PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 8th September, 2021
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
RESUMPTION OF PHYSICAL MEETINGS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders met and resolved that physical meetings can now resume for fully vaccinated Members and support staff. The production of COVID-19 PCR test certificate is mandatory for unvaccinated Members and staff. From 13th September 202, security personnel at the entrance have been instructed to demand vaccination certificates or valid COVID-19 PCR test certificates issued 48 hours earlier and will be valid for each week. A maximum of 10 persons inclusive of Hon. Members, staff and invitees will be permitted to attend meetings physically in compliance with social distancing guidelines.
In the National Assembly and Senate Chambers, the maximum number of persons allowed will be 100 and 80 respectively including support staff. Committees are encouraged to use a hybrid of physical and virtual meetings. Chief Whips have to ensure compliance with the requirements of allowable Hon. Members. Committees will determine those to attend either physically or virtually. Those who will not be accommodated in Committee Rooms or Chambers will participate from their hotel rooms.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have a list of Hon.
Ministers and Deputy Ministers who have sought leave of absence from the House: Hon. Dr. C. D. G. N. Chiwenga, the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. Dr. F. M. Shava,
Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. C. N. G.
Mathema, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. M. N.
Ndlovu, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and
Hospitality Industry; Hon. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining
Development; Hon. J. Gumbo, Minister of State for Presidential
Affairs in Charge of Implementation and Evaluation; Hon. Chiduwa, Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development; Hon.
Garwe, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities; Hon. Dr. Nzenza, Minister of Industry and Commerce; and Hon. Dr. A. Masuka, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. Hon. Muchinguri-Kashiri will join us later.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
+HON. E. NYATHI: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. We have got members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee who normally investigate cases of stock-theft…
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Nyathi, you are not connected.
+HON. E. NYATHI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. My question is in connection with members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee. The members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee work very hard, especially in connection with cases of stock-theft in rural areas. What is the Government doing in terms of their remuneration? I thank you.
+THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON.
MABOYI): Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. I want to thank you
Hon. Nyathi for asking such an important question. It is very true that members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committee work very hard. These people are well known in the community and they work very hard, they work hand-in-glove with police officers. Some of them have got uniforms and when they perform their duties, they wear their uniforms – [AN HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjection.] – It does not matter whether they are given uniforms or stolen uniforms – [Laughter.] – the most important thing is that they wear uniforms. They are given some few incentives which I am not going to say in this House. If she had come privately, I would have given her an answer on what happens with them. These members of the
Neighbourhood Watch Committee are very important in our districts.
I thank the Hon. Member for asking such a question.
+HON. MAPHOSA: On a point of order Hon. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
HON. MAPHOSA: My point of order Madam Speaker Ma’am
is: this is the House where laws are made and as Members of Parliament, we are representatives of the people. So if a question is asked, we expect ministers to be very open so that we understand and when we are asked in our communities, we know what to say. The Hon. Minister said if the question had come discretely or privately, she would have answered the question. What are we doing here
Madam Speaker Ma’am? Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am sure all questions which are asked deserve to be answered here in the House – [HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
+HON. MABOYI: Thank you for your question. Yes, indeed they are given, but I do not have the figures because it is different, depending on when they were employed, their rank and what duties they do. A special constabulary is just like a constable. If you want the figures, I will bring them to you next week. On what you said, it is not that I wanted to give the answer in private because as Hon.
Members, you are allowed to know some of the things and if the Hon.
Member wanted to know more, I was going to tell her in private – [Laughter.] – but what you should understand is that we value and prioritise these members of the Neighbourhood Watch Committees.
Most of them stay close to us in rural areas and I will mostly touch on those who are in rural settlements. Whilst police officers stay five kilometers away from the rural areas, the Special Constabularies stay close to us and that is where we report our cases. I thank you Hon.
Member for bringing in such a question. Thank you.
HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker. I just wanted the Minister to clarify more on the neighbourhood watch teams – are they special ones registered with the Ministry of Home Affairs, those that are being paid? In my area in Bulawayo, we have the Neighbourhood Watch Committee which we pay as households and what I am asking is, are we able to apply for guns for our private Neighbourhood Watch Committee whom we are paying? Do we approach the Minister of Home Affairs and say this is our neighbourhood watch for this area and we begin to supplement their payments? How do we go about it?
HON. MABOYI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker Ma’am. Thank you very much Hon. Labode. Yes, your questions and suggestions have been recorded. I will come to you, probably next week so that I can also consult with my Minister. However, what I know is that in rural areas, those special constabularies are known by police stations because we cannot deploy people in uniform and we do not refer them to the police…
HON. T. MLISWA: Point of order Hon. Speaker Ma’am.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of
order?
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. The Hon.
Deputy Minister has done well to say she will consult. When you say
‘but’ and talk about the rural police officers, are they different from the urban police officers in terms of who they fall under? I think we need to be very careful, does she want to answer the question or she wants to go and consult and give us a comprehensive one? You are now responding to rural and what is the difference between urban and rural in terms of governance? They fall under one Ministry. I think it is best for her to come after consulting, with a comprehensive answer or else she will be prevaricating.
HON. MABOYI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. Thank you very much Hon. Mliswa. I think I also mentioned the consultation part of it but what I know – because I come from a rural constituency; this is what I was trying to explain but we will do further consultations so that we can bring in correct and very effective information. I thank you.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Now,
the Minister says they are paying a stipend. My question is, if the Ministry is prepared to pay them, why are they not able to buy them basic uniforms than to allow them to wear different shapes, sizes and colours of uniforms which gives a very bad image to the police force?
HON. MABOYI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am and thank
you Hon. Gabbuza. Yes, you are very correct. At times some wear shirts which are not very good but remember we had problems with our economy. We are going to address those issues so that they match the Ministry or the Police Force. Thank you.
(v) HON. M. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. What is the criteria used to recruit student nurses across the country? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD
CARE (HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. If people are going for any training, they must be categorised in a manner that they have the potential to start and finish the course. The policy is that there are certain subject requirements that we put across and advertise those. Also, we have certain age groups that we recruit as nurses or from different sexes and areas. The criteria is well set. Certain subjects which go hand in hand with the type of nursing one is going to follow are required and the likes of age groups as well is part of the selection system. I thank you.
(v) HON. M. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
Taking note of Matabeleland North, for the past two years, a number of students applied but they were not recruited, especially at St. Lukes and Tsholotsho Training Centres. Surprisingly, people from other provinces are trained but after training they leave the province and return to their respective provinces, leaving the province with shortage of staff. I thank you.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the point he is putting across. In the past, students used to be recruited via application letters that would be sent direct to the Ministry or institutions that would be recruiting. There were problems because we heard that there were irregularities in certain schools in that people would be recruited from one person to 20. So what we did in the end was to computerise or make this selection; E-recruitment where students apply online and then the selection of the students and candidates is done by the machine. However, we are also finding that there are problems.
Students are too many to be trained for very few places.
As we go along, we are going to sit down and make sure that we have a quota system where each province produces a certain number and the district contributes by having its own people to the province where the selection is done there. We have realised that centrally, it is also not selecting from all provinces. For instance, he mentioned St. Lukes and Tsholotsho where not even one candidate has been accepted for an E-recruitment. This is what we are going to be doing but for now, the selection was done as per certain sequence that is tuned in by the selectors at Head office. However, we are going to try and correct that and put it into a quota system. Also, we will look at the age groups properly. I thank you.
+HON. MATHE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for
giving me this opportunity to pose my supplementary question. Why does the Minister not follow the devolution system which is in our country Zimbabwe, on recruiting nurses, to say that in all our 10 provinces in Zimbabwe, we have a certain percentage in each province of how many people are to be recruited? I thank you. HON. DR. MANGWIRO: I think I said it. Now, we are
going to decentralise the recruitment to provinces down to districts. Each province is going to be assigned its recruitment and its quota system. By quota system it means we are decentralising to provinces and districts so that people select. At least every district must have a child. Even if the places are 200, we will divide that 200 by our ten provinces and say 20 should come from Matabeleland North, 20 from Manicaland and so on. This is what I mean by quota system. This is what we are going to be doing in the future because we have seen all other systems are a bit unfair. I thank you Hon. Speaker.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Since the
Minister said that we will now be recruiting nurses regionally, may we know the time frame when it is going to start. I thank you.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Madam Speaker
Ma’am. Thank you Hon. Sibanda. I cannot give you specific dates but this is how we are going to be operating. By regional, I think it is the same thing as provincial or quota system but we are still working on modalities. I cannot give you a specific date. Once it is there, I will come and present to you. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. The
information communication technology or the internet penetration rate in Europe is 92%, in Africa it is 52% and in Zimbabwe it is 15%. Would it please the Minister, without being archaic, moribund, rudimentary and medieval to continue to attach the e-application to the physical one? Where I come from, there is not that much penetration in terms of ICT. There are still people that are manually applying for positions and placements in the nursing sector. Would it please the Minister to continue also until a certain time to be physical in the nature of application presentation?
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Madam Speaker
Ma’am. Thank you Hon. Nduna. By decentralisation, we mean we cannot apply what is happening in Harare to what is happening in Buhera. So, by decentralisation we are giving power to the provincial areas who in turn will also select their people from districts. A district I am sure is going to go through chiefs or whatever and the selection criteria will no longer be centralised. Our job is to gather information and students from the ten provinces. The selection criteria cannot remain “e” only like he rightly said. There are areas where in a district people know there is no connectivity and they use whatever criteria they want, be it handwritten tests to choose their candidates. What we want to do is to make sure that every district has got a chance to have someone apply and be accepted. Our job is to collect the numbers, whichever method they will have used to bring them to the school they are going to be trained. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members.
Hon. Mhona, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural
Development has also sent an apology.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you. I have a question to the
Minister of Health and Child Care Madam Speaker. It is plausible that Government announces figures of COVID deaths everyday. Is it not good policy also Madam Speaker that when they announce the figures on COVID deaths, they indicate to the nation how many of those deaths were already vaccinated so that we have confidence in the vaccines and that we will encourage people to go and get vaccinated if indeed the vaccines are effective. We can measure the efficacy of the vaccines through that.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD
CARE (HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Hon. Speaker
Ma’am. Thank you Hon. Gabbuza. Definitely, it is important that people get to know who was not vaccinated. Not only that, those with underlying conditions, vaccinated and unvaccinated – [HON. TOFFA:
The Minister is not connected.] -
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are not connected
Hon. Minister.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you. I was saying in our
statistics collection, we do not want only to announce or make known to the public, the number of people who have been vaccinated who have succumbed. We also want to extend further to say, those who have succumbed to COVID-19, did they have other underlying conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart failure, cancer, HIV, et cetera. It is important because already we have done a study of people who have died. Studies were done on about 207 of them by Prof. Makunike and others. We found that 90% of those who died were unvaccinated. It is data that is already there in the domain. What the Hon. Member is suggesting that a daily report be made, definitely is something that is a good policy which we are going to try and implement as soon as possible. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. This leads to the question which Government and Hon. Minister Ziyambi mentioned that if you are not vaccinated as a Government worker, you will not get a job. Now the statistics from the expert, the renowned surgeon says that people are dying because they are vaccinated. Why would Government then say – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – No. 90% died because they were not vaccinated. My point is this 90% - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – I am the one asking the question. Do you want to ask it on my behalf?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, my point and my
question is, the Minister has just alluded to the point that 90% of the people who died were unvaccinated, the question therefore which I am now asking the Minister is that, with the Government policy of saying that people who are not vaccinated must not work for Government. How safe are we with that leading to the question that if you are vaccinated do you not die? The question here is that if you are vaccinated do you not die because somebody will be fired for not being vaccinated but somebody vaccinated again, works and they die. When you are vaccinated, are you guaranteed life? My question is simple Hon. Minister.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. I
would like to thank Hon. Mliswa for that view. I repeat that out of the 207 people who died and postmortems, blood tests and fluid tests were done, 90% of them were unvaccinated. Of course, none of us here knows when they are going to die. What we are doing right now is what we know to prevent unnecessary deaths due to COVID. That is why we vaccinate people. It does not guarantee eternity.
So, it is important that every Zimbabwean’s duty is to prevent or protect every citizen, be it your family, workmate, school mates from getting this infection, the Sars-cov-2, the Coronavirus disease. Vaccination for now is the way to go just like we do with our children for diseases like polio, diphtheria and tetanus, getting vaccinations for our babies, but still a baby can die after a year and even after vaccination. I thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Thank you Hon.
Minister for the information about the 90% that have died not having been vaccinated. How does that compare because only 10% of the nation has been vaccinated and you are talking about 90%? This is 90% of what and what percentage of the vaccinated has died? Thank you.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: I will try to answer her question.
Thank you Hon. Toffa. The population of Zimbabwe – we said we are aiming towards herd immunity. It cannot happen overnight. At one point it shall be 10% of the population vaccinated and 20% until we reach the herd immunity. The vaccines have been bought and they are in place. We will continue to vaccinate until we get the herd immunity, which is the safe number where we say people have been vaccinated to prevent passing on of the virus to others.
Vaccination still remains the same and the percentage of the people who have been vaccinated right away and off the cuff, it is difficult. What I know is that we are going towards getting what we call herd immunity. Herd immunity does not say everyone is vaccinated. We have vaccinated enough numbers such that we can part the cycle of transmission. There are people who may not be vaccinated but it does not follow that they are all going to be vaccinated. We are just vaccinating enough people to say the passing on of the virus has been minimised to a level where it has become safe for us to open and run the economy properly. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker. Pertaining to
vaccinations, could the Minister explain how undocumented people are getting vaccinated because I am being inundated with people who are being turned away from vaccination centres because they have no documents? I thank you.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Hon. Speaker. We have
ways of identifying each other in Zimbabwe. If a person is from a certain area, we do not want them to be turned away. There must be a way of identifying them. If he is coming from high density or low density suburbs, surely there is a councillor or someone who can witness that they are from the village or if it is in rural areas, there are so many ways of identifying each other. We do not necessarily want to have someone chased away and yet you know who he is. This disease is serious and so we want every Zimbabwean to be vaccinated. We try by all means to make sure that the vaccination is done. We do not want anyone turned away because today he is not carrying an I. D. card yet he has come with the wife or husband who can correctly identify them. We definitely want us to get vaccinated and we try as much as possible, where there is a doubt, to get assistance and make sure that everyone gets vaccinated without problems. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am and thank
you Hon. Minister for the incisive answer. Seeing that His Excellency has proclaimed the coming down of Level 4 to Level 2 in terms of the lockdown, would it please the Minister to weekly give this House an update in terms of us achieving herd immunity he had proposed, of vaccinating 60% of the population as to how far we are now and how far we will be then? I thank you.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Hon. Nduna. It will be
done. Thank you.
HON. CHINHAMO-MASANGO: Thank you Hon. Speaker
Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Lands and seeing that he is not around, I will redirect the question to the Leader of the House. What is Government policy on those people who were left staying at farm compounds when the white settlers left? Are they allowed to stay on or should they be evicted from the compounds? If they are allowed to stay on, is it a must for them to work for the farmer who now owns the farm? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Madam Speaker. If you are offered an offer letter for land and part of the farm house belongs to you, it means that you are the one who is in control of that particular piece of land. I thank you.
*HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Local Government, Hon. July Moyo. What is the Government plans to make sure that there is a balance in urban and rural dwellers? What are the plans so that there is equilibrium in both urban and rural areas according to Section 72 of our Constitution which allows those in rural areas to be given land without paying anything? In peri-urban areas, we are seeing people buying land. What is the Government planning to do to redress the situation for this to apply in both rural and peri-urban areas?
*THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
PUBLIC WORKS (HON. J. MOYO): Thank you Madam Speaker,
I want to thank Hon. Nduna for the question. This is constitutional, in urban areas when you build your own house, your industry or business centre, you are given title deeds. This means that you have been given ownership indefinitely. However, in rural areas, the Constitution clearly spells out that if you are allocated such land, it remains State land, so you will be renting. You only get a lease; you continue paying to the Government, that is the difference. If you want to grow vegetables in a small garden after buying land, you are allowed to do so. Thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
Looking at the new Constitution, particularly Section 72 (c) that was mentioned by the Hon Minister, it clearly spells out that black people should be empowered with land so that they have access to land in their own country which was colonised by white people without getting any compensation. That is why in rural areas, people are getting A1 farms without paying anything.
However, in peri-urban areas, they are allowed to occupy land after paying. Is that correct that urban dwellers continue getting land the way they are being settled according to the Section 205 (3) (c) of the Urban Councils Act? This should be aligned to the Constitution which is Section 62 of the Constitution which says that the Urban
Councils Act should be discarded if it is not aligned to the
Constitution. I thank you.
*HON. J. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker, if land is in the
rural areas and being referred to as agricultural land, for that land to be changed to peri-urban land, it is important that Government looks at the issue of expansion and consult the Minister of Lands for the transfer of the agricultural land to urban land. Then there is need for planning where surveys are going to be carried out which will result in Government giving permission for the allocation of title deeds. However, if this land is in the rural areas then there is no need for that survey, it remains as agricultural land. Our Constitution clearly spells out that agricultural land is not sold but urban land is sold. So there is no change in the Urban Councils Act. It is important to understand the difference between agricultural land and urban land.
I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. Last week, nine war veterans were arrested, kept inside for 48 hours, then released and never went to court because when you are detained, you have to go to court, they did not go to court. Was that not an abuse of the institution and human rights violation because they did not end up in court at all?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, issues
pertaining to war veterans, the Hon. Minister of Water Veterans is going to give a Ministerial Statement. I think that is when you can ask your question.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, this is about the law,
this is about the Police - it is not about the welfare of the war veterans. I am talking about the war veterans who were arrested by the Police, detained for 48 hours, released but did not go to court. They never went to court but they were released. Is that the new way...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I hear you Hon. Mliswa.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): I would like to thank the Hon.
Member for such a pertinent question, especially given that it pertains to our war veterans who we respect so much.
If I got the question very well, the Hon. Member is saying why were they arrested and then released without being taken to court. He is saying, is that not abuse of office or violation of human rights. This is very lawful and constitutional that a person can be arrested and be released without being taken to court. I will refer the Hon. Member to
Section 50 (2), “Any person who is arrested or detained (a) for the purpose of bringing him or her before a court or (b) for an alleged offence and who is not released, must be brought before a court as soon as possible in any event not later than 48 hours”. I thank you Madam Speaker Maam.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, the Minister is well
within his jurisdiction to cite that in the Constitution. The Constitution that he spoke about, talks about somebody being detained for 48 hours and within that time they must be taken to court. That is what it says. The reason why that provision is there is so that people are not detained for more than 48 hours but again, you can be detained for a day and go to court. The question here is; why were they detained and not go to court because within 48 hours, you must go to court. They did not go to court. This is the question I am asking the Minister because this constitutional issue, unfortunately Hon. Ziyambi told him without studying. Hon. Kazembe is very smart but the issue here is very clear. I know this because I have been arrested enough times to understand how this works. Forty eight hours you must go to court. If you have no case, you are not supposed to be arrested. What was the point of arresting them and not taking them to court?
Hon. B. Dube having been recording a video of Hon. T. Mliswa whilst debating.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Mliswa! Hon.
Dube, what you are doing is wrong.
HON. B. DUBE: My apologies.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, this Second Republic has gone into overdrive in the abuse of human rights and persecution. They must know that this is the reason why the late former President R.G. Mugabe ended up showing the exit because of not respecting the rule of law...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Mliswa, please ask
your question.
HON. T. MLISWA: These arrests are personal. They have nothing to do with the law. They are political arrests which we at Parliament must protect the people from being harassed by institutions which are personalised and not going with the laws of the country. The question still remains – why arrest people for 48 hours, detain them and release them at night?
HON. KAZEMBE: I feel for the Hon. Member. He is so emotional because it involves our war veterans....
HON. T. MLISWA: I think the Hon. Minister is well dressed and his utterances do not suit his dressing at all. I am passionate. He should replace the word ‘emotional’ with ‘passion’. Every day when I am in Parliament, I am like that. This is not new. I do not know when he last came to Parliament. I am always like this - charged up.
That is me. Temba Mliswa is always charged up. This is me.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, may you
take your seat.
HON. KAZEMBE: I will replace emotional with passionate. I will read another section of the Constitution which explains what the Hon. Member is saying. I will start with the one that I read first for clarity and avoidance of doubt and then go to the next one. These two are different but related – “Any person who is arrested or detained (a) for the purpose of bringing him or her before a court or (b) for an alleged offence and who is not released must be brought before a court as soon as possible in any event not later than 48 hours” after the arrest took place or the detention began as the case may be, whether or not the period ends on a Saturday, Sunday or a public holiday. That is what I was referring to in the first instance, which is what happened. So there was no abuse of human rights.
Now, we go to the next one which the Hon. Member was referring to “Any person who is not brought to court within a 48 hour period referred to in subsection (2) must be released immediately unless their detention has earlier been extended by a competent court”. These people were released immediately – [HON. T.
MLISWA: Inaudible interjection.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Mliswa, order
please.
(v)*HON. SHONGEDZA: My question goes to the Minister of
Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services. What is Government policy regarding those who peddle false news on social media?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I would like to
thank the Hon. Member for asking such an important question on peddling of false news on social media regarding defamation of character. At the same time, I am sure the Hon. Member should be aware that the Cyber and Data Protection Bill was recently in the
National Assembly where it was approved. It has got Sections and Clauses which will certainly be dealing with penalties related to people who transmit false messages. For now it can certainly be heardd in the courts of law in terms of the defamation legislation.
HON. MATHE: Thank you Madam Speaker. How possible is
it for one to make a follow up as to where these false messages are coming from because we have continued to face challenges with regards to false information that is coming through from people. I thank you.
HON. DR. MUSWERE: It is very possible to identify the source of the communication which will be defaming a particular individual using ICT. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Maam. In political
circles we have seen some protagonists and some political actors using ghost accounts to attack well meaning political players on social media. Does the Hon. Minister now have the gadgets to sniff out the ghost accounts that are being utilised to antagonize and to criminalise the well meaning internet and social media players?
HON. DR. MUSWERE: I would like to thank the Hon.
Member for the question. The whole idea of bringing the Cyber and Data Protection Bill is to ensure that there is a safe and secure technological advancement and utilisation of ICT’s. With the coming in of this Bill which awaits the His Excellency’s assent, we will now be in a position to arrest and also to charge any individual who is involved in the abuse of the network and who is also involved in identity theft. So the Cyber and Data Protection Bill address all those concerns. I thank you.
HON. MAPHOSA: My question is directed to the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises. What is the Government doing to assist thousands of informal traders who have been affected by the demolition and natural disasters that befell them?
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS,
COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
DEVBELOPMENT (HON. DR. S. NYONI): I would like to thank the Hon. Member for a very important question. Government policy is to ensure that anyone doing business, including the informal sector is provided for in terms of facilitating through Local Government, for them to have land or for Local Government to provide work space.
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of informalisation in which many of people have gone to sell in undesignated areas. As I speak, the Ministry has a policy that was passed last year to make sure that provision of work space for SMS’s is prioritised so that we coordinate all the ministries concerned.
We are also working on a paper that we are going to mobilise other Ministries to ensure that SME’s are provided for work space.
Needless to say, it is very important that we take care of them, especially that the rains are coming, to ensure that they are housed somewhere where they can market or produce in a dignified way.
However, the provision of work space is not necessarily the responsibility of the Ministry of SME’s, there are stakeholders that are part of us and we are coordinating so that the situation improves.
I thank you.
HON. MAPHOSA: The question was partially answered. I
appreciate what you are doing in terms of infrastructure but the part that I talked about. Let us say they are in a designated place that is formal and has got all the papers but they have been affected. For example what happened in Karoi last week where everything was burnt off, as a ministry do you have provision that then protects those people to go back to their feet because they would have been surviving through that? If everything has been destroyed by fire, the rains or something else, what do you do as a Ministry responsible for them?
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. That is regrettable that a lot of SME’s are so crowded and they end up having fires in their premises. We are encouraging SME’s to take insurance policies so that if something like that happens the insurance can also assist them. However, that not being the case for most of them, we encourage the local authorities to work speedily to ensure that they are assisted. If they would have had the infrastructure built by themselves, we encourage them to go to those that can help them. For instance, SMEDCO can assist and also the Women’s Bank can assist them to rejuvenate their premises.
HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Now that the
Minister referred to the Women’s Bank, I would like to say to the
Minister, the Women’s Bank that we envisaged is the Women’s Bank which was going to be in line with Grameen Bank where interest rates were going to be low, where repayment periods were going to be longer and where the bank was supposed to be free from collateral such that they do not demand collateral in the traditional sense, but rather harness the trustworthiness of women as an asset in business. What is happening right now is that women are not able to access those loans like what the Hon. Member said, that if their goods are destroyed by fire or by rain, they do not have anywhere to go so that they replace those goods. So the Minister said there is a
Women’s Bank and my question is; the Women’s Bank that is in existence right now is not what we were looking forward to. What is it that they are doing in making sure that women have access to cheap loans so that they are able to replenish their goods in the event that their goods are destroyed through fire and through rain? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS,
COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. S. NYONI): First of all, let me assure her that my Ministry learnt from the Grameen Bank but we are not Grameen Bank. We came back and we crafted a bank that was going to be suitable for Zimbabwe’s environment, not Bangladesh environment.
To start with, the bank is called Microfinance Women’s Bank. Therefore, it uses the microfinance rules that are pertaining in the country. Having said that, it is not completely true to say women are not accessing funding. It could be true for some but not for all. So let me let this House also know that the Women’s Bank has got different products and one of the products that it has is group lending or that fostered solidarity economy.
We are aware that women are vulnerable and women are not all of the same level. When you really talk of vulnerable people at the bottom of the economic pyramid, women form the majority and therefore there is a product within the Women’s Bank that says women can come together in groups of three up to 10 and then they borrow guaranteeing each other. In that way, you do not need any security at all.
So I think really I would like the Hon. Member to go into all the banks in this country and see how much those banks have lent to
SMEs and to the informal sector and how much the Women’s Bank has done. It is being run by a woman and in my opinion, she is doing a sterling job. So far since we opened, over 87 000 projects have been funded by the bank and I would like the Hon. Member to compare that figure with what other banks have delivered. I think these groups of women have really done their best. Let us support them for what they have done and if there are any specific cases that the Hon. Member knows, if it is brought to their attention and the attention of the Ministry, we always try to do our best to solve any challenges that our clients face. I thank you.
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of
order?
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: My point of order Madam Speaker is that, the question on the demolition of work spaces for SMEs was also asked last week but it seems as if there is no sufficient answer to the question that Hon. Members are getting from the people they are representing. I therefore suggest that the Minister brings in a
Ministerial Statement that is comprehensive.
If you check on what the Minister has said, she gave a blanket overview of how many accounts were opened, but the capacity of women to pay back the loans is not clarified. The number of work spaces that have been created so far is not clarified. We need the Minister to give us a Ministerial Statement especially that we are going to be in the budget formulation process so that the Hon. Members will be able to push for an adequate allocation that will cover for proper working spaces that are adequate for the informal sector because as we speak, people continue to lose their resources because their work spaces are being demolished, their products are being taken by police including the municipality police.
So, I therefore request for a Ministerial Statement that will really inform this House how far the Ministry has gone in terms of preparing proper work spaces for the informal sector.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: I am sorry, I could not hear most of what he said.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: He was asking if you can
bring a comprehensive Ministerial Statement.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Yes, I will really appreciate that because the issue of SME workspace is something that concerns the Ministry very deeply. So if this House can support us to ensure that programme is done and that the SMEs are taken care of because they are contributing so much to this economy yet one of their major challenges is workspace, I will do so Madam Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. I am sitting there hurt. Why am I hurt? She answered so well on everything she was asked but the women did not clap for her and yet they always talk about not being supported. A colleague woman Minister answered so well and you did not clap. It was the men who clapped and now you say you did. Do not be jealous of her, she did a good job and with that may you clap for her? All of you clap for her.
Well done, well done
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa
for that.
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of
order?
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker. My
point of order is that when the Minister answered the question from Hon. Dr. Khupe about issues of collateral, she was not specific. We have got evidence that this Ministry wants collateral which most of the women cannot get. I have so many examples in my constituency, of people who were denied the benefit of this money. I do not even know the purpose of this bank because Madam Speaker, when she says there were 87 000 accounts that were opened, it then means that there is a lot of corruption in that Women’s Bank because I do not know who they are giving this money to. I propose that the Auditor-
General do a forensic audit in the Women’s Bank because most of the women in this country have not benefited.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Moyo, the Minister
said 87 000 not 87 and the Minister promised to bring a Ministerial Statement to the House. I think that is when you can ask your questions and you will be answered.
HON. MUTAMBISI: My question is directed to the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development. Covid-19 has brought about an increase in the cases of gender based violence globally and in Zimbabwe. What interventions has Government put in place to deal with this issue?
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY,
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT
(HON. DR. S. NYONI). Hon. Speaker Ma’am, I would like to thank the Member for a very pertinent question. Gender based violence has become another pandemic. It is true especially on the part of women facing violent encounters in their families. This is not just in the urban areas. We are now beginning to have a lot of cases in the rural areas, as far afield as Nkayi North where you have a woman phoning that the man is about to kill her. Fortunately, the Ministry, working together with partners have developed safe homes, one-stop-centres and I am sure you are aware that the First Lady has toll free lines where women can call in and get assistance. We are working with civil society, UN bodies, other Government Ministries as well as communities to stop this pandemic. However, the important thing is that we need to come together and help each other to solve our problems amicably because violence is not necessarily a solution. Unless we learn to listen to each other and also to solve the problems amicably, this pandemic will continue. It is not just the domestic violence but it is also the drug and alcohol abuse by our young people, especially at growth points. I think as a nation, we need to take a new look on how we mend our social fabric which is breaking. The beating of women is really a symptom of a deeper problem than we realise. I think that we need to look at a wider context of the causes of this pandemic and then see how we deal with the causes as well as attend to those that survive the domestic violence.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Minister for that response but she did not address the men who are being beaten up and shouted at because abuse is not only physical. I speak on behalf of most married men – I am not married; these men fear to speak because if they utter a word attacking a woman, they will be in trouble at home. At least I do not have a wife so I am speaking on behalf of all the men. These men you see wearing suits are under siege and they are in trouble. So what are you doing to ensure that they have freedom in their own way and carry on with their lives without abuse?
HON. DR. S. NYONI: I think that is a very important question. The Hon. Member is correct because when we say gender based violence, we do not just speak of women but both genders - men and women. He is right and I am glad that some men have now formed anorganisation to defend each other. It is serious.
HON. MBONDIAH: On a point of order Madam Speaker, can
Hon. Members please mute their gadgets so we can hear clearly.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, may you
please mute your gadgets so that we can adequately hear the Minister in silence.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I think this is a serious problem that is affecting society across gender, so we need to look at both men and women and defend both. I thank the Hon. Member for the question.
*HON. P. ZHOU: I want to add my voice to the issue of domestic violence in the rural areas, especially in areas that are sparsely populated. I heard the plans that you put in place but I need to know if it is possible to put other plans in place so that those in the surrounding communities can quickly assist rather than wait to get assistance from the mentioned centres. In Rural areas, are there any plans to come up with GBV groups which can quickly assist both men and women who will be in trouble?
HON. DR. S. NYONI: The Hon Member has brought a very important issue about women and men that are in remote areas. Let me assure her that funds permitting, we want to be available all over the country but because we are working with other stakeholders such as Musasa and others that are involved in this issue. We are in remote areas as well. Let me give the Hon. Member an example which I was not aware how strong it was until last week when I got a call from Sembewule, which is bordering Silobela and Nkayi. This woman was being beaten and the father called from South Africa. I called Msasa Project in Harare and my officials in Nkayi, together within a day they had taken that woman to the police in Nkayi. They had hired a car to assist that woman. So, the networks that the Ministry has built seem to be working and they are efficient. They are attending to even the remotest places in our country. I would like Hon. Members to be aware of that. If there are any cases, please contact the Ministry or Msasa Project or the nearest police. The networks are wired to respond to the cases. I thank you.
*HON. RAIDZA: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage. Is there a law that permits or does not permit people or communities to build graves for their relatives who died during the liberation struggle and were buried in mass graves?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): I
did not quite get the question. Are these mass graves in the forest and they now want to bring them to the community graveyard? *HON. RAIDZA: We are referring to construction of graves
that exist already so that they are well kept.
*HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: You can construct the
graves. It is allowed even if they are for foreigners, you can build the graves.
HON. MUSIKAVANHU: My supplementary question to the
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs is; is there a policy in place to turn these areas where we have these heroes who are lying out there in undesignated spaces which are not your conventional heroes acres to have some shrine or symbol built in addition to the construction of proper graves as cited by Hon. Raidza? What is the Government policy on constructing symbols at sites which are not designated heroes shrines where war veterans were buried during the liberation struggle?
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: I do not know about the fund
but I think we can make some enquiries whether we can be given that fund to do that. I do not know whether he is specifically talking about Mozambique and Zambia. If that is the case, we have a policy and people do go there to put flowers. We have not built wonderful places but we have those.
HON. GABBUZA: The Minister says it is allowed to build on mass graves, especially liberation war hero mass graves. Now, those are heritage sites and if we just allow anybody to build willy-nilly, how does the Ministry capture that historical information which is very important for our history and for the country if they just allow anybody to build or put shrines on mass graves? These are not anybody’s graves but they are for the whole nation. How do they capture that information?
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: No, I do not think that I
heard of mass graves. The Hon. Member who asked this question did not talk of mass graves, no. I thought those were individual graves –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, I think this
was the initial question from Hon. Raidza on mass graves.
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: Ooh, so I did not take the
question properly probably but the mass graves fall under Heritage and no individual can go and build on those mass graves. I thought he was referring to individual graves. There is a policy on that one and they should report on anything like that because the Government might not know that there is this mass grave or the Ministry as such because the mass graves are usually put under the Ministry of Home Affairs. So, I am sorry because I did not get the question.
HON. B. DUBE: My question goes to the Minister of Justice. What is the Government policy on the detention without trial, of persons who are deaf or mute or both, taking into account that the High Court declared the provision that was previously being used as unconstitutional but six months down the line nothing has been done to correct or align that? It is actually eleven (11) months without the correction. So, my point is as of now, what is the Government’s policy on detention of these people with disabilities, especially the deaf or mute where they are detained for long whilst waiting for the arrival of a sign language person or interpreter? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Madam Speaker Ma’am. Madam Speaker, in terms of our laws, court judgments are used as precedents. So, if we have a court judgment that proclaims what must be done, we follow it. However, we are in the process, it has been slow because of COVID and most of our experienced drafters have left. We are in the process of reviewing our law so that we can take into consideration what he said. It is a very valid point.
It also is the same issue with mental patients. They are just detained until a Mental Board comes to look into their issue. So, those are the issues that we are saying they are unconstitutional. Let us review our laws with a view of correcting and aligning with what the courts have said. The problem that we have had lately is we have a shortage of law officers and also COVID affected our work a lot. I thank you.
HON. B. DUBE: Madam Speaker, my supplementary question
is, the High Court suspended its declaration of constitutionality for six months to allow the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs to remove the unconstitutional clauses but the challenge is, it seems both the amendment and implementation have not been done. What is the Ministry doing to make sure that officers do not continue to act unlawfully now that we know instead of continuing to have these people practicing these unlawful detentions whilst waiting for the constitutional amendment, which you rightfully said that you agree with the court’s decision and are going to amend.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
Madam Speaker, I will look into that with a view of ensuring that we expedite the legislative process. I thank you.
(v)*HON. CHITURA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My
question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Hon. Dr. Masuka. Government stated that people who are supposed to be given inputs from Command Agriculture are supposed to have five hectares and above. What about those who have two to four hectares?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Madam Speaker. Command Agriculture is for big farmers and small scale farmers will be catered for under the Presidential Input Scheme because Command Agriculture is meant for those farmers who have big farms. I thank you.
(v)*HON. CHITURA: I am saying two to four hectares and Government is giving one bag of D, a bag of AN and a small amount of seed…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA):
Order, order Hon. Members! You may proceed Hon. Chitura.
(v)*HON. CHITURA: A bag of AN and a small amount of
seed, is that enough? What is happening is those small farmers are harvesting more than the big farmers. I think they should also consider small scale farmers for loans.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Farming
experts are encouraging farmers to use small space so that they get more harvest than farming on big lands and get small harvest. Those with small fields are supposed to add their hectarage and use Pfumvudza so that they can get huge harvest. Government is encouraging small scale farmers to join Pfumvudza which is supported by Government but those who want to farm on big land should join Command Agriculture. I thank you.
(v)HON. G. DUBE: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. Is it Government policy or it is within the administration of the Ministry to underpay their teachers and other civil servants in the Ministry as alluded to by the Permanent Secretary that teachers must go and borrow money in order to return to their respective schools? If not, then why would a respective Ministry issue such kind of statement on national television and other media houses? Can the Hon. Minister clarify why that is so? Thank you Madam Speaker.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you very
much Madam Speaker. First of all, it is not Government policy to underpay people but I will not delve into details about that because that falls under the purview of a different organ of Government. Coming to the issue about an official who said something, unfortunately, I did not pick it up and I may not make a comment regarding that.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE
TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order Number 67. (v)HON. G. DUBE: I was not answered Madam Speaker, unfortunately or was it deliberate?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Dube, it is not
deliberate. You had asked the issue of a policy and the Hon. Minister said there is no policy like that. Because of that and unfortunately, our time got expired because he had already responded to what you had asked.
(v)HON. G. DUBE: He did not answer the second part of the question because this was on national television. If he is deliberately ignoring public concerns, then that is of concern to everybody.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Which was the second part
that you think was not responded to?
(v)HON. G. DUBE: I said if it is not a policy, why would a permanent secretary under his office issue such kind of a statement on the national television and he did not answer that.
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker. I think I did
respond to that. I said, unfortunately I did not see the clip that he is referring to. If that statement was made by an official in the Ministry and I did not pick it up, it might be unfair for me to make a comment regarding that. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: You heard your response
Hon. Dube.
(v)HON. G. DUBE: Well, the Minister chooses to be evasive, that is fine for progress sake but that is not right.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you.
(v)HON. NDEBELE: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
Regarding the second part of Hon. Dube’s question, it is common cause that such a statement was uttered on national television less than 24 hours ago. I believe it is not in good terms for the Minister to hide behind a finger. It is well known to everyone. If you allow for that to happen, you are then fuelling sentiments that our Ministers live in Dubai, they only fly into the country on Wednesdays.
HON. TOGAREPI: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Togarepi.
Before I indulge the Hon. Chief Whip, my ruling to that Hon. Ndebele is, I am sure we have gone beyond that now. We are now on Questions with Notice. I am sure you can put it in writing.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I think with your ruling, I am answered because we cannot waste an important process because people just want to raise issues. This is past the time given to us, let us proceed with work.
(v)HON. NDEBELE: We have a constituency of teachers that await a response from the Minister. It is not enough for the Deputy Minister to say he did not pick it up. An Hon. Member of the House picked it up, I picked it up as well and so did several Members in this House.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Ndebele. I hear
you. This is the issue; whenever Ministers come here, they are supposed to be representing that they are ministers too. So when they speak, they speak in that capacity. Now, it will be your word against theirs. I am sure the Hon. Minister has been honest enough to say that he was not privy to such information and he gave his position regarding that. So I am sure that has been adequately answered and responded to. If there is any query beyond that, it would be good for you to put it in writing or maybe for us to then be having this question, we know that we are supposed to be debating in the House.
As far as I am concerned, I am saying the Hon. Deputy Minister was saying he was not privy to that. It is unfortunate that we cannot force him to be agreeing to something that he did not see. Again, the Hon. Minister was also clear that he was speaking based on what he thinks pertaining that issue. He was speaking in his capacity as Deputy Minister for Primary and Secondary Education. – [HON. NDEBELE:
Inaudible interjection.] – Order Hon. Ndebele. You are out of order.
ORAL ANSWER TO QUESTION WITH NOTICE
INSTALLATION OF MOBILE NETWORK TRANSMITTERS IN
WARD 12 AT MUDZIMU BUSINESS CENTRE IN HURUNGWE
CONSTITUENCY
- HON. KASHIRI asked the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services to inform the House when the Ministry will install mobile network transmitters in Ward 12, at Mudzimu Business Centre, Magunje Hurungwe Constituency where GMB and COTTCO depots are located.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND
COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Before the end of this year, as we have started rolling out the Universal Service Fund Base Stations and as Government, through the implementing agent, NetOne will be rolling out the National Mobile Broad Band Phase 3 which will soon be commissioned by the President. That will ensure that these stations, as will be others throughout the country, are going to be installed. I thank you.
WRITTEN SUBMISSION TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
NETWORK COVERAGE FOR WARDS 22, 23, 24, 27 AND 33 IN
ZAKA WEST CONSTITUENCY
- HON. MURAMBIWA asked the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services to inform the House when the network coverage will be provided for the following areas in Zaka West Constituency; Wards 22, 23, 24, 27 and
33.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you Hon.
Member for the question. Wards 22, 23, 24, 27 and 33 of Zaka West
Constituency have a number of coverage gaps due to the hilly nature of the terrain. These areas receive interrupted networks from other areas. For example, Gondora and Maska base stations partly cover wards 22, 23 and 27. NetOne is working on modalities with Econet to share the existing tower located at Jerera Growth Point so that ward 24 can get network coverage before end of year 2021. Mobile Networks Operators (MNOs) are also on the ground identifying possible sites for construction of towers under a Build Transfer and Operate (BTO) arrangement. I thank you.
INSTALLATION OF MOBILE NETWORK TRANSMITTERS FOR WARDS 1 AND 4 IN ZAKA NORTH CONSTITUENCY
- HON. MAVENYENGWA asked the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services to inform the House when the Ministry will install mobile network transmitters for Wards 1 and 4, in the Zaka North Constituency.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND
COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): NetOne has
completed site surveys in the area and the identified sites now await development. The target is to provide network coverage by the end of the second quarter of the year 2022. Telecel has also identified a site in Jichidza and they are targeting the end of 2022 to have provided network coverage in the area. As a Ministry, we are going to offer the necessary assistance to all the operators to ensure that the target dates are met. I thank you.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
WELFARE OF VETERANS OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS
(HON. MUCHINGURI – KASHIRI): Thank you Madam Speaker.
The Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs has noted with great concern, messages and information circulating on various media platforms alleging that Government and to be more specific, that the Second Republic is neglecting the welfare of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle. This has prompted my Ministry to set the record straight through this Ministerial Statement.
The Ministry of Defence and War Veterans is responsible for the administration of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, Heroes dependants and War Victims compensation and would like to take this opportunity to advise the nation of arrangements in place for
Veterans of the Liberation Struggle’s welfare.
Madam Speaker, prior to the process of aligning laws to the Constitution, War Veterans and Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees were administered by two separate pieces of legislation: namely, the War Veterans Act [Chapter 11:15] and the Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees Act [Chapter 17:10] and relevant statutory instruments. These Acts have since been repealed and replaced by the all-encompassing Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act [Chapter 17:12] of 2020 which recognizes all the four categories of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle as provided for in the
Constitution namely;
- War Veterans,
- Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees,
- Non-Combatant Cadres, and
- War Collaborators.
The intention of the Second Republic in aligning the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act [Chapter 17:20] to the Constitution was for the Government to create a holistic framework for dealing with the welfare and economic empowerment of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle. Through this Act, including the repealed pieces of legislation, existing War Veterans and Ex-Detainees remain entitled to a monthly pension. Veterans and their children are also entitled to education benefits at Government schools or educational institutions and in the event of them or their children attending school at nonGovernment institutions, they are entitled to educational benefits that are equal in amount to the fees payable at Government schools or institutions.
In addition, Veterans, their spouses and children are entitled to full medical cover in the event of illness. In the unfortunate occurrence of death, families of deceased Veterans are entitled to funeral grants. Finally, Veterans of the Liberation Struggle are also entitled to 20% of land gazetted for resettlement. It is necessary to provide more detail on how these benefits are being provided.
I will start with monthly pensions. Madam Speaker, given the background of two separate pieces of legislation cited above, pensions for War Veterans and Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees are determined differently and the Ministry is working on the harmonisation of these two policies.
The monthly pension for War Veterans is based on the indexation framework that was improved by the Second Republic to ensure that whatever salaries and allowances of members of the
Zimbabwe Defence Forces are adjusted, the monthly pension for War Veterans is automatically increased. Previously, the indexation was based on salaries alone.
As for Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees, their monthly pensions have always been pegged to salaries of members of the civil service such that whenever salaries of civil servants are adjusted, their pensions are also increased. Now that we have one piece of legislation, engagements with Treasury for a similar indexing arrangement to that of War Veterans are ongoing so that we reduce disparities in the pensions of these two categories.
Madam Speaker, on the educational benefits, the Ministry pays education benefits to Veterans of the Liberation Struggle and their children studying both locally and abroad. The number of Veterans seeking education benefits has declined over the years. In the main, benefits are paid for their children. A breakdown of the number of children who have benefitted since 2018 is presented below:
In the year 2018: 15 340 students benefitted locally, whilst 229 benefitted abroad giving us a total of 15 569;
In the year 2019: 18 411 children benefitted locally, whilst 221 benefitted abroad, giving us a total of 18 632;
In the year 2020: 14 737 children benefitted locally, whilst 191 benefitted abroad, giving us a total of 14 928.
This year, only 8 994 benefitted locally, whilst only 99 benefitted abroad, giving us a total of 9 093.
Currently, the Ministry is in the process of finalising payment of invoiced amounts for the first term of 2021.
On medical benefits Madam Speaker, the Ministry pays medical benefits for Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, their spouses and children both at Government institutions but we also pay for services at private institutions on referrals. We have provided services to the following numbers since 2018. In 2018,799 members benefitted; 2019, 1085 benefitted; 2020, 3020 benefitted and in 2021, 612 benefitted.
In some instances, it is necessary to refer veterans and dependants outside the country on account of the specialised treatment they require for their spouses and children both at
Government and private health institutions. We primarily deal with Government institutions but we also pay for services at private institutions on referrals.
Numbers assisted since 2018 are as follows: in 2018, one
patient was sent to India; 2019, six patients were also sent to India and Republic of South Africa; 2020, three patients were sent to India and Republic of South Africa and 2021, only one patient has been sent to the Republic of South Africa.
Funeral benefits
The Ministry also pays funeral benefits to bereaved families in the unfortunate occurrence of death of veterans of the liberation struggle. Payments since 2018 are as follows: In 2018, 203 were assisted; 2019, 433 were assisted; 2020, 443 were assisted and just this year 2021, 326 were assisted. Currently, funeral benefits are paid at the Government approved rate of US$500, converted to
RTGs at the official exchange rate.
Empowerment
In terms of empowerment, the 20% entitlement to land is now a legal provision in terms of Section 21 of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act [Chapter 17:12]. A substantial number of veterans have benefited from the Land Reform Programme since its inception although some are still to benefit. It is important to note that veterans are represented in the Lands Committees throughout the country where they are able to influence land allocations. Empowerment is also being delivered through
implementation of the 20% quota policy. In terms of this policy issued by the Office of the President and Cabinet on 28 November, 2018, at least 20% of all economic empowerment projects undertaken by Government should be reserved for veterans of the liberation struggle. In addition to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, other ministries have come on board to fulfill the 20% quota policy. These include Ministries of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprise Development;
Mines and Mining Development and Environment, Climate Change,
Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Only recently, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works allocated 20% of housing stands in Mabvazuva, which is under Ruwa as well as in Pomona and Masvingo to veterans of the liberation struggle. We will continue to engage other ministries but we are happy with the support received so
far.
Assets donated to the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle
Fund
Below is the list of contributions by my Ministry: -
- Land in National Parks
Tugwi-Mukosi Dam
Space will be allocated in the yet to be gazetted Tugwi-Mukosi Recreational Park for the development of accommodation facilities and other tourism activities.
2. Cable Car
Chimanimani National Park and Kyle Recreational Park A permit will be issued for the development of a cable car or such other adventure activities in the Chimanimani National Park and Kyle
Recreational Park.
- Fisheries (Cage Culture Permits)
Lake Kariba Recreational Park
Lake Kariba Recreational Park currently has only two companies that have permits to conduct cage fish culture on the waters of Lake Kariba. The authority can therefore, allocate another cage fish culture permit to the war veterans.
Tugwi-Mukosi Recreational Park
A permit will be issued for the development of cage fish farming
Appointment of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Board Madam Speaker, in order to add impetus to ongoing efforts to improve the welfare and economic empowerment of veterans of the liberation struggle, the Veterans of the Liberation
Struggle Board was appointed by His Excellency the President, Cde. E.D Mnangagwa on 1st April, 2021. It should be noted that associations representing veterans of the liberation struggle submitted nominations for appointment to the board from which the final selection was done.
Just to remind Hon. Members of the responsibilities and functions of the board:
- to advise the Minister on the establishment of any scheme in terms of this Act or any matter relating to any scheme;
- to address issues relating to the rights, benefits and the general welfare of veterans of the liberation struggle;
- to examine and determine any representation by any person claiming entitlement to be accredited or registered as a veteran of the liberation struggle or dependant where such accreditation or registration has been refused by the
Ministry;
- subject to this Act, to hear and determine any representation or complaints made by any veteran of the liberation struggle or dependent of such veteran, relating to the grant payment or delivery of any benefits to him/her; and
- to perform any other functions which the Minister may confer on the board from time to time.
Madam Speaker, the board is currently working on operationalising economic empowerment programmes through a holding company, the Veterans Investment Corporation. This holding company will have subsidiaries that will hold and manage assets in tourism, mining, agriculture and health. The subsidiary in the health sector will establish a range of private hospitals and medical facilities for the war veterans. There will also be a banking institution for veterans. The Board of Directors of the holding company will be formally appointed soon.
Other Categories of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Madam Speaker, pursuant to the enactment of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act [Chapter 17:12, it means that noncombatant cadres and war collaborators are now recognised as veterans of the liberation struggle in line with the Constitution. This was not the case with the repealed legislation. These veterans should be vetted in order to ascertain their credentials before any benefits are considered. The registration and vetting exercise was launched by His Excellency the President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa on 12th June,
- The registration exercise has since been completed and data compilation is underway in preparation for vetting. The Ministry sincerely appreciates the efforts of various stakeholders that participated in the registration exercise, including the veterans themselves. A total of 205 753 applicants registered, which constitutes about 80% of our original estimates. The numbers are as follows: Non-Combatant Cadres, 14 246; War Collaborators, 188
379;War Veterans, 1 062; Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees 2 066.
Non-Combatant Cadres and War Collaborators who did not manage to register will be covered during the vetting exercise. As for War Veterans and Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees, the upcoming vetting programme, whose arrangements would be announced shortly, will be the final exercise for ascertaining their credentials.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, regarding heroes’ spouses and dependants, they are entitled to similar educational and medical benefits as Veterans of the Liberation Struggle except for funeral grants. This is in terms of the National Heroes Act [Chapter 10:16], which I shared with Parliament last week. An area that needs urgent attention is the nature and quantum of monthly State assistance. To this end, the Heroes’ Dependants Assistance Board, which was recently appointed on 1st May, is currently seized with the matter. In terms of the War Veterans Compensation Act [Chapter 11:16], war victims are entitled to a monthly disablement pension determined by the degree of injury. They are also entitled to artificial limbs and clothing allowance if there is excessive wear and tear to clothing as a result of use of the limbs. They are further entitled to medical expenses in relation to declared and accepted injuries. Since 2018, the number of war victims who were provided with artificial limbs and received clothing and medical support is shown below:
Year Number Cost ZWL
- 608 209 316
- 422 874 449
- 355 3 035 921
- 241 10 286 293
The Commissioner for War Victims was recently appointed and is currently working on a number of welfare issues.
In conclusion Madam Speaker as can be seen from the above, the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans Affairs provides a wide range of statutory benefits to Veterans of the Liberation Struggle, Heroes Dependants and War Victims. Admittedly, there are practical limitations based on availability of resources, which are availed through the national budget. The Ministry does its best to lobby for more resources through the national budgeting process and has been supported in this regard by Treasury and the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services. However, the Ministry can only render services that are commensurate with the resources provided. The Ministry therefore hopes that as the economy continues to improve, guided by NDS1, more benefits will be availed
to its clients.
We are also hoping that as the new board will be announced next week, they should be able to run those companies profitably as businesses in order to grow the fund. We are hoping, with all these assets that have been laid before the Veterans of the Liberation
Struggle Board, we will be able to generate enough resources to be able to ensure that our War Veterans are adequately provided for in terms of their welfare. I so submit Madam Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Hon.
Minister of Defence and War Veterans, for the Ministerial Statement. However, a Ministerial Statement is just more like a love letter which is not accompanied with roses or flowers. From a point of clarity, the Act was changed as she said there is a new Act. What did you do before you changed the Act? There was an Act which was in place, what was achieved. We have a tendency of changing laws every day without even doing anything. What was wrong with the other one? In terms of their welfare, what was achieved?
Secondly, there is a High Court order which the War Veterans won to do with their welfare. This is why this issue has come up. They have now resorted to going to court to get their matters done, despite there being constitutional provisions and Acts. The court order is very clear in terms of what needs to be done even before we go to some of the programmes that the Hon. Minister spoke about, which are glowing. Why are they not implementing the current court order, which clearly gives them the right to their welfare?
The other issue is we spoke about all these issues but I have not heard of a national housing policy for them. Where do they stay? The kids are going to school in big numbers, medical is there but what about schooling?
Finally, there is the issue of donor funds which came through after the liberation struggle, which was meant to go towards rehabilitation of the War Veterans and it was a lot of money. They are asking for their welfare is actually not an issue pertaining to the Zimbabwe issue but it is the money that was donated to them after the struggle which never saw it going to where it was supposed to. Some of the money we are told went into building schools, yet it was supposed to go towards rehabilitation and compensation. Madam Speaker, that $50 000 that was given to them and the Government portrayed to have been something that the War Veterans wanted, they were claiming their money from the donor funds which was for them and whatever happened to that money. Those are my points of clarity. Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA):
Because of the number of people that are here, I am going to be giving two minutes to Hon. Members who have points of clarity. HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you. Firstly, I would like to thank the Minister and Government for re-aligning the Constitution to include other veterans of the liberation struggle who were not previously included. These are war collaborators and combatant cadres. These people contributed to the liberation struggle. When I hear in some quotas people belittling war collaborators, this war could not have been won without the contribution of any section of the veterans of the liberation struggle.
No one should appear superior. I am happy the people of Zimbabwe and their wisdom during the constitutional making process recognised ex-combatants, war collaborators, ex-detainees and the cadres as freedom fighters and as veterans of the liberation struggle. If I am looking for anything from Government, let it never come to one’s mind that you feel superior because the same bullet that killed a combatant killed mujibha and killed a non-combatant cadre.
People died in prison to liberate Zimbabwe. In all these different ways, the idea was to liberate Zimbabwe. I think that must be respected wherever people talk and wherever people want to claim, demand or persuade Government to do something for them and people should respect that. I am very excited that Government has been doing something and this did not come only yesterday. It started immediately after the liberation struggle, just after independence. Some sections of the veterans of the liberation struggle were given demobilisation funds and in 1997 some of them got $50 000.00. It will never be enough given the sacrifice of these people but for social media and for people in the media to pretend that Government did not do anything up to now, I think it is being very dishonest. So Hon. Minister, I want to...
Hon. T. Mliswa having stood up on a point of order.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Mliswa, for now
I cannot indulge you. We need to progress, you know that we are racing against time and everyone wants to speak. This is a very important issue, we need all of us to be able to ask points of clarity.
Hon. Chief Whip, with your indulgence, may you please try to go to your point of clarity. We have more than 20 Hon. Members who really want to also ask points of clarity.
HON. TOGAREPI: So, my area of clarity again goes to the point that has already been said by the Minister that when registration was taking place, some freedom fighters were left out because of the COVID situation that did not allow them to go to the registration centre but at the moment, they are going to get the same chance. I rest my case. Thank you.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Thank you
Madam Speaker Ma’am and thank you Hon. Minister for the comprehensive ministerial statement covering the veterans of the liberation struggle. I also want to applaud the Government for coming up with the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act and all the efforts that the Government is doing. However, may I bring to your attention Hon. Minister that good intentions might be there but practically on the ground, there are challenges that still bedevil the veterans of the liberation struggle.
Quantums for example, are very low and we get indications from Government that they are going to review the monthly pensions, but they do not come. We were told that district offices were going to be opened so that veterans of the liberation struggle access medical benefits and school fees much easier, but they are just not there on the ground. If you go to a funeral for war veterans, the recognition is paltry. You find that the widows are not given national flags for the recognition of the liberation struggle. There are no tombstones and the money that the Hon. Minister is talking about, US$500.00 equivalent RTGs does not come in time.
The relatives struggle to contribute for the burial when these things are not there on time. Talking about school fees arrears – imagine war veterans in remote rural areas do not even have access to social media to know that the War Veterans Department is paying first term fees for 2021. How are they surviving and how are they communicating? Their children are mocked at school. The intention might be good but practically on the ground, there are genuine concerns from war veterans that these benefits are not being realised. The sooner the district offices are established and these officers are given timelines to implement these projects and communicate to veterans of the liberation struggle, I think it will be better for everyone else so that even when the project starts, they are not for people in towns especially in Harare. These are projects that benefit veterans of the liberation struggle at every corner of the country so that everybody has access to this wealth. I rest my case Madam
Speaker.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I just want to
ask one question. When you listen to the presentation by the Minister, it is very perfect. Good things are being done for the war veterans and you would really wonder why they are complaining. Is the Minister saying they are so unreasonable because if Government is doing all these good things like paying schools fees and other things that she has outlined and they are still complaining - are we saying these war veterans are so unreasonable because Government is doing so much? Secondly, the ministerial statement she has given us – has she given it to the war veterans? Maybe they do not know these things?
Why are they complaining if they know all these things? Thank you. (v)*HON. MASENDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would
like to thank the explanation which was given by the Hon. Minister... *THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Masenda, can you
raise your voice and go straight to your point. You would want to thank the Hon. Minister for the good work that she has done but for now, we cannot give you enough time because it is very important to everyone. Can you please go straight to the point? Go ahead Hon.
Masenda.
(v) * HON. MASENDA: I would like to say to the Hon.
Minister that the war veterans who were vetted way back are all dying without even enjoying all their dues. The registration was since done and now I would like to ask when the meeting will resume. Thank you.
(v)HON. NDEBELE: Firstly, I believe the question of ZIPRA properties that were confiscated by the Mugabe regime is also a matter of welfare of veterans. Is there a consideration by the Second Republic to return these properties to ZIPRA cadres because they contributed part of their demobilisation funds to procure these properties? Secondly, I just want to check with the Minister, who in my view is also a decorated veteran of our struggle, if she is aware that her disabled colleagues in the Matabeleland region no longer have a company that services or replaces their broken knees. A company called Castings has since stalled this duty because
Government had not been paying for a long time.
On allowances, I hope the Minister was not referring to clothing allowances for veterans even with disabilities, my brother is one such. The last time he got such an allowance was 14 years ago. I just want to check what the Minister is doing to ensure that this allowance is paid regularly? Also the same veterans that are living with disabilities, there is an allowance called children’s allowance, this allowance has not been paid for a long time. Can the Minister clarify if this is an annual allowance or it is a once off allowance? Some children have since become adults, therefore that allowance is no longer applying to them.
In terms of the school fees Madam Speaker, school fees ispaid very late when children of veterans have been embarrassed by school administrators to a point of leaving school. Can the Hon. Minister also confirm or deny newspaper reports to the effect that veterans of our struggle that went to Hon. Minister Ncube’s office were beaten up, is this true? If it is true, what is going to happen to those people who exhibited disrespect to our veterans of the struggle?
(v)HON. MASHONGANYIKA: The registration has since been
completed. Are you going to give another chance for registration to those who were omitted? You have talked about accessing health facilities but in our Government hospitals, war veterans are finding it difficult to get medical attention. I just want the Minister to explain what they should do to be accepted in Government hospitals? Thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. May
I seek clarification from the Hon. Minister? My question relates to compensation that is given to war veterans, especially the fact that the degree of injury will determine the level of compensation. I just want to find out if there are specific hospitals or doctors who are going to examine physically these war veterans? The last question is children who got injured during the war who are not necessarily veterans of the liberation struggle, are they also going to be compensated?
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker, we
received late the submissions of our relatives in the diaspora, Can
they tolerate them and where can they submit those names for the war collaborators? I thank you.
(v)HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Madam Speaker, my
question is, are there any modalities being put in place to make sure that ….
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Chinyanganya, we
can hardly hear you. I am kindly asking you to send your clarification on the chat box now and then I can relay to the Hon. Minister.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. The
Minister stated that war veterans have got access to e-medical attention at our public hospitals. However, we are all aware that at the public hospitals, at times there will be no adequate medication, so they get a prescription to go and buy using cash. What is in place to ensure that they are refunded the money they would have spent buying the medication?
*HON. P. ZHOU: I would like to seek clarity on that war veterans are being assisted together with their children and wives. I would like to know what the children will inherit after their parents die. How will they survive and up to when?
Secondly, when people are talking of monthly pensions which are very low, can it not be good that they get basic groceries like mealie meal, salt and beans at the Grain Marketing Board such that this can be added onto their monthly pensions? A lot of these war veterans are now elderly and suffer from various diseases. They must have a card which they can use when they go to hospitals. We assist some of them in our constituencies.
The other issue is on legal assistance. I would like to thank the Minister very much because I heard her speak about that. One of my relatives once had a problem and got assistance through the war veterans. This is one of the things that should be clarified. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, the question
from Hon. Chinyanganya is as follows; are there any modalities in place for families of ex-combatants who died before 1997 when compensation was done to also benefit from Government programmes for welfare?
(v)HON. SARUWAKA: Looking at the number of facilities and packages that have been extended to the veterans of the liberation struggle, would it not be better for the Government to try to work on the economy so that all Zimbabweans benefit because what I am hearing from some quotas is when people begin to look at the liberation fighters as people who went to the struggle for themselves and not for everyone. This is so because the packages are targeting themselves only. Would the Minister not be happier if they are able to share the cake with every Zimbabwean so that the liberation war fighters’ sacrifice becomes for everyone and not just themselves?
HON. MPARIWA: I would like to begin by thanking the Minister for this informative statement, but I would like to appeal to the Minister – when you need to plan, you need to know how many, where so that you know how. I know most of the war veterans are of advanced age and may need necessary catering skills as others have already said. I would like to find out how many of these people are we talking about? Where are these people district by district or province by province so that we will be in a picture to know where they are placed? We are representatives of the people, and perhaps they are also in our own communities. If we know this information, it will assist when we do social welfare programmes in that we will include them.
HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI: I would like to thank all Hon. Members who have contributed to this debate which is quite emotional. We appreciate that this is coming from representatives who come from all corners of Zimbabwe, who care about the welfare of the war veterans. I would also want to say that I do hope that after this statement and also my response to their concerns, that they will also take their time in their respective constituencies to be able to disseminate the information that I shared with them in this respective House.
I will start by responding to the issues that are pertinent and were raised by Hon. Mliswa regarding the Acts for the war veterans and also for the ex-detainees that were in existence before the realignment exercise. I want to say that these Acts, particularly for the war veterans were promulgated in 1998 and did prescribe the benefits that would accrue to the war veterans. Such benefits had to do with the pensions, education for their children, health facilities which were also made available at that time for the war veterans and their dependence. The issue of land also was highlighted that they would benefit on the 20% quota that was set aside for the war veterans. I would like to say that these benefits continue today. They have not been affected. If anything, what the new republic aims at addressing, is to improve these benefits that were laid down in 1998, same for the ex-detainees also. As to what was wrong with this, the people of Zimbabwe in 2013 felt that there was a missing link or there were some gaps where there was no recognition of the role that was played by war veterans. They were seen as a menace but the people of Zimbabwe are a mature people who appreciate our history, which is why in its Preamble, the Constitution of Zimbabwe recognises those that participated during the First, Second and Third Chimurenga. So we appreciate assurances that what was prescribed in these two Acts still remain. If anything, the whole essence of realignment is to improve that status. He goes on also to question what was done before then. To some extent I have but if he does require some statistics, we will be more than happy to do that. However, what I want to thank the First Republic for was making sure 20% of all land in Zimbabwe was reserved for war veterans. They did not just prescribe on that but they made sure that war veterans were part and parcel of the land committees at national, provisional and district levels. So the onus was on those war veterans who were given that responsibility to make sure that war veterans benefited from their 20% quota.Therefore, in terms of that we will provide that information as requested.
The issue of the court decision, I think it was reached this year where war veterans were demanding for their 2000 dollars which was reached at 2002. I want to remind Hon. Members that it was that time when the country was experiencing serious economic challenges and our dollar was at its lowest ebb. So $2000 then was almost US$10, very low and to use that same argument now to say US$2000; yes, they have a case but we need also to look at what happened after the Second Republic came in and the re-alignment which was the first ever time when the pensions where raised and also a deliberate decision to make sure that a warrant officer salary would be the peg.
Therefore, to some extent we need to appreciate that what was there before might be an argument but we need to look at the situation. When I was appointed in this portfolio, war veterans were receiving $270 and still there was a complaint that even boarding a bus, that amount was not enough. We need also to appreciate that there have been great strides made by the Government. Yes, we can never satisfy the requirement, which is why Government has gone out of the way to donate assets so that we use those assets to generate income. We were allocated 10 farms, more than 30 mines, land within the national parks; we were also allocated housing land which he has alluded to.
A lot was done and this was only yesterday in April and surely
‘Rome was not built in a day’. We are now in the process of appointing qualified personnel who will be able to undertake this exercise to raise funds which will be invested in the fund. That fund will be used to pay better pensions for war veterans. We are hoping the bank that is available and the memorial hospitals will also improve our health provision and service delivery to the war veterans.
If we are given time, we appreciate most of them, most of us, I am one such, I am in the “departure lounge”. I really think patience; we are 41 years old and we need to understand that little has been done but now every effort is being done to correct that. I have made this emphasis so that most of the issues that have been raised; my response to Hon. Mliswa’s concerns will answer most of those.
Hon. Togarepi really appreciates that now, through this Constitution and the re-alignment exercise there has been accommodation for war collaborators. Surely, they played a major role, it was not Government, the whole people of Zimbabwe came together and this exercise was quite wide, broad, and participatory and people were free to input into the debate that ensued. We really appreciate that Government has taken this move.
We also want to recognise that they are very happy that now with this accommodation at least the exercise has started where we are registering everyone but I must emphasise that not all of them will benefit. I have already shared the statistics of those that registered. Registering is not a guarantee that you will benefit because the vetting exercise is quite thorough, it will involve some war veterans who operated from these areas. They know who participated so those that want to take advantage and are not deserving will be flushed out, we are very thorough. I am happy that we are working with them and the Second Republic has finally recognised the role that was played by anaMujiba.
We will do everything in our powers to make sure that they benefit but it will be amiss if I promise in this august House that we will also extend the same benefits because we are operating on a very tight budget. The nation needs to appreciate that there is something that we can do given our limited resources and it is well tabulated in the Constitution where it says “The State must in its capability”, if the resources are there for us to be able to provide all the necessary resources to give dignity and respect to the four categories, I think that is important.
Hon. Mayihlome, you are very right that we are having challenges in our delivery systems. We are trying our level best through our establishment of district offices throughout the whole country and also this information dissemination, we hope also Hon.
Members will be able to assist providing this information to our veterans of the liberation struggle.
Yes, the offices are not well established, we are still interviewing some of the officers and we hope that by the end of this year we can safely say they will be well equipped, well computerised and we will indeed collect data on where all these war veterans are, those that were omitted last time, that is why I shared the new emerging numbers because these are those that were omitted and we are capturing them.
He mentions also the late release of resources particularly school fees and funeral assistance. Yes, that is correct but we have addressed that situation by ensuring that resources are not only handled by head office. We are going to decentralise these resources so that our own war veterans of the liberation struggle will easily access district offices or provincial offices. Everything was centralised but because of devolution we are also saying let us be compliant. This is where we are going to make sure that resources go to where the people are. We are trying to address that and we hope working with the board, these are issues that will be handled by the board. Bear with the board. This is the first time we have appointed the board. The board is trying to put itself together. They are trying to establish an office in Harare. Government has already allocated resources to the board. So we are hoping that once that is done, they will be able to reach out to provinces, to districts addressing the needs of the war veterans. These are the people who have been assigned to do that work, but they will be working very closely with me.
Education, yes we have not been paying as much but I want to thank my colleague Ministers who have been very understanding. Where we have failed to pay schools fees on time, we have written to them and they have also sent out circulars to all their institutions to make sure that they accommodate our children, making sure that once we received resources from the Ministry from Treasury, we will pay them because it is the same Government institutions. So they have been very understanding.
Yes, we experienced delays but these delays are not of our own making. Finance sometimes releases those resources very late. So we have taken note of some of the issues. Yes, beautiful programmes have been designed but give us time. We have only appointed this board, even the economic facilities, the assets by Government have only been donated to this fund in the last four months. So we have to work hard, sweat it out with all of you for us to be able to succeed and we hope that the people that will be charged with this responsibility will not end up also stealing. War veterans have lost a lot of money due to these criminals who get resources from war veterans promising them heaven and yet they do not deliver. If anything, war veterans lose out. So we will make sure we will be accountable. Good corporate governance will be observed and Parliament will be reporting to you annually to make sure that public resources are used for the benefit of the intended beneficiaries.
Hon. Gabbuza, we have come up with good things for the war veterans and you are wondering why there is a lot of noise. At my age, if I was not working or not a Member of Parliament, right in the rural areas in a deplorable situation definitely, I would cry out very loud realising I am almost at the end of the line. That is something that is understandable and we are working very hard with speed to make sure that benefits are put together so that our war veterans who are deserving benefit.
Others who have been allocated land, some of them are millionaires. These are war veterans. So you have two disparities; people who have made it and are war veterans, some have gone to school and others have not gone to school. We need to design programmes to intervene given that situation. So yes, they are justified to complain because really after working so hard to liberate this country, obviously expectations also are high, but we are trying at every level to intervene.
Hon. Masunda, you want to know when the vetting exercise is taking place. Hon. Member, the issue of vetting is not something that we can rush quickly into. We need to make sure that the vetting will take place at ward level. I had said that there are people who encourage people to go and register despite the fact that they did not participate in the liberation struggle. If we allow people to do that, then that will not work. Their colleagues know who they operated with. All people who participated can identify their colleagues. So it is important to do a proper vetting process. We have given ourselves two months to make sure that we register. We are now compiling the information that was captured, and that was gathered. The money which is earmarked for war veterans is quite a large amount of money, so we need to be reasonable whilst we want to receive, but we need to see and compare information.
At the same time, what was mentioned by Hon. Saruwaka, we know that banks can lend money to people at low rates so that they embark on different income generating projects. Some know that with the farms they have, they can go and borrow money which they are going to be using for their projects. We are weighing all possibilities, so vetting will start end of October or beginning of November.
Hon. Ndebele, you raised an issue of ZIPRA properties. This issue of properties is a legacy issue that is being looked at because , as you may appreciate, the composition of our board brings in ZIPRA and ZANLA forces and these issues we hope will be deliberated at that level and an amicable solution will be found. So we will leave it at that. These are issues that we must address.
Then the disabled in Bulawayo who have not been receiving pensions or resources due to them under the Compensation Act - we inherited the Compensation Act from the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and even now, the administration is still with that Ministry, but we realised that people continue to suffer because of this disharmony where the Act has been given to the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans under my jurisdiction. We want now to harmonise the Act and also the practice so that there are no distortions within the implementation of this particular Act. We will be addressing this issue, Like I indicated in my presentation that we now have appointed the director in this department, we hope that the exercise which she is carrying out will identify all these weaknesses. We will be able to put these together and I will be presenting amendments in this respective House so that we normalise the situation.
In clothing allowance, we are aware that there are these outstanding clothing allowances. Through this new director, we are going to address these issues. War veterans’ children’s monthly allowances – most of the war veterans are 70 years and above. However, you still find some who register children that are 7 years and are in grade one, just starting to go to school. I think society needs to draw a very clear line on this issue. How far do we go? Can people just marry and have children up to 90 years? There must be a cut off point on these issues. We need also to be realistic and say how far can we go, otherwise people are registering children that are not theirs. So this is a reality that we need to look into. Otherwise budgets will continue forever and the Zimbabwean Constitution recognises that once you attain the age of 18 years, you are an adult and you do not benefit any more from your parents. We also need to appreciate, we need a cut-off point - do we still continue even when people are over 40 or 50 years that they continue to benefit. We will recommend to Parliament some of these challenges that we face as they need a collective decision.
An issue was raised on those that were arrested whilst picketing at the Ministry. I have already mentioned that we have a board which was put in place by an Act of Parliament to address these challenges. I am hoping that most of these war veterans will take advantage of these provided windows to take most of their issues to the board. I really want to protect war veterans. I safeguard them very jealously and I do not want them subjected to any violent act because it is a very sensitive and emotional group of individuals. I would appeal that we handle them with care. One of those war veterans, but I really would not want to go into it because there is litigation so I do not want to end up in trouble with the law. So I will leave that situation. I understand lawyers are looking into those issues but we are just saying yes, their concerns are being addressed. They are being looked into, it is a question of approach and I would not want to dwell much on that.
Hon. Mashonganyika – those that were omitted, I have already talked about it. We have allowed opportunities. Once the vetting process begins, they can always approach the war veterans in their respective wards. So that chance is provided for and I have already alluded to it. There is no free treatment for war veterans. I am not sure about that because any war veteran that requires assistance notifies our offices and immediately things are set in motion to ensure that they can access any hospital close by or if they prefer another hospital far away – because the Constitution specifies that all State Institutions. We stick by that but where they need further specialised treatment in a private institution, that recommendation can always be forwarded. We always consider such requests as I have demonstrated that we have been assisting even people going to India and South
Africa.
Hon. T. Moyo – compensation given to war veterans, particularly for those that passed on and left families behind. As I indicated earlier, we are studying very carefully the Compensation Act because it is not just there to benefit veterans of the liberation struggle but any individual who fell victim during the war of liberation. You do not necessarily have to be a veteran of the liberation struggle. If you were injured, you have aright to claim compensation. This is something that we are carefully studying and equally we will bring amendments if need be. We will define the benefits which this Act must accrue. It is just a simple document which does not really define the benefits for any of the categories. There are serious weaknesses with that Act. Onwar collaborators or even war veterans in the diaspora - where do they go? I think it is important to appreciate that this registration is ward based. Even if they are overseas, I am sure if they fill in their forms and send them to their respective wards, I am sure there are relatives, chiefs and war veterans who will be able to identify them and the vetting can take place. So there is that provision and they should go ahead and submit their papers.
Hon. Nyoni – access to free medicals, I have already responded to that. We consider those in exceptional circumstances needing specialised assistance. War veterans should feel free to come forward and we will consider individual cases as opposed to making a blanket statement. Hon. Zhou said it would be helpful for war veterans to get swiping cards so they can swipe from wherever they are, even in the rural areas. That is the current situation. At POSB, if one has an account, they get cards which they use to swipe. Any bank is issuing out swiping cards so I am not sure which bank does not have swiping cards. We would like to work with all the POSBs so that we have a window. In every district where there is a POSB - we should have a war veteran window because we will all be using Government banks. War veterans will be easily assisted at ward or district level. We know that it is difficult for them to travel as they will spend a lot of money. So we encourage people in the rural areas to have swiping machines to assist so that they avoid travelling long distance going to town. Yes, I agree with you. We need to do as much as possible. So, through the bank it helps.
Lastly, Hon. Chinyanganya on modalities for compensation for families of those that died during the struggle, I have already explained that we do have certain gaps within this Act. We are addressing those gaps. I will be going on air and will be coming to Parliament to make sure that we discuss this to come up with an amicable way or procedures which will be foolproof, fair and transparent. For the time being, they can approach our director responsible for this Act and accordingly, where possible we will be able to help.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Minister
for responding to all those points of clarity quite specific to each and every Hon. Member. We are happy that indeed we have also realised that the Second Republic has also taken great strides when it comes to giving dignity to our war veterans and collaborators. We are really grateful because of that.
On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Two Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 8th September, 2016
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
ERROR ON THE ORDER PAPER
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to draw your attention to an error on the Order Paper where notice of motion No. 2 by the Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Development should be treated as a ‘take note’ motion as there will be no Bill brought into the House. The entry will be effected accordingly on the corrected Order Paper.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE UNWTO STATUTES AND
FINANCING RULES
THE MINISTER OF SPORT AND RECREATION (HON.
HLONGWANE) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. ENG. MZEMBI): I rise to 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 Republic of Zimbabwe is a member of the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and party to the 1947
United Nations Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of
Specialised Agencies;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe joined the UNWTO in
1981;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous of ratifying the pending Amendments to the UNWTO Statutes and Financing Rules; WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous of acceding to Annex XVIII of the 1947 Convention on Privileges and Immunities relating to UNWTO;
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of Section 327(2)(a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid statutes and Financing Rules and Annex XVIII of the 1947 Convention be and is hereby approved for ratification and accession respectively. Mr. Speaker Sir, the UNWTO a UN specialised agency is responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism worldwide.
Established in 1947 as the leading international organisation in the field of tourism, the UNWTO, promotes tourism as a driver of economic growth, inclusive development, environmental sustainability and offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. Zimbabwe has been a member of the UNWTO since
The UNWTO is committed to promoting tourism as an instrument of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially goals number 8, 12 and 14 which are geared towards promoting decent work and sustained, inclusive and sustainable development, responsible consumption and production, and conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.
The organs of the UNWTO are the General Assembly, Executive Council, Regional Commissions, Committees and the Secretariat. The General Assembly is the principal gathering and decision making organ of the UNWTO which approves the budget and programme of work and debates topics of vital importance to the tourism sector globally.
In 2013, the 20th General Assembly of the UNWTO, which was jointly hosted by Zimbabwe and Zambia, through Resolution 628 (XX)
– [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, Chief Whip, can you make sure
there is order. There is a lot of movement on your side.
Can you bring order to Hon. Members on my right? I cannot proceed whilst both of you are standing.
HON. MATUKE: We are trying to remove those who are not ministers. That is what we are doing.
HON. HLONGWANE: ….. called upon member states to accede
to the Annex XVIII of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialised Agencies, 1947 (hereinafter, referred to as the “1947
Convention”) relating to the UNWTO in order of the organisation, its officials and experts to be able to enjoy the privileges and immunities provided to it as a specialised agency of the United Nations. The General Assembly also called on its members to ratify all the amendments to the statutes and the Financing Rules that had not yet entered into force.
CURRENT SITUATION OF AMENDMENTS OF THE
STATUTES AND FINANCING RULES AND THE CONVENTION
ON PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES
Ratification of the Amendments to the Statutes and the
Financing Rules
The Financing Rules govern issues such as payment of subscriptions by members, handling of arrears in the payment of member subscription and entail, inter alia, that a member which has one or more years in arrear payment may not be elected to the Executive Council or hold office within the organs of the General Assembly and shall be deprived of the privileges enjoyed by other members in the form of services and the right to vote.
The amendments to the UNWTO statutes include the following:
- No immediate renewal of membership of the Executive Council – thus the amendment provides for non-automatic renewal of membership of the council upon expiration, unless an immediate renewal of membership is essential to safeguard fair and equitable geographical distribution. The request for immediate renewal shall be subject to obtaining of a majority of the votes of the full members present and by voting.
- Appointment of the Secretary General and term of office which seeks to limit the term of office of the Secretary General to four years renewable only once.
- Adoption of Chinese as an official language of the UNWTO to include Chinese language as an official language of the
UNWTO together with English, Arabic, French, Russian and Spanish language – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Gonese what is the problem.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir, I am telling Hon. Members – I think we are all aware of the sitting arrangements in this august House and even me I do not have anywhere to sit. I am asking them to make way.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon Zindi and Hon. Wadyajena, please
move to the right side. You are on my right.
HON. HLONGWANE: Change of depositary from Government
of Switzerland which was the depositary prior to the General Assembly resolution of September 1981, to the Government of Spain which is the current host of the UNWTO Headquarters.
Awarding of a permanent seat to Spain in the Executive Council which provides for the host State of the UNWTO Headquarters to have a permanent additional seat on the Executive Council which shall not be affected by the geographical distribution of the Council seats, thus in respect of the financing rules.
Accession to the 1947 UN Convention on the Privileges and
Immunities of the Specialised Agencies relating to the UNWTO
The 1947 UN Convention on the Privileges and Immunities provides that the organisation, its officials and representatives shall enjoy in the territory of each of the Members such privileges and immunities as a necessary fulfillment of its purposes such as being immune from legal process, exemption from taxation on salaries, immune from national service obligations.
Article 63 of the UN Charter provides for a special relationship between the UN and its various specialised agencies with wide international responsibilities as defined in their various mandates and to coordinate activities of the special agencies, the UNWTO being one such.
Since Annex XVII to the 1947 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the UN Specialised Agencies relating to the UNWTO came into force on 30 July 2008, nine countries have acceded to the Convention, namely Angola, Bulgaria, Germany, Morocco, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland and Seychelles.
Hon. Speaker Sir, Zimbabwe became party to the 1947 UN Convention on the Privileges and Immunities on Specialised Agencies on 5 March 1991 and has already acceded and given effect in the domestic legal system in respect of UN Specialised Agencies such as the ILO, FAO, ICAO, WHO, UNESCO and the IMF. Thus therefore, acceding to Annex 18 relating to the UNWTO should not present any foreseeable practical problems. I so submit Hon. Mr. Speaker Sir –
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. I shall be forced to send a couple of Hon. Members out of the House. Can we have our proceedings in silence? – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
Order, Hon. Member next to Hon. Guzah, can you get out – the lady. Yes, the lady next to Hon. Guzah. Can you get out of the House now! Can you get out of the House and you should not be eating in the House.
Hon. Makari was ordered out of the House.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Good afternoon Mr. Speaker – [Laughter.]- Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud the Minister for bringing this Convention into the House as required by Parliament Statutes and the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Mr. Speaker, what touches me on that Convention is the inclusion of the Chinese language as the official language in that Convention. I applaud that. Given the history that as a focal nation in terms of our relationship with China, it is applaudable that at this stage we also put our hand to ratify a Convention that brings China, in particular, into the mainstream.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I am quite aware that in 2007 when the United
States and its allies tried to push a resolution for illegal sanctions at the UN; China and Russia are the all weather friends that vetoed that resolution. Now, Mr. Speaker…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you have to address the agreement as presented by the Minister. Now you are introducing a general debate. Can you stick to the treaty?
HON. NDUNA: As I conclude, Mr. Speaker – [Laughter.] – I need to say in all honesty and earnest, we as a nation and as Parliament, should quickly accede to the ratification of this Convention without any further ado. I thank you.
Motion 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 Republic of Zimbabwe is a member of the United
Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and party to the 1947
United Nations Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of
Specialised Agencies;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe joined the UNWTO in
1981;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous of ratifying the pending Amendments to the UNWTO Statutes and Financing Rules;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous of acceding to Annex XVIII of the 1947 Convention on Privileges and Immunities relating to UNWTO;
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of Section 327 (2) (a) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid statutes and Financing Rules and Annex XVIII of the 1947 Convention be and is hereby approved for ratification and accession respectively.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
2016 MID-TERM FISCAL POLICY REVIEW STATEMENT
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHINAMASA): Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that
leave be granted to present the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review Statement in compliance with Section 72(A) of the Public Finance Management Act. This provision requires that the Minister responsible for finance must “provide full and transparent accounts from time to time and not less than annually to Parliament, indicating the current and projected state of the economy, the public resources of Zimbabwe and the fiscal policy of Government.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I lay before the table of Parliament the full text of my
2016 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review Statement. Copies will be put in the Members’ pigeon holes soon after my delivery, of the highlights of the statement. Copies of the highlights will also be put in the Members’ pigeon holes also soon after this delivery.
[Refer to the 2016 Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review Statement on the Website.]
Mr. Speaker Sir, I commend the Mid Year Fiscal Policy Review Statement for 2016 to this august House and I thank you for your kind attention. - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]- Mr. Speaker Sir, I want Hon. Members to give serious consideration to this document which they will get in their pigeon holes as they get out of this House.
To give the Hon. Members time to study the report, with the leave of the
House, I move that the debate do now adjourn – [HON. MEMBERS:
Inaudible interjections.]-
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: On a point of order! Hon. Speaker Sir, I crave for your indulgence to allow us to make some comments and inputs into the presentation that has been made because we are ready – [HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Tshuma take your seat. The Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Development had sought the indulgence of the House that the debate be adjourned so that we have sufficient time to go through the statement and the detailed presentation in the bigger document, which will be delivered to your pigeon holes. I think it makes sense that we need time to study so that our debate is informed. –
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – [HON. DR. MASHAKADA:
Some of us are ready to debate.] – Order, order – [HON. DR.
MASHAKADA: But I am ready to debate.] – Order! Order! Hon. Minister Kasukuwere, please. Hon. Dr. Mashakada, I have ruled on your point of order and there is no need to contest the Chair – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order, Hon. Member, this is not the time for fist shaking – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order, can we proceed procedurally.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 4th October, 2016.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHINAMASA), the House
adjourned at Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 4th October, 2016.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 7th September, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE ACTING SPEAKER
PETITION RECEIVED FROM ZIMBABWE ANTI-SANCTIONS
TRUST
THE ACTING SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): I have to
inform the House that on 30th August 2021, Parliament received a petition from the Zimbabwe Anti-Sanctions Trust beseeching Parliament to consider enacting legislation that penalises citizens or organisations that call for the imposition of sanctions on the Zimbabwean economy and to conduct multi-stakeholder consultations in order to map a way forward on the matter. The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT DAY
THE ACTING SPEAKER: The Administration of Parliament
would like to inform all Hon. Members of Parliament that the Annual Charity Golf Day this year will be held on 1st October 2021 at the ZRP Golf Club. Seeing off will be at 1000 hours. Members are urged to support this worthy cause through their participation on sponsorship on one of the seven packages on offer. For any further details, please contact Mr. Admore Nyamuramba on Ext. 2143; 2310 or on mobile numbers: 0717460345/ 0775309209.
HON. MUSIKAVANHU: Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise
on a point of privilege and national interest, having noted that as a nation, we need to set aside an Anti-Siltation Day. Our water bodies and their supporting rivers are chocking up at an alarming rate of siltation. I come from Masvingo Province which holds more than
50% of our stored water in our dams and is set to be the nation’s bread basket. Madam Speaker, in view of climate change, our food security as a nation is progressively going to be underpinned by irrigation, hence my point of privilege to preserve our water bodies from siltation. Thank you Madam Speaker.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon.
Musikavanhu. That is worthy a point of Privilege on Anti-Siltation Day. I propose that you can also move a motion so that the House can be able to debate adequately and get the responsible Minister responding and conclude on that.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I rise
up on a point of National interest. Firstly, I want to thank the President for putting in place measures so that the country can develop very well; programmes like Pfumvudza and programmes where people can obtain money from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). However, I am concerned about the rates which are rising up, people get money from RBZ to import oil and fuel and they resell the same using the United States of America dollars (USD). The ordinary people of Zimbabwe are not able to buy fuel using the USD. If possible, the Government should put in place measures to ease the lives of people.
Companies should also do the same by using the currency which is readily available. In view of the price of maize, farmers should be motivated to go back into their fields to till the land and produce. The money that farmers and the workers are getting is losing value because people are forced to buy USD so that they are able to buy whatever they want. I think the Minister of Industry and Commerce, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development should come together and investigate so that they come up with measures to ease the lives of people. The President is trying very hard to ease the lives of people. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Nyabani for your
concerns that the Ministers of Industry and Commerce, of Lands,
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement and of Finance and Economic Development should come together to map a way forward for our currency to be worthwhile so that people stop using the USD. It is very pertinent, I think this should be rectified so that these three ministries come up with measures so that farmers are paid well from their produce. Thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker. My point of Privilege pertains to a question which I asked about three months ago about the Emergency Road Repair Fund. I asked the question to the Minister and he replied, which is captured in the Hansard that the list was being printed and would be sent to us. To date, nothing has been received. My reason for asking the question was to set in contract the roads that were to be redone so there was no argument about which roads were being done.
I also went to City of Harare requesting for the same information and to date, nothing has been received. I and my councillors have not been consulted on these roads. To my great delight, I saw that Luna Road was being repaired and upgraded from a country lane to a broad tarred road. I also see on that road that no tender was flighted at all, to my knowledge. My point and of great irritation is that in 15 years, Hatcliffe, which is also in Harare North and not that far has not had 1m2 of tar laid.
I have had a donor since the beginning of the year to upgrade one road in Hatcliffe for two kilometers to gravel road status and for nine months, I have been unable to get the City of Harare or Local Government to supply me a surveyor to oversee the job. My concern with Luna Road being chosen is that Borrowdale Road and Crowhill Road, which have thousands of pores have been ignored while Luna Road only has hundreds of pores.
On Borrowdale Road, we have had to arrange a body box for the police to collect all the road accidents. The problem with Borrowdale Road is that pedestrians and cyclists are not mentioned in the media, it is only recognisable when accidents occur on that road. All I have asked on Borrowdale Road to reduce accidents is for ramp strips to be put at Witchdon Shops but up to now, there is nothing.
My concern is, what criteria is being used for the Emergency Repair Road Fund and also for that matter, for the devolution funds, what criteria is being used to select them? How can we select roads and ignore big roads at the expense of the majority?
Similarly, at the intersection of Enterprise Road and Ridgeway, we have a donor who is prepared to put up robots at no cost, all he wants is the advertising rights on one billboard on that intersection.
For six months, I have been unable to get an answer from the City of
Harare, the Ministry of Local Government and the Ministry of
Transport.
My humble request to the ministries involved is that they put it right so that we can go ahead, either that or they come to this House and give us an explanation on how these roads are selected and tendered for. It is not only in my Constituency in Hatcliff but the whole of Harare and rural areas where Members of Parliament and councillors are not consulted on the roads. We cannot continue doing that to suit some people at the expense of the majority. I thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon
.Markham for that point of privilege. My understanding is that we have got three Arms of State and when the Executive comes in witha certain road rehabilitation plan that they have, I believe it is quite in isolation. They can be able to do that since they are another arm of the State. However, your not being consulted, it brings another issue, but I believe that as an Hon. Member of Parliament, you have the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) that you can also be able to use for certain projects in your area.
I believe now when you are saying that you are not getting any donors coming forward, they are not being allowed to be able to do any projects in your area, that becomes another issue. I believe that since you have got those funds, why are you not be able to utilise that under the CDF plan that you have as a Constituency MP? Of course, it is wortwhile that at least even when the Executive comes, they can then be able to consult you. I am sure they have heard that point of privilege and I am sure they will put everything in order so that you can also be consulted.
The other issue was on making sure that you need a list from the Hon. Minister. I am sure since you requested for it, it will be good for us to remind him so that he brings it to the House and you can find out the list of the roads which are supposed to be eligible on the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Fund. Thank you very much. HON. MPARIWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. I
note that we started business at 2.15p.m. and up to now, it is almost about 40 minutes that we have actually used. Going forward, the rules in this House, typically two minutes is required on the points of order. So, our time is being taken in terms of points of privilege. On the realisation that with the issue of COVID-19, we knock off at five o’clock p.m., just for Members to put that at the back of their minds that when we have points of order, they strictly should be two minutes at most and at least one minute is enough. I thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon.
Mpariwa for that point of order. I do not know where the two is coming from. May be you can advise me on where it is coming from, the Clerks do not know about that. As far as we know, it is three. We have got three points of national interest and privilege that we get each time but however, I think it is also important that Hon. Members know that we have got limited time and should also desist from making quite erroneous statements, that will then be quite long on whatever we intent to be doing since we are supposed to be speaking within two minutes. I am sure it is three and not two madam. Thank you very much.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1
to 23 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day,
Number 24 has been disposed of.
HON. NYABANI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. ZENZO SIBANDA
+HON. MATHE: I move the motion standing in my name that this House expresses its profound sorrow on the untimely passing on after a short illness on Wednesday, 11th August, 2021, of the late
Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho South Constituency, Hon.
Zenzo Sibanda;
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 Sibanda family, relatives and the entire Tsholotsho South Constituency.
HON. KARIKOGA: I second.
+HON. MATHE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I stand to pay
my last respect to the late Hon. Zenzo Sibanda, who was a decorated humble servant of the people. He was born on 6th June, 1970 in Mberengwa. He left six wives and several children. He was living amicably in Tsholotsho with others. Even with his wives, he loved and respected all of them. The senior wife was also respected by her fellow juniors. At his funeral they were crying and wailing and the senior wife was seen consoling the others. I am saying this so that you see what type of a person Hon. Zenzo was. He was organised in leading people and also organised at his home and his wives were well behaved. None of his wives ever showed any animosity to the other wives. I respected Hon. Zenzo Sibanda very much for that. It is difficult to have your wives living together amicably. Some Hon. Members here are in polygamous relationships but we find it difficult to tell others that one of the fellow wife’s child is sick. If it is a phone call, you do not pick the phone in the presence of others. You actually move away or go to the bathroom to answer the call. Hon. Zenzo Sibanda was a man amongst men. He would bring his wives together and tell them how much he loved them.
Hon. Zenzo Sibanda’s people in Tsholotsho were organised. Besides being a Member of Parliament, he was also a traditional healer. In our African custom, a traditional healer helps in healing the sick and , he was mentoring other traditional healers. This is not something that I was told by someone, it is not hearsay. We witnessed it on the day of his burial that there were many people that he mentored as traditional healers. They were also doing what they were taught by Hon. Zenzo Sibanda, which shows that he carried out his duties as a traditional healer very well. People were really worried that now that he is gone, who is going to take over the training that he used to do.
Let me take this opportunity to applaud his Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for conferring him liberation hero status after having gone through his history in the liberation struggle. He saw it fit that he be buried with all the respect that was conferred on him by Zimbabwe. Hon. Zenzo Sibanda was buried as a Liberation War Hero. When we talk of him, we talk of a liberation war hero. That is the status that was conferred on him.
Hon. Zenzo Sibanda worked in Zimbabwe before he left the country. He ended up joining his colleagues outside the country. He was at a camp and worked with others whilst waiting to go for training. After independence, Hon. Zenzo Sibanda and others came back into the country. He was one of those people who were on the list and were supposed to go for training. At that time, life was very difficult in the country and his father then was in Mberengwa. His father had been captured by the regime because before Zenzo left the country, he was one of the youths who were very active in politics. I think you remember that during that period, if you were found to be assisting during the liberation struggle, the whole family would be targeted. After he fled, they went and torched his father’s home and they detained his father in Mberengwa. His mother then moved to
Gwanda and settled there after having fled the situation in
Mberengwa.
As people from Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Mberengwa, we lost Hon. Zenzo Sibanda. When Hon. Zenzo Sibanda returned, he was elected as the District Chairperson in Tsholotsho where he has settled in Matabeleland North. He worked very hard in Tsholotsho as the District Chairperson. People in Matabeleland North then promoted him to a higher post of Youth Development Officer in Tsholotsho in the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture. He was also elected amongst the ZANU PF youths in 2003 to a higher post. In
2013, he was elected to be the Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho.
As a Member of Parliament from 2013, Hon. Zenzo Sibanda was elected as a member of the Central Committee, representing
Matabeleland North. People from Matabeleland North, Matabeleland
South, Mberengwa and Parliament of Zimbabwe are sad to have lost Hon. Zenzo Sibanda. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I have a point of order.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: What is your point of order Hon. Mliswa?
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, my point of order is we did not have Parliament yesterday. I would like to acknowledge and recognise 6th September as the day our icon, the founding father of this nation died. It is important that we remember him for the good he did for this country, the SADC region, Africa and the world for his empowerment initiatives, especially the Land Reform Programme and the Indigenisation Empowerment Act. As a result, we hope that he leads the spiritual leaders where he is so that they do not give this country back to the people that we fought against. His principles and the founding struggle of this country must continue unabated and in a manner which empower everyone.
It is important Madam Speaker before I sit down to note that when the war veterans went to war, they did not go with ploughs or tractors to till land. They went with guns so that they could reclaim the land. Production is secondary; priority was the land. May we always remember that? I am where I am today empowered as a result of the farm which I got under his leadership because he was a man of his word. Many regret not taking farms when he said the land reform is real, go and get a piece of land. For that, may his soul rest in peace.
He remains an icon for many others. Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon.
Mliswa. That is worth noting and indeed even His Excellency, Dr.
E.D. Mnangagwa also made a statement in relation to that yesterday.
We are so grateful. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you.
(v) + HON. E. MASUKU: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would
like to talk about the late Hon. Zenzo Sibanda. This was a great loss for people in Matabeleland Province. As youth from Matabeleland North, we are really crying and saying may his soul rest in peace. He used to teach us a lot. I do not have much to say but to say people of Tsholotsho have lost a great man. He was a kind man who used to unite people and a good leader who used to tell people the right direction to follow. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you Madam Speaker.
+HON. M. NKOMO: Thank you Madam Speaker. Hon. Zenzo
was a person who was not proud or would not show off. When he came to Parliament, he was retained as a Member of Parliament after they saw the good work that he was doing. So because of that, I thank him and may his soul rest in eternal peace. Wherever he is, we are mourning because we remember him for his good deeds, including the party that he belonged to. He was a ZANU PF member and Central Committee member. He was performing very well.
He did a lot of wonderful work including through CDF and in
Parliament. So what this means is that there is a lot of
unaccomplished work left that he commenced using the CDF. He was working very well with Government and citizens. Even outside the country and in his home area, he was working very well with other people. We remember him for that.
He was a wonderful man and very humble. If you go to his area, you realise that he used to work very well with his people. Sometimes you would come across his car and think it is him, only to realise that it is only his car that he has given to his constituents. He used to work very well with people and he was very much happy and pleased to work with people. With those few words, I would like to say thank you.
(v)+ HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to talk about Hon. Zenzo. He was a very good man. You would wonder which party he belonged to, whether it is ZANU PF or MDC. We started working with him a long time ago. He was a businessman in his area whilst I also had a business in my own area. He was a jovial man up to the time of his death. It was not easy to notice which party he belonged to because he was generous to everyone, especially during election campaign time. He would just give to everyone.
Madam Speaker, wherever he is, I believe he is in Heaven and God will give him eternal rest. Even when he came to Parliament, he never changed, he remained a good person. Wherever his soul is, I pray that he rests in eternal peace. May God forgive him all his sins. Even after his departure, he played his part. He led a very good and exemplary life. He declared and shared what type of a person he was. He never treated people differently, even those who belonged to opposition political parties.
He would take care of families, especially those in need. He would give them whatever they wanted regardless of which party they belonged to. I would like to thank the Government, especially His Excellency the President, Hon. Mnangagwa, for granting him liberation hero status. He deserved that status because of his relationship with the people. People in Tsholotsho lost a very good person, including myself. Even today, some people in Tsholotsho would think that I had a close relationship with him but that was Zenzo. Today, we are all mourning and a trumpet is playing; we lost a good man. I thank you.
+HON. MKANDLA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I rise to add my voice to this motion. As Matabeleland North Province, we have lost a very important member. He was much younger than me. I taught him many things when he joined ZANU PF. He worked from district level and upon his death, he was a Central Committee member. What a noble idea to work extremely hard for a party that you joined voluntarily.
Before I say a lot Madam Speaker Ma’am, I want to thank the President of this country, His Excellency E. D. Mnangagwa who saw it fit that Hon. Sibanda be accorded a liberation hero status. This man that we are talking about today, when he became ill, said his blood pressure was high and we did not expect that the disease would take him away.
The late Hon. Member worked very hard when he joined Parliament in 2013 and he was reelected in 2018. I want to say when you are a leader, you should not be very proud of yourself. Hon.
Sibanda was the Tsholotsho South representative and he was doing wonderful work. He was not proud of himself, he worked silently- pride was not part of his life. His work was admired by the constituents; he worked silently, not a situation where you will have to brag around of being in all newspapers.
We heard that Hon. Sibanda had six wives and many children.
We hope God will intervene that this family will grow and stay in ZANU PF family. May the soul of the Hon. Member, gallant son, rest in peace. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker, for
affording me the opportunity to join in the debate that has been moved by Hon. Mathe and seconded by Hon. Masuku. I just want to say that people of Tsholotsho, Parliament of Zimbabwe and the nation at large lost a gentleman. Hon. Sibanda was one of the MPs that I know in Parliament would behave honourably.
I worked with Hon. Sibanda in the Public Accounts Committee. I had the opportunity of interacting with him on several occasions, first from a political point of view when he was contesting for his constituency and I was campaigning for our party candidate there. I also then had occasion to travel with him even on Parliamentary business. He was a man who could actually reach across the political divide, share notes and discuss. He was professional in the way he used to do things. He was not the type of person that would open his mouth without properly thinking, he was very articulate. He would actually make sure that he would present well researched information, even pertaining to our political differences.
I used to joke with Hon. Sibanda saying you are too good, people who are good like you should not be in your party but MDCA. He was a cool person. I am not surprised to hear the testimonies that I am hearing from Members of Parliament, especially from
Matabeleland North who knew him very well. My wish is that as Parliament and the whole nation, we get a person like him because such people are rare to find in a polarised environment that we find ourselves in. It is difficult to get people that will not hesitate to do the right thing even if they are interacting with Members of the opposition. The late Hon. Member believed sincerely that we are all Zimbabweans, and as Zimbabweans, we can actually differ on issues but that should not make people enemies. If it were not for the challenges that we are facing, I believe he is one Hon. Member that I would have driven to go and give him a befitting farewell.
I just want to end by thanking his family and also the Tsholotsho people that elected him to Parliament. We wanted to be with him, understand and appreciate the goodness of his character. Thank you. +HON. MATHE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I also want to
thank all those who debated on the motion of the late Hon. Sibanda. Everyone paid their respects to the good man Hon. Sibanda. Let me say because of time, let me now move that the House adopts the motion.
Motion that this House;
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the untimely passing on after a short illness on Wednesday, 11th August, 2021, of the late
Member of Parliament for Tsholotsho South Constituency, Hon.
Zenzo Sibanda;
PLACES on record its appreciation for the services which the late Hon. Member rendered to Parliament and the nation at large; and RESOLVES that its profound sympathies be conveyed to the Sibanda family, relatives and the entire Tsholotsho South Constituency, put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that we revert to Order of the Day,
Number 1.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
COPPER CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 3, 2021]
First Order read: Second Reading: Copper Control Amendment
Bill [H. B. 3, 2021].
HON. BRID. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Madam Speaker
Ma’am, I rise to present a report of the Portfolio Committee on
Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the Cooper Control Amendment
Bill [H.B. 3, 2021].
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Copper Control Amendment Bill is a proposed piece of legislation which sets out key areas that were found lacking in the regulating of copper dealings since the enactment of the Act. The Bill, which seeks to fortify current legislation on copper control, was published in the Government Gazette on 4 June 2021. In compliance with section 141 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Amendment (No, 20) Act 2013 and Standing Order No.135 of the National Assembly, the Bill stood referred to relevant Committees to consult stakeholders and compile a report for tabling in Parliament. In light of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent restrictions on intercity movement and public gatherings, physical public consultations were not possible. It is against this background that the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security jointly conducted virtual public hearings and compiled this report.
2.0 METHODOLOGY
The Joint Parliamentary Committee held a meeting with the
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural
Heritage and officials from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) on 29 June 2021 to unpack the Bill. This was followed by virtual public hearings via zoom and radio platforms on 5 August 2021. The zoom session, which was live between 1000 hours and 1200 hours, was attended by all interested stakeholders from the public, both individuals and civic society organisations. Radio sessions were broadcast live on National FM, Radio Zimbabwe and associated Community Radio Stations such as Central FM and Khulumani FM from 1500 hours to 1600 hours. Written submissions from stakeholders such as National Railways of Zimbabwe, TelOne and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) were also considered in the compilation of the report.
3.0 COMMITTEE FINDINGS
3.1 Clause 2: Insertion of new definition of “putative
dealer”.
Some stakeholders welcomed this insertion of a new definition as a positive development meant to further tighten measures to ensure that those who are presumed to be in possession of copper for the purpose of dealing in it are brought to book.
3.2 Clause 4: Mandatory for all copper dealers to have a certificate of origin for all copper in their possession.
Stakeholders strongly called for the wholesale outlaw of carrying or trading in copper without a proof of certificate of origin in order to help in reducing cases of smuggling and vandalism of copper materials. They noted that it was necessary for any dealer to have a certificate of origin which included the names and addresses of both the seller and the purchaser, the description of copper, quantity and reasons for disposal. Furthermore, they called for strict terms and conditions on the issuance of copper dealers licences which must be met before a licence could be granted. They suggested the following terms and conditions:
- a) Licensee should be a trading institution of a company with the following documentation:
- Certificate of incorporation,
- Memorandum and articles of association,
- Audited financial statements for the past five years,
- Resume of directors,
- Physical address for trading purposes,
- Fingerprints of directors
- b) All the above conditions must be certified by the Zimbabwe Republic Police to ensure that due diligence is done on the Applicant.
Stakeholders also stressed that the Certificate of Origin must be issued by and to bona-fide copper licence holders. This will eliminate a plethora of illegal dealers in copper and hopefully reduce cases of vandalism on copper infrastructure.
Clauses 5 and 6: Deleting the penalty of a fine not exceeding
Level 8 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years. Stakeholders overwhelmingly supported the deletion of the clause. It was observed that the penalty in the principal Act was less deterrent to punish illegal copper dealers considering the gravity of the offence.
A stiffer penalty such as life in prison for offenders was preferred.
3.4 Clause 7: Crime of vandalism of any item or essential infrastructure through the theft of copper cables.
The public highlighted that it was important for the Bill to insert a new section to provide for the crime of vandalism of any item or essential infrastructure through the theft of copper cables. This would ensure that every citizen takes responsibility in safeguarding copper cables and inform the relevant authority in time whenever acts of vandalism occurred. Although the new section will also set a mandatory sentence for this crime at a minimum of ten years’ imprisonment without the option of a fine, several stakeholders proposed that the minimum jail term must be above twenty years in order to ensure that such criminals will not enjoy freedom after committing an offence.
3.5 Clause 8: Forfeiture of vehicle or device used in transporting copper
This development was viewed as a step in the positive direction as it gives powers to courts to order that any vehicle or device used in transporting copper illegally, be forfeited to the State upon convicting a person for an offence under this Act. However, it was recommended that reasonable measures be put in place to ensure impartiality in the application of law.
4.0 COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
The Committee made the following observations:
4.1 The penalty imposed on convicted copper dealers is too lenient to deter criminals involved in illegal possession and trading of copper materials. Rather, a stiffer sentence of a minimum of twenty years with no option of a fine or parole would serve as a deterrent.
4.2 There was consensus on forfeiture to the State, of vehicles used in the transportation of copper. However, the Bill is silent on what would become of equipment and such immovable properties like buildings (including places of residence) used to process or store copper materials obtained illegally.
4.3 The Bill is silent on documentation that is required for possession of copper for domestic purposes. This includes possession of off-cuts that remain after domestic installations or maintenance involving copper or copper materials.
4.4 Established organisations like National Railways of Zimbabwe, TelOne and Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority were the most affected by vandalism of copper infrastructure. The call for a water-tight licencing policy for copper dealers was critical. It was therefore, unanimously agreed that the proposed additional terms and conditions on the issuance of copper dealers’ licence highlighted on
3.2 of this report be taken on board.
4.5 The Bill is not clear on the originating office of the certificate of origin. It does not explain whether the certificate of origin is transferrable, bearing in mind that there are many small copper dealers involved in the trading process.
4.6 The Bill’s title should be crafted in such a way as to provide for the incorporation of clauses that cover protection of all communications, signalling, water, power and lighting equipment as well as materials like solar panels and generators.
5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee made the following recommendations:
5.1 On Clause 7, the minimum mandatory sentence for all illegal activities involving copper and copper materials must be increased from the proposed ten-year jail sentence to twenty years without the option of a fine or parole.
5.2 On Clause 8, vehicles, equipment or immovable property such as buildings (including houses) that are used for illegal transportation, processing or storage of copper materials must be forfeited to the State. In the case of places of residence, forfeiture of such property must be effected when it is proven beyond any reasonable doubt that the legal occupants were aware of any such illegal dealing in copper material within those premises and were willfully concealing the criminal activities.
5.3 Clause 4 must be amended to incorporate a clear licencing policy that distinguishes between copper materials obtained for domestic use and that which is for industrial or commercial purposes.
5.4 In addition to the conditions listed in Clause 4 of the Bill, the following terms and conditions on the issuance of copper dealers’ licence must be incorporated:
Licensee should be a trading institution of a company with the following documentation:
- Certificate of incorporation,
- Memorandum and articles of association,
- Audited financial statements for the past five years,
- Resume of directors,
- Physical address for trading purposes,
- Fingerprints of directors
- A new clause that (i) clearly states the originating office of the certificate of origin, (ii) guarantees the authenticity of the certificate and (iii) provides details relating to the transferability of the certificate where several dealers (including contractors) are involved in the transaction chain or process must be incorporated into the Bill.
- A new clause that widens the scope of coverage so that all communications, signalling, water, power and lighting equipment as well as materials like solar panels and generators are incorporated and clearly specified under the interpretation section of the Bill must be inserted.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The Bill is a welcome development aimed at protecting public infrastructure from vandalism. The stiff penalty will certainly go a long way in curbing the theft of copper cables in Zimbabwe, hence this Bill should be supported by everyone across the board. I thank you.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to
commend the report presented by the Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Hon. Mayihlome. However, I want to slightly make a few observations which perhaps will persuade the Minister to relook at some of the amendments.
The problem with stealing of copper cables is not in the law, even if we increased the sentence to 100 years, copper cables will still be stolen. Madam Speaker, I have observed in several cases where copper cable thieves are caught but are never arrested. If they are arrested they are never taken to court.
The level of corruption in the copper cable issues is very high. For example, in Kamativi, I observed a situation where copper cables were stolen running over the Police Chief Inspector’s house. They were stolen at night, cut and the Chief Inspector came out, tried to make a follow up and no arrest was made. One wonders how the copper cables are stolen flying past the Chief Inspector’s house and yet no arrest is made. There are also two cases where copper cable thieves were caught but there were no arrests. Police would arrest but two to three days down the line the culprits are released.
Madam Speaker, perhaps as a country we do not realise the amount of damage or cost that all this is causing to the nation. Where is our electric train right now? Copper cables were stolen from Gweru up to Harare to the effect that we no longer have an electric train; the electrical infrastructure for the train was decommissioned. So, we have electric locomotives that cannot work in the country because copper cables were stolen in daylight along the railway line where everyone moves around and sees from Gweru to Harare right to the railway station.
I wonder if changing the laws would help in anything. It clearly shows that the level of corruption and the level of involvement of political heavy weights in these scandals is very big. Even if we changed the laws, nothing will happen unless we completely ban the trade in copper. We do not have any mine, the last copper mine to operate in this country was Alaska. Right now, there is nowhere in the country where copper is mined. So, why should we give people licences at all? Even if we were to say there must be a certificate of origin, clearly the people in the ministry will be changing and signing for everyone because the people involved in the scandal are very large. Madam Speaker, ZESA loses 800 transformers a year. That is quite significant. If you convert that to an average of about $5 million per transformer, that is quite a lot of money which we are losing as a country.
The Student’s Union at the University of Zimbabwe, a fairly big block, was all roofed in the 50s by copper obtained from Zambia. Zambia, during the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, donated a copper roof to roof the whole Student’s Union at the University of Zimbabwe, but within one night the whole roof was brought down and all the copper sheets were stolen. Nobody was arrested. People just continued as if everything is normal. The Dean of Students’ Union and the Pro-Vice Chancellor had no explanation. The whole area is heavily secured at night and during the day, but the whole roof was stolen. You do not steal like it is a small piece of glass that you put in your pocket. To bring down a roof, you have to bring cutting torches, burn down everything because it was solid, but how could all that operation be done within one night and nobody is seen and nobody is arrested?
Clearly, the level of corruption, you cannot bring the Students’ Union roof down. If you travel around the university, it is almost the size of this Parliament. The whole roof was made of copper, but the copper sheets were stolen overnight. They were not nailed together, they were all welded together but somebody burnt them down and cut them into pieces and the whole copper was stolen. That is serious arson to the nation and we just need to ban the trade in copper because we have nobody mining copper. Why should we be trading in scrap copper? Copper has never been scrap metal. So simply, if we have to protect our infrastructure, save this economy and save this country, we just have to ban any trade in copper because even if you increase the number of years, thieves will get away with it because we are dealing with big people.
If the Committee had made further investigations, you would be shocked at the names that you will meet, of people who have licences to copper. It is very big people, untouchables. So why should we allow that? We are really a laughing stock that we are still using diesel trains and coal locomotives when in as early as 1983, we had an electric train running on copper cable from Dhabuka up to Harare. Now we have nothing. All the cables, I think it is about 300km times three cables, about 1 000km of cable stolen in the country during the day and the National Railways of Zimbabwe was there.
Madam Speaker, those are my few submissions and I wish to commend the report and further suggest that the Minister must simply ban the trading in copper. Thank you.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I was a member of the Mines and Energy Committee in the Eighth Parliament and also a member of the Energy Committee in the Ninth Parliament. The amount of distraction that has happened to our infrastructure, REA has put transformers all over to develop rural areas and most of the transformers have now been vandalised.
The Bill for trading in copper, I propose that we just ban the trading in copper because we do not have any copper mines here. We do not produce any copper and we do not even import anything. So the answer is, let us ban the trading of copper because we are destroying rural development. Vision 2020 is associated with availability of electricity in the rural areas. All that infrastructure has now gone to waste because of the trading of copper. Why do we not just ban the trading in copper? Parliament must withdraw that Bill and say we are banning the trading of copper in Zimbabwe because
Mhangura Mine which used to mine copper is closed.
Even when Mhangura Mine starts operating, we must make sure that it is a high security area. Other arrangements must be made. The current arrangement in the Copper Trading Act does not help in any form. We are actually allowing the destruction of the nation of Zimbabw,e which puts farmers in a difficult situation. I have a friend of mine who lost a whole transformer when the wheat was just about to tussle. Can you imagine the amount of loss that farmer has made? So as leaders of the nation, we want to weigh where the benefit is to the nation, not benefit to a few individuals, a few criminals who have destroyed this nation. They give young children money and say go and bring me this transformer, I will pay you so much. I move that the Parliament of Zimbabwe must ban the trading of copper. That is my submission Madam Speaker. Thank you very much for allowing me to contribute.
(v)HON. WATSON: Thank you Madam Speaker for allowing
me to contribute. Whilst I applaud the Committee report, I want to support Hon. Gabbuza and Hon. Mudarikwa.
The few members of the public I was able to speak to, felt that whilst the Bill might clear off a few rough edges, it just will not be sufficient to stop the theft and vandalism, particularly of ZESA infrastructure. Residents in urban areas are going for months with no ZESA because of theft of cables. ZESA seems unable to replace copper with aluminum or to make anything. The feeling is that there is a lack of capacity for ZRP to deal with the crime and the Bill does not speak to sufficient capacitating of the security services of the ZRP to deal with those issues.
Hon. Mudarikwa’s suggestion was quite radical but I would tend to agree with him. I think that this is a much bigger problem and that just passing this Bill simply will not address the issue of so many citizens of Zimbabwe that are going on without power in particular. The vandalism at the National Railways of Zimbabwe was done some time ago and re-capacitating the National Railways will be quite difficult, but certainly the people that I have spoken to have said the
Bill will not stop the trade in illicit copper. Thank you Madam
Speaker.
HON. NDUNA: I just want to add my voice to this Bill and the report by the General here, seconded by Hon. Gabbuza and the rest of the crew. Madam Speaker, my point is one. It is crystal clear that ZESA Enterprise is meant to have more than 600 000 subscribers currently, but in the Eighth Parliament, we were here debating on the same issue that more than $600 000 worth of cable…
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of
order Hon. Mliswa?
HON. T. MLISWA: Hon. Nduna is renowned for speaking good English and when he used the word ‘crew’, we are not working in a ship. He knows English. Can you correct that and say Hon.
Members. This is not a ship.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Nduna, please may
you withdraw the word ‘crew’.
HON. NDUNA: I withdraw Madam Speaker, with a heavy
heart.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You should replace the word crew with Hon. Members.
HON. NDUNA: I replace that word with Hon. Members and I will not do it again Madam Speaker. The subscribers are supposed to have doubled the number of 600000 maybe to a million two hundred subscribers paying customers to ZESA. ZESA’s unbundling was supposed to speak to and about the efficiency, effectiveness and delivery of good service to the customers. However, all that came to nought. It came to a screeching halt because of the delinquent behaviour of the thieves out there, the rampant corruption and the plundering of our God given natural resources.
My issue that I want to talk about is that we do not produce copper. Then, we did but now we do not. It is my humble submission that this Bill, in its holistic form, should definitely not be this gigantic, humongous and voluminous. It should just be one sentence that the issue of trading in copper that we do not produce should be completely eradicated and removed from the face of our nation. We are like dealing in ice skating – we do not have snow here and we should not be snowballing, which snow we do not produce, including our tian qi hao (meaning good weather in Chinese). Our weather does not allow production of snow; why then should we allow our laws to delve into tissues instead of issues. We have a lot of issues to concentrate on. If you today steal a beast, you will be incarcerated for more than seven years but it boggles one’s mind that here is an opportunity to incarcerate somebody forever who is disadvantaging the innocent and unsuspecting citizens of this nation. If there is no power, no water and no offsite infrastructure that includes a ubiquitous amount of power, there is no investment.
The issue about 2030 upper middle income economy will come to a screeching halt if we do not annihilate the scourge of this pilferage in terms of copper. This issue of copper pilferage and dealing in copper is as a result of our archaic, moribund, rudimental and antiquated medieval laws that we need to completely redo and repeal. We had copper then but now we do not. Mhangura copper mine is closed and defunct. Let us talk about copper when we start producing copper. For now, let this Bill read one sentence that there shall not be any dealing in copper in Zimbabwe. If you are seen dealing in copper, you are akin to being treasonous, you should face your fate by the firing squad. This is my submission.
We had Dabuka from Bulawayo to Harare and the railway system is designed to carry heavy loads. I remember NRZ used to carry more than 19 million tonnes at its peak in the 1990s but when the copper cables were plundered, we went from hero to zero. Is this what we want? The issue of putting back bulk goods on NRZ is going to increase the longevity of our roads. Our roads are past their sale by date of 25 years of age. It is because they are now dilapidated, deplorable and disused.
The NRZ is non functional. So, we need to deal a blow, an effective and final one to these thieves who are a cartel or a network which is being helped by our laws, which are not in sync with today’s movement in terms of reduction of corruption and pilferage. We need to get our goods back into NRZ by making sure that our cables are back on line. Dabuka is back under these circumstances and laws that need repealing, we cannot. We should not help or aid the enemy or sleep with the enemy but we should see into the future.
His Excellency in the Second Republic has already put one percent of the National GDP in terms of Research and Development. Let us research and develop technologies that help the economy and our laws should also be in tandem, in sync and in collaboration, coordination and networking with our technology. Now we need to monitor and evaluate our laws as it relates to the global village modus operandi. The way to do it is not to get this Bill to sail here in the manner that it has been crafted. Let it just sail with one issue in mind. We do not produce snow, why should we deal in snow business, snowballing and ice skating. I thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to vociferously, effectively and efficiently debate in the manner that the people of Chegutu West constituency would have me debate.
*HON. MANGORA: I would like to add my voice to the report that was presented by Hon. Major Gen. (Rtd) Mayihlome, the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee. I believe that their recommendations are very valid because copper thieves are sabotaging the economy. I believe that it is important that they are incarcerated because they contribute immensely in compromising the economy of the country. So, I believe that there should be a deterrent sentence of 10 years or more. Younger students who are doing their online lessons need electricity but because of power failure and outages, it is affecting their lessons. This Act is not different from killing because you are affecting different sectors of the economy. This is quite bad. It is like someone who steals copper and sells it outside the country. Exports of such resources should not be permitted. Such people take our resources and export them. This affects people who are in hospitals, whether old or young. I do not want to continue saying a lot of things but I am saying that the sentences should be deterrent enough to discourage prospective copper thefts. It is not different from livestock thieves. Let us have deterrent laws. Thank you for affording me this opportunity.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: Let me put my views on the report by Hon.
Major Gen. (Rtd) Mayihlome on this Copper Control Amendment Bill. We are all quite aware that the theft of copper cables has now become a menace. ZESA is now seized with the replacement of these cables instead of the normal maintenance and doing new infrastructure development. This takes us back. ZESA is no longer the
ZESA that we knew, it is a ZESA of replacement of cables.
Within my constituency in Bulawayo East, there are over 15 areas that have no electricity because of these copper cable thefts. Thieves steal because there is a ready market. My recommendation is that the Bill should clearly ban the issue of copper trading licences or ban the issue of trading in copper totally, just like the ban on trade in dangerous drugs like cocaine. No trading in copper and this might bring some sanity just like these other drugs that are traded on because as highlighted by Hon. Mudarikwa and Hon. Nduna, we are not producing any copper locally. In brief, that is my contribution.
(v)HON. NDEBELE: Parliament is a House of record. If we go to the record, you will realise that for a long time I have been asking the Minister questions on why he has found it prudent to keep on issuing copper trading licences yet this country does not produce copper anymore. I therefore wish to lend my weight behind those reasonable Members of Parliament who have indicated that there is no wisdom absolutely in issuing copper trading licences.
Madam Speaker, copper cables have attained endangered commodity status. Yatova pangolin status. This has put a lot of pressure on leaders such as Members of Parliament. We are now forced to do more and more work. We have become night watchmen and have to create vigilante` to look after transformers and copper cables. It is a lot of work on us and it is arising from the fact that the Executive is still issuing copper trading licences. I therefore support unreservedly those Members of the House who are saying the
Minister must ban trade in copper forthwith.
We are just adding people who are politically connected. These are the people who are dealing in cartels in the selling of stolen copper. The UZ incident that Hon. Gabbuza narrates so eloquently makes sad listening. You cannot destroy a whole building and people pretend nothing is going on. Somebody must go to jail for this. It is very sad indeed. I am just wondering what the wisdom of issuing copper trading licences is yet we are not producing copper anymore.
If there is any Bill that will unite the Ninth Parliament against proposals from the Executive, I bet this must be the Bill because it is a much sourced Bill that speaks to the development of our country. We must ask the Minister to explain why he thinks we should continue dealing or issuing copper trading licences if the idea is not to aid wellknown fat cats. Madam Speaker, I join other Hon. Members with the voice that trading of copper in Zimbabwe must be banned in
Zimbabwe forthwith. I so submit.
HON. MUSIKAVANHU: Thank you Madam Speaker for the
opportunity to contribute to this debate. May I start off by acknowledging Hon. Major Gen. (Rtd) Mayihlome for the report that was well presented. I cannot help but reflect on the fact that as we seek to attain Vision 2030, it is of paramount importance that we set certain points where we say this is a line in the sand; we cannot cross
Listening to debates by my fellow Hon. Members, it is evident that copper is a strategic commodity that we require as we modernise our economy. I come from the Lowveld where we grow sugar. In the early 1980s, people could eat sugarcane in Chiredzi and Triangle, all over the place. Some people then started coming from Masvingo in trucks to take sugarcane and sugarcane trading was banned. If you go to Chiredzi now, you only eat sugarcane on the cutting front. You are not allowed to sell sugarcane because we realised that, to allow people to do so will break the economy of the Lowveld.
Madam Speaker, if you look at the black rhino, we consider it as an endangered species. We do not allow people to hunt the black rhino. Now, where do we get the luxury or latitude to allow people to trade in a mineral that we consider to be strategic to our endeavours to attain Vision 2030. Listening to the report as it was being read
Madam Speaker Ma’am, the provisions that have been put in place to curtail people trading in copper, to me, it comes across as promoting certain cartels of rich people. They are the people who have audited five-year statements, they are the ones who are able to produce company reports but you go out there, the people who are vandalising our transformers and cutting our power lines – you do not see them parking SUVs. You will find unemployed youths doing that and they are employed by these thieves who will be sitting in high offices. We cannot allow our youngsters to be abused by people who obtain these licences when in the first place, we are realising that copper is a strategic commodity that we need to ensure that our economy continues to run.
It does not make sense Hon. Madam Speaker Ma’am for us,
knowing full well that we are battling with enforcing our own laws because of the constraints we have in the capacity of our security, system, then we allow people to have the luxury to set up cartels to trade in a commodity that will compromise our economy. In short, all
I am saying, Madam Speaker Ma’am, is that I support the thinking that is coming across that there is no justification whatsoever for us to allow the trading in copper – period. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, thank you very much
for giving me this opportunity. May I thank Hon. Mayihlome, the mover of the motion and seconded by Hon. Gabbuza, the renowned engineer – no one better than him to talk about this.
Madam Speaker, I want to depart a bit and for us to look at the source of the problem of copper being stolen. Is it not unemployment? We can be changing laws everyday here without dealing with the real problem. We have a position that Government gave about how many jobs were going to be created for the youths in this Second Republic. How many have been created vis-à-vis what they promised? It is the same as the drug problem. We will also come here and come up with a drug law again. The issue is not the drug problem, it is lack of employment. Once we are able to tackle certain basics in life, these problems will not manifest.
Madam Speaker, the issue of copper – some are with research concerning where we are going - why are we still talking about copper? Is there no other replacement? Why do we have these institutions, the academia? One percent has been given to go into research and development. There is no country that can grow without research and development, that is the reason why today the way we are sitting in Parliament, we are no longer using paper as you have said. We are paperless, we have this technology but achieving the same result. There is the aspect of security as well. How secure are these lines at the end of the day? Who is watching?
One, there is the aspect of power shortage and cuts. Even if you put cameras again, there are power cuts because we do not have enough energy to be able to sustain those cameras from picking up anybody and so forth. So what am I saying? We are going to waste money putting cameras but in putting those cameras, do we have enough energy? We still have not adequately sourced enough energy for the country. Madam Speaker, what is important is for us to be able to say the issue of licenses being given to people to buy and sell copper is on a case by case issue. It is not only the electrical lines that require copper, let us be honest. What about other people who need copper for basics? What do they do? Should they suffer because they cannot now buy copper?
Monitoring and evaluation – where are we in terms of looking at those selling copper? Are they well licenced? Can they account for the copper that they are receiving? Finally, there is the aspect of cartels. When you have an economy where there is unemployment, corruption is rife. When corruption is rife, it involves even the top guys, the police and it is a cartel. So, the very same people you expect to look after these things are not well remunerated. Right now we have a crisis of the war veterans’ welfare – they are not happy with it; the parliamentarians – are not happy with it and the civil servants are not happy with it. I can go on.
So, with these problems that we are faced with, we need to get the economy going. The only way the economy can go is if we cut down on corruption. Secondly, our own resources, where are they going? Fine we talk about copper but can I tell you about the most valuable minerals that are being smuggled in this country? Gold and diamonds, so to me, we are really going for the low hanging fruits when we have got private jets that leave with gold here. When we have got private jets that leave with diamonds and nobody talks about that; nobody talks about the $15billion diamonds which no money was accounted for. So whilst I totally agree with that, let us be careful not to be overtaken by events. Can we go to the policies of this country, to the manifesto of the ruling Party and rightfully so the governing Party. What are they doing to provide employment so that people so not steal? What are they doing to provide employment so that there is no abuse of drugs? What are they doing to provide a better future for the young people so that the girl child is not married at the age of 14? The reason why they are being married at the age of 14 is because their parents have no money - they want money. The sugar daddies go and flash money and the next thing is they are selling out. It is more than just stealing. The source of the problem is we need to deal with the employment issue and from there; we will cut down on this - that is my contribution. Thank you.
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I
move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 9th September, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that all Orders of the Day be stood over until Order of Day Number 2 has been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to
SECOND READING:
POLICE AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 2, 2021]
Second Order read: Second Reading: Police Amendment Bill
[H. B. 2, 2021].
HON. BRID. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME:
1.0 INTRODUCTION
As part of its law-making function, Parliament through its
Committees namely; the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home
Affairs and Security Services as well as the Thematic Committee on
Peace and Security, embarked on virtual public hearings on the Police Amendment Bill (H.B. 2, 2021) to gather the views of the public. This is a legal requirement set out in section 141 of the Constitution which stipulates that Parliament should create an environment that enables the public to participate in the law-making process. The public hearings were attended by persons from all walks of life that included women, men, youths, retired and serving members of the uniformed forces civic society organisations. While stakeholders openly aired their views, a number of challenges were observed by the Committee. These included intermittent connectivity hiccups, lack of data bundles, lack of access to the Bill and subsequent misinterpretation of various clauses of the Bill.
2.0 BACKGROUND
The Zimbabwean Government continues to enact and amend various pieces of legislation as it strives to make laws for the good governance of the nation. The purpose of the Police Amendment Bill is basically to align the Police Act with the Constitution. Section 219 of the Constitution sets out the establishment and functions of the Police Service, which include detecting, investigating and preventing crime. The formation of a Police Service and Police Service
Commission in Zimbabwe is in line with regional practices such as in
South Africa and Botswana. It is against this background that the Joint Committee solicited public opinion on the Bill and compiled this report.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
The two Committees jointly held a meeting with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, represented by the Permanent Secretary and a delegation from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, to unpack the Bill. The Committee then conducted joint virtual public hearings on zoom and radio platforms on 4 August 2021. The Zoom platform was live between 1000 hours and 1200 noon and was attended by all interested members of the public. The consultative session was also broadcast live on Radio Zimbabwe, National FM and associated Community Radio stations such as Khulumani FM and Central FM. In addition, the Joint Committee considered written submissions from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and Civic
Society Organisations such as Veritas.
3.1 Schedule of activities
Date | Bill | Activity/Platform | Time |
04/08/21 | Police Amendment
Bill (H.B. 2, 2021) |
Virtual Public Hearing
Radio Sessions i. Radio Zimbabwe ii. ii. National FM iii. iii. Central FM iv. iv. Khulumani FM |
1000hrs1200hrs
1400hrs1500hrs |
4.0 COMMITTEE`S FINDINGS
4.1 While it is necessary to align the Police Act to the Constitution, there were mixed views on interpretation of some provisions of the proposed piece of legislation. Though acknowledging that this was a progressive and crucial stride, some stakeholders, particularly from the security sector, were of the view that certain provisions, if enacted, had detrimental effects on effective policing and ultimately on national security. Others, especially individual members of the public and civic society organisations, applauded the Bill for further responding to the call for the Police Service to uphold and respect human rights through working together effectively with constitutionally established Commissions such as the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and Zimbabwe AntiCorruption Commission, among others.
4.2 Clause 4: Terms and conditions of service of the
Commissioner General of Police
Several stakeholders supported this clause which reduces the term of office of the Commissioner General of Police from the current unlimited term to only two five-year terms. This was observed as a positive and fundamental departure from the old situation that allowed a single person to hold office for as long as was seen fit by the
President.
4.3 Clause 6: Formulation of Standing Orders
Stakeholders, especially civic society organisations, expressed conflicting views on the interpretation of this clause. The majority argued that the Police Service Commission (PSC) was deprived of its independence in exercising its mandate by making Standing Orders
‘on the advice of’ the Commissioner General of Police, subsequently and impliedly subjecting it to a mere rubber stamp. It was, therefore, proposed that it would be better and more preferable if the PSC made these operational standards ‘after consultation with’ the Commissioner General of Police.
On the contrary, stakeholders in the security sector, were of the view that the Bill assigned the making of Standing Orders to the PSC when in fact, it was supposed to be the prerogative of the
Commissioner General of Police. They contended that the head of the Police Service, who is well versed with the day-to-day operations and administration of the organisation, was better placed to deal with issues relating to discipline and orderly conduct of members of the organisation. It was, therefore, proposed that the CommissionerGeneral of Police be reposed with the power to formulate Standing
Orders.
4.4 Clause 8: Commissioner General to comply with directives from certain Commissions
Members of the public supported the clause as it compels the Commissioner General of Police to comply with policy directives from the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission in line with Section 243(2) and 255 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013 respectively. They opined that it was prudent for the ZRP to uphold and respect human rights and act positively in combating corruption in Zimbabwe. Thus, by complying with directives from investigative independent Commissions, the security sector would ultimately restore public confidence in the service delivery of the ZRP.
4.5 Clause 9: Appointment, suspension and discharge of non-commissioned members
The public acknowledged that the Constitution vests the powers to appoint, suspend and discharge non-commissioned members of the Police Service in the Police Service Commission. However, several participants pointed out that the effective discharge of the command function reposed in the Commissioner General of Police by Section 221 of the Constitution lied in his or her capacity to control the conduct of those under his or her command. They further posited that stripping him or her of this tool of control was tantamount to rendering him or her powerless and had the potential of fueling indiscipline. To that end, therefore, a proposal was made that the Commissioner General fully retain the power to appoint, suspend and discharge non-commissioned members while the Police Service Commission plays an oversight role.
4.6 Clause 10, 11 and 12: Promotion, re-appointment and discharge of members
Some stakeholders supported the general amendments on clause 10, 11 and 12 which empowered the PSC to promote, re-appoint or discharge non-commissioned members. Conversely, other stakeholders observed that the promotion and discharge functions were human resource management tools used by managers to effectively fill in positions by competent persons within an organization to ensure effective delivery of expected outcomes or alternatively discharge incompetent personnel. Given that background, they argued that by virtue of being at the apex of the command channel of the Police Service, the Commissioner General of Police required these indispensable management tools to facilitate efficient recruitment or elevation of deserving personnel as well as dismissal of underperforming staff. It was, therefore, proposed that the promotion and discharge functions should continue to be the responsibility of the Commissioner General while the Police Service Commission simply plays an oversight role.
4.7 Clause 14: Conduct of Disciplinary Trials by Board of
Officers
Some stakeholders welcomed this provision and maintained that it was very critical for disciplinary matters to be handled from within and that all disciplinary measures taken by the Police Service had to be fully exhausted before an accused member could resort to external mechanisms. Others, however, disputed the rationale for internal disciplinary matters being handled by a board of officers without the option of approaching external judicial services by aggrieved persons.
They contended that accused persons had a right to choose to be heard in a court of law other than a board of officers.
4.8 Clause 16: Procedure on conviction of member for certain offences
Submissions on this clause highlighted that the discharge function is ancillary to the issue of discipline which falls within the purview of the command function of the Commissioner General of Police. To that end, it was suggested that the power to discharge members on conviction for criminal offences should directly lie with the Commissioner-General of Police as opposed to the Police
Service Commission.
4.9 General observations
Some stakeholders noted that commissioned officers (inspectors and more senior officers) will continue to be appointed and promoted by the President in terms of section 14 of the Principal Act, on the advice of the Minister and the Commissioner-General of Police but not the Police Service Commission. The same applied to the dismissal of officers under Section 49 of the Act following their conviction for an offence. Additionally, they also questioned the non-involvement of the Commission in deciding whether or not a member should be discharged for unsuitability or unfitness in terms of section 50 of the Act. A similar observation was made on the appointment of ancillary staff by the Commissioner General of Police without the involvement of the Commission. In all these cases, the stakeholders argued that it was almost unconstitutional to leave the Commission out of the crucial decision-making processes.
5.0 Additional Amendments Proposed by stakeholders
5.1 Section 66 of the Principal Act (Wearing of uniforms, badges, etc. of Police Force)
The submissions received emphasised that Section 66 of the Principal Act be amended by closing the lacuna which exists in the statute. Currently the Act only criminalises the wearing of police uniforms and badges. It does not criminalise the unauthorised possession, manufacture, trade, sale, exchange or disposal of police uniforms. They proposed that section 66 of the Principal Act be amended as follows;
Unauthorised sale or wearing of uniforms, etc
In this section—
“Uniform” means any article or articles of wearing apparel and includes a badge, button, braid or insignia, worn in association with any particular item or items of clothing, and a tie. (2) Any person who, without authority—
sells, offers or exposes for sale, wears or uses any uniform supplied to or Authorized for use by any member of the Police Service; or manufactures, sells, offers or exposes for sale, wears or uses any uniform so nearly resembling a uniform referred to in paragraph (a) as to be likely to deceive; or wears or uses any decoration supplied to or authorized for use by any member of the Police Service or any decoration so nearly resembling such decoration as to be likely to deceive;
Shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level six or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both such fine and such imprisonment:
5.2 Protection of Police Property
It was proposed that there be an additional provision similar to section 97 of the Defence Act [Chapter 11:02], which would provide for the protection of police equipment or property. The proposed clause is to be inserted as follows:
The Minister may, by notice in a statutory instrument, declare and make known what mark or marks applied to any arms, clothing, equipment, animal, vehicle, aircraft or boat shall denote the property of the State therein.
Any person who—
with fraudulent intent, applies to any arms, clothing, equipment, animal, vehicle, aircraft or boat any mark referred to in subsection
(1); or fraudulently defaces or conceals any mark referred to in subsection (1) on any arms, clothing, equipment, animal, vehicle, aircraft or boat; or unlawfully receives, possesses, sells or delivers any arms, clothing, equipment, animal, vehicle, aircraft or boat bearing any mark referred to in subsection (1) or forbidden by or under this Act to be sold, pledged or otherwise disposed of; shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level six or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
(3) In any prosecution for a contravention of subsection (2) the burden of proving that he had no fraudulent intent in applying, defacing or concealing any mark referred to in subsection (1) or, as the case may be, that the receipt, possession, sale or delivery of any arms, clothing, equipment, animal, vehicle, aircraft or boat was lawful shall lie upon the accused.
5.3 Power of Board of Officers and Trial officers to issue warrant of arrest
It was observed that the Principal Act is silent on whether the court of a Board of Officers and that of single officer has the power to issue a warrant of arrest for a member who fails to appear before the court of a single officer or Board of Officers. Therefore, a suggestion was made that trial officers, in terms of the Act, should be given express powers to issue and deal with warrant of arrests emanating from disciplinary tribunals. The proposed amendment be inserted as follows:
Any member accused of an offence in terms of this Act and having been notified, warned or summoned to appear before a court of a single officer or Board of officers fails to appear without just cause, such court of a single officer or Board of officers shall issue a warrant of arrest against such member.
A warrant of arrest issued in terms of subsection (1) shall cause a member to be arrested and detained and to be brought before the court of a single officer or such Board of Officers as soon as possible who shall make an inquiry to ascertain if such a member was in willful default;
A member who is found to be in willful default in terms of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level two or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding fourteen days or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
5.4 Appeals and representations to the Commissioner
General
A proposal was made that there be a clause in the new Act which provides for an appeal against any adverse decision which could have been taken by the delegates of the Commissioner-General of Police in terms of any Policy. The proposed clause is to be inserted as follows:
A member who is aggrieved by an order or decision made by a delegate of the Commissioner-General in terms of any policy, directive, Standing Orders or Regulations may appeal to the
Commissioner-General within the time and in the manner prescribed.
5.5 Disciplinary Trials
Stakeholders posited that enforcement of discipline was a salient feature of any branch of the Security Services. They argued that if discipline is not strictly enforced in the Police Service; it could be very difficult for the Commissioner-General to achieve the broad mandate charged with the Police in Section 219 (1) of the
Constitution. They therefore, proposed a new clause as follows: Notwithstanding the inherent Review powers of the High Court to review decisions of any lower courts and Tribunals including
Police Trials, any member who wishes to approach the High Court on Review for any disciplinary matter whether terminated or still pending must first exhaust all internal remedies as provided in the
Police Act.
6.0 COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
The Committee made the following observations:
6.1 On Clause 6, the Committee noted that Standing Orders are specific operational standards meant to give guidance to employees on how to conduct themselves as they do their work. Given that background, this function should be retained by the Commissioner General while the Commission plays an oversight role.
6.2 On Clause 8, Members noted that the Bill neither sets the parameters for complying with directives nor specify the nature of directives to be complied with. It provides no option for noncompliance with directives that may not be in the best interests of national security.
6.3 On Clauses 9-12, the Committee observed that authority and discipline are inalienable and, thus, should be vested in one office. While reform of the Police Service is an ongoing process, it has to be carried out in such a manner that it does not weaken the command element of the sector. Hence, the power to make appointments, reappointments, promotion and discharge should be reposed with the head of the Police who works directly with members of the uniformed force while the Police Service Commission plays an oversight role.
6.4 On Clause 14, the Committee noted that strengthening of institutional discipline in the Police Service is very critical and necessary. Therefore, internal disciplinary mechanisms must be exhausted or completed before judicial courts can be approached. However, in the spirit of fairness, Tribunal Courts are implored to abide by dictates of the Constitution in delivering justice.
6.5 On Clause 14, the Committee observed that, though the Bill seeks to repeal Section 32 of the Act, which allows members to choose to be tried in a Magistrates Courts for disciplinary offences rather than by a Board of Officers, it does not amend section 29A of the Act, which gives the High Court and Magistrates Courts jurisdiction to try disciplinary offences. Thus, should section 32 be repealed, as the case may be, it follows that Section 29A should also be struck off or be amended in such a way as to avoid any irregularities in the Act.
6.6 The Committee observed that the proposed additional clauses on 4.5.0 made by stakeholders are indeed critical and relevant in as far as protection of police property and uniforms is concerned.
7.0 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
On Clause 6 the formulation of Standing Orders must remain the responsibility of the Commissioner General of Police while the Police Service Commission plays an oversight role.
On Clauses 9, 10, 11 and 12, the power to appoint, re-appoint, promote, suspend and discharge non-commissioned members should be vested in the Commissioner General of Police while the Police Service Commission plays an oversight role.
A new clause that criminalises the unauthorised possession, manufacture, trade, sale, exchange or disposal of police uniforms must be added to section 66 of the Police Act. This is important in order to curb criminal cases involving persons masquerading as police officers.
A new clause that criminalises vandalism of police equipment or property in any way must be inserted in the Bill.
A new clause that empowers internal Trial Officers to issue and deal with a warrant of arrest emanating from disciplinary trials must be inserted. This will promote discipline within the Police Service.
8.0 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the Joint Committee applauds the Bill for taking steps towards reforming the Police Service through aligning the
Principal Act to the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013. The establishment of the Police Service Commission is in itself a great move in the right direction as it will go a long way in improving service delivery in the sector through its oversight role as well as collaborating and complementing the efforts of other constitutionally established Commissions. That being the case, therefore, it is pertinent for both institutions to operate in unison and within the confines of the Constitution at the same time ensuring that the sanctity of national security is preserved. I thank you.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 9th September, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the rest of the Orders of the
Day, be stood over until Order Number 14 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
BUDGET, FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ON
THE CONSOLIDATED BUDGET PERFORMANCE REPORTS
FOR THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT AND ITS INSTITUTIONS
HON. B. DUBE: I move the motion in my name that this House considers and adopts the Second Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Analysis of Vote 8 for the Ministry of Lands,
Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement for the years ended
December 31, 2017 and 2018.
HON. T. MLISWA: I second.
HON. B. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for giving
me time to present this report before this House.
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Section 119 of the Constitution gives Parliament power to ensure that provisions of the Constitution are “upheld and that the State and all institutions and agencies of government at every level act constitutionally and in the national interest.”
1.2 Section 299 of the Constitution confers the Public Accounts Committee with unlimited oversight powers over all State revenues and expenditure. It states that;
(a) “Parliament must monitor and oversee expenditure by the State and all Commissions and institutions and agencies of Government at every level including statutory bodies, government-controlled entities, provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities...”
1.3 Accordingly, Parliament in general and the Public
Accounts Committee in particular, has the responsibility to ensure accountability and openness of the State through oversight of activities of the executive and its auxiliary bodies.
1.4 The Public Accounts Committee is constituted in terms of Standing Order No. 16 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the
National Assembly, which reads:
“There must be a Committee on Public Accounts, for the examination of the sums granted by Parliament to meet the public expenditure and of such other accounts laid before Parliament as the committee may think fit.”
1.5 In doing its work, not only does the Committee measure compliance arising from reports of the Auditor General or other reports but the Committee also looks at constitutional and statutory compliance in so far as it relates to financial and audit matters.
1.6 In short, the Committee exercises its oversight function by examining both the technical accounting issues as identified in audit reports as well as technical legal compliance issues.
2. Background to the Inquiry
2.1. The Public Accounts Committee carries out its work pursuant to statutory audits of State accounts by the Auditor General. In each year, the Auditor General provides three sets of audited statements on Appropriation Accounts which cover Government ministries, State owned enterprises and local authorities. There are 40 Votes that are covered in the audit of Appropriation Accounts, 179 audited State-owned enterprises and
92 audited local authorities.
2.2 Given this huge number of audited accounts (311 in total), the Public Accounts Committee took a decision to examine selected audited accounts in the three sets of entities.
2.3 The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, which is Vote 8 of the Appropriation Account, was chosen as a sample Ministry from a group of ministries that receive huge allocations from the National Budget.
2.4 What started off as a normal routine audit examination by the Public Accounts Committee quickly imploded into a major inquiry when the Committee noted a huge amount of an
Unallocated Reserve amounting to US$1 559 713 867.
2.5 In the process of receiving oral evidence, it became clear to the Committee that Command Agriculture on its own was a huge entity, much bigger than amounts appropriated originally to Vote 8 in both 2017 and 2018.
2.6 That being so, the Committee found itself conducting two separate enquiries, the routine inquiry on Vote 8 and the separate inquiry on Command Agriculture.
2.7 As a result, the Committee ended up producing two reports, one on Vote 8 and the other on Command Agriculture. The first Report focuses purely on routine issues raised by the Auditor General on Vote 8. The other Report focuses purely on Command Agriculture.
2.8 In preparing both Reports, the Committee received oral evidence from officials in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the Reserve Bank Governor Dr.
John Panonetsa Mangudya, his deputy Dr. Khuphukile Mlambo and senior officials from the Reserve Bank. The Committee also received evidence from the Grain Marketing Board and from selected private companies that were involved with Command Agriculture that included Croco Motors, Solution Motors, Valley
Seeds, Pedstock, Ferts, Seed and Grain and Sakunda.
2.9 The Committee also received extensive documentation, particularly from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and the Reserve Bank. The Committee expresses its indebtedness to these entities for the documents which were invaluable in its work.
Challenges with the enquiry
2.10 The Committee commenced its work in May 2019 but only completed receiving oral evidence in March 2020. The Committee met several challenges which included the refusal of witnesses and companies to come and testify.
2.11 The Committee also faced challenges with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. First were delays experienced due to the absence of the Governor, Dr. John Panonetsa Mangundya who at one stage in October 2019 was said to be attending annual meetings of the World Bank and IMF in Washington DC.
2.12 Second was the bank’s refusal to provide the Committee with information, particularly correspondence between the Reserve Bank Governor, Dr Mangundya and the
Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon P.
Chinamasa relating to Treasury Bills.
2.13 Third was the bank’s delay and refusal to answer material questions arising out of discrepancies in respect of
Treasury Bills. As the Committee’s report on Command Agriculture will show, those discrepancies were never properly addressed up to the present moment in time.
2.14 The COVID-19 pandemic paralysed the operations of Parliament for at least four months. This naturally delayed production of this report on Vote 8.
3.0 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MINISTRY OF LANDS,
AGRICULTURE, WATER, FISHERIES AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT
3.1 Zimbabwe is an agriculture-based economy and therefore, the management and control of resources allocated to agriculture becomes a key imperator of Parliament in its oversight
role.
3.2 Traditionally, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement receives the fourth highest budget allocation after the Ministries of Health, Defence and Primary and
Secondary Education. The Auditor General’s Report of 2017 and 2018 disclosed huge amounts of unallocated reserves in the respective sums $73 903 789 and $1 409 056 680.
3.3 Given this, it became natural and inevitable that the Public
Accounts Committee devote some time to the same.
4.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
4.1 The Auditor General qualified the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement books covered in Vote 8 for both 2017 and 2018. The Committee provides full details of the Audit misdemeanours below. In summary, the issues giving rise to the qualification of the Ministry’s books are the
following:
4.1.1 Failure to adhere to Treasury Instructions, particularly on acquisition and disposal of assets;
4.1.2 Failure to comply with the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter 22:23] with regards to procurement and disposal of assets;
4.1.3 Failure to keep records of assets acquired;
4.1.4 Failure to follow standard accounting procedures;
4.1.5 Recording transactions without supporting documents;
4.1.6 Conflict of interest (many officials are beneficiaries of the Land Reform programmes and they are also responsible for distributing agricultural inputs under various government programmes);
4.1.7 Structural issue of Treasury and/or the Reserve Bank making payments and transacting on behalf of the Ministry without the Ministry’s knowledge (this challenge is at the epicentre of our report on the Special Maize Programme commonly known as Command Agriculture;
4.1.8 Failure to implement Ministry’s work plans and to monitor and oversee Ministry’s projects and programmes;
4.1.9 Failure to follow up on debtors and other defaulting parties including the absence of a debt collection department;
4.1.10 Failure to implement audit recommendations from previous years;
4.1.11 Leakages, misappropriations and theft; and
4.1.12 There were no policy guidelines on the Special
Maize Programme/Command Agriculture.
5.0 SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement is a specialised Ministry. Investment in capacity building must be made, particularly in specialised departments such as Accounting, Legal Services, Procurement and Agriculture
Extension Services within 90 days of tabling of this Report;
5.2 Treasury Instructions and the Public Finance
Management Act [Chapter 22:19] must be strictly complied with, with immediate effect;
5.3 There must be strict compliance with principles of public accounting, in addition the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement in consultation with Treasury, must invest in tried and tested accounting packages such as Pastel, Sage and SAP within 90 days of tabling of this
Report;
5.4 A Procurement department must be set up in the
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural
Resettlement under the Accounting Officer, in compliance with
Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act [Chapter
22:23], which department must follow the dictates of the same
Act, within 90 days of tabling of this Report;
5.5 A special unit, equivalent to the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development’s Implementation and Monitoring Unit
(IMU), must be set up in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture,
Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement to be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of projects, within 90 days of tabling of this Report;
5.5.1 A specialised unit with qualified personnel must monitor conflict of interest issues, particularly areas around staff benefiting from government agricultural support programmes within 90 days of tabling of this Report;
5.5.2 ZACC must investigate, within 90 days of tabling of this Report, the disposal of inputs and assets to staff and personnel at the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement connected with the following;
- Disposal of equipment from Farmer’s World; ii. Disposal of inputs and equipment from the Chinese US$ 15 million which comprised 36 tractors, 30 motor vehicles and 200 motor bikes; and iii. Acquisition of agricultural inputs under various government programmes (Command Agriculture and Presidential Input Scheme) for 2017 and 2018.
5.6 The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development must be an allocative Ministry and should make disbursements to line ministries and must stop making direct payments and purchases on behalf of ministries with immediate effect;
5.7 The Special Maize Programme/ Command Agriculture, should, within the current session of Parliament, be well defined in Regulations or in an Act of Parliament which among other things:
- allocates accounting obligations to a particular concerned Ministry or department; ii. defines the qualification criteria of beneficiaries; and iii. defines repayment obligations.
5.8 The Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19] must be amended to empower the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development to take disciplinary measures against Accounting Officers of ministries and State bodies that continuously flout or fail to respond to, or address issues raised in the Auditor General’s Report, or persistently fail to produce audited statements.
6.0 FINDINGS BY THE COMMITTEE
Assets
6.1. Advance Payment for Motor Vehicles
6.1.1 The Department of Irrigation bought ten (10) motor vehicles from Solution Motors amounting to $518 850 on December 19, 2017. The department only received six (6) motor vehicles out of the ten (10) motor vehicles paid for in advance without seeking redress from the supplier for the remaining four (4) motor vehicles worth $207 540. Furthermore, in terms of the technical specifications of the contract, Solutions Motors was supposed to have delivered the motor vehicles with canopies and bull bars and all the six (6) motor vehicles delivered had no such accessories.
6.1.2 The Director of Irrigation stated that Solution Motors was a private company in the business of supplying vehicles. He indicated that four out of ten vehicles that were not delivered would have been delivered by 30 August 2019. He stated that the Ministry had paid the full amount before delivery out of the need to get a contractor who would supply the vehicles. When asked by the Committee whether the matter had been reported to the police or steps taken to recover the money, the Director indicated that the Ministry had tasked the legal officer to take up the matter.
Committee’s observations
6.1.3. Solution Motors has not yet delivered the vehicles to date.
6.1.4. The Ministry flouted the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act [Chapter 22:23], by making full payment before delivery.
Recommendations
6.1.5. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should recover the advance payments made to Solution Motors for undelivered vehicles within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
6.1.6. Solution Motors should be referred to ZACC for investigation and prosecution for non- delivery of vehicles worth
US$$207 540, within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
Plant and Equipment
6.2.1 The Auditor General observed that the Department of
Irrigation entered into a procurement contract with Solution Motors to buy two (2) excavators (SANY SY365C), one (1) Motorised Compactor, one (1) Water Bowser and two (2) Tipper trucks at a cost of $958 665 for irrigation rehabilitation on December 5, 2017.
However, two (2) Excavators (SANY SY 365C) and one (1) Water Bowser valued at $515 650 were not delivered and the department did not seek redress from the supplier. The Auditor General was unable to verify the ownership of two (2) Tipper trucks and one (1) Motorised
Compactor, since she was not provided with the registration books.
Committee’s observation
6.2.2. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement might have engaged a supplier who has no capacity to deliver the plant and equipment.
Recommendations
6.2.3. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should recover the advance payments made to Solution Motors for undelivered plant and equipment within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
6.2.4. Solution Motors should be referred to ZACC for investigation.
Handling of Government Assets
6.3.1 It was observed that the Ministry neither took stock of its motor vehicles nor updated the asset register in contravention of Treasury Circular Number 8 of 2018. This was a requirement upon the merging of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development with former Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement and Water and Climate. The Ministry did not provide a hand-over/take-over certificate for audit inspection.
6.3.2 The Finance Director argued that the vehicles could not be recorded in the Ministry’s register as they were under a parallel programme. He explained that the programme was run by a logistics department under the Office of the President and Cabinet. The Permanent Secretary confirmed that the vehicles were under police investigation because they did not have registration books.
Committee’s observation
6.3.3. The Ministry officials did not regularize the registration of vehicles in terms of the regulations.
Recommendation
6.3.4. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should regularize the registration of the vehicles within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
Farm Equipment
6.4.1 The Department of Agricultural Engineering and Mechanisation recovered some farm equipment from Farmers World whose borrowings had been guaranteed by Government but the equipment had not been valued and no adjustments made to the
Statement of Contingent Liabilities
6.4.2 The Finance Director described the involvement of
Farmers World as a special programme initially run under the
Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and later offloaded to the Ministry. He explained that Farmers World had an interest in tobacco farming and that arrangements between Farmers World and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) had resulted in some farm equipment being distributed through the company. The Ministry had faced difficulties in getting the list of beneficiaries of the farm equipment for accounting purposes. The Finance Director argued that there was no need to have the items on the Ministry’s accounts because the Ministry was not exposed as the payment to the suppliers of the equipment had been made.
Committee’s observation
6.4.3. The RBZ unprocedurally offloaded the programme to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural
Resettlement.
Recommendation
6.4.4. The RBZ must supply the Ministry of Lands,
Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement and Parliament with the list of beneficiaries within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
Chinese Grant [2017]
6.5.1. The Ministry received 36 tractors, 30 motor vehicles and 200 motor bikes through a grant from the Republic of China. The assets were not recorded in the Ministry’s Master Asset Register and the Grant Agreement was not availed for audit inspection.
6.5.2 The Director for Mechanisation stated that the donation had been made to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement and the Ministry had sought authority from
Treasury to accept it. He indicated that after delivery, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement had distributed the equipment. The Director of Mechanisation indicated that he thought the list of beneficiaries had been shared with the auditors. He stated that some of the equipment had been distributed to institutions and some to individuals. The Director submitted that the distribution of the equipment had been done at Ministerial level and the Ministry was working backwards to get the information.
Committee’s observation
6.5.3. The Minister single-handedly prepared the list of beneficiaries for distribution.
Recommendation
6.5.4. All future donations must be recorded in the asset register and distributed transparently.
Farm Equipment [2017]
6.6.1 The Auditor General observed that the Ministry distributed farm equipment recovered from Farmers World without attaching monetary values to the equipment. Furthermore, equipment valued at $853 750 acquired from William Bain was not recorded in the
Ministry`s Master Asset Register.
6.6.2 The Director Mechanisation explained to the Committee that equipment recovered from Farmers World had been part of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) equipment which Farmers World had been tasked to distribute. He revealed that when the Command Agriculture Programme commenced in 2017, the Ministry got information of idle equipment which included combine harvesters and ploughs, some of which had been brought back by farmers. He explained that the Ministry had engaged Farmers World, which referred the Ministry to the RBZ. The Committee was informed that RBZ wrote a letter to Farmers World instructing it to release 13 combine harvesters and an assortment of equipment.
6.6.3 The Director argued that some of the equipment did not have value and the combine harvesters had been stripped of some parts when they were being serviced. He indicated that the Ministry had since sought condonation from Treasury and the equipment had been distributed to individuals and in terms of the legality of the distribution, it was a misnomer. He admitted that no audit or an evaluation of the equipment had been done and informed the Committee that the Ministry had assumed that the equipment was valueless.
6.6.4 The Committee sought to find out if the Director for
Mechanisation was a beneficiary of the equipment from the Chinese Grant and from Farmers World. The Director admitted that he had received a few frames for a disc harrow from the equipment from
Farmers World and a planter from equipment received from the Chinese Grant.
6.6.5 The Committee also questioned him whether he did not feel something was wrong from benefitting from the equipment and he could not respond. He went on to indicate that some of the names on the list of beneficiaries were employees and former employees of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural
Resettlement.
6.6.6 From the evidence submitted, the Committee observed that indeed Treasury granted approval for the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development to receive 200 motor cycles, 30 pick-ups, 36 corn planters, 25 fodder grinders, 36 tractors, 36-disc harrows, 36 farm sprayers, 36 moldboard plows and 36-disc ploughs. This authority was granted in a letter dated 13 February 2013.
6.6.7 From the distribution list submitted, out of the 36 Foton tractors, 18 were distributed to individuals, the majority of which consisted of public officials in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development. Of the 36-disc ploughs, 18 were again distributed to individuals with 11 of the beneficiaries of the tractors being Ministry officials.
Committee’s observation
6.6.8. The Ministry officials shared the equipment amongst themselves.
Recommendations
6.6.9. The officials must be referred to ZACC for investigation within 60 days of tabling of this Report.
6.6.10. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement must recover the value of the equipment (US$ 853 750) from the officials within 90 days, if necessary.
Accounting Issues
Statement of Other Contingent Liabilities
6.7.1 The Auditor General was not provided with supporting evidence for Other Contingent Liabilities amounting to US$ 58 653 761.
6.7.2 The Finance Director indicated that this had been another tripartite transaction. He pointed out that the Ministry had tried to get supporting documents but the efforts had been fruitless. He stressed that it was another transaction carried forward which should not be in the Ministry’s books as it should have been recorded in the RBZ books given that the Maguta Programme was funded by the RBZ.
Committee’s observation
6.7.3. The 2018 AG report notes that supporting documentation has not yet been provided.
Recommendation
6.7.4. The RBZ must provide the information, within 90 days of tabling of this Report, to allow the Ministry to clear its books.
Budget Estimates
6.8.1 The Auditor General was unable to verify the Ministry’s budget provision for the year2017 as the Ministry was allocated $ 292 696 000, according to the Appropriation Act but $ 294 567 000 was disclosed in the Appropriation Account leaving a variance of $1 871 000.
6.8.2 The Finance Director argued that differences arise when Ministry of Finance and Economic Development gives further allocations from the Unallocated Reserve and that sometimes paper work is not generated for the allocation. He argued that the differences between the two figures can also be as a result of set offs.
Committee’s observations
6.8.3. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development violated the Public Finance Management Act [Chapter 22:19] by making direct payments to suppliers and not informing the line Ministry.
6.8.4. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement was not aware of what was happening with their Budget allocation as allocations were made by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development without informing the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement.
6.8.5. In the 2018 Report, the issue was still outstanding.
Recommendations
6.8.6. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should desist from making direct payments on behalf of ministries without their knowledge.
6.8.7. Treasury should avail relevant information to the
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural
Resettlement to enable the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement to reconcile their books and clear the variance of $1 871 000 within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
6.8.8. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should submit quarterly finance reports to the Portfolio Committee on Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement in compliance with the requirements of the PFMA.
Overstatement of Expenditure [2018]
6.9.1 Expenditure in respect of the acquisition of fixed capital assets was overstated by an amount of $18 250 042 during the financial year under review. This was caused by improper accounting treatment of capital transfers to Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ).
6.9.2 The Finance Director indicated that the variance was a result of an accounting treatment. He explained the concept of cash accounting and highlighted that once the budget is released, the money is moved to the Infrastructural Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ). Thereafter, IDBZ pays the contractor when conditions have been met. He however, proposed that money should be transferred to an account from which payment by the Ministry should be done after the contractor has met the conditions. The Director for Irrigation indicated that some of the contracts were not running due to disagreements over charges after changes brought about by the Monetary Policy Statement. He explained that the money should have been transferred back to Treasury for reallocation in
Committee’s observation
6.9.3. Treasury transferred money to a third party (IDBZ) without the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and
Rural Resettlement’s knowledge. This leaves room for misappropriation by the third party.
Recommendation
6.9.4. Going forward, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should desist from transferring funds to third parties, but should transfer the allocate funds to line ministries.
Financial Statements [2018]
6.10.1 The observation by the Auditor General was that for the fourth year in succession, the Agricultural Revolving Fund did not prepare financial statements in respect of Matabeleland
North, Matabeleland South, Masvingo and Manicaland Provincial Veterinary Offices. This was a violation of Sections 2.8 and 3.3 of the Fund’s Accounting Officer’s Instructions Manual.
6.10.2 The Finance Director acknowledged that failure to produce financial statements had been observed before. He questioned the competences of staff and expressed doubt on some of them being accountants. He informed the Committee that training was required to ensure that there was an improvement in the output. He proposed that accountants at head office should go to the provinces and give on- sight assistance. The Finance Director pointed out that some offices did not have accounting packages and some did not have connectivity. He advised the Committee that some colleges produced their accounts and the Ministry consolidated statements for the programmes.
Committee’s observations
6.10.3. There are serious issues within the Finance and Accounting Department at the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture,
Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement.
- The Finance Director demonstrated incompetence as evidenced by failure to supervise and manage accounting staff as well as to follow up with Treasury on the reconciliations.
- Accounting procedures were violated.
Recommendations
6.10.4. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should submit updated accounts within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
6.10.5. The responsible authority should institute disciplinary action against the Accounting Officer in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement within six months of tabling of this Report for failure to discharge his duties.
Misappropriation of public funds [2018]
6.11.1 The Auditor General observed that an Accounting Assistant stationed at Murewa District Veterinary Office converted to personal use State funds amounting to US$1 861. She also observed that a total amount of US$238 withdrawn from the bank by Murewa District for office use was lying on the floor instead of being under lock in the safe and US$61 was kept in a drawer without supporting receipts. She further observed that the Agricultural Revolving Fund lost further revenue amounting to US $5 389 through misappropriation by three (3) officers at Masvingo Provincial
Veterinary Office.
6.11.2 The Finance Director explained that line directorates are responsible for safeguarding cash received and that Head Office comes in to give advice in terms of safety of cash collected and accounting procedures. He informed the Committee that one strategy of safeguarding cash received was to bring all accountants together and run them through accounting procedures. He submitted that where a criminal offence was noted, the matter should be reported to the police. The Ministry was not sure of what had happened to officers who had misappropriated funds.
Committee’s observation
6.11.3. There is a casual approach attitude in the Veterinary offices primarily due to lack of enforcement of systems and procedures in place to safeguards funds.
Recommendations
6.11.4. The Ministry should take disciplinary action against the station heads for Masvingo and Murehwa for failing to take disciplinary action against the finance and accounting staff involved within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
6.11.5. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should henceforth enforce systems and procedures by ensuring that they are complied with in the course of officers discharging their duties.
6.11.6. The Ministry should recover the amount of US$1
681, within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
Results Based Management [2018]
6.12.1 The Auditor General noted that the Department of Lands Management and Rural Resettlement planned to allocate four thousand hectares (4000ha) to four hundred (400) land beneficiaries but there was no evidence of any land allocated during the year ended December 31, 2018. The Ministry also planned to issue twenty (20) ninety-nine (99) year leases but only managed to issue eight (8) leases, one thousand five hundred (1500) A1 permits and two hundred and seventy (270) permits. Two hundred (200) A2 farms had been targeted for mapping but only fifty-seven (57) farms were mapped. The output for the three targets was forty percent (40%), eighteen percent (18%) and twenty-nine (29%) respectively.
6.12.2 In responding to a general question on monitoring and evaluation of activities of the Ministry’s programmes, the Permanent Secretary informed the Committee that the Ministry was divided into departments, with each department headed by a director. Each director was responsible for monitoring and evaluation of activities in the department to ensure that results were achieved.
6.12.3 In relation to missed targets, he argued that 99-year land leases required that land be surveyed. He noted that this area was a challenge in terms of quantity surveyors. He explained to the Committee that when performance targets were set, there was no consideration of exogenous factors such as the fees charged by land surveyors. High fees had left the Ministry with a few surveyors to choose from.
6.12.4 The Permanent Secretary indicated that eligibility for a 99-year lease takes level of production into account and that the recommendation for the lease is therefore based on the level of production.
Committee Observations
6.12.5. There was no monitoring and evaluation to assess whether the set targets would be met.
6.12.6. There is a shortage of manpower and equipment for land surveyors.
Recommendation
6.12.7. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should set realistic targets and seek Treasury concurrence for additional funding to engage land surveyors or alternatively sign MoUs with institutions of Higher Learning that train land surveyors within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
International Boundary Reaffirmation
6.13.1 The Auditor observed that the Surveyor General Department reaffirmed 27% of the planned two hundred (200) kilometres of Zimbabwe`s international boundaries. In addition to that, the department was lagging behind on the African Union Boarder Programme (AUBP) that requires all nations to complete all international boundaries reaffirmations by the year 2023. There were no reaffirmations done on the South African and Zambian boarders measuring a total of 225km and 798km respectively. For the
Botswana boundary, only 542 km was reaffirmed out of a total of 841km and for the Mozambique boundary, only 43 km was reaffirmed out of a total of 1134 km. Out of the total two thousand nine hundred and ninety-eight (2998) kilometres of the Zimbabwean boundary, only five hundred and eight five (585) kilometres which is twenty (20%) percent were reaffirmed since the inception of the AUBP programme in year 2011.
6.13.2 The Permanent Secretary described International Boundary Reaffirmation as a process involving two neighboring countries agreeing on established borders. He indicated that there could be cases where heated arguments arise, for example the Kazungula case. He reported that the Ministry was in constant contact with the neighbouring countries and working hard to conclude the exercise. He indicated that there was a possibility of using drones to assist in mapping.
Committee’s Observation
6.13.3. The Committee noted with concern that only 20% was covered in eight years and as a result, the 2023 target by the AUBP will be missed.
Recommendation
6.13.4. The International Boundary Reaffirmation process should be prioritized and concluded by 2023.
Service Delivery- Dipping chemicals [2018]
6.14.1 The shortage of dipping chemicals led to the death of fifty thousand (50 000) cattle across the whole country. The shortage of dipping chemicals (tick buster and deltamethrin SC) was observed mainly in Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Masvingo and Matabeleland North. This also led to an increase in tick borne and water borne diseases such as theileriosis.
6.14.2 The Permanent Secretary explained that the tendering process for dipping chemicals is done the same way it is done for any other goods. The Acting Director for Veterinary Services mentioned Chemplex and Coopers as two of the companies which supplied chemicals. He stated that the companies had faced foreign currency challenges which they required to import some ingredients.
Committee’s Observations
6.14.3 There is no serious intervention by the Government to address the issue of diseases outbreaks.
Recommendations
6.14.4. Government should prioritise the procurement of medicines and veterinary products and avail funds to procure chemicals within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
Service Delivery - Dairy Services Unit [2018]
6.15.1 The Dairy Service Units in Masvingo and Mutare Provinces were not carrying out inspections of milk parlors and testing the quality of milk in contravention of the Dairy Act [Chapter 18:08]. The units were not fully capacitated as they did not have vehicles, refrigerators, cooler boxes, universal bottles, apparatus and consumables such as respirators.
6.15.2 The Acting Director for Veterinary Services pointed out that cleanliness was not only done at the parlors. He indicated that inspectors conducted inspections but sometimes they would fail to cover all the areas. He highlighted that if milk is traced back to the farm, then issues can be attended to.
Committee’s Observation
6.15.3: There is no serious intervention by the Government to address the issue.
Recommendation
6.15.4: The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should review both the infrastructure and human resources in monitoring the dairy industry within 90 days of tabling of this Report.
Mbizi Quarantine Camp Farm [2018]
6.16.1 The Auditor General observed that the Division of
Veterinary Services had not been able to access Mbizi Quarantine
Camp Farm and State property at the farm during the past thirteen (13) years. The division once lost Mbizi Quarantine Camp Farm comprising two thousand eight hundred (2 800) hectares in Mwenezi District on January 05, 2004 following an offer letter signed by the then Minister of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement to an individual. However, that offer letter was later withdrawn by the then Minister of Special Affairs in the President’s Office in Charge of
Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement on February 01, 2005. Despite the withdrawal of the offer letter, the individual still occupied the farm at the time of audit.
6.16.2 The Acting Director of Veterinary Services explained that the Department of Veterinary Services was given the farm in the 1970s for research purposes, mainly to try and come up with a vaccine for heart water. He advised the Committee that the research had not produced the desired results and the department had proceeded to use the farm as a quarantine area and for tests. He indicated that he was not sure of the coming in of the farmer who was later given an offer letter. The Ministry was not aware of the current status after the withdrawal of the offer letter.
Committee’s Observations
6.16.3. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement is not treating this matter with the urgency it deserves.
Recommendations
6.16.4. The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement should provide a comprehensive report explaining to Parliament the circumstances under which the person is still occupying the land and measures put in place to recover Government assets within 90 days of tabling of this
Report.
6.16.5. Measures taken by the Ministry should include referring to ZACC and ZRP, the case for continued illegal occupancy by the individual. Disciplinary action should be taken against the Director responsible.
7.0 CONCLUSION
7.1 The Committee hopes that going forward the observations made by the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee are not repeated in the coming years. This is partly addressed by implementing the recommendations proffered in this Report. The Committee will continue to execute its mandate, on behalf of the citizens to ensure that public funds are safeguarded. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to
second this motion on the Public Accounts Committee on the analysis of Vote 8, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and
Rural Resettlement for the years ended 2017 to 2018 and we are in 2021. The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Hon. B.
Dube diligently presented an issue of bad governance in many ways. The Public Financial Management Act which is the sacred law in terms of the management of finances has not been complied with and this is the story of the day every day.
We would want to understand first of all – do these workers in Government understand their laws? It is tax payers paying them to work but the money that they are paid, there is no work. Again, who is monitoring all this? Madam Speaker, I want to talk about the role of the Office of the President and Cabinet which most people never want to talk about. It is the mandate, if I am not mistaken, Hon. Khupe was once in Cabinet, she can correct me, it is about monitoring, evaluation and implementation of all the monies under every Ministry. That office is blotted, there are so many secretaries and an Ambassador who is no longer an Ambassador is just put there, to do what, yet you see these ministries not being monitored and evaluated for the fiscus monies that come through.
Madam Speaker, cars purchased, not delivered, people are still going to work, there is no investigation, no one is arrested and no recovery. Madam Speaker, we have to come in this House again and I hope Hon. Members of Parliament are listening to this. We can no longer continue giving money to such ministries. We are our own worst enemies, why are we giving monies to ministries which cannot account for the monies? Whether we are tired or not, we are giving ourselves a problem. We must invite the Office of the President and Cabinet to each session and respond to the monitoring and evaluation of the money and implementation. Madam Speaker, this is all about corruption, nobody does anything about that.
First of all, how can you give money to a vehicle company without due diligence, maybe they sell amacimbi but they are called solution motors. Then they say macimbi is the car. So no one ever visited that company to see if they do have the cars or not and then pay for those cars. Due diligence is not there but it is deliberate because it is corruption. The system is embedded with corruption and that is how we are running things everyday that we do not monitor. There is the Minister, what is the role of the Minister, what is the role of the chief accounting officer who is the Permanent
Secretary, what is the role of the Principal Directors and the Internal Auditor? All these people are paid to be able to do a job but these went unnoticed and people went unscathed about this. We have to wait for the Auditor-General’s Office to be able to reveal this. Committees must make sure that Ministers and Permanent Secretaries come before the Committees under the Public Financial Management Act, every three months, take stock of what is happening. We are also at fault, how many Committees are calling Ministries because afterwards, we as Public Accounts Committee must be able to get finer details from the Portfolio Committee responsible for this. They do not do it, as a result we end up doing the work.
Madam Speaker, I am trying to say that Committees are not working as efficiently as they should. Not only that the Chairperson of the Committee must be able to stand when the budget is being done to say, we are not approving this until these requirements have been met. We have now been known as a rubberstamping National Assembly. Even your own welfare, you rubberstamp, you do not get it. So to me, that is who are we, what are we doing in this House. We now have a situation where we are known as a useless institution – if it is a result of 1291k, you are all not going to have it, because what you are doing is a disservice to this nation. If it is the whipping system, leave the party with the whipping system, represent people, stay as independent like me and you will be voted for. People are looking for independent minds to move this country forward, not people who are whipped. You are a laughing stock of the nation. If I ask, what you are getting from your parties - nothing, it is poverty every day. Already you are lamenting Thursday is coming; you do not know what to do.
Madam Speaker, we must be able to conduct ourselves professionally here. I have no kind words for Chairpersons of Committees who do not play the oversight role on their part. ZACC, comes in to investigate as a result of recommendations. I see how reports are well tabled here. Hon. Mayihlome is a good example. The recommendations which the Chairperson spoke about are not done, so why do we sit as Committees, come up with the recommendations and the recommendations are not done? Those in Government will tell me there is what we call the Treasury Minute, if my understanding is correct, it is as a result of the Public Accounts coming up with recommendations to the Minister of Finance in terms of the money which was allocated to different Ministries and say this must happen. It is important and I am glad we have a new Chairperson who is listening that in the next budget, those Treasury minutes must be there. If the Minister does not respond to them, the budget does not pass. That helps in monitoring how the money has been spent.
The Public Finance Management Act 135 (2009), talks about the Mid-Term-Review being an exercise to see whether there is execution and implementation but the Minister comes here to give a political statement. He does not respond to execution and to implementation. So how then can we now have a situation prevailing when the Minister of Finance and Economic Development cannot come and tell us that the $200 billion which was allocated to agriculture was used in this manner? He has never come for a supplementary budget yet
there is inflation which basically means the system is dead, the Ministry of Finance is critical in shaping and leading how finances should be done.
Madam Speaker, why am I saying this, all they are doing through their corrupt activities is channeling the money directly to a third party. Hon. Khupe and Hon. Mpariwa, you were in
Government, what is the role of the Consolidated Revenue Fund?
That is the Government kitty, money from there, goes to the Ministry
…
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, you are left
with five minutes.
HON. T. MLISWA: It goes to the kitty and then it is distributed but because of the corruption which is there, these are deals. We want these people investigated and arrested. The Chairperson recommended 90 days, this should be with immediate effect. We can no longer have a situation where people are suffering. War Veterans, Members of Parliament, civil servants, school going kids and everybody are crying for the welfare, yet people are busy involved in corruption every day.
Those 36 motorcycles are for agricultural colleges. Chibero has no tractor, so all the graduates coming out of Chibero cannot even drive a tractor yet these could have gone to those institutions. There is Kushinga Phikelela, Esigodini, Gwebi and other colleges. These tractors are supposed to be there, officials were supposed to take us there and no one would have a problem, because we want institutions to be strong. No wonder why from an agricultural point of view, we are not achieving anything because how do you employ a diploma student who cannot even drive a tractor.
Madam Speaker, I also want to talk about the issue of income streams. What we must also understand is that Ministries tend to get money, when they get money, where does the money go and does that money also get accounted for by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, to say if they have got some projects which are giving them money – let us say these 36 tractors were a donation but there was a budget for buying that, is that money deducted?
For example, the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans has got mines but they come and ask for a two billion budget yet they are making money from those money activities. If they make five million, is that deducted from the two billion? I am trying to give an example to say that there is no proper accountability. The money that they are getting cannot be accounted for. It does not help in terms of this fiscus because the debt is still high. You expect the Minister to come in. A lot of questions need to be answered.
I want to end this by saying that the Public Finance
Management Act has to be adhered to and I am glad that our capable Chairman of the Committee has come up with this report. This report is from 2017-2018, I do not know how the 2018-2019, 2019-2020 or 2021 reports look like. This is shambles; it is a shame for us to allow this to happen. It is my prayer that the day the budget is being announced, we will stand up and say we are not passing it until people go back and do the right thing, then we will be known as a Parliament with teeth. If the recommendations are not done too, there is no money that must be given to any Ministry.
I want to thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity and I would also want to thank the Chairperson for moving this motion in terms of the report on the Ministry of Lands,
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement.
HON. B. DUBE: I move that the debate do now adjourn. Looking at the time and also the number of Committee members and other members who are obviously interested in debating this, I realise that we no longer have adequate time to do this. I see angry farmers there; Hon. Munetsi and others – I am sure they are burning to have a say on this one.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 8th September, 2021.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI seconded by HON. MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Eighteen Minutes past Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 26th August, 2021
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
BILL RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the Senate that I have received the Pensions and Providence Funds Bill [H. B. 17A, 2019] from the National Assembly.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: With me, I have a list
of apologies received from Ministers who are not going to be able to attend because of some other commitments;
The Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon.
General (Rtd). Dr. C. G. D. N. Chiwenga; the Minister of Foreign
Affairs and International Trade, Hon. Amb. Dr. F. M. Shava; the
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. C. N. G. Mathema; the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. M. N. Ndlovu; the Minister of Mines and Mining
Development, Hon. Chitando; the Minister of Industry and Commerce,
Hon. Dr. Kanhutu-Nzenza; the Minister of Local Government and
Public Works, Hon. J. G. Moyo; the Deputy Minister of Mines and
Mining Development, Hon. P. Kambamura; the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Hon. D. Garwe; the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. M. Chombo.
If I may welcome the Ministers who are in the House. We have the Leader of the House, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa, the Minister of
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services; Hon. K. Kazembe, the
Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Hon. Murwira, the
Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and
Technology Development; Hon. Mhona, the Minister of Transport and
Infrastructural Development; Hon. Musabayana, Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Hon. M. Mudyiwa, the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development. Those are the
Ministers we have.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: My question is very simple Madam President. Every Thursday, we raise our complaint over the attendance of ministers, that they are not taking this business seriously. They are not taking it as one of the duties that they should discharge to the people of Zimbabwe. On Tuesday, there is a Cabinet meeting, do we get such excuses? I think the answer is a very simple no because they plan that they will all attend and they are 90% present.
All these ministers have their own Deputy Ministers but there are a few Deputy Ministers here. Does it mean that on Thursday, when we have such an important occasion in the country, all the ministers will be busy? Specifically, the Minister of Health and Child Care, we can say that the Vice President would be busy, it is understandable but the Deputy Minister can come. The country is under the COVID-19 pandemic; the people of Zimbabwe want to know where we stand so that we help each other on the way forward. The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, it is a big issue when it comes to our finances – we heard that we were given USD1 billion and the citizens want to know what is going to happen but the Minister and his deputy are not here. I think we are not being serious with the people of Zimbabwe and we are not withholding the Constitution of Zimbabwe. We are belittling the President of Zimbabwe. Madam President, if this is child play, we should go back home and if it is a serious matter, ministers should not treat us in such a way. We are disappointed and it shows that the commitment of ministers to the citizens of Zimbabwe is not good. They are not concerned about the development of the nation and this is unacceptable and below standard. For those who have come, we should thank them – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, Hear.] –
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: If I may support what
Hon. Sen. Komichi said, that it is not only the Cabinet but the National
Assembly, Ministers make sure they do attend. That one I have noticed. Also, it is no use to have someone to send an apology every Thursday yet he has never attended Senate.
If I may ask the Hon. Minister and Leader of the House, would you please make sure that His Excellency the President knows about this and he gives us an answer? We send you because you represent us in
Cabinet. I thank you.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you Madam President.
My question, because the Minister of Health is not in the House, is directed to the Leader of Government Business. Madam President, there is positive progress on how we are managing COVID as a nation. Right now, there was an announcement that schools are going to open. We have also welcomed the policy directive that our immunisation is going to be downscaled starting from 14 years, which implies it is going to cover much of our school going children. My question is - what is the Government policy vis-a-vis ensuring that all children who are going to school are vaccinated before schools opening? Is it not proper for them to be vaccinated before opening but we are now only a week towards opening, which means they would not be able to receive the full vaccination? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Mavetera for that very important question. First of all, I would like to thank the Hon. Senator for the good compliments for the work the Government of Zimbabwe did to make sure that we contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
This has been a very difficult balance to make between serving people’s lives and also serving economic activities of the country. This is worldwide; it is a problem which is affecting all countries, not only
Zimbabwe.
He is particularly concerned about ensuring that all school children from the age of 14 – we announced as Cabinet yesterday that there is now going to be a consideration in making sure that children will be vaccinated from the age of 14 going upwards. There has been a study going on and now it has actually approved to be effective because also children are being infected by COVID–19.
The Government has done everything possible. There is an accelerating procurement of vaccination in the country. I am sure you have noticed that we are almost receiving 2.5 million every week; sometimes one million. We are actually looking at achieving the 20 million herd immunity which we require by end of the year. We have also ramped up vaccination and one of the decisions which have been taken is to make sure that health workers’ welfare is looked into so that they work hard to make sure that they vaccinate. Our people also are clamouring for vaccination, which was not the case before when we started. So, we are really doing everything possible to make that we vaccinate all those from that age. At this point, it is still from 18 years upwards. The 14 years has just been included and the Ministry of Health and Child Care is now looking at how they can be included in the group of those who are being vaccinated.
We have also announced the reopening of schools and we appreciate the fact that children have not been going to school since June. I think the experts, the decisions which are taken are not just taken by one person but there is a group of people who are experts, who will look into the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. They did a lot of work together with all stakeholders to make sure that we prepare our schools, to make sure they are safe and we will be able to look after our children and contain the disease. So, the decision which was taken has been done after very tireless considerations. A lot of work has been done; a lot of research has been done and a lot of money has been invested to make sure that as our children go back to school they will be going into safe schools, where we will be able to contain the spread of COVID-19. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you Madam President.
My supplementary question is; in view of this, what is the Government policy on confusing directives where different institutions say students should come vaccinated? Some say if you are not vaccinated you are not going to attend lessons. What is the Government position on such directives? I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: Thank you Madam President. I
would like to thank Hon. Sen. Mavetera for that supplementary question. I think I was about to talk on policy of fake news. Definitely as
Government and as Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, our job is to make sure that we put a good narrative. We know that with the advent of social media, there is a lot of fake news, so our job is to make sure that we continuously put the right narrative. The fact that we came up with the Post-Cabinet Briefing which is given timely, the same day we had Cabinet, is to make sure that our people get
timeous information which they can validate basing on what they read from social media. So, there is no Government policy which says students should be vaccinated for them to go back to school.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Before we proceed, I
think we have been joined by the Minister of Energy and Power Development, Hon. Zhemu Soda and the Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Thank you Madam President. I wanted
to direct my question to the Minister or Deputy Ministers of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement. So, I would redirect my question to the Leader of Government in the House but before that, I want to acknowledge the Leader of Government Business in the House. She has always been in this House. She has never been absent. I just want to applaud that and acknowledge her.
Now Madam President, I realise that the 2021/2022 farming season is fast approaching, regardless of the fact that the farming season for
2020/2021 the country did quite well, I want to know from the relevant
Ministry how prepared are they in terms of the following: (a) all inputs for all schemes (b) tractors for tillage taking into consideration that in some provinces draught power was completely wiped out. For example, Mashonaland Central in Mount Darwin, cattle were wiped out by diseases; Muzarabani and part of Mazowe-Chiweshe. So how prepared is the Ministry with tractors for tillage? (c ) How prepared are they or how far have they gone to coordinate with the Ministry of Energy and Power Development on the provision of fuel? Madam President, I am asking these questions because the last season, farmers ended up receiving compound D and herbicides as late as March, which is a very bad way of doing business. I thank you.
C st250300 26/08/2021
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND
BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam President. Firstly, I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Kambizi for the compliments. I want to say this is a very important question which concerns food security in our country, which brings in stability. We need stability for this country’s economy to do well. I think this is what the Government is seized with to make sure that we do have food security.
As he rightly said, last season we did extremely well. We thank the Lord for the good rains but moreso for the strategic plans which were put in place by the Second Republic. The Pfumvudza /Intwasa was a big success. We are looking at harvesting in terms of all grains, 3.8 million tonnes. As I speak right now, we have maize delivered at our GMB depots to the tune of 750 000 metric tonnes. At the end of the delivery season, we are looking at having 1.7 million tonnes of maize. What this means is we do have enough to feed our people, at the same time, we also have excess but that does not take us back. What we want to do is to make sure that we continue producing more because Zimbabwe can actually be the bread basket for the region. We can export or even turn the carbohydrates into proteins; that is making use of livestock production, piggery and chickens so that we can at least continuously make the farmers produce more.
Every Tuesday in Cabinet, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Hon. Dr. Masuka gives a report on the preparations which the Ministry is doing in terms of the farming season. Yesterday in Cabinet, the Minister gave a comprehensive report of what the Ministry is doing in terms of preparations for the 2021/2022 season. There is the Pfumvudza programme, the Command Agriculture and also the private sector involvement. This is what the Ministry of Agriculture is seized with at this point. They are very much concerned about making sure that the inputs are availed to the farmer in time. Rightly the Hon. Senator said there are cases in the last season where farmers got fertilizers a little late. This is where they have learnt a lesson. That is what they are trying to rectify to make sure that this season we can even double what we produced in the last season. I thank you Madam President.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education,
Innovation, Science and Technology Development. We are thankful for the lifting of lockdown from Level 4 to Level 2. We are thankful for the opening of schools because our children were now rusty. My question is: the term is starting on Monday, ends at the end of October and after one week they open and the term ends in December. Does this mean this is term two and the one commencing in November will be third term? There are schools that are charging $55 000, what it means is that we are going to pay $55 000 for this term, then another $55 000 to cater for three weeks the third term. That came out on social media and we need clarity on this issue. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Madam
President. I think this question should be directed to the Leader of the House. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President. Schools are being opened on Monday and we are thankful because our children had been affected by not going to school. My question is, is this the second term, from 30th August to end of October? From the communication that is there, schools are going to be closed end of October for one week, we open and we close end of December. Are we going to pay fees twice or we are going to pay once? If we are paying twice, it will be very difficult because there is a school which is demanding $55 000. Also, the time that we were given to prepare for the opening of schools is only four days. Is it possible that children will go to school with enough fees?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND
BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you very much Madam President. I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Komichi for the question. However, it is not a policy question. I think all parents were looking forward for their children to go back to school. The COVID-19 pandemic is a virus which did not give a chance for people to plan. When the third wave came, it killed a lot of people. As people of Zimbabwe, we should know that no one wants people to suffer, not to engage in their businesses and to travel but it is all about life. We want to uphold the sanctity of life.
Parents knew that children would go back to school in June but it was not possible because of the third wave. On the issue of fees, I think the case is between them and the schools so that they can come up with plans on how fees will be paid. I will take it up to the Ministry so that the Minister can come up with a statement so that as we are representing the people, we go back to them with a statement.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: The Minister has left out one thing. Are these going to be two terms? Are we going to pay fees for this term and also for the other term?
*THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I think that is what the
Minister said, that she is taking it up to the Minister who is responsible so that he can give a Press Statement. I think she has written down that question so that when he is giving the Press Statement, he will answer all the questions.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President. I want
to direct my question to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education to appraise this House whether our education system is still ranked No. 2 in Africa even in the aftermath of COVID-19? If the answer is yes, what is the Ministry doing to fix this standard?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam President and I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi for that very important question. Yes, Zimbabwe is very well known for our literacy rate which is very impressive and this is a study which was done by UNESCO. We are very proud to be holding that position. Certainly, our education system has been affected heavily by COVID-19. I would like to say at this point, nobody can say whether we have moved down or up because another study or research has not yet been done. As a country, we know that a lot of our children have not been able to go to school during this COVID-19. Very few schools have not been able to continue with learning, mostly children in the rural areas.
It has hit us hard as Government, that a lot of our children in the rural areas have not been able to do on line lessons. Nevertheless, a lot of work has been done by Government to make sure that there are radio lessons which are done so those who are in the rural areas can also access. As Government, we have come up with a deliberate policy to make sure that there are three things which are required for our schools in the rural areas to be able to carry out e-learning. We need electricity and we know that not all our schools are on the grid. Government has accelerated investment in the solar energy which is a renewable energy which will at least allow that all schools can have electricity. It is also important for those schools to have gadgets whether it is smart phones, laptops, computers and we have seen our President launching a local production company, ZIDCO in MSASA which is now producing computers, smart phones and laptops so that at least our schools can have those gadgets. The Ministry of ICT has also been given money in this budget to make sure that we have more base stations because for a school to carry out e-learning, they need connectivity, gadgets and they also need electricity. Those three things are very important and the Government is working hard to make sure that we do not drag behind in terms of education. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you Madam President. My
other question has been taken by Hon. Sen. Komichi. The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education is not in, so I will direct my question to the Leader of Government Business. I want to know Government policy when it comes to the change of school terms. Are the examination dates going to change? For the lost days, are there any plans to compensate those days? Before I sit down, we have noticed that in the last days, some schools registered 0% in their public examinations – was there anything that took place in those schools to rectify that?
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND
BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam President and I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Muzenda for her pertinent question because the education of children is very important. I have said that it is very difficult to balance things in this COVID pandemic. For schools to open, there are a lot of things that happen. Stakeholders are involved, parents, teachers and the Ministry was visiting all those places so that they come up with a position because it is not a thing for one person only. There were a lot of consultations that take place. I think the question is the same as the one which has been asked. So, I have seen that we want the Minister to give a statement in this House on how he is going to go about it because this is troubling us as parents.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Madam President. I want to
direct my question to the Leader of the House. We all know that the policy of the new dispensation is not limited to giving hero status to the liberation war heroes only but also to the entertainers. For example, Oliver Mtukudzi was declared a hero. My question is, what about George Shaya because all these entertainers used to go and watch soccer when George Shaya playing. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Madam President. I
would like to sincerely thank the Hon. Senator for the question. I do agree with the Hon. Senator that George Shaya did a very critical role, he is indeed a legend in any language- [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – Anyone who knows soccer cannot talk about soccer without talking about George Shaya. He was a soccer star for five years, which is something that nobody else has done but him. So I agree, I had a conversation yesterday with the Minister of Sports and she told me that ZIFA had applied and an application was made. Madam President, I would like to believe that the papers are in the process but I am not in a position to say what will happen. As Ministry, we are not responsible for the conferment but I do agree and subscribe to the fact that George
Shaya was and is a legend, even in his death. I thank you [HON.
SENATORS: Hear, hear.] –
*HON. SEN. DENGA: My question is directed to the Minister of
Transport and Infrastructural Development. I want to thank the Government for declaring all the roads as a national disaster. My question is, in the new farms we have seen that the farmers are ploughing near the roads because they have ploughed close to the roads. What is your Ministry saying where people have closed the contours which help water out of the roads?
*THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Madam President, I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Denga for posing a question about our roads which are a danger zone. The President has taken it upon himself that after the heavy rains, we should come together and mend our roads and that is what is happening right now. What the Hon. Sen. Denga wants to know is that we did not adopt all the roads but we looked at the traffic of the roads, whether they lead to hospitals, schools or not. So these are the roads which we treat as emergency. We did not adopt only in the urban areas but also in the rural areas. What we are looking at when constructing these roads is, when the road passes through a farm, we make sure that when we have finished we leave the farm in the condition that we found it.
As we are going about, I think you should let us know what we should do on those roads. I am happy that we come from the same area and it is important that after this, you should come and see me so that I will go and access the roads.
*HON. SEN. SIPANI-HUNGWE: Thank you Madam Speaker.
My question is directed to the Leader of the House. We are proud of her because she is here all the time. My first question is on education; we have this pandemic and many of our relatives have died. Are all the teachers vaccinated? Some of our relatives died after children had attended school and we found that this virus was brought about by the children. We have quite a number of people who got sick. Are all the teachers vaccinated against this virus because they are going to be in contact with children, both at boarding schools or day scholars? Secondly, we are preparing for census and mostly teachers are the ones who go about counting people. We are appealing that when they come, they should show us that they have been vaccinated because they will come and spread the virus to us in the rural areas.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam President, I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Hungwe for the two questions. On the first one, we are really blessed because our
President was the first one to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Besides washing of hands, sanitising, masking up or taking temperatures, the most primary thing is to get vaccinated. If you have been fully vaccinated, it will help you to boost your immune system. You can have the disease but it will be lowered, you will not be hospitalised.
Madam President, when it comes to teachers, because of their importance in this country, they were the first ones to get vaccinated. The vaccination is for free and it is still voluntary. That is why we publicise the information so that people go and get vaccinated. So you see how important the vaccination is. Those who were not interested before are now showing interest because if you want to go to church you have to be fully vaccinated. Yesterday you heard us opening restaurants for sit-in customers but you cannot get in without proof of being fully vaccinated.
What I am saying is that teachers were the first ones to be vaccinated and we have been preaching on how important it is to be vaccinated. If there are any who are not vaccinated they will be given a chance but that will not stop schools from opening.
On the personnel who are going to be carrying out population census, if it is the people’s concern that they should be vaccinated, I will relay the message to the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development.
*HON. SEN. SIPANI-HUNGWE:I have a supplementary
question Hon. President of the Senate. I did not say that schools should not reopen. They should reopen. There are some people who do not want to be vaccinated and these include teachers. What is Government policy with regards to those teachers who are not yet vaccinated to ensure that they are vaccinated? Is there not a way to ensure that teachers are vaccinated since it is now mandatory to produce a vaccination card at church and restaurants?
*HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA:There is no policy yet but the
Ministry of Health and Child Care are ensuring that COVID-19 guidelines are followed. The Government has set aside funds for the provision of sanitizers, fumigation, temperature machines and masks. I will convey your concern to the Minister of Primary and Secondary
Education so that he looks into it.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU:My question is directed to the Leader
of the House, although it was supposed to go to the Minister of Health and Child Care. What is the Government doing in terms of capacitating our District hospitals with ambulances or vehicles to transport vaccines to various health centres in various constituencies? As I speak Madam President, most of the Hon. Members use their personal issue vehicles to transport vaccines from point A to B.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):I
would like to thank the Hon. Sen. for asking a very important question on the issue of capacitating the Ministry of Health and Child Careto make sure that they have vehicles which can go all the way to theDistrict level. The importance of making sure that vaccines are closer to the people cannot be overemphasised. The work which has been done in terms of response to this pandemic, refurbishing our district and provincial hospitals shows the importance which the Government puts in making sure that everyone can access vaccines when they need them.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has been resourced to a certain extent but that does not mean they will have everything that they need. I would like to thank Hon. Members of Parliament who are assisting with their vehicles in their constituencies.I think this is an issue that the Minister and Government are seized with to make sure that vaccines are transmitted using the Ministry’s transport.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA:My question is directed to the
Minister of Women’s Affairs but in her absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House.
I would like to know whether our women are accessing funds from the Women’s Bank without any conditions.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):We
are happy as a Government that we do have a Women’s Bank which is there to make sure that it helps in empowering our women, especially in the rural areas. The good thing about the Second Republic is for the first time, the Women’s Bank has been capacitated to make sure it carries out the mandate of empowering women.
There have been teething problems but we still encourage a lot of women to register for those loans because that bank was put there to make sure that women are empowered. They have been helping some women here and there but accessing money in a bank or any place is not an easy process. Women are being encouraged to form consortiums so that they can present proposals which can go through very fast and also in terms of paying back.
I must say that the Women’s Bank is very ready to work with the women from the experience that I have. It is just that the money is not enough to give the women who may need. We will implore Government to continue putting in more money because we all know that when mothers are empowered, families are also empowered. When families are empowered, communities are also empowered. When communities are empowered, the country is empowered. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr.
President. I want to thank the Minister for the response. Minister, to what extent have you put in measures to ensure that those women who are outside urban environment, meaning rural women, can access the money?
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: Thank you very much Mr.
President. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira for the supplementary question. We thank him for being a traditional leader who is supportive of women and the need for women especially in the rural areas to be empowered. I want to say we are all leaders in this august House and it is our job also as leaders, to make sure that we encourage those women and we show them the way so that they can access the forms for registration with the Women’s Bank. I have seen the chief executive of the Women’s Bank going around the provinces and they have provincial officers of the Women’s Bank in all provinces. It is a question of making sure that as leaders we help, encourage and instil confidence in those women in our rural areas to access the loans so that they get empowered. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President. First and foremost, can you allow me to ask two questions to two different
Ministers?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: No, one
question at a time.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: My question goes to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. We have a road at the border post which links Zimbabwe with South Africa. The road is about 5km to where Harare and Bulawayo roads meet. People have been working there for more than 15 years. What plans do they have or when can they complete that road?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Your
question is not on policy. It is about a particular road. I do not know whether the Minister is aware of that particular road and can answer that particular question.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Mr. President. I thank Hon. Sen. Mohadi for the question. Like what you have rightly said Mr. President, it is a particular road but I would gladly assist the Hon. Member that, I will task my Provincial
Roads Engineer to specifically look into that road. With your indulgence, if she can give me the exact road, I will take it upon myself and revert to the particular road that has been mentioned by the Hon.
Member. Thank you Mr. President.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE HON.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order No.
66
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Mr. President, I move that time for
Questions Without Notice be extended by 10 minutes.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development. We have been struggling to access fuel. We all know that not all the service stations are supposed to sell fuel in US dollar. Also, all the service stations that are getting US dollars from the RBZ auction system are selling their fuel in US dollars instead of RTGS. This has been going on for a long time. Have you arrested any of the perpetrators? If so, are they going to refund all people they have been stealing from? *THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA): Thank you Mr. President. I want
to thank the Hon. Member for the pertinent question. It is true that for a long time, people had questions concerning fuel that is acquired by service stations that would have benefited from the RBZ auction system. As a Ministry, we have tasked ZERA to monitor the delivery of the fuel from NOIC to services stations where they are being sold. ZERA would be monitoring the quantities delivered, for example if it is a delivery of 10 thousand litres from NOIC to an identified service station, it should not be diverted. The monitoring is ongoing because there was the understanding that fuel was not being delivered where it was supposed to but was diverted to other garages where they will be sold in US dollars.
Currently, from the investigations that have been made, it shows that there are some service stations that were receiving fuel from NOIC and it was sold to commercial customers. We already have particular garages that are selling fuel in local currency. It depends on whether they have been availed the opportunity to get foreign currency. If they did not get foreign currency, they are allowed to do so. There is a scheme which is facilitated by the Reserve Bank which allows them to sell in local currency. Another scheme is that someone looks for their own money and they are allowed to then sell in foreign currency to enable them to acquire fuel without the assistance of the Reserve Bank.
There are circumstances involved and different situations. I am sure you all heard the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa saying that they were able to monitor how fuel was being transferred. This was in reference to those who were involved in the unlawful movement of fuel – the issue is referred back to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe because they are the ones who oversee this process. They have the right and authority to deal with these unlawful acts.
*HON. SEN. DENGA: Thank you Hon. President. I want you to assist us. If you remember very well Hon. President, since we started this Parliament Session, this question always comes up. Does it mean that we now have three years without an answer because we want
Zimbabweans to understand and know the truth? We want clarity on that particular issue for the nation to say when we apprehend people involved in these unlawful acts, they are sent to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Why are we sending people to the RBZ if it is a criminal offence? We now have passed three years and fuel is being brought into the country but Zimbabwean citizens are suffering. Can the Minister clarify on this particular issue? May he specify when we can get a conclusive and substantive report on that particular issue?
HON. SODA: Thank you very much Hon. President. We work as the Ministry of Energy and Power Development. We work together with the Ministry of Finance and we work with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe. Fuel is received and monitored by the Ministry of Energy and Power Development. However, we are saying the money that is being used to acquire this fuel, where did it come from? It came from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, where the law that governs and monitors as well as regulate emanate. They are the ones who regulate on which currency the fuel will be sold. That is the reason why we send it back to the RBZ to say this is what we observed in our investigations. They also make their own investigations and come up with a conclusive agreement between the Ministry and the RBZ. That is where we come up with a resolution to say, if it means we need to withdraw the licence because of the unlawful acts, it is done.
I think from what we heard from the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, explaining to us the Cabinet Report, people were supposed to be satisfied and acknowledge that we have done something in that regard. I cannot give an exact date on when this will be concluded but I can promise that we now have a certain stage that we have reached. Fuel was being abused but I am sure we have made significant progress in putting a stop to that unlawful act.
We understand that we have people who were now pocketing that foreign currency in their own pockets. Thank you very much Hon.
President.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President. I think the questions are going to keep on coming back for as long as there is no clarity in terms of the approach. I may have missed something that the Minister was explaining in Shona but I am at a stage where I am trying to understand whether there are clear checks and balances from the Ministry of Energy and Power Development in terms of returns. Are they in a position to say, we received X amount of fuel and the Reserve Bank paid us X amount and Z was paid to this garage and these are the returns and that these are the garages which we think should have been selling fuel in local currency? Certainly, we think that this is the information that should be readily available. My question is, is there such information that is readily available other than the elaborate investigations that are being referred to?
I remember the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development was here and she also indicated that she did not have sufficient information. She had to go back to the RBZ to verify these things. I am saying, if there is this back and forth between institutions of Government, that should be speaking to each other, then we get worried as to whether there are clear checks and balances that are available to make sure that there are proper checks to virement. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT (HON. SODA): Thank you Madam President.
What is happening at the moment is, we have instituted some investigations. In the past, we used to depend on information that was coming from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). May be just to confirm the excuse which was given by the Deputy Minister, but we then said within ourselves let us get the information from the source, where the fuel would have been received when it is coming from outside the country, which is NOIC. We are in control of NOIC. Inasmuch as we needed some information, which we could not get immediately from RBZ, we then said we can equally get that information from NOIC. What we are doing then is, for every dispatch of fuel that is made from NOIC, ZERA is assigning some officials to track the fuel to the point at which the fuel will be sold. This is how we have managed to identify that there has been some abuse of that fuel. Some garages that were tracked were found to be selling the fuel in United States Dollars, instead of the currency that was intended to benefit the public, which is the local currency. So this is the system that we have put in place. So far we have done our investigations but for the fact that the Statutory Instrument which I have already spoken about, which is SI 127:21 is administered by the RBZ - it is the instrument which will determine whether an offence has been committed or not.
What we have done is to report to the RBZ because we are
not a monetary institution or Ministry all that is handled by either the Ministry of Finance or RBZ. We have referred that to them and at an appropriate time, they will advise us as to how they will proceed with the information that we would have supplied to them. I cannot speak on their behalf. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Hon. President. My question
is directed to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. We are aware that the Government has been putting a lot of effort to re-engage with the Western World. My question is how far has the programme gone? Are we having any hope that within a short time to come, we can have reengagement completed? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND
INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. MUSABAYANA): Thank you
Mr. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Komichi for asking a very important question. Indeed, President E. D. Mnangagwa has been known for this famous philosophy of engagement and re-engagement. It also entails bridging or rebuilding broken bridges between Zimbabwe and some member States, particularly the Western World, the USA, UK and some of the European countries. From the time we started, the relationship was bad but we have seen tremendous milestones. Just to show that the relationship is improving and re-engagement is bearing fruits, we look at the results. We look at the signs of the time. Just this week, we heard the news that for the first time, Zimbabwe has received an SDR from the IMF. That has never happened over a long period of time –[HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – We have seen the United States of America coming with investments into the Batoka Gauge hydro-electric investment. We have also seen the Americans coming in with investments on the John Deere facility. Over and above that, we have known the American Ambassador as being hostile and discouraging investment in Zimbabwe but of late, the outgoing ambassador Brian Nichols has indeed agreed or affirmed that Zimbabwe has made tremendous milestone in the reform agenda and has pledged to encourage and lure American investors to come and invest in Zimbabwe.
We have seen the British and European Union reducing the level of sanctions that have been imposed on Zimbabwe over the years. We have seen a lot of engagement in terms of bi-laterals in terms of capacity building funds or donor funds. We have also seen how the international world responded to Cyclone Idai. A lot of countries participated or assisted our nation in a manner that we never anticipated or ever thought we could be assisted to such levels. That just goes to affirm, to underpin the fact that His Excellency President, E.D. Mnangagwa’s Vision of engagement and re-engagement is indeed bearing fruits. Of course, there were people within the country who have been thinking that we were wasting time or the President was wasting time. As the Chief Diplomat, he saw it fit to pursue that important goal and we can go on and on with the investment that is coming into the country but I think for now, the writing is on the wall that the re-engagement is bearing fruits and it is about time we celebrate. Of course, it is a continuous process.
It is a moving target. I so submit Hon. Chair.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: Thank you Mr. President Sir.
My question was supposed to be directed to the Minister of Agriculture, but in his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of Business in the House. There is a disease which is killing cattle in my area. They start having swollen legs and within a few days they die. I do not know whether it is January disease or not. Is the Ministry aware of such an outbreak, which can wipe out our cattle? If so, what is the Ministry doing to curb spread of that disease to other provinces? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Hon. President of Senate. I would want to thank Hon. Sen.
Chief Chundu for his question concerning livestock. The department of Agritex in the Second Republic, the first thing they looked into is to say our national herd was depreciating because of January disease. Those in the rural areas no longer have any cattle. This is not good news for our farmers because cattle are used for many purposes. The Government came up with a programme called the Presidential Tick Programme which gives our farmers dipping chemicals and tick grease to make sure that our livestock is protected from tick borne diseases.
The Government is also repairing dip tanks so that farmers are able to dip their animals regularly. We understand that our wealth is in our domestic animals such as cattle. I would want to encourage Hon. Senators that if there is a disease outbreak, they should get in touch with the Veterinary Services or Agritex officials in their respective areas so that it comes to their attention. It is important for the nation to know that we do have Veterinary offices in our districts and we should seek their urgent attention. Thank you.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION,
PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN.
MUTSVANGWA), the Senate adjourned at Five Minutes past Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 14th September, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 25th August, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE ACTING SPEAKER
PETITION RECEIVED FROM THE 31ST JULY MOVEMENT OF
HATFIELD
THE ACTING SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): I have to
inform the House that on 24th August 2021, Parliament received a petition from the 31st July Movement of Hatfield, beseeching Parliament to oversee the protection and promotion of good governance and the upholding of the Constitution by urgently coming up with electoral reforms, measures to end rampant corruption and uphold children’s rights.
The petition was deemed inadmissible as the petitioners did not comply with the rules of procedure on petitions. The petitioners were notified accordingly.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. I do not know if you have received any apologies from Ministers and Deputy Ministers who sit in Cabinet? According to Section 107 of the Constitution, they must be present in Parliament today. It seems the number that the public funds take care of them being at work does not reflect what I see here, which means it is a waste of tax payers money. With a lot of decisions being passed in Cabinet and subject to us having oversight, there are Ministers who are not here whom we would like to ask a lot of questions. As you know, Cabinet is Executive and we have oversight over the Executive. Too many deals are happening; pipeline deals, we want to ascertain what is happening. The reverse of the Land Reform indirectly is happening and we also want to know. Therefore, today I want to really push on the issues raised in Cabinet so that we can get the truth but the Ministers are not here. How do we continue a session without them?
Madam Speaker, you have ruled several times about Ministers coming to Parliament. They do attend Cabinet, the deals happening in Cabinet, they attend to but they are not prepared to come and explain the deals here. The Deputy Ministers, as much as you want to say are here, Section 107 talks about Vice Presidents, Ministers and Deputy Ministers; which means the Minister of Home Affairs can be here but if the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs is equally here, my question can be directed to the Deputy Minister and not the Minister. So, what you are doing is allowing them to be absent. If their deputies are here, you think that they have been covered, it does not work like that.
So I wanted to clarify that today in this House, that because the Deputy Ministers are here does not mean that the Ministers must not be here. Section 107 is very clear about that. So do not give us the excuse that the deputy ministers are here today; they are supposed to be here but deputy ministers do not sit in Cabinet. So each of them, the Ministers and their deputies have a role to play. Therefore, I would like that explanation why Ministers are not here, but in Cabinet they are signing these dubious deals which are subject to scrutiny by this House.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. We are
checking with the Journals Office but as of now, we have not received any apologies. So, we are going to update you as we go if we are going to be getting any apologies coming forth.
HON. K. SITHOLE: On a point of order! – [HON. T. MLISWA:
Inaudible interjection.] – May you kindly share with us the names of
Ministers and the Deputy Ministers who are – [HON. T. MLISWA:
Inaudible interjection.]
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Order! Hon. Mliswa, can you please
leave the House!
HON. K. SITHOLE: May you kindly share with us the names of the Ministers and the Deputy Ministers who are present today?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Let me furnish you with Hon
Ministers who are here: Minister of Defence and War Veterans Hon.
O.C.Z. Muchinguri; Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting
Services, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa; Minister of Higher and Tertiary
Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon.
Prof. Murwira; Minister of Home affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon.
Kazembe; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Sen. Dr. Shava; Minister of
Energy and Power Development, Hon. Soda; Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Hon. Coventry; Minister of Housing and Social
Amenities, Hon. Garwe; Minister of Transport and Infrastructure
Development, Hon. Mhona; Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs and Leader of the House, Hon. Ziyambi; Minister of State for
Masvingo Province, Hon. Chadzamira; Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Prof Ncube.
Deputy Ministers here present - we have Deputy Minister of
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Hon. Paradza; Deputy
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. Chombo;
Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon.
Chiduwa; Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon.
- Moyo; Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Hon. Mhlanga; Deputy Minister of
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon. Mabhoyi; Deputy Minister of
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Machingura; Deputy Minister of Public Service,
Labour and Social Welfare, Hon. Sen. Matuke, Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Hon. Dr. Musabayana; Deputy Minister of Housing and Social Amenities, Hon. Simbanegavi, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Dr. Mangwiro.
HON. MURIRE: My question is directed to the Minister of
Industry and Commerce. Before asking my question, I want to thank the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Reserve Bank for having stabilised the exchange rate market. However, my question is premised on the fact that whilst the formal exchange rate has stabilised, the black market rate is actually going up and determining the prices that we are buying goods at in shops and wholesales. What is the Ministry’s policy on stabilising the prices that are being pegged using the black market rate? It is so apparent that even in the hotels where we are staying, prices are pegged using the black market rate. What mechanism is the Ministry putting in place to ensure that we achieve the programme that has already been set by the Reserve Bank and the Ministry of Finance?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON CHIDUWA): As has been identified by the Hon. Member, what we have seen with quite a number of pricing models that are used by supermarkets and wholesalers is that the prices are linked to the parallel market rates and in terms of the position of Government having noticed what was happening - this is why we came up with S.I. 127. Statutory Instrument 127 is very explicit that we should make use of the obtaining interbank rate or auction rate. The challenge that we are having is that of compliance. In terms of the position of
Government, it is very clear that we should make use of the auction rate.
The other issue that we can consider in terms of stabilising our currency is the issue of production. As long as we are producing, doing value addition and exporting, the foreign receipts that we will get are what will stabilise our currency. The issue is on production, where we are going to earn more foreign currency thereby stabilising our currency and then this is going to filter into the pricing models of service providers.
HON. MURIRE: The Minister has actually addressed my question from the Ministry of Finance and Reserve Bank. Yes, they have stabilised and what is left is to produce. My question is based on the compliance aspect that he has mentioned. There is deviant behaviour in the market. My supplementary question is what mechanisms are you putting in place to ensure compliance in a situation where we have got shortage of that foreign currency and not producing enough? I thank you.
HON. CHIDUWA: I will go back to the provisions of S.I. 127 for the violations as stated - where we said retailers are not displaying prices, retailers and service providers are not showing dual pricing in both United States dollars and local currency and not banking daily proceeds. The penalties are there. So in terms of enforcing compliance, we have got a list of penalties and I have presented a Ministerial Statement here where we mentioned all the penalties that are specific for each violation. So I would say again, together with the Consumer Protection Commission and the police, they are on the ground and I can give you some statistics.
The last time I got some statistics from the Financial Intelligence
Unit, I think around 27 violators had been given tickets and penalties. So we are on the ground, the Financial Intelligence Unit is on the ground, the Consumer Protection Commission is on the ground and we are enforcing those penalties. Thank you.
HON. GONESE: My supplementary question to the Hon. Deputy
Minister is; what is the rationale, what is the point of imposing these penalties when business people and traders say that they are not accessing money on the auction rate and that they have had to resort to buying money at the parallel or black market rate? You are imposing penalties upon people who have not obtained money from that official auction rate. To compound matters Hon. Deputy Minister, we now have a situation where people who have bid for money on the auction are not actually accessing the foreign currency, there is a waiting period, weeks before they actually get money on bids which have been accepted. What is the Government doing to ensure that even those who have made bids get the actual dollars, the actual money as opposed to a situation where they simply have bids which have been accepted? More importantly, how do you penalise people who are not accessing money at the official rate? You are saying you are going to penalise them, you have put a Statutory Instrument which is punishing people who are not benefiting from that auction rate, can you please respond to those two aspects?
HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Hon. Gonese for the question. I
would say in terms of the penalties, we have been very strict, especially on those who are accessing foreign currency from the auction. So I
would say the focus has been mainly on those who are accessing foreign currency from the auction. It is not a blanket thing, but for those who are not accessing foreign currency from the auction, we have also seen cases where pricing models are based on highly speculative black market rates. If we say that the black market rate is hovering around say 120 and all of a sudden, there is someone who is using 180 where we have got cases of outliers, we have also penalised even if one is using their own foreign currency. So this is where we are with regards to penalties.
Then the issue of not being able to access foreign currency after biding, yes we have got a problem but this is an issue that we are addressing. We have also seen some activity from the banking sectors who have engaged our banks. From the last statistic that we got, we have US$1.8 billion that is sitting in the banks and we have engaged our banks. So slowly we are seeing banks that are now participating, providing overdrafts to our importers. As you can see, the issues are being addressed and we are hopeful that more banks will be coming on stream to participate and also assist our productive sector. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: The black market rate is 166/150
thereabout whereas the auction rate is hovering around 85. Now my question Hon. Minister is to simply say given such huge differences, is it not possible that the foreign auction system is actually fueling the rise of the rate on the parallel market because the people that are getting the money at the auction rate are actually doing arbitrage and making sure that they take this money, use half of it or less and then offload the rest on the parallel market?
HON. PROF. M. NCUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker and I
thank Hon. Mushoriwa for the questions. There are two things. First of all, we will not follow the parallel rate. We want to be clear about that because it is a rate that is driven by the minority of economic players. The majority of the economic players are receiving money from the auction.
In the last 12 months, at least companies have received no less than US$400 million for re-equipping purposes. I am just targeting one area that is retooling. Secondly, anyone is free to express whatever exchange rate they wish to purchase the United States dollars at. So those who feel that they ought to be buying the United States dollar at higher prices - they are free to express that wish through the Dutch auction. Why do they not go ahead and do that? Why should the whole market then be forced to shift towards power rate, shadowy people that we do not understand? I thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Madam Speaker, my question to the Hon. Minister is; even the Hon. Minister and the Governor are aware of the individuals and companies who are driving the parallel market rate, the cartels that are making the parallel rate to remain. Why not arrest those people because you already know them Hon. Minister? I thank you.
HON. PROF. M. NCUBE: Thank you very much. We know
some of them but not all of them. Those that we know we have taken action, we have arrested them and we have instituted penalties on that type of behaviour. If the Hon. Member has an additional list of those that we may not know, we will be very happy to receive those tips and then follow up on those individuals and companies who are violating the law so that there is full compliance. We need order and discipline. We have just received almost a billion US dollars which should go a long way in bolstering our foreign reserves and that money is already in our reserves and accounted for as such. Therefore, there is no justification whatsoever for the exchange rate to keep weakening. It should be going the other way. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. MADHUKU: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. In the spirit of devolution as enshrined in Section 264 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe and also looking at the National Development Strategy 1, Chapter 11, may I know what the Ministry is doing to decentralise the recruitment and subsequent deployment of teachers? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you very
much for the question. On the issues around recruitment of teachers, it is in the domain of the Ministry of Public Service. When it comes to their deployment, then our HR department in the Ministry does that. The Ministry merely lists the teachers who are interested in employment and then the whole process of recruiting them and giving them the jobs is with the Ministry of Public Service.
HON. MADHUKU: Madam Speaker, I need to be corrected here. I have been made to understand that it is the Public Service Commission which authorises the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to give the go ahead for the recruitment of such number of teachers. I am also informed that this process is wholly done in the Ministry of
Education’s Head Office after having been given the green light by the PSC. If my memory serves me right, this has been happening even in the past where the provinces have been recruiting and cascading down to the districts. So, if I am wrong, I need to be corrected.
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker. The issue of recruitment is a process and some of the functions and the processes are delegated functions by the PSC. Even when we get to Head Office and the lists are being made, the teams are composed of the Public Service
Commission and Ministry officials for administrative purposes.
However, the centralisation of employment of teachers is the responsibility of the PSC. Having our Ministry officials taking part in the process does not make them the employers who are responsible for determining whether it has to be done at province, district or head office level. The instruction from the PSC is that it be centralised. The background to it has been that there has been a lot of corruption that has been alleged in the recruitment of teachers. Therefore, a system was set up to take in all the applicants and in that system, names of the prospective employees and where they come from were removed and only information that determines year of completion of training and specialisation in terms of subjects was left in so that the human interface element and the nepotism that would arise if that information was given was removed. The system is then rolled out and is supervised by the PSC. I thank you.
+HON. MATHE: My supplementary question is a follow up to
Hon. Madhuku’s question. Madam Speaker, the answer that the Minister gave is not satisfactory. Why I am asking this question and why I am saying it is not satisfactory is because the Minister once said when they deploy, they look at the names that they receive from districts. Surely, how do you expect someone who is not a native Ndebele speaker to teach in Matabeleland? If you deploy someone who comes from Murehwa or someone who is a Shona speaker to teach especially ECD classes, how do you expect them to teach? These students need teachers who are eloquent in their native language. Hon.
Minister, I strongly believe your Ministry is not serious with its work. You need to be serious for once especially on this issue. We want to see proper deployment of teachers with knowledge of the native language being deployed accordingly. I thank you.
HON. E. MOYO: I think the issue she is asking now is on the deployment aspect once the names have been approved and people have been employed. When people apply for employment, they indicate their preferred districts of deployment. When those names have been sent out and where issues are realised that the people that have been deployed cannot speak the relevant languages in those areas, particularly at infant level, there is fine tuning that happens. The various districts send or flash back the names to their provinces and further to head offices, consideration is made of where they cannot speak the language then the people are sent where they can be able to teach effectively. Granted, there are problems in this exercise because the Ministry is a huge ministry employing a lot of people so there are bound to be those problems. Those problems are always being attended to.
HON. T. MOYO: My supplementary to the Hon. Deputy Minister relates to the issue of teachers who completed in 2014 and 2016 who are appearing in the database of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education who have not been employed up until now. However, we have teachers who completed in 2020 who are already working. How do you justify people who completed in 2014 to 2016 who are still unemployed and those who completed in 2020 or even beginning of this year but are already working? What is the rationale which is being used? HON. E. MOYO: The age or period of completion is not the only variable that determines when you are going to be employed. There are issues like specialisation where there is need. Which area have you specialised in and is there a need in that area. For example, if someone specialised in indigenous language, for example Chewa and completed in 2018, because of the language policy, you find there is a bigger need for that language than someone who did general knowledge at primary school level. In the secondary sector, someone specialised in physics and you have someone who specialised in either Ndebele or Shona. There are many teachers who specialised in Ndebele or Shona but in physics, we have a critical shortage and naturally, those people are going to get preference in the deployment.
(v)HON. DR. MURIRE: On teachers who joined the service on voluntary basis in schools; those voluntary teachers continue to be temporary teachers whilst they qualified long ago and are engaged on a temporary basis. There are some teachers who qualified recently and they are engaged on a permanent basis whilst those who are engaged on voluntary basis continue to be on voluntary.
HON. E. MOYO: Those who joined the service voluntarily are aware they were doing it for national good. Therefore, it does not put them ahead of all others who might have applied for employment. In many of these cases, we might not have full details of who is voluntarily employed or not. Such issues can be dealt with case by case and on different merits, so I may not give a blanket answer on that but then I think case by case if those are brought, administratively they can be looked at to see if they have been unfairly treated in any way.
HON. GONESE: My question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Can the Hon. Minister please tell the nation whether the Government has got a position or any plans to deal with the mismatch between the age of consent to marry in terms of Section 78 of the Constitution which is eighteen and the age of consent to sexual intercourse in terms of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act which is actually sixteen. This is now causing a problem as a result of which girls between the ages of 16 and 18 can indulge in sexual intercourse, but if they fall pregnant, they cannot get married.
Can the Hon. Minister please clarify to the nation what is the
Government’s position in regard to that incongruous situation?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I want to thank
Hon. Gonese for the question, which question is very important. If you look at our Criminal Code in terms of sexual offences, the way that they were drafted is out of date and very complicated. I have initiated a review of our Code with a view of streamlining the sexual offenses. So, it is work in progress and I have engaged some professors within the Faculties of Law and other renowned lawyers to look at it so that we can bring an amended Bill to the Code. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Minister is that yes, I understand according to what he says its work in progress. Can he please inform the nation and this august House firstly as to when we are likely to see those amendments seeing the light of the day because this is an issue which has been with us since the enactment of the Constitution but more particularly, since the Constitutional Court judgement which clearly defined the legal position that marriage can only be entered into by people who are above the age of eighteen.
Secondly, can the Hon. Minister indicate to us what the
Government thinking is relating to that age of consent because at present it is sixteen? We are in the dark as to what the Government’s position is and we are all aware that there are so many people who are opposed to this amendment because they are predators. The biggest problem that we are confronted with is older men who indulge in sexual intercourse with young girls, which is where the problem mainly lies. Most of the predators are not comfortable with the raising of the age of consent because that will actually increase the number of criminal cases that will be before our courts where girls are between the ages of 16 and 18. HON. ZIYAMBI: I want to thank Hon. Gonese Mr. Speaker, I
think it is very important to separate issues of marriage and age of consent. There is nowhere in the world where the age of consent to sexual intercourse is 18 years. In any event, it is very difficult to stop those teenagers from engaging in sex. What we are doing is; we need to separate issues of marriages that come with certain responsibilities with an age where a teenager can consent voluntarily to an act.
I know that already in our Act we have offences whereby if you have sexual intercourse with a young adult – it is statutory rape. So that is covered but what I was referring to is to streamline it and ensure that it becomes clear rather than how it is currently couched. We have outlawed marriages of anyone below 18 but if we have two young teenagers who are below 18, we cannot criminalise if they engage in sexual intercourse. My plea is, it is work in progress; we want to streamline it and ensure that we bring it here and have a debate on how we can now look at the age of consent. I know Hon. Gonese is very much aware that you can have a driver’s licence at 16, so you must also appreciate that on one hand you must say that somebody is responsible for his/her actions when he/she is driving at 16. On the other hand, you say he/she is not responsible for his/her actions in engaging in sexual intercourse – it is contradictory. So we must separate issues of marriage which we said is 18 and it comes with certain responsibilities. Those who want to be married must wait until they are over 18 but there are certain things that we cannot control. More-so at 16, we agree that you can drive but if you have an accident, what do we say? I thank you. HON. GONESE: On a point of clarification Hon. Speaker! If I heard the Hon. Minister correctly, he said that in terms of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act, where a person has sexual intercourse with a young adult, that is statutory rape and I think those were his words. If he can clarify what he means by that because an adult is someone above the age of 18 and certainly, if you have sexual intercourse with anyone above the age of 18 with that person’s consent, it cannot be statutory rape. May the Hon. Minister clarify what he means by that because he said young adult then that would be statutory rape.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. It is a very academic question which the Hon. Member, being my learned friend, knows the answer to. I thank you.
HON. TOFFA: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity. My supplementary question to the Hon Minister, through you Mr. Speaker Sir, the Hon. Minister said that this was a very important question yet it seems to be taking very long. He said that it is work in progress. In the communities that we are in, there are a lot of children who are being abused and the Marriage Bill or the age of consent is taking time. May the Hon. Minister please give us a timeline as to when this work in progress is going to come to an end?
When you look at the constitutional judgment of 2016 and we also look at the fact that we have had public hearings as Parliament with regards to child marriages and the adoption of the SADC Model Law on the Eradication of Child Marriages but we have not come to a conclusive end to deter this situation that is going on in the country. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker, the issue of the Marriage Bill and child marriages, I explained last week before Senate and there were issues where chiefs had reservations pertaining to roora that they wanted legislated which I then referred to our officials to negotiate with them because the net effect of legislating to say you cannot marry without paying lobola would be to say that women are perpetual minors. We need to find each other between the traditions, customs and what is obtaining now.
So I intended to give negotiations a chance but should that fail then we will proceed, like I said that they can vote if they have to have that inserted. We can bring it here but rest assured that it can be challenged in court and it will be dropped. I was not of that opinion but thought that we must just do the right thing. So the issue of child marriages, we are almost through with it and it has a fine within the Bill. Hon. Gonese corrected me last week, I had made reference to two young teenagers having sex, that is not criminalised but if you are a parent and you give your child away in marriage and she is below 18, it is now an offence. So that is going to be dealt with.
What I was making reference to which I said is very important is what Hon. Gonese raised to say that we need to streamline and make sure that our sexual offences are very clear, unambiguous and we can then have discussions along the lines that he proposed, on whether we should leave the age of consent where it is. I thank you.
HON. TOFFA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question that I asked the Hon. Minister has not been addressed. I spoke about a timeline and he said very soon. May the Hon. Minister please be more specific? I know that he said that he is working on it but how much time is he giving the Senate because all this is happening at the expense of the girl child. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, before the end of this session we must be done with the
Marriages Bill. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker Sir, my supplementary question borders around the same Act in terms of aligning it with the Constitution and a plethora of other Acts that reside in various ministries and is directed to the Hon. Minister of Justice,
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs as it relates to those Acts of Parliament.
Our Constitution of 2013 is different from the one of Kenya in that
Kenya’s Constitution gave timelines for the alignment of certain Acts of Parliament with the Constitution and ours left it open-ended. Would the
Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs favour this House with timelines in terms of alignment of Acts of Parliament with the Constitution. A plethora of them are across the ministries’ divide in terms of timelines, would it favour the Minister, would it please him to favour this House so that we expeditiously align our Acts with the Constitution in the same way we had the General Laws Amendment Bill that consequentially aligned 112 to 148 pieces of legislation with the
Constitution?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I will respond even though the question is not related to the original question. I want to indicate that the work of aligning laws those that were identified is almost complete. Let me also add that the work of aligning our legislation will be a continuous process, so there will be no end to it. We may pass a piece of legislation here today and someone may identify certain sections that are not consistent with the Constitution. If that person goes to court, that section must be struck off. It is not something that you say I will start today and end tomorrow.
However, it is my hope that in the interpretation of our legislation, anyone who is interpreting our legislation must have regard to that provision that says the interpretation that suits the Constitution is the one that must prevail rather than the strict one in any particular legislation. In other words, when you are interpreting legislation, you must have regard to what the Constitution says and interpret accordingly. We must not be boggled down by saying, when are we going to have 100 percent alignment of laws? It will never happen because each time we pass laws, we may identify something that may have slipped through us and we might need to revisit it or remove it or somebody may go to court and the court may so direct. I thank you.
(v)*HON. KARUMAZONDO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My
question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. I want to thank the Ministry for a job well done in trying to curb COVID-19 pandemic. Having said that Hon. Minister, we are approaching a season where malaria will be prevalent. What is the Ministry doing so that it can also curb the spread of malaria?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Mr. Speaker, I did not quite understand the question.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Hon.
Member, please repeat the question.
Hon. Karumazondo repeated the question.
*HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank the Hon. Member for his complimentary remarks on the
Ministry’s efforts in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, we know that this disease is a concern in the rain season and now we are approaching the rain season. Firstly, Government does awareness programmes on how to prevent and control the spread of malaria. We know mosquitoes breed in still water. We encourage people to fill unnecessary holes that collect water during the rainy season in the community or near their homes as this encourages the breeding of mosquitoes. We have our health personnel that go to rural areas making awareness programmes about this disease. We also visit provinces spraying chemicals that kill and prevent mosquitoes. If the Hon. Member wishes, he is free to come to the Ministry and we will give him full programmes on how we eradicate mosquitoes and control malaria. As a Ministry, we are aware of the season that is ahead of us and preparations are underway to fight malaria. We have also procured malaria drugs in our clinics and hospitals. I thank you.
(V) HON. NDIWENI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my supplementary question goes to the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care. Whilst we are thanking him for a job well done in the vaccination and testing of COVID-19, how far has the Ministry gone in the purchasing of antigen testing kits that are available in other countries and are cheaper to the general population?
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Hon. Chair and I want to thank Hon. Ndiweni for asking about the opening up of buying of kits. I am not sure if the Hon. Member is aware that whenever we are going to have medicines or testing kits, we have a department called Medicines Control Authority which authenticates whatever is to be brought in to the country to make sure it will give us results that are relevant and credible.
So I am sure if he has those cheaper gadgets or antigen tests that he wants to bring into the country, the Medicines Control Authority is there to assist, he can go and register the so called antigens he thinks are cheap. I am sure as Government, we did not say nobody can buy these but as long as things are registered and going through the normal channels to make sure it is safe, authentic and credible for results that we need to trust, I do not think there will be a problem. If he has problems with the Medicines Control Authority, we can always sit down with him so that we help him go through whatever antigen test he wants to go through.
(V)*HON. KARUMAZONDO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My
supplementary question to the Minister is that I heard the Minister explaining very well that he will bring information and pamphlets to give to the public about malaria. Where I come from in MarambaPfungwe, UMP District, we are close to Mudzi which is a malaria hotspot, they usually come and give people chemicals that they spray in their houses. However, I realised that most of the people who stay in that area are small scale artisanal miners who shift and stay in temporary shelters as they pan for gold. They end up being bitten by mosquitoes after leaving sprayed houses. Is it possible to provide mosquito repellents and nets that they can also use in those temporary shelters? I thank you.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I appreciate
that the Hon. Member refers to the spraying of houses when preventing mosquitoes but there are also people who move away from those sprayed houses in search of livelihood. However, he has helped me a lot by providing a solution for the gold panners who use alternative accommodation to make use of mosquito nets and repellents and that they should be also on the lookout for stagnant water, that is a good idea.
We will try to implement that.
I kindly ask the Hon. Member to come so that we discuss and help each other on implementing those additional measures he is suggesting because indeed, he realised that we need to help each other in combating this problem by increasing mosquito repellents and nets as well as reducing the spread of mosquitoes. I thank you.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. My
question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. What is Government doing to protect workers pension contributions against inflation and change in Government monetary policies? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE): Thank you Hon.
Speaker. As a Ministry, we collect a lot of funds in the form of pension contributions from NSSA. We are coming up with a number of projects - we have a number of schemes which we invest pension funds such as construction of houses and we have recently opened a bank. When people come to borrow, we also charge them interests.
We have invested pension funds into a number of viable projects so that if we encounter any inflation, we will be able to recoup the money from the projects. I think we are using it wisely and we hope going forward, we have improved our investment portfolio to look into a number of options where we can invest those funds for profit making so that we yield more profits and be able to pay when somebody goes for pension.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: I would like to thank the Hon.
Minister for his response. However, are those measures effective, considering the fact that the amounts of payouts that the workers are receiving are so paltry? I was reading an article whereby a teacher who had worked since 1986 who, when retiring, received a meager 57 000 RTGS. I thank you. So a lot of employees are receiving meager pension payouts after having worked in the Government sector for so many years.
HON. MATUKE: what the Hon. Member is talking about is
history. The new dispensation was only there for 3 years, just wait and see as we go - come 10 to 20 years, you should be able to realise quite a substantial amount. We cannot talk of the past because the pension you are talking of was collected 20 years back and the new dispensation was not in power. I can assure you that going forward, they will be able to realise substantial amounts because the new dispensation is coming up with a number of options to benefit the employees out of pension. Going forward, the situation is going to improve.
HON. NDUNA: Aware that IPEC is trying to reinvigorate and make sure they add value to the pension payouts for those that were employed then- in particular, those that paid pension funds to places like Old Mutual and other pension houses, to what extent is Government involved with companies and departments such as IPEC in ameliorating and making sure that those pensioners some who were contributing to Old Mutual such as Mdara Green in Chegutu and a few other pensioners, can get value out of their pension funds that they contributed to pension houses that also invested those monies in infrastructure and property development?
HON. SEN. MATUKE: I think the question should be directed to the Minister of Finance because we do not deal with private organisations.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): IPEC which is the regulator that falls under the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is looking at four things to deal with this issue. First of all, it is making sure that the companies that are involved in the management of pensions are adequately and appropriately capitalised so that they do not abuse the pensioners proceeds for their own benefit and use because they are under-capitalised.
Secondly, IPEC is looking at dealing with the issue that is raised in the Smith Commission Report regarding the adoption of the US$ backing to 2008, where pensioners lost value and they are about to complete the deliberations on a framework for which then pensioners would be compensated for that loss of value.
Thirdly, when it comes to the currency reforms of 2019, IPEC working with the Ministry of Finance, have already taken action which is to begin to engage industry so that they can increase pensions payout and we have seen evidence of this increase. I have a figure of increases in some cases to the tune of 800% in pensions payout after adjustments have been made. We have set up a compensation fund which we have already put in some resources to compensate pensioners for currency reform.
Finally, IPEC is making sure as a regulator, that fund managers manage the resources properly in an environment of hyper or high inflation. What should happen is that managers and pension fund managers must tilt their portfolios towards the equity market away from the money market. They must also tilt their portfolio more towards property market away from the money market. So that asset allocation strategy and monitoring thereof is critical for boosting the pension payouts for hard working citizens.
HON. MAWITE: My question is directed to the Minister of
Mines. I have noticed that Government has banned the exportation of raw chrome with immediate effect, which is a good move in line with the NDS1. What Government policies have you put in place to protect the small scale miners so that they get the same market value for their raw chrome when selling locally?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): Government banned the exportation of raw chrome because currently we do have a lot of smelters in the country. We do have smelters at Selous which are run by Afroshin. We also have smelters in Gweru which are run by Jinan. We also have noticed that the small scale miners were not getting a fair price of their product and as a result, Government has come up with initiatives whereby MMCZ will be responsible for setting up a standard market price for chrome. We are working to ensure that MMCZ through Applebridge be capacitated and be the only sole buyer of chrome which would then resale to our smelters around the country.
Government banned the sale of chrome due to the fact that we need to provide enough buffer stocks of eight months to current smelters so that the smelters do not run dry or stop at any given moment. I thank you.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. Speaking on the importation and exportation of miller rods, I feel that Uganda is now
Zimbabwe’s largest importer of raw gold and previously, our second highest trading partner was the UAE where we are also exporting raw gold. What are we doing to start refining gold before we sell it? I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Is that a new question now? (v)HON. S. BANDA: It is a supplementary question on exportation of raw chrome. I was speaking on raw gold to say, what is the Ministry doing to ensure that we stop exporting raw gold?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: That is a new question.
(v)*HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would
like to find out from the Minister whether before they banned the export of chrome, did they make that research that the small scale miners are able to supply local smelters? Did he have a chance to consult the small scale chrome miners in terms of inputs into this particular issue? I say so because the Government claims to be a Government that represents the interest of the people.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): Thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir. When Government promulgated the Statutory Instrument of banning exporting raw chrome, we had made that research that smelters are failing to get adequate chrome. So we realise that in line with Government policy to increase value addition and beneficiation, we should not be exporting raw chrome or unprocessed chrome. We also realised that our smelters last year increased smelters, which means we have a big capacity to smelt chrome. After making a research on that, we also went around to make a survey on our small scale chrome producers to ascertain their capacity.
Last year Government made a credit guarantee scheme being done by MMCZ to support small scale chrome producers. So if that programme increases, we are saying MMCZ will then be buying chrome from small scale producers at a high price because at the moment, there is a lot of outcry from small scale chrome producers because chrome is being bought at a very low price. So we want to support them and help them to be able to get a livelihood out of their chrome. I thank you.
(v)+HON. E. NYATHI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. My
question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social
Welfare. My question concerns the elderly and those who are disabled.
What is it that the Government is doing towards helping such people especially during the COVID-19 era? We are meeting up with these people especially women who are visually impaired.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. SEN. MATUKE): I cannot hear
the Hon. Member.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: The Hon. Member is saying,
what is the Ministry doing concerning those who are aged, blind and some of them having children who are roaming around in this era of COVID-19?
HON. SEN. MATUKE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. As a Ministry, through the Department of Social Welfare, we have got quite a number of homes that can accommodate the vulnerable children. For the aged, we have got a number of homes in almost all the provinces that can accommodate the elderly in that constituency. On the other hand, we will continue to provide food and basic needs for identified vulnerable members of our communities. Over the past two weeks, we have been supplying mealie-meal through Members of Parliament and some through our department of social welfare. I want to make a special request to our Members of Parliament that if they come across vulnerable people roaming the streets, they can advise our office and we will be ready to assist. This will provide food or relocate them to homes that can look after them. I thank you.
(v)*HON. R. R. NYATHI: My supplementary question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Health. I want to know what measures they have put in place to train doctors who used Ivermectin to treat COVID? Some of the doctors have been brought before the courts for using this drug without formal approval during this COVID-19 period. We have other prominent people, some who are amongst us who benefitted from this drug. We later witnessed this same medication being legalised. What is our Ministry doing to convey appreciation to those doctors who embarked on research that resulted in this medicine being adopted and assisting our people? This drug has been very helpful.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for his question. His question is on
Ivermectin medicine with reference to doctors who have used it. Firstly,
I said earlier on that as a country with expertise, we have certain procedures that we follow when medicines get into this country. Before medicines are used, we do not allow anyone to use them without following the proper procedures. Firstly, MCAZ analyse those medicines and if a doctor wants to do a research, they do not just go and talk on the radio or television but they go to the Research Council of Zimbabwe where they register the medicine they want to try. Other doctors will also analyse whether it will be safe for the patients who will be given the medicines as trials. As doctors, we sit in our numbers to get to agree to use the medication and the patient signs consent forms for the medicine to be administered after explanations that the medicine is on trial and the side effects that may be experienced are so and so. Normally there are no problems but when you are a doctor and you know the procedure for research but you do not follow them, you will end up being summoned by fellow doctors. So the most important thing is that at that time, the procedures were not followed according to the laws of this country. I thank you.
(v)HON. KASHIRI: My question goes to the Minister of
Agriculture. Yesteryear, tobacco growers used to get an incentive for their production. Why has this been stopped all of a sudden despite the bumper harvest?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): This is a very
specific question. The tobacco farmers are being paid for their produce, so I am not sure over and above that what the Hon. Member is making reference to as incentives that they are supposed to be given. I know that when they are growing, some of them are under contract from various companies then they go to auction where they get paid. So I am not sure what specific incentive he is making reference to in order for me to answer fully. I thank you.
HON. KASHIRI: Hon. Speaker, tobacco growers used to get 5% of the total amount of their produce as an incentive, which would come six or nine months down after the selling of tobacco, which will then cushion them on their expenses. This has suddenly stopped for the last couple of years. We wanted to find out why the Ministry has decided to stop the incentive?
(HON. ZIYAMBI: I will refer the question to the Treasury man here to respond to issues of foreign currency.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): Thank you Hon. Kashiri for
the question. I fully understood the question and I think we need to go back and look at where we are coming from in terms of the policy trajectory that we used to have. If you check 2019 going backwards, there were a lot of policy distortions and pricing models that were not reflective of what the farmer was investing in the farm. Now what we did is, after consultations with the stakeholders, they said they wanted to be paid in foreign currency and they also said they wanted to make sure that the prices that they get after selling should be reflective of what is happening in the international market. This is why we opened up and said tobacco is sold through auction.
So, because of the new policy trajectory where we do not want to interfere with the market because whenever we do interventions and provide what are called incentives, in a way they distort the market prices. What we would want is, we have provided our farmers with free land. The majority, we are already incentivising them. The other issue that we have also noted is the issue of our farmers not being able to access funding. The 2021/22 season, we already have a tobacco fund which is in the tune of around US$60 million where we are going to support our farmers but in terms of pricing, we are not going to interfere. We will allow the market to operate and this is why we are not giving those incentives because we know that our farmers are getting value for money. Thank you.
(v)HON. KASHIRI: I would like the Deputy Minister of Finance to clarify for the rural farmers especially seeing that the rural farmers usually are left behind. How does this model that he has spoken about going to work?
HON. CHIDUWA: I think the model is already working for the rural farmers and this is being implemented through their associations. If you check what we did this current agriculture season, we actually devolved the auction to the provinces, specifically if you check for
Karoi. This is where our rural farmers are and they have been using the auction effectively. I think the system is working very well and there are no hitches as far as I know.
(v)HON. B. DUBE: My question is directed to the Minister of
Transport, in his absence to the Leader of the House. What is
Government’s policy relating to the disbursement of the road fund for the purposes of rehabilitation of roads by local authorities taking into account that ZINARA seems to be failing to disburse funds on time to local authorities resulting in a lot of unfinished road works in all the cities around the country? Is it not prudent that the Ministry takes back the aspect of road monies directly to be managed by local authorities in their respective areas?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Let me
thank Hon. Counsel Brian Dube for that very important question and also to take this very important time to articulate issues when it comes to the issues of ZINARA. The sole purpose of the creation of ZINARA was to administer a fund contrary to the mandate that they purportedly had in the era where they were also engaged in the construction of roads which was not under their purview. Being a fund, it is supposed to disburse funds to local authorities, not necessarily local authorities but all four road authorities which are as follows; the Department of Roads, rural district councils, local authorities and District Development Fund.
So to answer the question by Hon. Dube, as we speak Mr. Speaker, it is quite disheartening that there are some local authorities that have been advanced funds for the construction of roads under the Road Rehabilitation Programme by ZINARA and they have not used that money. We are actually recalling that money. Also, the Minister of
Transport is actually mandated through legislation under the Roads Act 18, in particular section 5 of that Act where it talks about local authorities, rural district councils or any road authority that neglects its mandate. Therefore, the Minister in particular will take over the management of that road.
So for us to say ZINARA is not disbursing, I do not think it is true Mr. Speaker. If you have checked in the previous month, ZINARA had to flight all the disbursements to the local authorities showing that these are the funds that went directly to the local authorities. In the near future again Mr. Speaker, we are going to flight a detailed report of the funds that have gone to the local authorities and therefore, we call for the accountability element from the local authorities, rural district councils, DDF and the Department of Roads to account for those funds to see where those funds have been channelled to. I do agree that as a fund, ZINARA is supposed to disburse and this is basically what ZINARA is doing Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE
TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order Number 67.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
CRITERIA FOR CONFERMENT OF NATIONAL HERO STATUS
1. HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME asked the
Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs to explain to the House the criteria used to confer National Hero status considering that some juniors during the liberation struggle are being conferred national hero status whilst former senior commanders are not.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS AFFAIRS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Mr. Speaker Sir,
before I delve into the question, let me briefly quote what the Preamble of our Constitution says about veterans of the liberation struggle. It states and I quote, ‘Exalting and extolling the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives during the Chimurenga/Umvukela and national liberation struggle’. The inclusion of a statement extolling heroic resistance and colonialism in the Preamble of the supreme law of the nation establishes the importance and pervasive nature of the value of liberation heroes borne out of the efforts of veterans of the liberation struggle.
Sections 23 and 84 of the same Constitution, clearly stipulate the need to give due respect, honour and recognition to veterans of the liberation struggle and defined them as follows: - ‘those who fought in the war of liberation; those who assisted the fighters in the war of liberation and those who were imprisoned, detained or restricted for political reasons during the liberation struggle’. The Constitution further mandates the State to take reasonable measures including legislative measures for their welfare and also economic empowerment.
Over the years Mr. Speaker Sir, Government has done its best to look after the welfare of the veterans of the liberation struggle by enacting the War Veterans Act and also the Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees Act as a way of recognising the contribution of veterans of the liberation struggle. Only last year, these two Acts were repealed and replaced by the all encompassing Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act that includes all categories of veterans of the liberation struggle.
Conferment of hero status in the unfortunate occurrence of death is one of the ways of recognising the contributions of veterans of the liberation struggle. It is on this basis that Section 3 of the National Heroes Act, Chapter 10:16 confers upon the President, the powers to declare the hero status on certain citizens of Zimbabwe. The section states, “where the President considers that any deceased person who was a citizen of Zimbabwe has deserved well of his country on account of his outstanding, distinctive and distinguished service to Zimbabwe, he may by notice in the Gazette, designate such person as a national, provincial or district hero of Zimbabwe”. On the basis of this provision, a number of veterans of the liberation struggle have been accorded national, provincial or district hero status.
Regarding the criteria used to award status, it is important to understand the procedure. The process of declaration starts with recommendations from various organisations and associations from a wide spectrum of our nation including those representing veterans of the liberation struggle that wish to have certain individuals conferred with any of the three categories of heroes status. Given the history of our nation, most heroes and heroines have predominantly been those with political and military backgrounds on account of the due prominence given to liberators by our Constitution.
However, the National Heroes Act, Chapter 10:16 also takes into account outstanding, distinctive and distinguished services by all citizens. It is on this basis that other heroes without political and military backgrounds like the late Dr. Ariston Chambati who was a veteran in business; Gary Magadzire, agriculture; Christopher Ushewokunze who was a veteran in business; Oliver Mutukudzi, arts and Saul Jah Love – arts, to mention but just a few, have been duly recognised as national, provincial or district heroes depending on their respective contribution.
Mr. Speaker Sir, it is important to emphasise that the national hero status is not reserved for those who participated in the liberation struggle alone. The onus is therefore upon citizens, groups of people, organisations or associations to justify their recommendations to the President to award any of the three categories of hero status on the basis of service rendered. Within the veterans category, the majority of those awarded national hero status during the early years of independence were senior politicians and Commanders. However, as time passed by, some veterans who were junior during the liberation struggle went on to contribute after independence, thereby earning them national hero status. Mr. Speaker Sir, in short, the criteria therefore is that one should have rendered outstanding, distinctive and distinguished service to the nation. I thank you.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD) MAYIHLOME: Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. I want to know whether this criteria is in the form of a checklist that is known to the entire country? The criteria might be there but it is not known and this raises a lot of questions when you see somebody not considered a hero but if there is a checklist that is known and transparent, it will be easy for everybody to understand how the decisions are justified.
HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member, Hon. Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Mayihlome for that very important follow up question which I appreciate. I want us to appreciate that in a constitutional making process, every Zimbabwean has an opportunity to input in the process which is a culmination of what I presented before Parliament which demonstrates in no doubt that there was wide consultation and the Constitution is available.
If I am required to go on air and explain further, I can do so. The same applies regarding the National Heroes Act. This also came through Parliament where it was widely debated and the Committees responsible, I take it that the Chairman of the Portfolio Committee Hon. Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Mayihlome was involved in consulting all stakeholders to make sure that this Act come to Parliament, is a collective document contributed by all of us and it is in this particular document where the nation requires that the Minister once again educates or brings awareness to the nation. I am more than happy to do so, so that people appreciate that there are these pieces of documents that are available for their benefit. I thank you.
HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank the Minister for her response. My follow up is, the Minister mentioned that the Constitution is very clear that anyone who fought and liberated this country must be recognised and that there is a process which is supposed to be followed. A case in point is of Cde Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu where a process was followed and everybody knows his credentials, he was one of the first people who went out to liberate this country. Everybody knows what he did but up to now, nothing has come out. My request to the Hon. Minister is, can you please have a relook into this matter because it would appear as if there is discrimination and we do not want that to happen. Can you please have a relook at that issue of Cde Saul Gwakuba Ndlovu so that at least we know what happened?
HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I
would like to thank Hon. Dr. Khupe for that follow up question in which she requests that we have a relook at Cde. Ndlovu’s request which was presented, having considered his role which he played during and after the liberation struggle. Mr. Speaker Sir, I was not aware that there was such a case which is of great concern to the nation. Regrettably, if there was an error which happened during that time, I do not know when this happened but I have taken note of the concern that she has raised. I am going to investigate and I will bring the response before the House. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. Can the Minister kindly apprise the House on whether there is a clear procedure for requesting the conferment of the hero status on someone that died at war and it is clearly known that they served in the war? Is there a clear procedure to request for the conferment of hero status on someone who died during the liberation struggle and they lie in non-hero graves?
HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
Once again, I would like to thank the Hon. Member for raising a very important question regarding those who passed on during the struggle and they feel that they deserve to be considered for national hero status. As I did allude to earlier on that most of the commanders which were conferred national hero status were commanders that participated before independence and those who were instrumental. We have the likes of Cde Magama Tongogara, Cde Mangena and many others, those recommendations came from the Commanders and from the two political parties then who were at the helm of the liberation struggle. So, in case some of those members were omitted, these are issues which can still be considered but as I recommended earlier on that associations have the sole responsibility to bring forward their recommendations to the President of Zimbabwe who has his own committees. We also have the National Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Board that can also be approached and any members of the society can be approached. The doors are still open, people should feel free now that there are very clear instruments that offer this opportunity where some errors that were committed then can be corrected. This is the opportunity that has been availed by the Government. I thank you.
PROCRASTINATION IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MILITARY
CEMETERIES AT PROVINCIAL CAPITALS
- HON. BRID. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME asked the
Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs to explain to the House the circumstances surrounding the procrastination in the establishment of military cemeteries at provincial capitals.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS AFFAIRS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. Let me start by thanking Hon. Mayihlome for the important questions.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I am pleased to report that work on the establishment of provincial military cemeteries is underway. By way of background, allow me to inform this august House that following the consummation of the idea in 2016, a board chaired by the late Air Chief
Marshal Perrance Shiri was instituted to deliberate on the matter. However, the board could not complete the assignment owing to the changes occasioned by Operation Restore Legacy in 2017 which saw the Board Chairman being appointed Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement while other members of the board were reassigned to various positions within the Government Service. Mr. Speaker Sir, this development necessitated the reconstitution of the board to fill in the gaps created by the staff movements. In this regard Mr. Speaker Sir, a new board was convened in 2020 under the chairmanship of the Commander Air force of Zimbabwe, Air Marshal Moyo. The board had an odious task of gathering views of all the 10 Provincial Ministers who are critical stakeholders in the programme to secure their views which will be captured in the implementation process. I am pleased to announce that the board recently submitted its report which we are currently studying with a view to implement its resolutions. Very soon we will be engaging the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement counterparts with a request for land for the cemeteries in all the country’s 10 provinces.
CONSTRUCTION OF A MORTUARY AT HURUNGWE RURAL
DISTRICT HOSPITAL
- HON. KASHIRI asked the Minister of Health and Child Care to explain to the House when the Ministry will construct a mortuary at
Hurungwe Rural District Hospital.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank Hon. Kashiri for the very important question.
The construction of a mortuary at Hurungwe Rural Hospital will be considered in the 2022 Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) plans under which a four (4) body mortuary and a complete refrigeration system will be constructed. I thank you.
CONSTRUCTION OF GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATIVE
OFFICES AT MAGUNJE GROWTH POINT
- HON. KASHIRI asked the Minister of Local Government and
Public Works to inform the House when the Ministry will construct Government Administrative Offices/Complex for Hurungwe at Magunje
Growth Point.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): I thank the Hon.
Member for the question directed under my purview. As the House is aware, the Second Republic has committed itself to undertake a wide range of infrastructure development projects. These range from road rehabilitations and construction, dam construction, housing amongst others.
With respect to office accommodation, Government has since embarked on the construction of provincial and district composite offices across the country, notably in Lupani, Siakobvu (Nyaminyami),
Hwedza and Mutoko. These are projected to be completed by year end 2021.
This initiative will be cascaded to all districts that do not have composite offices, Hurungwe included. So Hon. Member be assured that we are aware of the situation and subject to resource adequacy, Hurungwe District will be considered. In the same vein, Government has an obligation to complete all stalled projects doted around the country and Treasury has committed to avail the necessary resources for this purpose. I thank you.
DESIGNATION OF SPACES FOR INFORMAL SECTOR BUSINESS
ACTIVITIES IN WARREN PARK
- HON HAMAUSWA asked the Minister of Women Affairs,
Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development to inform the
House when the Ministry, in liaison with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and Harare City Council, are going to designate spaces for informal sector business activities in Warren Park as thousands of people do not have any livelihood for their survival following the collapsing of their work places due to COVID-19 induced lockdown.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS,
COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
DEVELOPMENT (HON. J. MHLANGA): Micro Small to Medium
Enterprises infrastructure is one of the major challenges affecting the growth and development of SMEs. Recognising the importance of SME work space provision, the Ministry launched the Micro Small to Medium
Enterprise Policy 2021-2024 which has infrastructure provision and development as one of the key 12 strategic pillars for Micro Small to Medium Enterprise growth.
Government is upscaling the provision of work space for the sector through the allocation of funding from Treasury for the construction of SME work space in partnership with local authorities who are providing land. Construction work is in progress in Gweru and Gwanda to provide appropriate work space for small to medium enterprises.
With regards to Micro Small to Medium Enterprises work space in Warren Park, the Ministry has engaged the City of Harare to identify designated areas planned for informal sector players and plans are in place for the construction of appropriate work space for small to medium enterprises. This will be used to map strategies to ensure that informal sector operators in the area have access to appropriate and decent working space to carry out their business activities.
(v)*HON. HAMAUSWA: My supplementary to the Minister is
that now that they have not built where the informal sector are going to work from, why are we seeing those in informal sector having their structures being destroyed? Has Government not found a suitable plan to give them a temporary place in Warren Park where they can start working from? This is increasing crime rate because they no longer have something to do to assist themselves. We are requesting the Minister to come back to this august House and explain to us which areas have been designated by Government in Harare for informal sector business.
We want it done this way so that the land barons and council official do not take such areas that are reserved for informal sectors. I am saying this because if you look at my constituency, we were given many places in Warren Park D for home industries but such places were taken by private players. Last week there were clashes because a private player had taken a certain piece of land, which is 10 metres away from where people have been doing informal business for more than 15 years. This place was helping their families but council gave such a place to a private player yet it was supposed to be given to small scale business people.
*HON. MHLANGA: I want to thank the Hon. Member for his
question. I can only respond to what my Ministry is doing and not talk about what the Ministry of Local Government is doing. In our Ministry, we are in full swing to make sure that small and medium businesses are not left behind in being allocated places to do their business. Like what I said, we are saying to Local Government Department whenever they are planning, they should also plan for small and medium entrepreneurs. Coming back to Warren Park, we are involved in assisting small and medium entrepreneurs to have places to do their business.
Yes, concerning the list outlining the areas earmarked for small and medium enterprises around Harare, I think we can bring it in this House. I thank you.
PUBLISHING OF NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO BENEFITTED FROM
COVID-19 ALLOWANCES
- HON HAMAUSWA asked the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to inform the House when the Ministry will publish the names of all the people who benefited from COVID-19 allowances or other related Government support amid claims by most people in Warren Park Constituency who are complaining that they have not received any support at all.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR
AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. SEN. MATUKE) Mr. Speaker Sir,
I would like to thank the Hon. Member for asking such a pertinent question. The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare does provide rights based social protection for vulnerable groups in the country. Beneficiaries have the right to confidentiality and the Ministry cannot publish the names of its beneficiaries without their consent unless if ordered to do so by the courts or by Parliament.
The Ministry was asked by this august House, Mr. Speaker, to submit names of the beneficiaries who benefited under the COVID-19 cushion allowances and it provided that list. It is up to this august House, Mr. Speaker, to give the Hon. Member access to the beneficiary pay sheet. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, what is your point of
order?
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Hon. Speaker, the Hon. Minister is
sighting an issue of confidentiality on the distribution of public resources. Could the Hon. Minister sight the relevant Act which warrants that information from the public space cannot be exposed to the generality of the people? Which Statutory Instrument and statute or any piece of legislation that supports the position that he is actually stating now because that is the first of its kind that we are actually hearing it being said that it is confidential.
HON. SEN. MATUKE: We were directed as a Ministry by this
august House, Mr. Speaker, to provide a list which we did and if the Hon. Member is interested in getting the list of names of those who received the cushioning allowance, if you want to allow that Mr. Speaker, the Ministry has no objection to that, but we can only do that when you direct us to do so. We still believe that any payment is confidential unless directed by you, especially the COVID-19.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: The Minister has not answered the
question because Parliament has never directed the Hon. Minister for him to actually hide. The question that Hon. Hamauswa has put on the Questions with Notice was for the Minister to get sufficient time to do the exercise and Mr. Speaker Sir, the Act provides that information moreso given under the Auditor General’s financial report on the COVID fund. We want that list to be submitted and it would be wrong for this august House to allow the Minister to run away without giving
Parliament the list of names.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May I confirm from the
Minister whether the information was submitted to Parliament.
HON. SEN. MATUKE: Yes it was.
(v)*HON. HAMAUSWA: Supplementary Mr. Speaker Sir. My
supplementary, Mr. Speaker Sir, emanates from the fact that the
Government said that it will give COVID allowances. As Members of
Parliament, we were told to assist in identifying beneficiaries but now in the constituencies that we represent, people are saying that we took their names so that we could use them during elections because they were not assisted.
So what we are saying is that to clear our names - because these are public funds, there is need for accountability. The Ministry is saying that it has given beneficiaries, for example in Warren Park, they should give us the names to show the beneficiaries. Failure to do this, the Minister should at least give us the number of people - for example to say in Warren Park Constituency we are unable to name the beneficiaries but we were able to give 10 000 to the vulnerable. That could have assisted even for a person who is in another area will be able to see that the Government has the people at heart.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Member. I think
the Minister confirmed that he submitted the list. Let us study that list and then we will give a response tomorrow.
(v)*HON. HAMAUSWA: I understand Hon. Speaker. What I am
requesting is that he gives us the number of people in Warren Park who benefited, and not give us the names.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I am saying the
Minister confirmed he submittedg that list and then from the list, we will find out how many are from Warren Park, then we report tomorrow.
Thank you.
(v)*HON. MUSHORIWA: That should be done by the Minister and not you Hon. Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I am saying he says he
submitted to Parliament and if he submitted to Parliament, Parliament staff is going to give us that information and then we inform you tomorrow.
(v)HON. HAMAUSWA: We will make a follow up Mr. Speaker
Sir. Thank you.
REDESIGNING OF ACCIDENT PRONE AREAS ALONG
BULAWAYO ROAD
- HON. HAMAUSWA asked the Minister of Transport and
Infrastructural Development to inform the House the measures that the Ministry has put in place to ensure that areas prone to accidents along the Bulawayo Road, particularly from the Showgrounds zone right up to the White House area, are redesigned as a way of curbing road traffic accidents along that route.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Hon. Speaker Sir and let me also thank Hon. Hamauswa for that very important question and I will answer the question in two parts.
The following measures have been taken to curb road carnage along Harare- Bulawayo highway:-Firstly, Government has ensured the setting of speed limits governing the permissible speeds at which vehicles can be driven on certain sections of the road. The stretch of road in question, Mr. Speaker Sir, is subject to a 60km/h and 70km/h speed limit. The derestriction then falls away after Whitehouse suburb. The purpose of the speed limit is to ensure that motorists along that road are regulated in terms of speed.
A measure that the Ministry can take, Hon. Speaker Sir, is to implement the construction of rumble strips selectively as a speed reduction measure. Hon. Speaker Sir, in addition to that vehicle licencing requirements aim to enforce that all road vehicles are registered and maintained properly before they can be used on public roads. My Ministry, through VID, continues to enforce vehicle fitness especially for public service vehicles which are a common occurrence on the stretch of road in question.
My Ministry is fully aware of the existence and risk posed by unregistered pirate taxes that illicitly continue to operate on our roads.
In this regard and as Hon. Hamauswa is aware there has been heavy deployment of law enforcement agents in order to ensure that these illegal activities are addressed. Government would like to applaud the Zimbabwe Republic Police for their efforts in bringing these perpetrators to book and is confident that this measure, coupled with the enforcement of speed limits and the observance of other road regulations will go towards the mitigation of road carnage on that stretch of road. Government, through the VID, also ensures that enforcement of driver licencing requirements that is warranting that every driver must pass a competence test on vehicle handling and traffic regulations before being allowed to drive on public roads. As you may be aware, Government in 2021 declared the state of all roads a national disaster, thereby initiating an incentive to the operationalisation of the Second Phase of the
Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme (ERRP2). Under ERRP2, Government is targeting to rehabilitate 10,000kms of roads country wide. The Harare-Bulawayo Highway has been largely expanded and resurfaced with the stretch between Harare and Norton tollgate having been dualised so as to improve the flow of traffic and to allow easy passage of vehicles without the risk of motorists encroaching into each other’s lanes.
Furthermore, routine road maintenance and repairs have been implemented as a critical measure in reducing road carnage on our roads. My Ministry, through the Traffic Safety Council Zimbabwe, carries out road safety campaigns in schools, churches, communities, work places and bus termini and on roadsides. In fact, road safety has been included in the school curriculum. In spite of the lockdown, the TSCZ has continued to work with the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the corporate world in carrying out road safety campaigns.
To answer the second part of the question raised by Hon. Hamauswa, to seek whether the Ministry has any plans to redesign the stretch of road; from a technical and structural point of view, the Harare Bulawayo Highway is adequately equipped in the form of road signs, markings, junctions, traffic circles and general design. This, therefore, negates the need to redesign the stretch of the road in question. What is of great concern are human factors and human errors that contribute to road traffic accidents. In the same vein, I appeal to all road users to behave responsibly on our roads and appeal to all to play their part in ensuring that road carnage is circumvented. Tomorrow, given the chance, I shall bring the Ministerial Statement on the road carnage as demanded by the august House. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
(v)*HON. HAMAUSWA: I was anticipating that the Minister would tell us his plans on areas like the junction close to N. Richards where there are always accidents. Is there a possibility of having robots on that junction? The Minister could liaise with N. Richards and other companies to have robots installed there. There is also the place close to Longcheng which also needs robots. The Minister could also talk to the business owners at Longcheng since we know our Government has a lot of other issues to deal with and those businesses could be engaged to assist. They could put robots or humps like those put along Mazowe road as we get to Harare drive. Can the Minister not do the same?
*HON. MHONA: I want to thank the Hon Member for the pertinent question. Those are very good ideas that we seek from our Hon Members. We will have to go on the ground and see if your suggestions can be incorporated and if there are other additions needed.
I pledge to this august House that I will go with my Ministry officials to those places mentioned by the Hon. Member. I will invite him to be there as the representative of that area. It is also a noble idea for the business people of Zimbabwe to work together with our Government to develop our infrastructure. I thank you.
HON. DR. KHUPE: Hon. Minister, part of the reason why accidents happen is because of roads which have been constructed and have not been completed. Why is it that if you start constructing a road you do it half way or three quarter way and you do not finish? Why do you not just, for instance start the Bulawayo to Nkayi road or Bulawayo to Kezi road and complete them. This is the reason why we have accidents all the time. Why are you not constructing roads and completing them? I thank you.
HON. MHONA: I want to thank Hon. Dr Khupe for that important question. The onus of the pace in particular, is this very important august House. You control the pace and as we are gravitating towards another budget cycle whereby we can allocate adequate funds, I will be very grateful especially to allocate funds to all stalled projects.
Truly speaking and to concur with Dr Khupe, there is no way we can start a road and not finish it. What we are currently doing as a Ministry is to go province by province to identify such roads where we have started some works and we have not finished. If you check in the Blue Book, there are some roads that are there which have to be completed. I do concur that when we start, we must construct that road to the end. This is basically what we are doing but knowing very well that because we are funding our own roads, at times the speed that we work with to rehabilitate the roads might not be in tandem with the expectations of the masses of Zimbabwe. Honestly speaking, this is the ideal situation whereby all such roads and all stalled projects must be completed on time. So I totally agree with you that we need to move with speed in trying to rehabilitate and construct such roads. I thank you.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER
BILLS RECEIVED FROM THE SENATE
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that
I have received the Cyber and Data Protection Bill [H. B 18B, 2019] and the Forest Amendment Bill [H. B. 168, 2019] from the Senate. The two Bills were amended by the Senate and in terms of Standing Order No. 145 (2), the amendments will be considered by the Committee of the whole House tomorrow. Thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1
to 30 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 31 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
CONSIDERATION STAGE
PENSIONS AND PROVIDENT FUND BILL [H. B. 17A, 2019] Thirty First Order read: Consideration Stage: Pensions and
Provident Fund Bill [H. B. 17A, 2019].
Amendments to Clauses 1 to 5, 15 to 17, 23, 31 to 33, 35 and 54 put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, adopted.
Third Reading: With leave, forthwith.
THIRD READING
PENSIONS AND PROVIDENT FUND BILL [H. B. 17A, 2019]
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): I move that the Bill be
read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA), the
House adjourned at Eighteen Minutes past Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 25th August, 2021
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. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 3 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 4 has been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMITTEE ON HIV AND
AIDS ON THE STUDY VISIT TO UGANDA ON HIV AND AIDS
MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING
HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: I move the motion
standing in my name that this House takes note of the First Report of the Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS on the study visit to Uganda on
HIV and AIDS Management and Financing.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second..
HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: Thank you Madam
President for allowing me to present the report on the study visit to
Uganda by the Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS on the HIV and
AIDS Management and Financing. I will go straight to the introduction.
Introduction
As part of its oversight function and in accordance with its work plan, the Thematic Committee on HIV/AIDS resolved to undertake a study visit to Uganda on HIV/AIDS management and financing. The study was undertaken from the 28th July to the 1st of August, 2019. The delegation comprised of the following Members of the Thematic
Committee on HIV/AIDS; Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane, Member of Parliament and leader of the delegation, Hon. Sen. Chabuka K., former Member of Parliament, Hon. Sen. A. K. Tongogara and Mrs. Mafuruse,
Clerk and Secretary to the delegation.
Objectives of the visit
- To share experiences on the role of Parliamentarians in strengthening national laws and policies that deal with HIV and AIDS;
- To identify and learn best practices that worked in Uganda; and
- To recommend for replication of best models on HIV/AIDS management and financing in Zimbabwe.
Background
HIV and AIDS is intercontinental and knows no colour, creed or boundary. HIV/AIDS is multi-sectoral and dynamic and requires extensive sector linkages and harmonisation of interventions. In Africa, South of Sahara carries the biggest global HIV and AIDS burden, with Eastern and Southern Africa alone accounting for at least 52% of the world’s persons with HIV.
In response to the scourge of HIV/AIDS, global frameworks for development have been recognising the need to address the epidemic. Such frameworks include the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted in the year 2000 and HIV/AIDS was goal number six.
Accordingly, the international AIDS Conference held in 2014 in Melbourne, Australia launched the ambitious treatment of 90-90-90 targets to accelerate the efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. This ambitious treatment target states that 90% of all people living with HIV will know their HIV status by 2030; 90% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection will receive sustained antiretroviral therapy by 2030 and 90% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy will have viral suppression. In 2015, the MDGs lapsed and gave birth to the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) Framework. Under this framework, three health related MDGs on Child Mortality, Maternal Mortality and
HIV/AIDS were replaced by the overarching health goal. It is SDG Number three (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages with 13 targets. Of these targets, HIV/AIDS falls under target 3.3 which speaks to ending the epidemic.
The epidemic of HIV/AIDS was first identified in Zimbabwe in
- In response to the epidemic, the Zimbabwe Government through
Parliament, enacted the National AIDS Council of Zimbabwe Act in 1999 to halt the devastating effects brought by HIV/AIDS and by improving the lives of those living with HIV. This was followed by the enactment of the National AIDS Trust Fund, commonly known as the AIDS Levy as a funding mechanism for HIV/AIDS in the country.
Furthermore, a prevention programme called the Zimbabwe National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan (ZNASP) 2011-2015 was put in place to curb the spread of HIV infection and is currently undergoing review in response to the emerging trends with the aim of achieving the 90-90-90 global targets by 2030.
It is evident from the above that Parliament has been very active and influential in how HIV and AIDS is managed and financed in Zimbabwe. Accordingly, the Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS was appointed to carry out oversight function on HIV and AIDS issues and policies implementation across sectors, hence the resolution to undertake a study visit on HIV and AIDS Management and Financing in Uganda.
Uganda is heralded as the archetypical success story in tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic (Molhiddin and Johnson, 2006; Yaude, 2007) as a result of the Government’s ability to set clear goals for itself, ensure cross-Government commitment to the eradication of the virus and adapt health strategies according to capacity gaps. The successful handing of the epidemic suggests a decrease in national prevalence level from 18% in the 90s to 6% at the turn of the century.
FINDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE
The HIV and IDS Statistics in Uganda
In the late 80s and early 90s, Uganda offered pioneering approaches to HIV epidemic response. The HIV success story was driven by the direct leadership of His Excellency the President, Yoweri Museveni who led the national HIV campaigns on educating Ugandans about behaviour change, the strategies for managing HIV and challenging stigma and discrimination. Today, Uganda boasts of the reduction in HIV prevalence rate from 18% in the 90s to the current 6%.
Table 1 shows the HIV statistics in Uganda as at December, 2018.
Table 1: HIV and AIDS Situational Analysis for Uganda and Zimbabwe as at December 2018.
Country | People living with HIV | Adult HIV
Prevalence (ages 15-40) |
New
Infections |
AIDS
Related Deaths |
Adults
Antiretroviral Treatment |
Children on
Antiretroviral Treatment |
Uganda | 1.4 million | 5.7% | 53 000 | 23 000 | 73% | 66% |
Zimbabwe | 1.3 million | 12.8% | 38 000 | 22 000 | 89% | 65% |
The above Table shows the HIV and AIDS statistics for the year 2018 for Uganda and Zimbabwe. To reckon with the period under review, Uganda had more people living with HIV (1.4 million) than Zimbabwe (1.3 million). The adult HIV prevalence rate for Uganda was lower (5.7%) than Zimbabwe (12.8%). Although Zimbabwe’s HIV prevalence rate had fallen from a high of over 29% in 1999 to 12% in 2018, more needs to be done to lower it to a single digit as is the case with Uganda if the country is to end AIDS by 2030. The statistics also show that Uganda was leading in terms of new infections (53, 000) while Zimbabwe recorded 38,000, an indication that Zimbabwe was doing well in prevention strategies to curb occurrence of new infections. The table also shows a marginal difference on AIDS related deaths statistics between Uganda and Zimbabwe owing to the provision of antiretroviral treatment which improves the survival of People Living with HIV (PLHIV). In terms of antiretroviral treatment, Zimbabwe was leading with 89% of adults on treatment while Uganda had 73%. Regarding children who were on antiretroviral treatment, there was a marginal difference, with Uganda having 66% and Zimbabwe 65%.
Modes of HIV Transmission and Groups most affected by HIV in Uganda
The delegation learnt that like Zimbabwe, Uganda’s main HIV transmission mechanism is sexual contact which accounts most of the new HIV infections. It is imperative to state from the onset that the delegation noted similarities in terms of the groups that were most affected by HIV in Uganda. It is also important to note that while fishing communities were among the most affected by HIV in Uganda, mining communities were among the most affected by HIV in Zimbabwe and that like Zimbabwe, Uganda was also faced with challenges in addressing issues surrounding access to reproductive health care services for young people, sex workers and men who have sex with men.
Adolescent girls and young women
HIV prevalence is almost four times higher among young women aged 15 to 24 than young men of the same age. The issue faced by this demographic picture includes gender based violence (including sexual abuse) and a lack of access to education, health services, social protection and information about how they cope with these inequalities and injustices. Indeed, young Ugandan women who have experienced intimate partner violence are 50% more likely to have acquired HIV than women who had not experienced violence.
Sex workers
HIV prevalence among sex workers was estimated at 37% in
2015/16. It is estimated that sex workers and their clients accounted for 18% of new HIV infections in Uganda in 2015/16. A 2015 evidence review found between 33% and 53% of sex workers in Uganda reported inconsistent condom use in the past month driven by the fact that clients often pay more for sex without a condom.
The criminalisation of sex work and entrenched social stigma means sex workers often avoid accessing health services and conceal their occupation from health care providers. In particular, stigma toward male sex workers who have sex with men is exacerbated by homophobia. Indeed, many sex workers in Uganda consider social discrimination as a major barrier in their willingness or desire to test for
HIV.
Men who have sex with men (MSM)
HIV prevalence among men who have sex with men (sometimes referred to as MSM) in Uganda was an estimated 13%, and this was the most recent data available. A 2017 study among men who have sex with men in Kampala reported high risk behaviours to be common, including 36% of respondents reporting regularly unprotected anal sex, 38% selling sex, 54% having multiple steady partners, 64% having multiple casual partners, and 32% injecting drugs.
Pervasive HIV related social stigma and high levels of homophobic violence caused by conservative social attitudes and stigmatizing legislation result in men who have sex with men feeling less inclined to access HIV services. The 2017 study mentioned above found 40% had experienced homophobic abuse and 44.5% had experienced suicidal thoughts.
The Uganda Anti-Homosexuality Act was passed by Parliament in December 2013 and officially signed into law in February 2014. Although the law was annulled in August 2014 due to technicality based on the number of MPs present during the vote, it is thought to have resulted in increased harassment and prosecution based on sexual orientation and gender identities. It has also triggered negative discussions from the general population on social media, in which violence and anti-homosexual discrimination are advocated. HIV outreach workers and service providers working in Uganda with men who have sex with men have also reported heightened challenges in reaching this population.
People who inject drugs (PWID)
Since the Global State of Harm Report in 2014 estimated HIV prevalence among people who inject drugs at 16.7% in Uganda, the Government of Uganda has pledged to prioritise innovative approaches to help this population. Accordingly, in 2017, the Ugandan Ministry of Health authorised a number of needle and syringe programmes to be
piloted.
Fishing communities
HIV prevalence among Uganda’s fishing communities is estimated
to be three times higher than the general population. A 2013 study of 46 fishing communities found HIV prevalence to be at 22% with no variation between men and women. The reason for such high prevalence among this community is thought to be the result of a complex range of factors, including a high degree of mobility, a high rate of fishermen who pay for sex, injecting drugs, and a lack of access to HIV prevention and testing services.
National Initiatives to End Aids by 2030 in Uganda
In the quest to reduce its HIV prevalence rate from 6% to Zero and to meet the 90-90-90 United Nations (UN) targets of ending HIV and AIDS by 2030, the Government of Uganda undertook some national initiatives to achieve the goals. The most important one was the Presidential Fast-Track Initiative on ending HIV and AIDS in Uganda, launched in June 2017 by His Excellency, President Yoweri Museveni. In launching this programme, President Yoweri Museveni called upon all Ugandans, political, cultural, religious and civic leaders to embrace the initiative. He also called upon all sectors, private, public, civil society and the media and development partners to ensure that they contribute to ending AIDS as a public health threat in Uganda. The initiative is premised on five pillars or the five- point plan
The Five Point Plan
- Engage men in HIV prevention and close the tap on new infections, particularly among adolescent girls and young women; ii. Accelerate implementation of Test and Treat and attainment of 90-
90-90 targets, particularly among men and young people; iii. Consolidate progress on eliminating Mother-To-Child
Transmission of HIV; iv. Ensure financial sustainability for the HIV and AIDS response; and
- Ensure institutional and effectiveness for a well-coordinated multisectoral response.
This initiative tasked key people such as men, young people, parents and leaders to play their role in meeting the 90-90-90 UN target.
Achievements of the Fast Track Initiative: June 2017 –
December 2018
Prior to the start of the Fast-Track Initiative, a lot of studies had continuously revealed that men and their risky lifestyle were one of the major source of new HIV infections. Men have very poor health seeking behaviour, they are less likely to test for HIV compared to women. So the majority of men compared to women do not know their status. For example, out of 8 million people who tested for HIV in 2016, only 38% were men. In order to significantly reduce the number of new infections and be able to realise the target ending AIDS by 2030, the Presidential
Fast Track Initiative put a lot of emphasis on reaching out to men.
Consequently, the number of males on ART increased from about
316,000 in 2016 to about 410,000 by the end of December 2018.
The Zimbabwe Approach to Fast Tracking Commitments to end AIDS by 2030
In order to fast track commitments to end AIDS by 2030,
Zimbabwe set 10 country targets as highlighted below.
Target 1: Ensure that 30 million people living with HIV have access to treatment through meeting the 90-90-90 targets by 2020.
Target 2: Eliminate new HIV infections among children by 2020, while ensuring that 1.6 million children have access to HIV treatment by
2018.
Target 3: Ensure access to combination prevention options, including pre-exposure prophylaxis, voluntary medical male circumcision, harm reduction and condoms, to at least 90% of people by 2020, especially young women and adolescent girls in high prevalence countries and key populations – gay men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers and their clients, people who inject drugs and prisoners. 14 Social Behaviour Change, 14 Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC), 14 Condom Promotion and
Distribution, 14 Key Populations.
Target 4: Gender inequalities and end all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls, people living with HIV and key populations by 2020.
Target 5: Ensure that 90% of young people have the skills, knowledge and capacity to protect themselves from HIV and have access to sexual and reproductive health services by 2020, in order to reduce the number of new HIV infections among adolescent girls and young women to below 100 000 per year.
Target 6: Ensure that 75% of people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV benefit from HIV sensitive social protection by 2020.
Target 7: Ensure that at least 30% of all service delivery is community led by 2020.
Target 8: Ensure that HIV investments increase to US$26 billion by 2020, including a quarter for HIV prevention, and 6% for social enablers.
Target 9: Empower people living with, at risk of and affected by HIV to know their rights and to access justice and legal services to prevent and challenge violations of human rights.
Target 10: Commit to taking AIDS out of isolation through people-centered systems to improve universal health coverage, including treatment for tuberculosis, cervical cancer and hepatitis B and C.
Key Achievements for Zimbabwe
The following are some of the key achievements made by
Zimbabwe after implementing the above 10 targets:
- Decentralised differentiated care models which are basically community centred namely: Community Anti-retroviral Re-fill Groups (CARGS) and Community Adolescent Treatment
Supporters (CATS) who take turns to collective treatment for the rest of the members in their groups, ii. Sign Language and Special Needs Training for key health personnel in order to expand HIV Testing Services to clients with special needs.
- Final transmission including breastfeeding period was 8.5% in 2018, indicating that Zimbabwe was on track towards achieving the global elimination target to less than 5% by 2022.
- There was an increase in condom uptake of males from 120 million in 2017 to 135 million in 2018.
- Although there is no legal protection for key populations
(transgender and men who have sex with and sex workers) in
Zimbabwe, there has been programming for Female Sex Workers (FSW), MSM, transgender and prisoners. To this end, NAC through Center for Sexual Health and HIV and AIDS Research
(CeSHHAR) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), established ten static sites for sex workers and seven drop-in centres, five for MSM and two for sex workers.
- The finalisation of the Legal and Regulatory Environment Assessment (LEA) with the overall objectives of assessing the legal, regulatory and policy environment in relation to HIV and
AIDS in Zimbabwe.
Progress towards achieving the UN Targets of 90-90-90
Table 2 and 3 show the analysis for the achievement of the UN targets of 90-90-90 for Uganda and Zimbabwe respectively, as at
December 2018.
Table 2: Analysis for the achievement of the 90-90-90 targets by
2030 for Uganda
UN Target | Indicator | 90 Cascade |
Estimated number of people living with HIV – 1.4 million | - | |
The First 90 | People living with HIV who know their status | 89% |
The second 90 | People on ART | 89% |
The Third 90 | Virally suppressed among those tested for Viral Load | 90% |
Data Source: A report of the Presidential Fast-Track Initiative on Ending Aids as a Public
Health Threat in Uganda by 2030: Period June 2017 – December 2018.
Table 3: 2018 Analysis for the Achievement of the 90-90-90 targets by 2030 for Zimbabwe
UN Target | Indicator | 90 Cascade |
Estimated number of people living with HIV – 1.3 million | - | |
The first 90 | People living with HIV who know their status | 90% |
The Second 90 | People on ART | 87.36% |
The Third 90 | Virally suppressed among those tested for Viral Load. | 73% |
Data Source: Zimbabwe 2019 Global AIDS Monitoring Report.
As shown in Table 2, above, Uganda managed to hit its set UN targets of 90-90-90 before 2020. The country status as of December 2018 was at 89-89-90. This means that for the first 90 that aims at having 90% of people living with HIV knowing their status by 2020, Uganda was standing at 89% by December 2018. For the second 90 that aims at having 90% of people who test positive to be enrolled on care and treatment, Uganda was standing at 89% by December 2018. For the third 90 that aims at ensuring that all those on treatment achieve viral load suppression, Uganda managed to hit this 90% by December 2018.
Similarly, the above table indicates that Zimbabwe was also close to achieving the set targets as its status was at 90-87-73. This means that for the first 90 that aims at having 90% of the people living with HIV knowing their status by 2020, Zimbabwe managed to surpass the set target standing at 90% by December 2018. For the second 90 that aims at having 90% of people who test positive to be enrolled on care and treatment, Zimbabwe was standing at 87.36% by December 2018. For the third 90 that aims at ensuring that all those on treatment achieve viral load suppression, Zimbabwe was at 72% by December 2018. It is therefore evident that during the period under review, Uganda was faring well compared to Zimbabwe.
HIV and AIDS Financing:
For the first time, Uganda managed to design and outline strategies through which money was going to be locally mobilised in order to fund the National HIV response. This has been a major achievement of the
Presidential Fast-Tract Initiative considering that for many years, over 80% of Uganda national HIV/AIDS priorities were funded by foreign donors. The Presidential directive to all institutions to mainstream
HIV/AIDS provided a platform to concretise and operationalise the HIV Mainstreaming Guidelines where all Government ministries and local governments would contribute 0.1% of their annual budget to HIV/AIDS work. This directive was estimated to raise at least US$5 million annually and this is over and above the AIDS Trust Fund that was authorised by Parliament. The private sector also came up with their own innovation of the One Dollar Initiative which was estimated to raise about 10 million annually for the next five years. All these were sustainable and creative strategies that were going to enable Uganda fund its own response and set targets by 2030.
Like Uganda, Zimbabwe relies heavily on donor funding for its
HIV response. The biggest funder of the country’s HIV response is the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, followed by
PEPFAR. In terms of domestic resource mobilisation, the Zimbabwean Government collects an AIDS levy made up of 3% payee and corporate tax, which contributes to Zimbabwe’s domestic share of funding for HIV response. This domestic resources mobilisation tool was also adopted by the Government of Uganda as stated above. However, due to economic hardships Zimbabwe is faced with, the revenue collection base has been shrinking, making it difficult for the country to mobilise more resources locally. In light of the integration of TB, cancer, and hepatitis B and C services into the HIV and AIDS programme, it means Zimbabwe has to identify new sources of HIV financing.
Other Key HIV Prevention Interventions by the Presidential
Fast-Track Initiative:
The line ministries and partners developed and implemented frameworks with activities to reach adolescent girls, young women and men, their families and communities with appropriate HIV prevention interventions as outlined below.
Adolescent Girl Agenda:
The adolescent and Young Women Inter-Ministerial Task-Force (chaired by the First Lady) developed a framework for addressing adolescent and young women issues, to guide all sectors on issues underlying their vulnerability to HIV.
The National Sexuality Education Framework
The First lady launched the National Sexuality Education Framework intended to provide guidance to various sectors reaching in and out of school children, adolescents and young people.
The National Parenting Guidelines
The Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MGLSD) finalised and launched the parenting guidelines. The guidelines complement the sexuality education framework and specifically aim to equip parents with knowledge and skills in raising children.
The Presidential Initiative on AIDS Strategy for
Communication to Youth (PIASCY) Programme
The PIASCY was reviewed targeting young people in school to equip them with information and skills on responsible sexuality and reproductive health choices. The programme is being implemented in 42 districts of Uganda under the USAID funded projects.
The Social Economic Empowerment Projects
These projects are aimed at empowering adolescent girls and young women (10-24 years) with skills and capacity to stay HIV negative and cope with the epidemic. These include: Uganda Women Empowerment Programme (UWEP), Operation Wealth Creation
(OWC), Women Fund and Youth Fund, National Agricultural Advisory
Services (NAADS), Determined Resilient Empowered AIDS-Free Mentored and Safe women partnership initiative (DREAMS), the Karamoja Empowerment Project, the Empowerment and Livelihood for
Adolescents (ELA) and the Global Fund Catalytic Programme.
The Role of Parliamentarians
The delegation had the opportunity to interact with the Committee on Health at the Parliament of Uganda. This platform offered the Parliamentarians from Zimbabwe and Uganda an opportunity to share experience and lessons in playing their oversight, representative and legislative roles. Some of the roles played by the Ugandan
Parliamentarians are outlined as follows:
Provide leadership in realising the right to ending HIV and
AIDS
The importance of leadership in the response to ending HIV and AIDS is widely recognised especially in mobilising the communities at national and sub-national levels. As such, Ugandan Parliamentary Committees have participated in offering leadership and providing accurate information on HIV and AIDS throughout the country. For example, the Speaker of Parliament in Uganda is the Champion of the Girl Child who is highly vulnerable to HIV infections. The Speaker has influenced policies and programmes aimed at reducing vulnerability of girls and women in Uganda. These include: the Uganda Youth
Livelihood Programmes and the Women Economic Empowerment
Programmes. Additionally, the Committee on HIV and other Related Matters developed the HIV Communication Toolkit as a policy document whose purpose is to guide leaders at all levels to reach stakeholders with correct and consistent HIV and AIDS information.
Enacting Supportive Laws
Parliamentarians have played a key role in ensuring that there is supportive and conducive legal and policy environment to protect the right of the people infected and affected by HIV. The Parliament of Uganda, in consultation with the Uganda AIDS Commission and other stakeholders, enacted the HIV Prevention and Control Act of 2014, in the same way Parliament of Zimbabwe enacted the National AIDS Council of Zimbabwe Act in 1999. Parliament of Uganda further gave technical support in the development of the National HIV Strategy Plan
2015/16-2019/2020 and the National Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Parliament also supported the enactment of the HIV Prevention and Control Act of 2013 for the regional block of East
Africa.
Increasing Parliamentary Oversight
Parliamentarians have and continue to play a critical role in the
HIV and AIDS response. The Parliamentary Committees at Uganda
Parliament Actively participated in the launch and roll out of the
Presidential Fast-Track Initiative on Ending AIDS as a Public Health Threat in Uganda by 2030. Different Committees of Parliament for example HIV, Education, Health, Presidential Affairs and Budget
Committees rallied communities across the country. Furthermore,
Parliamentarians made oversight visits to the fisher folks (Key Populations) at the landing sites, to schools and these visits helped to appreciate the HIV interventions. The key recommendations that were made from the oversight visits contributed to influencing policy and programmes at national and sub-national levels in the management of
HIV and HIV response.
Ensuring Predictable and Sustainable Financing
Ugandan Parliamentarians played a critical role in prioritising the appropriation of the National Budget allocations towards sustainable and evidence-informed HIV and AIDS plans. At the time of the study visit by the Committee, Parliament of Uganda had appropriated 0.1% of the annual budget for the Government ministries, departments and agencies to finance the HIV programmes. This is over and above the funds that were to be collected from the AIDS Trust Fund (ATF).
Ensuring Accountability
Parliament of Uganda holds the Government accountable for implementing programmes that are non-discriminatory and reach all populations in need. The Parliament ensured that programmes reach general population and have the right to access HIV and AID|S treatment. Women, children and men have access to HIV testing and treatment without discrimination, and that health services are able to respond to the specific needs of women and girls living with HIV. For example, under the Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV (EMTCT), Parliament ensured that all programmes are designed to protect the expectant mothers from Transmitting HIV to new born and the country had reduced new infections among new born from 26,000 in
2016 to about 3 000 in 2018.
Lessons Learnt
- Political will is very critical towards the fight against HIV and AIDS.
- Legislators are key to influencing and promoting HIV and AIDS policies, programmes and activities as they act as role models to their communities.
- Mobile HIV and AIDS counselling and testing facilities are key enablers in improving accessibility of threes services to the key populations such as truck drivers, sex workers and surrounding communities.
- Appropriate and strong financial mechanisms or resource mobilisation are critical in supporting HIV and AIDS programmes and activities.
- Targeting key populations such as young people in rural communities in HIV and AIDs programming helps in reducing
HIV prevalence.
Recommendations
Over and above the AIDS Levy, the Government through the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, should spearhead the fight against HIV and AIDS for the purpose of setting up of a Presidential Fund towards this noble cause as this will demonstrate the highest level of political will. Zimbabwe legislators should lead by example through voluntary HIV testing and counselling as well as continue to lobby for more HIV and AIDS awareness campaign programmes in the country by
December, 2021.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care should endeavour to establish roadside health clinics (roadside wellness centres) at truck stops and borders that stay open late and are located near parking facilities by December 2022. These should also provide access to health care, counselling and health education for long distance truck drivers, sex workers and the surrounding communities.
In its 2022 National Budget, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should consider coming up with effective financing mechanisms geared towards increased resource mobilisation for HIV and AIDs prevention, treatment and care in the country through some of the following ways:
- Tapping into the informal sector by earmarking about 10% of
VAT for HIV and AIDS programming; or
- Considering earmarking 10% of the Health Levy for HIV and
AIDS programming; or
- Considering earmarking 10% of the 2% tax for HIV and AIDS programming; or
- Consider directing all Government ministries and local governments to contribute 0.1% of their annual budget to HIV and AIDS programming as is the case in Uganda.
9.5 The National AIDS Council should continue the scaling up of HIV and AIDS programmes and activities in rural communities, targeting the young people who are most at risk in order to achieve the UN targets of
95/95/95 goal.
10.0 Conclusion
The study visit was an eye-opener, not only to the delegation but to the legislators in general as the findings in this report underscored the importance of effective and efficient HIV and AIDS management and financing systems. It is therefore very critical for Zimbabwe as it strives towards ending AIDS and becoming an upper-middle class economy by
2030 to be cognisant that a strong economy needs a healthy nation. Thus, the positives that were learnt during this study visit should be considered for HIV response in Zimbabwe.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Madam President for
affording me this opportunity to go to Uganda on a work visit to see and learn about best practices on how they have tackled the issue of HIV and AIDS up until they have reached the level of six percent. I would like to thank the leader of our delegation Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane. This is a well written report, it is concise and precise. It detailed what we observed and what we learnt. We learnt how they are conducting their business.
Madam President, what this report has explained, if we were to take it seriously and also implement it in our country, we will benefit from their ideas by ensuring that we eradicate HIV and AIDS.
Yesterday, we were debating a motion on health. It was about how best we can develop the health systems of this country so that our nation becomes a healthy nation. We need health infrastructure so that we are able to work as we try to improve the economy in our country as well as health issues that need to be done and there is need for a healthy workforce.
Mr. President, the most important thing that we can copy from what the Ugandans have done is to collaborate with the Ministry of
Health. Everyone should come on board from the President going down. At the moment, with the Presidential Scholarship Scheme, it is my opinion that we should come up with a Presidential AIDS levy that would assist us in curbing the AIDS menace because without funding no plans can come to fruition.
Mr. President, I know that Zimbabwe is among the top countries in coming up with the programme of AIDS Levy but because of the prevalence of AIDS, the funds are getting exhausted. So we need to come up with other ideas to ensure that we raise sufficient funds to fight against the AIDS menace. Mr. President, you have heard from the report that the legislators live with the people in the communal lands. In the communities where they lie, they have a major part to play in assisting in the eradication of AIDS. If we were to ask one another in this august House as to how many of us were tested for HIV and AIDS, you may observe that those that were tested are in the minority or nonexistent at all. It is one of the sectors that the Government strived on, they asked their legislators to lead by example.
If you are a legislator, you are a leader and a role model, so you should lead from the front. Once you endorse Government programmes on the treatment of HIV and AIDS and also play your part in that you become the first person to be tested for HIV and AIDS, it helps the people to also want to be associated with the same problem because their leader is leading from the front.
We observed that when the President was vaccinated for COVID19, there was a sudden uptake of the people that wanted to be vaccinated. So you find that currently all people are now interested in receiving this vaccination. I urge legislators to play their role, lead by example and also participate in these programmes.
Still on that note Mr. President, people perish because they do not know. Ignorance is the chief culprit that has led to the death of a lot of people. We know that in the communal lands where we live, we have traditional leaders – the institutional leadership that is the chiefs, headmen and village heads. Once these are at the forefront in all the programmes that we want to do as Parliament, (since they live with the people because 70 % of our population is in the rural area) once these leaders are given power to assist the Government to ensure that information is properly disseminated and they also take a lead in enlightening the people; I sincerely believe that we will be able to succeed. In the majority of cases we fail because people will be ignorant.
Health professionals do have campaigns that are taken to the people but they do not reach everyone within the community. There are various communities and each area has its own Chief. Each Chief has got his Village heads. Once this traditional leadership is given the chance to lead and speak with the village health workers and the
National Aids Council, workers in the communal lands will be able to win because of the NAC and DAC structures that we have that deal with HIV and AIDS. Whilst we put our heads together in that regard, we will be able to emerge victorious and reduce the number of HIV/AIDS infections.
I would like to go further and state that I just want to thank our Government for what it did with regards to this disease which has led to the numbers going down. We are better than Uganda in terms of HIV
AIDS infections. Uganda is on 60% and we are on 38%. I applaud our Government for a job well done. Zimbabwe is one of the first countries that introduced the AIDS Levy and the others copied from us. Let us continue encouraging each other as a country. When we have a problem, it is not for an individual but for the nation. We should not compartmentalise the problem and say this is a medical issue and we do not know what the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care is going to do. We should never be tempted to think along those linesbecause by doing so, we will be behaving like insane people. We should put our heads and effort together as Zimbabweans and pull in the same direction to eradicate problems so that we are able to overcome
any pandemics that we may face and we will remain in a better place. Once we do that and if we come up with the recommendations that are contained in the report, we should also look at those that we will be capable of implementing as a country so that we can raise funds to eradicate this disease. It will be of benefit to us.
AIDS kills but a lot of funding is being used to cure or eradicate COVID-19. As a result, the Government coffers will be strained because of the diseases we have to cope with which may not have been budgeted for as a country. Let us help one another and ensure that we defeat this pandemic in our country.
Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity and I conclude by thanking you for sending us to Uganda to learn the best practises and observe what happens in other countries. I thank you.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE:I move that the debate
do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that we
revert to Order of the Day Number 2 on the Order Paper.
Motion put and agreed to.
CONSIDERATION STAGE
FORESTRY AMENDMENT BILL [H.B. 19 A, 2019]
Second Order Read: Consideration Stage: Forestry Amendment
Bill [H.B. 19 A, 2019].
Amendments to Clause 5 put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, adopted.
Third Reading: With leave, forthwith.
THIRD READING
FORESTRY AMENDMENT BILL [H.B. 19 A, 2019]
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker Sir,
I now move that the Bill be read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
CONSIDERATION STAGE
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B.18 B. 2019]
Amendments to Clauses 5, 6, 37 and New Clause 37 put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, adopted
Third Reading: With leave, forthwith.
THIRD READING
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B. 18B, 2019]
THE MIMISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): Mr. President, I now move that the Bill be read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
MOTION
STRENGTHENING THE HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEM TO
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need to strengthen the health delivery system in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE PROVISION OF
QUALITY EDUCATION, SANITISATION AND HYGIENE
MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on Report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals on the Provision of Quality Education, Sanitisation and Hygiene Management in Schools.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President Sir, for according me this opportunity. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane, the mover of the motion. From the onset, Zimbabwe placed education as one of its top priorities. We have the history of upper tops which was an instrument that was used by the Government to ensure that the children of this country have access to education immediately after the colonial era. It is a good thing and it gave a chance to every Zimbabwean, men and woman that are holding degrees. Some of them are professors; all came from such an effort. There was a lot of development in the school of education. There was also adult education for the elderly so that they could cover the time when they were under oppression, when they were not affording the opportunity to go to school, which is quite a good thing. We are highly rated among all the other countries in Africa in terms of our education standards. Our literacy rate is over 90%, which by standard is very high. Such a legacy is still in existence and we should maintain that legacy of being an educated country.
Be that as it may, we have some areas that are lagging behind. As Government, we must focus our attention in that area. These are the resettlement areas where our farmers are. In these resettlement areas, we still have poorly built schools. There are schools which do not have requisite facilities that would let children endure in their education. These areas have no access in terms of road infrastructure. The road infrastructure is so wayward that there is no easy access by commuter omnibuses or buses. As a result, they do not attract the best teachers because the majority of teachers choose to go to areas such as Harare urban centres where there is infrastructure which also leads to poor quality education in such areas.
The resettlement areas have zero percent pass rate in some of the examinations. They are now densely populated and we have a log of generations that are lagging behind in terms of education. If there is to be a re-evaluation, the 90 plus percentage that we have attained could actually be around 70% because of the population that is hidden in such areas. There is a population of school children who are suffering. If you closely observe, you would witness that child marriages is prevalent in that area because they do not have an opportunity to go to colleges and universities because of their poor pass rates. The environment is not conducive to an extent that once they complete Grade 7, boys and girls end up indulging in sexual activities. As a result, child pregnancies are rife. We urge the Government to closely look into these issues and focus in those areas.
The budget for the education sector should be concentrated more on the resettlement areas. There should be easy access to basic services so that teachers can be able to easily travel to buy their clothes and other commodities. These areas should attract qualified personnel to go and teach. The temporary teachers issue should be dealt with because the majority of teachers in such areas are temporary teachers and we end up producing half-baked graduates.
I once again extend my gratitude to Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane and his Committee for the good work that they did in producing such a report. Indeed, such areas do not have quality education. There is no sanitisation to talk about, it is a place where children use the bush as a form of a latrine such that if you were to go to an area within a radius of 100 metres from the school, you find that there will be human waste, which is not healthy and conducive to a good environment for children. I want to believe that the Minister of education, once he receives the report, will be able to respond to the concerns raised and come up with a programme of action to attend to the issues raised. Thank you once again Hon. President of the Senate.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President for giving me an opportunity to add my voice. I have come here to ensure that I add my voice to this particular report because I was one of the Hon. Senators who travelled with this particular Committee as we were having these visits to schools to establish the state of affairs regarding the quality of education in those schools. We also sought to find out the reasons why there were school drop-outs in such schools. We also looked into the issue of the issuing out of sanitary wear to the girl child by the Government.
Mr. President, we visited four schools. First and foremost, I would like to say that this programme which was brought by the Government to declare roads a national disaster should be given top priority to road infrastructure development in the communal lands. The roads which we travelled through are in a sorry state. It is difficult for children to travel such long distances and bent roads to reach their schools. In the majority of cases, there is no transport to talk about; people who have their vehicles do not want to use bad roads. That issue must be addressed.
Despite the fact that we were going to investigate on the quality of education and whether the learning environment was conducive, the issue of the road infrastructure should also be addressed. The roads are in a sorry state. We went to the first school in Mangondo and it shows that they had spruced up the school premises on the day that we arrived. We could even tell that the school was in a sorry state. Even the water supply we were shown was put up for the show as they were aware that Parliamentarians were coming. The issue of access to water should be addressed, it is a major challenge and even the toilets that they are using have no water. Those issues need to be rectified.
Mr. President, we were told that the sanitary wear that was being provided by the Government, in the majority of cases, the girl children were not receiving them. They received a single packet and others were given just panty liners. How is the girl going to wear the panty liner when at times she does not even have the pant? It is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Ways should be identified in order to address the challenges that the children are facing. We went to Musume and
Mberengwa and we observed
H.I 340350 Wednesday, 25 August, 2021
There are schools which do not have requisite facilities that would let children endure in their education. These areas have no access in terms of road infrastructure. The road infrastructure is so wayward that there is no easy access by commuter omnibuses or buses. As a result, they do not attract the best teachers because the majority of teachers choose to go to areas such as Harare urban centres where there is infrastructure which also leads to poor quality education in such areas.
The resettlement areas have zero percent pass rate in some of the examinations. They are now densely populated and we have a log of generations that are lagging behind in terms of education. If there is to be a re-evaluation, the 90 plus percentage that we have attained could actually be around 70% because of the population that is hidden in such areas. There is a population of school children who are suffering. If you closely observe, you would witness that child marriages is prevalent in that area because they do not have an opportunity to go to colleges and universities because of their poor pass rates. The environment is not conducive to an extent that once they complete Grade 7, boys and girls end up indulging in sexual activities. As a result, child pregnancies are rife. We urge the Government to closely look into these issues and focus in those areas.
The budget for the education sector should be concentrated more on the resettlement areas. There should be easy access to basic services so that teachers can be able to easily travel to buy their clothes and other commodities. These areas should attract qualified personnel to go and teach. The temporary teachers issue should be dealt with because the majority of teachers in such areas are temporary teachers and we end up producing half-baked graduates.
I once again extend my gratitude to Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane and his Committee for the good work that they did in producing such a report. Indeed, such areas do not have quality education. There is no sanitisation to talk about, it is a place where children use the bush as a form of a latrine such that if you were to go to an area within a radius of 100 metres from the school, you find that there will be human waste, which is not healthy and conducive to a good environment for children. I want to believe that the Minister of education, once he receives the report, will be able to respond to the concerns raised and come up with a programme of action to attend to the issues raised. Thank you once again Hon. President of the Senate.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President for giving me an opportunity to add my voice. I have come here to ensure that I add my voice to this particular report because I was one of the Hon. Senators who travelled with this particular Committee as we were having these visits to schools to establish the state of affairs regarding the quality of education in those schools. We also sought to find out the reasons why there were school drop-outs in such schools. We also looked into the issue of the issuing out of sanitary wear to the girl child by the Government.
Mr. President, we visited four schools. First and foremost, I would like to say that this programme which was brought by the Government to declare roads a national disaster should be given top priority to road infrastructure development in the communal lands. The roads which we travelled through are in a sorry state. It is difficult for children to travel such long distances and bent roads to reach their schools. In the
majority of cases, there is no transport to talk about; people who have their vehicles do not want to use bad roads. That issue must be addressed.
Despite the fact that we were going to investigate on the quality of education and whether the learning environment was conducive, the issue of the road infrastructure should also be addressed. The roads are in a sorry state. We went to the first school in Mangondo and it shows that they had spruced up the school premises on the day that we arrived. We could even tell that the school was in a sorry state. Even the water supply we were shown was put up for the show as they were aware that Parliamentarians were coming. The issue of access to water should be addressed, it is a major challenge and even the toilets that they are using have no water. Those issues need to be rectified.
Mr. President, we were told that the sanitary wear that was being provided by the Government, in the majority of cases, the girl children were not receiving them. They received a single packet and others were given just panty liners. How is the girl going to wear the panty liner when at times she does not even have the pant? It is a challenge that needs to be addressed. Ways should be identified in order to address the challenges that the children are facing. We went to Musume and Mberengwa and we observed similar things; the conditions were not good. We observed that the teachers will be there but the departments did not have individual reports. The communication was centred on the Head. The Head was given the reports of all the departments. That shows that there was difficulty in communication. We learnt that the children were given sanitary towels but the major challenge is that once you are given the sanitary towel this month, you are not given the sanitary towel the following month. What is the child going to do the following month? Menstruation is a natural process which a girl child experiences every month. My plea Mr. President is that this programme should be ongoing, so that we know that the children are consistently going to be assisted because they will not be facing difficulties in going back to using leaves and rugs for their menstrual cycle. Some may not even go to school because they would not have the means to ensure that they are in hygienic mode to be able to attend school.
We were further told that dropouts are on the increase and this is being caused by poverty because they do not have anything to sustain themselves. Some schools like those ones in Tsholotsho that are at the border and schools such as Makheleli, we observed that the children are not held in high esteem to value education. There is no importance being placed on education because they cross the border and do piece jobs in nearby countries. When they come back, they will be driving motor vehicles. So they believe that once they cross the border to the neighbouring country, they will have a better type of living, hence education is being neglected. I propose that the Ministry of Education should go on a campaign in schools and communities to teach the children about the importance of education. I say this because there is lack of appreciation of the importance of education. It will be quite good if they are enlightened on the importance of education.
During these visits, we also observed that the people that are living with disabilities have a serious challenge. For instance, in the majority of schools that we visited, there were no ramps for use by the disabled children. There is no infrastructure that is in place for children that live with disabilities. This issue should be looked into so that the children who live with disabilities in the communal lands have easy access to schools and have infrastructure suitable for their use. Imagine a disabled child who is going to travel on a bad road and at the school there are no facilities that are conducive to a disabled person. We were disturbed by their plight. We feel that such anomalies should be addressed. Children living with disabilities have rights and they are also equal to other humans. Therefore, they should be treated as such, so as to enable them to a better quality of life and a better quality of education. They should not be discriminated upon. They should also enjoy the same privileges as those that are able bodied.
We also observed the challenge of teachers, especially in Tsholotsho. At Tsholotsho High School where we visited, we were told that some teachers would be transferred to urban schools but there will be no replacement. This results in children being disadvantaged and they lose out. This is one of the reasons that affect the quality of education at schools that we visited because teachers are transferred without finding a replacement.
We also observed that orphans have serious challenges to attend schools, especially child headed households. As a result there is no one that assists such households, hence they drop out of school. As children, no one will be encouraging anyone to go to school. Also there will be no source of funding for them to go to school so they end up withdrawing from school. Again, the issue of distance discourages them from continuing with school. In certain areas, children walk long distances to school. So being children, no one checks on them and they end up not going to school because of these long distances. If they go to school, they will reach the school very tired. In the majority of cases, children just abstain from going to school.
Teenage pregnancies are also rife. People take advantage of these innocent girls and impregnate them. As a result, they lose out on their education. Once they leave school - we know that they can go back after they give birth but they would not be comfortable to go back to school because their peers will laugh at them. Very few children go back to school after giving birth. Majority of cases just prefer to stay at home rather than going back to school.
In conclusion, we were talking about the impartation of knowledge, the problem that we have is we just teach the girl child. By this we are not getting anywhere because the girl child falls pregnant, because she has been impregnated by the boy child. When it comes to education, we should educate both the girl child and the boy child. We should teach them at the same time and tell them that the reason why they should abstain from sexual intercourse when they are together, both the boy child and the girl child become enlightened. As they grow up, they are mindful of the fact that they should not be involved in early sexual intercourse, which may lead to early pregnancies. I would want to thank you Hon. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the report that details our fact finding mission into the quality of education in our schools and the state of the schools. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President for
allowing me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion. I thank the Committee for the work that they did. The report shows what has to be done, as well as highlighting the problems that are being faced in the education sector. Let me say that Zimbabwe as a country, took giant strides in ensuring that there is education for all, which came up in 1980 at the advent of independence.
The boy child and the girl child were given an equal opportunity to go to school because they were not able to attend school during the liberation struggle. Since we attained our independence, all the children were being urged to go to school because it is important for a country to have an educated population, as well as an educated leadership. It will have serious development effects. We thank the Government for taking such a stance.
The problems of infrastructure that we observed and the issue of school drop-outs and early marriages are challenges that we are mostly seized with. It has been said in the report that early marriages are being caused by poverty. As a nation, we must have laws that are harsh so that they act as a deterrent measure. Once these girls become pregnant, they may have challenges in delivering the baby because of the age. As has been earlier on stated by Hon. Sen. Tongogara, parents must play a major role in the life of our children. The teachers are there to deal with the children during school time. In the majority of cases, parents should ensure that they play their role and bring up their children well.
Yesterday and today, I observed on television that there were teenage pregnancies during the COVID-19 pandemic. From the report, in South Africa from March 2020 to March 2021, 23 000 girls fell pregnant. Zimbabwe also experienced its own teenage pregnancies.
This is caused by inactivity because an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. These children ordinarily should be in school but now because of inactivity, they do not have any other way of occupying themselves.
In communal lands, the majority of schools have pit latrines.
These pit latrines are not user friendly to people living with disabilities. There are no facilities for people living with disability in communal lands and this is a major challenge to the disabled. The Government should come up with a new type of a toilet that can be used in all schools, be it the flush system that Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa once made reference to. These ones would be good but would have challenges in the border areas such as Mukumbura where the area is arid and water is a challenge. Be that as it may, good toilets are required.
A child living with disability has parents. However, I have observed that a disabled child is discriminated in a family. It could even lead to divorce of the parents. I urge parents to accept their disabled children. If you do not want to look after your disabled child, who do you expect to do so? It is not the duty of the teacher to look after a disabled child.
There is a lot of work to be done in our schools. In the past, we used to see in the education system that there was an Inspector who would supervise schools. Whenever the school inspector would be coming, schools would be clean and a lot of defects would be remedied. It is no longer being done. There is no longer adequate supervision in schools. Teachers do as they please these days because there is no supervision. Government should look into that area because if there is someone to supervise them, the way things are done will be changed. We thank the Zimbabwean Government because it wants every child to be educated.
The sanitary wear project is good. We had a programme with Hon. Sen. Tongogara in Mazowe. We do not believe that the sanitary wear from Government is all distributed. I suggest that instead of
Government giving cash to schools, they should train students to be able to saw their own sanitary wear. The school can then sell the sanitary wear to the women within their communities and the programme becomes self sustaining. It will also create employment to school leavers. It is my considered view that Government should come up with such programmes as we are observing the First Lady doing. This programme has grown in leaps and bounce in Harare. So, Government should borrow a leaf from the First Lady and follow suit. I thank you for affording me this opportunity Mr. President.
**HON. SEN. R. NYATHI: I want to thank you for the opportunity you have given me Mr. President to debate on this motion that was moved by Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane. We have heard what everyone has said that they visited schools. This is a good thing which should be done, that we visit all schools in each province. I do not think they visited all schools that are supposed to be visited. There are schools in rural areas that are not accessible and that were built using mud. For example in Lusulu, I want to say that if Government is to visit schools, let us visit all schools because in these rural schools there are disabled learners who should also be taken care of. Education in Zimbabwe is very important because the country is known for its education in the whole of Africa. We are talking of early marriages – this is because our Government is not visiting all schools and taking care of all learners. During our learning days, teachers knew that when they go to work, they will be going to teach every child irrespective of their ability.
It is our duty as Members of Parliament to check if all learners are learning because teachers these days are selective. As Government, we should check who should be beneficiaries of Government programmes in schools because we have orphans and vulnerable students in these rural schools. You realise that those who deserve assistance are not given but it is given to those students who are better off. Binga is very big Mr. President and has a number of vulnerable students who need assistance. Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you Mr. President. I move that
the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL
GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING
AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY
ON THE ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS MADE IN AREAS
AFFECTED BY FLOODS AND ON CONSTRUCTION OF COVID 19
TREATMENT, QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION FACILITIES
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion the Assessment of Progress made in areas affected by floods and on construction of
COVID-19 Treatment, Quarantine and Isolation Facilities.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President for
affording me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion that was moved by Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa and his seconder. This was a report on the floods that were experienced and the places that need to be looked into as regards the COVID issue. I am going to concentrate on the issue of the floods. I am one of the people that travelled to
Chimanimani which is in a sorry state even up today.
Be that as it may, let me say that the report was truthful in that it exposed the truth. Things were quite bad in Chipinge and lives were lost. What pleased me most which has not been mentioned, is that the people of Chipinge were very grateful for the assistance that they received from the Government and they were quite clear about it. They also thanked the Government for quickly coming to their assistance when they experienced this Cyclone Idai. The report also touched on the issue of hunger. Indeed, people were hungry. The bulk of the food was coming from the donor community. Government had not yet mobilised its own resources and donors do have timelines in which they operate. It is after the expiry of these timelines that our Government was supposed to have quickly stepped in. The delay that took place led to the people complaining about the late availability of food but the majority of the people were grateful for the early assistance that they received in the Chipinge area.
Mr. President, we also want to thank our Zimbabwean and South
African armies who were seized with the reconstruction of the bridges. This shows that there is unity between South Africa and Zimbabwe, hence they came to the aid of the Zimbabwean families after bridges had been washed away. People on the different sides of the river were no longer able to communicate and interact. It is quite sad that the majority of lives were lost in that natural disaster. It is never known when such a disaster would strike but we would like to thank the Lord that at least some survived when others lost their lives during the floods.
Mr. President, the Department of Construction is doing quite well when given tasks to construct houses. However, their work is delayed because they do not have sufficient resources. I believe that if they are given sufficient resources for construction of houses and schools, they will quickly meet their target of constructing a school or a house. We would want to thank them for doing such splendid work in such areas despite these challenges that are being faced. They were promising that goods will be disbursed. I hope that the work in Chipinge will continue to be done and things will return to normal. Thank you Mr. President. HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Mr. President, , I move
that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
HONOUR IN RESPECT OF MBUYA NEHANDA STATUE IN THE
CITY OF HARARE
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the heroics of
Mbuya Nehanda.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TSOMONDO: Thank you Mr. President for
affording me this opportunity to also add my voice on this motion. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Kambizi the mover of this motion and the seconder. I also want to thank our President and his Government for their vision which saw it fit that we must have a monument of the late Mbuya Nehanda along Samora Machel. The reason being that it has been a long outstanding matter and what has been done by His. Excellency the President will help the majority of Zimbabwean children who did not know what Mbuya Nehanda looked like. It will help those that are in schools and those that are going to come. When they see that statue, they will be able to understand what Mbuya Nehanda’s legacy is all about.
We want to thank the President and his Cabinet for coming up with such a statue for Mbuya Nehanda. The history of Mbuya Nehanda was chronicled even before we were born. We grew up knowing about her legacy and her legacy lives on. Her life is well chronicled and she was hanged. She was not at peace when she met her death. Her desire was to ensure that this country is returned to the black people. As a woman, she was abused before she died. After she died, her spirit kept roaming around this country and because of the decree that she made, that is after it was fulfilled, as Zimbabweans we took up arms and liberated our country. It appeared as if it was easy but this was very difficult. These were difficult times. Her contribution is so big. She played a mammoth task in the liberation of this country. The majority of the songs that would be sung during the liberation war included the name Mbuya Nehanda. Even when liberation war veterans whenever they would be cross, they would swear by Mbuya Nehanda and this had an important meaning during and after the liberation struggle.
Our highest note – ZW50 bears the image of Mbuya Nehanda. It is blessing us and I am quite happy as a liberation war veteran because I appreciate the importance of Mbuya Nehanda. If you go into Samora Machel Avenue, you will observe a lot of children also looking at the statue. I am happy that our children have learnt about Mbuya Nehanda. She is the first woman to be killed for this country. I was taken aback and surprised that there are some people that are disrespectful. We know that there was a tree along Seventh Avenue or along that area. What surprised me is that the tree was cut down by a disrespectful person. This tree symbolised the trials and tribulations that our ancestor went through and was hanged on that particular tree. This disrespectful person willy-nilly cut down that tree.
That was not a good thing. People should know their history. The history of Zimbabwe should be known by our children. They should know Zimbabwe from ab initio. We are in this Parliament because of that first lady. There are men heroes such as Mapondera, Sekuru Chaminuka and Kaguvi – Mbuya Nehanda is the only woman whose name is ever mentioned. This galvanised us as women into action because women were being looked down upon but because of the heroics of Mbuya Nehanda, women were spurred on and inspired by
Mbuya Nehanda. A lot of women are now doctors, some President of Senate or Vice-President of the country because of the stance that was taken by Mbuya Nehanda. She is known for having said that despite the fact that you are killing me, my bones shall rise. We went to war because of Mbuya Nehanda.
I am quite grateful for what the President and his Cabinet did who came up with the idea of erecting the monument of Mbuya Nehanda in the capital city of Zimbabwe so that everyone can see the statue of one of our heroes – Mbuya Nehanda, who was severely tortured by the whites. She was the first woman to say that this country should be ruled by black people. Despite being in pain, she mentioned that this country should be ruled by her children. We had a song entitled ‘Mbuya Nehanda kufa vachitaura’. The song went on to say that the black people must take arms and liberate this country. I thank the President for taking such a stance of coming up with a statue in the capital city of Zimbabwe. I thank you Mr. President.
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, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 65TH VIRTUAL SESSION OF THE COMMISSION
ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN ON WOMEN’S FULL AND
EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION AND DECISION MAKING IN
PUBLIC LIFE
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 65th Virtual Session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
ENFORCEMENT OF PENALTIES ON LIVESTOCK THEFTS
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the theft of livestock.
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, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
VIRTUAL REPORT OF THE 48TH PLENARY SESSION OF THE
SADC-PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 48th Plenary Session of the SADC-Parliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
(v)HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to wind up my report. Before I wind up, I would want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to thank everyone who contributed during the debate on this motion. It is a very important report and it was widely debated because it had issues that have to do with each and everyone. Mr. President, without much ado, I move for the adoption of the report.
Motion that this House takes note of the Report of the 48th Plenary Session of the SADC- Parliamentary Forum held virtually from the 4th to the 5th of December 2020, put and agreed to.
MOTION
DEVELOPMENT OF LIBERATION HISTORY MODULES
Twelfth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need to provide material and financial support to the SADC initiatives for the development of the liberation history modules.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
ADMINISTRATION OF FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY
Thirteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the financing of football from the fiscus.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President. I now want to wind up my motion which was debated by a lot of people who supported the motion. I would like to thank all of them. They are numerous so I will not mention them by name but I want to thank all who contributed to this motion.
Before I wind up, the person who was top most on the motion is George Shaya. I do not know what will happen to the five times soccer star of the year in Zimbabwe. That was never repeated again. We heard that there was someone who fought for the country, who went to Mozambique and came back. This was said by the war veterans and we all say that person is a hero. Today, for football to become well known as it is in this particular country, it is because of George Shaya who led Dynamos to victory over Orlando Pirates. Dynamos had lost 3-0 in South Africa but George Shaya scored equalising goals but alas he is no more today. The Government of the New Dispensation, through its President, said that heroes are no longer from one sector, hence you find the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi became a national hero. This is because His Excellency the President, Cde. Mnangagwa extended a hand by declaring that anyone who would have contributed extra ordinarily in any field is a hero. I was hoping that George Shaya would be declared a national hero. That would show that soccer and the legislature are one and the same thing. Football is a recreational facility. It gives therapeutic healing to a person, even one who might be on their death bed when they go to watch soccer they come with a better mind. I am saddened by the loss of George Shaya’s life.
In conclusion, I would want to say when people heard me talking about my motion, urging Government to come into the soccer fraternity and address the problems that the football fraternity is facing because of uncouth characters who are getting there to steal money, Mr. President, today I have evidence that was produced in this particular newspaper of someone who forged that he is one person who runs Dynamos, that he was the founder member of Dynamo, forged documents and prejudiced the football club. The person was impersonating that he was the founder member and all the others have passed on and he claimed that he now had the sole ownership of the shares. Mr. President, that as it may, I thank all those who contributed to the motion and once again, my condolences to the George Shaya family. I now move that the motion be adopted. Motion that this House;
MINDFUL that owing to its popularity, football is affectionately referred to as the beautiful game because of its unifying effect as it draws fans from all walks of life regardless of their colour, creed, race, religion, political, social, economic persuasions and affiliations;
FURTHER MINDFUL that football has become a cash cow for local authorities who rake in handsomely huge sums of money whenever popular soccer clubs like Dynamos, Highlanders, Caps United, among others, play matches at venues under the jurisdiction of the respective
Councils;
NOTING with disapproval the rampant chaos bedeviling the administration of football in the country resulting in top flight football players retiring into abject poverty after their playing days are over;
NOW, THEREFORE, CALLS upon the Executive to:
- Ensure that Football Clubs such as Dynamos and other community teams are adequately resourced from the fiscus in view of the revenue that they bring in whenever they play at venues administered by local authorities.
- Consider bringing normalcy in the administration of football in the country considering that our national team has become our flag bearers by qualifying for the Africa Cup of Nation (AFCON) showcase.
- Put in place legislation that caters for the welfare of soccer players after their playing days are over, put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST JOINT PETITION REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND CHILD CARE AND THEMATIC
COMMITTEE ON HIV AND AIDS ON THE PETITION FROM THE
ADVOCACY CORE TEAM (ACT) ON THE AGE OF CONSENT TO
ACCESSING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES BY
THE ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG PERSONS IN ZIMBABWE
Fourteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the first joint Report of the joint Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS and
Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care on the Petition from the Advocacy Core Team (ACT) on the age of consent to accessing reproductive health care services by adolescents and young persons in
Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
ADHERENCE TO OFFICIAL EXCHANGE RATES
Fifteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the efforts by the government to stabilise the currency.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
MOTION
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENDER POLICY AND IPU
GENDER SENSITIVE TOOL KIT
Sixteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the sexual harassment and violence against women.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUPFUMIRA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. SEN. TSOMONDO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th August, 2021.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA seconded by HON. SEN. MATHUTHU, the Senate adjourned at Four Minutes to Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 24th August, 2021
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
NON-ADVERSE REPORT RECEIVED FROM THE
PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the
Senate that I have received Non-Adverse Reports from the
Parliamentary Legal Committee on Cyber and Data Protection Bill [H. B. 18A, 2019] and the Forest Amendment Bill [H. B. 19 A, 2019].
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND WEST PROVICE (HON. SEN. MUNZVERENGWI): I move that Orders of
the Day, Nos. 1 and 2 be stood over until all the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
STRENGTHENING THE HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEM TO
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I move the motion standing in my name that this House,
MINDFUL that the health delivery system is based on primary health care approach as defined in the World Health Organisation Alma
Atta Declaration of 1978 and enshrined in Section 29 of the
Constitution, that the State must take all practical measures to ensure the provision of basic, accessible and adequate health services throughout
Zimbabwe;
ALSO MINDFUL that the State must take all preventive measures within the limits of the resources available to it, including education and public awareness programmes, against the spread of diseases;
DISTURBED by the inadequacy of medical provisions such as drugs and lack of transport to ferry the sick leading to some deaths which can be avoided if such resources are availed;
FURTHER DISTURBED by the absence of kidney dialysis machines in Provincial Hospitals leading to untold suffering by patients;
NOW, THEREFORE, CALLS upon Government to partner with the
private sector in a concerted bid to:
- Strengthen the health delivery system as a way of achieving universal health coverage countrywide;
- Allocate adequate resources for the procurement of medical supplies and also for the provision of ambulances and other forms of transport to enhance health service delivery in the country;
- Consider subsidising kidney dialysis as it is extremely expensive for our citizens who fall victim to such ailments and
- Provide decent accommodation to doctors as a way of motivating and incentivising them as they conduct their day to day health delivery services of saving lives of our dear Zimbabweans.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: I second.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I seek your permission to read my notes Hon. Madam President.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Alright, you can
proceed.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President. Zimbabwe boasts of a very progressive Constitution, even when it comes to health matters. Enshrined in its founding principles, in Section
29…
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order Hon. Member,
you are not connected. Can someone make sure that she is connected?
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President. Zimbabwe boasts of a very progressive Constitution, even when it comes to health matters. Enshrined in its founding principles is Section
29 (1), which reads, ‘the State must take all practical measures to ensure the provision of basic, accessible and adequate health services throughout Zimbabwe.’ Going further down to Section 76 under the Bill of Rights – I will focus on Sections 1 and 2 which read;
- Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to access basic health care services, which include reproductive health care services;
- Every person living with a chronic illness has a right to have access to basic health care services for the illness;
- Health is a fundamental aspect of national development and a healthy people and workforce attains much as compared to a sick population. In recognising this, the Government rightfully accorded Health and Well-being its own chapter as an economic enabler in the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1); hence it is a top priority for Zimbabwe to ensure that health care is accessible, available and is of good quality.
- Zimbabwe has a very strong health framework built upon the 1978 Alma Atta Primary Health Care approach, which identified primary health care as the key to the attainment of the goal of ‘health for all’. However, over the last two decades, the sector experienced much adversity and has suffered under the economic downturn, and now reflects a scenario far away from the desired outcome. To quote the NDS 1, “the health sector is also faced with a critical shortage of specialised professionals and health care staff, demotivated staff who go on strikes, dilapidated hospital infrastructure, lack of essential machines and commodities, inadequate emergency services for delivery and under-utilisation of existing antenatal services.
Madam President, the essence of my motion is to try and add a strong voice towards addressing these acknowledged challenges. I will be making reference mostly to Mashonaland Province which I represent, but I am reliably informed that the situation depicts what is obtaining across all the other rural provinces. I am sure as Senators contribute to this motion, the true national picture will emerge.
The first level health care is designed to be at ward level where no household is supposed to walk more than five km to a rural health centre or clinic. Each rural health centre is supposed to be manned by three nurses and an Environmental Health Technician (EHT). This facility is designed to handle all normal baby deliveries, among other regular community health care needs. This is not the situation currently prevailing in our villages, worse still in the resettlement areas. Parliament hearings are still gathering evidence of people who travel up to 50 km to the nearest primary care facility.
Availability of medicines and basic equipment for temperature, weight, blood pressure and blood sugar level at these clinics remains a challenge. We still have people in the rural areas being forced to fetch essential medicines from the nearest town at a cost which most can hardly afford. A rural clinic without antibiotics and bandages is a common case in our country. If Zimbabwe has to attain its National Development Strategy 1(SDG 1) objectives and fulfill the Constitutional provisions I alluded to above, the best way forward is to make the primary health care fully functional.
On secondary health care level going up the system, we find secondary health care facilities at district level normally called district hospitals. Cases that cannot be handled at a clinic and needs the attention of a doctor are referred to this level. Transferring patients, especially in critical circumstances like during baby delivery, has suffered a lot due to ambulance shortages. This situation has contributed to avoidable maternal deaths and at the current maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 462 per 100 000. Zimbabwe has to move faster in addressing the challenges if we are to attain the global 2030 Sexual and Reproductive Health target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per every 100 000 live births.
In Mashonaland Central for instance, each hospital services an average of 15 clinics, yet most hospitals only have one reliable ambulance. This ambulance has to cover all the clinics and also handle transfers to the Provincial and Harare Hospitals on top of other service errands. Zimbabwe has high literacy and knowledge level with regards to their health matters and in the last decade, we saw a significant drop in major disease prevalence and incidences, for example malaria, Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. The Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) also dropped from 960 in 2010 as more women delivered in designated institutions. These high level of citizens’ awareness now need to be supported by a well- resourced health care system at all levels. At district hospitals, you find more nurses, doctors (general practitioners), other professionals and services like pharmacy, X-ray, rehabilitation and other such services. In Mashonaland Central, we have 12 hospitals and they are not all operating at the desired capacity. Some Mission Hospitals are playing the role since Government has no district hospitals in all districts.
Caesarian section is a critical service to any civilised society. It is sad to note that in my province, it is fast becoming a privilege of a few while more die while giving birth. Shamva has no operating room; Chimhanda has neither doctors and specialised nurses nor equipment to do anesthetics. Mary Mount Mission does not have specialised nurses and doctors and Mvurwi has no specialised nurses too.
Due to the recent utilisation of the Health Levy, commonly called airtime levy to procure medicines, hospitals registered significant stocks. This improvement needs to be sustained and augmented by the fiscus to ensure that we do not slide back to the era where more than 95% of medicines were donor funded and critically scarce. More funding is needed to ensure that all basic machines like those that test the level of blood in one’s body are available at our centres. X-ray and other scanning machines should be procured. There are districts without these basic machines. Citizens have to pay through their noses to access these services from private surgeries. To become an upper middle class economy requires that we enhance our health institutions to an extent that our country becomes a central referral ‘Health Centre’ in Southern Africa and beyond - no need to fly abroad for treatment. We have the capacity and human resources and can do it if we exert our efforts and commitment towards this noble idea.
Allow me Madam President, to move on to the third level, which is made up of provincial hospitals. Here we are supposed to find more doctors and specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology (dealing with women health and pregnancies), Surgeons (for operations), Pediatrics
(children’s health), Anesthetics (putting people to sleep for operation) and those specialised in medicine called Physicians.
Mashonaland Central Province, just like Matabeleland North
Province, has no provincial hospital and makes use of Bindura Hospital. This situation has resulted in several shortcomings at this critical level of health care. To begin with, the hospital has to hire specialists, most of whom have to commute from Harare and are not always available. There are still unoccupied specialist posts as the province is failing to attract them.
Mashonaland Central’s third level challenges cannot only be solved by hiring specialists, since certain cases require an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), which is not there. There is also no Kidney Dialysis Unit. The province has many people suffering kidney failure and a big number is dying. Currently, all people with kidney failure are referred to the overwhelmed Harare for dialysis and some still fail to make it through the waiting list. According to the Ministry of Health website, more than a thousand people are diagnosed of kidney failure annually and require dialysis three times a week.
Madam President, these challenges, like I said, are replicated in almost every other rural province and I call upon the Executive to not only continue increasing the Health Ministry Budget, but further dig deeper into investment scenarios that would pump in situationoverhauling funds. The Government must ensure sustainable partnerships are well established with the private sector. Our country is endowed with natural resources and if well-managed, we can transform not only our health sector but achieve the entire NDS 1.
While we are expanding and modernising our healthcare system, it is critical to ensure that it remains accessible to all as we leave no one behind. The cost of healthcare has fast gone beyond the reach of many citizens, worse still, when faced with such pandemics like COVID-19, which has disempowered many people economically. It is high time we resuscitate and establish safety nets and get the parked National Health
Insurance up and running. I thank you Madam President.
+HON. SEN. A. DUBE: Thank you Madam President for
affording me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion, which was raised by Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi, pertaining to health. Healthcare issues are crucial. There is nothing we can do without good health. I thank Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi for raising such a motion. It is important that in areas that we come from and even across the country, there should be doctors and nurses. It is important that every hospital has qualified personnel who are trained to address different illnesses.
I appreciate that Government saw it fit that there should be clinics every 5km to reduce travelling distances for patients. I have noticed that councils are building clinics. This should be the trend because a sick person cannot walk for more than 5km to seek medical care, especially these days when people tire easily. So, we appreciate that proposal. I have noted that there are a lot of efforts that are being made. I have also noted that there are young people who enroll for nurse training and I propose that Government should motivate nurses in order to reduce brain drain. There is no bigger profession than the nursing profession. These are the people who care for us. They must be given a substantial amount of money so that they retain their jobs.
In other rural clinics, you would find that there is only one nurse who will be attending to many patients. Especially these days when people are being vaccinated for COVID-19, you find 100 patients waiting for one nurse. My plea is that this august Senate should advocate that more nurses should be recruited. In other provinces, especially in Matabeleland North, of course we did not have a provincial hospital but now we have one in Lupane, St Lukes Provincial Hospital. We appreciate that it is a good job but before the opening of the provincial hospital, people are going to United Bulawayo Hospitals and Mpilo Central Hospital. So, it is important that the provincial hospital in Matabeleland North be completed forthwith so that people from the seven districts should benefit from St Lukes Hospital instead of traveling to Bulawayo. However, if this provincial hospital is going to cater for all districts in the province, then this becomes very crucial. In every district, there is a district hospital but serious cases are referred to the provincial hospital. We appreciate the good work.
Let me also point out that there is shortage of medication in hospitals. People experience different illnesses. There are a lot of illnesses, especially those who suffer from hypertension. In the past, we knew that hypertension was for the elderly, the 70 years and above but nowadays, you find a 20-year-old suffering from hypertension. This means that hypertension can affect anyone and it cannot be limited to age. You find even young people suffering from diabetes. My plea is that there should be enough medication in all hospitals. Even when the annual budget is being prepared, the Health Ministry should receive enough funding so that there is enough medication in different hospitals. This will save people from traveling to seek medication in places like
Bulawayo from Lupane or Nkayi. In many places, you will find people traveling long distances. However, there are crooks who are found opening pharmacies outside big hospitals like Mpilo so that rural patients can go and buy their medications from such pharmacies. This is because people take advantage of the rural people who will be desperate for medication. So it is important that there should be enough medication in hospitals.
There are also those who suffer from kidney ailments. In the past, kidney ailments were for the elderly but nowadays, you find even young people suffering from kidney ailments and there are shortages of dialysis machines. I heard the previous speaker saying that some people go for dialysis three times per week. It is quite difficult for patients to travel long distances to seek dialysis services.
So it is important that in every district hospital, there should be specialists and machines for dialysis. There are a lot of people who are suffering from kidney problems. It is important that they get medical assistance. Health issues are quite crucial. Looking at ambulances in different areas, there are shortages of ambulances. Some people get into labour. As I am debating, it might seem as if I am talking about my own constituency, but if you go to Madhumbeni, you discover that there are some 13 and 14 year olds who are around 100. At times you find them needing such services. At times you are told that there are no ambulances.
My request is that there should be ambulances in different hospitals. Some people die because there are no ambulances. Let me also request that if Government procures ambulances or provides ambulances to different district hospitals, there should be places where these ambulances can be serviced. Let me give an example: In Tsholotsho, there is no ambulance but now they have one ambulance. This ambulance must clock 5 000 kilometers mileage for it to be serviced. In Tsholotsho, when you go around the different wards, you can go for 200 kilometers to take a patient, which means within five days you can clock the 5 000 kilometer mileage yet garages which are supposed to service these ambulances are only in Harare. My request is that ambulances should be serviced in Bulawayo. There should be a garage which services such ambulances instead of the ambulance travelling for
1 000 kilometers to Harare for service. This means that it is a waste of resources and fuel.
Madam President, the fuel that is going to be used is too much. This means after service, the ambulance will travel for 1 000 kilometers, meaning that it will be left with 4 000 kilometers for it to be serviced again. So, to and from Harare, you discover that it clocks its mileage. My request is that there should be different garages which will service ambulances in areas that are close to where they will be operating from.
The challenge that we face is that you find young girls falling pregnant after being taken advantage of by those who work in South Africa. It is important for Government to look into the issue so that the girl child is protected. This is quite painful that a young girl falls pregnant. However, they must be able to access maternity services nearer to where they stay. It is important that we have good health care centres. Right now we are facing COVID-19. It is difficult when people fall sick. You find that the isolation centres are far from different districts.
At times some people are isolated in the local hospital. At one point we were shocked when we learnt that 30 nurses had tested positive in a certain hospital. If there are isolation centres, this will assist the nurses. When some test positive in hospitals, it becomes difficult even for patients and other nurses because the environment might not be conducive and there might not be space to accommodate those who test positive.
It is important that health care centres are capacitated. Madam President, even strikes and job actions should be contained so that hospitals are found to be working. When patients go to hospitals and find that nursing staff are on strike, it demoralises patients. That is why we are asking that the Minister of Finance injects capital into the Ministry of Health so that health care professionals are motivated and receive incentives. Sometimes there are people who deceive others.
I would like to appreciate Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi’s motion regarding health care in the country because I have noted that where we all come from, we face different illnesses and different health care challenges across the country. Health care is as crucial as access to water. I thank you Madam Preisdent for giving me this opportunity.
*HON. SEN. DENGA: I want to thank Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi for raising this crucial motion. As you know Madam President, when people are healthy, even their day to day jobs are going to prosper. This motion is very important and if we look at our provincial hospitals and district hospitals up to the wards and clinics, there are many problems which are faced by these health institutions, especially on the issue of accessibility of facilities and medicines.
For example, where I come from in Chikomba, you arrive at a clinic and you cannot find even simple equipment like a thermometer or BP machine. Even at Nharira Clinic, you can be told that we do have thermometers but these machines do not have the batteries. At some point I had to donate some batteries at Nharira Clinic. It was painful to see that many people were going back home without being checked on their BP and temperatures. Hon. President, the facilities should be close to people, as Government policy says that a person must not travel more than 20 kilometers. When they decide to board buses they pay between three to five dollars and they do not have access to Government public transport which is cheaper. These people are using private cars of certain individuals. For us to achieve sustainable development, I think most of the time we accept the Budget as Members of Parliament, we want results. We put a lot of money to the health sector. We want to believe that the funds are not utilised because at the end of the day, we do not see good results whereby people will be assisted through the budget funds which we pass here in Parliament.
Mr. President, we plead that when the Ministry of Health is allocated money, it must budget that money properly so that people can receive medications and there be availability of ambulances at their respective health facilities. We do also have what we call village health workers, we are encouraging Government to give them better allowances. Village health workers are the ones who are working with the community on a day to basis. When we were moving around, we got reports of the situation on the ground from the community health workers. This shows that they are the ones who are the eyes of the hospitals and they are the ones who know most of the diseases found in the communities.
Mr. President, we recommend that when the Ministry of Health has been allocated some funds, if the Ministry cannot do the allocations properly, it must consult the DSOs and other relevant authorities who fall under the Ministry of Health. This will assist them to prioritise properly for people to be able to access health facilities. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Madam President for
giving me this opportunity to support the motion which is important to us as a country. We all know that if there is need for good health, health care facilities should be in good shape. We are few in this House, due to COVID-19 because we want to contain the disease from spreading and there is need to observe social distancing.
Mr. President, ministries are allocated their budgets including the Ministry of Health. What needs to be done on the issue of health is to urge private sectors to be involved. They should assist in improving the health systems.
I would like to thank the Defence Forces for building clinics around Zimbabwe to prevent people from walking long distances to seek medical assistance. People should get medicines near their homesteads. I am kindly asking the private sector to consider what is being done by the Defence Forces. The private sector should drill boreholes. Some of them are into mining; they should plough back to the communities and they should improve the services in the communities by way of medicines, machines and so forth.
We all know that Government resources are not enough. There are a lot of things that Government needs to budget for. Health is more important, so Government needs help like the one that was offered during Cyclone Idai. A lot of companies came forward to overcome the problem during Cyclone Idai. We want people to get specialised treatment, for example dialysis. People need to go on dialysis machines but there is no equipment to diagnose in the first place. There are no doctors at district hospitals. People are dying in the rural areas because there is no help which is being given to them. Some do not have bus fares to go to hospitals where there are specialists.
Mr. Speaker, there is need for the health workers and us to come together with communities and teach them about early pregnancies of children. It is difficult to note that a 13 year old gets married due to different reasons, be it beliefs and so on. Hon. Senators, we have a lot of work to do in our communities. People need to know that it is not good to engage in early marriages.
The First Lady travels around the country teaching people about early pregnancies and we have to unite with her to teach children about early pregnancy in our communities as legislators so that this issue comes to an end. Children are being taught our values.
I would like to applaud the Ministry of Health and Child Care which is trying their level best to assist the community. On Heroes Day, there are doctors who travelled to operate the Siamese twins and the operation was successful. Government rewarded these doctors and we applaud this gesture. This is important for us as a country. Doctors should be given enough resources so that they assist people in whatever way they can. The Government must give them enough resources since they have enough knowledge to help the people in terms of health.
If we unite as a country on this issue, we will conquer. As Zimbabweans, we should unite and work together – those with knowledge and money, we have to provide resources for the doctors so that our health services improve. We will not suffer; our clinics will be near us at five kilometre radius. It will be a success because if a health problem affects us, it will not be at Ministry or Government level,but it will affect the whole nation, hence all of us as a nation should play a part in improving our health service delivery system. I thank you.
(v)HON. SEN. MOHADI:Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to debate. The topic on the floor is very hard to tackle. If you look at hospitals, the distance from one hospital to another - it is impossible for us to say that we can have a distance of five kilometres between hospitals or between a clinic and a hospital. If we take areas like Chikwarakwara which is very far from the district hospital – people travel a journey of more than 130 km to reach the hospital. Some women end up delivering before reaching the hospital. They end up failing to get support and assistance. Usually, the people who assist these pregnant women do not have enough knowledge.
In clinics, there are no doctors and the nurses get overwhelmed with duties such that they are not able to cope with the number of patients that need to be attended to or know the correct medicines they are supposed to issue.
If we look at the age group of 13-14 years, there are usually some complications that require doctors and not nurses only. There are no ambulances again, or there is only one. In the event that there is an emergency, the distance that the ambulance has to cover is very long, making the chances of survival very slim for some patients.
Doctors are always found in large cities like Bulawayo and Harare. In areas like Plumtree and Chikwarakwara, for you to get to Harare from these areas, you are required to travel a distance of more than 700 km and there is no transport. Sometimes you find that the ambulance is said to have run out of fuel. This propels families that can affordto end up making contributions to buy fuel for the ambulance so that their relative can be transferred to another hospital. Others that are not privileged enough remain burdened.
The other issue is on the Marriages Bill. This Bill has to prevent and protect children from delivering whilst they are still young because they suffer a lot of complications during delivering at this tender age. Look at the issue of the Marange girl who died whilst giving birth at the shrine. They denied her the chance to go to the hospital. If this Bill had been debated long back, it would have protected or shun people from taking advantage of young children and they would have been arrested and punished.
Our traditional leaders are supposed to work hand in glove with the community to encourage young children or people to go to hospital whilst there is still time.
If you look at the issue of health care givers also, they are not being paid. There are people who are not that qualified in the field ofmedicine. We require nurses in rural areas because home based care givers are not well versed on medical issues. They are supposed to visit patients that are not in hospitals around the villages and communities. They are not supposed to go without protective equipment but they are supposed to be given proper protective equipment. These home based care givers are the ones that assist people in the villages and we depend on them to offer these services since we do not have much nurses and doctors in the rural areas. They are supposed to be appreciated so that they are able to work effectively. The rate of people that are delivering in their homes is high and there needs to be more trained personnel.
Lastly, health budget should be allocated a lot of money because there are a lot of people that cannot afford hospitals bills. We need to have a budget to assist the elderly and the crippled so that they can access health facilities when they are not feeling well. Because the budget does not have enough money, it ends up serving few people, ignoring the elderly and the crippled.
The other issue is that we do not have enough nurses and doctors. If it was possible, we were supposed to have enough doctors who could visit rural areas twice or once in a month so that they can also attend to patients that are not able to visit hospitals that are far away. This could also assist in making the health institutions work more effectively. With these few words, I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Mr. President for
giving me an opportunity to contribute on the motion that was brought by Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi on the health delivery system. I want to add a few words to what other Senators have already mentioned. My emphasis is on the song by well-known artist Oliver Mtukudzi, which when translated says, ‘Who is rich, the one with wealth or the one who is healthy’. We cannot speak to the dead. The wealth of someone is important when they are healthy. Most people live in rural areas, as pointed out and in Manicaland where I come from; we face many problems including lack of resources for those who work in the health sector. Most of the challenges were exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation and circumstances people are living under are no longer normal. Those working in the health sector are failing to access PPEs in their operations and health facilities are far away. Some of the affected people travel for almost 120km to access health services.
For example in Buhera, people travel from Birchenough to Murambinda.
In Buhera, there is no Government hospital. We are surviving by grace.
Murambinda Hospital is where people who would have been involved in accidents on the Bulawayo-Mozambique Highway are taken to but there is no ambulance on those facilities.
I do not know what happened to the ambulances that were being repaired at local branches or CMED. The vehicles they use constantly break down because of the terrain. They would have eaten into their service mileage and they leave a void. Now they become a problem of ferrying people to hospitals. These institutions are suffering from lack of resources. I understand there was a law that was enacted with regards to procurement. I acknowledge we have PRAZ in charge of procurement. I do not know what the initiative behind PRAZ was, but we need to look at how these issues affect communities. If a community wants to purchase an ambulance, the legal issues surrounding such a donation, things have to go to Harare first whilst people are left wanting. People would like to thank the Second Republic that has made all public health facilities accessible. Most of our people do not know health facilities are accessible and most of the women were giving birth in their homes, the reason being that the health facilities are far away. We are grateful for that gesture.
There is a difference between a nurse and a community health worker at district hospitals. They have same grades but they live differently. We want to encourage the Government to develop health facilities in the rural areas. Some of the houses that these people are living in are in a sorry state, they are shambolic. Things have actually fallen apart in these areas. Those who are working on delicate jobs and such important health institutions should be well looked after so that they are motivated and they do not feel short-changed.
This issue on drugs; drugs are indeed there in hospitals but at times most of the patients are grown-ups and for them to access a clinic is very critical for them. Back in the old days, we used to have mobile clinics and this is something that we should encourage to say, besides a local clinic there should be a mobile clinic that helps the elderly access their medication. Once in a while, they should be able to access their medication. I was in the rural areas; actually what is happening because of the distance is that those who are HIV positive are giving their medical record cards to one individual to visit the clinic for collection of medication. For them to travel eight kilometres to go to the clinic is very difficult, such that others end up defaulting because of the distance.
All these things have to be looked at.
I would also want to acknowledge that our roads have been renovated, so let us try to reach the elderly people. All of us are going to age. Even those in the rural areas have things that they did for us, so let us assist them until they depart. Let us not abandon them but let us leave things at their doorsteps and by so doing we would have solved a very difficult situation for them. Because of this COVID pandemic, most rural area homesteads are now filled with orphans. We have 89 year old women who are guardians to children as little as Grade twos.
Food that is consumed by patients – sometimes our procurement laws are very difficult. They submit requisitions but food is not delivered. Those people who are ill need to be fed. Some of these laws should be flexible and there should be decentralisation of rules. We understand that there are procurement management units. The Government and Parliament should decentralise to allow devolution. Institutions that work with the Government should be decentralised so that people in the rural areas are empowered to enable smooth flow of services. In a very short period of time, people pass on; people are dying before their time. We want to be able to say, some of the things that are happening within a particular area, let us close all loopholes to avoid any corrupt activities. For example we are chiefs, beneath me is the headman, and everything that happens at village level the headman will be able to solve but that which is beyond him/her, they reach out to the chief. For local problems, let us thrive to have local solutions.
We have plenty of food around the country which should benefit local institutions. Health is very important. We should look closely on the issue ambulances, the welfare of doctors and so on. The country has now been globalised due to technology. Health personnel compare themselves with professionals from other countries and if they are lured by what they get they end up leaving the country for those other countries. Let us thrive to retain skills in this country. We should be able to give those in the rural areas incentives to keep them at home.
Those in the rural areas should be given more money than those in the urban areas because those in the rural areas are marginalised. Their own children attend poor schools. If you compare with those who attend school in urban areas, you see that there are failed opportunities because of the poor facilities those in rural areas are exposed to. Let us look closely at our workforce in the rural areas and uplift them, work on developing them and give them better working conditions. They should be provided with ambulance vehicles. In Murambinda where I come from, we only have one ambulance which services Gandachibvuva near Sadza, taking patients to Murambinda and reach as far as Gutu and Dorowa. At times it is used for other works, so we need to look closely those issues. The budget for the Ministry of Health and Child Care should be looked at closely so that we address some of these issues. We should chip in with regards to the budget issues of this particular Ministry. The budget should enable us to have sustainable solutions as a country. Our wealth is our health. I might not have money but the fact that I am living means that I am wealthy.
That is my contribution following this motion. Thank you very much Hon. Senator for bringing such a motion in this House. Thank you Mr. President for giving us this opportunity, I just thought I should also contribute to this motion because health is very important so that we uplift and develop our country.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 25th August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE PROVISION OF
QUALITY EDUCATION, SANITISATION AND HYGIENE
MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Joint Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals on the Provision of Quality Education, Sanitisation and Hygiene Management in Schools
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Thank you Mr. President
Sir. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane for bringing this report to this House, seconded by Hon. Sen. Muzenda. This is a very important motion. Those who went around looking at the issue of sustainable development with regards to education - that is Goal Number four; we have 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Number four is that of education. It compels quality education and it allows us to develop it. Again it promotes life-long learning opportunities for individuals. To say when you are engaged in education, you are prompted to think and be innovative. It also promotes gender equality.
If people learn together, men and women, there is no gender segregation. If you look in school these days, we have more girls than boys in some classes, that is promoting gender equality.
If you learn, you are given opportunities to learn new things. This is a very good motion because it actually promotes Vision 2030. Also, education is a human rights issue because it empowers people. It should empower people, not only thinking but also empower them with skills. We understand our education is also focusing on skills. Also it focuses on values. I think when this Committee visited different places, this is one of the things they were looking at. To say are they getting these values from this particular mode of education? Are they getting appropriate skills? I am sure that we all get that report, reporting on certain areas where there is need for greater attention. This points us to Sustainable Development Goals which were enacted in 2016 by the UN Agents.
I think if you are to remember, we received some outcomes on Goal Number four. When I was listening to this report, I understood that they were looking at all these things, especially sexual reproductive care services for young girls. We heard people mentioning those things, where people were talking about sanitary pads, which is something that really pained women who attended these meetings. Between nine and ten years, this is where they start their menstrual periods. This is when they start looking to say do they have access to these sanitary pads? They also focused on teaching children sexual education, not to teach them to say do this and that but for them to understand what makes a woman and what makes a man. That also should focus on their age. For example, someone in grade five, when they are taught about sexual reproduction, that education should be different from someone who is in high school or in university. I am confident that our schools are doing exactly that. Again for children to continue going to school e should look closely to say how they are managing to raise school fees. So, what can we do to assist in that area? We should also consider the issue where we mentioned long back that education should be free. We need to consider that.
When we grew up, there was supplementary feeding scheme in schools. In Highfield, at 10 o’clock, we would get a very big bowl full of soup. This would give us some energy, even if they miss breakfast, they knew they would get something at school. It may be useful to continue that so that those schools that are marginalised can assist the children to get energy to continue learning. We used to have a literacy rate at more than 90%; Tunisia used to be on top of us. When the Committee went out, I am sure they were looking at this issue also. This Committee revealed a lot of things that they were looking at.
There is also the issue of sanitation and hygiene. This is one of the issues that was portrayed in this report. Government should have a school health programme in all schools, to say every child that is going to a boarding school; for example, Fletcher High School, Goromonzi or Gokomere, the first thing when they go to school, the pupils should be examined by health personnel to see how these children are, health wise. This is called a screening process, not COVID related but just a screening process. This is where the anomalies will be identified amongst children. Things like descendant testis. These were things that were identified from these screening processes.
We should emphasise on strengthening our school health programmes. We should continue to focus on physical training, what we used to call PT back in the day, even for us adults. Exercising is an insurance to health. When exercising, you will be paying your health premium. We strongly believe children should continue doing these exercises.
Some of the countries Hon. President, are doing away with pit toilets and we are being left behind. They now expect to see flush toilets. Let us not be afraid, let us not hesitate to say we cannot do it; we can. This is the hygiene we should focus on. We see schools having 15 blair or pit toilets. Let us be innovative around these things and not be left behind. We should fix some of these things.
Mr. President, lastly is the issue of teachers. We need dedicated teachers. We also need to have good conditions of service. In the past, teachers were respected. Professional teachers are so important for our education. With those few words, I would like to thank the Committee that went around the country that encouraged us to look at these development goals and to question ourselves as a country to see where we are. Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. C. NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President. I would
want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute on this most important debate. I would want to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane Khumalo and the Committee for the work that they did. I would want to speak mainly on the issue of quality education as alluded to by Hon.
Senators.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order. The
Hon. Senator is not connected.
HON. SEN. C. NDLOVU: Thank you once again Mr. President.
I would want to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane Khumalo and the Committee for the work that they did with regards to the visits that they had in schools, especially rural schools to ascertain what is happening on the ground. Mr. President, we cannot have a substitute to quality education as previously alluded to by Hon. Members who spoke before me.
For us to achieve our goals as a country, we need to start at the bottom, we need to start with basics. When we are talking about quality education, we need to have a holistic approach when it comes to that subject. It is not possible that we have children graduating at university when we are not able to assist them at primary school. Neither can we expect them to pass at high school when we have not laid the proper foundation. We need to start investing and start attending to the right places when it comes to education.
I want to speak specifically to children between the ages from ECD to Grade 5. If we are to have quality education, these are the times in a child’s life where we need to invest and deploy teachers properly. There is also need for those that implement our policies, to set policies which are clear as to how we should treat the matter of young children from ECD to Grade 5. They have to be attended to by teachers who are able to communicate with learners. Be it in Mutare or Gokwe, the child needs to be able to communicate with their teacher. I need our policy implementers to make sure that it happens if we are to achieve quality education.
In rural schools Mr. President, things are not well. I am not sure in areas where our team went, whether they found out that things are equal. There is a clear divide between urban schools and rural schools. If we were talking about quality education, we are not only talking about children who are attending school at private institutions or urban schools. We are talking also about our children who are in rural schools.
Of the little that I have been exposed to in rural schools, things are not well. We have children who are non-readers and that cannot be said to be delivery of quality services. If a child who is in Grade 7 and they are a non-reader, it becomes problematic. We need to have proper response. We have got to be honest with ourselves and be able to face the enemy in the face to say this is not right and it has to stop, especially when it comes to our children. They are the future. The future of this country has got to be felt around those children that are at primary school. They are the leaders of tomorrow. We have got to make sure we do right by them.
I am happy that the Committee went to rural schools and the response that we got where we are still struggling with issues of provision of sanitation, electricity and many other things, including teachers who do not want to stay in rural areas because the facilities there are quite different from those of their counterparts who work in urban schools, private schools and mission schools. There is a clear divide. At least from what I have been exposed to, I know there is a difference. I am saying, we want our policy implementers to look into these issues and make sure that when we come here in Parliament and debate about them, we are not trying to cover up anything but we want to talk about issues that are prevailing on the ground, issues that affect our children and need to be looked at.
Mr. President, I am actually happy because I bought a newspaper this morning and I saw that our country has been given its portion of what it applied for from the IMF. I saw a statement from the Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Development. Amongst issues that he mentioned are issues of health, education, infrastructure development, et cetera. If properly followed, they will improve some of the issues that I am addressing today to say, yes we have had certain gaps but I think we could have done better.
I want to encourage our Government and those that are at district level, that we are not doing lip service. We have to make sure that our children are readers and our children are able to do mathematics. They are able to at least be measured against any other child anywhere in the country and anywhere in the world, to say a child who is in Grade 7, how do they compare with a child who is in Grade 7 at a private school?
I know we cannot have those equal terms but at least there has got to be a certain measure to show that our children are getting quality education. They are our future and we cannot talk about these issues and pretend that everything is equal. We know it is not equal because where I come from, children cannot read. Areas that I visited further down in Ngwaladhi, we have got children who are still attending school under trees. There is not a single classroom – how do we then say there is quality in education when we still have such things that exist? I implore those that are on the ground and Hon. Members of this august House to make sure that when we talk about some of these issues, we have got at least some experience of what is happening on the ground. When we are here in Harare, we forget that there are children that spend the whole day at school who do not have anything to eat. They spend the whole day under a shade of a tree yet we want to talk about quality education – quality education of who exactly if we are excluding those children?
With these few words, I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief
Mtshane and his Committee for bringing this important subject that we really need to look at and we look at it sincerely as to what it is that is happening on the ground. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you Mr. President, I move that
the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 25th August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL
HOUSING AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE
AND SECURITY ON THE ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS
MADE IN AREAS AFFECTED BY FLOODS AND ON
CONSTRUCTION OF COVID 19 TREATMENT,
QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION FACILITIES
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the assessment of progress on construction of COVID-19 Treatment, Quarantine and
Isolation facilities.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Mr. President, I move that
the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. DENGA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 25th August, 2021.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA seconded by HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI, the Senate adjourned at Eighteen Minutes past
Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 19th August, 2021.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE ACTING SPEAKER
PETITION RECEIVED FROM SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
ASSOCIATION (SODA) AND MR. A. MAKARA OF SOUTHLANDS
RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
THE ACTING SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): “I have to
inform the House that on 18th August, 2021, a petition was received from the Social Democrats Association (SODA), Executive Director, Tauya Chinama, imploring Parliament to amend Sections 91 and 121 of the Constitution in order to reduce to twenty-five or thirty years, the minimum qualification age for residents and Senators so that youths can be included in key decision making positions.
The petition was deemed inadmissible as the petitioners did not comply with the rules of procedure on petitions. The petitioners have been informed accordingly. I also have to inform the House that on 17th August, 2021, Parliament received a petition from Mr. A Makara, the
Chairman of the Southlands Residents Association in Harare beseeching Parliament to uphold and protect the Constitution by repealing laws that infringe on the fundamental rights of children and contradict national objectives.
The petitioners also requested Parliament to liaise with responsible Executive authorities, namely Education, Local Government and councils in coming up with a common understanding on the need for schools in the community of Southlands.
The petition has since been referred to the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works, National Housing and Social
Amenities.
HON. MKARATIGWA: Madam Speaker, I rise on a matter of urgent public importance observed in the mining sector for many decades now in Zimbabwe. The problem is that there are many dynamics which are taking place and experienced in our mining sector. The core problem is witnessed in mining houses that have completely or temporarily closed down, those under care and maintenance, as well as those that have generally liquidated.
Madam Speaker, we are inundated with requests, follow-ups and suggestions targeted at alleviating challenges being faced by victims of the decisions made by these investors as well as approaches towards resolving the challenges by the Government and investors to a larger extent, and these entail putting the companies under judicial care and maintenance. Not doubting the nobility of the decision, nevertheless, there is less consideration of the plight of the worker who is usually the main victim. Those in management in these companies usually get their full benefits as they have direct control over distribution of the remaining meagre resources. They also have the privilege to access strategic organisational information from the onset of the plans to windup for example, and that decisional basis is not accessible to most employees in the lower organisational rungs. Worse-off, even where the lower-level workers get the information, they mostly do not have the capacity to quickly move-on to other alternative livelihood options outside the organisation since they are normally in a monthly rate race through which they continuously work from hand to mouth. Of particular concern Madam Speaker, is when these companies fail to afford remunerating these workers, they are often left with no economic starting point. Decisions to terminate their contracts is done with limited options availed for the worker. Further, in most instances, their pension contributions may not have matured or made insignificant with time due to external economic pressures, for them to draw any meaningful benefits. These people further rarely afford the appointment of lawyers to represent their interests effectively in courts of law, hence their victimhood has not been easy to overturn.
While that applies to lower-level employees which I can call labour in general, evidence shows that those in management positions afford lawyers and usually get their benefits as well as other interests adequately represented. The benefits usually cover the transfer of ownership of their company houses, cars and handsome terminal packages; leaving the other group with no social safety nets such as housing, fees for their children and medical access for their families among others.
The core issue extends to the fact that usually these victims continue to occupy company compound houses. This is happening at Shabanie-Mashava Mine, ZIMASCO Shurugwi, Hwange Colliery, Kamativi, only to mention but a few. Some of the victims relocate to rural areas for an affordable lifestyle and to eke a living but their children still going to schools and in search of employment will remain in these houses. They are however victimised, living in limbo, always involved in dispute and constantly hopeless. Whereas some have somewhere to go as an alternative, some effectively do not have anywhere else to go. Those who have leaner options are usually given hope that the company will re-open and these workers will be the first to be considered for the jobs, hence, they wait in anticipation that sometimes become hopeless.
These compounds are becoming a hazard Madam Speaker Ma’am. Maintenance of social services such as provision of clean water and sewer services is no longer an issue on the company’s priorities. The residents also neither have financial capacity, let alone legally vested authority to make necessary alterations to property in line with new infrastructural demands. These houses are becoming a threat to lives, the morality of our rising youths and condemnation of those affected, to early deaths. Victims are succumbing to High Blood Pressure and other exacerbations to their underlying conditions and other social vulnerabilities due to shocks of realities that they are now experiencing. What is appalling is, in many cases, these victims appear to have retired their hope of atonement by the private mining investors while many continue to trust that Government will one day bail them out. Some of these victims have already died and most of them are suffering the twin blow of abject poverty and negative health effects emanating from the shocks that they are experiencing as a result of the degenerative conditions from the time of their employment termination.
Madam Speaker, Zimbabwe is beseeching that the Ministry of
Mines and Mining Development, that of Local Government and Public Works, as well as that of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare issue a joint Ministerial Statement in that regard. Otherwise, the lives of people whose employment is being terminated in this sector, are in abeyance. The issue of housing, pension benefits and any outstanding debt has to be urgently attended to and resultantly put to closure.
Most of these people are already disconnected from municipal water supplies and electricity due to their failure to pay the bills. Ownership of these properties are a ghost that the Government has to deal with forthwith. Amounts of outstanding employment benefits are to a larger extent, no longer meaningful due to inflation. The only hope is Government and it should definitely intervene if we have to avoid continual reproduction of the unacceptable evil of poverty in our society. We have to continue to transition towards sustainable development, leaving no one behind, in the path that Government is charting through
National Development Strategy (NDS) 1, Vision 2030 and many other
Government policies and strategies. I thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 3 be stood over, until Order of the Day Number 4 has been disposed
of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS COMMISSION BILL
[H. B. 5, 2020]
Fourth Order read: Second Reading: Zimbabwe Independent
Complaints Commission Bill, [H. B. 5, 2020].
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker Ma’am.
I wish to add my voice to the debate of this very important Bill. Before I go into the merits of the substance related to the Bill, I want to begin by making a plea to all Hon. Members of this august House, in particular to the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to appreciate that this is a Bill which has come about because of a provision in the Constitution. Therefore, it is actually mandatory for a
Bill to be passed in terms of Section 210 of our Constitution.
I want to give a background to this issue Madam Speaker Ma’am and say that there has been a delay in the gazetting of the Bill. In terms of the Constitution which we adopted in 2013, it was mandatory for a mechanism to be established in terms of that particular section. The fact that it has taken so long- more than seven years, shows that there was no appetite, desire or willingness. In short, there was no political will on the part of the Executive to give life to this very important provision. It actually took Veritas, Heal Zimbabwe and Rashid Mahiya to go to the Constitutional Court in 2015 that the Executive be compelled to bring in this particular Bill. Even then, it took five years before judgement was given by the Constitutional Court. This finally happened on 23rd September 2020, giving Government a period of 45 days within which to gazette the Bill. Even then, they did not meet that deadline and the Bill was only gazetted on 27th November, 2020. I have given this background Madam Speaker Ma’am to illustrate the fact that the Government was not very keen. It was very reluctant to bring about this Bill. I am making these submissions so that I can appeal to all Hon.
Members across the political divide to appreciate that this is a Bill which is being enacted in terms of a provision of the Constitution. We must give effect to the provisions of the Constitution.
I want to outline the key words in respect of that particular section. It talks about an independent, effective mechanism. We must therefore ensure that the Bill that we are going to pass is going to meet that criteria. Unfortunately, the Bill that is being gazetted does not meet those standards. I therefore beg all the Hon. Members to appreciate that whilst it is good that at long last, as it is said that it is better late than never, the fact that this Bill has come before us today does not mean that it is a perfect Bill. We need to come up with a good Bill to ultimately fulfill the desires of the framers of the Constitution who felt that we must have this mechanism in place. The reason this came about is in the past, our security services have fallen short of the standards which I expected of them.
Complaints have been raised over the years against members of the
Army, Police, Intelligence Organisation and other security services. This is because the complaints were being swept under the carpet. They were not being handled properly and that was the imperative which led to the framers of the Constitution to come up with a provision that there must be a mechanism which is independent of the security services themselves. Therefore, there is an onerous responsibility which has been placed upon us as Legislators to give effect to the provisions of Section 117 of our Constitution, which provides that as the Legislature, we must make laws for the peace, order and good governance of the country. We must ask ourselves whether this particular Bill actually meets that criteria. This is the reason why I believe that we must have a bi-partisan approach. We must put different political considerations aside and act in the good of the nation so that the Bill actually protects the citizens when it becomes an Act of Parliament, so that we come up with a mechanism which is effective and we come up with a
Commission which has got teeth which can bite. If any transgressions or acts of misconduct have occurred, that Commission or mechanism is able to deal with that particular problem.
When we come now to the Bill, I am going to talk about the key provisions which I think need a relook. That is the reason why I am going to plead with the Hon. Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs representing the Executive and with fellow Hon. Members to have improvements on the Bill as it stands. In respect of the appointment procedure, it is unfortunate that we have just followed the trend that the appointment of the Chairperson must be done by the President. It is my respectful submission that in this particular instance, that is not appropriate for two reasons. Firstly, in terms of our governance structure, the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the
Defence Forces of Zimbabwe and I believe that he/she is conflicted. Whoever will be the President at any particular point in time is conflicted and compromised and it is not proper to give those powers of appointment to a person who is so conflicted.
The second problem Madam Speaker is that in terms of, I think it is Clause 2 (2); it is the President again who is given the power to administer the act unless the President assigns another person. This is another reason, and even greater reason why it is not proper for such a person to appoint the Chairperson of the Commission. This is a clause which I believe, at the Committee Stage, must be revisited so that we come up with a different procedure, even if we were to say that the position is advertised, interviews are held by the Committee on Standing
Rules and Orders and that recommendations are then made by that
Committee to the President for the appropriate person to be appointed.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, another cause for grave concern relates to Clause 23, which provides that the dismissal or removal of commissioners is in terms of the Public Entities Act. The problem with that is that it gives too much latitude, the provision is too wide. When we look at other commissions, their removal is the same as that of a judge. In other words, we then have an independent tribunal which is set up to look into the matter of the suitability of a commissioner. What we have at present is undesirable. It therefore follows that those commissioners will be compromised. They will be afraid of the security of tenure of their appointment as a result of which they will not be able to discharge their obligations in the manner that is expected by the Constitution. I therefore implore the Hon. Minister of Justice to come to that stage he is going to be flexible and appreciate the need. For that to happen Madam Speaker, it is important for us to speak with one voice.
I was gratified that on Tuesday Madam Speaker, when we had the Government Chief Whip and Hon. Mushoriwa moving amendments together to the extent that the Hon. Minister had to accede and in a similar vein, I will be pleading with my brother, the Government Chief Whip that we operate on that same level that when it comes to the debate on the provisions of this particular Bill, we are going to act in unison for what is best for our country.
I now look at the issue of the prescription period. During the public hearings, there was grave concern about the period of three years which is given as the limitation. There are several problems in respect of that provision. Firstly, you will find that in terms of international law, human rights violations, crime against humanity – there is no statute of limitation. Secondly, in terms of our criminal law, ordinary crimes, the prescription period is 20 years. In respect of murder, there is no prescription period whatsoever. You can raise an issue which occurred
60 years ago as long as there is evidence.
I therefore, submit that because we are dealing with issues which related to misconduct, we must not have such a short prescriptive period and people must not confuse with retrospective application. I know that a lot of people will be uncomfortable when we talk about
Gurukurahundi, when we talk about June, 2008 but the bottom line is, we are talking about going forward from the time when the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. This is a provision which is meant to last in perpetuity.
We must not have a situation where we are limiting it to three years. At most, let us deal with the 20 years which is in terms of criminal law. The common law position is for crimes that they only prescribe that after a period of 20 years. Three years is for civil matters and these are grave matters. When we look at the definition clause of what are acts of misconduct, they include crimes such as rape and torture and by their nature particularly crimes against females, girls and women, there is usually a problem in terms of the reporting. It takes a long time.
So, it is not proper and it is not fair to limit it to three years. People should be able to raise these complaints even after five or ten years, as long as there is substance to the complaints. I therefore submit that we must have that flexibility. If you look at Clause 29, in terms of the crafting of regulations, I also submit that it is not proper to have either the President or the Minister assigned by the President to come up with the regulations. Why should we not give the power to the Commission itself to come up with its own regulations? Do they not have the capacity to do so? That is my submission that when we come to the Committee Stage, we must look at that particular clause.
Another issue of serious concern to the citizens of this country relates to the provision which allows for the appointment of observers who will sit with the Commissioners. There are two problems to that. The first one is that people have got fear in terms of the way some of these people have behaved and there was serious concern as to why we should have observers, particularly from serving members of the force.
The mischief is to ensure that things which were being swept under the carpet are investigated.
So we are now going to have the commissioners sitting with observers who are serving members of any of the security services which is going to compromise the integrity of the Commission. It is going to erode the confidence of the citizens of this country. At most, I will submit that only retired members, if they need expertise or people who have got some experience in security related matters, then let us take those who have retired, who no longer have got an interest in the affairs of any of the security services to ensure that things which were being swept under the carpet are being investigated.
This is because if we do not do that, we run the risk of people not having confidence in the whole Commission and as I indicated earlier on, we must ensure that we give life to this Commission by ensuring that it is effective and that is an area which we need to deal with. I know that some of the members of the security services were not comfortable with a situation where the Commission is given wide powers. I submit that
the powers should be strengthened so that, that particular Commission can once and for all deal with such issues.
I want to round up by coming up with this conclusion that those transgressions are not confined to issues of a political or a quasi-political nature. As a practicing lawyer, I have come across instances where rights of accused persons had been violated when the police have been investigating the cases. I am not even talking of cases which are of a political nature. It is important that if such complaints are to be raised, they are dealt with appropriately.
In concluding Madam Speaker Ma’am, I am going to say it again that let us speak as a united people to make a good law, to make a Commission which has got teeth which can bite. I thank you and I rest my case.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to
add my voice pertaining to the Bill under debate, the Independent Complaints Commission Bill which is the Bill that the Portfolio
Committee on Justice and also Hon. Gonese who has just contributed,
had indicated this is the Bill that is provided for in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. My major area of scorecard is to just state that as you may be aware, there have been quite a number of complaints where the security sector - the police, army and other arms of security intelligence have been accused of various human rights violations maybe on an individual basis where people take advantage. You know rogue elements within the security sector that take advantage of...
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Order, Hon. Mushoriwa.
HON. TOGAREPI: Madam Speaker, I think colleagues on your
left are being too political instead of debating issues. They are bringing in the security forces and everybody. I do not think that this law is intended to deal with the security forces. So I think if they can confine themselves to the real debate, not to be particular about specific institutions of Government as if they stay in Mars. Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Members, may we please
debate what is on the Bill. May I please remind you that all Hon. Members who are going to debate are supposed to debate for a maximum of ten minutes. That is the limitation time that we have now considering the limited time that we have in the House. You can proceed Hon. Mushoriwa.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I think
the Hon. Chief Whip did not have a chance to go through this Bill. When we talk of security sectors, they do not belong to anyone but they belong to the country. When we talk about rogue elements within the military, police and the intelligence, nobody can claim ownership of those. Those are State institutions and this Bill is meant to address some of these problems because the public did not have a way where they could actually raise their complaints when they feel that their rights have actually been violated by the powerful offices, like the ones for security services. My thinking is that, as what Hon. Gonese has said, this Bill should actually have been before this august House long back soon after the enactment of the new Constitution but it took so long for this to happen.
Madam Speaker, what we need to do in my view is that if this
Independent Complaints Commission is to effectively discharge its duties, if it is there to get civilians out there to come and lodge their complains, it is my view that one of the things that we need to do is to make sure that this Commission is reachable and does not sort of threaten citizens. The Commissioners that are appointed should actually come from a number of sectors of this country so that they will actually be in a position to give an independent view and allow members of the public to be convinced that it is a board that can actually take views and complains when they are harassed or intimidated by any member of the security sector.
The other thing which is also crucial in my view, I think Hon. Gonese actually mentioned it, is the manner in which the appointment will be done. These people do not have anywhere to go to. The composition is not good. Persons who masquerade as security officers will actually be nipped in the bud. We have had cases and instances where certain people have been extorting and harassing people because they know that after harassing people, these people do not have anywhere to go. If someone says I work under the President’s Office, they know that nobody will then go to the President’s Office and say, do you know this person because the person will be afraid. The moment this Commission ….
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Mushoriwa, your time is up,
can you wind up.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Speaker, you took my time and
the Hon. Chief Whip as well.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Your time is up Hon. Member, thank
you.
(v)HON. WATSON: Good afternoon Madam Speaker. I would
like to reinforce the point that Hon. Mushoriwa was trying to make about the independence of the Commission. If you look at the Bill, the first objective of the Bill is to do with Section 210 of the Constitution by providing an independent and effective mechanism for the investigations of misconducts by members of the security forces - could the Chief
Whip take note. Also, that Bill must be interpreted so as to preserve the
Commission’s independence as always the election of commissioners and appointment of commissioners is always eventually in the hands of the President. For this Commission to work effectively, those appointments need to fall outside the sphere of any of the three arms of the State, quite frankly, but how you do that, you would alter the Bill to achieve that, I do not know.
On the other hand, the Bill has features that cause doubts on the commissioners’ independence also. There is no express statement as there is in Section 235 of the Constitution in regards to the independent constitutional commissions that the Commission will be independent and not subject to the direction or control of anyone. I really think that these are very important facets to consider in order for the good that is in the Bill to be effective and for it to serve Zimbabweans as it is envisaged in the Constitution.
I would also like to say that I am not going to repeat all the points stressed by Hon. Gonese. These should also be taken into consideration; the timeframes for investigations, for claims and for all other issues. I thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me
this opportunity to contribute to this Bill. The Independent Complaints Bill has come out at the right time. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister because the courts have said we should have this Bill. The recommendations from the Motlanthe Commission noted that we needed to have an Independent Complaints Commission Act.
If we go to Clause 3, it seeks to give the Commission independence. In a way, that independence is not really coming. I will make a suggestion.
Clause 6.5 disqualifies non-citizens from being commissioners yet if we look at the Motlanthe Commission, it was led by a foreigner so that we have got some form of independence. In my view, it would be better to have even non-citizens because they are more likely to come in with a different opinion and independent bracket in their minds. They are best placed for this role as they will not be partisan. We call for integral and honest people to be commissioners. I prefer SADC or AU
Commissioners to be appointed to bring total independence to the Bill.
The nature of some of the work requires foreigners like President Motlanthe and Mbeki or any other commissioners that may be seen to be
fit.
Clause 2.2 says that Commissioners can be dismissed on any grounds. The grounds are too wide. Somebody would be a Commissioner for a year and because what they are saying is not necessarily what is required to be heard, they can be fired. So
Commissioners have no security of tenure. I think that is something that needs to be looked at when we go to the next stage of the Bill.
Clause 5 must also allow Commissioners to inspect cells of prisons for security services even when there are no complaints because we do not know if they say anyone has been abused and now they are in those cells or prison. We also need a prison that does not degrade them but which suits their status.
The other issue which has not been spoken about concerns the Bill particularly Clause 13 (2) and 14 which are limiting the Bill to just three years. By the time this Bill is going to be passed, it means that what happened on 1 August 2018 will not be discussed. What happened in 2008, and for example Gukurahundi and many other things that have arisen over time may not be included. This is against the recommendation of the Motlanthe Commission.
In the social media, there were some reports of accusations saying this one made Itai Dzamara disapper and so forth. We were expecting some of those people and then they would be able to give us information on the whereabouts of Itai Dzamara. Limiting the number to three years has to be looked at.
I will lastly look at Clause 15, this clause does not state in what form complaints will come; whether in person or through a representative. Further, we do not know how many commissioners are going to provide over a complaint. I think those nitty-gritties have to be tied down.
In conclusion, I support the Bill but I think it requires some amendments. I also call upon the Minister – 2023 is near the corner. We were also looking at a situation whereby in the Fourth Session we can have the Electoral Amendment Bill. I thank you.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: I would also want
to add my voice to the Independent Complaints Bill. I have just a few points but I think they are very important for us to always bear in mind when dealing with issues that are constitutional.
Firstly, I applaud the contributions by the Committee Chairperson Hon. Mataranyika as well as the other contributions from Hon. Members to this debate. I would like to firstly emphasise that the institutions we are talking about; the security sector has statutes that already govern the internal discipline. These statutes include the Defence Act and the
Police Act. Members should not be too worried that the Independent Complaints Commission is going to cover up everything because every institution that we are talking about here is appointed by the same head of State and with the same considerations for integrity and utmost good faith. All those institutions are supportive of this Bill in the manner in which they contributed.
The Independent Complaints Commission Bill is not about the institutions. We need to emphasise this point. It is about rogue members and those incidences that are not covered by existing statutes. My plea is that as we craft this Bill, we should not conflict on already existing statutes like the Defence Act and the Police Act. We should be supportive that there is no protection of members who are errand or who violate the law outside the Defence or Police Act.
Secondly, errant or rogue members of the society still have the same constitutional rights like everyone else. The issues of them being treated as if they are out of this world will be in violation of the Constitution because everybody should enjoy the Bill of Rights. The issues of no bail, suspension without pay and other custodian sentences without options of fines and so forth – that was suggested by members of the public during public hearings. I think we tend to violate the constitutional rights of individuals.
My other point is that while we hear Hon. Members argue that three years is too short for prescription, my view is that the same rogue members or same society must understand that they need peace and stability, guaranteed defence and some of the things would be done in utmost good faith, hence security forces or the rogue members of the security forces as alleged, must be protected from false allegations. We have had a lot of false allegations being made against members of the security forces in the past and we think that their reputation should be protected to ensure that they are not tarnished. Finally, the issue of representation Madam Speaker, I hear some Hon. Members here saying that serving members should not be seen anywhere near the hearings because that will intimidate witnesses and so forth but let us remember that it is everybody’s constitutional right to be represented by a person of your own choice. So the security services, even the rogue members should be given that option. I believe that the security forces whether you are serving, they observe the laws of the land. Even now when you are a serving member, when you go to the High Court, you respect the authority of the court. Those serving members, if they are genuinely representing accused persons, should be allowed, in my view to participate because at the end of the day that expertise is required. If there is any intimidation, the law should take its course. With those few remarks Madam Speaker, I want to rest my case. I thank you.
HON. TOGAREPI: Madam Speaker, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 24th August, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: Madam Speaker, I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 8 be stood over until Order of the Day, No. 9 has been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE,
HOME AFFAIRS AND SECURITY SERVICES ON THE PETITION
FROM THE SUNNINGDALE 1 RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Madam Speaker, I
move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the First Report of the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and
Security Services on the Petition from the Sunningdale 1 Residents Association (SIRA) on the continued alienation and marginalisation of the coloured community due to the double zero identity classification code.
HON. S. K. MGUNI: I second.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME:
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services conducted an inquiry into the petition received from the Coloured Community. The petitioners were aggrieved by the continued alienation and marginalisation of the Coloured people in Zimbabwe, mainly as a consequence of the double zero (00) identity classification on their national registration certificates. They were concerned that the
“00” Code was responsible for the majority of their tribulations including the failure to benefit from several government empowerment programmes and exclusion from employment in the civil service among others. To that end, the Committee compiled this report highlighting its findings, observations and recommendations.
2.0 OBJECTIVES OF THE ENQUIRY
To investigate and establish the extent to which the double zero classification on the national identity registration cards of the Coloured people has impacted on their social, economic and political conduct and well-being and recommend ways of addressing the shortfalls.
To compile a report detailing the Committee’s findings, observations and recommendations to be tabled in Parliament.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
On 2 March, 2020, the Committee interviewed the Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and the Registrar General in order to establish the validity of the claims made by the petitioners and possibly find ways to address the petitioners concerns. The petitioners were also invited to an oral evidence meeting with the Committee on 14 December, 2020 where they were given the opportunity to justify their claims. The Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage further appeared before the Committee on 29 April, 2021 and apprised the Committee on the Ministry’s position regarding the concerns raised by the petitioners.
4.0 BACKGROUND
There has been an outcry from the Coloured Community for recognition in terms of nationality and citizenship status. They argued that the double zero classification on their identity cards was responsible for their undeserved suffering as evidenced by their continued alienation and marginalisation. The community challenged the irregularities existing in some local pieces of legislation which they blamed for perpetuating the colonial evils of discrimination and violating the freedoms and rights of various individuals among the Coloured race in Zimbabwe. In particular, the double zero (00) classification on the identity cards of those born to mixed-race parents was seen as a devious colonial system designed to segregate people on the basis of their colour and race. In the Zimbabwean context, the Coloured individuals with a double zero coding on national registration documents were considered citizens whose place of origin remained mysterious despite having been born to parents who lived in the then Rhodesia and now Zimbabwe.
Such a scenario amounted to loss of identity and deprivation of selfpride, self-worthiness and a true sense of patriotism associated with the concept of nationality.
The concerned community acknowledged that the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No.20) 2013 enshrines the various freedoms and rights accorded to all persons living in Zimbabwe. Specifically,
Section 35(2) of the Constitution stipulates that ‘all Zimbabwean citizens are equally entitled to the rights, privileges and benefits of citizenship and are equally subject to the duties and obligations of citizenship.’ In light of the forgoing, the Coloured Community were worried about the inherent deprivation of their nationality on the grounds of a colonially inherited registration system that had caused more harm than good on them and their descendants. They alleged that the Coloured people in Zimbabwe had quite often been victims of abuse by public officers as they were usually treated unfairly in a discriminatory manner on the grounds of their colour and subsequent
‘lack of nationality.’ It is against this background that they petitioned Parliament to consider their plea in search of justice.
5.0 THE COMMITTEE’S FINDINGS
5.1 Oral Evidence from the Ministry of Home Affairs Permanent
Secretary and the Registrar General
5.1.1 The Permanent Secretary pointed out that the double zero (00) identity classification was a method inherited from the colonial system of registration. He explained that the country used the National
Registration Act (1976) which was promulgated by the colonial regime. He further stressed that it was very possible to revise the coding on national identity cards of the affected people through statutory instruments.
5.1.2 The Registrar General reiterated that the recoding could be solved administratively in consultation with the Ministry’s Legal Department. He however made it clear that in spite of the double zero classification used on the national registration cards of Europeans, Asians and the Coloured people in the colonial era, they were granted citizenship status and thus, were not excluded from enjoying any of the rights entitled to the citizens of Zimbabwe.
5.1.3 He noted with concern that Africans from such countries as Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique living in Zimbabwe during that time were treated differently from the aforementioned groups as the later were recognised as aliens by the colonial regime. Nevertheless, he remarked that the current Citizenship Act had addressed that gap as there were provisions for granting citizenship status to Africans originating from any of the countries in the Sothern Africa Development
Community (SADC) region.
6.0 Submissions by the Petitioners
6.1 Mr Petersen Q, who represented the Sunningdale 1 Residents Association (S1RA), informed the Committee that the basis of the petition was on continued alienation and marginalisation of the Coloured people as a result of the double zero classification on their identity cards.
He highlighted the following as areas of concern:
- Identity crisis due to the double zero coding
- Crisis of association especially at childhood
- Difficulties in accessing services at public institutions such as hospitals and the Civil Registry Department.
- Challenges in accessing land ownership (under the land redistribution programme).
6.2.0 Mr Nyangani C, co-founder of S1RA, informed the
Committee that the double zero classification placed several limitations on the affected individuals in terms of access to rights, especially those entrenched in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
6.2.1 He narrated the ordeals and complications encountered by the Coloured people especially at the Registrar General’s Offices countrywide when applying for national identity registration and travel documents. He highlighted the trauma associated with the eventual stereotyping the Coloured people are subjected to by officers at the department. He also cited gaps existent in such legislative instruments as the Citizenship Act and the Birth and Death Registration Act among others.
6.3.0 Key highlights of the submission
6.3.1 The petitioners, therefore appealed to Parliament for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to come up with legal instruments and administrative reforms which would ensure that adults and children belonging to the Coloured Community had access to documents that officially confirm the re-coded district of origin on primary identity registration and travel documents.
6.3.2 They also appealed to Parliament for the Minister of Home
Affairs and Cultural Heritage to draw up robust Customer Service
Policies and Procedures on the Code of Conduct of employees at the
Registrar General’s office. They asserted that the Code of Conduct should be the binding norm by which all employees at the Registrar
General’s office would conduct themselves in their individual and professional capacity as they relate with each other across the system and with their clients. This call was made following several grievances by individuals from the Coloured Community who were complaining of being subjected to inhumane treatment at the Registrar General’s offices.
6.3.3 S1RA asserted that the Registrar General’s office should implement a solid complaint handling mechanism that would enable public complaints against the employees, to be effectively scrutinised and addressed. This, in their view, would help mitigate or eradicate all forms of discrimination against minority groups and improve on service delivery.
6.3.4 In specific terms, the petitioners called for attitudinal change among frontline officers at the Registrar General’s offices countrywide and proposed the need for ‘National Service Orientation and training’ so that the office served the interests of all citizens and non-citizens equally, timeously and courteously.
6.3.5 Representatives of the association categorically implored the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to devise and implement a modernised integrated registration system which would allow citizens to access services from any part of the country without unnecessarily incurring travel expenses.
6.3.6 They expressed concern over the sidelining of their members from the Government’s land acquisition and redistribution reform programme despite their desire and expectation to be allocated land. They blamed the double zero classification code for apparently depriving them of their nationality and consequently affecting their citizenship status. They noted that eligibility for land allocation was premised upon registration with one’s village headman; a situation which furthered their exclusion since they did not have villages of origin. They argued that the same predicament was common in various other national empowerment programmes.
6.3.7 They also pointed out that the double zero classification was responsible for excluding the Coloured Community from employment in the Civil Service even though the affected individuals were willing to serve the country and contribute to its development and prosperity.
6.3.8 Furthermore, the petitioners suggested that addressing the identity registration crisis would be a major stepping stone towards alleviating the plight of the Coloured Community in terms of enjoying the benefits accorded to all citizens of Zimbabwe.
6.3.9 The petitioners cited the double zero code as the underlying factor responsible for brewing up the identity crisis which required immediate attention.
7.0 Response from the Ministry
7.1 The Committee received both verbal and written responses to the concerns raised by the petitioners from the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon Minister K. Kazembe. The following were noted from the submission:
- National Registration for all persons in Zimbabwe was governed by the National Registration Act [Chapter 10:17] which came into force in 1976.
- District codes ranging from 02-83 were introduced in the National
Registration Regulations of 1977.
- Code “00” and “01” did not appear in the Regulation Acts that established the coding system and neither was there a statutory provision in that regard.
- The “00” coding was merely a policy position which had been maintained to date.
- The Ministry noted that the policy was purely a product of colonial segregation which had outlived its purpose and thus, could neither be justified nor sustained in an independent Zimbabwe.
- The Ministry held three successful meetings with representatives of the Coloured Community in an endeavour to address their concerns.
7.2 The Ministry had therefore resolved to take the following action in response to the petitioners’ concerns:
- The Ministry was committed to re-coding the National Identity Documents of the affected Community and the Registrar
General’s office was ready to implement the decision as soon as authority was granted.
- Recodification would be done on the basis of the District of Registration as opposed to the conventional District of Origin concept.
- For previously registered individuals, those who had not yet obtained identity documents and children issued with manually generated birth certificates, the District of Registration would determine their District of Origin.
- The District of Origin for newly born babies applying for computerised birth certificates would be derived from the District of Birth. I thank you.
+HON. S. K. MGUNI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank Hon. Mayihlome together with his Committee, for bringing such an important report which was prompted by the petition which was submitted to Parliament of Zimbabwe, identifying people who felt that they were left out, despite the fact that they are Zimbabweans. Zimbabwe got its independence in 1980 and I have noted that there are some people who were left behind, who are not being recognised and this is the Coloured Community which feels that they are being despised. This has prompted them to advocate for their recognition.
In Hon. Mayihlome’s report this community is being shunned and alienated from the Public Service which employs Civil Servants. Government employs other Zimbabweans but leaves this community out. So this community needs to be taken care of. Looking at countries like America, there was a period where a similar issue was raised in the 60s - I think it is 1965 and this issue of segregation was separating people. In Zimbabwe, even though this issue was raised by the
Coloured Community concerning their identification as the ‘zero zero’, I believe that everyone has a right, according to the Zimbabwean Constitution, including the right to employment. Everyone has got the right to be taken care of by the Government of Zimbabwe.
When Government sees its citizens, they believe that everyone is equal. In our equality, even the Bible says before God, we are all equal. There is no reason that we should have a community which is left out. I believe that this petition of the Coloured Community who are our kith and kin, these are people who live with us. They are part of the greater community and I believe that they deserve to be catered for. Looking at the period these people have been ignored, 41 years after independence, they see us as a super race, as if we are different from them. They believe that they are stateless, that no one cares for them. I believe now is the time to take care of them so that they have access to opportunities and access to land which we benefited from. They should also be found to be able to get opportunities to enroll their children in different schools.
I would like to support the report that was presented by Hon.
Mayihlome that this ‘zero zero’ should be looked into. If Black people removed the subjugation of Blacks and forgot to remove the same on the Coloured Community, now is the time to remove that. I thank you.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me the
opportunity to debate on this very important issue. I also want to thank the Chairman of the Committee for giving us this report which I also feel is critical for this country. Coloured people as we call them, are part of our people. They are part of Zimbabwe, they are Zimbabweans and I therefore agree with their petition that the coding in itself is actually discriminating them. It is like you are saying they have no home. If we look at the ‘zero zero’, personally, I come from Masvingo, Gutu. It shows 27 on my ID Number, showing that if somebody looks at that, I have a particular source or home. Anybody who looks at my ID can tell you that I come from Gutu but ‘zero zero’ is like you are from nowhere.
Obviously your rights, your value as you are looked at by other fellow citizens will actually go down. You would not be enjoying if you have no source but this person was born somewhere. He has parents coming from somewhere, so we do not have to consider them as people of no origin. I actually want to support their plea that a Cabinet Authority comes about that will give them a specific source. Even those who already have IDs should be allowed to change those IDs so that they have peace of mind.
As people of Zimbabwe, we have a very strong history of being - especially the majority Blacks, of being discriminated upon by White superiority; the British who had colonised us and we know how it feels when you are discriminated against, especially in the country that you call yours. So, when you look at this situation of the Coloured Community, they are part of us. They share with us, a majority of them share the same languages and so forth, yet they are still considered to be people of no origin. I feel it should be incumbent upon us as people of Zimbabwe to quickly change this policy. It is not helpful. It is not progressive. We do not want it. Those people who are being discriminated against are our people, they are our relatives and we share a lot of things, neighbourhood, in our communities. They identify themselves as people of Zimbabwe. They have no other home. They are totally Zimbabweans. I really pray that the petition be upheld and recommend to Cabinet to then change the policy and a Cabinet
Authority be given to the Registrar-General’s office to ensure that coding zero, we do not need it. We are a very progressive country, united and as Zimbabweans, we love everybody, including even the foreigners who are staying in our country. We have given them homage; we respect and support them in many ways. Now we are faced with our own people who already carry blood because in their blood veins run our blood. This is because they were born from one Zimbabwean. Some were born here from our sisters or brothers. Coloureds are not only coming from our sisters, we also have Zimbabweans who may have married the white race.
I really recommend that we approve this and Cabinet Authority is sought to ensure that the Coloured Community is treated fairly and equally. We will be respecting our Constitution and also the Bill of Rights. Every Zimbabwean must have same access to all the benefits and rights. Madam Speaker, I want to say the petition came at the right time in the New Dispensation with progressive Members of Parliament here present. I think it is critical that we recommend for the changing of the Code 00. We do not need it in Zimbabwe. It is not helpful. I thank you.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker!
THE ACTING SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: They are not called Coloureds but they are called mixed race. Can people change to mixed race. By referring them as Coloureds, it is discriminatory.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. As it
stands, on the Order Paper it was written like that. Maybe for the purposes of going forward, we will see how best we can then be able to rectify that.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: I stand guided Madam Speaker.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Noted Hon. Mliswa. We will see how best we can navigate on that since we already have a motion that was moved with that name. We will see how best we can be able to accommodate that. Thank you.
HON. MASIYA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would want to add my voice to the report that came from the Portfolio Committee chaired by Hon. Mayihlome based on the citizenship of the Coloured Community in Zimbabwe. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Committee for coming up with quite a good assessment of the situation concerning Coloured people in Zimbabwe. I agree very well with the recommendation that the Committee made to bring on board the Coloured people of Zimbabwe. However Madam Speaker, it is surprising that this petition comes 41 years after independence. After independence, this community never left Zimbabwe, it was here. I think it was not very sure what was going to happen within two or three years to come. So, it looks like these people were hesitant to be part of us. They enjoyed in a way being a 00 citizenship. They enjoyed very good favours from the white community. We should not forget and I want to think up to this day …
(v)HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: On a point of order Madam
Speaker, the Hon. Member is not audible.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Masiya, may you please speak louder and also may you please switch on your gadget. May you please connect?
HON. MASIYA: There is no good network this side.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: May you please come to the front.
HON. MASIYA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I was saying I welcome the report coming from the Committee chaired by Hon. Mayihlome. I agree with the recommendations that they made in connection with the Coloured Community. I thought we should maybe tell them who they are and who they were during a certain period of our being Zimbabweans. The Coloured Community enjoyed the 00 citizenship when this Zimbabwe was run by whites before independence. After independence, they chose to stay away from being true Zimbabweans and that is why we are seeing this petition 40 years after independence.
I just want to hope that it is not an isolated case. I am not sure whether this association covers the greater part of Zimbabwe. I still feel there are those Coloured people who are enjoying their association with whites who have still wanted to remain with the 00 citizenship. Out there, we see these Coloured people getting priority from white run companies. It is there and should also stop if they want to be recognised as true Zimbabweans and if they want our identity as Zimbabweans.
After independence, they shunned our local politics. They were nowhere, either in the ruling or opposition politics, they stood aloof. I do not understand why they thought to be away from others whereas in the past they were active. It is only now after independence that they thought otherwise because they enjoyed the 00 citizenship of Zimbabwe. When Zimbabwe decided to take land from their fellow 00 white people, they were not happy and they did not participate. They thought something was going to come...
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: On a point of order
Madam Speaker. I want to correct my colleague. I was one of the people who went to war. We had some of the Coloured people like Mike Grey and some others who fought during the liberation struggle who they participated effectively. So, it will be amiss if we allow people to say some of them are more aligned to the whites when we had some who were in the liberation struggle. It is like Africans; some of the Africans were selling out during the liberation struggle because they were aligning themselves with the whites whilst we have got some who went to fight for the liberation of this country. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Thank
you very much for that correction. Hon. Masiya, you might not have known that but at least it is good so that when you speak, you speak from an informed position.
HON. MASIYA: Thank you Hon. Chair. What he is saying is an
isolated case. I am not saying as a person I have not seen a coloured working with blacks. That is not true. We are dealing with an association – the whole community and that is why I am trying to emphasise the grant part of the community not an isolated case. I know some coloured people who are active but this is a case where we want to involve everybody from the Coloured Community. Thank you for that and it is true there were those who participated in the liberation struggle but that was an isolated case and that is why you mentioned only one name. It was an association that left Zimbabwe to join you to fight against fellow whites.
Hon. Speaker, these people did not participate actively after independence in favour of our local political parties. They chose to stand wishing the whites to come back. When we went as Zimbabweans, we chose to say we want our land back, again they were weak and they did not join us fully. I am also a Zimbabwean and I know of some big companies where these people enjoy support from white managed companies in Zimbabwe. You can come from South Africa with lower qualifications but you find them to be bosses because of that complexion that they have.
I agree with the Committee that we should move as a country to accept these people but they should also start to accept being Zimbabweans because they are dual citizens in that there should be a white and a black. If the father was white, they should choose to be coming from the mother’s district and if the father was black and the mother white, they should choose the father because we are in Zimbabwe. They should always find some way to be Zimbabweans not what we were seeing that they were not sure whether they should go to South Africa or Switzerland or wherever where the white colour could have come from. I wish the Committee very well to have these people be considered and the National Registration Act to consider them as locals but they have a duty that they must change in favour of being Zimbabwean. I thank you.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. Firstly, I would like to thank the Committee on Defence and Security for presenting a detailed report on the petition of people of mixed race which was presented by Hon. Mayihlome and seconded by Hon. Mguni. We are all quite aware that the Constitution or our country has been clear on equality and non-discrimination. The issue of equality and nondiscrimination is clearly captured in our Constitution. Every person has the right not to be treated in a discriminatory manner...
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Nyoni, can you
switch on your video? Just switch on and go ahead.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: I was saying that the issue of equality and non-discrimination is clearly captured in our Constitution. Every person has the right not to be treated in a discriminatory manner on such grounds as their nationality, colour, race, tribe, etc. The people...
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Nyoni. The way
you are dressed Hon. Nyoni is unparliamentary. I am sorry that you cannot continue.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want
to add my voice as well to this report from Hon. Mayihlome. I just want to say that in 2020, we found Kenya recognising Shona people who went to Kenya during religious pilgrimage and were staying in Kenya being considered to be people who were not citizens of Kenya. It was quite interesting to find our own people, the Shona people, being taken and considered as citizens of Kenya. They were given identity cards which they did not possess in the past. So, I feel as a lesson from our regional level, we can also consider the coloured community as Zimbabweans like anyone else and give them the due respect they deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to say the coloured people have made some contributions to this nation. If you look at sport, the likes of
Hamid Danah, Peter Fanuel- I think these people gave a good name to Zimbabwe, you could actually find people getting excited about what they were doing in sport. In a way, that was one way of driving our own nation forward. I also want to take this petition as one item that is bringing a community that was isolated by way of engagement and reengagement, we need to consider them.
Mr. Speaker, there are many people even after the war who had committed certain crimes to the extent that we were not supposed to be seeing them living but if we reconcile, we will be doing justice to our own country and we will work towards the development of Zimbabwe. I thank you.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I want to thank Hon. Mayihlome for bringing this petition from Sunningdale 1. Much as it concerns people of mixed race, it also concerns other people even blacks as I shall debate in this motion. The alienation by using coding or even just to say alien has been going on for a while. I want to appreciate the recommendation by the Committee that indeed this discrimination must go. Hon. Speaker Sir, the word ‘alien’ must go, be it by descent and any discriminative aspect because they are ultra vires the Constitution of Zimbabwe. I am not a coloured Hon. Speaker but my identification card, my birth certificate indicate that I am an alien until it was corrected later in my adult life.
Hon. Speaker Sir, I grew up as an alien where I was born. I was like any person, even a white born in Zimbabwe, whether we like it or not, by descent. Section 36 of the Constitution says anyone born by descent, Section 37 says by birth and Section 38 by registration. All those people are Zimbabweans so they must not be discriminated when they are getting their documentation.
Mr. Speaker, in 2000 and 2005, I voted, but 2018, I nearly failed to vote. I have my identification card but I was being discriminated because it has a suffix which indicated that I was alien. So it barred some people from voting but I thank God that we have moved past all that and we are all being taken as Zimbabweans. My brother failed to renounce his citizenship, he never set his foot in Malawi but he failed to vote in 2013 because his identification card indicated that he renounced the citizenship. He was told to go and renounce his citizenship at the Malawian Embassy in Harare which is in my constituency. When he went to the Malawian Embassy, they told him that there is no record of him being Malawian.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Order
Hon. Member, you are out of order, you are no longer debating the coloured issue, you have actually personalised the motion. Please can you dwell on the motion?
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. The issue of coding - indeed makes Zimbabweans to be different from other Zimbabweans. The conclusion and the recommendations that have been given by the Committee are very welcome as they try to make us all to be Zimbabweans. The recommendations might also have gone to the issue of dual citizenship because the issue of dual citizenship was agreed to in the Constitution only by birth, it affects people of mixed race and some of them may not be enjoying this particular benefit. So even the Constitutional Court, the case of Mutumwa Mawere the RegistrarGeneral and three others, Case Number CCZ4/2015, technically, it allows for dual citizenship as a strong case drawn in Zimbabwe. So mixed race people must not be discriminated against. I also call upon the responsible Ministry to ensure that when they are trying to get the dual citizenship, they do not face any problems.
In conclusion Hon. Speaker, I support this motion as it is highly inclusive at least to develop Zimbabwe. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: I would like to appreciate the contribution by Members of Parliament on the motion brought in by Hon.
Mayihlome. What is important is for us to build the country which is...
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May you please switch on your
video, we want to see you.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: Hon. Speaker, I have got a device which cannot switch on to video. I have been having problems with network, I have been trying to. May I seek your indulgence?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: You can go ahead.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. This is important for our country to be a country when we live with everybody together. The previous speaker talked about the great...
HON. NDEBELE: What is the name of the device that you are using?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Member. Can
you give him the floor? Let him debate.
*HON. NDEBELE: Uri kushandisa chii Shumba?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order please!
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: Hon. Ndebele, order. You are not the
Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May you go ahead Hon. Mliswa.
(v)HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. We had Carlos Max – if you all recall, he was a great soccer player who played for CAPS United but he was nicknamed Murehwa. He was given mutupo yet the identification card had a double zero. The fact that the people nicknamed him Murehwa shows that he was acceptable as a Zimbabwean. Being given a totem means a lot in our culture.
Kana wapuwa mutupo, zvinoratidza kuti you are part of us. Ndiri Soko Murehwa, kasi how can you have a person who has been given a totem without an identification number? To me, it is important that we embrace everybody and may this be the start of a new era. For a very long time, we seem to even accommodate the Chinese in our country more than our own people. Not only that, I am worried that our sovereignty which we enjoy must encompass those who were part of us.
You will also know that at the Heroes Acre, we have got the late national hero Senator Culverwell. He contributed immensely to this country. He was appointed Minister at one time. That speaks volumes of the mixed race in how they have contributed to the well-being of this country. We went to school with them. We were together. The first oppression from the whites, no wonder why they were segregated, if we look at their neighbourhood, Arcadia, Sunningdale and all that; it was the white people who put them in those positions and locations just the same way that they did in putting the blacks in Highfield, Mbare and so forth. Those were marginalised areas for a people who were discriminated and looked down upon.
As soon as Independence was there, we were supposed to rise with them as a people because they suffered. At the same time, it is important that they are recognised for the role that they played in the independence of the country. Without that, they would not be where they were. Blacks were treated better than the mixed race at the time. That is why I do not use the word coloureds because it is derogatory in its nature but we shall learn to use mixed race because their contribution was immense.
If we talk of sports like basketball and cricket, they have been playing in the national team. When you represent your country at national level, surely the people who were looking at this documentation were also wrong not to correct that. A correction was supposed to be taken because the moment you represent your country, at basketball and soccer, we had a lot of them who played for the national team. How do you allow somebody to represent your country Zimbabwe when their identification is not in order? To me, it is important that we look back and take a corrective measure. They deserve to be where they are. They are a great people and they are part of us. They have been marginalised and they must also be part of the empowerment initiatives which are there in every way, but how can they be empowered when their identification does not talk about them belonging to this country? Children have been born in this country of mixed race. As a result, they pay the price for something that they do not know.
I would like to endorse this motion because it actually makes us realise that we have more work to do as a people in being united rather than thinking of other people. While Zimbabwe is open for business, it must be open for Zimbabweans first. That is what I have always been saying. They must benefit on Government policies that are there; the national housing programmes, land reform programmes, empowerment initiatives for the youth and so forth.
It was a deliberate measure by the racist regime to be able to marginalise these places. What you see in the townships and the marginalised places where the coloureds are – there are more beer halls than recreational facilities. The racist regime at the time made sure that those who were rich were accommodated in places where there were country clubs, where they would enjoy recreation but in places like
Arcadia, Sunningdale, Highfield and Mbare they put more beer halls. The reason why they put more beer halls is that they believed that the only thing that these people can do is to be drunk. When they are drunk, they go and abuse their wives and children and they become a society which hates each other. This was a strategy to plant hate amongst the people. They equally went through that.
We must be able to even go as far as having rehabilitation centres in which those who suffered or were traumatised are seen to be brought to equal terms with everybody else. Zimbabwe is open for everybody else. We cannot talk of Zimbabwe being open for business before Zimbabwe finds itself as a people and people are given due recognition for who they are at the end of the day.
The other issue that keeps us being marginalised and not thinking is the names which were given to us. We still are obsessed with names like Arcadia and Sunningdale. When the white man was doing that, they had a meeting for that. Let us come up with names and change these just like we have changed the roads and given them new names, like Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa Road; Robert Mugabe, Josiah
Tongogara, Julius Nyerere and so forth. The suburbs must also change according to the times as well, just like the schools are changing names as well. These names should not be there forever because they are not good and they remind them of an era when they were looked down upon and were traumatised, neglected and isolated by the racist regime.
Changing of names helps at the end of the day.
Even kwedu kuchivanhu, ukapuhwa zita rasekuru rikanetsa unochinjwa zita kuti uve uri zvauri nokuti unopedzisira wakuita zvaiita sekuru. Kana vaiba, unoramba uchingobawo asi ukachinjwa zita unoregera zvekuba. The same applies again. Changing of names is important in giving them a new identity. Once we give them a new identity, then they feel to be a part of us.
I would like to thank those who brought this motion. It clearly ushers in the new era for Zimbabwe where we must treat our own first before anybody else. We cannot live in a country where people born here are segregated; they have no other place. The only place we have is Zimbabwe. Let us find ourselves so that we can be one and whatever we achieve is bound to have that substance of ubuntu. Ubuntu means involving everybody.
I would like to thank the mover of the motion, Hon. Mayihlome and Hon. Mguni who also seconded it for such a noble idea and it is important that this Parliament is seen to be taking corrective action. We must have the legacy so that people will say this Parliament was able to do A, B and C. May we also from a marginalised point of view, go a step further by also having Members of Parliament of mixed race as well. If we can have the disabled, war veterans, youth and women; they also deserve to be engaged.
We had that system and there is no reason why we cannot have that. It does not mean if you are not the majority, you cannot have a few that can represent them in different forms. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the House reverts to Order of the Day, Number No. 6.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the
Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE
CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. N.
- NDLOVU): I want to thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me the floor to respond to issues raised by His Excellency, the President of the
Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa in his State of the Nation Address. I also want to thank His Excellency the President for the support he continues to give us on issues pertaining to our environmental management, climate change preparedness and response as well as tourism growth, particularly during these trying times of COVID-19. I want to specifically appreciate his clear direction and expectations as espoused in the State of the Nation Address with regards the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.
Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to speak specifically on the issue of the Minamata Convention. This Convention as we know, seeks to phase out and eventually ban the use of mercury during mining activities and in doing this, the motivation is the acknowledgement that mercury has long term negative medical effects on individuals who come in contact with it. Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, kidneys, lungs and immune system. It is also capable of curtailing the development of the nervous system in unborn babies, thus causing learning disabilities. Targeted studies in the Kadoma mining areas revealed that there is high mercury content in mothers’ breast milk and this is a cause for concern.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank the Hon. Members of Parliament both from the Senate and the National Assembly for supporting
Zimbabwe’s quest to ratify the Minamata Convention which as we know had been signed by the Government of Zimbabwe as far back as 2013 and was awaiting ratification. The challenge we were facing was that although we had signed the convention, we were unable to exercise our voting rights. We could only participate by making statements as observers and not as a party because we had not ratified that Convention. In that respect, we could not influence the discussion, pace or direction of serious decisions that were being taken which affected us. By ratifying the Convention, we became a full party to the Minamata Convention. In this regard, I wish to express our sincere gratitude for the support we received from this House. I would also like to advise this House that His Excellency has since signed the ratification papers and we have forwarded them to be deposited to enable us to participate fully with effect from this year.
Mr. Speaker Sir, concerns were raised on the fate of our artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM) sector after the phasing out of mercury in the mining process. I wish to assure the Hon. Members that a pilot project is underway in Makaha under Mudzi Rural District
Council. The participants in the project are the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). They are exploring the use of alternative gold processing methods such as borax and cyanidation. My Ministry is working closely with that of Mines and Mining Development to promote the new model so that the artisanal small scale gold mining (ASGM) sector is not prejudiced by the new development.
Mr. Speaker Sir, concerning the Forest Amendment Bill, I want to thank the Hon. Members for supporting my Ministry in our attempt to protect our forests. The Bill, as you may be aware, had been before this House for a long period, spanning almost two years. I wish to acknowledge the input we received from Hon. Members both at Committee level and as the full House. The changes you recommended which we adopted are very important and will enable us to arrest and indeed reverse the pace of deforestation, which everybody agrees had reached alarming levels. Currently, my Ministry has intensified efforts to bring to book those responsible for the depletion of our forests. The amendment of the Forest Act will provide further legislative backing and make our efforts easier through the imposition of sufficiently deterrent penalties on the offenders. In this respect, I want to acknowledge that the National Assembly has since passed the Bill and the same is now before Senate. In fact Mr. Speaker Sir, it went through Senate but because of an amendment, it came back to this House where we hope it will be concluded favourably as well. Indeed, had it not been for COVID-19 restrictions, perhaps by now the Bill would have been long passed.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I now turn to the Parks and Wildlife Act. I wish to advise this House that in line with the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) of 2013, we are expected to consult widely as we review our Acts. However, due to COVID-19 induced restrictions, the process of consultation was affected and a number of meetings had to be postponed. In this regard, I wish to indicate that we have finally completed that process and we are now finalising the principles, which we hope to present before Cabinet within the next two weeks. Thereafter, the same will be tabled before Parliament for your consideration.
Mr. Speaker Sir, His Excellency the President, in his State of the Nation Address emphasised on the need to achieve a US$5 billion tourism industry by 2030. One step towards this goal is the amendment of our Tourism Act, which was last amended 26 years ago. The tourism principles have been tabled before Cabinet and the Draft Bill has been forwarded to the Attorney-General’s Office for consideration before it can be presented in Parliament. The amendment seeks to achieve the advancement of tourism from long standing focus on international tourism to the inclusion of domestic tourism as well as ensuring the universal accessibility of the tourism product. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is my hope that the legislative amendments that we seek to table before this august House will go through with the unreserved support of the Hon.
Members. I thank you.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 23rd August, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I move that all Orders of the Day, be stood over until Order of the Day Number 30 has been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIFTH REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE AND TOURISM ON DINDE
COMMUNITY PETITION
Thirtieth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Fifth Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and
Tourism on Dinde Community Petition.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE,
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. N. M.
NDLOVU): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Let me begin by acknowledging receipt of the report presented by the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry in the National Assembly on the 22nd of July, 2021on the Dinde Community Petition. I want to sincerely thank the Committee for a thorough and objective report.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I also appreciate the initiative by the Dinde Community to exercise their constitutional right as provided for in terms of Section 149 of the Constitution. Citizens are allowed to petition Parliament to consider any matter within its authority, including the enactment, amendment or repeal of legislation. This is particularly commended in that for the environment to be effectively managed, the Government must engender values, attitudes, skills and behaviour consistent with the sustainable environmental management. Community participation is critical for the country to achieve a clean, safe and healthy environment as envisaged in terms of Section 73 of our Constitution. Indeed, the Dinde community is empowered in this respect.
Coming to the report done by the Committee, I took note of the Literature Review and interviews that were carried out, including site visits and meetings with affected communities. The methodology was all-encompassing. I also noted that the Environmental Management Agency, a parastatal under my Ministry, was invited to give oral evidence to the Committee. Most of the technical issues and processes were discussed to a greater detail.
Given the above background Mr. Speaker Sir, let me not labour the House by going back to the background of the matter as well as the processes. I kindly request with your indulgence to directly attend to the recommendations that were proffered by the Committee, the recommendations were as follows;
- The Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, immediately amend the Environmental Management Act to clearly spell out the scope and standards to be followed by registered consultants on stakeholder consultations by 31
December, 2021;
- The Environmental Management Agency introduces creative and intelligent capacity building initiatives for communities in mining areas to understand the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) processes and provide the local leadership with requisite
information that empowers them to handle consultation processes by 31 December, 2021.
Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to address the recommendations as follows;
- While my Ministry appreciates the recommendation made by the Committee to amend the law, I want the Committee and the House to take note that the Environmental Management Act [Chapter 20:27] as read with Statutory Instrument (S.I) 7 of 2007 provides for adequate legal safety nets to guarantee that public consultations are done on all proposed projects. Mr. Speaker Sir, the law provides as follows in
Section 10 (4) of S.I 7 of 2007 - I will quote four sections;
Section 10 (4) provides that ‘before any Environmental Impact Assessment report is furnished to the Director General, the developer shall carry out wide consultations with stakeholders.’;
Section 10 (5) provides that, ‘during a prospectus and
Environmental Impact Assessment report review period, the Director
General shall verify whether full stakeholder participation was undertaken when the Environmental Impact Assessment report was prepared.’;
Section 10 (6) provides that, ‘expenses associated with the stakeholder consultation process shall be borne by the developer,’ and;
Section 10 (7) provides that ‘the Director General may advertise in the print and electronic media when a prospectus or Environmental
Impact Assessment report is being reviewed.’
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Project Developer is expected to carry out wide consultations with stakeholders. Our legal understanding of the insertion of the term ‘wide,’ is to ensure that all key stakeholders are consulted. The safety valve is again provided during the review process where the Director General has an obligation to verify the adequacy of public consultations done. They do this by holding similar consultation processes, mainly for purposes of verifying that indeed, the said stakeholders were consulted. The above sections of the law have been in operation since 2007 and consultation processes have mostly worked well to the satisfaction of all key stakeholders both directly affected and those interested.
In terms of the Environmental Management Act, stakeholders are further guaranteed of their right to be consulted through the appeal process. However, they start with the Director General and if one is not satisfied, appeals to the Minister responsible for environment and if still not satisfied, appeals to the Administrative Court. I say this because my assessment, particularly deriving from the case in hand is that, it is not the processes that contributed to the situation leading to the petition. Certainly, the need to comply with the COVID-19 protocols played a part as well as other issues that are adequately covered in the report including general misunderstandings where some attended consultations but later we have the view that it was not a consultation process.
Just to add, to date there are over 21 000 impact assessments that have been submitted to the Environmental Management Agency. Each of these reports has a component of public consultation. This Dinde Community Petition is the first of its kind, that should indicate the strength of the legislation that has stood the test of time but indeed, there has been instances where appeals have been successfully handled internally by EMA and in rare instances by the Office of the Minister.
My considered view Mr. Speaker Sir, is to allow my Ministry, through EMA to improve on administrative arrangements where necessary, and of course, advocacy so that communities are fully empowered in terms of knowing their rights during the consultation process. I wish to highlight however, that we are in the process of reviewing the EMA Act for purposes of aligning it to the Constitution. We will take this opportunity to interrogate possible areas of strengthening the Act. It is after all intended to save our people and the environment.
In terms of the recommendation number two on community education and awareness on all mining areas, my Ministry through EMA, has a fully fledged department responsible for environmental education, awareness and publicity, structured and targeted education and awareness programmes will be rolled out in all such communities as recommended.
It is my view that my Ministry should give you a full report on these training programmes by 31 December, 2021. My Ministry has already started wide consultations to ensure awareness raising and getting feedback from our communities. To that end, my Ministry convened a stakeholder workshop from 12 to 14 May, 2021 with Senator Chiefs in Kadoma that was officially opened by the First Lady, Her Excellency Amai Mnangagwa as the patron for the environment. The meeting was very insightful and key points and decisions were agreed upon. The strategy is to cascade these workshops to various sections of the society to include youths, women and other vulnerable groups of society.
We believe in taking the Ministry to the people for effective management of natural resources in the country. All the Ministry’s programmes are geared towards this philosophy and that includes fire awareness programmes and projects, consolidated gardens, cultural tourism villages, beekeeping projects, national tiller programmes, waste recycling projects, environmental school clubs, campfire programmes, global environmental fund projects and environmental committees, just to mention a few. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSARURWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. First, I
would like to thank the Hon. Minister for taking his time to respond to our report. As a Committee, we have taken note that he is going to strengthen the Act. I want to thank all Hon. Members who contributed to this debate.
I therefore move that the House adopts the report, that this House takes note of the Fifth Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism on Dinde Community Petition.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that we revert to Order of the Day, Number 15.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
POLICIES AND FRAMEWORKS THAT DRIVE THE YOUTH
AGENDA SECTOR TOWARDS THE NATIONAL ECONOMIC
AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AGENDA
HON. MAVETERA: I move the motion standing in my
name that this House:
DESIROUS to uphold the Constitution and to protect it at all times;
COGNISANT that Section 20 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that the State and all institutions and agencies of government at every level must take reasonable measures including affirmative action programmes; to ensure that youths, that is to say, people between the ages of fifteen to thirty- five years-
- have access to appropriate education and training;
- have opportunities to associate and to be represented and participate in political, social, economic and other spheres of
life;
- are afforded opportunities for employment and other avenues to economic empowerment;
- have opportunities for recreational activities and access to recreational facilities; and
- are protected from harmful cultural practices, exploitation and all forms of abuse;
ALSO, COGNISANT that the founding values and principles which bind the State and all institutions and agencies at every level include, among other things, recognition of the rights of youths;
ACKNOWLEDGING that any measures and programmes for the
youths must be inclusive, non-partisan and national in character;
DESIROUS to promote youth inclusion and influence in public policy with the main objective of increasing and improving youth participation in the broader economic sphere in order to harness the youth demographic dividend;
NOW, THEREFORE, RESOLVES, that
- A Caucus of influencers and youth experts, led by sitting Hon Members of the National Assembly, be assembled to focus on policies and frameworks that drive the Youth Agenda Sector towards the National Economic and Social Transformation
Agenda;
- Hon Members of Parliament in their various constituencies prioritise youths in resource allocation and programming;
- Hon Members pursue innovative initiatives and strategies that bring together the youth sector and the various stakeholders for the purposes of promoting participation and mainstreaming in public and private sector programming in the country.
HON. MUSARURWA: I second.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to move a motion in my name. Hon. Speaker Sir, We really want to applaud what has already been put in place to make sure that the inclusion of young women and youth is put in place in this country. I am sure we have had a lot of demography that we have always spoken concerning the relevance of young people in this country.
We believe that as a young people of Zimbabwe, we stand a chance to be included, especially in the economic transition of this country. We also need to understand that indeed, Section 20 of the Constitution says that there is need for us to be able to mainstream young people in making sure that they get involved. We need to understand that youth constitute 67% of the population of Zimbabwe. There is a saying that, it is the person who is holding the gun who leads the struggle but for me, I am saying, it is actually the person who has the gun that counts, who actually leads the struggle.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that as a young people of Zimbabwe we stand a chance for us to be included, especially in the economic transition of this country.
Hon. Speaker Sir, we also need to understand that indeed Section 20 of the Constitution says that there is need for us to be able to mainstream young people in making sure that they get involved and also there are reasonable measures that have to be put in place to make sure that young people are included in the economic transition of this country. Hon. Speaker Sir, the Constitution talks and provides that all institutions and agencies of Government at every level should make sure that at least they have programmes that ensure that youths will be able to access appropriate education and training and have opportunities to associate and be represented and participate in political and economic spheres and also afford opportunities for employment and other avenues of economic empowerment. Again, they should also have opportunities for recreational activities and also access to recreational facilities. Lastly Hon. Speaker Sir, to also be protected from harmful cultural practices, exploitation and all forms of abuse.
Hon. Speaker Sir, as we are in this House, we have always said and we have always talked about it, that when you look at the numbers of the young people in this august House, they are very much limited.
Therefore, Hon. Mr. Speaker Sir, because of the limited numbers of young people that are in this august House, we are very happy that indeed His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa came up and said now it is time for us to be able to have 30% of a quota to go into young women. What we are saying is, we are having 30% which is specific to councils and getting women involved in the local authorities.
Again, we also had 20 seats which were allocated, which we were supposed to benefit in this National Assembly. Hon. Speaker Sir, it enhances the capacity and includes the young women to be involved in the economic transition of this country. We need to look at it holistically and say the numbers are a bit minimum. Since the numbers are minimum, what needs to be done? As young people, we feel we need to be very much included in all the programmes. As young people, we should be desirous of making sure that we promote youth inclusion. We want to make sure that at least we are able to influence public policy in making sure that young people are included.
Hon. Speaker Sir, we also had the likes of us being able to get access of establishing a youth desk in the Ministry. We are happy that it is the provision which is there. What we are really looking forward to is also for it to be implemented. We are expecting a youth desk to be in each and every Ministry so that young people’s issues can be addressed.
Hon. Speaker Sir, let us go on and look at what has also happened. Hon. Speaker Sir, we have had an Act that we approved recently, which is Constitutional Amendment Number 2, which looked at young people being afforded those 20 seats. The 20 seats are very important. I know there has been a conversation which says they are only 10 seats. Hon. Mr. Speaker Sir, they are actually 20 seats which were afforded to the young people. We are saying that for those 20 seats, we are happy that at least there has been a Gender Sensitive Policy where we got 10 specific seats going to the women’s quota which were specific to the young people and the young women of Zimbabwe. Those 10 seats in addition to the five which were supposed to be alternated, I believe that is a step in the right direction. As young people of Zimbabwe, we are very happy that indeed when we look at what has been put in place, we think there is still …
HON. NDEBELE: I have a point of order Hon. Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: What is your point of order
Hon. Ndebele?
HON. NDEBELE: Hon. Speaker, this is a very important motion that the Hon. Member has brought to the House. I have been listening to her with intent. May I kindly request that she unpacks young people and give us a definition so that we are able to unravel this discussion. What are we talking about when we are referring to young people? If the Hon.
Member can favour us with that, it will help us unravel the conversation.
Thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I
would like to thank the Hon. Member for also asking that question. In our Constitution, on Section 20, when we talk about the young people or the youths of Zimbabwe, we are talking of every young person who is below the age of 35. A youth is a person who is below the age of 35 and these are the people that I am talking about today. Allow me Hon. Speaker Sir to then be able to say when I am talking about young people, of course I am talking and referring to the youths. Maybe let me also be able to say, we remove the word ‘young’ and substitute it with the word ‘youth’, which I believe is a word that everyone can be able to relate to.
Of course, when we are talking about the Inter- Parliamentary Union (IPU), we are saying young is below the age of 45. Because of that, I am going to resort to the one which is defined by our Constitution, which says the youths are 35 years and below.
Hon. Speaker Sir, the young people like what Dr. K.K said, are the future. They are the bearers of tomorrow’s future and indeed they are actually leaders of today. Therefore Hon. Speaker Sir, when I look at what this New Dispensation has managed to do and also what
Parliament has managed to do, they are looking at making sure that they involve young people and get them involved. We believe that as young people, there is no change for us which is without us. Hon. Speaker Sir, having this background, I am so happy that today as young people, we have got an opportunity for us to speak about what we think can be the right course of action for us as the young people of Zimbabwe. Hon. Speaker Sir, we had the issue of land re-distribution. We are happy that now there is a policy which is actually saying that there is going to be allocation of land which is going to be more specific to the young people or the youths of Zimbabwe. We are happy that the
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement is going to make sure that when he starts allocating land or maybe if he is still in the midst, it is good for him to be able to come to this august House and furnish us with details of the youths that have managed to benefit from this land.
Hon. Speaker Sir, we have said in this august House because of the minimum numbers, we saw it prudent that there is need for us to be having a caucus; a caucus of influencers and youths experts. We want to have sitting Hon. Members of Parliament who have got the thrust and also the zeal of wanting to see young people or youths agenda going forward to actually be able to come up and focus on policies and frameworks that drive the youth agenda sector.
Hon. Speaker Sir, we have got the Youth Bill. Yes, it is now a Bill and it has not yet come to this august House. We are happy that we have got principles that have already been put in place to make sure that at least we have a policy that will be enforceable when it comes to youth issues. We have asked for a youth quota Hon. Speaker Sir. Considering the demographic dividend of the young people of Zimbabwe, we constitute 67% of this country. Therefore, within ourselves, we will be hoping that because of that demographic dividend, we will be able to access more because of the numbers that we have.
Hon. Speaker Sir, we are calling upon this august House to also have Hon. Members of Parliament from various constituencies also prioritising youths and resource allocation and programming which is specific to youths. We are calling upon all Hon. Members here; we believe that they are the face of any constituency as MPs. Why can they not come up with programmes so that they can involve the young people? Why can they not come up with programmes so that when it comes to employment, they will employ the young people? When it comes to allocation of resources, they need to allocate to the young people. This is what we are calling upon to the Hon. Members in this august House.
Truly speaking, as young people, we believe that as much as you would have managed to get to that place that you are, of course we have also contributed for the people to be where they are. We are asking Hon. Speaker Sir, for Hon. Members to also prioritise youths in their resources. On resource allocation and programming, we are calling upon councillors to make sure that they involve young people. We are happy that indeed right now we have got 30% to local councils and also those 20 seats. However, we would expect more as young people whereby we will be thinking that at least there can be an affirmative action which goes down even at party level. Each and every political party should come up and give a certain allocation which will be specific to young people. This is our fervent view Hon. Speaker Sir because we believe that young people have got a proportion that they also contribute. By getting involved in decision making positions, this will actually be able to propel and make us go forward.
Hon. Speaker Sir, we are also calling upon Government, so that we can pursue innovative initiatives and strategies that bring together the youth sector and various stakeholders for the purposes of promoting participation and mainstreaming in public and private sectors so that we can then be able to programme the country. I know there are a lot of people that would want to contribute but indeed we are moving so that we have a youth caucus in this Parliament that will be specific, complementing the efforts that the Committee of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation will be able to do. That will also be able to help us so that at least we have more affirmative action and more ways that will be coming for the youth agenda. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
HON. MUSARURWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I second the motion on the establishment of a Youth Parliamentary Caucus, which has been tabled by Hon. Mavetera. This Parliament is supposed to lead by example in fulfillment of provisions of Section 20 of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe on youth participation and youth upliftment. Young people in Parliament stand as champions for the youth sector, which constitutes over 60% of the population but heavily under represented.
Hon. Speaker Sir, some of the youth MPs struggle to even give their maiden speeches in Parliament. The old guard has been unable to assist the youthful MPs in Parliament. The youthful MPs have resorted to informal platforms to assist each other to formulate questions for debate, preparing motions as well as general participation in Parliament.
It is imperative that a platform be created by Parliament in the form of a Parliamentary Youth Caucus. This will create a platform for a formal exchange of ideas for youthful MPs. It will go a long way in ensuring youth participation in Parliament.
Hon. Speaker Sir, youthful MPs across the political divide face similar challenges and opportunities in the political sphere. The Youth Caucus will be useful in promoting formal exchange of ideas. As a caucus, the youths in Parliament will be able to push for the fulfillment of Section 20 of the Constitution through exchange programmes with other Parliamentary Youth Caucuses. The caucus will bring the idea of youth empowerment and upliftment. The caucus will help youthful MPs to come up with constituency development programmes, youth inclusion in the economy such as mining, agriculture and tourism.
The Parliamentary Youth Caucus will work closely with the Portfolio Committee on Youth to monitor and evaluate Government programmes and policies on youths. Hon. Speaker Sir, I have noted the age limit for the Youth Caucus and I wish that it may accommodate MPs up to the age of 45. This is important as it allows for the inclusion of the middle age generation that is excluded in the adult population. The MPs from 45 years and below suffered the same prejudices with those below the age of 35. The Parliamentary Youth Caucus must use the gap of exclusion that is affecting the people between the ages of 35 and 45. As I wrap up, this Parliament must demonstrate the commitment to the promotion of the Constitution allowing the establishment of the Parliamentary Youth Caucus. This is the fulfillment of Section 20 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. I submit Hon. Speaker Sir.
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 24th August, 2021.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI, seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at One Minute to Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 24th August, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 19th August, 2021
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
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have not
received any apologies.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): I am sorry, we
were supposed to have given you but I know that the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Hon Sen.
Mutsvangwa; Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Sen. Madiro;
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon July Moyo; Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Hon. Sen. Shava and the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Hon Prof Mavima are in Manicaland accompanying the President, so they are unavailable
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. SEN. MALULEKE: Thank you Mr. President for
affording me this opportunity to pose a question to the Minister of Agriculture because our farmers in our constituencies are being forced to receive groceries for payment of their cotton. They would prefer to be given money. Is the Minister aware of this?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): I would want to
thank the Hon. Member for her question that pertains to what is prevailing as regards cotton farmers that are being given groceries instead of hard cash that they would have wanted to receive. Mr. President, this is what used to happen last year. Then COTTCO was not a Government entity but we used to give it some money. We have now reached an agreement in terms of share ownership. Government now has the majority shares so that we are able to give direction and policy as regards the operations of the company as well as for Government to be able to give money to COTTCO towards debts that are outstanding since last year for the produce that they delivered last year as well as for this year.
Mr. President, you will remember that year-in year-out our President, His Excellency gives out Presidential Inputs for cotton farmers. It is our expectation that once farmers are given Presidential Inputs we expect them to sell their produce so that there is development and empowerment. This year, our Minister of Finance and Economic
Development gave COTTCO money for payment of cotton farmers for their last season’s produce and for this year’s produce. What I am unable to clarify or shed more light is how much was used and how much is now the balance. As Government, we have said that cotton farmers, just like maize growers, should also be given their monies. Our farmers wanted to be paid through Ecocash which is the problem that we faced. It had a limit and that is what they were sorting out so that farmers have bank accounts so as to enable the transfer of their funds through the banking system or bank accounts. COTTCO was going to sort out that issue so that farmers can receive their money through bank accounts or that they have discussions with Ecocash or Onewallet to enable farmers to be paid through that platform. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. KHUPE: Thank you President of the Senate for affording me the opportunity to pose my question. My question was supposed to have been directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare but in his absence since this is about Government policy, I believe the Leader of the House is capable of answering the question.
My question is, sometime last March on the onset of COVID Government came up with a very good plan of cushioning people living with disabilities so that they would receive stipends because of the challenges that they were facing and at that time they were hopeful that indeed they would receive this assistance, has there been a shift in policy that has caused people not to receive money or maybe Government is just having delays in having these funds disbursed? If it is just a challenge with the disbursements, when are these disbursements ever going to be made? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
President of Senate. The money that the Hon. Member has made reference to, last year we used to disburse it to a lot of people because of the drought that was prevailing. At the moment, the Social Welfare Department is busy screening or vetting those people that need to be weeded out because we have a bumper harvest. If you are to observe, you will see that in the past, in the communal lands, everyone was entitled to receive this benefit, but at the moment they are vetting the rightful candidates that should receive.
That is the ongoing exercise. The money is supposed to be disbursed but whenever it is disbursed, it shall be backdated from the last time that it was paid to the deserving recipients of such aid. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. How are students going to write examinations considering that for two years there has not been any learning? Is there a programme to help schools in remote areas because these children do not have gadgets?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Hon.
President Sir. Indeed, since 2020 we have been ravaged by COVID. What has been happening is that when we feel that we are ready to open schools, we were hit by a wave or something would happen and we would be forced because of the measures that would have been put in place to contain the disease, to postpone opening of schools. It is a fact indeed, as Government, the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services in collaboration with the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education decided to urgently bring before Cabinet, an ICT policy that we can utilise to ensure that our learners continue learning. They presented that and it is now policy that given the situation that we are in, let us move towards ensuring that even the remote schools get connected; they get the relevant gadgets so that our learners can go back to school.
So a detailed response as to the actual plan Hon. President Sir, I can defer to the Ministers responsible so that they can bring it here, but in a nutshell, indeed the Government is aware of the discrepancies that are there and the Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services made a very good presentation where he is actually committed to ensuring that we have kiosks that are for free at schools, at centres to ensure that our learners can access internet and be able to learn, but if the Hon. Senator requires a detailed plan of how that will be done, I can so request the relevant Ministers to come and make a presentation to Senate on the plan that they have for our education sector. I thank you Mr. President.
(v)*HON. SEN. SIPANI-HUNGWE: Firstly, I would like to pass my condolence over the passing on of the late Sen. Timire a few days ago. I do not know if the Minister of Energy and Power Development is in the House. I would like to pose a question: are we now experiencing load shedding or it is just a temporary measure because of challenges that we are facing? If we are into load shedding, may you look into the issue of wheat farmers so that we do not lose our wheat crop as a result of failure to have adequate water that will destroy or will reduce the yield? Hon. President of Senate, I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT (HON. MUDYIWA): Thank you Mr. President. I
would like to thank Hon. Sen. Hungwe for her pertinent question during this time of the year. It is an appropriate question. These days we are experiencing power shortages. It is because we are facing challenges at Hwange Thermal Power Station, where we get the bulk of the electricity which we get from three generators operating or two at other times and with the worst case scenario, we would have none of the generators generating electricity.
Our machinery at Hwange is old and obsolete. It has several challenges it faces, hence sometime you observe that we are forced to load shed certain areas so that some areas can receive electricity. Be that as it may, our engineers are busy in Hwange ensuring that they are on top of the situation and ensuring that we get the necessary units up on the grid. At the moment, we have two or three units that are up on the grid and hence from 450MW that is supposed to be raised from Hwange, we can get to less than 200MW. So to cover for that deficit, it will become difficult because during this winter period, the demand for electricity is high.
I appreciate the predicament of the wheat farmers. We are trying as best as we can to ensure that our wheat farmers constantly get electricity but at times some of the things may be beyond our control. We are trying as much as possible to ensure that they get electricity at most times. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: My question Hon. Chairperson,
touches three ministries. I hope the Leader of Government Business will be able to answer that. We have witnessed the ravage caused by COVID-19 and each time when we want to get into the next operational mode, we are hit by another wave. Right now the school calendar for both primary and tertiary education has been completely disturbed. What is Government policy viz-a-viz compulsory vaccination for all tertiary and secondary children who are eligible for the vaccination? It has now been proved that vaccines can protect us. The unfortunate thing is the new variant – the Delta variant is much more lethal to children and if we are going to open in the current situation, we might again fall into another trap. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I want to thank
Hon. Sen. Dr. Mavetera for the good question. Indeed, like I alluded to earlier on, we have been ravaged by COVID-19 and each time when we feel that things are normalising, another wave hits us. It is also very correct to say that initially we had excluded children from the vaccination programme because we were under the belief that they are not that affected. However, recently, we have noticed that children are also affected and we have children that are dying because of COVID-19. As Government, we are also now revising that policy position on vaccination in terms of children. It is a very good suggestion that Hon. Sen. Dr. Mavetera is bringing forward to vaccinate all our learners so that they can go back to school. What we were doing was focusing on trying to find alternative teaching methods from the conventional to elearning. I think we can combine the two and also have our learners vaccinated.
It is a welcome suggestion that I will present to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Education as an alternative. We are supposed to go into our third term but our learners were in school from January to March and schools closed. So it is a good suggestion that I am willing to carry forward and discuss with my counterpart. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Two more
ministers have joined us and these are the Minister of Environment,
Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and the Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
*HON. SEN. M. D. NDLOVU: My question is: what is Government doing about the life of children who cannot support themselves? They are being abused especially in the rural areas where there are a lot of people that are not seen in town. In the cities it is better because photos will be taken and exposed in the media that there are some children that are being abused. The same cannot be said about what transpires in the communal lands. The majority of such children do not have parents, some of the parents are on separation and the children may be under the care of guardians and they experience difficulties in life. What is the Ministry doing to ensure that these children have a better life? Some of these children end up being mentally challenged because of stress and they have no other coping or defence mechanism. Children are important but they are assaulted, scolded, given nicknames that disturb them such as being called a donkey. They are degraded and looked down upon as donkeys when it is not proper for a person to be treated that way.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE,
LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. MATUKE):
Government has a policy that deals with children that are abused. First and foremost, there are workers that are on duty 24 hours a day. They look into such abuse cases 24 hours a day. We have toll-free lines that are dedicated for such a service. Once a report comes through that dedicated line, it is received, be it a child or anyone who knows a child will have made such a report. All these issues are received and the experts will then look into that issue on how best the child can be assisted.
A few months ago, the First Lady, Mrs Mnangagwa came with a toll-free line that can be accessed using the same numbers to report child abuse. It automatically gets to them and if need be, the police will then intervene or whatever form of intervention that is required, that intervention is quickly done. In other areas, they have received more than 50 000 reports pertaining to child abuse. So, such cases are being reported.
Coming to the issue of funds, we have orphans that are being looked after by relatives but the relatives do not want to look after them and are abused. They can no longer go to school and are abused by being given workloads beyond their age. The Government has several homes that receive such children and are accepted at such institutions or schools and Government sends them to school. Government is responsible for fees payments. Government feeds and clothes these children and look after the children from zero grade up to Form Six.
We want to come back to Parliament and ask that Government be allowed to look after the welfare of such children until they reach university. We have two organisations that ensure that such children can be looked after up to university level and they even go further to secure employment for children. These homes are in most of the towns. In Bulawayo, we have two such places. As we move around, we are seeing that the intake is quite low as they will not have reached the maximum enrolment for the particular schools.
So, we are asking Members of Parliament and councillors that once they come across such children who are in need of protection, they should approach our district offices in the various districts. The children will be sent to school, given somewhere to live and also given food. There will be social workers who are qualified to look after them such that they can even look after them much better than what would be done by their parents.
*HON. SEN. CHISOROCHENGWE: My question was directed
to the Minister of Health and Child Care but in his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House. What measures are you going to put in place to ensure that the bodies of deceased people that would have succumbed to road traffic fatalities and other diseases are separated from those that would have died from COVID-19?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. President, I
am not sure why there is a need to separate the bodies. We have trained staff that are supposed to follow the laid down procedures in terms of preventing themselves from contracting any disease that they may get from the dead bodies. So, we do not have a policy of trying to create mortuaries for specific diseases but rather, to train the personnel so that they can handle the bodies appropriately being aware they are potentially infectious. It is just like any medical doctor, they treat any patient as potentially infectious regardless of the condition. So, that is the thrust that we are taking.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: My question is directed to the
Leader of the House in the absence of the Minister of Local
Government. I would want to find out what the Ministry’s policy is with regards to councils, to put mechanisms in place to ensure that the rates that are being raised for the residents are reasonable because residents are up in arms with the astronomical rates that are being increased on a monthly basis. From time to time, they are told that the rates have been increased and the increase in the rates is being back dated to a specific date. What are they doing as a Government Ministry to ensure that the residents are not short-changed?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Rates increases
are supposed to be approved by the parent Ministry, including the budgets of our local authorities. Perhaps, what would have happened is that the budget was presented and the rates increases were staggered and then implemented but there is no rate increase in Zimbabwe that happens without the authorisation of the parent Ministry. If they have a specific council where rates are being increased willy-nilly, perhaps if they can write to the Minister so he can check whether that increase was sanctioned by the Minister. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: My question is directed to the Leader of the House. What plans has Government put in place to ensure that clinics get enough COVID vaccines because people are going to the clinics but the clinics do not have the vaccines, and people are disgruntled?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Hon. President Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Senator for the question. Hon. President, we have a company that deals with procurement of medical drugs and accessories that are needed within our hospitals, i.e.
the National Pharmaceutical Company. It is also responsible for procuring and distributing to various hospitals and clinics.
The question is a bit specific in that Government has always been procuring but should there be a specific clinic that is short of specific medications, they can then get in touch with the Minister or relevant Ministry so that this can be rectified; mindful that sometimes we are short of resources but we have been having distributions happening from NatPharm to our various clinics. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Confirm
Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi, you asked specifically on vaccines? Was it on vaccines or drugs?
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Do I know Mr. President? I said since people have accepted the Government programme that they be inoculated. My question was on vaccines.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. President. As regards the issue of COVID vaccinations, Government announces whenever the vaccines are available. What may happen is that, at the moment because of what transpired a few weeks back, initially the programme was not readily accepted, but there is now a stampede in terms of vaccination to an extent that people from the urban areas are going to rural areas to be vaccinated.
Government’s intention is to attain herd immunity. At the moment, we have even requested private companies to engage the
Ministry of Health and Child Care to buy vaccines for their employees. CIMAS and PSMAS have already embarked on the programme; the sugar-cane industry, i.e. Tongaat Hulet has also done the same. Government cannot bring sufficient vaccines for the entire population. I am grateful for her question and urge her to be patient. You have realised that we are importing a lot of vaccines so that people are inoculated and you see the vaccines as they arrive at the airport. There has been a lot of awareness and people now appreciate the reason behind the vaccinations and because of the high demand for vaccinations, it may appear as if we are having shortages. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you Mr. President. My
supplementary question is; can the Hon. Minister please disclose to us the type and quantities of vaccines that we are receiving in this country?
As a country, we are getting different vaccines so much that people who received the first jab and were supposed to receive the second jab that is supposed to be administered after two to three weeks, have gone in excess of three months without receiving it because they are being told that the vaccine is no longer available. People are now failing to understand what they should do, whether they should start afresh or continue to wait? Does the Government have specific free vaccines or policies that are used in this country? What is the policy about substitute vaccines being administered to a person who has received the first jab? I thank you.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. President, if you look closely, you will realise that Government was buying two vaccines mainly from China and these are the ones that we are buying. We had a donation of the Sputnik vaccine from Russia, maybe it is the vaccine that the Hon. Sen. is making reference to, that they received the first jab and have not received the second jab. This is an issue that we can ask the Ministry of Health and Child Care officials to look into.
Currently as Government, we are sourcing most of our vaccines from China so that our people receive the same type of vaccines, hence we encouraged the private sector and those who have their own funding to channel their funds into a single purpose fund so that they can go and buy a specific type of drug. Once the drugs are delivered, the first and second jabs are administered respectively. So we are ensuring that we have the same type of vaccines till we reach herd immunity. We are grateful that our friends in Russia donated the Sputnik vaccine to us and if people were vaccinated with the Sputnik as the first jab, we can then look into the issue to ensure that it is sorted out and they receive the second jab.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President. The
Hon. Minister stated that some companies are buying vaccines from the Ministry of Health and Child Care. My question is; when they buy these vaccines, do the vaccine recipients pay for the vaccinations because some people are now in the practice of asking people to pay for vaccines?
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. President. Government
policy is that vaccination is for free. At the moment, we have said that we are going to open up and ensure that school children have access to vaccinations in order for them to return to school. In Europe, they are now doing it and I recently saw a soccer stadium filled to the brim with people watching football.
Private companies are coming in with their own money to buy vaccines so that the vaccines are administered to their own work force for their employees to continue working and delivering as companies. As Government, we are saying that no one should be asked to pay for vaccinations because vaccination is for free.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business Hon. Ziyambi. I heard on the news that the President of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa has been invited by the Queen of Britain to a meeting for African leaders. If that is the point, is there a possibility that sanctions may be lifted for Zimbabwe?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND
INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. MUSABAYANA): Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank the Hon. Senator for his question. It is true that the President will be travelling to the United Kingdom. He is going there to attend a conference of several countries. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has indicated that he will be happy to meet our President and this shows that the new dispensation led by our President Cde. E. G. Mnangagwa (because of the reengagement policy), has been accepted the world over including in countries like America where the American Ambassador said that they were urging the American citizens to invest in businesses in Zimbabwe. This is quite pleasing and this gives us the hope that the majority of the countries the world over are now aware that illegal sanctions must be removed because they serve no purpose. This vision that you have and that other people have, we are happy because other countries are now willing to work with the new dispensation.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: Thank you Mr. President, my question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
What is Government policy on contract signing with regard to ZINARA where councils from their allocations engage contractors to do work on their behalf but they are paid by ZINARA after an interim certificate is raised? Whereas the delays in payment affect the councils, is it not therefore possible for the policy to be revisited such that the contract will be between ZINARA and the contractor so that perhaps any delay in service delivery is directed appropriately?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you very much Mr. President. I also thank Hon. Sen. Mabika for that very important question. I will start by clarifying the role of ZINARA. I am glad they have actually cited the issues to do with contracts which used to be problematic when it came to the issues to do with ZINARA. If you go through the audit reports of ZINARA, they were engaging contractors directly, contrary to their mandate. It is a fund and by that, they are supposed to disburse funds to road authorities. In this country we have got four road authorities: the Department of Roads, Local
Councils, Rural District Councils and DDF. Therefore, the mandate of ZINARA is to collect money and disburse money. In some certain instances, they can actually advance to a local authority and if the contractor has been engaged by the road authority, the contractual obligations are with the Road Authority and ZINARA is not supposed to enter into contract with road authorities.
If you find ZINARA disbursing to a local authority, they will be actually adhering to their core mandate which is to disburse funds to the local authorities and in some instances; they are actually mandated to disburse even 20% in advance. Therefore, the local authority, whether it is a Rural District Council, DDF or Department of Roads, is supposed to acquit that to say we have earmarked this for a certain project and we have done accordingly and therefore these are our returns. I want to thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF NTABENI: I want to think outside of the box in terms of COVID-19. We really appreciate what Government is doing in trying to combat COVID-19. Hon. Minister, I am worried that there is no medication in our clinics, there is only Paracetamol. I once visited one of our clinics in my constituency and they were happy to meet me saying that now that you are here and you attend Parliament, go and tell them that we have got no medication in clinics here, there is COVID-19 vaccine only. I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
President, I want to thank the Chief for the investigations that he did. I will ask them to look into this issue so that they will also attend to those particular issues and look into the distribution and what the challenges are so that this can be corrected. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business. The Government promised to give cotton farmers money but the farmers have not yet received this money. Would it not be better for Cargill and other companies to also intervene because people are no longer interested in growing cotton since they are not being paid? The other time they were given very little in the form of
RTGS and were promised that the money would come soon. However, up to now, there has not been any payment. I therefore, urge that there be competition within the companies that pay cotton farmers so that cotton farmers do not run away from cotton farming because they have now lost heart.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I have earlier on
responded and said that COTTCO was not our company initially. Government had to intervene because previously, other companies were allowed to compete with it. We intervened because we were giving farmers inputs under the Presidential Input Scheme. We however, observed that for us to be able to achieve our objectives because of the money that we were giving to COTTCO, COTTCO’s debt should be turned because Government was being owed money by COTTCO. We then changed this debt into equity so that our shareholding in COTTCO would become much higher.
Therefore, the Minister then raised through Agri-bonds, money for us to try and pay COTTCO. It is true that last year COTTCO farmers were not paid. We are busy ensuring that we correct that wrong for last year where they were not paid so that they would be paid for last year and we start for this year on a clean slate. We are not barring any company to compete with COTTCO; we want it to be an open market. It is only the grain in terms of maize meal that we directed that it be sold in the small grains sorghum and finger millet be channeled through GMB – that is a controlled sector.
As far as cotton is concerned, it is the wish of the Government to pay all the farmers their outstanding arrears so that when they prepare for the upcoming season, they will be happy to do so. It may so happen that there could be delays to pay because cotton and maize seasons are the same, so there is a bumper harvest of maize and a lot of funding is required to buy the maize as well, so the same applies to cotton. Our Minister of Finance is busy trying to ensure that our farmers are paid the required amounts that are owed to them. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by the HON.
DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order No.
62
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
PROGRESS ON NKAYI-BULAWAYO ROAD
- HON. SEN. NDLOVU asked the Minister of Transport and
Infrastructural Development to appraise the House;
- Why it has taken over 30 years to construct only 35 km out of the 160 km stretch of the Bulawayo – Nkayi Road.
- Whether the Ministry is aware that of the constructed 35km stretch of that road, it has exhibited signs of deterioration even before it is commissioned.
- When is construction of the project going to resume considering that the community in that area is heavily dependent on that road for their economic livelihoods.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Mr. President. Let me also thank Hon. Sen. C. Ndlovu for those three very important questions. Mr. President Sir, the Hon. Senator’s question is actually truncated in three parts and I wish to respond to the questions accordingly.
I wish to set the record straight that construction of the road in question has not been stalled for a period of 30 years. Like all the roads in the country, construction of roads is a continuous process and rehabilitation of the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road has been an ongoing project. Even after what on-lookers may deem completion, the road shall require constant maintenance.
Mr. President, as you may know and I have no doubt will strongly support me on this one; the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road is a very important one as it is a primary road which links Bulawayo and Nkayi. It also provides a direct link between Bulawayo City and other productive centres in the sprawling Matabeleland North and Midlands Province.
My Ministry treats each statutory mandate to construct roads very seriously as such roads are the ones which facilitate economic growth. We are also aware that the road we are talking about is very crucial as it facilitates movement of people and goods such as mining and agricultural machinery to facilitate productive sectors such as agriculture and mining in the Bubi area and of course as far as Nkayi, Gokwe,
Silobela, Vungu, Sanyati and beyond.
Therefore, allow me to demonstrate that the road has not been derelict for the three decades as insinuated by the Hon. Senator. The chronology of the road rehabilitation activities on this road are as follows:-
1993 – feasibility study for the road;
1996 – construction commenced under donor funding, the Kuwait Fund. • By the year 2000, 29 km of the road were completed;
- By 2001, an additional 15km were commissioned to bring the total km to 44km;
- By 2015, 3km were constructed bringing the total to 47km;
- By 2017 a further 1.5km were constructed;
- By 2000 a further 5km were constructed bringing the total to
53.5km.
I wish to concede that this level of progress is not the one that we yearn for. However, the Hon Member may know that all roads compete for funding from the national purse. Thus, the major constraint just like on any other road has been funding. That notwithstanding, the road has been earmarked for funding under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2.
- As the Ministry, we are aware and fully appraised of the status of the road. As you may know, sometime on 1 May 2021, I toured the road from Bulawayo via Nkayi to as far as Silobela and Gokwe just to appreciate the state of the road at the behest of my counterpart Hon. Minister Nyoni. On 6 August 2021, the Deputy Minister, Hon Madiro together with the Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Hon Richard Moyo embarked on a follow up tour along the same road to monitor regravelling of the road on its shoulders. I can confirm that the road which was dangerous to navigate in May 2021 when I toured the road and directed that something be done, is now trafficable. We are aware that the 35km which was constructed and opening to traffic is now 25 years old and has thus outlived its design lifespan of 20 years. In view of that, the Ministry has earmarked the Bulawayo-Nkayi Road for rehabilitation under ERRP 2 in
2022.
- Work commenced in June 2021 under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 – road has been identified as one such crucial one which should be rehabilitated. As we deliberate, 70.9km of the same road have been regravelled on its shoulders and we project that by early 2022, some sections will have been reconstructed and opened to traffic subject to funding from Treasury. I thank you.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE HON DEPUTY
PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order Number 66.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL
GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING
AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY
ON THE ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS MADE IN AREAS
AFFECTED BY FLOODS AND ON CONSTRUCTION OF COVID 19
TREATMENT, QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION FACILITIES
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the assessment of progress on construction of COVID-19 treatment, quarantine and isolation facilities.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. KHUPE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 24th August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE PROVISION OF
QUALITY EDUCATION, SANITISATION AND HYGIENE
MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move the motion standing in my name
that this House takes note of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals on the provision of quality education, sanitisation and hygiene management in schools.
HON. SEN. KHUPE: I second.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA:
1.0. INTRODUCTION
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted by the United Nations Member States in 2015 to which Zimbabwe is a member, as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity without leaving anyone behind by 2030. Goal 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Some of the targets under this goal include ensuring that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. It also aims to build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all.
In Zimbabwe, huge strides have been taken to ensure equitable, quality and inclusive education through the enactment of the Education Amendment Act 15 of 2019, which addresses key issues related to sexual and reproductive health services, rights for learners with disabilities and sanitation in schools. Despite these strides, the current economic outlook presents challenges and barriers in practice. Some of the challenges include dilapidated school infrastructure, lack of access to educational materials and the unavailability of teachers due to protest in response to low conditions of service and incapacitation.
To this end, the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals resolved to conduct an enquiry into the challenges faced in the provision of quality education, provision of menstrual hygiene management, as a factor hindering completion of secondary education by girls in line with targets under SDG 4. 2.0. OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the enquiry were:
- To ascertain factors hindering girls and boys from completing free, equitable and quality secondary education.
- To assess whether the sanitation infrastructure in schools is child, disability and gender sensitive and inclusive;
- To assess whether the distribution of sanitary wear reached the intended beneficiaries across the country;
3.0. METHODOLOGY
The Committee received oral evidence from Mrs. T. Thabela, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on quality education, sanitation and hygiene management. It is from this oral evidence meeting which compelled the Committee to conduct verification visits:
- to understand the factors hindering girls and boys from completing free, equitable and quality secondary education;
- to assess whether sanitation infrastructure in schools is inclusive and;
- lastly, to establish whether the distribution of sanitary wear for girls was equitable considering the vast poverty gaps between and among communities in urban and rural settings.
The Committee visited the following schools; Mangondo
Secondary in Bikita, Musume High in Mberengwa, Tsholotsho High in
Tsholotsho, Maqhekeni Secondary in Plumtree and Madlambudzi Secondary in Bulilima. The Committee interacted with Heads of schools, teachers in charge of the Health Department, and other staff with relevant responsibilities.
4.0. COMMITTEE FINDINGS
The Permanent Secretary highlighted that the progress on SDG 4 was measured through the following targets. The salient trends and developments in SDG 4 implementation show that
- The proportion of secondary schools with electricity increased from 68.9 per cent in 2017 to 73.36 per cent in 2019. The Permanent Secretary also highlighted that the country was on record for massive expansion in the provision of infrastructure for primary and secondary schools. However, there has been pressure on the system due to changes in the geographical settlement pattern as well as an increase in the population size. The Permanent Secretary further highlighted that, currently there was deficit of nearly 3000 new schools, particularly for the resettled farming communities, new urban settlements and peri-urban areas near the major cities. This deficit has resulted in the phenomenon of megaschools in excess of 1000 pupils.
- The Committee was informed that the proportion of secondary schools with access to WASH facilities rose from 95.8 per cent in 2017 to 97.43 per cent in 2019.
- The Permanent Secretary highlighted that the completion rate at secondary schools decreased from 71.80per cent in 2017 to
67.35per cent in 2019. The Committee was informed that females had higher proportions of learners who dropped out of secondary school than males.
- The Permanent Secretary indicated that in 2019, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development disburse $67 million out of a target of $200 million to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to cater for the provision of sanitary wear for girls in schools. She pointed out that the Ministry had delivered the first batch of sanitary wear in the form of panty liners and sanitary pads to all the 2584 Secondary schools (boarding and day-schools).
- The Permanent Secretary pointed out that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is continuously reviewing its
programming with a view to overcoming barriers to equal participation on grounds of gender, disability, language, socioeconomic status and distance. She went on to highlight that in 2019, there were 308 681 Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) at secondary level. The Ministry has fully embraced the SADC Care and Support for Teaching and Learning programme aimed at eliminating the barriers to education that pupils face through a multi-sectorial approach to service provision.
- The Committee was informed that the Ministry had adopted strategies for the learners to access education during the Covid-19 lockdown period which include open and distance learning, digital learning platforms, and the use of open education resources. She informed the Committee that through the support of various partners such as UNESCO, World Vision, Higher life Foundation and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry opened virtual learning platforms. Furthermore, she highlighted that they were conducting radio lessons through various radio stations across the country.
4.2. FINDINGS AT VISITED AREAS
4.2.1 Summary of Major factors hindering girls and boys to complete secondary education
4.2.1.1 Early marriages / Teenage pregnancies
Adolescent learners easily fall pregnant during their schooling days due to poverty and peer pressure. This was also worsened by the oneyear break due to COVID-19 pandemic with most school heads noting that the statistics were unusually high during 2020. Although the Government policy allows such girls to continue with schooling when they fall pregnant, some of them were shy to continue under such circumstances. This problem has negatively affected all the schools visited. At Mangondo Secondary School in Bikita, 60 % of the drop-outs were as a result of early pregnancies. At Maqhekeni Secondary School in Bulilima, 13 girls fell pregnant during lockdown and only two of them managed to come back and continue with their education. At
Madlambudzi High school in Plumtree, there were six confirmed cases of learners who dropped out as a result of pregnancy. School authorities indicated that the COVID-19 lockdown which induced idleness contributed to this sharp increase in teenage pregnancy.
4.2.1.2 Financial constraints
In all the schools visited, another major factor that contributed to school drop-out was failure to pay fees and procure other necessities. The situation was worsened by the recent fees increase by secondary schools. Most parents are unemployed and generally poor. At Madlambudzi Secondary School, there were five confirmed cases of learners who dropped out of school because their parents failed to pay the fees. At Mangondo Secondary School, they reported that 30 % of the drop-outs were as a result of failure to pay school fees. The Committee learnt that students in secondary school were not benefitting under the Basic Education Assisted Module (BEAM) as this was presided over by Primary School Committees. The number of students currently covered under the BEAM facility at schools visited were as follows, Tsholotsho High School -12, Musume High School – 10, Mangondo Secondary School - 65, Madlambudzi - 102 and Maqhekeni
Secondary School -76.
4.2.1.3 Lack of value for Education
This problem affected mostly schools that are in gold rich areas and those closer to the borders such as Tsholotsho High School, Maqhekeni Secondary School and Madlambudzi High School. Most people are cross border transporters, are well to do but have no or little educational background. Learners therefore, aspire for such a lifestyle and drop out of school. School authorities indicated that learners drop out of school and cross to South Africa or Botswana and within a year or two come back driving good cars. At Madlambudzi High School, they had four confirmed cases including one girl child who dropped from school and skipped the borders. The Botswana border is porous, with many illegal entry points, therefore many learners illegally skipped the border to find piece jobs in neighbouring countries. Musume High School is in an area with gold and cases of drop-outs are increasing as most children were resorting to gold panning.
4.2.1.4 Geographical factors
This problem affected most schools in the country and not only in
Matabeleland. Most of the secondary school learners walk long
distances to school to access education. At Madlambudzi High School, the school catchment area covers an average radius of 15-20km with 13 feeder primary schools. Learners have to leave their home as early as
04:00 am to get to school and arrive at their homes as late as 7:00 pm.
This is more problematic during the winter and rainy seasons. At Madlambudzi High School, there was once a transporter who used to ferry learners to and from Masendu and Mzwaligwe areas which are more than 15km from Madlambudzi High School but now he no longer offers the service and it has thus affected about 40-60 learners. At
Tsholotsho High school, children from places such as Mubvunzana and Perela areas travel at least 12 km a day to reach school. Some learners stay across rivers and during the rainy season, they fail to cross such rivers and they drop out. At Maqhekeni Secondary School, there are learners who come from areas such as Makumbi, Mazwaligwe,
Garamtata, Shaba and Ntoli areas who travel at least 10 to 15km to reach school. There is therefore, a high temptation for most learners to drop out of school.
4.2.1.5 Child headed Families
Some pupils lack parental guidance especially those whose parents work in South Africa and who are orphaned while most of them stay alone or with housemaids. This lack of parental care was cited as a key contributor to high school drop-outs since there would be no parental guidance and monitoring. This situation has also led to a high rate of teenage pregnancies. At Madlambudzi High School, there were more than 35 known cases of child headed families. This problem was also echoed at Maqhekeni Secondary School. The school authorities at Madlambudzi High School indicated that most of these children from child headed families usually do not have birth certificates and they cannot register for examinations, hence forcing them to drop out of school.
4.2.1.6 Truancy
Truancy can be defined as the action of staying away from school without a good reason. At Musume High School, personnel complained that children lacked discipline. In terms of the Education Amendment Act, there is now no proper way to punish learners since corporal punishment was outlawed. The problem was also highlighted at Mangondo High School and it accounted for 20 percent of the drop-outs. At Maqhekeni Secondary School, they highlighted that some drop-outs were due to alcohol and drug abuse and premarital sexual relationships. Learners were engaging in sexual activities at tender ages and ended up losing interest in school.
4.2.1.7 Family socialisation and cultural beliefs
The level of education attained by the parents also contributed to school drop-outs. Those parents with low levels of education do not inspire nor motivate their children to continue with school. Divorce and family challenges contributed to school drop-out rates. At Maqhekeni Secondary School, most parents who are uneducated do not motivate their children because they do not regard it as important. On the other hand, at Madlambudzi Secondary School, professionals especially civil servants were failing to inspire learners in view of the poor conditions of service.
4.2.1.8 Starvation at school
Over the past five years, Zimbabwe has been suffering from the vagaries of climate change, giving rise to erratic rainfalls, flash floods and long dry spells. In a country where 80% of maize which is the staple food comes from small-scale farmers, the extreme weather conditions had severely depleted stocks of food in many homes and school children were bearing the brunt of the shortages. At Tsholotsho High School, children drop out due to hunger. It is critical to note that learners in secondary schools do not benefit from the school feeding programme. The school authorities posited that children across the provinces were dropping out of classes because they cannot attend classes on empty stomachs.
4.2.2 Provision of Sanitation Infrastructure in Schools
The Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at schools is currently provided for in the Public Health Act which is administered by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. The WASH policy thrust in the Act underlines the challenge of moving beyond simply building school infrastructure and ensuring that it meets minimum standards for a basic level of sanitation service. The Act stipulates that the recommended standard for ablution facilities was 25 pupils per squat-hole for boys and
20 for girls.
Availability of sanitation facilities in schools
School enrolments at schools visited varied widely with population ranging from 320 pupils to 785 pupils. While it is good that the majority of the schools had toilet facilities, it should be noted that the ratio of pupil to squat-hole far much exceeded the recommended guidelines of 25 pupils per squat-hole for boys and 20 for girls for dry systems. The proportion of non-functioning sanitation facilities was too high at Musume High School, thus worsening the pupil squat-hole ratio. Sanitation facilities in most of the schools were around twenty years old while the average life span of a latrine is 15 years and therefore most of the toilets are almost full. The situation was worse for the girl child who requires more time and privacy when using the toilet than boys due to the biological differences in terms of sanitary hygiene management.
Location of ablution facilities in schools
In all the schools, the ablution facilities were located within the school boundaries. At Madlambudzi High School, the ablution facilities were more than 20 metres from the furthest classroom making it difficult for learners with disabilities to access them as there were no pavements for easy mobility using wheelchairs. The Committee was however pleased to note that Tsholotsho High School have toilets for people living with disabilities though the school had no learner with disabilities enrolled at the time. It was noted that there were no ablution facilities closer to the classroom blocks. At Tsholotsho High which is a boarding school, the ablution facilities were located within dormitory boundaries. The location of the ablution facilities is critical in making a decision to use a particular facility. The ones located far away from the classrooms may be avoided due to the artificial psychological boundary created by their location. Location can also influence open defaecation and urination which are very bad practices.
4.2.3. Menstrual Health Management (MHM): Provision of
Sanitary wear.
Section 4 of the Education Amendment Act provides that the State must ensure the provision of sanitary wear and other menstrual health facilities. The Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Mrs T. Thabela highlighted to the Committee during an oral evidence meeting that they had delivered sanitary wear in the form of panty liners and sanitary pads to all the 2584 secondary school (boarding and day-schools). The Committee established that there were variations on the type of sanitary wear received. Schools such as Mangondo Secondary received panty liners rather than sanitary pads while other schools received sanitary pads. The Committee noted that all schools received their first allocations in 2020 while some had received their second allocation in 2021. The sanitary wear availed were allocated as follows.
Name of School | Quantity given | Allocation per child | Criteria used |
Mangondo Secondary | 100 Pant liners in the year 2020 | 1 pant liner each | Long distance learners were chosen upon identification by the School Health Committee. |
Musume High (Boarding) | 228 sanitary
pads in the year 2020
|
Form 1 and 2 received one packet each while form 3-6 received 3 packets each. | All Form 1-to-6-day scholars and those who travel long distances were given upon identification by the School Health Committee.
|
298 sanitary pads and 4 pant
liners in the year 2021 |
Yet to be distributed | ||
Tsholotsho
High (Boarding) |
219 sanitary
pads in the year 2020 |
3 packets each | All Form 1-to-6-day scholars and those who travel long distances were given upon identification by the School Health Committee. |
Maqhekeni Secondary | 96 sanitary pads in 2020.
96 sanitary pads in the year |
2 packets each | Orphans and vulnerable children who were identified by the School Health Committee were given. |
2020.
48 pads in the year 2021 |
|||
Madlambudzi High | 249 sanitary
pads in the year 2020 |
One packet each | The vulnerable, economically challenged and examination classes were identified by the School Health Committee. |
4.2.4 General challenges faced by schools in the provision of quality education
4.2.4.1 Shortage of learning and other facilities
All schools indicated that they are experiencing shortage of infrastructure and this has been worsened by the new normal of the COVID-19 regulations. At Tsholotsho High School, social distance has led to shortage of classrooms and also double bunk beds which they had are no longer accepted under COVID-19 regulations. At Maqhekeni Secondary School, there were inadequate classrooms and accommodation for teachers. At Madlambudzi, there was a shortage of practical learning areas for practical subjects such as Building and Agriculture. To facilitate teaching and learning under the COVID-19 regulations, the school has introduced hot sitting temporarily. The school did not have a library facility at the time of the visit which does not instil a reading culture among learners. At Mangondo Secondary School, there was no laboratory which negatively affected the teaching of science subjects. There was also shortage of furniture.
4.2.4.2 Teaching staff shortages and transfers in the middle of the year.
The schools articulated that the Public Service Commission was taking long to deploy teachers. There was serious shortage of Maths and Science teachers in all the schools visited. At Musume High School, those who retired from the service were not being replaced and when a teacher goes for maternity leave, there were no relief teachers. There were also no teachers for the visually impaired students enrolled at the school. At Mangondo High School, there was only one Maths teacher who was taking only Forms 3 and 4. There was also need for a History and Heritage teacher at the school. Schools in Matabeleland articulated that some of the teachers being deployed in the region were non-Ndebele speaking and this was affecting the learners, especially the Form 4 and Upper 6 classes. There was serious shortage of teachers and some who were deployed had no qualifications. At Tsholotsho High School, there was shortage of Maths, Sciences and Agriculture teachers. At
Maqhekeni Secondary School, they were having problems with teachers who were transferring in the middle of the year while they were taking examination classes such as Form fours. Also rural to urban migration of teachers was also affecting schools in remote areas. Teachers do not stay for more than two years at the school and this affect learners.
4.2.4.3 Shortage of textbooks for the new updated curriculum
All the schools visited indicated that they were facing shortages of textbooks to cater for the new curriculum. Furthermore, at Musume High School they did not have braille textbooks to cater for the new curriculum.
4.2.4.4 Inadequate e-Learning resources
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, the education sector embraced the on-line learning strategy but not all schools have the capability to conduct on-line lessons. At Maqhekeni Secondary School, there was poor network coverage and internet connectivity. There was no booster nearby which makes it difficult to communicate with learners. There were poor radio and television signals, which makes it difficult for learners and teachers to have access to current affairs. At Madlambudzi and Musume High Schools, there was no internet connection, while at
Mangondo Secondary School the network was down.
4.2.4.5 Unreliable/ poor power supply
Most schools have electricity but they faced challenges of power cuts, for example at Maqhekeni Secondary School, they had no power from January to September 2020. Electricity in schools is very important in the day to day running of schools because with the current shortage of text books, schools have resorted to printing hand-outs for learners.
5.0 COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
- The Committee observed that one school would require more than 15 squat-holes for it to satisfy its sanitation needs. The ratios of pupil to squat-hole were very high in some schools with the ratio at Madlambudzi Secondary School standing at 1 to 40. This has serious implications on the accessibility of sanitation facilities which could lead pupils to practice open defecation.
- The frequency of cleaning ablution facilities in most of the schools was less than three times a day. This was a source of concern as hygiene and the safety of the users is compromised. Cleaning the ablution facilities three times a day ensures that they are cleaned during critical times which are after the mid-morning break, after lunch and at end of the day. Once the toilet is soiled, it makes it difficult for another person to use, thus may force other users to practice open defecation and urination.
- Despite most schools having ablution facilities, some had no facilities for persons with disabilities. This can force some pupils to spend most of the time at school without relieving themselves for fear of humiliation and failure to access the ablution facilities without having someone to assist them. This however, causes health complications for them. They could be forced to sit inappropriately on soiled surfaces while at the same time the size of the squat hole can present a safety challenge.
- The Committee noted that there were variations on the type of sanitary wear received because some schools received pant liners instead of sanitary pads. This raised concern from the Committee considering that pant liners are not effective for girls during their menstrual cycle.
- The Committee observed that most rural schools had no internet access. Furthermore, the Committee noted that access to radio lessons by learners in rural schools was challenging owing to the fact that some areas had no or poor radio and television signals.
- The Committee noted that most schools had electricity challenges which however affected the day to day running of the schools as most schools have resorted to printing hand-outs for learners as a way to redress shortages of textbooks.
- The Committee observed that learners are travelling long distances to and from school, hunger and starvation, early and teen pregnancies and lack of inspiration from professionals in view of remunerations provides fertile grounds for learners to drop out from school.
6.0 COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
- The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should ensure that schools have off grid solar systems to ensure uninterrupted power supply by
December 2021.
- The Committee recommended that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should ensure that learners have textbooks and learning material for the new curriculum by August 2021.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should construct more schools, satellite and low-cost boarding facilities in the country to reduce the distances travelled by learners to and from school by April 2022.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should come up with policy compliance measures that will enforce all schools to have ablution, classroom facilities that are inclusive of learners with disabilities and also the construction of enough and up-to standard ablution facilities so that the country meets the required standard squat hole ratios by June 2022
- The Ministry of Primary and secondary Education should ensure that all schools have internet connection to enable learners to access the e-learning portals across the country by August 2021.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should ensure that secondary schools are involved in selection of beneficiaries for Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM) by December 2021.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should in future, consider the provision of sanitary pads instead of pant liners. The latter is not effective in meeting the needs of girls during the menstrual cycle.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should establish school feeding programme and nutritional gardens in secondary schools by January 2022.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education should increase rural allowances for rural school teachers in order to retain skilled teachers who tend to shun rural areas for urban schools by December 2021.
7.0 CONCLUSION
The Committee acknowledges that strides have been taken by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education through the enactment of the Education Amendment Act which brings about equity, inclusivity and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all in support of SDG 4.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further underlined the importance of providing safe and effective learning environments and has led to renewed calls to accelerate the upgrading of school infrastructure so that schools can operate safely.
It was clear that the Ministry is walking the talk towards the provision of hygiene management in schools with all schools visited being recipients of sanitary wear, though there is need for regular supply to meet the needs of girls throughout the year.
The Ministry must endeavour to redress the major causes of school drop-out so as to ensure that no one is left behind. The Committee called for the Ministry to be alive to the plight of vulnerable learners and should put in place necessary infrastructure that will not disadvantage them.
Lastly, the Committee implores that the Ministry must redress the gaps that exists between rural learners and their urbanite folks so that they both enjoy the same privileges despite the different environments they live. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KHUPE: Thank you Hon. President of the Senate.
My contribution will be brief because I think the report that was presented by Hon. Sen. Muzenda covered almost everything. In giving just a brief comment from my observations, it was very pleasing to note that of the five schools, four were constructed after independence. I do not want to flatter the Government or to be aimlessly proud. I can say those four schools are the best in terms of construction and outlook. The worst school in terms of infrastructure development or maybe it is because it is too old - I am not trying to demean the church that built Musume, but it was in a very deplorable state. One thing we observed, which may not be in the report but I need to say it, is that there appeared to be disharmony between the authorities who run the church related school and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. – That was clear because they were bitter and complaining.
I also want to say that the trip, for me, was very enriching. I think such trips are very necessary. Having said that, I want to thank all those who participated towards the success of the trip. I thank you Mr.
President and thank you Hon. Senators.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 24th August, 2021.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, second by HON. SEN. TONGOGARA, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Five minutes past Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 24th August, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 18th August, 2021.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE ACTING SPEAKER
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE ACTING SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): I have
received apologies from the following Hon. Ministers, in respect of the National Assembly sitting, Wednesday, 18th August, 2021:- Hon. Rtd. General Dr. C. D. N. Chiwenga, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. Prof. Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. Prof. Murwira, Minister of Higher and
Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development;
Hon. C. G. Mathema, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education;
Hon. O. C. Z Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War
Veterans Affairs; Hon. Dr. F. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade; Hon. M. N. Ndlovu, Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry; Hon. M.
Mutsvangwa, Minister of Information Publicity and Broadcasting
Services; Hon. J. G. Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works; Hon. L. Matuke, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. In relation
to the apologies that you have read out, there seems to be a disconnect between the apologies that you have read out and if you add the Hon.
Ministers who are present, it appears that there are Hon. Ministers and Deputy Ministers who are neither on the list of apologies nor present in the House. Can we have some clarifications as to whether it means that those are just away without leave (AWL) or whether they are late? In the event that they do not turn up, what steps and measures are going to be taken so that we comply with the Standing Rules and Orders which provide that they can be censured? If the Hon. Chair could clarify that for us?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you. Indeed, some could be
on their way. So we can only be able to come up with a conclusive response when we see that they are not attending. For now, these are the apologies that I have and they are the ones that I read out.
(V)HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Speaker, for the sake of us who
are on virtual, could the Chair kindly advise us the Ministers who are in the House so that we see which questions to ask?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: The Hon. Ministers who are
available; we have Hon. Chitando, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. Dr. Masuka, the Minister of Lands, Agriculture,
Water, Fisheries, Climate and Rural Resettlement; Hon. Mhona, the
Minister of Transport Infrastructural Development; Hon. Kirsty Coventry the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation; Hon. Phuti the Deputy Minister of ICT Information, Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services; Hon. Chiduwa, the Deputy Minister of
Finance and Economic Development; Hon. Simbanegavi, the Deputy
Minister of Housing and Social Amenities; Hon. Mhlanga, the Deputy
Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Hon. Maboyi, the Deputy Minister of r Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
These are the Ministers that I can see now. If others are going to come, I will be able to announce and advise you accordingly. We have got Hon. Garwe who is also on virtual, so he can actually be able to respond virtually.
ERROR ON ANNOUNCEMENT OF NON-ADVERSE REPORTS THE ACTING SPEAKER: I have another announcement. I
have to draw the attention of the House to a correction on yesterday’s announcement regarding non-adverse reports on the Statutory Instruments gazetted during the month of July, 2021; wherein it was reported that all Statutory Instruments had received non-adverse reports from the Parliamentary Legal Committee. The correct position is that the Statutory Instrument 202, (High Court rules, 2021) is still under consideration by the Parliamentary Legal Committee. I thank you.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
(v)HON. DUTIRO: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. What is Government policy in implementing a comparative productive advantage using our ecological systems? To what extent is Government using ecological systems to a comparative and productive advantage? To what extent have you come up with policies to try and rope in the private sector in the production of other agricultural produce in our provinces? Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Dutiro, may you please repeat
your question.
HON. DUTIRO: My question is on the comparative advantages
that we have in our ecological regions in this country. To what extent has the Ministry gone to take advantage of these ecological regions that we have in the country? To what extent has the Ministry gone in order to rope in the private sector in the production of agriculture, taking advantage of the ecological regions that we have?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you. Hon. Minister, did you
hear the question?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): Thank you Madam Speaker. I thank the Hon. Member for
the question but I did not quite get the detail.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: The question is, what comparative
advantage have you put in place as a Ministry in terms of ecological regions in this country. Is there a policy that also takes advantage of all ecological regions that we have in the country? Have you also managed to put a policy in place to rope in the private sector to be able to benefit from these regions?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Madam Speaker, I thank the Hon.
Member for this broad based question in relation to agro-ecological regions. Agro-ecological regions in Zimbabwe have been classed in five categories. With climate change, Cabinet recently adopted the adjusted agro-ecological regions that then show that the country has become drier. So, from a policy perspective, we want to tailor our agricultural production so that it suits the agro-ecological zone. As an example, the Government policy is that because the country is becoming drier, we want traditional grains produced in the dry agro-ecological regions. We have put in a deliberate policy to promote that. Over and above that, we have put in a pricing incentive for that where we pay traditional grains
20% more than maize as a deliberate Government policy.
We have also put in place policies that promote livestock in the dry agricultural zones of Zimbabwe and also promote the smaller stock. In fact, we are going to launch the rural goat pass on scheme, a poultry pass on scheme. So at policy level, Government is clear that the agricultural activities undertaken in any agro-ecological region have to be context specific and Government has put in place policies that promote advancing agriculture that is sensitive to those agricultural regions.
With regards to the involvement of the private sector, I think that once Government has set at this broad policy framework to say in agroecological region1, for example, in Chipinge macadamia and tea, perhaps the trees of choice and we have got apples and peaches.
The private sector has come in a massive way to try and support and Government has also put in various schemes to try and assist the private sector to access financing, for example, the productive sector financing window that is available through banks for the private sector to be able to access. Government has even gone further to enroll private sector companies for participation in Government schemes such as the accelerated irrigation development plan and also the mechanisation plan where the private sector is participating. Madam Speaker, this is a very broad question, necessitating this very broad answer. Thank you very much.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
supplementary question borders around the small grains that the Hon. Minister has alluded to. Is Government, GMB in particular, taking delivery of those small grains in the same way it is taking delivery of the copious amount of maize production that has been produced because of the copious amount of rainfall that we had this season? Is Government taking delivery of the small grains in the GMB depots the same way it is taking in maize deliveries?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: That is a new question. I thought it was a supplementary.
HON. NDUNA: It is bordering on the small grains that he alluded to in ecological region that is dry.
HON. DR. MASUKA: Madam Speaker Ma’am, I thank Hon. Nduna for the supplementary question. Indeed, Government has put in place mechanisms to encourage the production of small grains as you know. Of the 2, 3 million households enrolled under Pfumvudza / Intwasa, we said two plots would be for maize on the Highveld, which is the higher rainfall agro-ecological zones and in the drier zones, we said we would give the two plots for traditional grains, not small grains.
They are traditional grains and also for oil seeds.
As of yesterday, of the 820 000 metric tonnes of grain delivered to the GMB, 75 000 metric tonnes were of traditional grains. The bulk of that being sorghum, followed by pearl millet and then finger millet. So, farmers have responded in terms of the production, taking advantage of the higher rainfall season. Also, they have responded to the pricing incentive and they are delivering. In fact, we are almost set to have a record traditional grains delivery. The highest ever delivery of traditional grains since 1980 was 82 000 metric tonnes and I think that by next week, farmers in Zimbabwe will have delivered the highest amount of traditional grains to the GMB in the history of the country since independence. Thank you.
HON. E. MASUKU: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Mines. What is the Government doing concerning the EPOs that delay processing of letters to the small mines where they are supposed to be working?
THE MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHITANDO): Thank you very much
Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for her questions relating to EPOs. There had been a huge backlog of EPO applications which had accumulated, but I am glad to state that
Government is now advanced and almost up to date in the processing of EPOs. The Hon. Member may have noticed that a number of EPOs have since been gazetted for approval and we have a number of EPOs which have also been rejected. I am pleased to state that by the end of
September, we will be fully up to date in the processing of EPOs. I thank you.
+HON. MATHE: What is the period that is taken by the EPOs to process these documents? This is what causes the investors to end up turning back to their countries because they will be taking a lot of time waiting for the documents to be processed and they end up returning to their countries with their investments and giving makorokozas a chance.
What is the stipulated period in the Ministry’s policies before they get their response after the EPOs have been given the document? A lot of people apply and they end up failing because they lack investors. People end up engaging into illegal gold mining because the documentation will not have been presented to them. Thank you.
HON. CHITANDO: I would like to thank the Hon. Member for her supplementary question. The issue on the EPOs which has prevailed has largely been due to the fact that there has been a huge backlog of EPO applications. Now that we are up to date, all EPOs which come in will be processed timeously. However, the consent from the Hon. Member is valid in the sense that once an EPO application is logged, it prohibits the Ministry entertaining applications for mining title in the EPO.
The fact that we have some EPOs which had taken a number of years to process meant that other investors who would have wanted to participate to acquire respective mining title in that particular EPO application were prohibited. So they would not be able to make an application. In terms of the provisions of the law, if the EPO is granted and if anyone wants to undertake mining title in that particular EPO which has been granted, that can be done with explicit consent of the EPO holder. I thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My supplementary
question to the Hon. Minister borders around the authority as exhibited by the tail end of your answer. The authority – who does it reside with from the time that an application for an EPO has been put? Where does the authority to give a grant or to give authority to artisanal miners or to small scale miners in so far as it relates to tributary - does it reside with the Minister or does it now reside with the applicant for the EPO?
HON. CHITANDO: Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the
Hon. Member for the question. Unfortunately, the law as far as that aspect is concerned prohibits that immediately an application for an EPO is made, the whole area is sterilized and the Ministry cannot entertain any applications. That is in terms of the law until the EPO is rejected, in which case any investor can come and make an application or the EPO is accepted and any investor can come and acquire mining title with the consent of the EPO holder. Thank you.
+HON. BGD. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Thank you Madam
Speaker. When these EPOs are taking their duties, they extend their duties even to the communal lands where people are supposed to farm. What is the Government saying on this issue? What is the Ministry doing about the EPOs who are now evacuating people from their place of residence?
HON. CHITANDO: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I
would like to thank the Hon. Member for question. In terms of the provisions of the law, we have two pieces of legislation amongst others which govern mining operations. There is a piece of legislation which governs acquisition of mining title and then there is another piece of legislation which governs the authority to be able to undertake mining activities.
One of the requirements in terms of any mining activity taking place in a given place is the granting of an EIA which is granted by EMA. Once someone gets mining title, that is stage number one but before any mining activities are undertaken according to the provisions of the law amongst other things, one has to get on EMA certificate, an EIA after which one can undertake mining activities and the EIA will then define what the interaction between the mining activity and the stakeholders in that particular area and what measures if any have to be undertaken by the miner at the commencement or during the mining process to be undertaken. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Let me also make it known to the
House that we also have Hon. Ziyambi, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs who is also the Leader of the House; Hon.
Chombo, the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works;
Hon. Karoro, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries,
Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement; Hon. Dr. Mangwiro, the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care and Hon. Paradza, the Deputy Minister of Information. Thank you.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
My question is directed to the Minister of Environment, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. Considering the yearly mass destruction of our fauna, flora, human life and their shelter by veld fires, what new technologies is the Ministry introducing or trying to come up with to ensure that such massive fires are extinguished without causing so much damage? I thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Sithole, direct the question to
the Minister of Lands? The Minister is not in the House; Hon. Minister of Lands, may you kindly respond to that.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): I thank the Hon. Member for the question directed to the
Hon. Minister of Environment. This is clearly for the Minister of
Environment. However, because most of the areas that are burnt are agricultural land, it is something that is of concern to our Ministry to an extent that the Minister of Environment and I have formed a coordination platform where we meet every fortnight. Our next fortnightly meeting is tomorrow to coordinate with the Environmental Management Agency and with Agritex and to be able to communicate to stakeholders, principally farmers, on the dangers of veld fires.
At our last meeting, the Environmental Management Agency highlighted that they now have a satellite added tracking system for veld fires and that they are able to detect fires as they occur. In our discussion and also we will be receiving a report tomorrow, we said that is not good enough, that a fire has occurred then you can detect it. What we need is a rapid communication system throughout the Agricultural Extension Service system so that the nearest extension worker and councillor are alerted and everyone then goes to put out that fire. More importantly, that we needed to activate the farmers to say each time a fire occurs, that is destruction, it is dangerous for flora, fauna and in some instances human life. So, technology yes is available but technology can only work if the human resource base is sufficiently articulated to ensure that they utilise the gadget to prevent fires not necessarily to put out forest fires. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: I am quite excited by the end of that response. Would it please the Minister for us to use what we have to get what we want? For example, in terms of manpower to extinguish the fires by promulgating a Statutory Instrument to the extent that when a fire has been started, everybody has to extinguish it by force of law, which is a Statutory Instrument in the advent of lack of technology. Everybody in the vehicle can stop and extinguish the fire or anybody in the rural area can extinguish the fire. We need a Statutory Instrument so that it can be an antidote or a panacea to this scourge of veld fires.
HON. DR. MASUKA: I want to thank Hon. Nduna for the
supplementary question. The law already exists, it obligates everyone to stop and assist in putting out a fire. It is the awareness and the enforcement that has not happened and especially on the newly resettled farms. We are now reviewing the conditions for the issuance of permits and offer letters to put in an environmental clause to ensure that there is more responsibility and awareness among the beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme.
HON. GONESE: My question is intended for the Hon. Leader of the House. He indicated that he is present in the House unless my eyes are betraying me.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: He was here when I announced, he
has gone out, I am sure he will be back soon. I can indulge you as soon as he gets in.
*HON. TEKESHE: My question is directed to the Minister of
Energy. You are saying the exchange rate is stable but the price of fuel is going up, what is causing that?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: May I suspend the question for now.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: My question is directed to the
Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. What is Government Policy regarding the reduction of road accidents on our highways that are caused by untrained and poorly licenced drivers?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): The
issues to do with human life must not be taken for granted. If you then witness the number of accidents that we see on our roads, 90% are attributed to human error. This is something which must be of concern to this august House.
We have got the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe which is mandated to do and raise awareness when it comes to safety. At the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, one of the very important core values is the issue to do with safety. It is the mandate of the Ministry to make sure that safety is upheld on all our roads. I am glad to hear from my good friend Hon. Member Mashakada that the issue of accidents as we gravitate towards holidays, we usually witness an increase or surge in the number of accidents which then calls for awareness in particular to the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe.
I will take it upon myself to make sure that we do public awareness. You will be seeing us on the roads making sure that we raise awareness to the citizenry to emphasise the issues of safety. Above all, even as legislators, let us take this back to our constituencies to say when we are using our roads, it is not about yourself but it is for the other user as well. Let us try to embrace issues of awareness as ourselves and as the citizenry so that we make sure that we have got safety issues.
I am glad to advise the august House that we now have rapid teams on our major highways that are there to respond to cases of accidents so as to mitigate some of the issues that we see that after an accident, someone is not attended to after quite a time. Now we are saying as soon as the accident happens, we must be there on time. These are some of the initiatives that we are taking as a Ministry. Above all, the issues of us as people of Zimbabwe to make sure that when we are using the road; let us take cognisance of the fact that we are not the only users.
You cannot be on the cell-phone and be drunk using our roads. These are some of the awareness campaigns that we need so that we move with speed.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: My supplementary question to the Minister is, what is the Ministry doing to upgrade the standards of learner driver tests with respect to Class 2 drivers who end up acquiring Class 2 licence and end up also driving Class 4 vehicles and yet in their training, they omit certain basic things like parallel parking, 3 point turn and so on? They then automatically drive Class 4 without having gone through those rigorous tests.
HON. MHONA: I think this now comes to the issue of the structure of our licences. To say for instance if you have got Class 3 which is for the motor cycle, you cannot drive Class 4 and if you have got Class 4, you cannot just put your helmet with a learner tag on it and drive a motor cycle. I think you have raised a very important point to say yes, if you have got Class 2, similarly Class 1, you can drive any other class but the issues that you have raised in terms of the tests that we undertake when you do Class 2 – I am sure these are some of the gaps which we can also close. I am happy that it is something that we can pursue to say how can we then add to the issues that you have raised in terms of some of those missing links when you actually do Class 4 and 2.
I am glad to say that this is something that we can initiate and say what is it that we can do? When we look at Class 2, unlike Class 4, when you are 16 years, you can do Class 4 – so we also take the issue of maturity so that when you are driving Class 2, the assumption is that you are mature. You have raised very important points that we will need to pursue as a Ministry.
(v)HON. KASHIRI: My supplementary question is, Hon. Minister, we do appreciate that you realise that recklessness of drivers is causing a lot of accidents. We have an issue of drivers who are driving cars without number plates and they are extremely reckless causing many accidents on the roads. A good percentage of accidents are being caused by drivers who are driving cars without number plates. What is the policy with regards to driving these cars especially those mushikashikas that carry people but do not have insurance for the passengers?
HON. MHONA: Surely Hon. Madam Speaker, like what I alluded to earlier on, the issues of accidents on our roads are worrying. We need to move with speed and correct as a nation. We were witnessing a shortage of number plates but I am glad to advise the august House that we have now imported adequate number plates that would make sure that we cover the backlog that we have as a nation.
Going forward, there is also a plant to make sure that these number plates are produced locally. This has been a Cabinet resolution and we are actually moving with speed so that we start having our number plates locally. In the meantime, we have managed to secure number plates that are adequate to cover those cars that do not have number plates.
To address the issues that the Hon. Member has raised, we do not allow people to use mushikashika. A number of accidents that we witness on our major highways are normally caused by these mushikashikas – maWish are problematic. I would like to urge the citizenry to say that the life belongs to you. You need to make sure that you do not board the mushikashikas.
I witnessed an accident in Zvishavane whereby a Wish was carrying eleven passengers. You then start wondering how those people will be seated. In most cases, you find that the front seat will be occupied by three or four passengers. Surely, to the people of
Zimbabwe, as much as we would like to travel, with this advent of COVID, how can you be put in such a predicament where you are squashed in a car which is supposed to carry seven or so passengers?
These are some of the issues that we need to raise awareness in tandem with what Hon. Dr. Mashakada asked so that our people are conscientised that we must not play with our lives. At the end of the day, we need to make sure that we uphold human dignity. The issue of availability of transport is at the centre of Government to make sure that we also provide adequate transport.
(v)HON. NDEBELE: Hon Minister, at what point in the House did you indicate that you are not averse to offering the learner’s test in the vernacular languages. Minister, how far have you gone with putting that in place so that our people are able to do learners’ tests in the vernacular languages.
HON. MHONA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Let me also thank Hon. Anele Ndebele for that important question. We are mandated constitutionally to make sure that we cover every person who is in Zimbabwe in terms of their language, in particular when it comes to the learner’s licence. What I can also advise the House Madam Speaker is, currently we are seized with trying to digitize some of our processes. As you know that we were witnessing a number of corrupt tendencies when it came to the issue of issuance of learner’s licenses whereby the number of papers were known and the questions were being repeated. I am glad to advise the august House that now we have computerized the system, we are saying the learner’s licence will be taken online where you would sit, get the question, even the next person seated next to yourself would not get a similar question paper. These are some of the initiatives that we are taking. Above all, having done that Madam Speaker, we will then gravitate towards the issue that has been raised by Hon. Ndebele to make sure that other languages are covered but currently we are using
English as our test language in the learner’s licence. I appreciate the question and the urgency with which we must move as a nation towards taking on board other languages. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. NDUNA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. Seeing that the issue of road carnage where we are losing about five people each day in Zimbabwe is key and topical, would it please you Madam Speaker to request the Hon. Minister of Transport to bring into this House a Ministerial Statement that we can interrogate as it relates to the loss of lives due to road carnage and also to integrate his transport management systems to avert, avoid and to completely annihilate the issue of the scourge of road carnage in Zimbabwe.?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Nduna. Hon. Minister, I am sure you heard the request from the Hon. Member. May you please come with a Ministerial Statement in the House to look at those issues and also find out the policies and plans that you have put in place as a Ministry to curb road carnages that we have in the country. Hon. Members, please reserve all the questions for the Minister until he comes with the Ministerial Statement.
(v)HON. P. ZHOU: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question goes to the Minister of Lands. I know that we had a bumper maize harvest this season. Meanwhile, some of our GMB depots seem not to be fully equipped to receive the future bumper harvest as it appears some of the depots lack necessary basic infrastructure such as ablution blocks, weigh bridges and warehousing. What intervention is the Government planning to introduce to improve the infrastructure at these depots? I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES
WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): Thank you Madam Speaker. I thank the Hon. Member for the question. Indeed, there is lack of basic infrastructure at some of the GMB collection points, I know that most of our GMB depots have the requisite infrastructure. For a long time we have not had a bumper harvest such as this one, for which we thank farmers. Government made a decision a while ago, the strategic grain reserve will be increased to 1.5 million metric tonnes physical stock from the current 500 thousand metric tonnes. With it Cabinet approved a raft of measures including the adequate resourcing of the GMB to put up the requisite infrastructure to ensure that we are prepared for the future harvest. It is work in progress and I thank the Hon. Member, when eventually the budget is brought to the House, I also look forward to their support for the resourcing of the GMB. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Mine is
directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. It has been reported in various media and platforms that the Ministry of Health intends to upgrade nurse aids to PCN level. There was a caption that they will only take 40 years and below. Is it not Government policy that they reward loyalty - those who have served so much in the Ministry of Health. I have been looked after by those nurse aids, some who are 45 and some 50. I am told they are supposed to retire at 65 but they will not get benefits. Those who have gone into the service two years ago are going to benefit at the expense of those who have been loyal. Can the Minister clarify whether it has not been a mistake to say those who are younger should benefit while those who are old will not benefit?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like
to thank Hon. Togarepi for his question. I am not sure it is a government policy to promote all nurse aids to PCN. That is not correct. Secondly, we have got three or more nursing programmes. For the basic diploma, we have got those who go via PCN, who most of the time should at least possess certain pass marks for them to have the ability to understand what will be put across to them when they go to the school of nursing. It requires a bit of science because this is a specialised profession. Those Primary Care Nurses (PCN) will be the ones who will be looking after people mostly in small clinics in the rural areas. In rural health centres, we have almost 1 800 of them. We normally take them using certain subjects that they need.
We have State Registered General Nurses (SRGNs), normally these take three years to train and the PCNs take one to two years to train. The State Registered Nurses need about three years with good Ordinary level. We have the Emergency and Trauma Nurse who also needs to have good passes at Advanced level because the language used in this profession is quite specific. We definitely need people who will be able to comprehend whatever will be put across and be able to endure what is required in the training.
The age-groups vary and it is important to note that it is not correct to say that Nurse Aides are going to be promoted to PCNs. People have to go into proper schooling for at least two years. I thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Hon. Madam Speaker
Ma’am. My supplementary question to the Hon. Deputy Minister is whether there is any programme in place which can allow those who would have gone up to different levels which he has alluded to, to get further training so that they can upgrade themselves? Is there an opportunity for those who would have gone in as PCNs to upgrade themselves to SRGNs for example, if the Hon. Minister can clarify that.
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. Thank you Hon. Gonese. Yes, people can upgrade themselves and super-specialise. A nurse can enter as a State Registered Nurse and then specialise in making sure that she/he is a good assistant to open heart surgery or a specialist in babies. One can get specialised in making sure women deliver well and many other fields like the heart, diabetes and so on. We have nurses who have studied hard and have become doctors, so chances of climbing up the ladder are there. Itdepends on a person’s determination and direction. Definitely, we need quality and we make sure people study in the rightful direction. I thank you.
*HON. NDUNA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. In terms of Public Service Commission (PSC) or Civil Service Sector, are you not interfering in their regulations if you speak of the age with which you want them to do their work when in fact their retirement age is set at 65? It seems you are setting the age limit at 40. Are you not interfering in the Civil Service modus operandi or their terms and conditions of service when you are saying those who are aged but not yet reached retirement age are not considered?
*HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
In my understanding, if someone is 40 years of age and intends to enhance their qualifications, they are free to do that. If a nurse who is aged 50 intends to add on to their qualifications, say they intend to become a doctor and is qualified to be trained for that profession, he/she is not prohibited. I trust that you intended to say those who wish to become State Registered Nurses, whose qualifications for training in terms of age is set at 30 and below, but that is the age which is set for recruitment purposes. However for PCNs, from what I gather, we have the age group set up to 37 or even 40.
There is an analysis that is made to say, what is expected of the incumbent professional, if someone who is aged 55 is recruited, he/she is likely to complete the State Registered Nurse training at 58 years and will serve the Government for the next 5 years. We do this so that young people who are able to go through training will be afforded the opportunity. However, we do not deny any person from training if they are 40 years of age and are able to add on to their qualifications. No one will deny anyone that opportunity as some will be sent to specialise in nurse training or specialise in kidney transplant surgery and so on.
We work together with the Public Service Commission which you are referring to. When all this is done, there are departments from the
Ministry who would have evaluated these options together with the PSC. We also have what is called the Health Services Board which also evaluates these issues, especially the age requirements. However, we will not deny a nurse from improving their qualifications to a higher level in any given field. If you intend to have a deeper understanding concerning these issues, we can go and talk to the Health Services Board so that we give you a report from an informed point of view in terms of the accurate age groups and the qualifications. I thank you.
(v)*HON. NDEBELE: Supplementary question Hon. Speaker
Ma’am.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, you said you
are going to bring forward a Ministerial Statement, is that so?
HON. DR. MANGWIRO: Yes.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, when the Hon.
Deputy Minister brings the Ministerial Statement, you are going to ask all those questions.
(v)*HON. NDEBELE: Can you indulge me so that I also give him what I would like to see covered in that Ministerial Statement on nurse training?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: May you please just state what
you want in the Ministerial Statement only. Thank you.
(v)*HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Over the years, we have seen a sharp decline in the recruitment of nursing students from Matebeleland. I believe this is owing to corruption within nursing services. I would like the Minister to address that in his
Ministerial Statement. Thank you.
(v)*HON. PETER MOYO: My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. They presented a Ministerial Statement to say all the people who are on the waiting list will be given their offer letters. I would like to know
how many people have been given the offer letters to date who are looking for land. I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE,
FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT (HON. MASUKU): I think they did not
understand what I explained on this particular issue. Allow me to repeat: as of now, most of the land has been distributed. If you go around, you will not find a place that is vacant. Even where there is no farming but in the Registry, these farms will be having owners. Actually, there is a problem underway for us to distribute land to those who are waiting. Firstly, we are making a follow-up on those who have more than one farm. We refer to them as multiple farm owners. We are following up also on those who abandoned their farms. We also take note of those who are underutilising their land. We take action on derelict farm owners.
You will see that we are actually taking from those whom we once gave these farms, but for now, we are looking at the nation rising to demand pieces of land. We are very happy that people have seen that it is important and fruitful and beneficial to engage in farming. We now have more than 250 000 people who are on the waiting list. Those whom we gave farms in A2 are only 20 000. We are now looking at downsizing farms and redistributing to others. The opportunity to get a farm is very slim as of now.
This is how we distribute these farms: you go to the District Lands Committee to register your name. The Committee will sit down and deliberate on the issue on where they can actually give someone land. They will take that to the Provincial Lands Committee. Then the Ministry will also closely look at it and the Minister will give an offer letter. It does not then mean that someone can just wake up and get a farm. It takes a very long period, depending on where there is a place which is vacant.
(v)* HON. PETER MOYO: The Minister is not saying the
truth. In the Ministerial Statement that he gave in this House, he was saying the Government was done distributing land. There is a lot of farm land that is not being utilised. So if the Minister is not telling the truth, it means that he stands aside on this particular issue – [HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Members order! Hon.
Moyo, I am happy that the Minister has clearly stated how land is distributed. He also mentioned how many people are on the waiting list. What you are saying Hon. Member has been mentioned by the Minister, unless you have a new question.
(v)HON. NDEBELE: On a point of order Madam Speaker
Ma’am. Madam Speaker, I want you to take note of the fact that I have requested the same Minister to bring a statement to the House. I have been waiting for that statement for more than three months now. I just want you to take note of that.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, there was a
Ministerial Statement that has been asked for, concerning land distribution, how far you have gone? May you kindly make sure that you expedite that so that at least it comes to the House? Have you heard about it?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Madam Speaker, the Hon. Member
requested a list of farms that were offered for settlement by the late Minister and that I have offered for settlement. That list is nearing completion and I will be able to submit it by next week.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, when is he bringing it,
the list in its own right is a statement. He is as a learned man. The list is a statement in its own right.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, I am sure the
Minister said they are finalising it and is going to bring it as soon as it is finished.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, he keeps postponing
and postponing. Let us pin him down to a specific day so that requires you tomake that ruling.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister said next
week. So let us wait for the Ministerial Statement next week and then we can be able to discuss about that issue.
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker. In
his Ministerial Statement, he must also mention where the Provincial Minister comes in because it seems as if there is a duplication of work between his Ministry and the Provincial Lands Committee. He must come up with a timeframe to say by such and such time, we should have finished this thing once and for all, because this is a topical issue if it is not handled carefully.
THE ACTING SPEAKER:Thank you Hon. Moyo. I am sure the
Hon. Minister has taken note.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: I have a point of order Madam Speaker Ma’am.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: My humble request
also is that maybe the Hon. Minister in his Ministerial Statement can say something about the four chiefs of Umzingwane in the former President Banana’s family who applied for land. This question was raised in this august House. The Hon. Minister said we should write to his office and two months down the line, we have not received a response from the
Hon. Minister. Maybe he should cover these four issues as well for Umzingwane. Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, I am sure you heard
the request from the Hon. Members so that it becomes one Ministerial Statement that you come with to the House, which encompasses land distribution and all the challenges that they have in line with land distribution.
HON. DR. MASUKA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I thought the
issue by Hon. Ndebele was a provision of a list of farms given to beneficiaries since 2017 and by the late Minister, Hon. Perrance Shiri and the list of farms that have been given to beneficiaries since August
- This list Hon. Speaker Ma’am, I indicated is being compiled, is nearing completion and will be availed next week. So, I was not too sure whether that is equivalent to a Ministerial Statement.
Regarding Hon. Brig. Gen. (Rtd) Mayihlome, I said the land reform process is almost complete. All the farms that are available have been given. One may move around and see an unsettled farm but invariably on our records, that farm would have been offered to someone. So on our database it will appear as if it is occupied to an extent, because there is no additional land that is available to give to people, we now have gone back to look at re-distributing that which we have given to others already. We have formulated from a policy perspective, four categories of how we are going to guide the Provincial Lands Committees and the District Lands Committees to identify such land. The first category is that of multiple farm owners and that we are identifying. The Provincial Lands Committees and District Lands Committees will then look at those that are on their waiting lists and allocate.
The second category we indicated is for abandoned farms. The third category is underutilized farms and the fourth is that of derelict farms. There is no guarantee that if someone applies for land today, they will then think that two months, a year or ten years down the line they can get something. We have people on the waiting list that have been there in some areas since 2002 because we have 250 000 applications for land where 99% of the land has been allocated but has only been given to 20 000. Therefore, it is impossible to accommodate the 250 000 applications and the many that we receive every day for land. This is the reality Madam Speaker. Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Minister. There are
issues here Hon. Minister. We need to come up with a composite Ministerial Statement. Inasmuch as you have got that list coming up, there is also a request now that I feel you are supposed to come with, which encompasses issues that were highlighted by the Hon. Members so that all these questions will then follow up after you have responded to the request by Hon. Members. May you please help us so that at least when you come next week, you will respond to the issue of Provincial Ministers, their role and also on the issues that Hon. Mayihlome have raised about allocation of land to the chiefs from Matabeleland.
*HON. MBONDIAH: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
There are people who purchased farms and they have title deeds to these farms but they are not fully utilizing the farms. I want to understand what the Ministry is doing pertaining to the farms. Are they going to be repossessed or they will be left just like that because they bought the farms?
HON. NDIWENI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. My
question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. In his absence, maybe the Leader of the House assist. My question Madam Speaker Ma’am is with regards to the policy on distribution of supplementary feeding in urban wards. We were advised sometime early this year or last year, that there is a scheme of distributing supplementary feeding to urban wards and the scheme had been initiated in Harare and Mutare, if my memory serves me right. We want to know where this scheme is at the moment because we have urban wards in our areas like in Karoi where there are poor people in our urban wards. With the advent of COVID, most of these vendors have not been working; they have not been going out to sell their wares.
THE MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHITANDO): Thank you very much
Madam Speaker Ma’am. We will note the question and will get the Minister to give a response next week. Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Minister. Hon. Ndiweni, you will get your response next week. The question is quite detailed and it needs the relevant Minister to respond.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Transport. What measures are you putting in place in fixing the Bulawayo/Tsholotsho Road? In most cases, we spend more than three hours from Bulwayo to Tsholotsho and my question is with regards to getting that road tarred? Thank you.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Sibanda. I want you
to ask a policy question because this is not a policy question.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question
is saying - what does Government policy say with regards to the
Tsholotsho Road?
THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Sibanda, we want a policy
question and not a specific question. Thank you.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Madam Speaker, what is Government
policy with regards to the Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road and what plans are in place in getting that road tarred? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Hon. Sibanda for that important question. It is a specific question but also to take this opportunity to advise and update the House that with the advent of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme, it was staggered in phases. Phase 1 was the issue to do with emergency works which we have currently done. We are now seized with phases two and three where we are talking of major roads and trunk roads. I want to thank the Hon. Member very much because those are some of the emotional roads that we talk of. You find that they are at the centre of the Second Republic and we have moved with speed to make sure that such roads can be rehabilitated as we speak.
You find that not necessarily the one that you have talked about Bulawayo-Tsholotsho, but we also have Bulawayo-Nkayi and those are some of the roads that we are seized with now in terms of procurement to make sure that we correct the state of those roads. I want to assure you and assure the House that these are some of the roads that were abandoned for quite a number of years and we are moving with speed to show that the Second Republic is listening. Thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Hon. Minister, we
have seen an increase in the upsurge and an increase in the incidents of child marriages. My question is in view of the fact that we do not have a specific law in place as yet to criminalise and penalise the transgressors. Can the Hon. Minister enlighten us as to what policy measures and action plans the Government has put in place to arrest this trend? I think the Hon. Minister can inform the nation.
THE MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHITANDO): Thank you very much Madam Speaker. With your permission, I would wish to request that my colleague Hon. Minister Nyoni gives an answer to that question.
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY,
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON.
- S. NYONI): Thank you Madam Speaker. That is a very pertinent question and I would like to assure the Hon. Member that the nation and Government is concerned about child marriages. I am sure the Hon.
Member is aware that there is a Bill that is coming – the Marriages Bill. That Bill is very strong also on protecting child marriages. Apart from that, our Constitution is very clear that children under the age of 18 years, it is illegal for them to get married.
My Ministry is going through all the Acts that have something to do with children and child abuse especially the girl child so that we make the public know which legislation they can use and which Act they can use in order to protect the girl child. Let me say that I am sure that the Hon. Member is bringing this up because of what happened in
Marange. I am very happy to announce that the police have now arrested some of the culprits including the family that has already given another child for marriage. So, together with the Ministry and the Police, this scourge is being dealt with. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE ACTING SPEAKER: We have also been joined by Hon.
Dr. Garwe, the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities.
Thank you.
HON. GONESE: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Minister is outside or apart from the legislative measures. What is Government doing to sensitise, conscientise societies about the evil nature of this particular scourge? I believe that it is critical to ensure that our communities are aware – our traditional leaders, church leaders and so on are sensitised? What is Government doing with regards to that because the law might be there but outside of the law, we then need that.
Secondly, in relation to the Bill, it has been stuck in the Senate. Can the Hon. Minister enlighten this House and nation at large as to what is the problem because the Government has been taking a lackadaisical attitude; they have been in a state of inertia. That Bill was passed by this National Assembly a long time ago but for some reason, it is in the Senate and it appears to be stuck there. If we can be advised and appraised of what is the problem? Thank you.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I am sure the Hon. Member will remember that we have put together the laws that affect the family, but apart from that, we have put a National Action Plan Against Child Marriage. That was launched in 2019 and that has been cascaded down to provinces, but I must admit that we have not done enough. Therefore, we are inviting this House that that plan is on and we will make it available to Members of Parliament so that we can help each other because this is a scourge, this is a national problem in which all of us must work together to protect our girl children.
On the last question, the leader of the House who is also the Minister of Legal and Parliamentary Affairs can answer to that one because he is responsible for seeing that the Bills are passed in this
House and in Senate. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir, on the last part, indeed the Bill has been in the Senate for quite some time. When the Bill was passed here, the Hon. Senators were of the opinion that and they are very strong about it that we must legislate for the payment of lobola. Our position is that it is against several international conventions that we signed. It even contravenes the Constitution and the legal age of majority. Once you indicate that you cannot marry without paying lobola, it means that that particular woman is an adult minor, she cannot make a decision on her own. What I have said is that our officials must engage the Chiefs so that we can reach common ground on that particular issue.
I was not of the opinion that it should pass in that form and we take it here and allow a disagreement but to respect each other so that we negotiate and come to a common position, that we all agree, that is the position. Having said that, the Marriage Bill does not have a criminal sanction for marriages under 18 but it outlaws them. In other words, what we need to do is to look at our other laws, the Criminal Code, already it criminalises having sexual intercourse with a young girl. In the case of issues at hand, it is not about marriage per se because marriages are outlawed. That Marange man does not have a marriage certificate, he is not married to the girl but they cohabit. What we want to do, which I agree with Hon. Gonese is it is not about criminalising but also engaging our communities so that our communities will appreciate that certain practices are now out of date which is what the Ministry of Women’s Affairs is saying that they are going to do.
I believe that we can then look at our Criminal Code and see how we can tighten it but we must also engage our communities so that some of the harmful practices that we do, we do away with them. Thank you.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. If I understood the Hon. Minister correctly, he said that the Bill does not criminalise the participation of people in child marriages. If he said that, then my point of order would be that would be incorrect. I think in terms of Clause 3, if my memory serves me right, there is actually a penalty provision. There is a penalty provision in terms of which the person who would have purportedly entered into a marriage as well as the parents, particularly those who are in loco parentis like the guardians actually commit an offence if they purportedly enter into that kind of arrangement. If that were to come into law, it would then enable the
Police to actually arrest those parents, ‘ husband’ and so on, perhaps if
the Hon. Minister can clarify that.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Bill did not prescribe a criminal sanction, it merely outlawed. When it was drafted, we were very cautious because it would mean that we would send to jail a lot of young adults. So, the approach was we will outlaw but there was no criminal sanction that was inserted into the Bill. I thank you.
HON. DR. LABODE: The Minister, about early this year, came to Parliament and gave a report of over 5 000 girls who had become pregnant on a period of three months. These are all below 15 and 16. Currently Mr. Speaker Sir, if you go round all maternity homes where children are delivering - even the statistics within the Ministry, there are 14, 15 and 16 year olds. So, when we are talking of child marriages, let us not isolate it as if it is a Marange thing, it is a national epidemic and we really need to deal with it in that form. First of all, we must say what is causing a normal mother to want to marry out a 14-year-old, let us forget about Marange, it is poverty. People are unemployed, parents cannot pay school fees and they opt to marry them out - if they do not marry them out, they go out there and get pregnancies.
I think the Minister of Women’s Affairs needs to call a national dialogue on this issue, it is not a small thing. Go to Matabeleland South, you will see 14, 15 and 16 year old girls who have fallen pregnant. It is a national problem so let us not cover our heads in the sand and think that we have dealt with the issue. We have not dealt with the issue, it is a reality which is going on the ground, please call for a dialogue. Thank you.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to appreciate what Hon. Labode has said. This calls for the whole nation not just to dialogue but to really share and make sure that we protect the girl child together.
As a Ministry we have already started. We had a meeting in Mbire in which we had all stakeholders there. These included chiefs, teachers, the children themselves and parents. This was well received. I think it is good that my Ministry is saying to the girl child getting impregnated, being victimised and sexually abused is not the end of life. You can restart your life. You can rise and re-launch yourself into life. As we were dialoguing in Mbire, a young woman stood up. She had been impregnated and had been abused but she went back to school, pulled herself together and went up to form six. She got twelve points. We were very happy that she is now leading a ...
HON. DR. LABODE: Hon. Minister, let us stop the epidemic.
HON. DR. S. NYONI: Yes, I am going there but you cannot stop the pandemic if you do not strengthen the girl child also. We need to talk to the adults to protect the girl child but you also need to strengthen the girl child and make them see that there is possibility after the abuse.
This is what I am talking about Hon. Labode. I think it is important that we rally together and protect the girl child, period. It cannot be a responsibility of one sector. It is a national responsibility. I thank you.
HON. MPARIWA: My supplementary question goes to the
Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs who is also the Leader of the House. He mentioned that there was collaboration between the chiefs and him in the Senate where the Bill has been stuck for some months. I am worried because in a few months’ time, we will be reaching the end of this particular session without any success on this very important Bill which we have highlighted and talked about. His Excellency came and mentioned it in his State of the Nation speech but alas, we are getting to the end of the session without any success. When does the Minister think he will be able to come back to this House to inform us what the Senate has now settled and agreed on the nittygritties where the chiefs have expressed some reservations? Without any timeframe, we will come back to the next session without any success.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Mr. Speaker Sir, the rules allow me to proceed if I so wish. I can allow the Senate to vote. If they decide that they want to vote against what happened here, I can still bring it here and explain what has transpired in the Senate and then this House will vote. If this
House votes and the vote in this House is different from the vote in the Senate, what would have happened in this House is what is supposed to go to the President.
I have indicated that we need to resolve this before the end of this session. If it is not resolved and we are approaching the end of the session, I will then request the Senate to proceed, vote and I will bring it here and then we conclude and proceed. It is my desire that some sort of agreement is reached, rather than follow the rules and procedures. For some reason, it may happen that the vote in the Senate may be different from here, then our chiefs may think that I did not listen to them, but I want dialogue to happen. Definitely, I can assure you that before the end of this session, we must have concluded the Bill.
(v)HON. MUSAKWA: My question is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development. What is the policy position on the functionality of export promotion financial interest structure, with particular focus on manufacturing products and agriculture exports? I understand we have an institution, the Export Grading Guarantee Company and I would like the Minister to comment on its functionality
if it still exists.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): In terms of the policy position of the Government, we are very clear that we are promoting exports but from the point of view of Ministry of Finance, our role mainly is to provide incentives. We have provided quite a raft of incentives to ensure that the export sector is going to be boosted. We have also provided quite a number of incentives to make sure that productivity is going to be enhanced. On the issue of exports, the policy is very clear; we want to earn foreign currency and we will continue to provide incentives.
In terms of the export guarantee scheme, it is still operational and again it is performing the same function to ensure that we enhance exportation, local beneficiation and productivity.
(v)HON. MUSAKWA: My supplementary question goes to international best practice. The Minister has mentioned the overall drive to increase exports through incentives but I am talking of the financial infrastructure. Most countries now have export credit bank which gives financial support to exporters. I say this because if you go through major national roads, production is no longer an issue. You see horticultural products like carrots, potatoes and so forth. This means that our farmers are now producing but there is no financial infrastructure to bank the money for export. We need a deliberative policy position where the Minister can state in the neighbouring countries as to what financial infrastructure has been put in place to drive not just incentives.
HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Hon.
Musakwa for the follow up question. Again as I have mentioned, we do have a number of structures that are there, the financial incentives that we have are channelled through ZimTrade. We may not be having a specific bank that is dealing with exports and imports but we have got ZimTrade managing that. We have been supporting ZimTrade to ensure that we promote exports. This is happening and will continue to happen.
I thank you.
HON. GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. In relation to what I had submitted earlier on, I went to the Hon. Minister and showed him the relevant clause. I want to clarify for the record so that it is recorded in Hansard that in fact, the Bill criminalises the offence in terms of Clause 2, whereby anyone who contravenes that particular clause, whether it is the spouse who is above the age of 18 or the parents, they are guilty in terms of Clause 3. Only the child concerned is the only one who is not penalised. The penalty provision is a fine not exceeding level five or a period not exceeding five years. I just wanted that to be put on record that the Bill would criminalise the offence except the child concerned. That is the only person the exception has.
Questions With Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY
SPEAKER in terms of Standing order No. 67.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
PLANS TO REDUCE WALKING DISTANCE FOR TRAVELLERS
AT KEZI TO COVID-19 VACCINATION CENTRES
- N. MGUNI asked the Minister of Health and Child Care to inform the House what plans are being put in place to reduce the walking distance that people at Kezi in Matopo South Constituency have to travel in order to have the COVID-19 vaccination administered.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Government
has released funds to support operational costs for outreach teams starting with one team then increasing depending on need and subject to resource availability. In addition, an integrated outreach team is already available per district to provide health services including COVID-19 vaccination. I thank you.
MEASURES TO ADDRESS ENQUIRIES FROM PEOPLE
AFFECTED AND AFFLICTED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
- N. MGUNI asked the Minister of Health and Child Care to inform the House the measures being put in place to address enquiries from people affected and afflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Ministry of Health and Child Care operates a call centre which uses the toll free number 2019 where those affected and inflicted by COVID-19 can call and get assisted through provision of detailed information. The call centre operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week and callers are rest assured that they will be assisted accordingly. Others can send a message to the Ministry of Health twitter handle at Ministry of Health
ZW(@moHCCZim) and face book account Ministry of Health and Child Care and they would be responded to. Emails can be sent to pr@mohcc.gov.zw or mohcccc.com@gmail.com. Meanwhile, the
Ministry of Health and Child Care’s Health Promotion Department has been instrumental in educating the community about COVID-19 through the risk communication and community engagement pillar. I thank you.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE RESURFACING OF CHIENDAMBUYA-MAYO-CHIKARE ROAD
- HON. MUNETSI asked the Minister of Transport and
Infrastructural Development to explain to the House :
- When Chiendambuya – Mayo – Chikare Road will be resurfaced.
- When construction will commence on the Chinyika River Bridge in Ward 9 in Makoni.
- When the Datatan Road in Ward 9 Makoni North is going to be upgraded.
THE MINISTEROF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): The
Chiendambuya-Mayo-Chikare Road covers a stretch of 93.5km of which 18.5 km is surfaced and the remainder of 75km is gravel. Indeed, the road is in a state of disrepair. Under the Emergency Roads
Rehabilitation Programme Phase 2 (ERRP) being implemented through my Ministry and whose mandate is to restore navigability of roads, some repair works are underway and progress is as follows:
- Pothole patching is in progress on the 18.5 km surfaced section and to be completed by end of August 2021.
- The 32.5km of the gravel section is being re-gravelled and vegetation clearing is being done.
- Due to budgetary constraints, the remainder of the road, 22.5km will be included in 2023 programme.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as I alluded to earlier on, the ERRP2 mandate was restricted to restoring navigability of our national roads. All capital intensive and new projects are earmarked to be undertaken under ERRP3 to be implemented in 2023. You may agree with me that surfacing 75km is a capital intensive exercise. My Ministry will include this section of the road in our ERRP3 programme for 2023.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on the second part of the question, my Ministry is aware of the two bridges on the Chinyika River, which are both in state of disrepair. Although my Ministry has the mandate to construct and maintain the national road network, some roads managed by different roads authorities that include local authorities and DDF. The Chinyika River Bridges are under the auspices of DDF. We are also concerned as a Ministry if the local communities are handicapped in their daily social and economic activities due to the state of disrepair of the bridges.
Therefore, we have instructed DDF to attend to the bridge. My Ministry will therefore take a keen interest in the construction of the bridge and will assist DDF in doing so.
On the third part of the question, Mr. Speaker Sir similarly, as I have alluded earlier on, Dalatan Road is one of the roads outside our mandate. Dalatan Road is managed by DDF. We are aware that the road is 60km and requires re-gravelling. We have since directed DDF to attend to the road. We will closely monitor the developments on that road. I thank you.
COMMISSIONING OF BANGALA CENTRE PILOT IRRIGATION
SCHEME
- HON. MURAMBIWA asked the Minister of Lands,
Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement to inform the House when the Bangala Centre Pilot Irrigation Scheme will be commissioned taking into account that the scheme was approved in
2017.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES,
WATER AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR. MASUKA):
Hon. Member, the project is actually Mushaya Irrigation Scheme with a potential of 40 hectares. It is located in Zaka District and gets its water from Bangala Dam. The project first got its budget allocation in 2017. It went through the procurement processes but the contractor who was awarded did not take up the construction works citing unstable macroeconomic conditions, a common scenario then.
The project was retendered under the turnkey phase 2 programme and has since been awarded. The Ministry is currently signing a contract with the successful bidder and expect the project to be complete by the first quarter of 2022. The scope of work will entail the construction of a 4.5km electricity line, pump station, mainline and a 40-hectare centre pivot. The electricity line apart from benefitting the irrigation scheme will supply power to local school and grinding mills.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 be stood over until Order of the Day
Number 2 has been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
MOTION
THIRD REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON MINES
AND MINING DEVELOPMENT ON FACT FINDING VISITS TO
AREAS AFFECTED BY MINING ACCIDENTS
HON. MKARATIGWA: I move the motion standing in my name
that this House takes note of the Third Report of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development on the fact finding visits to areas affected by mining accidents.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
HON. MKARATIGWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for indulging me. On behalf of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development, I would like to present a report on the fact finding visits to areas affected by mining accidents that we conducted as a Committee. By way of introduction Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to give an overview.
INTRODUCTION
The mining sector has become the mainstay of the economy and according to the 2020 Mid-term Budget and Economic Review, the mining industry accounted for 60 percent of the country’s export receipts. The gold sector has been playing a key role in terms of revenue generation for the fiscus. However, the gold sector has been saddled with a number of challenges in the past few years and of major concern has been the increasing level of mining accidents especially in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector (ASM). These accidents have been prevalent amongst unregistered artisanal and small-scale miners, and sadly the country has lost hundreds of its citizens through these accidents.
It has to be acknowledged that that over one million people are directly involved in artisanal and small-scale mining and the majority of them operate as unregistered miners. In the process, ASM become vulnerable to poor working conditions that disregard mining safety regulations outlined in Statutory Instrument 109 of 1990 on Mining
(Management and Safety).
The Committee had an opportunity to engage all the key stakeholders responsible and affected by mining accidents. The general observation by the Committee was that it would be difficult for the Government to prevent mining accidents that operate outside the confines of the law. However, on humanitarian grounds, the
Government has a responsibility to rescue its citizens trapped in mines and where death occurs to retrieve bodies. This is also in line with our cultural values as Zimbabwean and African people.
BACKGROUND
Since 2018, mining-related accidents have been recorded. Some of them include but not limited to the Chinhoyi Eldorado Mine incident, the Battlefield (Kadoma 2019) which claimed 28 Miners, the Mazowe Mine incident which claimed 8 Miners and the Wonderer Mine collapse which trapped 50 Miners and Nugget Mine collapse which claimed 8 Miners. In 2020, major accidents have been recorded including the
Esigodini Mine, Task Mine collapse, the Mutare Premier Mine and the Mazowe Mine accident which was reported to trapped more than 30 miners. The Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Hon. Mavima revealed that since February 2020, the province, recorded 61 minerelated deaths involving artisanal and small-scale miners as a result of health and safety issues. The artisanal and small-scale miners continue to be at the receiving end regardless of being major contributors of gold output in the industry. Such developments prompted the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development to make an enquiry into this phenomenon.
METHODOLOGY
The Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development undertook fact-finding visits to Premier Estate Mine (Mutare), Esigodini and Task Mines (Chegutu) from 21-24 November 2020. The objectives were to have an appreciation of the causal factors that necessitated the collapse of mines; assess the extent of the damage caused to both human lives and the environment. This would enable the Committee to come up with informed recommendations aimed at closing policy gaps among the interventions that the Government has been prescribing over the years aimed at minimising the occurrence of such incidences. It was of paramount importance that the Committee physically visits the accident hot spots. Secondly, the Committee engaged the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) to understand its role in disaster related cases particularly in the mining sector. The Committee also had an opportunity to interact with the Minister of Mines and Mining Development and his officials to appreciate the response and work being done by the Ministry pertaining to mining accidents.
FINDINGS
Causes of Accidents
A number of causes of mining-related accidents have been uncovered and they are as follows;
- Unstable ground as a result of geology causing the ground to collapse. This explains the collapse of the Task Mine in Chegutu.
- Flooding as a result of surface runoff after raining in the upstream as was the case of the Esigodini Mine.
- Depillaring and unplanned workings. Miners have been found wanting when it comes to the way they extract ores especially the small-scale gold panners. The Committee found out that in some instances, miners tend to dig supporting pillars leading to the collapse of the ground. This is something common among most of the ASGMers who tend to prioritise gold output more than anything else, not even their safety at work place.
- Absence of or poor safety and emergence response mechanism and failure to comply with safety and emergency regulations. It was noted with great concern the visible absence of safety mechanisms. Many of our medium and small-scale mines around the country operate without any safety plans or personnel. At such mines they are only worried about maximising profits, casting a blind eye of the safety and welfare of the miners, let alone the environment. In Mutasa South, it was reported that the two victims left home to extract some ores to buy some food. Despite serious warning of the risks associated with such a mission, given the fact that their pits were being closed, these miners did not give up.
- Negligence is also another worrying factor. At Premier Mines, there was no one responsible for the safety, health and environment (SHE) office. It was alleged that when Jonk Jin Investments initiated the reclamation process, some artisanal miners were still sneaking into the prohibited pits. There was no one enforcing safety measures, physically search and confirming that the pits were clear. The company management confirmed that they heavily relied on the police who were also present. This therefore clearly shows that there was no procedure which outlines how the process was going to be undertaken. It is not surprising that some unfortunate locals met their fate while trying to bring food on the table for their families.
The Committee also found out that besides the abovementioned direct causes, there were other factors that complicates the situation. These include;
- The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development for one reason or another is failing to effectively implement its regulations including conducting regular mine inspections. If such inspections were being carried out, lots of accidents can have been avoided.
- Corruption between government officials and miners, allowing
ASMers to slip through regulations and safe regulations.
- Bad attitude towards emergency response - Accidents have been reported as soon as they occur but the response has not been forthcoming. At both Esigodini and Task Mines, the Engineers from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development concluded that the environment was unsafe, halting the CPU’s rescue efforts to retrieve trapped miners. It was a rather surprising response, the shaft at Task Mine was condemned, rendering it a grave for the trapped miners.
- Poor communication - Some of these accidents could have been avoided if there were effective communication at the mines. It was confirmed that at both Esigodoni Mine and Task Mine, the warning signs were there but there were no effective ways of relaying the warning message. At Esigodini, surviving miners testified that they heard the flood coming but they could not save those who were underground. The same was said at Task Mine.
- Lack of technical knowledge and information concerning occupational safety.
- Some accidents are also occurring at old mines that have been used and closed but they have been illegally occupied. In the event of an accident like in the case of Esigodini, there was nobody recognised as the legal owner of the mine, who could respond to the important questions that should have been directed to the mine owner.
- The miners were also found wanting by failing to produce maps showing the mining site as well as operations, a requirement which one is allowed to submit during the initial stages of getting a licence. Such maps could have been useful to try and locate the direction of underground tunnels.
COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
The Committee made the following observations:
- In all the three circumstances where visits were conducted, accidents are avoidable if all the regulations and procedures were followed. At Premier Mines for example, if all the evacuation procedures were religiously followed, the trapped miners could have been rescued. These accidents demonstrated that the Mining Inspectors were not conducting the regular physical inspections but, they seemed to heavily rely on desktop reviews.
- The Ministry is running away from its responsibility to respond to accidents alleging that there is dual responsibility between the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Civil Protection Unit which makes decision-making difficult in times of emergencies. However, SI 109 of 1990 is very clear that miningrelated accidents falls under the armpits of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
- The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development which has the responsibility to deal with mining related accidents, lacks the right staff with expertise in dealing with mining related accidents hence failure to decisively deal with mining accidents especially among the ASM.
- The Chief Engineer in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development seemed to be intimidated to make difficult decisions to save lives in life-threatening circumstances because he is liable to answer for anything wrong that may happen as a result of his decision and actions he authorised. As a result, he makes conservative decisions.
- There is bureaucracy in the decision-making process. Following the visits to areas affected, the Committee took a step further and set up taskforces to assist in the mobilisation of resources for the rescue efforts. A number of well-wishers expressed interest but there was no authorisation from the Ministry. There was need to reserve the decision that was made by the Chief Engineer that grounds were unsafe for any rescue effort to be kick-start, clipping the efforts of the taskforce and the well-wishers.
- The CPU on the other hand is inadequately resourced in terms of both human and equipment, to deal with related accidents and to save lives.
- The issue of safety is actually foreign to many in the ASM whose objective is to increase output at all costs.
- Disused mines have been illegally occupied and operated, in some cases; such operations involved the participation of children especially during the peak of the lockdown and the school closure period exposing them to the risk of accidents. Such a situation violates the Africa Mining Vision of responsible gold sourcing.
- The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development has shown its willingness to set up rescue teams in various mining districts.
These need to be speeded up so as to avert more fatalities.
- There seems to be delays by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development towards formalization of ASM. This will go a long way in addressing issues of compliance with safety regulations.
- Some mining accidents have been politicised and this makes rescue operations difficult for the different government agencies and private sector, which include large-scale miners.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee made the following recommendations:
- The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should set up a Safety Fund, funded from mining operations for the purchase of or hiring of equipment to be used in mine rescue operations or retrieval of dead bodies by December 2021.
- Going forward, the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should play its role in all mining accidents in line with Statutory Instrument 109 of 1990 Mining (Management and Safety). This responsibility should not be delegated to other State agencies such as the Civil Protection Unit or Local Government authorities.
- The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development officials that include mine engineers and inspectors need to be adequately capacitated on their roles and responsibilities vis-a-vis mining accidents through periodic training (refresher courses).
- By January 2022, each mining district in Zimbabwe should have a rapid response unit which is adequately resourced to deal with mining accidents. The Response Unit should be coordinated by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
- The Ministry of Mines should regularly conduct training on mining safety and regulations especially to small-scale miners starting January 2022. Prevention is better than cure.
- The Government Mine Engineer should work with experts in assessing the impact of mine accidents. This will enable the government and other stakeholders to take proper measures in the rescue or retrieval of bodies buried underground.
- The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should come up with a plan with mandatory timeframes in which trapped bodies should be retrieved underground by end of April 2022. There are bodies buried in several mines in various parts of the country for years and family and friends of these departed persons need closure. It should be a simple, safe and timeous response procedure.
- By April 2022 the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should have finalized formalizing the artisanal and small-scale mining sector. This will make it easy for this sector get training on safe mining regulations.
CONCLUSION
The Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development is convinced that, mining-related accidents can be reduced especially among the ASM. This can be done mainly by formalizing the Artisanal Small-scale Mining sector as well as through having physical and periodic mine inspections in all mining areas. This by no doubt will help the Ministry to be aware of every mining operation taking place at each and every corner of the country. Not only that, the Inspectors will also advice the miners on the risks associated with the mining methods being employed and measures to prevent accidents. If a pro-active role is taken by both the Ministry and miners, lives will be saved and so is our environment.
(v)HON. SVUURE: Thank you for the opportunity that you have given me to say a few words and to add onto what my Chairperson has just reported. Zimbabwe has been plagued with these mining disasters for the past years, often resulting in deaths of a lot of people and resulting from collapsing of various sources ranging from disused mines and mainly among the small scale miners.
Zimbabwe’s plague of mine deaths exposes the need for a more efficient rescue mechanism in the country or in the mining sector. Since July, 2020, the country has witnessed a series of fatal mine deaths with dozens of people still trapped underground even as we speak and unlikely to be retrieved alive.
We are persuaded to then make a critical analysis on what should be the reason for so many accidents. There is need for orderly mining in the country. According to the current law on mining, inspections at mining concessions should be done at least as they need to mine, then they could do more than 49 per year, but you will realise that the truth has to be said. Some mines have gone uninspected from the time they were incepted. There has been not any mining which have been performed and no inspection happening to see whether they are safe for the community.
The other factor that we noticed on the tour that we underwent was the issue of disused mines. Owners of those disused mines should make sure that they protect their shafts where they have been doing their mining. Now shafts are left open when mining is discontinued and this has caused a lot of problems to the community when doing their normal businesses. They have fallen victims of mine shafts that have been left open by the users that have left the shafts. Often the small scale miners usually prefer the shafts that have been used before. They have a certain perception that some shafts that have been used usually by the Germans are the ones that have high yield. Often they target such mines without pre-knowledge or pre-assessment on how safe those shafts would be. That is one area that we have observed that there is real cause of mine accidents.
The other reason is the premature stoppage of rescue operation, which the Chairman alluded to. The current mining rescue approach leaves a lot to be desired. On the three mines that we visited on the tour that we conducted at the end of 2020, it was evident that more could have been done. It was also evident that not enough in our view was done to rescue the people, most of whom lay dead in the mines.
We begin then to question whether our rescue operation as it stands at the moment is adequate at all. We are still of the belief, especially from what we have observed, that lives could have been served for at least a minimum number. What we witnessed is when accidents happen, the current procedure is followed where the Chief Mining Engineer has to assess on whether it is possible to retrieve the bodies. You will find that in most cases, a decision would be made that it was not possible to retrieve the bodies. As such, our mines now have been reduced to cemeteries insignificantly, where a shaft collapses and people are not retrieved and are left there.
Of particular note is the Esigodini accident where six bodies remain trapped in this mine to this day. When we went to Esigodini Mine, we saw an atmosphere of hopelessness after the Ministry of Mines, through the Chief Mining Engineer had gone there to declare the accident scene inaccessible for everyone. No one was allowed to get close to that accident scene, which was about 10 metres deep. Now due to the statement that he has made, he declared that place inaccessible. So not even the relatives of the six bodies that lay trapped there even got close to that shaft at least to see where their children lay dead.
When we got there, we made our own assessment and resolved that we were going to take risk and move those bodies out. So when we got to the accident scene, we also had to get to the parents of the people that lay dead in that shaft. From our own assessment, we realised that it was possible to bring in equipment and open that shaft and at least bring out the dead bodies and allow the parents to bury their children. Even in circumstances where at least bodies could be retrieved because of our incapacitation, especially of the Civil Protection Unit at the Ministry, we condemn our mines to cemetery state because in some cases, we monopolise judgments of the various cases. We say as a Committee, let us not allow the decision to abandon the rescue operation to lie on one end.
It is very unfortunate that the decision to say rescue operation should continue or stop lies within one man, the Chief Mining Engineer. Once he says this must not happen, it cannot happen. As human, as he is, there is something that…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order. Hon. Svuure. You only
have three minutes to conclude your debate.
(v)HON. SVUURE: Thank you. I am concerned also about the Esigodini situation where we say six bodies lay unretrieved in the collapsed shaft mine as we speak. I also call upon the reversal of that contract for the apathy of safety and mobilise resources to retrieve bodies especially that lay in the Esigodini Mine because there are other mining communities around that place who offered equipment to say we can help to retrieve these bodies.
It is also opportune time that we review the CPU capacity to respond to accidents. Not all accidents are of the same nature. Mine accidents are unique. They are unique in the sense that when they occur, the dead bodies will remain buried under the shafts. It is unlike other kinds of accidents where you can easily retrieve the bodies like road accidents, fire accidents and something like that. So we must be honest with ourselves and say, is CPU able to attend to all points of accidents including mining accidents. There may be need to have a special unit that only takes care of the mining accidents and leave CPU to handle other points of accidents. So, I would like to thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I wanted to say these few points just to support what the Hon. Chairman has said. I am of the belief that mining accidents can be minimised if we inspect our mines properly and improve on our rescue operation system.
I thank you.
HON. MKARATIGWA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 19th August, 2021.
On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Five Minutes past Five O’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 18th August, 2021
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 cellphones on silent or better still switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): 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.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B. 18A, 2019] Second Order read: Resumption of Committee: Cyber and Data
Protection Bill [H. B. 18A, 2019].
House in Committee.
On Clause 37:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 29 of the Bill, definitions, in line 11, delete the words “remote forensic tool” which means an investigative tool including software or hardware installed on or in relation to a computer system or part of a computer system and used to perform tasks that include keystroke logging or transmission of an IP address.
On page 34 of the Bill, definition, in line 31, delete the words
“utilize” in relation to a remote forensic tool includes:
- developing a remote forensic tool;
- adopting a remote forensic tool; and
- purchasing a remote forensic tool
Amendment to Clause 37 put and agreed to.
Clause 37, as amended, put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Bill reported with amendments.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF THE AFRICAN MEDICINES AGENCY
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. President, I
move the motion standing in my name;
THAT WHEREAS Section 327 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any convention, treaty or agreement acceded to, concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President with one or more foreign states of governments or international organisations shall be subject to approval by Parliament;
WHEREAS the Treaty for the Establishment of the African
Medicines Agency was adopted by the African Union on 5th February
2019;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is a signatory to the aforesaid Treaty;
WHEREAS the Republic of Zimbabwe is desirous of becoming a
Party to the aforesaid Treaty;
AND WHEREAS the entry into force of the aforesaid Treaty shall be conditional upon its ratification by Member States in accordance with their constitutional procedures;
Mr. President, I therefore bring before this august House this treaty so that Hon. Members can ratify it and it is my understanding that the treaty was circulated. This treaty is very important Mr. President Sir, in that it will allow us to have scientific development within the framework of our own medicines as Africans and it will allow us to promote our own medicines and to manufacture and do all the related activities.
NOW THEREFORE in terms of section 37 (2) (a) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid Convention be and is hereby approved. I so move Mr. President. I thank you.
*HON. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President. I want to take this opportunity to thank the Minister for bringing this treaty that talks about a very important subject so that we look at using our traditional medicines in this country.
I want to give examples that as Africans, we have looked down upon ourselves. We got to a point whereby when one is seen in possession of our traditional medicine, we think that it is juju and it can be fatal to the extent that our African doctors have been given the name
‘witchdoctor’. The African doctor is called a witchdoctor or a n’anga and once you associate with an African witchdoctor, you also become
evil.
Mr. President, if you are seen at a witchdoctor’s place, you will be smeared through the social media but when you are seen seeking assistance from one of the doctors in the Avenues area. you will be respected a lot. So as Africans, we got to a point of destroying our values. What happened did happen but we can blame it on colonisation by the white man. We lost our pride and values. We threw away our culture and regarded it as witchcraft. It pains me that as Africans, we were not able to promote our traditional systems because of colonialism. We seem to be aligned more to the negative side and have the misconception that the witchdoctors are there to cause evil, harm and death. This Treaty is trying to bring us back to the drawing board, to our African culture where we have mastery in such medicines.
I want to take this opportunity to explain that COVID-19 came and it is not anything to celebrate. It has caused us pain. We have lost a number of loved ones but if you look at the positive side, it has caused a revolutionary change in the thinking of us Africans. Currently, everyone has some traditional herbs to deal with COVID-19. If we were to go into different homes, you will find moringa, ginger, lemon and other herbs. The knowledge that we have now is that every tree in the forest treats one or more ailments such as blood pressure, diabetes, muscle pains, stomach pains or backaches. Everyone has become a doctor in his/her own right. If you come and tell me that you are having problems with acid, I will tell you to buy bananas. If you tell me you are suffering from hypertension, I will tell you to go and get ginger, guava and moringa to mix and drink. So we have been aligned as Africans to respect ourselves.
The timing of bringing this Treaty to this House at this particular juncture is right because we now understand what African medicine is. My appeal is that we need education and awareness to respect our own
African doctors because the word ‘witch- doctor’ is a scary term. We should start promoting the use of traditional medicine on the positive side. The poisoning effects of medicines are the same. Medicines from white doctors can poison in the same way our African doctors can also do. So both the healing and killing aspects are on both sides.
However, the African healing identity had been destroyed. Let us not forget that Africans were subjected to the abuse of colonial masters from the time of the slave trade. For more than 400 years, the Africans were under slave trade and were subjected to serious abuse, dehumanised and brain washed. After that we experienced colonial rule for 100 years, thus we were made to believe, for more than 500 years, that we could not think or do anything. This is now the time to decolonise the mind and build ourselves. We should welcome this Treaty and take it as a way forward to reconstitute our identity. Thank you Mr. President.
+HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: I rise to second the
ratification of the Treaty that was brought by the Minister of Justice,
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Ziyambi. As a traditional leader,
I feel very proud that the African Union has seen the importance of our African medicines which were looked down upon. COVID-19 helped us to appreciate our African medicines. We need African solutions to African problems. The creation of the African Medicines Agency will help us appreciate through research, the importance of African medicines. The world can now look at us and admire us.
We also need the African Medicines Agency, through the AU, to safeguard intellectual property in the field of medicine, as the field has been dominated by multi-national companies. They have taken the African medicine in its raw form and refined it to be in the form of tablets, syrups etcetera. The AU, through its member countries, should ensure that they register medicinal trademarks so that the African medical industry grows and should not be taken as a part time left to African traditional doctors and a few experts in the field of African medicines. The AU should ensure that there is adequate monitoring and evaluation, and must ensure that all member States contribute in terms of human resource, intellectual resource and expertise as the product produced through this agency must be reflective of our unity, despite our diverse cultural and traditional norms and values. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President for
affording me this opportunity to support the treaty that was brought by the Minister. In English they say it is better late than never because this is a treaty that was long overdue. We all know Mr. President that when we were growing up, there were health officers from our African culture who knew the different traditional medicines for various ailments. That was how people received treatment and then came the white men who looked down upon our traditional medicine.
Those who were engaged in traditional medicines were termed witchdoctors and the moment you visited the witchdoctors, you were said to be digging your own grave. This resulted in that the traditional medicines that people used and knew were thrown away but these white men were very clever. They would go and get this traditional medicines and send it abroad where they would then value add and make them in the form of tablets. We were brainwashed to believe that the tablets are the ones that heal us not knowing that this is our own traditional medicine that they have taken and value added and now say it is European medicine.
Mr. President, what I am saying is that the treaty has come and it is a good treaty. We know that in Zimbabwe we have our values and culture, and our medicines and we also have our traditional leaders, they should be given an opportunity to use this traditional medicine and avail them with the necessary support to ensure that we get the traditional medicine. This is not only a Zimbabwe issue but a regional issue but as Zimbabwe; let us also ensure that we progress as is the case with the New Dispensation, for example the vaccination process. We are one of the first countries to take up this vaccination drive and others followed our footsteps.
So, through you Mr. President, I request that the Minister should ensure that measures are put in place to ensure that our traditional healers are given the necessary support to raise awareness on traditional medicines. As you have heard, COVID has made us go back to the drawing board in terms of our traditional medicine. In each and every household, parents take their families and use our different herbs found in Zimbabwe to try and fight the COVID pandemic.
My other request is that, I have talked about oppression and how it came in and how colonialism brainwashed us. As a nation, we are blessed because we have our traditional leaders who live in the communities with the people. They should take up this and raise awareness in their communities, that traditional medicine is not evil to decolonise such perceptions so that we embrace our traditional medicine. We cannot do it alone but we need the traditional leaders because they interact more with the communities and are aware of the traditional healers in their jurisdictions.
Mr. President, I think we need to restore the powers of the traditional leaders. The colonialists tried to usurp the powers of the traditional leaders, so we need to give them back those powers. What they did was to just give them those medals that were heavy but in terms of jurisdiction and power, it was taken away from them. So with this, I think it will develop the country and we will be able to realise what the Lord has granted us as a blessing in Zimbabwe.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: I want to thank the Minister for the treaty that he has brought into this House. Yes, my colleagues have said that we had been colonised but some of the diseases were known by us Africans from way back. I remember when I was growing up, my uncle used to treat cancer and one would heal but now the Europeans came and called it cancer. Where did this all go to?
You realise that colonisation came through education as the doctors were coming from Europe to teach our children to start using western medicine, not knowing that they were using our African traditional medicine. So, the Europeans began studying and packaging our traditional medicine in such a way that our African medicine is now seen as evil. This issue must also raise awareness of those from various religious sects because the moment you are seen with traditional medicine, people believe that you are no longer a Christian.
I want to thank the Minister for the treaty that he has brought. This is an issue that we need to progress with so that people understand that the tablets that we are given come from our own traditional medicines that we have. Currently, there are people who are dying of cancer because they do not believe that we have African traditional healers who can treat cancer. If one is told that so and so can treat cancer, they do not believe that person. What happens is, they prefer going for radiotherapy which worsens the situation. Traditional medicine in terms of treating cancer has helped a lot.
Coronavirus has taught us a lot. Everyone is afraid of death. Even the pastors fear death. If you walk into a Pastor’s house, you will find a lot of traditional medicine such as zumbani, ginger and so on. Then you ask yourself what is happening since the Pastor says Christians do not use traditional medicines. It is because they are afraid of death. So Mr. President, that is why I am saying Minister, you have brought a very important treaty. We should take it up and raise awareness, especially in the religious sects to ensure we use that in conjunction with Zumbani and promote the use of our medicines in treating cancer. If possible, when our children go for medical training, they should also be educated on the use of African traditional medicines. I thank you Hon. Minister, for this important treaty. I thank you Mr. President.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you
Hon. Sen. Shumba. Hon. Senators, I appreciate where you are coming from but let me remind you that this treaty that the Hon. Minister presented to this august House is for the establishment of an African Medicines Agency, an organ of the African Union (AU) to regulate medicines and it is not about traditional medicines only. So remember that as you debate this treaty.
*HON. SEN. DR. SEKERAMAYI: Mr. President, I rise to
support the treaty that has been brought by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. It is a treaty that provides for the set up of an
African Medicines Agency that will look into the issue of medicines in Africa. It is clear that when we really want to look at medicine, we should be knowledgeable on the different medicines that treat different ailments. We had been colonized, the mind has been colonized that Africans do not know anything but the majority of us in this House grew up in the rural areas. It was known that when a child is suffering from a back-ache, you would be referred to a certain person for treatment.
A different person was assigned for treating different ailments but when the white men came, they looked at it, saw all that as evil and it was looked down upon. Currently, every type of medicine can come from the leaves, tree bark or the root of a tree. The ingredient is the one that heals. So where we stand today, we are able to tell that Zumbani can treat ailments and instead of taking the Zumbani leaves, let us do what the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development said, that we need to find out what it is that is in Zumbani that treats ailments. So we do not need to be carrying all the leaves. We need to value add and eventually just carry the tablet. We have educated students who can identify the active ingredients and then we can take that medicine and begin treating our people.
Every ailment can be treated once we know what treats what. Most people would have died but we are alive and survived because of these African traditional medicines. For example, we need this to be value added instead of me, Sydney Sekeramayi moving around with leaves in my pocket. I will just carry a tablet and I will also know what time to take the tablet and in what dosage. Furthermore, when we know that this medicine treats certain ailments, we can then encourage our people to grow such medicines. It will even advance our agriculture and horticulture.
The treaty that we are being asked to support Hon. Senators, I think we should support whole heartedly so that we expedite the process and so that we also identify the curative vegetables, trees or shrubs and herbs in our countries that treat the ailments that we know of. So what we need to do is to just modernise it. When we do that, we may even access medicine at a cheaper cost. With these few words, I want to say thank you Hon. Minister, you have brought this at the right time and we should support this as Zimbabwe. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this chance …
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order,
order, you are not connected!
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President. These are the same issues that we always talk about and they are brought by people from the West. I want to thank the Hon. Minister for bringing this treaty that will benefit the whole of Africa so that we are aware of how we can get medical help from our traditional medicines. I hear people saying that the westerners came with various ideas. It is true, they came up with various ideas and knew that in order for them to succeed in colonising our minds, they had to show the evil aspects of some of our behaviours and for that reason, they saw Chaminuka as a sorcerer but in their areas they look at them as prophets. What Chaminuka did was more of prophesy but they did not want us to listen to Chaminuka. If Africans face challenges, they contact a spirit medium and you are given snuff and your problems will be solved spiritually. Doctors who went to University to study medicine and our herbalists in our African culture do almost the same things because in our culture, we also have specialists like ana nyamukuta just like gynecologists, dentists, et cetera. What we need is for our traditional medicines to be researched, tried and dosages prescribed. We do not have prescribed dosages for African medicines and sometimes this will lead to over dosage.
We have problems of people given 20 different types of medicines because we have not tested the fatality and dosage of African medicines. SoI think the traditional healers and herbalists need to be taught on the dosage and packaging of our medicines. As Africans if possible, those people we call native doctors also do specialist services, for example in the western medicines, we have orthopedic surgeons, dentists, physicians, gynecologists et cetera. We also have the same in our African traditional healers - they are gifted in different areas. We must train our leaders so that they understand the importance of traditional medicines so that they cascade the information down to the grassroots.
People must be given licences to open up traditional pharmacies which are well packaged and labeled and those should also be found in supermarkets as well like panadol and paracetamol, the same should be done with African herbs. So people must have a choice of choosing cafenol or Zumbani. What the traditional healer does and what the western doctors do is almost the same.
Furthermore, the traditional headers should not necessarily be spirit mediums. There must be a platform where people go to university or school of African medicine to be trained about African medicine. We must not only accept those traditional healers who are also spirit mediums but people who are not gifted spiritually must be taught about African medicine so that our country develops in terms of medicines. *HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Thank you Mr. President,
I want to thank the Minister for bringing the issue of African Medicines Agency in this Senate. In Africa the population is about 1.2 billion and most ailments are found in Africa. We are always at the lowest levels in terms of the disease burden. I remember in 2014, when I was a Minister of Health, in Angola, Luanda the African region, we initiated the issue of requesting member States to prioritise the use of African medicines. Countries used to import at small scale and we said we are not manufacturing anything here in Africa. After that request, we asked ourselves, do African countries have resources to do this? So country member States were requested to avail resources for this project. I am happy that we have reached a point where this African Medicine Agency is going to be set up.
We need to boost pharmaceutical production through promoting African medicines and to improve traditional medicines. We will still however, use drugs from Europe and China, those that we feel we need here and we must also be able to produce our own drugs here in Africa.
Over and above this, there was the issue of harmonisation of these medicines. For example, if Zimbabwe say let us do Anti-Retroviral Drugs and South Africa say they want to manufacture condoms, we cannot have all African countries producing condoms, we need to harmonise that.
In Zimbabwe, we have the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe; South Africa and Zambia have their own authorities. What we are saying is those authorities should be regulated by one body through the African Union, that is the mandate of this Treaty. The drugs that are being talked about include traditional medicines and I am happy that the Hon. Senators are hammering on the issue of colonisation and the issue of going back to our African medicines. The idea was to control fake drugs. Everything will just come to Africa, fake drugs are dangerous and some would be said to grow certain organs of the body, but all these drugs are very dangerous drugs. We need to control drugs and ensure that we meet the standards. As Africans, we must look for cheaper drugs. That is the work of this agency to look into the standards of cheap medicines. I am happy that you have brought it for ratification and I am happy that we are the 19th country to ratify this. Already, it is good because we have progressed because it was said that if 15 countries ratify - this will be put into effect. Our job is to use the African Medicines Agency to have a continental, institutional and scientific approach in managing our drugs. What was said was that let us not just guess in terms of dosage but that we need to be scientific. We need drugs that are efficacious and of good quality. Therefore, this quality control is important; we need to be able to inspect it. If you say that CAPS manufactures drugs, then this authority should be able to come to inspect and compare it to international best practice. So, it is a very good treaty and forward looking.
The raw materials will be turned into real products. I know there are others who are taking cannabis, there is also oil that is called cannabin. We need to avail resources to ensure that we improve the packaging. It should be made effective through adequate resources.
Therefore, I want to thank the Minister for bringing the treaty to this august House and as Senators, let us quickly ratify the treaty.
+HON. SEN. M. NDLOVU: Thank you for giving me this
opportunity to submit my contributions. I would like to thank the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs who has brought this issue of the treaty that we recognise traditional medicines. I also would like to thank some of the contributors who have debated before me.
All the time I was not comfortable to talk about traditional medicine because I was afraid to be labeled uncivilised. However, here in Africa, we have medicines which are very effective. If these medicines are researched properly, you would find that they completely wipe off the diseases without any side effects.
These other medicines that we run to, which are governed by the World Health Organisation actually come from this country extracted from our own indigenous trees. They take these plants in our botanical gardens and when they are prepared and packaged, we then forget that we have these things in our botanical gardens.
Just like what Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa has said that our medicines have no side effects – it is very true. I am saying this because when I started taking high blood pressure tablets, my doctor told me not to be surprised to find out later that I also have diabetes. He said the type of drugs I was taking was going to raise my diabetes readings. So, we think that western medicines are good because they have been passed by the English people. However, when our own people bring our medicines, we do not appreciate and accept but if the same medicines are taken out of the country through the World Health Organisation and come back to us as theirs, we are then no longer involved. When they prepare on their own, they prepare that we die so that we have complications.
When I was growing up as a young girl, there was a lightening cream called Ambi. However, a young man from America came back and said your skins have been bleached. Our hands, lips and eyelids had turned black. So, this young man said one day you will be scared of yourselves when you actually find the side effects of these things. The young man told us that AMBI was an abbreviation that ‘Africans Must Be Improved’.
So, do you now understand that you are being cheated; we thought that we were being civilised but they were busy laughing at us. We have our own traditional trees and medicines, herbs that help us. For example, if our cattle get fractured; my grandfather had a traditional herb called tshakasha and he would plaster the fractured leg of a person or an animal using that herb. Within no time, the bones would have healed and cemented.
So, we forget that these tablets came from our own indigenous trees and botanical gardens. We should look at what is effective in a particular herb and extract it. For instance, when you use umhlafudho, use the leaves and when you want to use it inside the system; you pound the seed of this particular plant. When research studies have been done to ascertain what is effective in herbs, I think our own herbs are better because they do not have side effects.
As Africans, we support this treaty that has been brought into this august House by the Hon. Minister so that it is ratified. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): Mr. President, I
want to thank this House for the support that they have given me to ensure that we ratify and work together with other countries in setting up an African Medicines Agency. I want to thank the Hon. Senator for explaining what the other mandate of the agency is. He said a lot about the medicines, which was supported by the Senators in that the colonial masters made us to look down upon our African medicines and we regarded it as being evil. Those who were using African traditional medicines were given derogatory names such as witchdoctors.
The senators also mentioned that everyone is now a traditional healer because of COVID-19, the reason being that everyone is rushing to try and get African medicines in order to treat COVID19. Everyone is asking - do you have zumbani or ginger? If you mix the different herbs, it can treat diabetes and hypertension challenges. To add to what Hon. Sen. Dr Parirenyatwa said, he explained what should be done. He said that there will be harmonisation of African medicines amongst member countries and to ensure that licences are issued out fairly. He said that if South Africa is producing ARVs, Zimbabwe in turn should produce panadols and Malawi will look into the issue of medicines to do with stomach pains.
Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane, I am happy because you said that we should register trademarks. This is what we want to do; we want our medicines to be registered so that they are known in the western world that we are registered and they are aware of the fact that they cannot take our medicines willy-nilly as they will be registered. I want to thank you for that support.
Hon Sen. Tongogara, you mentioned that it is better late than never. Yes, it has taken time to come up with this agency as Africa but we want to thank our Ministers of Health who came up with the idea to establish this agency.
Hon. Senator Shumba, you talked about cancer and it is true that as Africans we had our medicines that treated cancer. We even had medicines to treat snake bites and I remember in my area there was someone who used to give his dogs medicines to cure snake bites. These traditional healers were given derogatory names. So, the agency will be able to address all these issues.
Hon Sen. Dr. Sekeramayi and Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa said that we need to investigate the medicinal properties in the leaves and barks, then we scientifically prove this and improve on the packaging and dosage. Hon. Sen. Femai talked about the issue of tooth-aches and in our African culture, we used to have something to chew when you have tooth-ache and the pain would vanish.
I am happy that Hon Sen. Parirenyatwa clarified the role and the mandate of the agency. Senator Ndlovu, thank you very much for the support. She was eloquent in trying to explain what we want to do. I am happy that here in the Senate, the support that we have received is overwhelming. The aim of Government and the Minister of Health is that the agency should be set up in Zimbabwe. With what we have done, I think we have given him the amour to go and lobby for support to ensure that the agency is set up in Zimbabwe and once that is done then we know since the researchers are here and everything would be done here. I want to thank you for the support that you have given me on the ratification of the African Medicines Charter. I now move for the ratification of the aforesaid agency.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that
Order of the Day, Number 3 on today’s Order Paper, be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL
GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING
AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON PEACE AND SECURITY
ON THE ASSESSMENT OF PROGRESS MADE IN AREAS
AFFECTED BY FLOODS AND ON CONSTRUCTION OF COVID 19
TREATMENT, QUARANTINE AND ISOLATION FACILITIES HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: I move the motion
standing in my name;
That this House takes note of the Joint Portfolio Committee on
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on the Assessment of progress made in areas affected by floods and on construction of
COVID-19 Treatment, Quarantine and Isolation facilities.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: I second.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: The Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security resolved to conduct an assessment of progress made in areas affected by floods and construction of COVID-19 Centres as part of their oversight role. The Joint Committee was concerned that the occurrence of floods and disasters was on the rise due to the climate change phenomenon and thus opted to give it priority. The Joint Committee also sought to assess the preparedness of the country in managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee noted the importance for Zimbabwe to have a robust framework for managing floods and health disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic. It is thus indisputable that the development of such a framework is critical to ensure that there are safe and resilient communities. Therefore, the provision of critical services by the entities tasked to provide such responsibilities is key to human and economic development.
Objectives of the visits
- To determine the extent of damage caused by the floods in
Manicaland, Masvingo and Matabeleland North Provinces;
- To assess the progress made in reconstruction works in areas affected Cyclone Idai;
- To assess the construction works for COVID-19 Centres; and
- To appreciate the challenges faced during floods and other disaster management.
Methodology
The Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and
National Housing received oral evidence from the Minister of Local Government and Public Works on the state of preparedness of local authorities to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequently, the Joint Committee visited Tsholotsho in Matabeleland North, Beitbridge and Plumtree in Matabeleland South Province, Bulawayo, Kopa,
Ngangu and Chipinge in Manicaland Province, Masvingo and Bikita in
Masvingo Province. The Committee held meetings with District Development Coordinators (DDC), Local Authorities Officials and health personnel in the areas visited. The Committee also conducted tours of some areas that were affected and rehabilitated following flood disasters and the health facilities that were under construction in response to the pandemic.
Committee’s Findings
Oral Evidence from the Minister of Local Government and
Public Works on Management of COVID-19 pandemic by the
Ministry
The Portfolio Committee received oral evidence from the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing on the state of preparedness by local authorities to deal with COVID-19 pandemic on 27 May 2020. This inquiry laid the foundation for the subsequent verification visits. The Minister mentioned that Government had taken a multi-sectoral approach in managing the pandemic by engaging many stakeholders across all sectors. The Ministry had also capacitated all local authorities to be able to manage the pandemic. This included training of staff and upgrading local clinics and hospitals that fall under the Ministry’s purview. The Minister informed the Committee that provincial and infectious diseases hospitals such as Wilkins which were normally under the management of local authorities had been transferred to the Ministry of Health and Child Care in a bid to ensure coordination in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Committee also gathered from the presentation that the Ministry activated all local government structures in a bid to widen the coverage of information dissemination to communities. The Traditional Leaders received diesel and fuel from His Excellency, the President to assist them in disseminating information on COVID-19. Moreover, local authorities were urged to ensure that there was adequate and continuous water supply as this was critical in the fight against the pandemic. The local authorities were also urged to use the lockdown period to clean up areas under their jurisdictions which included bus termini and vending stalls. The Minister informed the Committee that ZLW$1 billion was disbursed to local authorities to assist in the management of the pandemic.
Flood and Flood Disaster Management
In Chipinge and Chimanimani, the Committee was appalled to learn that most of the survivors of Cyclone Idai were still living in tents, despite the commitment from Government to provide proper housing facilities. At the time of the Committee’s visit, no houses had been constructed for the survivors of the Cyclone. The Committee learnt from the survivors in Chimanimani that the local authority had sited land for housing development in the Westend, Greenmount, Bumba and Nhedziwa areas. In Nhedziwa, the local authority had gone a step further by drilling two boreholes and subsequently pegged and allocated stands.
However, as gathered from the District Development Coordinator
(DDC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chimanimani Rural District Council (RDC), the local authority received telephone communication purported to be from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to the effect that development of that area should be stopped. Consequently, over 12 months later, even those with the capacity to construct their own accommodation facilities were still living in the tents most of which were tattered.
The Committee was informed during its first fact finding visit to Chimanimani District in July 2019 that Econet Wireless had pledged to build houses for the survivors of the Cyclone Idai. Upon enquiry on the progress made in that regard, the Committee was notified that there was a disagreement between Econet and Government pertaining to the ownership of the land. The DDC informed the Committee that Econet Wireless wanted title to the land on which the houses would be built but
Government was against the idea. Giving title of the land to Econet Wireless implied that Government was ceding ownership and control of the land as well as the project to Econet Wireless. Resultantly, due to that impasse the project had stalled.
The Committee noted that the people who were still living in the camps did not have adequate WASH facilities, lighting and enough food for their families. These were the same sentiments raised over a year ago when the Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing visited the area. The Committee gathered from representatives from the Social Welfare Department in Chimanimani that development partners such as World Vision had wrapped up their nine-month lean season programmes and this had affected food security in the region. The Committee gathered from the survivors that indeed they were living in conditions of severe food insecurity and this situation was exacerbated by the alleged rampant corruption in the selection of beneficiaries and the distribution of food aid. In Kopa, the Committee learnt from the survivors that in their camp, there were two child-headed families that were constantly left out of any food aid programmes. Upon further enquiry from the representatives of the Social Welfare
Department in Chimanimani, the Committee gathered that the
Department was not aware of this situation and was going to urgently
rectify it.
The Committee also visited Bikita Rural District Council to assess the state of damage and rehabilitation in the area following the Cyclone Idai. The DDC of Bikita expressed gratitude for the assistance they received from the Government as well as the civil society. However, of concern to the DDC was the location of Mandara School which is at the foot of a mountain and facing the risk of rock falls. The DDC suggested that the school should be relocated to a safer place. The Committee was informed that a team of Engineers from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works suggested that instead of relocating the school, there was need to build a retaining wall which was said to be adequate to stop the impending rock falls. However, the DDC indicated that the team of Public Works engineers who went to assess the state of the District after the Cyclone did not give feedback to the Public Works department of Bikita RDC pertaining to their findings. Resultantly, the Council did not have enough information on the possible courses of action to take to address the damages caused by the Cyclone.
In Chipinge, Chimanimani and Bikita areas, the Committee was informed by the Civil Protection Unit (CPU) representatives that the Unit was severely incapacitated to deal with flood disasters. This severe incapacitation had also impacted negatively against the Unit’s ability to respond efficiently and effectively to disasters. The CPU highlighted to the Committee that it was in urgent need of recapitalisation before the onset of the 2020-2021 rainy season which was expected to have above average rainfalls.
Tsholotsho District was affected by floods that destroyed housing and social infrastructure in 2017 and the Government responded by constructing houses for the survivors of the disaster. A total of 303 people were affected by Cyclone Dineo in 2017 in Ward 5 and 6 resulting in the creation of settlement sites in Tshino and Saudweni. Each family was ideally supposed to be handed over a three-bedroom house, one blair toilet and a kitchen detached from the main house. At Tshino site 143 houses were established. Of these, 11 had their roofs blown off by wind and 8 houses were yet to be roofed. A total of 61 more houses needed to be constructed, with about 20 families in dire need of accommodation as they were still housed in tattered tents. A total of 143 toilets were constructed and 130 were not yet roofed. At Saudweni Resettlement Site, 122 out of the expected 176 houses were constructed. At this site, more than 50 people were still living in tents. At both sites no kitchen has been constructed. Discussions with those who had new homes revealed that most of the homes were too small for the families because they have big families and practice polygamy. These sentiments were also echoed in Chimanimani by those who were still living in tents. Below is a picture of the tents housing victims of floods in Chimanimani at Ngangu camp.
Tents for victims of Cyclone Idai
Rehabilitation works in the area damaged by flash floods in Tsholotsho, were yet to commence. Some of those houses constructed had started cracking pointing to the poor workmanship. The resettled people in Tsholotsho complained that the area of 5250m2 tract of land they were allocated was not adequate for other activities such as cultivation and livestock rearing. The Committees were informed that the area provided was meant for residential purposes only. For agricultural purposes, the victims were expected to utilise the land which they previously occupied. The Committee inquired on whether those who lost their homes and cattle in the floods were going to be compensated. The Provincial Development Coordinator (PDC) submitted that there were no plans to compensate the victims as far as infrastructure was concerned. It was, however, explained that discussions with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Extension (AREX) were underway for compensation of livestock subject to availability of funds.
During the tour in Tsholotsho, the Committee observed that most of the toilets were not roofed. The Public Works Department explained that the toilets were being built in stages and the builders were yet to receive roofing materials. The Department informed the Committee that those with their own funds could proceed with the roofing. The new homes had no detached kitchens as per the traditional and rural set up. The Department of Works explained that detached kitchens were part of the scheme but the challenge was that no funds were yet availed for the kitchens.
COVID-19 Quarantine, Isolation and Treatment Facilities
The issue raised in all local authorities and health facilities visited was that the centralisation of COVID-19 testing was affecting their ability to swiftly respond to possible cases of the virus. They bemoaned the inefficiency of the setup where they had to send blood samples to
Harare or Bulawayo for testing due to lack of capacity to test. During the
Committee’s visit to Masvingo, the District Medical Officer explained that they were yet to receive results of the samples many days after they were sent to Harare for testing. Yet, in instances where they have the testing kits and Gene Expert cartridges, they usually get results within two days of getting the samples.
The same concern was raised in Bikita, Matabeleland South and Beitbridge. Further, the Committee learnt that there were extensive construction works underway in all the local authorities visited. The refurbished and new buildings would be used as wards or quarantine centres for returnees or those infected by the virus. In most of the areas visited, construction works were at an advanced level. However, presentations from the Provincial/District Development Coordinators bemoaned the lack of adequate funding and manpower to expedite the construction processes.
At United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH), the Acting CEO gave a brief on the status of the progress made on the quarantine and isolation centres at UBH. The CEO informed the Committee that trainings in COVID-19 were conducted to all levels of health workers and the trainings were still ongoing. As of 6 July 2020, 806 health workers had been trained. The hospital resolved to have a standalone building detached from the rest of the hospital as an isolation centre. Hence, they converted what was formerly the old people’s home which had a carrying capacity of 100 beds. The elderly people were transferred to
Ekuphumuleni. Of these 14 would be designated for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 18 for High Dependency Unit (HDU). For treatment purposes, the hospital was using first line medication or earlier versions of COVID-19 drugs since the more recent versions were not yet in the country.
The Acting CEO submitted that stakeholders chipped in with donations, for example, Higher Life Foundation donated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Stanbic Bank donated a miniature ventilator. Red Cross had pledged to supply two ventilators for the hospital. Due to the nature of the disease, which is highly contagious,
UBH aimed at having staff entirely dedicated to the COVID-19 centre.
Some of its staff was seconded to other hospitals dealing with COVID19 especially Mpilo Hospital. The Committee was informed that the construction works were relatively lagging behind as compared to centres in Harare because comprehensive feasibility studies had to be conducted first. To curb the issue of escapees from quarantine centres, the hospital recruited 72 guards and had a Zimbabwe Republic Police
(ZRP) Base Station at the hospital.
The construction works that began in early May 2020 were expected to be completed by mid-August 2020. The Medical gas reticulation system was now being installed. The theatre was being modified to fit infection control mechanisms. He further submitted that tubing for oxygen supply was still underway. Upon completion, the facility would be assessed by Ministry of Health and Child Care as well as World Health Organisation (WHO) to check compliance with the standards set for COVID-19 facilities. As per WHO standards, the technicians were using steel for door frames and sinks. Bathroom cubicles will be put in the wards to avoid patients moving in and out of their rooms. Bells would be put in the wards for the convenience of the patients and closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system would also be installed to ensure security. The Committee was informed that Treasury had released ZWL$42 million for the construction works.
In Tsholotsho, The DDC submitted that on the onset of the pandemic, all Quarantine Centres in the province were in Victoria Falls since it was considered the COVID-19hotspot. The Quarantine Centres were later decentralised to district levels.
Tsholotsho District identified DDF Training Centre as a
Quarantine Centre. However, it was in need of massive rehabilitation. The centre had an estimated carrying capacity of 40 people. Officials from Public Works came up with a bill of quantities amounting to ZWL$2 million which was submitted for funding through the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works but no works had commenced.
Tsholotsho District Hospital converted the Female Ward into an Isolation Centre. The Department of Public Works had started refurbishment of the Isolation Centre which had a holding capacity of 40 people once properly completed. The hospital was in need of 10 mattresses to add to the 30 which it already had. No Intensive Care Unit was established due to lack of equipment. For ICU facilities in the district, there were efforts to refurbish St Luke’s Hospital in Lupane. The hospital had one ambulance set aside for COVID-19 cases. The ambulance was functional, albeit in need of maintenance. The Council further submitted that it was in urgent need of a booster pump to increase water pressure to the isolation centre and an alternative power source.
In Plumtree, the Committee was informed by the Provincial
Development Coordinator that Plumtree has two districts namely Mangwe and Bulilima. On 1 April 2020 Mangwe district had received110 returnees from Botswana. The district taskforce identified
Plumtree High School as a Quarantine Centre with a capacity to hold
350 people though at one point the centre held more than 500 returnees. As the number of returnees ballooned at the Quarantine Centres, the district identified Redfern School as a Quarantine Centre. As another way to decongest Plumtree High School, the district transferred some male inmates to Bulawayo Polytechnic and female inmates to United College Education. Later on, a decision was made to further transfer people to their respective provinces after profiling. In Plumtree there was no quarantine centre considering that it was a border town which received a huge number of returnees. An official from the Public Works department took the Committee on a tour of a ‘Quarantine Centre’ and the Committee was shown a tract of land with no building in sight. The official, belaboured to explain why construction works had not commenced, a situation which left more questions than answers.
Mangwe lies on the Zimbabwean border with Botswana, a border which is highly porous. The Committee was informed that the district remained alert and continuously monitored and sensitised communities to report illegal entries as a way of curbing a spike in cases of COVID19. The district identified the Plumtree District Hospital Old TB ward with a capacity of 30 beds as an Isolation Centre. However, due to partitioning of the ward, the carrying capacity was reduced to 21. The district also identified Brunapeg Hospital which is 120 km from
Plumtree, as another Isolation Centre. This Isolation Centre had a capacity of 15 beds. While the district had instituted seemingly robust measures to increase vigilance in communities, the Security brief outlined that the porosity of the borders posed a colossal impediment in the fight against COVID-19 and illegal immigrants.
Similarly, the Security brief in Beitbridge also revealed the glaring discrepancies in the manning of our borders. The Committee gathered that in Beitbridge, the police force had one vehicle to monitor over 200 kilometres of the border area. Furthermore, the human capital base was heavily depleted and the few that were there were unmotivated. The Committee learnt that most of them had last received their transport and subsistence allowances in 2005, a situation which could compromise the security of the country and the integrity of the Police force.
The Committee was informed that after the Cabinet decision on 9 June 2020 to decommission schools as Quarantine Centres, the district was left with no Quarantine Centre. The District Taskforce identified Avoca Training Centre which is 30kilometres away from Plumtree Town as an alternative Quarantine Centre. Assessment visits and bills of quantities were done but the construction works requires a huge capital outlay. The Taskforce also identified the Plumtree Reception and Support Centre as an alternative stopover centre for registration and profiling of returnees before proceeding to their respective Provincial Quarantine Centres.
In Beitbridge, the Committee learnt that Beitbridge had a huge responsibility of receiving returnees from South Africa considering a sizeable number of Zimbabweans domiciled in South Africa who were returning back home as many menial jobs were affected by lockdown. Apart from that, they received people of Malawian and Zambian origins who had to pass through Zimbabwe. The Committee was informed that the Rainbow Hotel owned by the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) Hotel was used as a Quarantine Centre in the area. The Hotel has a capacity to hold 280 inmates. The Department of Social Welfare and Ministry of Health and Child Care were taking a lead in managing the Hotel. Social Welfare was responsible for the welfare of inmates and provision of transport for returnees to their respective Provincial
Centres. As at 9 July 2020, 4941 people were transported to their various provinces, 12 people were in the quarantine centre and 27 people were in the isolation centre.
The Committees were informed that the NSSA Hotel quarantine centre was in need of two mobile toilets. There was also need of a drain cleaner and a laundry machine. Apart from that, cold rooms, industrial pots and bins were needed. Furthermore, there was also need for a bus based at Beitbridge for expeditious transportation of returnees. Apart from NSSA Hotel, the Beitbridge Council identified a female Ward at Beitbridge Hospital which had a carrying capacity of 40 as an isolation centre. The Committee was informed that the female ward had been converted into an isolation centre. The District also identified another quarantine centre which needed renovations at Dulibadzimu. The District Medical Officer opined that they were required to do PCR tests before they transport inmates to their respective quarantine centres.
They had managed to mobilise two more PCR testing machines. Econet Wireless Company had pledged to help with two more machines. One of the machines would be stationed at the border with a capacity to process 20 samples simultaneously. The Committee was made aware of the acute shortage of manpower in the health, public works and security sectors. In the District, for example, the Public Works department in
Beitbridge had a staff complement of 10 against the required 22 people.
This had affected the departments’ efficiency in carrying out their
mandates especially in the face of the pandemic.
Committee’s Observations
The Committee made the following observations:
The people who were affected by the Cyclone Idai floods were still living in tents and education and health facilities were yet to be fully rehabilitated. The situation was pathetic because most of the tents were tattered and not fit for human habitation.
There was lack of adequate monitoring of reconstructions of houses of victims of floods and damaged infrastructure, resulting in most of the projects not completed and some projects not implemented at all.
The Civil Protection Unit needs to have adequate human and financial resources for it to be able to effectively and efficiently respond to disasters. The Civil Protection Unit also needed requisite equipment to effectively respond to natural disasters.
The Committee noted the need for the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to provide adequate food and other basic needs in the camps and quarantine centres.
The Committee noted with dismay the delay in reconstruction of damaged infrastructure by Cyclone as witnessed by some bridges in Chipinge district which were yet to be reconstructed thus presenting challenges in moving around the areas.
The delay in the supply and delivery of materials necessary for construction and rehabilitation of houses and social infrastructure delayed the completion of the housing programmes in the affected areas.
The COVID-19 treatment, quarantine and isolation facilities in some areas were sub-standard and needed to be rehabilitated.
Most of the quarantine or isolation centres visited needed improvement in terms of security to curb the chances of inmates escaping from the centres.
Most departments involved in handling the COVID-19 cases were facing operational challenges in terms of inadequate funding, shortages of vehicles and inadequate accommodation in the centres created, resulting in failure to respond efficiently to the pandemic.
At the time of the Committee’s visit, the screening, profiling and registration of returnees and inmates was being done manually and as a result was taking long. The Committee felt that the manual process increases the risk of infection to both the staff manning the centres and those who are being screened for COVID 19.
There was lack of decentralisation of functions especially for COVID-19 testing and this militated against a timeous response to the pandemic.
The Committee noted that there was lack of essential Personal Protective Equipment for both health and construction workers thus, exposing both the workers and patients to the virus and the injuries. Recommendations
The Committee, therefore, recommends the following:
Government should increase the emergency funding towards the rehabilitation of health, education, transport facilities and infrastructure in the flood affected regions by 30 June 2021.
Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should speed up construction of houses for the victims of Cyclone Idai and handover the houses by 30 June 2021.
Treasury should provide some budgetary allocation in the 2021 National Budget for the expeditious rehabilitation of COVID-19 treatment and isolation facilities particularly in the grassroots. Priority should be given to the construction of a Quarantine Centre in Plumtree by 30 June 2021.
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should ensure that the Civil Protection Unit has an adequate human capital resource compliment to deal with all kinds of disaster by 30 June 2021.
There is need for the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to ensure the procurement of essential equipment for long-range weather forecasting and Disaster Management in Zimbabwe by 30 December 2021.
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities should provide houses to those affected by floods before the start of
2021/2022rain season.
The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare should ensure that the victims of Cyclone Idai continue to get adequate monthly food supplies and ongoing psycho-social support.
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works should develop a framework outlining the minimum norms and standards for coordinating humanitarian aid in times of disaster by 30 June 2021.
Government should second appropriately trained and skilled provincial staff to the district levels to assist in carrying out all required services whenever there is a natural disaster.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage should ensure that border areas are adequately capacitated with both human and financial resources to adequately monitor and manage the porous border areas, corruption and resource leakages by 31 June 2021.
Conclusion
It is of great importance for Zimbabwe to be very alert to possible incidents of natural disasters and respond promptly to such disasters. Natural disasters if not managed properly can lead to loss of lives and infrastructure. The visits conducted to areas affected shows that as a country we are not yet fully prepared to manage disasters. Government is urged to make disaster prevention and management a priority. Failure to do so, government will always fork out more resources to mitigate against the impact of disasters.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: I rise to support the
motion moved by Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa. First and foremost, Hon. President, is to give a sense of appreciation to all health care service providers because by the time we went to visit these areas, the word
COVID would send shivers in one’s spine. As a Committee, we were really scared but it was a matter of sacrifice. What more of those health care service providers or professionals who dedicated their lives at the advent of COVID-19? Some lost their lives. They had to attend to people at isolation centres by then with virtually little or without PPEs.
So I would want to extend a sense of appreciation.
Your Committee undertook this joint hearing to have an appreciation of issues dealing with peace and security and COVID-19 is an issue that affects issues of peace and security. We visited Tsholotsho District where as a Committee, we discovered that some people that were affected by floods were still staying in camps, three years after being displaced by the floods at Gwayi River. In the course of our deliberations, this Committee was informed that various Government agencies, ministries and so forth had visited Tsholotsho centre but this Committee was the first to have visited Saudweni and proceeded to the area where people were displaced by floods at Tshino.
When we were there, we discovered that there was lack of coordination between the office of the DDC and the office of the
Chairman of the RDC. I remember very well, Mr. Siwela informed this Committee that they were only seeing DDC for the first time. They were not aware of what was happening. All they saw was activity taking place in their area of jurisdiction without the involvement of the council and in a way, councilors had become bystanders in this issue.
As part of our oversight, it is also important that this Committee goes back to assess if any progress has been noted or made. I read in the Sunday News, the edition of 14 August, 2021 this past Sunday where there was a caption of these homes showing that they have been renovated. We would want to applaud the efforts that the Ministry of Local Government has taken and I believe that it was through our oversight function that these homes have now been completed.
However, we will not rely on the papers because that is not adequate.
We seriously need to go back and find out. In the story, council Chairman Siwela admitted that progress had been realised in the work that had been undertaken at Tsholotsho.
We visited Plumtree and Beitbridge Border Posts and it will be important to note that these centres belong to one province,
Matebeleland South. The Beitbridge is the gateway into Zimbabwe from South Africa while Plumtree is the gateway from Botswana. The PBC and her team lamented that there were low budgetary allocations in terms of money that was put towards isolation centres. They appealed that this Committee must ensure that Matebeleland South as a province should get more in terms of budgetary allocation because it hosts people from nine other provinces. They process and forward them. For them to receive an equal share of the national cake with other provinces in terms of resources, they felt it was not justified.
We visited the isolation centres and some of them, for example, the NSSA Complex in Beitbridge which was a hotel in the past run by Rainbow. It is not suitable to accommodate people coming in from South Africa that were put under isolation. Firstly, the area was insecure in terms of security and also the police staff was overwhelmed. We saw people walk from the isolation centre into town to buy food and back. How many of them would be honest to come back? Quite a number of them escaped to their rural homes and in the process they were exposing family members, friends and relatives to COVID-19. Government should build proper isolation centres with the necessary and adequate security to ensure that people do not escape willy-nilly.
At Beitbridge, we were told that our border is extremely porous that the team from Zimbabwe had more than 250 km stretch which they had to patrol, which meant that they had to put personnel at intervals of 30 km and that was not adequate. If you look at the South African side, they have their borders fenced although we have seen that border jumpers have cut to make their way through. We were informed that South Africa has a tracking system which we did not have by then. I feel as a country if we want to ensure adequate peace and security, we should invest more and equip our security personnel with the adequate resources so that they are able to carry out their constitutional mandate.
Madam President, when we were still in Beitbridge, we were also informed by the Officer Commanding Beitbridge, Nyanhongo that by then, their personnel had not received food rations and T&S since 2005. When you look at the period 2005 to date Madam President, this is very scary and you are dealing with border jumpers who are carrying the powerful American Dollar and Rand, and a soldier who does not have adequate rations. Obviously, temptation is very high for them to receive bribes. As a Committee, we recommended that security personnel must be adequately financed, get their rations on time and should be motivated since they also cited low staff morale because the working conditions were not ideal for them to carry out their work.
Madam President, they also had problems in terms of vehicles. On the South African side and even at Plumtree, we were also informed that the roads on the Botswana side are graveled and they had all terrain vehicles which was not the case here. If those vehicles were there, they were inadequate and those that were there easily broke down. There is need for Government to ensure that the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage procures the requisite vehicles.
We were also informed Madam President that Beitbridge, as a gateway from South Africa, was making a lot of money. ZIMRA and other agencies that are there were making a lot of money but it is only from a few people who come through. You are aware that most of the people out there smuggle goods and worse during national lockdowns when our border is closed. They find ways and as a country, we are losing a lot of revenue through illegal smuggling. Madam President, I want to support this motion and urge Hon. Senators to take a close look at it. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA: Madam President, I move
that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 19th August, 2021.
On the motion of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC
SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON.
MATUKE), the Senate adjourned at Twenty Six minutes past Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 17th August, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE
DEATH OF HON. SEN. REJOICE TIMIRE
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: It is with profound
sorrow that I have to inform the Senate of the death of Hon. Senator Rejoice Timire, the Senator representing people with disabilities on Tuesday, 10th August, 2021. I invite Hon. Senators to rise and observe a minute of silence in respect of the late Senator.
All Hon. Senators observed a minute of silence.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
RESPONSE TO MOTION ON VELDT FIRE MANAGEMENT IN
ZIMBABWE
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE,
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. N.
NDLOVU): Madam President, the Ministry of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry acknowledges the comprehensive rich and enlightening report tabled and debated before Senate by the
Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals on 24th March
- I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane Khumalo and his Committee for the indepth report which made key observations and recommendations to improve veldt fire management in the country. I further acknowledge key contributions made by both the Committee as reflected in the report and by Hon. Senators during debate which included the need for a legal framework review, early veldt fire warning systems, powers of traditional leaders, deterrent penalties and the need for appropriate equipment for communities to fight veldt fires. The debate gave important and clear recommendations for veldt fire management in the country.
I present this Ministerial Statement to update this august House on some of the major steps taken so far with regards to fire management at both operational and policy levels as well as to highlight the key recommendations made that are in the process of being considered.
On fire management intervention that we have implemented so far, allow me to give an overview of the 2020/21 fire season preparedness. Each year, my Ministry comes up with a fire risk prediction based on the amount of vegetation for the year and past veldt fire incidences in order to inform planning for the coming fire season. The annual average burnt area from 2010 to 2020 was one million hectares each year. An average of 60% of the total burnt area has been under A1 and A2 resettlement areas. Of the 18 000 A2 farmers, only about 400 have 99-Year Leases, which leases have specific clauses on environmental protection. The offer letters currently do not have any provisions that guide or compel those offered the land on environmental stewardship and we have more than 360 000 offer letters. This creates a possibility of massive information gap on the responsibilities of farmers and their properties. We were blessed by good rains in the 2020/21 season but in terms of the fuel load and fire susceptibility, the country is generally in the high risk fire, which is 65.2% of the country to extreme fire risk and is
24.7% of the country exposure to veldt fire outbreaks countrywide. This is because of the good rainfall received in the 2020/21 season which supported the growth of biomass.
The provinces at extreme fire risk are Mashonaland West,
Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central and Manicaland while
Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo are at high fire risk to veldt fires.
The Development of 2021 National Veld Fire Management
Strategy
Madam President, each year a fire management plan is drafted to inform veld fire programming for a particular year and for 2021, it started with an engagement meeting between my Ministry and the
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement held on 6th April 2021 which critically considered the 2021 fire risk prediction.
The two ministries crafted a comprehensive core strategy which led to the Joint National Fire Launch during the second week of May 2021, under the theme ‘Prevent Veld fires, Protect the Harvest.’ The second week of May each year is a week that has been set aside by Government to activate awareness raising on sustainable...
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order! Hon. Sen.
Femai, could you please disconnect your cell phone? Thank you.
HON. M. NDLOVU: The second week of May each year is a week that has been set aside by Government to activate awareness raising on sustainable veld fire management outlining the dangers of veld fires. Furthermore, a comprehensive and robust strategy was crafted after an assessment of the legal framework and coordination at Government level with clear recommendations which were presented to Cabinet. The recommendations included:
- An accelerated farm level fire awareness drive.
- Farm level inspections for compliance to fire preparedness protocols.
- Fireguard construction, both boundaries and internal.
- Hay baling which is the provisioning of feed and biomass reduction.
- Thatch grass cutting and combing for sale.
- Control with early blocking burning in State protected areas and private estates.
- Way leave clearance by ZETDC.
- Road servitude grass cutting and maintenance by all road authorities.
- The ZRP to enforce the law where violations are witnessed.
Cabinet considered and approved the above proposed 2021 veld fire management recommendations which were presented by myself and made further enriching comments as follows:
- There is need to enhance the awareness campaigns by educating communities on the importance of the veld to them by facilitating projects that will compel them to prevent veld fires.
- On the need to amend the A1 permits to provide for greater environmental stewardships.
- The need to create awareness of the consequences of none adherence to conditions set in 2 above.
- The need to review the statutory fire season in synchrony with the vicissitudes of the climate change.
- The need to put in place legislation to provide for reporting on non-compliant neighbours.
- The need to put in place deterrent penalties for veld fire offences.
On the legal framework Madam President, as a Ministry, we are going through a thorough assessment of the legal framework and it must be appreciated that whilst on the implementation side we have been using SI7 of 2007 which is on Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecosystems Regulations issued under the Environmental Management
Act.
The SI derives its authority from the Forest Act which is administered by the Forestry Commission who therefore has the legal mandate to manage veld fires. However, we realise that in practice it has largely been EMA that has shouldered this responsibility and as such, we have instituted measures that will see the Forestry Commission being given prominence as per the laws that grant them the mandate in veld fire management.
Through a combined effort with EMA who now have the institutional capacity, you will see an improved approach to veld fire management. A clear recommendation from Cabinet was that the fire season should follow the climate change dynamics, hence the Minister responsible for environment every year has to define the fire season and move away from being prescriptive as per the current law, thereby being realistic and guided by the situation on the ground.
Madam President, I am pleased to inform this august House that we have begun a process of reviewing the EMA Act and SI 7 of 2007 to effect the Cabinet resolutions and we hope to get the support of this House when the Bill comes in due course.
In terms of penalties Madam President, the Forest Amendment Bill is before this House and a lot of issues have been addressed in this regard. Fortunately, this august House has an opportunity to make the input on the matter. It is my view Madam President, that in this country we have comprehensive laws that grant our esteemed traditional leaders powers to not only decisively deal with offenders but also to rally their communities towards a fire free society.
Madam President, while the State has three pillars; the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature, our esteemed chiefs have legal provisions to exercise these three in one in terms of the powers they have. They have the power to police in their jurisdictions, to set laws and indeed, to impose penalties and other remedial actions necessary for the community to move forward. It is therefore not a question of our traditional leaders being deprived of the powers but rather them exercising the powers they have and I believe their role is critical in fighting veld fires.
Madam President, although there was some analysis and recommendations in the report and during debate on the legal framework which goes beyond my Ministry’s mandate, effort has been made in the mainstreaming of veld fire management to other important ministries and local authorities. Rural district councils have environment committees and sub committees which draft fire management plans that are implemented at district, ward and village levels.
Realising the importance of traditional leaders in this fight against veld fires, my Ministry held a successful strategic conference in Kadoma on 12th to 13th May 2021 with traditional leaders targeting senator chiefs.
This conference was graced by Her Excellency the First Lady, Amai
Auxillia Mnangagwa and also included the Minister of Local
Government and Public Works, Hon. J. Moyo, as well as the Minister of
State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Mashonaland West
Province, Hon. Mliswa.
The Traditional Leaders Act was discussed during the conference with some salient points coming out clearly, which included;
- The chiefs to extend their jurisdictions to A1 and A2 farm resettlement areas.
- Chiefs to be legally empowered to prosecute perpetrators of environment offences and
- Traditional leaders to use the powers they have to assist the
Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry in addressing issues of illegal settlement in forest areas.
On the general fire awareness campaign, Madam President, the Ministry has also implemented various projects to manage veld fires such as thatch grass harvesting, hay baling, bee-keeping and fireguard construction. Furthermore, respective partners including road authorities have been encouraged to play their part in road servitude clearing and fire guard construction.
To date, we have served more than 4 600 orders for fireguard construction, issued 113 tickets, opened 16 dockets related to serious offences and our current assessment is that the compliance level for fireguard construction is around 43%. While this is a huge improvement compared to an average 23% in the past years, we continue to intensify our awareness and enforcement efforts.
On resource mobilisation Madam President, my Ministry has been engaging various partners to ensure capacitation of institutions and communities. Note worthy is the recent capacitation of Allied Timbers with vehicles and fire fighting equipment worth over US$900,000. The National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Forestry Commission and Environmental Management Agency have also been strengthened under Global Environment Facility 6 Project with vehicles, tractors, mowers, rakes, balers and fire fighting equipment for three districts namely: Hurungwe, Mbire and Muzarabani, which are high risk districts in terms of veld fires.
Conclusion
Finally, I would like to thank you Madam President and the SDG Thematic Committee for the opportunity to provide a Mnisterial Statement belatedly, in response to this issue of national importance; that of combating veld fires in our country because of their devastating effects on our vegetation and ultimately economy and livelihoods. I wish to also commend the Committee for its continued work towards the achievement of our SDGs in line with the National Development Strategy 1. Together we will achieve more without leaving any person and place behind. I thank you.
SECOND READING
FORESTRY AMENDMENT BILL[H.B. 19A, 2019]
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE,
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M.
NDLOVU): Madam President, I would like to start by offering you and the Senate assurances of my highest consideration that my Ministry has judiciously taken into account the shortcomings of the Forestry Act [Chapter 19:05], and has duly accorded the utmost seriousness and commitment to improving forest matters.
May I point out that it would be remiss to not indicate that the current Forestry Act as supplemented by other laws and regulations, for instance the Environmental Management Act, provides for a fairly good framework in the management of the forests. Nonetheless, Zimbabwe continues to experience environmental degradation through veld fires and the burning of vegetation, resulting in the loss of lives as well as property. Veld fires in particular, are a hazard to the environment and if left unchecked, have the potential to reverse the hard earned gains achieved over the years. The recent fires in the Amazon and Australia serve as an important warning and reminder of the sort of devastation fires can wreak.
Accordingly, therefore, based on Section 73 of the Constitution and Section 4 of the Environmental Management Act, which provides for a right to an environment that is not harmful to the health and well- being of the people of Zimbabwe, my Ministry has spawned the reviewing of the Forestry Act which has now culminated in the Bill before us. This Amendment Bill does away with some of the archaic provisions of the forestry laws. It also plugs in the gaps as well as update and align forestry laws to the Constitution, a long overdue exercise. As mentioned above, the current Act falls short in addressing a plethora of recurring forestry challenges that have bedevilled forestry management. Therefore, the Bill principally seeks to:
- Enhance the protection of forests from veld fires through the introduction of mandatory and deterrent sentences.
- Specifically recognise aggravating consequences of veld fires such as death and damage to property and the prosecution of the same in terms of the Criminal Law Codification and
Reform Act [Chapter 9:23].
- Introduce a multi-sectoral and decentralised approach to fire management that includes local authorities, Agritex officials,
the transport sector, gender balancing and traditional leaders among others.
- Seeks to widen the regulatory responsibilities of the Forest
Commission.
More importantly, Section 73 of the Constitution enjoins the State to take legislative or other measures with a view to progressively realise the right enshrined therein, without limiting the sphere of actions that may be available to the State. The aforesaid provision specifically contemplates that such measures must address the following: prevention of pollution and ecological degradation, promotion of conservation and securing ecologically sustainable development as well as the use of natural resources while promoting economic and social development.
In the main, the Bill represents such measures envisaged above. Accordingly, therefore, this Bill looks at improving the protection of forests by requiring persons acting ultra vires the provisions of the
Forestry laws to “undertake or adopt such measures as are specified in the orders to protect the forest.” It further seeks to enhance the procedure with regards to extinguishing a fire by requiring that “any such owner or occupier who fails to comply with the provisions of this subsection and the fire becomes dangerous to life and property shall be guilty of an offence and the provisions of Section 78 shall apply
“mutatis mutandis.”
Furthermore, the Bill aims to advance women’s rights in line with the Constitution by compulsorily requiring gender representation. It also provides for the inclusion of persons holding recognised qualifications or demonstrable knowledge in forestry among other important qualifications in environmental planning and management, finance and management, business and administration, ecology as well as legal expertise. Based on the above, it is unquestionably evident that this improved forestry framework is doubly important. It speaks to Section
73 of the Constitution and it ties in perfectly with the Government’s development agenda. I therefore humbly recommend and implore the
Senate to approve this Forestry Bill.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I would like to thank the Minister who
has brought the Bill. The issue of veld fires has caused a number of challenges globally. It is not only Zimbabwe that has struggled with veld fires. Annually we see huge fires destroying different parts of the globe. A few days ago, we witnessed fire in France, Australia and in other parts of the world. We even witnessed property being destroyed as well as a lot of animals losing their lives because of these fires.
Yesterday we watched on national television a place in Mashonaland Central, a family that lost its homestead, including more than two tonnes of their grain. A veld fire came and destroyed everything. This is an issue that needs to be seriously considered not only by Zimbabwe. The meetings that we witness being conducted on climate change where different States come together to deliberate and come up with strategies to control veld fires worldwide are important. We need these international efforts for people to sit down and deal with the issue of veld fires.
Here in Zimbabwe during this season, we experience a lot of veld fires. The campaigns that are currently taking place on raising awareness on control of veld fires are done annually but it is not eradicating the problem of veld fires and this is not to say that we need to stop. That is why I am saying that we need to work together and come up with strategies as to how we can address this. Raising awareness on the impact of veld fires should be intensified. A lot of areas are being destroyed because of veld fires.
The law that we put to say that chiefs’ jurisdiction is only within the rural communities and not the farming communities is something that we need to look into. Is that a good law? The traditional leaders know the different communities in their areas. So, if an area does not have traditional leaders to monitor such activities, people end up engaging in unlawful behaviour and will try to lay traps to catch wild animals using fires. We need to empower our traditional leaders to enable them to have teeth that bite. So, we need to look into the powers of the traditional leaders because what can happen is, we can lose lives and grain because of these veld fires.
The issues that you incorporated in the Bill are very important and I think if we were to expedite these strategies, it would assist us a lot. As you have said, the Government should support this programme. If possible, funding should be set aside for that, like what we did in terms of road rehabilitation because the Government declared the road network a state of national disaster and the same should be done with the veld fires. We can allocate resources to ensure that strategies that we have come up with can be implemented. We can then monitor to see how this will work during this season and look at the impact the next season.
My request is what I have put forward and I hope we will expedite these strategies and raise awareness in terms of the impact of veld fires to our communities, and also to strengthen our legislation on the issue of veld fires and have deterrent fines to save our environment. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: I want to thank the Minister for the Bill that he brought in this House on combating veld fires. I want to thank him for his research which has reflected that adequate research was done. I want to thank the Minister on what he presented to us, especially on the issue of raising the fines. I happen to be one of the people who had the same perspective as the Minister. I also thought when we were debating in this House, that some people cause veld fires as they look for mice. People want to catch a rabbit but it ends up causing veld fires.
Mr. President, with your authority, I also want to add to his perspective considering what I have witnessed. The day before yesterday, I was in Epworth in the evening. I was supposed to go to Goromonzi and passed through the farms quite late in the evening. I saw two Prado vehicles speeding along that road but the road network is poor that I was even surprised at the speed that they were travelling. The vehicles were quite new.
A few kilometres ahead, I saw a vehicle parked by the roadside and a fire had just been started. The other cars were still going ahead and I realised that the people in the car had just started the fire. From there, I saw the people in the second car lighting a fire and by the time I got to Ruwa, I realised that the people in the three cars had actually lit the fires. So, these are fires that are actually lit by certain people. We need legislation that will criminalise such actions. I witnessed this on my own and I tried to speed up to get sight of the number plates of the vehicles but I failed.
So, as I came into this House and heard the Minister give his statement, I realised this was what I witnessed the day before yesterday and I thought it better to testify from what I saw. For people to put fireguards, the police must be involved to ensure that they check areas with fireguards and also, the people who are causing the veld fires because I witnessed it. I want the Minister to add to his strategies, that it is not going to add value to start veld fires in order to catch mice or enjoy the veld fires. In my opinion, there are people who are actually deliberately starting veld fires. With these words, I thank you Hon.
Minister.
*HON. SEN. MABIKA: I want to thank the Minister for the issue he has brought to this House. My request is on the issue of monitoring. Yes, legislation is being put in place. We heard that May will be an awareness month and a timetable was issued but I think that there is need for monitoring because May has already come to an end. We are coming from the farms but we have not seen them. So you may be planning but implementation on the ground needs to be monitored to see whether that is happening. My request to the Hon. Minister is that he should look into the issue of monitoring and it should not just be a paper issue.
In the past, we used to be given dates like 31st July, that everyone should have put in a fireguard by 31st July. So people used to ensure that they met the deadline but nowadays that is not happening. If the monitors came and you were found without a fireguard, you had to pay a fine of $500.00. I think that legislation, if it is still in place, should be implemented and it comes back to the issue of monitoring. Yes, we have insurance companies that I can insure my property with. It is my hope that the Government has that vehicle for those who want to insure their vehicles and properties in case of fires, which is Government initiated so that you get a certain amount of money from Government to alleviate the loss. Others will not be able to pay the large premiums that are being charged by some insurance companies.
In the agricultural sector, we are being assisted with inputs. I do not know if it is possible at district level, to have farm implements such as tractors that are used in the construction of fireguards. Some people want to do hay baling but do not have the machines and for those people who have the machinery, they charge you a dollar. If the machinery belonged to the Government, then an individual could hire it at a cheaper price because it will be like the DDF case. People do not have resources but the heart is willing and it is interpreted as if people do not want, yet the issue is that of resources and farm implements. So as is the case in agriculture, it should be extended to your Ministry to assist the people on the ground because as we speak, we are not seeing any monitoring and awareness, you will realise that for a Ministry at district level, they do not have transport to our farms or even to come and check what has happened in different areas. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I hope that
Hon. Members understand that the Hon. Minister gave a statement in response to a report that was presented by the Thematic Committee chaired by Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane Khumalo. Thereafter, he presented a Bill, the Forest Amendment Bill.
So what is supposed to be debated here is the Forest Amendment
Bill. I hope that we are clear about that.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you very much Mr.
President for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this Bill that has been brought to the House by the Hon. Minister.
Mr. President, before I zoom directly on the Bill, allow me to make a general comment relating to the importance of forests in our country. I think for most of us, in 1980, we were one of the major timber exporters and forests were a major employer and there were rules. I am sure the laws that were operating are still in place and we were able to protect our forests. So inasmuch as we applaud the Hon. Minister for coming with this amendment Bill, I would want to impress through you Mr.
President, that what is important for us here is to look at the laws that were there, also look at their deficits and see to what extent we have tried to implement those laws because I think we now need to walk the talk and not talk the walk. I think this basically means that we are not deficient of legislation, but on implementation.
I was quite encouraged that one of the objectives of this Bill is to enhance the protection and making awareness to the people on the need to protect our forests. I do not want to delve much into the impact of their failure to protect our forests because I think that some of the problems that we are currently experiencing, of human and animal conflict is a result of destruction of our forests such that animals end up coming and invading since all the forests have been destroyed.
So Mr. President, I hope that the Hon. Minister will also consider approaching this issue in a holistic manner. Our forests are governed by statutes and at the end of the day, there is a criminal sanction for anyone who contravenes those statutes. The criminal sanction, unfortunately the people who should be helping much in trying to address this problem of damage to our forests are our local chiefs but the law as it stands now, local chiefs only have jurisdiction to deal only with customary issues when this is not a customary issue. So inasmuch as Hon. Members were contributing to say, can we extend the jurisdiction, it will not address our problem.
I think the Hon. Minister should probably look at a way of how chiefs in this case should be empowered to address this because it is a criminal issue that is outside their jurisdiction. I think these are the key players. One of the objectives is a multi-sectoral approach. If we still leave chiefs outside without authority to address some of these offences that are criminal in nature, then we are still compartmentalised and we are not going to achieve what the Bill is attempting to achieve. These are my few suggestions Mr. President, because this is a criminal issue and our chiefs are key to the preservation of our forests. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: Thank you Mr.
President, I want to thank Hon. Minister Ndlovu who is responsible for the upkeep of our environment. I do not have much to say but only to support what was mentioned by Hon. Sen. Dr. Mavetera…
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order, order
Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane, may you unmute your device?
+HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUBANE: Thank you Mr.
President, I only have two issues. Firstly, I want to thank Hon. Sen. Dr. Mavetera who saw it fit that there are some other important people like the chiefs who should also be made responsible for the upkeep of our environment.
My request is that since it is the President who appoints people to those posts and since you Hon. Minister, are the one who gives him the names for the Forestry Commission to be set, may there be a representative whose name will be lawfully endorsed from the chiefs?
Lastly Hon. Minister, the forest is the same. Even if you traverse from Chipinge to Chimanimani, I would not know whether the white people used to operate that way. You will find that there are so many ministries that are allocated to different forests. I want to know what criterion is used on the following Acts, that is the Forestry Act,
Environmental Management Act, Traditional Leaders Act, Communal Lands Act, RDCs Act? I submit that these should work together. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr.
President. The Minister has done well by bringing this Bill. It is only that the resources are limited. This is a serious issue Mr. President,. We look at it as if it is just simple fire, but we are doing this for the conservation of our forests. It should come together with the issue of the impact on the environment. The issue of the water table is being affected by veld fires, so the issue of conserving our forests is very important.
Minister, there are other issues that are fundamental to this Senate and these must be given adequate time for debate so that we give each other ideas. The big problem that we have in Zimbabwe and Africa, especially countries that were colonized is that we are using the precolonial era legislation. I once googled and found that there is a Forestry Act of 1943. Recently during Heroes commemoration, we were given medals for the traditional leaders who lost their lives during the war. In 1898, there were native regulations, you can google,
Rhodesia Native Regulations, most of these challenges came from there. They said that because of the war, these traditional leaders are very evil - because of that some were beheaded. That is when the DNA tests came in. They appointed men to ensure that they guard the powers of the White Men and remove the powers of the traditional leaders. They felt that if traditional leaders remained in power, it would lead to another
Chimurenga. So, most of these Acts need to be amended.
On the Forestry Act, for you to cut down a tree, you have to go and seek permission from the Officer-in-Charge of the police not to the village head or the traditional leader. It is unfortunate, I did not have enough time to research, but that Act says the authority to cut down a tree rests with the charge office because that is where the white man is and not with the traditional leaders.
We got independence so that we can go back to the drawing board. What they said was that the Chief was not supposed to leave his area of jurisdiction going to another area without the permission from the
Native Commission, which is the issue that we are talking about here. We also embarked on a land reform exercise. It seems we have forgotten where the Act came from. The Land Apportionment Act of
1930 actually determines the jurisdiction of the traditional leaders. So
Minister, can you go and talk to your colleagues that this needs to be amended because it is Rhodesian law. The traditional leaders were not supposed to go beyond the demarcation set.
Look at the challenges that we are facing as a nation, if you were to go round Zimbabwe, in my area I can boast that whenever there is fire, the village head is in trouble. We do not entertain veld fires because our rule is where the fire came from, there is a village head and he is responsible. The issue of fighting for power is what has affected us. Who is the owner or the custodian of the forest, I think this is clear, that is an issue that you need to look into Minister. The issue of natural resources of a nation should be deliberated to see who the custodian is. Once you say it belongs to the State, it means it is now a cooperative for everyone. Whoever comes and whoever does not, it will not be important. So, we need to give each other responsibilities that are clear. Mr. President, let us give roles and responsibilities that are clear, we need someone who is going to be responsible when the forests are being burnt. We need clear responsibilities and accountabilities. For example, are we going to ask you as the Minister? May be you were given that authority but the honest truth is that those people on the ground should be accountable.
However, the problem is that, have we given them the responsibility and are they aware of that responsibility? So, that is where we are losing it. It is like what we do with wildlife and they said we are poachers and animals are not yours. Now, people think wildlife is for the Government and once people hear that it is for the
Government, they destroy. Therefore, we need to ask who the custodian of these forests is. If you can address that area, then we will be able to conserve our forests.
The village head should be accountable for the veld fires that emanate from his village. You were supposed to ask, ‘village heads, where were you and traditional leaders, where were you?’. Once that is done and accountability is there, then you would have dealt with the matter.
Now if you go to the Ministry of Environment, who are you going to ask - EMA? Once EMA sees a forest that has been burnt, that is the monitoring that they do but how the fire started and where it emanated from, they do not know. All they do is to go and see. We are investing in monitoring but I think we need to empower the people on the ground in the areas affected by veld fires – that is what we call empowerment.
Hon. Minister, there is a problem within the public sector. They think that if a person is employed by the Public Service Commission, they are the ones mandated to ban the cutting down of trees and veld fires. Therefore, as a traditional leader, no one listens to me because I am not employed by the Civil Service. It is the title that speaks and that is where we are losing it. People should know that the leaders in the community are the custodians not the civil servants. There is a problem; you need to trust your people as a Government. Empower them, give them responsibilities at that level and these problems will be dealt with. We need a multi-sectoral approach.
Hon. Minister, when you said that multi-sectoral, if you see the list that you read, I actually said to myself that you had omitted the traditional leaders. You listed the multi-sectoral entities and you left traditional leaders. The traditional chiefs must not come as number 6 on the list but they should be the first and supported by the other players that you named. So, what you were talking about was there in 1848 and that thing came with the white man. Did we ever sit down as the black people to see what was the motive and objective of that piece of legislation?
All local authorities have committees of environmental management but why is it that the veld fires are always a menace? There is something wrong because these people are paid and well remunerated. The mandatory sentences that you talked about, yes; we can criminalise this and bring people to book, some of these things will not end even if you criminalise them. Just take these issues to the people so that they have control over their natural resources.
Senator Femai talked about the vehicles that had people who were causing the veld fires. When confronted, they would say I am so and so, a director at some company looking for mice which is a lie. It is not for the mice that they will be looking for. The owners of the cars that were referred to by Senator Femai have good grades of meat in their homes but there are others who are sabotaging directly. Can you investigate to check the spirit behind the sabotaging of the environment, whether they are terrorists or what you need to look into that.
However, let us also look into the issue of cutting down trees. You cannot go and cut down trees in the forest, people cut down trees and burn forests in order to create parts to maneuver their way.
Mr. President, to end this matter, let us look at the history of how this legislation came into place. We also need to trust our people. The issue of forests is not about funding EMA with a lot of resources like Toyota Hilux vehicles. If you are not going to work with the local leadership and communities, who should monitor their own areas because when a car is sent to Charumbira Village three days after, the fire would have gone out. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE
CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON.
- NDLOVU): Thank you Mr. President for the opportunity to respond to some of the critical issues that were raised in this august House by Hon. Senators.
There were some of the interventions which I also felt were responding more to the Ministerial Statement than the Bill. However, they were also touching on the important issue of veld fires which is contained in the Bill. So, I may not respond to all the issues that were raised initially before you gave us direction but there are some issues that I had also captured which I believe will enrich the Bill.
Hon. Komichi highlighted what happened in Mashonaland Central where a family has been left homeless and perhaps hopeless. I think this goes on to signify the importance of fighting veldt fires because it has that destructive effect in our livelihoods.
The issue of traditional leadership not having jurisdiction in A1 and A2 is quite fundamental. We discussed it. I raised it in the report and it was discussed in Kadoma. I remember the Minister of Local
Government and Public Works giving a response to that but it is an issue that he will urgently address and that as far as he is concerned, there is no area that is not under the jurisdiction of a chief. I want to believe that it is a matter that has to be addressed, if indeed there is that gap.
We also noted that 60% of veldt fires occur in A1 and A2. Again, we have more than 360 000 offer letters for A1 which do not speak to issues of environmental management. Of the 40 000 issued A2 permits, the 99-Year Leases are very few which are clear in prescribing issues of environmental protection. We have to address the traditional leadership oversight and management of our A1 and A2 farms if indeed we are to win the fight against veldt fires. There was a suggestion that maybe we declare the issue of fires as a state of emergency, I think this was in response to the report.
Hon. Sen. Mabika highlighted that maybe there is not enough awareness on the ground, they have not seen people who are conducting awareness programmes. This year we roped in all the Agritex Extension Officers and we were advised that we have three extension officers in every ward who have been given motorbikes. It is my understanding that the outreach has been extensive. I would also be interested to know where she is referring to so that we can put corrective measures as a matter of urgency. Also working with the Ministry of Agriculture, we consolidated efforts to see where we could unlock some of the resources like tractors which the Ministry of Agriculture have, especially in problem districts and this programme has helped us a lot in hay bailing as well as in helping some farmers with fireguards.
There was also an intervention concerning our laws that we used to have very strong laws that protected our forests, what has gone wrong? The reality is that it is important for us to continue to review our laws so that they reflect the present realities. We also need to take note of certain realities. In 1980, we were a population of less than nine million and now we are perhaps more than 17 million. That speaks to environmental problems that we have to address. Human wildlife conflict becomes a consequence of that and therefore, we need to continue to strengthen our laws so that we are able to respond to these challenges. I believe that the provisions that we are proposing today seek to strengthen our response to issues that are affecting our forests.
Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane, I fully agree and I believe we can never win the war against forest degradation if we do not put at the centre of this fight traditional leaders. I am also agreeable that it is important to have someone representing traditional leadership in the commission. It is an oversight which I hope will be corrected during the Committee Stage.
On the need to synchronise our laws, I do believe they are complementary but maybe at implementation stage as well as oversight, there might be need for continuous effort to make sure that they speak to each other. When you look at veldt fire management, the Statutory
Instrument is administered but it derives its authority from the Forestry
Act. We also acknowledge the role played by the RDC Act as well as the Traditional Leaders Act. All these put together seek to protect our forest as well as our natural resources. I agree that it is very important that we continue to synchronise them so that they speak to each other.
Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira, I think he had a clear process of the issues but highlighted that we need to fully understand the background of the laws. When the whites came in, they sought to disempower traditional leaders in the management of natural resources. It is my hope that as we go through the Bill we are able to identify areas that can be improved in terms of giving more jurisdictions to locals. I believe that those areas are adequately covered. I will certainly be very supportive in reviewing some of the supporting pieces of legislation, which especially when we look at our A1 and A2 from the Ministry of Lands as well as the Ministry of Local Government, just to make sure that the authority of traditional leadership is entrenched in those pieces of legislation. We fully acknowledge from our Act that the role played by traditional leaders as well as local authorities is central in fighting both the veldt fires as well as the protection of our forests.
On the need to define who the custodian of the natural resources is, I think that is very important. I am not sure if this Act can go that far, but that is a very important exercise that we need to do as a people and as a country. I believe also that this relies a lot on what village heads or people in local communities will be able to do.
Essentially, this Bill seeks to provide the administration. There has been veldt fire - how do we make sure that the system is corrected? When we have officers going on the ground, the first port-of-call will be the traditional leaders. My belief is that as it stands, our chiefs have the authority to exercise the functions of all the three pillars of the State as I indicated in my statement. On the multi sectoral approach, that list was not in any particular order but certainly, our chiefs are very important. I took note of that. We do believe that we need a collective effort in the fight to protect our natural resources and in this instance, our forests. All those stakeholders need to come to the party and we believe we stand a better chance.
On the issue of the effectiveness of our environmental committee, I think this has to be looked at closely because these committees are an effort to entrench local people in those communities to partake in the protection of their natural resources. If the feeling is that they are not effective, I want us to look at it and see how we can best improve that but we believe that these are some of the provisions that empower local communities to take full custody of their natural recourses.
Mr. President, I just summarised the responses to issues that have been raised. It may happen that I might have missed one or two but these are issues that I had captured. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Committee Stage: With leave, forthwith.
COMMITTEE STAGE
FORESTRY AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 19A, 2019] House in Committee.
Clauses 1 to 4 put and agreed to.
On Clause 5:
HON. SEN. CHIEF NGUNGUMBANE: Thank you Madam
Chair for offering me this opportunity. I would want to propose amendments to Section 5. I think the Minister earlier on conceded that it was an oversight that traditional leaders were initially omitted from the list. I would want to propose that the National Council of Chiefs nominate two Members into this Commission and Minister, we would be grateful if 5 (c) - it is clear whilst the composition of this Commission will take into cognisance gender equality, we also need that it should be put in black and white that there should not be an omission of traditional leaders as the custodians of the forest and environment. I thank you.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Chair. I rise to support everything as proposed in terms of amending Clause 5 as proposed by Sen. Chief Ngungumbane.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE
CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON.
- NDLOVU): I want to thank the Hon. Senators, our esteemed Chiefs, for the recommendation that they have made. I highlighted that to further entrench the importance of our traditional leaders in the protection of our forests, it will be a noble idea to have them represented. I just want to highlight that it is also important that we keep our boards as lean as is operationally possible. I therefore, while in agreement with the recommendation, think it is important that the National Council of Chiefs nominates a representative so that we keep our Commission also as lean as is operationally possible. So I would be amenable to one representative who will come in and represent our traditional leaders. Thank you.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Chairperson, we
understand the response by the Minister, but we would want to place the matter into the proper space. The matter of environmental degradation is in our territory. That is where we live and if you look at the majority of the people that are listed as eligible for appointment – environmental planning management, finance, business administration, ecology - these are urban people. Let me be very honest about it. It is dominated by people who reside in urban areas and we have one person who comes from the real space where the forests are and then have five who are not very much affected directly by what is happening out there. It looks more realistic. The number of two acknowledges that the focus is rural and the rural representatives are on this board.
I know you are a very good Minister and we do not want to push too much a good Minister, but I think we will keep the import of our submission. In fact, now we will be very careful. For all the commissions and boards in future, we have to say in which territory or space is this commission coming from. If it is for engineers, let the engineers dominate, if it is for lawyers, let the lawyers dominate, if it is rural, let the chiefs also dominate, but we will not dominate, we will still be in the minority Minister. It would be two out of five and this is not a full time Commission I believe, so I think the expense is only to do with meetings and these commissions sit once in three months and get an allowance. If it were full time, I would be persuaded to say one because I know the cost would be too high as it would involve salaries but this is just part time. We persuade you as a good Minister. Thank you very much.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I just stood up to fully support the proposal put forward by the Chiefs. It is very important to note Chief
Charumbira’s argument that when a field is for lawyers, the lawyers dominate. This particular field for veld fires is for the Chiefs, so the Chiefs should dominate. I also want to persuade you Hon. Minister to consider the point that has been raised by the Chiefs. I thank you.
HON. M. NDLOVU: Thank you Madam Chair. I want to thank
the Hon. Senators for their input and to thank Chief Charumbira for his compliments. However, for the avoidance of having the compliments withdrawn, let me start by acknowledging that this is probably the first institution which will prescribe the presence or involvement of traditional leaders. I also looked at the composition where we tried to look at the skills that would be needed for us to help a Commission that will exercise proper oversight on forest matters. If we add one more person we will be on eleven and I believe that it becomes too big but there has to be discretion. I think we might want to agree that this is not prescriptive and should there be need to add, as we move on we will look into that. I want to appreciate that our Chiefs today have made us realise the importance that for matters that really have to do with our communities, we cannot achieve much without the involvement of those communities. I really want to thank and appreciate them for that. However, to err on the side of caution and avoid having our commissions becoming bloated, I humbly submit that at least at this moment, an inclusion of one representative selected by our National Council of Chiefs ought to serve the interests of all the traditional leaders and our communities. Should there be need to have more representation, I think these can be considered as we move on. I so submit Madam Chair.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: As usual, I enjoy the way
the Minister displays his intellect and personality which we like. Just to say Minister, it is not the first statute that will prescribe that in this commission there shall be a Chief. This is in the Constitution. If you look at the Gender Commission, there is a similar provision. In the
Constitution, it says there shall be a traditional leader. I would not want to go through all the statutes but there are several that actually provide that the Chiefs Council nominate and recommend names of chiefs who sit on those Commissions that we believe will benefit a lot with the presence of Chiefs. So, it will not be the first time as it exists in various statutes. It is unfortunate there is no room to consult further because if we did, I know you would agree with us. I am consulting with my fellow Chiefs to see what it says in the Constitution. It actually says “one is a nominee of the National Chiefs Council appointed by the President.” So, Minister, we agree on one and your spirit is when there is space, you have a second one. I thank you.
Amendment to Clause 5 put and agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 6 to 25 put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Bill reported with amendments.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
RECOMMITTAL TO COMMITTEE STAGE
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B. 18A, 2019]
Second Order read: Recommittal to Committee: Cyber and Data Protection Bill [H. B. 18A, 2019].
House in Committee.
On Clause 5:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): Thank you Madam Chair, I move that we delete
Clause 5 and renumber the subsequent clauses accordingly. I thank you.
Amendment to Clause 5 put and agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 6:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): Thank you Madam Chair, I move that we delete
Clause 6 and renumber the subsequent clauses accordingly. I thank you.
Amendment to Clause 6 put and agreed to.
Clause 6, as amended, put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Progress reported.
Committee to resume: Wednesday, 18th August, 2021.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT,
CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU), the Senate adjourned at Half past
Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 10th June, 2021.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER
PETITION RECEIVED FROM MR. MARKO SHOKO
THE HON DEPUTY SPEAKER: I wish to advise the House that on 19th May, 2021, Parliament of Zimbabwe received a petition from Mr. Marko Shoko beseeching Parliament to withhold the passing of the Constitutional Amendment, Number 2, Bill and revert to the stage where the amendment has not been introduced. The petition was deemed inadmissible as it was submitted after the National Assembly had passed the Bill and transmitted the same to the Senate.
Furthermore, the matter is also sub judice as there are two cases filed at the Constitutional Court, relating to the procedure in the passing of the Constitutional Amendment (No. 2) Bill. I thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 9 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SAIZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CRISIS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY
HON. MUSHORIWA: I move the motion in my name that this House,
COGNISANT that education is a basic right enshrined in
Zimbabwe’s Constitution and that the state has a duty to provide learners with resources and teaching facilities depending on the availability of resources;
NOTING, the unprecedented turbulence caused by the COVID-19
pandemic to the country’s public education system;
AWARE that the incapacitation of teachers due to poor
remuneration and conditions of service has worsened the state of the public education system;
CONCERNED that the disturbances in the education sector have
further widened the gap between the children of the rich and poor in Zimbabwe as the former access education while the latter do not have the same privileges;
SHOCKED that the Executive has not enacted policies to address
the plight of teachers thereby threatening the future of millions of learners.
NOW THEREFORE, recommends that the Portfolio Committees on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; and Primary and Secondary Education jointly conduct:
- a)an inquiry to determine whether the ideological shift
by the Executive Arm of Government from centre left to centre right which favors the rich at the expense of the poor is desirable to Zimbabwe;
- b)public hearings to assess whether there has been no
dereliction of duty by the Ministers of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Primary and Secondary Education in the ongoing deterioration of the public education system in Zimbabwe; and
- c)an investigation into whether Members of the Executive
are not benefitting from the chaos in the public education system by luring students from failed public schools to their personal private colleges and schools which offer Cambridge examinations instead of the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC).
- d)To proffer recommendations to this House on measures
that need to be taken to address the crises in the public education system in the country.
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I second.
HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to start by saying that all of us who are in Parliament are a product of the education system that was there before. Do you recall that we used to be proud because we had the best education in the region? The education system that we had after independence, for some of us, we just went and did our primary school in the rural areas. A number of schools were built and a number of secondary schools were then built along the way. The then Government used to put a lot of resources towards system. Madam Speaker, you will then recall that the product that came from school was so good. Hence you find out that a number of countries whether you go to SADC, Europe or America, you will find quite a number of Zimbabweans who are actually occupying powerful positions in various institutions and companies. This is primarily because of the education system that was there. We had a very robust primary schooling and very good secondary schooling and extremely good tertiary education. If you take yesteryear and compare it with today, you then find out that something went wrong along the way. You will find out that our children that are going to school now things have fallen apart. Our teachers are no longer motivated. The situation that is prevailing in the country is so bad. If you look at any public school, you get a feeling that students are just going there primarily because there is no other way to go to. It is even worse for the children that come from poor backgrounds.
I represent Dzivaresekwa Madam Speaker and I can tell you that when you see those children going to school, you look at them and ask yourself what is their future going to be like because equally disturbing, is the state that you find the teacher that is going to teach that student. You look at the way they are dressed and moving and the state in which they are, everything around the education system is decaying. The worst part of it is that whilst all this is happening the people that are being affected the most are us the poor people yet the rich people are smiling.
During our time when we went to school, everybody was writing Cambridge and then after that, Government in its wisdom decided to come up with ZIMSEC. Every Zimbabwean was writing ZIMSEC, in fact ZIMSEC was actually very tough compared to Cambridge that people used to write. Every public school writes ZIMSEC but what we have discovered is that ….
Part of speech not recorded due to power outage.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move that we stand over Order of the Day, Number 10 until internet has been restored.
HON. PETER MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 10 to 13 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 14 has been disposed of.
HON. PETER MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
HON. SIKHALA: Madam Speaker, I can hear Hon Mushoriwa talking.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: The network is down.
HON. SIKHALA: So he is shouting by himself.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: We have electricity problems here. He is talking to himself. May someone communicate to him.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ICT, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES AND PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ON PROVISION OF ONLINE CLASSES FOR LEARNERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC PERIOD
HON. PETER MOYO: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the First Report of the Joint Portfolio Committee on ICT, Postal and Courier Services and Primary and Secondary Education on provisions of online classes for learners during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
HON. MISIHAIRABWI-MUSHONGA: I second.
HON PETER MOYO:
1.0 Introduction
The joint Portfolio Committees on ICT, Postal and Courier Services and Primary and Secondary Education resolved to conduct a joint enquiry on the provision of online classes to learners during periods of lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced governments and organisations worldwide to look for digital alternatives to the accustomed face-to-face interaction between teachers and learners to ensure continuity and safety in the learning environment during the pandemic.
2.0 Objectives
- To appreciate measures put in place to ensure that learners in both rural and urban areas have access to classes during periods of lockdown;
- To assess the impact of such measures on the provision of online education in Zimbabwe; and
- To offer policy recommendations with a view to improve provision of education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
3.0 Methodology
The Committees conducted oral evidence sessions with the following organisations;
- Mrs. T. Thabela, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education;
- Eng. K. Kundishora, the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services;
- Dr Machengete, the Director General of Postal Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe;
- Mrs Mutasa, the Managing Director of TelOne.TelOne Zimbabwe;
- Mr Mushanawani, the Chief Executive Officer of NetOne; and
- Mr Makuni, the Chief Operating Officer of Econet Wireless.
4.0 Committee Findings
4.1 Presentation by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.
In her presentation, Mrs. Thabela indicated that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education had crafted short, medium and long-term strategies for the learners to access education during the lockdown period. The Ministry had adopted the use of online platforms such as open and distance learning, digital learning platforms, and the use of open education resources.
4.2 She informed the Committee that through the support of various partners such as UNESCO, World Vision, Higher life Foundation and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Ministry opened virtual learning platforms which includes;
- PROFUTURO Digital Education Programme supported by World Vision;
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) website;
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education online platforms that were supported by the United National Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); LEARNING PASSPORT and GIGA initiative connectivity of schools supported by UNICEF;
- LAN based platform for areas without connectivity; and
- Higher Life Foundation offered RUZIVO Platform; and Virtual library
4.3 In addition, the Permanent Secretary informed the Committees that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary had adopted the short-term measures to facilitate online learning and these include;
- Concessionary Econet data costs for learners
- CHATBOT: Dzidzo Pamuzi/ Imfundwe’ndlini/Paden
- Use of Whatsapp for learning -teachers using WhatsApp for teaching, mainly in urban schools.
Through partners such as UNICEF and Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED), the Ministry provided devices:
- 3180 radios, memory sticks (UNICEF) and 20 000 MP3 players and memory cards, (CAMFED) Campaign for Female Education. Eighty (80) tablets to support poor learners in Mwenezi District (Plan International) recording all the information that is online to make it offline for rural learners to be able to access.
4.4 Furthermore, the following were identified as medium to long term measures being implemented to achieve online lessons;
- Radio lessons-2100 produced and aired to date the challenge is on bandwidth especially in border areas. However, the main challenge is the cost of airing those radio lessons;
- Real time mobile telephone lessons for early childhood development-VIAMO- World Vision and Via Mobile learning platform;
- Television lessons – 40 lessons were produced to date;
- Self-Study Guides, Workbooks and Modules;
- Development of Study Packs; and
- Champions of Champions for Community based learning Programme.
4.5 In providing online lessons, the Permanent Secretary stressed out that some learners did not benefit from the online services due to lack of connectivity and radio transmission. However, she mentioned that the platforms and radio lessons managed to meet the educational needs of more than three million learners, assisted some Grade 7 learners in attaining reasonable grades in 2020 and facilitated mobile learning through texts, visual and audio.
5.0 Presentation by the Ministry of ICT Postal and Courier Services and other stakeholders.
5.1 Dr. Eng. Kundishora, the Permanent Secretary indicated that the Ministry of ICT Postal and Courier Services had managed to mobilise Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and other players in the telecommunications sector to develop digital platforms to enable learning to continue with classes in the wrath of the pandemic. The Ministry had produced the National E- Learning Strategy which was still under consideration by Cabinet at the time of the hearing.
5.2 Measures and Impact by Postal Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (POTRAZ)
5.2.1 Dr. Machengete, the Director General of POTRAZ indicated that through the Universal Services Fund (USF), POTRAZ has been rolling out various e-learning projects to seven schools over the past years as a way of making ICT services universally accessible targeting under-serviced areas in the country. The programmes have proved to be very helpful in the face of the new demands being experienced in the education sector as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
5.3 List of Programmes being undertaken by the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services and its Parastatals.
Dr Machengete mentioned that from the year 2000 and 2010, there was the model (40-seater lab per school programme),
5.3.1 USF Project by POTRAZ
In March 2020, at the onset of the pandemic, 570 computers were distributed to 575 schools. The schools were also connected to the internet. A total of 60 rural schools benefited under the Connect a School Connect a Community Project where at each school, 80 students received laptops, 10 tutor laptops, students and tutor desks and chairs, two projectors and screens, power supplies and solar panels. ICT gadgets which included computers, printers, projectors and servers were also distributed under the E-Learning Project. Four thousand three hundred and thirty two (4332) computers were distributed to 404 schools. In addition, 17 printers and three projectors were also distributed.
5.3.2 1300 Schools Connectivity Project [ZARNet/POTRAZ].
Dr Eng K. Kundishora, the Permanent Secretary revealed that the scope of the project included the provision of functional websites equipped with a Learning Management System, (e-learning) materials, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony, e-mail services and tele-education/video conferencing facilities. He further indicated that 800 schools have been connected to internet.
5.3.3 The Director General of POTRAZ, Dr Machengete cited that Community Information Centres have been established and operationalised to allow for increased access to computers and the internet for marginalised communities. The centres offer internet and other services such as printing, faxing and photocopying at subsidised rates. Students are also able to access e-leaning content and submit their work through online channels where necessary.
5.3.4 COVID-19 Initiatives
Dr Machengete mentioned that POTRAZ had planned to equip a total of one hundred and eighty (180) schools with either 20 laptops each and/or internet connectivity during the current year (2021). Procurement of both computers and deployment of connectivity for this project is underway. One hundred rural schools across the country have benefited in 2020.
5.3.5 Internet Connectivity
Fig 1. Summary of the schools connected and not connected to internet.
Item | School Type | National Total | Connected to Internet | Not connected to
Internet |
|||
1 | Primary | 6671 | 1751 | 4920 | |||
2 | Secondary | 2954 | 1263 | 1691 | |||
Total | 9625 | 3014 | 6611 | ||||
HON. MISIHAIRABWI-MUSHONGA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members. Order!
HON. MISIHAIRABWI-MUSHONGA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. First let me thank Hon. Moyo for the joint report and let me also thank in particular the ICT Committee who actually initiated this particular hearing. We, as the Committee on Primary and Secondary Education, as you may know Madam Speaker, have been to this House numerous times particularly at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and raised issues around our concern on the issue of the digital divide. Therefore it was proper that the Committees worked together so that they would also understand the problems that we were experiencing as the Portfolio Committee on Primary and Secondary Education and they being our supporters.
I also would like to thank and I think Hon. Moyo referred to this, the stakeholders that came to the table. I think we did appreciate particularly having the stakeholders that were coming from the private sector who shared with us some of the problems associated with this issue of the digital divide.
Hon. Moyo has spoken to great lengths on the issue around how the issue of digital divide has created the differences between those that have and those that do not have and you know, Madam Speaker, that our SDGs speak to not leaving anyone behind, but I think what has happened in the education sector as a result of COVID-19 has actually created a situation where we are leaving a lot of our young people behind.
I just want to take this time, Madam Speaker, to buttress the recommendations that were put by Hon. Moyo on behalf of the two Committees. In particular I want to buttress the recommendation about the need for an indaba on the issue of digitalisation within the education sector. I say so, Madam Speaker, because the indaba would address a number of things. Firstly, it would highlight the problem that we are talking about, the challenges that we are facing right now in the country and globally and put at the centre how digitalisation has moved so fast that if we do not catch up, we are actually going to have our children not being part of the global community. Secondly, the indaba will address the issues around financing because fundamentally the problem that we are going to struggle with for a long time is how do we resource the education sector so that it can respond.
Madam Speaker, we are noticing a global trend right now where issues of aid are being cut down. I think if some of you were listening to the news yesterday, one of the conversations that were taking place in the British Parliament was where Members of Parliament were taking on the Prime Minister on the kind of development aid cut that has since happened and understandably because some of the countries within the global communities have also had to suffer an economic recession. So we are not only going to have places like UK cutting down on aid, but generally development aid is going to be very difficult to come by which means that ourselves as African countries would have to really dig deep and find where we can find resources to deal with issues around financing of the social sector but in particular the education sector. Madam Speaker, if we do not do this very seriously, we are going to have a lost generation where we literally are going to have particular classes and a few of the elite being educated and the rest of our children not being educated.
If you look at the numbers and population, we know that 60% of our population is actually in the rural communities. So when we say the digital divide, we are actually saying there will be a part of our children in one part of the country who are going to be left out of the education sector. So it is important that this indaba takes place and some of us have been actually proposing that the indaba should actually be held at the highest level where the Presidency is invited so that they actually put this as a priority in the issues. I know that within NDSI we do have the issue of the education sector but it would be good at least at that highest level to have this particular indaba.
The indaba would also bring to the table the private sector. I think it is important that the private sector, particularly the banks because we know that if there is a sector that has posted at least some benefits and positive benefits for such in foreign currency, it has been the banks. So it is important to bring the banks on board, it is important to bring the mining community on board so that we can begin to look at the kind of resource mobilisation that we need to do so that the sector can operate.
Most importantly and we have raised this with the Ministry of Education and I think Hon. Moyo has also raised it; we are finding that because those that are in private schools are able to do this, we need to start charging ourselves as Government because it is a service they are using so if the private sector is wanting to create an e-learning module for example, they have to use the module on the basis of the curricula that we as Government has set up. So we need to make sure that the charge for that curricula just like we charge for everything else. When you go to a private hospital, you are charged and we as Government also get a certain amount of money from what is being charged at private hospitals. But we are not doing the same around e-learning and these are conversations that we need to start having so that we can make a bit of money from our local issues.
Hon. Moyo spoke about the issue of internationalisation of this conversation, in particular regionalising. One of the things that we have done in Africa and have not noticed is that we have looked at COVID-19 purely from a health perspective, which is why globally, we now have Covax, which is looking at issues of vaccines. We are forgetting that the majority in terms of our own demography in Africa are young people. For Europe, it works to prioritise issues of vaccinations but for Africa, yes vaccination is important but issues of education and the social sector are more important because we have a difference between ourselves and Europe. This is because Europe has more of the older people and Africa has more of the younger people. So we need to say to ourselves within the context of COVID-19, what should we be putting resources on. So, instead of having a global community that is just looking at a Covax problem, we should be looking at a global community that is looking at how we can resource supporting the social sector, in particular, the education sector.
The other issue that was raised was the issue and this is one of my favourite subjects. If we deal with the issue of digitalisation Madam Speaker, we may actually be able to address this increasing phenomena that we saw with COVID-19 where a number of our girls got pregnant during the lockdown. We have had in this House, people that have issues with these kids coming back into school and the kids themselves being comfortable about going back into school. If e-learning is expanded and is given to circumstances where you are giving the pregnant girls an opportunity to learn while they are at home and they just come into school to write their exams, you are also dealing with the issues of stigma. So, the issue around e-learning and digitalisation Madam Speaker, is crucial and important.
As far as our recommendations are concerned, we really want us to highlight the issue that Government needs to deal very urgently with the issue around e-learning and understand that without e-learning, we will not have moved anywhere. We are hoping that when we do this regional meeting, we should be able to address it. One of our own people is the one who is the AU Ambassador around issues of COVID-19, Mr. Strive Masiiwa and I think as a country, we need to take the opportunity of engaging with our own people who are now at positions where they are able to mobilise resources and say how do we get resources that are enough for us to finance the issue around COVID-19 and digitalisation.
Let me thank you very much Madam Speaker for giving us this opportunity and because this report is critical, we are hoping that both the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and the Minister of ICT will come and respond to some of the recommendations that we have given so that next time we are able to move more seriously and respond to this crisis that we have as a nation. I thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I also want to add my voice to this very important report by Hon. Moyo and seconded by Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga. Madam Speaker Ma’am, I want to start by saying, there is no one period in this country when people talked about ICT more than the period we got into COVID-19. That is when people felt there was need and we were actually being left behind. That is when we started realising there was no connectivity in terms of what was supposed to be done by ICT.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, if you look at this issue of ICT, normally in rural areas, they quickly want to think about base stations so that there is electricity which they can use in terms of ICT. We discovered that we are missing a very important sector; the Ministry of Energy and Power Development which was supposed to be with us. Normally in our rural areas, we have a number of challenges when it comes to provision of electricity and hence digitalisation in a number of our schools. A lot of places in our rural areas do not have base stations. Those that have base stations face other challenges, especially during the rainy season. We have transformers being destroyed by lightning and even the poles themselves falling when we have a lot of rain.
I think this Ministry needs to be capacitated because in most cases Madam Speaker Ma’am, there will be delays in coming back to repair these gadgets. In some cases, we have seen people being electrocuted. I remember in my constituency, we lost two children due to electrocution, whereby they were caught up when the lines were dangling across a path. So, this area needs to be attended to because it is the commonest source of energy for our digitalisation to take place in the schools.
We also observed during the workshop that the disabled persons were also at a loss because there were no gadgets available for them, especially when they were most needed during COVID lockdown. Also, you find they have not been given enough access to get this facility. Even where you find we had computers in schools, during COVID they could not travel there and some of them had problems of getting to those schools because of the paths and roads they had to navigate.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Sithole, can you be connected.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I think I am now connected. We also noted there was a challenge of the costs of data bundles for our learners who are supposed to benefit through ICT. Even the gadgets themselves are so scarce and expensive to most of them. If you also look at the teachers that we have in the schools, a number of our teachers need to go back and do some refresher courses or to be retrained so that they could actually assist in this digitalisation process. It is not easy for a teacher to teach what he or she does not understand because that will also go down to what the children are going to get.
We also discovered that there was a lot of collusion here and there where you find some of the schools that were provided with gadgets were not later visited and some of the gadgets were lying idle. In one case, it was important that the school was given gadgets by our development partners but they had no source of power and the gadgets just remained there. This prompted us, as one of our recommendations to say, we were going to visit and we are going to do that; to visit some schools and we picked two schools per province so that we see those schools that were assisted and make sure that they are making use of the gadgets because the statistics we were given showed that the number of our development partners are doing very good work in the schools but also good to check whether there is implementation. Although we realised more of the need to have digitalisation when COVID-19 struck us, it was also observed that we are no longer going back because we have started on this and that must be our path towards improving the education of our children. Even our societies in future it has to be digitalised completely because that is where we are going. We should see digitalisation getting more in schools and industries only, even in our homes that should be the culture. We have children who are now being born during this digitalisation era. I thank you.
*HON. CHIKUKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I am pleased with the motion that was raised by Hon. Moyo seconded by Hon. Misihairabwi. I think this is a good motion but I would like to bring another issue. Firstly, I heard her talking about the Indaba. I am happy with that but my request is, there is a statement that says nothing for us without us. So I think that as we are discussing these issues, we should look at the results of grade seven pupils for 2020. Children were not subjected to adequate learning and they do not have facilities to engage in online learning. Nothing much in terms of learning was done except the fact that it resulted in a number of pregnancies.
I was deeply disturbed by the grade seven results. Those in the rural areas were affected a lot. So, what I think Government should do is to work as a united force, together with the private sector. If you look at NetOne, it is a parastatal. It should be financed so that they install base stations in rural areas for them to access internet in those remote areas. I also request that more funds should be availed towards the E-learning programme, with particular concern to those in farms and resettlements. If those schools are well equipped with big generators, rural areas pupils will benefit a lot.
On the issue of teachers, my request is that teachers should go through psychometric tests to ensure that they are dedicated to their work. For example, people who joined the nursing profession due to passion and commitment, you can tell by how they handle patients. Those who joined the nursing profession due to failure to get what they wanted; you can see them leaving patients in agony. They can actually say I am not paid to do that, but those who are committed and have the people at heart will always try, using limited resources to assist patients. So, when it comes to teacher training, there is need for psychometric test to assess the level of commitment.
In rural areas, most of these teachers are found at townships, drinking beer during learning times. I am supporting the fact that these two Ministries as well as the Energy sector should be availed more funds to ensure that learning takes place. I thank you
(v)*HON. GANDAWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for affording me the opportunity to add my voice to the report presented by Hon Moyo and seconded by Hon Misihairabwi-Mushonga. I have a few issues that I wish to give emphasis on, in support of this report. In the research that we did as the ICT Committee, my concern is on the issue of rural areas which are lagging behind. Rural schools are experiencing challenges in terms of network. We found that a lot of schools have received computers as donations, either from Government or from the private sector or well-wishers. But we discovered that those donations are benefiting mostly the urban schools because the network is good and also the availability of electricity.
Our rural pupils remain disadvantaged in terms of computers and gadgets. We also discovered that in schools where computers have been donated, most of them are lying idle because the teachers lack the capacity to teach ICT. This presents a challenge in Zimbabwe, where learning is now done using ICT in this COVID-19 era. Request is made to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education that refresher courses be held for teachers in order to enable full utilisation of these donated computers in teaching pupils.
There is also support from UNDP in the form of radios with pre-recorded lessons or programmes. I believe a number of schools have received these radios. These radios seem to be benefiting the already privileged schools yet those in rural areas are left out. We are yet to see these radios in our rural schools where there is a big number of pupils who require them. I can give examples of two schools in my constituency, Dete and Mupuse, which are in very remote areas. My request to the Minister is to consider giving preference to these schools in remote and disadvantaged areas in terms of network, when distributing these radios with pre-recorded programmes to enable our children to access education as well in this COVID-19 era. Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
(v)*HON. NYOKANHETE: Thank you Madam Speaker for affording me the opportunity to add my voice to the motion which was raised by Hon. Moyo and seconded by Hon. Misihairabwi. We also notice that in rural areas we have a shortage of teachers yet we have trained teachers who are not employed and can be utilised to go and assist those. Our request is that the Government should intervene in terms of installation of basestations that will enable them to get network. POTRAZ should be supported in this regard so that people are connected.
Annually we are requesting for more funds to be allocated to the Ministry of ICT because that is the Ministry that needs to see that computers are availed in different areas. Every year, the Ministry of ICT is allocated a meagre budget, yet they play a pivotal role in the development of the country. Urban schools have computers but those rural schools do not even have electricity and they do not have computers.
We have a school such as the one that I have mentioned, there is no electricity and there are no resources at all. In rural areas, the situation is worse. In these schools, children do not know how a computer looks like. It is drawn on the chalkboard by the teacher. Even the teacher himself/herself does not know the computer, he/she actually draws the computer based on the textbook. So, for the development of the nation, let us look into the issue of development and also look at the issue of computers and adequate resources to ensure that efficient learning takes places.
What is very important is that the gadgets such as computers should have tax exemptions for schools who will be purchasing computer consumables and computers themselves to enhance the use of computers. As Members of Parliament, there was a time when we were getting computers using CDF funds. As a Member of Parliament, if I want to procure computers for schools, we are expected to satisfy certain requirements and it is a cumbersome process. I think we need to lessen the cumbersome nature of the process as we procure computers for the schools. We are responsible adults and we know the specifications but the issue of referring these to tender boards to go and deliberate on delays the process. What eventually happens is that we end up concentrating on building classrooms and yet there are more important issues such as procurement of computers. I thank you.
*(v)HON DUTIRO: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate raised by Hon Moyo and seconded by Hon Misihairabwi-Mushonga as we debate on ICT. Our phones…
Part of speech not recorded due to technical fault.
+HON CHASI: I want to thank the Hon Member who presented this report that we are discussing right now. I also want to thank the good work that Government is doing especially installing computers in rural areas. However, I realise that there are some challenges when we are considering the results from the previous year. We are told that there were online lessons but these lessons were not there in rural areas. It was only in urban areas. In the rural areas, there was nothing called online lessons? That is the reason why we find that most students in the rural areas performed badly. According to me, I will not say learners failed because they did not learn. Therefore Government should give good allocation because kids are not learning. It is very important that when a school is given computers, it is also important that they have the internet. Most rural schools do not use those computers because they do not internet connectivity.
My appeal is that Government should try to give many computers to rural schools and that they be given access to internet. Also teachers should be capacitated on how to use these computers. We can say we gave computers to rural schools but because there is no internet, it is of no use. Mr. Speaker, we have not started. As there is no e-learning, there is nothing that is being done at schools, especially the rural schoold until we put internet and computers. We have been in the rural areas, areas near Kariba and so on do not have connectivity and those parents cannot afford to buy bundles.
(v) HON. MAFUTA: Thank you Mr. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to debate on the motion raised by Hon. P. Moyo and his seconder Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga. I am disheartened by the issue of e-communication, the situation is worse in rural areas. In rural areas there is no network, they do not have wi-fi at all. In our area, pupils do not have access to e-learning. People in rural areas are not learning whilst those in urban areas have access to these gadgets, so Government should ensure that boosters are installed by the mobile players.
(v) HON. V. H. MGUNI: Thank you Hon. Speaker, I want to thank the Hon. Members for the motion about the education system. I want to say there are still areas where this technology cannot be used because these areas are using networks from Botswana. So, this method is disturbing learners. Pupils cannot access internet at all. I can give an example of e-learning - when the Ministry of Health advertised, people failed to apply because there is no Net-One booster, so people fail to apply to go for nursing training. I also want to request that the Government should try to restore network services such as NetOne and Telecel to the affected areas so that learners in the area can be assisted and catch up with other learners in this whole nation. We all know that educating children is educating a nation. Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this time.
*(v) HON. C. MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the motion raised by Hon. Moyo seconded by Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga. Education is very important and the pass rate of schools should not go down.
I went to Gwanda and saw companies that were manufacturing cellphones with prices that were affordable, that everyone could buy. Cellphone, and also the laptops are expensive. Can we say such companies should not pay taxes so that these phones and laptops can be affordable to all learners in every area? So my request, Hon. Speaker, is that can we have companies in areas that we come from who are selling these gadgets at an affordable price.
My second request, Hon. Speaker is, can we have a discussion with different stakeholders because these bundles are very expensive. If you use these search engines, data does not last for more than 10 minutes. Someone who is in the rural areas cannot afford to buy that data at that exorbitant price. So I am appealing that there should be a discussion over that so that the data bundles are reduced and be affordable to everyone so that they do not affect the learners.
I only say these two requests because most things have been said. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*(v) HON. CHIKUNI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to add a few words concerning the motion that has been brought forward about ICT in the schools.
I want to thank Parliament which has made it possible for us to use virtual. Learners are learning using phones. In our rural areas, there are a lot of challenges because there are laptops and computers that were bought long back by Members of Parliaments and other stakeholders but learners are failing to use those gadgets because there is no power. Electrical transformers have grown old and they have not been replaced. So these rural learners are far behind when compared to their colleagues in towns. Learners are only relying on teachers and some of these teachers are not coming to school. So we find that these learners are having a great challenge.
I am appealing that can we make use of these laptops and computers that are in schools by resuscitating the power system. Parents are so concerned because they are hearing that children are now using phones yet they cannot afford even airtime, what more of the bundles. These learners are far left behind. That is what I wanted to say Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you very much.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 15th June, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 15 to 45 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 46 on today’s Order Paper has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE AND TOURISM ON THE ALLEGED EMISSIONS OF POLLUTANTS BY STEEL BRANDS (PVT) LTD
Forty Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism on Steel Brands (PVT) LTD.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to begin my presentation by acknowledging and appreciating the detailed and objective report that was produced by the Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism on the alleged air pollution from Steel Brands (Pvt) Ltd, located in Houghton Park, Harare. The report was presented in the National Assembly in March, 2021. I took note of the objectives of the inquiry, methodology, the Committee’s findings during oral and documentary evidence, as well as their findings during the visit. The analysis of the key issues presented on paragraph 5.0 of the report aptly synthesized and summarized the whole matter, leading to the logical recommendations presented. Mr. Speaker Sir, having said that, I wish to give the current status as well as additional information before giving a comment on the recommendations by the Committee as follows:
Compliance Status at Steel Brands as at 10 June 2021
The Company has made significant technological interventions using Best Available Technology (BAT) to abate air pollution in response to the Environmental Impact Assessment certificate conditions as well as public interest demands and pressure, (see annexures attached). Mr. Speaker Sir, the company completed the following interventions in order to mitigate against emissions: -
- Installation of fume hoods to capture fugitive emissions and channel them through the main stack;
- Installation of grit arrestor, water bath and cyclone to capture particulates;
- Installation of a continuous casting system offsetting the need for the use of coal resulting in less particulate emissions; and
- Screening of poor-quality scrap metal with paint to prevent emissions.
Interventions that have recently been implemented include the
installation of a wet scrubber for the capturing of particulate emissions and waste gases, further strengthening and complementing works already completed. The scrubber is scheduled to be commissioned by the 19th of June, 2021.
Currently, the Company has two (2) emission licenses for generator emissions and induction furnace. Both emission points are in the blue class which has a low level of risk in terms of SI 72/2009 as a result of the stated interventions.
All process effluent, including cooling water, is recycled back into the system via a closed and paved system.
A multi-stakeholder team encompassing representatives from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC), Environmental Management Agency (EMA), National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and the City of Harare met on 16th April, 2021 to discuss the compliance status of steel brands. Mr. Speaker Sir, I am happy to note from the findings of the team that the company has regularised their operations.
Comment on the recommendations by the Committee
Recommendation 6.1 is fundamental and well noted. The principles to amend the Environmental Management Act, Chapter 20:27 with a view to align it with the Constitution and inclusion of emerging environmental issues are at an advanced stage. Mr. Speaker Sir, my Ministry is geared to meet the deadline of 31st December, 2021 to amend the Act subject to support by the Hon. Members.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to comment on recommendation 6.2 and 6.3 at the same time as they seem to speak to each other. Recommendation 6.2 is on the relocation of the plant from the current site to a heavy industrial zone while recommendation 6.3 is on settling up an independent technical investigation team to come up with a detailed report that should contain recommendations on the relocation of the plant and submit a report by 31st December, 2021. Mr. Speaker, I wholly concur with the recommendation by the Committee as that would bring out transparency and public acceptance on the final decision. My Ministry would set up a multi-skilled technical team and draw-up terms of reference for them. The deadline for the 31st December, 2021 is agreeable, given the need to monitor and take samples for the plant at different times of the year so as to produce scientifically justifiable results.
There is also a need to continuously capacitate EMA to acquire various environmental monitoring technologies such as Ambient Air Monitoring technology so that such projects are easy to monitor and report on real time. My Ministry would continue to lobby for funding from the fiscus to ensure this capacitation as it is crucial for the nation as we seek to ensure a clean, safe and healthy environment in terms of Section 73 of the Constitution. I thank you.
HON. MUSARURWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for his response. I would also like to thank all Hon. Members who contributed to this report. May I be allowed to move that the House adopts the report of the Committee, Hon. Speaker Sir.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move that we revert to Order Number 10 on today’s Order Paper.
HON. MUSARURWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CRISIS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE COUNTRY
HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I move the motion standing in my name;
That this House,
COGNISANT that education is a basic right enshrined in Zimbabwe’s Constitution and that the state has a duty to provide learners with resources and teaching facilities depending on the availability of resources;
NOTING, the unprecedented turbulence caused by the Covid 19 pandemic to the country’s public education system;
AWARE that the incapacitation of teachers due to poor remuneration and conditions of service has worsened the state of the public education system;
CONCERNED that the disturbances in the education sector have further widened the gap between the children of the rich and poor in Zimbabwe as the former access education while the latter do not have the same privileges;
SHOCKED that the Executive has not enacted policies to address the plight of teachers thereby threatening the future of millions of learners.
NOW THEREFORE, recommends that the Portfolio Committees on Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; and Primary and Secondary Education jointly conduct:
- a)An inquiry to determine whether the ideological shift by the Executive arm of Government from centre left to centre right which favors the rich at the expense of the poor is desirable to Zimbabwe;
- b) Public hearings to assess whether there has been no dereliction of duty by the Ministers of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Primary and Secondary Education in the ongoing deterioration of the public education system in Zimbabwe; and
- c) An investigation into whether Members of the Executive are not benefitting from the chaos in the public education system by luring students from failed public schools to their personal private colleges and schools which offer Cambridge examinations instead of the Zimbabwe School Examination Council (ZIMSEC).
- d)To proffer recommendations to this House on measures that need to be taken to address the crises in the public education system in the country.
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I second.
(v) HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I just wanted to start this motion by simply restating the obvious things that many Members of this august House are aware of. First and foremost, every Member in this House is a product of a good educational standard that we went through. You recall that after 1980, the Government led by the then Prime Minister, Robert Gabriel Mugabe who was an educationist himself, invested hugely into the education sector. Consequently, some of us benefited hugely from this new trajectory that the independent Zimbabwe had brought.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in the early years of the 1980s, most people were staying in the rural areas. There were very few primary and secondary schools, but the Government moved in to build additional primary and secondary schools. I recall, the school I went for my primary school up to grade seven, during that time we were doing two subjects. I came up with three units. I was not the highest, there were some with two units and there were quite a number of kids at that school who had less than 10 units. I also remember that at secondary school, there was one student who came out with 6 A’s at ordinary level in a rural set up.
If you then compare the education we had during that time and the education that we have now, you just wonder what went wrong. Those people who were learning in towns, there was little difference with some of us who were in the rural areas. Today, you just do not know whether this is Zimbabwe or something terribly went wrong. Mr. Speaker Sir, when there is a problem in the manner that we have in this country, we need to introspect. We then actually wonder what actually went wrong. Right now in the rural areas, in other school you find not even a student who has passed. In other cases, you find two or three passes and even in the urban set up, you find schools with 40% pass rate. What has happened Mr. Speaker Sir?
As politicians, we owe it to those people who sent us to Parliament and people that sent us to Government. I have tried to look into the standard of education that we have – look at even the state of a teacher today, compared to the teacher in 1980. My father was a teacher and during that time, you could actually move with pride to be a teacher’s son. Mr. Speaker, you may need to be aware that in Shona there was a saying “kudada somukadzi wa teacher” This was because of the standards that have been set up that were so good that teachers were highly regarded in society. It is totally the opposite today. If you see a teacher today and try to compare with the teachers that were there then, I actually do not understand what could have happened.
Today the teacher that you see, whether it is an urban set up in Dzivaresekwa or it is a rural area in Mt Darwin or Chikomba, anywhere, it is pathetic. Now the question that comes to mind is, how could things fall apart when we have got people that are supposed to be running educational institutions. We have people that are supposed to superintend the education sector; people that are being paid to ensure that our students get a good future. The future belongs to these kids whose lives we are actually destroying.
When we went to school, some of us wrote Cambridge examinations but there is a time when the Government then introduced ZIMSEC. All other schools including private schools went on and appreciated ZEMSEC. Everybody was happy to write ZIMSEC but then the train went off the rail. This is the gist of my motion. Who has been sleeping on duty? Why are we where we are today? First and foremost, let me state, like I have indicated that politicians are given the mandate by the people and I have here a copy of the Manifesto of the Ruling Party ZANU PF, that they presented to the people in 2018 as it speaks to the education system. I have got a copy on the NDS 1, in terms of what this Government said about the education system.
If you read these documents, it portrays a Government of roses. It portrays a Government that is caring; a Government that wants to see the future of our children being prioritised. Alas! The opposite is true. What has happened is that this Government has failed and continues to fail our people. Accordingly, in my view, we need to then pin-point and say who in this Government is failing our future? Who is selling a dummy to our kids? Rights now if you come to Dzivaresekwa; you will realise one thing which is so disturbing, most children who come from poor backgrounds have nowhere to go to. They have to write ZIMSEC examination, they have to attend public schools, they have to go to schools where teachers are not teaching. During our trade union days we used to say that if you pretend to look after your worker, the worker will also pretend to be working. This is the truth. There is little that is happening within the public schools but instead we have seen a trend that is disturbing. The kids that come from rich families and those that are politically connected, those that stitch a do here and a do there are the ones that are benefiting because now we have seen a movement from the public schools to private schools. The worst part of it is that most of the private schools are writing Cambridge examinations and who are the owners of these private schools? We have seen a trend where politicians are now investing in education, building colleges and private schools. They are failing to do their jobof maintaining the education system within the public sector. They are building several schools and colleges and poor people are languishing and remaining in poverty without teachers. The rich ones go to private schools.
There was a combined report of the two Portfolio Committees, one on ICT and the other one on education. Every Hon Member in this august House was bemoaning the issue of e-learning. Every Hon Member is bemoaning the state of the education system in their constituencies. It is even worse when you look at the issue of rural areas. Things have fallen apart. This is where I come in and say how is this possible when you have got a Minister of Finance who for the past three years has been telling us that this Government is declaring a surplus. This Minister can stubbornly stand up and say I am doing well in terms of the fiscus of this country, everything is moving in the right direction. How can you have a surplus when you are failing to pay the teachers? How can you have a surplus when the students do not have access to e-learning. How can you stand up and beat your chest and say we are in the right direction.
How do you have a Minister of Public Service who goes to work on a day to day basis and claim that he is doing the work which he is mandated to by the Constitution when you know that the public sector is not being paid adequately, when you know nothing is happening and you pretend as if something is happening? How do you have a full Minister of Education and a deputy for that matter, who are supposed to superintend over the education system sitting and pretending as if everything is good?
If you check Mr. Speaker Sir, half of the motions that have been moved in this House point to the question of the education sector. The only issue that is there in some of these motions is that people and Hon Members have been nice and polite enough because they do not want to point a finger to say these are the people that are taking us backwards. Who are the people? It is the Minister of Public Service, it is the Minister of Finance, it is the Minister of Education. In other countries, when you are faced with this level of failure, people do tender their resignations. The mere fact that these Ministers have not done that, they see things as normal, it tells you that they do not care. They have normalised the abnormal. This is not good for us. This is the reason I am asking this august House to support the motion in calling for the relevant Portfolio Committee to investigate and enquire whether the centre right position taken by Government is good for this country.
The Government of Robert Mugabe in the early 80s was centre left, it wanted to take everyone on board but the Government of today is centre right. It simply says only the few should benefit at the expense of the majority. We need the Portfolio Committee to investigate. Do we not have Members in the Executive who are benefiting from this crisis, people that have actually invested a lot of money in the education sector, making sure that their schools and colleges are doing Cambridge rather than ZIMSEC? The question is, if those people are there how do you then have a person in the education sector, you then give that person power to superintend, you then come to a conclusion that some of the failure that we have in the education sector is because of conflict of interest. This is the reason why we need the Portfolio Committee on Education to relook and analyse that is there no neglect of duty by the Minister of Public Service. Is there no neglect of duty by the Minister of Education, is there no neglect of duty by the Minister of Finance?
I have listened to Hon Members from ZANU PF in this august House who have interest of their constituencies when they passionately debate and discuss issues pertaining to the education system but we cannot have all these people being outdone by a few people that are being paid to do the work that they are not doing. My view is that we need an investigation to look into it.
The damaging part of this problem that we face is - have you ever asked yourself what ten years from now would be like? Do you know that these children, whose education was destroyed from 2008 when hyperinflation started, have you ever asked yourself what the future of this country holds? More often than not, we praise ourselves and we salute people that went and fought for this country to attain freedom but freedom is not yet enough unless we can bequeath that freedom to future generations. If we fail to make sure that these children benefit from this Zimbabwe. My fear is that most of our kids will not benefit because we will have the other people come in and loot like the Chinese. Our children will not understand what is going on because their future is bleak. This is the issue that I am raising that we can afford at this juncture to put our heads in the sand and pretend as if nothing is happening. Something wrong is happening in Zimbabwe. The future of our children is being destroyed whilst we are there. As Hon Members of this august House, I pray that you allow the Portfolio Committee to go in there and question the stance that this Government has taken to move from the centre left to centre right is problematic. The question that was asked when this report was being tabled is, why are we simply talking of e-learning when most schools do not have access to it.
Mr. Speaker, recently we were being told that about 70% of people live in rural areas. So it is disturbing to learn that 70% do not have access to ICT. In rural areas they do not have teachers and they do not have ICT. I know of a school in Rushinga, it has only two qualified teachers. How do you expect such a kid to inherit the Zimbabwe which Comrades Joshua Nkomo and Tongogara died for? How do you expect that person to survive and build a future in a country where Hon. Chinotimba went to war for?
Mr. Speaker, we need the future of our kids. My only prayer is to simply say, Hon. Members, the future of Zimbabwe lies in our kids and we are destroying that future if we do not bring these people to account. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MOLOKELA-TSIYE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I just want to say that the right to education especially basic education is the right that we as Parliamentarians and the people of Zimbabwe should fully respect. If you are not educated, you are a disadvantaged person and the opportunities in life that normally are available to every citizen do not normally come to you. As such, I rise to second the motion by Hon. Mushoriwa in the sense that I strongly believe that it is the duty of this Parliament and indeed every citizen of Zimbabwe to ensure that the right to education should not just be a pipedream but it should be a right that benefits everyone in this country.
Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of Zimbabweans who believe that they are a very educated nation but the truth is that the gains that we saw in education in the 1980s and an extent in the 1990s, we have been losing them in the last 20 years. Since the new millennium, Zimbabwe has actually lost those gains. The right to education is no longer easily accessible to the majority of people in this country. To that end, this motion by Hon. Mushoriwa is very welcome.
This is not the time to do finger pointing. This is the time to take a sober reflection and say where we are is not where we are supposed to be. What can we do as the people of Zimbabwe to make sure that we move forward as a country so that the reputation that we have that Zimbabweans are educated people does not get lost along the way. If you were born in Zimbabwe after the year 2000, you are at a disadvantage especially those who were born after the year 2010, more so those who were born in rural parts of Zimbabwe. They are at a very big disadvantage because we have lost a lot of teachers. We have suffered a serious brain drain as a country. If you go to South Africa today, and other countries today you will see a lot of our teachers there. You will see teachers who are supposed to be teaching in Lupane, Gweru and so forth, they are in Johannesburg at the moment. They are not even teaching there. They are doing anything else, some are waiters and some are just doing general jobs while back here in Zimbabwe, if you look at the student to teacher ratio, especially in rural areas, you will cry.
As a nation, let us take off the political party gowns that we have. Let us stop pointing fingers at each other and let us say something urgently needs to be done. Being a teacher in the 1980s was such a big source of pride and being a civil servant was such a big source of pride. When you look at the terms and conditions for civil servants and Members of Parliament of this country, it leaves a lot to be desired. As Parliament of Zimbabwe, let us not take this matter lightly. Let us remove our political party caps and go deeper.
Mr. Speaker, I am aware that there is an announcement by the Minister of Finance that we have a surplus, I think it is about ten billion and I want us as Parliament of Zimbabwe to understand the mathematical logic especially from a budgetary point of view. How do we have a surplus of 10 billion in this country? What does it mean practically when you know that you have lost many teachers, skills, civil servants, they have left the public education system. The few that are still teachers are now in the private sector but the majority are doing anything else except teaching. How is it possible for us as a country to have surplus budget when the terms and conditions of employment for teachers and indeed all other civil servants are at such a deplorable state? As the people of Zimbabwe, we must take a clear position to say enough is enough. We need something to happen that will make sure that a civil servant in this country has got dignity.
Mr. Speaker there is not even one person in Parliament who can honestly stand up and say they are happy whether from ZANU PF or from the Opposition with the terms and conditions of employment. Let us do something to make sure that something dramatic happens so that we do not continue to lose our civil servants, including our teachers because it affects the quality of service delivery. It affects the quality of administrative service for this country and it also affects the quality of education that we have in this country. As, I speak to you, there is a fight against corruption. How do you win the fight against corruption when your own civil servants are some of the most underpaid people in the world? How do you win this fight against corruption when you look at the salaries of civil servants, of the police officers - how do you expect them not to be corrupt? It is not fair. So as Parliament, I want to challenge us to go beyond the political party divide. This is about the future of Zimbabwe. We need our civil servants to have their dignity restored and the terms and conditions of employment, there is need for a dramatic shift upward for every civil servant in this country; for every teacher or educator in this country, they need to have a different kind of service of terms and conditions because what we see today, the moment you are a civil servant, the moment you are a teacher you are automatically poor. You are not even able to live from month to month. You live from hand to mouth and it is really unacceptable.
So I challenge us as legislatures to go deeper on this matter. I know that Hon. Mushoriwa has suggested that we should have a special committee of inquiry of some sort to follow up this matter and that is one other option that we need to have. I wanted to go beyond that and say that there is not even one Cabinet Minister in this a country who appointed themselves. There is not even one Cabinet Minister in this country who was elected to become a Cabinet Minister. Each and every one of those Cabinet Ministers that Hon. Mushoriwa mentioned by name are directly appointed and are accountable to the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. It is the President who is the appointing authority. He has the right to appoint them and to disappoint them. So it is also up to the President to ensure that Cabinet Ministers perform to the expectation of the Government.
We have the NDS1, the manifestos of parties, the Constitution; we have everything that sets the standards for everyone. So I am also challenging the Executive arm of the State, I am challenging the appointing authority to take a decisive step to ensure that there is a clear shift in the performance of the Cabinet because you cannot spend time and your resources focusing on a Cabinet Minister when you know that Cabinet Minister can be removed the next day by the President of the country. It is the responsibility of the President. In fact, I already know that there is a special Minister who is responsible for monitoring and evaluation. That is their job to make sure that a Cabinet Minister is performing to expectation.
So if Hon. Mushoriwa thinks that a Minister has failed, has shown failure of leadership, the buck does not stop with that Hon. Minister, it stops with the appointing authority. He is the one who should further investigate and make sure that each and every Cabinet Minister is performing to expectation and then if they are not able, a Cabinet reshuffle is necessary. A Cabinet reshuffle is necessary to ensure that you appoint a more competent Minister. We need to see change, a progressive change.
So, I second this motion and I say that the buck stops with the President of Zimbabwe. It is the duty of the appointing authorities to decide whether someone continues as a Cabinet Minister or not. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I stood up to oppose some of the issues mentioned by Hon. Mushoriwa in terms of the way things are being done, especially when it comes to the issue of education in this country. We know that the country is not static in terms of development. If we are going to be using the past to move forward - I do not see us developing and I do not see us uniting. The moment we start comparing leaders thinking the previous leader was better, we are not going to succeed.
The challenges that we are facing in terms of education and the living standards of the people as well as the remuneration challenges is all a result of the sanctions. How do you rule a country that has sanctions imposed on it? I want to applaud our President because he is doing well; because to be what we are today, it is because he is brave and has foresight as to what we can do despite the sanctions. We are now in a covid-19 era. For us to have schools that should use computers, it is all because of covid-19 that e-learning has been introduced. Globally, COVID-19 has affected all countries and we need to come up with a way forward to ensure that our children’s education is not affected.
It is not only Zimbabwe that is affected by the issue of education because of covid-19. Covid-19 is a challenge for everyone. So we should not say that the challenges being faced are because of the leader or the Minister running that Ministry. Let us unite and let us also take into consideration that we have our students who are putting together computers. So let us utilise them.
We have areas that do not have access to radio and those who have access to radio should ensure that they are able to get their education from the radio. What we foresee is that the Government should make use of the supplementary budget and through this budget education should be availed more funds to ensure that children are able to continue with their education.
In rural areas we need networks so boosters must be constructed and installed. So what we should be saying in this House is that more funds should be allocated to the relevant Ministers. How can children learn from a teacher who does not even have a computer and is not knowledgeable on what is happening. It is not new in Zimbabwe, in Britain it is happening, but the only difference is that Britain has the required resources and infrastructure to do e-learning.
We cannot compare ourselves to South Africa because South Africa is not under sanctions and they do not have challenges in terms of electricity. Right now what we should be considering is how we can make use of renewable sources of energy such as solar energy and how the rural schools are going to get solar. That will only be possible if we come up with ideas in this House than for us to say the Minister should be relieved of his duties.
There is COVID-19. Look at what is happening in India. Many people are losing their lives and nothing in happening in India. What I am saying is that this motion should be interrogated and we should come up with recommendations as to how we can assist the Government to ensure that our children are not denied their right to education and also that the teachers and the civil servants are well remunerated to improve their standard of living. Once we are united we can address the challenges and we should not look at the ruling party or opposition when it comes to such matters. We should look into the issue of what should be done. This is not about someone failing to rule, but the Government is utilising all available funds to ensure that we get vaccines for COVID-19. Zimbabwe has a high number of vaccinated people compared to many countries in Africa. People are being vaccinated and the Government is making maximum efforts to ensure that people are vaccinated. We need to find the cause for all these challenges. If we do not do that, we will have failed.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I thought that this is an issue that I needed to address and add my voice to. I thank you.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I also want to add my voice to this very important motion, which is actually geared towards the education of our children and their plight. Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to start by saying the education system of the old regime is not something we can actually emulate today. I understand in Grade 7, you would be asked to recite a poem about Bongwi the baboon. But what was good about reciting a poem when you were not getting closer to Bongwi to see how he looks like and when he is ill, how to operate him and make him survive?
Today’s education system is where we are focusing; that we should have a practical approach and an education system that can liberate our people. Yes, we made a very huge investment Mr. Speaker Sir, right from 1980. I remember in my own constituency, we used to have only one secondary school, Mashoko High School but today we have 12 secondary schools. Now, when we have got so many schools, it means the needs will also increase and when there is a disaster in your nation, it means a lot of people will suffer.
Let us look at the type of education that we have today because some of us might be thinking of the old primary school. Today, Grade 7 is writing six subjects when we used to have two. The subjects are a local language. We can also understand that we are promoting the languages which were never promoted in the past. They are doing languages, mathematics, social sciences, physical education and arts and sciences and ICT. If you look at this base, it is going to be a good background towards Education 5.0 which our Hon. Members have been applauding when Minister for Higher and Tertiary Education, Hon. Prof. Murwira has been presenting. So, we are having a very good education system, which we should make sure we nourish, perhaps by providing the necessary resources.
Yes, the state of teachers, it goes without saying that they are in need of support. They are in need of resources, financial among them and we should understand that when we were at primary, we used to say when I grow up, I want to be a teacher. During that time, how many teachers were there - very few teachers and very few children going to school. I remember when I was doing Sub A up to Grade 5, I never saw a girl in my class but today we have got so many girls that are going to school. However, our teachers really have to be well-remunerated depending on the resources. Our challenge at the moment is that we are going such problems like Cyclone Idai, COVID-19 and of course the monster, the sanctions which have been affecting our nation.
As the Members of Parliament who are representing their own people, let us approach this problem with a patriotic mind rather than making ourselves a laughing stock. We have to be patriotic and say if we want to have our teachers assisted, then we must also be in a good position to support ourselves as Government and as MPs. Hon. Speaker Sir, we are supposed to have a no going back approach. What I am saying about that is we have already seen what has been engineered as a good education system for ourselves. What we have to do collectively is to support this type of education system that we have and also make sure that at the end, our children are going to benefit.
If you look at a person who was a student in the colonial era, that person was actually going academic; he was not even practical to the extent that one who did that sought of education would always employ people who have requisite skills and these are the skills that we are looking at today. So, we must also have some political will towards making sure that we have a good education system by supporting the programmes that are there. We must look at positive change as something that is going to make our nation prosper.
If we look at what the President did yesterday by launching the Disability Policy, this thing was not there for many years and even during our education system in the colonial era. How many disabled children went to school? These are things we are talking about and say let us now continue supporting that. If we have seen disability being recognised, what are we going to do in our constituencies? How do we make sure that disabled children go to school? So, it is a collective responsibility Mr. Speaker Sir, which will make us defeat this problem. It is a situation where we should not be having too much finger pointing. We want to say what solution are we going to proffer.
Our Constitution states that we need to provide the right type of education, quality education. Even the mission statement for the Primary and Secondary Education emphasises quality education. There is no quality education we are going to get if we do not follow the competency based curriculum. It needs of course to be supported by resources. It is ourselves as Hon. Members who should make sure that we support meaningful budgets when our budgets are made so that we can have enough resources for our teachers to get paid and our children to have enough resources in their classrooms so that they can do well. The situation we are facing is only one which has been created by those forces that have made our economy to go low. Otherwise, we have got a good crop of people who want to be focused to make sure that change takes place and we must support them. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
(V)HON. WATSON: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion brought to the House by Hon. Mushoriwa. It has been of some concern and I raised it at the time the Education Amendment Act was being debated. I think our concern is that there appears to be a divide between schools in urban areas where parents are employed and find it easier to support School Development Associations and rural schools where parents do not have the same financial ability to support schools. As much as we can say, it is our collective responsibility to ensure equality of education across Zimbabwe so that we do not have a situation as we seem to have currently when many rural children do not have sufficient access or access to quality education. So we need to have collective responsibility and reveal the truth of what is happening in schools. When our Grade Seven results and our ‘O’ Level results came out, we have some schools with zero pass rate. It should not happen but it is happening and we should, as Hon. Mushoriwa said, interrogate why and how this is so, and do something when it comes to this time again.
Something we never talk about as Members of Parliament is the question which says schools have hiked school fees but this is not school fees it is schools development levy. So, how do we know what is the quantum of the parental input going to run schools across Zimbabwe in terms of urban areas or rural areas and how the parents support that? The statute that governs the running of schools was amended in 1992, where levies are said to be for schools development and are not gazetted by Government. I think this amendment needs to be revisited and aligned to the new Constitution, but we are very silent. We have to understand that some parents can afford but some cannot afford to pay those levies. We want an education sector that is all inclusive, how can this happen if we do not interrogate such hindrances as hiking of levies to the levels where some cannot afford? So I would like to support all that was said by Hon. Mushoriwa. I thank you Hon. Speaker.
(V)HON. MAGO: Thank you Mr. Speaker for giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the motion raised by Hon. Mushoriwa, seconded by Hon. Molokela. I agree that we are all a product of the education sector and we could not be speaking English language which we use in this House if it was not for education. We need to give this sector the priority it deserves. We need to look at teachers in rural areas that are suffering. These days if you do not have money to feed your family you are nothing. A teacher cannot strive to teach other people’s children when he cannot afford to sent his own child to school.
We have to find ways of motivating teachers so that they enjoy their work. I would like to urge the relevant authorities of this country, those who have the mandate of running the education sector to take the teacher back on track. One of the factors is the way Government is remunerating teachers and the whole civil service at large. This can be ignored but it is the truth, nothing else but the truth Hon. Speaker. I thank you.
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. CHINGOSHO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 15th June, 2021.
On the motion of HON. PRISCILLA MOYO seconded by HON. CHINGOSHO, the House adjourned at Eight Minutes to Five O’clock p.m until Tuesday, 15th June, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 4th August, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have received the following apologies from the Hon. Ministers in respect of the National Assembly sitting today 4th August, 2021; Hon. Gen. (Rtd.) Dr. C. G. D. N. Chiwenga, Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. Prof. Murwira is the Acting Minister of Health and Child Care in the absence of the Hon. Vice President Hon. Dr. Chiwenga; Hon. F. Mhona, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development; Hon. C. Mathema, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. O. C. Z.
Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs; Hon. Z. Soda, Minister of Energy and Power Development and as indicated, the Deputy Minister will be in attendance; Hon. Garwe, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities; Hon. Dr. S. Nzenza,
Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. E. Moyo, Deputy Minister of
Primary and Secondary Education and Hon. Madiro, Deputy Minister of
Transport and Infrastructural Development.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. I just want to mention that the Minister of Local Government, Hon. J. D. Moyo - his Ministry is quite critical. First of all, from devolution, there are funds being given and we would want to ask questions on that. In terms of the housing...
THE HON. SPEAKER: What are you talking about - the Hon.
Minister of Local Government? He is in now.
HON. T. MLISWA: Okay, sorry I withdraw my statement because he is always out and I am used to that.
HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I stand guided but I have reason to make a proposal, that given the fact that a number of
Ministers are not present today, we then extend by at least 30 minutes
the time for Questions without Notice because I notice that we only have two...
Hon. Ndebele having been pointing a finger at the Hon. Speaker whilst he was speaking.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, why are you pointing a
finger at me? Is that really necessary?
HON. NDEBELE: I was just emphasising the point. I am sorry Mr. Speaker Sir. I realise that for Questions With Notice, we only have two questions and the responsible Ministers are not here, I therefore propose at the outset, that we extend time for Questions Without Notice by at least 30 minutes so that we make good use of taxpayers’ money.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Appreciated Hon. Ndebele. I think that makes sense since there are only four written questions. My acquiescence to the request will depend also on the reports that need to be presented because we need to wind up some reports.
HON. NDEBELE: If they are not going to eat into Members’ time, it will be welcome.
HON. MADIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Acting Minister of Health and Child Care. I understand that as a country, the moment we sign protocols - be it at regional, continental and international level, we have to comply with the requirements of those protocols. My question is, when is the Ministry of Health and Child Care going to submit the State Party Report to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, considering the fact that it was due in 2018? Thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I did not get the last part.
HON. MADIWA: I am asking for the submission of the State
Party Report to the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The State party report was due to be submitted in
2018.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Hon.
Speaker. I wish to thank Hon. Madiwa for the question. Hon. Speaker, Zimbabwe is part of the family of nations and our wish is always to comply with what we agree upon at an international level, as well as amongst our own people. The concerned report, I want to be honest that I will look into it as soon as I leave this Parliament building to find out what is happening with that particular report, if we have not yet submitted. I thank you Hon. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Chair does not quite agree. The Hon. Minister is saying if it was not done. He is suggesting therefore that the Hon. Member who has asked the question may not be accurate
or stating a fact.
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Hon. Speaker, thank you very much. I am not suggesting that the Hon. Member is correct or wrong. She asked a question and that question I am not too sure whether it will give me a positive or negative when I enquire with the Ministry. It might be a matter of semantics. I do not mean to be rude, the issue basically is that I genuinely have to find out because I am presently ignorant about it. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. I still insist that the Hon. Member be given the benefit of doubt that the Hon. Member has asked the question from an authoritative source, unless otherwise.
HON. MADIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I really have done my research Hon. Speaker, the report has not been submitted. Failure to submit those reports might mean otherwise when looking at the welfare of our children in Zimbabwe, there are certain issues that are supposed to be reported on. I have done my research Mr. Speaker Sir, it is true.
THE HON. SPEAKER: May I request the Hon. Minister, Prof. Murwira to please ensure that the report is done and presented accordingly.
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Hon. Speaker, we will make sure that
the report is done.
(v)HON. GONESE: On a point of clarification Mr. Speaker, relating to that question.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Please, let us not waste time. The issues are clear as water.
(v)HON. GONESE: If you can allow me Hon. Speaker, I have got a valid point which I wanted to make.
THE HON. SPEAKER: No. Let us not waste time. The issues
are clear as water.
(v)HON. CHITURA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Can you hear me
Hon. Speaker?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, you are loud and clear.
(v)HON. CHITURA: Yeah. What is the Government policy regarding …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you do not say ‘yeah’ to
the Chair. You are being very unparliamentary.
(v)HON. CHITURA: I am sorry Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. What is the Government policy regarding payment of inputs by farmers who benefited through Command
Agriculture but failed to harvest adequately?
THE HON. SPEAKER: The question Hon. Minister is that those who have been given inputs on credit, had a poor harvest and cannot pay. what is the Government policy on that issue?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES,
WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank the Hon. Member for the question. The Command Agriculture as it was called then, which is now called National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme is funded by the CBZ on the back of a Government guarantee. The CBZ selects farmers based on its criteria, inclusive of productivity and history and therefore enters into contracts with individual farmers. So, the Government is not directly involved in that aspect. However, the
Government facilitates the production of the National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme by availing access of those inputs through GMB depots if farmers have not been able to access this directly from the suppliers. Additionally, the 5 000 agricultural extension advisors then are available throughout the season to assist farmers, to make sure that best management practices are practiced. Agritex then also assists farmers to link them with GMB because GMB is the buyer of first and last resort for Government funded schemes. Then GMB with the bank, CBZ on a common platform enables GMB to deduct the amount owed to the bank upon supply.
If the Hon. Member envisages that the production this year is unlikely to fully meet their contractual obligations and liquidate the incumbent at the bank, I suggest they approach their bank immediately.
I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My
question to the Hon. Minister, I would like to just inquire from the Hon. Minister - given his response, to say in terms of this facility that is being offered by CBZ, is there no Government guarantee of a certain amount of money to CBZ to enhance this facility that is being extended to our farmers?
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister was very clear. He indicated that all things being equal and if an individual farmer has got problems he should have some conversation with the bank concerned and, in this case CBZ. From there, the Government may proceed depending on what the outcome of the conversation would be between the farmer and CBZ. I think that was very clear.
Hon. Nduna having intended to ask another supplementary question.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Members, let us be conscious of time. When the Hon. Minister’s response is comprehensive as far as the Chair is concerned, we proceed to the next person to ask. Otherwise we will waste time.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. What is Government policy with regards to assisting courts to be able to deliver their work on time, especially on issues like rape, murder, armed robbery, corruption and other serious crimes so that those cases are resolved quickly without compromising evidence due to delay.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for that question. Government only attends to issues after they have been reported by the court. As of now, the courts have not reported to Government on where they need assistance because that is the only way we can help them. If they can report on challenges they are facing, that can enable them to deliver their work properly, especially on issues that may be stumbling blocks in processing those cases so that they may be dealt with properly. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question to the Minister is that the justice delivery system is very slow and definitely, justice delayed is justice denied. This has been happening to high profile cases. They seem not to come to an end. I would not want to give examples but people are slowly losing confidence in terms of the prosecution and the arresting authorities because the judiciary seems to do its job and things seem to stop at the prosecution level. Apparently, it is caused by the corrupt system in the Prosecutor General’s Office...
THE HON. SPEAKER: What is the supplementary question Hon.
Mliswa?
HON. T. MLISWA: The question; is there is corruption which is being mentioned in the justice delivery system, especially prosecution.
There is no…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, that is not a question, it is a statement. What is your question?
HON. T. MLISWA: My question is; what are you doing to ensure that justice delivery system is effective according to the expectations of the people because you cannot arrest without evidence, the justice system must not kick off.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker,
the National Prosecuting Authority is not the arresting authority. The arresting authority is within the Ministry of Home Affairs. The National Prosecuting Authority deals with cases that are investigated by agencies outside the National Prosecuting Authority and it is also not vested with powers to investigate. Cases that have been properly investigated and handed over to the National Prosecuting Authority are the ones that people perhaps must come and say, this case was properly investigated, everything was done and these are the impediments that were encountered within the National Prosecuting Authority that led to delays in concluding those cases.
Mr. Speaker Sir, like I said before, those that deal with cases on a day to day basis are the ones that inform us so that there is policy change that is translated into legislative changes that come to this august House. So, if the responsible expert that deals with the case has not brought forward areas where they feel that there is need to change, then there is nothing that we can do. As far as I am concerned, the National
Prosecuting Authority is given cases that were investigated either by the Police or Anti-Corruption Agencies and that is where they start from. I thank you
HON. T. MLISWA: The question is the arresting authority must not rush to arrest before they investigate. After carrying out investigations and they are satisfied, they can take the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office which vets that matter if it can stand the test of time and the Prosecution Authority gives the go ahead and in giving the go ahead, it means the case is solid.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the issue is the arresting authority investigates to arrest not arrest to investigate. When they have arrested, they then take the matter to the Prosecutor General’s Office for vetting to see whether this matter can surely stand the test of times in terms of evidence, then it is agreed in court. When it is incourt, the entire processes would have been done effectively, why is it that we do not see trials coming through when the whole process has been done? The Prosecutor General has the right to say this matter is not good for the court because there is no evidence but the moment that they accept it, they now prosecute on behalf of the State. Why is it taking long?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, everyone who is arrested does not mean that the case is ready to kick off at that particular moment. For some cases, there is a prima facie case that indeed a crime has been committed. Mr. Speaker, you are a renowned advocate, you realise that there are several cases on remand where the State will be saying that we are awaiting investigations. So, the assertion by the Hon. Member that an arrest must always be done when investigations are complete is completely false. I thank you.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. What is Government doing to ensure that cases are tried immediately so that witnesses my not die or relocate before those cases are concluded? I thank you?
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. That is the wish of the courts that all cases should be tried quickly but what happens during the court processes is that sometimes the lawyers themselves request for delay and request for other issues to be included. Those issues also lead to delays in trying those cases but the wish of the courts is for cases to be tried and concluded quickly. We should also be aware that we should respect peoples’ rights during the processes, instead of rushing without taking due diligence. That is why I was saying that if there is anyone with suggestions of protecting the rights of people, they should come forward so that we conclude cases quickly. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: If you have got cases where you strongly believe that there has been unwarranted delay, if they are five or six, please put them under written questions and the Hon. Minister will respond accordingly
HON. T. MLISWA: Change court rules for corruption.
THE HON. SPEAKER:- Order, order, Hon. Mliswa. I thought my English is clear.
HON. T. MLISWA: I am sorry Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you – [Laughter.] –
(v)HON. SANSOLE: My question is directed to the Minister of
Finance and Economic Development. When will the Ministry of
Finance fully embrace the International Public Sector Accounting Standard? In other words, when will all Government departments and local authorities complete migration from cash accounting to accrual accounting. I know it is on-going but we need to know when this will end because the surplus is being recorded...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you are now debating. Your question is very clear. When is the Ministry going to effectively ensure that the new international accounting systems are in place, particularly among local authorities?
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): The accrual
accounting system sometimes referred to IPSAS – a compliant system or asset will be completed in terms of the road map in 2025. There is very good progress so far and we are currently doing trials with some of the ministries and parastatals. So far so good and I hope it will be able to reach conclusion by year 2025.
HON. MPARIWA: My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. We have had an increase in the number of sexual harassment cases both in the private and public sector. Why has it taken Government so much time in order to ratify the
ILO Convention 190 on sexual harassment?
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA): The ratification of the ILO Convention 190 is a matter that the Government of Zimbabwe is seized with at the moment. If the Hon. Member will remember, less than three months ago, there was a commemoration around the issue of sexual harassment and the Government mounted quite an aggressive programme to conscientise people about the illegality and the fact that any sexual harassment is really an affront on the human rights of whoever is suffering from that harassment. We also conscientise people to say any such case should be reported but we are working very vigorously to move towards the ratification of Convention 190 of ILO.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, I think the import of the question is when - timeline.
HON. PROF. MAVIMA: Hon. Speaker, I cannot say how many
days or months but it is a matter that I can bring back here. It is a matter that my Ministry is working very seriously on in order to ratify.
THE HON. SPEAKER: May I encourage the Hon. Minister to please move with speed in that direction because the protocol has no financial implication to this Government at all.
(v)HON. GONESE: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Minister is that apart from ratification of the ILO Convention, that the Labour Act be amended so as to broaden the scope and parameters of sexual harassment. Can the Hon. Minister inform the House how far the
Ministry has gone in relation to crafting a Bill to create the Labour Relations Act relating to sexual harassment?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, the impact of ratification speaks to the domestication of that ratified protocol. So obviously, once ratified, the domestication process will start as that protocol impacts on the Labour Act accordingly. That is the process.
(v)HON. G. SITHOLE: Since the Minister is saying that he cannot give timelines and at the same time he is saying that his Ministry is working on it; is he confirming that his Ministry works on projects without timelines?
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have indicated to the Hon. Minister that he should bring that process of ratification soonest because it has no financial implications on this Government. The matter rests there.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir which is in line with my health. I am glad to see a lot of Cabinet Ministers here today. Were they subjected to tests like we were? Great they came, but I am worried of COVID concerning most Cabinet Ministers. I am more serious about it.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, very serious in deed. I can confirm that the Hon. Ministers have been tested.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I was really worried.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You are right. Thank you.
(v)HON. MUTODI: Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the
Minister…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Mutodi, you have to register with your Chief Whip if you have to speak.
(v)HON. MUTODI: I wanted to raise a question to the Minister of
Finance since he is in the House.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am advising you to follow the Party protocol, register with the Chief Whip. Thank you.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises. Can the Minister update Parliament on the disbursement and impact of the $500 000 stimulus fund that was being disbursed through the Women’s Bank and other institutions - whether they have done some assessments on the effectiveness of that fund to those who were affected by COVID who are in Small and Medium
Enterprises. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY,
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON.
- S. NYONI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Chief Whip for the pertinent question. The $500 million has been disbursed to SMEs throughout the country through the Women’s Bank as well as SMEDCO. To give the details, I would request the Hon.
Member to put it in writing so that I can bring a detailed response. What I can say for now is that the Ministry is monitoring the disbursement of these funds closely. I am pleased to say, it is going to SMEs and they are benefiting. I will be glad to bring a detailed report Mr. Speaker Sir. Hon. Members having stood up to ask supplementary questions.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. There cannot be a supplementary when the issues are so clear. Hon. Togarepi should put the question in writing because it demands statistical information. So a supplementary cannot arise on that score.
(v)HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am directing my question to the Minister of Mines and Mining Development. May I know Government policy regarding owners of the exclusive prospecting orders who keep their claims for prospective reasons without exploration taking place? I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: That question was asked before and the Executive have said those who are holding concessions for speculation, the mining concessions will be taken away from them and that process has already begun. If you read the newspapers; I think a number of concessions have been withdrawn from such individuals.
HON. NKANI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to ask the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, what the Government policy is on follow ups to outstanding command agricultural debts that were incurred by farmers before the programme was handed over to banks?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES,
WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank the Hon. Member for the question. The scheme has always been administered through a bank and GMB playing its role, before Government moved in to this next level where the bank identifies the beneficiaries and the Government provides a guarantee. The only change in the system is the provision of the Government guarantee and the banks selecting the beneficiaries for the command or National Enhanced Agricultural Productivity Scheme.
That does not change farmers’ obligations to pay up their loans.
Therefore, farmers must honour their obligations. We have accelerated identification of farmers who owe from those prior years so that as they deliver in a good season such as the one upon us, they can also be able to extinguish their obligations from prior years. Thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would want to find out from the Hon. Minister if there has been a change or shift in the payment system of command because when the season started, we were told that there will be a 72 hour gap in making payments, and how it has gone for two months. Has there been shift in that policy?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Mr. Speaker, I thank the Hon. Member for the supplementary question. Mr. Speaker Sir, when Government announced the policy that farmers delivering their grain to the GMB depot will be paid within 72 hours and those that will deliver to collection points will be paid within 5 days, that policy has not changed. This was to entice and motivate farmers to deliver. We were basing on the 2018/2019 season, which was an equally good season where the GMB intake was over 1.2 million metric tonnes. For the deliveries in the 2020/2021 agricultural season, farmers have responded overwhelmingly and because the harvest has been very good, as of yesterday Mr. Speaker Sir, 710000 metric tonnes of grain had been delivered to the GMB valued at over 23 billion dollars, of which $14 billion has been paid and the outstanding amount is $9 billion. Our aged analysis indicates that the amounts that are outstanding beyond two weeks now constitute 44% of the amounts owed to farmers.
We had put in place three ways of mobilising resources to pay farmers. The first was Treasury availing funds and they have done very well. They have availed the $14 billion.
The second was that we anticipated the total value of grains to be purchased to be in the region of $60 billion thereby straining Treasury and therefore, necessitating as a deed that we put in place another avenue. These were the Agricultural Marketing Authority agro bills, which are now in the market. The subscription is fairly low and after discussions yesterday, a decision was made by Cabinet that we open another window where Treasury bills would be floated and hopefully by mid next week, mobilisation of resources to pay farmers would have been accelerated.
The third avenue was that GMB was immediately allowed to sell the grains they received so that they create a revolving fund to enable GMB to assist with these payments. So, the revolving fund and the Treasury window are the sources of financing that we are utilising. We apologise as Government to all the farmers that have put in so much hard work for the delays in the payments and assure them that
Government is doing everything in its power to ensure that we pay. However, compared to last season, Government has done exceedingly well and we urge farmers to be more patient. I thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Kashiri, you want to seek
clarification. The clarity is very clear and I cannot entertain that. HON. A. NDEBELE: Mr. Speaker Sir, may I politely check
through you Sir when the Minister of Agriculture will bring to this House as promised and on record, a list of those farms that his office has distributed as well as a list of the farms that his predecessor distributed. He promised on record more than 90 days ago, and I know for certain that Parliament has been following up with his office with no luck. It is frustrating my efforts at representing those that voted me into office. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Next time Hon. Member, you approach
the office of the Chair so that such issues can be dealt with administratively.
HON. NDEBELE: I always work with the Clerks-at-the-Table.
That promise was made in this House.
THE HON. SPEAKER: We will follow it up administratively.
HON. TOGAREPI: With all due respect Hon. Speaker, the Hon. Member is still pointing at the Chair. Is he getting violent, what is happening to this man?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Alright, thank you Hon. Member. Hon. Ndebele, I was very indulgent enough as a learned friend of mine. Even in court, you do not point at the judge. You argue intellectually and legally and it ends there.
HON. NDEBELE: I am very sorry Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Hon Member without a chief whip, I
do not have your list here.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, let me officially announce that I am my own chief whip.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Granted. Next time, can I have your name in the list of your own.
HON. T. MLISWA: Sir, there will be so much money spent on the pen and paper for one name. The budget will not allow. Mr.
Speaker, my question is directed to Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. July Moyo, on the devolution funds that have been disbursed without provincial councils being in place. That being the case, what measures are there to monitor and evaluate those monies and how come they are being disbursed piecemeal?
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC
WORKS (HON. J. MOYO): Thank you Mr Speaker Sir. I want to thank Hon. Mliswa for such a pertinent question. The funds are disbursed in terms of the Finance Act and all Hon. Members here know that in the Blue Book that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development puts before this august House, he will have indicated allocations to every provincial council and local authority in this country – ninety-two of them. Each one of them has been allocated a certain amount of money out of the fiscus and every provincial council has been allocated the same. So, to follow up means we must supervise and that is why the President has appointed Ministers of Provincial Affairs and Devolution who will monitor, supervise and make sure that this money is well spent. Above that, these are auditable funds. They follow the audit reports that will come to this august House and you will have an opportunity to question and see how those funds have been used by the local authorities and provincial councils concerned. I think the Minister of Finance and Economic Development can give more details about how the funds have been allocated and what criterion has been used. We are however quite happy that the local authorities that have been given as well as those who have received these funds can only use them as capital expenditure in order to increase investments in all the rural and urban areas of Zimbabwe. They are only using those funds for investment and that investment is meant for a lot of people that they can access better schools, clinics, water and sewerage and in some cases, they are doing roads that are not taken over by either DDF or the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development. So that is what we follow. Those are the guidelines we have given to the local authorities and to those who are spending this money.
As regards the provincial level, we have not given them any funds that will allow them to invest in anything except to do administrative work and those funds really have gone more to the local authorities than to the provincial level. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: My supplementary question is; notwithstanding the allocation of that amount of money, there are certain provisions which have got to be adhered to. When the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development allocates money it does not mean that certain provisions must not be in place and the Constitution is very clear on Section 264 on the role of provincial councils monitoring and evaluating. Now, the Central Government is paying provincial councils who are not sitting, yet they are supposed to monitor and evaluate.
Notwithstanding the Auditor-General’s office mandate, have you complied with what is required from the Constitution which is supreme in terms of provincial councils’ roles in monitoring and evaluating, but you are giving money without them being in place. The AuditorGeneral, for many times, has also castigated how money has been disbursed without certain procedures being in place and we are trying to show you the red flag now before we also get into a mess. Why are you distributing the money without provincial councils which are in place which is a constitutional requirement, but you are still paying provincial councils who are not sitting. What are they doing?
I am supposed to be a provincial council member. I have never been invited to a meeting but others are sitting. For as long as we are here, Mr. Speaker Sir, until the Constitution is amended we are provincial council members and I have never been given an allowance, but others have been given an allowance. So again, why do you pay other provincial councillors and leave others out?
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, the Provincial Councils and Administration Act is still effective, it is in place. It needs to be aligned with the Constitution of 2013. So are many statutes that we still need to align with, but we cannot say there is no Act because the Act is there.
The fact that councils are not meeting is not my responsibility or anybody else but we were going through a process of amending the Constitution so that we can bring the Bill that we had put here in Parliament. So all these processes, we are going through and we will bring the Bill here so that we can comply with the Constitution. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. B. DUBE: Supplementary question Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What supplementary is there Hon.
Dube? I thought the Hon. Minister was clear?
HON. B. DUBE: He was clear but not very clear. I just wanted to supplement by asking the Minister whether it is safe for this nation to have the devolution funds and resources run under his Ministry without the proper constitutional structure, without the provincial structures.
HON. ZIYAMBI: The provincial structures are there – [HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order!
HON. B. DUBE: I do not mean the provincial structures of the party, I mean of Government.
HON. J. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir and I want to thank the Hon. Member. I just said and I must continue to say the
Constitution, in Section 301(3), empowers the Minister of Finance and Economic Development to say at least 5% of the National Budget shall be reserved for provincial and local authorities and every time the Minister of Finance and Economic Development comes before this august House, he then puts the allocations and the Finance Act which goes through this Parliament. Once it is done, we follow up to make sure that the local authorities implement that which has been allocated by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development constitutionally.
So, our job is to make sure that once the Minister has allocated, the monies are used properly and they are followed up, not just by me but by Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution and in addition, they will become auditable like any other allocation that comes before this House and that audit will come before this august House. So we are complying. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, just on a point of clarity.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! This august House and the Senate passed Constitutional Amendment Number 2 and part of that amendment is to indicate that there shall be a Provincial Councils Act which will replace the current structure that is there at the moment. We passed that in this august House.
Secondly, a proposed Provincial Council’s Bill has been gazetted in response to some of these grey areas that are being raised by the Hon. Members. So, let us wait for that Bill and see whether it does speak to those areas of concern that have been highlighted by Hon. Mliswa. Not only that, may I add the Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic
Development, in his wisdom, has indicated in the NDS1 on paragraph 708, that piece of legislation has to be in place and the Executive has responded by amending the Constitution to allow for that piece of legislation to be promulgated by this Parliament and that process has begun. The gazetting has been done. So if there are grey areas that Members are concerned about those will be debated at the appropriate time.
(v)*HON. GOZHO: My question is directed to the Minister of
Local Government and Public Works. What measures does the Government have in place for those provincial councillors who won the 2013 elections but were not sworn in as councillors?
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC
WORKS (HON. J. MOYO): I want to thank the Hon. Member and I think the Hon. Member is correct. I am not privy to what happened in 2013 but I can say in relation to 2018, after those elections, we have been battling and I am very thankful to this august House that you have now passed the amendments. We have gazetted what we want to bring before this august House so that those elected members will be sworn in. We are aware that because of the confusion in the Constitution, we were not even able to have Members elected in metropolitan areas although some parts of the Constitution alludes to people elected to provincial metropolitan councils being there but they were not elected. So, we have had to deal with a number of issues which I am very glad that with the amendment of the Constitution, we are now able to bring this Bill and we will make sure that everybody is on board.
*HON. MAPHOSA: My supplementary question is - how are you going to remunerate them when they have not yet commenced work because a person has to be sworn in first? Without taking the oath of office, how then can they be paid and from which policy are you taking it from?
*HON. J. MOYO: In the old Provincial Councils and
Administration Act, there is nowhere where it says they need to be sworn in. So, when people are elected and when we know that they have been employed and are convinced that they have been employed, and they have been declared by ZEC they also have reasonable expectations that they are already employed. That is how we remunerate them –
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – [HON. MAPHOSA: Can you please help us Hon. Speaker?] -
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, I want to rule that the Hon.
Minister of Local Government confers with the Attorney-General to find out whether this is proper legally.
Hon. T. Mliswa having stood up on a supplementary question.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, your list was only one name and so, I have cancelled that – [HON. T. MLISWA: It is a point of clarity.] – No, let us wait for the Attorney-General’s response.
+HON. M. M. MPOFU: My question is directed to the Minister of Health. I would like to ask about people who were vaccinated but have not received the second jab. Now, it is over 14 days without the getting the second jab. So the question is, is the first jab still effective if the second one is not administered on time or they receive it late and is that not going to be detrimental to their health?
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA) on behalf of THE
MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN (RTD)
- CHIWENGA): When people go for their first jab, the expectation is that after 14 days they will have their second jab or they will be told on the period, which can be four or two weeks but after that period, they can actually go for their second jab. That is what we understand.
THE HON. SPEAKER: They can still have the second jab?
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Confirmed Hon. Speaker.
HON. M. M. MPOFU: My supplementary is that I did not
understand the response whether receiving the second jab after a long time will be effective?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, there is no problem.
HON. DR. KHUPE: My supplementary question to the Minister is, is there any problem if the Minister would address this House on a regular basis on the number of people who have been vaccinated, who have received the first and second jabs, on new cases and number of deaths. I think it is important that as Members of Parliament, we have an idea of these details so that as we go about on awareness programmes, at least we have the right statistics. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: That cannot be a Question Without
Notice. Its area of jurisdiction is Written Question, so Hon. Member, if you can put it in writing then the Hon. Minister will come with statistics.
Further to that, the Hon. Dr. Khupe is requesting that perhaps on a periodic basis, depending on what the Ministry will decide, that the nation through this august House is given the statistics accordingly in future. It is a matter that cannot be decided here. I think, Acting Hon.
Minister, you may need to have some conversation with the substantive Minister when he comes back and then draw his attention to that request.
Thank you.
+HON. MATHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement which is responsible for water reticulation in schools and different communities. There is no water in schools. What is ZINWA planning to do in order to alleviate water shortages in schools? I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, what is the policy to ensure that every school has water supply in the context of COVID-19?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES,
WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): Mr. Speaker Sir, I thank the Hon. Member for the question.
The responsibility lies with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education.
However, as the Ministry responsible for water, we have put a bid for 20 drilling rigs and DDF has also put a bid for 10 drilling rigs. The procurement process is now nearing completion. This will augment available rigs between DDF and ZINWA to be able to drill more boreholes and also to focus on rehabilitation of boreholes. In terms of the broader scheme Mr. Speaker Sir, cumulatively, just over 2 000 boreholes have been drilled this year and perhaps another half of that rehabilitated. As a country, we have 29 000 boreholes and only 55% are operational.
In our five year period, we plan that every one of the 9 600 schools will have a borehole and resources permitting, we can accelerate that process. I know that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is currently ceased with identification of the most vulnerable schools so that they can be prioritised in the drilling of boreholes. I have recently received a list of over 190 schools from the Hon. Minister so that we can prioritise that but resources permitting, we can accelerate the drilling process. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
+HON. MATHE: My supplementary question Mr. Speaker Sir is
that I have noticed that the Hon. Minister is just putting it across like something that might happen or might not happen. My point is that water is very important. I am talking about specific issues that we find in schools located in Nkayi that we observe on daily basis. Some dams are silted in both Nkayi North and South, so when we talk of …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! The Hon. Minister was
very clear. He has received a request for 190 boreholes to be drilled as a priority in schools and the rigs have been ordered – 20 from the Ministry and 10 from DDF. So the programme is on to respond to the request of the Hon. Minister. The urgency has been accepted by the Executive.
HON. MATHE: Point of clarity Mr. Speaker!
THE HON. SPEAKER: On what I just said?
HON. MATHE: No but on what he said so that I understand and respond correctly to the community.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have clarified, if you give examples … Order Hon. Member, if you may sit down please. If you give examples of Nkayi North, Nkayi South - you are now being specific. You need to engage the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Ministry responsible for water so that the matter can be attended to for those two constituencies. Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Supplementary Mr. Speaker Sir!
THE HON. SPEAKER: No supplementary arises; I think the
Hon. Minister’s response was clear.
HON. NDEBELE: We have rigs for Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South that are sitting idly here in Harare instead of being transported to Bulawayo!
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order Hon. Member. I was going
to use the words ‘chuck you out’ but that is a bit harsh. You cannot address the Chair whilst you are seated down. Thank you.
HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development. We have seen infrastructure belonging to ZESA such as cables and transformers being stolen …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Members, I am reminding you. Do not make a statement, ask the question!
HON. I. NYONI: Yes, my question is that members of the public put some money together to source replacement transformers and cables.
What is the Government’s policy on ownership of such infrastructure? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT (HON. MUDYIWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
I would also like to thank the Hon. Member for the question. If an individual buys a replacement transformer, it is ZETDC that inspects it and installs the transformer and it then becomes the property of ZETDC. For the customer who would have bought that transformer, there is a payment agreement that would be done between him or her and the ZETDC. I thank you.
HON. I. NYONI: Could the Hon. Minister clarify on the money that would have been paid for such infrastructure by individuals or the community, whether it would be paid back or is it credited in the form of electricity units?
HON. MUDYIWA: If it is a community that bought the transformer, like I said before, there is an agreement that is done between that particular community or the individuals and the ZETDC. ZETDC normally have cash flow problems, so the payment would be in the form of electricity at the normal rate. I thank you.
(v)*HON. SEWERA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate Change and Rural Resettlement. Farmers who were given inputs for the Pfumvudza Programme in different parts of the country are now facing challenges in selling their grains because the Grain Marketing Board requires bank accounts yet these farmers have ecocash. What policy has the Government put in place to ensure that these people are able to sell and get paid using ecocash?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE CHANGE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT
(HON. DR. MASUKA): I want to thank the Hon. Member who is representing the small scale farmers who embarked on farming under the Pfumvudza Scheme, a scheme that will ensure food security in rural areas.
However, I was not aware of the fact that people without bank accounts are not being paid by GMB. Therefore, I am requesting that I be supplied with the list of the areas where this is taking place. We had put in place a policy called SI 145 of 2019 that provides that all the people assisted by the Government through the Pfumvudza Programme should take their grain to GMB so that they can get the highest price for their produce. This will also prevent the middlemen from taking advantage of the farmers. I thank you.
(v)*HON. SEWERA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I am saying they do not have bank accounts but they want to sell their produce, so is it not possible for them to be paid through ecocash by GMB?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I think I had responded in Shona and I am sure you missed the point. So Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to now respond in English. Thank you for bringing to my attention the sad plight of farmers who are unable to deliver to GMB on account of not having bank accounts and GMB insisting that they cannot pay them through any other means.
May the Hon. Member avail the specific areas in order for us to be able to deal with this matter swiftly? It is Government’s policy that all funded programmes, especially under Pfumvudza, that farmers deliver their produce to the GMB where they will be paid a fair value for their effort. This also enables these farmers to avoid selling through middlemen who give them lower than the market price. I thank you.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary question is in relation to taking produce to GMB. Farmers are facing challenges in terms of shortage of grain bags. What measures have you put in place to ensure that the farmers are able to take their grain to GMB in light of the challenges they are facing in provision of those grain bags? I thank you.
*HON. DR. MASUKA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank Hon. Mavetera who raised the issue of the grain bags and if she assists me with the areas where this is taking place, I will then get in touch with GMB to ensure that they provide the grain bags or sacks.
Each and every year, the bags that we produce are inadequate. Currently
Government is in the process of procuring these grain bags from outside at the cost of US$14.5 million. If I am able to get the areas where this is taking place, I am sure I will be able to assist. Thank you.
(v)*HON. SHUMBAMHINI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My
supplementary question is; are there any measures that he is putting in place to ensure that farmers get seed? In the past farming season, the seed that was given was of poor quality and did not yield much. So, does the Minister have or what has he put in place to ensure that farmers under the Pfumvudza project are able to get quality seed? Thank you.
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you but your question is new. What we were talking about is the payment of farmers. Before we proceed, the Hon. Minister of Health, there is someone who was online and they did not quite get your response about this question. I will read it. It says “the Acting Minister did not answer the question about the second jab. What is happening is that after the first jab, the second vaccine is not available within the required or stated timeframe of 14 days. Now, people are waiting for more than 28 days. The question is, will the first jab still remain effective without the booster, the second jab? Thank you”.
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Thank you Hon. Speaker and I wish to thank the Hon. Member for the supplementary question seeking clarification. Let me just be very clear about vaccines. Zimbabwe has ordered enough vaccines and Zimbabwe is receiving vaccines monthly to the extent that last week alone, we received 1.5 million. At this moment, the happy thing is that our people are coming for vaccination in numbers and we really appreciate that to the extent that at this moment, it is us who have to work very hard on methods to ensure that our people are vaccinated quickly and we are doing that. Coming to this question, we are saying when people have received the first jab, they will receive their second jab after 14 days. It is not clockwork. So people should not be worried about it. It will still be valid that they will receive their second jab even after 20 days. That is what we are saying. I thank you.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. My understanding of the initial question from the Hon. Member, he said people have got the first jab and have been waiting for more than 28 days plus. I think that is where the question is and that is worrying the people on the ground and particularly in that area. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, I think the question is after the 14 days or even 28 days, would the first jab still be effective and boosted by this late coming second jab?
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Thank you Hon. Speaker, the answer
is yes. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of clarification Mr. Speaker Sir. This is science and the fact that the first jab is given and there were a number of days, it is the same thing as you going on antibiotics. You have a course and you cannot miss one for it to be effective. The fact that you miss, it is not effective anymore and it has to be science to tell us why the scientists came with those days. The scientists were not stupid because they could have said anytime and the real clarity at the end of the day is that if there are 1.4 million vaccines and I have been injected at Norton Hospital, there must be one for me there so that 14 days is there. The worrying bit is that they are not there. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I want to combine the clarification also from Hon. Dr. Labode, so that the Hon. Minister can deal with those two clarifications.
HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I have a report here from the Ministry of Health. That question is relevant and not in relation to the delay but in the haphazard way we are getting our vaccines. For example, the Sputnik vaccine, according to the Minister of Health, we got 50 000 doses. How are they spreading them and if you are sending 5 000 to Nkayi and 5 000 to Hwedza and 5 000 people get the vaccine, that vaccine is finished. So the Covac is the same story, the Sinovac and the Sinopharm and others are okay but there are some of these vaccines we are getting through donations which come in small quantities. Those are going to be a problem. I am not saying you must be vaccinated immediately on the 24th. I was vaccinated two weeks after because I happen to have been moving up and down but let us stop this haphazard way of buying vaccines.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, Hon. Dr. Labode, you are bringing in a new dimension. I thought you were going to follow the argument by Hon. Mliswa. The question is does the first vaccine jab remain effective after 28 days? That is the issue.
THE MINISTEROF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Hon
Speaker. The answer is scientific. It is a minimum of 14 days. Why? Because within the 14 days, the first jab will be taking effect. In actual fact, it will be triggering an immune response. After that, some studies are even showing that the more the delay, the better - scientific studies. Anyway, the minimum is 14 days. If you go after 30 days, it does not kill anyone. It actually could trigger a stronger immune response. So, this is the issue that we are doing. It is very scientific what I am saying.
The other issue is, in terms of the vaccines and the way we are taking them, now it is very systematic in terms of the way we are acquiring our vaccines. The response of our people is very humbling in that they now require to be vaccinated and there are so many people that are coming. If there is a delay of one or two, we will basically rectify all those things. However, we are happy with the progress that we are making. In terms of the region and in Africa, we are doing very well but we still have to do better and we are working hard to do that. Thank you-
[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. Do not confuse the people out there. Follow the explanation that has been given. Order, order! In terms of Standing Order Number 67, time for Questions Without Notice has expired but I will indulge the request given earlier on by Hon. Ndebele. However, I will cut it down to 15 minutes because we have got some other issues. Once we have finished the four written questions, there is a Ministerial Statement from the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement in connection with disconnection of water supplies to defaulters.
HON. T. MLISWA: Just for the record purposes, I rise to push for the extension of time.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Chair has ruled in terms of Standing
Order 206 – [HON. T. MLISWA: Inaudible interjection.] – Order Hon. Mliswa. Can you revisit Standing Order Number 206 that gives power to the Chair to make a ruling?
*HON. MUSIYIWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. What is the Government policy in ensuring that all schools are electrified and have computers? This is because most schools in rural areas are not electrified and there are no computers. This year, students will be sitting for the exam on Information Communication Technology. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker Sir,
the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, gave a comprehensive response to this in her Post Cabinet briefing. So, I will refer it to her so that she can repeat what she said yesterday. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order Hon. Leader of Government business. You have no authority to appoint a Minister to respond. What the Minister gave yesterday was a post Cabinet briefing.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker Sir, I was just alluding to the fact that a comprehensive report was given on what we intend to do to ensure that our learners get connectivity so that they can have e-learning facilities. The Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services gave a detailed report that they are in the process of acquiring gadgets and ensuring connectivity at all our schools so that learners will be able to access the learning material to be connected and be able to continue their learning activities. I have alluded to the fact that a statement was given yesterday, which I hope the Hon. Member is privy to. The statement was detailed as to the roadmap that we are going to take.
(v)HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My
question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. Is it Government policy that white people with more money can get more land at the expense of the poor farm workers and villagers? Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Can
you repeat your question so that the Hon. Minister can hear you.
HON. NYAMUDEZA repeated his question.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. You see how these Deputy Ministers are immature, they have all left and the senior Ministers of Cabinet are still sitting. What does it say about the respect, as soon as the Hon. Speaker left and you are a woman in the Chair, they totally ignore. These are senior Ministers even in the party but these junior Ministers have just gone; they do not want, but their seniors are here. Is this how they conduct themselves in Cabinet? Madam Chair, they just got out like flies. What is a junior Minister who even from a political point of view has no iota or power but just walks out like that. Is this what is supposed to happen in this Parliament?
Junior Ministers, they just walked out. This is a sign of disrespect for you and for this House. These are senior Ministers who have been in, Cabinet for a long time, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Local
Government, Justice, Finance, Agriculture, Home Affairs – the Deputy
Ministers have just gone out. You must teach a lesson to your Deputy Ministers, Ministers. They are an embarrassment. They are a shame, no wonder why they will never sit in Cabinet.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Order
Hon. Mliswa, it is okay. I am sure they excused themselves; they were going to the restrooms. Did you hear that question Minister? The question was is it Government’s policy that people without money do
not get land.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, WATER,
CLIMATE, FISHERIES AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON.
- MASUKA): Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Hon. Member for that question. However, I am failing to understand the context in the translation, I did not quite hear what he said, but you seem to suggest that the Hon. Member asked whether it is Government policy that people who do not have money do not get land? It is not
Government policy. Thank you.
(v)HON. MBONDIAH: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
supplementary question is how long does it take from time of application to the time of allocation of land?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Madam Speaker Ma’am, I thank the Hon. Member for the question. There is not defined waiting period. Perhaps, I have to put things into context, to understand the mammoth task that the Ministry has. There is an overwhelming desire by citizens to be allocated land but Zimbabwe has a geographic finite space and the numbers and the units available to allocate are finite. The bulk of that has now been issued to deserving beneficiaries over the 21 year period since the Fast Track Land Reform Programme.
The waiting lists in the provinces are cumulatively now over 250 000 people waiting to get land and the numbers of additional properties that come for allocation at provincial and national level is diminishing every day, as we allocate more and more. We have now issued additional guidelines. The guidelines target multiple farm ownership, abandoned farms, under utilised, derelict farms, while for now sparing productive farms. We hope that this process will also be complemented by our request now to get annual productivity returns from A1 and A2 farmers, so that we can also assist with identification of idle units. So, I am hoping that that will accelerate the problem but the problem of the long waiting period will remain as units that are available for offer reduce every day. Thank you Madam Speaker.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by the TEMPORARY
SPEAKER, in terms to Standing Order Number 64.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE CONSTRUCTION OF FLATS FOR RESIDENTS OF SQs AND
GBs IN KADOMA CENTRAL
- HON. CHINYANGANYA asked the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities to inform the House when Government will construct flats for residents of SQs and GBs in Ward 2, Kadoma Central.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND
SOCIAL AMMENITIES (HON. SIMBANEGAVI): Thank you
Madam Speaker. I would like to also thank the Hon. Member for asking on the construction of staff quarters and general barracks in Kadoma
Central. Initially, I would like to indicate that the Ministry of National
Housing and Social Amenities has come up with the National Human Settlements Policy, which is a new policy which highlights on the following benchmarks:
The first one is there is no construction of houses before production of layout plans and provision of onsite and offsite infrastructure. The second one is urban renewal or regeneration, which speaks to the need to revitalise or rejuvenate old and blighted urban landscapes, inclusive of residential dwellings and commercial buildings.
In this regard, Madam Speaker Ma’am, the staff quarters and general barracks as highlighted by the Hon. Member, are colonial relics that were meant for the black African workforce during the colonial era. They are congested and substandard accommodation that are served by using communal water and old ablution facilities, so in this regard, these dwellings are not an anathema to human dignity. The human settlements policy therefore is now going to advocate for renewal and regeneration of these run down and unsightly urban environment. In that regard, Government has now prioritised the renewal of these settlements and is currently mobilising requisite financial resources to replace them with modern flats and housing units that resonate with NDS 1.
(v)HON. CHINYANGANYA: I want to thank the Hon. Deputy
Minister for her response. Whilst we appreciate Government’s initiative to come up with urban renewal plans, the areas that I am talking about already have existing infrastructure for the construction of flats in that area. When can we expect development in areas where there is already existing infrastructure and land is available in that area for construction?
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: Thank you Madam Speaker, in that
regard, I will ask for your indulgence as well as the Hon. Member, for the Ministry to be allowed to visit Kadoma Central on a site visit. This will enable us to evaluate the actual status of the infrastructure that is there so that we can be able to conclusively state the timeframe for us to finish. We need to evaluate the current construction level at that site.
(v)HON. C. MOYO: Thank you Madam, this is a written question. Surely Madam Speaker, the Hon. Deputy Minister was given time to do the research and come to the House with the answers. Therefore, we dismiss the proposal of the site visit.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Moyo, I am
sure that is why the Hon. Deputy Minister had to ask for indulgence.
(v)HON. SARUWAKA: I think you have to find out from the Hon.
Minister if they are taking the Hon. Member’s question seriously. She is asking to go to the site and she should have done that already, so to allow her to get away with that, it is not proper. May you tell the Hon.
Deputy Minister that they should take our questions seriously? If it was an oral question, we were going to forgive them but we are talking of a written question. They are supposed to have done the ground work. The impression that I am getting is that the Hon. Minister did not visit the
site.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Saruwaka. I
am getting a note here that they are going to visit that site this week, so let us give them a week so that when the House resumes they will be able to respond, maybe it was a matter of resource constraints.
HON. C. MOYO: On a point of order Madam Speaker, she must
apologise.
HON. SIMBANEGAVI: My apologies Madam Speaker Ma’am.
PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOSYSTEM
AROUND BUCHWA MOUNTAIN IN MBERENGWA EAST
CONSTITUENCY
- HON. RAIDZA asked the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry to explain to the House when the Ministry will implement plans to protect the environment and ecosystem around Buchwa mountain in Ward 4, Mberengwa East Constituency which is being constantly destroyed by inhabitants who are parceling out land in the preserved mountain.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE
CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON.
- NDLOVU): Madam Speaker Ma’am, the issue of sustainable management of wetlands is a key deliverable of the NDS 1, therefore needs full participation of all sector ministries. It must be noted that water is an enabler for economic development. The Buchwa Mountain is a source of water for Murongwe and Machingwizi rivers which are major tributaries to Ngezi and Runde rivers respectively.
The micro climate presented by the mountain to the surrounding community is viewed as a solution to drought challenges hence the invasion by surrounding villagers for cultivation purposes. The surrounding Mangwiro, Mupepu, Mhaka, Mhere, Dzingira and Sani villagers have been slowly encroaching on to the mountains over the years in search for fertile soils and favourable moisture regimes.
Having observed the unsustainable practices around Buchwa Mountain, my Ministry through the Environmental Management Agency has capacitated the Mberengwa Rural District Council in the development of the Local Environmental Action Plan (LEAP) for the district. This process involved all key technical and policy makers.
Furthermore, specific capacity building and planning for Mberengwa East Constituency was done involving all relevant stakeholders. The priority livelihood projects which were identified were supported by the
Environmental Management Agency, an entity under my Ministry. Routine monitoring of the environment in the district and the constituency at large is being done by parastatals under my Ministry with appropriate awareness being created for the local communities to ensure their participation in improved local natural resources management. Furthermore, emphasis is also put on the participation of traditional leaders who are key participants in the protection of the environment and sustainable utilisation of natural resources. However, the parcelling out of land is beyond the mandate of my Ministry. This exercise is within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement.
The Local Environmental Action Plan is being rolled out in order to curb the destruction of Buchwa Mountain at a subdued level due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has hampered field operations. As soon as the lockdown measures are eased, fully fledged inclusive operations will be undertaken to solve the degradation.
Going forward, we will strengthen enforcement of by-laws at district level to ensure the protection of the area and beyond. I thank you.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
DISCONNECTION OF WATER SUPPLIES TO DEFAULTING
CONSUMERS
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES,
WATER AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR. MASUKA):
Madam Speaker Maam, I present to this august House a Ministerial
Statement on disconnection of water supplies to defaulters.
At the outset, the Minister and on behalf of Ministry and ZINWA would like to apologise for the inconveniences suffered by various water consumers throughout the country as a result of the inevitable disruptions due to perennial non-payment for water by some consumers.
Background
1.1 The mandate of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority
(ZINWA) is to plan, develop and manage the nation’s water resources. The following are the various components that fall under the ZINWA mandate:
1.1.1 Planning
- Hydrological Services
- Water Demand Monitoring
- Investment Planning, and
- Secretariat Services to Catchment Councils and Sub Catchment
Councils
1.1.2 Development
- Construction of Conservation Works- Dams for water supply, irrigation and mining
- Construction of Water Treatment Works and Distribution
Networks, and
- Expansion of Sewage Coverage
1.1.3 Management
- Clear water supply to Local Authorities (bulk), Government institutions and departments, hospitals, schools, clinics and domestic consumers.
- Raw water supply to local authorities, mining, industry and irrigators, and
- Water Resources Management for water supply, drought and flood mitigation.
- ZINWA has 534 Water Supply Stations which supply clear water amounting to 8 million cubic metres and raw water amounting to 1.3 million mega litres annually.
- As of 30 July 2021, ZINWA was owed ZW$2.4 billion by institutions that continue to receive portable water supply services from the parastatal albeit with many continuing to default on their payments. This debt has massively impacted negatively on the operational effectiveness and efficiency of ZINWA.
- The continued non-servicing of the debt has crippled ZINWA resulting in crippling lack of funding for critical inputs such as chemicals, fuels, electricity, repair and maintenance costs, among others.
2.0. Monthly Obligations
2.1. ZINWA’s monthly obligations amount to ZW$643million against collections of ZW$200million (31%) at the national level. The major cost drivers in ZINWA are chemicals (ZW$96million) monthly, repairs and maintenance (ZW$200million) and Energy (electricity and fuel) (ZW$161 million) accounting for 71% of the monthly costs. Salaries and wages constitute 25% of the monthly costs. These were contained from 55% of total monthly cost in 2019 to 25% as of June 2021. The major debtors to ZINWA are Government institutions (42%) and Local Authorities (22%) of the $2.4 billion. I have an exhaustive list of the actual amounts owed by Government departments just over $1 billion, local authorities $507 million, irrigators $394 million, domestic through to even churches as shown in Table 1.
2.2. Madam Speaker, Beitbridge and Gwanda owe ZINWA ZW$407million out of the total ZW$507 million owed by all the 92 municipalities in the country. These two owe 80% of the ZINWA debt for Local Authorities and I have the detail of the debt for these two. The fuller details of all debtors are given in Table 1. The details of the Beitbridge and Gwanda debts are shown in Table 2.
2.3. With the souring debt of ZW$2.4 billion against increasing demand for provision of portable water services to various consumers and escalating costs, ZINWA was left with no option but to issue notices of cessation of service to defaulting customers. I have an extensive list Madam Speaker, of the affected Ministries, Departments, Agencies and
Institutions.
2.4 The affected institutions were as follows:
- The Ministry of Defence and War Veterans affairs – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Public Works and National Housing – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries and Rural
Resettlement – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Public Services Labour and Social Welfare – All provinces disconnected.
- The Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education – All provinces disconnected and the Minister has just indicated that they have paid.
- Beitbridge Town Council.
- Gwanda Town Council.
- ZimParks – All provinces.
- National Railways of Zimbabwe – All provinces.
2.5. Madam Speaker, as the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, I wrote individually, to all
Ministers on 21 July 2021 and I have the list of the copies of the letters.
Minister July Moyo, $31 million. Minister Kazembe, $210 million, Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri, $363 million, Minister O. Ncube, $2 million, Minister Prof. Murwira has paid $3.7 million, $6.8 million
Minister Prof. Mavima, Minister Ziyambi, $142 million, Minister Conventry, $4.8 million, Minister Mhona, $9. 5 million and the Minister of Health and Child Care, $192 milion.
I personally, wrote letters to the Ministers to inform them of these impending inconveniences, should they not settle these debts. The letters are attached as Annexure A. However, many did not respond to these notices and ZINWA had to take the painful decision to disconnect supplies.
2.6. On a positive note Madam Speaker, the Office of the
President and Cabinet, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services, the Ministry of Health and Child Care and TelOne responded positively by making payments and submitting reasonable payment plans. These institutions were, therefore, reconnected timeously.
3.0. Management of Potable Water Supply Service
3.1 Madam Speaker, water supply services are rendered on a selffinancing basis and there is no direct funding from Government for operation or maintenance. Thus defaulting institutions are benefiting from the few consumers who honour their obligations.
3.2. ZINWA applauds its loyal consumers, including Rural Centres such as Tongwe, Shambwe and Chasvingo, supporting Beitbridge Town and Ntalale, Guyu, Mananda, Ntepe, Kezi and Mbembeswana around Gwanda Town. However, the payments from these rural service centres cannot sustain the operations for Beitbridge and Gwanda whose monthly water requirements and payment history are shown in greater detail in a
Table 2. I have taken for the benefit of Hon. Members, from January202 to July 2021 clearly indicating that the two owe substantial amounts and nave neglected to pay for their dues.
Beitbridge made a single payment of ZW$14.8 million in June 2020, the only payment it made between January and July 2021, leading to a cumulative debt of ZW$198.3 million. For Gwanda, the debt accumulated from ZW$ 16 million in January 2020 to ZW$ 181 million in July 2021. The only major payment by Gwanda was a set off of a stand they gave to ZINWA valued at ZW$12 million in October 2020. Otherwise payments are about ZW$2 million monthly and very inadequate for the services that they are provided.
3.3. Madam Speaker, in contrast, ZINWA also supplies water to
Hwange up to household level and the collection rates are over 80%.
These resources support small centres in the areas such as Luvimbi, Jambezi, Sebungwe, and Siyabuwa. Similarly, in Karoi Town the collection rate is about 75%, which positively impacts surrounding centres such as Pote, Kasimure, Mwami, Makuti and Vuti.
3.4. Madam Speaker, it should be noted that other local authorities such as Binga, Tsholotsholo, Lupane, Gutu, Mvurwi and Chivhu are paying satisfactorily. It must be emphasised that the tariff is uniform across the country. Beitbridge and Gwanda have chosen not to prioritise water use payments, unlike these centres. The payment rate to ZINWA for the two Local Authorities (Beitbridge and Gwanda) combined is 14%. ZINWA is unable to ascertain what their actual collection rates are from their users.
3.5. Madam Speaker, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development allocates funding to Ministries to enable them to service their utility bills. However, the respective Ministries and Departments do not timeously remit the funds to ZINWA for water consumed. In some instances, the Ministries and Departments simply neglect to pay their obligations.
4.0. Current Water Supply Status
4.1. Water supply has been restored to all the institutions that were disconnected during the past week after payment plans were submitted. All Government institutions and Departments have been reconnected against a commitment, from the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development, to pay a total of ZW$350 million immediately.
4.2 Beitbridge municipality has submitted a payment plan for
ZW$20 million per month and services were restored yesterday. Gwanda municipality has submitted a payment plan for ZW$5 million per month plus whatever Government pays to Gwanda Municipality for water bills and services were also restored yesterday.
5.0. Recommendations
5.1 Madam Speaker, in conversation with the Minister of Finance and Economic Development before coming here, he has also pledged to assist local authorities in that for the Government institutions that these two and other local authorities supply water to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development will pay those bills direct to ZINWA and not through the local authorities.
Madam Speaker, the non-payment of bills has affected ZINWA’s capacity to deliver its mandate including the drilling of 35,000 boreholes for marginalised rural communities to support the transformative Presidential Rural Horticultural Programme and improve access to clean, safe water by these communities. This has denied millions of rural communities their basic right to water.
ZINWA’s Water Supply Services rehabilitation and expansion drive has also stalled for the additional 41 Rural Service Centres which are targeted to be completed before end of the year.
Given the aforementioned, ZINWA has recommended that, ZINWA could take over the supply function of water to the two Local Authorities from source to the household, given the inability of the two local authorities,Gwanda and Beitbridge to sustainably supply water to residents. Alternatively, ZINWA could supply water directly to critical Government institutions in these Towns such as hospitals, border posts and security institutions to avoid disruption of essential service.
Reactivation of bulk prepaid water metering for Local Authorities and accelerating installation of pre-paid metering to households; and
Water Supply revenue in all the Local Authorities should be ringfenced to ensure sustainability of water supply services.
6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, once again the Ministry unreservedly apologises on behalf of ZINWA for having taken this last resort and drastic measure to induce payments and raise awareness among Zimbabweans of the need to pay for utilities, while urging authorities to prioritise services by paying for water timely. ZINWA, working with the Ministry, will strive to improve services in line with its mandate and constitutional requirements.
Table 1
Customer Category | Current | 30 days | 60 days | 90 days | 120 days + | Total | % Total Debtors |
Government |
127,190,338 | 124,367,834 | 170,069,628 | 101,164,918 | 488,837,466 |
1,011,630,183 |
41.76% |
Local government | 54,355,991 | 59,908,271 | 50,714,975 | 40,698,942 | 301,646,611 |
507,324,789 |
20.94% |
Irrigators | 89,872,724 | 71,003,075 | 36,051,878 | 28,938,153 | 168,250,378 |
394,116,208 |
16.27% |
Domestic | 50,389,595 | 37,990,021 | 28,779,571 | 18,433,206 | 115,417,897 |
251,010,289 |
10.36% |
Mine | 21,219,415 | 16,970,168 | 16,199,041 | 6,337,166 | 20,050,490 |
80,776,280 |
3.33% |
Parastatal | 18,519,298 | 12,687,787 | 8,293,755 | 6,348,868 | 31,274,247 |
77,123,956 |
3.18% |
School | 11,157,897 | 5,797,167 | 5,016,632 | 2,018,801 | 20,111,259 |
44,101,756 |
1.82% |
Business | 9,544,996 | 6,481,788 | 4,326,654 | 2,824,585 | 16,416,135 |
39,594,158 |
1.63% |
Industrial | 7,064,693 | 5,559,424 | 213,413 | 695,575 |
(2,143,202) |
11,389,903 |
0.47% |
Church | 1,090,508 | 681,109 | 642,801 | 443,662 | 2,279,156 |
5,137,237 |
0.21% |
Total |
390,405,454 |
341,446,645 |
320,308,349 |
207,903,876 |
1,162,140,436 |
2,422,204,760 |
100% |
Percentage
(%) to Total Debtors |
16% | 14% | 13% | 9% | 48% | 100% |
Table 2
BEIT BRIDGE TOWN COUNCIL ACCOUNT HISTORY AS FROM JAN 2020 TO JULY 2021 |
|||||
Month | VOLUME
BILLED(m3) |
Monthly Charge | Payments | Debit/Credit Note | Balance Outstanding |
$ | $ | $ | $ | ||
23,333,427.93 | |||||
January 2020 | 138,011 |
1,655,250.11 |
(190,000.00) |
24,798,678.04 |
|
February 2020 | 169,178 |
1,963,535.86 |
(330,000.00) |
26,432,213.90 |
|
March 2020 | 144,714 |
1,314,595.44 |
(520,000.00) |
27,226,809.34 |
|
April 2020 | 185,368 |
9,134,019.21 |
(142,000.00) |
36,218,828.55 |
|
May 2020 | 177,282 |
9,227,484.44 |
(115,000.00) |
45,331,312.99 |
|
June 2020 | 190,689 |
10,130,723.75 |
(380,000.00) |
(14,837,231.25)* |
40,244,805.49 |
July 2020 | 158,079 |
15,609,262.09 |
(770,000.00) |
55,084,067.58 |
|
August 2020 | 189,933 |
18,991,067.98 |
(750,000.00) |
73,325,135.56 |
|
September 2020 | 173,196 |
17,823,252.57 |
(1,350,000.00) |
89,798,388.13 |
|
October 2020 | 168,684 |
17,727,057.34 |
(1,544,985.00) |
105,980,460.47 |
|
November 2020 | 180,281 |
14,175,606.96 |
(2,565,000.00) |
117,591,067.43 |
|
December 2020 | 173,196 |
18,791,581.52 |
(2,100,000.00) |
134,282,648.95 |
|
January 2021 | 166,149 |
18,705,951.73 |
(4,800,000.00) |
148,188,600.68 |
|
February 2021 | 159,877 |
18,232,150.42 |
(5,800,000.00) |
160,620,751.10 |
|
March 2021 | 141,489 |
16,373,980.02 |
(8,369,459.00) |
168,625,272.12 |
|
April 2021 | 159,660 |
18,730,040.91 |
(6,874,890.64) |
180,480,422.39 |
|
May 2021 | 168,407 |
19,744,211.26 |
(4,433,466.00) |
195,791,167.65 |
|
June 2021 | 163,788 |
19,392,856.35 |
(6,000,000.00) |
209,184,024.00 |
|
July 2021 | (10,900,000.00) |
198,284,024.00 |
|||
198,284,024.00 |
|||||
TOTALS |
247,722,627.96 |
(57,934,800.64) |
(14,837,231.25) |
198,284,024.00 |
Notes
- Client is currently paying $2 million per week.
- Payments of RTGS$10 million and ZAR150 000 were received in July
- Payment of $5 million was received in August
- July bill and interest are not yet charged
- *Reversal: Short notice for tariff adjustment
Gwanda Town Council Account History from January 2020 to July 2021
|
|||||
Month | VOLUME
BILLED (m3) |
Monthly
Charges ($) |
Adjustments
($) |
Payments ($) | Balance
Outstanding ($) |
Balance B/D |
16,066,542.39 |
||||
January 2020 |
111,532.00 |
1,299,549.40 |
(65,000.00) |
17,301,091.79 |
|
February 2020 |
119,103.00 |
1,389,266.09 |
(35,000.00) |
18,655,357.88 |
|
March 2020 |
93,905.00 |
863,367.04 |
- |
19,518,724.92 |
|
April 2020 |
126,996.00 |
6,262,552.53 |
(290,000.00) |
25,491,277.45 |
|
May 2020 |
143,281.00 |
7,359,477.66 |
(273,000.00) |
32,577,755.11 |
|
June 2020 |
169,295.00 |
8,796,067.11 |
(7,322,657.38) | (461,231.99) |
33,589,932.85 |
July 2020 |
151,244.00 |
14,829,710.06 |
(3,567,800.76) | - |
44,851,842.15 |
August 2020 |
179,359.00 |
17,492,530.29 |
- | (384,500.00) |
61,959,872.44 |
September 2020 |
170,684.00 |
16,705,634.82 |
- | (310,000.00) |
78,355,507.26 |
October 2020 |
184,535.00 |
18,518,523.20 |
- | (12,198,052.89) |
84,675,977.57 |
November 2020 |
165,596.00 |
17,149,560.17 |
(45,000.00) | (350,000.00) | 101,430,537.74 |
December 2020 |
160,802.00 |
16,846,500.18 |
- | (1,425,849.44) | 116,851,188.48 |
January 2021 |
149,737.00 |
16,235,679.78 |
- | (3,761,996.66) | 129,324,871.60 |
February 2021 |
139,504.00 |
15,447,573.37 |
- | (1,200,000.00) | 143,572,444.97 |
March 2021 | (1,760,000.00) | 157,290,129.13 | |||
139,330.00 | 15,477,684.16 | ||||
April 2021 |
166,308.00 |
18,149,874.13 |
(4,200,000.00) | 171,240,003.26 | |
May 2021 |
153,490.00 |
17,078,135.53 |
(4,100,000.00) | 184,218,138.79 | |
June 2021 |
134,735.00 |
15,475,621.21 |
(1,500,000.00) | 198,193,760.00 | |
July 2021 | (17,049,000.00) | 181,144,760.00 | |||
225,377,306.73 |
(10,935,458.14) | (49,363,630.98) | 181,144,760.00 | ||
Notes | |||||
1. October 2020 payment had a set-off against a stand bought from Municipality. The cost of the stand $11,2million | |||||
2. Current payments are $500 000 per week ($2million per month) against an average bill of
$15million |
|||||
3. In July 2021 payments of $5,049million, $10million and the weekly $500 000 were received | |||||
4. Bill for July and interest charges are yet to be charged | |||||
5. *Reversal: Short notice for Tariff Adjustment |
HON. MUTAMBISI: Firstly, I would like to thank the Hon.
Minister for the presentation. I would want to know what measures ZINWA is taking to restore water to people in rural areas who had water taps. Most of the taps have dried up because in most cases ZESA took away transformers which were assisting to pump water into reservoirs.
HON. MAPHOSA: I would like to thank the Minister for his presentation but I am not satisfied with some of the utterances like when he said residents do not want to pay. I think the issue, especially of Gwanda and Beitbridge, from the Minister’s statement, is trying to solve a disease without looking at its symptoms. In 1996, a directive was given that ZINWA should hand over treatment plants to the local authorities. To date, out of 32 Urban Local Authorities in 2013, 27 were given back their plants, except for Gwanda, Beitbridge, Plumtree, Karoi and Victoria Falls. Up to date, Victoria Falls and Plumtree have been given their plants but Gwanda and Beitbridge have not.
Let me concentrate on Gwanda. Two commissions were sent. The first one was led by Hon. Sipepa and the second was led by Hon. Muchinguri and both approved after the assessment that Gwanda could handle its water issues, in particular, the treatment plant. In December 2019, a delegation from Gwanda Local Authority came to see Hon. P.
Shiri, may his soul rest in peace. He gave a directive that by August
2019, the water plant would have been given back to Gwanda town. The Minister of Local Government and Public Works also wrote a letter to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural
Resettlement specifying that Gwanda was ready to run its water plant. My question is, out of all these Commissioners, residents and local authorities that came, what is delaying the handover as we are just waiting for the date to be set for the handover? The last communiqué was after Victoria Falls, Gwanda was going to be given back its treatment plant. However, to date ZINWA and the Ministry are still holding onto that plant. Why have they continued to do that?
Then on bills Madam Speaker, we have to separate debts from treatment plant charges. The reason why Gwanda and Beitbridge seem to be having these escalating figures is because ZINWA is also billing water treatment and not just the supply of water. So, I need that to be understood. Then on the issue of debts, it is an issue that can be dealt with separately and maybe look for a way to recover their money. For example, ZINWA bills Gwanda City Council $15 million per month yet the local authority can only collect +/-$8 million. So that alone continues to let the debt accumulate monthly. Last year in July 2020, the Local Authority’s debt to ZINWA stood at $17 million and now, a year later, the debt has ballooned to $193 million.
So, you can see that if we talk about debts before the handing over, this thing will go on and on and ZINWA will continue to cut off water and taking over cars to recoup their debt. This is not going to end and I think the solution is for the Ministry and ZINWA to hand over the water treatment plant to Gwanda town. Also, of the $193 million, $158 million is owed by government departments. So you can see that residents are trying their best to pay but when they cut off water they also cut off the residents. Those are the clarifications that I need from the Minister.
HON. B. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I just have one point of clarification. How does the Ministry feel by contradicting the whole national policy on COVID-19, which requires water as a fundamental for purposes of hygiene? It is during the pandemic that you decide to disconnect water, especially at Beitbridge border post where there is serious traffic of humans from across the borders such as truck drivers and everyone else. Actually, Beitbridge is regarded as one of the most over-populated places in the country and as a means of debt collection, you just decide to deny people water.
I believe that this is a serious contradiction of the main
Government policy and there is no basis or reasonable justification in a democratic society to do so, especially considering that you are even contradicting the other line ministry in the form of the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, which has written to you to hand over the treatment of that water. You can do the debt collection but remember that you need those people to be alive in order for you to collect the debt. However, what you are doing now is actually sentencing people to death because water is life. I do not know how you would then envisage, going forward, to be collecting debts and I believe this is extortion, to actually cut water as a means of forcing people to pay. I think that you should not unnecessarily contradict the general Government policy on water, especially during this pandemic. Thank you.
*HON. KARUMAZONDO: Thank you very much Hon.
Speaker. I kindly ask for clarity from the Minister on his presentation. I heard you explaining that there are Government departments in their numbers that are not paying up their bills, including the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement. We also hear they owe ZINWA.
What I want to understand is, are the rates that are being charged too high that people are failing to pay because I saw that your Ministry is one of those that owe ZINWA?
HON. MOKONE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I
would like to thank the Hon. Minister for the Ministerial Statement, but I
am not satisfied with the Ministerial Statement that he presented before us, the reason being Gwanda Town is the provincial capital of Matabeleland South. Minister, may you kindly explain to me why you went ahead to cut off water knowing that Gwanda Town is the capital of Matabeleland South and it has a provincial hospital? All the referral cases of Matabeleland South are referred to Gwanda. So how do you expect the hospital to function in such a scenario? How do you expect the theatre to function in such a scenario? May you kindly explain that to me?
Madam Speaker, the Hon. Minister highlighted that 80% of the debt that is owed to ZINWA is from Beitbridge and Gwanda. I would like to make it easy for him or rather, to propose that they hand over the plant to Gwanda and Beitbridge and thereafter they then talk about payment plans because this ZINWA debt is actually dating back from 2009. If you remember very well there was a Presidential statement that all council bills have to be struck off, but from the research that I gathered, ZINWA in Gwanda only removed 40% of the amount that was there in their debt and then the rest remained. So this is the debt that keeps on accumulating each and every month, up to $193 million as of now. I would like the Hon. Minister to give us a solution today as to what we are supposed to do because this problem has taken too long.
The other thing, ZINWA is demanding unrealistic payments from the people of Gwanda and Beitbridge, that is $18 million per month. Madam Speaker, council cannot raise that figure in Gwanda. Council is now working for ZINWA. In other ways, other departments are now suffocating because of the ZINWA debt. All the money that council is collecting every month goes to ZINWA and the other departments are now not progressing.
So I am down on my knees, pleading with the Minister today in this august House, to facilitate the process of handing over the plant from ZINWA to the local authorities, especially Gwanda and Beitbridge because that is where I come from, that is my area of concern. I am pleading with you today to please facilitate the hand over, take over because from the evidence that I gathered, everything has been done, what is left is for you to hand over the plant to the local authorities and then you talk about payment plans. I submit Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. CHINYANGANYA: My point of clarity pertains to local authorities. If the Minister can refresh his memory, in 2013 the Government ordered local authorities to write off all bills that the residents owed to local authorities but what remained Madam Speaker, are debts that those municipalities owed to service providers including ZINWA. So the debts that have accrued over the years to ZINWA from municipalities stem from those debts that were written off.
What is the Government doing to make sure that those debts are also written off, the debts that the local authorities are owing to ZINWA because residents owed local authorities money for the water that they used, but that water came from ZINWA and ZINWA had to be paid?
The Government is supposed to foot the bills that the local authorities are owed to ZINWA. So what is their Ministry doing to make sure that all those debts are also written off? Thank you.
(v)HON. SARUWAKA: Thank you Madam Chair. I have got two
submissions to make to the Hon. Minister. The first one, I think others have already touched on it, but it is on the legacy issues around the decision made by Hon. Chombo then, the political decision to write off debts on behalf of council. Has his Ministry and ZINWA taken note of the contribution that decision has made on the capacity of local authorities to meet their obligations?
The other issue I wanted to raise to the Minister is, through his presentation, it has become very clear that the chief debtor is the Government itself. It is the chief debtor to ZINWA and also to local authorities. So would it not have made sense to the Minister just to speak to his colleague in Cabinet to pay up so as to avoid the need to disconnect the two local authorities and make the people of the two towns suffer for the sins of Government ministries? Would it not have been easier, smarter and shorter for the Minister to talk to his colleague in Cabinet to pay up to avoid the need to disconnect the two local authorities and make the people for the two towns suffer for the sins of Government ministries. Would it not have been easier, smarter and shorter for the Minister to talk to his colleagues in Cabinet to pay up than to arm twist the local authorities and the people of the two towns? (v) HON. GABBUZA: Madam Speaker, two local authorities have not honoured their obligations and specifically, Gwanda and Beitbridge. Can the Minister confirm whether they are not honouring their obligations because there is an argument? Secondly, what is the strategy on the farmers? I did not hear much being said about farmers given that there might be a crop on the ground. Have they also made payment plans? Why are they not being punished?
(v) HON. MARKHAM: I just want to reiterate the issue of the legacy debt, that money that was written off, ZINWA was owed a lot of money by local government, particularly in the City of Harare for example. What is the Minister going to do because in the Minister’s own words, 42% was owed by Government and 22% is owed by local government? This adds up to the bulk of the money owed to ZINWA
and if we cannot collect that debt, why are we chasing the rats and the mice that have nothing in real terms?
HON. DR. KHUPE: The first point that I would like to raise is enshrined in our Constitution. Section 77 of the Constitution on the right to food and water says every person has the right to safe, clean and potable water. Just that disconnection of water from Beitbridge and
Gwanda was a violation of people’s rights and a violation of this Constitution because water is life. It does not matter whether people were not paying bills but Government is supposed to exercise leniency when it comes to the right of people, especially with the advent of Corona virus these days because disconnecting that water is like giving them a death sentence because there are cholera and COVID-19 issues involved. I think on this one, Government was supposed to exercise caution.
I would like to also add my voice in that Gwanda and Beitbridge must be given a right to treat their own water. Government must handover those rights so that they are able to treat their own water.
Secondly Madam Speaker, according to NDS1, 33 000 boreholes are supposed to be dug in five years. My question to the Minister is, where is the problem because we are tired of hearing about procurement processes, and so on? The Minister of Finance must give priority to water and local authorities so that they are given money to buy rigs and start drilling boreholes as a back-up when these kind of situation happen. My question is where is the problem because the Minister said they have only drilled 2 000 boreholes, out of the 33 000 which were supposed to be dug? When are we going to meet the target of 33 000? Where is the problem?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): I thank the Hon. Members for their questions, suggestions and comments, very enriching. Some of them did repeat what the other Hon. Members said so I will attempt to combine those in my responses and those that I might have skipped; it does not necessarily mean that I diminish their importance. We will certainly be able to sit with the ZINWA team and be able to go through these. More specifically, I have noted all of them in detail.
Hon. Simbanegavi on ZINWA water taps dry and ZESA
transformers taken, well climate change is real. With climate change, we anticipate that our country is going to get drier in the decades ahead. We must climate-proof our agriculture. At the rural level, the Ministry is going to be coming up with a Statutory Instrument on soils and water conservation because siltation is actually a major issue. We have neglected contour works for far too long and now things are catching up with us. We also need to educate our farmers, A1, A2 and everyone so that we can conserve our environment and minimise our own climatic footprint. The transformer issue, perhaps the Ministry responsible for Energy and Power Development will be happy to respond.
The issue about Gwanda and Beitbridge, quite a lot of Members have referred to this. There are five local authorities that we are in discussion with, with a view to handing over their works to them. I will be the first to be relieved not to be asked questions in Parliament because these will be asked to the local authorities. I expect that Gwanda will be able to accelerate the handover when they finish the various issues that Ministry of Local Government and ZINWA officials are working with them to do. We will be very pleased to handover to Gwanda.
Beitbridge is not so ready for the handover and we are working with them. Karoi Town Council too, they are still far behind but they are desirous to run their own works. There are about a series of steps including technical and administrative capacity, the resolution of the debt issue and payment that they need to look into and agree as officials so that we can get to the stage that we did with the Victoria Falls city.
For us, that is very good.
ZINWA is mandated to provide bulk water supply and as national institution where local authorities might not have capacity, ZINWA is asked to step in. If local authorities think that they have the capacity, they just fulfil the checklist and we handover. I think that is a very good position to be in. So, I look forward to a celebratory day together with Hon. Ministers where Gwanda will be running its own affairs and I look forward to that in the not too distant future.
The debt owed by Government and local authorities, we have, as I indicated Madam Speaker, reached an arrangement with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development that although the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development disburses money to ministries including my own, there is some lack of appetite to settle utilities. So the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, realising that this paralysis that is happening within ZINWA, if ZINWA had not taken this unfortunate drastic step, in the current circumstances in the next week or so, ZINWA would have shut down unable to treat water.
So the option was to jerk the system and nation to think about having to pay so that we can provide this vital constitutional requirement. We have had to take this drastic measure in order to arrive at where we have arrived today Madam Speaker – a very pleasing position. Government itself has paid $350 million, which means the three to four days of interruption will lead to continuity perhaps to the end of the year. It was going to be worse had we not done that. So, this is the decision, context and very hard decision that we have taken. It is under those circumstances that we take these decisions in order to induce certain movements. I believe that we have reached an agreement with Gwanda and Beitbridge for payment arrangements.
We have also gone to a further extent of lobbying on behalf of local authorities with the Government, that debts for Government departments in those local authorities be taken over by Central
Government and that portion of the debt be paid directly to ZINWA. So if Gwanda has $158 million owed by Government departments, that amount will now be paid directly to ZINWA so that their debt obligation suddenly reduces and I expect that will assist them to accelerate the negotiation process with ZINWA so that they can take over the running of their works. If you look at the costs, ZINWA is subsidising quite a lot of the local authorities and I doubt that in the next two to three years, they will probably not hand-over again to ZINWA – if you look at the detailed costing for the various costs that go into treatment.
The ZINWA rates, yes the ZINWA rates are calculated on a cost plus approach, taking into account inflation. So these are very reasonable.
The issue of the write off came out quite clearly and that being given as the reason that is militating against local authorities supply or ability to pay. We can look at this on a case by case basis but we can also look at it from just the evidence at hand, that if it was nationwide and some local authorities are up to date now with their payments and other local authorities are out of date with their payments. It means that it is more than the debt written off; it is the discipline within those local authorities. I hope that once they take over the treatment works and are able to do this they will be sufficiently disciplined to ensure that they will be able to provide this service on a continuous basis.
I am just trying to check, I think that there was quite some emotion around Gwanda which I said that I look forward to a day where we can all celebrate Gwanda taking over and running their own activity. I urge other authorities to look into this so that ZINWA can get on with its mandate of bulk raw water supply so that ZINWA can get on with the mandate of providing the 35 000 boreholes that we talk about. Look at how transformational it is Madam Speaker; I look at the women where I come from – my mother and sisters in August to November, the dry period. They have to walk distances to fetch water. How transformational, how dignifying it will be for our women, for my sisters to be able to open a tap in the village; to be able to not go and water your garden by the stream but to do so somewhere with dignity in the village.
So I hope that local authorities will play their part so that ZINWA can play its part. Thank you Madam Speaker. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I would like to thank the Hon.
Minister for that detailed Ministerial Statement and also the responses.
On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI, seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Nineteen Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMABWE
Tuesday, 3rd August, 2021
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
PETITION RECEIVED FROM THE SOUTHLANDS RESIDENTS
ASSOCIATION
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on 27th
July, 2021, Parliament received a petition from the Southlands Residents Association wherein the petitioners were concerned that the right to education for the children in Southlands had been violated by the City of Harare. The petition was deemed inadmissible and the petitioners were notified accordingly.
TABLING OF A REPORT
AUDITOR-GENERAL’S SPECIAL REPORT ON COVID-19
THE HON. SPEAKER: I also have to inform the House that
Section 12 (2) of the Audit Office Act [CAP. 22:18], provides that; where the Minister or appropriate Minister fails to lay any report before the House of Assembly in terms of Section 11(1) (a) within the period specified therein, the Comptroller and Auditor-General shall transmit a copy of such report to the Speaker of the National Assembly for the Speaker to lay it before the National Assembly. I, therefore, lay upon the table a Special Audit Report by the Auditor-General on COVID-19 pandemic financial management and utilisation of public resources in the country’s provinces by Ministries, Departments and Agencies.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity. Following the launch of the national dress which was largely spearheaded by our First Lady, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Parliament through the Committee on Culture, it is my request if Parliament could facilitate that on a certain day, either weekly or monthly that Members of Parliament put on the national dress colours to encourage members of the public, those whom we represent to also take up the national dress and its colours and wear them, even when they go outside Zimbabwe.
The national dress issue entrenches itself as a culture in our society among the people of Zimbabwe. So, it is my request Mr. Speaker, that if there was room that Parliament could facilitate that in two ways: allowing or encouraging on a specific day that people put on this national dress. Maybe if resources permit, Parliament Administration can help Members of Parliament to acquire these national dress clothes so that they can put on as a process of encouraging our society to celebrate our national dress. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Did you say Hon. Members must be
assisted to buy the national dress? Where is your patriotism? It is just like buying a suit, either female or male to be presentable. I think if it is a national dress, the Hon. Members should subscribe to it in the spirit of patriotism to identify themselves. All of us will get rid of these ties and start putting on the national dress. So it is a call that we need to respond to out of national interest, driven by our patriotism. Thank you very much Hon. Togarepi – [HON. DR. KHUPE: Facilitate the availability of the material.] – Yes, Hon. Togarepi is or was in that team of putting together what was deemed to be the national colours. He worked very closely with small Parliamentary Committee under the auspices of the
First Lady and the Minister of Small to Medium Enterprises, Hon.
Stembiso Nyoni.
There was a quibble here from Hon. Dr. Khupe that the material must be availed here at Parliament, so let us have a buying point where we can congregate and choose the patterns that we would like to purchase. I think the House is saying to you Hon. Togarepi, make sure that the arrangement is available, then we can announce at an appropriate time, where exactly we can purchase the material. Thank you.
(v)HON. MUCHIMWE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity. I would like to applaud His Excellency, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for his dedicated and relentless efforts to upgrade national roads. So to speak, Mutare West road from Marange to Sabi Ridge is now tar macadamised. His name is a talk of the day in Manicaland. This area had been marginalised since 1980. Long days to the President and more blessings to Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for the economic development. Lastly, if people could stick on to this chapter and verse in the Bible from Exodus Chapter 23:25. People must read this verse.
Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: We shall read it Hon. Muchimwe. (v)HON. NDUNA: Thank you for according me this opportunity Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of national importance is that we have gone from bearer cheques, Zimbabwe dollar, bond notes and now to RTGs and also to a basket to currencies. In so doing Mr. Speaker Sir, we have not hedged our pensioners’ funds on the same basket of currencies. We have hedged it against the inflation of our own local currency. My point therefore Mr. Speaker Sir, speaks to and about non-monetary incentives to retrenches; pensioners in Government and quasi-Government departments, including the private sector, in particular, places like Elvington Mine where workers have been retrenched and where pensioners have taken up their pension. We have places like BHP and
David Whitehead Textiles.
It is my view Mr. Speaker Sir, that you assign your Portfolio Committee on Industry and Commerce and that of Mines to see if it is possible that the retrenchees can also be accorded the houses that they occupy in those companies. This becomes a hedge against inflation for their earnings that they would have earned during the time they were placed in those companies. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. Be guided that you do not instruct the Chair to put together relevant committees on an issue, you request. That is the proper approach. Secondly, your issue of national interest is very broad based. I would suggest that you come up with a motion so that the matter is debated exhaustively.
HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of privilege is on the experience I got with the PSMAS card two weeks ago. Two weeks ago my mother fell ill and I took her to the doctor. The doctor refused the PSMAS card, and then I paid cash. He then prescribed quite a number of medicines. My young brother went round looking for medicines and all the pharmacies refused to use the PSMAS card. Only Westend accepted on condition that they would supply the medicines after having seen the proof of payment. It took a week to get the proof of payment from PSMAS. After going round, we went to
PSMAS pharmacies and there were very long queues. After queuing up we got a quarter of the medicines. So, we had to go back to folk out cash.
My appeal is, when we pay in advance for these medical aids, we expect to get service immediately when there is need. I do not blame these people because PSMAS was very good when it was started but because of corruption, people have no faith in it. Coincidentally, one of my friends who was using CIMAS managed to buy anything he wanted; the CIMAS card was accepted everywhere. So, I am appealing to you Mr. Speaker and Parliament, yes PSMAS is part of us as Government but if they are not providing the service, I think you should also think twice as Parliament and have the right medical aid. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I think this affects quite a number of
Members, if not all of you. I will ask the Clerk of Parliament to pursue the matter so that there is some efficiency. Perhaps liaise with the
Public Service Commission because I think all civil servants are under PSMAS, so that it is brought to their attention concerning their efficiency. So, Hon. Tekeshe, bring the details to the Clerk of Parliament and we will take it up from there administratively.
HON. MOKONE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I rise on an issue of national importance. There is a looming disaster in Matabeleland South. ZINWA has cut off its water supply from two major towns in the province, that is Beitbridge and Gwanda towns. ZINWA has attributed this move to non-payment of dues by the two aforementioned towns. Today we are in day eight, without any drop of water in Gwanda Town. I find this uncalled for, especially since we are faced with this COVID-19 scourge where running water is very important in preventing the spread of the disease. It is also a violation of human rights as water is one of the rights that is enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the situation is really dire. Hospitals have suspended theatre services because there is no single drop of water running from their tap. This House can imagine the risk in such a situation. The two major towns in Matabeleland South have gone back to the stone age period. I therefore urge or rather, request the responsible Ministry to look into this with urgency or better still come to this august House and explain why the two major cities in Matabeleland South are still being supplied ZINWA water, yet the municipality got the directive to get water plants from ZINWA. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: A very important matter of national interest and very concerning as well. I am not sure whether we can get a statement by tomorrow; the Minister of Water is in Cabinet today. May
I request the Clerk of Parliament to go to his office now and phone the
Permanent Secretary to prepare that statement, in liaison with the Deputy Minister so that when the Minister comes out of Cabinet, he can approve that statement for delivery tomorrow. The Clerk of Parliament, please proceed accordingly.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
RESPONSE TO ISSUES RAISED BY THE PORTFOLIO
COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT ON THE FAMILIARISATION TOUR OF
BORDER POSTS
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I
rise to make a Ministerial Statement, providing responses on the issues raised by the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic
Development’s familiarisation tour of the six border posts, June to July, 2019. Last week I had laid down the report but I was supposed to make a presentation.
Mr. Speaker Sir…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, can you put that gadget next to your left hand so that it can capture what you are saying.
HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Portfolio
Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development conducted a tour of the country’s border posts in order to familiarise with operations of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), alongside the then members of the ZIMRA Board and Management. The team visited
Kariba, Chirundu, Forbes Border Post, Beitbridge, Plumtree and
Kazungula Boarder Post during the period of June, July, 2019.
The following are the Committee observations, recommendations and measures taken to date to address concerns raised.
Staff Accommodation and Office Space
Inadequate staff accommodation, in particular at Beitbridge and Kazungula Border Post resulted in an inadequate staff compliment, long working hours and high costs incurred in renting space or hotels during peak periods such as the festive season. The Committee recommended construction of adequate staff accommodation as well as office space to accommodate other agents at border posts such as security agents to facilitate issues of confidentiality and ease of physical inspections. The following measures have been since been adopted;
Chirundu Staff Houses
Phase one with five staff houses accommodating 20 officers was completed at the end of 2019 and Treasury has already commissioned them in February, 2020. Phase 2 with three by four bedroomed staff houses is now at 80% final stage completion with procurement of floor tiles in progress. Once the tiles have been secured, it will take a month to complete the works. Work on screens is in progress. The project will be completed in the third quarter of 2021.
Kazungula Staff Houses
Four by four bedroomed staff houses are now at the final stage and there are around 70% complete whereby the procurement process of appointing the supplier of floor tiles have been completed. Once the tiles are on site, it will take one month to complete the works. Work on sliding doors and screens is in progress. The project will be completed in the third quarter of 2021.
Kazungula Border Office Accommodation
Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to advise that the project will be implemented on a phase approach, starting with the refurbishment of the current border offices and customs yard. The offices will be refurbished and expanded in order to accommodate more officers. The customs yard will also be expanded in order to create additional parking in light of increasing traffic. The designs for this phase are being finalised and tendering is expected to commence by the 15th August, 2021.
Phase two which will involve Zimbabwe joining the one-stop border arrangement with Zambia and Botswana will be implemented after completion of phase 1.
Border Infrastructure
The Committee observed that infrastructure at most ports of entry is now very old and inadequate, hence cannot match the current volumes of traffic. It was also noted that the Beitbridge upgrade plan was behind schedule. The Kariba Border Post was constrained in terms of expansion and the Kazungula Border Post upgrade that had been endorsed by Cabinet needed to be completed within 12 months in order to be integrated into the quadripartite arrangement. In addition, the Committee observed that all border posts lacked support services such as banks, duty free shops, restaurants and service centres. In view of the foregoing, the Committee recommended prioritisation of the Beitbridge,
Chirundu and Kazungula Borders infrastructure development in 2020.
I wish to advise that the following measures have been implemented.
Beitbridge Border Modernisation
Mr. Speaker Sir, phase 1 of the project includes development of the following;
Commercial freight terminal, warehouse and two scanner shedes and parking area for commercial trucks. Work is now at 60% completion level and is on course for the targeted completion date of 14 September, 2021. Subsequent phases of the project which include the development of staff houses will be completed on a phased approach up to 2023.
In addition, construction of the 36 bedroomed flat on Stand 48 is set to resume after the Procurement and Regulatory Authority of
Zimbabwe approved the contractor’s price increase request.
Border Line Security and Physical Barriers
Mr. Speaker Sir, ZIMRA has employed a fulltime senior experienced Loss Control Manager who is now in charge of all security matters at all borders. The manager is responsible for coordinating the activities of State Security agencies and the revenue authority’s activities on all matters of security.
Border Line Security
Drones for patrolling the border line will be shortly deployed following the announcement in the 2021 National Budget to adopt the use of surveillance drones. The tendering process of the drones’ project is now at an advanced stage. In addition, the revenue authority has appointed a manager responsible for border surveillance who will work with the security management unit and security forces in order to ensure the border line is secure.
Perimeter Fence and use of Boom gates to Control Movement of Traffic and Passengers
Mr. Speaker Sir, with respect to the need to erect a perimeter fence and use of boom gates, a security management unit is currently conducting an assessment on the perimeter fence at all border posts. The necessary measures will then be implemented accordingly.
Destruction of Physical Barriers by Wild Animals
Mr. Speaker Sir, following the Committee’s observation of threats posed by wild animals to human life, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management has been engaged for purposes of implementing measures to curb such incidences. In that regard, a training programme has been scheduled for all ZIMRA officers stationed in wildlife infested areas so as to reduce wildlife-human conflict.
Electronic System andCCTV
Mr. Speaker Sir, implementation of the electronic single window system to be used and shared among various Government agencies remain work in progress as most agencies still require technological capacitation through automation of their business processes. The easy of doing business initiative ushered the single window project which continues to be implemented. The accelerated developments at Beitbridge have meant that the Beitbridge CCTV requirements can now be delivered through the modernisation projects.
Border Post Warehouses
Mr. Speaker Sir, the border modernisation plan embraces the provision of adequate warehousing facilities. Meanwhile, whilst the infrastructure is being implemented to decongest warehouses, ZIMRA is conducting auction for disposing forfeited goods in terms of the customs and excise legislation.
Kazungula One Stop Border Post
With respect to the Kazungula Border Post, engagements are currently in progress with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure
Development on the Kazungula One-Stop-Border-Post in order to ensure at Zimbabwe joins the One-Stop-Border-Post arrangement with Botswana and Zambia. The project will be implemented on a phased approach due to the shortage of funding starting with the refurbishment of the current border offices and customs yard.
Whereas the offices will be refurbished in order to accommodate more officers, the customs yard will also be expanded with a view to create additional parking for the increasing vehicular traffic. The designs for this phase are being finalised and tendering is expected to commence by the 15th of August 2021. Phase 2 which involves Zimbabwe joining the One Stop Border arrangement with Zambia and
Botswana will be implemented after completion of Phase 1.
Forbes Border Post
In order to reduce congestion at the border post, plans are underway for a Zimbabwe/Mozambique bilateral agreement to increase border post’s operation hours and modernisation of the border post through an upgrade.
With regards to the issue of limited parking space at the border post, I wish to advise that a truck park is being developed in order to address the challenge. The park will also house ZIMRA offices for the clearance of commercial trucks. Designs of the park have been finalised and this will be followed by the tendering process to appoint the contractor.
Power Back up at Border Posts
I wish to advise that solar power has been installed at Plumtree and Nyamapanda Border posts as the primary source of power while ZESA energy is now used for back-up. Back-up power is also being provided through the use of diesel powered generators at all the other border posts except for small border posts such as Mukumbura in Mashonaland
Central and Mpoengs in Matabeleland South.
Canine Unit
I wish to advise the Committee that the Canine Unit was deployed at all major border posts namely Beitbridge, Nyamapanda, Chirundu,
Plumtree, Forbes, Kazungula and Victoria Falls, including Victoria Falls
International Airport, Harare Central Sorting Office, Bulawayo Post
Office, J. M. Nkomo and Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
Dry Ports
Hon. Members will be aware that Treasury has introduced the Dry Port concept across the provinces in the country. The Makuti Dry Port is going to be developed ahead of the other dry ports in line with the findings of the needs assessment. Land has already been secured for Makuti and Mutare Dry Ports while Masvingo and Bulawayo, the
process is still in progress.
The architect to prepare designs and project Gantt chart was appointed through the Procurement and Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe. Contract negotiations are currently in progress with the contract signing and drawing up of the work plan expected to be completed by 31 July 2021.
Lack of Border Coordination among Border Agencies
The Committee noted the poor co-ordination by agencies operating at ports of entry which lead to delays in clearing traffic and travellers. For instance, duplication by Police and Zimbabwe National Army members in undertaking physical searches can be undertaken under one roof.
It should be noted that there has been an improvement after the security services sector was engaged in a bid to improve Coordinated Border Management (CBM). In addition, the CBM has enabled standard clearance procedures to be implemented at all border posts in order to ensure consistency.
The only problem area being experienced now is prosecution of all corruption and smuggling cases. This is affecting the momentum as the same criminals will continue coming back immediately after being released by the courts. The Prosecutor General was engaged in May 2021 on the issue and has promised to take decisive action to ensure all the outstanding cases are resolved.
Revenue Retention by ZIMRA
The Committee recommended that ZIMRA retains an unspecified portion of revenue collections in order to capacitate ZIMRA service delivery.
I wish to advise that the principles of transparency and accountability in the utilisation of public finances require that all State revenue be collected and remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
In addition, utilisation of such funds whether recurrent or capital, should be through the Appropriation Act for which Parliament has oversight. This will go a long way in minimising opportunities for abuse of public funds as well as corrupt tendencies. Treasury will also ensure that the Revenue Authority is adequately financed in order to enhance operations. It is important for Parliament to take lead in promoting use of public funds through the Appropriation Act. I also wish to advise that Government has since directed all Government ministries to direct all revenues collected through retention funds to the CRF in order to enhance transparency and accountability.
Staff Shortages
The current staff establishment of ZIMRA is under review following the approval of the new ZIMRA structure by the board.
Station Vehicles
I wish to advise that progress has been made to capacitate ZIMRA with operational motor vehicles which are key for staff mobility, particularly at border posts. In 2020, ZIMRA also received five pick-up vehicles (Nissan NP300) and five Hiace minibuses coupled with acquisition of 20 Land-cruiser off-road vehicles to augment current fleet in 2021.
Plans to purchase additional 85 vehicles comprised of 35 double cabs and 50 sedans are at an advanced stage with the first batch expected in July 2021...
An Hon. Member having passed between the Chair and the Hon.
Member speaking.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, Hon. Member, you may not cross between the speaker and the Chair.
HON. CHIDUWA: In addition, work is in progress to purchase three conventional buses and operational vehicles in support of the Electronic Cargo Tracking system project. Delivery of these vehicles is also expected during the 4th quarter of 2021.
Beitbridge-Chirundu Highway
The Committee recommended that rehabilitation of the BeitbridgeHarare-Chirundu highway be accelerated in order to enhance trade facilitation since the Chirundu Border post is one of the region’s gateway to both the Southern and Northern parts of Africa via the
Beitbridge Border Post.
As the Committee is aware, in 2019 Government embarked on the upgrading of the 580km Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge Road which is a critical link along the North-South corridor. The scope of work involves designing and widening the existing lanes to meet the Southern Africa Transport and Communication Commission (SATCC) standards.
In terms of implementation, the project was split into phases with five contractors namely Bitumen World, Fossil, Masimba, Tensor and Exodus engaged for the rehabilitation of the first 200 km. Already, the bulk of works under Phase 1 being the first 100 km have since been completed whilst Phase 2 being the second 100 km are almost completed. The initial target was to complete the 200 kms by December 2020.
However, due to COVID-19 pandemic and other constraints, the target for the first 200km was not achieved with a total of 175km having been completed as detailed below:
Contractor | Equivalent km completed |
Bitumen world | 47.7 |
Fossil | 40.0 |
Masimba | 40.0 |
Tensor | 36.36 |
Exodus | 24.3 |
Department of Roads | 7.2 |
Total | 195.55 |
As of 30th July, we had opened 195.55 to traffic. Given that some contractors have completed the first 40km contracted, procurement of phase three works targeting additional 40km has been completed and work is underway on some sections. Judged by the current progress, it is anticipated that the 580km will be completed by end of December 2022.
To date, Government has paid ZWL$19.9 billion towards the project. In order to lock in the contract prices, Government has made a decision to re-denominate the road contracts in US Dollar, with payments being partly in ZWL and USD. Additionally, through support from the Japanese Government, a total of 6.5km were also upgraded on the Makuti-Hailsgate stretch along Harare-Chirundu which was officially commissioned in May 2021. With this submission, I want to thank you Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Deputy Minister for the comprehensive response to the Committee Report. I hope other Ministries will follow suit in terms of timeously responding to Parliamentary Committees Report. I need to announce some adjustments to our Portfolio Committees.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I wanted to debate and ask questions to the Hon. Minister’s Ministerial Statement on
response to the Committee Report.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Hon. Minister is responding to a
Report.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: The Committee Members are here
and need to amplify certain issues that he has mentioned.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You wanted to clarify certain things. I see. Now it is fine.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Firstly,
I want to sincerely thank the Minister for his thorough responses to our Committee Report. I encourage the Minister to continue to be forthcoming when he is made aware of our Committee Reports. Of course, never mind the fact that this is a 2019 report. I hope in future, he will try to come to Parliament timeously so that these issues are addressed timeously as well. Be that as it may, Mr. Speaker Sir, I have got a few issues to ask the Minister.
The first issue is you know that for us to meet the targets of the African Free Continental Trade Area, our ports of entry must be modernised and up to date. I appreciate what you have been doing so far to make sure that that happens. In our report, I think we mentioned the need for a centralised ports authority like other countries. The Minister or ZIMRA does not deal with these ports of entry separately. They have got centralised ports authority which look at all those things like infrastructure, housing for employees, modernisation of ports of entry, the use of ICTs, parking space, security at border ports and so on. It is one centralised body which will introduce efficiency in the management of border posts. How far are we as Zimbabwe in terms of introduction of ports authority backed by the necessary legislation so that it can work independently and give you solid reports? Instead of you coming and responding to what is happening at each border post, you will just be tabling the report of the ports authority on what they are doing to manage our borders – including reduction of tariff barriers, non-tariff barriers and so on and so forth.
The second issue is that in our report, we also recommended the transformation of the Beitbridge Border Post into a one-stop border post.
You know Beitbridge is a nightmare. If you drive through the North South corridor, most people who come to our country have got nightmares, even our citizens, cross border traders. Everybody is complaining about Beitbridge. When are we going to develop it into a one-stop border post like what we are planning to do with Kazungula? I hope this is a matter of urgency. I thank you.
HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would also like to add my voice in thanking the Minister of Finance for heeding to the call by the Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic
Development. I would also want to say, ZIMRA is Zimbabwe’s cash cow. In order for a cash cow to produce more milk, it is supposed to be fed adequately. I am therefore, appealing to the Ministry of Finance so that they feed ZIMRA adequately. ZIMRA must be given all the necessities in order for them to perform their duties effectively and efficiently.
Madam Speaker, I listened to the Report from the Deputy Minister but I did not hear him speak about cameras and drones, because the Committee recommended that all border posts must be under camera so that everything happening in all the ports is under camera – [AN. HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjection.] – I did not hear it. If he did, it must be urgent Madam Speaker. We need drones and cameras because so many things are happening in border posts. We have got touts who are extorting people daily but if everything is under camera, all those things will be recorded and corruption is going to be minimised. I thank you.
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for the insightful presentation. Hon. Minister, in your presentation, you said something about accommodation for workers. What is the Ministry’s policy on deployment of couples working for the institution as a way to reduce accommodation problems?
Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, I just have a few points that
require clarification from the Deputy Minister. I could not agree more with Honourable colleagues that ZIMRA is supposed to be our cash cow and that the institution must be handled with a lot of care and pampering. Let me begin by expressing disappointment. Sometimes when a Ministry is under a whole professor and a lecturer of note such as Deputy Minister Chiduwa, you expect things to move.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Ask your question Hon.
Ndebele.
HON. NDEBELE: That is where I am going. I will not sit down before I get there. The Minister expressed the fact that a new structure was approved at ZIMRA last September. After approval, they went on to appoint people into that structure in an acting capacity. My question to the Minister is: since September last year, when should we expect substantive officers to be appointed into these offices? Related to that, I know for certain that your Ministry refused to pay these people acting allowances. It is an important one. Why are you not paying them acting allowances? For anyone to deliver, they must be incentivised. Why has it taken us so long to appoint a Commissioner General at ZIMRA? I know interviews were held last year but everyone in the ZIMRA top hierarchy is acting. Commissioner Domestic Taxes, Commissioner Customs, Regional Managers are all acting. It is a very important institution but it is running without substantive managers. Hon.
Minister, if you may respond to that.
Also your report came in too late. The question of Beitbridge water was raised here and even if it came too late, this House still wants to know what you are doing in the interim in terms of providing water to our staff, particularly in Beitbridge. We know they have been hit left, right and centre by the COVID-19 pandemic. In relation to the Chief
Whip’s question, I know there is no family accommodation for your ZIMRA officers. We want you to speak to that. We know that separating couples is a key driver of HIV and AIDS, particularly at border posts. What are you doing about family accommodation? Then with respect to the one-stop border facility, it is going to combine three countries. What assurances are we getting from your
Ministry that the accommodation that you will build for our officers will not make them any poorer than the other two cousins? With that Hon. Minister, I think we have no need to be discussing this. ZIMRA is the one that gathers most of the funds for our government, so let us pamper them. In fact Hon. Minister, everything comes back to your Ministry. A lot of government infrastructure, even in this Parliament, if you walk into certain rooms here, you will be shocked by the dilapidation. It all comes back to you. In Bulawayo for instance, the Police Headquarters, Southampton House has been condemned by Fire Brigade and the City Council as totally inhabitable. These are questions that come back to you. What are you doing about maintenance of government infrastructure? I submit Madam Speaker.
HON. DR. NYASHANU: My contribution will be short but I just want to say to the Minister, the Committee is very much concerned about the time it is taking to appoint the substantive Commissioner General, given the strategic nature of ZIMRA. The fact that the whole nation is expecting funds from ZIMRA to finance some budgetary needs, we would need to make sure that this organisation is capacitated to the extent that it is able to provide the much needed revenue.
Somebody was saying but ZIMRA is exceeding targets. I would say we would want ZIMRA to collect as much as it can, therefore it must always be capacitated and be in a position to deliver. Taking about eight months before a substantive Commissioner General is appointed is a bit wayward. The Ministry needs to come up with a robust HR framework that looks into issues of succession planning so that immediately after somebody has left, it must take a shorter period to replace that person. I thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. KARUMAZONDO: Thank you Madam Speaker. I have
a few clarifications that I need from the Minister from his presentation. I want to thank the Deputy Minister for clarifying the tender process for procurement. I understand that when he was talking about vehicles he was talking of the stages one has to go through in procuring a car. He also looked at a number of issues. I will give an example of Forbes Border Post where there is a weighbridge. He said that the tendering process is being done but he did not give the timeframe of when this will commence. That project could have started in 2016 or 2017, but it is still incomplete. In some cases you will realise that if projects are not completed the money will not be adequately used. So, my request is for him to explain that if there is a project being done he should give us the timeline.
He also explained about the Beitbridge Road. Yes, the road is being constructed well. In the past years, the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development used to rehabilitate roads. Our request is that they add two sections that they can give to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development so that we can reach our target since we are still in the COVID period because if we wait for the contractors who are doing 20km stretches, it will take long but if we are to engage the services of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, it will lessen the period and complete the project on time.
Again Deputy Minister, on the issue of ZIMRA employees, are you giving them incentives in the work that they are carrying out, for example giving them a set target whereby upon reaching the target they can be incentivised because if we do not do that, they are prone to corruption through bribes from the public. So, I think you need to look into that and ensure that you give them adequate remuneration for them to perform their work diligently. I thank you
HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Firstly, I would like to thank the Minister for the response. However, if I could also have some clarity on the ZIMRA issues. We know ZIMRA does not operate on its own. There are various stakeholders that operate with ZIMRA according to the Customs and Excise Act [Chapter 23.02]. ZIMRA collects import duties and import VAT as part of their revenue collecting duties, that is for goods that are imported and according to the Act, these revenues, clearance of these commercial goods have to be done through customs clearing agents. If the Minister could highlight when it comes to infrastructure development what is being done to accommodate these clearing agents, particularly at such major ports of entry like Beitbridge, Chirundu and Kazungula. I know at Plumtree there is an agency block that was built when that particular border post was constructed because this definitely will compromise the collection of the revenue that is due.
I would like to proceed and buttress on what Hon. Dr. Khupe mentioned on the issue of security at border posts. However, I will zero in at Beitbridge.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Nyoni, you only have to
ask questions to the Minister, not to debate.
HON. I. NYONI: What is the position regarding security because some time last year there was an incident which I will share with the House here. A certain importer who is resident in my constituency imported some three or four trucks. The truck batteries were stolen right in the customs yard and some spare wheel were also taken. When reports were made to the police, the CCTV was not functioning. So basically my question is; when can we have improvement in the security at that particular place?
Lastly, the bonded warehouse or the State warehouse at Beitbridge was destroyed by fire sometime last year. What is the current position? Thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. R. R. NYATHI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I have two questions for the Hon. Minister. The last time when we visited the Beitbridge Border Post with one of the Portfolio Committees, the major challenge that was mentioned is that there are no cleared roads along the border so much that the police and those that monitor have problems with animals and a lot of people crossing the border unmonitored. So my question to the Minister is; as he was looking into the financing of the other projects, why can we not do some police posts maybe15km on the right and on the left so that it can be used to safely monitor our border post?
The Minister talked about the construction of roads on the Beitbridge highway. We noticed that our cement in Zimbabwe is very expensive and if you order cement from South Africa, Zambia or so, the landing cost will be around $3 but our cement, if we buy it in our shops anywhere in hardwares you are looking at around $7 to $10 a bag which
I think would cost a lot of money that is not really necessary. What is the Minister doing to encourage our local manufacturers of cement to reduce the cement so that our construction industry in Zimbabwe becomes better and our people will not envy to go and buy outside and use the much needed foreign currency? Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. N. MGUNI: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity. My concern to the Minister is on health. The toilets in these border posts are appalling. Why is the Minister not assigning the Port Health Office or officers that fall under Environmental Health and also a department of the Ministry of Health and Child Care to look into the cleanliness of these borders, especially now with this COVID pandemic? Thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. NYABANI: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to add a few words. What is the Ministry planning in terms of putting a backup for energy in case we lose out electricity? It is not about installing security cameras only but we also need to look at the workers’ welfare. Yes we may put cameras, but if you do not address the issue of workers’ welfare, you will not solve the problem. It is just like the issue of vehicles. Vehicles that were supposed to come in July did not go through. So, we need to find out whether they came in or were imported. I thank you.
(v)HON. G. DUBE: I just wanted clarification from the Minister.
He spoke about housing for staff at Kazungula Border Post which he
said they are 70% complete. I do believe this is a 2019 report. Is the Ministry aware that these houses are still at 70% and the pace at which they have been completing them is very slow. If they are aware, what is the timeframe for completion because it has always been 50 or 70% for the past three years?
HON. MAVENYENGWA: I would like to thank the Hon.
Minister for the very good report he has presented to this august House. I would also want to thank our Government for the good work it is doing on the Beitbridge – Chirundu Road because at the moment, the completed sections are so good that when you are travelling on them, you enjoy driving. My question is on the quality of the road. I want to find out from the Deputy Minister the expected lifespan of our road which we are constructing and what happens if some of the road portions are damaged before the lifespan? Do we have a period that a contractor is responsible for any damage to that road and what is the contractor supposed to do?
(v)HON. SANSOLE: I also want to acknowledge the good work being done on the Beitbridge – Chirundu Road; however I just want to say in view of the increased vehicle traffic that is passing through Beitbridge – Victoria Falls – Bulawayo Road, what plans are there to construct this road?
(v)HON. MAGO: I heard the Minister talking of the road from
Beitbridge to Harare. We heard that this road is supposed to be a dual carriage. Is it still on plan?
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Is the Minister aware that Zimbabwe’s Beitbridge Border Post is the only border post which was declared a protected area in Beitbridge. The rest of the border posts are not declared protected areas? On the issue of roads, there is this idea which was once mooted by the former Minister of Transport about the Harare – Nyamapanda Road which is known as Nyakara Corridor. What has the Ministry done so far because in his deliberations, he never mentioned anything about the Harare – Nyamapanda Road?
HON. CHIDUWA: I would like to thank the Hon. Members for their questions. I will try to provide the responses to the best of my ability following all the submissions that have been done by the Hon.
Members. I will start with the submission by Hon. Mashakada. What he said is very important for the development of this country in terms of trade were he applauded that it is very important that we be prepared as a country for the Africa Continental Free Trade Area and there is need for us to ensure that our borders are modernised.
He then said how far are we with regards to the setting up of the
Ports Authority? I would want to say in terms of us having the National Ports Authority as a country, this is an idea that has been accepted and we have said as a country, we need to have a Ports Authority. In terms of the exact timing of when it is going to be put in place, I would need to consult further but it is accepted at Executive level that we should have a Port Authority as Zimbabwe.
When are we going to have one-stop-border-posts? Again, this is an issue of timing. For Beitbridge, the one-stop-border-post is now hinged on the completion of the modernisation that we are currently engaged in. So, I may not have the specific dates and timing but the onestop-border-post concept has been accepted and we are moving towards that. We have been engaging our counterparts from South Africa and preliminary work is being done on that but in terms of the exact dates of when it is going to be done, I would need to consult further on that.
Going on to the submissions by Hon. Khupe, a very important point - we should feed ZIMRA adequately. This is very important and there is really no debate on that to say we need to remunerate ZIMRA. However, what is linked to the remuneration of ZIMRA again is the issue of the board that has been raised. We have done interviews to make sure that we have a substantive Commissioner-General. Interviews were completed I think last month and what we just need is some administrative work that is being done in order to make sure that we have done the due diligence exercises but interviews were done, what is just needed is to write the final letter of appointment and we are almost there. Once we have got the substantive Commissioner-General, together with the board, they will come up with recommendations in terms of improvements on the conditions of service which obviously
Treasury is going to approve. What we would want is to ensure that
ZIMRA staff is well remunerated. So, I would want to thank the Hon.
Member for that submission and I think this is also going to guide us in terms of the decision making process.
Policy on the deployment of couples to deal with accommodation problems – to the best of my understanding, at the moment, there is no written policy to say we should deploy couples. On a humanitarian understanding, we have had cases where couples have been deployed. In terms of it as a written policy for ZIMRA, we do not have such a policy.
On the submissions by Hon. Ndebele, I am sure Hon. Members understood when Hon. Ndebele said the whole Ministry which is being led by a professor and his deputy being a lecturer - Hon. Ndebele was my student at Midlands State University. I taught him Quantitative Methods – [AN HON. MEMBER: Was he good?] – Yes, he was very good, he decided to change course but he was very good. The submission at ZIMRA is supposed to look at the welfare of workers. Again this is an issue which has been submitted by Hon. Khupe that we need to make sure that we adequately remunerate ZIMRA staff and I accept that. As I have said, once the substantive Commission-General is there together with the board, they will make recommendations which I think will be in sync with the submissions that we are getting from Hon.
Members.
On the issue of acting positions, most of the acting positions would need the presence of a substantive Commissioner-General. So I am hoping that once the regularisation of the appointment of the substantive Commissioner-General has been done, we should be able to deal with the other issues of acting positions.
Why are we not paying acting allowances? I would need to check on this matter because I do not have enough information on whether those who are acting are not being paid their allowances. Ordinarily, they are supposed to be paid allowances, I would need to check on that.
On provision of water in Beitbridge, I may not be the right person to comment on that but what I am aware of is that we have done a budgetary disbursement to ZIMRA of 350 million Zim Dollars. This is coming from the Vote allocation, so the ministries and agencies that owe ZIMRA; I think we should be able to see some movements from today because the budgetary allocation was done, so what is just left is the
cash to be released to ZIMRA. On family accommodation, I have already attended to this.
On one-stop-border-post accommodation: Hon. Ndebele mentioned that let it not be a case where our staff are going to appear to be poorer when we compare them with our peers, Zambia and Botswana. As Government, what we want is to make sure that those people who are providing services are well remunerated. We may have constraints but the objective is to make sure that our people are well remunerated. We are hoping that should there be need to have such comparisons then our people should be well remunerated. It is not the policy of the
Government to impoverish our employees but we hope that there is need to make that comparison, our people should be well remunerated compared to their colleagues.
On what we are doing about maintenance of Government infrastructure; there is provision under the public sector investment programmes to ensure that all dilapidated infrastructure is rehabilitated. As Treasury, what we work on is submissions that are coming from
Ministries. We only release budgetary funds based on demand. So, if there are requests for such rehabilitations, we provide funding. On the submissions from Hon. Dr. Nyashanu that we seem to be taking time to appoint a substantive Commissioner –General, I have responded to this. Interviews were done and what is just needed is the final letter to appoint the substantive Commissioner-General.
There is need for us to capacitate ZIMRA; he mentioned the issue of a robust succession plan. There is a bureaucratic process in Government but sometimes it is because there is need for us to do enough due diligence. The wheels of succession may be slow but sometimes it is very critical for us to make sure that we do enough due diligence. There is need to check the criminal record of those who are going to be appointed, where they worked before and all that. It may appear to be slow but I think Hon. Members may need to appreciate that this is a process that is needed.
*Hon. Karimazondo, you said we need a timeframe on projects, and mentioned Kazungula. I need to research on this so that I give a correct answer. It was bided for, what is left now is for men to go on the ground. You asked why I have mentioned five companies. The Department of Roads is repairing the road from Beitbridge-Masvingo and the Harare-Chirundu road. Now the Department of Roads has since repaired 7.2 kilometers, so there are included on those 5 companies.
*On whether we are giving any incentive to ZIMRA staff to motivate them - right now we do not have any specific incentive that is directed towards performance. We will do that when we have the
ZIMRA board and when the Commissioner-General has been appointed.
Hon. Nyoni, ZIMRA works with other stakeholders and what is being done to accommodate other agencies who are performing their duties within the border environment. You mentioned clearly that if you go to Plumtree Border Post there is a provision which is already there. There is a provision for an area where the agencies work from and if we check the modernisation plan for Beitbridge, there is also provision for the agencies. What we need to take note of is, going forward; our border areas are security areas. There is no need for loitering because it is as good as the airport. So that provision for us to have the agencies is there and for the Beitbridge modernisation, it is already provided for.
What is the position regarding security – I have mentioned in my response to the Portfolio Committee’s report that we already have a manager who was appointed to deal with the security issues. The issues are being managed by the security manager working together with other stakeholders, the security forces and the police to ensure that there is security. The issue of the CCTV – again, I mentioned that it is an issue that is being managed by border security.
The position of the warehouse that was destroyed by fire – at the moment we have not rehabilitated them yet since we have already put everything under the modernisation project. Given our targets that we should be done by 2022, we have seen it prudent that the warehouse is part of the modernisation programme. If you check, in terms of the sequencing of the project, the warehousing is supposed to be finished and completed by end of this year, which is part of the sequence. Hon. Nyathi raised the issue of monitoring roads and animals. In my response, I mentioned that we have already done the tendering for the drones. We have done the procurement for the CCTV’s and this again is part of monitoring our borders. Therefore, I think this should also go a long way in ensuring that our borders are well monitored.
Our cement is very expensive – our cement as compared to what is obtaining in our neighbouring countries is very expensive even if it is coming from the same company. If it is PPC Zambia and PPC Zimbabwe, you will see that the discrepancies are glaring but we have engaged our cement companies in light of a number of developments that are happening. It is not just on roads construction but there is also massive construction of dams and they use a lot of cement. They are also failing to meet local demand.
However, in terms of pricing, what they are citing is that the local labour is very expensive. They are also citing the issue of the volatility of the currency and all that, but we are saying in terms of us as a country to be competitive, there is need for our companies to come up with innovative ways of production. So, this is an issue that is under the purview of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce but we are also engaging our companies to ensure that their cement is competitively priced.
Hon. Mguni mentioned that at the border the toilets are appalling. The cleanliness of the border is an issue that we will engage the border authorities to ensure that our ports of entry and exit are clean. This is again part of the ease of doing business. It is an issue that we are going to take up with our border authorities.
Hon. Nyabani asked on the issue of electricity and the issue of workers’ welfare. On the issue of electricity, I mentioned earlier on that we have installed solar systems at all ports of entry and exit, hence ZESA has become a back-up. However, there are also standby generators, so in terms of power, I am sure I have addressed that very well.
Regarding the welfare of workers, it is our wish that all our
ZIMRA employees should earn money that is intandem with their job. This will also help in reducing corruption. However, the coming on board of the new Commissioner General in conjunction with the board, will give us new recommendations that we will consider as a Ministry, especially with regards to ZIMRA employees earning salaries that are intandem with their jobs. We will also check on the delivery of vehicles that were supposed to have come by the 31st of July, 2021. I am sure those vehicles should have been bought by now.
With regards to housing, the Hon. Member said we are only talking about 70% and that what are the timeframes. If I remember well, on Kazungula we are supposed to finish the construction of houses by the end of 2021. So, I will have to go and check the status now but they should be finished this year.
Hon. Mavenyengwa questioned on the quality of the road and what the expected life span of the road is. On life span, this is an issue that I may not be able to answer. However, the quality of the road is supposed to be in line with the Southern Africa Roads Commission Standards. So in terms of the life span, I think the best Ministry to respond to this would be the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
Hon. Sansole asked on the plans for the Beitbridge – Bulawayo- Victoria Falls Road. Yes, there are plans and I think there are some investors who have expressed some interest to do the construction of the road from Beitbridge, Bulawayo to Victoria Falls but in terms of the modalities of what have been done so far, I think it will be a purview under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
Hon. Mago asked if the dual carriage way is still being done on the Beitbridge Road. Again, this is an issue for the Ministry of Transport but we ensured that the rehabilitated road is in line with SADC standard. From the information that I also got, the dualisation is going to be done some 10 kilometers before every major town but for now, I think we will continue with the single carriage way. Hon. Mudarikwa, are you aware that the border posts are not protected areas except Beitbridge - this one I was not aware. So I think we need to get more information and as I have mentioned to say all our ports of entry and exits should be security areas. If they are security areas, then they should be protected areas. I think this is an issue that we would need to take up with the Executive so that Cabinet can make a decision on that. With these responses, I would want to thank you Hon. Members for the opportunity.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER
APPOINTMENT TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEES
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): I have
to inform the House that the following Hon. Members have been assigned to serve on the following Portfolio Committees:
- Mudau to serve on the Committees on Public Service,
Labour and Social Welfare and Information, Media and
Broadcasting services;
- Chinhamo-Masango to serve on the Committee on
Higher and Tertiary Education, Science, Innovation and
Technology Development and
- J. Sithole to serve on the Committee on Information,
Media and Broadcasting Services.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. I was not around but is the Minister aware that the Chairman of ZIMRA, Mr. Calisto Jokonya has not been the Chair for a long time due to some in- house fighting that happened with him and the former Commissioner General? The Hon. Deputy Minister was talking about ZIMRA Board - how can he talk about the board when the Chairman is not there? There is an Acting Chairperson for the board and there is an Acting Commissioner-General and so forth. We know that Mr. Calisto Jokonya is a man of principle from CZI who has done a lot of good for the country.
So, it was the politics within ZIMRA that led to that. How can we have an efficient ZIMRA without a substantive Chairman of the board and a substantive Commissioner-General? All this he had alluded to changes but the board has oversight over management and yet the Chairman of the board is not there. I do not know what the response of the Deputy Minister would be because if you really do not need him, I think he has not been a Board Chairperson and since he was appointed, he served a few months and since then, he has not been there. You might as well ask him to go home and appoint a substantive Chairperson rather than the politics at ZIMRA continuing and so forth. Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Thank
you Hon. Mliswa. With all due respect, the point that you have raised, I appreciate it and it is a very important point. Unfortunately, it is not within the Deputy Minister’s response to the Committee report. The Deputy Minister was responding to the Committee report. However, if the Deputy Minister is comfortable to give a response to your question, I give him the floor. Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I just want to ask one question to the Hon. Deputy Minister which I think is very important before he gives a response to Hon. Mliswa’s question. On the question of fires that was raised, is the Deputy Minister aware that there is a possibility that these could be man-made fires driven by the fact that ZIMRA is no longer holding auctions for confiscated goods that are forfeited to the State? Why are they not being asked to hold online auctions? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): Thank you Hon. Speaker and
thank you Hon. Mliswa for the question and obviously all the Hon.
Members are concerned especially with the effective service delivery by
ZIMRA and this is why this question is very important to this august House. I want to say to Hon. Mliswa, you mentioned issues to do with politics and issues to do with the current Chair not being in a position to discharge his duties. This is a specific issue that I would need to look into so that I can verify if that is the position that is obtaining on the ground. Thank you.
The other issue which has been raised by Hon. Ndebele is to do with ZIMRA not holding auctions. The critical issue here is ZIMRA is holding auctions. They can be physical or they can be on line. Recently, we had an auction and I think it was in June. We had an auction and it is only in July because of the COVID containment measures where we did not hold the auction. I am not sure if it is true that ZIMRA is not holding auctions because in June, we had an auction. So, whether it is physical or virtual, it becomes something else but what is critical is auctions are being done. Thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers. 1 to 3 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the
Day have been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the
Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir,
for this opportunity. I wish to make a Ministerial response in reply to the debate on the Presidential Speech. My submission is going to be very short. It is going to be a response to the submissions that were done by two Hon. Members.
The first response is going to be on the submission that was done by Hon. Gabbuza on ZESA. Hon. Gabbuza implored the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to seriously look at the issue of energy if the country is to achieve economic growth and the upper – middle income status by 2030. He added that ZESA is currently in a bad state as most generators are dilapidated and there is also lack of tools of trade for operators. For example, there is a shortage of vehicles to attend to faults countrywide. Hon. Gabbuza also said that ZESA staff is underpaid, hence, the country is losing a lot of engineers to our neighbours, such as Zambia and South Africa.
He therefore encouraged the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to tour the ZESA plants in order to understand the situation. Hon. Gabbuza also highlighted that the country is importing electricity at US$0,13 and selling it at US$0.04 which is uneconomic. Also, local production cost is US$0.08 and they sell it at US$0.04 cents and Government is paying the difference. In this regard, Hon. Gabbuza reiterated the need for the country to charge a cost reflective tariff of 10 cents per unit for ZESA to survive. Hon. Gabbuza also requested the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to consider allowing ZESA to charge clients in foreign currency, just like fuel importers.
The Hon. Member implored the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to capacitate ZENT, which is ZESA Enterprises which has the capacity to manufacture transformers. Currently, middlemen are being allowed to import transformer components at a premium yet there is ZENT, which has the capacity to manufacture the same transformers.
This was the submission by Hon. Gabbuza and this is our response to his submission. While the issue is under the purview of the Ministry of Energy and Power Development, with Treasury providing the necessary financial support, however Hon. Members may recall that the Zimbabwe Transmission and Distribution Company adjusted the electricity tariff by 30% effective 26th May, 2021. This will be further revised gradually until a cost reflective tariff is achieved in order to make sure that ZESA operates sustainably.
Regarding the issue of allowing ZESA to charge clients in foreign currency, Government thrust is to promote the use of domestic currency. However, this issue can be addressed on a case by case basis. Already, some exporting companies, the bulk of which are mining companies are paying electricity in foreign currency.
Hon. Speaker, there is another issue which was raised by Hon.
Gabbuza on ZISCO Steel. Hon. Gabbuza proposed the resuscitation of
Zisco through charging a steel levy on imported steel, particularly from South Africa and ring-fence the money as currently there is no progress on ZISCO resuscitation. He added that the economy is losing a lot of foreign currency yet there is a lot of steel ore deposits in this country. Our response is as Government, we should focus on providing incentives to companies in order to realise economic growth as multiple taxes may stifle profitability of companies. In this case, efforts should be directed towards advancing and accelerating implementation of the ease of doing business reforms. This may solve the issue affecting the resuscitation of
ZISCO.
My last response is on the submission that was done by Hon.
Mudarikwa. Hon. Mudarikwa asked if it is not better for the
Government to give vehicle loan schemes to certain ranks of the police officers. The reason being that it is your personal vehicle, one could take more care of it and this could also increase the pool of vehicles within the police force. Our response Hon. Speaker is; Members may recall that in the 2018 National Budget, Government introduced a vehicle loan scheme to some categories of civil servants, excluding the security sector because of the nature of their service which does not make them to qualify for the scheme as communicated in the Public Service Commission circulars.
In this regard, Government is obliged to provide the vehicles as part of their conditions of service. Given the importance of the security sector in provision of security, Government has already started a recapitalisation programme in 2021. Treasury has committed to procure an additional 300 vehicles to enable the ZRP to undertake their mandate. These are our responses Hon. Speaker to the issues that were raised by the Hon. Members. Thank you.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 4th August, 2021.
HON. T. MLISWA: I have a point of order.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Now I
can recognise you. You have got the floor.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, my point of order really is, the Chief Whips and the Leader of Government Business were instructed by the Speaker to make sure that Ministers come and respond to the State of the Nation Address. Today they are not here again. They are never here. What does it say about their conduct? We have said this over and over again from a constitutional point of view. They are failing the country, from His Excellency appointment, in having to entrust them with those portfolios. They are not respecting him. They are not even respecting themselves. Today, they were supposed to have responded. Why can you not come up with a cut-off date because we cannot continue with this? Some of these things have been overtaken by events but they still do not come.
May I implore Hon. Chair, that you make a ruling that on this day, the Ministers must come. Today is their day; this is Government business today and they should be responding. The little that they can do to show respect for themselves is to respond to His Excellency, the appointing authority. They are discharging their duties because he is not a Minister, he deploys them to be able to do that and the nation must hear the responses according to the mandate given to them. How long do we continue like this? The Chief Whip speaks, the Speaker and Leader of Government speak but they are not here and we continue adjourning this debate, until when?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Thank
you Hon. Mlsiwa, I have heard your point of order. May I remind you Hon. Mliswa that today is Tuesday, there is Cabinet and this is the reason why you have seen this response is being given by the Deputy Minister. Government Business is for tomorrow, that is when we will see a lot of Ministers here. Today there is Cabinet. Thank you very much.
HON. T. MLSIWA: With due respect, Cabinet is not more important than this institution. We have oversight over Cabinet.
Cabinet is not as powerful as this institution and they must know that. We have oversight over those Ministers and their coming here, is to respect the very same Chairperson of Cabinet, the President. In responding to these issues they are always absent, Cabinet, Politburo, so what is their business; Central Committee and so forth. This is Parliament and we have the right to ask questions from them according to Section 107 of the Constitution. So, we are entrusted with that and we must make sure we do it. Cabinet is secondary to us as Parliament as far as I am concerned.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 5 to 13 be stood over, until Order of the Day, Number 14 is disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
VIRTUAL REPORT OF THE 65TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION
ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN ON WOMEN’S FULL AND
EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION AND DECISION MAKING IN
PUBLIC LIFE
HON. KWARAMBA: I move the motion standing in my name
that this House takes note of the Report of the 65th Session of the
Commission on the Status of Women on women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life as well as the elimination of violence for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls held virtually from 15th to 26th
March 2021.
HON. MADIWA: I second.
HON. KWARAMBA:
Introduction
As one of the United Nations (UN) family of organisations, UN Women convenes the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) annually. The CSW’s mandate is, among other things, to receive State Parties reports, consider and prepare recommendations on promoting women's rights in political, economic,civil and social rights. It is also an advocacy platform where calls are made to member states to address the challenges faced by women in all walks of life. This is in compliance with the provision of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995. The 65th Session was held virtually from March, 15th – 26th, 2021 under the theme, “Women’s full and effective participation and decision making in public life as well as the elimination of violence for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.” This report provides a summary of major outcomes of the presentations and deliberations of side events attended by Parliament delegation.
Zimbabwe Delegation
- The head of delegation – President of the Senate, Hon. M.
Chinomona
- The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly – Hon T. Gezi
- Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus
(ZWPC) –Hon. G. Kwaramba
- Vice Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (ZWPC) – S. Budha-Masara.
- The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Women Affairs,
Community and SMEs Development –Hon. C. Madiwa
- The Chairperson of the Thematic Committee on Gender and
Development –Hon. C. Ndlovu
Official Opening Ceremony
The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, and high ranking officials from the African Union (AU), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) officiated during the official opening ceremony.
During this session, reference was made to the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on women, noting that women make up 70% of the frontline workforce. Emphasis was also put on the need to recognise and give value to productive care work that is done by womenfolk at homes. The UN Women Executive Director, Pumuzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, noted that COVID-19 has resulted in an increase in the number of orphans and child headed homes as well as school drop-outs. An estimate made was that by the end of 2021, 10 million girls will have dropped out of school. Noting that only 5% States, at global level, had gender equality in the COIVID-19 and Climate Change task force committees, a call was made for policy makers to ensure women, especially young women, are represented at all decision making levels.
The country Statement to CSW 65th session presented by the
Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, and SMEs Development, Hon. Dr. S. Nyoni, made reference to initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality and women empowerment. These include the constitutional provisions, the establishment of Zimbabwe Women Micro Finance Bank, the Zimbabwe Gender Commission and the affirmative action policy in the enrolment of students at tertiary institutions. It was further noted that women were represented in the judiciary, that a number of them attained positions as principals of State teachers’ colleges, and in parastatals such as Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and
Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA).
Outcomes from Side Events
Deliberations
Political participation in a post-COVID-19 WORLD
COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing inequalities. Measures recommended to attain gender parity include presence of wellcoordinated national gender machinery; strong political will; relevant constitutional reforms; enactment of gender responsive law; parliamentary gender monitoring office; existence of vibrant forum of women parliamentarians; existence of a mechanisms to combat GBV; parliamentarians working in unison with CSOs to curb GBV; and lastly sharing of regional and international best practices.
Intergenerational alliances and participation of young women in public life was key at CSW 65. State parties were challenged to ensure the engagement of youth and students and to recognise that early exposure to women leaders as role models as well as policy making spaces – mentorship measures are needed to enable young women to successfully grow in leadership. State parties also need to ensure that there is balance of power in all spheres of society.
As for people with disabilities (PWDs), State parties and civil society organisations (CSOs) were urged to develop an enabling environment, through enactment of laws and policies to ensure full inclusion of women with disabilities. Policy measures to increase participation of women and girls with disabilities include:
- massive deliberate employment programmes of women with disabilities as an empowerment programme;
- creation of a database of women with disabilities;
- adoption and domestication of the Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol;
- public education on disabilities and people with disabilities
(PWDs) rights;
- mobilization of women living with disabilities to register to vote;
- making use of electoral colleges for nominations to elect women with disabilities into decision making and leadership positions as is the case in Kenya and Uganda;
- deliberate legislation for women with disabilities representation in leadership positions;
- political parties and civil society organisations (CSOs) should assist with networking, training and encouraging women with disabilities to vote and participate in public and civil affairs;
(xi) women with disabilities to be included in election observation mission since often observers do not check on participation of women with disabilities.
Women and the digital world
It was noted that women were generally excluded from internet connectivity since at global level, of the 69% using the internet were youths and that 55% of them were males, while 45% were females. State parties were challenged to promote equal access to ICTs and to the
Internet for all women and girls, increase women’s access to digital technologies to enhance their productivity and mobility in the labour market, work towards closing digital divides, include the gender digital divide, ensuring that programmes, services and infrastructure are adaptable and suited to tackle different technological barriers, including literacy, and targeting science, technology and innovation strategies to reduce inequalities and promote the empowerment of all women and girls and women’s full and effective participation in public life.
A call was made for member countries to put in place deliberate laws and policies that promote digital inclusion of women including online protection from cyber-bullying and online violence. In addition, State parties were urged to engage the internet service providers to simplify applications to foster rural women to embrace digital technology.
Violence against Women
With evidence showing that COVID-19 had aggravated Gender Based Violence(GBV), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) intensified its call for gender sensitive Parliaments and the use of IPU gender sensitive tool-kit to address the alarming levels of sexism, sexual harassment and the widespread under-reporting of such GBV cases. Among other things, Parliaments were encouraged to continuously assess situations, review laws and policies on ending sexism and GBV, provide effective report and investigation mechanisms that are independent from any form of interference.
There was consensus on the prevalence on online platforms, of abuse, cyber stalking, hate speech, doxing, intimidation and threats, trolling, public shaming and cyber bulling. In addition to awareness campaign against cyber-bullying and online violence, State Parties, were urged to include Information and Technology (ICT) into the school curricula to inculcate into pupils, skills of how to deal with online abuse, what to do or what to post and what not to post on the internet and other online platforms.
Recommended measures to curb online violence against female journalists emphasised involving the whole society, putting in place gender sensitive laws and policies that empower police to protect women journalists and that vibrant and independent judiciary should prosecute and deter perpetrators of online GBV. More importantly, that multilateral policies should be cascaded to regional and national levels.
Concerning the high prevalence of GBV cases which have since been worsened by the advent of COVID19 pandemic, it was recommended that this can be prevented through a number of measures that Parliament can facilitate:
(i) ending all forms of harmful practices; ii) putting in place early warning systems;
- effective implementation of existing gender and GBV laws;
- collaboration of CSOs with parliamentarians;
- adequate investment in women empowerment programmes;
- special measures including quota systems to boost women representation in key public institutions;
- compilation of femicide database;
- review of legislation.
Child Marriages
The side event on child marriages involved testimonies from our very own Chief Mangwende and Chief Bushu, who show-cased empowerment programmes in the form of Pfumvudza, Tseketsa Kumwanasikana and the Nhangato empower and protect the young girls from early marriages. A resolve was made that State parties, should rollout in rural areas targeted programmes that seek to empower the girl child and cushion them from the scourge of poverty, a root cause which tends to push girls into early marriages or unwanted pregnancies. Equally important, States were encouraged to put in place laws that criminalise child marriages and punitive legal measures, to deter those who intend to engage in or facilitate child marriages.
Women Empowerment
Given that it is estimated that over 10 million girls will be out of school due to COVID-19; the empowerment of girls starts with keeping them in school and also having access to sexual reproductive education. The need to have all girls completing High School is a stepping stone towards empowerment. A deliberate programme and policy has to be put in place to address the plight of girls in order to deal with the effects of COVID-19 and HIV and AIDS. A policy addressing child marriages is also key as Africa has the highest number of these. The most vulnerable groups fall in the ages between 13 and 21years hence the need for access to information. Children in rural areas need special consideration as they have little or no access to technology. Government’s response to COVID-19 must be practicable and localised. Parliamentarians to emphasise gender transformative approach to poverty alleviation, gender sensitive fiscal policies, gender responsive budgeting, and that social protection and poverty eradication should be bottom up in approach.
Parliament to facilitate investment in care economy especially supporting unpaid care work and safety net coverage focusing particularly upon women in rural areas, minority populations, for example immigrants, refugees and PWDs, ensuring financial institutions contribute towards women financial inclusion and security through training, offering special funds and loans, and facilitating access to entrepreneurship technology use by rural women. Resources provided should also cover child care expenses to release women to engage in more productive paid work. Parliamentarians to spearhead labour law reforms, in particular conditions and maternity leave, and they should be guided by the 2019 ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190). To attain food security, parliamentarians should facilitate strengthening of agricultural supply chains. More importantly, Parliament to ensure that women empowerment projects are integrated into national development plans.
Parliament should facilitate mainstreaming of widowhood in national policies and laws through review of gender justice laws, financial inclusion policies; health insurance; affirmative social protection and safety nets; and construction of national widows database. COVID-19 social protection funds should be deposited right into widows’ accounts, as was noted in the case in India and the impact was felt by communities. Widows should be trained to deal with four challenges: material change, for example acquiring assets, skills and awareness to do more with assets acquired; relational change
(negotiations with late spouses relatives, standing for elections, etcetera.) ; and lastly women's sense of self esteem in order for them to participate in public life such as elections. Parliamentarians should, in their legislative and oversight roles, link widows concerns to 12 goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) relating to health, hunger, poverty, and others. Parliamentarians should promote widows decent work for survival.
There is need to develop robust national care system through labour laws and policy review focusing on the following:
- parental leave (maternal and paternal leave);
- care support for essential service workers;
- income support to parents;
- utility support;
- integrate unpaid carers into the labour force;
- introduction of flexible work arrangements with option of home-based work;
- improving workplace hours to allow more time for self-care.
Climate Change
Advocacy around Women Leadership for Climate Neutral and circular industries where women should have the drive to be involved in climate issues such as encouraging the green economy. Women need climate smart projects. A call was made to State parties to the acknowledged Paris Agreement to ensure that climate change actions should respect, promote and consider gender equality, empowerment of women and intergenerational equity. Full and effective participation of women in leadership and decision making on the mitigation and adaptation to climate change, environmental , disaster risk reduction and its resilience and adaptive capacities of women and girls to respond to and recover from adverse impacts of climate change were over emphasised.
Action Plan by the Delegation
The delegation recommends that the Zimbabwe Women’s
Parliamentary Caucus should;
Item | Action | Responsibility | Timeline
|
1.Call for adequate resources to be | - Exercise their role in the budget making process
- Advocacy on adequate budget |
Portfolio Committees:
1. Labour and Social Welfare 2. Health and Child |
Workplans to be determined |
availed towards ministries dealing with social protection issues ; Labour and social Welfare, Health and child care, , Local
Government,
|
allocations in line with the Abuja
Declaration
|
3. | Care
Local Government and Public Works
|
by
Committees
Pre- budget Seminar 2021 |
2. Ratification of
the ILO Convention 100,111, 190 |
-Lobby through position papers the relevant Ministry to present the ILO
Convention for ratification |
1.
2. |
Portfolio on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare Zimbabwe Women’s
Parliamentary Caucus |
Workplan to be determined by the Portfolio
Committee
September 2021 |
3.Increased women
participation in mitigation and adaptation to climate change national strategy |
- Exercising its oversight function, Parliament must call on the Ministry to ensure the national strategy on climate change mitigation and adaptation provides for full and effective participation of
women - Advocacy work by the ZWPC through engagement of the Ministry of Environment |
1.
2. 3. |
Portfolio
Committee on Energy and Power Development Thematic Committee on Gender and Development
Women Caucus |
Workplan to be determined by the Portfolio Committee by December 2021.
ZWPC to engage Ministry by September 2021 |
4.Urgent call for equal access to ICT access and passing of the Cyber Crime | - Exercising its oversight role, Parliament to engage the relevant Ministry on access to
ICT
- ZWPC to lobby for expedition of the Cyber Crime Bill |
1.
|
Portfolio Committees on
ICT , Postal and Courier Services |
Workplan to be determined
by the Committees
|
- |
ZWPC through advocacy work to engage internet service providers through available mobile networks on empowering women at grassroot level |
ZWPC
Workplan by September 2021 |
|||
5.Political
Participation and Empowerment of women
|
-
- - - - - - - |
Exercising oversight function on women economic empowerment and address unpaid care work
Legislative function- Sexual Harassment legislation Lobbying and advocacy on amendment of the Electoral Act to include the 30% women’s quota at Local Government level Advocacy role of the ZWPC – roll out the 50/50 position paper to stakeholders Work with WROs in advocacy work on representation of women in public entities, especially boards and other public entities Legislative/ representative functions on National Health Insurance in line with NDS1 Legislative/ Oversight – strengthening of supply value chains and participation of women in line with NDS1 Lobby for a Gender Inclusive National and Sectoral Results Framework for NDS1 |
Portfolio Committees;
1. Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development 2. Labour and Social Services 3. Health and Child Care 4. Thematic Committee on Gender and Development
5. Women’s Caucus
|
Workplans to be determined by relevant Portfolio committees by
December 2021 |
|
6.Call on
Government to ratify outstanding 1.ILO Convention relevant to labour standards and amend labour laws to sexual harassment |
-
- |
Exercising oversight function in line with Section 34 of the Constitution
Lobby the relevant Ministry to move for ratification of the ILO Convention and the CRPWD |
Portfolio Committee;
1. Labour and Social Services 2. Thematic Committee on Gender and Development
3. Women’s Caucus |
Workplans to be determined by Portfolio
Committees
February 2021 |
|
2. Convention on the Rights of People With
Disability (CRPWD) |
|||||
7.Establishment of internal mechanisms to deal with sexism, sexual harassment and violence Implementation of the IPU Gender Sensitive
Parliaments Toolkit |
-
- |
Parliament to set up an institutional mechanism to deal with issues of sexism and violence against MPs
Parliament to implement the IPU Gender Sensitive Parliament Toolkit |
1.
2. |
CSRO
Administration of Parliament |
December 2021 |
Work with CSOs in ensuring national
accountability on COVID-19 response and roll out of the COVID-19 Vaccine |
- | ZWPC take an oversight role in advocacy for accountability and transparency on COVID-19 response with support from CSOs including WCoZ | 1.
2. |
Portfolio
Committee on Health and Child Care Portfolio Committee on Finance |
July 2021 |
Monitoring implementation and review of
NDS1 commitments |
-
- |
ZWPC with support from WROs design M&E framework to monitor implementation of NDS 1 especially on sectors relating to key CSW 65 issues Monitor and review progress in policy implementation | 1.
2. |
ZWPC
Thematic Committee on Gender and Development
|
December 2021 |
Conclusion
No single effort can end women political and socio-economic marginalisation and SGBV, the approach should be multilateral, inclusive of CSOs and private sector, multi sectoral, and should be regionally collaborated. Only then will the effective and full participation of women and girls in public life be achieved for the achievement of SDG 5 on gender equality. As a member State to the UN, the delegation calls upon the Government to consider the agreed conclusions to enhance equitable, sustainable development as set forth by the SDGs and as Zimbabwe works towards the 2030 goal of achieving a middle income economy by 2030 by leaving no one behind.
I thank you.
HON. MADIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to second the report that has been presented by Hon. Kwaramba on the Zimbabwean delegation to the CSW. Let me say that I am quite pleased and I would like to applaud the Government of Zimbabwe for attending such events. It shows our Government’s commitment to issues of gender equality and women empowerment. The commitment to finance the Zimbabwean delegation to such fora is highly commended.
The CSW is a platform whereby member States show-case or present what they are doing for gender equality and women empowerment. It also shows their compliance to the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action where nations came up with 12 critical areas to address in order to advance women issues. Zimbabwe by attending such events is showing its seriousness; by signing such protocols at international level and commitment to issues of women. A lot of issues came up at the CSW. As a country, there were issues that we also learnt whereby we are saying what can we do to improve the status of women in our country.
Of importance, issues raised as was reported by Hon. Kwaramba – we have heard of women in decision making positions. These are issues that Zimbabwe as a country would want to look at and say how can we have more women in decision making positions. By having more women in decision making, we will address most of the issues; the 12 Beijing critical areas and most of the issues that are bringing out gender inequality in our country.
Some of the issues that were raised at the CSW include gender based violence against women especially during this COVID pandemic. Zimbabwe is not an exception. We also expected an increase in gender based violence during the lockdown. These are some of the issues that the Government of Zimbabwe would want to address. Most women are suffering during the lockdown and I am glad that this was seen as a global problem. Most women throughout the world are suffering especially during the lockdown. These issues need to be addressed.
For example, during the lockdown, we witnessed women failing to get justice because they are far away from courts and it was not easy for them to seek justice. I am glad that our Government has tried by all means to make sure that courts are decentralised although there is need for improvement so that women easily access justice. Issues of access for women were also highlighted. We are saying as a country, we need to do more in terms of making sure that women access and have legal representation.
Some of the issues that have been highlighted include women and the digital world. 52% of our population are women and of these, the majority, which is more than 70% are in the rural areas. We are talking of the digital world and everything is going virtual but I am thinking of women in the rural areas. Let me talk of my Constituency – Chavhanga and Mandeya area, network is a nightmare. What are we saying to women rural areas such as Checheche down there in Chipinge; even in Binga, do we have enough network so that everyone has access to the latest information that we would want everyone to have. Today the most important weapon for any development is access to information. What are we saying about the majority of those women who are living in the rural areas where we do not have access to information? These are some of the issues that we need to be looking at.
There were issues that were also raised about child marriages and women’s economic empowerment. Whatever we are doing, as long as women are not economically empowered, we are not going anywhere. I am glad that Zimbabwe has made some great efforts in trying to empower women economically. Access to finance, inasmuchas it is not enough considering the population of women that we have in the country. For example, if we are to look at the Women’s Bank and the amount that is put in the Women’s Bank, of course we commend the
Government for increasing the amount that has been put in the Women’s
Bank but is it enough for women to talk about women’s economic empowerment? These are some of the issues we want Government to address.
Another issue that was highlighted is climate change. Mr. Speaker Sir, issues of climate have affected women more than anyone else. We would like a situation whereby women’s issues are looked into. For example Mr. Speaker Sir, if we look at the woman’s reproduction role and look at issues of climate change, it means women are affected more than men when we look at issues of the environment. If we only look at issues of access to energy, issues of access to water, you will find that women are affected more than anyone else. This is homework for our Government to make sure that this is addressed.
On access to energy, I am glad Government is doing a lot in terms of renewable energy but we want all women down there to have access to renewable energy so that as we talk about women and energy, use of firewood which affects climate change would be a thing of the past.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank Hon. Kwaramba for a very detailed report and I also want to thank the Government of Zimbabwe for allowing the Zimbabwean delegation to attend CSW. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 4th August, 2021.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI, seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at One minute to Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 31st July, 2019
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
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order, I have received apologies from the following ministers: - Hon. O. Ncube, Minister of State for National Security; Hon. Dr. O. Moyo, Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. Prof. Mavima, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and Hon. W. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development.
PRESENTATION OF THE 2019 MID-TERM FISCAL POLICY AND
SUPPLEMENTARY BUDGET STATEMENT
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that tomorrow, Thursday 1st August, 2019, the Hon. Minister of Finance and Economic Development will present the 2019 Mid-Term Fiscal Policy and Supplementary Budget Statement.
SUBMISSION OF LISTS OF HEALTH CLINICS
THE HON. SPEAKER: I also wish to inform the House that the Ministry of Health and Child Care is requesting all Hon. Members to urgently (within the next three weeks) submit lists of health clinics that they built individually or together with their constituency members or communities. This will help inform plans for universal health coverage (UHC) and enable the Ministry of Health and Child Care to mobilise support and partnerships for these clinics.
HON. MAMOMBE: Thank you Hon. Speaker, I am rising on a point of privilege. Hon. Speaker, during the COP 24, the ministers adopted the Ministerial Katowice Declaration on the Forests for Climate. The Declaration that was signed highlighted the role of sustainable forest management in achieving climate neutrality. Hon. Deputy
Minister Haritatos attended this COP 24 and also the Environmental
Law Organisations together with people such as the People and Earth Solidarity Network who have shown that Zimbabwe has already lost many trees due to tobacco farming and also the absence of electricity.
Hon. Speaker, I am rising on this Point of Privilege to say that our Government is now investing in the community stone-age bakeries that are potentially disastrous for climate change and this is going to affect us as a country. I thank you. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order, a Point of Privilege must be constructive and if an Hon. Member wants to debate an issue against
Government policy, please do so by way of a motion. So, that Point of
Privilege is unsustainable. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. MACHINGURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question was directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care who happens not to be in the House. In that case, I can direct it to the Leader of Government Business.
Hon. Chair, on one of our visits with the Health Committee, I noted at St Lukes Hospital which is acting as a provincial hospital for
Matabeleland North, there is a project being spearheaded by somebody
to produce intravenous device (drip). So I just wanted to hear from the Minister how much support they are giving to that project so that we stop importing drips. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, with all due respect that is a specific project. You need a question that deals with national policy which encompasses the country, not a specific project.
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. What is your Ministry doing to alleviate water shortages arising from power outages? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC
WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING (HON. J. MOYO): Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for asking this very important question. Yes, there has been water shortages because of electricity outages in pumping stations in most of our urban areas. Two weeks ago, we agreed with the Minister of Energy and Power
Development, and we were given all the pumping stations throughout
the country which include those run by ZINWA, some which are run by local authorities, that these pumping stations for water as well as for sewerage should not experience these power cuts because it is both a health hazard as well as a need for people to have water. So, we hope that ZESA has been directed to ensure that power outages for pumping of water and for pumping of sewerage waste water treatment should not be taking place. I thank you.
*HON. CHIBAYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Hon. Minister there is erratic water supply because of electricity outages but we have so many places especially Gweru where water is non-existent, the greatest challenge being that Gwenoro Dam, the main supplier is not able to supply. As a Ministry, what are you doing to address the issue of water as you are aware that the shortages of water can lead to various diseases?
I thank you.
*HON. J. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The water challenge is beyond the fact that there are power outages especially in Gweru. Specifically in Gweru, Gwenoro Dam is only left with a few months for it to be able to sustain the city, but there is a dam that is 74% full called Amapongokwe. The challenge is that there are no pumps at Amapongokwe. So we are working with Gweru City Council and the mayor, that this is an emergency and we have put in place measures to secure the pumps. We need four pumps to supply Gweru with water before the end of the two months that Gwenoro Dam can sustain the city. I want to assure the people of Gweru that we are going to get four pumps in order to alleviate the water challenge. I thank you.
*HON. CHIBAYA: A point of clarity Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank the Hon. Minister for that convincing response. I wanted to find out, considering the measures that you have, how long will it take for us to have pumps at Nyamapongokwe because the issue of water in Gweru is a big challenge?
*HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the point of clarification raised. I said that Gwenoro Dam was only left with two months’ supply of water. Council made a tender which was outrageous and required a lot of money, but we have now been able to get pumps that can pump more water than what was there. Because of the pumps that we are going to acquire from South Africa that are genuine, we are hoping to have those before the two months for use at Nyamapongokwe so that we can address the water challenge. I thank you.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My
supplementary question is - the Hon. Minister said they engaged the Minister of Power and Energy Development over the issue but Mr.
Speaker Sir, up to now all the local authorities are still cut off. What is being done to expedite the process because water is a critical component in the lives of people and ZESA is prioritising none essential services, cutting off critical services like water pumping? I think something needs to be done as soon as possible.
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, while I can assure this august House that we have done everything in order to make sure that water pumping systems are not cut off from ZESA, we cannot then micromanage and know whether ZESA has cut off on this one or the other one. There is another ongoing discussion which we are having with the Minister of Energy and Power Development about the indebtedness of most of our urban local authorities which is necessitating ZESA to cut them off and we are saying let us discuss this. We are arranging a meeting so that we can discuss with all the urban local authorities, but for those who need to pump, we think that the arrangements that we have made should suffice for now. I thank you.
HON. SHIRICHENA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Can the Minister update this House on whether or not the Ministry has a figure of what exactly the nation has to avoid starvation in terms of grain stocks.
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. The Minister of Agriculture and Lands can best answer the question.
HON. SHIRICHENA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. If the Minister of Social Welfare cannot answer that, can the Minister of Agriculture answer the question?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, WATER,
CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. We currently have enough stocks of maize to allow us to import more maize to meet the shortfall. It is common knowledge that we had a drought during the last season. We estimate that we will get a national yield of about 775 thousand tonnes this year and will have a shortfall of slightly over a million tonnes, which will have to be imported into the country. We have buffer stocks and have started the importation programme. No one is going to starve.
HON. BITI: In view of the huge shortage of over a million...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Chibaya, I name you
for the second time.
HON. BITI: Mr. Speaker Sir, my supplementary to the Minister is: how much does the GMB have in its stocks at the present moment? Connected to that, in view of this huge shortage of over a million metric tonnes of maize, why did the Minister enact Statutory 145 of 2019 and impose GMB monopoly when we do not have the maize anyway? I thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. As to the exact quantities of grain being held by GMB, that is a specific question and I will need time to go and get the exact figures. As to why we came up with a Statutory Instrument, the reason is that GMB ...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order Hon. Minister. Please take a seat. Hon. Biti, you asked a question.
HON. BITI: I am listening Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: No, you cannot listen and talk at the same time, please.
HON. BITI: I withdraw my talking Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: As to
why we can up with a Statutory Instrument Mr. Speaker Sir, we want to ensure that all the grain in the country is accounted for and is available for consumption at affordable prices. If we allow everyone to access the maize, especially some of the companies, we end up with maize being not made readily available to the consumers and at times being made available at exorbitant prices. A very good example is that of bread. We are currently releasing wheat to the millers. The bakers, instead of producing bread, they producing confectioneries because they get much more from selling confectioneries. The little bread that is baked is availed to consumers through the black market at very exorbitant prices. We will not allow a repeat of such a situation to happen in as far as the staple food is concerned. Not in a million years Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. BITI: Mr. Speaker Sir, with great respect, you cannot impose a monopoly when the product is in short supply. What in fact you need to do is to liberalise and allow everyone to buy and everyone to sell. Hon. Minister, can you do the right thing and withdraw SI 145 of 2019.
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. I gave a live example relating to wheat. There is no monopoly in terms of the supply of wheat or the procurement of wheat but look at what is happening on the market. Some elements in the private sector have decided to deliberately ensure that the consumers do not get the product at affordable prices, hence we will not allow the same to happen in as far as the staple food, which is maize is concerned.
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. SIKHALA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I want the Minister to clarify whether he understands that the imposition of SI 145 of 2019 is ultra vires the Competitions Act that allows any player to be involved in the business where anybody would be in competition. In addition, there are some people who want to buy maize for themselves rather than to buy from GMB. Why is he imposing the SI against the Competitions Act?
Does he understand and know the provisions of Competitions Act?
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. It is not that I have imposed a blanket ban on the procurement of maize. We have allowed people to buy up to five bags, those who want to use for domestic consumption at home. In as far as the issue of Anti-monopolies Act, as long as there is clear demonstration that there are some elements who are acting against the interests of the consumer, Government will always be there to protect the interest of the consumer.
HON. J. SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker for this rare opportunity. My question is directed to the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. What is the Government policy position with regards to those people that are unemployed. You will notice that of late or in the recent past months, the Ministry of Government has been cushioning civil servants against...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, that is more than a lower
opportunity. Ask your question please.
HON. J. SITHOLE: Okay, thank you Mr. Speaker. What is
Government policy position with regards to cushioning of the meager incomes of those people that are not employed against the ever rising cost of basic commodities?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, I do not understand the
question because...
An Hon. Member having stood up.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Just take a seat Hon. Member. If I understood you will Hon. Sithole, you are saying people who are unemployed should be cushioned? Is that what you are saying?
HON. S. SITHOLE: Yes.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, please be aware that we do not
have social welfare system like they have in Britain for example, where those who are unemployed get something from the State. So, I hesitate to call upon the Minister to answer that question. –[HON. SIKHALA:
Any plans to introduce that?]- That should be a separate question.
HON. TSUNGA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. My
question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, in his absence the Leader of this House and in his absence, his proxy.
Some school inspectors...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Just a moment. Do we have an Acting
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education? Sorry, the Leader of Government Business is not here as well. – [HON. MEMBERS:
Inaudible interjections]- Order, order. Proceed with your question.
HON. TSUNGA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. It
appears Ministers are caucusing to try and establish who the Leader of the House is.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Just go on.
HON. TSUNGA: Some school inspectors are instructing some school heads not to accept school equipment from Members of Parliament; which equipment has been procured through CDF. What is the Ministry’s policy in regard to acceptance of such and other equipment from MPs in the various schools? Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order that sounds like a specific question from a constituency. Perhaps you could bring it under written questions. HON. TSUNGA: It is an important question Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Just a moment, you must understand my
ruling. I said your question titivates towards what is happening in your constituency and not nationally. [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjection]- Order, order1. In that case, please submit your question in writing. Thank you.
+HON. S. MATHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is
directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Hon. Nzenza. We want to know your policy regarding trucks that are carrying maize in GMB trucks in different districts and we want to know where they will be taking the maize to? I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, you understand the
import of the question?
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): I have
heard the question Mr. Speaker Sir, but I would like it to be more specific so that I fully understand the circumstances that she is referring to – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -Mr. Speaker Sir, the
policy...
Hon. T. Mliswa having said something about NSSA
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Mliswa, you asked a
question yesterday about the NSSA report and I ruled that it will be tabled tomorrow. So, I find it extremely disconcerting that people are starting to shout about the NSSA report that does not arise. Hon. Minister, the trend is movement of grain from the various areas of the country into GMB instead of that same maize being distributed for drought relief where this maize is being taken from. That is the import of the question.
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, the policy regarding grain distribution is that it should come from Aspindale to the GMB within the ten provinces. The policy is that we must distribute grain to the nearest district and where possible, to the ward level. However, if there is a situation where this policy is not being followed, it is my responsibility as the Minister of Public Service and Social Welfare to ensure that we investigate an anomaly and that will be rectified.
HON. MATHE: As the Minister has already said if there is an anomaly, but my supplementary is that we cannot have more than ten lorries loading in one district. That means there is something that will be happening in that district and why is it the same trucks who would have delivered, we see the same trucks again loading the grain to another district?
HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA: The Hon. Member is
suggesting that there is a specific incident and my request is that she gives me the specific incidences so that I will investigate and give the appropriate answer –[HON. P.D. SIBANDA: On a point of order!] -:
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Sibanda, go back to your place, I have not recognised you. You look for a mic once you have been recognised, that is the procedure.
HON. HAMAUSWA: On a point of order! Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. In the interest of fairness in the manner in which we are treated here, I think there was a ruling that you made on an issue that was raised by Hon. Tsunga where he was talking about the process in which Members of Parliament can donate goods to public institutions. I was thinking that was a national issue, then another question…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Can you seat down. Hon. Mathe, it would appear you are referring to some specific issue, can you bring that to the attention of the Minister directly and she will assist you. You - [HON. P.D SIBANDA: Inaudible interjections.] - There is no debate in terms of point of order. I have ruled that Hon. Mathe should give details.
HON. SIKHALA: Mr. Speaker Sir, why these other Members of Parliament seem to be disgruntled, is in terms of Section 3, of our Standing Rules and Orders that governs this august House. They state that the procedures and processes of Parliament must promote transparence, must encourage the involvement of Members of all political parties in Parliament and must be fair and just. Mr. Speaker Sir, why Hon. P.D. Sibanda and Hon. Hamauswa rose to try and persuade you Hon. Chair, is on the basis that they feel that the treatment of one of their Members is not in terms of Standing Rules and Orders of our own House which are provided for in this book. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The fact that I recognise you to state what you have just said, Hon. Hamauswa, was recognised, he is from my left side, and I do not know what you are talking about.
HON. MAFUTA: My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Is it a Government policy that the monthly pension dues are paid in installments?
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND
SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. DR. KUNHUTU-NZENZA): It is
Government policy that monthly pensions are paid monthly. I thank you.
HON. MAGO: Does the Minister know that these pensioners are being paid in installments? A pensioner who is supposed to get $90 a month is getting it in installments of $20 a week instead.
HON. DR. KUNHUTU-NZENZA: Thank you Member of
Parliament – [HON. SIKHALA: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Sikhala!
HON. DR. KUNHUTU-NZENZA: If there is a specific question where the monthly pension is not being paid monthly as the Hon. Member has said there is an incident where it is being paid in installments, then I would like to know more about that situation.
HON. GONESE: On a point of privilege! We have got the utmost respect for the Hon. Chair and Hon. Members of Parliament. It is our considered view that when we are in this august House, like the adage which says justice must not only be done but it must also be seen to be done. I raise this point; it is not the substance on the ruling, when Hon. Sikhala raised a point of order, it resonated very well with Hon.
Members on your left. The point Mr. Speaker is not so much about the Chair being entitled to make rulings but rather it is on the manner in which some of those rulings are made. For instance, when Hon.
Hamauswa rose on his point of order…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order!
HON. GONESE: I beg your indulgence, this is the reason…
THE HON. SPEAKER: I said I have heard your complaint. This is question time, do not waste time.
HON. GONESE: I agree Mr. Speaker but it also affects the whole question time because Hon. Members will continue raising issues and we feel that the manner in which they are being responded to is in violation of the preamble which Hon. Sikhala referred to. The preamble is quite clear…
HON. SPEAKER: I understand the preamble very well.
HON. GONESE: This is the reason why we are just begging you to appreciate where we are coming from, to understand that our position is that if it is a matter of a ruling being made, it is the manner in which it is being delivered. That is why I said justice must not only be done but it must be seen to be done. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I heard you Hon. Gonese and I also beg you to understand. I cannot accept an Hon. Member rising from that corner there, coming over here before that Hon. Member is recognised – that is unprocedural. Hon. Sibanda should have stood there, recognised and then he comes to the microphone – that is perfectly procedural. I shall not be schooled on that matter.
On the question of Hon. Hamauswa, yes he raised the issue about Hon. Tsunga and I accepted that. This is why I told Hon. Mathe to adhere to what the Hon. Minister indicated that she must bring her question in writing because it titivated towards a specific situation. I could not be more just than that. – [HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker, can I come in so that I can pacify the situation as an Independent!] -
You want to pacify the situation. No, you will do so after Hon.
Nyamudeza.
*HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, my question is
directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. What measures does the Government have in conserving the water that we only get once a year? I thank you.
*THE HON. SPEAKER: Excuse me Hon. Member, where is the
water coming from? You mean rainfall? That is fine.
*THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. SEN. RTD.
AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI): Thank you Mr. Speaker. The Government is trying by all means to ensure that we conserve water through the construction of dams and weirs in order to harness rainfall water for use. Government is also encouraging people not to farm close to river banks which will cause siltation. Once siltation occurs, it means water cannot be retained in the dams or rivers.
Where there are dams that had already dried up due to siltation, we are engaged in a process of de-silting the dams in order to make them viable again. In short, that is what we are doing as Government. I thank you.
*HON. NYAMUDEZA: Thank you Minister, may you give clarification as to how many dams you have targeted per year for water conservation? What is the target in terms of dams per year and which parts of the country, for example in various provinces? I thank you.
*HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. Our aim is to construct as many dams as possible in line with the funding that we have – that includes de-siltation of dams. It depends on the available funds. We are doing this throughout the country and we are not preferring one province over the other.
Areas like Matabeleland South, Masvingo and southern
Manicaland are dry areas, so we try by all means to have more dams or weirs but on the issue of siltation – it is something that is all over. The limiting factor is the available funds that are allocated on an annual basis. What pleases me is the fact that Hon. Members can see the challenge that we are facing. I am sure that in the next few months the budget will consider the issue of water especially considering the fact that this year is a drought year. I thank you.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Hon. Minister, a year like this one is a unique year in terms of water shortages such that they have reached a critical level. What is Government doing to ensure that the water situation is generally alleviated besides what we are seeing that we see borehole drilling machines going into areas where there are byelections? Where there are no by-elections, what is Government doing to ensure that people access water?
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir, I was requested by this august House to present a Ministerial Statement on measures to address drought induced water problems throughout the country. I am ready to make the presentation at your pleasure Mr. Speaker Sir and it should address all the issues of concern being raised. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Mr. Speaker, I then was hesitant to bring in a supplementary after he alluded to the fact that he was going to present a
Ministerial Statement…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order, so you withdraw?
HON. NDUNA: Unless you indulge me Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: No, no, I thought that you were being very sensible – [HON. NDUNA: Yes, I am Mr. Speaker Sir.] – Withdraw.
HON. NDUNA: Therefore I withdraw Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MUNETSI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education and in his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House – [AN HON. MEMBER: Hamuna, there is no Leader!] – Mr. Speaker Sir, do I proceed?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you for your indulgence, you can proceed with the question. The Acting Leader of Government Business is Hon. Dr. Gumbo.
HON. MUNETSI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. We hear that Canada has availed educational funds for the girl child and women in this country. My question is, when is that fund going to be accessible and which office should we approach if we want to access that fund? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PRESIDENTIAL
AFFAIRS IN CHARGE OF IMPLEMENTATION AND
MONITORING (HON. DR. GUMBO): I want to thank the Hon.
Member for the question but it is really a question that needs a specific answer which I have to research and ask from the responsible Minister or Ministry. So, it is not a policy question which I can answer. I would ask the Hon. Member to put it in writing. Thank you.
*HON. KWARAMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My
question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement concerning land disputes. In rural areas, people are engaged in land disputes especially pertaining to boundaries. I do not know what can be done for that issue to be addressed.
*THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. RTD. AIR
CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI): The issue of land boundaries is that all properties have boundaries and the challenge is that there is no fence to show the demarcation. These are just points that can be joined in order to explain the boundary that causes conflict between people who do not know where exactly the boundary is. So those with the properties, we encourage them to demarcate and show where the boundaries are. Those who face challenges can engage the Land Commission which can contact the Surveyor General who will be able to clear the boundary disputes that are prevailing. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
*HON. NDUNA: Hon. Minister, the other reasons why the boundaries are causing problems are the issues with the Land Commissioners. What measures do you have to address the issues of conflict that is caused by the land officers so that these land disputes in terms of boundaries are brought to an end because this is clear to the people and to the farmers?
THE HON. SPEAKER: You have asked Hon. Member, why are you explaining?
HON. NDUNA: Has it been heard, Mr. Speaker?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, it has been heard.
HON. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for his question. The challenge that I have is that no one has really brought up a challenge involving corruption by land officers. So, there is no evidence to that effect. For us to be able to address those issues we need the individuals, but my request is that if there is corruption there is normally more than one person. Those affected should bring the evidence and then we can go and make sure that the land officers are dealt with in line with the laws of the land. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I think we need to find traditional leaders to address these issues.
HON. SHUMBAMHINI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Hon. J. Moyo. Hon. Minister, where are we in the implementation of Command Housing Projects and also, are you going to take rural communities on board? Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Are you asking two questions at the same time? You are allowed only one question. Okay, you are combining.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC
WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING (HON. J. MOYO): Thank
you Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Member for his question on
Command Housing as well as what we are going to do in the rural areas.
Yes, we have started with a number of companies that are part of the
Command Housing structure. In the implementation stage, we said in the
Command Housing we need to mobilise all the stakeholders. We now have those who are mobilised architects who are involved with pension funds to try to get land so that they can do Command Housing but in specific terms, we said we want to start with regeneration and I am glad to say in Sakubva, we will be launching regeneration of Sakubva in the month of August.
This will be followed by several others where individuals, banks, pension funds as well as developers, proper developers who will be engaged in doing command housing, but we are not leaving out the rural
areas.
I have said this in this august House that what we desire is that your business centres, your rural service centres as well as your growth points become centres for building back better and we do this by accession of land, that is where there is a business centre where there is rural service centre so that people can have title deeds in those areas. We are all aware that we cannot have title deeds in farming areas, communal or commercial, but we have made a policy as Government to say we need those who go and invest in the rural areas in certain specified areas to have title deeds and we can only do this by having accession and doing survey for title and proper planning. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. What I need to know from the Hon. Minister is in relation to the title deeds towards those houses that are going to be built, aware that there is quite a lot of houses both in the urban and peri urban set up that have not had their title deeds since 1916. As it relates to this command housing, what is going to be happening in terms of title to those houses towards those occupants that are going to be owners of these houses?
HON. J. MOYO: I want to thank the Hon. Member Mr. Speaker. We inherited a housing stock at independence where there were block titles. All your townships were under block titles and when Government declared that they wanted home ownership, the survey for title has taken too long even in those areas where Government desires that people have home ownership and have the title deeds. So in your old townships, we still have those problems to deal with.
In the recent past, it is common knowledge that a lot of people were building houses on land that was originally commercial farming area and had been handed over to Government. They started building houses without surveys for title being undertaken and the likes of Caledonia or Harare South, the buildings took place before cardinal surveys were undertaken and we have to regularise as if we are dealing with the townships of before independence. We have a big task in order for our people to have title but it is preferable and it is Government policy that a person who has title to their piece of land to their house is a more secure person than those who do not have. Government’s desire is that we do it and we must do it. In order to do it, the resources must be put in place and I am sure that at an opportune time, the Minister of Finance whom we have been discussing with will announce what has to be done so that we can achieve our objective. I want to thank you Mr.
Speaker.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Mr. Speaker Sir, in the 1980s, a similar project was done although by a different name. I think it was called national housing scheme or something of that sort. Now, it is called command housing. What I recall about that 1980’s scheme is that houses were built only in Zvimba and in Gutu, those were the two places and the houses are still there. It is not by coincident, the then President came from Zvimba and the then Vice President came from Gutu. What assurance do we have that this time around, the houses will not be built in Mapanzure and Chiweshe?
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, the Hon. Member’s
recollection of history, if it needs to be corrected, I can only confirm that we declared growth points, not in Zvimba and Gutu only. We declared growth points throughout the country and all district headquarters in this country were declared as growth points as opposed to the 13 declared townships that were there during colonial time. It is in those areas, your Gokwes, your Bingas which were declared growth points that you started seeing planned housing.
Those houses are a testimony whether you go to Buhera, Kezi or to any place, you will see houses that came because we had declared growth points. Growth points meant there is proper physical planning and proper housing development in declared areas. It cannot be said, even though he alludes because of the former President or the former
Vice President that it happened only in those places, it is not true.
Thank you.
HON. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary question is, whilst the Hon. Minister has explained a very noble project with regard to the command housing, I need him to explain clearly to this House, what the capacity of the Government currently, bearing in mind the cocktail of challenges that we have as a country to sustain that desire to have command housing with all what we are going through? We think of building a new suburb under these circumstances.
Is that practical or it is a politicking process?
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, if you look at the Skyline here in Harare, that Skyline was not built by public funds, it was built by your pension funds, by your insurances, by banking investing in those properties and we are no better today. The private sector, including our pension funds, our insurance schemes are ready to build and they are the ones who are assisting in command housing. Properties, whether it is residential, commercial or industrial, in most countries and we are no exception, are not built directly by public funds. Yesterday, when we were accessing international financing, you could get a loan from one multinational institution or bilateral institution but that was only supplementary to the resources that were mobilised through your insurance which is your first savings and your pension funds which is also your first saving. We still want to access that. When I last interacted with the pension schemes in this country in Victoria Falls, they indicated to me that they are sitting on investable funds and they are looking for permanent solutions in terms of buildings. If you have a pension scheme, it is better to put it in brick and motor than to put in money markets. This is what we are urging our pension funds. We have to mobilise these funds so that we can build for our people, both residential, commercial and industrial. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
+HON. MAHLANGU: Thank you Mr. Speaker for the opportunity that I have been given to add my voice. My question is directed to the Minister of Health but since he is not around, the Leader of the House will respond. I want to know the Government policy regarding maternity fees. I thank you.
+THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Mahlangu, may you please
explain further on what exactly you are saying concerning maternity fees?
+HON. MAHLANGU: I want to know what is the Government policy concerning maternity fees. Are the patients supposed to pay any fees when they go to hospitals, especially those who are pregnant?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PRESIDENTIAL
AFFAIRS IN CHARGE OF IMPLEMENTATION AND
MONITORING (HON. DR. GUMBO): Thank you Mr. Speaker. Mr.
Speaker Sir, I will attempt to answer the question from the knowledge that I have. For maternity fees, I think the Government policy is that people do not pay but at private hospitals, people do pay for maternity fees.
+HON. MALANGU: Thank you Hon. Minister. I asked this question because I want to know whether the expecting mothers are supposed to pay for the maternity registration fee or not. If they are supposed to pay, I want to know when was this policy put into practice. I have realised that when you go to different hospitals, one of the officers will tell you the policy was enacted in 2011 and the other one would tell you that in 2008. As I speak, in different communities there are letters that members of the community received backdating as far as 2008 that they owe the hospital.
HON. DR. GUMBO: I think with all due respect to the question by the Hon. Member - that is really a very specific question which requires detail. She is mentioning of some years and that will also need some research in order for somebody to be able to give a satisfactory answer to say when the policy might have started to be implemented.
So, with all due respect, I think it is a pertinent question which I think must be put in writing so that the people can know when that policy started to be implemented since you are talking of 2008 and also after 2008 so that the nation can know when the policy is available. As I put it across, it is Government policy that at Government Hospitals you do not pay but at private hospitals you pay and that is the policy.
HON. MBONDIAH: My supplementary question goes to the fact
that in public hospitals or Government hospitals, expecting mothers are asked to bring syringes, needles, gloves and buckets of water when they go to deliver. Is that Government policy that they do that in Government hospitals?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PRESIDENTIAL
AFFAIRS IN CHARGE OF IMPLEMENTATION AND
MONITORING (HON. DR. J. GUMBO) on behalf of THE
MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. DR. O.
MOYO): Thank you Mr. Speaker. With all due respect, that question would require the Hon. Minister responsible for the Ministry.
HON. SIKHALA: Mr. Speaker Sir, Hon. Ministers must be able to respect both the House and the Chair. When the first supplementary question was asked to the Hon. Minister, he tried to say that that question is specific whilst the Chair is the one who should make the determination whether that question is specific or not. We do not want these Hon. Ministers to come and hijack both the powers of our Chair and the powers of the House. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] - So, I am protecting the sacrosanctity of the Chair and of this House that when the Chair has already made a ruling, they must answer the question because you would have already made a determination. These Ministers want to overthrow you Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. What I can only say is that as they say in Shona, ndichiripanyanga. On a more serious note, when the Hon. Minister is acting, you must appreciate that he is acting and in that case, you need to exercise some measure of empathy so that those questions where it is not clear, I want to believe that the Hon. Acting Leader of Government Business has noted the issues and the details about what Hon. Mahlangu and Hon. Mbondiah has raised. We will bring this to the attention of the Hon. Minister of Health so that next week the Hon. Minister of Health can clarify some of those issues.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I really want to
read this question because I drafted it and I do not want it to be offside for fear of the Minister trying to run away from answering. Could the
Minister explain why the due process was not followed when the former
Ambassador of Great Britain to Zimbabwe, Catriona Laing adopted a Zimbabwean child in 2017? It is my understanding that substantial money was illegally paid to your predecessor Hon. Prisca Mupfumira to facilitate this and that the matter is now the subject of criminal investigation. As a result of the child inure who has now been taken out of Zimbabwe by Ms. Laing not to the choice of her family, can you assure us that this matter will be investigated fully and that the efforts will be made to return the child to her family if it is established that the offences took place?
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, I just want to begin by reassuring Hon. Mliswa that I never left the country and if he might have heard that, we must not dwell on social media fake news. Now that I have put that matter to rest, the matter of –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]- Mr. Speaker Sir, I am not aware of the matter that the Hon. Member of Parliament refers to. I will however seek more information and more clarity from him, perhaps in writing, that will help me so much. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, when one of your Members
of Parliament has asked a real question, I expect that you protect me. The end of that question was simple. Can you assure us that this matter will be investigated fully and efforts will be made to return the child to the family if it is established that it truly happened? That is how meticulous I was in putting this question together.
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, it is my Ministry’s responsibility to ensure that policies are followed regarding the adopting of children as stipulated in Children’s
Act. The matter that has been brought in this House’s attention will be looked at. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: My question goes to the Minister of Home
Affairs, seeing that the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs is not here. It is in relationship to debt collectors that are engaged by various Ministries, Ministry of Health, hospitals and councils, that are now conducting their business in a way that is inclined to some criminal conduct; which is why I have directed the question to the Minister of Home Affairs.
Therefore my question is, is it Government policy that the debt collectors that are engaged willy-nilly without an Act of Parliament will always put a 10% on top of the figure that is owed if that money has not been paid on the date of collection. If so, what is it that he is able to do to stop that wanton disregard of law?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON.
MADIRO): Thank you Hon. Speaker. First of all, anything that is done illegally, the laws are there to follow criminals but the question that the Hon. Member has asked really deals with the Ministry of Justice.
HON. SIKHALA: Mr. Speaker Sir, the question asked by the
Hon. Member was once asked in this House and the Minister of Local Government, National Housing and Public Works, Hon. July Moyo brought a Ministerial statement here. There is also a running high court judgment that has prohibited the operations of debt collectors, either by councils or to be hired by any institution of the State as this is ultra vires the Constitution of our country. If these debt collectors are still existing in our local authorities and also in our hospitals masquerading as legal practitioners, what enforcement mechanisms have you put in place since the High Court has already made a ruling and Minister Moyo has already given us a statement here so that these debt collectors will not be seen anywhere near service delivery? We want protection mechanisms which you as the Government have put in place to protect the consumers.
HON. MADIRO: Indeed once a law has been broken, the law will
take its course. Like I have said earlier on, I have taken note of the question from the Hon. Member. We will look into it and follow things up and see what is taking place.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I rise to have this House record that on Monday, I received a message from Adam Shent, who sent me a message and said, “Can you please call, regards” and I did not and I said, “who are you sir?” He said, “I am Sekesai Nzenza’s husband who you have been defaming”. He then went on to say that,
“you are such a blow hard. Sure, Sekesai is my wife but I support her 100%. The fact that you even mentioned bedroom issues shows what a cheap sexist dog you are, who feels mortally threatened by a strong independent good looking woman.
I am saying this so that it is recorded that I am under threat by her husband and I have this on WhatsApp. He called me a sexist dog and I have it here as evidence. I want to know what action Parliament will take because we are discharging our duties as Members of Parliament and we are being threatened – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- I want to know the course of action Parliament will take.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. I
have noted your point of privilege, it will be looked into – [HON.
MLISWA: Inaudible interjections.] -
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question goes to the Hon. Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. Your Ministry has sent circulars to local authorities, instructing local authorities to delegate their powers of allocating land, procurement powers to management of councils under the guise that it is going to speed up the ease of doing business. Is that circular not equivalent to usurping the powers that are vested in elected councillors by both the Urban Councils Act and the Rural District Councils Act?
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC
WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING (HON. J. MOYO): I want to thank the Hon. Member for that question. The question that he has stated is very critical to corporate governance, both in the Procurement Act better known as PRAZ and in the Finance Management Act, that is what is captured where Government is trying to separate at national level what we as ministers ought to do and what the officials, headed by the Permanent Secretaries ought to do. When that was cascaded to local authorities, one has to separate what the elected councillors have to do and what their appointed permanent staff has to do, headed by the Town Clerk. In the rural district council areas, that will be headed by the Chief Executive Officer of the RDC.
So essentially, what they are saying is that the policy setting by the collective wisdom of the council of elected councillors will be taken on board. When you operationalise and now are allocating, that will be done by the people who are professionally hired by the councillors. So we cannot be usurping power from the council. We only want to make corporate governance work better and that is the intention of the
Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) Act as well as the Public Finance and Management Act. The circular is just to make sure that it takes place in all the councils throughout the country. I thank you.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Hon. Speaker, in terms of both the Urban Councils Act and the Rural District Council Act, powers to allocate land and allocate procurement of services is vested into elected councillors because they are the people who have the direct mandate of the citizens to run the resources of the citizens within that local authority.
My question that I had initially asked is, how do you take away those powers that are vested by an Act of Parliament to technocrats? Is that not as good as violating a law that was set by Parliament?
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, sequentially, the Rural District Councils Act and the Urban Councils Act came before the PRAZ Act as well as the Public Finance and Management Acts and when Parliament passes a later version of an Act which is in contradiction with an earlier Act – the last one takes precedence. I think that you can understand that and that is what has happened. We have not amended it but if you have a later Act that contradicts an earlier Act passed by this Parliament, that which was there before is superseded. That is what has happened. We have just made a point of ensuring that we explain it so that there is no ambiguity – he can tell you.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: I have a request to make Hon. Speaker
because this is a very important matter. As citizens, we elect people into offices, we do not appoint the management of councils but we elect councillors and vest our trust that they will run our resources in them and because we have a direct control as citizens over those councillors to an extent that if they do not act in the manner that we want - we take away our mandate that we would given them.
I do not want to agree with the Hon. Minister when he says, ‘If we pass a new law then it automatically supersedes’, unless if that law states so specifically. So, it is my view Hon. Speaker, that this matter is an important matter. I want to request that the Hon. Minister comes to present a Ministerial Statement because what we are seeing is a scenario where the Executive wants to take away the powers of the citizens in terms of management of their resources and put them into managers who are actually appointed by the Executive. They are not appointed by councillors – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – They are appointed by the Executive.
Now, the Hon. Minister wants to promote a scenario where his direct appointees are the ones who are going to allocate land and tenders for any procurement that is taking place in local authorities. So I believe Hon. Speaker that we need to deliberate on this issue at length and therefore, I request that the Hon. Minister informs this House as to when he is going to present a Ministerial Statement so that we can engage over that issue. I thank you. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, I am only stating what is in law and I cannot come and make a Ministerial Statement on what is in law. The fact of the matter is, we have not taken away the powers of the council. I said that council is made up of elected people and those who they appoint and are not appointed by me. I have never appointed a Chief Executive Officer of a council or a Town Clerk – the processes required to appoint them are very clear and captured in law.
Oversight just like us as ministers, I do not sit on allocation of land neither do I sit in terms of procurement but the question is, I still have oversight. Councillors have oversight over everything that is done by their own officers and that remains the law. The law was not made by me. I can only implement it. So I cannot be presenting a statement on an issue that I know is in law. I thank you.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Point of clarification Hon. Speaker!
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Order,
order, but that is the last one Hon. Sibanda.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Yes, this is the last one. Hon. Speaker, can I give you the background that brings me to ask this question?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I thought you said that you
wanted a point of clarification?
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Yes, it is a point of clarification Hon. Speaker. Hon. Speaker, I want to give you a situation that happened in one local authority.
An investor came into a local authority area and wanted to set up something there. The Chief Executive Officer, acting in terms of that circular said that, ‘I cannot wait for a full council to approve the project. I am going to approve it for purposes of ease of doing business,’ but without any approval from councillors. Then he says, ‘No, I will only get condonation from councillors after the project had been approved’. Meanwhile, citizens in that local authority area were complaining that they did not want that project and the only person that they can take their complaints to is a councillor.
So I strongly believe that it is important that the Hon. Minister, even if he wants to argue that it is a provision of law; let him come before this House and we will also bring the necessary statutes and enquire into whether that conduct which the Hon. Minister has done is proper or not. So the Hon. Minister cannot say that ‘I do not want to come and present a Ministerial Statement’, because he thinks that is what the law says, but that is not what we are saying and that is not how we view it. We are saying that the only way that we can settle that Hon.
Speaker is for the Hon. Minister to come before Parliament and submit a
Ministerial Statement. I thank you. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, for fear of repeating myself, the law is very clear. – [HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Which law? Which Section?] - The PRAZ Act, the Public Finance Management but why should I go down into sections now?
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order Hon. Sibanda,
you wanted a point of clarification. Can you give the Hon. Minister the opportunity to answer?
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, the Act is very clear. Secondly, if he has specific issues that he feels are not done procedurally then he should be giving me facts and say, this is what I believe was not done procedurally. Then I can answer.
When we come here, we answer policy issues and the number one policy of any Government is captured in law – that is what we have to follow.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: On a point of order Hon. Speaker!
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order, Hon. Sibanda,
with all due respect. The Hon. Minister said that if you have got a specific question - [HON. P. D. SIBANDA: It is not a specific question
Hon. Speaker but a general question!] –
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Hon. Speaker, that circular was issued …
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No Hon. Sibanda, with all due
respect you need to understand what the Minister said. The Minister said, if you have got a specific concern then you need to write to him so much that he can answer you.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: It is not a specific question Hon. Speaker, it is a general question. There is a circular which his Ministry sent to all local authorities and I am saying if the Hon. Minister does not want to come and give us a Ministerial Statement, at least he should have the courtesy to give us the section – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – You know he should have the courtesy to give us the sections of those laws that he is citing. You cannot simply say the Public Finance Management Act. That is why we wanted you to come and give us a Ministerial Statement whilst you are holding the Act.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Sibanda, you need to
address the Chair and not the Minister.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: Hon. Speaker, what I am simply saying is this…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I have understood and I
believe the Minister has actually understood you very well. Hon.
Minister, could you approach the Chair please.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: We want specific sections. If he cannot come for a Ministerial Statement, let him give us specific sections. He is simply hiding behind the law – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections.] –
HON. J. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, I will be able to come and furnish the Hon. Sibanda.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: No, the House – [HON. MEMBERS:
Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, the Minister is
addressing me and not you.
HON. P. D. SIBANDA: It is not about me, it is about the House.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, it is understood, that is okay.
HON. J. MOYO: I will be able to furnish the House and Hon.
Sibanda with the sections that are captured in the Public Finance and Management Act as well as the PRAZ Act very clearly which state exactly what I have said.
HON. MUSANHI: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. My question goes to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. Hon. Minister, there are rumours going around – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – There are allegations going around that your Command Agriculture has swindled over $3 billion. Can you please clarify on that issue so that this House can understand what is happening?
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT (HON. RTD. AIR
CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Allow me to thank the Hon. Member for the question. There is no $3 billion which was swindled or missing. It is unfortunate that when the matter was raised by the appropriate Parliamentary Committee, my staff failed to avail correct responses or factual responses around – [HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – I am here to respond.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Give the Minister a chance to
answer the question.
HON. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: The money in
question was correctly spent by Government. These are monies which were used to buy grain from the farmers. Whenever farmers sell grain to GMB such as maize, wheat, soya or whatever it might be, they are paid by GMB and GMB gets money from Treasury for the procurement of the grain. Some of the money is money which was used to pay for the Presidential Input Scheme. Some of the money was used to pay for utilities such as electricity and others. When all these monies are added together, they add up to the $3 billion.
According to the proper financial treatment, whenever such expenditure has been incurred it has to reflect on the budgets of the Ministry and the Ministry was advised of such expenditure well after the end of the financial year. So the end of the financial year, the expenditure did not reflect on the Ministry’s budget because the Procurement Authority was not resident in the Ministry. The papers have since been availed to the Ministry and this is expenditure which was incurred by GMB and by the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe. For the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, it was for the Cotton Input Scheme hence, there is no money which cannot be accounted for, Mr. Speaker
Sir. Thank you.
HON. MAMOMBE: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Minister is, you have talked about the huge investment that the
Government has done in Command Agriculture. Hon. Speaker, the crisis that we are facing today of shortage of bread is because of the wheat wheat they invested in. So, we would want to understand from the Minister where is that money, where is the Command Wheat that they were investing in? The Hon. Minster should explain to this House why we are experiencing this shortage of bread which is leading to the stone age bakeries we are having.
HON. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Through Command Agriculture, we did not say we were going to address the shortages in terms of grain overnight. This is a process and it involves capacity building. It is well known we have got quite a number of water bodies in the country, but our challenge lies in the absence of – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hence, all land which can potentially be irrigated is not currently being irrigated due to unavailability of irrigation equipment.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, can you lower
your voices please.
*HON. DINAR: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. Mr. Speaker Sir, there are some Hon. Members who are uttering bad words in this House. These are elderly people who we are supposed to be looking up to here. They are using defamatory language.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I did not hear. There is
nothing I can do on that one, it is overruled. I did not hear anything, so there is nothing for me to rule on – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hon. Minister, can you resume your debate.
HON. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. Production of wheat is a matter of availability of land, water and inputs. Whilst we have the land, and inputs can easily be made available but we are still lagging behind in terms of irrigation facilities. We are busy developing the water conveyancing system so that we can irrigate all the potentially irrigable land, hence we only produce quantities of wheat which are commensurate with the land which can be irrigated at one point in time. As we increase the under irrigation, obviously we will be able to increase the yields or the amount of wheat we produce in any given year.
HON. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. With all due respect, I am pleading with your office so that the Hon. Minister would come to this House and give a full ministerial statement explaining clearly with regard to how this issue of the $3 billion came to everything so that he will not just present as he has just done. With all facts and details to the House, we interrogate with questions freshly and openly with all the grace. I am very sure the Hon. Minister has no one to protect in all circumstances.
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Thank
you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am not protecting anyone. I am stating facts as they are. I seem not to appreciate the need to come and issue a ministerial statement given that I am able to give the required facts here. I have highlighted that the money in question was used for the cotton input scheme, for the Presidential Input Scheme and for the importation of grain – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
Hon. Members having stood up.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No more points of order. May you resume your seats Hon. Members. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – -[HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI:
Ndakumbovatuka mbijana.]-
HON. SEN. RTD. AIR CHIEF MARSHALL SHIRI: Mr.
Speaker Sir, I am not addressing baboons and monkeys. I am addressing people who are supposed to listen when I am responding. If they want me to respond and they want an answer, they have to give me a chance to respond. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir – [HON. MEMBERS:
Inaudible interjections.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No more points of order. Hon. Members, may you resume your seats. – [HON. MEMBERS: No, no.] – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
HON. MAMOMBE: Mr. Speaker, I am the one who asked the question. The Hon. Minister cannot refer to us as baboons and monkeys. We need sufficient answers Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, you need to protect us Sir. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – [HON. MEMBERS: Mr. Speaker, there are no monkeys] -. We are not going to allow that kind of language in this House. He has to withdraw.
MDC Hon. Members sang a song – Intho oyenzayo siyayizonda, whilst ZANU PF Hon. Members chanted – E. D. pfeee, E. D. pfeee.
MDC Hon. Members shouted - Chamisa, Chamisa and sang a song
Ndezve change, Nero, ndezve change Nero.
Hon. Members having continuously behaved disorderly, the Temporary Speaker abruptly adjourned the House at Twenty-Six
Minutes past Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 29th July, 2021
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
RECOMMITTAL OF THE CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL
[H. B. 18A, 2019]
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I wish to
inform the Senate that there is an error on the Cyber and Data Protection
Bill [H. B. 18A, 2019] and that the Bill will be re-committed in terms of
Standing Order Number 158.
APPOINTMENT TO THEMATIC COMMITTEES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I also wish
to inform the Senate that Hon. Sen. Baipai has been nominated to serve on Thematic Committees on HIV and AIDS and Peace and Security.
PETITION RECEIVED FROM HOPE ALLIANCE FOR LIFE
TRUST
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:
Furthermore, I wish to inform the Senate that Parliament received a Petition from Hope Alliance for Life Trust requesting Parliament to facilitate the urgent submission of the Zimbabwe’s initial report to United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and for the Recognition of the Rights of the Disabled Persons as provided for in the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The petition was referred to the Thematic Committee on Human Rights.
PRESENTATION OF THE 2021 MID-TERM FISCAL POLICY
REVIEW STATEMENT
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I also wish
to inform the Senate that today, Thursday 29th July, 2021 at 1445 hours, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development will deliver the
Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review Statement in the National Assembly.
Hon. Senators are advised to follow the proceedings in the National
Assembly on the zoom platform.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND
TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA), the
Senate adjourned at Twenty-five minutes to Three o’clock p.m. until
Tuesday, 17th August, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 28th July, 2021
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 once again to put their cellphones on silence or better switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): Mr. President, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 4 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 5 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B. 18A, 2019]
Fifth Order read: Committee Stage: Cyber and Data Protection Bill
[H. B. 18A, 2019].
House in Committee.
Clauses 1 to 38 put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Bill reported without amendments.
Third Reading: With leave, forthwith.
THIRD READING
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B. 18A, 2019]
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): Mr. President, I now move that the Bill be read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. President, I
move that we revert to Order of the Day No. 1.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE CRIMINAL LAW (CODIFICATION AND
REFORM) (STANDARD SCALE OF FINES) NOTICE 2021
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
President. I move the motion in my name that;
WHEREAS subsections (5) and (6) of Section 280 of the Criminal
Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], provide that if the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs wishes to give effect to a Statutory Instrument to replace the First Schedule (“Standard
Scale of Fines”) to that Act (by reason of a change in the purchasingpower of money or for any other reason), he must lay the drafty statutory instrument before Parliament, and that the statutory instrument shall not come into force unless approved by resolution of Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs has, in terms of Subsection (5) of the said Section 280, made the
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) (Standard Scale of Fines)
Notice, 2021, on the 21st July, 2021;
AND WHEREAS the said statutory instrument was, in accordance with Subsection (5) of the said Section 280, laid before Parliament on the 21st July, 2021;
NOW, THEREFORE, this House resolves that the said statutory instrument be and is hereby approved. I so move Mr. President.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION ON NATIONAL INQUIRY ON ACCESS TO
DOCUMENTATION IN ZIMBABWE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
President Sir. I rise that this House takes note of the Zimbabwe Human
Rights Commission Report on National Inquiry on Access to Documentation in Zimbabwe which I am presenting to this House in terms of Section 244 (2) of the Constitution. I so present Mr. President.
Motion put and agreed to.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. President,
this is a constitutional requirement that we table and should Hon. Members believe that there are issues in the report that they wish to debate in future, they can still bring them forward. Now that we have satisfied the requirement, I move that this motion be removed from the
Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion; With leave, withdrawn.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION
FOR THE YEAR 2020
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
President Sir. I rise that this House takes note of the Report of the
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission for the year 2020, presented to this House of Parliament in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Motion put and agreed to.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
President Sir. Again, this is a report that is presented in terms of the provisions of the Constitution for Hon. Members to note and if they identify any issues even in future, they can still bring them forward. In that vein, I move that, now that we have satisfied the requirement, I move that the motion be withdrawn from the Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion; With leave, withdrawn.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. President
Sir, I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 4 to 7 be stood over until Order of the Day, No. 8 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
STRENGTHENING THE HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEM TO
ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President. I seek your permission to defer my motion to next week because there are some corrections to be made on the motion.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 2nd August, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE PROVISION OF
QUALITY EDUCATION, SANITISATION AND HYGIENE
MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS
HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I
move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 2nd August, 2021.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMITTEE ON HIV AND
AIDS ON THE STUDY VISIT TO UGANDA ON HIV AND AIDS
MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING
HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Mr. President. I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 2nd August, 2021.
MOTION
HONOUR IN RESPECT OF MBUYA NEHANDA’S STATUE IN
THE CITY OF HARARE
HON. SEN. MABIKA: Thank you Mr. President. First of all, I
want to thank Hon. Sen. Kambizi for the motion. I would like to thank the New Dispensation for recognising Mbuya Nehanda by erecting this magnificent statue. Mbuya Nehanda deserves the recognition because she is the best known popular symbol of resistance to colonial rule. She played a major role in mobilising the whole nation to resist colonial occupation. Mbuya Nehanda used a religious authority to mobilise the masses against the Europeans while at the same time she worked well with Madzimambo who would link us to our ancestors, something that our Government has carried over in doing, working with Madzimambo for a peaceful Zimbabwe.
Mbuya Nehanda fiercely fought colonial occupation. Her participation and contribution through her spiritual leadership which she had exhibited led us to our freedom and independence, which has among many allowed us to be Parliamentarians today. Mbuya Nehanda’s contribution, commitment and sacrifice borders around our heritage and preservation of our culture. She is an epitome of our culture. Mbuya Nehanda showed and proved that the girl child must not be looked down upon, the girl child must be given a chance and that the girl child can transform society.
Mr. President Sir, very soon Zimbabwe will commemorate Heroes Day. As we remember our heroes and heroines, their suffering, commitment and sacrifices must be cherished. They endured a lot of suffering in order to free this country. They were murdered gruesomely by the former colonial masters. Their killings were horrendous. When the British colonised Zimbabwe, the local people’s land, cattle, mines, et cetera were expropriated. People were forced to work for the English Pioneer Settlers under very harsh conditions. In less than six years, the people declared war on the settlers and this took the British by surprise because they had always considered us docile and coward.
According to the settlers, it was because of the bad influence of the
“mhondoros or masvikiros” whom they referred to as witch doctors. That is when they decided to target spirit mediums for murder. Nehanda was falsely accused of murdering the Native Commissioner of Mazowe,
- Poland. Mbuya Nehanda’s murder trial was the shortest in history to find her guilty and sentence her to death. The British High Commissioner based in South Africa by then was quick to dispatch a letter to have Mbuya Nehanda executed immediately. Part of the instruction read, “the Queen against Nehanda in custody under sentence of death for murder. I do hereby duly authorize and approve the execution of the said sentence upon the said Nehanda.” Judge Water Meyer immediately wrote to the Sheriff of the territory of Rhodesia. He said, “His Excellency, the High Commissioner has duly authorized and approved of the said sentence of death upon the said Nehanda on Wednesday, 27 April 1898 between hours of six and ten in the afternoon. She shall be hanged by the neck until she be dead at such place of execution.” Kurwadzisa kwakadaro kwekuti munhu anonzi ngaangoturikwa kusvika azofa ega.
Mbuya Nehanda’s fight had very clear objectives, which are the right of indigenous people to govern or misgovern their own affairs as Kwame Nkrumah puts it, to uplift the living standards of present and future generations. Those who died defending these two causes and those who are still living defending the same and not violate the principle of pain, endurance and struggle should forever be honoured by keeping the glowing fire of the spirit of patriotism which was ignited by our iconic leader. The struggle continues in fighting for better living standards, taking into account our children and many generations after
Mbuya Nehanda gave up her life for our freedom. The only way we can celebrate their sacrifice is by living our lives in ways that do not compromise the objectives they died for. In honour of Mbuya Nehanda and other heroines, we must fight for the protection and defence of what is good for our people and not just ourselves and our immediate families. We must understand the principle of revolution. There was a cause for the liberation struggle. It is only those who want us to move back to servitude under neo-colonial arrangements who should clearly be understood as such. We have common interests as Zimbabweans. Let our contradictions be over on how to achieve these common interests more than the pursuant preservation of power for parallel agendas which run contrary to the objectives of the struggle for independence. Heroes and heroines will always serve national interests until death. Mr.
President, traitors always work against national interests. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to support this motion moved by Hon. Sen. Kambizi. The Hon Sen. moved a very important motion for us as a country that we seem to have not remembered in a very long time. Let me say, Mbuya Nehanda was a brave woman who was harassed by the whites who wanted her to surrender her country, because she was a brave woman, that did not happen. She preferred to die for the country. If it was these days, especially during these times of COVID and hunger, if you are offered large sums of money to sell out your country, for some of us who may not be brave, we would surrender our country because
we do not know its importance. We would like to thank Mbuya Nehanda of Chihera totem, Shava, Mufakose for fighting for us in this country. I would like to also take note that her promise that ‘my bones will rise’ has indeed come to fulfillment, evidenced by the rising of freedom fighters who went outside the country, including Mozambique to liberate this country. That was the promise by Mbuya Nehanda a long time ago but I would like to say, indeed, it was fulfilled. Let me say, Whites are very ruthless. If they have an agenda in any country; if they have an ambition, especially to take wealth, they can use anything, be it power or any method to harass someone, just like what they did to Mbuya Nehanda.
My view is, since we are a liberated nation; as we follow the footsteps of Mbuya Nehanda, our Government, through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, should include in the syllabus the history of Mbuya Nehanda and other important heroes and heroines of this country. That will make many people in this country appreciate the participation of those heroes of this country and understand them so that they know the history of Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and other heroes or our ancestors. That will help us very much, instead of what has been happening in the past where our examinations were based on curriculum that include David Livingstone, yet it was irrelevant because we do not see its benefit in this country. If we learn about our own ancestors such as Mbuya Nehanda and others, we see their relevance in our country and that will help us. For example, Mbuya Nehanda declared that ‘my bones will rise’. Indeed that is what happened.
I would like to really appreciate the New Dispensation for erecting
Mbuya Nehanda’s statue. We saw many people from around Zimbabwe supporting that and a lot of them rushing to take pictures of the statue. That is what showed their support and indeed that is what the Government should do. As people of Zimbabwe, we really appreciate what Mbuya Nehanda did and she is an exemplary leader. I hope we will have the courage to defend our country, defend the policies of this country and defend anything else that is progressing in this country because Mbuya Nehanda fought for a good cause to set a very good example for us, especially women.
Therefore, we are supposed to be women who love their country and support all the good things in this country. We appreciate that it is because of Mbuya Nehanda that we are where we are today. If she had not said ‘my bones will rise’, by now it is possible that perhaps we would still be fighting for our independence from colonial rule. So I would like to appreciate that through those words, the country was liberated and as a country, we are now supposed to work to unite our people, families, love our country and fight the sanctions against Zimbabwe. We should do that together because Mbuya Nehanda is against these sanctions. I would like to really thank Mbuya Charwe, for liberating this country.
I come from Mashonaland Central Province; her spirit is rising from Mazowe. I would like to thank the Government for taking care of her whilst she is in Mazowe. I would also like to appreciate, on behalf of Senators, a job well done by Mbuya Nehanda. Thank you Mr.
President.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity at such an opportune moment when we are debating on a very great heroine in this country. I heard many people saying Mbuya Nehanda was very brave, even more than other men. Even myself, I would not be equated to Mbuya Nehanda’s courage, but I would like to say for this to have a great impact, Mbuya Nehanda is a spirit. That statue that was erected there represents a human being but I propose that there should be a connection between the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda and the spirit of the human being represented by that statue.
So I hereby request that the name of the spirit medium should also be said in order to appreciate that there was a human being who was the spirit medium who was possessed by Mbuya Nehanda’s spirit. We should also be able to know who was possessed by Mbuya Nehanda’s spirit, so that we know the history because when she resisted the colonial rule of the British, she was not possessed. She was in Human form and she resisted that in human form, not as a spirit. So that courageous woman must also be promoted and it must be known who she is. That very spirit medium who is said to be in Mazowe by the former speaker; that spirit is on someone else today as we speak. So we should be able to follow and trace the people who were possessed by Mbuya Nehanda’s spirit.
When we read the Bible, there are people like John the Baptist, who were preachers of God’s word but God was speaking through those people, just like what Mbuya Nehanda does. We indeed praise John the Baptist who was spoken about in the Bible every day because he was the bearer of God’s word who is a spirit. I kindly request that there should be a connection between the human being who was possessed by the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda and the spirit medium, the human being. Even the relatives of the spirit medium will also feel appreciated.
I would like to thank the New Dispensation, this is history that has happened now. It should always happen just like we used to do on
Rhodes and Founders Day, going for holidays. People used to die in high numbers during those holidays. The whites would die in numbers.
As we move towards commemoration of Mbuya Nehanda’s Day, people must be given a holiday on that day. I say it is historic because this was started by the New Dispensation to honour Mbuya Nehanda, to erect a statue of Mbuya Nehanda in respect of our ancestral spirits. Even during
Mbuya Nehanda’s time, if you heard about the words that were spoken, those are the days when one could worship and clap hands under a tree and you would receive sadza that you ate and get satisfied. That shows that they were possessed by spirits from high above. Those spirits resisted any evil doing. So we should appreciate and remember that. Who knows, maybe one day if you worship under a tree, you can still receive sadza with chicken and get satisfied. Maybe those things can come back because we have seen some of the things coming back. I would like to thank the New Dispensation very much. May the New Dispensation increase its involvement in culture so that this country can develop?
This country cannot develop properly if we do not respect our ancestral spirits and if we do not believe in them. There is no place or country that does not have ancestral spirits. Even those countries that are oppressing us right now have ancestral spirits. Sometimes they have occasions to commemorate their ancestral spirits. When I grew up in the farms, the whites used to do that. They would hold events or celebrations in commemoration of their ancestral spirits. If they have a special intention, they would put up carcasses of pigs whilst they cut, roast it and eat yet here in Zimbabwe, we prefer to commemorate
English or American events at the expense of our own cultural events. We should celebrate our own cultural events that are in tandem with our ancestral spirits. There are diamonds that were discovered. If we were to use detectors here, we can discover gold. Gold is everywhere in Zimbabwe and it comes from the spirit medium which is Mbuya Nehanda. That shows that indeed, if we give respect to our ancestral spirits, more will be revealed to us and we will get a lot in terms of economic development. We will stop quarrelling and fighting because we would have gotten enough. Now we quarrel and fight because someone has four buses whilst I do not have. There are a lot of minerals underground that we get from our spirit mediums such as Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Kaguvi and Chaminuka.
I would like to thank very much the Government. May the
Government move on to research on what happened to Chaminuka because this country is said to belong to Chaminuka. So a statue in his commemoration must be erected to show that he was the owner of this country.
Before I sit down Mr. President, I would like to remind this august
House that Mbuya Nehanda died but she said ‘my bones will rise’, that includes heroes like Tongogara and there are many of them who fought in the liberation struggle. Some of them are in here and they have to be honoured whilst they are still alive. Their names and pictures must be displayed. We should not wait for them to die like what has happened to Mbuya Nehanda. We now know, let us honour living heroes. Let us write about them and that number should go up. Let us trace that from
Mbuya Nehanda up to date to show us those heroes. That person would be happy to be reminded of the heroics that person did whilst they are alive. If God waited for the death of Jesus Christ for his word to be preached, that word might not have raised people. We should also honour living heroes. If there is a day dedicated for Mbuya Nehanda, let us also have living heroes being cited. Both living and dead heroes must be recognised. Morgan Femai is also a hero because some people may not know that I am a hero. It would be good for people to know. With those few words, I would like to thank you very much Mr. President. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: Thank you Mr. President Sir for according me this opportunity to add my few words. Allow me to first thank the mover of this motion and the seconder. Let me say a few words about Mbuya Nehanda. As Zimbabweans, we are aware that there is a history of what happened. The whites had their own history. In Zimbabwe, we would like to first thank the Second Dispensation for honouring Mbuya Nehanda in broad daylight – our hero has been honoured.
As black people, we all have our different chieftainships in our regions. Our fathers and forefathers used to say, do not be as coward as a woman but now we see that it was an insult. They thought that a woman was an example of cowardice but Mbuya Nehanda was a brave woman. If we look at our children who went to fight the war of liberation; if we go back to the words of Mbuya Nehanda that ‘my bones will rise,’ it is the history that she was talking about. When the struggle started, the heroes at the Heroes Acre were the ones who brought about independence. The spirit of this land was leading them. It was the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi which was leading them. This means that their spirit came back.
The whites were very cunning; they would come here hiding behind the gospel. They wanted to bring down the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda. We all know about Mashayamombe, Chaminuka and other heroes like Chingaira; their heads were taken away to Britain and the skulls were preserved as trophies like the ones we have in this House.
How can they take our fathers and put them in their museums and say that this is Chingaira? That is very painful to the people of Zimbabwe.
We want to thank our spirit medium who said that ‘my bones will rise’ – our chiefs were taken hostage but we are saying, let those skulls be returned to our country. We have our way of interring our own. During war time, people would sing about Mbuya Nehanda – they would celebrate the war. They would know that something would rise. If an eagle rises, then they would know what it means. Usually it would be a sign showing the direction the war had taken. This means that we have the spiritual world.
There are a lot of sacred things where most of the chiefs that we have here come from. That is our African rituals. In our provinces, we have our spiritual and sacred things. We are happy because now we are towards the Heroes Day where we remember our heroes and our independence. It is a very important day in our country Zimbabwe. We encourage that it goes on and be recognised.
When Mbuya Nehanda heard that she was about to be hanged, they wanted to pray for her and dedicate her spirit. Sekuru Kaguvi agreed and he was baptised and killed but Mbuya Nehanda refused. That courage should be upheld. We also want our history to be re-written because it is not complete. It should cascade to provinces. There is a lot that happened and we are happy that some of the roads have been named after our heroes. It is the history that our children should always remember.
We also encourage the chieftainship that we have in the rural areas to keep on leading us in our customs as people. If there is an avenging spirit in each and every home, people will perish. If a good thing was being done at a particular place, it will continue. The spiritual world is there and there is also Christianity. We believe in these two. We thank all Zimbabweans for celebrating Mbuya Nehanda but there are people who distort our history. I think you have seen social media going ablaze with news that Mbuya Nehanda’s statue that was put in town had been destroyed. I am happy about the motion on cyber security that was in this House because people are destroying our good history. We are still here believing and we know the history of the struggle should be rectified.
Our leaders who worked in this country, for example in all the provinces – those who were leading in the struggle, the list should be documented so that the next generation will start from there. Our
President of the Senate and Deputy President were in the struggle. The Deputy President was in the army and now he is leading in Parliament together with the Hon. President of Senate. That history should be cascaded to the provinces. It would help our country.
What pains me when I am alone is that when I was growing up, in
Josiah Tongogara Street, there was a tree where it was alleged that Mbuya Nehanda was executed on. We used to show our children that tree but one day we just woke up and heard that the tree had been cut down. If the person who cut down this tree is known, it should be documented that they cut down the tree. What he or she did is taboo.
Why was the tree there? We are the custodians of that history and our culture. In the rural areas where we come from, every tribe has a history. The person who cut that tree did a taboo.
Allow me to finish by thanking Ambuya Nehanda - Before I thank you, when I was growing up, our mothers and their grandmothers were not taken as important people. They would work hard in their lives and even the lives of other people but they were not recognised until independence. Today, we have young women and grandmothers who stand their ground. Mr. President, some people worked more than those who are being recognised. I was very happy – I once talked about it in this House that our history was distorted. I grew up with the white people – When I went to Chivi Magistrate Court to wed, What they used to write was just that Joseph has wedded with Martha.
I want to keep on thanking the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda which upholds our women. We know that women are also intelligent. It is because of the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda which has uplifted the lives of women. Thank you.
(v)HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Thank you Mr. President. I also want to thank the mover and seconder of this motion. Let me add my voice on this motion. The main thing that I want to debate on is that if she had not stood her ground, we would not be what we are. We really uphold her and we see her importance. She should be remembered because she did a lot for Zimbabwe. I do not have much to say but I stood up to thank Mbuya Nehanda. Our children should learn from her courage, so that history should be documented.
As children of Zimbabwe, we should know where we come from.
If the next generation comes, it means they would keep on learning. Also, other women who participated in the liberation war should be recognised. If Mbuya Nehanda was afraid, she would not have done much. I want to thank her for the good work which she did. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. MATIIRIRA: Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank the mover and the seconder of this motion. This motion is very important to us as Zimbabwe. It is true that the history of Mbuya
Nehanda is painful, the way she died. She gave her life for Zimbabwe to be independent. This gives us pain and sorrow because her death was a painful one, but her desire was that she was dying for her country, Zimbabwe. We all know the history of Mbuya Nehanda; In torture, she said yes, I am dying but my bones are going to rise and for sure we witnessed that.
We have live and dead heroes who followed the history of Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana who was full of courage and knowledge that the way I am suffering is for the people of Zimbabwe to be free. For sure, the country was liberated, her spirit did not die, her spirit is in us as people of Zimbabwe. I do not have much Mr. President but what I want to say is we should support this motion.
I also want to thank our President and his New Dispensation that they put the statue of Mbuya Nehanda in the midst of the capital of Zimbabwe so that all people will see that she is the first woman for Zimbabwe. We want to thank His Excellency the President and this would help our children who did not know the history. They would ask when they see the statue that is this Mbuya Nehanda the woman who was sung by the freedom fighters. What we need is love and courage. She was as courageous as a man. What I want to ask to the nation of Zimbabwe especially to us women is that, may the Lord help us so that the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda dwells in us so that we have the courage to resolve the problems of Zimbabwe because we know that musha mukadzi. We must have love and unity so that our country Zimbabwe is
settled.
Finally, I would want to thank Hon. Kambizi for raising this motion because it brings memories on where we came from and where we are going and that spirit of Mbuya Nehanda should live in us so that we remain united as children of Zimbabwe. I do not have much Mr.
President but I want to ask the spirit of Mbuya Nehanda to rest in peace.
With these few words, I say thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: Thank you Mr. President. I
want to thank you for according me this opportunity and I want to add a few words on this very important motion which was raised by Hon. Sen. Kambizi and all the others who have supported it by bringing back our custom which distinguishes us as the children of Zimbabwe. If we can recognise the works which were done by Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana when her spirit came out to speak through Nyamhuta whose statue was
Nyamhuta was the medium of Nyakasikana Nehanda.
Mr. President, there are a lot of people who misrepresent our African culture especially the white people. When they came, they knew the secrets and they denigrated it and fought it because they saw that it would take us far as Zimbabweans and as Africans. Nyakasikana, when she came on Nyamhuta, she was recognised with the entire chieftainship which we can talk about as Africans, it has the history of Mbuya Nehanda. This means that in our culture, we respect the girl child. You can count one or two where they have a hero as a boy.
Let me give you an example: In the history we have Chief Mutoko who took the chieftainship from Makate but history tells us what Mutoko did to take the land. He used her girl child Japa to go and attract the King. There is something that the girl child does to attract men. Japa was taken by Makate, that you should study this person and see where he gets his power from. So, she discovered that there was no cock that crows. She went back and would come up with a way of going back to his father to tell him that in the Makate homestead, there is no cock.
So, she was given a cock to take to the land of Makate so that the cock would crow but she was skillful. She went and dropped the cock in the chicken run in the midst of the night and the cock crowed. That is how he was defeated. When these whites came, they knew about that and they denigrated it. They went into the schools and said that a girl child is supposed to stay home and get married. Long back, we used to respect the girl child. Look at what Mutota did when he did not have salt. He knew that salt was found from lower Zambezi behind Mavhuradonha. He went with his children but Nyabezo did not follow what he was told by Mutota because he was not supposed to be seen by people.
So when he was in the mountain, that is when he was shown the land where salt was found from. Mutota said, ‘I cannot get there because I was not supposed to see the land’ and so, who was able to take up so that the girl would not be in trouble? The girl child Nyamhuta was the one who came to their rescue. It was done long back but now we cannot do it. It was said that her brother had to marry her – so incest was done so that the land would be saved and the man was called Ganyamatope because they had done taboo, but the land was saved and her land called Tumunyutusere is there in Dande because of that. It is in respect of the girl child. They have erected the statue of Nyamita. When we go to Mosi-oa-Tunya, we will see David Livingstone for ages. People are being lied to that he was the first one to discover Mosi-oa-Tunya and they called it Victoria Falls. There were people living there. Ngezi people were staying there, the Tonga people stayed there, they would see the place and would fish in the river. They came up with their history. They took advantage because our tradition was oral from generation to generation.
People say that we were not learned but let me give you an example Mr. President. Long back when we were telling stories in order for children not to sleep, they would contribute by saying “dzepfunde”
so that they would be alert and would not sleep. This shows that we had teachings that we would give to our children. The girls would learn from the women. Nyamita did a great thing.
Mr. President, let me give you another example. Mbuya Nehanda escaped many courts by the white people. Chief Chinhamora Hwata looked after Nehanda in a pit in Mazowe. She would run to Kaguvi. Kaguvi was my son. Mbuya Nehanda had a spring in Caledonia which is called Chinofema because it breathes. We will ask the Government to look after it as heritage so that people would know the places to frequent. There is a spring in Caledonia which breathes and that is where Mbuya Nehanda would bath and drink water.
Kaguvi, Mashonganyika and Zhanda were beheaded by the whites. The whites discovered that this girl was the spirit medium who would give counsel about the war. The girl child does not stop on anything, she does not talk too much. If a girl child is raped by a brother, to protect the image of her family, she will try and give responsibility to someone else. The child would grow and would be given a totem which is not his. The spirit of Nyakasikana was on the girl child because they can keep secrets.
If you go to Mozambique where there is war right now, in the morning you can find napkins on the line, which shows that there are women there. Today, we pay cows as bride price for our wives because we respect them. When the whites come, they think that women are being oppressed but the real oppressor is the white person.
We are happy Mr. President because of the statue of Mbuya Nehanda. Even in the war, we would sing about Mbuya Nehanda, that my bones would rise, interpreting the prophecy that had been articulated by Chaminuka who was a prophet in our land. Chaminuka was not a king but he was a prophet who would communicate to the kings what would happen. He said that the white settlers would come and we should not listen to them. The whites tried to talk to him but he refused.
When Mbuya Nehanda was tried in the courts, she stood her ground that the whites should not give orders. There are certain laws that we adopted from the whites which I think should be removed.
When they were beheading Nehanda, where were those laws? When they were saying you shall not kill, why did they kill her? Mr. President, we are pained even up to this day to see that the whites do not want to release our land to the black people. They say we are not good farmers and we cannot look after the land. When they came, the land was not degraded, it was intact. It was a land flowing with milk and honey.
Mr. President, we want to thank the New Dispensation for the good work that they did. Even if it is still at the periphery, everything has a start and we should finish it so that we take Mbuya Nehanda’s skull, Chiwashira and Kaguvi. We hear their skulls are in the museums outside the country. They should come back and we should keep those skulls in our shrines. We have a place where we put our heroes so that our children can learn about the heroes who have liberated our country.
Mr. President, I am not going to say much, since many issues have been raised. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Kambizi for coming up with this motion so that we debate about our heroes and heroines who died for the liberation of this country. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 29th July, 2021.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN.
CHIEF CHARUMBIRA): We are advised that in view of the curfew, we need to adjourn in time for both staff and Members of Parliament to get to places of residence or lodgings for the night in time. So, if we start debate now, we will go beyond 4:30, so we would rather adjourn now, but I am advised that Hon. Sen. Muzenda would like to wind up her motion.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day,
Numbers 12 to 16 be stood over, until Order of the Day, Number 17 has been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 2021 VIRTUAL HEARINGS AT THE UNITED
NATIONS ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION TO RESTORE TRUST IN
GOVERNMENT AND IMPROVE DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS
Seventeenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the 2021 Virtual Parliamentary Hearing in the United Nations.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I am very pleased that this motion was debated vigorously. We all agreed that corruption has become a cancer in this country and us as Hon. Members, not only the leadership, need to introspect and see that we adhere to the rules and regulations of the country. We should strive to heed seriously what we have discussed in this House. I therefore, move that the motion that this House takes note of the Report of the 2021 Virtual Parliamentary Hearing on the United Nations under the theme, “Fighting
Corruption to Restore Trust in Government and Improve Development
Prospects,” be withdrawn from the Order Paper.
Motionput and agreed to.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI, the House adjourned at Twenty Seven
Minutes past Four o’clock.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 27th July, 2021
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. CHIMBUDZI: I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 6 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I move that Order of the Day No. 7 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
HONOUR IN RESPECT OF MBUYA NEHANDA STATUE IN THE
CITY OF HARARE
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Madam President, I move the motion standing in my name that this House:
INSPIRED by the heroics of the legendry Nyakasikana Mbuya
Nehanda in the fight against colonialism and oppression during the First
Chimurenga war;
COGNISANT that Mbuya Nehanda, as a woman of valour selflessly sacrificed herself to challenge the evil forces of colonialism to the point where she was caught and hanged by the ruthless and callous imperialists who had the audacity to publicly lynch a defenceless woman;
NOW, THEREFORE, RESOLVES to:
- Applaud the Government for recognising and honouring Mbuya
Nehanda by erecting the magnificent statue of the iconic heroine
in the city of Harare for all future generations and tourists to see and admire;
- Call upon all the people of this country to draw motivation and inspiration from the role played by Mbuya Nehanda which culminated in the Second Chimurenga and the ultimate liberation of our citizens.
- Implore historians to preserve and author undiluted and unbiased literature on the role of other heroines who emulated Mbuya Nehanda and have continued to keep the glowing fire of the spirit of patriotism which was ignited by our iconic leader.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: I second.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Madam President, as a way of introduction, I am going to unpack who this woman called Charwe Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana is and some of the events leading to her heroism. The year 1890, when our country was invaded and fell under British imperial occupation, began what no doubt was the darkest phase of our nation. Our essence as a nation lay in our people’s resistances to this cruel encroachment and foreign domination that now asserted itself to our land, the 1893/5/ 6/ 7 struggles and the Second and Third Chimurenga. All these are dramatic episodes in the story of our nation, episodes that have given a tragic ring to our independence, giving us a sense of loss and inhuman cruelty by one imperious race. The same episodes have given us a sense of sacrifice, unity of purpose and cohesion, achievement, heroism and ownership which makes us guard and defend jealously our sovereignty. This is where Mbuya Nehanda’s heroism emanated from, leading the struggles against foreign encroachment and domination.
Madam President, I will now unpack who Mbuya Nehanda is. Mbuya Nehanda Nyakasikana was none other than our gallant, defiant and fierce heroine of the First Chimurenga. She was a spirit medium of Mazowe, a female Shona Mhondoro, a powerful and respected ancestral spirit, one of the prominent leaders of a revolt, the Chimurenga against
BSA Company’s colonisation of Zimbabwe led by Cecil John Rhodes. She lived with her ally Sekuru Kaguvi who some historians claim was her husband. Up to this day, Madam President, Mbuya Nehanda remains a symbol of resistance to colonial rule in modern Zimbabwe.
Befittingly, this motion comes at a time this country, Zimbabwe, is approaching the Heroes Day Celebrations.
Madam President, Mbuya Nehanda is one of the greatest African female heroines of our time, who shaped and influenced the early African liberation struggle against colonialism. Heroism became a significant source of inspiration in the nationalist struggle for liberation in the 1960s and 70s. Her legacy continues to be linked to the theme of resistance and her name became of increasing importance to the nationalist movements in Zimbabwe, for example;
- The maternity section of Parirenyatwa hospital is named after her – maybe because of the struggles associated with the maternity wing and women involved.
- The College of Health Services of the University of Zimbabwe is located there as well.
- A street downtown Harare is also named after her.
Of particular importance Madam President, is that in May 2021, a statue of Mbuya Nehanda was unveiled in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare along Julius Nyerere Way – where it meets Samora Machel Avenue. For those interested to know, the statue was designed by a Zimbabwean Sculptor named David Guy Mutasa.
The statue acts as a constant, powerful reminder and towering statement of the powerful and revered Mbuya Nehanda’s heroic deeds during her time at Shavarunzi Hill before being captured at Baradzanwa Hill by the invading colonial settlers.
The statue is a tangible or physical representation of a person in the form of Mbuya Nehanda, a person who has value and significance to Zimbabweans. It helps people to remember or associate themselves with their past and the past is important because it influences or shapes our present. The statue reminds us of how our forefathers resisted colonial conquest. Nehanda personifies this early resistance.
The statue is therefore a national celebration of Mbuya Nehanda’s courage and those who worked with her in a bid to defeat colonial occupation. It is a tribute to Mbuya Nehanda and many other heroes of the First Chimurenga such as Chingaira, Mapondera, Chinengundu Mashayamombe, Chiwashira - inclusive of Mukwati and Kaguvi. The statue is also a tribute to all those who played defining roles in both the First and Second Chimurenga and going further, it is a celebration of the bravery and leadership qualities that the womenfolk of this country during the First and Second Chimurenga practically exhibited. The statue is a significant construction because it carries different layers of meaning, all which create a foundation on which peace, mutual understanding and that sense of national identity thrives.
This is a clear sign that women, particularly those in Zimbabwe, some of whom are with us in this House, can be very courageous when they decide to do so as evidenced by the heroics of Mbuya Nehanda and other Second Chimurenga heroines both living and departed. Examples of the living heroines are - mentioning those close by; President of the
Senate, Hon. M. Chinomona; Leader of Business in the Senate, Hon.
Minister Mutsvangwa; Hon. Sen. A. Tongogara and Hon. Sen.
Chimbudzi.
So Madam President, I personally feel it is not correct to say
‘behind every successful man there is a woman’. Instead, it should be transformed to read ‘in front of every successful man there is a very courageous woman’.
Having said that, it is only proper that I call upon the people of Zimbabwe to draw motivation and inspiration from the role played by the gallant and defiant heroine Mbuya Nehanda, which culminated into the First and Second Chimurenga and the ultimate liberation of this country and its citizens.
Mr. President, this motion would be incomplete if I do not just mention some of the departed heroines – Victoria Chitepo, Ruth Chinamano, Maud Muzenda, Sally Mugabe, just to mention a few. I bemoan the lack of recognition of women freedom fighters. While many of the African male freedom fighters are well known, their female counterparts have been largely forgotten. These women usually left to the margins of society were quite instrumental in the fight for the liberation of their respective countries.
I would like to end by imploring historians both male and female, to preserve and author undiluted and unbiased literature on the role of other heroines who emulated the legendary Mbuya Nehanda and have continued to keep the glowing fire of the spirit of patriotism which was ignited by our iconic heroine and leader. To further put icing on the cake, in March 1898 after Mbuya Nehanda and three other males had been tried and sentenced, the white colonialist had the guts to assign Father Richards to convert the four to Christianity before hanging them, but the woman we are talking about was very courageous and even refused to talk to Father Richards. She went on to resist and persist that she wanted to go back to Mazowe and die with her counterparts vis–avis the male counterparts, Hwata, Zindoga and Chaminuka who agreed to be converted to Christianity of which Christianity, the Bible or the church could not save them and they were eventually hanged. Look at the courage between the three men and Mbuya Nehanda.
Mr. President, the presence of women in this House is also a sign of courage. Ten years back, we used to have one to three women but as I speak today, we have quite a large number. I feel a lot can be done by these women. I so move and I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 28th July, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): I move that we revert to Order of the Day, Number
4.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H .B. 18A, 2019]
Fourth Order read: Second Reading: Cyber and Data Protection Bill
(H.B. 18A, 2019)
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): The purpose of the Bill is to respond to the evolution of criminal law owing to the effect of fast evolving technology and abuse of networks and the internet. The current law on computer services is limited in its scope and application due to the technological developments considering the fact that cyber crime is borderless. It is of paramount importance that the national laws be harmonised and in the private sense of the financial institutions and other several interventions, the law needs to be strengthened. It is also paramount that the national laws be harmonised with those within the region and within the international best practice.
Zimbabwe is part of the international community. Zimbabwe is a signatory to a number of international and regional conventions and treaties. At the United Nation World Information Society, security set goals for information, communication technology, growth in member states including the need for cyber security. Like many other countries in the region, Zimbabwe is in the process of harmonising its cyber security with those of the region to increase international cooperation in the fight against cyber crime.
Zimbabwe adopted a policy position that promotes and advocates for e-security to preempt and confine to proper protective measures that lead to public security, peace and order. An analysis and revenue of the National ICT laws established that the Zimbabwean laws for ICTs require modification to keep up with technological developments. Laws that address matters relating to ICTs are of paramount importance and we will certainly need effective and different methods of ensuring that
ICT legislation intervention mechanisms are put in place.
In terms of the rationale in relation to cyber protection, the objective is more importantly to respond to the evolution of criminal law owing to the effect of fast evolving technology and abuse of networks and the internet. The current legislation on computers and ICTs is limited in its scope and application due to technological developments. Considering the fact that cyber crime is borderless, it is of paramount importance that the national laws be harmonised with those of the region and international best practices. The Bill seeks to deal with issues of data protection as well, the rationale being to control the information age which is ever increasing exchange of information ideas. In this regard, information and ideas are referred to as data, whether it is being stored
in various public registers of the citizenry and in the private sense of financial institutions and other several institutions.
Data protection is the process of protecting data and involves the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data and technology, the public perception and expectation of privacy and the political and legal underpinning surrounding that data. It also relates to legal control over access to use of data stored in computers and other computer networks or savers. The principle of this Bill is setting of technological and privacy standards in that as data is an integral component of ICTs that operates across territorial borders and jurisdictions, there is need for the providers of goods and services to be disciplined and exact in the manner in which they handle data. The interactions between the data subjects or the persons and the providers of various goods and services using ICTs require top level intervention to ensure that the rights and privileges of all subjects are safeguarded to a degree of their expectations on both sides.
This Bill also seeks to empower the consumer - the obligations of collection, process, storage and communication of information over information and telecommunications systems which are prescribed minimum standards which will then be developed. The consumers of the services provided by these institutions between private and the public will thereby be provided with mechanisms to promote the safety of their data as well as mechanisms of redress if the standards are not met.
In terms of improving regulatory and institutional efficiency, the Bill proposes the establishment of a data protection authority which is well resourced, effective and efficient in order to regulate institutions and introduce regulatory tools in order to guarantee adherence to fundamentals of the Bill. Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you Mr. President.
Firstly, allow me to thank the Minister for bringing this Bill to this august House. The only unfortunate thing is that the Bill was long overdue. The importance of the Bill which has been brought to the House by the Hon. Minister cannot be overemphasised. As the Hon. Minister has said, Zimbabwe needs to be part of the international world and the international family of nations.
Right now, the world is a global village and crime has evolved to such an extent that the laws which were in place cannot cater for the advanced nature of crime which we are facing. I think we are living in the digital world and everything is being transacted through ecommerce. As such, it calls for laws which will actually regulate the behaviour of the users of that platform but more importantly, for laws which will protect the public who are the consumers from abuse and criminal tendencies which may actually prejudice the consumers.
Mr. President, I hope the Bill will be broader enough to be able to address the challenges which are being faced by the global business and Zimbabwe in particular. I hope also the Bill will be broader enough to protect the public from abusers of the so called technology, social media to be included. I think the Bill comes at a very important time Mr.
President, during this time of COVID. We have seen how abuse of ICT internet can actually be detrimental to society. Allow me to just zoom on what is obtaining on the ground at the moment. I am sure we are all aware and we have come across abuse of the social media by people talking and criticising vaccination. Unfortunately, I would call these people who are peddling all these falsehoods on the social media to be criminals and against the nation, or allow me to say they are enemies of the State. We were at pains to try to rein this errand behaviour. I hope Hon. Senators will contribute and make sure that the Bill is scrutinised so that it is tight enough to control such things and provide penalties which will make it impossible for people to peddle information without basis which will affect the livelihoods and the generality of the people.
Right now, we have lost a lot of lives from COVID and we have to appreciate how a common man in the street believes in what transpires or what is circulated on WhatsApp. So, it goes without saying that we therefore need to ensure that whatever is posted on these so-called unregulated broad media should be safe to the generality of the people
so that we do not end up with a situation which we are having now in Zimbabwe, like the example which I have just given of the vaccines.
We have spent so much buying vaccines. People are dying and the fiscus is drained through so many admissions but we find people peddling lies and discouraging people from being vaccinated. That is tantamount to murder. So I hope, believe and trust that this important Bill that has been brought by the Hon. Minister will be tight enough to protect the generality of the people. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr.
President. As the former speaker, we have heard a lot about this Bill that it was coming and because of its importance, I think they were trying to come up with good ideas. I am one of the persons who inquired about the Bill and I was told that it was coming. This Bill is loaded and the State has its own interest as well as individuals and groups. We want to be sure that you have included everything. The security of the country – we are happy that you have done a lot. The criminal activities, you have tackled that very well, but as an individual I was crying.
I think this is the third time that I was promised that this Bill is going to rectify my concerns when we come to the Committee Stage, but people use social media to peddle lies and they remain anonymous. Way back, it was easy because you would know that it was the Herald or the Chronicle but these days no one owns social media. There is no identity and we do not know where it is coming from. I was a victim last year but one and up to now, I do not own a twitter account or a face book account, but it came out that Chief Charumbira had said such things about the President regarding Chamisa as if Chief Charumbira had twitted when I do not even own a twitter account.
The Herald tried to rectify that and as time went by – one or two months back, they started to frame people using this social media. So, I went to the Minister of Information and I said, you are the one who is in control of the media - why is it that lies are being peddled against us? She said the Bill has going to rectify that. Minister, I want to be satisfied that if someone comes out of twitter and they create accounts in the names of other people, I do not think it is good for our country that people impersonate other people. I do not think it is freedom because freedom does not go that way. As I will be following the debate, I would want to see whether you have protected us. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. MABIKA: Thank you Hon. President. I want to
thank the Minister for this Bill. What I really want to say is to support that this Bill was long overdue so that it would protect the public from the social media. There are a lot of divisions that are coming through social media. What I want to ask is that when you are amending the law, it should be like other laws that there is no option of a fine so that people know that peddling lies against someone is a crime. Some people are being used by other people because they have the money to pay the fine.
When someone is involved in an accident, you see people rushing to take pictures and sending them on social media instead of helping the injured. I do not know how it is going to be crafted at the end so that the Bill will protect women. Women politicians are products of this character assassination, mostly when it comes to politics. Women are victims of character assassination. I think it should also favour the women because it becomes very difficult through social media. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Hon. President. I would
also want to thank the Minister for bringing the Cyber Security Bill. It is very true that this technology has made everyone become a journalist.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Sen.
Komichi, your device is not connected.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Due to technology, the world has
become a global village and it is confirmed that everyone is now a journalist. The world is flooded with people who are now pretending to be journalists. The population in the world has equaled the number of journalists and this shows us that this is a serious matter. The print media says that the companies in America were hit by cyber attacks because of people who have hacked the business centres. This means that this is a huge threat.
Coming back home, we use it to fight each other like what Hon.
Sen. Mabika has said, that women are politically assassinated. You are given Tweeter handles which you do not have and this is destroying relationships. It is bringing animosity amongst and suspicions people. There are a lot who are involved in that. So, a law to regulate such things is good. It is now clear that we are going to the new world. Even if we cry, technology is with us. The technology that we are faced with, that is the internet, social media is the new normal which we have. There should be laws that guide us on how to live in the new world and how we can safely use technology for people to benefit instead of using it to destroy one another.
People are now moving from using guns to using technology.
People are destroying each other with this technology. We also read that there is a President who lost elections because of technology. A decision was made and a new President installed because of this technology. It now requires us to work together Hon. President so that we are not tempted because there are certain sensitive areas.
We should be careful not to affect the rights of people. What causes people to lack discipline is the need for freedom. If we do not have media freedom in the country, people do whatever they want. They abuse the social media. Here in Zimbabwe, we have gone a long way but we have one TV station, ZBC. It takes up all the space for people to express their views, so people will resort to abusing social media. Media reforms are very critical to where we are heading to because the world has come up with an alternative of opening the media space. In opening up the media space, there are media consequences which we are talking about.
Another area where we need to be very careful is that when the law is being crafted, there should be no victimisation of the opposition party. I am not saying criminals should not be prosecuted, they should be dealt with. The law should not be used to victimize people because it has negative consequences in terms of freedom of expression. This will lead to people being given names. There are a lot of people who talk a lot.
When I gegan my speech, I said we are a village and we cannot ignore it. We live in a global world and we get affected with whatever is happening in the world.
The law should be democratic as much as possible. It should meet international standards because the laws and the policies that we put in place relate to our neighbours. What a person in Zimbabwe does on social media is as the same what a person the our neighbouring country does as well. So that was my plea Hon. President that the law should be as democractic as possible. The law should pass international standards and the law should be an incentive for people to come and invest in Zimbabwe. We should support the economic agenda of the country so that we change things. Thank you.
(v)+ HON. SEN. PHUGENI: Thank you Mr. President Sir for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this important debate on Cyber and Data Protection. Thank you so much Minister for the Cyber and Data Protection Bill that you have brought to this House. We have a challenge as a country since the emergence of social media. The way people are using it is not good for our nation in most cases. We need to take a close look at this issue because there is so much bullying that is happening on media platforms. We have previously heard from Hon.
Sen. Tongogara that women are greatly affected by social media. I will therefore ask the Minister that since he mentioned that he wants this Bill to be similar to the same laws within the region, he should have a close look at the one that was recently presented and has been passed into law in South Africa, which stipulates that once a picture of mine is taken without my permission and sent to social media, that is regarded as criminal. One can be jailed for ten years or be required to pay 10 million rands, if I remember quite well. Since the Minister mentioned that this law should have similarities with similar laws within the region, that is important because we have a great challenge because we are realising that there are a number of pictures of women politicians taken and displayed in a derogatory manner that is showing character assassination.
Thank you Minister for this Bill because it is going to bring sanity to who we are. It will bring respect to other people. On the same issue Minister, I want to indicate that within our region, going back again to
South Africa as an example, if you peddle lies about an individual, that is regarded as a big crime that will require huge fines because it will be to do with character assassination. Yes, we need media freedom Mr. President, but all we are asking for is to see to it that it does not come as a way of frightening people or being used by other politicians for defamation of character to other politicians. We really need media freedom because if I, as a politician would have done something bad, which negatively affects the country, yes, let us write about it but let us not just peddle lies about each other because that is tantamount to media abuse. Therefore, you need to look into this issue because it is common in cyber space. The media space is closely regulated from Media Houses but social media is not, most of the abuse is happening on this platform because it is known that it is not regulated.
However, Media Houses have a tendency of also using social media or coming in as individuals because of the same loophole of the platform not being regulated. This is why certain communication can be easily read to be coming from certain individuals pushing a particular individual agenda. Just before finishing Mr. president, here is my other input, which is of great importance, for us to make it a point that our Cyber and Data Protection Bill is similar to that of other countries within the region. It is critical that when we approach election time and political parties are campaigning, it is our plea that we be given equal opportunities. This has to be a law that political parties are given equal opportunities when it comes to campaigning, and stop denigrating each other. Thank you Mr. President, all will be well in our country. Thank you Minister for presenting this Bill in this House.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Mr. President. I
just want to say one or two things concerning the Bill that was brought before us. Our country has people with a disease of dishonesty. Everyone who holds a higher position in this country is being attacked because there was no legislation which deals with this discord that is being caused social by media such as WhatsApp, Twitter included.
When people want to tarnish someone’s name, they will write whatever they want and post it on social media, despite the fact that it is true or not. So, as we proceed, we want the Bill to ensure that such culprits are dealt with. We want to state what will be the consequences. If the sources of such information should be researched, is the nation going to have adequate resources to ensure that they check the originator of the message. My heart goes out to the girl child because in terms of having break ups in love relationships, they are smashed all over the media. So we want the media to protect such individuals and also to give us consequences for such actions.
It does not mean that those with phones are only found in urban areas but also in rural areas where there are traditional leaders. We would want, as traditional leaders, to know what we can do in the event of such misbehaviour in terms of social media and how we can address such issues. People are losing money through fraud from the new technology. We want to thank the Minister that he has come at the right time and that the country now has legislation to address the issue of integrity and dignity because some of us, the way we do things is not different from animals because of the pull him/her down syndrome.
What wrong will a person have done?
One speaker talked about the vaccine that people did not want to get vaccinated because there were rumours being spread that after three years, one will die but these days you find people start queuing as early as 2 a.m. because COVID is spreading. The spread of COVID has affected so many people. We forget that vaccination once took place and people were reluctant to take vaccines. Some of us who have been vaccinated were now referred to as ‘best before’.
We need the Bill to address this issue. We need positive technology. We want to develop knowing that we are in a global economy but we need to look at it in our context and ensure that as Zimbabweans, we are able to develop better. I want to emphasise that in the rural communities people are attacking each other via WhatsApp. A lot of things are happening. Some even have twitter handles. What we want is empowering those who are leading in those communities in order to deal with such misbehaviour in rural communities. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. PARIRENYATWA:
- INTRODUCTION
The Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill (H.B. 18, 2019) was gazetted on 15 May 2020.The Bill intends to address cyber-crime and increase cyber security in order to build confidence, trust and the secure use of ICTs. The Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill is an advanced, modern Bill that aims to consolidate cyber-related offences, establish a Cyber Security Centre, provide for investigation and collection of evidence of cyber-crime, provide electronic evidence for such offences, and encourage lawful use of technology. It will create a technology driven business environment and encourage technological development and the lawful use of technology. The Bill also seeks to amend certain parts of the Criminal Law, (Codification and Reform) Act
[Chapter 9:23] by repealing sections 163 to 166.
2.0 METHODOLOGY
2.1 The Joint Portfolio Committees on Information
Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services, Information,
Media and Broadcasting Service and Thematic Committee on Peace and Security had a meeting with the Officials from the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Service on 15 June 2020.The purpose of the meeting was for the Ministry to unpack the Bill for Members.
2.2 The Committees conducted public consultations on the Bill in terms of Section 141 of the Constitution from 5 to 10 July, 2020. The Committees covered part of Harare, Midlands, Masvingo, Bulawayo, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland Central, Matabeleland North and South provinces.
2.3 During the hearings, the Committees received submissions from youths, pensioners, church representatives, business organisations, representatives from media industry, Government officials, resident associations, and the general public. The
Committees expressed their heartfelt gratitude to all stakeholders who contributed at the public consultations and those who made written submissions.
2.4 The Joint Committees also had a virtual hearing on Zoom to cater for interested people who were not able to participate in the hearings.
3.0 SUBMISSIONS ON THE CYBER SECURITY AND
DATA PROTECTION BILL
3.1. In all areas visited by the Committee, members of the public were aggrieved because they were not aware of the content and context of the Bill. In addition, they were concerned about the Bill being too technical for ordinary citizens especially those in remote areas. Members of the public in different areas were of the opinion that the Bill was supposed to be compiled in different recognised languages in the Constitution. It was therefore, submitted that before Parliament engages on public consultations, there was need to conduct awareness and unpacking of the Bills.
Stakeholders highlighted that there is need to provide for two separate Bills; the Cyber Security Bill and the Data Protection Bill in accordance to international standards and best practices, for instance the SADC Model Law on Data Protection and the African Convention on Cyber Security and Data Protection. Stakeholders highlighted that by combining the two legislations, the Bill becomes difficult to understand.
3.2 CLAUSE 1: APPLICATION
3.2.1 Stakeholders recommended that the date of commencement of the Bill should be clearly defined because a good law should not apply in retrospect.
3.3 CLAUSE 2: OBJECTIVES
Stakeholders noted that the objective of the Bill does not accurately describe its provisions. They mentioned that the provisions of this Bill regulate the collection, processing, transmission, storage and use of personal data by the data controller. It was stated that the Bill creates new offences relating to cyber-crime and its investigations, therefore the objective of the Bill must be amended to include the criminalisation of computer and network related crimes
3.4 CLAUSE 3: INTERPRETATION
Clause 3 of the Bill defines a data controller as “any natural person or legal person who is licencable by the Authority.
Several stakeholders including Google were concerned about three issues on this provision which are as follows:
(i) the definition of a data controller in its present form suggests that a data controller must be licenced by the Authority. This is the only reference in the Bill to a licencing requirement. (ii) The powers of the Data Protection Authority (the Authority) under Section 8 of the Bill do not include the power to licence data controllers.
(iii) It is unclear whether persons or entities seeking to collect, record or otherwise process data within Zimbabwe will require any form of licencing or registration with the Authority.
Stakeholders suggested that the Bill should have an inclusion of a comprehensive definition describing what entity or person qualifies as a data controller.
The stakeholders highlighted that definition of “data controller” is limited to natural or legal persons licencable by the Authority. This means the Bill’s application is currently limited to persons providing telecommunication services. It was submitted that the definition needed to be broadened to include public bodies and any other person who determines the purpose and means of processing data.
Stakeholders indicated that the Bill in its current form aims to regulate the collection, processing, transmission, storage and use of personal data by telecommunication licence holders and excludes the entities who collect personal information such as banks, insurance companies and hospitals. They recommended that definition of a data controller should be widened to include these entities since they are not currently licencable by POTRAZ.
Members of the public mentioned that the definition of “critical database” does not include a definition of what “critical data” is. It was submitted that there is a need to specify what “critical data” means, particularly because the Bill in the amendment of Section 163 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23] seeks to make it an offence “to copy, move, add or change critical data”. This makes it imperative to define the term because of its inclusion as an essential element of the offence of hacking.
It was submitted that the definition of “code of conduct” seems to extend to IT resources and internet for the data controller which is on extremely wide definition. The stakeholders recommended that IT resources be removed from the definition of code of conduct and confirm the definition to IT processes, which means any processes related to the data controller or processor.
Stakeholders suggested that ‘Personal Information’ definition can be expanded to include objectives and subjective elements of personal information.
Clause 5 to Clause 8: DESIGNATION OF THE CYBER
SECURITY CENTRE AND DATA PROTECTION AUTHORITY
WITHIN POSTAL AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
REGULATORY AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWE (POTRAZ).
There were mixed views from the people regarding POTRAZ being the Cyber Security Centre and Data Controller. There were concerns from some stakeholders that if POTRAZ is established as the Cyber Security Centre and Data Controller, this would limit the effectiveness, efficiency and independence of the board since POTRAZ reports to the Executive. They pointed out that the POTRAZ Board was appointed by the Minister hence the board would be a rubber stamp of the Executive decisions. The stakeholders proposed a separate institution as a Cyber Security Centre that is appointed by Parliament and reports to Parliament. Alternatively, it was proposed that POTRAZ should report to and be accountable to Parliament in the discharge of this new role as the enforcement of human rights requires oversight by a body independent from Government.
Other stakeholders however, were of the view that POTRAZ is the perfect Cyber Security Centre as it already has the requisite data and infrastructure in place.
3.6 CLAUSES 9 – 14: STANDARDS AND GENERAL RULES
FOR A DATA CONTROLLER FOR THE PROCESSING OF DATA.
The stakeholders indicated that the principles in the Bill needed to be expanded as it relates to the aspects of processing of data as the current drafting makes data subjects rights after-thoughts and hidden in the Bill’s text.
3.7 CLAUSES 13-14: SENSITIVE INFORMATION, GENETIC DATA, BIOMETRIC SENSITIVE DATA AND HEALTH DATA
Stakeholders highlighted that the Bill is not explicit on the issue of sensitive information. Stakeholders were not sure if they will be consulted first before their information and data is used. The stakeholders pointed out that Government institutions and network providers already had personal information and at times the information is already used without their consent.
Stakeholders submitted that Section 13 (1) (c) of the Bill gives the Authority the power to determine circumstances where the processing of data is prohibited despite the consent of the data subject. It was highlighted that this provision gives wide powers to the Authority to prevent the collection of sensitive data, even for legitimate purposes where for instance:
- the data subject has freely and voluntarily consented to the collection or processing of his or her personal data;
- all the necessary disclosure requirements have been met; and
- there is no real risk of infringement of the data subject’s right.
In relation to consent, it was recommended that Section 13 (1) of the Bill should clearly set out the circumstances under which consent is considered unequivocal and freely given to avoid any confusion surrounding the nature of consent that has been provided.
- CLAUSE 19: SECURITY BREACH NOTIFICATION
Members of the public highlighted the need for the provision to stipulate a timeline under which the security breach should be communicated rather than leaving the provision open to interpretation on what “undue delay” means.
- CLAUSES 23 and 24: OPENNESS OF PROCESSING AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
Stakeholders highlighted that level of openness must manifest throughout the Bill by registering all data controllers in a register that is open for public inspection. They noted that accountability must be listed as one of the duties that controllers are required to comply with. This principle should be included in the Bill for the Authority and Data
Controllers.
Stakeholders also stated that the Bill does not speak to algorithms and explained that algorithms mutate due to the developments in artificial intelligence hence the Bill might have been overtaken by events, by speaking to the 1990s state of affairs.
- CLAUSES 26 AND 27: PROTECTION OF RIGHTS OF
DATA SUBJECTS
Children representatives submitted that there is need to accommodate the right to be heard when considering consent given on behalf of a child. They indicated that this was in line with Article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which provides that State parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views, the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.
Stakeholders submitted that there should be a provision for data processors and service providers to protect and ensure children rights are upheld. It was mentioned that the Bill should incorporate the five core provisions which are namely:
- Clear on minimum age limits on content.
- Protections for accounts that are opened by under eighteen years.
- Management inappropriate or illegal content posted on their platforms
- Use of age verification and identity authentication solutions.
- Clear safeguard to ensure children rights online
The Committee was informed that the Bill of rights sets out rights and freedoms that the people of Zimbabwe are entitled to by virtue of being human beings. These rights are constitutional rights and therefore legally binding. These rights include
- freedom of expression (protected in section 61 of the
Constitution);
- freedom of the media (Section 62);
- access to independent and impartial news.
- right to personal security (Section 52),
- right to dignity (Section 51),
- right to privacy (Section 57),
- right to petition and demonstrate (section 59)
Stakeholders were concerned with the rights that the Bill is likely to violate. They highlighted that the Bill should include rights of data subjects as a standa-lone clause as the Bill does not adequately address and protect data subject rights. These rights include freedom of expression, right to privacy and many other fundamental rights.
Stakeholders strongly recommended Section 164 relating to electronic communication be thoroughly revised to bring them into line with the constitutional provisions relating to freedom of speech and freedom of media.
The public highlighted that new rights have emerged over the years due to the coming into age of the internet. Therefore, there is need to include new rights in the Bill such as the right to oblivion also known as the right to be forgotten. Thus, information uploaded on the cyber space should have a specific timeline to be disregarded and should be forgotten.
- CLAUSE 31: WHISTLEBLOWER
The Committee was informed that much of the cases of corruption were being unearthed by whistle-blowers. The public underscored the need to put necessary safeguards to protect whistle-blowers in the statute as well as other concrete steps in the handling of investigations that result from whistle-blowers revelations.
- CLAUSE 163: UNLAWFUL INTERFERENCE WITH
COMPUTER SYSTEM
The Committee was informed that this Bill stifles innovation and creativity by completely criminalising hacking without recognising the potential benefits of ‘ethical hacking’. They pointed out that ethical hackers identify loopholes and vulnerabilities in computer systems and use them to strengthen cyber security systems technologies and applications.
- CLAUSE 164E: TRANSMISSION OF INTIMATE
IMAGES OR VIDEOS WITHOUT CONSENT.
Stakeholders highlighted that information on social media platforms is shared through forwarding messages. Effectively, anyone who forwards or distributes messages should be criminalised in terms of this Bill. They indicated that the Bill should be clear on determining the source of the criminal activity.
Some stakeholders proposed that on Clause 164 (f), the Bill should also include the terminology that criminalises the recording of upskirting, and nudity. It was suggested that any person who unlawfully and intentionally records an image or video without the person’s consent should be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
- CLAUSE 165: CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
The stakeholders submitted that the term ‘Child Pornography’ should be replaced with the term ‘child sexual abuse material’ throughout the Bill so that it broadens the focus of the law towards other child sexual harassments and violence to children within the cyber space. It was suggested that any person who unlawfully and intentionally produce, offers, distributes and possess child sexual abuse material should be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level fourteen or
to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years, or both such fine and such imprisonment.
- CLAUSE 165A: CYBERGROOMING OF CHILDREN
The stakeholders suggested a penalty of a fine not exceeding level 10 for any person of the age of eighteen or above who unlawfully and intentionally, through information and communication technologies, proposes to meet a child who has not reached the age of consent to sexual activity as set by the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform Act) [Chapter 9:23] for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity with him or her.
- COMMITTEE OBSERVATION
- The Committees were of the view that admissibility rule should not be restricted to criminal acts established under the Bill, but to all criminal offences recognised under the laws of Zimbabwe.
- The Committees agreed with stakeholders that POTRAZ should not be designated as the Cyber Security Centre and Data Protection Authority. The Committees suggested that the functions that the Bill assigned to the Cyber Security Centre need to be carried out by an independent body due to the sensitivity of matters relating to cyber security.
- The Committees also supported the need to include in Section 31(1) of the Bill, provision for the guarantee of the protection of whistleblowers.
- The Committees were in agreement with stakeholders that Clause 26 of the Bill should protect the rights that are enshrined in the
Constitution of Zimbabwe.
- The Committees were of the view that the Cyber Security Centre and Data Protection Authority should also be separated into two standalone pieces of legislations.
- The Committees further supported the need to criminalise the recording of up-skirting and recognition of the rights of children on
Clause 164E.
5.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
In light of the above submissions and observations, the Committees make the following recommendations;
- Clause 2 - objectives of the Bill should clearly describe its provisions.
- Clause 3 - The Bill should be amended to improve on definition of terms as they should be clearly defined.
- The need to split the Bill into two; namely the Cyber Security Bill and Data Protection Bill.
- Clauses 5-8 should establish an independent body which is set up as the Cyber Security Centre and Data Protection Authority instead of POTRAZ being the Cyber Security Centre and Data Protection Authority.
- Clause 31(1) of the Bill should be amended, to have a clause that guarantee the protection of whistle-blowers in terms of handling investigations.
- The Bill should be amended and have a clause that provides for the right to oblivion, that is the right for deleting information and records of the past in the cyber space, and clearly spell out the data retention period.
- That the Bill should be amended to include a stand-alone clause that recognises the rights of data subjects which are enshrined in the Constitution namely;
- right to personal security (Section 52), ii. right to dignity (Section 51), iii. right to privacy (Section 57), iv. right to petition and demonstrate (Section 59) and
- the right to freedom of expression (Section 61).
- That Clause 19 should be amended to include the time under which security breach should be notified.
- The Bill should strike a balance between the protection of national security and the exercise of rights of ordinary individuals.
- Clause 164E of the Bill should be amended to include the terminology that criminalises up-skirting and recording of nude images without a person’s consent.
- Clause 165 on child pornography should take into cognisance offences relating to child sexual abuse materials such as using social media to lure minors for the purposes of exploitation.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The introduction of the Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill is welcomed as it is drafted to apply to all sectors of the economy. It will put in place one of the final pieces of much needed data protection reforms. The Bill is a baseline legislation that will operate concurrently with other legislation. Effective modern data protection laws are central to securing public trust and confidence in the use of personal information within the digital economy and the fight against cybercrime. Members of the public have raised many different scenarios about the protection of individuals. However, Government must strive to ensure a proper balance on how best to use the proposed Bill to effect a positive outcome for the public and the private sector. I thank you.
HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: On a point of order Mr.
President. My point of order is in respect of the way we have proceeded on this Bill that the Minister presented. We started debating before the Committee report. Surely the Committee Report is intended to inform the Members as to what issues arise from the Bill. So, some of us debated without knowing what the public said. Our debate should be informed by what the public said. I think that should be corrected in future. In fact, if the report by the Committee was not yet available, what should have happened, we should have been asked whether we object to proceed without a Committee report or not. That is the procedure and some of us feel shortchanged because there is a lot of beneficial information which came from the public that I would have used in my debate. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you
Hon. Sen. Chief. I agree with you, that is the ideal situation and we should have proceeded that way but I am told that the Chairperson of the Committee was not ready that time when we started but I agree with you. We should discuss the Committee report first and that input is supposed to be used to debate what the Minister presented. I agree with you totally. You have the opportunity during the Committee Stage to debate other issues.
*HON. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President, I want to add my voice
to this Bill. There is an issue that I think should not just end on social media. A person who writes on social media is the one who is considered guilty but also there is a saying that says if it does not rain, the grass will not grow, the grass has to wait for the rain for it to grow. So, social media is there to allow people not to tell the truth and it then spreads, that is what is happening. Whoever is responsible for social media to pick this and run with it, should also be brought to book.
Politicians are also not truthful, especially when they get to a crowd of more than 30 000 people, they will say so and so is a sellout. Social media can actually write to say that certain individuals are sellouts. So, the first person who has quoted that should be brought to book so that there is stability and not to have a blame game. If you say that these people are thieves, people will have an opinion that all these people are thieves. So we want those issues that are said during gatherings to be looked at. There is need to also look at people who would have said these dishonest statements because that brings stability in the nation. I thank you.
(v)HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President, a lot of
the things have already been said by my fellow senators. Mr. President I have realised that this Bill is very important. It came in 2019 and 2020 it was quiet but I want to thank the Minister for bringing this Bill this year. There are people who are impersonating other individuals and they were left like that but I have noticed that the Bill has whistleblowers. These are people who will assist in bringing to the relevant peoples’ attention what is happening. So, the whistleblowers are there to bring this information and it should be checked as to whether the information is authentic. Some people talk just to tarnish the image of other people I am sure you heard Chief Charumbira talking about his experiences with social media. I am really delighted that the whistleblowers are assisting and that they are in the Bill to bring out information that is not open to everyone. On the issue of penalties – one is subjected to level 5 penalties. They should explain to us what they mean when they say fine not exceeding level 7 because most of us do not know what level 7 is talking about.
I think we need mandatory sentencing that a person will pay a certain amount in terms of a fine so that when a person commits the crime, they know what they are up against in terms of penalties. I think on the two years that are being explained, they are too lenent because the damage that will have been done on the individual is grave because it destroys a person’s integrity and dignity and a person’s name is tarnished for life. I think that needs to be explained and we need to work together as part of a global village to ensure that there is protection. I think two years is inadequate. So, I am advocating for deterrent penalties, having a mandatory sentence that will prevent a person from committing the same crime. Social media has been spreading a lot of untruths and we are all aware of it. Thank you for giving me this opportunity Mr. President.
+HON. SEN. D. M. NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President for the
Bill that has been tabled today because there are a number of issues that we wanted because it makes people work easier like when people are fishing using the net. However, it catches a lot of creatures that are found in the dam. In the past, there was a respectful way of dealing with matters for a respectful member, for example Hon. Chief Charumbira. You find that a person is the President or Member of Parliament or he is a chief and he is put on WhatsApp. You find that person’s photo is photo-shopped as the chief, followed by a snake or being a dog. At the end, it denigrates the chief or the respective member.
Young people end up being disrespectful to the Member. I concur that people who do such things should be incarcerated. We also have WhatsApp and because of this technology, you find there are audios that are recorded by old people and they will be laughing, sort of enjoying without taking note that this small thing may kill the nation. It is like taking poison putting a drop of it into water. At the end, it kills everyone. I am appealing that these members of society should be imprisoned.
However, you will also find that after debating, I will be the first person going outside encouraging the masses to write about Hon.
Mavetera and they start forwarding to different members, deforming the Hon. Member. At the end, you will find people talking bad about this Hon. Member. This has destroyed our ubuntuism. It pains me mainly when this is directed to leaders of society because these people who are making noise in South Africa, the matter emanated from this social media because they were forwarding these messages until it was captured by criminals who started to criminalise and do everything wrong against the nation. I am totally in support of this Bill because it will avoid defamation of character. For example, you find that they will create a twitter account for Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira and start saying a lot about him when in actual sense he does not have a twitter account. Let us support this Bill as Senators because we are elders, so we avoid broadcasting lies. These are deliberate lies. These are lies that are intended to defame someone so that the person is denigrated. Thank you Hon. President for these few words. I encourage that social media should not be a fish net which catches everything. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
- MUSWERE): Thank you Mr. President. In response to Hon. Sen. Mavetera, the whole idea of this Bill is to ensure that there is safe and secure utilisation of ICTs in the cyber space. In the context of the fourth industrial revolution, everything revolves around Information
Communication Technology. You will realise Mr. President that even if a person wants to go to church, what you just need is your computer and data. If you want to go to school, you just need the computer and an internet connection. If you want to do shopping, the same applies. Even if you want to have a meeting, the same applies. Now, you can even
“roora” using virtual methodologies – [Laughter.] – Through payments
I mean. Mr. President, you can now make your payments electronically. You can even use Ecocash, One Money, Telecash to transact. You do not necessarily need to go to the bank. Everything now revolves around Information Communication Technology.
What this Bill seeks to do is to plug cyber and data crimes. This Bill seeks to create a safe environment for the business community and the public. At the same time, this Bill also seeks to ensure that criminal activities in the cyber space are dealt by with the law. In fact, it ensures that there is admissibility of electronic evidence within the courts of law.
Mr. President, in response to Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira, this Bill is good for protecting the business people and also to ensure that all those who misbehave are dealt with. What we want is for the fourth industrial revolution to be protected. We want this technology to be used for safety and security of the citizens of Zimbabwe.
This Bill will be dealing with all the unscrupulous individuals in this country, especially those who use technology to defraud people and steal depositors’ monies from the banks. Like Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira said, your image can be tarnished by false information on social media. Section 164 (g) deals with identity related offences. It provides that any person who unlawfully and intentionally by using a computer or information system acquires, transfers, possesses or uses any means of identification of another person with the intent to commit or to assist in connection with the commission of an offence, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or to both such
fines.
*So, I believe that this legislation will deal with the unscrupulous individuals who defraud certain people’s characterS. Section 164 (C) also talks about all those who spread bad things using other people’s names will be dealt with by the law. It provides that transmission of false data messageS intentionally by means of a computer or information system; makes available, broadcasts or distributes data to any other person concerning an identified or identifiable person knowing it to be false with intent to cause psychological or economic harm, shall be guilt of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
I want to respond to Hon. Sen. Mabika. She also mentioned about protection of the dignity and integrity of the people, especially women who are abused by social media platforms. Section 164 (a), 164 (b), 164 (c) and 164 (e), talk to the transmission of data messages, inciting violence or damage to property. That is part two of the Bill. Section 164 (a) says, any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system sends any data message to another person threatening harm to the person or the person’s family or friends or damage to property of such persons shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such fine and imprisonment.
Section 164 deals with cyberbullying and harassment. If any person generates or sends any data messages to another on any electronic medium accessible by any person with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress or degrade, humiliate or demean the person or to encourage a person to harm himself or herself shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years or both.
I believe I once talked about Section 164, which involves those who broadcast falsehoods and spreads malicious rumours through a gadget. They will be liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 5 years or both. This provision is coming to protect the citizens.
On the issues raised by Hon. Sen. Komichi in terms of journalists in the cyber space, there has been a lot in the global village in terms of cyber attacks. We ought to ensure that in terms of the objectives of the Ministry, principally we are there to ensure that there is utilisation of ICTs, there is access to ICTs and there is also economic growth in the entire ICT sector and also principally, that is governed within the cyber space. So, the whole idea is to ensure that there is proper governance and if we talk of governance, we should legislate to protect the citizens and the business. All these other issues are dealt with by this Bill. I can go to Section 164 (e) on the transmission of intimate images without consent. Any person - subsection 1, “who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system makes available, broadcast or distributes any data message containing any intimate images of an identified person without the consent of the person concerned, causing humiliation or embarrassment of such person shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding five years or to both such fine and imprisonment”. For the purposes of subsection 1, intimate images, means a visual depiction of a person made by any means in which the person is nude, either it is naked female breasts which are exposed or sexual acts which are then conveyed through any media.
Mr. President, in terms of the media space, I am sure we are all aware that it is being opened up. This Bill will not be used to victimise any political party. The law is democratic and seeks to strengthen the utilisation of ICTs to international best practice. Certainly, Zimbabwe is open for business, therefore, investors will be encouraged. In terms of the social media space, I am sure I have dealt with it in terms of Section 164. This is with reference to Hon. Kalipani, Section 164: 164 (a), 164 (c) to 164 (f), probably in terms of the abuse of social media, this law then brings sanity in this particular area. People should probably focus more on economic activities than abusing each other on social media platforms.
The law is there to regulate and ensure that there is technological advancement in this particular area. To Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe, he mentioned about the issue of revenge pornography and also spreading lies. Section 164 (e) and I have elaborated on that part. Maybe I can repeat so that you can then understand. Section 164 (e) deals with the transmission of intimate images without consent. If people were in love, the issue of revenge pornography is dealt with in this section. “makes available, distribute or broadcast any data messages, containing any intimate image of an identified person without the consent of the person concerned, causing the humiliation or embarrassment, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such fine and imprisonment”.
Subsection 2, defines what an intimate image is, I have already explained that as well. Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe also talked about the abuse of social media to denigrate one another. That is addressed under
Section 166 (b). In terms of admissibility on electronic evidence, in any criminal proceeding, for an offence in terms of this Bill, evidence generated from a computer system or by means of Information and Communication Technologies, or electronic communication systems shall be admissible in a court of law. Subsection 2 says, in assisting the admissibility or evidence, evidential weight of the evidence, regards shall be given to the reliability to the manner which the evidence was generated, stored or communicated. The integrity, that is (b) of the manner in which the evidence was maintained; (c ) the manner in which the originator or recipient of the evidence was identified and any other relevant facts. The authentication of electronically generated document shall be as prescribed in rules of evidence, regulating the integrity and correctness of any document presented as evidence in a court of law.
Subsection 5 says, this section shall apply in addition to Subsection 2 and not in substitution of any other law in terms of which evidence generated by computer systems are restrictive on electronic system or device may be admissible in evidence. Section 166 ( c) also deals with the forfeiture, a court convicting any person of an offence under this particular Act, may order the forfeiture to the effect of “(a) any money, asset or property constituting or traceable to the gross proceeds of such offence and any computer or information system software or other devices used or intended to be used to commit or to facilitate the commission of such an offence”.
Mr. President, let me also then respond to the Committee’s report by Hon. Sen. Dr. Parirenyatwa. Most of the issues that have been presented by Hon. Parirenyatwa have been incorporated into the Bill in the National Assembly. Certainly, the Cyber and Data Protection Bill seeks to build the confidence and trust in utilisation of ICTs. It is not there to impede technological growth in the country. The Cyber Security Centre, which we spoke about, will remain with the security and the data protection will go to POTRAZ. In terms of sensitive data, it will be dealt with when we put the amendments.
If it pleases you Mr. President, I can now go through the definition of sensitive information and we did an amendment clause to the Bill. On page 9 of the Bill, Line 60 will be deleted and Clause 13 and to substitute it with sensitive data being Subsection 1, no data controller shall process sensitive data unless the data subject has given consent in writing for such processes. Subsection 2, the consent to the processing of data may be withdrawn by the data subject at any time and without any explanation, free of charge. Subsection 3, the authority shall determine the circumstances in which the prohibition to process the data referred to in this subsection (1) cannot be lifted even with the data subject’s consent taking into account the factors surrounding the prohibition and reasons for collecting the data.
In terms of whistleblowing, whistleblowers are protected by the laws of the country and in particular the Constitution. In terms of intimate messages, these have been dealt with in Section 164 of the Bill and amendments have been done. It will now also incorporate UpSkirting. The clause of child sexual abuse which is Section 165 has already been amended Hon. Parirenyatwa. Any person who unlawfully and intentionally, through a computer or information system produces, it is no longer pornography, it is now child sexual abuse or offers or makes available child pornography; it has now changed to child sexual abuse and all these other areas, or who distributes or transmits child pornography, it is now child sexual abuse. All this has been corrected in terms of the Bill.
Hon. Sen. Tongogara also discussed about the abuse of social media. Mr. President, I can also go through the same responses if it is okay with you so that people get clarity on clause by clause basis. On the transmission to false messages intending to cause harm, that is dealt with in terms of Section 164 (c) which is “any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system makes available broadcast or distributes data to any other person concerning an unidentifiable or identifiable person knowing it to be false with intent to cause psychological or economic harm, shall be guilty of an offence and be liable to a fine not exceeding level 10”. Hon. Sen. Tongogara had said it is two years, no. It is actually level 10 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or to both such fines and such imprisonment. Section 164 (e) also deals with the transmission of intimate images without consent. Section 164 (f) also deals with the production and dissemination of racist and xenophobic material. I hope I have answered you all Hon. Senators. Thank you Mr. President. I now move that the Bill be read a second time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Committee Stage: Wednesday, 28th July, 2021.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER
SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE), the Senate adjourned at Twenty
minutes to Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 22nd July, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
HON. DR. NYASHANU: I rise on a matter of national interest. in yesterday’s Question and Answer session, I felt that the issue to do with the late payment of cotton farmers was not conclusively dealt with. I kindly request, through you Chair, that the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement brings to this House a Ministerial Statement on progress with the operationalisation of the Land Bank which was launched by our President in April 2021. I say so Madam Speaker because I feel that a bank which offers the correct banking products to the farmer and with the correct bank charges should be the panacea to the challenges our farmers are currently facing.
Farmers need access to bridging finance which bridges the funding gap between time of harvest and delivery and the time the farmer eventually receives payment. I must also stress this point Madam Speaker Ma’am, that it will be irresponsible for us to expose farmers to markets. I see some farmers are accessing credit from money lenders to bridge the funding gap, a practice which will never transform our agriculture. In most of his presentations in this House, the Minister speaks passionately about rural transformation through agriculture, which is quite commendable but I would rather talk about societal transformation because I believe that agriculture, ranging from small holder to commercial agriculture with the correct Government interventions and support, can surely transform our society. I so submit Madam Speaker Ma’am.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Nyashanu. You have raised a very important point of national interest and I concur with you that the Minister should come to this House with a Ministerial Statement. I would like to ask the Government Chief Whip to convey the message.
HON. T. MLISWA: I am hearing that Hon. Nyokanhete would like to move a motion. He seems to be having his hand up. Probably you can allow the privileges to stop since he did not present his notice. I was just telling Madam Speaker in case she did not hear him. Am I correct Hon. Nyokanhete?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Nyokanhete can do that on Tuesday because we had already passed that phase.
HON. MASANGO: It is with a very sad heart that I followed the statistics on COVID deaths. I might be wrong in my analysis but it seems the mortality rate among men is almost equal but this year I have heard of more COVID deaths in men. The reasons might be varying but to me the main one is centred on social factors. We talk and encourage washing and sanitising of hands but truly this is mostly followed by women.
Why do I say so? This is because women are always within the reach of water. Before cooking they wash hands, before breast feeding they wash hands, after visiting the rest rooms they wash hands. Women’s hands are practically always in water but it is a very different story for men. I have also noticed that men like sharing. They can share a cigarette, beer, scud and supper. When sharing, there is no washing of hands or sanitization, kugamuchidzana chete. During all this sharing there is no masking. There is also the issue of social distancing –these men cannot do it whilst the other one is sitting far away. Vanotogara padyo nepadyo.
Hon. T. Mliswa having wanted to raise a point of order.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members. Hon. Mliswa, you cannot stand on a point of order over a point of privilege.
HON. T. MLISWA: What rule is that?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Give her time.
HON. T. MLISWA: Yes, I can give her time - not to say I cannot do a point of order. Hon. Togarepi munofanira kuverenga marules musangotaura kunge muri parally ye ZANU PF.
HON. MASANGO: When it comes to steaming, men are not that patient. So they would not and as I said in this august House sometime in 2019, men do not visit health institutions.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Masango, remember it is a one minute statement.
HON. MASANGO: Thank you Madam Speaker. I was saying as I said in this august House sometime in 2019, men do not visit health institutions when ill, vanozoenda kana zvaipa. More women are being tested and vaccinated, but most men are ignoring the call for vaccinations and testing. I have noticed that men go to health care centres for help when it is too late and they die. I can give an example of most COVID deaths in my constituency. Tests are mostly done when people are dead of which most of them are men. My prayer is for our men to up their game on being healthy. The campaign should now be centred on encouraging them to mask up, wash hands, sanitise and social distancing, otherwise this will be a women only country.
God created us differently: male and female, with different roles and different responsibilities. Men, please stop letting all our efforts and Government’s efforts of fighting COVID-19 down. Mask-up, social distance, wash hands, sanitise, get vaccinated and get tested. I thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Masango. Thank you for reminding all of us that we should always observe COVID-19 regulations and also thank you for your analysis but I am not sure whether your analysis is true that men are dying more as compared to women. All the same, I would like to urge us all to go into our communities and urge our people to observe COVID-19 regulations and also to be vaccinated.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I want to thank you for having to question that analysis. I think if she had put it the way you did, it would have been acceptable that COVID-19 is for everyone. Everyone must be protected but it was a very sexist presentation which was based on men. Where is the reference, where are the statistics? She did not bring that. I think it is important that this House is seen to be a House that represents everyone. The women must also represent men progressively and men must also represent women. So, for her to be able to single out men, may I also single out men to be the breadwinners. They are the breadwinners, they are always working and they are the ones who are making families survive. As a result they are constantly engaging and the only thing that she can do is to be able to say as a nation, may we be able to observe, mask-up, wash hands and observe physical distancing, but for her to be able to say women are alone – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Can I be protected?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order!
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, we do welcome the message for everyone and I would like to say let us be united in fighting COVID-19 and not single out anyone but be able to say, let us move together in fighting COVID-19. As Madam Speaker said that everybody must be involved, if we single out certain people, we will then be asked to prove with statistics. Madam Khupe is a doctor; she knows you must refer whatever with statistics. So we cannot have this. I would like to applaud Madam Speaker for standing up and correcting such. I have nothing to say but for the women to be guided by your statement that COVID-19 is for everyone and we must fight it together. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, I think it is not proper for you to talk on top of your voices whilst you are putting on a mask, hamunzwe kutsva? Again, the other thing is, points of privileges are not for debate Hon. Mliswa. It is also not proper to say men are the breadwinners. – [HON. T. MLISWA: So let me say most men.]
HON. MOKONE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise on a point of privilege. Once again, a dark cloud hovers around the media fraternity. Last week, we lost a journalist by the name Sandra Nyaira and just yesterday, we lost Tawanda Gudhlanga, who also succumbed to COVID-19. Madam Speaker, we would like to extend our condolences to the families and may their departed souls rest in eternal peace. Madam Speaker, as a Committee, we are concerned with the rising cases of infections in the media fraternity. As we speak, we are reliably informed that Montrose Studios in Bulawayo is hit hard by the scourge. We had more than four cases as well at Pockets Hill here in Harare. We therefore, urge the Ministry to continue to prioritise the safety of journalists. I thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of national interest, condolences to the Haritatos family on the passing away of Peter Haritatos, a former Member of Parliament who was equally a ZANU PF Central Committee Member. More importantly, it is the role that he played in being a liberator of this country. He was accorded the Provincial Liberation Hero status, which is deserving. It is not many white people that stand for the emancipation or the freedom of black people. He had been denied access to school because he was not European and went to Rimuka. On that, he leaves a legacy. I used to be the Provincial Chairman of Mashonaland West and equally, the Chairman for the Mines and Energy Committee where he also served. He was a progressive man who united Mashonaland West Province and the country.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Remember, it must be a one minute statement Hon. Mliswa.
HON. T. MLISWA: Yes. For that, we would like to extend our condolences to the Haritatos family, Hon. Vangelis Haritatos, George Haritatos, the grand children and also pray for the mother who is in a critical condition as well because of this Covid. Lastly Madam Speaker, it is sad that he was infected when he was trying to help somebody who wanted a loan from him. He assisted him with the loan but he then was infected and he is no more. He died while helping people and not many people do that. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. May his dear soul rest in eternal peace.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PEACE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2020
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker Ma’am , I rise that this House takes note of the report of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission for the year 2020, presented to this House in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution, which states that every Commission must submit to Parliament, through the appropriate Ministry, an annual report on its operations by no later than the end of March in the year following the year to which the report relates. I thank you.
I now move that the motion be removed from the Order Paper.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, the Hon. Minister cannot remove it. It is a very important report. It has been tabled, it is subject to debate and he cannot expect Members to debate it right now. They need time to look at it. There has been the COVID aspect. It was six months ago and there have been issues which are beyond our control. As a result, we need to study it and it is a very important report pertaining to this country, especially people from Matabeleland would want to contribute to it or else it would not be taken well that it was removed. It cannot be removed but maybe deferred.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, for tabling purposes, it is adequate for the Minister to withdraw the report but the Committee can still bring the report to the House for debate.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I think we need to be guided by rules. It was moved for debate. What if we had decided to debate what would happen? Now, it has to be removed and the Committee must bring it again. It does not make any sense. What about if we have decided to debate it?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is the procedure.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, under which rule? Clerk, may you advise properly. We start asking for rules because Madam Speaker is not guided by you. “Musangovapa zvinhu musina section yacho. Varikugona basa, musakanganise basa ravo.” Unless somebody had gotten up Madam Speaker, and said it has not gone before the Committee, it must go before the Committee. But that was not discussed Chief Whip. Somebody could have said, let it go before the Committee and procedure must be followed. If they want me to say that, then I can. Let it go back to the Committee and then it comes back after the Committee has looked at it. That is the procedure.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. For the purposes of time, I move that we adjourn the debate and proceed with other business. This is submitted in terms of Section 323 like you said, and there is no resolution because it is an independent commission. So, next sitting, if there is no one who wants to say anything, then we remove it from the Order Paper, but for the purpose of progress, I move that we adjourn debate on it. Thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday 27th July, 2021.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE CRIMINAL LAW (CODIFICATION AND REFORM) (STANDARD SCALE OF FINES) NOTICE 2021
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. I move the motion in my name that WHEREAS subsections (5) and (6) of Section 280 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23], provide that if the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs wishes to give effect to a Statutory Instrument to replace the First Schedule (“Standard Scale of Fines”) to that Act (by reason of a change in the purchasing-power of money or for any other reason), he must lay the drafty statutory instrument before Parliament, and that the statutory instrument shall not come into force unless approved by resolution of Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs has, in terms of Subsection (5) of the said Section 280, made the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) (Standard Scale of Fines) Notice, 2021, on the 21st July, 2021;
AND WHEREAS the said statutory instrument was, in accordance with Subsection (5) of the said Section 280, laid before Parliament on the 21st July, 2021;
NOW, THEREFORE, this House resolves that the said statutory instrument be and is hereby approved. I so move Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Speaker, is it not possible for the House to adjourn? I think most of the Members are on virtual platform.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: We can now hear you properly Hon. Mushoriwa, you can start again.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: I wanted to debate on the motion that the Hon. Leader of the House moved. The question of the adjustment in terms of the standard scale of fines, the Hon. Minister had just put it on record that the changes that the Minister wants this House to rectify should speak to the overall economic trajectory and projections that the Government has actually envisaged. The challenge that we have is when we then look into the statement by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, the positive attributes projecting where this economy is heading is in variance with the one by the Hon. Minister of Justice. He has actually put levels or the percentage changes in terms of the fines. I think there is need for an adjustment which will be in line with the inflation projected by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development because anything else will then create a wrong impression and the market will read this differently.
(v)HON. GONESE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Firstly, I would also want to revert to the situation pertaining today. Those of us who are on virtual have hardly been able to follow the proceedings and as it stands, I was not able to get the gist of what the Hon. Minister has presented. My suggestion is that may the matter be deferred so that I follow from Hansard precisely what the Hon. Minister has laid on the Table. From the little that I gathered it relates to the debate on fines. I think it will not be appropriate for us as a House to endorse what the Minister has tabled because we have not had adequate opportunity to read, understand and appreciate what it entails. As representatives of people, I believe that we should be given that opportunity. Today, those of us who are on virtual have had very serious challenges. From the beginning, I have been trying to raise my hand but I do not know whether the system was recognising me or not. The long and short of it is that we are dealing with a very important issue which affects the generality of the public when it comes to the issue of fines.
The other point I would want to raise in addition to the subject matter is, either the Portfolio Committee on Justice, Legal and Parliament Affairs superintends over the Ministry of Justice as well as the Portfolio Committee on Budget and Finance, that they have an opportunity to look at the scale of fines so that they can give meaningful input. My request Hon. Minister would be for this item to be deferred so that the two Portfolio Committees have a look at the Statutory Instrument per se to look at the scale of fines. I think as an institution, we are being anti to approve of something which we have not yet acquainted ourselves with. Coupled with the challenges that we have met today, that is my humble submission Madam Speaker.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, I just want to join the other Hon. Members that have invited the Minister of Justice to ensure that the new schedule of fines is consistent with what is obtaining in the macro-economic environment. If the percentage increase of those fines overshoots or does not match the rate of inflation, then we run the risk of promoting corruption within the Police and the Judiciary. Closer home Madam Speaker, if you may allow me to check with my learned brother what the new schedule of fines may mean to those of us on this side of the House, that had charges laid against us and appeared before Privileges Committee. What does this new scale of fines mean because we run the risk of paying forever should this House decides that we are supposed to pay those fines. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Members who have debated and contributed. Madam Speaker, the fines that we are introducing are motivated by the need to ensure that we have law and order in the country. Also, we need fines that are deterrent. So they are pretty much consistent with what the Minister of Finance is doing. We do not want affordable fines. They will not be deterrent enough. They will allow criminals, if I may quote what we were told by the law enforcement agency what people are saying, ‘kuti ndinokurova ndonokubhadharira fine’. In other words, somebody is saying I will do whatever I want because I have the money to pay the fine. So we want them to be deterrent so that the general populace will be deterred from committing crime rather than encouraged to commit a crime. That is the thrust that we are taking. We do not want to link that with inflation as if the levels of fine are a measure of economic growth. They are being put to ensure that we deter. We are not even putting these fines as a revenue collection strategy. That is not our aim. We would rather have zero collections but 100% compliance. As a nation, the economic development of the country will be there. We will have a boom in our economic development with zero fines but with law and order in the country. This is the thrust that we are looking at.
I did not get much from what Hon. Gonese said. Hon. Ndebele, I think I have answered that we are not looking at inflation or the performance but we want them to be deterrent. We have tried to moderate the least fines but we believe that the rest must be deterrent enough so that even if I think of committing a crime, I will think twice.
As to your second question about what happens in this august House, I think Parliament is independent to fines that are meted out by the Judiciary. It is a matter that this august House will determine on and conclude. I do not think you will need to worry about that. It would be concluded in this august House.
Having said that Madam Speaker, I urge Hon. Members to pass these fines and move that they be adopted so that us as a legislature we will be sending a message out there that collectively, we are prepared to fight the scourge of corruption, the scourge of lawlessness by imposing stiffer fines. I so move that the schedule of fines be passed by this august House. I thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. GONESE: On a point of order Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of order Hon. Gonese?
(v)HON. GONESE: Thank you very much. As the Hon. Minister has indicated in his response, he could not follow what I said in my contribution and by the same token, that was precisely my point that today the reception was poor. I did not hear his initial presentation because that time I could hardly hear him. So that was my request, that can this item be deferred so that we can follow from Hansard precisely what the Hon. Minister presented because in his initial presentation, I could hardly hear a thing at that point in time. By the same token, he did not hear my contribution and I think that in all fairness, this is precisely the reason why I put the request that the item be deferred so that I follow the initial presentation for me to make a meaningful contribution.
The other aspect of my contribution relates to the Portfolio Committees on Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs as well as Budget and Finance. We have not heard their input in relation to the statutory instrument which is being gazetted. I believe that as an august institution, we are guided by the views of these Portfolio Committees which would then have an opportunity to interrogate in greater detail the scales for fines. That would partly respond and answer to what Hon. Mushoriwa had asked as to whether it is linked to different economic mediums.
As it stands, we are being asked to endorse blindly on something where we have not received guidance from our Portfolio Committees. More importantly, because of the situation which has been obtaining today, I think it is in the interest of all of us to defer this item so that we can debate more meaningfully when the system is operational, hopefully next week.
HON. ZIYAMBI: I appreciate his first point if he did not get what I said but I would have accepted if I had moved the motion and sought leave to do it the same day but I gave notice yesterday which means the Hon. Member, if he checked with Hansard, was supposed to have seen that this item was there. Yesterday I came to this august House and gave a notice of motion that today I will do that.
On the second point that it should be referred to the Budget and Justice Committee, the policy or thrust is that the august House agrees that there must be a fine schedule. That is the reason why you see even when the Minister of Finance comes here and issues a Budget Statement, he can even indicate that tonight he would be changing excise duty. That is not referred to the Budget Committee. It is not a line budget item. It is a fine or deterrent so that we have law and order. It is like we are now giving criminals notice that we want to go to them to say can you give us your views about this.
I think the general principle is as a nation, we agreed and the Act allows the Minister to just come and lay it before Parliament for approval. I seek the indulgence of Hon. Gonese that what I have done is sufficient as opposed to giving notice to criminals to say that you can do this between now and this particular item. It is not a budget item to refer to the Budget Committee. There are no legal issues per se, except that it is a figure that we believe is deterrent enough. I seek the indulgence of Hon. Members to say that can we pass the schedule of fines. We have always done this in terms of when the Minister of Finance comes and presents the Budget Statement but we saw it prudent in between the budgetary process to increase and the law stipulates that I bring the Statutory Instrument before Parliament for its approval as opposed to the general route that we follow that we publish a Statutory Instrument, take it to the PLC and if they agree, it continues being effective.
I move that this House approves the standard scale of fines.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: On a point of order, the Hon. Minister did not answer pertaining to the problem we have had with the system. When we started Parliament, the number of participants on the virtual was 142 and because of the system, we now have 91 participants. This means that this House needs to participate fully in terms of this debate. I am not also sure if it will kill the Minister or inconvenience him to simply defer this matter to Tuesday so that at least the House properly considers this matter. The system problem is truly beyond our control.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mushoriwa and Hon. Gonese, you should have read your Order Paper because the Minister gave a notice yesterday.
(v)HON. GONESE: I think the Hon. Minister did not hear my point. Today we are not talking about yesterday and also input the question to the House, I was not able to follow proceedings because of system challenge. A lot of members on virtual had to leave because they could not follow the proceedings.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: But we still form a quorum Hon. Gonese.
(v)HON. GONESE: Most of the Hon. Members would not hear him.....
HON. TOGAREPI: On a point of order. The Hon. Member should have read the Order Paper. Secondly, we have a quorum. Thirdly, he should not speak saying ‘we’ as if he is a trade unionist. Everyone who is on the virtual platform can speak for himself or herself. We are wasting time. Let us proceed. This is something that is very routine. We should not waste time because we have other business to deal with here. I think the Hon. Member, with all due respect, must allow us to proceed.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I agree with you Hon. Togarepi. Hon. Members should have just read the contents of the motion on the Order Paper.
(v)HON. R. R. NYATHI: Hon. Speaker Maam, I think the Hon. Minister has clarified in detail what we are supposed to do. He has made it very clear that these are fines and they do not have to be referred to any Portfolio Committee. I have seen problems here in Shurugwi North where people generally just go and hit somebody or injure someone and they pay a fine of Z$20, until they had to call out the justice people and everyone to say this must be stopped. Anyone who creates a criminal offence must go to Hwahwa Prison without an option of a fine and it helped. The Minister has already moved and I am seconding that the Minister is right. Let us go ahead. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2020
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for the year 2020.
Question again proposed.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission is an integral commission in terms of the industry running the affairs in the country. If you check the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Report of 2020 and then you check its mandate and what it is supposed to do, you will realise that there are a lot of gaps that need to be filled.
Firstly, it is agreed and understood that we are under COVID and that COVID is affecting a number of ways and things that we normally do as a country and probably the world over. There is also an issue that we need to mirror, put in terms of human rights – the rights of the citizens of a country, their democratic right that needs to be exercised. You will understand and also know that in the year 2020, other countries that have also been affected by COVID have had a chance to exercise their democratic right in terms of general elections in Africa and outside Africa and also by-elections and other electoral activities.
What we have discovered is that in Zimbabwe in the year 2020, there have been very few or no activities. You will realise that even registration of new voters, ZEC has done very little and even in terms of their work at provincial level, it has been very minimal. You will realise that even in terms of funding, they have actually been complaining that the funding level has been too low to an extent that ZEC has actually, in my view, been operating just like a shell in 2020. As we speak right now, we have got numerous vacancies in the House and a number of constituencies do not have Members of Parliament. A number of wards in this country do not have councillors. By-elections and representation is the key ingredient in a democratic society. There is an adage that says that there is no taxation without representation.
When you have more than 20% of the country not being represented and you have an Electoral Commission that is supposed to do its work, then you put the democratic ethos of a country in jeopardy. In my view, I believe that as a country we need to ensure and allow ZEC to do its work to make sure that it is properly funded and that it is given all the resources so that it can play a significant role in this country. We do not want to have a situation where other people will then tend to view the electoral commission as a commission in handcuffs. It appears as if it is doing the bidding of other people rather than the mandate which it was given by the Constitution and the people of Zimbabwe.
The current state which we have about ZEC is a sorry state. Inasmuch as I believe that this country is under COVID, there are a number of things that have happened in this country which are actually worse than holding an election in terms of the spread of COVID. We have had quite a number of church gatherings, some apostolic sects having more than 10 000 people gathered at a shrine. You and I know, because we are creatures of politics; you know that when people go for voting, they do so in a single line and the question of social distancing can actually be enforced because our law enforcement agents normally mann these polling stations and they will be in a position to say people need to exercise the COVID protocols. If we continue to have a situation where we have got a dysfunctional ZEC, then I believe that we are destroying this country.
Right now we are here passing laws, budgets and other things, but we also need to be cognisant - what about the people of Kuwadzana who do not have a voice in Parliament? What about the people in Highfield, in Mkoba, they also need to have their voice. They need to have a channel upon which they can throw in some of their recommendations and some of the things that they want Parliament to do and to change. We are all Zimbabweans from one end to the other. From Zambezi to Limpopo, every voice needs to be represented in this august House and every voice also needs to be represented in our local Government. Let us deal with them. Let us untie ZEC so that it is actually worthy …
HON. ZIYAMBI: On a point of order. Thank you Madam Speaker. My point of order pertains to what he is debating about. There was a state of public health emergency that was declared and a Statutory Instrument to deal with that. The Hon. Member would have debated that at that particular time. He must zero in on the ZEC Report as to the laws that are in place in the august House and seek an opportunity to debate and not to vote those to take effect. So I think if the Hon. Member can direct himself to the contents of the report, we will make progress. If he is dissatisfied with any law that is in place, this is the right forum. You are supposed to have raised it at that particular juncture. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: I think the Minister is actually misdirected. The issues that I am actually raising are contained in the same…
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mushoriwa, you must stick to the report.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Precisely Madam Speaker, the things that I am raising are the issues that were raised by them and they are contained in the ZEC Report, unless the Hon. Minister is actually trying to say we cannot debate the issue because they were supposed to be debated on another fora. The truth of the matter is that what I said and have been debating is contained within the ZEC Report of 2020 and the Hon. Minister, if he is in doubt, can actually check. Having said that, I think I have made my point and my contribution pertaining to the ZEC Report. I believe what I have said carries weight and can help ZEC as we go forward. We do not want a repeat, come 2021 to then get the same report that we have actually heard in 2020. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Suffice to say that what he was labouring under is not in the report. We made a resolution as a country that we need to fight COVID-19 and our main thrust is, let us reach herd immunity as early as possible. So, what we have tried to do as a country is to mobilise our resources to procuring vaccines to make sure that Zimbabweans are safe. You do not vote when you are dead. You do not exercise your democratic rights when you are dead. What we are trying to do is, we have a state of public works emergency. We have this thrust; we must ensure that Zimbabweans are protected. Other countries are actually applauding the efforts that we are making. Australia, South Africa and Botswana actually acknowledge that Zimbabwe is going in the right direction.
I was hoping that Hon. Mushoriwa was going to applaud His Excellency for the way he has led the country during the COVID period. I believe that all things being equal, once we have raised herd immunity, we are going to vote. So for now, we stick to the laws that are there. Having said that, I notice that there is no debate, I move that this report be removed from the Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion; withleave, withdrawn.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that Order of the Day, Number 4 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 5 is disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
ZIMBABWE INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS COMMISSION BILL [H. B. 5, 2020]
Fifth Order read: Second Reading: Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission Bill [H. B. 5, 2020].
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I rise to give my Second Reading Speech for the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission Bill. This Bill is a very beneficial measure that Government is putting in place in compliance with the Constitution. Its enactment is not only demanded by Section 210 of our Constitution. It also commends itself to our country for being the right and moral thing to do. In saying so, please do not think I am attacking the honour and integrity of our security services. Without them, the peace and safety of our beloved country will be impossible. Many members of the security sector have paid with their lives to keep our people safe and our home country. The words of a certain famous epitaph are true of our heroes - “When you go home tell them of us and say for your tomorrow, we gave our today”.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, let me take this opportunity to thank them for their priceless service to our country and I want to invite Hon. Members of this House to do the same. I think they deserve a pam pam for the work they are doing to keep us safe. If you can give a round of applause to our security services for what they do to ensure that we are safe. –[ HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – I am sure Hon. Members will agree that this is one of the safest countries in Southern Africa and we owe it to these great men and women who keep us safe. I will not go into the particulars of this Bill, which are adequately addressed in the explanatory memorandum thereto. I urge Hon. Members to have a look at the explanatory memorandum and appreciate what the Bill says. I wish here to advert to certain very pertinent concerns expressed to me by the security service themselves in order to put their minds at ease.
Firstly Madam Speaker, as a matter of general principle, let me say what we all know. Each one of us is not the best judge of our own conduct. Psychologists and scientists of human behavior have studied the phenomena of what are called cognitive biases at great length. These biases affect institutions, as well as individuals. We need each other to tell each other where we are going astray. That is what friends do and I put it to you that the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission, if it discharges its mandate faithfully and properly, will be a friend to the security services and not an adversary. It is not in the interest of the security services themselves that there should be, within their ranks, a single individual who dishonors their reputation by his or her misbehavior towards any fellow service members or towards any members of the public they are supposed to serve.
The perennial problem of who guards the guardians will never leave us entirely. Over the millennium, one solution that societies have come up with to cope with this problem is to appoint other guardians so that the guardians guard each other, as well as themselves. This, Madam Speaker Ma’am, is the basis of the constitutional doctrine of the separation of powers. Each one of the three branches of Government may blunder but if any one of them does, either or both of the other branches can step in to act as a remedy or check on the straying branch. In this way, the peace of the State and social harmony and progress are secured for the benefit of us all.
At this point, let us concede that the security services, as a board, have made an important representation to me on which I am prepared to give some way. You will read in Clause 13 of the Bill, in particular in Sub-Clause 2, Paragraph (b), “that the Commission will not investigate any complaint where the action complained of is the subject of any court proceedings or of any investigation by any other independent commission.” My concession is that I wish to add an additional Paragraph (c) to the provision as follows; “where the action complained of is the subject of an internal disciplinary process by the appropriate security service at the time the complaint is received by the Commission.” So, if there is an internal disciplinary process that is ongoing, if the Commission receives a complaint, they must defer and allow the internal disciplinary process to be completed. This addition seems to have been left out of the Bill by an oversight because elsewhere in the Bill, it is expressly provided: namely in Section 16, Sub-section (3), Paragraph (e) that the Commission can order the appropriate security service concerned to institute appropriate internal processes against the member complaint.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, it has been properly represented again to me that allowing the Commission to be the place of first resort with regards to complaints against the security services may not be appropriate, practicable or desirable in any case. It would, in many cases, mean that the security sector is unjustly deprived of its power of discipline and self regulation over its own members. I accept this but would only add that this right or privilege of the security service must not be abused.
In that vein, I would add a proviso to the proposed Clause 13, Sub-Clause (2) (c) as follows; “provided that the Commission is of the view after consulting with the appropriate security service and taking into account any of its concerns that the internal process in question has taken too long, then the Commission may fix a reasonable period within which such process must be concluded, in default of which the Commission may itself thereafter entertain the complaint.” I think that this is a reasonable accommodation of the competing concerns of the security services and of members of the public and other persons who may have complaints against them.
In conclusion Madam Speaker Ma’am, I urge you Hon. Members to pass this law and in doing so, raise another important milestone in the development of our democracy. I therefore move Madam Speaker Ma’am that the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission Bill [H.B. 5, 2020] be now read a second time.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, I am advised that the report is not yet ready today, so I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 27th July, 2021.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I wish to thank Hon. Members of this august House for the enlightening, lively debate on the Presidential Speech delivered by His Excellency, Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe during his State of the Nation Address and the legislative agenda address on 22nd October, 2020.
The said lively debate during the course of the current Session of the Ninth Parliament raised quite pertinent issues on various subject matters and I will try to respond to some of them Madam Speaker Ma’am. As the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, allow me therefore, to respond to issues pertaining my Ministry that arose during the debate. Although the issues raised are structurally diverse, most of them revolve around comparable subject matters. Consequently, I shall not individually or particularly respond to the aforementioned, but will concentrate on the subject matter arising from the various contributions made by the Hon. Members. The Hon. Members posed very pertinent questions relating to the following issues:
- The COVID-19 pandemic,
- Government’s measures to effectively and efficiently deal with corruption,
- Land barons, and
- The rise in murder cases.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, His Excellency emphasised on the need for a brave fight against COVID-19. The effects of the pandemic featured prominently in Hon. Hon. Members’ contributions. As we are all aware, to date, we have experienced two waves and we are now in the third wave of this pandemic. As a result, we have been in and out of lockdown. There is also an impending third wave, hence we have been tightening restrictions. There has also been a constant message for everyone to mask up, sanitise and maintain social distancing. The previous and current restrictions are so as to minimise the spread of the virus.
The restrictions as expected have had positives and negatives. Positives in that it helped in containing the spread of the virus, avoid deaths and also reducing pressure on our health delivery system. So far the virus has not been as ravaging as we have witnessed in other countries. Although we have had many deaths of over a thousand, other countries have had hundreds of thousands.
The negatives were hugely felt from household economies to the national economy. Businesses were mandated to suspend operations for long periods. This led to job and financial losses. Also, public service delivery was disrupted. Parliament was not spared. The execution of the legislative agenda set by His Excellency at the opening of the Second Session of the 9th Parliament was disrupted. Parliament had to adjourn all activities for long periods. Government departments which were involved in the process of coming up with Bills had to halt processes.
This means we failed to finish Bills. The President in his address called upon the Third Session of the 9th Parliament to expedite the completion of processes with regards to all outstanding Bills, agenda and no-agenda. In his words, “the enactment of which will help to deepen the ongoing economic reforms as well as entrench constitutionalism and our democratic culture.” To date, the third session has managed to pass the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill, Constitution Amendment Bill No. 1, Constitution Amendment Bill No. 2 and Manpower Planning and Development Bill. The Marriages will soon be passed by the Senate.
The other Bills are at advanced stages in the National Assembly. These are the Forest Amendment Bill and Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill. Some of the outstanding Bills from three Second Session’s legislative agenda are expected to be introduced to Parliament during this current session.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, the pandemic also presented challenges to our justice delivery system. Court operations were severely affected - consequently, access to justice was also affected. Lockdown measures affected both the reporting and completion of cases in the courts. Challenges presented by the COVID-19 forced the Judicial Service Commission to come up with strategies to ensure that the wheels of justice do not grind to a halt. The Commission entered into a partnership with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) with support from the European Union to create a virtual court at the Harare Magistrate Court. The Commission also joined hands with the UNDP and prepared to establish at least one virtual court in each of the ten provinces during the course of this year. The equipment has been procured and will be installed in the courts.
One of the subjects which featured prominently is how Government is dealing with corruption. As His Excellency said, corruption cannot co-exist with sustainable economic development and growth. The Government’s objective is to build a new Zimbabwe anchored on transparency, accountability and hard work. Therefore, Government has already taken the initiative and established institutions to deal with corruption. This has seen the establishment of Special Anti-Corruption Courts, Special Anti-Corruption Unit within the Office of the President, the incorporation of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act and enactment of the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Amendment Act. In the pipeline, to ensure transparency and accountability are the Mines and Minerals Amendment Act and Public Finance Management Act. In addition, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has since formed the Police Anti-Corruption Unit under the Criminal Investigations Department to deal with corruption cases.
In terms of the National Development Strategy, Government shall implement the anti-corruption strategy and enforcement of assets forfeiture. In combating corruption, priority shall be given to public prosecution and asset forfeiture. The Government is capacitating the Zimbabwe Judicial Service Commission, National Prosecution Authority, Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Anti-Corruption Commission with the requisite capacity and skills to effectively investigate and prosecute crimes related to corruption. Similarly, Government is expediting the establishment of a Commercial Crimes Court to fast-track the prosecution of such offenders. The General Notice 625 of 2020 established the Anti-Corruption Division of the High Court.
These are institutions which are vital in the combating of corruption. Government has also taken a deliberate approach in increasing staff head count in these institutions. Both the National Prosecuting Authority and the Judicial Service Commission have seen a steady increase in the workforce since 2016. The National Prosecuting Authority has been on a massive recruitment drive of degreed prosecutors. The same applies to the Judicial Service Commission which has been recruiting magistrates and doing staff training and professional development.
In 2020, there was an anti-corruption training conducted by a judge of the Uganda Anti-Corruption Court, Hon. Justice Lawrence Gigudu. The training was attended by a combined total of 261 participants drawn from the Judicial Service Commission, the National Prosecuting Authority, the Special Anti-Corruption Unit, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Police Anti-Corruption Unit.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, the issue of land barons also features prominently in the contributions made by the Hon. Members. The issue of land barons has been a menace. To deal with this, the Commission of Inquiry into the Sale of State land in and around urban areas since 2005 was set up by Presidential Proclamation 4 of 2017. Government’s overarching objective of establishing the Commission of Inquiry was to make a full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the status of State land in and around urban centres in Zimbabwe. This broad objective being underpinned by other specific objectives which are as follows:
1.1 To identify all State land that was acquired and handed over for urban development since 2000;
1.2 To ascertain the status of such land in terms of ownership, occupation and development;
1.3 To investigate methods of acquisition and/or allocation by current occupants and owners of such land;
1.4 To investigate and ascertain the actors involved in such allocations, occupation and use;
1.5 To proffer solutions to the challenges identified from the investigation; and
1.6 To document and report to the President in writing, the results of the inquiry
The report revealed that politically connected politicians, land barons, property developers and housing cooperative leaders illegally sold state land. The Commission also reported that there are many ways of suspected corruption which need to be further investigated and prosecuted. The Commission recommended that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, the National Prosecuting Authority and the Zimbabwe Republic Police must investigate all officers, past and present involved or connected with management of urban State land.
The Commission also recommended that there must be a lifestyle audit on all the officers who were involved in allocation, planning, valuations, survey, allocation of commonage, creation and transfer of title since 2005 amid claims of abuse of office, receiving bribes and general corrupt conduct.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, arrests have been made and the cases are before the courts while other cases are under investigations. Investigations are going to be done province by province. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has already started probing cases for Midlands as recommended by the Commission of Inquiry.
Honourable Members also raised the issue of a rise in murder cases. The gruesome murder of a child called Tapiwa Makore featured prominently. This murder left the whole nation heartbroken. Murder is a very serious crime, worse the murder of a child to that effect. It is something that is extremely disheartening. The right to life is a fundamental right enshrined in Section 48 of the Constitution. This is a non-derogatory right which can only be limited in strict circumstances. To emphasise on the fundamentality of this right, murder in aggravating circumstances attracts a death penalty.
The retention of death penalty for murder was a deliberate move which was supported by Zimbabweans because of the sanctity of human life. Section 44 of the Constitution requires every person to respect constitutional rights. These rights include the right to life. The same provision also places an obligation on the State, every person, juristic persons and Government agencies to respect constitutional rights. The Government is going to make sure without fail that the right to life is protected and all culprits involved in the spate of murder cases face justice and get sentences that fit the seriousness of the crimes.
Madam Speaker, in closing, I am humbled by the motion moved by Hon. Togarepi and seconded by Hon. Mhona, that a respectful address be presented by this House to the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. Once again, I would like to thank Honourable Members for the thoughtful debate. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Madam Speaker. I wish to thank the Hon. Members for a robust debate on the Presidential Speech that happened at the Official Opening of the Third Session of the Ninth Parliament.
Madam Speaker, I will be able to respond to some of the issues that were raised during the debate, issues that pertain to my Ministry.
Some of the issues include that as a country implements NDS1, let us make it a point that women and youth are included in the manufacturing sector to drive our economy and return Zimbabwe to her rightful place, that of the bread basket of Africa.
Madam Speaker, the Manpower Planning and Development Act [Chapter 28.02] as amended, makes it mandatory for every higher and tertiary education institution to have an innovation hub and industrial park. The Ministry has established innovation hubs in its institutions of higher learning particularly University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University, National University of Science and Technology, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Harare Institute of Technology, Bindura University of Science Education and Great Zimbabwe University. The hubs are all inclusive. It is in these hubs that innovative ideas are harnessed to increase production of goods and services. Further to that, enrolment statistics in our universities now indicate that female students constitute 54% of the students population while in teachers’ colleges female students now constitute 80% of the student population.
Despite its location, the enrolment of Lupane State University does not reflect local ownership as a lot of its students come from other provinces. Madam Speaker, Lupane State University is a national institution which attracts and enrolls students from all over Zimbabwe, just like any other university. There are no restrictions to discriminate students from Lupane community to enroll at Lupane State University for any programme of their choice. In addition, universities have different mandates and as such, they are encouraged to recruit from all over the country so that a student from any place or any province who is interested in a course offered by Lupane can be enrolled. In the same vein, students from Lupane are free to enroll from any university of their choice in Zimbabwe. Lupane State University has started a programme of upskilling secondary school science teachers so that they improve the pass rate in the province for them to be able to go to university.
Productivity- in His speech (SONA), the President said that we need to produce if we have to succeed as a country or nation. We have to use what we have to look after ourselves. The Ministry has introduced heritage based education 5.0 to promote productivity in institutions. Education 5.0 emphasises five (5) pillars which are teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation. The heritage philosophy leverages on Zimbabwe’s competitive advantages particularly with regards to the use of natural resources endowment and excellent ecological endowment for the production of goods and services.
Empowering women and closing the gender gap - the Ministry has taken a deliberate decision to ensure that there is 50:50 gender balance in our boards and councils under its purview. In the appointments of Chairpersons, as we speak today, all university councils are at 50:50. In the appointments of Chairpersons, the Ministry ensures that if the Chairperson is male, the Vice Chairperson is female and vice versa. More than half of the councils or around half of the councils in this country, for the first time, are being chaired by women. The Ministry is also ensuring that it is increasing female graduates in all higher and tertiary education institutions. All councils and boards which were recently appointed by the Minister with prior endorsement by the President observed this constitutional obligation of gender parity and empowering women and we are still on the move to make sure that nobody is disadvantaged because they wear a skirt or trousers. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MADIRO): Thank you Madam Speaker. Pursuant to the State of the Nation’s Address of 22nd October 2020 by His Excellency, the President, Cde. Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa and subsequent constructive debate by Hon. Members of this august House, allow me to contribute towards the debate by way of an update on what the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has executed so far.
Madam Speaker, if it pleases His Excellency, the President, allow me from the outset, to restate his expectations of my Ministry as outlined on paragraph Number 25 of His State of the Nation Address. His Excellency the President adjured the Ministry to ensure that we focus on: ‘Road construction, modernisation and rehabilitation throughout all provinces of the country to enhance connectivity and facilitate greater economic trade within the country as well as the region as a whole’. Further, the President underscored the need for the Ministry to: ‘...Unlock the value of the utility of local financial resources, skills and companies with the view to yield impressive results and to vigorously pursue that model going forward in development of other infrastructure projects’.
Madam Speaker, with the guidance and bold leadership of His Excellency, the President and a deep understanding that transformative measures in infrastructural development are required to underpin the drive towards the attainment of Vision 2030, we quickly sprang into action. Deriving from the target prescribed by Item 498 of the National Development Strategy 1, to increase the number of kilometres of road network to meet Southern Africa Transport and Communications Commission standards from 5% to 10% by 2025 and to increase the number of kilometres of road network in good condition from 14 702km to 24 500km by 2025, we heeded the President’s call to prioritise and accelerate completion of ongoing road projects.
Madam Speaker, as you may be aware, on 9th February 2021, His Excellency, the President declared the State of Disaster on our roads through the promulgation of S.I. 47 of 2021. The declaration provided a strong basis for the Operationalisation of the Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme e (EPPR 2). The ERRP 2 reinvigorated massive road rehabilitation and maintenance initiatives throughout the country.
Madam Speaker, the ERRP 2 is consistent with the collective aspiration and determination of the Government of the Second Republic to achieve an Empowered and Prosperous Upper Middle-Income Society by the year 2030. Pursuant to this Vision 2030, Government will, for the next five years (2021 to 2025), be guided by interventions undertaken through the National Development Plan 1 (NDS 1). The provision of an efficient transport system is a key enabler for economic growth and development f our country. We are also aware as the Ministry that the productive sectors such as agriculture and mining, identified as key to the success of NDS1, will thrive on a good road network which facilitates the efficient transportation of people and goods between sources of raw materials and production centres as well as to diversified markets. It was therefore imperative that Government makes deliberate interventions in order to redress the bad state of our roads through the implementation of ERRP 2.
Madam Speaker, ERRP 2 is premised on the concerted efforts of all road authorities in improving the condition of the country’s road infrastructure network in the next three years (2021 to 2023). The programme is divided into three distinct phases. Phase 1 runs for a period of 12 months and targets projects which respond to emergency works in need of urgent attention such as washaway repairs, potholes patching, reseals, rehabilitation of isolated sections of the road, grading, re-gravelling and other routine maintenance activities. These interventions are aimed at improving accessibility by communities to service centres.
Madam Speaker, phase two, which shall be implemented in the subsequent 12 months, will focus on full rehabilitation and reconstruction of failed sections of the road network. This will lead us to phase three which shall also be implemented in the last set of ensuing 12 months. The third phase will concentrate on reconstruction of bridges and other hydraulic structures previously damaged by cyclones which have battered our country in the past few years. Madam Speaker, Government has set aside ZW$33.6 billion as funding for the ERRP2. The amount will be rolled over the three-year tenure of the programme. Funding for this programme will be resourced from Treasury, ZINARA Road Fund and a portion of Devolution Funds meant for the implementation of road projects. We have put robust measures in place to ensure that the resources are used efficiently for the benefit of needy communities.
Madam Speaker, while Emergency Roads Rehabilitation Programme 2 is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, structures have been instituted at all levels of Government to ensure coordination of the programme. At the provincial levels, there are provincial technical committees chaired by provincial development coordinators. The provincial committee report to an inter-ministerial technical committee set up at the national level. These committees are responsible for the day to day running of the programme. The programme steering committee, to which the inter-ministerial technical committee reports, is responsible for giving policy direction to the programme. We have put in place competent and capable teams at both the national and provincial levels to superintend over the requisite processes and deliver a successful programme.
Madam Speaker, Government’s initiative to deliberately devolve power to the sub-national structures in road rehabilitation is commendable. It is premised on the need to enable faster, efficient and effective response to challenges such as those that have necessitated the implementation of this ERRP2. We have ensured that the projects undertaken under this programme will cause highest social and economic impact on our rural and urban communities ever. The projects being implemented under the programme have been carefully selected under guidance from the local leadership in order to reflect the needs of the locals to be served by the infrastructure. The processes that have been instituted are to ensure the deployment of resources in an efficient and effective manner, for the implementation of selected projects within prescribed time frames and budget.
Madam Speaker, allow me to venture into the statistics of ERRP2. Under the auspices of the ERRP2, an estimated 50 000km of road infrastructure is targeted for rehabilitation and upgrading. This gives an average of 5 000km in each of the country’s 10 provinces. As of 30 June 2021, road authorities have managed to do resealing of about 30.8 km. Rehabilitation and construction is now at 164.6km, while 874km of road have been re-gravelled. A total of 4115.8km of road have been graded so that it becomes trafficable. Further, 333 drainage structures have been repaired and constructed. Furthermore, 42 wash-aways and gulley reclamation have been done. Bush clearing has been achieved to the tune of 3 934.95km and a total of 7 515km of road have been pothole patched.
Using own resources, the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has opened 158 km of Harare-Beitbridge Road to traffic. This road is currently being rehabilitated by five contractors, namely Bitumen World, Fossil Contracting, Tensor Systems, Masimba Holdings and Exodus and Company. Various other works are in progress on a cumulative 130km along the Harare-Beitbridge road.
With regards to modernisation, my Ministry has re-designed the Mbudzi Interchange to unlock congestion. The construction of the inter-change and by-passes will be executed after the tender stages and award have been completed. In the same vein, the Ministry is working on the modernisation and decongestion of the Mabvuku turn-off, by way of an overpass or interchange.
From an economic perspective, the ERRP2 is expected to provide opportunities to private contractors and suppliers, ensuring their active participation and contribution to economic development while at the same time fostering their own growth. The programme shall, through labour-based road maintenance and rehabilitation activities as well as hiring of casual labour by contractors, create an estimated 20 000 jobs for local communities, including opportunities for women and youth. The ERRP2 therefore seeks to advance Government’s thrust on community involvement under the devolution drive as well as empowering women and youths towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.
I implore Hon. Members to take their time and travel along the Harare-Masvingo-Beitbridge road to witness for themselves the seriousness of Government on matters of infrastructural development. To date, at least 170 km stretch of road have been opened for traffic between Beitbridge and Harare-Chirundu. This is in line with the SADC Protocol for the provision of a seamless regional integrated road network.
As I conclude, allow me to thank His Excellency the President for his unwavering support and guidance as we execute his vision. We are inspired by his strong resolve to guide Zimbabwe along the path of rapid socio-economic transformation across various sectors of the economy, including the infrastructure utility cluster. We have no doubt that with his guidance and the growth trajectory he has set for the motherland, Zimbabwe shall reclaim its glory and its position as the hub of transport connectivity in the region.
I also want to express profound gratitude to the Hon. Members of this august House who have rallied us along through their noble oversight function. We shall continue to subject ourselves to their oversight function as the representatives of the people with the view to work towards accelerated transformation and development of infrastructure. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): I think it is worth commending that we have had the SONA since the birth of this Parliament and ministers are coming to respond. I think we need to applaud – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - It is quite good and we would like to thank the Executive for taking it upon themselves to also come and do that.
HON. MADIRO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 27th July, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that all the Orders of the Day be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 14 has been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIFTH REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE AND TOURISM ON DINDE COMMUNITY PETITION
HON. MUSARURWA: I move that this House takes note of the Fifth Report of the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism on Dinde Community Petition.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
HON MUSARURWA:
1.0 Introduction
A petition from Dinde Community, from Katambe Village in Hwange was referred to the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism by the National Assembly on Tuesday, 20th April 2021. The petition signed by 20 petitioners whose names are supplied, mainly alleged that Geovannah Consultancy, which was contracted by Beifa Investments to do an Exploration Environmental Impact Assessment for a coal mining project did not consult the affected Katambe Villagers. The petitioners also alleged that the participants register in the EIA document reflected names of persons who did not originate or reside in Katambe Village in Dinde. Thus, the Committee considered the petition and resolved to inquire into the allegation from Katambe villagers as that petition met the requirements of section 149 (1) of the Constitution.
2.0 Objectives of the Enquiry
The broad objective of the enquiry was to get an in-depth understanding of the concerns of the Dinde Community residents raised in their petition. In more specific terms, the Committee sought to;-
- ascertain whether there was any consultation that was done for the Exploration EIA in the Katambe Village; and
- establish the origin of/and manner in which the names and all the details of the people which were in the EIA document were obtained.
3.0 Methodology
To get a technical and operational insight into the allegations made by the petitioners, the Committee received evidence from the Environmental Management Agency and Geovannah Consultancy Company on 11th May, 2021 and conducted a fact-finding visit to Dinde Community from 26th to 28th May, 2021. From the evidence and submissions received, the Committee was apprised on all the procedural aspects of the law in developing the exploration EIA and the necessary steps that EMA followed before the EIA certificate was issued to the consultant. These steps included a project verification exercise, a due diligence meeting which was attended by the Dinde Residents Association, village heads, village secretary and all relevant Government departments, and a tour of the project site. The residents explained to the Committee how the consultation process was conducted as well as the way the details of the people in the EIA document were acquired. It suffices at this juncture to highlight that the Committee noted that the submissions from EMA and the Consultant were consistent.
4.0 Committee’s Findings
4.1 Project Background
The Committee found that Beifa Investments (Pvt) Limited was issued with a Special Grant Permit on 17th January 2020 by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development to undertake coal exploration on a 4 070 hectares land located in Dinde under Chief Nekatambe. The proposed project site is within the jurisdiction of the Hwange Rural District Council covering Wards 13, 14, 19 and 20. Ward 13 with 789 households had the biggest size of the claim covering 3 159.4 hectares translating to 14.8 percent of the total size of the ward. This is the only ward which was under the current scope of exploration. This therefore, means that there was nothing that was happening in terms of exploration in the other three wards. During the exploration process, a total of thirteen holes were to be drilled to a depth of 100m in roughly a linear pattern. No drilling was to be done within homesteads or sacred sites like graves or disturbances of existing infrastructure or displacement of people.
4.2 The EIA Process
The Committee found that all prescribed projects listed in the First Schedule of the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) have to undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment in terms of Section 97 of the Act. In this instance, the coal exploration is a prescribed project covered in Clause 7 (a) on the list which provides for mineral prospecting. Section 99 of the Act provides for the contents of the EIA report while stakeholder consultation is provided for under Section 10 (4) of S.I. 7 of 2007. EIA studies are done by registered consultants in terms of Section 8 (3) of S.I. 7 of 2007. In this case, Geovannah Consultancy was engaged by Beifa Investments to carry out the EIA study for the coal exploration project. The consultant submitted a prospectus report before being requested by EMA to undertake a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed coal exploration project on 26th October, 2020. The consultant submitted the EIA report to the agency for review on 17th November 2020 before an EIA certificate was issued on 30th December 2020.
4.3 Due Diligence by EMA
The Committee also found that the Environmental Management Agency conducted a verification and due diligence meeting on 15th December 2020. The meeting was attended by the project representatives led by Chen Tian Xian, community leaders represented by Atanas Moris Shoko from Dinde Residents Association, Councillor Moris Sibanda, Village Head Lambo Chuma, Barnabas Dube from Dinde Residents Association, Paul Ngwenya the Village Secretary and Alexander Ncube from Dinde Residents Association.
Verifications were done with all Government departments whose comments were attached in the EIA document. Community leaders and Government officials confirmed that consultations were done during the EIA study. A tour of the project site was conducted by EMA and the community leaders. It was explained to the community leaders that should there be positive economic fundamentals indicating that it would be profitable to engage in mining in the area after exploration, a different EIA process would be done. Meanwhile, EMA continued to monitor the project to ensure that the Environmental Social Management Plan was being implemented as prescribed in the EIA study.
4.4 Complaints raised by the community to EMA
EMA received complaints from the community in January 2021. The community resisted the project commencement and denied having been consulted by Geovannah Consultancy Company. Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights wrote to EMA on the 11th February 2021 seeking clarification regarding the matter to which the agency responded on 15th February 2021. Hon R Moyo, the Minister of State for Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution together with the Provincial Mining Director engaged the community on 1st April 2021 on the matter but it remained unresolved until the petitioners engaged Parliament.
4.5 Submissions from the Consultant
The Committee found that in terms of the background to the project and the EIA process, the consultant’s explanations were consistent with what EMA had submitted to the Committee. The Committee was advised that twelve of the petitioners were on the attendance register of the consulted community members of Dinde. Technically, the consultant met all the procedural requirements of the law. The consultant used his own discretion to identify key stakeholders such as Chief Nekatambe and his Village Heads and officials from the various government departments. He submitted that he used interviews, questionnaires, focus group discussions in the form of stakeholder meetings and virtual consultations as his consultation methodology. He submitted to the Committee that the main objective of the consultation process was to inform the stakeholders of the potential impact of the proposed project and not to get their consent for project implementation.
The consultant maintained that the affected community was consulted but the consultation was done in the context of the COVID-19 regulations that prohibited gatherings in excess of fifty people. The Committee was informed that Chief Nekatambe actually convened the meeting on 26th November 2020 and invited the Geovannah Consultancy, Mr Dickson Ncube, the Headman of Ward 13 the target area for the exploration work, and Village Heads namely, Davison Ndlovu, Cosmas Nkomo, Fred Isaac Mabuyu and Dinde Residents Association Members at DDF Community Hall where the Dinde Community usually held their community meetings.
This meeting was attended by thirty-six people. Their names, village of origin and contact details were supplied. The target population for the study was Katambe village only, nevertheless, village heads from Chamashoko, Bhani, Nkolongwe, Mubhola and Kalisime attended the meeting as well.
4.4 Submissions from the Dinde Community
The Committee found that when village heads were invited to the meeting by the Chief, they did not know that it was a consultation meeting with the investor. Some of the village heads were shocked to realise that their names and villages of origin on the attendance register were used as evidence of consultation. Dolica Sithole one of the village heads advised the Committee that they were informed by the Chief that they were not supposed to refuse the coal exploration project since it was a government programme.
The Committee found that not all village heads had adequately and effectively explained the purpose of their meeting with the Chief and the investor to their community members. Most of them did not understand the difference between exploration and the actual coal mining processes.
The Committee was also informed that Atanas Shoko, Chairperson, Alexander Ncube, Treasurer and Barnabas Dube, Secretary from Hwange Residents Association, were never invited but gate-crushed their way into the meeting that was convened by Chief Nekatambe inviting the Headman and Village Heads at DDF Community Hall. Hwange Residents Association Members queried why non-residents of Katambe Village like Casper Ndlovu and Lazarus Kwidini were attending the meeting while there was no representation from their village. When asked by the Committee why the three members from Hwange Residents Association’s names appeared on the attendance register of the people who were consulted, they submitted that they were asked to sign the attendance register in order to know the number of people who had attended the meeting. The association members informed the Committee that they were not permitted to speak at the meeting but were surprised to realise that the register that they had signed was used by the consultant as a reference point for permission to allow exploration to take place.
The Committee found that at a later date, Hwange Residents Association also conducted a paid workshop for the village heads. The workshop objective was to explain to them what the law provided regarding the development of their community. The village heads were asked to sign their names in the attendance register. This register was then annexed to the petition as signatures of the petitioners. Ironically, twelve people who appeared on the list of petitioners also appeared in the list of people who were consulted by the consultant. Village heads claimed that they appended their signatures to a workshop attendance register which had nothing to do with the petition that came to Parliament.
5.0 Analysis of the Key Issues
From the two oral evidence session and fact-finding submissions, it was clear that the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) and Statutory Instrument No. 7 of 2007, Environmental Management (Environmental Impact Assessment and Ecosystems Protection) Regulations provide the rationale basis for the Committee’s recommendations on the issues raised above and explained below.
Three important and critical issues emerged. These can be summarised as follows; - There is need for;
1) Statutory Instrument No. 7 of 2007 to offer a threshold or standard for the stakeholder consultation and not leave the discretion entirely to the consultant;
2) Raising the awareness and comprehension levels of the traditional leaders and ordinary people on the EIA and consultation process; and
3) Transparency and accountability on the operationalisation of coal mining investments.
5.1 EIA Legislative Framework
The conduct of EIA studies is regulated from sections 97 to 108 of the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) as read together with S. I. 7 of 2007. Section 10 (4) of S.I. 7 of 2007 provides that “Before any environmental impact assessment report is furnished to the Director-General, the developer shall carry out wide consultation with stakeholders.” This provision does not offer a threshold or standard for the stakeholder consultation and remains qualitatively open to the discretion of the consultant. It remains questionable how the consultant determines that the consultation with the stakeholders is wide enough. There is obviously a gap that consultants can manipulate to their advantage at the detriment of affected communities. The existing legal framework allows the consultant to identify their own key stakeholders. It is also disheartening to note that the purpose of stakeholder consultation is not to get consent for the project implementation as this is not within the purview of the EIA legislative framework, but to discuss the potential impacts of the proposed project. In that vein, Geovannah Consultancy maneuvered through the processes, satisfied the procedural requirements of the law and EMA confirmed that by issuing an EIA certificate to the company to begin its exploration work.
5.2 EIA process awareness raising
It is apparent that the Dinde Community are expressing their displeasure at the lack of communication and transparency in the manner the coal exploration process was handled. The community is in the dark regarding the whole exploration process, either because their traditional representatives have not adequately or clearly informed them about the exploration exercise or they have not been made aware at all. Both consultants and lawyers can easily take advantage of the Community’s ignorance and manipulate them to accept the project or reject it through swaying the community’s thinking towards what they want them to believe.
Therefore, there is need to protect the rights of people living in mining areas while the Government promotes economic investments. The community needed information to be able to make decisions on development plans that directly affect them. Transparency and accountability on the part of investors must be guaranteed for the Dinde Community to develop trust in the investment projects that are taking place in their area.
As legislators, our obligation is to ensure that mining is governed and managed in a manner that is in the national interest, promote economic development without undermining the rights of the residents of surrounding communities. Informed by these pertinent observations, the Committee recommends that the Executive urgently considers the following;
6.0 Recommendations
6.1 The Committee recommends that the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry immediately amends the Environmental Management Act (Chapter 20:27) to clearly spell out the scope and standards to be followed by registered consultants on stakeholder consultations by 31st December 2021.
6.2 It also recommends that the Environmental Management Agency introduces creative capacity building initiatives for communities in mining areas to understand the EIA processes and provide the local leadership with the requisite information that empowers them to handle the consultation processes by 31st December 2021.
7.0 Conclusion
If the rights of communities living in mining areas are not protected and guaranteed, and transparency and accountability are not upheld, the nation will witness divisions and disagreements between and among communities because of investment in their respective areas. Communities need to be informed and adequately capacitated to be fully knowledgeable about mining ventures so that they decide from an informed point of view. With the above submissions Mr. Speaker Sir, I now commend this report for consideration by this august House.
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 27th July, 2021
On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI seconded by HON. MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Two Minutes to Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 27th July, 2021.