members? The concerns of the Hon. Members are channeled through us, they come to you or we want you to communicate to us. Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. In as much as I do appreciate and understand your point of order which is a privilege, at the moment it is a bit out of order but I have understood your concern. Thank you.
(v)HON. WATSON: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I was thanking Hon. Chikukwa, the Chairman of the Committee and the Committee for all the hard work which they did and for the presentation of this report. I also just want to re-emphasise that the issues raised by the petitioners and examined by the Committee, as others before me have said, are not just found in those areas. They are found across Zimbabwe. Water in Bulawayo is now a crisis. There is 72 hours water rationing, which means some residents in bad areas get no water or if they do, they get it for a few hours a day and it is leading to the outbreak of diseases which we could well avoid. The Local Government Ministry, while we await the completion of certain infrastructural projects, needs to take these issues across the country seriously and find ways to ameliorate the situations in the interim. Bulawayo has a plight, a water crisis and recently was not allowed to have that through the Ministry for whichever reason. These are issues which should be taken seriously by the Local Government Ministry and the Government as a whole. Also, as others have said, the lack of consultation in local council areas is cause for great concern. Residents are constantly complaining on the issue that they are not consulted. When they raise their concerns, they are not heard or answered to. So I think these are issues which Zimbabwe needs to address. The devolution Bill needs to come to Parliament. It needs to be solved because it is an excuse as Hon. Bushu said. So it really needs to be solved. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I just want to be brief in adding my voice to the report on Local Government presented by Hon. Chikukwa, seconded by Hon. Raidza who by the way, Hon. Raidza also sits in the sub-Committee on Public Accounts Committee which yours truly chairs. I want to say water is life and it is a human right and not right, just and it is not fair that local authorities in their mold, size, and shape should deny people that right in terms of water. As I talk about the right to water, I also want to talk about accountability of using State coffers and that is the second issue.
The third issue is the availability of land, housing infrastructure to those people in those localities. Housing infrastructure and the services that are robust, resilient, effective and efficient and that can only speak to and about the issues of accountability. If accountability, ethos, ethics and values are exhibited, there definitely can be delivery of such services that speak to water, clean, potable, safe, effective and efficient drinking water and also the infrastructure that I have alluded to.
The other issue that is key in the report that has been presented is the issue of sewer and water reticulation services. The Committee that I chair has also looked at the dysfunctionality of the sewer and reticulation services in these local authorities. I will touch on Bulawayo where there is the Auditor-General who has observed that there are seven sewer treatment plants at Thorngroove...
Hon. Nduna’s gadget lost connection.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I also want to thank the Hon. Deputy Minister, Hon. Musabayana for extending his hand. As I continue, Thorngrove has seven dysfunctional sewer treatment units. This speaks to the dysfunctionality of the sewer treatment across a plethora of these local authorities. These all have been tabulated and pointed to by the Auditor-General. I will leave the issue of the sewer treatment plants which has been brought about so vociferously by the Chair of the Committee on Local Government and ably seconded by Hon. Raidza.
The issue of water has been touched on but as I speak to this report, I also want to talk about the deficiency that is caused by the lack of enough water bodies. Where I come from, we use two water treatment chemicals because we have John Bhinya Masterpiece backs Mupfure Dam, Pull Dam and Suri Suri River, Suri Suri Dam. A lot of these water bodies - because of the copious amount of water that we have, we are using less chemicals than Harare City Council, which is mostly using or reclaiming water from the sewer treatment plants at Motton Jaffray water plant and also takes from Lake Chivero. There is need to augment, complement and rejuvenate, rehabilitate and also establish water bodies like Hon. Machingauta alluded to the issue of Kunzvi water body. There is need to bring that to conclusive end.
In the Second Republic, I would want to touch on Gwayi-Shangani water pipeline. With such infrastructural development in Harare, like Kunzvi, dam water can actually bring to a screeching halt and completely annihilate the scourge of lake of potable safe treated water. It is with a heavy heart that I stand here and speak about the deficiency of enough treated water in Harare, where there is spoken about and to the issue of 320 mega litres per day against the need of 1200 mega litres per day. I shudder to think how the people of Harare survive. I have a lot of boreholes to augment and complement the meagre and pittance water supply in Chegutu but in Harare, there is so much need to expeditiously complement the meagre water supplies. Otherwise we will have this medieval disease called cholera and typhoid. It is archaic, moribund and rudimentary to continue to have such medieval diseases in this day and age.
I am confident where Harare City Council has not been able to provide services and water for its people, the Second Republic is moving with exceptional great speed and is going to come into Harare very soon in order that the Kunzvi water project gets to its final conclusion.
A local authority has failed and it is open for all to see, whereas we can use Section 13 (4) and speak to all the mining houses around these local authorities in order that they bring in some financial benefits to these local authorities using the minerals that they are extracting from the localities of those local authorities. Alone, the devolution funds are just but a drop in the ocean, whereas that ubiquitous amount of mineral wealth where we have more than 60 and we are only extracting 20 and beneficiating none so far can be used. That money can be used to augment the devolution funds and also better the lives of the people in the localities from where these minerals are extracted. That is my proposal.
When it comes to issues of robust and resilient effective and efficient housing infrastructure development, this is how I propose we should go forward. There has been alluded and observed, the mismatch of the Urban Councils’ Act versus the Constitution, which again I continue to say is sui generis and in a class of its own. If we go to Section 2, it actually says, any Act of Parliament that is ultra vires to the Constitution should repudiate to the extent of its consistency.
In the Estate Management, in Section 152 and Section 205 of the Urban Councils Act, there is need to align those sections to Section 71, in particular Section 72 (7) ( c) of the Constitution in so far as it relates to provision of infrastructure development in particular, housing. There is what is called the masterplan of these local authorities, which master plan now derive their land from that of the agricultural land for urban expansion. If we can have non-monetary benefits to the civil servants of these localities, pensioners, war veterans, restrictees, detainees, the war collaborators, the artisanal miners and school children, if we can have benefit from the extension or from these master plans which now speak to the Minister of Agriculture giving this land to the local authorities because they no longer have any of their own. So we need to align that section to Section 72 so that we can ameliorate as has been observed by the Chair of the Committee, the issue of the deficiency of housing development system.
As we do, there is need for accountability in the usage of funds in order to augment the issue of the issuance of this land to the urbanites. In so much the same way as has been provided by His Excellency the President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa to the ruralites for A1 and the A2 farming community. This is how I propose that we re-purse the deficiency in so far as it relates to housing infrastructure development. I speak about this with a passion because I have got about 18 to 20 days of jail time where I come from because I have a lot of other electorate in my constituency that also believes with passion that as long as we do not align the Urban Councils Act with the Constitution, there is going to be continued deficiency of housing infrastructure development Mr. Speaker. If you do not do that, there is no civil servant, pensioner, war collaborator or war veteran who will be able to afford the usurious amounts of payments in USD form that are being charged by these local authorities. I will give you an example. An A1 is 10 hectares and when you put it in towns, it is 100.000 square metres. At a rate of $25 per square metre, a civil servant is meant to fork out $25 million for 10 hectares. Mr. Speaker Sir, where on earth does a civil servant get so much money when they earn about ZWL62.000? It will take them a lifetime to own a house.
I ask that at the close of this debat,e there be coming together of this House at the conclusion of this report that says we need to align the Urban Councils Act with the Constitution. This will enable the urbanites to benefit from the God-given ubiquitous amount of land that is vested in the President in the same way that the rural folks have been able to benefit Mr. Speaker Sir. That is going to give rights in the benefit of those that are in the urban sector and they are all given that scenario going to vote for the President because he would have given them that land in the same way he has given the rural folks land. I am quite sure because of that we can clap hands in advance and make sure that we now have captured the imaginations, the ethos, the values and the interests of the urbanites, using what we have to get what we want. We should make sure that we are there for the people, with the people and vox populi vox dei as has been alluded to by His Excellency the President that the voice of the people is the voice of God.
As I conclude Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to say there is the issue of accountability that needs to be brought to book. We are interrogating the Auditor General’s report of 2020 and there are 51 local authorities which have not submitted their financials for audit. We will be going to Bulawayo soon and will be calling them to account for their actions. The issue Mr. Speaker Sir, as I conclude, that speaks to insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, the same way and expecting a different result. Mr. Speaker Sir, we are now employing a plethora of acts in order to criminalise the delinquency of those local authority officials that think that the Auditor General has no teeth. There is the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act and a number of other Acts including the Public Finance Management Act that we want to employ in order to get to the root of this corruption and corruptible tendencies and bring them to a screeching halt. Mr. Speaker Sir, as long as we do not do that, we will continue to have people that think the Auditor General does not have any teeth. We will continue to have en masse petitions numbering more than seven on local authorities alone. That is not right and just. We need to make sure we have something differently done in order to get to the root of that which we desire, which is none corruption.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I have contributed to this report in the manner that Cde. Nyamarango in Chegutu West Constituency, Sarah Chikukwa, Marjorie Ruzha, Patricia Nyamadzawo, Tapfuma Wunganayi, Tatenda Chimtashu and all the other electorate who have commissioned me to come to this House in the manner that they would have wanted me to contribute, I have done so Mr. Speaker Sir. I am hoping that the Hansard is going to vindicate me on such contributions. I thank you.
HON. BITI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for allowing me to join this important debate. I think the Committee must be commended for doing an extensive job that involved an outreach in the various parts of Zimbabwe that they travelled to, including going to Headlands and Makoni Rural District Council. For me Hon. Speaker Sir, the first thing that sticks out and the number one recommendation that comes through is the obligation that the Minister of Local Government must come up with a devolution law. The absence of a devolution law, coupled with the fact that disbursements are being made in the absence of that devolution law is creating contradictions, inefficiencies, terrible governance and the corruption that other Members have alluded to.
The report speaks to Gweru for instance, receiving devolution funds, Makoni Rural District Council and even the City of Harare itself receiving devolution funds. If you look Mr. Speaker Sir, at the structure of Chapter 14 of the Constitution, these local authorities are not devolution authorities. Devolution authorities are provincial councils, which up to now have not been legalised, even though they were elected in terms of the election that we conducted on 31st July, 2018. So, we now have unfortunate citizens coming from all the major parties represented in this House who were elected in 2018 but five years have finished without them being served. Some of them have in fact been recalled without actually having served in office. Monies are therefore going to bodies that are not supposed to receive them.
In the case of Masvingo, it is supposed to be Masvingo Provincial Council and in the case of Harare, it is supposed to be the Harare Metropolitan Council, which includes Chitungwiza. In the case of Bulawayo, it is the Greater Bulawayo Metropolitan Council. In the case of Manicaland, it is the Manicaland Provincial Council, not Headlands, Makoni North or Chiendambuya. The challenge now is that we have created this problem because of the omissions by Hon. Minister July Moyo. The omission does not start in 2018 because the new Constitution of Zimbabwe became law on 8th May, 2013 pursuant to the referendum that we held on the Constitution, so it is a nine year omission. Bring the devolution law, codified and obligated in Chapter 14 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Equally, the Minister of Finance must bring the Finance Bill, the Finance Act envisaged in Section 304 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which describes how resources are going to be distributed amongst provincial councils. The law that deals with whether size, developmental needs or deficiencies of the particular province. So we are suffering because of the omission by Minister July Moyo.
There is a second challenge Mr. Speaker Sir again, which lies squarely on the doors of Mr. July Moyo. It is that he has not harmonised both the Rural District Councils Act and the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15]. The Constitution of Zimbabwe in sections 274, 276 says local authorities are run by those who are elected to run them. In section 276, it says local authorities are governed by those that are elected. In other words, the councillors that are duly elected to run the council, but if you look at the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15] in particular, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works is given such overbearing executive powers that make him the defacto chief executive of the local authority and I want to mention four examples of the lack of harmonisation and of the unconstitutionality of the Urban Councils Act.
The first one is Section 80 of the Urban Councils Act. Section 80 of the Urban Councils Act allows the Minister to suspend a chosen councillor or councillors and replace them with a commission. So consistently, we have seen commissions running local authorities instead of the duly elected councillors and Ministers. Particularly Minister Chombo and now Minister July Moyo, they have had this appetite of micro-managing councillors, suspending councillors. The current Mayor of Harare, Jacob Mafume, has been suspended countless times as if he is the general manager of the City of Harare. He is not. He is a duly elected councillor of Ward 8 in Mt. Pleasant in Harare.
The second problem - section 142 of the Urban Council’s Act; this is the establishment of the Local Government Board. Now what the Local Government Board says and does, is that it has the veto power over local authorities in respect of whosoever is employed and whosoever is fired, but surely Mr. Speaker Sir, the employer, in this case, the local authority, must have complete discretion over who it employs. We do not have that same veto power over people who work for parastatals. We do not have a Local Government Board or the equivalent of the Local Government Board at Air Zimbabwe, ZIMRA, ZINARA and so forth. So, why do we need the creature called the Local Government Board in respect of local authorities?
You have nasty characters, some of them thieves who get fired by the local authority but the Local Government Board says return them. You have some fantastic individuals recruited by the local authority. I remember James Mushore, a top banker was recruited by the local authority to be the town clerk and the Local Government body said no. So that again is interference with the right of local authorities to run their affairs smoothly.
Thirdly Mr. Speaker Sir, is the issue of procurement. Local authorities are part of central government. They should have their own procurement mechanism. In the case of the City of Harare, local authorities, we have had countless stories of the current Minister of Local Government and Public Works actually directing that you buy water chemicals from company A, B. It has happened in Gweru and in Victoria Falls.
Lastly on interference, you have got section 314 of the Urban Councils Act and section 314 says if the Minister issues a directive, he will be able to reverse any policy decision that would have been taken by a local government authority and as recent as 9th July, 2022, we saw Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Mr. July Moyo, write to the City of Harare to suspend the decision it had taken to suspend the contract of garbage collection that had been granted to a company called Geogenix BV in respect of Pomona. The City of Harare had sat in a council meeting on 22nd June and came to the conclusion that sticking to a contract that asked to pay US$22 000 a day for the collection of their dump was unjust on the citizens, but the Minister reversed that.
Only a few months ago Mr. Speaker Sir, this august House received a Ministerial Statement by the same Minister of Local Government and Public Works read by his deputy, Dr. Marian Chombo in which the Minister tried to justify the purchase of fire tenders at a cost of US$500 000 each for local authorities that did not need them including rural authorities, some of whom the closest thing you can get to a fire is a bush fire but they are buying local authorities as if there are 20 storey buildings in Dotito, Chiendambuya or Murewa South. So this is the micro-management by Minister July Moyo which is killing these local authorities. So apart from the enactment of a devolution law, there must be harmonisation of both the Rural District Council Act and the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15]
The third thing I want to emphasise Mr. Speaker Sir, which my colleagues have mentioned is that these towns that we are staying in, whether it is Gweru, Masvingo, Bulawayo, Rusape, Mutare, Chegutu or Kadoma, were designed for a small metropolis. The citizen was a white man and we the blacks were subjects who were chased away to the reserves by virtue of the Land Apportionment Act of 1951. You needed a pass to come to Bulawayo, you needed a pass to come to Harare and road blocks were mounted to prevent us the natives, the owners of this country, vana vevhu to come to urban centres. Women were not allowed Mr. Speaker Sir, so to bring a wife you needed permission. The word kuchaya mapoto originates from the 1930s because what the whites now realised is that there were some jobs that required women, so they then allowed women to come into the urban areas. They then had to give women permission to stay with men because men stayed in hostels such as Makokoba and Mbare B. I was born in Block C Mbare when my father came in the 60s to stay as a bachelor. So a man and a woman would then stay and live together. They called it kuchaya mapoto because makunyengesa mapoto musina kurorana. That is the origin of that term.
So Mr. Speaker, we have towns. Harare was built for 400 000 white people. Now Harare, if you include Greater Harare designed to include Norton, Ruwa, Goromonzi is also extending, Arcturus is also extending, where I am Member of Parliament Harare East, Tafara, Bhobho, Eastview, it is extending all the way into Chinamora. Southlea Park which the report touches on, those were commercial farms owned and run by Crest Breeders which a long time ago closed. So you now have the problem of infrastructure that is outdated, infrastructure that is archaic, infrastructure that is antiquated, to quote my learned brother in the making, Advocate Dexter Nduna.
So we need to build smart cities Mr. Speaker. Smart cities that can accommodate our people and we need to do it as a matter of urgency. In the next 15 years, the population of Harare alone will be 10 million people. By 2045, the population of Zimbabwe will be close to 32 million, so we need urban cities, we need water. They have spoken of Kunzvi Dam. Even if you build Kunzvi Dam today, it will be too small for Harare. We have to build that dam in Mutoko to cater for Harare, for Bulawayo we have to complete the Gwayi-Shangani Dam. For Masvingo, we need an extra dam and for Marondera, Wenimbi is already too small.
What about traffic? In Harare, I live 35 km from Harare and it takes me two hours to get home. Ndosvika sadza kumba rave munya because of motor vehicles on the streets. You cannot travel along Enterprise Road with maHonda Fits and so on. So the question is we need a deliberate plan crafted by the Government to deal with urban regeneration and the construction of smart cities to cater for the huge gigantic populations that is imploding in this country.
My appeal is that we should not concentrate on the traditional five cities of Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru, Harare and Masvingo. Let us concentrate on the burgeoning cities. By the burgeoning cities, I am referring to cities that we miscall growth points. They are not growth points and if you call them growth points, they will just go prostitution and cry. We should build cities out of Murewa Centre, Madziva, Dotito, Concession, Murambinda, Dorowa and Buhera too Mr. Speaker, in other words, the small towns that we call growth points so that we decongest the traditional cities.
Mr. Speaker, that de facto growth is already taking place. If you go to Mt. Darwin and Murewa, it is a town. In Murewa, there is a big hospital and schools there. In fact, Murewa is bigger than Macheke and with due respect to my friend, Adv. Dexter Nduna, Murewa is bigger than Chegutu at the present moment. Chegutu without the highway is a small village. I submit that we need to build smart modern cities with ring-arounds, spaghetti roads and high office buildings. We need gross capital formation.
Take Harare Mr. Speaker - Harare is full of rats that are bigger than you. There is total collapse. The last building that was built in Zimbabwe, gross capital formation was the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe building. So, if you wake up a person who died in 1968 who lived and worked in Harare, she will not get lost. The only thing that will confuse her is that where there was Jameson Ave, there is now Samora Machel Ave; where there was Baker Avenue there is now Nelson Mandela Avenue and where there was Moffat Street there is now Leopold Takawira Avenue. We need to build modern smart cities. I thank you Mr. Speaker and I support the recommendations of the Committee with the addition that the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Mr. July Moyo must harmonise the Urban Councils Act and the Rural District Councils Act with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Siyabonga!
Twalumba lokho!
Zikomo kwambiri!
Merci beaucoup!
Domo arigato!
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Mr. Speaker, I move that the rest of the Orders of the Day be stood over, until Order of the Day, Number 35 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
SECOND REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO KENYA, ZAMBIA AND GHANA ON EDUCATION FINANCING
Thirty-fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Second Report of the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education on the Benchmarking visits to Kenya, Zambia and Ghana on education financing (S.C. 16, 2022)
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to provide the requested update in response to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee’s recommendations on Education Financing, the Inclusive Policy and Better Schools Programme. I wish to thank Hon. Members for the highly informative reports that they tabled in Parliament following their benchmarking visits to Ghana, Zambia and Kenya.
Education Financing
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
(MoPSE) should enact an Education Financing Bill and policy framework to realise Section 75 of the Constitution by end of December, 2022.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is seized with enacting an Education Financing Bill and policy framework to realise Section 75 of the Constitution. So far, discussions are still underway as to how best the Ministry can roll-out State funded education in a phased approach. Already, Cabinet has made its recommendations and as such, the Ministry is coming up with a feasible framework in terms of how revenue can be raised to provide fully-fledged State funded education.
We have noticed that in other countries, an education tax has been raised to fund education while in other countries, big corporates have been mandated to support education and the manpower needed thereof. It is our clarion call as a Ministry to Members of Parliamen,t to provide us with additional suggestions as we make further consultations in order to harness the necessary revenue for State funded education.
I can confirm however, that the draft School Finance Policy has been tabled in the Cabinet approval system and the Ministry is currently working on the recommended revisions before submission to the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC). In this regard, my Ministry takes serious note of the information in the benchmarking report by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee that visited Kenya, Zambia and Ghana.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should reconsider structural reforms aimed at decentralizing services such as establishment of a stand-alone department meant for schools’ construction by December, 2022.
The Ministry already has a stand-alone division of Strategic Policy Planning Research and Statistics whose mandate includes the establishment of schools and management of construction works, with Planning Officers as part of each provincial structure.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should
expedite the establishment of a Teachers Professional Council
by end of December, 2022.
With regards to the establishment of the Teaching Professions Council, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has come up with a draft on the Principles of the Teaching Professions Council Bill which would be submitted to Parliament after feedback has been received from Cabinet. The objects of the Bill are to:- (a) establish the Teaching Profession Council of Zimbabwe and define its functions and powers; (b) provide for the regulation of teachers, their practice and professional conduct and other matters incidental to the foregoing.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should
consider extending the school feeding programme to secondary schools to encourage schools’ turnout by December, 2022.
The recommendation has been adopted in full and is part of the Budget Strategy for the Ministry’s 2023 bid. However, it is important to note that the budget for primary schools has not yet covered all intended beneficiaries. Part of the challenge has been the practical challenges and overheads in implementing centralised procurement.
Inclusive Education Policy
The draft Zimbabwe Inclusive Education Policy and its costed Operational Framework have been submitted to the Office of the President and Cabinet and is now awaiting the requisite approval processes. In compliance with the guidance from Parliament, due consultations were made to align the draft to the National Disability Policy.
- In the 2023 budget, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should consider provisions for the construction of model schools in each district that should also serve as a good example on how an inclusive school should be.
I wish to assure Hon. Members that this recommendation has been taken on board as part of the 2023 Budget Strategy. The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will bid for provisions for the construction of model schools in each of the 72 districts to serve as a good example of an inclusive school.
However, due to budgetary constraints, the Ministry is working on construction of eight (8) new schools that will provide inclusive compliant education in 2023. Furthermore, all schools are being retrofitted with inclusive compliant components throughout all provinces.
- The MoPSE should conduct an exercise to compile the statistics on learners with disabilities (either going to school or not) to ensure proper planning in future by December, 2022.
The Ministry continuously conducts exercises to compile statistics
of learners with disabilities as well as those who are orphans and vulnerable children. Through the annual school census (Education Management Information System), the Ministry has statistics on pupils with visual, physical and hearing impairments, intellectual challenges, communication and speech and learning disabilities, Albinism and multiple disabilities, disaggregated by sex, education level and school setting. The majority of pupils with disabilities are attending mainstream schools.
- The MoPSE should ensure that every school has a trained teacher to handle learners with disabilities by December, 2022.
The Ministry takes note of the recommendation and hereby
confirms that in the current Teacher Capacity Development Programme, one of prioritised critical skills shortage area is that of teachers specialised in addressing disability-related special educational needs. Since the programme launched in 2014, the number of trained special needs education teachers continues to increase.
Hon. Members may be happy to know that with the recognition of Sign Language among other indigenous languages, the Great Zimbabwe University is providing a course in Sign Language, in response to our request and the Government of Zimbabwe is sponsoring the teachers selected to attend.
Through the Learner Welfare Psychological Services and Special Needs Education structure, my Ministry has ongoing in-service training activities aimed at reskilling and multi-skilling all teachers for inclusive teaching and learning.
- The Ministry should conduct awareness programmes on the IEP to ensure that communities, schools and teachers are informed and capacitated by December, 2022.
The Zimbabwe Inclusive Education Policy is still in the Cabinet
approval system, hence the intended policy awareness programmes will be conducted after its launch.
In the meantime, my Ministry has embarked on Integrated Primary and Secondary Education Community Service fairs through Outreach in all provinces. Such community outreach programmes are a platform for promoting inclusive education practices and ensuring that all children and adolescents of school going age are not left behind when access and participation in learning. The integrated primary and secondary education community service phase through outreach takes office based services to people to make education inclusive for marginalised and disadvantaged children including encouraging girls that fall pregnant or teen mothers to come back to formal schools as promulgated by the Education Amendment Act of 2020. Such services include special needs assessments that are conducted through our offices but through this phase, these services are taken to the communities so that they are closer to the beneficiaries.
On the Better Schools Programme Report, the recommendation was that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should craft a legal framework on the collection and use of BSPZ funds by December 2022. The Ministry is currently working on a legal framework for regularising the collection of BSPZ funds. To date, the Ministry has established a Business Development Unit and one of the task that it has been working on is evidence gathering to better inform the approach to be taken towards the regularisation of the Better Schools Programme Zimbabwe funds with a target of submitting a report to this august House by December 2022.
It is however important to note that this target is dependent on developments on the ongoing school financing policy. This should be finalised by December 2022.
The second recommendation is that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should enact a statutory instrument to ensure uniformity in the collection and utilisation of the affiliation fee throughout the country by June 2 022. The Ministry is currently working on a statutory instrument to ensure uniformity in the collection and utilisation of the affiliation fee throughout the country by December 2022. This will allow the structures of the Ministry to do a policy document that guides functionalities and providing legal framework towards the collection affiliation fees and utilisation of such funds.
That the Auditor-General should audit the BSPZ funds so that a clear picture on how the funds are being used can explain and create room for improvements. The Ministry will facilitate for accountability on the use of the Better Schools Programme of Zimbabwe funds and other assets through the Audito- General.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education continues to strive to provide quality, relevant, inclusive, equitable and wholesome education for all Zimbabweans.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: I move that we revert to Order Number 27 on today’s Order Paper.
HON. L. SIBANDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORTS, ARTS AND RECREATION ON THE STATE OF FOOTBALL ADMINISTRATION IN ZIMBABWE
HON. CHIWETU: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation on the state of Football Administration in Zimbabwe
HON. O. SIBANDA: I second.
HON. CHIWETU: INTRODUCTION
Over the years and worldwide, football has evolved from being a social activity to a commercial venture with the potential of impacting on the country`s gross domestic product, resulting in job creation and poverty alleviation. Congruent to this, section 32 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe imposes an obligation on the State to take all practical measures to encourage sporting and recreational activities including the provision of sport and recreation facilities for all people. Sporting activities in Zimbabwe include football, cricket, rugby, netball, tennis, handball, golf, swimming and hockey, just to mention a few. Football has gone global as a business which requires that it be studied in its own right as a field of economic endeavour just like any other industry. The phrase ‘football economy’ shows the acknowledgement now given to football as a source of economic and commercial activity. In Zimbabwe, football is the most popular sport with a huge support base. Recently, the country was banned by Federation International of Football Association from participating in international football competitions following the alleged government interference in football administration after the Sports and Recreation Commission Board suspended Zimbabwe Football Administration Executive Board members from office.
It is against this background that the Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation resolved to conduct an inquiry into the state of football developments in the country with a view to make recommendations.
2.0 OBJECTIVES
The key objectives of the inquiry were:
- To understand the administration of football in the country
- To understand and establish issues surrounding the suspension of the Zimbabwe Football Governing Board (ZIFA) by the SRC.
- To come up with recommendations for effective football administration in the country.
- METHODOLOGY
As part of the enquiry, the Committee undertook the following:
- It received oral evidence from the Acting Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Dr. B. Dube and Chairperson of the Sports and Recreation Commission, Mr G. Mlotshwa on 18 February 2022;
- It further received evidence from Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Minister K. Coventry on 03 April 2022; and
- It also analyzed written submissions from the Zimbabwe Football Association Executive Board.
- COMMITTEE FINDINGS
4.1 The Role of the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation
4.1.1 Hon K. Coventry, the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation informed the Committee that the Ministry places sport and recreation as contemporary drivers for national economic development. Government therefore established an institutional arrangement for sporting in Zimbabwe which includes the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), National Sport Associations (NAS) and schools through National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) and National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH).
4.1.2 The Ministry plays an important facilitator role in the promotion and development of sport through providing an overall policy direction and regulatory framework and strategic direction to guide all sport delivery agents. Thus, the Ministry administers the Sport and Recreation Commission Act [Chapter 25:15] through which the SRC was established.
4.1.3 In 2016, the Ministry launched the Sport and Recreation Policy which gives clear guidelines as to the parameters within which sport should operate.
4.1.4 The department of Sport and Recreation under the Ministry has on its budget a budget line for the promotion and development of sport in the country and has been trying to give financial support to cover the needs of teams on national duty in and outside the country. To this end, an amount of ZWL 171 000 000 was allocated in 2021 for the programme support on Sport Promotion.
4.1.5 Despite having all these interventions, the country is still facing some deep-rooted challenges that undermine the development and growth of sport in general.
4.2 Structure and Role of Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA)
4.2.1 Mr. G. Mlotshwa, the SRC Chairperson, informed the Committee that football in Zimbabwe is run by the Zimbabwe Football Association and it is arguably the biggest sport association in the country. The association has many affiliates which include the Premier Soccer League (PSL), First Division leagues, Provincial Leagues, District Leagues, Area Zone Leagues, NAPH, NASH, and Tertiary Institutions among others.
4.2.2. The ZIFA General Assembly is the supreme policy making body of ZIFA while the board is the executive arm of the association. The Secretariat and the Standing Committees make up the management and technical arms of ZIFA respectively.
The ZIFA Board is the Executive Committee responsible for the implementation of the association's policy. The ZIFA Standing Committees are technical arms of the association which formulate the policy framework of the association and are chaired by board members or selected specialists
4.2.3 Its Secretariat is the operational arm of the association, headed by the Chief Executive Officer (C.E.O) and its mandate is to implement resolutions and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the association.
4.2.4 The most critical role of ZIFA, through the above stated structures, is to organise national football competitions and the Zimbabwe national football teams.
4.2.5 In terms of membership, ZIFA is affiliated to Federation International Football Association (FIFA), Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA). FIFA is the supreme body governing football in the world whilst CAF is the administrator of football at continental level. COSAFA governs football at regional level in the Southern part of Africa. It is therefore, critical to note that ZIFA is affiliated to all these bodies and adheres to their statutes.
4.3 Role of FIFA
4.3.1 Mr G. Mlotshwa informed the Committee that FIFA was founded in 1904 to provide unity among national soccer associations and to oversee international competitions by national associations. It is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland and its membership comprises of 211 national associations with ZIFA included.
4.3.2 It is of essence to note that FIFA frequently takes an active role in the running of football around the world. As such, one of its sanctions is to suspend teams and associated members from international competition when there is interference by national governments in the running of FIFA's associate member organizations or if its associate is not functioning properly.
4.3.3 Within this context, ZIFA operates within the regulatory regime made up of the following statutes: The Sport and Recreation Act [Cap25:15] and Sport and Recreation Commission Statutory Regulations of 2012, ZIFA 2013 Constitution, ZIFA rules and regulations, ZIFA code of conduct, CAF statutes and FIFA statutes.
4.4 Circumstances Leading to the Suspension of the General Secretary of ZIFA
4.4.1 The Committee learnt that Mr. J. Mamutse, the ZIFA General Secretary, was suspended on 26 November 2020 by the SRC Board. The grounds for suspension were that;
- the National Women`s Football Team, under 17 Girls and Under 17 Boys Football Teams left Zimbabwe to participate in a tournament in South Africa without the necessary approval from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and Child Care in light of the Covid- 19 regulations and;
- The Zimbabwe National under 17 Boys Football Team was nonetheless disqualified from participating in the COSAFA tournament on allegations of including overage player(s) or those who failed ineligibility tests after the overage issue.
4.4.2 The Committee also learnt during oral evidence session with SRC Board that the ZIFA General Secretary had appealed against his suspension in the Administrative Court on 3 December 2020. However, the appeal did not suspend the decision of the SRC Board, thus he remained suspended pending the court decision to his suspension. Subsequent, the SRC Board appointed Mr. X Gwesela as the new Chief Executive for ZIFA responsible for the day-to-day operations and heads its Secretariat.
4.4.3 The Committee was however dismayed to discover that the ZIFA General Secretary was on suspension since November 2020 without any due process or disciplinary process taken.
4.5 Circumstances Leading to Suspension of ZIFA Executive Board
4.5.1 During the oral evidence session with SRC Board, the Committee learnt that the ZIFA Executive Board was suspended on 16 November 2021 on the following grounds;
- It was implicated in mismanagement and lack of accountability in the use of public funds with specific reference to the letter issued to ZIFA on the 3rd of July 2019 where ZIFA was asked to account fully for the use of public funds in the aftermath of the 2019 AFCON campaign. This letter was not responded to at all by the ZIFA Board.
- It sent National Football Teams outside of Zimbabwe without COVID-19 clearances from the Ministry of Health;
- It failed to address gender imbalances relating to the treatment of female national teams compared to their male counterparts in terms of allowances, up-keep, and other operating conditions.
- It also failed to address and make appropriate investment of the development fund as provided by FIFA for grassroots and junior football development.
- It failed to give evidence of any meaningful development at grassroots level.
- It was alleged on sexual harassment of female referees by key technical staff within ZIFA Executive.
- There was a looming constitutional crisis within ZIFA vis-a-vis pending elections.
4.6 Response by ZIFA Executive Board to the Allegations by SRC
4.6.1 ZIFA Board indicated that it had received USD$53 000 from Government in June 2019 for Afcon and the full amount was fully acquitted to SRC in July 2019 together with evidence of all the transfers to the players. ZIFA Board also indicated that it had been subjected to several police reports leading to court processes but all resulting in acquittals or totally removed from the court roll for lack of evidence. Thus, four ZIFA Executive Board members were acquitted from charges of obstructing justice on allegations that they prevented a creditor from attaching FIFA money held in ZIFA Ecobank account.
4.6.2 Additionally, Mr. F. Kamambo the suspended ZIFA President, informed the Committee that resources from fundraising activities were receipted and deposited into an established fundraising bank account whose only two signatories were the then acting Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreations Honourable Minister Kazembe and the SRC Board member, Mrs Chipo Mutasa. He informed the Committee that payments by the Fundraising Committee were made directly into the individual accounts players who were the beneficiaries of the funds. In both circumstances, ZIFA indicated that it had no access to the bank account and the payment made thereof. The Committee therefore, noted from the above that the SRC Board did not provide clear evidence on the actual amount that was abused by the ZIFA Executive Board.
4.6.3 On allegations of gross incompetence, Mr F. Kamambo disputed that the allegations appeared in a press statement only but were not raised with ZIFA or even stated in the suspension letter.
4.6.4 In response to sending National Teams outside of Zimbabwe without clearances from the SRC, Mr F. Kamambo argued that ZIFA followed due process and teams were cleared by the SRC. However, the Committee discovered that Mr P. Mupazviriho, the Director General for Sport and Recreation Commission was then suspended on allegations of clearing ZIFA without express authority of the SRC Board and/or the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation.
4.6.5 With regards to alleged sexual harassment of female referees, the Committee noted that the Sports and Recreation Commission had conducted two enquiries on the matter. In addition, Mr. F. Kamambo also said that the matter was referred to the ZIFA Judicial Committee and the accused was formally charged.
4.7 FIFA`s Response on the Suspension of ZIFA Executive Board and its Implications on the Country`s Football
4.7.1 Article 14 paragraphs 1 (i) and 3 as well as article 16 paragraphs 1 of the FIFA statutes allow FIFA Council to temporarily suspend, with immediate effect, a member association that seriously violates its obligation without a vote of the Congress. In light of these provisions, the Committee therefore noted that the setting up of a Restructuring Committee by SRC Board was considered by FIFA Council as a clear case of undue interference by Government in football matters, hence the country`s suspension by FIFA.
4.7.2 The Committee also learnt that the FIFA Council executed that the lifting of the suspension be subject to; the repeal of:
- SRC decision of 26 November 2020 suspending the ZIFA General Secretary;
- SRC decision of 16 November 2021 suspending the ZIFA Board;
- SRC decision of 17 December 2021 setting up the Restructuring Committee and;
- Withdrawal of SRC’s legal complaint against the ZIFA President, three other ZIFA Board members and the General Secretary regarding alleged misuse of the ZIFA letterheads.
4.7.3 The Committee noted that in accordance with article 13 of the FIFA Statutes, ZIFA lost all its membership rights on 24 February 2022 until further notice. In addition, ZIFA representatives and club teams were no longer entitled to take part in any international competitions until the suspension was lifted. The implications of the above also mean that neither ZIFA nor any of its members or officials would benefit from any development programmes, courses or training by FIFA and/or CAF.
- COMMITTEE`S OBSERVATIONS
The Committee made the following observations:
- The setting up of ZIFA Restructuring Committee by the SRC Board triggered the suspension of the country from international football competitions by FIFA. The SRC being a government entity is deemed to have had no jurisdiction over the administrative operations of ZIFA which in this case is an affiliate of FIFA.
- The Sport and Recreation Commission Act, Chapter 25:15 violates the doctrine of natural justice which gives an individual the right to be heard. In this case, section 34 of the Act is limited only to suspension of an individual without a hearing.
- There is misalignment of the SRC Act Chapter 25:15 with statutes of international federations governing all sport codes especially those that deals with channels of communication and dispute resolution.
- The SRC Board rushed to make a decision of suspending the ZIFA Board without conducting a thorough investigation into the matter.
- The ban imposed on ZIFA by FIFA violates public interest since football is the major sporting discipline in Zimbabwe with a huge support base.
- The Committee observed that the restructured ZIFA Board was illegal based on the reasons cited by FIFA as the world football governing body in its suspension letter to ZIFA.
6.0 COMMITTEE`S RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee made the following recommendations:
- By 31 October 2022 the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should ensure that SRC Board has repealed its decision of;
(a) 26 November 2020 which suspended the ZIFA General Secretary;
(b) 16 November 2021 which suspended the ZIFA Board and;
(c) 17 December 2021 which established the ZIFA Restructuring Committee; in order to pave way for the lifting of the ban imposed by FIFA on Zimbabwe from participating in international football competitions.
- By 31 October 2022, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should ensure that the SRC has dissolved the current ZIFA Board and reinstate the Felton Kamambo led ZIFA Board.
- By 31 December 2022, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should amend the section 34 of the SRC Act, Chapter 25:15 in order to provide for a fair hearing or a fine or an appeal mechanism before coming up with decision to suspend.
- By end of 31 December 2022, the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should align the SRC Act Chapter 25:15 with statutes of international federations governing all sport codes, especially those that deal with channels of communication and mechanisms of dispute resolution.
- The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should ensure that SRC always make thorough investigations based on evidence in order to come up with unquestionable decisions.
7.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the Committee expressed its concern on overwhelming public outcry following the ban imposed on Zimbabwe by FIFA. It is indeed in the interest of the public at large and the soccer governing board in particular, to get the country back on the international scene in the world of football. As observed by FIFA Government, interference in football matters has far reaching implications that can undermine the country`s ability to enjoy the potential benefits that can accrue from participating at international fora. As such, there is need to observe and respect both the national and international statues, rules and regulations governing football administration. Therefore, the Committee implores upon the SRC to reverse its decision and implement recommendations by FIFA so as to allow the country to participate in international football competitions. I thank you.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
On the motion of HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE seconded by HON. RAIDZA, the House adjourned at a Quarter to Six o’clock p.m, until Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 29th September, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Today, we only have
Hon. Edgar Moyo - Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Michael Madiro - Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Ruth Mavhungu-Maboyi - Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and Hon. David Musabayana - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
I do not know what we can do because we have complained every week for us to have Cabinet Ministers in this House so that we are able to ask questions. It seems once they attend the National Assembly, they think that is all, they are done.
The Hon. President of Senate having been briefed
Someone is telling me that Cabinet Ministers are in Cabinet but we cannot excuse them because some of them have got deputy ministers who can attend.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have the following apologies from the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. C. D. G. Chiwenga; Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon. Kazembe Kazembe; Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Felix Tapiwa Mhona; Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Prof. Amon Murwira; Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Hon. Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka; Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. Sekesai Irene Kanhutu-Nzenza, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Hon. Prof. Paul Mavima, Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. July G. Moyo; Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon.Winston Chitando; Minister of State for Midlands Province, Hon. Larry Mavima and Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. Rajeshkumar Modi.
I do not think it is important to send in an apology because some of them have never been in this House, like Hon. Chitando, Hon. July Moyo and Hon. Masuka. I do not know whether they know there is this Senate.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: Madam President, I do not know if among us there is a Leader of the House.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: There is no Leader of the House.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: I am going to direct my question to the Minister of Transport. Our roads, especially the one that goes to Chirundu among others, have got many potholes in the middle of the road. These potholes are very big. Sometime back, they were bringing in Bitumen Company to fill in these potholes. Do they have any policy or programme in place to help us to fill in these potholes on the roads before the start of the rain season?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT (HON. MADIRO): Thank you Madam President. Let me thank Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu for the pertinent question. His question shows that the Chief stays in the rural areas and he also observes challenges being faced by people in that area especially those who are using Chirundu Road. On the issue of potholes, it is true that many parts of the Chirundu Road have got potholes. Madam President, you remember that the Government started emergency road rehabilitation programme which include paying attention to the potholes especially the main roads like Chirundu Road. Due to the number of vehicles which use Chirundu Road, it causes the potholes to open up again because of the flow of traffic in that road. As Government, we embarked on the Emergency Road Rehabilitation. We have filled in the potholes but during a short space of time, the potholes open up again. Therefore, Government is expected to do maintenance by filling in these potholes so that the roads can be passable. The Government policy on Chirundu Road, it is a project which includes Beitbridge to Harare and then Harare to Chirundu Road but you know that Government has done a lot. The first phase of rehabilitation is Beitbridge to Chirundu and we have managed to rehabilitate over 380 kilometers on Beitbridge to Harare Road. Harare to Chirundu is the second phase but because of lack of resources, the second phase has not taken off properly and we accept what Chief Chundu said that we must put attention to the potholes and fill them in because of the importance of the roads and the economy of the country.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: He did not explain well when the programme for Harare to Chirundu Road is going to start and are there any takers of the tenders? There is a lot of traffic on that road which includes trucks and other small cars.
*THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I think that is now a specific question as you are now referring to Chirundu Road in particular.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Why has the issue of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme stopped? We do not see much activity, so I wanted to understand what is hindering the Government from continuing with the programme?
HON. MADIRO: It is true that the initial question was specific and needed research. I had already stated that Harare to Chirundu is part of the second phase of the Beitbridge to Chirundu Road but because of lack of resources, and we all know that there are many roads which are being rehabilitated in the country; we are able to rehabilitate our roads through mobilisation of the resources locally. As Zimbabwe, we have the problem of illegal sanctions which have been imposed on our country. We do not have the capacity to look for investors or other monies from other countries because the issue of road rehabilitation is a very big project which needs more resources. We are looking into it as Government to see if there are any other ways or avenues to mobilise resources to use for road rehabilitation rather than waiting for Treasury only.
You see that in the past days, Government was engaging in consultations with other organisations like the African Development Bank looking for ways in which we can work together under private-public-partnership so that those who have their money can come and invest in the country, and also see if the road has the capacity to pay back the money. The process of negotiation takes time, so we are not able to give timelines but as Government, we are looking into that issue so that it can be resolved.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I also asked that the activities which were happening concerning the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme are low, what is the problem with the Government?
*HON. MADIRO: The problem is due to lack of resources so that we can award tenders to contractors and contractors need money to buy materials for the rehabilitation programme. Government in most cases reviews the work being done to see if we have enough money and resources. Right now, the Government is running around to mobilise resources to give contractors so that they can proceed with their work. The project did not stop but it is only the issue of prioritisation and matching the revenue to expenditure so that the projects can go forward. The rehabilitation programme must continue before the onset of the rain season.
*HON. SEN. MWONZORA: My question is directed to the Minister of Education. This country has got a problem of hunger in areas such as Matebeleland North and South to the extent that some children are failing to go to school due to hunger. There are school children who end up fainting while at school because of hunger. Is the Government aware of this problem which is being faced by schools and if so, what is the Government doing to alleviate this problem?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Yes, it is true that there is general hunger in the areas that the Hon. Senator has cited and that some children are going to school hungry. That is true and we know that. In the current budget that is running, we made some procurement because the School Feeding Programme was part of the provisions. Some procurements were made; however the supplies have been erratic. There are schools where school feeding is taking place and there are some where it is not taking place. We then, through the Supplementary Budget, went on to try and procure more supplies. However, as we all know, there were interventions on procurements that have sort of slowed down the process of procuring.
We have been able to talk to the sister ministries, the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare on the same and have been assured that beginning 1st October, food distribution is going to begin. I have no authority to say more than that but this is the response that we were able to get; so those communities where hunger is prevalent are assisted. We are currently doing a Budget Strategy document for the Ministry and one of the key pillars is the issue of school feeding which we think is central in ensuring that children come to school and consistently come to school, concentrate and do better in their learning programmes. We hope that going forward, there is going to be a strengthening of that budget provision and also the timeous releases so that we are able to procure food. In brief, that is what I can say we are doing and that we are aware of the difficulties that our children are going through. Thank you.
+HON. SEN. ENG. MUDZURI: Thank you Hon. Madam President. Hon. Minister, you said that you are facing constraints to buy food to feed school children. Some children are not getting food and others are being chased from schools due to failure to pay school fees, especially children whose parents are teachers. You have not paid fees for teachers’ children; part of the fees that was supposed to be disbursed from Government has not been paid. What measures are in place in terms of commitment on the budget on food and your commitment to teachers?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you very much Madam President and thank you very much to the Hon. Senator for the follow-up question. The question requires that we indicate the specific difficulties that we experienced in procurement. One of the major difficulties has been the centralised procurement system where some companies have been able to win big tenders and failed to supply; that is one of the procurement hurdles that we have come through. Then the other problem is that through the centralised system, distribution becomes a very big overhead factor when procurement has been done and these supplies are supposed to be distributed. It becomes difficult.
What we have done is that, we have come up with a policy of decentralised procurement. Initially when school feeding started, procurement was decentralised so that it gets to all provinces but then some issues were cited. The issue was then taken back to centralization. We realised that this centralization has more problems than the decentralised system and we would rather work on the problems that we were facing with the decentralised system than to centralize; that is the route we are going.
On the teachers’ children who are being sent home, I think that is a travesty of what the policy stipulates. Anyone whose fees is supposed to be paid by Government, like BEAM and this particular provision that you cited, those children are not supposed to be sent away from school. All our teachers know that and it would be very interesting to know the specific schools that are doing that so that we make follow-up investigations. Those people will be charged for misconduct because that is against the policy that all of us know about. We would very much request that Hon. Members alert us to that kind of behaviour by our officers so that corrective measures are taken. Thank you.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Thank you Madam President. My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, with particular reference to air transport and it is under National Strategic Development Goal One (NSDG1). The main objective is to have a reliable, safe and world class air transport infrastructure and services. The target being to increase the cargo carrying capacity from the current 40 million tonnes to 43 million tonnes by 2025; the number of passengers to be uplifted to also increase from 0.5 million to two million by 2025.
Madam President, may the Hon. Minister apprise this Hon. House on the strategies that the Government via his Ministry is or will implement to ensure that the set target in NSDG1 is met by 2025? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MADIRO): Thank you very much Madam President. Let me take this opportunity to thank Hon. Sen. Kambizi for the very important question with regard to the strategies in place to revamp air Zimbabwe. First of all, it is true that any country is worth its salt when they have a national carrier of its own. However, it is also important to mention that air business is a high competitive business and requires serious capitalisation.
As a strategy Madam President, the Ministry and Government have started dealing with governance issues. As you will recall Madam President, we had an Administrator who, following the Grant Thornton Report, was appointed to come up with a strategy of how Air Zimbabwe can be resuscitated. The Administrator completed that assignment in June this year. Following completion of that assignment, Government through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, appointed an interim board to come up with the strategy. The board was in office up to last month.
However, in the intervening period, the Government was identifying Zimbabwean young men and women with the requisite skills and experience to craft a strategy to make sure that we are competitive and we recapitalize Air Zimbabwe. We have done so as Government. We have appointed a team of young men and women with clear international experience who have started to put together and craft a strategy to make sure that as a country we have a competitive air aviation that is able to compete with the best of the world.
Besides that point Madam President, you are aware that during the COVID-19 period, we grounded much of our equipment, including the Boeing 77-200 series which are in preservation at Air Zimbabwe. The youngsters who are in place are investigating the viability of converting those Boeing 77 from passenger to cargo because there is a clear business case to increase our cargo capacity because that is where the business is and that is also in tandem with Zimbabwe is open for business, NDS1 where you can see that agriculture industry particularly, horticulture is picking up.
Government have put so much money now to make sure that the horticultural industry is capacitated and that is a niche as far as Air Zimbabwe is concerned in terms of carrying cargo and to ensure that we are competitive in the industry. I want to say for now that the team work put in place is busy crafting strategies to make sure that Air Zimbabwe is viable. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF NGEZI: Thank you Madam President for awarding me this opportunity. I want to direct my question to the Minister of Home Affairs. What is the Government policy on the issue of transport for police officers? They travel long distances to go and arrest criminals who in most cases have got their own cars and the perpetrator ends up fleeing away before the police officer reaches the destination.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Ngezi for raising a pertinent question. It is true that the police officers are travelling distances to arrest a criminal who owns a car whilst they are travelling on foot which then becomes a very difficult situation. When they arrive at the scene, they are the ones who are now given a lift by the perpetrator.
However, we have put a budget aside especially on the supplementary budget, the Minister of Finance is going to look into our plight in order that we may increase the fleet of vehicles at hand. At the moment, we have cars but they are very few and some are not working.
About three months ago, His Excellency started a programme of giving police officers cars. In most areas, police officers did not have cars; probably the whole of Zimbabwe, we were facing a lot of challenges. We are hoping that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development is going to allocate us money so that we can buy cars for our police force.
The cars are not only going to be used to go and attend criminals with minor offenses but also other major crimes like murder. At the moment, we are failing to attend to reported matters in time because of lack of transport. If we are allocated the money to buy the cars, we are going to give first priority to the rural areas where they travel by foot for very long distances.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: I also want to thank the Deputy Minister who answered the question. This issue is not new. It is a question which is asked every year and the response we get is that the ministry is going to ask for money yet nothing happens. I think we need information that which areas need money in the police sector. There are issues of priority and there are other people who are in Government who have cars but they do not deserve.
In Masvingo district, people can travel for 100km by foot especially the police officers, so at least a station must have a car. I want the Minister to answer why a station does not have a car when there is a distance of 100 km from one station to another?
*HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI: Thank you Mr. President, I want to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira. Yes, it is true that there are other police stations which do not have cars but I was not aware of the distance. If it is 100 km, it is too much. So we are going to sit down and look into the issue and see how best we can help. Yes, we request for money from the Ministry of Finance but the Ministry of Home Affairs is very big. If we are talking about the Ministry of Home Affairs, we are talking about the whole of Zimbabwe. In some cases, the police officers in those stations are given cars and some of the police officer end up abusing these vehicles. However, we are going to look into the issue and see which police stations do not have cars at all. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Education. Does Government policy allow children who are assisted through Presidential Scholarship to learn in this country in our local universities, if they do not want to travel overseas?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. MACHINGURA): Thank you Hon. Senator for the pertinent question. The purpose of sending children to universities locally under the Second Republic - right now we do not have knowledge in terms of skills to help us improve the economy of the country. On the issue of development of our education, it was developed from 3.0 to 5.0 so that we can have skills focusing on our natural resources in the country.
The issue of lack of industries and commodities can only be solved if our people are able to manufacture some of the products we desire in our own country locally. That is our approach that we are using on this issue. We also need to know what other countries are doing so, so that we will be able to learn what they are doing and bring the knowledge in the country and bring development. So if we combine the knowledge from other countries and the local knowledge, it will help very much in the development of the country.
It is very pertinent to have children who go and learn in different countries. There are other countries in Europe, Asia and Russia which are friends of Zimbabwe and they offer us scholarships. Universities can request students who want to study medicine or engineering, among other degrees. When our country is offered opportunities, we sit as Government and see if we can send our children there. We also look at what is going to be beneficial to us if the students go there? Most of the scholarships come through Government which we call Presidential Scholarship. There are others who cannot be eligible for scholarship but they want their children to go and learn in other countries. As a country, we also receive students from other countries who want to learn in Zimbabwe; we have students from Botswana, Namibia who come to learn in Zimbabwe.
We will have to sit and decide on whether we can have a university in Zimbabwe that can work together with other universities in other countries where they can do exchange programmes amongst students where Russian students can come to learn in Zimbabwe and Zimbabwean students go to Russia. The purpose of these programmes is to send children to go and acquire skills that will help Zimbabwe.
Right now we are focusing on Vision 2030 where we are expecting the upliftment of each and every Zimbabwean to middle income class.
*THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. KAMBIZI): Before you do your supplementary question, I would like to inform the Senate that we have been joined by Hon. Dr. J. Gumbo, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs in Charge of Implementation and Monitoring.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr. President, the Minister has answered very well on the issue of scholarships. We even want more countries to assist us with scholarships so that we can send more children. We have students who want to learn locally but they do not have fees. We have very bright students with 15 to 28 points. We must come up with policies or local scholarships; we have to look into this.
The other issue that worries me is that education must be affordable to everyone. If we are able to achieve that, we will develop on human capital. If education remains expensive, we will remain a classical society.
This week on Monday, I was in Morocco and I gave a public lecture at the university. They said that the university has 90 000 students and they said 30 000 students do not pay fees. Hence we know that economies are different, here we cannot be able to offer free education but my plea is that school fees must be affordable to everyone.
*HON. MACHINGURA: Thank you Hon. President. The words spoken by Hon. Chief Charumbira are very pertinent and very true. Our President, His Excellency Cde. Mnangagwa said we do not want to leave anyone behind. As a Ministry also, we say we do not want to leave people behind because they are not able to pay fees. Maybe children whom we leave behind because they cannot afford fees are the brightest and probably they are the ones who will add more value to the country in future. You hear most of the time when His Excellency is speaking, he always emphasises on the issue of production. I know we cannot come to Parliament and say let us have free education, it is not possible. Our GDP is slightly lacking, and the only immediate solution was to introduce Education 5.0. I do not think we are going to have problems with everyone going to school for free. I agree that in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, there is an issue that is being worked on for education to be free at primary level. It is going to be implemented in stages, meaning that the Government is committed to the issue of free education. Mr. President, as Government, we are saying there is no child who is going to fail to go to school because of lack of school fees. The first stage is provision of students’ loans through the ZIMDEF which is under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education. There are funds deposited at CBZ and the forms were at CBZ and different universities so that students who are in need would go and apply for the loans. We have agreed that conditions for the loans are a little bit difficult because they want guarantee that the borrower is going to return the money. There is need to have a relook into it.
The second issue is of students who are at universities. There is the Education 5.0 where learners, whilst they are learning, they will be engaged in other projects and involved in production. We also introduced a WorkForFees Programme. Whilst students are learning and doing production, they get paid. The money which they are being paid is directed to their school fees. At our universities, we have put a policy that no one is going to be chased away because of lack of payment of school fees. The student, the parents and the university administration must sit down and come up with the payment plan. Those are ways to try and reduce challenges on the issue of school fees and children are given an opportunity to attend lectures wholeheartedly focussing on production and not focusing on school fees.
We appreciate the contribution by Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira that education must be for free. You are speaking about the issue of scholarships which are awarded to students going outside the country. There are some situations when Government send students to other countries under Government’s financing so that we will be able to source the knowledge which we do not have locally. For example, our country would want to situate a satellite in the orbit so that when we go into space, we can access the information which we need. We also have the department of ZimSat-1 which is going to focus on the issue of space technology. We did not have students or people who were able to work with satellites, hence the country sent four students to Japan to learn about satellites so that we will be able to send the satellites into orbit.
Very soon you are going to hear about the launch of the project. We do have scholarships which are going to be offered to students to go and learn outside the country but we will be focusing on the areas which are lacking in terms of the skills that we do not have locally. We really need those skills for the development of the nation. Sometimes the country sacrifices so that we get knowledge from other countries for the scholarships which must be awarded locally to people who are patriotic to the country and who understand that the country is built by its people.
We do not have many years before we have scholarships for locals, for example having Dr. Chamunorwa focusing on heart specialist students’ scholarships. Most of the scholarship names out there are people from those countries who dedicated their monies in different trustees, whether they are alive or dead. Those monies will be used for the education assistance of people. I believe that as locals, we are going to implement such ideas so that we build our country. I thank you Mr. President Sir.
+HON. SEN. MKHWEBU: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. R. Maboyi. What is Government policy regarding police officers who are working from Fort Thuli? This police station has no electricity and even a fence. It is dilapidated but there are police officers operating from this station. I thank you.
+THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I am not very conversant with Ndebele but I am not too sure that is a policy question. To me, it appears that you are asking a question on a particular police station but I could be wrong. Minister, obviously you comprehended that question.
+THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI): Thank you Mr. President, and thank you Hon. Sen. Mkhwebu. Yes, it is true. We will go back to the challenges that are being faced by police officers. They are not the only ones who are working from such dilapidated areas. Even if you are to get there, you will also be surprised how people are managing to operate from such dilapidated areas but we continue to acknowledge their great job. There is no electricity, no fence and animals can even invade this police station. We continue to ask for increased allocation of funds to police each time we go to the Ministry of Finance. They end up thinking that we are problematic but it is because we are covering the whole country. This police station is within my constituency. Therefore, I will need to talk to other people that I operate with so that police officers operating from this camp can really feel at work. It is not the only one but there are so many. There is Shashi Police Station especially around the border lying areas. We have Shashi and Mulambapele, it is difficult but we will definitely try.
Time for Questions Without Notice interrupted by the THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in Terms of Standing Order No. 67
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I move that Question Time be extended by 20 minutes.
HON. SEN. CHINAKE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: The Question Time is extended by 15 minutes.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: My question is directed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is understood that Zimbabwe is under the ZIDERA sanctions and it has caused enough pain and suffering in Zimbabwe. The voice has been made louder than Zimbabwe itself because even African leaders have also called for their removal. Now, it seems like the sanction imposers are not moved at all by what we are doing. What is the Government practically doing to ensure that sanctions are removed because I do not think that the noise alone would make the sanction imposers remove them because the more noise we make, the happier they become because they believe that we are actually feeling the pain and the pinch.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. MUSABAYANA): Thank you for raising a very important question which is of national importance. It is true that sanctions have caused serious suffering to the Zimbabwean citizenry, the poor and rich alike. It is also important to understand that these sanctions are illegal as they were imposed illegally on Zimbabwe. They were not sanctioned, accepted or approved by the UN. These economic sanctions are a challenge because they have put barricades to the economy. All our credit lines have been stopped, especially international credit lines because of the economic sanctions. For you to transact or trade on the global platform, you have to be on the SWIFT platform and that SWIFT platform unfortunately, the benefactors are the illegal imposers of the economic sanctions, the WEST.
So, as a Government, our leader His Excellency Dr. E.D Mnangagwa has come up with a number of philosophies or approaches to deal with economic sanctions. Zimbabwe is Open for Business is a mantra and a philosophy that has created pathways to reach out to the international economy including those nations that have illegally imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe, like America for example. You have realised that the American business people have started coming to do business with Zimbabwe. A year or two ago, we saw the John Deere facility. Just a few days ago, the John Deere also got a US$50 million facility for tractors and combine harvesters showing that those pathways that His Excellency Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa eventually opened up and we are starting to trade with some of the business people in America.
Recently, we have had the resuscitation of the Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Programme. Again, you have American investors in this programme in partnership with Chinese investors showing that in terms of the economic front we are winning. Many other billion dollar deals are coming through the appetite that has been created by H.E. the President to the American investors. That is another level or stage of dealing with economic sanctions.
Another level that the Government has chosen is the platform of dialogue. We started with the EU dialogue and you saw it progressed. We had about three inter-ministerial dialogues at ministerial level. That engagement yielded positive results resulting in the removal of most of the sanctions that we imposed on individuals and companies except the defence industry which is still on those sanctions. So, we are now coming up on a similar programme, I may not be able to unveil it now because it has not been approved through Cabinet, where we want to formally engage the Americans on the issue of economic sanctions. We continue to talk and engage them formally at various platforms and we are happy with the progress, especially on engaging the West on the illegal economic sanctions they imposed on us. I submit Hon. President Sir.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr. President. Hon. Minister, just probably to be elegant and say, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, thank you for all the good work. Can we also be a player as Parliament? I know, in terms of protocol and other procedures, only the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade can deal with foreign institutions. Can Parliament of Zimbabwe write a letter to thank those Presidents at the recent United Nations Assembly who spoke in support of Zimbabwe on sanctions and called for the removal of sanctions, for example the President of Kenya, Ruto; South Africa, and the full list?
It is a new style because I know you always talk to them. Can Parliament of Zimbabwe Members of Parliament and Senators also write to thank those Heads of State? It makes better blending than only you all the time; we can help you. Thank you.
HON. MUSABAYANA: Thank you Hon. President. I also want to thank the Hon. President of the Pan-Africa Parliament, Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira who is also the President of the Chiefs’ Council of Zimbabwe. Hon. President, we all understand that the Government has three arms or pillars, that is the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. I am also sure that we are aware that His Excellency the President is also part of Parliament, Head of State and Chief Diplomat. Whatever we do as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, we implement and get guidance from his office.
So, I cannot specifically give a nod to say, Parliament can go ahead as an institution to write thanking those Heads of State. Although it is a noble idea, I think we still go through the normal channel of getting approval from the Head of State because the optics have an analysis of having different arms of Government thanking different Presidents of governments for whatever they have done. When we see those Heads of State, governments or different institutions presenting the case for Zimbabwe at such important fora, it is also testimony that behind the scenes, your President Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa was having sleepless nights to lobby and ensure that our voice is heard as Africa and other institutions to support us. So, we stand guided by his office that we will go ahead and thank the Heads of State.
I support on Twitter and individuals are allowed also to forward accolades and say all the good things to those who supported our Government and the cause of Zimbabwe on the international platform. I submit Hon. President.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Clarification! Clarification! This Minister is very intelligent Mr. President. Mr. President, let me sharpen in two words. Parliament of Zimbabwe will write to the Speaker of Kenya; that would be proper to thank the President of Kenya. So the Speaker of Parliament would then say to their President, you are being thanked through our Parliament; it works. Thank you very much.
*HON. SEN. CHINAKE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity. My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage. Mr. President, in this country we have motorists who always violate traffic regulations even if you go to Binga. Hon. Minister, my plea is, if only you could give traffic offence tickets for motorists to pay fines. Some of them actually drive on pavements that pedestrians use, so if you fine them, you would make a lot of money. My question is; why can you not ask all the police force in stations to ensure that they arrest those who violate traffic regulations? I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Minister, did you understand the question?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI): No, I did not quite understand the question. I heard that motorists are violating traffic rules but did not get the question.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: The issue that was raised by Hon. Sen. Chinake is that there is rampant lawlessness on the roads and if you were to make sure that every police station has fine books to penalise those people perhaps you could raise enough money to buy new cars. However, that presupposes that you are allowed by Treasury to retain that money. The Hon. Member may not be clear that when you fine offenders, the money does not automatically go to your Ministry – [HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI: Thank you.] – I think part of it and not all of it goes to Treasury and you would have to agree with Treasury that you can retain a portion of it. So, it may be an academic question. Would you want to comment on that?
*HON. MAVHUNGU-MABOYI: Yes, Mr. President Sir. It is a fact that traffic regulations are being violated and people are breaking the laws. Even if we ticket them for fines, after a few meters having paid the fine, they continue to flout road regulations. These days most of those motorists are abusing drugs and we do not understand their behaviour.
The money for fines is not used by the police but it is submitted to Treasury. When it goes to Treasury, it is not returned to the police force but is distributed to other departments. Had it been the case, we would be having a number of vehicles in our police stations because people pay a lot of fines for violation of traffic regulations. We have no access to those funds because they are submitted to Treasury. We are going to request that the budget sets aside money for us to acquire vehicles. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order No. 67.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SEN. WATSON KHUPE
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate, Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. RWAMBIWA: Thank you Mr. President. Firstly, I want to thank Hon. Sen. Manyau for the motion that she brought into this House. Looking at the life of Hon. Sen. Khupe, he was a very understanding person and he was aware of his role as a Member of Parliament representing people with disability. He was so conscious of the discrimination that people with disability faced.
There is a motion that he wanted to table in the House and he wanted me to second the motion and it was on the life of Jairos Jiri. I think the reason why he wanted me to second the motion is because I come from the same home area as Jairos Jiri. It is unfortunate that he passed on before he tabled the motion.
He was a man who admired the work done by Jairos Jiri in improving the lives of people with disability. We are in pain on the loss of Hon. Sen. Khupe. He was a man who was true to his word and was principled. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MANYAU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. T. MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the Seventh Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians Network on Development Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHISOROCHENGWE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO THE PARLIAMENT OF RWANDA
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the benchmarking visit to the Parliament of Rwanda.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 51ST PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the 51st Plenary of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity, I want to support the SADC report tabled by Hon. Sen. Mohadi. The report mentioned the issue to do with HIV. We are pleased that our parliaments within the SADC can sit and deliberate on issues that affect us on a day to day basis like the HIV and AIDS pandemic. We want to thank them for that initiative. It is important for us as legislators and as SADC to sit and deliberate and exchange notes on how we can eradicate HIV/AIDS within the SADC region. It is a disease that is still there.
As we meet with other SADC countries, we then deliberate and investigate whether it is still as deadly as it was before or that the countries within the region have medication to address the issue of HIV and AIDS. It is important to see if the prevalence rate is regressing. So we need to know how we can completely eradicate HIV and AIDS. We have young children who are growing up and there is need to protect them from HIV/AIDS pandemic because they are the future.
Let me thank the Zimbabwean delegation that represented us at the SADC Plenary Session. When countries meet, they are at various levels of dealing with the pandemic because of the availability of resources between the different countries. That is important in the sense that they can then exchange notes and advise each other on how to address the pandemic.
When HIV/AIDS was first discovered in Zimbabwe, people thought it was not true and people were shy to talk about it and others sought medication secretly. Some went as far as getting medication from different provinces away from where they stay. We thank the Government of Zimbabwe for establishing the National AIDS Council which assisted a lot in reducing the HIV prevalence rate. They worked very hard in addressing the issue. I was saying that I want to thank Government for their foresight on the HIV/AIDS and as a nation we worked hard. I also want to thank the Government for introducing AIDS levy, this benefited us a lot. Other countries admired Zimbabwe because of the way it handled the HIV/AIDS. That is why we are happy with the SADC Parliamentary Forum as it is addressing issues to do with helping people and we will continue to work together as a region.
As a region, we have cordial relations and we can even visit our relatives and friends in different countries - that is what led to the spread of HIV and AIDS. We are very happy that SADC has taken the initiative to ensure that as a region, we meet and deliberate on such issues. A country without a healthy population can never develop, so we want to thank the Zimbabwean delegation which was part of the meeting that it did well and represented Zimbabwe well. They also gave reports concerning the measures that are being taken to reduce the prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS. We want to thank them for taking into consideration issues to do with health to ensure that we all live healthy lives. I thank you very much for giving me this opportunity.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE HELD IN ITALY
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the Delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to victims of terrorism.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR COMPLETION OF DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for Government to provide adequate funds for the completion of dam projects.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
MOTION
PARENTING AND EMBRACING A RECEPTIVE CULTURE FOR CHILDREN LIVING IN THE STREETS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on vulnerable children living on the streets.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MATHUTHU, seconded by HON. SEN. PHUGENI, the House adjourned at Seventeen Minutes past Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 11th October, 2022.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 28th September, 2022
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER
SWEARING IN OF A NEW MEMBER
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on 26th September, 2022, Parliament was notified by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission that Tshuma Spencer was duly elected a Member of the National Assembly for the Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency following a by election.
Section 128 (1) of the Constitution provides that before a Member of Parliament takes his or her seat in Parliament, the Member must take the oath of a Member of Parliament in the form set out in the third schedule.
Section 128 (2) states that the oath must be taken before the Clerk of Parliament.
I therefore, call upon the Clerk of Parliament to administer the oath of a Member of Parliament to Tshuma Spencer – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
NEW MEMBER SWORN
HON. SPENCER TSHUMA subscribed to the Oath of Loyalty as required by the Law and took his seat – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
FIRST READING
MEDICAL SERVICES AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 1, 2022.]
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTAR YAFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI) on behalf of THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE) (HON. GEN. RTD. C.G.D.N. CHIWENGA) presented the Medical Services Amendment Bill [H. B. 1, 2022].
Bill read the first time.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
FIRST READING
ELECTRICITY AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 7, 2022]
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA) presented the Electricity Amendment Bill [H.B. 7, 2022]
Bill read the first time.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
HON. GONESE: On a point of Order Madam Speaker. My point of order is in terms of the provisions of Standing Order No. 72 which is very clear that a point of order takes precedence over all other motions or Orders of the day. A point of order was raised by Hon. Markham in relation to the lack of connectivity and it is trite that we now have a hybrid system and a zoom link which was sent to our e-mails and provided to all Members of Parliament, which means to say that we are all entitled to elect as to how we are going to participate in the sessions of this august House.
When we have got a hybrid system, it is important for all Hon. Members to be able to access the proceedings of this House. As Hon. Markham pointed out, there were 12 people lined up and I had to borrow from my learned friend Hon. Ndebele’s tablet because I am failing to connect on my tablet. Yesterday there was a debate on Order No. 33 which had to be adjourned because of this lack of connectivity. It is incumbent upon the Chair to make a ruling as to how we are supposed to be proceeding. I was of the opinion that before proceeding with the business of the day, the Chair was going to advise the Hon. Members of this august House, even those who are not here also need answers. As I have already pointed out, we adopted Standing Orders for virtual sittings, so it is important to us.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Gonese for that. We do not have connectivity challenges.
HON. GONESE: There are because I failed to access and there are only a few people who are connected. Yesterday I had a problem when I wanted to contribute to a debate on Order No. 33. I had to rush to this august House and the House had to adjourn. Hon. Mavetera was in the Chair and she adjourned the debate and I was informed by other Hon. Members. I was with Hon. Mokone and we were on virtual platform, we could not access. So if those on the floor of this House are failing to get through, it means that even those outside are failing to get through and it is not a new thing. It happened yesterday and the House was prematurely adjourned because there was no connectivity. So you cannot say that there are no connectivity challenges. Right now, I am holding my phone and it is still saying connecting waiting for the host to start this meeting. It is important for us to address the issue because it is critical. I am also speaking on behalf of those who would have taken an election to participate virtually. It is a hybrid system and if we are to dispense with the hybrid system, why are we having the zoom link sent to our e-mails? It is to enable us to connect. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese, those Hon. Members who are facing challenges with connectivity can be attended to by the ICT.
HON. GONESE: And those who are not in the House who have made an election as we are having a hybrid system, we adopted Standing Orders for a virtual sitting? It is now something which we are entitled to do. It is important that it should be addressed and we know what is happening and how we are going to deal with it.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese, we have 37 Hon. Members who are now connected on our zoom link and so we can proceed and others will be connecting as we go.
HON. GONESE: Thank you Ma’am if it is being addressed, but I was also talking about the future, the way forward, not just for one day.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Those facing challenges, I am being advised that Hon. Members must log in using the I.D. which was sent on your phones at around 10.30, not the other one which was sent before that. The other one which was sent before that is wrong. So you must use the one which is reflecting on our screen. May we move forward?
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have got a list of Hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers who have sought leave of absence from the House. Hon. C.D.G. N. Chiwenga, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. J. Mangwiro, Deputy Minister for Health and Child Care; Hon. E. F. T. Mhona, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development; Hon. E. Ndlovu, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. E. Moyo, Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. Prof. M. Ncube, Minister of Finance and Economic Development; Hon. Prof. A. Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Hon. Machingura, Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Hon. Dr. K. Coventry, Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Culture; Hon. Kazembe, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Hon. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. Prof. Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. Dr. S. Nzenza, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. R. Modi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. D. Garwe, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities and Hon. O.C.Z. Muchinguri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans.
HON. B. DUBE: Madam Speaker Ma’am, considering that the Session may close any time soon, I am concerned that the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Hon. Soda, has not showed up and if you check on the Order Paper, questions that were deferred relating to his Ministry date back to 27th July, 2022 and back. The risk of the Session lapsing is that these questions will fall off and Hon. Members will not have answers and responses to constituents. The country is black as we speak. In my constituency in Gweru, there is no electricity and I intend to find out from him and he has been evasive since July. What is the remedy that we have for Ministers, especially Hon. Soda? We do not mind other Ministers but for now Hon. Soda. There is a problem with Hon. Soda, especially where we are now – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Hon. Leader of Government Business has taken note of that – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order, Hon. Members.
Hon. Members with vehicles with registration numbers AFX 3461 Toyota Fortuner and ACV 1775 Toyota Prado, please may you go and remove your vehicles. You have parked your vehicles on Judges’ parking space. Please may you go and remove them.
HON. MURAI: I have a point of clarity Madam Speaker. I seek to get clarification about the Ministers and Deputy Ministers who seek leave of absence from this House. I want to know, will they be paid at the end of the month? This is being done continuously. Will they get their pay?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Murai, I am not privy to that information. I am not sure.
HON. MURAI: Find out from the Leader of the House Madam Speaker – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
*HON. R. NYATHI: My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. What is Government policy regarding the directive which will be given so that may be that directive is reversed because as a Committee, we are receiving a lot of questions, some regarding the 23 depots? There is a directive that when VID officers go for outreach programmes, they should bank whatever money they raise on that particular day. As Zimbabwe for example, we have VID in Kwekwe, and to go to Chitekete from Kwekwe, it is 300 km. From Bindura to Dotito, it is quite a distance. From Gweru to Shurugwi where my constituency is at Domboramwari, it is quite a distance. So the directive says that the money should be banked on that particular day, which means that our people cannot receive services yet our President says that we are supposed to go together, no one should be left behind. My question is - what could be done so that the directive is reversed because we are leaving some people behind? We are not giving them relevant services which they deserve. I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MADIRO): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to thank Hon. Nyathi for raising a pertinent question. It is important to know that Government plans to make the different Government service provisions accessible. Let me say this august House should look at issues which affect the people of Zimbabwe like what the Hon. Member has raised. The directives and laws were put by the people’s Government. If there are regulations which might not be conducive for the ease of doing business, then they should be reviewed so that it becomes easy for people to expedite their duties with fortitude. Indeed, we are going to look at the regulations. Also look at the availability of facilities so that it becomes easy for people to access Government services. I thank you.
HON. CHINGOSHO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. What is the Ministry’s policy to help people with albinism against skin cancer?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. The Ministry of Health has a policy to assist those who live with albinism in terms of provision of skin creams to ensure that the burden is lessened on them and other necessary provisions. I will refer the Hon. Member to the Ministry so that he can get detailed explanation on the programmes that they are doing but indeed, there is a policy to ensure that they are helped. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Would it also be Government programme, arrangement or policy to also have a programme such as the Aids levy that is apportioned to cancer levy in the absence of the proliferation of the scourge of cancer? Would it be Government’s thrust to also have a cancer levy in place in the same manner that Aids levy was introduced to curtail, avert, limit and also annihilate the scourge of cancer?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. At this juncture, there is no thinking of introducing another tax but all monies that are collected go into the Consolidated Revenue Fund and we are approaching budget time. I would encourage the Hon. Member to ensure that as budget time approaches and consultations are being held, he speaks to the need to ensure that more funding is given so that the Ministry can carry out the mandate that they have in that regard. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Maybe it would be important for Members to know that the Zimplats Company does run a very successful programme on the albino community, giving sunscreen and so forth. If you can get in touch with Zimplats, they will certainly help you. It is one of their key corporate social responsibilities that they do undertake.
HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Exorbitant prices and fees are indicators of challenges faced by our citizens. Basic rights are now inaccessible for many. State university fees have gone up 450% with the Ministry’s approval, which is really insensitive. I want to check with the Leader of Government Business if there is a deliberate policy thrust by our Government to cushion the majority poor who cannot afford to finance higher education because it must not be a preserve for the rich.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. State university fees have not been increased for over one and half years. Hon. Members are quite alive that a lot has happened within that particular period. If you compare when the fees were pegged at the current structure that has been reviewed and the cost of living that was there including salaries, you will realise that there was a need for a review to be done. When you compare the fees with what is obtaining in the region, we are the cheapest. Be that as it may, our State universities have come up with programmes to ensure that our students are cushioned in terms of having payment plans, access to loans and other support services that can be given. Indeed, there was a huge jump but that was done upon a realisation that we kept the fees frozen for over one and half, if not two years and everything else has been going up but the fees structures are not that exorbitant if you compare with the region. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, when Ministers speak to the nation through this House, the understanding is they represent what is on the mind of the entire Cabinet. In January, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education in this House rightfully said as a matter of policy that any shift in terms of fees in tertiary institutions would be a function of affordability, reasonability, sustainability, as well as, other factors. He said other factors relate to improved economic conditions. We all wonder why our Government is prone to sudden policy shift. What economic considerations have been taken on board? What has changed to enable that shift in terms of our fees? We are talking about children of teachers here who are failing to pay university fees, including MPs. We cannot afford to pay this. What motivates this selfish consideration?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Member for expressing his feelings. Madam Speaker Ma’am, there was no question that I could get from his statement, except to say that – [HON. NDEBELE: I can rephrase it if you say there was no question.] – The only bit that I got Madam Speaker, I have responded to, to say that the fees were last reviewed two years ago. Even if you look at the statement that was said by the Minister in January, a lot has happened and there is statistical evidence to show the movement that has happened in everything from January up to September where we are. So there is a lot of reasonability that was put in when those fees were reviewed and I still put it to the House Madam Speaker, that our fees structure is one of the cheapest around the region. I thank you.
HON. HAMAUSWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. My point of order relates to the issues surrounding fees in our country in tertiary and higher education institutions. There has been a series of petitions from students from our higher and tertiary institutions. As a result, as a Committee, we made a decision that we now need to have an all stakeholders workshop where we were going to focus not just on fees, but educational funding in the country and that request was shot down. Now we received the petition again.
So I want to submit Madam Speaker, that this issue of fees has to be taken from a broader perspective to say what is our policy in terms of funding our education in Zimbabwe. So my issue was that when we made a request, the request was rejected and it is also not true that the fees were last reviewed two years ago. So this is the issue which is coming from time to time and the Government is proving to actually be failing to resolve this issue and we cannot continue to have one issue coming to the House through petitions, having seven petitions within maybe two or three years. It is not right for the Government.
Therefore Madam Speaker I request, through you, that you give the Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education to revisit the request for having an all stakeholders workshop where the issue of educational funding in our higher and tertiary institutions is going to be resolved to a point that will satisfy the interest of the students and the interest of the parents who are also failing to fund the fees and also even at primary level, we are having situations which need all stakeholders to come and resolve the issue.
Madam Speaker, I also want our Government to be sensitive. They cannot continue to relate the fees with the region. When we are raising salary issues, they reject us to compare with the region.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Hamauswa, you are now debating what the Minister has said.
HON. HAMAUSWA: But you have heard what I have said Madam Speaker. Thank you.
HON. RAIDZA: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
HON. NDEBELE: But you cannot take to the floor before a ruling is made.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I ruled. I said I have heard what he has said.
HON. RAIDZA: My point of order Madam Speaker is that if it pleases you, I wanted the Minister responsible for higher education to bring a Ministerial Statement to this House that will give us far more details with statistics and everything so that at least we will be having somewhere to interrogate some of these issues from. Thank you Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Raidza. I am sure the Hon. Leader of Government has taken note of that. He will relay the message to the responsible Minister. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. Ministers have a tendency not to bring Ministerial Statements. I think you must direct the Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education to meet as soon as possible and do an enquiry on it. They are the only organisation that can exist. A Ministerial Statement will not come. So the Portfolio Committee is there to do its work, let it be directed to it and the Minister is called to deal with it. I think it would bring a lasting resolution to this.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa, whilst the Portfolio Committee is doing its own work, the responsible Minister can also bring the Ministerial Statement to the House.
HON. MUNENGAMI: In addition to that Hon. Speaker, the reason why we have got the Leader of the House in terms of Government Business, I think it is also important for him to be knowledgeable on all these other issues. If he is not aware or he does not have that knowledge, I think it would be better to say okay, I am not conversant to the issues which are being asked even before he has gone to answer questions then it would be easier and also to save time.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are out of order. Please may you sit down.
HON. MUNENGAMI: But it also helps us Madam Speaker.
HON. MURAI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Leader of the House and it is to do with our local utility ZESA. It seems the issue of power cuts is getting worse with each passing day. Do you really have a plan as to how to deal with this crisis because the citizens are enduring more and more hours of power cuts? Do you have any plan to restore the power so that the citizens will enjoy the utility?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. The issue of power cuts, the power utility through its Public Relations Department, is supposed to inform consumers of what is happening and what they intend to do. I believe that the power utility is doing that, but should the Hon. Member need further information as to the load shedding programme and what they intend to do, the business plan and whatever, he is free to put that in writing so that the relevant Minister can forward it to ZESA and they bring that particular information. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order Hon. Gonese?
HON. GONESE: My point of order Madam Speaker relates to the response by the Hon. Leader of Government Business which I think is an insult, not just to the Hon. Members of this august House but also to the nation at large. This is a very serious issue Madam Speaker Ma’am and the question was very clear. It is a policy issue; this is not something new. We have been experiencing power cuts over time and it is something which the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, in his capacity as not only the Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of Government Business, but as a person who sits in Cabinet and I want to assume that any serious Government, if he is part of a serious Government, has been seized with this matter. He should be well aware of what the Government plans to do. Through this medium where a question has been asked by an Hon. Member of Parliament, he should be able to respond so that all Zimbabwean citizens are able to understand the reasons behind the power cuts, what the Government is planning to do to alleviate the suffering of the people of Zimbabwe. I submit Madam Speaker Ma’am, that you must direct the Hon. Leader of Government Business to actually be more serious to respond to the question and tell the nation as to what they intend to do, otherwise this is not sustainable, this is not appropriate, we cannot continue as representatives of the people to fold our arms while the people of Zimbabwe are suffering to the extent that they are as a result of these power cuts.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker, I put it to the Hon. Member that he is also not very serious and he is not representing the people that elected him appropriately. I say so Madam Speaker because Government has programmes; a lot of coverage has been done as to what the Government is doing to improve the power supply in Zimbabwe. The Minister has come up with several programmes where he has indicated - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – the last time the Government spokesperson - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Madam Speaker, call them to order, when he was speaking, I was silent but they do not want me to speak because they are misrepresenting their people – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] – They pretend not to know what Government is doing. The last Cabinet, our spokesperson gave a detailed report of where Hwange 7 and 8 is. I am ashamed the Hon. Member is saying that he does not have information of the plan of what Government is doing....
HON. MATEWU: On a point or order Madam Speaker. When people come to this House, the public expects us to represent our constituents, the public experts this House to behave in decorum that is pursuant to the standard of living of people in this country. There is a crisis of electricity in this country. We expect Government to take its part and inform the constituents, through the Members of Parliament, on what is happening in Government and what the Government has and what it is doing to alleviate the crisis...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are not there to debate.
HON. MATEWU: We need the Government to tell us, and indeed the public and our constituents, of what it is doing because we are all affected as a country. We call upon the Government to fully explain to us what is happening in terms of electricity, how are they going to resolve the power crises? It does not only affect individuals and households, but it also affects business and business makes this economy go. What is Government going to do to ensure that there is restoration of order and power in this country? Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, please we must behave honourably. When the Minister is responding, give him the chance to respond – [HON. NDEBELE: You must not take sides.] – I do not take sides.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Earlier on, what I took exception to was that Government was not informing the generality of the public as to what Government is doing in terms of provision of power. Every Tuesday when there is an issue that arises in terms of energy, our Government spokesperson articulates that. The last Cabinet meeting she indeed explained the developments that had happened to Hwange in terms of our 100-days cycle.
We have expansion of Hwange 7 and 8 that is happening and that is being done to ensure that the power plants that we had which are now antiquated, we need to replace them. We also have a plant in Kariba that was commissioned but you must also appreciate that we have gone for a long time with power plants that have now outlived their lifespan and those are the ones that we are replacing. What is manifesting now is a problem because of the industrialisation in Zimbabwe that was created by the Second Republic because of the new industries that are coming up. The demand for power is increasing. So you realise that the power that we are now spending in Zimbabwe in 2022 is far much more than what we used to spend in 2018 because of the several companies that are now operating in Zimbabwe.
However, we have a plan to ensure that not only do we increase the number of independent power supplies that will be in there in terms of green energy and the solar energy. A week or so ago, the President witnessed the signing of the Mine to Energy Park where two other power stations will be developed within the Darwendale area. Each power station is contributing 300 megawatts and so all this - the Government publishes time and time again, the events that people are doing. These are in the public domain but what I took exception to is to indicate that Government is not informing the Hon. MPs when they are not reading or following up proceedings. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, let me thank Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa for giving him that answer.
*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker, there is an issue that has troubled many families in this country, the issue of drug abuse. We are seeing that children are being troubled and those who are caught selling these drugs are being given a lesser sentence. They are seen back on the streets in a very short period of time. What does the Minister say on tightening the sentence on those caught selling drugs?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for such a question. The issue of people who sell illegal drugs is an issue that is troubling the nation and what can be done on these individuals so that they totally stop their act; we have an inter-ministerial committee which was established by the President so that it gives recommendations to the Cabinet on what sustainable measures that can be taken. It is something that we are considering that we stiffen the penalty. Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: On a point of order Madam Speaker. My Shona may not be that good but the Minister is speaking of zvinodhaka, I stand to be corrected. He needs to add zvisiri pamutemo. Otherwise it will include Natbrew. Thank you.
*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My supplementary question is, while they are planning all that, what can be done to assist people? This issue is really troubling people. We know it can take long to implement what you are trying to put in place. What can be done to assist the people, especially those in rural areas?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. This question was asked last week in this august House. The Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Hon. Matuke responded that they have people from their Ministry moving around districts educating people on the bad effects of drug abuse. He also explained that if they find someone who has become a drug addict, they will take them in rehabilitation centres. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare has teams in different districts giving awareness to people. That is why we have this Committee which was selected by the President so that they can look into this issue in order to get a permanent solution to this problem. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order. It is important for people to follow proceedings of this Parliament. The Speaker ruled on this last week. He said there was going to be a joint Ministerial Statement because the aspect of drug abuse relates to many ministries. Ministry of Health must come in. The Ministry of Youth, the Ministry of Justice must also come in. Women’s Affairs, Home Affairs, Labour, so if there is anything which we expect the Administration to be noting down is this, instead of going for inflated laptops and so forth.
They must be reminding the Ministers of these Statements. It is the role of Administration to remind the Ministers that the Speaker ruled on Ministerial Statement and write to the Ministers. We have got one Ministerial Statement missing, where the Deputy of Minister of Finance is supposed to give us in terms of all the beneficiaries of the auction, if you remember. That has not come through again. You make a ruling, they do not pay attention to the ruling and that is how incompetent the Administration has been. It is letting us down but when it comes to the issue of laptops they are able to write letters back and forth. So they must pay attention to your ruling; they follow it up with a letter and then these Ministerial Statements come in here. So, the Administration is incompetent. Where are the Ministerial Statements from these Ministers, from the issue of the Minister of Finance on the people who benefitted from the auction? It is not there. Is it our duty to remind Ministers? The Administration is there to do that. Let them focus on more important issues which will build the nation, which are not for sale.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa, the Administration will remind the Hon. Ministers to bring the Ministerial Statements.
*HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My supplementary question to the Minister of Justice is, people that are found with mbanje are nabbed and some are incarcerated. These drugs we are talking about which are stronger than mbanje, people sell them freely and they are not nabbed at all. How long does it take for them to be incarcerated or for them to be banned? How long does it take?
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Both, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Labour are not around. They were supposed to bring their Ministerial Statements but they were not around because they are part of the President’s delegation. They are not yet back. I think next week they can bring those Ministerial Statements.
On the question on people who are found with mbanje being jailed, why not those who sell drugs, why are they not jailed? The problem is, some of the substances they use as drugs are prescription drugs. Some of them are over the counter medicines, for example cough mixtures. These are different from mbanje because in our Criminal Code, mbanje is criminalised but these substances are not in our laws. They also use something they remove from pampers, so it is something which is not regulated and we cannot criminalise them.
I agree with Hon. Mliswa that the issue of drugs, we talked about it last week. The Hon. Speaker ruled that there will be a joint Ministerial Statement. It will come. So Hon. Members, we have two issues; Ministerial Statement will come but there is a Committee which will present. After their presentation, we will ask them to come and explain in this House what will be the way forward in order to assist our children from the problem of drug abuse. I thank you.
*HON. CHIDZIVA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My supplementary question is, does it mean that the Government does not have a policy to deal with people who are using drugs in this country? It has been a long period with people mentioning a Ministerial Statement that has never made its way to this House. A lot of people are being affected by these drugs. There are actually known bases of drug lords who are known in this country. If these people are caught, they are released and nothing much is done to them. Their places of residence and where they operate from is known. These drug lords are paying police officers. Can we take it head on before things go out of hand?
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker. The Hon. Minister explained last week. That is where I want to revert to Hon. Mliswa’s position. The problem is that Hon. Members do not follow proceedings in the House. The Labour Minister explained in detail what the Government is doing currently. In addition, he also explained that because of the magnitude of the drug problems in the country, there was need for further research and action to get rid of the problem. The Hon. Speaker also requested for a joint Ministerial Statement.
It is very wrong and misleading for Members to come to this House and debate when they would not have read what was ruled by the Hon. Speaker. Hon. Members of Parliament ought to follow and understand fully the proceedings. The issue of those who are involved in paying police officers, it means it is corruption. We should report those who are involved in corruption so that we have stability and a just society. The Government is not establishing these bases for selling drugs. Instead, the Government is asking for people to communicate and inform them where these people are operating from so that action is taken. Thank you very much.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, the issue brought up by Hon. Priscilla Moyo is very important. Just for people to understand, this is the product. [Hon. T. Mliswa showed a bottle of the illicit beer to the House] This is the product. Aka kanonzi kambwa uri mutoriro. It is important for Members to understand that this is what is killing the nation. It is serious. Kanonzi kambwa ikaka, mutoriro. Ndinoda kut isu muma constituency matiri tibetsere by raising awareness. Isusu kuNorton neku Parliamentary Sports Club tinoti siya guka, siya mutoriro. Siya mutoriro, siya guka.
Let us help the Government in dealing with this. Hon. Moyo is correct. Society has been destroyed. Children no longer respect their parents. We need to have a joint Ministerial Statement that will focus on all the ills in our country, including unemployment. Leave mutoriro, leave guka.
*HON. RAIDZA: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me the opportunity to ask my question. My question goes to the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Madam Speaker Ma’am, the issue of veld fires has become a serious problem and it is happening every day. Veld fires are being experienced in different parts of the country. Some people get burnt whilst trying to put off the fires. My question to the Leader of Government business is; what policy do they have to avert veld fires in this country? We are facing a continued destruction of property in this country, what is being done to assist in that regard?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): This is a very good question Madam Speaker, to say if you go to the communal areas, forests are being destroyed by veld fires. One would wonder what is happening. There are laws that are meant to apprehend those who are involved in starting these fires. The laws are there and what is left therefore is for the perpetrators to be apprehended and brought before the courts of law. There is no one who is allowed to start a fire. If you are caught in such an act, there are stiffer penalties for such behaviour. The Ministry of Environment should come up with a programme to stop perpetrators. There are very good laws in place. Traditional leaders can work very well using these laws. Thank you.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. My question goes to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. We are seeing that our remand prisons are overcrowded. There is now a trend in this country where people are denied bail at the courts of law. It seems there is selective application of the law. Others are being arrested and let go but others are failing to secure bail. Those who are released even tell the police officers to say, we will meet at the courts. Others are denied such an opportunity. There are people who have more than 100 days in remand prison. However, if you look at their cases, they are just the same as those who have been released in 24 hours. Why are we experiencing a selective application of the law? Why are people looking and considering political affiliation for those who are brought before the courts of law? The issues of Hon. Godfrey Sithole, Hon. Job Sikhala have more than 100 days in prison, in incarceration. Why are they being denied an opportunity just like those who have been granted bail in 48 hours?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. All cases before the courts of law are not allowed to be discussed in this Parliament but allow me to respond on the issues that he has asked. I would like to make it clear that we do not segregate before the courts of law. There is no discrimination and there is no selective application of the law.
Secondly, we are expected to consider a court case as it is. Those people who have been mentioned had their own stories before. They were even given a bail before and they were told and instructed not to commit a crime as part of their bail conditions. One of the things was they were asked to move away from social media and to avoid certain language. When they went out, they repeated the very same things they were told not to do. If you do anything against the law of justice, surely you will be brought back. That bail is therefore evoked. One of the things is that you will not experience what you expect when you go against your bail conditions.
Issues before the courts of law are not something that we come here and discuss. It is not something that I stand in front of you and discuss. Our Constitution denies us that opportunity to discuss cases that are before the courts of justice. There is protocol, there is something that you need to follow, procedure when you come to this House. Thank you very much.
HON. MADZIMURE: Supplementary question Madam Speaker.
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Hon. Madzimure, it has been said that the House cannot discuss matters that are before the courts of law so why do you have a supplementary question.
*HON. MADZIMURE: Can you give me an opportunity to contribute. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Minister. I am talking of a matter of principle. The Minister has talked very well on cases where he thinks that bail conditions were broken. There are about 16 people who have been there for 100 days and they are first timers. They did not break any bail conditions. They are just like any Zimbabweans. So my question is, if Zimbabweans commit crimes, are they prosecuted for other people’s crimes or for their crimes. I do not want him to speak for the judges but he is a Minister who is there for people to follow the laws. So he is the Minister and there is no one who can answer our questions besides him.
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Honourable. There is no question because we have said these issues are before the courts.
HON. MARKHAM: I would like to get clarity from the Minister and not from the courts that it is alright for people to be jailed for 100 days in this country, some of them without charge. Is it clear for the Minister? He is quite happy with the courts and the magistrates with what they are doing. Yes or no. I do not want any other answer. Thank you.
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: He said he cannot influence the judges. I think he articulated very well, there is no question there.
HON. MARKHAM: I deserve an answer and I want an answer. You are supposed to be neutral – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister was quite clear he said he was not going to respond to those questions.
HON. MARKHAM: He is not, it is not clear. I would not have asked for a point of clarity if it was clear. It is not clear? Yes or no?
*HON. HWENDE: On a point of order Hon. Speaker. When you are sitting in that Chair, you are not supposed to be political. When you are seated in that Chair, it means you should preside over the House. You are there just to make sure that the Ministers are answering to questions. I cannot continue– [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Okay, let the Minister respond.
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, it is clear I have asked for a yes or no.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Issues that are before the courts, even if I become passionate about them, it does not help. I want to say issues that are before the courts, even if I become emotional about them, there is nothing that I can do about it because the law does not allow me to go there and influence. So the answer yes or no does not apply. What I think in my heart and what I do not think does not apply to what is before the courts – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. MARKHAM: The Hon. Minister has just told us that he has no issue with human rights. He is quite happy for people to be incarcerated for 100 days. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: On a point of order Madam Speaker. The Hon. Member must withdraw his statement. I never indicated that I do not have any regard for human rights. I indicated that I defer my feelings because if a matter is before the courts, by the laws of this country, I am not supposed to interfere. So he must not misinterpret my feelings to say that I do not have regard for human rights.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Markham, may you kindly withdraw – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, I made my position clear. Is the Minister comfortable with the courts holding people who have not been charged for 100 days? My second question is, even if they have been charged, one of them has had over 40 detentions, all political, and he has never run away and yet 100 days later, he is still there and you are asking me to withdraw. I refuse.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Markham, may you please withdraw.
HON. MARKHAM: Madam Speaker, I state categorically, I refuse to withdraw my question or my sentiments.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May you please leave the House Hon. Markham - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
Hon. Markham left the House.
*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: On a point of order Madam Speaker, they are looking down upon you because you are a woman.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order, may we please have order? I think we just need to follow procedures, whatever we are doing is above board. Thank you.
*HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Two months ago, I raised a point of privilege on why people are being chased away yet the law says that school-children are not supposed to be chased away from school. There is a judgement which was given by Judge Cheda, it was given 12 years ago. When we move around we see children in the streets, why are we not following the judgement that was passed? Thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank Hon. Tekeshe for the question. Firstly, Government policy is that all children should go to school. He said that the Minister issued a Ministerial Statement, so the question is on implementation which we want to ask the Ministry if there are any challenges that they are facing on implementing that policy.
I would like to take this opportunity to encourage each other that we should show that we are representing people and when asking questions, we should ask pertinent questions which are relevant to how people are living out there. It does not mean that being here, we are now clever or intelligent than people whom we represent but we should show that we really represent people out there. I want to thank Hon. Tekeshe for the question and I will forward it to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on why children are being chased away from schools.
*HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order. I think the issue raised by Hon. Tekeshe is about the enforcement of the order and Government compliance with court order. Government seems to be disregarding the court order. You as the Leader of Government business, the question is on Government way of operation by not enforcing court orders from the High Court. You are representing Government, High Court order comes, how do you go about it? This is an order that everybody knows and no one is above the law.
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: I would like to thank Hon. T. Mliswa for his point of order but I think I got the question very correct and I think I answered Hon. Tekeshe’s question correctly. Government policy is to make sure that there is enforcement and implementation. What he is specifically saying is that we have to engage the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and see what exactly is being done to make sure that there is enforcement.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: My point of order rises from this same issue we raised in this House with the Hon. Minister of Primary and Secondary Education regarding the chasing of school children who have not paid fees. We then said to the Hon. Minister, the headmasters or the school administrators are in a dilemma, they do not know what to do when they cannot meet the operating costs for schools because children have not paid schools on the one hand and on the other hand, the law does not give a free hand to deal with the parents but at the same time we expect these school to be efficient in running these schools. So we are requesting that when the question goes to the Minister, in addition to that, let there be an adjunct to say how are the school headmasters and administrators expected to run schools if on the one hand the law says do not chase children but on the other hand, it does not give the headmasters a freehand to deal with delinquent parents who do not pay school fees.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mayihlome, I think that was a comment.
*HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I am requesting for Ministerial Statement from the Minister because if others are chased away then those who remain do not learn. The Ministerial Statement that we want will be attending to chasing away of children from school. Even if they are chased away, half of those who remain do not learn. The Ministerial Statement should address the implementation and the issue of the court order which was issued. Also, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, what is it doing so that they follow the Constitution when it comes to the issue of children going to school.? I think if we phrase it that way, it will be clear for the Minister to be able to respond.
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I think if we use the first concerns, it would come out. We will say that the Ministerial Statement should be addressed and the implementation of the court order which was issued and also that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, what is it doing so that they follow the Constitution when it comes to the issue of children going to school? I think if we phrase it that way, it will be clear for the Minister to be able to respond.
HON. TUNGAMIRAI: My question is directed to the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities. What is Government policy on houses built by Local Government over decades of years? How can they guarantee ownership of those houses?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SIMBANEGAVI): Thank you Madam Speaker. My regards to Hon. Tungamirai and thanking him for that important question. We have three situations in which a person can guarantee ownership of a house currently in terms of policy. The first one is when a person is able to have title deeds to their property; in terms of houses that have been built by Government before, we are currently going to have the Inter-ministerial Committee that is discussing the issuance of title deeds. As I indicated last week, for one to be given the title deeds, eventually one has to make sure that their property is up to date in terms of compliance with local authorities. They also need to have a certificate of occupation. If they bought the house from someone else, then they need to have an agreement of sale. For the houses that were built by Government, that person has to indicate that they have a document where Government agreed at some point to sell the house to them, then they qualify for title deeds and eventually ownership.
The second aspect is, we also have various schemes that were done by Government over the years and one of them includes the Garikai/Hlalanikuhle houses and also some houses in informal sectors. What we are doing as a Ministry in terms of the new Human Settlement Policy now is, we are embarking on a sanitisation programme where we are making sure that some of the old suburbs now have updated sewer reticulation systems, water reticulation systems so that they are able to qualify for title deeds and ownership.
The third one is that most of these houses that were built by Government, especially under the Ministry of Local Government and National Housing before the new Ministry, are still on lease. What this means is that those people that are living in these houses need to pay up. Some of these houses were given under rent to buy. So they need to update their payments so that their ownership status can be cleared and they can be able to be issued with documents that indicate that they own the houses.
Lastly, we have people that are living in Government houses which are called GP houses. These are Government property houses. As it stands, the current policy is that those ones cannot be sold and those people living in those ones cannot buy them. They can simply stay in those houses for as long as they are within Government service. Once they retire or they are deceased, it means their families have to relocate to other premises to allow other serving civil servants to come and live in those houses. Thank you.
(v) HON. TUNGAMIRAI: I thank the Hon. Minister for the good response but I just wanted to ask her that these houses were given 25 years ago. What are you going to do because some of the parents have passed away, the owners of the original leases and now it is the children who are left? So, how are you going to treat these children who are living in these houses?
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: Thank you Hon. Tungamirai. What happens with the houses on lease is, some of the people that were living in these houses were having payments deducted on their pay slips. So as long as the members of the deceased person can prove that the person was paying or if they can come forward with receipts regardless of when these receipts were paid, even if they were paying for an accumulative period of the 25 years, all they need is to prove that the original person living in that house was making the payments. Once they prove that the payments were being done and are up to date, then the Ministry can process for the remaining family members to have title deeds for the house. Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, please allow me to check yet again with the Minister on what happens to those who bought houses outside the permission of Government. Is there a way of regularising such agreements of sale in retrospect so that our people do not lose out?
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: I am not sure I understood the question Hon. Member. Houses bought outside of Government like private or what?
HON. NDEBELE: If I may clarify Madam Speaker. If I heard the Minister very well in her statement, she said those people that at some point transferred title to others with the permission of Government at the material time, such agreements of sale will be honoured. I am checking with her if I bought a house from A without permission from the responsible Ministry, is there an avenue of regularising in retrospect such a sale? Thank you.
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: Thank you Hon. Ndebele. I can say that can be regularised because at some point, Government allowed people that were working in Government for quite some time and lived in a house for some time. They allowed them to buy those houses. If at some point that person sold that house to someone else and there is an agreement of sale that is valid; they can bring that agreement of sale for issuance of title deeds. Only that the issuance of title deeds now is as per what we indicated last week that it is a process that is being discussed by the inter-ministerial committee but they can qualify. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order. My point of order emanates from the two Ministries. Who is in charge, National Housing or Local Government because there is a confusing thing. Local Government claims to be one and National Housing, yes. This is a confusing issue, who is really the custodian of these properties because we do not want to tell people wrong things out there. There is a major fight between these two Ministries. I pray that the President deals with it as soon as possible because are you in control of these houses or it is a policy you have but not in control.
Who is in control, you or Local Government? Should this question be directed to Local Government or to National Housing, for us to notify the people that this Ministry is the one responsible? Should I be sending my people with those properties to National Housing or to Local Government? I am a legislator.
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. Currently everything to do with housing is referred to the Ministry of National Housing – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – The Ministry of Local Government is called the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. The aspect of housing that can appear in the Ministry of National Housing is the public works aspect. As you know Hon. Mliswa, the Public Works is a Government contractor and sometimes can be contracted to build houses on behalf of the Government. That is where the synergy comes in that sometimes the Ministry of National Housing, on specific projects, can work with the Government contractor, which is the Public Works department.
On the issue of title deeds, as I said, there is an inter-ministerial committee that includes the Ministry of National Housing as the core Ministry that deals with issues of housing and then there is the Ministry of Local Government as the relevant Ministry that deals with local authorities and issues of compliance. Then there is the Ministry of Justice, which is the Ministry that deals with issues of the end user. The Ministry of Justice is the one that eventually issues the title deeds after the Ministry of Local Government has done surveys. The Ministry of National Housing deals with issues of policy where we look at – as people build houses, are they adhering to issues of the National Housing policy in terms of offsite infrastructure and other things. When it comes to title deeds, there will be other Ministries, including the Ministry of Finance but above all, everything else that says housing goes to the Ministry of National Housing. I hope it is clear Honourable.
Hon. T. Mliswa having wanted to contribute.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Question time has expired, so I am going to indulge you, so that you are quick.
HON. T. MLISWA: I move that time for Questions without notice be extended by 15 minutes
HON. CHINYANGANYA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I think you really behaved as mother because these housing issues are critical. A point of clarity - the National Sport Stadium does not belong to the Ministry of Sports. I am just giving an example. They belong to Ministry of Local Government. So, that is why I am saying what is it under you because we can talk about it and it becomes a talk show.
Secondly, if you speak about local authorities, these houses belong to local authorities. The houses in Ngoni; in Katanga, Norton, they belong to the local authorities. People who are staying there pay to the local authority not National Housing. The title deeds – if National Housing comes in but after Local Government, which Ministry is the custodian of these? So, to me I see the vision of Government but on the ground, it has created a lot of problems because people are paying money to the local authorities, not to National Housing. When we want a physical sub-division permit, as National Housing, you go to the Ministry of Local Government, yet it is a housing development. It means you do not have power over that.
So these examples I am giving you of saying that we want to appreciate the role of National Housing but you do not have that muscle. You do not have the authority. If I have to go to court today and sue somebody with a house in Ngoni and has been destroyed, I will sue the Ministry of Local Government and not National Housing. It is called locus standi. Who are you in this matter as National Housing on properties which fall under the local authorities? That clarity is critical; how to appreciate the vision and everything but you really have nothing. It is my prayer that the President clarifies these issues because there is a lot of fighting.
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. I can just say I have noted what you have said. I do not think that was a question. Hon. Mliswa, I can honestly say, I do not know any fights that are between any Ministries. All I can say is I am sure you are aware of the whole Government approach. If there are any issues that overlap from one Ministry to the other, the whole Government approach will take care of that. Then the Ministries can be able to work together.
HON. SHIRICHENA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Women’s Affairs. How do you ensure that the implementation of Ministry programmes is in line with Vision 2030 and NDS and the theme of leaving no one or any place behind?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHLANGA): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for asking that very important question. Yes, indeed as a Ministry, we are also running with the vision of having empowered and also prospering communities by year 2030. In the National Development Strategy (NDS) as a Ministry, our departments, the Department of Women’s Affairs, the Department of Community Development, Small to Medium Enterprises is driven by resource funds of Women’s Development Fund that is spread throughout the provinces. We want to appreciate the fiscal support that we get from Government.
We also run a community development fund supported by the Zimbabwe Community Development Fund, which we also give to provinces in line with creating resilience and empowered communities. We also have SMEDCO that gives support to our departments as well as our Small to Medium Enterprises businesses.
We run the Zimbabwe Women’s Micro-Finance Bank as well, which ensures that in the ethos of the NDS, we are able to resource the various initiatives that women come up with. I thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. The current Government policy on hospital visits states that there should be only one visitor per patient per day. Madam Speaker Ma’am, this was due to COVID but now that most of the COVID regulations have been uplifted, what is the Ministry doing to make sure that the status quo is reverted. As we speak, only one visitor is allowed per patient per day. Many relatives are finding it difficult to access their ailing relatives and friends in hospitals. In many cases, those who will be waiting to see their relatives who would have been admitted at hospitals are made to wait outside and there would be no ablution facilities, which is posing a health risk and an environment risk as well. What is the Ministry doing to revise that policy now that COVID has lessened? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Madam Speaker. I would want to thank Hon. Chinyanganya for that very important question, which shows concern as the representative of the people. He has been moving around, watching people suffering outside hospitals. I think the regulations or rules which have been put there because of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of them are still standing because we are not yet out of the woods. Yes, we have relaxed some of the conditions but it does not necessarily mean that we are out of the woods. I really understand why the Ministry of Health and Child Care is still maintaining the regulations which were put at the height of the pandemic. We will obviously talk to the Ministry and find out on the issues which were raised here and are of great importance, where the Ministry will have to look at the issue of lack of ablution facilities for the family members who will be outside. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order Number 68.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
IMPOUNDING OF ZUPCO BUSES WITHOUT NUMBER PLATES
- HON. CHINYANGANYA asked the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to inform the House why Zupco buses are not being impounded despite not having number plates.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. PARADZA) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE: Thank you Madam Speaker. It is an offence for any vehicle, including public service vehicles to traverse our roads without number plates. The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) carries out its mandate without fear or favour and will ensure that motorists comply with the law. May I reiterate that all vehicles, including buses owned by ZUPCO should have number plates as the ZRP will not hesitate to impound vehicles found without number plates.
The Commissioner General of Police has engaged ZUPCO management to ensure that their buses and crew comply with all the country’s laws in order to set a good example to other motorists. I thank you.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to thank the Hon. Deputy Minister for his response. These ZUPCO buses that I am referring to were acquired after 2019. The whole fleet does not have number plates. Something should be done, just like what the Minister has indicated that the entities should live by example. What steps are being taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs to make sure that they comply with regulations? Thank you.
HON. PARADZA: Thank you Madam Speaker, as I indicated, they must comply with the law. If they do not comply with the law, then the law will take its course. Thank you.
HON. BITI: Madam Speaker Ma’am, my supplementary question to the esteemed Acting Minister of Home Affairs is that these ZUPCO buses are moving. They still are enjoying the monopoly over all public transport in Zimbabwe, notwithstanding the fact that they have no capacity to carry our people. Independent operators - the Mucheches of this world, the Tombs Motors are not operating. Why is it that Section 4 (2) of the COVID regulations, S.I. 83 of 2020 is still in law when it is clear that ZUPCO is overwhelmed and cannot carry our people? Let us bring back private operators who are black operators that we grew up with, the Mucheches of this world, the Matambanadzos, the Ruredzos so that they can carry our people. Thank you very much Madam Speaker Ma’am.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you. That is a new question Hon. Member. You can put it in writing so that the Hon. Minister will then be able to respond.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, we had a situation today earlier where Ministers did not attend and it is pretty clear the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Leader of Government Business, was overwhelmed and then we come to this session where there are written down questions and the Ministers know that they must come and respond. Not only that, but Members of Parliament too.
I do not know whether it is really necessary to continue this session because on one of the Order Papers, this one there, is a question as late as March and up to now it has not been answered. There are motions as far as March which have not seen the light of day. So to me, it is really upsetting and quite disappointing.
The Chief Whips, you are here. The people who are supposed to be asking these questions are Members of Parliament. At what point do you honestly whip them? They must be here and we look stupid. That is why the Ministers do not come too because they know you are asking a question and you have put it on paper, yet you are absent.
So now there is a culture of why should I go to Parliament when the Member of Parliament asking the question is not there. In any other country, it is really a waste of tax payers’ money. The Ministers do not come, the Members of Parliament are tired, the welfare is not there and it is just best to just close this Parliament. There is no point. What is the purpose of it; seeing each other queuing for coupons and staying in hotels? Is that the life we want? We came here to represent people. Why do we not just close this Parliament because it is useless? The Ministers are not here; at question time you have three or four ministers. They are in Cabinet.
We have a role of oversight. So the aspect of Cabinet is critical in the implementation and the policy making. So, what is the purpose of Parliament today? Are we not fraudsters because we are just earning money for doing nothing? I think we need to take this thing seriously. After this talking to you I go because I am tired. I come here the whole day. We have got businesses, we have got farms, we have got children, 19 of them but we leave them to come here – [Laughter] – So is it really worth it for me to come and leave my children when people are not really dedicated to national duty? It is not worth it.
So Chief Whips, we must know. I think they must engage with you so we know who is here and who is not here so that we do not waste time because we keep on calling them. We are moving from this one to that one. Why do you not go to the Chair and tell them so that they scratch out who is not there for us not to waste time?
The Hon. Minister of Defence who is the National Chairman of the ruling party, a member of the ZANU PF presidium is here. So let us prioritise and it is good that she is here yet she is so senior. What about those who are junior, where are they? I hope the National Chairman is listening to this. She is a member of the Standing Orders Committee. Where are the junior Ministers who are supposed to be answering these questions? Go and tell the President that they are failing him.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, these are submissions that you are bringing through and I am sure that has always been talked about that it is important that we take this House seriously, all of us. If you look at the questions as well, it is not only to do with Ministers but even the questions. Some of the questions here have been long overdue as you are saying but then we are not having any new questions on the Order Paper.
Look the last question which was there was from 13th July and now we are in September. So it already shows that even us as Parliamentarians, we are not doing our work very well because we are supposed to be submitting questions so that at least Ministers can also be able to respond. So when you look at it now, it is also not a part just for the Executive but it is also for us as legislators. We are also slacking and it seems as if we are not even bringing these questions. We need to take this work upon ourselves so that we can be able to have some questions with notice so that at least we can make sure that we have got more questions and Ministers can also be able to come.
Now also going on to the side of Ministers, I think that it is quite in order that Ministers also have to be coming through. I think we had 16 apologies today and it is quite important that we have Ministers also coming to the House. Thank you very much.
HON. BITI: On a point of clarification Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I would like to acknowledge Hon. Mliswa’s virility and masculinity. Nineteen children is a lot Madam Speaker, so I want to acknowledge him, but I also want to appeal to him to stop. Zvakwana shumba. The population of Zimbabwe will double by 2045 and we do not have the resources to look after that burst in population. So Shumba zvakwana vharai matepi. Thank you very much Madam Speaker.
HON. MOKONE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I think I raised this last week that we are submitting questions to the Journals but they are not capturing them. I myself have been submitting questions from July, from that time that you are referring to and they have not been captured up to this day.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you very much for noting that. I think it is quite important for the Papers Office to act as fast as they can and also they are quite efficient in making sure that questions that are submitted are then published on our Order Paper. I think Mr. Daniel, you heard the concern. I think we need to activate that so that at least questions can get on the Order Paper. Thank you very much.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
CONSTRUCTION OF CLINICS IN MBERENGWA EAST CONSTITUENCY
- HON. RAIDZA asked the Minister of Local Government and Public Works to inform the House when the construction at Bayayi in Ward 20, Zvomukonde, Ingezi in Ward 4 and Madekwana in Ward 8 clinics in Mberengwa East Constituency will be completed considering that construction progress slowed down in the last four years, resulting in patients having to travel long distances to access health services.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. J. G. MOYO): Madam Speaker, I would like to inform this august House that Bayayi and Madekwana clinics are expected to be complete by April 2023 since they were not budgeted for this year but are next on programme of works for Mberengwa Rural District Council and will be considered in the next financial year.
Zvomukonde, Ingezi in Ward 4 clinic is nearly complete with works at 98% to completion and is scheduled to be completed by November 2022.
ISSUANCE OF DEVELOPMENT PERMITS TO RESIDENTS OF UPPER AND LOWER RANGEMORE AREAS IN UMGUZA CONSTITUENCY
- HON. C. MOYO asked the Minister of Local Government and Public Works to inform the House what measures have been put in place towards the issuance of development permits to residents of Upper and Lower Rangemore areas in Umguza Constituency.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. J. G. MOYO): Upper and Lower Rangemore area is made up of 206 privately owned plots with title and two Government owned plots, stand 6 of Lot G Upper Rangemore and the remainder of Lot 27A Lower Rangemore. The area measures approximately 3 283 hectares in extent. There are developers who have been granted permits, proposing 8 532 stands covering 685.0604 hectares of land whereas 23 applications for permits, proposing 7 292 stands covering 515.664 hectares are pending in the Upper and Lower Rangemore area.
The issuance of subdivision permits had been halted pending infrastructure provision strategies and solid financial commitments. My Ministry has however resuscitated the issuance of permits to those properties that can be connected to Bulawayo City Council’s existing infrastructure. The approval shall be done in liaison with Bulawayo City Council. Meanwhile, the Ministry is in the process of setting up a Joint Management Committee to spearhead development in the area.
Background
Jurisdiction over Rangemore
The area in question falls under Ward 16 of Umguza District and shares a boundary with City of Bulawayo. In terms of SI 15E of 2003, the Upper and Lower Rangemore area falls within Mzilikazi District and Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.
Local Planning Authority
Application for land subdivision in terms of section 40 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act [Chapter 29:12] are lodged with and processed by the Provincial Planning Officer for Matabeleland North who is the local planning authority for the area in terms of the said Act whilst development control is the prerogative of the local authority, Umguza Rural District Council.
Physical Description of Upper and Lower Rangemore
Upper and Lower Rangemore areas are situated to the south and south west of the City of Bulawayo. They share boundaries with Emgamwini high density township to the east, Nkulumane high density township to the north-east and Pumula high density township to the north. The area is generally flat and slopes gently towards Phekiwe River, a tributary of Khami River that flows westwards. The area of extent is 3 283 hectares.
Land Ownership
The area is made up of 206 privately owned plots with title and two Government owned plots, Stand 6 of Lot G Upper Rangemore and the remainder of Lot 27A Lower Rangemore.
Zoning
The land is mainly occupied by agricultural small holdings in line with Bulawayo West Town Planning Schemes [Section2 and 4] and conditions of establishment for Rangemore Township. The extent of individual plots range from 2 to 300 hectares. Twenty five point five percent (25.5%) of these properties have already been subdivided into high density residential stands, creating an urban form in line with the Bulawayo Master Plan of 2004 which zoned the area high density residential.
The Bulawayo City Master Plan of 2004 proposals were strongly underpinned by the assumption that all areas identified for urban expansion, Upper and Lower Rangemore included, would be incorporated into the City of Bulawayo boundaries during the lifespan of the Master Plan. Incorporation was done and the areas remained rural. Failure of the incorporation process did not deter urban related development in the area in the spirit of implementing the provisions of the Bulawayo Master Plan.
Planning Status
There are 21 developers who have been granted permits, proposing 8 532 stands covering 685.0604 hectares and land whereas 23 applications for permits, proposing 7 292 stands covering 515.664 hectares are pending in the Upper and Lower Rangemore area.
Development status
The issued permits are at different stages of implementation albeit without the prerequisite infrastructure, road, water and sewer. The nature of development is predominantly residential.
Economic and Social Background of Lower and Upper Rangemore
As previously highlighted above, Upper and Lowe Rangemore were zoned residential agricultural, with the main economic activities being horticulture and cattle rearing; the major market for the produce has been the Bulawayo city markets.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 68.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers I1 to 20 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 26 on today’s Order Paper has been disposed of. I thank you.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL BILL [H.B. 2, 2022]
Twenty-Sixth Order read: Second Reading: National Security Council Bill [H.B. 2, 2022].
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERAN AFFAIRS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Madam Speaker, it is a great honour to present to you the National Security Council Bill, [H. B. 2, 2022]. This Bill seeks to give effect to the provisions of Section 209 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, relevant international law obligation and regional best practices. Chapter 11 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides for a legal framework to regulate the Security Services sector in Zimbabwe. This Chapter recognises Security Services of Zimbabwe as consisting of the Defence Forces, the Police Service, the Intelligence Services, the Prisons and Correctional Services and any other service established by an Act of Parliament.
Madam Speaker, by giving effect to Chapter 11 of the Constitution, Parliament would have played a significant role in its compliance with the doctrine of Constitutional Supremacy as entrenched in Section 2 of the Constitution, through the fulfilment of obligations imposed by the same. This doctrine requires every person, natural or juristic, including State organs and agencies of Government at every level to be subject to the Constitution. The doctrine further provides that any law, practice, custom or conduct inconsistent with it shall be declared to be invalid to the extent of the inconsistency. In that regard, Section 209 of the Constitution requires an Act of Parliament to be enacted to give effect to its provisions.
The National Security Council Bill seeks to make further provision in respect of the National Security Council as established by Section 209 of the Constitution. The Bill provides for additional members and functions of the Council to those provided for in the Constitution. It also sets out a general framework for the operations of the Council. In this context the National Security Council seeks to enhance the country’s national security and intelligence capability through the systematic and effective coordination of security related issues. The main objectives of the National Security Council among others, include the development of the National Security Policy, promotion of imperatives for national security, promotion of peace and stability in Zimbabwe and the development of security service sector in the interest of constitutionalism.
Madam Speaker, allow me to delve into some of the key provisions of the Bill. Clause 3 set out the composition of the Council. The Council will be headed by the President as the Chairperson. It will also comprise his Deputies/Vice Presidents, the Ministers responsible for National Security, Defence, the Police Service, Prisons and Correctional Services and Finance. The Council will also include the chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, the Commander Defence Forces and each Service of the Defence Forces, the Commissioner General of the Police Service, the Commissioner General of the Prisons and Correctional Service, the Director General of Intelligence Services and any other Minister who the President may, from time to time, appoint in consultation with any of the Ministers referred hereto. In the same vein, I propose that Clause 3 be amended by the inclusion of the Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs to be part of the Council given that in the exercise of its functions, the Council is mandated to have regard to the country’s security obligations under international agreements, hence the Minister would come with the much needed expertise which will assist the Council in making its decisions.
Clause 4 provides for the exercise of functions by the Council. In the exercise of its functions, the Council among other issues is mandated to regularly review national security policies in view of any prevailing national, regional and international security developments and direct the taking of appropriate action. The Council is also required to have regard to the function of any agency of the State or person relating to or involved in the implementation of any legislation which has national security implications.
Clause 5 provides for meetings of the Council. The Council is required to meet at such times and places as the President may determine, provided that the Council must meet at least once every three months. Further, the meeting of the Council and its committees shall not be public. However, the Council may inform the public of any resolutions where it is necessary and in the public interest to do so. I am of the view that Clause 5 of the Bill be amended by the insertion of an additional Clause 5 (3), stating that the Director General of the Intelligence Services shall be the Secretary of the Council.
Clauses 6 to 7 provide for the operations of the Council whereby the heads of each Security Service are required to submit security reports to the Council. The Council may issue to any security service or to any person, such specific or general directives in writing in connection with any matter of national security. The person concerned must comply with any such directive. Further, directives issued to any person must at all times be subject to sections 206 (2) and (3) which provide for appropriate safeguards for the protection of fundamental rights of individuals.
Lastly, Clauses 8 and 9 are the general provisions of the Bill. They provide for confidentiality and annual reports. On confidentiality, members or former members of the Council are not allowed to communicate to any person any information obtained by him or her in his or her capacity as a member of the Council. Further, no person may, without the written authority of the Council, disclose any security related information acquired by such person by whatever means where the person concerned is under an obligation in terms of this or any other Act not to disclose the information.
On annual reports, the President may report on the State of National Security in his State of the Nation Address delivered in terms of Section 140 of the Constitution.
Madam Speaker, I therefore plead with Hon. Members of this House to support and pass the Bill. I therefore move that the Bill be read a second time, I thank you.
I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 4th October, 2022.
HON. NDEBELE: On a point of order. I really want to thank the Minister for that flawless delivery. Sometimes you may think we just oppose everything for the sake of it but I really want to thank her for her demeanour and we are going to of course debate and support your Bill. Sometimes Madam Speaker, with all due respect, unotoshaya kuti do these people sit in the same Cabinet or we have others - but I would really like to thank you for that from the bottom of my heart – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]- .
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Ndebele. It is good to appreciate each other. We are Hon. Members and I think it is good just to be able to note when it comes to excellence. Thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that we revert to Orders of the Day, Numbers 18 and 4 in that order.
HON. CHIKUKWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 66TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
Eighteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Question again proposed.
*HON. RAIDZA: I want to add my voice on the motion brought by Hon. B. Masara on their report regarding the 66th Session of the Commission in the United Nations. Her report had a lot of issues which touch on the issues of women. When looking at the rights of women, we will be looking at the rights of people who are the majority in this country. We are so grateful for the trip that they attended. It was good for them because they also met women from other countries and learnt on how to promote the rights of women. They also learnt on what we can do as a nation to support the rights of women. Whilst they were there, they articulated in their report that as people who were representing Zimbabwe, they learnt a lot of things so that as a country and Parliament we should have an input in the development of the nation.
They went there in terms of climate change. Looking at climate change Hon. Speaker, we find that climate change affects the rights of women in many ways. I will touch on some of the things that were pointed out there.
Looking at the rights of women in terms of health, you will find that climate change hinders the progress of women in terms of their health. So as a nation, we are encouraged that when making laws, especially this time when we are presenting the budget. I think we should make sure that funds are channeled so that we alleviate the plight of women, especially in terms of health. We know that our women are really concerned about their health. They are concerned about their access to healthcare, especially when it comes to their reproduction. So, whenever we are looking at the budget, we should look at what women should be given, and their health should be prioritised during the budget to show that we are concerned as a nation and we really value our women.
The other issue is on challenges that we come across when it comes to disasters like the recent cyclone in Nyanga. We will find that women are the ones who suffer a lot. We find that there was commotion, and the people who were really involved to find out whether the families were women. So, we are being encouraged as a nation that when we are faced with disasters, we should make sure that women have ICT gadgets so that they are the first ones to be informed before disaster strikes. What was learnt there shows that when challenges come, they face women; men will be busy with other things and women are the first port of call.
As a nation, this teaches us that in whatever we are doing, we should prioritise women issues, especially when faced with disasters. This is also in line with our tradition. We know that women are the epitomes of homes. The first port of call is the mother; even when you look at me, it is because of my wife. So, the first person to be seen is my wife before I am noticed. So, what I am saying is that we should value women because they are the first point of call.
Climatic change Hon. Speaker, affects the relationship between mothers and their families, children and their husbands because it affects the livelihoods of families. In order for love and joy to remain in our homes, we should vest our powers and resources on women so that they get food and are able to look after their families well.
Lastly, we know that the livelihood of women especially those in the rural areas, for them to get water, firewood like tsotso stoves, and biogas digesters, those should be encouraged so that our women use that to ease their livehoods. So, the concerned ministries should look into that so that our mothers live easy lives.
In their report, there are ministries that they sought help from like the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement; Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade so that they look at the rights of women in all sectors and that we are in line with Vision 2030 that will leave no one behind. So, the above ministries should also take into account the rights of women when they are budgeting. I thank you.
+HON. B. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Masara and her team for their successful trip. I also want to encourage all those who travel to at least give reports. Without wasting time, I just want to focus on the energy sources so that our women lead better livelihoods.
The issue that played center stage was that on energy because a lot of time is spent looking for firewood. My suggestion is that things like solar, batteries and everything that concerns energy supply, when we are looking at sustainable energy supply, especially looking at afforestation, such equipment should be imported duty free so that every household has alternative sustainable source of energy.
On water supply, it shows that water shortages really affects women because they are the ones who make sure that food has been cooked, and children have bathed. So, the Ministry responsible for provisions of water, I think should prioritise the drilling of boreholes in rural areas. Even where I come from in towns, you will find that in Gweru, we are also having water challenges because the infrastructure is old now. This means that even urban women are now living as their rural counterparts. Looking at that report, I think the Ministry of Local Government should invest so that those old pipelines are replaced. Even the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education should also be involved because we do not know where the problem really lies. You find that our local authorities who are supposed to help our women with supply of portable water are spending a lot of money trying to source for chemicals.
So, those colleges should focus on innovation so that the manufacturing of chlorine should be done in schools but now it is a bit complicated to get chlorine. I will conclude my submission saying that this issue is very pertinent and on top of that, all ministries which are involved in the development - especially when it comes to women, should come together and make sure that our priorities when it comes to climate change, should come up with better solutions so that we are be able to change on how we are doing business and also make it easy for the lives of women.
When we were elected into Parliament, we all came because we wanted change so that we come up with a world class country, thereby changing our standards of living.
(v)HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this very important debate. I have looked at the report which was presented in this august House. When you look at the theme, it states achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls into the context of climate change.
Before I deal with the specific issues relating to climate change, I would like to preface my remarks by stating that it is unfortunate that as a nation, we have not been serious about implementing the provisions of our own Constitution which was adopted in 2013. We have got specific sections which deal with issues of gender equality, in particular we have got Section 17 which talks about the issue of gender balance whereby we should be having a situation where women and men are treated equally and there is a saying that men of quality are not afraid of equality. I want to put myself in that category where I am not afraid of having equality with our female counterparts.
We also have provisions of Section 56 which are very clear; again they prohibit discrimination in various grounds. It appears that as a nation, we have been paying lip service to some of those principles.
Lastly, I would just want to refer to Section 8 of our Constitution which talks about the rights of women and which speaks to the issues of equality and dignity of women. I believe that what is imperative is for us not take these as….
HON. KWARAMBA: On a point of order! May the Hon. Member raise his voice, we can hardly hear him.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese, may you raise your voice.
(v)HON. GONESE: When it comes to issues relating to gender, those are issues affecting all of us. When you look at all the men in this august House, they were born by women and when we look at the role played by our women in terms of our birth, you find that although one has two parents, women play a far more significant role in terms of carrying the pregnancy and nursing the baby.
It is imperative that as men, we also participate in issues of championing women because of gender equality. When you look at the report, it is clear that it first of all happens to the platform for entry of 1995, that is the Beijing Declaration. It is very sad that 27 years down the line, we have not achieved as much as we should have if we have taken this issue seriously. So, before we deal with the specific issue raised in the report, a general principle, I believe that it is important for all Zimbabweans particularly us of the male gender, to also assist to participate and also ensure that these issues are realised.
I want to reiterate what I said at the beginning that issues of gender are not issues of women but for all of us. Having looked at the report, I just want to refer to some of the specific recommendations which have been made by the delegation and I think that it is something where we can all play our part.
When we look at the recommendations, first of all, the report calls for adequate resources to be availed towards ministries which deal with climate change issues and I will submit that when it comes to the portfolio committees performing the roles of lobbying and advocacy, we as men should be seen at the forefront of that lobbying so that we can ensure that the budget allocation to climate change programmes are actually increased so that the relevant ministries are able to implement those policies so that the money which will be provided for in the budget is going to be adequate. This will not happen on its own without our active involvement and this is where I am imploring upon all my male counterparts that we must be pro-active because several portfolio committees are going to be holding these activities, the Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and I request that all the Members of that particular portfolio Committee but in particular that the men also be in the forefront of this advocacy and lobbying so that enough resources are going to be provided.
We also look at the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and again is the same plea that all the members of that particular Committee, in particular the males, be at the forefront of ensuring that enough resources are going to be allocated.
I also make reference to the Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development and my colleague Hon. Brian Dube has already started to work with the issues that adversely affect women. When we look at the electricity power cut that we have been experiencing, the alternative source of energy would usually be firewood. When you look at what has been happening in terms of climate change, we do not have enough firewood and in any event, it is actually a tiresome exercise, especially as women to continue carrying on with the activities that were carried out in the past where they had to go into the bush and cut down trees to for firewood. In any event, the trees are getting depleted; we now have got programmes like National Tree Planting because we do not want to continue cutting down trees. The only alternative is to ensure that adequate provision is made for the alternative sources of energy.
In this regard, I would submit that it is imperative upon the Government to ensure that we have solar geysers, solar lights, solar systems, not just for lighting but also to ensure that they can be able to sustain even cooking. We need gas stoves and so on so that our women will not suffer.
The second recommendation that has been made by the delegation is that we must have outreach activities in rural areas and I believe that the raising of this awareness is very important because unfortunately in the rural areas, that is where we have the traditional approach where some of the people in those communities are not conversant with thinking. It is important to add males who will also be of assistance to ensure that we sensitise and conscientise both the traditional and religious leaders.
We also need to have women to be actively involved to the Climate Change Committee which is going to be set up. I want to hasten to add that it is not just about women involvement; we also need to be participating so that we do have the necessary information.
Whilst in terms of recommendation, the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus is going to be at the forefront. I submit that when the work plans are going to be submitted they should also involve champions. We already have HeForShe champions in this Parliament, myself, Hon. T. Moyo, Hon. Brian Dube is in the Women for Women Affairs, Hon. Chingosho and so on.
We all need to come together as males to ensure that these issues are properly articulated and that they get realised. There is also the third recommendation with the women participation... – [HON. MEMBERS: We cannot hear him.] -
HON. RAIDZA: Hon a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
HON. RAIDZA: The Hon. Member is holding us hostage here,
(V)HON. GONESE: Unfortunately, I cannot hear the points being said here.
HON. RAIDZA: My point of order is that Hon. Gonese is not clear; we cannot hear him, we cannot get what he is talking about, and we are all here lost on his submissions. I want to propose that maybe he can submit a written submission on whatever he is going to say, I think to serve our Hon. Members who are here who also want to debate.
(V)HON. GONESE: It can be a problem of connectivity but let me just try to summarize. As opposed to written submissions, I will try to speak as loud as I can.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, are you now concluding because people cannot hear you?
(V)HON. GONESE: I am now concluding Madam Speaker; it is unfortunate that connectivity has been a problem. We need to get involved as men in articulating some of these issues. You need to be more actively involved in the relevant Portfolio Committee so that the recommendations which have been made can see the light of the day with our active participation.
I am sorry that I have been having connectivity challenges and this has prevented me from being able to be heard by the Members in the House, I rest my case Madam Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, I am kindly requesting you that you do not repeat what others have said and may you please try to make sure that at least you get your points in order so that when you speak, you speak fast to allow others to debate.
*HON. TSUURA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on this report that has been tabled by Hon. Masara. I want to talk on what the Government can do. It is my plea that it should electrify the rural areas or even install solar systems. If electricity is there, women are child bearers and they look after children. It is very disheartening that a child in the rural areas sits the same exam as that one in the urban areas. Children in rural areas are being disadvantaged because they do not have the necessary I.T gadgets.
We are asking that the Ministry of ICT must provide rural schools with the necessary E-learning so that they are at the same level as their urban counterparts. People in rural areas must have access to latest technology so that if they face problems they can phone to get the relevant help in cases of emergency like death and sickness. Women walk long distance to go and fetch firewood where they come home late and they face problems of being raped or murdered.
If it is girls, the mothers of the children carry the burden because that child may be infected with diseases or end up having children whom their mothers cannot look after, after being raped. It is a big challenge that needs to be looked after. I thank you.
*HON. MATSUNGA: Thank you Hon. Speaker, I want to add my voice to this report which was tabled by Hon. Masara and her team. Looking at the girl child, it would have been a very good thing that our Government assists women through the Women’s Bank. If you look at women who are in our country, they are not empowered. For them to borrow from banks, women and girls are facing challenges because men are the ones who own properties. For women to go and look for things that empower them, they do not have. So it would have been good that our Government especially the Ministry of Women Affairs, should stand with women and spearhead those women who do not have collateral so that they get loans from the bank.
Secondly, I want to add my voice on the rights of women. For a home to be a home, it is because of women. I think in all the schools, the girl child should be looked after properly and be provided with sanitary wear because the girl child is having challenges. They should get access to sanitary pads and our Government should empower the girl child. The time that we are living in, there are a lot of diseases and for a girl child to use unhealthy things, it causes diseases during their menstrual cycle.
I once went to Rwanda and I witnessed women being given land and they are farming trees which they can sell or even export those trees and that will empower them. It is difficult for them to go to the forests in search of firewood because there are so many dangers out there, both animals and human beings.
Lastly, I would like to say most of the time, women face challenges because they fall pregnant and they give birth in places which are not good. When they go to the hospitals to give birth, they should be looked after properly. If it were possible, our Government should congratulate women when they give birth because for a country to be a country, it is because of women. You find that women are being looked down upon. So the hospitals should have proper facilities so that women give birth safely. Women are very important because they are the ones who have made it possible for us to be here. Thank you.
+HON. LWAZI SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity that you gave me to add my contribution on the report that was brought into the House by Hon. Bhuda-Masara when they went to CSW. First of all, I would like to say for everyone in this House to be here, it is because you were brought up by a woman. If it was not for the woman, we would not have anyone in this House. We have to give respect to our women at all times. After our group went to CSW, we learnt that women are treated in such a manner that there is a bank that represents them. This bank does not require women to present collaterals so that they can be offered loans or money or funding for other projects.
In the 8th Parliament, we debated that we need a bank for women. After we had this bank representing women and this bank is present in other countries, but the Women’s Bank in Zimbabwe does not assist women. This is because when women go to this bank, they are told that they are supposed to present collateral. Where are the women going to get that collateral from because they are just poor and they have nothing? I wish that the Government should have a bank that represents women, not this bank that only bears a name that is called Women’s Bank but it does not see through the needs of women.
I need a bank that will represent the needs of women. Even a woman from the rural areas will go to this bank and be assisted. The woman is the owner of the home and she is the one that sees to it that the children have been fed, children are going to school and the children are always kept in a safe and hygienic environment. We need a bank that is different from this bank that we have. This bank only assists people in urban areas but not people in rural areas. Also looking at climatic change, during the rainy season, women face challenges because they are the ones who are responsible for seeing that everything within the home set up is presentable. Even to go and fetch firewood, they will fail because the roads will be destroyed by the rains and they will not have firewood for them to prepare food for the children.
I was praying that the Ministry of Women’s Affairs should consider the budget for women and that budget could be assist in changing the lives of women. Women can be provided with solar stoves so that it will assist them in the preparation of food. I also wish that the Government could see through into the youth. They have got a bank that represents them but this bank does not ask for collateral. I wish that Government could also look at women as important people.
Even His Excellency, President Mnangagwa was raised by a woman. We pray that women should have a bank that caters for the needs of women. Other women also want to be MPs but they do not have money because if they go to the bank, they will be told that they should bring collateral. We wish that there be a bank that will assist women that even during the rainy season, women can be given other lighter options so that they are able to assist their families during the rainy season and prepare food for them. I pray that we can have a way that we can change the lives of women during this season. Thank you.
+HON. MOKONE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Bhuda-Masara and his team who went and brought us such a report on climate change. Allow me this time to say that most women are affected by climate change and this climate change also affects the economy and after it has affected the economy, women are the ones that are affected mostly. Most of them end up being vendors. What we are witnessing here in Zimbabwe is that most vendors are chased away because they are trading in illegal points. We ask that legalised points be created where they can vend from and they are not being chased around by police offers and other local authorities responsible for that.
Another issue of empowering women, we ask that in mining, women should be considered even in farming. I come from Gwanda and we have a problem of water shortages. First of all, it is burst water pipes and the second one is caused by lack of electricity. If we do not have electricity, it is impossible for them to pump the water. Most of the time women are the ones that suffer mostly because they end up fetching water and carry buckets on their heads so that the family can have water to bath and children to go to school.
I appeal to the Government so that it can invest in solar systems so that it can be able to pump water in areas like Gwanda and other different areas.
Also there is need for the Government to invest in bio-gas because we witness most of the women carrying firewood from the bush. This also affects them and they are exposed to issues like rape. If they are going to ferry this firewood from the jungle and other isolated areas, they end up being vulnerable to rape. I want also to include the elderly women. These people are very important. Government should see to it that the elderly women’s rights are also catered for. Whilst I am on the issue of women, I am a student. Where I am, I see a lot of girls engaging in mischievous behaviours so that they can have money to pay their fees and photocopy other necessary documents pertaining to their studies. There is need for Government to assist the girl child in academic education. With these few words, I rest my case.
HON. BITI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to speak on the report by the esteemed Hon. Bhudha on their visit to the United Nations connected to the CSW. The report concentrated on the issues of women and climate change. Those of us who come from the rural areas know the devastating effects that climate change is affecting rural livelihoods and rural communities. The issues of access to water and access to firewood are affecting women disproportionate to men. The average woman spends eight hours, either looking for firewood or water per day. She wakes up around 0300 a.m. 0400 a.m. looking for those things whilst the husband is at a beer-hall or has gone missing to the home of a ‘small house.’
This same woman bears the burden of child birth. So, I urge that as a country, we push the development agenda. We accelerate the development agenda so that there is rural development. The urbanisation and development of rural areas is an imperator. We must electrify rural areas. We must put water and access to water in rural areas. It is a pity that 43 years after independence, 56% of our people do not have access to covered clean water. It is a pity that 43 years after independence, only 30% of our population has access to electricity. It is a pity that 43 years after independence, 46% of the Zimbabwean population does not have access to toilets and we use the bush as a toilet.
Where I come from, you will see a lot of mangoes in the forest and when you see a lot of mangoes, you must know that Nyamuziwa was there because there are no ablution facilities. These things affect women disproportionately and it is important that women be given a voice. We have a Constitution which says that in public spaces, women must occupy 50% of the seats. Look at the status of women in this august House, women are not 50%. Look at the status of women in Cabinet, women are not 50%. Look at the status of women in our public bodies, whether it is ZESA, ZINARA, Air Zimbabwe, women are not 50% but we have got a Constitution that says 50% of all public positions must be occupied by women.
So, my submission is that we must walk the talk. Empower the girl child; empower women but it is not just in the developmental issues that women are suffering. Also in personal spaces, it pains me to learn of the fact that every 75 minutes, a woman is being raped in Zimbabwe. On a day to day basis, at least 23 women are being raped. It pains me that 43 years after independence, the amount of women that are dying in illegal abortions is…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): How authentic are your submissions?
HON. BITI: I can produce sources, just on abortion about 40% of the pregnancies in Zimbabwe are unwanted and unplanned. Of those 40%, 25% are aborted and are aborted illegally. This amounts to 20 000 out of 100 000 and that is a big factor. The people that are involved in abortions are women. We are not protecting them. We need to protect them.
I have been a lawyer for a long time now. Women are suffering on inheritance. We still have customary laws that say that women cannot inherit from their father’s estates. We have clogged our courts at the present moment, hundreds of women fighting off brothers who would have come or uncles who would have come to grab assets from a deceased father. The story of Neria is not fiction. There are hundreds of thousands of Nerias in our society.
The area of divorce is another area where women are being disadvantaged. Yes, those that are married in terms of Chapter 5.11 marriage, which is now a marriage in terms of Section 5.1 of the new Marriages Act that this Parliament has just passed are protected by Section 7 of the Matrimonial Causes Act. Majority of our women are in unregistered Customary Law unions, which even in the current Marriages Act, which we passed very recently, are not covered by Section 7 of the Matrimonial Causes Act. Kana kuri kumaruzevha, mukadzi anogarwa naye for 40 years. Agarwa naye orambwa kunge imbwa. Anongopihwa tumombe twake twaka bhadharwa tumombe twehumai. Obva nezvikapu zvake nezvindiro, apa chikara chinenge charoora vamwe vakadzi. We are not protecting them.
Kuma farm, women work hard for farms received in terms of the Land Reform Programme but on divorce, the courts are saying the farm belongs to the Government and the courts cannot distribute a farm in lease. Here in this august House, Hon. Marian Chombo is a Member of this august House. There is a judgement in our courts called Chombo versus Chombo, where the Supreme Court of this country said Mrs Chombo cannot get the farm, somewhere in Zvimba because it was a product of the Land Reform Programme. So, our women are suffering.
Child marriages, in places like Gokwe, an average girl, by the time she becomes 19, she will have two children. You ask me for a source, I refer to the 2015, National Demographic Health Survey. I refer to the 2011 National Demographic Health Survey. I have just come across recent UN report, that compared 24 institutions of higher learning in Zambia and 24 institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe. The girl child is suffering at the tertiary institution. High school fees is forcing the girl child to indulge in prostitution. Madam Speaker Ma’am, that refers to what is called new phenomenon to what they call semester marriages. So, at the beginning of a semester, a girl child moves in and co-habits with a male student in order to cope with the vagaries of an expensive life that is affecting these students.
There are also old people who prey on those young children. They used to be called sugar daddies and they are now called ‘blessers.’ You find a young girl aged 20 or 21 going out with a 90 year old man. We need a comprehensive position to protect women. We need a comprehensive position paper to protect women, including access to finance.
An Hon. Member spoke of the challenges with the Women’s Empowerment Bank. It is capitalised like a micro-finance when we want it to be capitalised like a full commercial bank with US$25 million capital. That bank should not demand collateral in the form of a house. Only 28% of Zimbabweans own houses. Of that 28%, less than 5% are women. When a woman goes to a bank, how do you ask for collateral in the form of a house when that woman actually wants to empower herself so that she can prosper?
I want to conclude Madam Speaker Ma’am by saying, let us walk the talk. Let us start by respecting the Constitution which says that 50% of all public positions in parastatals, Parliaments and Cabinets must be women. I thank you very much Madam Speaker Ma’am.
*(v) HON. MANGORA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to mention the issue of health on women. Because of climate change, a lot of things affect women. I would like to encourage the Minister of Finance, now that we are approaching budget consultations, we ought to see clinics whose specialization is on assisting women and girls. We have diseases such as cervical cancer. This would assist with early detection.
During the Covid period, we saw a lot of women could not collect their family planning medication. We saw a lot of unwanted pregnancies. There should be provision for women during disasters so that they get assistance. In other developed countries, they have devised methods of bringing medication to the people during disasters.
(v) HON. H. MGUNI: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to the motion that was introduced by Hon. Bhuda-Masara. For our goals to be achieved in the full participation of women, we should make sure that the challenges are addressed. There is violence against women, there is early child forced marriages, gender disparity in secondary and tertiary education. We should also ensure that in rural areas, there are outreaches that are done to enable women to get screened and seek treatment for ailments such as medical cancer in order to ensure that they are healthy. This will enable them to effectively participate which in turn will promote gender equality. Thank you very much Hon. Speaker.
*HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I would like to support this motion that was moved by Hon. Masara. I want to focus on the issue of unpaid care wage, looking at climate change which is affecting many economies around the globe and derailing the progress of such economies. This has affected women who are not employed, which has resulted in them doing unpaid care work in their homes.
Also looking at those banks that are issuing loans to empower women, what I expect from this House before the passing of the budget, this House should agree that the money that is given to the Women Empowerment Bank should not have monthly interest rates. It should not be a micro-finance bank because if it continues like that, women will not be able to pay back the loans.
Lastly Madam Speaker, I will mention the issue of markets. Usually when we talk of markets, we are talking about those in the urban areas. I wanted to propose that in rural areas, we allow highway markets. If you look at Mutoko Highway, even Mutare, along the highways there are those who sell fruits and vegetables. We are losing a lot of women as they run towards buses and public transport as a way of trying to sell their wares. There are no proper ablution facilities where they sell their produce. There are no proper facilities for them to operate from. It is prudent that we provide good facilities for them to operate from, proper facilities so that they are not run over by vehicles as they stop to buy fruits.
On these highway markets, you would need toilets or even solar lights. You see that our places would have been developed at the rural areas. If these things are done, it will allow even farmers in those areas to bring their produce to these particular spots. You can see we are looking at women development, with women working from developed places and avoiding accidents like being run over by vehicles as they are selling their wares. This shows that Government is concerned with the welfare of women.
Lastly Hon. Speaker, as they focus on highway markets, even those who are into mobile money, banking women may be invited to these places. Even these mobile phone agencies will enable women not to carry money in bulk, hence doing away with theft on their way back home.
*HON. …MOYO: Thank you very much Hon. Minister. I would like to add on the motion that was raised by Hon. Bhudha- Masara looking at the way women survive during the time of climate change. In many cases, women are seen to be the ones suffering.
As mentioned by Hon. Hamauswa, there are a lot of highways that are being refurbished. There are no toilets, there is no running water but you see that there are women on those areas. Women are the ones facing harsh conditions carrying water, bringing it to these places where they are selling their wares. It is prudent that our Government makes action towards developing these places, these highway markets, so that as women are working, they find it smooth and nice. Developing these highway markets is a way of averting the spread of diseases.
Our local councils should consider women whenever they allocate places for themto operate from. When they allocate these places, it seems men are the ones who are favoured as compared to women. Women should be considered whenever places to operate from are being allocated. Women should be given priority.
Looking at school children, most of the school children especially where children have nowhere to stay, are seen being made to work as maids by teachers. This only results in them being abused. They even fail to finish their examinations and education because they will be having a very big load on them. They are expected to be women whilst they are still at school.
From what we saw in the rural areas, women are suffering. It will be hot out there, they carrybabies on their backsand are expected to be on the fields. It is very difficult for them. This actually makes women to continue suffering. Something has got to be done. Looking at women, even looking at the elections between men and women in the National Assembly, you will see that women are discriminated against, they are looked down upon. It actually despises them hence they fail to represent other women.
On the issue of inheritance, when their husbands die all the property is taken away from them. Women are suffering whenever their husbands depart. Relatives take away all the property despite them knowing every detail of all the domestic animals kept at the homestead. There should be a law to say no man can come and inherit property that has been left by another man. It is unfair, some behaviour is very surprising. Women are being made to suffer and we should look into this law. Women should be protected. No one should just come from the urban area, go to the rural place and sell the domestic animals and say I want to marry another woman. That is more than torture.
You see a man taking another woman, bringing her home to the first wife. This is one of the first things troubling women. We should consider these laws and this should be rectified. Women should be protected. They should not be allowed to psychologically suffer and mentally breakdown because of the behaviour done to them by men. Those are the few words I wanted to add to this motion. Most of the things have been mentioned. Thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. TOBAIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My issue is on free education. Free education should be offered from primary level to college because if we offer free education only at primary level, it means that a person cannot proceed to higher levels such as college. This contributes to the girl child not proceeding with their education to college level as only boys will be given preference to further their education and the girl child is left to drop out. This comes to the issue where women will be staying at home doing all the house duties.
One of the issues I want to mention is the issue of bringing back night classes, can the Government bring back night classes for those who did not fully finish their education only. I thank you.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to add a few doses to the Report by Hon. Bhudha-Masara. We need to move away from advocacy about women’s issues and go to practical. If we just talk without being practical, we are not going to get anywhere. Madam Speaker, if we talk about health, then we must see clinics closer to the women, hospitals closer to the women and they have to be there so that we become practical. Even if we talk of education, let us see schools being constructed so that they are close to people and people can access the education. It is the women at times who accompany ECD children going to school. If the school is 10km away, then it is a disadvantage to the woman. The woman has to take the child there and at the end of the day we are giving her more burdens. You will realise that women do not get entertainment because they do not have time for entertainment. Theirs is time for work and work only. Men can go and watch soccer. They can go and watch golf. They can do whatever they want in terms of entertainment but women are always tied-up. That can even traumatise their life to the extent that when they try to respond to a spouse when he comes from a soccer match, they may not understand each other because the other one was being entertained and was very free, enjoying but the woman was there at home. Finally, Madam Speaker, when you are at a funeral, people cry maiweee. When you get pain, it is maiwee, meaning the mother is superior. I thank you.
*HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Let me also add my voice to the issue that was raised by Hon. Bhudha-Masara on the Conference they have attended. I think the issue of rural electrification must be taken seriously because everyone is paying a levy towards the rural electrification fund. I think there is need to ensure that there is electricity and health. There is a programme of Pfumvudza (dig and die), the husbands are normally at beer halls and the woman is the one digging in the fields. There is need to ensure that we get technology that reduces the drudgery of the work. Pfumvudza is affecting women’s health a lot. The Women’s Bank is only found in urban areas and I think it should be situated at every post office. Those in rural areas should benefit from the Women’s Bank. I thank you.
+HON. MAHLANGU: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. Other households are closed because there is no one willing to assist the child to get a birth certificate. Government has loosened up the conditions and requirements for one to access documents such as birth certificates. People cannot get a witness to assist in getting documents like birth certificates and national identity cards so that they get passports. My appeal to the Government is to bring back the programme so that people can get the necessary documents like any other Zimbabwean.
*HON. KWARAMBA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Masara. I was part of the delegation that went to the 66th CSW. It was a difficult trip since it was during COVID but we were able to learn something from it. The theme was Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls in the Context of Climate Change, Environmental and Disaster Risk Reduction Policies and Programmes. We have said a lot in this House and I am not going to repeat what was said. We heard about Cyclone Idai, the challenges that women face in accessing health services and water. We also heard that programmes such as pfumvudza can assist women but we need to reduce the workload. We heard about electricity and we need solar energy and biogas digesters to ensure that we reduce the burden of unpaid care work. Women do most of the work but they do not get anything. We have heard that there is the Women’s Bank but we are saying it should not request for collateral. It should be decentralised to rural areas. We heard about the highway market vendors. There was the issue of SRHR and the issue of boreholes that women are facing challenges. The issues of inheritance were also mentioned. I was impressed by the men who are supporting women and pushing the Government to ensure that the plight of women is taken into consideration. The laws should ensure that women and girls enjoy their works and their lives as well. I want to thank you all for everything and I want to leave the matter to Hon. Masara as she winds the motion. I thank you.
HON. BHUDHA-MASARA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker for this wonderful moment you have allowed to the Zimbabwe Women Parliamentary Caucus to table our Report for the second time and allow Hon. Members to have a second bite. I would like to appreciate especially the gender male champions for the support that you have given to the Zimbabwe Women Parliamentary Caucus as well as the owners of the report; the members of the Zimbabwe Women Parliamentary Caucus. Madam Speaker, the CSW 66 was held in United States at UN Headquarters from the 14th to the 25th of March 2022 under the theme: Achieving Gender Equality for all Women and Girls and Empowerment in the Context of Climate Change, Environmental and Disaster Risk Reduction Policies and Programmes.
Madam Speaker, let me also thank the leader of the Women’s Caucus who happens to be the President of Senate for leading the Zimbabwean Women Parliamentary Caucus’ delegation to the UN. Let me thank the Hon. Members in style and allow me to mention them by name. I would like to thank Hon. Raidza, Hon. B. Dube, Hon. Gonese, Hon. Biti, Hon. Hamauswa, Hon. Tekeshe and Hon. Josiah Sithole. Hon. Members of ZWPC, let me thank Hon. Madiwa who was the seconder of the motion. She was part of the delegation to the UN CSW 66th Session, Hon. Mpariwa, Hon. Tsuura, Hon. Matsunga, Hon. L. Sibanda, Hon. Mangora, Hon. Mguni, Hon. Priscilla Moyo, Hon. Mokone, Hon. J. Tobaiwa, Hon. Cele and finally the Chairperson of the ZWPC, Hon. Kwaramba.
I now move that this House adopts the Report of the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women held from 14th to 25th March, 2022.
Motion put and agreed to
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISII seconded by HON. TEKESHE, the House adjourned at Half past Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 28th September, 2022
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Good Afternoon Madam President. 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.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. WATSON KHUPE
HON. SEN. MANYAU: Madam President, I move the motion standing in my name that this House:
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the passing on of the late Member of the Senate representing Disabled Persons, Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe on Saturday, 16th July, 2022;
PLACES on record its appreciation for the services which the late Hon. Senator rendered to Parliament and the Nation at large;
RESOLVES that its profound sympathies be conveyed to the Khupe family, relatives and the entire Nation for the loss of the Hon. Senator. I thank you.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
HON. SEN. MANYAU: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to share the life of the late Hon. Sen. Khupe who was a great icon in as far as disability issues were concerned. Hon. Sen. Watson Khupe was born in 1963 in Matabeleland. Hon. Sen. Khupe attended the National University of Science and Technology where he received a Master of Business Administration degree. He also had numerous licenses and certificates from many other institutions.
He was a strong advocate for disability rights who had more than 25-years hands on experience in disability rights campaign. He was an expert in policy formulation, research, management, advocacy, designing and programming of livelihoods income projects. Hon. Sen. Khupe had muscular dystrophy. In 1990, Sen. Khupe founded the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Zimbabwe and from 2011 to 2015, he served as the organisation’s project manager. In 2010, he was the co-author of a report sponsored by the Government of the United Kingdom regarding disability in Zimbabwe. Hon. Sen. Khupe was a representative for people with disabilities during the drafting of the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe.
In the 2018 Zimbabwean general election, Hon. Sen. Khupe was elected to the Senate of Zimbabwe, representing people with disabilities as a member of Parliament. Hon. Sen. Khupe advocated for expanding access to Braille reading material urging companies to employ people with disabilities and an increased usage of sign language in schools. He also supported a Government programme to assist people with disabilities who were unable to pay for medication.
Hon. Sen. Khupe lived in Thorngrove, a neighbourhood of Bulawayo. He died on 17th July 2022 at Mater Dei Hospital in Bulawayo from complications caused by his muscular dystrophy. May his soul continue to rest in peace. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion. I would want to support the motion with a few words on loss of Hon. Sen. Khupe. Hon. Sen. Khupe was a Member of the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development. He was always present and he represented his constituency of people with disabilities well. Every time be made a contribution, he made sure he represented people with disability. We used to travel as a Committee and he was always punctual and was committed and was a true representative of people with disability. He was committed to ensuring that all other opportunities that were availed to able bodied people were also available for people with disability especially on the issue of Presidential inputs. He raised the issue that people with disability should not be left behind on national programmes. Madam President, at this time that we remember Hon. Sen. Khupe, we want to pass our deepest condolences to the family of Hon. Sen. Khupe for the loss of a husband and father.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Madam President, Hon. Sen. Khupe was an amazing gentleman. He was someone who was pleasant to everyone as he greeted people with respect. He did not discriminate. We also heard of the work that he did in trying to address the plight of people with disability so that they can also be considered by the Government. He contributed a lot in terms of availing houses and buses for people with disability that would be accessible to different disabilities. These are issues that he always raised and that if possible, we know that houses that were built long ago were not disability friendly, they failed to consider the needs of people with disability but he was committed to ensuring that houses are built for disabled people for them to be able to access the houses without any challenges.
Madam President, Hon. Sen. Khupe was also a member of the SDGs Committee. Whenever we set as a Committee, he would not just sit and keep quiet and registered his presence but whenever issues were discussed in the Committee, he actively participated and gave his opinion and perspectives on issues under discussion so that everything could benefit people with disability. We used to travel in different parts of the country where the road networks were poor but he was never absent. He would always be present. Every time we would find him at the venue. This shows that he was committed to his work. He is someone who is respected and valued others. He also valued Government programmes. Madam President, we want to thank Hon. Sen. Khupe for the work that he did for the Zimbabwean nation.
In conclusion Madam President, I want to pass my deepest condolences to the Khupe family for the loss of their father. We were there at the funeral and we could see the bereaved family was in mourning. I pray that God comforts the family, wife and the children. I want to end by saying that I also want to pass my deepest condolences to you because you have lost one of your members of the august House. I also want to pass my condolences to my fellow Hon. Senators for the loss of our colleague. I pray that may his soul rest in peace. I want to thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity.
*HON. SEN. CHISOROCHENGWE: I met Hon. Sen. Khupe at Holiday Inn. He saw me passing when he wanted to disembark from his car and he said Hon, although you do not know me, can you come to me? I said to him ‘your wife will see me and I would be beaten’ and he said no, that is not going to be the case. He was someone who was free and always assisted others. When we went to Bulawayo for his funeral, we realised that his constituency was hurt because of the way his funeral was handled. He is someone who was committed to the fact that whenever there was a project, he would ensure that people with disability benefitted. He stood up for people with disabilities.
What I also noticed whilst at the funeral, and I do not know if that can be addressed but I noticed that people with disabilities think that they are being stigmatised and discriminated against because they complained about how the funeral was handled. They said that other Members of Parliament die and a week is devoted to the media publishing about the death of that member yet with Hon. Sen. Khupe, it was not the case. What I am saying is that if only we could address that issue so that they do not feel discriminated. With these few words, I thank you.
+HON. SEN. T. MOYO: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the motion tabled by Hon. Sen. Manyau regarding the passing away of Hon. Khupe. Hon. Watson Khupe used to unite people within the family. He was kind hearted. It is not that he was born disabled. He was born able-bodied just like some of us. He got disabled whilst growing up.
It rained heavily on the particular day when he became disabled and after that, his life changed. In all the projects that used to happen, he used to partake. I remember the week he passed on, he called me from Holiday Inn and said that he was not feeling well. When I got there, he was sleeping on the car seat. I advised him to go back home but he refused but I insisted that he should go back home. What made him continue to come to work whilst he was not feeling well was because he loved his work. In other instances, he would ask me to accompany him whenever he was attending different programmes that he was engaged in. At home, he used to say every time he went to his rural home, he would ask me when last I was home. He always encouraged me to visit my rural home. So, as a family, they lost out in his passing on. I would like to thank the ruling party ZANU PF, because they were there from his passing on up until the last day of his burial. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to just add a few words on the departure of our beloved Hon. Sen. Khupe. I would want to thank Hon. Sen. Manyau for tabling the motion in this august House.
We are very sorry as a House because during the last two months, I think Madam President, we lost about three Hon. Senators; may their souls rest in peace. Madam President, I knew Hon. Sen. Khupe from the time when we were with him during the 2013 Constitutional Reform Programme. You could not even tell a story that Hon. Sen. Khupe was a disabled person because wherever we went, Hon. Sen. Khupe would also be there. He worked very hard during the Constitution making process. Whenever we were in the meetings, Hon. Khupe would stand for the disabled community as a whole, not segregating anyone. Even when he became a senator, he had no time to rest.
I remember before his passing, one day when he was telling me that he had been at Beitbridge, I asked him what he wanted there and he said that he had gone to visit people who were living near the Old Renkini; that was Khupe because most people whenever they went there never gave themselves time to visit the people who live near Old Renkini.
Madam President, if we recall, we have lost someone who really
worked hard to uplift the living standards of the disabled community. Madam President, I do not have much to say but let me conclude by saying that Hon. Sen. Khupe was very open. He was open to everyone and would not even segregate people, whether by language or whatever. He would speak to everyone here. I know he was a special person due to his disability; we are missing something in this House because even when he was not feeling well, we would always be with him here. With those few words Madam President, I once again thank you for giving me this opportunity and I so support this motion. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. MKHWEBU: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion on the late Hon. Sen. Khupe. I also thank Hon. Sen. Manyau for tabling this motion on the passing on of Hon. Sen. Khupe.
Hon. Sen. Khupe used to call me his friend. Every time he would come in here, he would say my friend and I would say, Hon. Khupe, are you okay my friend; he used to be my friend. For being my friend, I fought the liberation struggle with his brother who was a teacher. So this is when I knew Hon. Sen. Khupe. I met him when he was working on issues to do with his brother’s compensation for his children. He was a merciful person regardless of his disability. He would assist anyone who was in trouble, mainly his brother’s family. He would always participate despite the fact that he was in a wheelchair; he would always help his late brother’s widow.
He showed much humanity, even in his community in Plumtree; no one would say anything bad about him. Everyone would be saying Khupe! Khupe! Khupe! One could hardly tell that he had a disability and was confined to a wheelchair. His humanity earned him a very big name. I was saddened when he called me from his hotel room on one of the days. He told me that he was stressed. I asked him what it was that was stressing him, he said there were so many troublesome things in life; that was the last thing he said to me. I never got to know what it was that was stressing him. Therefore, it became a very big lesson to me that when someone approaches you to tell you about their stress, you need to come forth, try to find out so as to assist. I never opened up to further interrogate about what was causing the stress. With these few words Madam President, I say my deepest condolences to his family and all his friends. I continue to say, may his soul rest in peace. I thank you.
HON. SEN. D. M. NDLOVU: Thank you for giving me this opportunity Madam President, to debate on the late Hon. Sen. Khupe. When I came in, I found the debate on - what has been aired by Hon. Mkwebu is true. Madam President, I was involved in an accident on the 21st October, it felt like something small but my right leg is sore up to now. Hon. Khupe would always see me sleeping on a mattress each time I was travelling and he was the first to ask what happened to me, asking Hon. Sen. R. Dube. Then Hon. Sen. R. Dube told him that I was involved in an accident, no wonder why she is always sleeping on her mattress. Then Hon. Sen. Khupe indicated that tell Hon. Ndlovu that we have wheelchairs, she should come and see if she can find a wheel chair that can assist her. It was not the first time meeting him. I had met him earlier on in Bulawayo in an organisation that deals with disability issues but the mercy that he showed to me was so much. The wheelchair that I used to have before using a walking stick, I got it from Hon. Sen. Khupe. He is the one that gave me that wheelchair. They drove me to his organisation and I tried fitting on the different wheelchairs in his organisation until I found one that I was able to use.
This person who had disability was so merciful. Even when I used to work with him when we met at work, he used to encourage unity amongst us and he indicated that when there are some disagreements, it is critical that people sit down and discuss until they get to an understanding. Up to now, my family and I will never forget him. Right now, my father who I am staying with always indicates that we should go home and get a goat to go and present to the Khupe family like we had planned, regardless of the fact that he is no more.
I was pained because when he was buried, I was out on Committee business but I sent my husband whom I indicated was present at the burial even though people did not recognise him, but I am happy because I managed to make it to his burial. Up until now, I want everyone to know that the wheelchair that I use, I got it from Hon. Sen. Khupe. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MANYAU: I move for the adjournment of the debate.
HON. SEN. CHISOROCHENGWE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 7TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARIANS NETWORK ON DEVELOPMENT EVALUATION HELD IN MOROCCO
Third order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 7th Annual General Meeting of the African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development Evaluation.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President, I want to thank the mover of that report Hon. Sen. Chief Nechombo. Indeed as Africans, we fought the liberation struggle and attained independence but without freedom.
We were caught between the West and the East. When we look at countries such as Russia, America and other western countries and the way they do things, it is different from our economies. The West has put systems for us that they want us to follow. When we hold elections, they come in as observers to assess whether we have done what they want us to do in terms of the standards they set. They sit down in Washington New York and London and make assessments on our performance based on their standards.
A country like Zimbabwe will never meet their standards because what those western countries have done is that they have imposed their systems on us and yet as Africans, we need to come up with our own systems. The current governance systems in use in Africa were imposed by the Western and Eastern countries. We cannot take systems from the West and from the East completely. We need to come up with our own African Government system. I was happy to hear that the meeting agenda was to look into the issue of coming up with an African governance system that we can use as Africans instead of using the Western and Eastern systems. Only then we will be able to have our freedom with a system that will not attract assessment from the West. With such a system, we are united and those from both the east and the west cannot rule over us. If we are to look at traditional leadership in our country, there was a system of ambassadors (nhume) and that was the African Governance system to work together. This is an issue that was of concern to me. Another matter that caught my attention was that of integration of African people, one Africa, one country not one continent.
This is a very good initiative in our historical background; people like Muammar Gaddafi and Kwame Nkrumah were advocates of this integration of Africa. The current generation should fulfill these aspirations. What caused us to be exploited by western countries are the divisions within Africa. The wealth of Africa from Cape to Cairo is along the same belt. The partition of Africa by the West divided our wealth to ensure that we do not have one policy on farming, mining, we cannot have one defence system and foreign affairs so that we fight amongst ourselves. We fight our own in the name of opposition parties and ruling parties. We are divided by the western countries and when we fight they then find ways to come and exploit us.
If we unite, they will not be able to do that. Although there is a will that we integrate as African countries like we did in SADC, ECOWAS, EAC, Central African Region, et cetera, this is not enough. Those who are out will try and divide these blocs. This spirit, like we had in SADC and the rest, must continue to prevail because we are all blacks. If you see a Nigerian or a South African, before they speak, you will not know they are Nigerians or South Africans, which means we are all black people and we must unite.
If we unite, then Africa will become the jewel of the world. It is the only continent that is rich in world resources than any other continent in the world. If we unite, exploitation will stop in Africa because we will be having one President. Now as we are sitting here, we are with Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira, he is the President of the Parliament for the whole of Africa and I hope that is where we are heading to. Our own Zimbabwean currently heads a Parliament for the whole of Africa, we must be proud of that. That is where power comes from in Africa. We liberated ourselves from the colonialists as black people but now we do not have freedom because we are under sanctions. We will only be following suggestions from other people.
What makes us fail to do that is, we want to develop our country using an unknown vehicle that we are not able to change the gears. A vehicle that is operated by Western people and this is a foreign ideology that we cannot understand; that is why we fail to unite ourselves and develop our country. I am happy because we can do everything for our country on our own. I want to thank the Committee that brought this motion. We must work hard to make Africa one country. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Madam President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September, 2022.
MOTION
FOURTH REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY ON THE BENCHMARKING VISIT TO THE PARLIAMENT OF RWANDA
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fourth Report of the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the Benchmarking visit to the Parliament of Rwanda.
Question again proposed.
+HON. MKHWEBU: Thank you Madam President for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the motion. This Committee indicated that there is a flight, Rwandese Airways that comes to Zimbabwe twice and I applaud this development in our country. It is good that this Committee has brought out positives from Rwanda. If only our Government, under the President of Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, can continue to work hard to see our country develop like what is going on in Rwanda. Rwanda saw a moment of the death of thousands of people under the Rwandan genocide. This is not what we are looking forward to happening in all the countries, especially in Africa. We are not anticipating what happened in Rwanda during that time to happen in any of these countries, especially Africa.
It was also indicated under this report that the Rwandan people showed displeasure in the way the UN peace-keepers handled this genocide. It was also indicated that in Rwanda, people from different parties are engaging in the affairs of their country in totality. We have the majority bringing in the President and the rest bringing in the deputy and so forth. With this unity, we do not have anyone insulting the President in Rwanda. They continue to promote peace and unity which is what we need to learn from, that we need to understand each other, be united and discuss issues amicably. The different parties in Rwanda teach us that people need to respect each other. Let us not insult each other. We need to work together.
When we pull in different directions, we do not get anywhere and even our children do not learn anything from that. We need to unite and learn to work together in Parliament and in our country as a whole. When it is necessary for us to deliberate amicably, we need to do that. This report taught me a lot as it indicates that there is peace and unity in Rwanda. It means this country has so much peace because we realise it indicated that security is top on the list. If only the same can be done in our country so that we bring peace especially in the small towns. Things are not well in the small towns. With these few words Mr. President, I would like to thank you.
*HON. SEN. BAIPAI: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to the report on the Rwandan trip. In the Parliament of the Republic of Rwanda, about 80% of the total population are women. It is something which amazes me. They encourage women to take more leadership roles compared to men. The Rwandans are peace loving people. Their love is shown all over and by everyone. Even if you walk in the streets not knowing your way, they will lovingly help you.
The Members of Parliament of Rwanda are committed to their work and they lead by example. Rwanda is on the 5th position in terms of promoting the women in leadership positions. I was very impressed because many women are participating in leadership positions. I was very happy as a woman because the majority of MPs in Rwanda are women. Their sitting arrangement in Parliament is in alphabetical order. If you are a Member of Parliament, you are not allowed to hold a ministerial post and ministers are appointed by the Prime Minister which also amazed me.
Their roads are in good condition and are very clean that you will be ashamed to throw litter. There are many security personnel moving around and people are free to move around without fear. During the middle of the night, you can see women walking freely because there are no thieves. Security personnel are always available moving around manning different places and streets. The situation is different to ours. They also have their museum where fallen heroes and those who died because of genocide are buried. They take their visitors to these places to show them the graves of those who dedicated their lives. As a country, we must emulate this idea so that we do not forget our fallen heroes.
They also help victims of genocide and victims of different abuses. They keep them at the health facilities until it is safe to go back to their homes but currently they do not have the capacity and they have not found a donor to help yet. Their hospitals are very good and neat. These health facilities are one-stop facilities as everything is done at one place. They do not refer their patients from one facility to the other.
In terms of salaries, they are paid RWF2 500 plus US$200 to service their cars. When we told them about our salaries, they asked how people like us survive since we do not have money. They encouraged us to help those at the grassroots so that they emulate what is being done by those in decision-making or leadership positions. I thank you.
^^HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to say a few words regarding the benchmark visit to Rwanda by the Peace and Security Committee led by Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa. I would like to thank them as a Committee for this benchmarking visit because we used to just hear that in Rwanda, looking at the issues of women affairs; women are accommodated more in the Rwandan Parliament. Indeed, this is true from the report that we got on this trip whereby more than 62% of the Rwandan Parliament are women. It has made us realise that as Zimbabweans, since we are in the 30 something percent mark, we do not know if we are going to reach 50/50% by 2030. It is good that we have some of our members who managed to visit this country under this benchmarking visit.
They also indicated that the forces in Rwanda are hardworking and work day and night. Even if you are to walk during the night, you are 100% sure that you are secure and protected. This is pleasing because these people are fully enforcing their laws. Yes, we have the police in our country but due to the criminal activities that are happening in our country, we realsie that in other instances, our police force are being killed while on duty. Inasmuch as their salaries are high, we continue to urge Government to increase their salaries so that they do not partake in corruption. As we speak, corruption is now more like cancer in our country; no one is bothered about their duty and promoting the work of our Government. People are keen in filling their pockets.
What I also gathered from this report is that the Rwandese love one another. They love each other despite the fact that there was ethnic fighting in the past, which has caused the death of many people, usually referred to as genocide. This taught them that it is not proper for people to segregate against each other, either tribally or ethnically. Currently in Zimbabwe, we realise that we have 16 official languages and if you are to speak in one of the languages included in the 16 official languages, you hear someone saying you are speaking in a language that I cannot understand. Then you ask yourself, why is this person saying this, is my language not allowed to be used; is it a language for donkeys or what? That on its own shows that we look down upon each other, which is not proper.
As we are, we are God’s flowers. He created us as we are. Why should we look down upon each other? Yes, as someone who is speaking in a language that is regarded as a minority language, I was created by God. Therefore, do not despise me. We need to show love to each other, let us not look down upon each other so that we do not promote hate amongst ourselves.
Looking at the job offers that are there, let us not segregate each other through nepotism. Let us give equal opportunity according to merit whenever an opportunity arises. Let us not segregate each other according to ethnicity but instead show love to each other like the Rwandese. We need to love each other as Zimbabweans. We are Zimbabweans full of love.
Mr. President, I thank you so much for this report that was tabled by the Committee on Peace and Security, headed by Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa. They managed to bring positive messages to this House that will promote us as a country. With these few words, I thank you.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. NKOMO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 51ST PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of
the 51st Plenary of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September, 2022.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF COUNTER TERRORISM HIGH LEVEL CONFERENCE HELD IN ITALY
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism High Level Conference on Parliamentary Support to victims of terrorism.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September, 2022.
MOTION
PROVISION OF FUNDS FOR COMPLETION OF DAM CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for government to provide adequate funds for the completion of dam projects.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MKHWEBU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September, 2022.
MOTION
PARENTING AND EMBRACING A RECEPTIVE CULTURE FOR CHILDREN LIVING IN THE STREETS
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on vulnerable children living on the streets.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to air my views on the issues that have become of concern. I want to thank the Senator who brought this issue to the House and I am sure that she had been disturbed by street kids. As we move in the streets, we meet with these kids seated on street corners and engaging in their activities that give them a source of livelihood.
Mr. President, the work that is done by those children is work that is supposed to be done by adults. Those children become adults before they have even matured. What we call a child under normal circumstances is a child who sleeps in the home and is depended on the mother and father for sustenance in terms of food and everything else. That child is supposed to be provided for by the parents. When engaging in other activities, they are taken as children but when we look at the children on the streets, they are performing roles of mothers and fathers. They spent their time in the streets looking for money to fend for themselves and to look after their parents or to even send their siblings to school. This is being done by a child who is below 10 years.
The child matures mentally at the wrong time, they take up responsibilities that should not be theirs but because of poverty we find them in that situation and engaged in such activities. For sure, the Government should be concerned with such practices where a child is forced to head a family at a very tender age.
Some of the children are very rough whilst on the streets but that is how that child has now been socialized and has developed. They even use vulgar language because it is the environment that is affecting their language. So those children should be given an opportunity to live as children and they should be taken to their centres that should be funded by the Government and other stakeholders in the private sector for them to go through the process of being children until they are mature adults.
When we leave them on the streets they become vulnerable to abuse, especially the girl child. They can be abused in different forms including sugar dads and they are also prone to infections such as STI’s and HIV and AIDS. They are also susceptible to drug abuse because there is no one to control them since they are already adults on their own. So they end up engaging in substance abuse of which no one can rehabilitate them because they are not in action. So we are going to lose this generation because of these children in the streets.
We are all aware that substance abuse is not good at all and causes mental health issues and these children are vulnerable to such. Their population is even increasing in the streets. As you move around in the CBD and get to any traffic lights, you realise that almost every traffic light has street kids. Currently, our financial situation in Zimbabwe is dire s such that before people can give them some money, you find that when you are in a vehicle you can stop and send them money via ecocash, but they do not even have phones. Most people would love to assist these children but they will not be having cash, so you end up questioning yourself how we help these children at the end of the day. Hence the Government should come up with measures to ensure that the Social Welfare Ministry addresses the issue of these children.
There should also be research to investigate the root cause because that causes the children to go the streets; they did not just come from heaven or from the hill. Is it not possible for some of them to be re-integrated into their families so that there is rehabilitation? They can then be intergrated into the communities and live with their relatives. These are issues that need to be investigated and come up with measures to ensure that these children are taken care of because at the end of the day we would have exposed our dirty linen in public. Their presence in the streets can be interpreted by tourists as levels of poverty. I remember a country like Ethiopia sometime back, when you visited Addis Ababa, you would be surprised to see alarming numbers of beggars. Currently the rate has gone down, which means efforts were made to reduce the number of beggars on the streets.
Some of the challenges causing poverty are because of poor economic performance of our country. Government should come up with strategies to ensure that there is economic resuscitation; if we have a fully functioning economy with industries in place, that would eradicate poverty because people will be going to work. If our economy is facing challenges, the Government cannot address poverty but with a functioning economy, there are funds to ensure that we deal with the issue of street kids.
Government must take full responsibility for these children to have a decent livelihood for this matter to be brought to rest. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank the Hon. Senator for raising the motion, as you travel in the streets, you see them kicking balls into the streets. These are some of the challenges that we are faced with. The Bible says that the Lord has a soft spot for orphans and widows. Some of the children born in the streets are children born of parents with disability especially those who are visually impaired and the children end up staying with their parents in the streets.
Some of the children have become burgers. Their mindset has been affected and I think that the Department of Social Welfare should ensure that they have the psychologists to assist these children. Some of the children are very intelligent. If it was possible, those intelligent ones must be assisted. Those with capacities can even engage in the different trades even assembling motor vehicles and all the different trades. They do have the capacity and if they are assisted, they can be better people. With these few words, I want to thank you Hon. President.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MKHWEBU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th September, 2022
On the motion of HON. SEN. MATHUTHU, seconded by HON. SEN. MKHWEBU, the Senate adjourned at Nine Minutes past Four o’clock p.m..