PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 22nd July, 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
BILLS RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the Senate that I have received the Cyber and Data Protection Bill [H. B. 18 A, 2021] and the Forest Amendment Bill [H. B. 19 A, 2021] which were transmitted from the National Assembly.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: With me, I have a list of apologies received from Ministers before we get into Questions Without Notice;
The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Mhona; the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Mathema; the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. E. Moyo; the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Chitando; the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. J. Moyo; the Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. Dr. Kanhutu-Nzenza; the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Hon. M. Ndlovu; the Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Hon. Haritatos and the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Hon. Garwe.
I am so much disturbed. I need this one to be registered because to have such a long list of apologies, I do not think this is acceptable – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – sending in apologies does not mean that we have someone who is going to be answerable to questions which may come up from the Senators. I think if the Clerk can help us to write maybe to the Chief Secretary so that he writes, to the Ministers that Senate is not happy about what is happening. Those who are present are Hon. Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa, who is the Leader of the House, the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Prof. Murwira and also the Deputy Minister of the same Ministry.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President for the points that you have raised. We are not going to remain quiet. This is where the Executive and Parliament’s relationship is going astray. Hon. Ministers, I do not know if they are aware of the value or importance of the shared relationship. We represent constituencies, we go to public hearings and we collect oral evidence to ensure that our Executive is informed of what needs to be done.
However, I believe that the Executive is taking this relationship for granted whereas this is the key function that we have. This is where we connect with the people whom we represent. Do they want to run this Government without the people’s input? Not only that, we bring reports which we compile from remote areas, we debate them and not a single time have we heard a Minister answering to the concerns that we would have raised. This means that there is no value addition to what we would have done. Maybe the time is ripe that we should invite the President to come and answer questions because I do not believe that the President would refuse to answer because his appointees are shaming him. They are showing him that they are neither showing respect to His Excellency the President or their Constitutional duties.
It is painful to have such a long list of apologies and we only have a handful of Ministers here. The national broadcaster is here to carry out a live coverage on television so that the citizens can hear but it is only going to take place with only a few Ministers in the House. It should be stressed to the Ministers that it is their key duty to come and respond to issues that would have been raised in Parliament and answer questions. I thank you Madam President.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Here, we have the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Hon. Amb. Shava who is on virtual, I think he will be with us. Hon. Ziyambi is in the National Assembly and will be joining us soon. In the House, we have the Minister of Defence and War Veterans, Hon. Muchinguri-Kashiri. She is looking younger and younger every day.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. SEN. S. MPOFU: Thank you Madam President. I will direct my question to the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Prof. Murwira. Hon. Minister, how far have you gone as a Ministry with the transformation of the legal framework for colleges and innovation for development of Zimbabwe’s industrialisation? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Madam President, I wish to thank Hon. Mpofu for seeking to understand how far we are with the legal framework as well as the issue of transformation of colleges.
Madam President, as you know, we have embarked on a programme of making an education system that produces people who can produce goods and services as dictated and as guided by Vision 2030 by His Excellency, the President of the Republic, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa. What we have embarked on is to say, a nation can only develop through the capabilities of its people and those capabilities can only come through a well designed education, innovation and industrialisation system. So what has happened is that we have five pillars that we are looking at. The first pillar is the programme infrastructure of what we are learning, which areas are we learning? Secondly, we said the staffing infrastructure - which means, what kind of people do we have – the human capital to deliver this capability. Thirdly, we then said what kind of physical and digital infrastructure do we need to deliver the same. Fourthly, what kind of financial infrastructure do we need to deliver the same. Finally and most importantly, what is the legal framework that can enable this transformation to take place.
I will now address the fifth one which is the legal framework. One of the most important pieces of legislation that has been passed by this Hon. House is the amended Manpower Planning and Development Act that has now been assented to by His Excellency the President. What this Act seeks to achieve is to put into action an Education System 5.0 that transcends from teaching to research, to community service, to innovation and industrialisation. It is now a legal requirement that every university/college must have an innovation and industrialisation fund which makes it possible to have innovation hubs that translate ideas into goods and services, to have business development as well as cause industrialisation. Again, this House made it possible that all our colleges, polytechnics and teachers’ colleges in response to the dictates of the Constitution, Section 61 on academic freedom which says, ‘for these colleges to contribute nicely and productively, they need to have the freedom to research and think’. This Hon. House has now said, let there be a Tertiary Education Council. So this is huge transformation.
Unlike universities, colleges, polytechnics and industrial training colleges as well as teachers’ colleges were Government departments, which basically means they were constrained in terms of what they had to do. So now, we are in the process of effecting the legislation by appointing the council. We are in the process of vetting people so that they can be appointed to make sure that by next month or latest September, things are put into effect. You would also know Madam President, that this august House passed the Centre for Education, Innovation, Research and Development Centre Bill which is now in its final stages of preparation for assent by His Excellency the President.
This again, harnesses the energies of our people to innovate for the purpose of industrialisation and modernisation rather than just to learn for learning sake but to create industry. So this is a very important piece of legislation that this House passed and is awaiting implementation or signature by His Excellency and subsequent implementation which we will do immediately. Again, some legislative changes that have happened in terms of Statutory Instruments is to expand the number of what we call ‘trades’ that our people can do in order to bolster this economy that includes a new trade on bio gas fixers, solar technicians, forestry issues and farm management for the first time. This is through the Manpower Development Act. So we believe that these Statutory Instruments which are to give effect to new trades where people think and do will transform this country to a country where people can develop their own - nyika inodhivhelopwa nevene vayo. So we believe that we are giving the ability of people legislatively to do things.
One of the Bills that is also coming to this august House is the Universities Act Amendment Bill which is aligning all university Acts, again to the dictates of the Manpower Planning and Development Act, to the dictates of Education 5.0 which is making universities lean, efficient and focused on producing people who are results oriented looking at innovation for industrialisation. So in terms of legislative infrastructure, I would really want to thank you Madam President and thank the House for making ground breaking changes to the way education is done because education is actually the way to progress. It is not about cramming books but about understanding things so that we can have an industry. We have always said that industry does not fall from the sky but industry is created by people when they want to serve their needs as we said it is a tripartite whereby we say our human needs, our people’s needs are the primary focus and our education must therefore be translated from the human needs because it is trying to understand human needs so that it can create industry which will then serve the human needs, and this has been enabled by the legal transformation or legislative transformation that has occurred through this august House.
I hope by this explanation I was able to demonstrate that there has been a lot of transformation legislatively to give effect to a people that own their destiny, to a people that are contributing to the development of their very motherland through being able to do things. I thank you.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: In the House, we now have the Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Kazembe Kazembe and the Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development, Hon. Mudyiwa.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President. I will direct my question to the Leader of the House. When the Government introduced SI 127, it had very good intensions to help the people. However, what is on the ground is very negative. As a result of the SI 127 the parallel market has gone up from 120 to 150, which is an increase of 25%. Prices of services and goods have gone up abnormally. Salaries and wages of the workers have been heavily eroded. The question is; what is the Government doing to manage this pandemic and who and what is driving the parallel market?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Madam President, I would like to thank Sen. Komichi for his very important question. Let me, first of all, say to this august House, that generally, the economy of this country has done very well. It is doing extremely well, to the point where even the IMF and World Bank are actually applauding the Government for what the dream team in the fiscal and monitory policy are doing.
There are a number of things which the President and Government have done to make sure that we deal with the issue of the weapon of inflation, which has been used in this country by dominant post imperial colonialists to just make sure that there is regime change in this country. I want to say the President and the Government have done very well to deal with that by the SI he is referring to. Specifically, these Statutory Instruments have actually brought in a lot of monetary reforms. They have dealt heavy blows to those who have been trying to manipulate the stock exchange, also for those who have been abusing mobile money banking. The introduction of the SI, even the introduction of the forex auction has also dealt a blow to that agenda by the enemy.
Yes, this cannot change overnight, but we all know what it was like in June 2020, the situation that was there before the Statutory Instrument. Looking at what is there today, there is certainly a positive change. Yes, we still see the parallel market, but the parallel market rate which is there now, the activity is very small and they are not as bad as what was there before the Statutory Instruments were put in place.
The parallel market is really almost a small fish now and the amounts being traded on the parallel market do not move mountains in this Government. We are obviously happy about what is happening at the RBZ where they are actually naming and shaming all those who may have wayward behaviours to pose problems to the financial situation in the country. We also want to say, on the fiscal side, it has continued to do its part to make sure that they balance the budget and even a surplus. Madam President, there has been no printing of money in the country. They have also been balancing the budget and for the first time in so many years, we are going to see that there will not be any supplementary budget.
So that means that there is a lot of effort which is being done on the fiscal and monetary policy. Yes, we continue to work hard. Behaviours take time to change, but the Government is doing all it can to make sure that we arrest the situation and make the lives of the people of this country better. I rest my case. Thank you Madam President.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you Madam President. I want to applaud the Minister for the response; but through you, Madam President, I would want to submit that as much as what the Hon. Minister said was correct or fair, I would want to draw attention to the parallel market. We cannot say to the common man on the street it is insignificant because what is disturbing the generality of the population is that the so called legal companies which are operating, they actually resonate in sympathy with the parallel market.
If you go to the shops right now, they will have a USD price but when they go to our local currency, it is actually pegged around that 145 and 150. So what is the Government doing to reign in on those legal companies because I do not think we may continue to say a lot, but if we have got companies which are supposed to act legally, actually doing it blatantly and nothing is happening, I think the message is being sent to say yes, probably the auction and all those things may be a politicking thing but the real thing is this. Thank you Hon. President.
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: I think I understand where he is coming from. The issue which is affecting the lives of the people - that is exactly what the Government is concerned about. Rightly so this is what I have said that there are a lot of activities happening, from the monitoring side of things where the RBZ are actually naming and shaming the big companies you are referring to, so that at least they shy away from this wayward behaviour which will cause more problems to our people.
Certainly a lot of work is being done because at the end of the day, the concern of the second republic is to make sure that the standard of living of our people improves. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: My question is directed to the Leader of the House. There is a huge outcry from cotton farmers in our constituencies, that they are not timeously receiving their payments. Do you know about this, because we think that should they be given their monies in time, they will be able to prepare for the next season? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I thank Sen. Moeketsi for her pertinent question because farmers are into farming so that they can raise some money to support themselves, send their children to school as well as buy food to sustain themselves. So the Government views farmers as very important because the livelihood of the people will also be developed from community level once the farmers are into farming. So as Government, we are disturbed about the issue of the cotton farmers. It has been outstanding for quite a long time. I am happy to report that the Government has taken measures to ensure that cotton farmers have started to receive their payments. I concede that to the majority of farms there has been a delay in payments but measures are been taken to ensure that cotton farmers are paid. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: Thank you Madam President. My question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development. For some time now, we were promised that fuel is going to be bought using local currency in our service stations. What arrangements have been put in place to allow people to access fuel in local currency because people are now travelling more than 4 km radius and there is this inter-city travel ban because US dollars are not readily available? When are we going to buy fuel from our service stations using our local currency? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. MUDYIWA): Thank you Madam President and I thank the Hon. Senator for his question which is of public interest as it relates to fuel. Let me say as the Ministy of Energy and Power Development, it is our intention to ensure that fuel is sold using Zimbabwean dollars, Hon. Members know that. Companies who use their own foreign currency can purchase their own fuel and they are allowed to sell in US dollars. However, there are companies that are receiving money from Government auction using the inter-bank rate, once they import such fuel, they must sell it in local currency. What I observed is that a lot of companies that are getting money from the auction floor are selling in foreign currency and that is why fuel that is sold in local currency or ecocash is now scarce.
We are still carrying out investigations into the matter to establish who is getting the money at the auction rate and selling fuel in US dollars. We can get that information from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe but if we do not receive that information, we are not in a position to identify who has received the money using the inter-bank rate. The matter is still under investigation so that we can come up with an informed position. Companies such as CMED and PetroTrade are the places where fuel is obtainable in local currency. Once the information is made available we will name and shame such companies that are doing this practice as what Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe did, they named and shamed the abuse of foreign currency by some companies.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: Thank you Madam President. My supplementary question is, it would appear as if such companies are operating from Mozambique yet they are here in our country and RBZ is here. The culprits are known, so there is nothing to investigate. The culprits are known. Such companies have been given foreign currency at the auction rate to buy fuel, and the Minister responsible for arresting is here, where is the problem really? The RBZ must be able to work hand and glove with the Ministry of Finance so that we come up with meaningful developments for our people. What is the problem with their investigations, the arresting Minister is here? I thank you.
*HON. MUDYIWA: Thank you Madam President. We have always had this problem of getting information on who received money, what date and to look into their sales. The information is with the Ministry of Finance. We wrote to them requesting for adequate information. If we do not receive that information, it becomes difficult to verify when and how much they received and to also look into their sales. We are conducting that process. At the moment, we do not have adequate information, hence we have not concluded our investigations. Once we receive that information, we will come up with a solution.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Madam President. My supplementary is that this question, may be this is the third or fourth time that it has been asked and the answer always is that there are investigations going on but till when? It has taken too long because people outside there need answers since they are suffering. They are holding Zimbabwean dollars and they have heard that there are companies who are getting that fuel after being given money by RBZ yet nothing is happening.
HON. MUDYIWA: Thank you Madam President. Like I have mentioned before, it takes time. We do not say the investigation is done once but let me just start by saying from the figures that we get, we have got more fuel through Direct Fuel Import (FDI), meaning that these are the people who are using their free funds to import fuel. However, very few million litres that are imported through the auction rate are being sold through the RTGS facility.
Secondly, like I have explained before, I do not know whether Hon. Members really understand what we go through because this is with RBZ. If we do not get the information on time, it also takes time for us to conclude our investigations. We are really doing all we can to get to the bottom of the matter and as soon as we get the information, we shall avail it to the House and let everybody know what is happening. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you Madam President. I think this would sound like repetition but allow me to ask the Minister of Energy and Power Development, because this is an issue of national importance. People are suffering out there and in actual fact, we have been talking about this for quite some time. Am I getting it clearly that we are having problems of information coming from another Government department to another Government department on issues of investigating something which is patently illegal? I think then we will have a problem here because we cannot say with all due respect that they are having challenges in getting information from RBZ. That information is public knowledge because it is on auction, it is actually public. What really is the problem? With all due respect, the Minister has to straight away explain what the challenge really is.
I am not the only one because people out there are not convinced with the answer unfortunately which has been proffered by the Hon. Minister. This issue has to be put to rest. When we get money on the auction market, it is actually public funds and perhaps to be accountable. It is the duty of the Government to bring those who go against the system to account. I thank you.
HON. MUDYIWA: I think the point has been noted. Let us get back to the drawing board and come back with the information.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to ask my question which is directed to the Minister of Defence and War Veterans. However before that, can you allow me to express my gratitude to the Minister of Information who is always here every sitting day. It must be made public that she always attends these meetings.
I would like to find out from the Minister of Defence how the war that is in Mozambique and the Eastern part of Africa is impacting on our country. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Thank you Madam President. I also want to thank Sen. Femai for the question about the disturbances in Mozambique and the extent it is disturbing our country. The Mozambique issue has been there for a long time. I would want to believe that we are all aware that this has been going on for three years. Initially it was not in the public domain as to what exactly was happening and who was involved up until Mozambique on its own informed SADC that they have problems with terrorists.
The word ‘terrorist’ is a bad word because it has something to do with what is going on these days. If there are terrorists; you observe the massacre that happened in Mozambique and how they used the Mozambique Ocean. Our goods pass through the Mozambique Ocean. There is also piracy in that they intercept ships that carry economic goods to and from. As Zimbabwe, we are quite disturbed about such action because Mozambique is the lifeline to Zimbabwe since we are landlocked. Such disturbances threaten our economy because we want our economy to be a middle income economy by 2030 so that the lives of our people is improved. We are looking at 12 billion for the mining industry. We receive our fuel from Mozambique, and we use their ports for receiving fuel. Not only does it serve Zimbabwe, but it also serves other land locked countries whose goods also pass through Zimbabwe. It is mostly affecting the SADC region.
We cannot look at Zimbabwe in isolation because it also affects Zambia, South Africa, Botswana and all SADC countries. Zimbabwe cannot keep quiet by saying that we are not Cabo Delgado, because if there is peace in Mozambique in terms of our National Defence Policy, it says that we are very peaceful in Zimbabwe but we also look at our neighbouring countries. Our development in Zimbabwe is because of peace, internally and outside. So if there is no peace in the entire SADC bloc, there is no development. We need to put our heads together to assist the Mozambican nationals.
As SADC, I am happy we are agreed that we deployed a standby force as SADC so that once we come together as a bloc we can face the enemy much stronger in the region and not only in Mozambique. When the leaders sat at a summit, they agreed that the war in Mozambique involves us as Zimbabwe and we should also make our little contribution in various forms; technical, training of forces, air force and other such things. So, as Zimbabwe, we are not going to be left behind in committing ourselves so as to ensure that we work together with all other countries.
Some countries are offering to train marines for those that have marine forces and the ocean. We are renowned in the region for our Air Force and the guerrilla warfare, we also rate it. We are busy putting up what we are best at to also do that and assist. Once we commit ourselves, His Excellency comes to Parliament to then seek the approval of Parliament that we are now going to be involved in such an engagement. Once we have reached such a stage, you will see the Minister coming to request for authority for us to go into Mozambique. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Mr. President, I do understand the importance of regional cooperation on issues of this matter, but I also submit through you that the effect, unfortunately, we are affected differently as a people of SADC region and it is not a secret that as Zimbabwe, we are more affected than any other country. As ordinary citizens who are going to suffer, are the arrangements which are there, (we are not saying we should be told the nitty gritties), enough to take care of our national interests as Zimbabweans or they may become a point where we may also as a nation take our responsibility to defend our country and to advance the national interests of our citizens? I thank you.
HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI: Let me thank Hon. Sen. Mavetera for that very important question. I do agree that the threats that are coming from Mozambique are not as direct as we experienced some years ago when our pipeline was attacked by RENAMO. Zimbabwe had to react because there was a direct attack on its own interests. In this case, the level of threats is indirect. As I have indicated, we are taking a regional posture because of the definition of the threats.
I appreciate that when it comes to the sea, it is open. If there is an attack in the sea, obviously there are some regional agencies that deal with the sea; it is not just one country. Internationally, there is a convention where every country has also some rights and also some benefits to it. So there are situations where Mozambique, in a way, has a direct responsibility up to some point but of course, other waters belong to the whole international community. We need to define the rate of threat. In our case, it is not a direct threat, but if it threatens Zimbabwe at bilateral level, definitely, because we have bilateral relations with Mozambique which we did before.
If there is a threat, we will not hesitate. We will definitely come to Parliament to seek your support but as it is, yes there are some threats and we continue to monitor developments in the area. I cannot divulge much but intelligence has it that there is some movement or manoeuvring. We are monitoring and the nation has to take comfort that we are on top of that situation, but there is no threat at the moment. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Allow me Mr. President to direct my question to the Leader of Business in the House. What is Government policy on ICT infrastructural development and network provision to all corners of this country? I am asking this issue because it is affecting the generality of our citizens, in particular, those who are in the peripheries of their provinces. Of late, the provision of network problem is also affecting Members of Parliament in that due to COVID-19 meetings are being held virtually and some of the Members have to drive in excess of 200km in search of internet, which is proving to be very costly to Government. Can I get clarification? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Hon. Sen. Kambizi for that question. We all saw that the President launched the National Digital Centre which attests to the fact that digital information is very important and that all information should be accessible to everyone. A lot of investment is being done and a lot of money has been put aside with the National Development Strategy 1, to make sure that the Ministry of ICT is ahead in terms of making sure there are transmitters and network provision in all corners. This is being done to make sure that everyone has access to information. Information is power; we are talking about devolution where the aim of the Second Republic is to ensure all the people in the ten provinces of Zimbabwe access information.
For this to happen, there is need for this ICT network. A lot of work is being done even in schools. There is need to ensure that all schools are connected in one way or the other. With the advent of COVID-19, there is need to make sure that our schools have electricity, connectivity and the gadgets. A lot of investment is being put in that line. The budget which you approved gave a certain amount of funds to the Ministry of ICT to make sure that they procure more transmitters and this is work in progress. I thank you Mr. President.
Questions without notice were interrupted by THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT in terms of Standing Order No. 62.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I move that time for Questions without Notice be extended by twenty minutes.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: I second.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business. What is Government policy on financial institutions which refuse to accept US$ notes which they say are dirty? Also, if they allow you to bank it, they will charge you 5% of whatever value. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Hon. Dr. Matevera for that question. This is an issue which if he has information to that effect, he should put it in writing so that he can get well researched answers to what these institutions are doing. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is on record to have said we use all the currencies. So, if there are any financial institutions that are refusing to accept the money – I have seen a statement before by the US Embassy stating that they accept all their money because their currency does not expire. I would implore the Hon. Sen to put his question in writing so we can come back to this House with a proper answer.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I will direct my question to our beloved Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs. In the history of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, I witnessed the current General of the Defence Forces, Commander V. Sibanda coming out public on You-tube defining the role of the army and the politics. His speech is viral on the internet and it was seconded by the late Army Com. Lft. Gen. E. Chimonyo - may his dear soul rest in eternal peace. It was a situation in which the two generals separated politics and the role of the army. This is the first time in the history of Zimbabwe. When we listened to those two videos, we applauded them and also applauded the Second Dispensation for allowing that freedom of speech from the generals to give confidence to the people.
My question and my concern comes to the statement which was in circulation for the last two weeks, in which our dear friend Cde Chinamasa was attributed to have said ZANU-PF and the Army are one and you cannot separate them. I also want to wish quick recovery to Cde Chinamasa who was involved in an accident. The statement which was attributed to Cde. Chinamasa reversed the gains of freedom and many people got worried by that statement. However, this thing was on social media. Is it true? I think the nation wants to hear from the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would want to thank Hon. Sen. Komichi for that very important question. The two statements that you made reference to, apparently I have not had sight of them. I want to thank you for your observations,particularly for our CDF and also the statement alluded to our late Army Commander. I am pleased that you acknowledge that they were indeed positive and they made clear separation of the role of Defence Forces, that is of defending our territorial integrity and also defending our independence. Also, they went further to separate politics from the role of the Defence Forces. I did not have sight of it and I will not say much on that aspect.
You also went further to quote a statement that was issued by Cde. Chinamasa, who is not part of the Executive and statements that politicians make are something that I cannot defend. I cannot go by what is on YouTube, I cannot comment much on it. This is not a position of Government; he is a politician who can say whatever statement he feels but had it come from the Minister of Defence and War Veterans, then you would have every reason to worry.
Mr. President Sir, this is how far I can go in responding to fake news on YouTube. I cannot comment on that, thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. He eloquently spoke about innovation hubs. The Bible says, ‘My people perish because of lack of knowledge’, but through the Hon. Minister’s explanation, it means that we now have knowledge. Hon. Minister, how far are we prepared in as far as innovation hubs are concerned in the manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines to fight the pandemic?
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Mr. President, I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu for posing a very pertinent question. Firstly, our universities which are the innovation hubs, last year did amazing things that have never been done by universities. They rose and used their minds to defend this country by manufacturing sanitisers and face masks and these things are the basics that are used in fighting COVID-19. The innovation hubs did not end there but they are going forward conducting research on complementary medicines.
They are researching on what we can find to use in traditional medicines to eradicate the pandemic. For example, they are researching on traditional medicines such as rufa ndichimuka and Zumbani. At the innovation hub of the University of Zimbabwe, we discovered that zinc helps to fight COVID-19. They now know how to extract zinc from Zumbani and are also working on the provision of oxygen. In the next few weeks, I will expect oxygen to be distributed from the innovation hubs and it will help our country a lot. Our research is also looking into tradition and modern medicines to see how best we can fight the pandemic using these medicines
When God created heaven and earth, he made sure that every problem has a solution to it. Currently, there are issues of vaccines that were being discussed and our research at the innovation hubs is focusing on these vaccines so that we can have a vaccine that can treat the pandemic. We do not have something concrete as of now but the innovation hubs are continuing with their research so that we can have something tangible to fight the pandemic. I hope that as a country we are going to succeed and get a vaccine that can eradicate the pandemic. We are currently seized with using the innovation hubs for research although the onset of universities in Zimbabwe, we did not have the innovation hubs that we now have and are using for research. As a country, we are using these innovation hubs to find solutions to some of the problems that we are facing as a country. The innovation hubs are researching to find solutions to eradicate the pandemic and I foresee that we are going to succeed. I thank you.
(v)HON. SEN. CHIEF MATHUPULA: My question is directed to the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. I heard the Hon. Minister speaking about innovation hubs and how he seeks to foster the culture of innovation. My question is; in our societies and communities there are people who have shown that they are naturally innovative and have invented some interesting gadgets. How does your Ministry assist such people to improve, protect their inventions and innovation capabilities? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Mr. President. I wish to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Mathupula for such a very important question on who gets protected in the innovation system, particularly concerning people who are not in faculty.
Mr. President, I want to say that the innovation hub is not only a place for people who are in the faculty, which means who are in the university or college. The innovation hub has different pipelines, of people that get into the innovation hub. Of course, the majority is the faculty people, but there is a stream of people that might be coming from industry and a stream of people that might not be at university but have got very good ideas. This is straight from society. We also take them at the innovation hub. This is because the innovation hub is a place of ideas - whether you are in faculty or outside of faculty.
What then happens when there is a brilliant idea that is coming to the innovation hub is that it is technically evaluated for originality and then it is legally protected, which is intellectual property protection and then it is incubated. In actual fact, when they have a product, we then do business development on the product with the idea of making the product industrially produced. Therefore from the innovation hub, this product goes to an industrial park or any place where it can be manufactured and when people are at the innovation hub, they can be coming from Gutu or Tsholotsho, if they have got a good idea, it will be nurtured.
So these are national centres for innovation. They do not discriminate where the idea is coming from. Whether it is coming from a small village, a big village, a faculty or no faculty, the innovation hub is a meeting place for all these ideas. We introduced the innovation hub as a link between society and the University or society and the college. So I want to say to the Hon. Senator, anybody with good ideas is accepted at the innovation hub. It is not the monopoly of people who are in faculty. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE HON DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order Number 66.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
POLICY REGARDING BURIAL OF UNCLAIMED BODIES
- HON. SEN. MABIKA asked the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to inform the House;
(a) Government policy regarding the burial of unclaimed bodies in mortuary;
(b) How long it takes to declare pauper’s burial considering the increasing number of unclaimed bodies in Chipinge and the unbearable stench coming from such mortuaries.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): I would like to thank the Hon. Senator for such a pertinent question. The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage is mainly responsible for giving burial orders to relatives of a known person to enable the deceased to be buried. In the event where bodies are not claimed, adverts through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, are flighted. That now becomes an issue of the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
They are flighted for a period of 21 days. Thereafter, the Ministry of Health and Child Care will write to the police, which is now resident in our Ministry for clearance and further investigations. Once all those investigations are complete and permission granted, the burial will then be finalised by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. I thank you Mr. President Sir.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order. I do not have to remind Hon. Senators that you should put your phones on silent or better off, switch them off.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: Supplementary question. Thank you Minister. Are you aware that for example in Chipinge, I am not sure if you have done the investigations. There are bodies of people who died in 2020 and they have not yet been buried?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senator, that is a specific issue.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: But it is there on the Order Paper.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Is it? Minister, you can carry on responding. You should have carried on actually responding.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Mr. President Sir. Coming to question (b) again, like I mentioned, this particular area now is resident in another Ministry. We only get involved when we are supposed to do investigations after a declaration has been made that this body, nobody has claimed it so there is need to investigate probably what caused it, but otherwise it is not within the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage. So I would request the question, Mr. President Sir, to be referred to the Minister of Health and Child Care and or the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. I thank you Mr. President Sir.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Okay, at least we now know where that question should be directed. Perhaps Hon. Sen. Mabika will do that, but there is no harm, Hon. Minister for you, whilst seated in Cabinet or somewhere, to just gently remind your colleagues that there is a problem in Chipinge so that it is sorted out. From what the Senator is saying, it appears there is now a very horrible smell coming from the mortuary. Is that correct?
HON. SEN. MABIKA: Yes, Mr. President.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: The bodies have actually overstayed. So let us solve this once and for all. Thank you Hon. Minister.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 2 on today’s Order Paper be suspended until the rest of the Orders have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE), the Senate adjourned at Four O’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 27th July, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 21st July, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
TABLING OF A REPORT
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF MURWIRA): In terms of Section 12
(1) of the Audit Office Act Chapter 22:18, I lay upon the table the Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund final forensic investigation report of July 2018.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have a list of apologies
from Hon. Ministers who are not able to come to the august House:
Hon. Mutsvangwa-Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting
Services; Hon. Dr. M. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. Mathema, Minister of Primary and Secondary
Education; Hon. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development;
Hon. Dr. Nzenza, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. J. Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works; Hon. Mhona, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development; Hon. Haritatos, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural
Resettlement; Hon. Kambamura, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining
Development; Hon. E. Moyo, Deputy Minister of Primary and
Secondary Education; Hon. D. Garwe, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Speaker, I have just listened to
the list of Ministers that have tendered their apologies. Can we know which Ministers are in the House so that we can ask our question accordingly?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: In the House, we have Hon.
Ziyambi, Hon. Prof. Murwira, Hon. Kazembe, Hon. Minister of Lands,
Agriculture, Fisheries, Climate, Water and Rural Resettlement
Hon. Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development and Deputy Minister of Local Government.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
(v)HON. MAHWITE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation. What is the Government policy with regards to participation of our Premier League Champion, FC Platinum in the Cup Champions League, since sporting activities have been banned in the country? I ask this question because registration of players to participate in that tournament is ending on the 15th August, 2021 and games start on 10th September, 2021.
THE ACTING MINISTER OF YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND
CULTURE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
I would like to thank the Hon. Member for such a pertinent question. As we would appreciate, the pandemic is real and we need to do our utmost to ensure that we break the cycle. With regards to FC Platinum, I am sure they will be able to play but this is an issue that ZIFA should be seized with. I have taken note of the question and I will liaise with ZIFA and find out who this can be solved. I thank you.
HON. MAPHOSA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. Can
Hon. Members who are in the House put their gadgets on silent because the gadgets are causing echoes and we will not be able to hear what the Hon. Member on the floor would be saying.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, please may
we all mute our gadgets.
HON. T. ZHOU: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Hon. Minister Sir, most of our Magistrates are staying at their own rented houses out of work stations where they even do cleaning duties with the other people, which I think compromises our justice delivery system that requires public trust and confidence in the rule of law. What is the Government’s position regards to the Magistrates accommodation where they do not mingle around with members of the public? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to thank Hon. Zhou for such a good question, which is very important. Indeed we have several Magistrates who live within the community and some in rented accommodation, which is not ideal. What we are doing is we are coming up with a plan in conjunction with Ministry of National Housing of having institutional accommodation for some of our Magistrates, as well as our Judges. This is now work in progress, we are going to ensure that we separate them and we remove them from rented accommodation that may compromise them. I thank you.
(v)HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
supplementary question to the Hon. Minister is, when I was in Buffalo Ranch at some point, Magistrates used to be housed in a prison complex, housing development place. Would it please the Minister to go ahead and also get the security places and cantonment areas to house our Magistrates?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Nduna for that question. Madam Speaker, at our prison complexes, we are also experiencing shortage of accommodation for our staff members. As such, it is not possible to do that. Our thrust is to ensure that we build institutional accommodation that is secure not necessarily within the complex of the prison and ensure that we avail institutional accommodation to our judicial officers. I thank you.
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: My supplementary Madam Speaker is,
is it not possible for our judges and magistrates to be protected in the areas where they reside? Why can we not provide each magistrate with a police officer for his protection and security because they face challenges from people they will have sentenced? I thank you.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I have
heard Hon. Chinotimba’s concern that every magistrate should be availed a police officer for his security. Our aim is to ensure that we build houses and where we see that they should be protected, we then put police officers to ensure their security. Thank you Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. T. ZHOU: Thank you very much Madam Speaker
Ma’am. Perhaps the Minister can favour us with the timeframe on the measures.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I will
request the responsible authority, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works to come and explain to the House their measures and plans with regards to this issue. I thank you.
(v)HON. T. ZHOU: Madam Speaker, my question was not answered.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: It was answered Hon. Zhou.
He referred your question to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.
(v)HON. T. ZHOU: Is the Minister around so that he can favour me with the response?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: The Minister is not around. I
am sorry.
(v)HON. T. ZHOU: If the Minister can favour us with a
Ministerial statement with regards to accommodation for magistrates?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: That is what he said Hon.
Zhou. I think you were not listening.
(v)HON. T. ZHOU: Is it a Ministerial Statement?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes, it is. Thank you Hon.
Zhou.
HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker Ma’am.
I would have loved to direct my question to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development but since he is not there, I would like to direct it to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. Hon. Minister, 72% of girls in rural areas do not use commercial sanitary wear. However, they resort to unhygienic means. At the same time, 62% of girls miss school every month while menstruating. My question is; has the Minister of Finance and Economic Development released adequate funding for sanitary wear in line with the Education Amendment Act on the provision of menstrual health facilities to promote menstrual health?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Madam Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question.
Madam Speaker, this question was answered some time and the Deputy Minister, if my recollection serves me well answered adequately. He indicated that even those that have not collected should get in touch with their offices so that they can facilitate. He confirmed in this august House that indeed something was happening. I may not have the finer details but what I can confirm is that funds were released and there is a programme that is ongoing regarding sanitary wear to our school going girls in rural areas. I thank you.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. My
supplementary question is; during this COVID period, what policies did Government put in place to make sure that at least girls will be able to access sanitary wear during holidays? Thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Madam Speaker, the proposal is very difficult to implement. When learners are at home, you do not know where to follow them. The programme was targeted for the period when schools are open that then they are able to access, unless if an arrangement which I will request the relevant Ministry to find out whether when schools are closed they can then have a mechanism of those learners going to school to access the sanitary wear. The policy generally is; it is agreed that they have to access the sanitary wear. I thank you.
HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank the Minister for the response on the first question that was asked by Hon. Dr. Khupe. So that this question does not continue, arising I think there is lack of adequate communication in terms of what has been done by the Ministry so that we have a proper appreciation and the public also to have the information. May I kindly ask that the relevant Ministry brings an update statement so that we get to understand where, how many and when? Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mpariwa.
Hon. Leader of the House, can you convey the message to the relevant
Minister?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLAIMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I will do so Madam Speaker.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I
am going to direct my question to the Leader of the House since the
Minister of Finance is not available. What is Government’s policy when it comes to the disposal of confiscated goods? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you
Madam Speaker. It depends on who has confiscated the goods. If it is ZIMRA, it will auction or they may decide to donate to social welfare, depending on their regulations at that time. If it is the police and the courts, it will be forfeited to the State and the State can auction the said goods again. I thank you.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question
then comes to say how timeous is this done and also what happens in the event that one passes on after goods have been confiscated?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. If it is ZIMRA, they give you timelines when your goods are impounded before they are forfeited. So within that timeline, you have to follow due process to ensure that you satisfy them that the goods must be released to you. Regarding the court process, if the goods are found to be proceeds of a crime, they will be forfeited. So, whether you pass on or not, that will not arise because they would have been forfeited but if it is ZIMRA, they give you a leeway to prove your case. If you fail, then they are forfeited to the State. I thank you.
*HON. KWARAMBA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like
to ask the Leader of the House that we have women informal traders who have their goods like onions and tomatoes confiscated. What we want to know is are those things returned to them? What happens to these goods and who is responsible?
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Mostly the issue
of women in the informal sector at markets is the responsibility of the
Minister of Local Government. With your indulgence Madam Speaker, I am sure she will be able to give a more convincing response. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon.
Kwaramba for that important follow up question. We are fully aware that if, for instance, the goods are perishables and they are confiscated by the municipal police - because if it is the ZRP, they fall under Home
Affairs but if it is the municipal police, definitely within at least about 24 hours, they will be rotten but in most cases if they are fined, we encourage them to collect their wares if they are still salable. So, if there is a problem somewhere within some local authorities whereby those confiscated goods are not returned, they are free to come to my office or make the local authority aware and we will look into that. I thank you.
*HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. The question
raised by Hon. Kwaramba is important for us because that is where we get our finance to look after our families in terms of paying fees and food. I want to know through you Madam Speaker that those who are selling tomatoes and perishables in the market – are they aware of the fact that they are supposed to pay rates and are they aware that they can be fined and get their wares within the 24 hours that she talked about? Thank you.
*HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Hon. Mpariwa. Normally when
they are confiscated, it means they are operating illegally because if they have the papers and they have the licence, they will be operating from a designated place. So, in this case, they are operating illegally I take it, and in such cases, they are fully aware and most of the time, they run away when the police get there. The police will then collect the staff and there is nobody to claim that stuff. In most cases, we encourage that they are fined and collect their ware. We encourage those vendors to try to legalise their operations and operate from the approved areas. Thank you.
+HON. MATHE: Madam Speaker, what is the policy of the
Ministry because the Minister said after they are fined, they are given their goods back. We are looking at the Covid time where these goods are brought together and after the owners have been fined, what is the Ministry doing so that when these goods are returned to the owners, they are not infected with COVID-19 virus?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Madam Speaker and thank you
Hon. Mathe for that follow-up question. I am not very fluent in Ndebele but I assume you said that because of the COVID-19 virus, they will be mixed up. According to the Statutory Instrument 148 for which we are operating under, we have set times and places whereby we are selling our marketware and we have set hours and set places legally and most of the time they run away. As I said before, they will be operating illegally and most of the time they run away. So, that does not apply especially in this COVID era.
HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I
think let us not bring this issue and make it look like a COVID matter as if it is happening now. This is not only happening now, it happened long before COVID. I have seen a Police truck carrying women with their merchandise and then when they got to the Police, they come out without their merchandise. The question is who is eating those things?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Madam Speaker. I think the
question that Hon. Dr. Labode is referring to should be answered by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Madam Speaker
Ma’am. This is quite an interesting issue. I want to thank the Hon. Member of Parliament for raising this particular issue. I was not aware that our Police Officers are actually involved in confiscating these things. As far as I am concerned, this lies within the Ministry of Local
Government and Public Works, the Municipal Police. If it is happening, I want to sincerely thank the Hon. Member of Parliament, I will look into it – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]
(v)HON. NDUNA: On a point of order Madam Speaker, there is a
High Court order against the Chegutu West Constituency, against the
Police who have been ordered to return all the wares taken from the vendors. Would it please the Minister to adhere to the High Court order to return the goods and make sure that there is no repeat of taking goods from the vendors?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Nduna, the
Minister said he is going to look into it.
HON. T. MOYO: My question is directed to the Minister of
Lands, Agriculture and Fisheries. I raised this question yesterday and the Speaker said it is very important it should be raised today. It concerns payment for cotton farmers. In this House, the Hon. Minister of Agriculture said those farmers who were owed $1.5 billion by the
Cotton Company of Zimbabwe, that the RBZ was directed to pay them. Up until now, no payment has been done. I want to seek clarification from the Hon. Minister on modalities that are used to pay those farmers and when those cotton farmers are going to be paid to restore viability in the crop. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL RESETTLMENT (HON. DR.
MASUKA): Madam Speaker, I want to thank the Hon. Member for a very important question. Cotton is indeed a very important crop for the transformation of rural livelihoods for the accomplishment of vision 2030. It is in this regard that Government has supported the revival of the cotton industry that has seen the cotton industry grow from 28 000 metric tonnes in 2015 to the expected 150 000 to 195 000 metric tonnes this year. This is demonstrative of Government’s commitment.
However, we all know the challenges that bedeviled our country last year in terms of the suspension of the transfer of monies to communities and cotton farmers were not spared. Government committed to pay the outstanding $1.5 billion dollars owed to farmers for the deliveries in 2020. This arises out of Zimbabwe being a high cost production base and the international prices for cotton being lower and the Government’s desire to ensure viability of the cotton sector.
We have started paying the $1.5 billion that is outstanding and the first tranche of $66 million was paid mid last week. We urge all cotton growers to go to their nearest COTTCO deport and ensure that they have valid accounts into which these payments can be made. Initially, the delay was because the Treasury wanted to do a verification of all the farmers. We then resolved that that would take longer and that would prejudice those that had accounts already. So that process where those that have accounts are being paid, it is happening. I was in Zvipane on Saturday and I interacted with farmers that had started receiving their monies.
As Government, we apologize that farmers are being paid a season later and we hope that with the macroeconomic stability now taking place in the country, we will be able to pay. This is why this year farmers will be paid in three tranches, Grade A is $85 and Grade D is $56, farmers will be paid immediately upon delivery, 34 dollars per kg, they will be paid an additional official 22 dollars a kg and then upon grading of their cotton, any cotton that then goes into grade B and A will also attract another premium. I would like to urge Hon. Members to spread the word so that we can communicate and communicate very accurately. Apologetic, however we have started to pay. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Thank you for
the answer from the Minister relating to the delays in the cotton sector. Are those delays which are certainly very different also affecting the maize and other grains producers because instead of the 24 hours promised, we are seeing farmers not paid up to about a month or even more. What are the challenges in that sector which have nothing to do with cotton?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Madam Speaker, I thank the Hon. Member for the question. When farmers deliver their produce, they ought to be paid for their effort and to be paid timeously so that they can deploy those resources for preparation of the forthcoming season and to do other necessary issues. The GMB and Government pledged to pay within 72 hours for grain delivered to a depot and within five working days for grain delivered to a collection point. This was based on an assumption that this bumper harvest that is upon us and the season would be similar to a high intake season such as 2018. However, when we do that, we then provide a cashflow to Treasury as the Ministry as to say this is our expectation of what would be required in a week. We certainly underestimated the volumes that would be coming. As of yesterday, we had received over 570 thousand metric tonnes of grain over 500 thousand metric tonnes of maize worth over $18 billion. Treasury has done its best so far. We have received under $13 billion in support from Treasury and we have paid farmers. The amount that is outstanding and over a week is just slightly under $2.5 billion and Government is doing everything possible to ensure that we pay farmers timeously. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Can the
Minister bring an up to date report to Parliament and inform the august House those farmers that have been paid and those that are awaiting payment for the produce they have delivered to the depots. As I was coming from my constituency today, there are farmers complaining that they have not been paid. Therefore, we are asking the Minister to give the august House an updated report on what is the correction situation in the cotton industry. Last time I went to my constituency and told them what the Minister had said, that they are going to be paid but up to now there is nothing. I am now being taken as if I am a liar. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. DR. MASUKA: Madam Speaker, I thank the Hon. Member and I appreciate his deep concern for the inordinate delay in paying farmers for their cotton delivered last year. We can get the specific depot which we can attend to and bring the updated information as required next week. Thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Madam Speaker. My request to
the Minister is - can cotton farmers not be paid at the same time as the maize farmers? For example, after two weeks people would want to pay for examination fees for their children and some want to pay school fees. Can the payment period be reduced to two or three weeks? Can you give us timeframes so that people know when they are going to be paid after delivering their produce to COTTCO?
HON. DR. MASUKA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I thank the Hon. Member for the pertinent question. I think two weeks ago, I was in the Hon. Member’s constituency and we went around seeing whether the cotton farmers have been paid. We witnessed COTTCO personnel paying farmers as well as how they weigh the cotton for the Marketing Board. We also talked to cotton farmers and they gave us ideas on what they think should be done. I am happy that he raised this question, that why is it that cotton farmers do not have a timeframe in which their cotton can be paid for like the case with the GMB when it comes to maize and other grains.
Firstly, COTTCO is a private company. Government only has a 30% shareholding. Other shareholders who are above 70% have not done much to assist the company which is facing challenges in terms of funding. The Government is assisting because cotton is important for Zimbabwe. So the Government took it upon themselves that farmers should be given the Presidential Cotton Scheme to assist them as a Government since the Government does not have an independent company for cotton growers.
We have shares in COTTCO, so let us use COTTCO to buy the cotton. COTTCO is experiencing financial challenges and quite a number of other challenges. Government in the past month has increased their shareholding in COTTCO from 51% onwards. This means that Government will now be able to investigate how COTTCO operates like we do with GMB which is a Government entity. However, Government has taken it upon itself to assist farmers and ensure that they are paid.
The Reserve Bank has already supported the cotton industry through guarantees and they should be getting $5 billion so that they are able to buy cotton. They have been supported through a guarantee of US$10 million for them to be able to get foreign currency so that those who take their cotton can be paid a certain percentage in forex and some percentage in RTGS. As we buy cotton, it is different from the way we buy maize and traditional grains. With GMB, we can sell these products to other farmers and to other countries and we get funding but with cotton, it has to be taken to the ginnery and then after that it is sold. It takes time to realise returns from cotton. I have taken up all that has been said. The Government has now increased its shareholding to 51% in COTTCO so that it has control over this cotton company and will show transparency. I thank you.
*HON. TOGAREPI: My question is almost similar to what has been raised by my colleagues. On the issue of GMB that has been raised in this House, the farmers are taking their grain to GMB and all the money is being taken – [HON. NDEBELE: Address the Speaker.] - I do not know if he is the Speaker.
My question is directed to the Minister of Agriculture. Is it Government policy that all those who had taken loans, when they take their grain to GMB all the money is taken towards loan repayment. Is this not what then encourages farmers to go and sell their produce elsewhere? What is Government policy especially when considering the maize farmers who are saying they got loans but the moment they take their produce to GMB, all the money is taken? Their question is why should I take it to GMB because firstly, they do not have transport to take the grain to GMB?
*THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE,
FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR. MASUKA): Government’s policy is
that we want to engage in productive farming to ensure that we have food security. The Government does not have money to give to all the farmers to engage in farming. That is why it is encouraged that small farmers engage in the Presidential Scheme for them to improve their farming but other farmers who are advantaged – those in A1 and A2 schemes are encouraged to engage banks to get loans. This is now national enhanced agriculture scheme which mandates that the farmer liaises with the bank. This year we had CBZ and we are hoping that next year we would have engaged more banks.
The farmer gets into a contract with the bank and the farmer gets assistance. When the farmer then takes his or her produce to the grain marketing board, money is then deducted towards repayment of the loan that was advanced. This is enabled by the contract which the farmer would have signed. I encourage that as farmers engage in contract with the banks, they prioritise the fact that when they take their produce to GMB, they should not lose all their money towards loan repayment but the repayment should be done gradually. If banks garnish the whole amount, it means that trust and confidence is still lacking and they think that if they do not get their loan repayment, the farmer might default.
This requires the Government to discuss this with the banks as we prepare for the 2021-22 farming season to see that farmers are protected from these heavy loans. I thank you.
HON. TEKESHE: My question is directed to the Minister of
Health and Child Care. There was a vision in the year 2000 which said
‘health and education free for all’ but it is now 20 years and there is nothing ...
Hon. Tekeshe having pulled down his mask – [HON. TOGAREPI:
Vharai muromo.] - Whatever. In 2015, there was an introduction of the SDGs and the Ministry of Health and Child Care is pretending on SDG 3. My question is, up to now, it is now six years and again there is nothing; has the Ministry of Health and Government abandoned this important SDG 3 of free health to everyone? Because of the exorbitant prices we are seeing, health is now beyond the reach of the ordinary person in the street. I would like to know if this goal has been abandoned.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): The right to free
health is aspirational and it is dependent on available resources but I will defer the question to the Hon Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare who is in charge of that SDG for a comprehensive response.
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA): The issue of SDGs,
let me just indicate to this august House that we have just submitted our national voluntary review to the high level political forum of the United Nations Economic and Social Council just this past week, where we did a comprehensive review of all the 17 SDGs. Health is one area where we have done fairly well in terms of reducing mortalities for women, increasing live births, reducing infant mortality. Health is also an area that we have done fairly well in terms of the current improvement and development of health infrastructure in the country.
You will find that if you go even deep into the country, you will realise that most of our primary health care facilities are being renovated. Infrastructure like water, solar, electricity is being provided for by Government and also collaborating with partners. We cannot run away from the fact that a lot of the resources that would have been reserved for health in the past two years have gone into fighting COVID-19. We have used more than US$200 million in the fight against COVID-19. There is massive investment into health and where we have dealt with issues of isolation centres, we have created infrastructure that will last beyond COVID-19, which means there is a way in which our health infrastructure has been renewed. Kushata kwezvimwe kunaka kwezvimwe. We are fighting COVID but during that process we have invested massively into our health infrastructure.
We have picked up even projects that had been abandoned like Lupane Provincial Hospital. We have seen investments taking place in many places. In addition to that - you know the Government policy to say those of a certain age like the elderly are not required to pay. Certain children up to the age of 5 years, depending on their social standing and the choice of the parents are also not supposed to pay. We run other social protection schemes that are related to health. For example, those who come with bills to the Department of Social Development are helped with paying of their bills. These are all issues that Government has instituted in order to improve our health delivery system.
Right now we have almost reached the requirement of the Abuja Declaration to say 15%, which means we have done extremely as a country as far as health is concerned. Let me urge Hon Members to interrogate some of this data in order for them to be a bit more informed about what is happening in our system. By the way, there are other tertiary health institutions that we are developing now. The NSSA facility is Bulawayo called Ekhusileni, we have deliberately said Government. through the Ministry of Health and NUST, must make it a specialist hospital and investments have already started to take place. Here in Harare, a high level hospital is under construction which will take care again of the specialist needs of the country. There is a lot that is happening in the health sector and I would urge people to look into this so that they have factual information. I thank you.
*HON TEKESHE: Supplementary. Hon Minister when you go
on the ground, there is nothing because when children and the elderly visit the hospital, they do not pay for admission fees but there is no medication in these hospitals. What must Government do so that there is availability of medication in hospitals?
*THE HON DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think that question should
be directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care.
*HON TEKESHE: Are you saying the Minister of Health should
bring a Ministerial Statement to this House outlining these issues, because these Ministers are not availing themselves for questions.
*THE HON DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you we have noted
your concern.
HON. DR. LABODE: I just wanted to say we are running towards goal 2030 as the Minister said. There are certain components within the health sector that we will definitely achieve – that one, I thought I should tell the House that we have actually already achieved the control of HIV. We have reached our goal long before that. Our challenge is going to be on the sexual reproductive health, not because we need money. Our legal framework stops a woman from getting contraceptives because of age. So she will get pregnant at a very young age and die. It will add to our maternal mortality, that is our problem. I am pleased that the Minister of Justice understands these things and he is looking at it. On drugs yes – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Hon. Members, order
please!
HON. DR. LABODE: Yes, we have problems with drugs. There
are certain ailments where we will not be successful unless we are able to assure that we have enough drugs. The availability of drugs is an issue, it is a fact.
(v)HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My
question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs with regards to undocumented people. The issue of undocumented people has been there for many years, and there are two issues. One is; we have people without documents in this era of the pandemic and are being turned away for not having documents. The second one is on the issue of census which is approaching. How are we going to have proper statistics including and ages when certain people do not have those documents to prove who they are?
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for a very important question.
That one was corrected by Government. A statement was made to say – I am suspecting he is talking about vaccination. People are allowed to be vaccinated even without identity cards (IDs). That was made very clear. He also spoke about census which is upcoming. Yes, we are very much aware of the problems associated with access to documentation and Government has intervened. A private company was contracted to take over the production of IDs. This was necessitated by challenges our Government is facing with regards to foreign currency issues. As you would appreciate, our IDs and passports, we use a lot of consumables which are imported but that issue will become history very soon because the company that was contracted is seized with the matter. In fact, only today we received a progress report to the fact that they are busy procuring all the required consumables to deal with the backlog of IDs.
Even with the passport issue, the situation has improved a bit. I am aware that – I will give a reference to that fact. A cousin of mine came to me yesterday wanting assistance to try and get a passport. I told him I do not do that, go straight to the Passport Office; if you have a problem, call me. When he called me, he told me that he was asked to come and collect his passport tomorrow. Such is the improvement at the Passport Office but we may still have to do a lot to ensure that these documents are easily accessible. I am pleased to say in the next few months we will see a big change since access to these documents is a human right.
HON. DR. MUTODI: My question is directed to the Minister of
Foreign Affairs and in his absence, I will direct that question to the Minister of Justice. What are we doing as a country and also as SADC to intervene in the situation in South Africa? We have heard that they are having some disturbances in that country. What intervention mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that there is peace in the region? We also heard some speeches from former President
Ramaphosa around that issue, so what are we doing as a country and as
SADC?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND
INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. MUSABAYANA): Thank you
Madam Speaker. I would like to thank Hon. Dr. Mutodi for raising a very important issue on a matter that is topical, the issue of South Africa. As you know, the foreign policy of Zimbabwe is guided by five key principles. The first one is respect of international law and the second is peaceful co-existence with other nations. South Africa is our neighbour and if South Africa has internal issues, we do not intervene until and when South Africa has raised a red flag to say we want your assistance.
Again the first principle is protection and promotion of national interest of Zimbabwe and as you know, we have Zimbabweans in South Africa. So we have set up systems to ensure that every Zimbabwean in
South Africa is protected and taken care of. We were also discouraging Zimbabweans in South Africa not to engage themselves in illegal activities of looting. As Zimbabwe, this is where we stand. We also stand guided by the Chief Diplomat, His Excellency, President, Dr. E.D.
Mnangagwa. We do not have issues in South Africa because they are a sovereign State. I humbly submit Hon. Speaker Sir.
(v)*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Since we heard that there were more than 300 people who were shot dead, are there Zimbabweans amongst those who were shot?
HON. MUSABAYANA: I want to thank Hon. Chinotimba for his
important question. As I have alluded to, the issue of Zimbabweans who are outside the country is important. We are in constant touch with our Ambassador in South Africa. From the start of the riots, we have been engaging each other. In those conversations, we are enquiring if there are our nationals caught in the riots. As of now, we do not have any casualties. If we come across any victims, we will help them with the documentation so that they will be assisted in returning home. Thank you.
(v)HON. MARKHAM: Mr. Speaker Sir, my supplementary
question is to what extend does the Ministry have a record of
Zimbabweans living in South Africa should these events recur or get worse? How up to date is the register if we have one of Zimbabweans in South Africa.
HON. MUSABAYANA: Thank you Hon. Chair. I want to thank
Hon. Markham for a very important question. Yes, we have a lot of Zimbabweans in South Africa. What we have done as a Ministry is we are working on a diaspora policy. That diaspora policy also involves the registration and putting together and integration of all the organisations and representations of Zimbabweans living abroad. In that endeavor, we will be able to come up with the exact record or records of Zimbabweans living abroad. What we have also done with this diaspora initiative is, we are interacting with diasporans so that they know about the consular services that we provide and all our missions in the host countries. In that process, if there is any challenge that they have in the host country or the country that they are staying, they will be able to contact us and we will be able to assist them. That is how far we have gone. I thank you Hon. Chair.
+HON. MATHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister responsible for Local Government and Public Works. I would like to thank the President of the country, who gave our chiefs vehicles. My question says, Minister, our village heads are not getting allowances. A research in one of the areas indicates that half or more of them are not getting their allowances but all the jobs that are done on the ground are done by these village heads. All the messages are brought about by these village heads. Why are some village heads not getting their allowances? How can the Ministry make sure that their welfare is improved? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND
PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
I would want to thank Hon. Mathe for the question. I stand corrected. I think she is saying we are not paying the village heads. We have about 27000 village heads that are registered with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. Most of the village heads that are not being paid are not officially installed or sworn. They have been appointed by the “sadunhus” but they are not in our registers. All those village heads that are official are getting their allowances every month.
I think there is also the problem of boundaries. Some of the chiefs appoint village heads in anticipation of the upcoming delimitation of boundaries. Once they are formally installed, the village heads are paid every month on time. I thank you.
+HON. MATHE: This programme of having these village heads registered has never been done ever since I became a Member of Parliament. In my constituency, I have never heard that there is a programme where village heads are being registered but they work so hard daily more than any other person. When is this programme going to be done?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My Ndebele is not
very good. I would appreciate it if somebody can translate it for me.
HON. MATHE: Hon. Speaker, while I do not want to speak English and interpret myself from the language I have used, I would like to ask this question for the second time because honestly it concerns me and the rest of the people in our communities. The Hon. Minister said, they are not paid because they have not been registered. My question is, since I became a Member of Parliament, there has never been a programme to register village heads. When are they going to register these village heads so that they get paid? I am saying in this august House these village heads do the rest of the jobs or let me say they do everything for every Ministry and they get nothing. Can you imagine?
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC
WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Speaker and thank you
Hon. Mathe for that follow up question. The process is once you install a chief, he installs the headman and the headman is given a boundary, and according to the number of houses, headman appoints the village heads. If there are no boundaries yet set, there is no way we can recognise those village heads. It means they have not been officially appointed for them to be registered with the Ministry.
Once we do the boundaries and they are officially registered with us, we know they exist but we do not know officially they exist - so, they are not in our books and the chief cannot even submit those names to our Ministry. Right now we have a programme which has been hindered by the COVID pandemic whereby we are going to do the delimitation and the boundaries so that each chief knows where his boundary starts and ends. The finances we have been given, but because we cannot conduct those exercises during this COVID era, we have been delayed, but it is being addressed. I thank you.
HON. BRG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Thank you very
Hon. Speaker Sir. May the Hon. Deputy Minister know that these unregistered village heads are causing a lot of confusion on the ground in resettlement areas? For 20 years, they have been acting as if they have authority when they do not have that authority officially and the Ministry is doing nothing for 20 years. My question is why are you keeping them? The registered ones, why are they not provided with transport? Chiefs are given vehicles but from headman to village head, they walk long distances. Why can you not give them motor-bikes or bicycles? What is the problem in giving them at least even transport allowance to do their work? Like what Hon. Mathe said, they do the donkey work for all the Ministries like the Ministry of Public Service, everything registration etc, they are the ones who are the first port of call even the District Administrators, they work with them. Thank you Hon.
Speaker.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Speaker
and thank you Hon. Mayihlome for that follow-up question. If there is a situation whereby you have the village heads that you know that they are formally in the system, I really request that you bring that to my office and I will get that rectified. The issue of giving the village heads means of transport, when you talk of a village head, it is somebody who controls like 20 or 30 households. It is somebody who they see every day and so there is no need, unless he is going to do other chores but for him to communicate with the people that are within his/her jurisdiction, it is a distance that they can walk. I would request that through the relevant officials systems, they can register those so that when we are reviewing the allowances for the traditional leadership and we will really look into that. I thank you.
HON. BRG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: These other village
heads that are masquerading as village heads in the resettlement areas, are they legal or illegal? That is what we want to know, so that if they are not officially appointed, they should stand down and you appoint proper people to administer that because for 20 years we have had resettlement areas without village heads?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon.
Mayihlome for that follow-up question. In resettlement areas there is resuscitation of chieftainship that is going on and we are going through the legal framework that is right now at the AG’s office to make sure we will be able to resuscitate that chieftainship but in the meantime, we have seen some other areas where there are self appointed headmen. As I said, if it is a specific area, I will appreciate if the Hon. Member can bring that to my office and I will do due diligence on that. I thank you.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My
question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Local Government and my question is in two parts. The first part is in your assessment, in terms of prioritisation, do you not think that councillors would better serve the community more than village heads in terms of provision of motor vehicles? What is your attitude to that? The second part Hon. Minister is does the Ministry have policy guidelines to prevent the proliferation of village heads who are being appointed willy-nilly and some of the appointments have to do with corruption? The headmen are given goats and so on. It is quite corrupt – do you have monitoring mechanisms to prevent the proliferation of village heads? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Speaker
and thank you very much Hon. Mashakada for those questions. You talked about the village heads versus the councillors - right now we have a programme for councillors whereby according to their pockets as a local authority, if they can afford we have encouraged them to purchase motorbikes. I think most of the local authorities have done that. When you talk about corruption with village heads, there are three tiers, the chief, the headman and also the village head and each one has got a certain amount he/she can charge whenever there is a case they are attending to. If it is corruption it is supposed to be reported to ZAAC and if we get those cases and there is evidence, we have taken some measures. We have expelled some of the village heads and so forth. As long as there is a proven case, we have taken them to task. I thank you.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. As a follow-up what was asked by many Hon. Members – the challenge that we have seen is coming from the headman, the chiefs appointing people who are not official and we have all these challenges. We have many areas where we have acting chiefs – who, for their own reasons they will be appointing these people to get more power and so forth. Why do we have these acting chiefs for 10-15 years and they are not resolved? What is the Ministry of Local Government doing to correct this so that we are within the law that governs chieftainships?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you very much
Hon. Speaker and thank you very much Hon. Togarepi for that followup question. When a chief dies we normally put as acting the first son of that chief for two years. Then the processes kicked in whereby the family members and the community select a chief that we are supposed to install. What happens in most cases, whenever one is selected there are court cases and court cases and we cannot install a chief once the matter is before the courts. As a Ministry, we cannot do anything but we wait until that court sails through. Thank you.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is
directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. I want to find out about COVID, it looks like it can be with us up to 2030. In Rushinga, Binga and so on, what Government policy do we have for those pupils because other children are learning through the internet but in the rural areas they are not learning? Education is what makes a person. How far are you with your plans because this COVID is with us.
What are the children going to write in November?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): The desire of
Government is that we should have what we call blended line which incorporates physical and virtual. So the ICT is looking for gadgets and erecting base stations so that those school pupils will be able to learn. Online learning is the in-thing worldwide. That is the desire of the Government and that is where we are right now. There are a lot of things that need to be done looking at how COVID is devastating. We need vaccines; we want to revamp our hospitals and that is what Government is looking into. Also, the Government wants to rehabilitate all that so that our children will get proper education.
*HON. NYABANI: We want to know with the issue of COVID
the other Ministries which were given money. On virtual learning, ,how much money was given so that we know when it is starting because it can take forever. We want to know how far the erection of boosters is so that our children will benefit.
*HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker. We are lucky
because the responsible Ministry of ICT is here. When they are given money they should look for the equipment. With your permission, I can hand over to them – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AD COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR.
MUSWERE): Thank you Mr. Speaker. The national e-learning programme - in that programme, 1 500 schools will be connected out of about 6 600 schools. At the same time, there has been an acceleration of infrastructure development across the country, both from Government and also from the private sector.
The question relating to the amount of money which will be invested in terms of base stations across the country, Parliament and Government last year approved and ratified the 71 million dollar project which is funded through China- EximBank. In the 71 million Mobile Broadband Phase 3 Project, there will be a number of base stations which will be deployed across the country. There has been a digital infrastructure scheme so that we rationalise the entire infrastructure and at the same time, there is the infrastructure sharing policy where we are redeploying and reconstructing new base stations across the country. This is certainly ongoing and central to all of this, includes the e-health strategy and the e-learning. Thank you.
HON. TONGOFA: My supplementary question is; are there going to be examinations given that the students who are now writing this year never went to school last year and this year they have gone for one month and they are writing examinations in the next two months?
Are they going to write proper examinations or we are just fulfilling?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker, I
want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. Dead children do not write examinations. What we are trying to do is to make sure that our children stay alive. Delaying their learning is better than allowing them to die. What we are going to do is; when conditions are right and we feel that our children are safe, then they can write examinations. Let us not worry about rushing to have an examination in an environment where we may lose life – [HON. MEMBERS; Hear, hear] –
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by the THE
TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order Number 64.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
DENIAL OF ACCUSED PERSONS THE RIGHT TO HAVE
ADEQUATE TIME AND FACILITIES TO PREPARE DEFENCE
OUTLINES
- HON. GONESE asked the Minister of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs to inform the House:
- Why accused persons are denied the right to have adequate time and facilities to prepare their defence outline, in violation of section 70 (1) (c) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which implies that accused persons should have copies of the charge sheet, state outline, witnesses’ statements et cetera.
- Why the State violates this right through failure by the Police to prepare documents in duplicate yet they demand that accused persons make photocopies of documents which they do at exorbitant costs.
- Why the Ministry allows service providers at the Harare Magistrate Court along Rotten Row to charge foreign currency and cash only for their services, refuse to accept other modes of payments such as ecocash, telecash or netcash transactions, a practice which is a clear breach of the country`s foreign exchange regulations.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. Let me start by thanking Hon. Gonese for raising a very important question which is of concern to many people. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is important for me to highlight that the courts have always respected, not only the accused persons’ right to adequate time and facilities to prepare for their defence, but all the rights of persons accused of committing a crime. The records of court proceedings are there to prove this. It is practice, and also a requirement of law, that at the initial appearance of the accused, his rights are fully explained to him/her, including the right to legal representation. No trial starts if the accused has not been served with documents that the State will use during the trial as evidence against the accused.
The law, however, does not place any positive duty on the State to photocopy for the accused all the documents required, what the accused is entitled to, is access to the police docket. Where any of accused’s rights have not been observed in a manner that vitiates the proceedings, the legal process provides for recourse in the High Court, either through automatic review at the request of the convicted person or on appeal.
Mr. Speaker Sir, regarding the issue of the police not preparing duplicates of documents for accused’s persons, this falls under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The legal position would still remain the same, however that the right does not place a positive duty on the State to provide the accused with everything required by him/her to prepare a defence.
Mr. Speaker Sir, touching on the matter of service providers charging in foreign currency or cash, while refusing other acceptable modes of payment at the Magistrates Court, as raised by the Honourable Member, let me hasten to say there is no private service provider operating at Harare Magistrates Court offering any photocopying services to accused persons. The Ministry does not supervise private service providers. If there is anyone breaching the foreign exchange regulations of this country, such individuals or private service providers ought to be reported and arrested by the police?
Mr. Speaker Sir, to sum up, the law does not place any positive duty on the State to photocopy for the accused all the documents required, what the accused is entitled to, is access to the police docket and any private service providers that are operating outside our courts by providing photocopying services are not mandated by the Ministry of
Justice and where they are seen to violate our country’s foreign exchange regulations or tender regulations, they must be reported and arrested. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
(v)HON. GONESE: My supplementary question to the Hon. Minister is, in view of the fact that the majority of the people in this country are indigent, in other words they are not people of good means and most of the accused persons cannot afford legal representation. Is it not appropriate for the Ministry to put in place mechanisms which ensure that such accused persons have access to those documents by way of having duplicates prepared in the same way that the charge sheet is prepared in duplicate so that even the State outline and witnesses’ statements can be prepared in duplicate to enable those accused persons to have access to the documents.
Further to that, the service provided at the Rotten Row Magistrates Court is actually the police who claim that they do not have a merchant account number and they do not have a swipe machine. As a result of which they charge only in cash and now to whom should one report when in fact it is the police who are violating the law?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the follow up question. Indeed, I have taken note and I will have discussions with our legal aid directorate to see what they can do to help the indigent. My colleague Minister of Home Affairs is here on the second question where the service providers are alleged to be police officers. I am sure he has taken note and we will follow up and ensure that if indeed there are police officers who are operating there they will abide by the law. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary question is to draw attention to what Hon. Gonese has just said. The issue of no payment either by point of sale or by ecocash is not only pertaining to the courts but to the police which he has just mentioned. In fact, this has been mentioned so many times in the House and the Minister said it was work in progress for the ecocash number to be set out for the police by province and also swipe machines to use. My point now is, what is happening because we are constantly told it is work in progress. It takes one hour to set up an ecocash account and it takes even less to get a point of sale. I cannot understand why law enforcement agencies cannot facilitate people paying their funds. It is always cheap than to have issues with collecting cash and US dollars. I thank you.
HON. ZIYAMBI: I have taken note and my colleague the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage is here and he has also taken note so that we can have several modes of payment at our courts.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
ESTABLISHMENT OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRES
(VCTs) IN MARAMBA-PFUNGWE CONSTITUENCY
- HON. KARUMAZONDO asked the Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation to inform the House when the Ministry will establish a Vocational Training Centre in the Maramba-Pfungwe Constituency.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF YOUTH, SPORTS, ARTS AND RECREATION (HON.
COVENTRY): My Ministry is currently seized with an expansion drive which will in the long run, oversee the setting up of at least one VTC in each District across the country.
As part of the training initiative that can benefit communities in Uzumba, the Ministry managed to construct Nhakiwa Vocational
Training Centre and this was done with consultations with various stakeholders as most of the resources utilised were drawn from the Community Share Ownership Trust. The move was meant to take advantage of the available facilities/amenities in the area that included the road network, electricity as well as health care facilities.
As part of the initiatives that can benefit communities in Uzumba immediately, the Ministry in consultation with the communities within the Constituency can institute Skills Outreach Programmes (SOPs). These are short demand driven courses that can take place in-situ with the Ministry seconding training staff for the initiatives as well as offering certification to the trainees that complete the courses.
It is the Ministry’s target that once resources are made available; a permanent solution will be made through the construction and subsequent operation of a Vocational Training Centre in MarambaPfungwe to ensure that vocational skills are made easily available. Human capital development is essential for national development and as such, the Ministry looks forward to continued engagement with your office and Constituency.
ABANDONMENT OF TENGWE RECREATIONAL CENTRE
- HON. MASENDA asked the Minister of Youth, Sports Arts and Recreation to inform the House why the project at Tengwe Recreation Centre, which received a Budget allocation in 2018/19 has been abandoned.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF YOUTH, SPORTS, ARTS AND RECREATION (HON.
COVENTRY): The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation has the pleasure to respond to an inquiry made by Hon. Masenda in which he queries why works towards the refurbishment of Tengwe Sports Club have been stalled. This submission and inquiry the Hon. Member underlines the desire by all of us to see the upliftment of standards for sports and recreation facilities in our communities.
Mr. Speaker Sir, just to give a background – the Ministry, having realised a slump in the state and nature of community sport and recreation facilities at the inception of the Second Republic and realizing that this phenomenon had limited participation as well as insulated against talent identification and development, the Ministry endeavoured to revive sport and recreation facilities for the attainment of maximal under and community benefits. In this regard, the Ministry went on a drive to identify facilities which could be refurbished to nominal standards for the mutual benefit by community and users.
In the process of implementing this initiative and cognisant of the desire by Government to promote and develop the Sport and Recreation industry through widespread investment, marketing and consumption of recreation facilities through Public Private Partnerships. This led to the
Ministry signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Hurungwe
Rural District Council for the refurbishment of Tengwe Country Club. The main purpose of this project was to meet community needs by providing an interconnected system of sport and recreation facilities which support recreational opportunities and economic development for the community.
In view of this, the Ministry released budgetary support amounting to RTGs80 000 as cited by the Hon. Member. The funds were channelled and acquitted through Chinhoyi Urban Vocational Training Centre. The funds being nominal at the time could not satisfy all the requirements of the whole project and could only refurbish two tennis courts and tennis practising board. Pursuant to this, the Ministry has submitted budgetary request for the completion of this project and others which had been stalled due to limited funding further aggravated by the incidence of COVID-19. I would like to assure the Hon. Member to anticipate resumption of refurbishment activities at the facility.
Once again, the Ministry would like to appreciate your observations as they aid in modelling policy with regards to facility development, management and venue operating systems. The Ministry values your undeniable appetite for the completion of this project and would cherish your support in mobilising stakeholders to input towards the development of this facility as we are all aware that Government alone cannot meet all the requirements of sport and recreation facilities in the country.
RECRUITMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES BY THE
ARMY
- HON. E. NCUBE asked the Minister of Defence and War
Veterans Affairs to inform the House:
- what government policy is regarding Army recruitments of persons with disabilities who have professional qualifications but cannot perform other physical tests such as running; and
- to provide disaggregated data on the number of persons with disabilities currently employed in the army province by province, gender and job position.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS AFFAIRS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): The question comes in
two parts. I will first unpack the question by stating that the world over, military organisations do not recruit disabled persons. One of the key requirements for recruitment into the military is that one should be physically fit. Applicants into the military are required among other things to run 10 km in 45 minutes for males and 55 minutes for females as part of the recruitment process. After qualifying to join the military, recruits will be exposed to rigorous physical training that requires ablebodied persons. By not recruiting disabled persons, this should be considered as fair discrimination since the ZDF would be protecting them from being subjected to situations that are not palatable to their physical conditions. This is in line with sub-section 56 (5) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe which states that ‘Discrimination on any of the grounds listed in subsection 56 (3) is unfair unless it is established that the discrimination is fair, reasonable and justifiable in a democratic society based on openness, justice, human dignity, equality and freedom.’
When a person is recruited into the ZDF, he or she may get injured either during training or on military operations. In that regard, the ZDF has internal policies that deal with the management of those members.
These policies are meant to protect disabled persons against unfair discrimination in line with sub-section 56 (6) of the Constitution which states that, ‘The state must take reasonable legislative and other measures to promote the achievement of equality and to protect or advance people or classes of people who have been disadvantaged by unfair discrimination.’
By virtue of this Clause, disabled persons in the ZDF are protected against unfair discrimination. The ZDF has the following mechanisms in place in tandem with this Clause:
- When a member gets injured in combat action, on training or traffic accidents, he or she is taken to a hospital for treatment. Upon discharge from the hospital, the member is taken to a physiotherapy facility as recommended by medical specialists. In the case of the ZDF, such facility is at Tsanga Lodge Rehabilitation Centre in Nyanga.
- At the end of his or her physiotherapy session, the member is trained on a new trade or specialisation as determined by specialists during his or her physiotherapy reviews coupled with the input from the member on his or her wishes.
- After the member has passed his or her new areas of speciality, he or she is re-assigned to a new job in line with the area of speciality. Some would work as stores managers/clerks, cooks, office clerks, electricians, cobblers, dress makers, IT personnel and so on.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the second part requires me to provide disaggregated data on the number of persons with disabilities employed in the Army province by Province, gender and job position.
The ZDF has forth eight (48) members who are disabled, forty one (41 of whom are males and seven (7) are females. Half the number of these members are mostly employed as stores managers/clerks and the office clerks and the remainder are on rehabilitation at Tsanga Lodge. I thank you.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE HON.
TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 64.
FIRST READING
COPPER CONTROL AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 3, 2021]
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE) presented the Copper Control
Amendment Bill [H. B. 3, 2021].
Bill read the first time.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
FIRST READING
POLICE AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 2, 2021]
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE) presented the Police
Amendment Bill [H. B. 2, 2021].
Bill read the first time.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
FIRST READING
PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGEMENT BILL [H. B. 4, 2021]
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
MUSWERE) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. NCUBE) presented
the Public Finance Management Bill [H. B. 4, 2021]
Bill read the first time.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
FIRST READING
GUARDIANSHIP OF MINORS AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 7, 2021]
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON.
MUSWERE) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI) presented
the Guardianship of Minors Amendment Bill [H. B. 7, 2021]
Bill read the first time.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
Hon. Shamu having been standing up for a while.
THE HON. TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon Member, may I
know why you are standing.
Hon. Shamu took his seat.
- [Hon. Ndebele: inaudible interjection.] -
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 Orders of the Day,
Numbers 24, 30 and 31 have been disposed of.
HON MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
SECOND REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
HEALTH AND CHILD CARE ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND
PROMOTION OF TRADITIONAL AND COMPLEMENTARY
MEDICINES IN ZIMBABWE
Twenty Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Second Report of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care on the development and promotion of traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
HON. MASANGO CHINHAMO: I would like to thank all Hon
Members who contributed to our motion on the promotion and development of traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe.
I was really impressed by the level of debate. It was really informed and insightful. I would also like to thank the Vice President and Minster of Health and Child Care, Hon Dr. Chiwenga for making time to respond to our Committee report. That was indeed a comprehensive and well researched response from Hon Chiwenga. May he please keep up the good work and make timeous responses to our Committee business. I now move that the House do adopt the report of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care on the development and promotion of traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe.
Motion put and agreed to.
HON NDEBELE: On a point of order. If it pleases you, may you kindly remind me of the procedure. After the adoption of a report what should we expect as Hon Members? If you may refresh my memory please.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): After
adoption it is entirely up to the Executive to act on the report.
HON NDEBELE: You mean implementation on their own
volition.
CONSIDERATION STAGE
FOREST AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 19A, 2019]
Amendments to Clauses 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19 and 20 put and agreed to.
Bill, as amended, adopted.
Third Reading: With leave, forthwith.
THIRD READING
FOREST AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 19A, 2019]
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON DR
MUSWERE) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT,
CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): 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. 18A, 2019]
Thirty-First Order read: Consideration Stage, Cyber and Data Protection Bill [H. B. 18A, 2019].
Amendments to Clauses 1, 3, 4, 13 and the new Clauses 15, 16, 21, 22, 30, 35, 37, 38 and 39. Put and agreed to.
Bill as amended, adopted.
Third Reading, with leave forthwith.
THIRD READING
CYBER AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H. B. 18A, 2019]
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER
SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): Mr. Speaker, I now move that
the Bill be now read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that the House reverts to Order
Number 17.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion 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
Seventeenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the 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
HON. SAIZI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank all Hon. Members who immensely contributed to this debate on the petition from the advocacy Core Team that age of consent to access healthcare services be revised. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the contributions that were made. I was very much impressed by the level of debate. It was very informing and precise. I would like to thank this august House and the Minister of Health and Child Care for making time to respond to our Committee report. May I once again take this opportunity to thank him for making timeous responses to our Committee reports at all times. I now move that the motion be adopted.
Motion that this House takes note of the First Joint 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, put and agreed to.
On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI, seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Five Minutes to Five O’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 21st 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 HOUSEE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 5 be stood over until all the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: 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. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: 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. SEN. M. R. NDLOVU: I second.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: Thank you Madam President.
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 and 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, M. Chinomona
- The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly – Hon T. Gezi
- Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (ZWPC) – 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 – C. Madiwa
- The Chairperson of the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development – 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 front-line workforce. Emphasis was also put on the need to recognise and give value to productive care work that is done by women folk at homes. The UN Women Executive Director, Pumuzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, noted that COVID-19 has resulted in the 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 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 teacher’s 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 well-coordinated 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 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:
(i) massive deliberate employment programmes of women with disabilities as an empowerment programme;
(ii) creation of a database of women with disabilities;
(iii) adoption and domestication of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol;
(iv) public education on disabilities and people with disabilities (PWDs) rights;
(v) mobilization of women living with disabilities to register to vote;
(vi) 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;
(vii) deliberate legislation for women with disabilities representation in leadership positions;
(viii) 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 school curriculums 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 important, 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;
(iii) effective implementation of existing gender and GBV laws;
(iv) collaboration of CSOs with parliamentarians;
(v) adequate investment in women empowerment programmes;
(vi) special measures including quota systems to boost women representation in key public institutions;
(vii) compilation of femicide database;
(viii) 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 that 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 important, 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:
(i) parental leave (maternal and paternal leave);
(ii) care support for essential service workers;
(iii) income support to parents;
(iv) utility support;
(v) integrate unpaid carers into the labour force;
(vi) introduction of flexible work arrangements with option of home-based work;
(vii) 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 overemphasised.
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 availed towards ministries dealing with social protection issues ; Labour and social Welfare, Health and child care, , Local Government,
|
- Exercise their role in the budget making process
- Advocacy on adequate budget allocations in line with the Abuja Declaration
|
Portfolio Committees:
1. Labour and Social Welfare 2. Health and Child Care 3. Local government and public works
|
Workplans to be determined 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. Portfolio on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare
2. 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 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. Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development
2. Thematic Committee on Gender and Development
3. Women Caucus |
Workplan to be determined by the Portfolio Committee
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
- ZWPC through advocacy work to engage internet service providers through available mobile networks on empowering women at grassroot level |
1. Portfolio Committees on ICT , Postal and Courier Services
|
Workplan to be determined by the Committees
ZWPC Workplan 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
December 2021 |
6.Call on Government to ratify outstanding 1.ILO convention relevant to labour standards and amend labour laws to sexual harassment
2. Convention on the Rights of People With Disability (CRPWD) |
- 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 |
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 mechanisms to deal with issues of sexism and violence against MPs
- Parliament to implement the IPU Gender Sensitive Parliament Toolkit |
1. CSRO
2. 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. Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care
2. 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. ZWPC
2. 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. SEN. PHUGENI: Thank you Mr. President. I want to debate on this very important motion brought by the right Hon. Sen. Chief Ndlovu...
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order, he is not the right Hon. Member, he is an Hon. Member.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: Thank you Mr. President, point taken. It is a very comprehensive report; I felt it necessary and important that I add my voice to this debate as well. The report speaks on the promotion, participation or the encouragement of women’s rights in political, economic, civil and social participation in Zimbabwe or across the globe.
Mr. President, I would like to make it clear that as long as we keep talking without concrete action or enacting laws that support what we say, we will not attain our goals. As we speak, in Zimbabwe, there is a big tendency that when women are involved in politics, they are called all sorts of names which I cannot repeat here without being evil. Women are confronted with so many barriers when they want to participate in the politics of a country. In other cases, not only are they faced with insults and verbal abuse but they also face physical abuse. When all of this happens and it is brought to public attention, the only thing is that there will be an investigation done but we never get the results of the outcome of such investigations. It is for that reason that I plead with this House that it is time we consider enacting laws that will make it a crime to insult women in order to discourage from them taking part in the political discourse of the country. We also make the same heinous crime of physical violence which is of a political nature against women because they want to participate in the political discourse of the country.
Now, I know that we do have laws that are supposedly meant to discourage or punish such crimes. I am not sure if the standard of proof is too high to be proven on these crimes. That is why we have never seen any conviction whatsoever on such crimes. As a result, women are deprived of their rights to participate in the political landscape and discourse of this country.
I am saying to Parliament, maybe we need to consider having statutory laws that say if you involve yourself in verbal abuse of women with a sole intent to discourage them from taking part in the political discourse or physical violence, with intention of stopping them or imposing barriers for them to participate, you will be incarcerated for a period of not less than six months and no more than 2 years. If we do that it would be a step in the right direction by giving effect to the rights of women to participate in the political discourse of the country.
The other issue which is raised by the report is an issue with regards to proportional representation. It speaks to some of the issues we heard in a debate yesterday, that women are forced to offer sexual favours as a way for them to take part or to be appointed to represent their parties in Parliament and in other important spheres. I propose that we find a way whether through the Electoral Act, that our political parties in exercising this important work, men play no part to the extent that have to play. They must be in the minority of those that have a final say as to who represents the party or who does not represent the party.
If we claim that we disapprove of certain acts, tendencies and traditions yet do nothing to curb them and simply pay lip service, nothing will change. As a matter of fact, the status quo will remain. I long for a day Mr. President, where as a result of our intervention as parliamentarians, that women will be able to fully participate and take advantage of their political rights.
The report also speaks of economic rights. Economic rights start with at the quality of education which women receive. It is part of the report that there is an urban-rural divide when it comes to the quality of education which is offered to our young girls and boys. It is important that if we are to make sure that women have these rights of economic participation protected, we look at the quality of education. I am happy that the report speaks to the issue of funding because if you want to see commitment from whatever aspirations or objectives, you have to go and look at the budget and see how much amount is dedicated towards the same objective.
Mr. President, it is important that this Parliament takes a serious look at the amount set aside, in particular for rural schools because that will speak to the quality of education which our young girls have received if we are to bridge the urban-rural divide when it comes to the infrastructure and delivery of education.
While speaking on the economic rights of young girls and women, we cannot leave out the exploitation that happens in these internship programmes. Many reports are there that shows that there is a lot of sexual exploitation that happen to young girls when they partake in these internship programmes. In that regard, if we are to safeguard the rights of young women to participate in economic activities of this country, we also ought to look at our laws – how biting they are. Do they encourage this perverse behaviour by their lack of effectiveness or there is a lack of political will or courage from the law enforcers? I would like to suggest that it is our laws that are defect in this regard. I also suggest that we have a deliberate law that speaks to the internship issues, that when our young people in particular girls, are involved in internship programmes, no one who is 3 or 5 years older than these young girls can be involved in any relationship with them. There should be no one who could be in a relationship with an intern if that person is in a managerial level. This must also be punishable by incarceration. We need to have laws that discourage people from ever taking chances in disrupting the development and rights of our young people and women to take part in the economic activities of this country
It is also important Mr. President, to notice that if our women are to fully participate and fully take advantage of their rights politically, economically, civil and social rights, that we revisit again the issue of representation in Parliament which is an important body that makes laws. That makes sure that the aspirations of our Constitution find expression. I reiterate what I said in my last presentation that it is a crime and indeed it is iniquitous that we sit in a House where the representation of women is far less compared to that of men and history has shown us that for a long time, women have been disadvantaged when it comes to decision makers. The report says about ten million girls are going to leave school this year because of COVID-19. That is about two thirds of our population. Ten million globally, but it can give you an idea of what that ten million translates to. It translates to two thirds of the Zimbabwean population.
It is therefore my informed view that the august House, the Parliament of Zimbabwe needs to have a 50/50 representation so that when we discuss these things and we pass laws, it is not as if it is men who are making laws for other people on matters which they do not understand. We need to have women on an equal footing with men so that they can share with us the burdens and the difficulties of accessing their inherent rights of participating in the political, civic and social activities of this country. I want to thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate on this motion. I also want to thank Sen. Ndlovu for raising this pertinent motion. This motion is very good as it concerns with how women are living in our societies. In this august House, the issue of women not being accepted properly in society is now like a chorus which is being sung every day especially in areas where they stay.
Mr. President, in the past few weeks we went out with a Committee and got to one irrigation scheme where women mentioned that they do not have anyone who listens to them as women. There is no one who recognises even their efforts as women. They try very hard to get into the committees that are formed in their area, but there is no one who considers them as women. I do not know how this issue of women being properly accepted in the society can be resolved so that we can resolve this issue of continuously repeating to say the same thing all the time.
With this COVID-19 pandemic, it is very problematic to the girl child and maybe God will remember us one of the days so that this pandemic ends, but those who are going to get a better opportunity are the boy-children because most of the girl-children are being impregnated. There is no one who is respecting the girl-child and it is very painful Mr. President. Senators who are in this august House, 95% of the votes cast are from the women. There are some men who take the opportunity to use women, giving them money so that they can belittle another woman.
In this country Mr. President, things must be resolved properly concerning the issue of women. If there is a matter which has risen and it is said to have been perpetrated by a woman, the media and all people are quick to talk about this issue. We do not know how best we can do it so that women can be accepted as other human beings in this country of Zimbabwe. I do not know how best we can do this. Right now in this COVID-19 era, most women are being troubled.
This other day there is a woman who asked her child to call me to attend to the issue after the woman was physically assaulted. The husband was beaten by soldiers for failing to wear a mask but when the husband got home, he physically abused the wife for failing to go and buy meat. I asked the husband if he had left the money to go and buy the meat, but he had not done so. Right now, there are some other people who are assaulting women for wearing mini-skirts and trousers but there are men who wear dropping trousers. There is no law that even mentions the issue of mini-skirts but women were severely assaulted in Chegutu. It is so sad.
Mr. President, many women are facing a lot of difficulties. We got to a place where there are only two women involved in the Pfumvudza programme yet there were so many women who are there but they are not being included as it is said it is a man’s programme.
I do not know if there is a proper law that protects women. I do not even know how best we can craft a law which protects women. It is very painful Mr. President that many girl children are being raped in rural areas. They will be told to keep quiet and the mother will be told to silence the child. I do not know whether it is a crime for one to have paid lobola because that is causing the women to be abused in their matrimonial homes. There are other grandfathers who are also raping the girl child and it is very painful. There must be a solution – a law that will protect women from such instances. A while ago I did mention that all the fathers who sit in this House were carried by women in their wombs for nine months. I wish the men would respect women as much as we have respected Mbuya Nehanda by putting up a statue in her honour. We are pleading for women to be respected and be given enough opportunities like those given to men. I do not know how this issue can get to be heard in the rural areas. We are speaking right now but there are some other husbands who are dictators and do not allow their wives to attend any communal activities. Those women are forced to obey because they value their marriages yet they are being abused by being denied their right to associate.
I want to thank Hon. Sen. Ndlovu for raising this pertinent motion. Let us respect women. We know from the areas we come from, when it is time for campaigns, there is a lot of image tarnishing of women. There is a lot of hate speech and lies told about them so that they are removed from the voting race. Even those who were respecting the women in politics will end up not respecting the women because of the smear campaign. No-one bothers to ask if what they are hearing about the women is true or false. I plead with everyone to respect both our women and girl child in our country. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. M. DUBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity. I thank Hon. Sen. C. Ndlovu for bringing this motion to the House. This issue has been brought through a lot of channels and we will always bring it up in this House. The issue of a lot of girl children dropping out of schools due to gender based violence and rape as well as the Pfumvudza issue. What is lacking in our country is a deterrent law. The law is lenient to people that offend women. When someone assaults his wife and breaks her back, they are given a few weeks in jail and released. We always mention this issue but we have not had any way forward in terms of what should be done to people that abuse women. The other issue is that even when the police arrest the perpetrator, he is immediately released from prison whilst the woman remains suffering and nursing her bruises. The arm of the law should efficiently deal with people who abuse women effectively.
On children who drop out of school, some of these children do not do so voluntarily. Others drop out when they are doing Grade Seven after falling pregnant, meaning that there is no way the child can proceed as she automatically becomes a mother and due to her young age, she cannot deliver normally. A caesarean section would have to be conducted to deliver the baby. The future of the young girl has been disturbed as she could have been a future doctor or a nurse. A lot of lives are being disturbed due to rape. We pray that the long arm of the law stands firm. When doctors confirm that a child has been raped, the perpetrators should not be awarded with bail or parole. They should be served with long deterrent sentences of about 40 years because they are now threats to society and are like hungry lions that feed on their off spring.
As women, we are suffering and we pray that rape perpetrators are not given the option of a fine but should be given deterrent sentences to deter would be offenders. Women are always being raped. Even myself, if there are instances that I am not feeling well, it is impossible to keep forcing myself to eat because I can vomit the food that I would have eaten. As for rape, it is a permanent wound that one would live with for the rest of her life. We cry as women from different provinces of the country that the long arm of the law, through the intervention of Government, that everyone who is convicted of rape be given a long sentence. It is surprising that when one is convicted of assaulting a woman, he is given a sentence of about three years before being released but someone who is convicted of stock theft is sentenced for a period of up to nine years.
On the issue of Pfumvudza, we pray that as women we are equally equipped as our male counterparts and given adequate inputs so that we can also bring food to the table. Inputs are not supposed to be distributed based on gender. Women are also supposed to get these inputs because as women, we also prepare the land and do farming.
+HON. SEN. A. DUBE: I thank you Hon for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion brought forth by Hon Sen. Ndlovu. The report seeks to bring forth the abuse that women face daily I feel I should add my voice as a woman too. I will first mention on the gender based violence issue. Every day we read and hear of women who had been killed, mutilated and buried by a man in some area. What is of concern is the fact that some men take women as slaves because they would have married them, but women are equally important as men. They are both created in the image of the same God. Women are not even allowed in the homestead and are abused before their own children. When the matters of abuse are reported to the police, the woman is instructed to go and bring the husband to the police. How can this be possible because the husband will beat her up again? It is important that when a woman makes a report of being assaulted by the husband, the police should make follow-ups and then arrest the culprit because once the police do not take such issues seriously, women will continue to be abused.
Women are also abused at work places. There are situations where women are equally qualified with all the requisite academic documents but the company/organisation opts to hire the males. When women do not give in to the needs of the men in position, they are turned away. The men in influential positions demand to have sex with women first before hiring them. The law should take such issues into consideration and people who practice bad attributes should be punished also. Laws should be set aside to deal with such offences.
It should also be an offence to call a woman ‘that wife’, - it is better for her to be referred to as ‘that lady’. The other issue is that the girl child is being raped and being raped poses psychological problems that one would live with for their entire life. The problem with some parents is that when the girl child reports on rape cases, they want the offence to remain hidden. They encourage her to keep quiet and tell her that it will heal with time. This is not advisable because it destroys the future of the girl child.
Women in politics also face a lot of challenges due to shortage of resources, mainly in the form of funds. What happens is that influential men tend to pay other women to destroy the character of other women in politics. This is made possible due to the fact that even women in politics do not have money, so they are controlled by those who have money. At the end of the day, the other women who are in politics are not respected. There would be certain group of men that would have labeled her and encourages people not to respect her because people might like her. Women are now being used to fight against each other instead of supporting each other because they hold the majority of the votes.
There is also the issue of 50:50 which is not going to be effective because women are now being used to fight each other. There is now the issue of proportional representation, but women shun each other and call each other BACCOSI and they end up lacking confidence even to say a valid point. We urge women to support each other. We should learn to respect women in each and every branch. They should learn that women are also equally able to do duties that can be done by males.
Women are the ones with a higher vote. It is a challenge in the women because they have not gained total freedom. Even though there is freedom, others are still lagging behind pulling back saying do not respect such an individual because she is a woman. Even when it comes to banks, when a woman approaches the bank looking for loans she is supposed to give collateral and this collateral is impossible to get because every asset will be registered in the husband’s name. When consulting the husband, he will ask ‘what do you want to use the money for, you want to spend the money with other men’ and this makes the women fail to go on with the desired project.
We urge that there be mechanisms put in place that could assist women so that they can be able to get loans so that they can also support their families. We ask that the law be enforced that when it is found that a woman has been abused, the law should take its course regardless of who orchestrated this abuse. If it is the woman who has abused the children, let the woman be incarcerated and leave the children under the care of the father. If it is the other way around, let the man also go to prison and the children be left in the custody of the mother, but we find that women are the ones that are affected a lot and face a lot of abuse.
I was watching television yesterday and I found out that a 78 year old woman was raped yesterday. She passed away and the person is only going to be given a sentence of five years and will then be released. I suggest that people that commit such offences be given a sentence of life in prison. Being raped is something that is very painful. It affects the mind. I thank you for this opportunity Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: Thank you Mr. President. I thank the mover of the motion, Hon. Sen. Ndlovu. I was not fully focused when he initially started presenting the report. I then got back to my senses and refused to be left out on such an important issue that we are constantly debating about and it concerns the womenfolk. I am quite happy that it is the men that have moved this motion, even the seconder of the motion was a man who showed that he supports the objectives of women. I want also to thank them because as Women Caucus, these are the issues that we always discuss and we will be advocating for the increase in the number of women that are in positions of influence.
I want to urge womenfolk that are in this august House that we go back and teach the majority of the women who may not be aware of the fact that they are being oppressed by men. There are men who use women and they are being taken advantage of because of lack of knowledge. I urge you men not to just support us inside this august House of Parliament but also support us outside in our constituencies so that the women can also rise. This is why we have the issue of the 50:50 protocol. Even the Government talks about this. This came up in the Constitution and it was decided that there should be more women because there were very few women in these positions. Let us stand up and create awareness amongst women. Even in councils, the majority of them are men. When you ask as to why that is the prevailing condition, no one then answers. They need to understand these things. So we need assistance in that regard to ensure that all the women and men stand up and support women. Men should not give money to women so that they safeguard their positions, but they should go there and enlighten women. That is the crux of the matter.
Women should be educated because they just accept whatever comes from the men as the head of the house. We are now in an era where the Government is urging the woman to rise, to stand up and be counted as an equal person, as a person who has equal rights to the men. Women also liberated this country. They went to the liberation struggle and took up arms to liberate us. So we must stand up firm.
These two motions are similar in that we may tend to bring various information or the same information on issues of this motions but as women, I reiterate the same about the Government and that the Government is trying as much as possible to ensure that the women are treated fairly. We are forever moaning that men buy voters but the majority of the people in the communal lands are afraid to get loans. It is our duty as Senators to educate women that we should do things that sustain the womenfolk, that we should also raise money and be able to stand on our own feet. They should go to the women’s bank and get loans that were created for the purpose of developing women folk. So we should not forever be moaning that it is the men that have the money. We now have a chance to access loans from the bank. We should do that.
Senators I urge you to enlighten the womenfolk so that they can be able to stand and be counted on their own and compete on a fair platform with men. We are failing because we are not teaching our colleagues that they should go and get loans from the banks. I can now get a piece of land in my own name. Even the Pfumvudza Project is being done by the women mostly. We should take advantage of the project and inform women that if they are capable of executing the Pfumvudza Project they should then not fail to contest as participants in an election and that they should hold firm. Maybe they fail to get people that come to the communal lands to enlighten them.
So we saw men supporting the motion. I was quite grateful that they were the movers and seconders of this motion. Once it is done, we believe that that the chiefs, as they listen, we would also now have village kraal heads that are women. So it is the chieftainship that we have not heard that women are now chiefs but women can be village heads. I say so because I am a village head where I come from. If chiefs can appoint women village heads, why not appoint women to be councillors, chiefs or chairpersons to School Development Committees, and other authoritative positions. The majority of the points have been raised but I want to reiterate that as women in this august Senate, we must go out and encourage other women; we must not be coming to Parliament alone. Women must contest against men and win. With these few words, I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President.
*THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Sen. Femai please wear your mask while debating, this will help you and other Hon. Senators not to get infections.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President, I forgot to put on my mask as I stood up to debate. First and foremost, I would like to thank the mover of this motion and the seconder. Secondly, I thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to this important motion. It is quite a painful motion that involves women. Today, I would want people to know because some people do not know. I would want to make my stance clear as I relate to women. I respect women more than I respect men. Others may be taken back as to why I am making this statement that I respect women more than men. I observed that women are capable of ensuring that a lot of things are solved. If I die today and go to heaven and there is a queue and a woman is behind me, I will allow the woman to enter first, I will not enter heaven and leave a woman behind.
I am from Manicaland and you Mr. President are also from Manicaland. There is a saying that says ‘mhamba inonaka maamai mudhuze’ everyone is aware of this saying. It surprises me that when it gets to work, we do not say the same saying that work is easier when you are with a woman because we are robbing them of top positions. It is only when it comes to leisure and drinking that we want their presence. If beer tastes better in the company of a woman, when it comes to work, I must welcome the participation of women too and not say the top positions should be reserved for me and my nephew John only.
Women are well respected. All Hon. Senators in this Senate or all men at home, when our male children gets to thirty years without marrying, we start wondering and want to seek spiritual intervention why at thirty they are still single. It is not because they are unemployed, sick, he does not have riches and he has failed in school but it is because he has failed to marry at an acceptable age. This only shows the importance of having a wife. Once a son gets married, we do a traditional ceremony, people will be happy welcoming the bride into the family. This shows the importance of a woman in a man’s life.
I have not heard the father of a particular daughter throwing parties or doing traditional welcoming ceremonies to welcome a son-in-law but once a son brings a bride home, that is done to show the importance that is attached to a woman. People should know especially males that women have got a lot of strength and wisdom, many people might not observe this. If a woman was able to change the mind of the first man that is Adam, to an extent that he sinned against God after he had been given specific instructions not to do so, that shows wisdom coupled with power.
When I say they have power, if you go to pay a bride price, you sit outside the home of the would be bride and when invited in, you go into the home clapping our hands, bowing down your head to show respect. I am proud to say this and emphasise the importance of women because I have five daughters and a son. They are equally educated, and the son is married with 3 children. All the girl children are married and they have their own families. For me to have extra pocket money, it comes from my daughter. I even regret why I did not have 15 daughters. I leave with my son butit is on rare occasions that he cooks a meal. It is the wife who makes sure I am fed and she also takes the goodies to her parents. The girl child is knowledgeable and they rarely lose sight of their parents, they remember their roots. She always goes back home. People should respect the girl child.
I cannot conclude without coming up with a resolution or a recommendation to this matter. It is my plea to this august House that when this motion is concluded, it should indicate that as the Upper House we are in agreement that a woman should be given due respect. A woman should be respected by everyone else as is done by Hon. Sen. Femai. I would want the recommendation to be worded accordingly. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. MPOFU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion which was brought by Hon. Ndhlovu. This is a very important motion which is mainly focusing on us as women. There is an issue he touched on which talks about the provision of intellect women and that women are left outside. A lot of us women do not understand what is meant by intellect, even us here in this House do not understand what it is. We have received some information pertaining to intellect but there are people there in the rural areas who do not understand. Some do not even know how to operate a phone especially these smart phones.
Nowadays, even banks have gone paperless; they only use ATM cards for paying bills and purchasing goods. However, a lot of women especially those from the rural areas do not know how to use these services. Banks are also working hand in hand with cell phones using the e-wallet or e-banking which also a lot of women in the rural areas do not know how to operate. Again, some of these folks in the rural areas receive money from their children abroad but they also do not know what to do because they have not been taught on how to operate these mobile platforms or ICT gadgets.
It is my wish that all schools in the rural areas have computers and that adult lessons are conducted in these schools so that they can also learn how to operate these ICT gadgets. Money is being stolen from old people because they share their phones and bank credentials to the youngsters who end up stealing all the money. Therefore, it is my plea that the elderly should be trained or conscientised about the use of e-banking or mobile wallets.
Another issue which was brought by Hon. Sen. Ndhlovu is the issue of violence against women. A lot of women are not aware that there is now an Act that states what women who have been subjected to abuse are supposed to do. I also do not blame men since some of them do not even know that they will be actually abusing women or violating their rights because of cultural or traditional customs.
It is also important that the law enforcement agencies should go out and educate people on gender based violence so as to curb these rampant gender based violence cases. This topic should also be introduced in schools so that our children are made aware of gender based violence and the enacted laws regarding it. They should be taught that women are supposed to be treated with respect because they deserve a lot of respect just like the men do.
Another issue which was mentioned was on widows. These are being abused a lot. When the husband dies, the in-laws from the man’s side takes all the property which rightfully belongs to the bereaved widow and her children. Because most of the women do not know their rights, they lose all the property and suffer with the children to the extent of even failing to send the children to school.
Our laws should be loud and clear enough that when the husband passes on, the surviving spouse should be in a position to continue raising the children without any interference from the relatives. Sometimes you find these widows being chased away from their matrimonial homes by the relatives saying the person you had come for is now deceased.
As Senators, we should make sure that our legislation protects the women and their welfare. They suffer because they fail to find someone to confide in pertaining to the burdens they are facing within the family because the family will only be interested in taking all the property that the husband acquired whilst he survived.
When enacting laws, we should also consider that these laws are in the interest of widows that they should be protected and their wills be protected. There are relatives that become a nuisance after the husband passes on. It is really disturbing, especially for women that someone just emerges after the husband has died and the woman did not know anything but someone just comes when it comes to the issue of property. The woman is chased away or sidelined because it is said the property belongs to the man and the woman has no say.
There are women in the society called the health workers who go around assisting and taking care of people who are not feeling well in the rural communities. These women take their time but they are not getting any remuneration for their services from the Government. These village health workers assist a lot especially at hospital level. We plead that they be given something in the form of remuneration so that they remain motivated to work without any disgruntlements.
There is also the issue of climate change. At times it takes time before we have good rains and there will be drought but the person who is most affected is the woman. In such times, we should pay close attention to climate change. During these times of drought, let it be the women who are assisted because they are the ones that make sure that the family is fed. If there are food parcels that are issued, let them be issued to them because they are the ones that are worried about what they are going to feed the family at the end of the day. All these issue which are brought by climate change affect women a lot.
Pertaining to the issue of the work plan, when it is time to wind up the motion Hon. Ndlovu, we would wish that the Minister be present. He is supposed to come here and hear what the Senators are saying. We do not want it to end just as a report. We want the Minister to come forth and hear the recommendations that we have brought forth as the Senate. It is important that if there are such reports, they come and also hear what we are saying, such that there could be development in the future rather than for them just being reports that are read and no action is taken. We are also pushing that the Minister be present. Thank you.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: I thank you Hon. Sen. Ndlovu for raising this motion which quite hurts me because of the rape that is being perpetrated on women. There was a hospital that was raided by three men who raped women and the other one was on the waiting list about to deliver. I wonder why one would be so callous to go to the maternity ward where people about deliver and rape them. Such culprits should be arrested, convicted and given stiff penalties. They should not be audacious to the extent of going to a hospital and rape a woman who is about to give birth. It is quite painful. I feel very emotional about it and I am almost in tears because of such wayward behavior. I do not know how best I can show my displeasure to such behavior. I am quite hurt by this. There are a lot of women that are also being hurt by this story.
There is also the issue of early child marriages –
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order Hon. Sen. Chifamba. I need to correct the direction of the debate on the motion which was raised by Hon. Sen. Ndlovu. Primarily, it is on the report of the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women’s Full and Effective Participation in Decision Making in Public Life. The second part is about the Elimination of Violence for Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls. So I think we need to remain within the parameters of the two main issues which have been raised by this report.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Thank you Mr. President. Well, I had seen that on the report it talked about child marriages.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT: You may proceed but the earlier part of your debate was a bit offside. It was not strictly within the parameter of the report which Hon. Sen. C. Ndlovu raised.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Coming to the political arena, widows, single women and disabled women are being disadvantaged when it comes to election time. They are called names, despite being called names, these women are capable of leading. We thank the Government for giving us the reserved seats that are there for the women who are Members of Parliament. Women are capable and should be treated equally. If she wants to be a councilor or Member of Parliament, she should be free to do so.
I observed that there are a lot of people who are disabled that are very knowledgeable. There are also single women who are called a lot of names in the various constituencies which they live such that they will be unable to bring themselves forward as candidates in the election. As women, we should also feel for each other and support one another instead of pulling each other down because some women are even paid to run a smear campaign against their fellow women. If I am single or a widow, it does not mean that I am a prostitute. I am just as good as any other woman who might be in a marriage relationship. Therefore, I should be able to stand in my own right as a councilor or as a Member of Parliament. These smear campaigns trend so much on social media and most of the time the women will not be following social media. So, once the electorate has heard these smear campaigns and when you put your hat in the ring for the 2023 elections, you do not have support because they look upon you as a prostitute and hence they would not want you to lead them. These smear campaigns are even done regardless of the relevance to the campaign that will be taking place. Let the ground be fair and allow women to stand for election as councillors and MPs as well as other decision making positions in various professions. Women that have the qualifications and deserve such posts should occupy such positions.
Violence may be visited upon a prospective woman candidate even from their family or in-laws. One woman stood for councillor and won and there was violence in the home to a stage where the woman lost her life. I may be a woman but with better brains than a man so violence should not be used to settle issues. We have different callings and I might be much more intelligent than you as a man. Thank you for the opportunity.
+HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. M. R. DUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday 22nd July, 2021.
MOTION
ENFORCEMENT OF PENALTIES ON THEFT OF LIVESTOCK
HON. SEN. A DUBE: I move the motion in my name that this House:
MINDFUL that livestock production is the pillar of economic growth among communal farmers in Zimbabwe;
ALSO MINDFUL that livestock provide meat, draught power and are a symbol of security and wealth for most families in the country;
DISTURBED by the diabolical practice of livestock theft to satisfy the selfish gains of criminal individuals;
CONCERNED that the unabated criminal activities by such social misfits does not only reverse the progressive gains of our communities but plunges our communities into abject poverty as these thieves operate day and night;
NOW, THEREFORE, calls upon:
- The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to enforce penalties that apply whenever livestock has been stolen.
- The Judicial System to ensure that those found guilty of stealing livestock be brought to book regardless of their social and economic standing.
- Parliament to legislate for more stringent penalties to discourage all those contemplating engaging in such heinous and despicable activities.
HON. SEN. S. MPOFU: I second.
+HON. SEN. A DUBE: Thank you for affording me the opportunity to raise my motion with regards to stock theft. We are aware that domestic livestock is very important. It is our wealth and the wealth of farmers because livestock is like a bank which you can draw from so that you clear school fees arrears and you buy food. However, when you look at what is happening on the ground, there is a lot of stock theft. People continue pilfering livestock and kill other people’s livestock to sell. Some even break into other people’s farms cutting down wires, which in turn has affected the livelihoods of farmers. This disturbs farmers a lot and we notice that the cattle provide meat to farmers while some sell their cattle to butcheries while others till their land using draught power.
Sometimes when they apply for loans, they use the cattle as surety. Those are the different challenges that they may be facing. Livestock is very important. When Zimbabwe was liberated, it was done so that people could till their land and rear their livestock. So, it is important that livestock be protected in such a way that it will benefit their families. Some fail to take their children to school because of stock theft, be it donkeys or cattle. Stock theft is now rampant. People do not respect other people’s livestock. They steal and sell the livestock despite the fact that they do not own livestock. For example, in region 4 and 5, livestock is the peoples’ wealth because most areas are arid and not arable so they rely on rearing livestock. So, people bank on their livestock which is their wealth.
Unfortunately some people do not respect that setup and they break into other people’s kraals and steal the livestock to sell and you find them buying beer and other things. This only benefits fools but not the owner of the livestock. We have noted that stock theft is now rampant and is being spearheaded by people who specialise in stock theft. They wait for the sun to set and they cut the farm fence to enable them to steal the livestock. This just does not affect individuals but it also affects the economy of the nation. This culminates in people being poor.
Stock theft is something which is wide spread especially in the Nyamadhlovu farms where people are losing their cattle daily. Some people just use axes to kill the cattle and they just leave them like that. As a farmer, you do have an option and sometimes you are just forced to throw away that cow because you do not even know what happened to it. So, it seems the law is not punitive enough. It is painful to note that as a farmer who owns livestock, at times you face challenges like diseases that affect livestock. That is better but sometimes you find people stealing other people’s livestock. They just benefit without sweating for those livestock.
Our desire is for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to ensure that perpetrators of such crimes are arrested because we find that there is a lot of stock theft in different areas. This information is for public consumption, so law enforcement agents should arrest those who steal livestock. The courts proffer stiffer penalties to perpetrators so that those who are incarcerated are deterred from committing the same crime. This would make people realise and fear the law because you cannot wake up every night to monitor your livestock because there is the risk of being attacked by thieves. My plea is for the law to take its course and impose stiffer penalties.
Parliament should promulgate laws that are stiff enough to discourage stock theft. For example, if you lose cattle through different diseases or different ways, some people severely affected that they also die due to stress. We also use livestock as a form of dowry or lobola payment. Some people end up being hypertensive after experiencing stock theft, hence stiffer penalties should be imposed to discourage thieves from stealing livestock. This will culminate in a situation whereby people will respect livestock. Some people steal livestock not knowing that this is other people’s wealth where they rely on and are banking for their future and the future of their families. You just break into their kraals and steal their livestock despite not having worked for that wealth.
Even our elders used to say that stealing livestock is like bloodshed. So this is taboo and that is the reason why we see different diseases being found because people do not respect other people’s livestock, hence they kill other people’s livestock.
I do not have much Madam President but I thought that I should add a few words because I am talking about livestock and it is important for people to respect other people’s livestock. Those who perpetrate such crimes should be incarcerated and be given stiffer penalties. We have been receiving a lot of reports on stock theft – some people steal goats and others cattle. You find people stealing goats, slaughtering them overnight and serving stolen meat to their children. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. S. MPOFU: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to support the motion that was tabled by Hon. Sen. A. Dube which is rather a painful motion because stock theft is rampant in different communities and farms. Losing cattle after rearing and banking on your livestock, expecting it to be your livelihood towards the sustainability of your children’s education and household economy is very painful. The pilfering of cattle and goats is now something that is prevalent. You will find people killing other people’s livestock and selling at different points. My desire is for those people who sell meat to be punished because this is really painful to the livestock owners.
Livestock such as cattle is very important and has a significant role in rural areas, especially as draught power for tilling land. When you lose your cattle then it means that you do not have draught power and you cannot till your land for subsistence farming. Some people use their cattle as collateral for securing loans from banks or buying something. This is because we do not have stiff penalties. It is important to have punitive laws that will set an example to those who are still in communities because some people are arrested for just a short period of time before you find them being reintegrated into society. This sometimes leads to people stealing cattle and taking them to different areas where people do not know them. They do not arrest the people because they do not know whether the people who are doing that are owners or not. This is because there are no longer security fences around different farms and around different roads to prevent the movement of livestock. There were red zones in different zones which were meant to monitor the movement of livestock. Even the police should be given the powers to arrest those who are found perpetrating such crimes. They must be capacitated and given vehicles to move around so that they investigate cases of stock theft. The police should be found educating the rural communities on livestock rearing.
Livestock should be branded properly so that when livestock is stolen, the owner can then identify because every homestead should have a different brand. Some brand through the cutting of ears. It is unfortunate that this can be universal in other communities but proper branding is unique. So Madam President, I advocate for stiffer penalties for stock theft. Such penalties should be punitive enough to discourage other potential stock thieves. As Parliament, the onus is upon us to enact punitive laws. I thank you Madam President.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: Madam President I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 22nd July, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 8 to 13 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day Number 14 has been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) ON VELD FIRE MANAGEMENT
Fourteenth Order Read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Veld Fire Management.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. CHIEF MTSHANE: Thank you Madam President for giving me the privilege to wind up this report from the Thematic SDG Committee on veld fire management.
Madam President, I would like to thank all the Hon. Members who contributed or who debated this report needless for me to mention them one by one but I am sure we all agree that the debates were very lively. There were several issues that were raised by your Committee, Madam President, and your Hon. Members, but I would only like to comment on one or two of them.
The first one that I would like to comment on is the question of absent landlords particularly on A2 resettlement farms where those farms are not providing any veld fire guards, as a result fires start from there and destroy all the properties and the environment. Maybe still on the same destruction of the environment and the properties I think it is important, Madam President, to note that it is a legal requirement for all the farmers to provide protection against veld fires in their properties and not only to protect your own property but to protect properties of your neighbours as well. I think we have a slogan that says we must not leave anyone behind, but on the protection from veld fires, we seem to be leaving other people behind. So I think we should adopt the same slogan that we should not leave anyone behind.
There was another concern from the Hon. Members and the Committee, that concern was the fines and the penalties that do with perpetrators of veld fire; it was not deterrent enough. I think it is the responsibility of this Senate to pass punitive laws that will prevent or deter the would be perpetrators of veld fires so the responsibility lies with this Hon. Senate to pass deterrent sentences.
I want to also compliment the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry for going right down to the grassroots level to pass the message on how to prevent veld fires although veld fires are common, people must know how to prevent them. I would like to compliment or congratulate the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement particularly EMA, which has done a wonderful job in conscientising our communities at grassroots level.
Madam President, although the Hon. Minister is not here to respond to the issues that were raised by your Committee and your Hon. Senators, it is my belief that he is going to respond to these issues at his own time. I think it is important for him to be advised by those who advise ministers that this Senate would expect him to respond to the issues so that we can have way forward. Having said that Madam President, please allow me to move that this motion be adopted.
Motion that this House takes note of the report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Veld Fire Management, put and adopted.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. MATHUTHU, the Senate adjourned at One Minute Past Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 21st 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 HOUSEE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 5 be stood over until all the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: 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. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: 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. SEN. M. R. NDLOVU: I second.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: Thank you Madam President.
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 and 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, M. Chinomona
- The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly – Hon T. Gezi
- Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (ZWPC) – 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 – C. Madiwa
- The Chairperson of the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development – 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 front-line workforce. Emphasis was also put on the need to recognise and give value to productive care work that is done by women folk at homes. The UN Women Executive Director, Pumuzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, noted that COVID-19 has resulted in the 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 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 teacher’s 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 well-coordinated 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 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:
(i) massive deliberate employment programmes of women with disabilities as an empowerment programme;
(ii) creation of a database of women with disabilities;
(iii) adoption and domestication of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol;
(iv) public education on disabilities and people with disabilities (PWDs) rights;
(v) mobilization of women living with disabilities to register to vote;
(vi) 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;
(vii) deliberate legislation for women with disabilities representation in leadership positions;
(viii) 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 school curriculums 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 important, 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;
(iii) effective implementation of existing gender and GBV laws;
(iv) collaboration of CSOs with parliamentarians;
(v) adequate investment in women empowerment programmes;
(vi) special measures including quota systems to boost women representation in key public institutions;
(vii) compilation of femicide database;
(viii) 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 that 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 important, 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:
(i) parental leave (maternal and paternal leave);
(ii) care support for essential service workers;
(iii) income support to parents;
(iv) utility support;
(v) integrate unpaid carers into the labour force;
(vi) introduction of flexible work arrangements with option of home-based work;
(vii) 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 overemphasised.
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 availed towards ministries dealing with social protection issues ; Labour and social Welfare, Health and child care, , Local Government,
|
- Exercise their role in the budget making process
- Advocacy on adequate budget allocations in line with the Abuja Declaration
|
Portfolio Committees:
1. Labour and Social Welfare 2. Health and Child Care 3. Local government and public works
|
Workplans to be determined 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. Portfolio on Public Service Labour and Social Welfare
2. 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 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. Portfolio Committee on Energy and Power Development
2. Thematic Committee on Gender and Development
3. Women Caucus |
Workplan to be determined by the Portfolio Committee
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
- ZWPC through advocacy work to engage internet service providers through available mobile networks on empowering women at grassroot level |
1. Portfolio Committees on ICT , Postal and Courier Services
|
Workplan to be determined by the Committees
ZWPC Workplan 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
December 2021 |
6.Call on Government to ratify outstanding 1.ILO convention relevant to labour standards and amend labour laws to sexual harassment
2. Convention on the Rights of People With Disability (CRPWD) |
- 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 |
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 mechanisms to deal with issues of sexism and violence against MPs
- Parliament to implement the IPU Gender Sensitive Parliament Toolkit |
1. CSRO
2. 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. Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care
2. 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. ZWPC
2. 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. SEN. PHUGENI: Thank you Mr. President. I want to debate on this very important motion brought by the right Hon. Sen. Chief Ndlovu...
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order, he is not the right Hon. Member, he is an Hon. Member.
HON. SEN. PHUGENI: Thank you Mr. President, point taken. It is a very comprehensive report; I felt it necessary and important that I add my voice to this debate as well. The report speaks on the promotion, participation or the encouragement of women’s rights in political, economic, civil and social participation in Zimbabwe or across the globe.
Mr. President, I would like to make it clear that as long as we keep talking without concrete action or enacting laws that support what we say, we will not attain our goals. As we speak, in Zimbabwe, there is a big tendency that when women are involved in politics, they are called all sorts of names which I cannot repeat here without being evil. Women are confronted with so many barriers when they want to participate in the politics of a country. In other cases, not only are they faced with insults and verbal abuse but they also face physical abuse. When all of this happens and it is brought to public attention, the only thing is that there will be an investigation done but we never get the results of the outcome of such investigations. It is for that reason that I plead with this House that it is time we consider enacting laws that will make it a crime to insult women in order to discourage from them taking part in the political discourse of the country. We also make the same heinous crime of physical violence which is of a political nature against women because they want to participate in the political discourse of the country.
Now, I know that we do have laws that are supposedly meant to discourage or punish such crimes. I am not sure if the standard of proof is too high to be proven on these crimes. That is why we have never seen any conviction whatsoever on such crimes. As a result, women are deprived of their rights to participate in the political landscape and discourse of this country.
I am saying to Parliament, maybe we need to consider having statutory laws that say if you involve yourself in verbal abuse of women with a sole intent to discourage them from taking part in the political discourse or physical violence, with intention of stopping them or imposing barriers for them to participate, you will be incarcerated for a period of not less than six months and no more than 2 years. If we do that it would be a step in the right direction by giving effect to the rights of women to participate in the political discourse of the country.
The other issue which is raised by the report is an issue with regards to proportional representation. It speaks to some of the issues we heard in a debate yesterday, that women are forced to offer sexual favours as a way for them to take part or to be appointed to represent their parties in Parliament and in other important spheres. I propose that we find a way whether through the Electoral Act, that our political parties in exercising this important work, men play no part to the extent that have to play. They must be in the minority of those that have a final say as to who represents the party or who does not represent the party.
If we claim that we disapprove of certain acts, tendencies and traditions yet do nothing to curb them and simply pay lip service, nothing will change. As a matter of fact, the status quo will remain. I long for a day Mr. President, where as a result of our intervention as parliamentarians, that women will be able to fully participate and take advantage of their political rights.
The report also speaks of economic rights. Economic rights start with at the quality of education which women receive. It is part of the report that there is an urban-rural divide when it comes to the quality of education which is offered to our young girls and boys. It is important that if we are to make sure that women have these rights of economic participation protected, we look at the quality of education. I am happy that the report speaks to the issue of funding because if you want to see commitment from whatever aspirations or objectives, you have to go and look at the budget and see how much amount is dedicated towards the same objective.
Mr. President, it is important that this Parliament takes a serious look at the amount set aside, in particular for rural schools because that will speak to the quality of education which our young girls have received if we are to bridge the urban-rural divide when it comes to the infrastructure and delivery of education.
While speaking on the economic rights of young girls and women, we cannot leave out the exploitation that happens in these internship programmes. Many reports are there that shows that there is a lot of sexual exploitation that happen to young girls when they partake in these internship programmes. In that regard, if we are to safeguard the rights of young women to participate in economic activities of this country, we also ought to look at our laws – how biting they are. Do they encourage this perverse behaviour by their lack of effectiveness or there is a lack of political will or courage from the law enforcers? I would like to suggest that it is our laws that are defect in this regard. I also suggest that we have a deliberate law that speaks to the internship issues, that when our young people in particular girls, are involved in internship programmes, no one who is 3 or 5 years older than these young girls can be involved in any relationship with them. There should be no one who could be in a relationship with an intern if that person is in a managerial level. This must also be punishable by incarceration. We need to have laws that discourage people from ever taking chances in disrupting the development and rights of our young people and women to take part in the economic activities of this country
It is also important Mr. President, to notice that if our women are to fully participate and fully take advantage of their rights politically, economically, civil and social rights, that we revisit again the issue of representation in Parliament which is an important body that makes laws. That makes sure that the aspirations of our Constitution find expression. I reiterate what I said in my last presentation that it is a crime and indeed it is iniquitous that we sit in a House where the representation of women is far less compared to that of men and history has shown us that for a long time, women have been disadvantaged when it comes to decision makers. The report says about ten million girls are going to leave school this year because of COVID-19. That is about two thirds of our population. Ten million globally, but it can give you an idea of what that ten million translates to. It translates to two thirds of the Zimbabwean population.
It is therefore my informed view that the august House, the Parliament of Zimbabwe needs to have a 50/50 representation so that when we discuss these things and we pass laws, it is not as if it is men who are making laws for other people on matters which they do not understand. We need to have women on an equal footing with men so that they can share with us the burdens and the difficulties of accessing their inherent rights of participating in the political, civic and social activities of this country. I want to thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate on this motion. I also want to thank Sen. Ndlovu for raising this pertinent motion. This motion is very good as it concerns with how women are living in our societies. In this august House, the issue of women not being accepted properly in society is now like a chorus which is being sung every day especially in areas where they stay.
Mr. President, in the past few weeks we went out with a Committee and got to one irrigation scheme where women mentioned that they do not have anyone who listens to them as women. There is no one who recognises even their efforts as women. They try very hard to get into the committees that are formed in their area, but there is no one who considers them as women. I do not know how this issue of women being properly accepted in the society can be resolved so that we can resolve this issue of continuously repeating to say the same thing all the time.
With this COVID-19 pandemic, it is very problematic to the girl child and maybe God will remember us one of the days so that this pandemic ends, but those who are going to get a better opportunity are the boy-children because most of the girl-children are being impregnated. There is no one who is respecting the girl-child and it is very painful Mr. President. Senators who are in this august House, 95% of the votes cast are from the women. There are some men who take the opportunity to use women, giving them money so that they can belittle another woman.
In this country Mr. President, things must be resolved properly concerning the issue of women. If there is a matter which has risen and it is said to have been perpetrated by a woman, the media and all people are quick to talk about this issue. We do not know how best we can do it so that women can be accepted as other human beings in this country of Zimbabwe. I do not know how best we can do this. Right now in this COVID-19 era, most women are being troubled.
This other day there is a woman who asked her child to call me to attend to the issue after the woman was physically assaulted. The husband was beaten by soldiers for failing to wear a mask but when the husband got home, he physically abused the wife for failing to go and buy meat. I asked the husband if he had left the money to go and buy the meat, but he had not done so. Right now, there are some other people who are assaulting women for wearing mini-skirts and trousers but there are men who wear dropping trousers. There is no law that even mentions the issue of mini-skirts but women were severely assaulted in Chegutu. It is so sad.
Mr. President, many women are facing a lot of difficulties. We got to a place where there are only two women involved in the Pfumvudza programme yet there were so many women who are there but they are not being included as it is said it is a man’s programme.
I do not know if there is a proper law that protects women. I do not even know how best we can craft a law which protects women. It is very painful Mr. President that many girl children are being raped in rural areas. They will be told to keep quiet and the mother will be told to silence the child. I do not know whether it is a crime for one to have paid lobola because that is causing the women to be abused in their matrimonial homes. There are other grandfathers who are also raping the girl child and it is very painful. There must be a solution – a law that will protect women from such instances. A while ago I did mention that all the fathers who sit in this House were carried by women in their wombs for nine months. I wish the men would respect women as much as we have respected Mbuya Nehanda by putting up a statue in her honour. We are pleading for women to be respected and be given enough opportunities like those given to men. I do not know how this issue can get to be heard in the rural areas. We are speaking right now but there are some other husbands who are dictators and do not allow their wives to attend any communal activities. Those women are forced to obey because they value their marriages yet they are being abused by being denied their right to associate.
I want to thank Hon. Sen. Ndlovu for raising this pertinent motion. Let us respect women. We know from the areas we come from, when it is time for campaigns, there is a lot of image tarnishing of women. There is a lot of hate speech and lies told about them so that they are removed from the voting race. Even those who were respecting the women in politics will end up not respecting the women because of the smear campaign. No-one bothers to ask if what they are hearing about the women is true or false. I plead with everyone to respect both our women and girl child in our country. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. M. DUBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity. I thank Hon. Sen. C. Ndlovu for bringing this motion to the House. This issue has been brought through a lot of channels and we will always bring it up in this House. The issue of a lot of girl children dropping out of schools due to gender based violence and rape as well as the Pfumvudza issue. What is lacking in our country is a deterrent law. The law is lenient to people that offend women. When someone assaults his wife and breaks her back, they are given a few weeks in jail and released. We always mention this issue but we have not had any way forward in terms of what should be done to people that abuse women. The other issue is that even when the police arrest the perpetrator, he is immediately released from prison whilst the woman remains suffering and nursing her bruises. The arm of the law should efficiently deal with people who abuse women effectively.
On children who drop out of school, some of these children do not do so voluntarily. Others drop out when they are doing Grade Seven after falling pregnant, meaning that there is no way the child can proceed as she automatically becomes a mother and due to her young age, she cannot deliver normally. A caesarean section would have to be conducted to deliver the baby. The future of the young girl has been disturbed as she could have been a future doctor or a nurse. A lot of lives are being disturbed due to rape. We pray that the long arm of the law stands firm. When doctors confirm that a child has been raped, the perpetrators should not be awarded with bail or parole. They should be served with long deterrent sentences of about 40 years because they are now threats to society and are like hungry lions that feed on their off spring.
As women, we are suffering and we pray that rape perpetrators are not given the option of a fine but should be given deterrent sentences to deter would be offenders. Women are always being raped. Even myself, if there are instances that I am not feeling well, it is impossible to keep forcing myself to eat because I can vomit the food that I would have eaten. As for rape, it is a permanent wound that one would live with for the rest of her life. We cry as women from different provinces of the country that the long arm of the law, through the intervention of Government, that everyone who is convicted of rape be given a long sentence. It is surprising that when one is convicted of assaulting a woman, he is given a sentence of about three years before being released but someone who is convicted of stock theft is sentenced for a period of up to nine years.
On the issue of Pfumvudza, we pray that as women we are equally equipped as our male counterparts and given adequate inputs so that we can also bring food to the table. Inputs are not supposed to be distributed based on gender. Women are also supposed to get these inputs because as women, we also prepare the land and do farming.
+HON. SEN. A. DUBE: I thank you Hon for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion brought forth by Hon Sen. Ndlovu. The report seeks to bring forth the abuse that women face daily I feel I should add my voice as a woman too. I will first mention on the gender based violence issue. Every day we read and hear of women who had been killed, mutilated and buried by a man in some area. What is of concern is the fact that some men take women as slaves because they would have married them, but women are equally important as men. They are both created in the image of the same God. Women are not even allowed in the homestead and are abused before their own children. When the matters of abuse are reported to the police, the woman is instructed to go and bring the husband to the police. How can this be possible because the husband will beat her up again? It is important that when a woman makes a report of being assaulted by the husband, the police should make follow-ups and then arrest the culprit because once the police do not take such issues seriously, women will continue to be abused.
Women are also abused at work places. There are situations where women are equally qualified with all the requisite academic documents but the company/organisation opts to hire the males. When women do not give in to the needs of the men in position, they are turned away. The men in influential positions demand to have sex with women first before hiring them. The law should take such issues into consideration and people who practice bad attributes should be punished also. Laws should be set aside to deal with such offences.
It should also be an offence to call a woman ‘that wife’, - it is better for her to be referred to as ‘that lady’. The other issue is that the girl child is being raped and being raped poses psychological problems that one would live with for their entire life. The problem with some parents is that when the girl child reports on rape cases, they want the offence to remain hidden. They encourage her to keep quiet and tell her that it will heal with time. This is not advisable because it destroys the future of the girl child.
Women in politics also face a lot of challenges due to shortage of resources, mainly in the form of funds. What happens is that influential men tend to pay other women to destroy the character of other women in politics. This is made possible due to the fact that even women in politics do not have money, so they are controlled by those who have money. At the end of the day, the other women who are in politics are not respected. There would be certain group of men that would have labeled her and encourages people not to respect her because people might like her. Women are now being used to fight against each other instead of supporting each other because they hold the majority of the votes.
There is also the issue of 50:50 which is not going to be effective because women are now being used to fight each other. There is now the issue of proportional representation, but women shun each other and call each other BACCOSI and they end up lacking confidence even to say a valid point. We urge women to support each other. We should learn to respect women in each and every branch. They should learn that women are also equally able to do duties that can be done by males.
Women are the ones with a higher vote. It is a challenge in the women because they have not gained total freedom. Even though there is freedom, others are still lagging behind pulling back saying do not respect such an individual because she is a woman. Even when it comes to banks, when a woman approaches the bank looking for loans she is supposed to give collateral and this collateral is impossible to get because every asset will be registered in the husband’s name. When consulting the husband, he will ask ‘what do you want to use the money for, you want to spend the money with other men’ and this makes the women fail to go on with the desired project.
We urge that there be mechanisms put in place that could assist women so that they can be able to get loans so that they can also support their families. We ask that the law be enforced that when it is found that a woman has been abused, the law should take its course regardless of who orchestrated this abuse. If it is the woman who has abused the children, let the woman be incarcerated and leave the children under the care of the father. If it is the other way around, let the man also go to prison and the children be left in the custody of the mother, but we find that women are the ones that are affected a lot and face a lot of abuse.
I was watching television yesterday and I found out that a 78 year old woman was raped yesterday. She passed away and the person is only going to be given a sentence of five years and will then be released. I suggest that people that commit such offences be given a sentence of life in prison. Being raped is something that is very painful. It affects the mind. I thank you for this opportunity Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: Thank you Mr. President. I thank the mover of the motion, Hon. Sen. Ndlovu. I was not fully focused when he initially started presenting the report. I then got back to my senses and refused to be left out on such an important issue that we are constantly debating about and it concerns the womenfolk. I am quite happy that it is the men that have moved this motion, even the seconder of the motion was a man who showed that he supports the objectives of women. I want also to thank them because as Women Caucus, these are the issues that we always discuss and we will be advocating for the increase in the number of women that are in positions of influence.
I want to urge womenfolk that are in this august House that we go back and teach the majority of the women who may not be aware of the fact that they are being oppressed by men. There are men who use women and they are being taken advantage of because of lack of knowledge. I urge you men not to just support us inside this august House of Parliament but also support us outside in our constituencies so that the women can also rise. This is why we have the issue of the 50:50 protocol. Even the Government talks about this. This came up in the Constitution and it was decided that there should be more women because there were very few women in these positions. Let us stand up and create awareness amongst women. Even in councils, the majority of them are men. When you ask as to why that is the prevailing condition, no one then answers. They need to understand these things. So we need assistance in that regard to ensure that all the women and men stand up and support women. Men should not give money to women so that they safeguard their positions, but they should go there and enlighten women. That is the crux of the matter.
Women should be educated because they just accept whatever comes from the men as the head of the house. We are now in an era where the Government is urging the woman to rise, to stand up and be counted as an equal person, as a person who has equal rights to the men. Women also liberated this country. They went to the liberation struggle and took up arms to liberate us. So we must stand up firm.
These two motions are similar in that we may tend to bring various information or the same information on issues of this motions but as women, I reiterate the same about the Government and that the Government is trying as much as possible to ensure that the women are treated fairly. We are forever moaning that men buy voters but the majority of the people in the communal lands are afraid to get loans. It is our duty as Senators to educate women that we should do things that sustain the womenfolk, that we should also raise money and be able to stand on our own feet. They should go to the women’s bank and get loans that were created for the purpose of developing women folk. So we should not forever be moaning that it is the men that have the money. We now have a chance to access loans from the bank. We should do that.
Senators I urge you to enlighten the womenfolk so that they can be able to stand and be counted on their own and compete on a fair platform with men. We are failing because we are not teaching our colleagues that they should go and get loans from the banks. I can now get a piece of land in my own name. Even the Pfumvudza Project is being done by the women mostly. We should take advantage of the project and inform women that if they are capable of executing the Pfumvudza Project they should then not fail to contest as participants in an election and that they should hold firm. Maybe they fail to get people that come to the communal lands to enlighten them.
So we saw men supporting the motion. I was quite grateful that they were the movers and seconders of this motion. Once it is done, we believe that that the chiefs, as they listen, we would also now have village kraal heads that are women. So it is the chieftainship that we have not heard that women are now chiefs but women can be village heads. I say so because I am a village head where I come from. If chiefs can appoint women village heads, why not appoint women to be councillors, chiefs or chairpersons to School Development Committees, and other authoritative positions. The majority of the points have been raised but I want to reiterate that as women in this august Senate, we must go out and encourage other women; we must not be coming to Parliament alone. Women must contest against men and win. With these few words, I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President.
*THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Sen. Femai please wear your mask while debating, this will help you and other Hon. Senators not to get infections.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President, I forgot to put on my mask as I stood up to debate. First and foremost, I would like to thank the mover of this motion and the seconder. Secondly, I thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to this important motion. It is quite a painful motion that involves women. Today, I would want people to know because some people do not know. I would want to make my stance clear as I relate to women. I respect women more than I respect men. Others may be taken back as to why I am making this statement that I respect women more than men. I observed that women are capable of ensuring that a lot of things are solved. If I die today and go to heaven and there is a queue and a woman is behind me, I will allow the woman to enter first, I will not enter heaven and leave a woman behind.
I am from Manicaland and you Mr. President are also from Manicaland. There is a saying that says ‘mhamba inonaka maamai mudhuze’ everyone is aware of this saying. It surprises me that when it gets to work, we do not say the same saying that work is easier when you are with a woman because we are robbing them of top positions. It is only when it comes to leisure and drinking that we want their presence. If beer tastes better in the company of a woman, when it comes to work, I must welcome the participation of women too and not say the top positions should be reserved for me and my nephew John only.
Women are well respected. All Hon. Senators in this Senate or all men at home, when our male children gets to thirty years without marrying, we start wondering and want to seek spiritual intervention why at thirty they are still single. It is not because they are unemployed, sick, he does not have riches and he has failed in school but it is because he has failed to marry at an acceptable age. This only shows the importance of having a wife. Once a son gets married, we do a traditional ceremony, people will be happy welcoming the bride into the family. This shows the importance of a woman in a man’s life.
I have not heard the father of a particular daughter throwing parties or doing traditional welcoming ceremonies to welcome a son-in-law but once a son brings a bride home, that is done to show the importance that is attached to a woman. People should know especially males that women have got a lot of strength and wisdom, many people might not observe this. If a woman was able to change the mind of the first man that is Adam, to an extent that he sinned against God after he had been given specific instructions not to do so, that shows wisdom coupled with power.
When I say they have power, if you go to pay a bride price, you sit outside the home of the would be bride and when invited in, you go into the home clapping our hands, bowing down your head to show respect. I am proud to say this and emphasise the importance of women because I have five daughters and a son. They are equally educated, and the son is married with 3 children. All the girl children are married and they have their own families. For me to have extra pocket money, it comes from my daughter. I even regret why I did not have 15 daughters. I leave with my son butit is on rare occasions that he cooks a meal. It is the wife who makes sure I am fed and she also takes the goodies to her parents. The girl child is knowledgeable and they rarely lose sight of their parents, they remember their roots. She always goes back home. People should respect the girl child.
I cannot conclude without coming up with a resolution or a recommendation to this matter. It is my plea to this august House that when this motion is concluded, it should indicate that as the Upper House we are in agreement that a woman should be given due respect. A woman should be respected by everyone else as is done by Hon. Sen. Femai. I would want the recommendation to be worded accordingly. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. MPOFU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion which was brought by Hon. Ndhlovu. This is a very important motion which is mainly focusing on us as women. There is an issue he touched on which talks about the provision of intellect women and that women are left outside. A lot of us women do not understand what is meant by intellect, even us here in this House do not understand what it is. We have received some information pertaining to intellect but there are people there in the rural areas who do not understand. Some do not even know how to operate a phone especially these smart phones.
Nowadays, even banks have gone paperless; they only use ATM cards for paying bills and purchasing goods. However, a lot of women especially those from the rural areas do not know how to use these services. Banks are also working hand in hand with cell phones using the e-wallet or e-banking which also a lot of women in the rural areas do not know how to operate. Again, some of these folks in the rural areas receive money from their children abroad but they also do not know what to do because they have not been taught on how to operate these mobile platforms or ICT gadgets.
It is my wish that all schools in the rural areas have computers and that adult lessons are conducted in these schools so that they can also learn how to operate these ICT gadgets. Money is being stolen from old people because they share their phones and bank credentials to the youngsters who end up stealing all the money. Therefore, it is my plea that the elderly should be trained or conscientised about the use of e-banking or mobile wallets.
Another issue which was brought by Hon. Sen. Ndhlovu is the issue of violence against women. A lot of women are not aware that there is now an Act that states what women who have been subjected to abuse are supposed to do. I also do not blame men since some of them do not even know that they will be actually abusing women or violating their rights because of cultural or traditional customs.
It is also important that the law enforcement agencies should go out and educate people on gender based violence so as to curb these rampant gender based violence cases. This topic should also be introduced in schools so that our children are made aware of gender based violence and the enacted laws regarding it. They should be taught that women are supposed to be treated with respect because they deserve a lot of respect just like the men do.
Another issue which was mentioned was on widows. These are being abused a lot. When the husband dies, the in-laws from the man’s side takes all the property which rightfully belongs to the bereaved widow and her children. Because most of the women do not know their rights, they lose all the property and suffer with the children to the extent of even failing to send the children to school.
Our laws should be loud and clear enough that when the husband passes on, the surviving spouse should be in a position to continue raising the children without any interference from the relatives. Sometimes you find these widows being chased away from their matrimonial homes by the relatives saying the person you had come for is now deceased.
As Senators, we should make sure that our legislation protects the women and their welfare. They suffer because they fail to find someone to confide in pertaining to the burdens they are facing within the family because the family will only be interested in taking all the property that the husband acquired whilst he survived.
When enacting laws, we should also consider that these laws are in the interest of widows that they should be protected and their wills be protected. There are relatives that become a nuisance after the husband passes on. It is really disturbing, especially for women that someone just emerges after the husband has died and the woman did not know anything but someone just comes when it comes to the issue of property. The woman is chased away or sidelined because it is said the property belongs to the man and the woman has no say.
There are women in the society called the health workers who go around assisting and taking care of people who are not feeling well in the rural communities. These women take their time but they are not getting any remuneration for their services from the Government. These village health workers assist a lot especially at hospital level. We plead that they be given something in the form of remuneration so that they remain motivated to work without any disgruntlements.
There is also the issue of climate change. At times it takes time before we have good rains and there will be drought but the person who is most affected is the woman. In such times, we should pay close attention to climate change. During these times of drought, let it be the women who are assisted because they are the ones that make sure that the family is fed. If there are food parcels that are issued, let them be issued to them because they are the ones that are worried about what they are going to feed the family at the end of the day. All these issue which are brought by climate change affect women a lot.
Pertaining to the issue of the work plan, when it is time to wind up the motion Hon. Ndlovu, we would wish that the Minister be present. He is supposed to come here and hear what the Senators are saying. We do not want it to end just as a report. We want the Minister to come forth and hear the recommendations that we have brought forth as the Senate. It is important that if there are such reports, they come and also hear what we are saying, such that there could be development in the future rather than for them just being reports that are read and no action is taken. We are also pushing that the Minister be present. Thank you.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: I thank you Hon. Sen. Ndlovu for raising this motion which quite hurts me because of the rape that is being perpetrated on women. There was a hospital that was raided by three men who raped women and the other one was on the waiting list about to deliver. I wonder why one would be so callous to go to the maternity ward where people about deliver and rape them. Such culprits should be arrested, convicted and given stiff penalties. They should not be audacious to the extent of going to a hospital and rape a woman who is about to give birth. It is quite painful. I feel very emotional about it and I am almost in tears because of such wayward behavior. I do not know how best I can show my displeasure to such behavior. I am quite hurt by this. There are a lot of women that are also being hurt by this story.
There is also the issue of early child marriages –
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Order Hon. Sen. Chifamba. I need to correct the direction of the debate on the motion which was raised by Hon. Sen. Ndlovu. Primarily, it is on the report of the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women’s Full and Effective Participation in Decision Making in Public Life. The second part is about the Elimination of Violence for Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls. So I think we need to remain within the parameters of the two main issues which have been raised by this report.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Thank you Mr. President. Well, I had seen that on the report it talked about child marriages.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT: You may proceed but the earlier part of your debate was a bit offside. It was not strictly within the parameter of the report which Hon. Sen. C. Ndlovu raised.
(v)*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Coming to the political arena, widows, single women and disabled women are being disadvantaged when it comes to election time. They are called names, despite being called names, these women are capable of leading. We thank the Government for giving us the reserved seats that are there for the women who are Members of Parliament. Women are capable and should be treated equally. If she wants to be a councilor or Member of Parliament, she should be free to do so.
I observed that there are a lot of people who are disabled that are very knowledgeable. There are also single women who are called a lot of names in the various constituencies which they live such that they will be unable to bring themselves forward as candidates in the election. As women, we should also feel for each other and support one another instead of pulling each other down because some women are even paid to run a smear campaign against their fellow women. If I am single or a widow, it does not mean that I am a prostitute. I am just as good as any other woman who might be in a marriage relationship. Therefore, I should be able to stand in my own right as a councilor or as a Member of Parliament. These smear campaigns trend so much on social media and most of the time the women will not be following social media. So, once the electorate has heard these smear campaigns and when you put your hat in the ring for the 2023 elections, you do not have support because they look upon you as a prostitute and hence they would not want you to lead them. These smear campaigns are even done regardless of the relevance to the campaign that will be taking place. Let the ground be fair and allow women to stand for election as councillors and MPs as well as other decision making positions in various professions. Women that have the qualifications and deserve such posts should occupy such positions.
Violence may be visited upon a prospective woman candidate even from their family or in-laws. One woman stood for councillor and won and there was violence in the home to a stage where the woman lost her life. I may be a woman but with better brains than a man so violence should not be used to settle issues. We have different callings and I might be much more intelligent than you as a man. Thank you for the opportunity.
+HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. M. R. DUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday 22nd July, 2021.
MOTION
ENFORCEMENT OF PENALTIES ON THEFT OF LIVESTOCK
HON. SEN. A DUBE: I move the motion in my name that this House:
MINDFUL that livestock production is the pillar of economic growth among communal farmers in Zimbabwe;
ALSO MINDFUL that livestock provide meat, draught power and are a symbol of security and wealth for most families in the country;
DISTURBED by the diabolical practice of livestock theft to satisfy the selfish gains of criminal individuals;
CONCERNED that the unabated criminal activities by such social misfits does not only reverse the progressive gains of our communities but plunges our communities into abject poverty as these thieves operate day and night;
NOW, THEREFORE, calls upon:
- The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to enforce penalties that apply whenever livestock has been stolen.
- The Judicial System to ensure that those found guilty of stealing livestock be brought to book regardless of their social and economic standing.
- Parliament to legislate for more stringent penalties to discourage all those contemplating engaging in such heinous and despicable activities.
HON. SEN. S. MPOFU: I second.
+HON. SEN. A DUBE: Thank you for affording me the opportunity to raise my motion with regards to stock theft. We are aware that domestic livestock is very important. It is our wealth and the wealth of farmers because livestock is like a bank which you can draw from so that you clear school fees arrears and you buy food. However, when you look at what is happening on the ground, there is a lot of stock theft. People continue pilfering livestock and kill other people’s livestock to sell. Some even break into other people’s farms cutting down wires, which in turn has affected the livelihoods of farmers. This disturbs farmers a lot and we notice that the cattle provide meat to farmers while some sell their cattle to butcheries while others till their land using draught power.
Sometimes when they apply for loans, they use the cattle as surety. Those are the different challenges that they may be facing. Livestock is very important. When Zimbabwe was liberated, it was done so that people could till their land and rear their livestock. So, it is important that livestock be protected in such a way that it will benefit their families. Some fail to take their children to school because of stock theft, be it donkeys or cattle. Stock theft is now rampant. People do not respect other people’s livestock. They steal and sell the livestock despite the fact that they do not own livestock. For example, in region 4 and 5, livestock is the peoples’ wealth because most areas are arid and not arable so they rely on rearing livestock. So, people bank on their livestock which is their wealth.
Unfortunately some people do not respect that setup and they break into other people’s kraals and steal the livestock to sell and you find them buying beer and other things. This only benefits fools but not the owner of the livestock. We have noted that stock theft is now rampant and is being spearheaded by people who specialise in stock theft. They wait for the sun to set and they cut the farm fence to enable them to steal the livestock. This just does not affect individuals but it also affects the economy of the nation. This culminates in people being poor.
Stock theft is something which is wide spread especially in the Nyamadhlovu farms where people are losing their cattle daily. Some people just use axes to kill the cattle and they just leave them like that. As a farmer, you do have an option and sometimes you are just forced to throw away that cow because you do not even know what happened to it. So, it seems the law is not punitive enough. It is painful to note that as a farmer who owns livestock, at times you face challenges like diseases that affect livestock. That is better but sometimes you find people stealing other people’s livestock. They just benefit without sweating for those livestock.
Our desire is for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to ensure that perpetrators of such crimes are arrested because we find that there is a lot of stock theft in different areas. This information is for public consumption, so law enforcement agents should arrest those who steal livestock. The courts proffer stiffer penalties to perpetrators so that those who are incarcerated are deterred from committing the same crime. This would make people realise and fear the law because you cannot wake up every night to monitor your livestock because there is the risk of being attacked by thieves. My plea is for the law to take its course and impose stiffer penalties.
Parliament should promulgate laws that are stiff enough to discourage stock theft. For example, if you lose cattle through different diseases or different ways, some people severely affected that they also die due to stress. We also use livestock as a form of dowry or lobola payment. Some people end up being hypertensive after experiencing stock theft, hence stiffer penalties should be imposed to discourage thieves from stealing livestock. This will culminate in a situation whereby people will respect livestock. Some people steal livestock not knowing that this is other people’s wealth where they rely on and are banking for their future and the future of their families. You just break into their kraals and steal their livestock despite not having worked for that wealth.
Even our elders used to say that stealing livestock is like bloodshed. So this is taboo and that is the reason why we see different diseases being found because people do not respect other people’s livestock, hence they kill other people’s livestock.
I do not have much Madam President but I thought that I should add a few words because I am talking about livestock and it is important for people to respect other people’s livestock. Those who perpetrate such crimes should be incarcerated and be given stiffer penalties. We have been receiving a lot of reports on stock theft – some people steal goats and others cattle. You find people stealing goats, slaughtering them overnight and serving stolen meat to their children. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. S. MPOFU: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to support the motion that was tabled by Hon. Sen. A. Dube which is rather a painful motion because stock theft is rampant in different communities and farms. Losing cattle after rearing and banking on your livestock, expecting it to be your livelihood towards the sustainability of your children’s education and household economy is very painful. The pilfering of cattle and goats is now something that is prevalent. You will find people killing other people’s livestock and selling at different points. My desire is for those people who sell meat to be punished because this is really painful to the livestock owners.
Livestock such as cattle is very important and has a significant role in rural areas, especially as draught power for tilling land. When you lose your cattle then it means that you do not have draught power and you cannot till your land for subsistence farming. Some people use their cattle as collateral for securing loans from banks or buying something. This is because we do not have stiff penalties. It is important to have punitive laws that will set an example to those who are still in communities because some people are arrested for just a short period of time before you find them being reintegrated into society. This sometimes leads to people stealing cattle and taking them to different areas where people do not know them. They do not arrest the people because they do not know whether the people who are doing that are owners or not. This is because there are no longer security fences around different farms and around different roads to prevent the movement of livestock. There were red zones in different zones which were meant to monitor the movement of livestock. Even the police should be given the powers to arrest those who are found perpetrating such crimes. They must be capacitated and given vehicles to move around so that they investigate cases of stock theft. The police should be found educating the rural communities on livestock rearing.
Livestock should be branded properly so that when livestock is stolen, the owner can then identify because every homestead should have a different brand. Some brand through the cutting of ears. It is unfortunate that this can be universal in other communities but proper branding is unique. So Madam President, I advocate for stiffer penalties for stock theft. Such penalties should be punitive enough to discourage other potential stock thieves. As Parliament, the onus is upon us to enact punitive laws. I thank you Madam President.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: Madam President I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 22nd July, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 8 to 13 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day Number 14 has been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) ON VELD FIRE MANAGEMENT
Fourteenth Order Read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Veld Fire Management.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. CHIEF MTSHANE: Thank you Madam President for giving me the privilege to wind up this report from the Thematic SDG Committee on veld fire management.
Madam President, I would like to thank all the Hon. Members who contributed or who debated this report needless for me to mention them one by one but I am sure we all agree that the debates were very lively. There were several issues that were raised by your Committee, Madam President, and your Hon. Members, but I would only like to comment on one or two of them.
The first one that I would like to comment on is the question of absent landlords particularly on A2 resettlement farms where those farms are not providing any veld fire guards, as a result fires start from there and destroy all the properties and the environment. Maybe still on the same destruction of the environment and the properties I think it is important, Madam President, to note that it is a legal requirement for all the farmers to provide protection against veld fires in their properties and not only to protect your own property but to protect properties of your neighbours as well. I think we have a slogan that says we must not leave anyone behind, but on the protection from veld fires, we seem to be leaving other people behind. So I think we should adopt the same slogan that we should not leave anyone behind.
There was another concern from the Hon. Members and the Committee, that concern was the fines and the penalties that do with perpetrators of veld fire; it was not deterrent enough. I think it is the responsibility of this Senate to pass punitive laws that will prevent or deter the would be perpetrators of veld fires so the responsibility lies with this Hon. Senate to pass deterrent sentences.
I want to also compliment the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry for going right down to the grassroots level to pass the message on how to prevent veld fires although veld fires are common, people must know how to prevent them. I would like to compliment or congratulate the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement particularly EMA, which has done a wonderful job in conscientising our communities at grassroots level.
Madam President, although the Hon. Minister is not here to respond to the issues that were raised by your Committee and your Hon. Senators, it is my belief that he is going to respond to these issues at his own time. I think it is important for him to be advised by those who advise ministers that this Senate would expect him to respond to the issues so that we can have way forward. Having said that Madam President, please allow me to move that this motion be adopted.
Motion that this House takes note of the report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Veld Fire Management, put and adopted.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. MATHUTHU, the Senate adjourned at One Minute Past Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 20th July, 2021
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
NON-ADVERSE REPORTS RECEIVED FROM THE
PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that I have received Non-Adverse Reports from the Parliamentary Legal Committee on the following Bills and Statutory Instruments:
- Cyber and Data Protection Bill [H. B. 18A, 2019];
- Independent Complaints Commission Bill [H. B. 5, 2021];
- Forests Amendment Bill [H. B. 19A, 2021]; and
- All Statutory Instruments published in the Gazette during the month of June 2021.
HON. T. MOYO: I rise on a point of national interest. The issue is so important and it concerns $1.5bn that cotton farmers are being owed by the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe. The issue was brought to this House end of April and the Hon Minister of Finance and Economic Development, together with the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, agreed that cotton farmers were going to expeditiously receive their payment, but now they have waited for more than three months. From April to July, they have not received any payment. Mr. Speaker Sir, I am appealing to your office to ask the Hon. Minister of Finance to come and apprise this House on why there are delays in disbursement of funds to cotton farmers. If cotton farmers are not paid in time, my fear is cotton production is going to decline drastically, and that is going to affect the economy because cotton is the second biggest crop in terms of bringing exports. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. I suggest you deal
with the matter expeditiously tomorrow by asking that question to the Hon. Minister of Finance so that it is dealt with immediately.
HON. TONGOFA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I rise on a
point of national interest. We noticed that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) and Ministry of Finance introduced the 50 dollar note denomination for convenience of buyers and businesses. However, the effects of the higher denomination are that as soon as the higher denomination is introduced, the smaller denominations are now denied in the market. I would like to know what the RBZ is doing to ensure that the public do not deny the smaller denominations. Currently, people are rejecting 10 dollar note. Previously they denied the five dollar note and all this starts from Harare. I wonder whether they are doing enough to ensure that the phenomenon does not occur each time they add a new denomination.
We see other nations like South Africa, they have 1 rand, 2 rand, 5 rand, 10 rand, 20 rand up to 200 rand as denominations but here we only have 50 dollar which was introduced and the five dollar note has disappeared. The 10 dollar already is now being attacked, it is no longer accepted in the market. We just wonder what they are doing. The source of that issue here, in this city, from Mbare - that is where it starts. I wonder what they are doing as the monetary authority to ensure that such a phenomenon does not occur each time they add a higher denomination in the market. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: A very good observation, but I
think raise it tomorrow with the Hon. Minister of Finance so that we get some form of debate.
HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of
privilege is on the promise which Parliament promised us. In 2018, we were promised constituency offices which were to be manned by degreed people and everybody clapped hands in here. Now, three years down the line, zero. Mr. Speaker, in rural constituencies it is very difficult to operate with no place to be found. Some stay very far and for that person to travel from that far to come to my home, is difficult.
So we should have constituency offices, even if they are not manned by degreed people, we do not mind. We will put our own people so that when I am here and someone visits my office, he will speak to whoever is there, then when I am back to the constituency, I attend to that. I know you as an urgent person Mr. Speaker but I do not know why on this one. I am appealing to you sir. It is two years, yes but we need those offices. I propose that Parliament engage the Minister of Local Government who superintends over all councils so that we get offices from councils. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon.
Tekeshe. I do not know why you want to slaughter the Hon. Speaker in this august House, when his offices are quite open for discussions, and the office of the Clerk as well. What has happened is the fiscal space created mbira dzakondo, which we are trying to untie. Only last week, I was discussing with the Clerk of Parliament to say even if we do not have sufficient funds, let us start with prototype offices for constituencies, at least one office in each province. I like the idea of approaching local authorities, but we have gone further to also approach the private sector, they might have some building which they can make available to Members of Parliament for use as constituency offices.
I am aware of one Hon. Member who has come to that
arrangement and established his constituency office there. Meanwhile, even if we establish these constituencies, you are talking of distances. The distances will still occur, even if you put that structure centrally in your constituency - people have to travel. Now we are in a digital economy, I urge you to create platforms using your cellphones and the gadgets that Parliament gave you, so that you are on line with members of your electorate from wherever they are. That is feasible, you do not have to wait for the structure. That is a moving office in any case and it is very successful if properly constituted. There may be challenges here and there where there are problems of internet; but if you create those platforms, meanwhile, I am sure you should in conversation with the electorate except for areas where the internet may be a problem and for the elderly as well.
So, we are seized with the matter and I am hoping that before the end of this Ninth Parliament, we shall have established at least one constituency office in the ten provinces of our country. When budget time comes, I hope you will be so vociferous in ensuring that we have a very healthy budgetary allocations for constituency offices in the Tenth Parliament – [AN HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjection.] – It is not far away after all. I will pray for you to come back and I will also talk to the “masvikiros.”
(v)HON. CHIMINA: I want to raise a point of privilege.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Please proceed.
(v)HON. CHIMINA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of
privilege is with regards to the CDF disbursements. It is taking too long to disburse the CDF, so we will not be able to finish off our proposed projects due to inflation. I appeal to your office to help us. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You have a committee responsible for
that, chaired by the Deputy Clerk Ms. Dingani. You should have addressed yourself to that committee. All those that have come up with well-defined projects have got their money. So, the delay I think is on your side. You did not come up with the projects on time. About 75% or 80% of Members who have brought in their projects have got their money.
(v)HON. NDIWENI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of privilege is in relation to the data bundles package purchasing for Hon. Members. I would like to applaud Parliament and commend them for that gesture. However Mr. Speaker Sir, some of us in different constituencies have a problem with the NetOne connectivity. I am pleading through your office that if Parliament could avail Econet data bundles as well, where NetOne data bundles are not helpful. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. We will look into the
matter but there is a Standing Order that invites Hon. Members who have problems with their data bundles to approach the ICT Department to get corrective action.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I move that
Orders of the Day, Number s1 to 5 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Orders of the Day, Numbers 6 and 11 have been disposed of.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RESUSCITATION OF THE ECONOMY THROUGH DOMESTIC
RESOURCE MOBILISATION
HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to move the motion standing in my name that this House;
MINDFUL that domestic resource mobilisation is essential in ameliorating the burden of repayment of overdue debts and bringing about normalcy in the resuscitation of the economic sector in the country;
ACKNOWLEDGING the inalienable rights of the people to better
living conditions through the utilisation of their country’s diverse mineral resources such as the untapped lucrative coal bed methane gas which still lies untapped in Lupane yet it can generate millions of revenue to the State;
COGNISANT that the natural methane gas reserves in Lupane which were discovered several decades ago have the potential to strengthen the economy of the country in a very short time by boosting the energy generation capacity;
FURTHER COGNISANT that Zimbabwe is not a party to the
Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), a global standard for the good governance of mineral resources which seeks to address the key governance issues in the extractive sector;
NOW, THEREFORE, CALLS upon the Executive to;
- Expeditiously find a reliable investor to convene operation on the methane gas resources on a Build-Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis.
- Prioritise the engagement of locals in this project in view of their background knowledge of the prevailing conditions in the area.
- Consider joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) as a matter of urgency in view of the benefits that can be accrued along the value chain starting from the point of extraction right up to where government generates revenue.
HON. GABBUZA: I second.
HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir.
First of all, I would like to thank you for affording me this opportunity to move the motion which is before us.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to begin by emphasising that Domestic Resource Mobilisation is a process whereby countries are supposed to raise and spend their own resources to provide for their citizens. It is also a long term trajectory towards sustainable development.
When Sustainable Development Goals were established in 2015, it was realised that support from Development Partners was never going to be enough, hence the reason why countries were encouraged to step up their efforts in raising domestic resources to cater for five key SDGs, which are education, health, roads, electricity and water.
Mr. Speaker Sir, domestic resource mobilisation does not only provide countries with resources in order to alleviate poverty and give people a better life but it also helps countries to move out of donor dependence.
Mr. Speaker Sir, development is the ability of a country to satisfy the needs of the people using its own resources. The needs being food, shelter, health, education, water and sanitation among others. It is therefore critical for countries to make sure that they raise and spend their own resources in providing for these needs.
Domestic resource mobilisation is also key for economic growth and poverty eradication. It is also key in providing resources to clear our debts. As Zimbabwe, we are sitting on a debt of about US$10 billion. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is clear that we might not be able to clear that debt any time soon. At the same time, we might leave a debt burden to our great grand children. This is pointing to the importance of mobilising resources domestically.
Zimbabwe is a very rich country which is endowed with enormous mineral resources such as gold, diamond, platinum, gold and coal-bed methane gas among the 60 minerals we have in this country. The sad reality though is that there is absolutely nothing to show that we have such mineral resources as the majority of Zimbabweans are living in abject poverty.
Lupane District, one area which has one such mineral resource out of the 60 which remains untapped. It is a district which is surrounded by a sea of poverty whilst at the same time, it has got this lucrative mineral resource coal-bed methane gas. This project has seen a lot of ribbon cutting events to kick start it. This mineral resource is worth billions of dollars and has a potential of generating thousands of jobs in line with NDS 1 which anticipates creating at least 760 000 formal jobs in five years.
This project has been on the cards for a long time now and was granted a National Project Status in 2007 and the sad reality is that up to now, 14 years later, nothing has come out except for talk only. It is high time Government moves away from what I call NATO: ‘No Action but
Talk Only’. According to findings, Zimbabwe’s gas reserves are estimated to be more than those of other countries in the region. It is estimated that Zimbabwe has more than 40 trillion Cubic Feet of potentially recoverable gas in Lupane-Lubimbi area. This is a clear indication that we are sitting on billions of dollars.
This project will guarantee investment in Poverty Eradication, Education, Health, Job Creation and Economic Development particularly in Lupane District in line with the Devolution Agenda where power must be devolved to local communities to facilitate equal development. This project is a massive investment that will, to a large extent, transform the Zimbabbwe economy in synch with Vision 2030 where Government envisages achieving an Upper-Middle Income Economy Status. Methane gas is mostly used for power generation and fertilizer production.
First of all, I would like to talk about power generation. The truth of the matter is that we have an energy crisis in Zimbabwe. This is so because our grid is unable to generate enough electricity to meet the national demand. At the same time, we cannot pay for adequate power imports owing to foreign currency shortages. Meanwhile, the total demand for electricity is currently around 2030 megawatts, whereas the supply is only around 1200 megawatts; meaning we have a deficit of around 1830 megawatts, hence the reason why we are importing 35% of Zimbabwe Power from South African and Mozambique. On the other hand, most of the people in rural areas use firewood for cooking, causing deforestation. According to the Forestry Commission, Zimbabwe is losing about 330 000 hectares of forests annually. If the situation continues without being addressed, we will end up with no forest at all.
This is pointing to the urgent need for Government to develop a clear strategy on how to extract gas in Lupane-Lubimbi area. Methane gas is only used for the production of fertilizer. The sad reality is that currently we are importing fertilizer. In 2020, Zimbabwe imported fertilizer to the tune of US$235 million. This money can build up to
2350 schools at a cost of USD100 000 each and this will translate into 180 schools in all the 13 districts in Matabeleland North and about 12 schools in each of the 193 wards in Matabeleland North. This will result in children not having to walk for more than 5 km every day going to school.
I am raising these issues to demonstrate the urgent need for the extraction of coal-bed methane gas in Lupane-Lubimbi area. It is therefore of paramount importance that this project is kick-started so that we stop importing fertilizer and energy spending billions of dollars which can be invested in other areas such as education, health, water and sanitation just to mention a few. In view of this, I am therefore calling on Government as a matter of urgency, to look for a big investor on a Build Operate and Transfer (B.O.T) agreement so that the investor deposits about 10-15 billion USD to the country and be allowed to harvest the gas for about 20-25 years and then transfer to Government.
Priority must be given to locals like Mr. Strive Masiyiwa because they understand our situation very well and recently, he became the first black billionaire to break into the Sunday Times Rich list. This 10-15 billion dollars project must be injected into agriculture, manufacturing and mining sectors which will in turn, boost our economy and generate the much needed jobs and foreign currency. This money will also be used to clear our debt arrears so that we start to operate a normal economy.
Development is not Rocket Science, but development is about copying from others. It is about discovering what others did to improve their economies. It is high time we discover what other countries did with their mineral resources in building strong economies. A case in point is Angola. They looked for a big investor for their oil on a B.O.T. basis but look at where they are now. Dubai was a desert but look at what they did with their oil. They turned their country into an attraction for everyone because they took advantage of their God given mineral resource.
Zimbabwe used to be the Jewel of Africa. It used to be the bread basket of Africa. It used to be the envy of the whole world. We want Zimbabwe to return to its former glory and this can only happen if we expand our energy in finding a big investor who will start to tap into the untapped lucrative coal-bed methane gas in Lupane-Lubimbi area so that it changes the fortunes of Zimbabwe in order for our beautiful country to become great again and give every Zimbabwean a better life. Let us take advantage of our God given mineral resource.
In order to get maximum profit from our God given resources, it is of great importance that mechanisms be put in place to ensure that there is transparency in the extraction of this particular lucrative mineral resource. There is an urgent need for Zimbabwe to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (E.I.T.I.) a global standard for the good governance of mineral resources.
Once we become a member of the ( E.I.T.I.) there is going to be guarantee of information along the value chain beginning with the point of extraction to how the revenue gets to Government and how it is ploughed back to the communities. This will have a multiplier effect in that we are all going to benefit from our God given mineral resources
That same revenue gets to Government and how that same revcenue is ploughed back to the communities. Once that happens, there is going to be a multiplier effect such that we are all going to enjoy our God given mineral resource.
I would like to conclude by saying there is not even a single person who was born poor. Every person was born with their own potential but people are poor because of institutions that are built by Government.
People are poor because of systems that are created by Government.
People are poor because of policies that are formulated by Government. Mr. Speaker Sir, if Government was to build good institutions, create good systems and formulate good policies, every person will be able to explore their potential and have capacity to cultivate personal growth and the growth of their countries towards the developmental path. I therefore would like to urge Government to please build good strong institutions around this project. Can you please create good systems of governance around this project? Can you please formulate good investor policies around this project so that we attract a big investor who will come and invest in this big mineral resource and give us billions of dollars? This will transform this economy so that it becomes a giant once more and that every person in this country has a better life.
Lastly, I hope and trust that Government will give priority to this project which has been on the cards for a long time so that it moves away from being just a dream but becomes reality. Government must walk the talk and talk the walk in regards to this project. Within six months, we want to see something happening in Lupane. We want to see gas oozing out Mr. Speaker Sir.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to end by a quote from our great icon, the late Tata Madiba who said “It always seems impossible until it is done”. Yes, it might seem impossible to find a big investor who will kick start the long awaited project, but the bottom line is that it can be done, yes, it can. We can get an investor to come and invest in this lucrative project which has been lying idle without being tapped. We want an investor to tap into the untapped lucrative methane gas so that we create billions of dollars, we create jobs for our people, and that every Zimbabwean will have a better life. I rest my case, (HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.)
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, let me thank Hon. Dr. Khupe for a good and progressive motion. When Hon. Dr. Khupe asked me to second this motion I thought this was indeed a motion in its rightful place. The issues about methane gas in Lupane stand to directly benefit my Constituency which is just a few kilometers from Lupane. Be that as it may, clearly, the gas is not located in Lupane alone because it spreads all through the Zambezi Valley.
Mr. Speaker, let me start by explaining exactly what we are missing as a country. The potential we are losing as a country, sometimes we miss the forests for the trees or the other way round.
Methane gas is the future, but as a country we do not seem to see that. What is methane gas, we should appreciate that minerals exist as families. Where there is methane gas, there is likely to be oil. Where there is oil there is likely to be coal and where there is coal there is likely to be diamonds because all these minerals are from one chemical element carbon.
Diamond is a product of carbon just as good as coal so diamond is allotropy of coal, they are made of the same element. What only differs is the fact that there are certain factors that are important. If you take coal and push it further into high temperatures and high pressure, it is likely to become diamonds, the same coal where it exists, gives you oil and gas. These are potentials that we are seeing which the country is just leaving untapped.
What is the situation about gas, the truth is coal, gas, all these are carboniferous minerals, they are a product of sedimentation of a lot of organic matter over a long time. In the geological time, it is supposed to be around 340 million years ago. It is believed that many forests in valleys, after the forest there was a lot of ice melted from the north and all the forests in the tropics were buried in swamps and where were these swamps, wherever there was a valley.
So, effectively, it means that as country there is a potential to get coal, gas, oil and diamonds within the whole of the Zambezi Valley, no wonder why within Lupane, Hwange and Muzarabani, all those areas are potential for those four minerals. The same with the South Eastern Low veld, but as a country we have done very little exploration in those areas. These are the potentials that as a country we must look forward and ensure that we quickly tap and invest resources in those areas because they are not tapped.
There are various countries in this world which have benefitted immensely from the mineral gas as rightly indicated by Hon. Dr. Khupe.
Within Africa, I think it is everyone’s knowledge that countries like Angola they get almost 75% of their annual income from only oil and no other substantial minerals. We have various other countries like Egypt, Algeria, have a lot of oil and gas.
Hon. Dr. Khupe clearly indicated that there is a lot of benefits ….
Hon. Mukaratigwa and Hon. Dr. Nyashanyu having been talking above their voices.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order, Hon. Mukaratigwa and Hon. Dr. Nyashanu, when a fellow Hon. Member is on the floor, you must respect the Hon. Member and not talk above your voices. Hon. Dr.
Nyashanu itai nyasha dza Mwari.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, like has been
indicated, there are a lot of multiple effects and multiple benefits from the existence of that gas. So many subsidiary industries will definitely arise out of the mining of gas. Clearly the petrochemical industry and the energy sector as clearly indicated. As you we all know, this country is short of energy - 2000 megawatts at most is what we need currently with our depressed industry. If the industry - as we are aspiring for the 2030 Middle Income Economy, it is believed that from studies we need about 9000 megawatts. At Lupane alone there is potential to put up a gas fired power station which can generate that amount of energy – 9 000. Currently, we are wasting time dealing with coal and yet we know that coal is one of the dirtiest energies that the whole world is condemning and the whole world is moving towards green energies.
One of the green energies is that coal bed methane which could be of advantage to us if we explored it and like I indicated, is the energy of the future. Mr. Speaker, the millennium development goals requires that by 2030 world over, all countries must aspire to have an energy mix, it has at least more than 90% green energy….
HON. MUCHIMWE: On a point of order.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Muchimwe, can you be orderly and listen to the contribution by Hon. Gabbuza? Please proceed.
HON. GABBUZA: Mr. Speaker, I was indicating that once we develop that sector, we are automatically moving into the world requirement of having a better energy mix with a lot of green energies provided by the coal bed methane gas powered energy station. What are the problems at Lupane? I think there are four critical problems that the Government must address. Since 2000 when Dr. Paul Tromp, a lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe discovered the availability of coal bed methane in the Zambezi very little has been done. Studies have indicated that we need to verify the quantities before any investor can come. We need to verify the quantities of the gas underground. How do you do that? You have to sink several boreholes and to date, only five boreholes were sunk to establish how much but we need a lot more than
that.
The last financial figures since 2000 if I remember very well, it was that the country required just US$5 million to try, establish and to verify the quantities of gas that exist in Lupane but since 2000 Mr. Speaker, this country has failed to raise US$5 million which I do not think is correct. We have just not been interested because there is no way as a country we can fail to raise US$5 million for such an important project. Look at Muzarabani; for that verification of the existence of oil in that area, we need just US$11 million and Government has not been able to provide US$11 million to establish that. How much is US$11 million? If it was in my part of the country, it is about 10 elephants to get US$5 million to do the Lupane. So it is not a question of not really failing to raise the US$5 million but just lack of interest or maybe failure to understand the importance of that.
Secondly, one of our major problems as a country is the failure to read the international development trends. What do I mean by that? Mr. Speaker, the whole world is moving into green energy but we are moving going to where others are coming from leaving this very important issue. There are so many examples that we can cite where our Government has failed to understand the world trends. When everyone else was going into cellphones, the Government was busy building the sorting office for letters at the airport there and now it has become white elephant. They were busy building a lot of post offices all over – new post offices like Lupane, Siyazunde and every other district and all have become white elephants because we did not read the world trends where the world was going.
Mr. Speaker, I was watching a documentary yesterday, the world over, they are saying by 2030 they would have banned automobile vehicles using petrol chemical engines, these internal combustion chamber engines, the normal vehicles that we know using petrol and diesel. What are we doing as a country to prepare for that? People are moving into electric vehicles because Toyota and Nissan have announced that in the next three years they will stop manufacturing the normal standard ordinary vehicles that we are using, they will be moving to electric energy vehicles. What are we doing? We are leaving Kamativi which has a lot of lithium that would be required. There are other mines that are going to be potential for the production of lithium. They are all not developed and yet in the next three years that would be a big economic booster and requirement for the world to grow because all vehicles will now be running on electrical energy. We are busy constructing filling stations for the product which is going to be banned very soon. Britain, Russia and Europe have said by 2030 they would have stopped manufacturing those vehicles but we are not preparing ourselves for that.
Mr. Speaker, I think one of our major problems as a country is failure to read the international trends where things are moving to. People are saying methane gas is green energy. That is the way to go but we are just sitting on it, unexplored and nothing is being done. I think this has very serious indictment on the Government. One other problem is the way we operate in the line ministries. One company wanted to start up the exploration of gas and they were charged levies of $16 million by the Ministry of Mines. Well, we need those levies but if you are going to charge $16 million before the investor has put in even any money, has even recouped a single cent, he is still in the exploration but you already want $16 million. Who will come to your country to invest? That resource will remain untapped.
The issue of policy inconsistencies, right now, we are not sure where that falls, where gas fall. Is it the Ministry of Energy, is it Ministry of Mines? Even if we knew where it was; if an investor came there are no regulations, there is no policy which governs gas yet if we were a progressive nation, the moment you discover a commodity you start researching and galvanise yourself around that commodity so that any potential investor would find you ready with all the necessary regulations and Government Instruments to govern the extraction of that product.
My feeling Mr. Speaker is that, such investments like gas, already I have mentioned that US$5 million is required just for verification to know whether there is enough commodity underground. If an investor puts in US$5 million and discovers there is nothing, that money is lost down the drain. That is why it is a requirement that it should be the duty of Government to do its own exploration so that by the time an investor comes we know what quantities are underground.
Possibly such areas where there are projects which are capital intensive, they certainly need to ensure that we put in some mechanisms that will promote the exploration on site because it is big money that is involved. The investor may take six to seven years before it can recoup a single cent from the investment. So the value for money will not be immediately raised. That is why the Government must put some incentives and perhaps designate such areas as export processing zones or whatever mechanisms that can promote so that there are low levies. Just anything that can encourage the investor to put more money because that is capital intensive. Government on its own does not have money,
so it is paramount that we bring in investors and provide them with attractive packages. Mr. Speaker, I think this is a project which I think requires all our minds, especially Central Government to ensure that as we move into the future we have the energy of the future with us not going back to coal. Besides that, coal has been tapped for long and any time soon, the reserves are going to be finished with the rate at which they are mining at Hwange with almost every square metre, there is an investor. Everyone is digging holes all over. In the next few years, that resource will be completely exhausted. We need to move into these energies of the future.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to thank Dr. Khupe for the motion and thank you for giving me the chance and hopefully Hon. Members will find reason to seriously appreciate this motion. I thank you.
(v)HON. MOLOKELA-TSIYE: I also rise in support of the motion raised by Hon. Dr. Khupe and seconded by Hon. Gabbuza. As a Member of Parliament in Matabeleland North which is indisputably one of the most underdeveloped provinces of this country, I rise to support this motion knowing that it could make a big difference in changing the development trajectory of my Province. We really need such major investment and development projects like the one that is being talked about in this motion. It is long overdue.
I am a son of the coal, born and raised in the coal. I know what the mineral can do to transform lives. As a product of Hwange Colliery
Company, educated and raised by the colliery; I know that this project in Lupane can change not just the lives of people of Lupane but the people of both Matabeleland North and Zimbabwe in general. I support this motion in the sense that if it is recognised by the Government of Zimbabwe or the relevant authorities, the urgency of this matter and investment is made to make sure that feasibility studies are finalised and also to make sure that investors are identified. It will transform the social-economic structure of Matabeleland North forever.
`We know that as people of Matabeleland North, which is one of the most underdeveloped Provinces of this country and is mostly rural, our provincial capital is Lupane. Lupane is also one of the peri-urban towns of this country and for a provincial capital, it will need a lot of financial investment to develop infrastructure in terms of health care, housing, roads, sewerage, office building and all other forms of infrastructure – Government office complex related to development. If this big project is sped up and investment is identified and a big company is opened in Lupane, it will change the whole infrastructure and the future of Lupane as our provincial capital.
We also have been talking about the Zambezi water project and how it is supposed to transform Matabeleland North into a green belt and how it is supposed to develop and help the people of Matabeleland North to move forward but as things stand, this has been silent – that is a debate for another day but we know that apart from having this pipe dream for the Zambezi water project, we have an opportunity; a low hanging fruit which is methane gas. As a Member of Parliament from Matabeleland North, I am very excited about this motion and I want to encourage the relevant authorities to make sure that the processes of investing in the methane gas for Lupane is sped up – in particular, the excuse that there is no capital can be addressed by making sure that we have a private-public partnership or a built to transfer the process where a tender is awarded to a company to partner with Government of Zimbabwe and make sure that that private company is the one that initiates the process and make sure that we have a big mine.
We have seen in Botswana for example, a company called
Debswana – that has a public-private partnership between the
Government of Botswana and the private sector; how it has transformed the lives of people of Botswana; social-economic transformation at its best. You have to go to Botswana and see what the diamonds have done. Unfortunately to date in Zimbabwe, we have not seen any benefits from the diamonds or many other minerals that we have.
I can testify for Hwange as a town that we benefited from the coal, that is why Hwange is arguably the most developed part of Matabeleland North in terms of infrastructure because of the coal. The whole town of Hwange is built on the coal. We want to encourage Government to go into public-private partnership to ensure that a company with enough capital to invest is given a tender and they lead the process of exploring the investment for the methane gas.
For me as an MP for Matabeleland North, I think this is going to help address one of the issues of national unity. We are all aware that a lot of people of Matabeleland North are not even staying there right now. They are in South Africa or Botswana and a lot of them are crying about marginalisation of Matabeleland North and underdevelopment but here is a low hanging fruit that the Government can speed up and make sure that once this development or project is done, it will assist or encourage people to stay in the country; to also appreciate that the people of Matabeleland North are now being remembered as part of this country because the National Development Agenda should not only cover other parts of Zimbabwe such as Harare but it should also cover other parts of Zimbabwe such as Matabeleland North. Right now, the people of Matabeleland North feel they have been left behind or they have been forgotten.
So, this is an opportunity for national development; to integrate
Matabeleland North into the rest of the country’s development agenda; to make sure that as the people of Matabeleland North, we benefit from Lupane. We also feel that we are part of Zimbabwe because right now most of us – our breadwinners from Matabeleland North are coming from the diaspora; South Africa and Botswana. We need this process to be sped up. I fully support this motion and I thank Hon. Khupe and Hon. Gabbuza and I pray that the Parliament of Zimbabwe uses all in its power to make sure that the Government of Zimbabwe embraces this project and make sure that we see a new Lupane, a provincial capital that is going to be a pride of Matabeleland and indeed the pride of Zimbabwe. I thank you.
HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for recognising me. I would like to thank Hon. Dr. Khupe for moving the motion supported by Hon. Gabbuza.
First and foremost, we need to distinguish between economic development and economic growth. These are two different things.
There are some of us who believe that economic growth is the same as economic development. Where effective domestic resource mobilisation is undertaken, it will lead to both domestic growth and development. In most of the African countries that are developing, I will give an example of South Africa; there is economic growth but there is no economic development. What do I mean by that? The economy is said to be growing when we consider the amount of industrialisation and urbanisation taking place then we can say there is economic growth. In terms of economic development what happens to the generality of the masses in a given country where effective domestic mobilisation is done, the amount of resource mobilisation will culminate in poverty eradication. That is pivotal in terms of African development.
I have appreciated the works Raul Felix Jingwera Valera who wrote a book entitled Strengthening Domestic Resource Mobilisation
Moving From Theory to Practice in Low And Middle Income Countries. If domestic resource mobilisation is done, the ordinary person will appreciate the beauty of economic development. When we say we need direct foreign investment as a way of appreciating domestic or economic development, we want those companies which will contribute to economic development. We must desist and that is why the Government of Zimbabwe in terms of NDS1 has said that there is need for value addition and beneficiation. We do not want those multinational corporations, conglomerates and cartels who just come here, get all the resources in their raw state and then they are exported and what we get are accidental benefits such as roads which are constructed by those multinational corporations. Those roads will not lead to economic growth but will be used as a way of taking away our resources in their raw state.
When His Excellency, Cde Mnangagwa talked about the NDS1 which prioritises exploitation of resources in Zimbabwe to manufacture finished products that will contribute to both economic development and economic growth because revenue is collected. I will give an example of those mines that are venturing into platinum. It is not just platinum which is exported to South Africa, there is gold and several minerals that are exported under the guise of platinum. If we were going to have smelting firms in Zimbabwe to make finished products, that was going to be beneficial to the generality of Zimbabweans. I need to commend Government for this thrust to value-add so that there is development in Zimbabwe.
What are the problems associated with these conglomerates cartels. We have noticed massive investments taking place in Mozambique, especially in the oil sector but these multinational corporations will lead to balkanization of Africa. By balkanization, I am taking of the multinationals assisting mercenaries, we have seen people being beheaded in Mozambique because of the mineral resources in that country and conglomerates interfering, leading to bad governance especially in Cabo del Gado area. We need those companies which are there to do business with us and which are not going to support mercenaries and overthrow governments in Africa.
The motion raised by Hon Dr Khupe is very important. It is not just methane which is found in Lupane but we have observed large quantities of coal in Lisulu. There is a project which has been put on hold on for years by a company called Verify Engineering which is under Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation Science and Development. Verify Engineering intends to promote domestic resource mobilisation by exploiting coal and producing oil, diesel and petrol. The equipment is there which is supposed to be placed in Lisulu Binga. Diesel and petrol will be produced locally and that is very important because we reduce foreign currency importing oil from Iraq because we can produce locally.
The developments which are taking place in Muzarabani are very important because we are going to produce oil in Zimbabwe. Our expectations are that the Government is going to collect a lot of revenue from these mineral resources and those revenues are going to be spread to all sectors of the economy and that will assist in poverty eradication because the vision of an upper middle income economy where by 2030 people should be earning around US$1000 to US$2000 - which means per capita consumption, you calculate the GDP by the total population then you are able to say we have a middle income economy. That is the projection that by 2030 in terms of poverty eradication and affordability of housing, people should have decent housing by 2030. Even those who are not employed should be getting unemployment benefit and that is important and that is largely because of domestic resource mobilisation.
I will also talk about mineral taxes which are very important and indispensable. Like Hon Dr Khupe has said that Zimbabwe has so many mineral endowments numbering above 60, several minerals - why not have a mineral tax. That mineral tax will assist school children to have free education which is in line with the Education Amendment Act of 2020. If a mineral takes those companies which exploit our minerals, that revenue which is collected will also benefit the majority of our people and that will lead to economic development.
Finally, I would like to talk about dependency theories. Dr Khupe pointed out that if we are dependent on donors; donor syndrome, that will not lead to economic development. We want value addition; we want taxes which will lead to the Government being able to pay off all the debts and to be self-sustainable and not rely on donors. According to
Andre Gunder Frank’s theory, the core-periphery theory, he has noted that where cartels are involved, what they simply do is to extract raw materials and leading to under development of the Third World countries Zimbabwe is no exception. Therefore, I am advocating for effective domestic resource mobilisation so that we do not rely on donors. Donors will come and give you strings; you get something, string attached and we become dependent. This leads to underdevelopment. When we talk of under=development, we are saying resources going out are not benefiting the generality of the people. May I thank Dr. Khupe and Hon. Gabbuza for moving this important motion? I thank you.
(v)+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to thank Hon. Dr. Khupe for moving this motion, seconded by Hon. Gabbuza. Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to congratulate the mover and seconder of this motion. When you look at Matabeleland North where I come from and also as a Member of Parliament for Matabeleland North Province, Hon. Speaker, you also come from Matabeleland North, so you know what I am talking about. Matabeleland North is one of the provinces in Zimbabwe but the state of the province, you would think that it is not one of the provinces in Zimbabwe.
It is my wish that Government engages those who work with gas so that Matabeleland North can match with other provinces that we have in the country because the standard of the province is very poor. There are some areas where people still travel long distances to get water. We still have people who have to rely on firewood for cooking and lighting. Why can we not make use of the methane gas that is found in this province? This will improve even the status of the province.
Government should be transparent in the tender process. Most of the times it is the friends of those who are in Government who get tenders, leaving out the people from Matabeleland North especially from
Lupane
Also schools are far apart. It is very painful to see a child who is doing grade zero travelling long distances, sometimes equivalent to 5 km going to school. If only the Government could understand our plea, methane gas should benefit, especially people from Matabeleland North province not other provinces.
We also do not have nearby clinics in communities. It is not easy for a pregnant woman to access a hospital unless they travel for very long distances. Most of the natural resources that we have in
Matabeleland especially from Matabeleland North, the province which I keep on referring to because I come from there. should be used to build schools and clinics. Natural resources coming from this province, benefit people from other areas such as Chirumhanzu.
In Matabeleland North, there are so many youths who are not working yet job opportunities can be created within the province. At the end of the day, most of our youths cross borders to South Africa to search for greener pastures.
I continue pleading that the Government should work with us to get people who are qualified and can extract the methane gas. It is our wish as people from Matabeleland North to be given a good status when we are among our peers. There is no way we can work towards achieving SDG 1; there are so many diseases because of poverty in our province. As I allude to Matabeleland North Province, let us improve all the districts that are found in this province and not only Lupane. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I also thank the mover of this very important motion.
(v)HON. CHIDAKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for this
opportunity. I want to thank the mover of this motion because the issue of domestic resource mobilisation is a very important issue, especially when our country is faced with crises. Mr. Speaker Sir, in my view, what is then important or the first thing to do is to inquire what we have in terms of resources as a nation. Mr. Speaker Sir, that will help us to establish the amount of minerals, wildlife and the many natural wonders that we have in our country. To this instance Mr. Speaker Sir, we must ascertain in total the aggregate value of natural resources with which our Zimbabwe is endowed.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I will go further to say we must leverage as well on the nexus between domestic resource mobilisation and devolution.
We will do this through empowering local people as defined by Section 264(d) which enunciates and safeguards the rights of communities to manage their own affairs. Mr. Speaker Sir, we then have to utilise these constitutional privileges.
Provincial councils must be capacitated and equipped as per their mandate in increasing sustainable administration of resources at local level. This will then shape our devolution agenda. Also, it will make work easy for any other entity which will be looking at quantifying what we have as a nation. To that effect, local people continue to suffer while the environment within which they live continues to be extracted and degraded as said by Hon. Molokela and Hon. Gabbuza.
Mr. Speaker Sir, what we can recommend is that local people must be incorporated within environmental assessments and also extraction and guarantee their social instruments through social corporate responsibility. This will incentivise them and they will have a sense of ownership. We should also merge resource mobilisation closely with resource management because if we do not do that, we may mobilise but at the end, we will not see the effects because of the leakages that will be happening. So, we will also need to have resource management and resource monitoring working hand-in-glove.
Any efforts to realise the $12 billion mining vision can materialise only if protection mechanisms are there so as to stop illicit financial flows Mr. Speaker Sir. Africa and Zimbabwe to be particular, lose taxes, levies and potential revenue because of gaps within our system. These gaps need to be closed through practical implementation at all levels of our governance.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the comprehensive use of digital tracing and tracking must be embraced and applied now more than ever. We call upon the use of modern technology in safeguarding natural resources before they deplete without trace as we are seeing and reading in social media and our newspapers. To that end Mr. Speaker Sir, we must, at once, introduce artificial intelligence as a tool to enhance transparency but most importantly, improve efficiency in the management of our domestic resources.
Also public resource management reform becomes the core for this House Mr. Speaker Sir in realising the developmental effects of local resources. It is noteworthy Mr. Speaker Sir that every miner, according to Section 251 of the Mines and Minerals Act, Chapter 21:05 is required to submit monthly mineral production and details of mineral disposal or returns to the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development. This compliance is again reiterated as a benchmark to our legal guidance. These requirements must not only be met but seen to be met so as to eliminate incidences of under declaration of quantity and quality of resources that would have been extracted by multi-national companies, local and whoever. These are my submissions Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank you so much.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for affording me this opportunity to also bring in my voice on this important motion that was raised by Hon. Dr. Khupe. It is a very important motion for this country. We all want to see Zimbabwe developing and achieving its potential based on its own resources. If they are correctly exploited, they will benefit the people of Zimbabwe and we will develop indeed and move out of poverty and increase the standard of living of our people.
Our Government Mr. Speaker Sir, has already done a lot of work in this area. I think every Zimbabwean is keen to see the Lupane gas being exploited. With all the news and information that has been put on the media, internet and everyone looking at it will see potential. If this resource is exploited, definitely it will bring in positives for our country. Nobody doubts that and I think the observation by Hon. Dr. Khupe is critical that we quickly find ways of exploiting this resource. As I have said, Government has already done a lot in this area. Exploration and estimations have already been done. For example in Lupane, it has already been estimated that the Hwange – Lupane gas will give us about 800 million cubic metres per kilometer. If you compare it with other sources of gas in the region, you will see that we have more potential than others. So, it is critical that we definitely look at it and ensure that we exploit it.
Other studies have also shown that as a country, we have about 40 trillion feet of potential gas in Lupane-Lubimbi area. So, I think in terms of Government’s interest in this, all these researches have been facilitated by our Government, meaning Government is very keen knowing very well that gas from the research that has been done will be useful even for domestic and industrial purposes. We have one of the best gases if my reading is correct. So, we would want to see that being exploited.
We also have potential investors in this area. We already have companies like Toma Gold Consortium. They would want to invest about $50 billion in this. We also have GAZPROM from Russia, they will also want to come in, Zambezi Gas, our local company and also Sakunda have shown that they want to invest in the same very important natural resource.
After observing all this, one must also be cognizant of the fact that where there is gas or potential of these resources, there is also a lot of interest and interference from those who have already enjoyed monopolies on these minerals. They would find ways of throwing spanners in the whole works in order to delay exploitation of these resources. We also need as a country to be very careful as we deal with these resources and any other resource that we have – gold, diamond, platinum, et cetera, that we do not sell the future of our people for a song because most of these people would want to come. My other Hon. Member said $15 million could be a lot of money but if you look at the potential these people would get out of exploiting these, we are talking of trillions and billions of dollars. $15 million may not be a lot of money because anyone who comes to deal with this type of resource knows very well what he will get from it and as people of Zimbabwe, before we do anything we should ask ourselves what we are going to get as a people. Many of them have come to Zimbabwe and some were mining diamond in Chiadzwa, claiming that it was all exploration but they were shipping diamond out of the country.
We can still have the same people coming to us. The list I have given you, these people have interest to exploit these resources but they may take advantage of our interest in them exploiting these resources and exploit to the disadvantage of our people. My view would be for us to allow Government to do due diligence to ensure that whatever relationships that we are going to have with any company from wherever it comes from, whether is it a local company – it comes from the East or from the West and they want to exploit our resources, they must give us value. We need value for whatever we have.
You can go around this country today and we have shafts and shafts but we have nothing to show for those shafts. People have taken our gold and they are rich somewhere. I have seen on the internet the Queen of England for example, in a big room full of gold bars. Those gold bars came from Africa – they came from Zimbabwe but what do we have to show for that exploitation of gold? We may then lose this natural resource if we cannot do it ourselves and if we are not happy with the present suitors or prospective investors – it is better to keep it for better investors or our future generations being able to come up with good relationships that will exploit these resources for the good of our country.
We want gas to be exploited and if it is exploited, nobody doubts the advantages that we are going to get as a country. Let us not do it because others have done so. Others have done so to the disadvantage of their people. We have our neighbours who had a lot of copper, what is happening there? They have lost all the copper and they all have shafts. Where is the development? We used to have copper here in Mhangura, what has it done, they shipped it all to their countries and enriched themselves. Whatever we are going to do, I think we have a Government which is very pro-development. I am sure whatever they are doing - in 2020 for example, the Minister said if somebody does not exploit a resource, it is either use it or lose it and that policy is already in place. For those who have shown interest in the Lupane-Lubimbi area, if they do not exploit it, they will lose the concessions and I think that is fair.
We have people who are dotted throughout the world who have gold concessions and mineral concessions in Zimbabwe, they are using that to trade on the British Stock Exchange but what is coming to Zimbabwe – nothing. We have people who will come here and we give them concessions to exploit this gas and may not do it because they have so many interests. There are so many of these people who are controlling other gas production throughout the world and they would not want our gas to come on the market because it will flood the market and depress the prices.
So they may play games of showing us as if they have interest. If they had interest, these multi-trillion deposits anyone could have rushed to Zimbabwe to exploit this but they are taking their time. This is all because they would want to exhaust wherever they are and they come to Zimbabwe later. What I may have to ask is our own Zimbabwean companies if they have potential and if they have the skills, if they can exploit these resources, why not allow them to exploit than looking for those external investors who will come with a lot of conditions and who are not even prepared to pay but they pay same figures elsewhere, but because this is Africa, they do not want to pay because they believe US$15 million is big money for people of Zimbabwe.
We need this and it is one of the best resources as one of our Hon. Members said. It is the way where we are going as a world today. This is very important. So we cannot give it away and allow people who have no interest whatsoever to our development and to our future to just take our gas. We are lucky this is God given but if they there are those who can exploit this resource, I really urge Government to allow them to come in and if they are coming in good faith and giving value to the people of Zimbabwe, then let them come. If they are not, it is better to keep our natural gas than to give it away for a song. I thank you.
(v)HON. R. R. NYATHI: Thank you Mr. SpeakerSir. Allow me to add my voice on the motion that was moved by Hon. Dr. Khupe and seconded by Hon. Gabbuza. I think Dr. Khupe has moved a very good topic to this motion. Domestic resource mobilisation which means that we have the resources and these resources are in our backyard but we are now lacking is mobilisation of those resources so that they can help the residents, the people of Zimbabwe so that our livelihood would improve.
I just want to shift the debate slightly from what my other collaugeus have been talking about. There were more focused on this project in Lupane and they were also talking about Matabeleland North. I want to mention that if this investment is done in Lupane, it is not only done for the people in Lupane. It is critical that all the support that we are supposed to give as a nation in order for us to mine methane gas must be done, not with an eye that will exclude Lupane and we are excluding Matabeleland North but we are including Zimbabwe. I say so because you will realise that once we invest in an investment which is worth trillions and trillions of dollars, what it means is that the tax that country to the Central Government become also enlarged and they come in large volumes and the Central Government will then distribute those resources to other areas in Zimbabwe where there is much need. What it also means is that employment is also then increased.
When we are employing, we are not only employing people from
Matabeleland North or people from Lupane, but from all over Zimbabwe – those that are good in administration and all these industries have a ripple effect. You start your manufacturing, you see there is already a market there, it means we are now growing our industry domestically. What it means is that our GDP as Zimbabwe grows. So, the idea is not really to focus on whether the people in Matabeleland North are going to benefit as singled out, it is going to benefit everyone. Once you do that – other speakers who have spoken have spoken about our young people going to seek jobs in South Africa and Botswana. What it means is; we then have to stop the brain drain because Zimbabwe is a country where we are number one on matters of education and fitness. Many countries around the world are benefitting because of the investment. Education is investment, so Zimbabwe is investing in its people so that when these people finish school, be it Form 4, 6 or degrees they must work in
Zimbabwe in order to grow Zimbabwe.
Mr. Speaker, it is quite prudent for us as Parliamentarians, as Zimbabweans, to make sure that we channel our resources towards the exploration and mining of methane gas. I also want to mention that Hon. Togarepi has raised something very critical, that whilst it is important for us to channel our resources or to look for investors that will come and help us to mine gas in Lupane, we must do it with prudence because we do not have to rush; we just have to do it. I think Hon. Togarepi was saying we must channel our resources knowing that in mining methane gas there are three other minerals that go hand in hand with that mineral. So it is a mineral that will improve the economy of our country.
Mr. Speaker, there is need for us to look for investors and do so as soon as possible. We must also move with time. There is no need for us not to see where we are going. Hon. Gabbuza mentioned that we should move with time, that when people were moving to modernisation of having cellphones we were busy building post offices which are now idle. We need now to look at how we can utilise these buildings for the benefit of our nation. People are now moving from vehicles that are petrol and diesel driven to electrical and solar. We need to be compliant but we are still busy buying those cars yet in fifteen years from now we will not be having any back-up for those vehicles which we are buying.
We need to move with time.
Zimbabwe must invest in research and development so that whatever we want to do we will be able to see the future before we get there. I want to thank Hon. Dr. Khupe and his seconder for bringing up this motion which I think we need to look at in the same view as we also look at other minerals. We must explore and polish them with wisdom.
I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. NDEBELE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. There is a
rule that we set in this House, that those who are contributing virtually must always have their videos on. I would like to see you insisting on
that.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you.
HON. N. MGUNI: Thank you Mr. Speaker for affording me this opportunity. I also want to thank the mover of the motion Hon. Dr. Khupe and the seconder. I want to thank all Hon. Members who have contributed before me and say our country is almost 41 years old now and we surely have gone through a learning process in order to realise who would exploit us positively or negatively. I want to support what Dr. Khupe said about probably getting investors from within because we have an experience of these outsiders who then come here to loot our resources.
Mr. Speaker, I think after 41 years we should have learnt how to do it or how to go about it in order to avoid exploitation. I want to support this motion because this methane gas has many advantages. It is environmentally friendly, odorless and it is cheaper to produce. We can use it for cooking even in the rural areas. That would environmentally protect our trees that are used mostly for firewood in the rural areas.
Again, it has a very important protective function Mr. Speaker Sir, in the
I and R injury and inflammation disorders. That means it can also be used in health. It can be used for heating in the manufacturing industry Mr. Speaker Sir. Everyone else has mentioned that we have problems with our energy and power. We experience power cuts on and off. It means if we exploit positively this methane, our industries will work 24 hours without interruption. That increases production, which is going to be positive for our industry and development like everyone else has mentioned. They say that methane can be used to dry cereals and fruits and it goes back to our industry as well that we can produce more and we can also export. That can gain us forex which we need so much in our country.
Some other advantages Mr. Speaker Sir are that the natural gas is less expensive than the energy that we use even in the households. If our people can use it for domestic cooking, their lives will be changed because they do not have to spend much on buying electricity. Russia
Mr. Speaker Sir, is the world’s leading exporter of gas. In 2020 alone, it exported gas worth $25.3 billion and statistics say Russia is left with estimated reserves of about 59 to 103 years yet in Zimbabwe it is estimated to last for about 200 years. To me, 200 years is a long time of investing in such a project. The potential to bringing to the country forex income and employment is very high. The usage of this gas is safe in the sense that it can be used both in industry and for domestic use. Our normal gas, like I said smells and the only disadvantage would be that a gas that does not smell, no one would know about any leakages but people can be educated so that they are safe in their spaces of work. I urge the Government to seriously consider exploiting positively this project and stop importing energy which is very expensive to our country. With this, I thank you so much Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. GORERINO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for this opportunity. I would like to add my voice to the motion by Hon. Dr. Khupe, seconded by Hon. Gabbuza. Mr. Speaker Sir, this is an important subject to Zimbabwe considering the fact that what Hon. Dr. Khupe said is important in the fact that we are now living in the fourth generation whereby beneficiation of minerals is the way to go. It is not about the gas issue but the whole set of minerals in the country. We have more than 200 minerals that we can beneficiate in the country and make the $12 billion dollar economy from the mining sector a success.
If you look at the world’s index, you would find that Zimbabwe has only mined not more than 15% of the total reserve that we have in the country on all the minerals. When we go to the gas issue, it is only 4% that we have managed to mine so far so good. When it comes to coal, it is only 6%. The highest mineral that we have mined so much is the gold mineral which is about 121/2% or so. It means that we are still sitting on our pride. We are still sitting on our minerals. We have not exhausted them.
If we talk of coal beneficiation, we have not done anything. Yes, we accept and Government has tried so many times to have investors that can help them in that sector. I once participated in a certain project in the gas industry. You would find the quality of gas that we have in the country is top notch. It is not most of these discoveries which you get outside. The quality of our coal is the best. The quality of our gold, if you go on the world market, they can simply tell you that this is from Zimbabwe. Even the diamonds, they can simply tell you this is from Zimbabwe. Even the tourmalines, when you go and sell in Singapore, it is easy for buyers to identify our minerals by just seeing them on the trade. So, I am saying it is not too late for Zimbabwe. It is not too late for the Government and I would want Government to take heed of this motion by Hon. Dr. Khupe to start the process because we have only exhausted 4% of our coal which means 96% of the reserve which we think we have has not been touched.
All the reports that were done during the colonial era about these projects, the unfortunate thing is we were left with nothing. If you want to access that document right now, they will charge you US$100 thousand to get that document – either it is a geo report or a beneficiation report. Like what Hon. Togarepi has said, most of this information and most of these minerals, people who are sitting on claims or on concessions that hold these vast resources are not using them. If you go to Singapore Stock Exchange, you will be shocked. Three quarters of mineral companies that are listed there are listing on Zimbabwean minerals. We talk of the Matabeleland Gorge where Hon. Gabuzza mentioned, three quarters of the claims there have done geological reports and these reports have been done through SAM recording. SAM recording is a concept whereby you take coordinates from a certain borehole that you drill to make sure you ascertain the resource. If you go to Singapore Stock Exchange, those companies are racking in millions if not billions from untapped resources in Zimbabwe, just by listing. If you come back home, we are talking of beneficiation yet someone has already beneficiated for himself in his pocket to a tune of over 200 million on the stock exchange but a lot of Zimbabweans are suffering. They are not even accessing that money. It is just traded in the Singapore Stock Exchange. The money remains there – what does the person do next? He comes to Zimbabwe, do a marketing plan and the next thing he puts one or two excavators and that investment is worth two or three million; the rest of the millions are outside the country.
This petition is very important to us because it has got a lot of benefits to us. There are a lot of advantages in beneficiating our minerals especially coal because it comes with a lot of bi-products, approximately ten. All these bi-products are on demand on the world market. If you look as SASSOL, it is the same that we are crying for but you will find that like what Hon. Togarepi have said – we are now in a market where we have vultures. Once Zimbabwe starts to process its own minerals, we have a better advantage over everyone because we stand to have the better quality of our minerals.
Coming to the beneficiation issue, you would find that these coal deposits or other minerals differ in particles. We might have gold but some will fall under 75% or 95%. If you go to Shamva or Mazowe, their grades are 99%. If you go to Masvingo it is 85% - same with coal and gas, they do not hold the same particles. The beneficiation process then differs with what is happening in South Africa. You cannot put the same plant that SASSOL is using here because the type of coal that we have has got different particles with the SASSOL one. Our Government is well versed with that and I am happy that the last time I spoke to the Minister, he was very aware of the situation and kind of coal that we have.
This is why you see when we wanted to beneficiate our platinum, it sounded like Government did not want or Government was not pushing the companies or Government was benefiting from that process; no it is about the concept on beneficiating, the type of a plant because most of these minerals are PGMs that we have in the country. There is no mineral in the country that is not a PGM. You will find that the process becomes cumbersome because you then need a plant that separates the particles from the initial thing that we are targeting whereby the general populace will be expecting Zambezi Gas to do a beneficiation project but you would find the same mineral and concept can cost 200 million in South Africa to build a plant but if you then come to Zimbabwe, because of the particles that are associated with that stone, that plant can go as far as 400 million because it is the concept of the beneficiation.
These are things that we hope Government will address because we cannot grow the economy if we still take our minerals as raw – that is definitely something we have to attend to. If you go to Mozambique, three quarters of the harbour is attending to Zimbabwean minerals and they are being taken raw. Right now we have not done any processing in the mining industry – be it even the gold, we are just taking our gold out. We are doing rings or anything or beneficiating the gold which is now costing us a lot of money because the same kilogram of gold that cost 50 000 can cost over 100 000 after beneficiating but because we are not taking that route, it is costing Government millions and billions of dollars.
I would want to thank Hon. Khupe for the motion and I hope that Government will take heed to this motion and make sure that they expedite the process of beneficiation. I am happy that Hon. Gabbuza mentioned the Muzarabani project. If you look at this project,
Zimbabwe’s Muzarabani project is sitting on what we call the ‘old
Creighton’ or old formation; which is the real formation. Most of these oil projects are sitting on what we call a ‘baby formation’. The fact that the Muzarabani project is sitting on the ‘old formation’ then gives us the
betterment of our minerals as number one in the world.
Like what Hon. Togarepi said, once a discovery of that sort is on the ground, then there are fights. You would find that there was a talk on the streets that the Delgrado thing was targeting Muzarabani. That is what Hon. Togarepi was trying to say that the moment we try to do something as Zimbabwe, vultures will then start to focus on it and disturb the project. If you look at the Muzarabani Project – it is the only discovery sitting on the ‘old Creighton’ and that is the only discovery sitting on the old formation which then makes it easy to process the oil because it does not have a lot of contamination from the formation. The process that we do in refining the Muzarabani project is different from the one that we see in South Africa, Libya or whatever because their oil is discovered on off shores but this one is sitting on a stone. You need about 100 metres to access the oil.
The moment Zimbabwe starts to produce, the market has to respond and the project will definitely be better than any other products. That political front also kills our projects and no one would want to see these projects kick start because they have an impact to the world. The same with diamonds, it is not that the diamonds and concept are bad but the diamonds that we have constitute 45% of the world diamonds. This means that the moment we are left to do it alone without any disturbances, we control the market. Those people would not want us to control the market. This is one of the issues that we come across on our road to beneficiation but I say this motion by Dr. Khupe, seconded by Hon. Gabbuza is the only way for Zimbabwe to go.
Zimbabwe can start small and slowly – some of these projects do not need to start at a billion level; let us start small. We have Verify Engineering which has a very good project. Government should find ways of capacitating Verify Engineering in their gas project. Treasury can fund that project with as little as they can – we can do it. We do not need to start with billions. If the fiscus can avail $100 million to Verify Engineering to start the project, you will see that in less than five years, Zimbabwe will achieve the 12 billion economy maybe by one mine like what Hon. Dr. Khupe said. One mine can give us revenue of over six billion in this country. The problem is that we have people who are benefiting under hand dealings who think if you do beneficiation, you cannot do it. We need a lot of money. They are getting brown envelopes from certain people who will be managing them. Like what Hon. Togarepi was saying that most of Matabeleland was listed already and the people who are controlling the assets just fly in every year to come and view their properties and off they go out of the country. If you go with your project anywhere in the world, they will gang up against you because they are benefiting whilst not mining anything.
I hope the Minister of Mines will take heed of this advice and petition on a serious note and he has to start small. There is no need to start big – no one has started big. The petitioner is saying let us start small with what we have. For example, we had the ZISCO Steel issue, what affected this was a simple matter of greed. We had ESSAR Metal and Jindau who bided for ZISCO Steel but the fight was on the control of the claims that ZISCO Steel was sitting on – the 33 billion tonnes of iron ore in Chivhu and the claim that ZISCO Steel has in Hwange which was sitting on two billion tonnes of coal but because of greed, these two were fighting for an asset in Zimbabwe and ZISCO Steel never took off, not that we did not want ZISCOSTEEL to take off, Government had flighted a tender and one of the companies won and the eventuality that happened is that Zimbabwe was a battlefield. I am saying this motion is quite important for Government because already we have suffered on the ZISCOSTEEL project because of these problems. If Government takes heed of this advice, let us start small with the little resources that we have; Zimbabwe will be a better country. We will have our own fuel here. People will come and buy things. These prophecies about Zimbabwe being the Scotaland of Africa will come true because we have everything that will make us the Scotland of Africa.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me the opportunity to deliberate on the motion on domestic resource mobilisation by Hon Dr. Khupe and seconded by Hon Gabbuza. It is indeed true that it will help the country move away from donor dependency, for example the US$10bn dollar external debt that our country is now facing will be difficult to extinguish in the short term hence it is difficult for any country to access external funding with this kind of debt. Therefore, we have to look internally for resources.
My understanding of the definition by Hon. Dr. Khupe, of financial resources, raw materials, skills manpower and other assets that can be drawn by our country for the economy to function effectively, the issue of raw materials and skills manpower can pull our country out of the woods. For example, we have the gas deposit that was mentioned by Hon. Dr. Khupe in Lupane and Muzarabani areas. The exploiting of gas might go a long way in helping to improve the production of fertiliser at our country’s sole manufacturer, Sable Chemicals in Kwekwe.
Currently, Sable Chemicals imports their major raw material which is ammonium gas from South Africa. This can be substituted by natural gas that can come from Lupane or Muzarabani. The availability of locally sourced gas can help in reducing the import bill from this raw material and in a way this is import substitution. The local availability of this gas will increase production at Sable Chemicals, be able to meet local demand and generate the much needed forex through export of the excess fertiliser.
I will proceed to some of the products that can come out of the local gas resources from Lupane and Muzarabani. Here we are looking at liquefied petroleum gas, LPG. Currently, LPG is locally used as a source of energy for cooking and other uses. Almost every home in the urban area has a gas stove because it is cheaper than electricity. All the LPG is being imported from South Africa and it is obvious that the exploitation of gas deposits at Lupane and Muzarabani will result in the reduction of the import bill and also export of the excess gas will earn our country the scarce foreign currency. In brief, that is my contribution on this very important motion. Again I would like to thank the mover
Hon. Dr. Khupe and the seconder Hon. Gabbuza.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I wish to thank Hon Dr Khupe for raising this very important motion seconded by Hon Gabbuza. The motion raises fundamental issues in the political economy. Political economy issues that are being raised include what we call natural resources scarce. It is possible to have natural resources abundant but the country remaining poor. We call that natural resources scarce. That question of natural resources scarce is not only afflicting Zimbabwe. It is affecting many African countries that are blessed with many abundant resources but their people are wallowing in poverty. They have no hospitals, educational facilities, poor roads yet they are sitting on abundant resources. It is high time we address this issue of natural resource scarce head on so that our people benefit from our God given resources.
The other political economy raised in this motion is a question of ownership. We cannot develop our country or economy until we address ownership partnership of these natural resources. You find that in most African countries, these natural resources that we must leverage to develop the economy are owned by multinational companies or monopolies and they do not want to release those resources for the development of the whole country. I will give you a typical example of chrome deposits in this country. The chrome deposits are in the hands of very few chrome mining companies. They do not want to free their claims. That is why Government is always talking about ‘use-it or loseit’ because those multinational companies are holding huge reserves of chrome and platinum and they cannot release those to the nation to be developed. They are using what we call tributaries, giving indigenous people one or two claims but they get the lion’s share. Such a model of exploitation of mineral resources will not develop the country. It is a big political economy issue of the ownership of these mineral resources. So, we must address that if we are to leverage them in our national development. This then brings me to the question of what it is we need to do to leverage of our mineral resources to develop our country. I will come to the issue of Lupane very soon but I am proposing two models to ensure that we leverage our domestic resources to benefit our country.
The first model is what I call economic planning. These resources will not benefit us if we do not plan as a country. That is where the issue of developmental state becomes relevant. It is only when you have got a strong developmental State that plans its economy and the usage of its resources that you can get your minerals and other natural resources to benefit the whole country.
I will give you a typical example of failure to plan. If you look at the number of dams in this country, you will be surprised. The latest one being Tokwe-Mukorsi where we spent about US$250 million to build the dam without any plans on what to do next. That dam was completed in 2013 but there is no irrigation that is happening. The water is not going to the lowveld. There is no special planning around that dam or is there any economy surrounding that dam. So, we need proper economic planning at a Developmental State Level to make sure that our natural resources are leveraged. It cannot just happen on its own without proper economic planning, which is very important.
The other issue I am proposing is what we call Economic Growth
Nods. That is the easiest way to make sure that communities develop and benefit from the local resources that are found in their communities. If we develop local growth nods, we make sure that like in Lupane for example, the economy of Matabeleland North is driven by coal or the natural resources found there and the communities must benefit from those natural resources. In this case, the coal-bed methane that is found in Lupane can propel development in the whole of that region just as my colleagues have already ably demonstrated from coal-bed methane, which simply is that gas which is trapped in the coal reserves underground. So, you need the technology to extract that gas so that you can use some of it as LPG or use coal chemical methods to turn it into fuel so you can have so many bi-products from the coal-bed methane. You can also use it as natural gas. Natural gas is in high demand as we speak and this is the reason why we now have got insurgence in Carbodel-Gardo because Mozambique has discovered huge amounts of natural gas in that area. You may recall that Total, the French company has invested about US$6.3 billion to mine natural gas in Carbo-del-Gardo. That is a lot of money coming into Mozambique as an investment.
Everybody knows that this is the way to develop. War is now breaking out for the control of those resources. So, we are sitting on resources that can develop our country and leap frog it towards Vision 2030 or even surpassing a middle income status to become an industrialised and developed economy if we do our maths right. I support the motion in the sense that the coal-bed methane has to be exploited and the people of Matabeleland North have to benefit from that resource. The whole country has to benefit from the exports of the product from the exploitation of this important resource. I pray that Government will take this motion seriously and make sure like Dr. Khupe said, we walk the talk. I thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. DR. KHUPE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MAPHOSA: I second.
Motion put and agreed.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 21st July 2021.
On the Motion of HON. MUTAMBISI seconded by HON.
MUPARIWA, the House adjourned at Eight Minutes to Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 6th July, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWEARING IN OF A NEW MEMBER
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the House that Hon. Edith Baipai from the MDC-T Party has been nominated as Senator following the death of Hon. Sen. Christine Rambanepasi.
Section 128 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that before a Member of Parliament takes his or her seat in Parliament, the Member must take the oath of a Member of Parliament in the form set out in the Third Schedule. Section 128 (2) states that the oath must be taken before the Clerk of Parliament. I therefore call upon the Clerk of Parliament to administer the oath of a Member of Parliament to Hon. Sen. Edith Baipai.
NEW MEMBER SWORN
HON. SEN. EDITH BAIPAI subscribed to the Oath of Loyalty as required by the law and took her seat – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] –
On the motion of HON. SEN. SIPANI-HUNGWE, seconded by HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Minutes to Three o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 20th July, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 1st July, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
HON. KWARAMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of privilege arises from the fact that on Tuesday, there was an announcement that there was going to be a workshop on the Institutional Gender Policy for all Members of Parliament. I am very disappointed to say the attendance was very poor. It shows that Hon. Members do not take gender issues seriously. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Where was this supposed to be?
HON. KWARAMBA: It was virtual.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker Sir. Just in relation to that, I even tried personally to look for the link but I could not find it. We were unable to respond because we did not have the link. We did not find it, so there was no way we could be able to get into the meeting. Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Kwaramba, it is not really that there was an attitudinal problem. Members could not link up and therefore were disabled to join in the Caucus discussion, but it is not all lost. You can try second time perhaps, working with ICT ensuring that the link is clearly pronounced and given to all Hon. Members. Do not despair. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I also tried to find out from other Members of Parliament especially the women. Even on their own Caucus groups which she leads, there was no link. So next time I implore her to first make sure that the link is on her group which she chairs and then it can go elsewhere because I checked with the women MPs and they said it was not there. Thank you.
HON. S. BANDA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: On another issue?
HON. S. BANDA: On the same issue Mr. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: You want to flog a dead horse?
HON. S. BANDA: It is not dead Hon. Speaker. What I just want to say is; the message was only in our e-mails but in our party groups it was not there. That is why it did not circulate. I was also disturbed because there were only three male Members of Parliament who attended that. So I think really it has to go to the groups so that maybe our chief whips can give it to us, otherwise I was really disappointed that there were only three male Members of Parliament.
THE HON. SPEAKER: So Hon. Kwaramba, you are highly supported. It is a question of link. I am sure that should be sorted out. Do not give up.
*HON. MUTOMBA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. My point of national interest is the reason why I am before this august House today. I spoke to you yesterday Hon. Speaker. I really wanted to come here so that I could make this announcement.
I am very grateful because a day before yesterday as I was reading the news on social media, I saw that Qatar Airways was going to land for the first time at Victoria Falls on 6th August, 2021. I saw how fortified you are in your resolve because you went to Doha. You were leading a delegation of the IPU and you met with leaders of the Shura Council. You had a discussion on issues to do with development that involves Zimbabwe and Qatar.
We came here and you wrote a report that I presented in this House which had several objectives that you discussed with the Shura Council that you had agreed to. One of them was the issue of air travel between Air Zimbabwe and Qatar Airways so that Qatar Airways would fly to Zimbabwe. You were inviting them to fly to Zimbabwe, in particular to the Victoria Falls destination.
After the motion had been presented in this House and the motion was well received by this august House, I then realised that the Hon. Speaker of Parliament’s delegation to Qatar was not in vain but was successful. There are very few motions that are tabled in this House that are received and implemented at the end of the day – in ChiShona, zvaitwa.
I want to express my gratitude to you Hon. Speaker for a job well done. I would also want to urge other Government ministries and ministers to emulate what the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development did so that it pleases members of the august House that the debates on motions being tabled in this august House are going to be implemented – that is my plea to the other Government ministries that they take a leaf from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development as regards the report that we tabled in this House, was followed up on and implemented. I thank you for a job well done Hon. Speaker.
Hon. Speaker, do not give up, continue doing the good work. You spoke about Zimbabwe being open for business, continue leading in that spirit. I am sorry for vacillating - it is because I am not feeling well Hon. Speaker but I felt that it was imperative for me to come and talk about it because I touched about it – you felt very hard as I observed. We really need to compliment you and express our appreciation and gratitude for what you have done. The fruits of which we are now seeing Air Qatar going to land in Victoria Falls on 6th August, 2021. I thank you, may I be excused Hon. Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. I think we had Notices of Motions. How many are they? Three? I beg your pardon, perhaps I was too fast to go to Privileges. Yes, please proceed.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker Sir. I rise on a point of national interest Hon. Speaker Sir whereby I would like to congratulate Zimbabwe for also being part of 30th June, which is World Parliamentary Day since we have a Parliament here and are also part of IPU, we celebrate this day.
Hon. Speaker Sir, yesterday’s theme for World Parliamentary Day at IPU was the focus on youth whereby they were saying #Empowerment to youth. Hon. Speaker Sir, I would really like to thank IPU for coming up with such a theme and I would like to say that they are also calling upon Zimbabwe to be a signatory to making sure that they have got at least 30% of young people within their Parliament and their next Parliament … - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
Therefore, we are calling upon us as Zimbabwe to be able to sign to this; so that even as we are coming up to 2023, we will have at least a lot of young people coming into this Parliament. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you. Hon. Mliswa, you were number four unfortunately, you will be the last one as we agreed.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, my point of national interest is really from the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency. I have observed unless I am wrong, I stand guided by you, the ministers have not responded. I tried to follow it up again last year, there was no response and if I am not mistaken, probably one or two responded. To date, there has been no response on the State of the Nation Address, which is very important in aligning the vision of this country through His Excellency. If ministers do not respond to that, what else are they doing in the offices? We debate on it – there must be a response to the State of the Nation Address.
It is actually a mandate for them to respond to that because the principal would have given the vision and the debate would have been there. What is the response? So it is something that has been a bad culture on the ministers once again. It is evident that they do not understand the function of this House and I think it is important that you also take them for another workshop that the State of the Nation Address is something that must be responded to. I stand guided by you but I have not heard any minister responding to that Mr. Speaker Sir. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much. It is a very key observation Hon. Mliswa, I have been very disappointed. Only the other day, I called upon the Leader of Government Business and the Chief Whip to ensure that the Hon. Ministers respect first and foremost the nation to whom the address on the State of the Nation by His Excellency the President and Head of Government, who is also part of the legislature. The Hon. Ministers have been hesitant to respond and very wrongly so. This is a sign of disrespect to this House, to the Head of State and Government and is a sign also of disrespect for themselves, because they do not understand the constitutional provision in Section 107 (2) of the Constitution which peremptorily demands that every Vice President, Minister and Deputy Minister must attend Parliament and respond to questions concerning matters for which he or she is collectively or individually responsible. It cannot be clearer than that and I am hoping that the Leader of Government Business Hon. Ziyambi and Hon. Togarepi Chief Whip will prevail on these Hon. Ministers. In the Eighth Parliament, only two Hon. Ministers responded and that was the Leader of Government Business, Hon. Ziyambi and the young upcoming Hon. Mangaliso Ndlovu. Those were the only two in the Eighth Parliament. It was a shame and it is still a shame. I hope I will not pronounce it will be a shame in this Ninth Parliament that the Hon. Ministers do not take their Constitutional responsibilities exceptionally and religiously so. I hope there will be a change this time.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that Order of the Day, Numbers 1 to 7 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 8 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA, HIS EXCELLENCY DR. KENNETH KAUNDA
HON. T. MLISWA: I move the motion standing in my name that this House;
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the untimely death, on Thursday, 17th June 2021, of the late former President of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Dr. Kenneth Kaunda;
PLACES on record its appreciation for the services, which the late former President of the Republic of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda rendered to Zimbabwe and Africa at large; and
RESOLVES that its profound sympathies be conveyed to the Kaunda family, relatives and the people of the Republic of Zambia.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: I second.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir for your indulgence in allowing this important motion to be moved before the burial of the late Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. It is not a secret his contribution to SADC, Africa and the entire world.
Kenneth David Kaunda was born on the 28th April, 1924 at Luangwa Mission in Chinsali, Great Eastern Province of the then Northern Rhodesia and now Zambia, fondly and more popularly known as KK. He was the youngest of the eight children born to parents who were both teachers with KK following in their footsteps to become a teacher.
KK’s father as well as being a teacher was a fully ordained church of Scotland Missionary whilst his mother was the first African woman to teach in colonial Zambia. The Zambian politician and first President of independent Zambia served as the Zambian President from 1964 to 1991. His entrance into the political arena was in 1949 when he became the founding member of the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress. In 1955, Kaunda, together with Kumbula, were in prison for two months with hard labour for distributing subversive literature.
Not satisfied with the leadership of NRANC, KK broke away and founded the Zambian African National Congress. When Zambian National Congress was banned in 1959, Kaunda was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment which he spent first in Lusaka and then in Salisbury. When he was released from prison in January 1960, he was elected President of the United Nations Independence Party (UNIP) and facilitated the so called ‘Chacha Campaign.’
As Zambian President, KK implemented several key education policies which saw all children given better access to education. On that note, Zimbabweans at the time, because of the struggle, went to Zambia to further their education. The likes of Hon. Sen. Tongogara went for teaching. She was in the same class with my mother and various other people including His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa, who was also there studying law as we know.
As the Zambian President he also opened the University of Zambia in 1966 and became its Chancellor. He was further instrumental in implementing a wide range of economic policies to enhance Zambia’s productivity and mineral resource sustainability. Kaunda oversaw the acquisition of majority stakes in key foreign owned companies. He also made them nationalised.
A firm advocate of Africa Socialism, he developed a left nationalist, socialist, ideology called Zambian humanism. This was based on a combination of need, 20th Century idea of central planning; state control and he considered basic African values, mutual aid, trust and loyalty to community. To elaborate his ideology, Kaunda published several books. Kaunda’s administration was instrumental in serving as the role of the mediator between entrenched white minority and colonial Government and various guerilla movements which were aimed at overthrowing those respective administrations.
We know very well that during the struggle, a number of camps were in Zambia and as a result, we won the struggle. That is how important he was in embracing Zimbabweans during the struggle at a time when no African leader could entertain such.
Beginning in the early 70’s, he began permitting the most prominent guerilla organisation such as ZANU and ANC to use Zambia as a base for their operations. Former ANC President, Oliver Tambo even spent a significant proportion of his 30-year exile leaving and working in Zambia. Joshua Nkomo, ZAPU leader, had military encampments there as did SWAPO and its military wing – the People’s Liberation Army of Namibia.
We know very well that ZAPU’s military arm ZIPRA was equally there. ZANU again, whose military arm was ZANLA was equally there. It is a rare feat that where camps of that nature are brought in but with one common cause to see the country being liberated. Kenneth Kaunda saw it fit that their major mandate and task agenda was to liberate their country; as such he accommodated them.
Kaunda served as the Chairman of the organisation of African Unity (OAU) from 1970 to 1971 and again from 1987 to 1988. Kenneth Kaunda would be remembered for preferring to wear a Safari Suit at most occasions which is still commonly referred as the ‘Kaunda suit’ throughout sub-Saharan Africa. He also was known for his handkerchief where it became a culture that when he then points it in a certain direction, you are as good as blessed in whatever it is. That is just how much he stood for Africans.
One of the lessons we must understand is how free are we when we have liberated ourselves to still be wearing a tie and jacket? Are we that free? Kenneth Kaunda believed in having his own attire which also meant you are liberated. A number of friends of mine in the African region have said a lot to me and have actually challenged me that I do not understand, Zimbabwe you fought the struggle, you are free but when you dress you are not free. You still dress like the British. No wonder why Mr. Speaker Sir, you have seen me dressed like this because when you dress freely you think freely. So, we are still under that and I implore that we change our ways of dressing and equally follow the Kaunda way. It would be a great honour for us to go that way.
Kaunda also wrote music about the independence he hoped to achieve, with the song tiyende pamodzi nimu ntima umo literally meaning ‘let us walk together with one heart being more popularly known’. On the 17th June 2021, it was confirmed that he died at the age of 97 after a short illness at Maina Soko Military Hospital. He was survived by 30 grand children and 11 great grand children.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I was born in Zambia, my father having been part of the struggle, working with the late Joshua Nkomo, Cde. S. K. Moyo and Mutinhiri, we were well accommodated and understood what it meant to be in a country like Zambia. Like I said, Zambia is as good as a home such that when I became the international rugby coach, I personally chose to go to Zambia and became the first international rugby coach certified by the International Rugby Board. I felt I had to go back to the country and give something back in appreciation of what I am and hope to be. KK was key in making me the person I am today. The independence that I enjoy even in this Parliament is a result of the founding principles of Kenneth Kaunda. May his soul rest in peace. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: I rise to support the motion moved by Hon. Mliswa as we pay tribute to this gallant son of Africa, Dr. K. Kaunda who passed on this month. His body now lies in state and the body is going to be paraded in all the provinces of Zambia. What a befitting farewell to a great son of Africa, a great statesman who liberated Southern Africa. I think this motion is very timely as we pay tribute to this hero of Southern Africa. We do not mourn the death of Dr Kaunda but we are paying tribute to the role that he played in Southern Africa and also in the independence of the region and Zimbabwe.
Hon. Speaker Sir, you may recall that when the OAU Liberation Committee was established in Tanzania led by Gen. H. Mbita, it was the onerous task of frontline states to support the liberation movements of Southern Africa. Dr. K. Kaunda was a leading figure, a towering figure in the frontline states alongside Samora Machel of Mozambique, K. Masire of Botswana, K. Banda of Malawi and K. Kaunda himself.
Under Kaunda, Zambia bore the brunt of liberating Southern Africa. I can say quite relatively that of all the frontline states, Zambia under Kaunda bore the greatest brunt for liberating Southern Africa. As already alluded to by Hon. Mliswa, Zambia became the rear base for about five liberation movements of Southern Africa. Under Kaunda, Zambia hosted the MPLA of Angola, which was operating from the Zambian soil, SWAPO under Sam Nujoma, ANC and PAC of South Africa as well as ZIPRA and ZANLA on the Zambian soil and because of that, the people of Zambia got a lot of reprisals from apartheid South Africa and the racist Rhodesian regime. Zambia was bombed, liberation camps were bombed much to the cost of Zambian lives, but Kaunda remained unflinching on his goal to liberate Southern Africa. He did not waver; he was not ambivalent but believed that Zambia was not free if the whole of Southern Africa was not liberated. So, he remained resolute in supporting the liberation movements of the region. We must pay tribute to such a man who did not waver under adversity. It was not easy to do that.
You may recall Hon. Speaker Sir that in 1974, Zambia’s borders were closed. South Africa closed its border and Rhodesia closed its border with Zambia. Zambia being a landlocked country suffered a lot after being cut off from all its trade routes and that is when they had to build the Tazara railway line with the assistance of the Chinese. By the way, the Tazara railway line was one of the major Chinese footprints in terms of investment in Southern Africa. We all now know Chinese as investors today but they started walking with Africa a long time back. Kaunda and Nyerere cooperated on the construction of the Tazara railway line so that Zambia could get access to the port of Dar-es-Salaam to do its trade business. What a sacrifice - if it was any other ordinary statesman he would have just said ‘why am I punishing my people, after all Zambia got its independence - so what is the problem?’ He owned the liberation of Southern Africa as he took it as his own. That is the man we are paying tribute to, Dr Kenneth Kaunda. We will never forget the sacrifices that he made for us.
In his own right he fought for his country and was instrumental in the destruction of the Federation of Southern and Northern Rhodesian and Nyasaland which subsisted from 1953 to 1963. Dr Kaunda together with Simon Kapwepwe and Harry Kumbula fought the federation and managed to free Zambia and agitated for the independence of Zambia in 1964. Here is a character that was very strong. By the way Hon. Speaker Sir, unlike Zimbabwe, Zambia has got 72 tribes out of its 10 provinces. Kaunda was a unifier who talked of one Zambia and one nation. Today you find in a country like Zimbabwe we have people with primitive mentality who think they are Karangas, they are Zezurus, just a few tribes. Zambia had 72 but they all spoke one language; one Zambia, one nation, and I think it is befitting for us to learn from the ideals of unity and freedom, of uniting a country and building a nation that we are bequeathed with Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.
Of course, since I have already mentioned that he hosted liberation movements, this took a tow on the Zambian economy. What did Kaunda try to do to save his economy? He nationalised the Zambian industry, the copper mines and created the Consolidated Copper Mine of Zambia. He nationalised the railways, electricity sector and other key sectors of the economy, because he understood that the State could play a developmental role in the economy.
Now, what we are told by neo-liberal economists is that the market knows it all. That is not true. The State can still play a pivotal and meaningful role in the economy. Look at what China is doing, it is a developmental State where the State is leading in the development of the country. Kaunda had that ideology in mind, to say let me nationalise my economy so that the people can own the resources. The Government on behalf of the people can run the economy in trust.
Of course, it failed under adversity but he tried to do something for the economy - because of that he suffered severely. A strong opposition emerged in Zambia under Chiluba, the MMD. He capitalised on the problems that Zambians were having because of the sacrifice the economy had made to the liberation movements. They had elections in 1991 but he as a great statesman, Kaunda accepted defeat. He did not act like other African statesmen that we know.
The “Gbagbos” of this world. You know Laurent Gbagbo refused to vacate office when he lost. President of Gambia also did the same. He stuck in, dug in and he refused to leave office, but Kaunda handed power peacefully and that is an attribute that we learn from Kaunda. He loved Zambia. He did not want war in Zambia. He wanted Zambia to move on. Under Chiluba, he was seriously persecuted to the extent that Chiluba declared that Kaunda was an alien. He was not Zambian but a Malawian.
At some stage, I understand his son was allegedly killed in the streets of Lusaka by MMD activists. So he sacrificed a lot, but he was not a character of vengeance. He did not revenge. He was a Christian who forgave his detractors and chose to stay in Zambia. If he was like any other leaders he would have left Zambia and stayed in exile, but we never heard about corrupt activities associated with Kenneth Kaunda. We never heard about genocide and dictatorship being attributed to Kaunda. He was a true statesman par excellence.
So, this is why I think this motion is befitting that we must recognise this gallant son of Africa for role he contributed to the OAU and to the liberation of Southern Africa. Mr. Speaker, you may recall that Zimbabwe’s independence would not have taken place if it was not because of the Commonwealth Heads of State Summit that took place in Lusaka in 1979. Margaret Thatcher attended the CHOGM Conference in Lusaka in 1979. That is when the Rhodesian question was discussed and Kaunda was instrumental because he was the host. He made sure that Rhodesia was on the agenda of the CHOGM Conference. He succeeded and the Commonwealth Heads of States agreed in 1979 in Lusaka that there must be a constitutional conference to discuss the Zimbabwean situation.
Fast forward, we know that the Constitutional Conference was the Lancaster House Conference that gave birth to ceasefire, to a transition Government led by Lord Soames and eventual elections that were won by ZANU PF in 1980. So this is a man who really birthed the nation of Zimbabwe. He did very well. Of course, some people might criticise him for his heavy handedness. In 1976 after the death of Chitepo, Kaunda rounded up all the members of the Dare reChimurenga that still remained in Zambia, but you see, his objective was not to punish but he was concerned that if you have internal fights that lead to assassinations. you will never reach your target.
He was not trying to block the struggle but some historians think he was trying to block the progress of the struggle. No, he did it in good faith and he had to have all those people suspected arrested and of course, they were acquitted after one year. Once they were acquitted, he followed the rule of law. He followed the court judgements and continued to support those very same people whom he had jailed to finish the liberation struggle. That was the character and leadership that we see in Kenneth Kaunda.
So, I had no hesitation when Hon. Mliswa asked me to second his motion and I want to also in my own right pay tribute to this gallant son of Africa and hope that we can send the necessary condolences to the Zambian people, the Kaunda family and AU as a whole. I thank you.
HON. BRIG. GEN (RTD) MAYIHLOME: Thank you very much Hon. Mliswa and Hon. Dr. Mashakada for this very touching debate you have put before this House. I did not do a lot of research concerning Dr. Kaunda because whatever I am going to say comes from the bottom of my heart. These are things that I lived through myself having been a ZIPRA cadre and lived in Zambia for three and half years. Mr. Speaker Sir, to talk of Dr. Kaunda or our African liberation without mentioning Dr. Kaunda (KK) really we would be missing it entirely.
Dr. Kaunda represents the rare breed of the founders of this African liberation who was so passionate, selfless and committed to the total emancipation of black people. I think I was about five or six years old when I first heard about the name Dr. Kaunda when we used to say sing Zambia – Kaunda, Malawi – Banda and Zimbabwe we would sing about Dr. Nkomo. Kaunda, in spite of the challenges that were presented to him, incarceration by the Federal Government, managed to lead on the independence of Zambia together with Banda in Malawi.
He remained a father figure like Hon. Mliswa mentioned. So many Zimbabweans particularly in the southern part of the country I know moved across to Zambia when Zambia got independence. We saw loads and loads of people travelling north saying, now we are going where there is freedom and he welcomed them with open arms. Not like the tendency nowadays that when a country has freedom and opportunities, they want to shut out others. We hear of xenophobic attacks in other countries that blacks are no longer wanted in their countries because they must go to their own country. Kaunda welcomed everybody.
Kaunda welcomed those from Angola, the MPLA and UNITA, SWAPO from Namibia welcomed FRELIMO, ZANLA, ZIPRA, ZAPU, ZANU and the African National Congress of South Africa to Zambia. To everybody who was in Zambia, it was like a second home. It even became a better home. When you crossed the border from Botswana into Zambia, we were treated very well. We saw independence live – we saw what it meant to be independent. We were given freedom of movement, freedom to train, freedom of resources and freedom to fight the enemy on Zambian soil. These are things that some people take for granted. It is not easy. Think of the post-independent Zimbabwe and how difficult it was to host the ANC and the PAC in this country. They could not even give them bases but Kaunda gave us unlimited opportunities to create bases. Up to date, our gallant commanders and fighters are lying in graves in Zambia together with Zambians who sacrificed their lives for our sakes.
We felt all the accommodation and security that we could. Zambia offered the training facilities; unlimited and unconditional. If you know Zambia under the leadership of Kaunda, Zambians were not a violent nation. They always advocated for peace. They always hoped that one day there would be peace. It is not just the CHOGM or the Lancaster House Conference. KK tried as much as possible to maintain peace. Thinking of 1974 – the detente exercise with Botha that we had talks at Victoria Falls; think of the Malta and Geneva talks – all that was being initiated by Kenneth Kaunda so that there will be peace. He did not want to shed blood but at the same time, he was saying we cannot allow Africans to be subjugated by white settler colonial regime when Zambia had resources.
When we talk of Frontline States, the people who were really subjected to the heaviest reprisals from the Rhodesians and the South Africans were the Zambians. Not much happened in Mozambique, Angola or Tanzania but still he never gave up. If he had given up, probably the independence of this country would have been further delayed.
If you look at the kind of equipment that we as ZIPRA had in Zambia for any independent country to have allowed so much arsenal in its country under the arms of a liberation movement which was even a threat to the Zambian military, it was a marvel but he never imagined that we will turn against the Zambians but he gave us all the comfort and support at the cost of his own leadership of the country, he sacrificed for Zimbabwe. His economy suffered and even his concept of humanism became discredited because of what he was doing for us. If you were to think of us particularly on the ZIPRA or ZAPU side, we would not have done anything without Kaunda. We would know that there was no chance for us even to fire a single bullet into this country because the training, resources, medicines, arms, and food – they were all coming from Zambia. When we crossed Zambezi, they made sure that they safeguarded us.
He also inculcated that culture of love – Zambian people are known for love. I find it difficult to think of any other nation in this continent of Africa that has so much love as Zambians. They loved freedom fighters and this was taken from the spirit that was inculcated by the Father of the nation, Dr. KK with his humanism spirit as well as ‘one - Zambia one - nation.
Dr. KK used to visit the camps himself to see to it that we were taken care of. This showed commitment of the highest order. I say to the fallen father of Africa; great statesman of Africa, we owe you what we are doing. As I stand in this august House, to Kaunda, KK and the people of Zambia; we owe the freedom that we enjoy; that we take so much for granted that at times people say ‘sungirirai nyika yacho, togona kuisunungura’. They do not know how to sacrifice those resources, time and commitment for the country to liberate another county. He made sure that even the international liberation movements are recognised and respected because they had people like Kaunda behind them. I say, go well great statesman of Africa! Go well father of the Frontline States. Go well Father of Southern Africa! Go well Dr. KK! We shall always remember what you did for our country and as beneficiaries of this country, we owe it to you. May your dear soul rest in eternal peace. We thank you Father Dr. KK Kaunda. I thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. ZEMURA: I would like to thank you Madam Speaker for giving me the opportunity to debate. I would also want to thank the mover of this motion Hon. T. Mliswa and his seconder Hon. Dr. Mashakada that we express our condolences in this august House.
We are grateful for the good work that was done by Dr. Kaunda. He was a real statesman and he was a Pan-Africanist. He was a leader whose wish was to see all the African countries liberated and he was in the Frontline States. I was married by then but I recall our leaders going to Zambia and how they were looked after. I also know how the leaders of Zimbabwe had problems – leaders such as Hon. Joshua Nkomo when he ran to Zambia through the Botswana border. We never heard that he was further stressed or stayed under duress there. A lot of leaders stayed in Zambia and they were not deported like what other countries do. He would accept everyone as a child of Zambia. He is renowned for his ‘One – Zambia-One-nation’ slogan.
My husband married me after he had stayed in Zambia. He came back in 1966 and he was happy that he was home away from home and he was delighted to have lived in Zambia. He always spoke well about Zambia. He also indicated that Zimbabweans in Zambia also speak well about the Zambians. They did not conduct themselves as we now witness these days.
Dr. Kaunda is an African Statesman who liberated Zambia and other neighbouring States. This is why His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Dr. Mnangagwa respects so much the late Zambian President for the work that he did. We are aware of the work that he did and as Zimbabweans, we should respect the late Zambian President, Kenneth Kaunda.
I want to continue by speaking about his leadership. We would see him holding his white handkerchief every time he would address the people and his wife Betty by his side. This shows that he respected us as women. There are some men who do not want to have their women close to them. We later knew that the wife of the late Kenneth Kaunda was Betty because he loved her so much.
I also observed that even with the assistance that the late President Kenneth Kaunda rendered to other states, they were not placed under sanctions for assisting South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. The whites feared the late President Kenneth Kaunda. We now see the clarity of his leadership. If it were today, Zambia would have been under severe sanctions because they have been harbouring people that waged the Zimbabwean liberation struggle up until Zimbabwe attained its independence. They could have been under severe sanctions to the extent that they could not even afford to drink tea. The leadership of the late Kenneth Kaunda was so instrumental. Not even a single white person talked of imposing sanctions on him. There are no sanctions that were imposed on Zambia.
The late Kenneth Kaunda was very strong. We are grateful that his leadership was recognised worldwide because he led very well. As Zimbabweans, we are mourning the late President Kenneth Kaunda for the good job that he did. He provided a base to accommodate the liberation fighters for the various countries. The freedom fighters that were in Zambia never starved. They fought a good fight because they were being well fed by the Zambians. We would want to join our brothers and sisters in Zambia in mourning the late President Kenneth Kaunda and that he should be buried with the respect that befits such a Statesman of that stature.
If we were not under COVID guidelines where mass gatherings are limited, we could have gone together with our President to mourn the late President Kenneth Kaunda. He deserves it because of what he has done. He did look after the Zimbabweans with his people. In some countries, our children are decapitated and burnt with tyres. During the tenure of the late President Kenneth Kaunda, we never heard of Zimbabweans being assaulted. No one was ever chased away from Zambia. Even if you were to go there today, you find that the leadership in Zambia is full of love. It is a lesson that they learnt from the late Kenneth Kaunda. The white handkerchief really meant peace and love to everyone and that everyone should be liberated. I say he should rest in peace. As Zimbabwe, we are mourning with the Zambians. We mourn with the entire African continent. Thank you.
HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for recognising me. I have a few words to express the extent of sadness that we are in as a country, as Africa and the world at large. We lost a true revolutionary, a true Pan African leader, an icon, a son of the soil, Kenneth Kaunda who was affectionately known as K.K. He was a true leader. He is known for what is popularly known by historians as humanist theory, as a theory on man-centredness. I will explain. When you talk of the humanist theory, we are talking of the dignity of man. Kenneth Kaunda is known for being somebody who accommodated all ethnic groups. Zambia has several ethnic groups or tribes. The word tribe is derogatory. He is known for promoting unity among different ethnic groups and he proposed the theory of humanism whereby people should respect the dignity of man. Whether one is poor, resides in the rural areas or urban areas, everyone is important. Whether one is important or not, it is the man who is important. Humanity is important.
I will say a few quotations here Madam Speaker Ma’am. Zambia’s ideology, “Zambia can say with pride that its humanism is originally based very much on the importance of man.” President Kaunda said, “The oft declared principles of non-tribalism, non-racialism, non-discrimination, based on religion and creed are very much part of the principles embodied in the importance of the common man.” Zambia’s humanism according to Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, centers around the importance of man - man in the rural areas as well as in the urban centres. Indeed, man everywhere.
One scholar, by the name Timothy Kandeke, in his study wrote that Zambia’s philosophy sees the principle of man-centredness or as it is sometimes called ‘the centrality of man as the heart of the Zambian man and that is called humanism’. I see the late Dr. Kaunda as a unifier. He united everybody regardless of ethnicity, religion, whether one is disabled or not. There was no genocide during the time of Kenneth Kaunda. Look at what happens in Rwanda today, where the Tutsis and Hutus killed one another. The present modern day Kigali is built on mass graves. We want to accredit the peace that prevails in Zambia to the role that was played by His Excellency, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda because he was a true revolutionary. He was an astute leader because he was able to organise the liberation struggle. There are so many things that are associated with the struggle. The white colonialists had a lot of superior weapons, using aircraft power, but he did not retreat - he continued to organise. He was persecuted several times and spent years in prison but he did not give up the struggle because he was a man of the people. He was a great liberator; we can say he was our own Samori Toure. Samori Toure of Western Sudan was known for being the Napoleon Bonaparte of Sudan and we can argue and say Kenneth Kaunda was also the Napoleon Bonaparte because of the role that he played in championing the liberation, not just of Zambian but the liberation of the entire Southern Africa. One can conclude that Kenneth Kaunda to him the liberation of Zambia was meaningless without the liberation of the entire Southern African region.
His Excellency Dr. Kenneth Kaunda was not selfish, he housed the Zimbabwean guerilla fighters: ZIPRA forces, ZANLA forces et cetera. The risks which were associated with the liberation war – you have heard of the liberation camps which were bombed by the Smith Regime. He also housed ANC, SWAPO guerillas whereby those people were accommodated, given training, military assistance and everything - that was very risky. He was risking his innocent people, risking his own reign and risking quite a number of dangers associated with that war but he did not give up. He continued to support the independence of the Southern African Region from 1964 until such a time when we got our Independence in 1980.
He was brave, he was a smart man. When I talk of a smart man, it is somebody who is clean, he has not been associated with any form of corruption, not even one. Look at his successor, when he took over the reins of power, when he was removed from power, he had more than 120 cases, he was so corrupt but for K. K, he was such a smart man, he was not corrupt. Kenneth Kaunda was somebody who says the truth. He was quick to realise that the Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) was not good for Africa. We tried ESAP in Zimbabwe in the 1990s where we had abandoned our free education, free health care and what were the consequences? This was disastrous for Zimbabwe. He was well known for saying ESAP is just like if one has headache, one has backache or even stomach cancer and you are given the same prescription. ESAP is associated with strings, it is a feature and a manifestation of neocolonialism.
According to the late President of Ghana, he said neocolonialism is the most dangerous and most insidious form of colonisation. By that, it manifests itself through aid when you are told you are given strings, remove tariffs, trade barriers and devalue your currency. Such prescriptions are dangerous and would lead to economic stagnation and economic problems. Zambia was quick to realise the challenges associated with ESAP but he did not mortgage the resources of Zambia.
The successors of Kaunda ended up mortgaging the copper mines. He had nationalised the industries and the mines but what did the successor do, he mortgaged the copper mines. As we speak, the Zambian Government does not own those copper mines. They are owned by private capital, those monopolists’ multinational corporations and that does not benefit the entire citizenship of Zambia. That was a disaster which happened. So we need to recognise the importance of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda.
Finally, Madam Speaker, I want to say it is with a deep heart, we are so saddened by the passing on of such a great fighter, unifier, liberator and PAN-Africanist. Go well Kenneth Kaunda. Thank you.
(v)HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I also want to join my colleagues in thanking the Former President K. Kaunda who sent me to school from Grade 1 up to Form 5 free of charge. During my days we never even paid for an exercise book, the only thing was to buy your uniform and go to school, even the exercise books were given kana yazara, unongopiwa imwe. I lived in Zambia in Livingstone because my mother was a Treasurer for ZAPU and I was a ZAPU youth. Even during campaigns when Kaunda was campaigning you could not differentiate between the UNIP youth and us the ZAPU youth. We had a slogan which Hon. Zemura started but did not finish. The slogan went like this ‘One Zambia, One Nation, One Nation, One Leader, that Leader Kaunda, Yee, Kaunda, Kwese Kwese, Kaunda’ Bye bye Baba vangu!
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank you first and foremost for giving me an honour to debate on a motion moved by Hon. T. Mliswa and seconded by Hon. Mashakada. Cde. Kaunda was a hero of rare tenacity. He was a true PAN-Africanist, he believed in the total independence of the whole of Africa. He assisted liberation movement and the Zambian economy suffered. Madam Speaker, you are aware that the Rhodesians closed the border but he continued singing ‘Tiende pamodzi ndim’tima umo, Tioloke Zambezi,ndim’tima umo; Tioloke Limpopo Ndim’tima umo.’ That showed that the man was determined. When you believe in Pan Africanism, you do not believe in colonialism. Kaunda believed that colonialists at the Berlin Conference are the ones who divided Africa but with Kaunda, Africa remained one country and Africa remained one tribe. He never believed in all these tribalism issues, but he believed in a United States of Africa.
Madam Speaker, to the people of Zimbabwe, we honoured Kenneth Kaunda by naming Kenneth Kaunda Street in Harare. I also want to take this opportunity to thank His Excellency, President Mnangagwa who declared 14 days of national mourning. Our flags were flying at half mast to honour the true son of Africa, the man who believed in all the progressive forces. I was reading that at the end of 1964 when a nephew of Che Guevara moved a motion at the United Nations about the total decolonisation of Africa, that was at the height of divisions of cold war and everything. He started being the ambassador to the United Nations that he must support the total independence of Africa. When he spoke of independence of Africa, he never spoke of only political independence - he also spoke of total economic independence, and that is why you saw he was an emancipated person, like what Hon. Mliswa said. Putting on a tie is accepting that we are still under the hands of colonialism.
He was putting on a safari suit all the time and he defined that to say a man must be free to wear what he feels he must wear. Great men are like torches; they shine around the world. He supported the liberation of Southern Africa, he believed in Christianity. He allowed Zimbabweans to study in Zambia like what Hon. Dr. Labode said, and His Excellency President Mnanagwa also studied law in Zambia. You can see that there are living fruits of the Kaunda education system. We are benefitting from Kaunda Education System by having our President graduating from the University of Zambia.
Kaunda was a man of peace. He believed in peace and encouraged peace. He even met Smith at Victoria Falls and P. W. Botha to achieve peace. He was not always looking for war. Kaunda also loved soccer. There was a team known as KK and when it was playing in Zambia, he was always there, cheering it up. He was a man of the people. It is unfortunate that when the IMF and other international organisations that represent imperialist forces teamed up against him, a puppet that came took over Zambia and handed over all the wealth of Zambia to international capitalists. As we talk now, Zambia needs the facts and revolution to free the economy of Zambia from international capital.
Kaunda also loved music as I mentioned earlier on, where he always sang tiende pamodzi ndim’tima umo. I was privileged to work with President Kaunda when he came to Zimbabwe. I was master of ceremony then, on all State occasions and I really enjoyed working with him. Each time he was speaking to people, he always exercised the importance of unity. He emphasised the importance of the youth – how the youth should develop and to this end, the Commonwealth Movement has a college in Zambia which specialises in training youth extension workers.
Some of our youth officers and some of the Hon. Members like Hon. Chikwinya trained in Zambia at the Commonwealth College where she mastered on the development of the youth. Kaunda said the youth are the future leaders of tomorrow and he always said let the youth come to Zambia and let the youth free their own countries. On the other side, there was Angola, the Portuguese were there and the South Africans were in Namibia, Rhodesians in Rhodesia and the Portuguese were in Mozambique, but he never gave up - assisted by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere; they made sure that the whole of Southern Africa has been liberated but they lived a very simple life. They never looked for so many things like I want to go with this and that – he was a man who believed in simple life and even if you see his sons, they also live very simple lives.
I want to say for Kaunda, we are now celebrating; his achievements are there and as Parliament of Zimbabwe, I want to thank all Hon. Members who have debated and those who will debate or had the desire to debate and salute this great man, the man who liberated Africa. I was also reading Madam Speaker, that on all independence celebrations, Kaunda attended every first inauguration from Egypt and everywhere. He also met other heroes like Amilcar Cabral, Samora Machel, Agostinho Neto to strategise on how to liberate Africa. He never ended in Africa. He went to mobilise resources to fight against imperialism and colonialism. Kenneth Kaunda believed in the total emancipation of women that even up to now, if you go to Zambia, the people there are calm, believe in themselves and they are very hard working people. Today, even when we had drought, we were benefitting from Zambia. Zambia has developed and we hope to follow the same route that Zambia took.
Lastly, when somebody dies, somebody must take over. The people of Zambia must continue to create a syllabus, a syllabus that every Zambian, Zimbabwean, Namibian, Angolan, Mozambican and every South African must learn. There is a lot that we must learn about this man. How did he manage to achieve it in difficult times? He did everything and he supported the people of Zimbabwe. I want to thank you for allowing me to contribute Madam Speaker. Thank you.
*HON. DZUMA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I thank the mover of the motion Hon. Mliswa, seconded by Hon. Dr. Mashakada. I have come here to also pay my tribute to the late leader Kaunda. All ZANLA cadres, including President Mnangagwa and Tongogara and the late Nkomo - even when we were herding cattle, we would also laud and praise Nkomo as we were herding cattle, but all the leaders that I have mentioned grew up under the care of the now deceased Kenneth Kaunda in Zambia. There is nothing that you can do and be successful without getting assistance from a neighbour. Even if one plans to get married, you go through a mediator. You cannot go to your in-laws directly because you fear that they might be harsh. This country Zimbabwe, what it is today is because of great works of Kenneth Kaunda. A lot of Zambians perished, they were bombed by Smith who was coming from Zimbabwe with terrorists. Dr Kaunda managed to give us radio stations where the Hon Webster Shamu was before going to Mozambique. They were broadcasting what was happening so that the fellow countrymen could know what was transpiring during that period.
Without Kenneth Kaunda’s help, even us today we would not be eligible to enter this House. Only those with degrees and higher qualifications would be recognised. He was also the first man to attain independence from the colonisers following Mozambique in 1975 and South Africa a few years back. Zimbabwe had achieved its independence in 1980. My request is that if there are ZIPRA and ZANLA combatants in this House, on the day he is going to be laid to rest we would wish to go there and witness for ourselves because for us to be here today it is through his heroism. We could also add two or three other members who were not part of the war of liberation. If it was possible we could charter a plane with ZIPRA and ZANLA members so that we attend the funeral because currently the use of road transport is disturbed by the issue of COVID-19.
I do not have much to say but I just wanted to testify on how Dr Kenneth Kaunda was committed to his work and also being a great leader. I reckon even though he was old, he managed to visit us a few years back and celebrate with us the coming in of the new dispensation era which was a noble thing of him. Thank you Hon Speaker for the opportunity that you have given me.
(v)HON MUSHORIWA: I just want to thank you for this opportunity. I am not going to repeat most of the things that have been raised by Hon Members that knew Dr Kaunda before independence, for the important role that he played in the liberation of the entire Africa and in particular Zimbabwe. What I do want to say are only two issues. The first issue is to do with the words of wisdom that Dr Kaunda and the late Julius Nyerere did give to this country that, ‘President Mugabe, you have inherited a jewel’ and indeed SADC then had to put Zimbabwe as the bread basket of Africa so that we would feed Africa. That level of wisdom could only be found by people like Dr Kaunda and Dr Nyerere who had the eagle view of wanting to ensure that Africa and SADC is self sufficient.
To me, the most important lesson and the reason why I salute this late former President is that when Zambia had the first multi party election, Dr. Kaunda lost the election to the late President Chiluba. He did something which was extra ordinary. He conceded defeat and graciously stepped out of office and allowed the passing on of the button stick to a new generation, the Chilubas. Since then, Zambia has had quite a number of Presidents after that. We salute him for the role that he played for the liberation. More importantly, we should also salute him for being a peaceful, democratic and a person that does not want to spill blood to remain in office. He was a person who was prepared to simply say, ‘if Zambians no longer want me to continue to lead them, let a new person lead them’. That is the type of leadership that Africa needs. That is the type of people that this continent needs as we go forward. Madam Speaker, I salute Dr Kaunda and may his soul rest in peace.
+HON S.K.MGUNI: I want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on this motion of the African hero, Dr Kenneth Kaunda. We call him a hero because he did great jobs for the whole of Africa. I also thank Hon Mliswa for raising this salient motion and his seconder Hon Dr. Mashakada. We viewed Dr. Kaunda as a grandfather and a father. He was everything to us the children of Zimbabwe. The independence of Zimbabwe was going to be futile without his assistance. He gave us a platform to fight for our country. He was the pioneer to the independence of Zimbabwe. He provided us with resources, training bases and used his country as a channel to pass through and also gave the riches of Zambia to be used to our advantage.
During 1970s, the economy of Zambia took a knock and it was hard to survive in Zambia. But our Father Kenneth Kaunda never had thoughts of chasing us Zimbabweans out of his country or any of the countries that were using Zambia as a training ground for their liberation struggles. This shows that this great man was committed to assisting the whole of Africa to gain its independence. A lot has been said but what grabbed my attention is that when he passed away in Zambia and in view of his status, it could have been said he passed away in Russia, China or other developed countries but he became sick and remained to be treated in his country and again passed on in his country. The other Hon. Members said that he was someone who was never involved in corruption. I noted that also when he passed on, there was no money. There were no funds which were outside the country. It was said that his account had only US$6 000. It shows that he just wanted to fight and survive within his own country and suffer with his fellow citizens. There are very few leaders of the same stature as Kenneth Kaunda. The current leaders we have are full of pride. They want luxurious vehicles and have large sums of money but he was someone who was down to earth. He wanted to survive on what other citizens were surviving on. I might say a lot, Madam Speaker, I thank you for giving me this opportunity. Lastly, I would like to say that I want to bid him farewell, and say may his soul rest in peace. He fought a good fight. Maybe there is no one who might fight such a battle as he did. Other leaders are so rich. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. SHAMU: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to join Members of Parliament in contributing to this debate which is about an illustrious son of Africa, a debate that really centres on the legacy of Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda. Indeed Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda was a man, we as Zimbabweans, will forever remember for his contribution to our freedom, but it does not end there. He goes on to support the liberation struggle of Southern Africa, so that today we can now talk of development towards a prosperous future that in itself speaks volumes of the late Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda.
He was a courageous man. Who was willing to confront the colonial occupation that surrounded him? Surrounding him, with the possibilities again of internal attacks but he stood firm against apartheid and I believe that we all know how well armed were the South African army. There he was, he said no to apartheid, he said no to racism in Zimbabwe and he said no, to Portuguese colonialism. As has already been stated by many Hon. Members here that the late Dr. K. D. Kaunda hosted freedom fighters from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia and South Africa and as a consequence his country suffered. It was bombed, economic sabotage was rife, economic destabilisation took place, yet Kaunda did not give in. That is the legacy we are talking about today. I would like to thank Hon. Mliswa for having brought this motion, not only bringing it before this august House, but introducing the topic by singing the song Tiende pamodzi. That spirit of unity continues to echo throughout Southern Africa, that is KK.
Secondly, as a member of the frontline states, the late Dr. K. Kaunda hosted the founding meeting of the Southern African Development Coordination Conference. That meeting issued the Lusaka Declaration. What did it say? Southern Africa, towards economic liberation, which meant to say that within the vision of the leadership, who were hosted by Dr. K D. Kaunda, they knew that political freedom without economic emancipation is nothing. Hence today within our region, we are indeed involved in a very serious struggle to liberate our economy. We must control the means of production. We must take control of the economy of our country. That was the view expressed through that meeting which was held in Zambia.
Before he passed on, the late Dr. K. Kaunda was able to see the achievement of a major goal for the development of the African continent. A goal that he and other African leaders had set during their meeting in 1981, when they met in Abuja, Nigeria and that is when they shared and agreed on the Abuja Declaration. The Abuja Declaration called for free trade on the continent in an African economic community. Towards that goal, the African Continental Free Trade Area took effect in January, 2021. Already, more than 27 African countries have been active in facilitating their participation. Zimbabwe is indeed a member of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, here now we see the spirit of Kwame Nkrumah coming to the fore, who said we must see a united Africa; who said, ‘our political freedom means nothing until and only when we have economic independence’. Madam Speaker, it is imperative that we tell these stories and ensure that people of the stature of the late Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda are given their rightful places in the history of our country. The history of this region and the history of the whole continent, the youths need to be taught in schools and everywhere else so that they can be able to share widely what it is that happened before them. They need to know what it is that inspired them. What should be their role models for them to become leaders that will take Africa to its rightful place?
Madam Speaker, Southern Africa would not be what it is today, were it not for what the late President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda did as he worked together with other Frontline States leaders. His song has a very important message for us all, let us walk together and have one heart, let us have one spirit and let us work together so that we can develop. No one else will develop Zimbabwe and Africa for us. No one will tell us to unite expect if we do that ourselves. Madam Speaker, I would like to end by wishing Dr. Kenneth David Kaunda a very peaceful rest when we eventually inter him in Zambia. I really want to thank you Madam Speaker and the Speaker of this august House Hon. Adv. J. F. N. Mudenda for having agreed that this motion be given priority. This speaks volumes of our leadership. I thank you – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -
#HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like to applaud the Norton Legislator Hon. T. Mliswa, as well as Hon. Dr. Mashakada for this motion. Dr Kenneth Kaunda was not just an ordinary person; he was a real asset, so much that if you come across a problem he would sacrifice that everyone should be safe. If you look at the history of Dr. Kaunda, his father Dr. David Kaunda was born in Malawi and they migrated to Zambia where Dr. Kaunda was born.
After his death, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda went as far as countries like Tanzania and here in Zimbabwe. He realised that the white government was very bad and was of the opinion that we should be liberated. There was the African National Congress Party which was in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia. This shows that we are one people. Realising that we are one people, after Zambia got independence in 1964, he thought of his fellow people in Zimbabwe who were suffering at that time. At that time in Malawi in 1964, there was also independence led by Hastings K. Banda whilst Dr Kenneth Kaunda led Zambia. So, he looked at Zimbabwe that was still under colonial rule under the rule of Ian Smith. He then welcomed Zimbabweans to launch a war that destroyed the white supremacy system. He took care of us, very well and the war was protracted from both Zambia and Mozambique. He did a very good job. May God lead him and grant his soul eternal rest.
I would like to thank Dr. Kaunda for such a good heart that led to our independence and may God grant him eternal rest. May his spirit lead us to unite regardless of political parties, be it ZANU PF or MDC. We are one people, all what we want is development and prosperity for this country. We were the last country to get independent in Southern Africa but credit should be given to Dr. Kenneth Kaunda for ensuring that we got our independence and may God grant eternal peace to the soul of Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. I thank you very much.
HON. MAVETERA: I would like to thank Hon. T. Mliswa and Hon. Dr. Mashakada for moving this very important motion, especially for us as the young people of Zimbabwe who also have got a lot to learn from this great leader. Let me take you back to the march which happened on the 13th August 1973 at Matere Stadium where Dr. KK, as we used to call him, went up and spoke to the young people in Zambia. It was the youth day there and he said young people are the future. Hon. Speaker, let me applaud this pro-active approach especially when it comes to youth issues which Dr. KK did.
We need to be quite holistic and find out how he really contributed in making sure that as Zimbabweans and also as Africa, we are also liberated. Even if you look, when he became the first President of Zambia in 1964, he was 40 years old. What it means is that he was quite youthful by then; that alone also leaves a lot of young people here in Zimbabwe to realise the potential that they have. As a country right now, we need to understand that we do not need to sit at the peripheral but what we need to do is for us to see and watch things happen so that at least we get involved. Hon. Speaker, we really want to applaud Dr. KK for taking up the challenge and also challenging the status-quo.
Madam Speaker, there were a lot of struggles that were there but he went on to make sure that at least he was against injustice and the struggle of the black race. This is something that needs to be applauded and indeed when we are united, we need to understand that we have got a Pan-African view that we should have as Africans. Madam Speaker, recently we had the Pan-African debate which I believe was quite talked about in the rest of Africa.
This was so because you would come to realise that there are a lot of fights that we still have as Africans, but one thing we need to understand is that the uniting factor that unites us as Zimbabweans or also that unites us as Africans is that we are all from Africa. We need to be united as Africans. We need to move forward so that at least we can make sure that this legacy that Dr. Kaunda put on will actually be realised.
Madam Speaker, we need to understand that indeed Dr. Kenneth Kaunda was also a radical Zambian who went on and said that there was need for him. He went on and engaged other people including Julius Nyerere to get on to the front. He went on and even got His Excellency Seretse Khama so that at least they could all fight for one cause and one cause which could make sure that we become one Africa.
Madam Speaker, we need to understand that this cultural and political consciousness is very important for us going forward. Recently as a country, we went on and we were speaking of issues to do with us being patriotic, but one thing we need to understand is that for us to be patriotic we will be patriotic, but at the end of the day we also need to understand that we have got one uniting factor, which is for us to be Africans. Madam Speaker, let me thank Dr. Kenneth Kaunda for taking up that stance, for making sure that as Africans we can then be able to get some liberators for us to be liberal.
Madam Speaker, let me also be able to applaud that indeed he had the young people at heart. We also have this with His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa who has got the young people at heart, who is saying to the young people - take up the opportunity so that at least you are seen out there. This is very critical Madam Speaker, for us to be going forward as a country, for us to take this legacy so that as Zimbabwe we will see young people being there and we appreciate all the efforts that are being done by our Government to make sure that young people are there. You would see right now Madam Speaker, we have never had a youthful Cabinet like the one that we have right now and this shows that His Excellency has got this zeal to also make sure that he takes up the stick that Dr. Kenneth Kaunda had.
Madam Speaker, I do not want to add much, but all I have to say is that indeed we really want to say to Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, may his soul rest in peace and we really want to thank him for pursuing the youth agenda. This was quite a noble stance. Thank you very much Madam Speaker.
(v)HON. S. SITHOLE: Madam Speaker, firstly I want to send my condolence to His Excellency, Statesman, Dr. Kaunda’s family and the entire Zambian people. Also, I want to thank Hon. Mliswa for moving this motion, seconded by Hon. Dr. Mashakada. Madam Speaker, I also want to thank our President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa, for giving a highly appreciated mourning by lowering our country’s flag for this long period showing that we are together with the Zambian people, we are one.
Madam Speaker, I do not want to say much because some Hon. Members have alluded to everything about our Statesman Dr. Kaunda. I am now encouraging those who know the history of our Dr. Kaunda that they must write the history for our youths to encourage them to know the role that Dr. Kaunda played.
Madam Speaker may his soul rest in peace. Go well Dr. Kaunda. We can talk and talk but only God knows. Thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Madam Speaker for according me this opportunity to add my voice. Firstly, I would like to thank Hon. Mliswa for raising this motion, seconded by Hon. Dr. Mashakada.
A lot has been said. Zambia got its independence on 24 October, 1964. When Dr. Kaunda got independence, it was an opportunity for him to enjoy the freedom but it did not give him that opportunity because of the plight of his neighbours who were still under colonial rule. So he gave home to our freedom fighters in Mukushi camps where they would train to fight for our country.
He helped Zimbabwe by giving us weapons and clothes. Smith tried by all means for Dr. Kaunda not to keep our freedom fighters. He killed a lot of our heroes but this did not deter Dr. Kaunda. He kept on helping Zimbabwe so that we attain our independence. We thank Dr. Kaunda for what he did. May his soul rest in peace. Thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. S. NDLOVU: Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity I have been given to air my condolences to the late President Dr. Kaunda on the motion that has been moved by Hon. Mliswa, seconded by Hon. Dr. Mashakada.
We are mourning together with the people of Zambia. Today we enjoy independence in Zimbabwe because of the late Dr. Kaunda and the people of Zambia. We are now like Zambians because we also miss Dr. Kaunda. We thank His Excellency for instructing that our flags be half masked as a respect to the late Dr. Kaunda.
We got independence because our fighters were in Zambia. It was not easy but because of Dr. Kaunda, he did not let us fail. He permitted us to fight our enemies whilst we were in his country. It is because of this, as a daughter-in-law of Zambia from the royal family, that I thought I should register my condolences to the Kaunda family and the rest of the Zambians and Zimbabweans.
We learnt a lot from the late President Dr. Kaunda and because of that we say God has allowed Dr. Kaunda to rest. He has done great works that we admire today. We wish for his soul to rest in peace. People of Zambia, we are together in this sorrowful time and on the day of his interment, we will know that a great hero of Africa is being laid to rest. He was a great man in liberating all these nations. May God comfort you people of Zambia. Thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank the Hon. Speaker Adv. Jacob Mudenda and his team, the Speaker’s bench for having allowed this motion to be moved. The importance of this motion is shown by the presence of the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and the Minister of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry sitting throughout this debate. This took precedence because we are where we are because of the contribution of the late Dr. K. Kaunda.
The Hon. Members who debated namely Hon. Mashakada who seconded the motion, was absolutely just the right person at the right time fitting in the shoes; Hon. Mayihlome who was part of the struggle of liberating this country; Hon. Moyo who clearly went a step further; Hon. Zemura who also contributed immensely that leaders must be like Kenneth Kaunda in moving with their wives, the late Betty Kaunda; Hon. Labode who spoke about the education that she got from Dr. K. Kaunda; Hon. Mudarikwa who further went on to say, listen, there must be a curriculum that at some point infuses moral principles and values of the late Dr. K. Kaunda.
Hon. Dzuma who was part of the struggle, also spoke to how they were assisted; Hon. Shamu who was also part of the struggle, also spoke about the humanism that he had; Hon. S. Banda spoke in his language, the language of the late Dr. K. Kaunda on the eastern side of Zambia; Hon. Mavetera spoke about how the late Dr. K. Kaunda’s fight was radical and inspired and motivated youths, which must be what it is today; Hon. Sithole, his condolences; Hon. Mutambisi again spoke about how he then sacrificed his time of being a leader of a country, enjoying and doing things for his country but he felt that was not good enough if other countries were not liberated and that was the unselfishness of him. Hon. Rossy Mpofu, the last speaker who contributed to this.
Madam Speaker, I really want to say it is a befitting send off by this institution which represents the people and as such Madam Speaker, before I move for the adoption of this report, I would like us to all follow this song as we send him off – even if we cannot but we will go with you. Hon. Banda, we will go together and Hon. Members who are logged in, I hope that we will go through this song together. One, two, three!
Hon. S. Banda and Hon. T. Mliswa led the august House in singing the song, ‘Tiyende pamodzi ndim’tima umo’
HON. T. MLISWA: One Africa! One nation! Now we must have a new one after KK! One Zimbabwe! One nation! Thank you very much. I therefore move for the adoption of this motion.
Motion with leave, adopted.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I move that the House reverts to Order of the Day Number Four.
HON. S. BANDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
FOREST AMENDMENT BILL [H.B. 19, 2019]
Fourth Order read: Committee Stage: Forest Amendment Bill
[H.B. 19, 2019].
House in Committee.
Clause 1 put and agreed to.
On Clause 2:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): Thank you Madam Chair. On Section 5 (2), we propose the amendment to align with the Corporate Governance Act where the tenure of the boards is 4 years. The Act is actually speaking of 3 years, so, we propose the amendment to change that to 4 years. I thank you.
Amendment to Clause 2 put and agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, put and agreed.
Clauses 3 to 6 put and agreed to.
On New Clause 7:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU):
On the new Clause 7, which refers to Section 17 of the Act, we thought it is prudent to de-escalate the powers of the Minister and allow the Commission to carry its mandate.
Madam Chair, we are keen to have strong institutions working. We therefore feel it is necessary that the Commission has power to lease its estate as opposed to the Minister leasing the estates. I therefore, propose this amendment to the Act. I thank you
Amendment to New Clause 7 put and agreed to.
New Clause 7, as amended, put and agreed to.
On New Clause 8:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): Thank you Madam Chair, Clause 8 refers to Section 21 of the Forest Act which refers to the funds of the Commission. Here it is just to expand to align to the realities of conservation as it stands. We are, through Forestry Commission, going to be engaging alternative funding which includes trading and carbon credits which is why we propose for instance, if we look at (b) “’that any loans donations and grants made into the Commission by any person or agents or by any government of any country” this is expanding the potential revenues to the Commission. So, we are merely aligning to the realities where currently Forestry Commission is also getting funds from the tobacco levy and also from the carbon tax. I move that we make this amendment.
Amendment to New Clause 8 put and agreed to.
New Clause 8, as amended, put and agreed to.
On New Clause 9:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): On Clause 9, we are only proposing the deletion of the “comptroller” which we no longer have. The Act still assumes the position of the comptroller exists.
Amendment to New Clause 9 put and agreed to.
New Clause 9, as amended, put and agreed to.
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: On a point of order! I thought the Committee Stage is for the whole House but in this case it is only the Minister who is making submissions. I stand corrected.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (HON. MAVETERA): Thank you Dr. Mashakada. The reason why I am asking ‘is there any debate’ is meant for you to be able to debate if you have got any contributions that you would want to make. So, if you then do not respond or maybe if you remain silent, we will continue. So when I say is there any debate and you have something to say, you can stand so I can recognise you and you can contribute. Also in terms of the question, the question is not put to the Minister but to the whole House, then the whole House responds. Are you answered?
HON. DR. MASHAKADA: Madam Chair, the Minister motivates. The Bill has got three stages. At the second stage the Minister outlines the clauses in the Bill and motivates why those clauses need to be amended. When it passes the Second Reading, at the Committee Stage the whole House then concurs or does not concur. So, we ask the Minister again to do what he did at the Second Reading of the Bill. This is what I am saying.
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON: On the Second Reading
that is when the Minister came here and he did that. So, we are now on the Committee Stage where we go clause by clause. If you have any reservations or contributions you might wish to make you will be indulged. As it stands now, for him to be explaining all the additions that he made, he already did that when he presented during the Second Reading.
On new Clause 10:
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. NDLOVU):
Madam Chair with your indulgence, may I just highlight something to Hon. Dr. Mashakada. When I came for the Second Reading, mainly it was to respond to both the Committee and the contributions made by the Members. I however did highlight - but I know you were not present on Tuesday. This Bill was brought to Parliament before I assumed office of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry and when we went through the Bill, there were minor issues which we thought needed to be tidied up but were not covered in the Second Reading. They are however in the notice of amendment which you already have. It has not been explained to Members why they are there. These are the ones we are focusing on only. Thank you.
On new Clause 10, we looked at the Act which says, the Commission will only sit when the Chair wishes them to sit. We believe that we need to clean this up and the board should sit quarterly. We therefore propose that they sit once a quarter or hold a special meeting as and when circumstances require.
HON. T. MLISWA: Not taking away from the Minister, but it seems to be a tendency and a culture for Boards to meet quarterly and that is mandatory, and of course as and when they can meet. With the current economic quagmire that we have with inflation, by the time that they meet they would have been overtaken by events quarterly. What you tend to find is that they seem to stick to those quarterly ones and they think they have satisfied that. But then three months in an inflationary environment is quite retrogressive. We see that with the Public Finance Management Act, Ministers and Ministries are not even giving the reports as required. You would be expecting the boards meeting to feed into the Permanent Secretary who then gives a report to the Portfolio Committee as required by the Public Finance Management Act. However, that has not been happening; So I really need some clarity on that because we are not factoring in the inflation aspect and the state of the economy which is quite critical at the end of the day. I do not know what the take would be Madam Chair.
HON. NDLOVU: I want to thank Hon. Mliswa for this important contribution. Here we are referring to board meetings. Ordinarily Committees have to meet monthly and we also have to be careful that the boards do not end up running institutions but providing the oversight function. So, I still think that if the Committees are able to meet on a monthly basis they are able to provide the oversight but I also take his view that we also as Ministers take time to brief committees. I think this is something we can always improve on. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: I totally agree that Committees must meet monthly but is it law because we want it to be law as the aspect of oversight is critical. Then, they report to the full board quarterly. That is where things have been going wrong because there is not much monitoring. If it is law then I agree. The reason why I say this is because I do not doubt the Minister’s capacity and his ways of running things are well appreciated. He has the competence but what if you are not there?
HON. NDLOVU: Thank you Madam Chair. The Committee sittings are not regulated in the Act. Generally, you do not want to over burden the Act. Some things are administrative but if the feeling of the House is that it should be, though I do not think it is standard practice that Committee meetings are legislated in the Act. I want to believe but I stand to be corrected that this is covered under the Corporate Governance Act. We generally specify the meeting of the full board. Thank you Madam Chair.
Amendment to new Clause 10 put and agreed to.
New Clause 10, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clause 4 put and agreed to.
On Clause 5:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 2 of the Bill, by the insertion after Clause 13 of the following clause —
- AMENDMENT OF SECTION 55 (OWNER OR CCUPIER
OF PRIVATE LAND SHALL GIVE NOTICE OF INTENTION TO
DISPOSE OF INDIGENOUS TIMBER)
Section 55 (2) (c) (Owner or occupier of private land shall give notice of intention to dispose of indigenous timber”) of the Principal Act is amended by the addition of a new paragraph after paragraph (c):
“(d) After satisfying the above, the Commission shall carry out an inspection of the private land concerned.”
This speaks mainly of owners of private land who want to dispose of indigenous timber and they notify the Commission. We believe it is important that before they are given the permission to dispose of this timber, the Commission has to carry out an inspection of this private land so that we assess the sustainability of such disposal. We therefore propose the insertion of subsection (d) under section 55.
Amendment to Clause 5 put and agreed to.
Clause 5, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clause 6 put and agreed to.
On Clause 7:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 3 of the Bill, by the deletion of sub clause (a) and (b) and the substitution of the following –
“13. AMENDMENT OF SECTION 68 (PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE OF FIRE GUARDS ON COMMON BOUNDARIES)
Section 68 (“Provision and maintenance of fire guards on common boundaries”) of the principal Act is amended –
(a) by the repeal of the sub-clause (a) and the substitution of the following—
“(4) if any fireguard is of the width required by subsection (3),
but its sufficiency for the purposes of this section is disputed on the
ground that such fireguard is not sufficiently cleared of
inflammable matter, the dispute shall be referred for decision to the
designated Forest Officer. Appeals shall lie with the Provincial
Head and thereafter the Director-General whose decisions shall be
made within ten (10) working days respectively.
(b) by the repeal of sub clause (b) and the substitution of the following –
“(6) If a dispute arises as to the boundaries of the land in respect of which an occupier who is a miner is liable, under the provisions of this section, to assist in the establishment of a common fireguard or to contribute labour or towards the cost necessary to provide and maintain fireguards, such dispute shall be referred for decision to the designated forest officer who shall consult with a local environmental officer, as defined in section 2 of the Environmental Management Act [Chapter 20:27]. Appeals shall lie with the Provincial Head and thereafter the Director-General whose decisions shall be made within ten (10) working days respectively”.
On this one, we are merely trying to de-escalate again the powers which were given to the Minister. We believe that the Commission should have the powers to run its affairs. So, we are merely replacing where you would have your appeal directed to the Minister. It is now going to the Provincial Head and thereafter, if you are not satisfied, you take it to the Director General.
Madam Chair, I just want to highlight an omission which we had made in the notice of amendment on subsection (c), we had omitted to also indicate that we need to delete the word “General Manager” and replace it with “Director General” because we have changed that title to align it with others of EMA and National Parks.
HON. MLISWA: My concern is Minister is and I applaud the Minister as one of the few who does not want to have power, most would want it going through the Minister. It is real threat in African politics, especially in Zimbabwe but to then take it to the Provincial Head, then if not happy to the Director Manager yet you have said that the Commission must have a final say. So, if it goes to the General Manager where does the Commission come in? To me, we will probably have the Director General in consultation with the Commission because now you are giving too much power to the Director General yet the Director General has a board that he reports to and he is an ex-officio member. Are we not giving too much power to the Director General?
HON. M. NDLOVU: I agree with Hon. Mliswa that maybe the intention might not be realised in full. The assumption is that the decision taken by the Director General is in consultation with the Commission as they make the decision.
Amendment to Clause 7 put and agreed to.
Clause 7, as amended, put and agreed to
On Clause 8:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 4 of the Bill, in line 1 after the words “by the” delete “General Manager” and substitute with “Provincial Head.”
Again, on this section we are apportioning appropriate authority to the Director General and where possible to the Provincial Head and we are removing the General Manager.
Amendment to Clause 8 put and agreed to.
Clause 8, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 9 to 10 put and agreed to.
On Clause 11:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 5 of the Bill, by the insertion after clause 11 of the following clause –
“17. New Section inserted in Cap 19:05
The principal act is amended by the insertion after section 75 of the following section—
“75A Appeals against decision of Commission
(1) Subject to this section, any person who is aggrieved by any decision of the Commission in terms of this Act, may with twenty-eight (28) days after being notified of the decision or action of the Commission, appeal in writing to the Minister.
Provided that such appeal shall not suspend the operation of a decision of the Commission.
(2) For the purpose of determining an appeal noted in subsection 1, the Minister may require the Commission to furnish him with the reasons for a decision or action that is the subject of the appeal and a copy of any evidence upon which the reasons are based.
(3) The Minister may, after due and expeditious enquiry, make such a decision on any appeal noted in terms of subsection 1.”
(4). An appeal from the decision of the Minister shall lie with the Administrative Court and Part IX of the Environmental Management Act [Chapter 20:27] shall apply, mutatis mutandis, accordingly”.
Madam Chair, we propose the insertion of a new section which is section 75 (a) after section 75. This is appeals against the decisions of the Commission. Here we seek to also provide an avenue for the generality of our people to be able to appeal should they feel dissatisfied with the decisions that the Commission would have taken. We therefore provide that they can appeal in writing to the Minister. Again, if they are not satisfied that the decision taken by the Minister is fair they also have other recourse where they can appeal to the Administrative Court in line with Part 9 of the Environmental Management Act. I thank you.
Amendment to Clause 11 put and agreed to.
Clause 11, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 12, now Clause 18:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M. NDLOVU): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 5 of the Bill, by the deletion of clause 12 and the substitution of the following –
“18. AMENDMENT OF SECTION 78 (MAJOR OFFENCES)
Section 78 (“Major Offences”) of the principal Act is amended—
(b) In subsection (2)—
- “by the repeal of paragraphs (a) and (b) and the substitution with the following—
(a) where damage has been wilfully caused, to a level ten (10) fine or imprisonment for a period not less than five (5) years or both such fine and such imprisonment;
(b) in any other case, to a level six (6) fine or imprisonment for a period not less than two (2) year or both such fine and such imprisonment.
- In subsection (3) by the repeal of paragraphs (i) and (ii) and with the substitution of the following—
“(i) where damage has been wilfully caused, to a level ten (10) fine or to imprisonment for a period not less than five (5) years or to both such fine and such imprisonment;
(ii) in any other case, to a level six (6) fine or to imprisonment for a not less than two (2) year or both such fine and such imprisonment.
(c) By the insertion of a new subsection after subsection (3) as follows—
“ (4) The Court shall take into account such aggravating factors as loss of human life, livestock, wildlife, trees/forest and other property;”
This new Clause refers mainly to the penalties which came strongly from both the Committee and the Hon. Members that they were not prohibitive enough to offenders on this very important natural resource. We, therefore, sort to make these penalties more prohibitive. In most instances they were talking either just a fine or a sentence. Here we are providing a higher penalty but also the options of one facing both a fine and a jail sentence. Thank you.
Amendment to Clause 12 put and agreed to.
Clause 12, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 13 to 16 put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Bill reported with amendments.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the House reverts to Order of the Day Numbers 3.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
CYBER SECURITY AND DATA PROTECTION BILL [H.B. 18, 2019]
Third Order read: Committee Stage: Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill (H.B. 18, 2019)
House in Committee.
On Clause 1:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I wish to move the amendment in my name as reflected on the Order Paper. The proposal was to delete the words “Cyber Security” but we propose deletion of the word ‘security’ only.
Amendment to Clause 1 put and agreed to.
Clause 1, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 2 to 3 put and agreed to.
On Clause 4:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I wish to move the amendment in my name as reflected on the Order Paper. The proposal was to delete Clause 13 and substitute it with a new Section 13, which in sub-paragraph 4 will incorporate the responsibility of Ministers responsible for Security and Minister responsible for ICT, Postal and Courier Services to consult on the implementation of this section.
Clause 4 of the Bill is amended on page 6 in lines 13, 17, 19 and 21 by the insertion of “and storage” after the word “processing”.
The proposal was to delete Clause 13 and substitute with a new Section 13, which in sub-paragraph 4 will incorporate the responsibility of Ministers responsible for security and Minister responsible for ICT, Postal and Courier Services to consult on the implementation of this section.
On page 9 of the Bill, in line 16, delete Clause 13 and substitute with –
“13 Sensitive information
(1) No data controller shall process sensitive data unless the data subject has given consent in writing for such processing;
(2) The consent to the processing of data may be withdrawn by the data subject at any time and without any explanation and free of charge;
(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 the reasons for collecting the data”.
(4) The Minister responsible for the Cyber Security and Monitoring Centre in consultation with the Minister, may give directions on how to implement this section with respect to sensitive information affecting national security or the interests of the State.
(5) The provisions of subsection (1) shall not apply where—
(a)the processing is necessary to carry out the obligations and specific rights of the controller in the field of employment law; or
b)the processing is necessary to protect the vital interests of the data subject or/of another person, where the data subject is physically or legally incapable of giving his or her consent or is not represented by his or her legal, judicial or agreed representative; or
- c) theprocessingis carried out in the course of its legitimate activities by a foundation, association or any other non-profit organisation with a political, philosophical, religious, health-insurance or trade-union purpose and on condition that the processing relates solely to the members of the organisation or to persons who have regular contact with it in connection with such purposes and that the data is not disclosed to a third party without the data subjects’ consent; or
- d) the processing is necessary to comply with national security laws;or
- e) theprocessingis necessary, with appropriate guarantees, for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or
- f) the processing relates to data which has been made public by the data subject; or
- g) the processing is necessary for the purposes of scientificresearch:
Provided the Authority shall be entitled to specify the conditions under which such processing may be carried out; or
- h) the processing of data is authorised by a law or any
regulation for any other reason constituting substantial public interest.
(6) Without prejudice to the application of sections 5 to 8, the processing of data relating to sex life is authorised if—
- a) itiscarried out by an association with a legal personality
or by an organisation of public interest whose main objective, according to its Memorandum and Articles of Association, is the evaluation, guidance or treatment of persons of such sexual conduct, and who is recognised by a competent public body as being responsible for the welfare of such persons;
- b) the objective of the processing of the data consist of the
evaluation, guidance and treatment of the persons referred to in this section, and the processing of data relates only to the aforementioned persons:
Provided that the competent public body referred to in the paragraph grants a specific, individualised authorisation, having received the opinion of the Authority.
(7) The authorisation referred to in this section shall specify the duration of the authorisation, the conditions for supervision of the authorised association or organisation by the competent public body, and the way in which the processing must be reported to the Authority.”
Amendment to Clause 4 put and agreed to.
Clause 4, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 5 to 14 put and agreed to.
On Clause 15;
HON. GANDAWA: I move the amendment in my name as stated on the Order Paper.
The Bill is amended on page 11 in line 22 by the insertion of the following new clauses and the subsequent clauses shall be accordingly renumbered—
“15 Duties of Data Controllers
Every data controller or data processor shall ensure that personal information is—
(a) processed in accordance with the right to privacy of the data subject;
(b) processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner in relation to any data subject;
(c) collected for explicit, specified and legitimate purposes and not further processed in a manner incompatible with those purposes;
(d) adequate, relevant, limited to what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which it is processed;
(e) collected only where a valid explanation is provided whenever information relating to family or private affairs is required;
(f) accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date, with every reasonable step being taken to ensure that any inaccurate personal data is erased or rectified without delay; and
(g) kept in a form which identifies the data subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes which it was collected.
Amendment to Clause 15 put and agreed to.
Clause 15, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 16;
HON. GANDAWA: I move the motion in my name as stated on the Order Paper.
Rights of Data Subject
A data subject has a right to—
(a) be informed of the use to which their personal information is to be put;
(b) access their personal information in custody of data controller or data processor;
(c) object to the processing of all or part of their personal information;
(d) correction of false or misleading personal information; and
(e) deletion of false or misleading data about them.”
HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Madam Chair. I do not know. If I find somebody doing something with my wife, and then I take a picture or a video of somebody who is engaging illicitly with my wife, I do not think I should be punished. Rather, it is the other person who should be punished because he is illegally eating what does not belong to them. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): Thank you Madam Chair. I think everything else is well catered for in terms of the Bill but when it refers to the marriages issue, I think that is well catered for by the Marriages Act. Thank you.
Amendment 16 put and agreed to.
Clause 16, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 17 to 18 put and agreed to.
On Clause 19;
HON. GANDAWA: I move the amendment in my name that;
Clause 19 of the Bill is amended on page 13 in line 17 by the deletion of “without an undue delay” and the substitution of “within twenty-four (24) hours”.
Amendment to Clause 19 put and agreed to.
Clause 19, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 20;
HON. GANDAWA: I move the amendment standing in my name that;
Clause 20 of the Bill is amended on page 13 in line 39 by the deletion of sub-clause (6) and the substitution of the following—
“(6) The Authority shall provide guidelines that provide for the qualifications and functions of a data protection officer and such data protection officer’s duties shall include—
(a) ensuring compliance by the data controller with the provisions of this Act and regulations made thereunder;
(b) dealing with requests made to the data controller pursuant to this Act;
(c) working with the Authority in relation to the performance of its functions in relation to the data controller.”
Amendment to Clause 20 put and agreed to.
Clause 20, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 21 to 27 put and agreed to.
On Clause 28:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLONGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I move the amendment standing in my name that on page 16 of the Bill in line 13, insert a new sub-clause (4) as follows—
“(4) The Minister responsible for the Cyber security and Monitoring Centre in consultation with the Minister, may give directions on how to implement this section with respect to transfer of personal information outside of Zimbabwe.”
HON. GANDAWA: Thank you Hon. Chair, I suppose the Minister will take note that we are removing the word cyber security to cyber only. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLONGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): Thank you Hon. Chair. Certainly the justification is to safeguard the information with security implications.
Amendment to Clause 28 put and agreed to.
Clause 28, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clauses 29 to 32 put and agreed to.
On Clause 33:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLONGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I move the amendment in my name that on page 18 of the Bill in line 5, insert after “11” the number “13”.
Amendment to Clause 33 put and agreed to.
Clause 33, as amended, put and agreed to.
Clause 34 put and agreed to.
On Clause 35:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLONGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I move the amendment in my name that n page 21 of the Bill, in line 9 insert a new sub paragraph after sub paragraph (d) as follows—
“(e) in an aggravating circumstance certified by the Cyber Security and Monitoring Centre to be a breach of state security to a fine not exceeding level 14 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.”
On page 27 of the Bill, in line 6, delete clauses 165B to 166D.
HON. GANDAWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I wish to submit that I wish the Minister will take note of the word ‘security’ in his proposals that he intends to make, otherwise the debate that I have is as per the Order Paper. Thank you Madam Chair.
Clause 35 of the Bill is amended—
(a) on page 24 in line 44 by the insertion of “(3) Any person who up skirts and records nude images or videos of a citizen or resident of Zimbabwe without consent shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 5 years or both such fine or such imprisonment”;
(b) on page 26 in lines 3-10 by the deletion of—
“Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system generates and sends any data message to another person, or posts on any material whatsoever on any electronic medium accessible by any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress, or to degrade, humiliate or demean the person of another 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 to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.”;
and the substitution of—
“(1)Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of information and communication technologies generates and sends any data message to another person, or posts on any material whatsoever on any electronic medium accessible by any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress, or to degrade, humiliate or demean the person of another or to encourage a person to harm himself or herself, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level ten or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
(2) Special consideration shall be given when a child is found guilty of any of the offences set out in (1), in line with the law of Zimbabwe:
Provided that the penalty shall not give the child a criminal record nor shall the child be imprisoned for this offence.”.
(c) on page 26 in lines 34-39 by the deletion of—
“Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system makes available, broadcasts or distributes a data message containing any intimate image of an identifiable person without the consent of the person concerned causing the humiliation or embarrassment of such person 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 such imprisonment”.
and the substitution of—
“Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system makes available, broadcasts or distributes a data message containing any intimate image or video of an identifiable person without the consent of the person concerned or with recklessness as to the lack of consent of the person concerned, with the aim of causing the humiliation or embarrassment of such person 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 such imprisonment.”.
(d) on page 27 by the insertion of the following after line 22—
“164F. Recording of genitalia and buttocks beneath closing without consent
(1) Any person who unlawfully and intentionally records an image or video beneath the clothing of another person which depicts this person’s genitalia or buttocks, whether covered by underwear or not, without the consent of the depicted person or with recklessness as to the lack of consent of the person concerned, as far as these are to be protected against sight according to the recognizable will of the depicted person, 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 such imprisonment.
(2) Section 164E shall apply mutatis mutandis to any person who makes available, broadcasts or distributes a data message containing an image or video as described in (1).”;
(e) on page 27 in lines 25-38 by the deletion of the text headed “Child Pornography” and the substitution of the following—
“165 Child sexual abuse material
(1) In this Act—
“Child sexual abuse material” means any
representation through publication, exhibition,
cinematography, electronic means or any other
means whatsoever, of a child, a person made to
appear as a child or realistic material
representing a child, engaged in real or
simulated explicit sexual activity, or any
representation of the sexual parts of a child for
primarily sexual purposes.
(2)Any person who unlawfully and intentionally, through a computer or information system—
(a) produces child sexual abuse material;
(b) offers or makes available child sexual abuse material;
(c) distributes or transmits child sexual abuse material;
(d) procures or obtains child sexual abuse material for oneself or for another person;
(e) possesses child sexual abuse material on a computer system or a computer-data storage medium;
(f) knowingly obtains, accesses or procures child sexual abuse material;
(g) baits a child into the production or distribution of child sexual abuse material
shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 14 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years, or both such fine and such imprisonment.
(3) Any person of 18 years 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, where this proposal has been followed by material acts leading to such a meeting, shall 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.”.
(f) on page 31 by the insertion of the following paragraph after line 37—
“(f) against citizens or permanent residents of Zimbabwe.”
HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Madam Chair. On Clause 35, I just want to find out from the Hon. Minister, where it reads (3) any person who records nude videos of a citizen or a resident of Zimbabwe without consent shall be guilty. It seems like the focus is only on those who are Zimbabweans, how about if a foreigner is recorded, is it legal to record a foreigner? I am asking if it is possible to penalize even if it is a picture which belongs to a foreigner.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): Thank you. I wish to move the amendment in my name as reflected on the Order Paper Clause 35 of the Bill is amended—
- a) On page 24 in line 44 by the insertion of “(3) Any person who up skirts and records nude images or videos of a citizen or resident of Zimbabwe without consent shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 5 years or both such fine or such imprisonment”;
- b) On page 26 in lines 3-10 by the deletion of—
“Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system generates and sends any data message to another person, or posts on any material whatsoever on any electronic medium accessible by any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress, or to degrade, humiliate or demean the person of another 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 to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.”;
and the substitution of—
“(1) Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of information and communication technologies generates and sends any data message to another person, or posts on any material whatsoever on any electronic medium accessible by any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress, or to degrade, humiliate or demean the person of another or to encourage a person to harm himself or herself, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level ten or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
(2) Special consideration shall be given when a child is found guilty of any of the offences set out in (1), in line with the law of Zimbabwe:
Provided that the penalty shall not give the child a criminal record nor shall the child be imprisoned for this offence.”
- a) On page 26 in lines 34-39 by the deletion of—
“Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system makes available, broadcasts or distributes a data message containing any intimate image of an identifiable person without the consent of the person concerned causing the humiliation or embarrassment of such person 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 such imprisonment” and the substitution of—
“Any person who unlawfully and intentionally by means of a computer or information system makes available, broadcasts or distributes a data message containing any intimate image or video of an identifiable person without the consent of the person concerned or with recklessness as to the lack of consent of the person concerned, with the aim of causing the humiliation or embarrassment of such person 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 such imprisonment.”
- a) On page 27 by the insertion of the following after line 22—
“164F. Recording of genitalia and buttocks beneath closing without consent;
(1) Any person who unlawfully and intentionally records an image or video beneath the clothing of another person which depicts this person’s genitalia or buttocks, whether covered by underwear or not, without the consent of the depicted person or with recklessness as to the lack of consent of the person concerned, as far as these are to be protected against sight according to the recognisable will of the depicted person, 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 such imprisonment.
(2) Section 164E shall apply mutatis mutandis to any person who makes available, broadcasts or distributes a data message containing an image or video as described in (1).”;
- a) On page 27 in lines 25-38 by the deletion of the text headed “Child Pornography” and the substitution of the following—
“165 Child sexual abuse material
(1) In this Act—
“Child sexual abuse material” means any representation through publication, exhibition, cinematography, electronic means or any other means whatsoever, of a child, a person made to appear as a child or realistic material representing a child, engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activity, or any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes.
(2) Any person who unlawfully and intentionally, through a computer or information system—
- a) produces child sexual abuse material;
- b) offers or makes available child sexual abuse material;
c)distributes or transmits child sexual abuse material;
- d) procures or obtains child sexual abuse material for oneself or for another person;
- e) possesses child sexual abuse material on a computer system or a computer-data storage medium;
- f) knowingly obtains, accesses or procures child sexual abuse material;
- g) baits a child into the production or distribution of child sexual abuse material shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 14 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding ten years, or both such fine and such imprisonment.
(3) Any person of 18 years 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, where this proposal has been followed by material acts leading to such a meeting, shall 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.”.
(g) on page 31 by the insertion of the following paragraph after line 37—
“(f) Against citizens or permanent residents of Zimbabwe.”
In terms of Hon. Banda, the Bill I agree, will be able to cover all the citizens including the foreigners who will be in Zimbabwe and certainly, Hon. Gandawa, the Cyber Security and Monitoring Centre is there to give policy direction and guidance to the Minister on issues of national security that would constitute aggravating circumstances in this case. Thank you.
Amendments to Clause 35 put and agreed to.
Clause 35, as amended, put and agreed to.
On New Clause 36:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I wish to move the amendment in my name as reflected On the Order Paper. On page 27 of the Bill, in line 6 insert a new clause as follows—
“36 Insertion of New Part in Cap.9:07
The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act [Chapter 9:07] is amended by the insertion of after Part XX of the following Part—
“PART XXA
PROVISIONS RELATING TO CYBER CRIME
“379ASearch and seizure
(1) In this section “seize” includes—
- a) taking possession of or securing a computer;
- b) securing a computer system or part thereof or a computer-data storage medium;
- c) taking a printout or output of computer data;
- d) making and retaining a copy of computer data, including through the use of use of onsite equipment;
- e) activating any onsite computer system or computer data storage media;
- f) maintaining the integrity of any stored relevant computer data;
- g) rendering inaccessible or removing computer data in the accessed computer system.
(2) A magistrate may, on an application by a police officer in the prescribed form, that specified computer data or a printout or other information is reasonably required for the purpose of a criminal investigation or criminal proceedings, order that—
- a) apersonin Zimbabwe in control of the relevant computer system produce from the system specified computer data or a printout or other intelligible output of that data; or
- b) an electronic communications service provider inZimbabwe produce information about personswho subscribe to or otherwise use the service.
(3) An application referred to in subsection (1) shall be supported by an affidavit in which the police officer shall set out the offence being investigated, the computer system in which it is suspected to be stored, the reasonable grounds upon which the belief is based, the measures that will be taken in pursuance of the investigation and the period over which those measures will the taken.
(4) A police officer granted a warrant in terms of this section may—
- a) if there are reasonable grounds to believe that computer data concerned is susceptible to loss, alteration, deletion, impairment or modification, by written notice given to a person in control of the computer data, require thepersonin control of the data to ensure that the data specified in the notice is preserved for a period not exceeding seven days as may be specified in the notice which period may be extended, on an application to a magistrate, for such period as the magistrate may grant;
- b) by written notice to a person in control of the computer systemorinformation system concerned, require the person in control thereof to disclose relevant traffic data concerning specified communications in order to identify—
- i) the service providers; or
(ii) the path through which the communication was transmitted.
(5) Any person who does not comply with the order given in terms of this section shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine.
379B Expedited preservation
(1) A magistrate may, on an application by a police officer in the prescribed form, that there are reasonable grounds to suspect or believe that traffic data associated with a specified communication is required for the purposes of a criminal investigation—
- a) order any person in control of such data to—
(i) collect, record or preserve the traffic data associated with a specified communication during a specified period; or
(ii) permit and assist a specified police officer to collect or record that data.
(a) authorise the police officer to collect or record traffic data associated with a specified communication during a specified period through the use of any appropriate technological means.
(2) Section 33(3) of the Data Protection Act [Chapter 11:22] shall apply mutatis mutandis to an application in terms of this section.
379C Obligations and immunity of service providers
(1) An electronic communications network or access service provider shall not be criminally liable for providing access or transmitting information through its system if such service provider has not—
(a) initiated the transmission; or
(b) selected the receiver of the transmission; or
(c) (c)selected or modified the information contained in the transmission.
(2) The provision of access or the transmission referred to in subsection (1) shall include the automatic, intermediate and transient storage of the information transmitted in so far as this takes place for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission in the communication network, and the information is not stored for any period longer than is reasonably necessary for the transmission.
(3) A hosting provider shall not be criminally liable for the information stored at the request of a user of the service if the hosting provider—
(a) Promptly removes or disables access to the information after receiving an order from any court of law to remove specific stored illegal information; or
(b) In any other manner, obtains knowledge or becomes aware of any illegal information stored, promptly informs the appropriate authority to enable it to evaluate the nature of the information and if necessary, issue an order for its removal.
(4) Subsection (3) shall not apply where the user of the service is acting under the authority or the control of the hosting provider.
(5) Where the hosting provider removes the content after receiving an order pursuant to sub-section (3), no liability shall arise from the contractual obligations with the user with regard to the availability of the service.
(6) A hosting provider who fails to remove or disable access to information in terms of subsection (3) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 8 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
(7) A caching provider shall not be criminally liable for the automatic, intermediate or temporary storage of information where the caching was performed for the sole purpose of making the onward transmission of the information to other users of the service upon their request more efficient if the caching provider—
(a) does not modify the information;
(b) complies with conditions of access to the information;
(c) complies with rules regarding the updating of the information, specified in a manner widely recognised and used by industry;
(d) (d)does not interfere with the lawful use of technology, widely recognised and used by industry, to obtain data on the use of the information; and
(e) Acts promptly to remove or to disable access to the information it has stored upon obtaining knowledge that the information has been removed from the network at the initial source of the transmission, or that access to it has been disabled, or that a court or an appropriate public authority has ordered such removal or disablement.
(8) A caching provider who contravenes the conditions set out in subsection (7) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 8 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
(9) An internet service provider who enables access to information provided by a third person by providing an electronic hyperlink shall not be criminally liable with respect to the information if the internet service provider—
(a) Promptly removes or disables access to the information after receiving an order from an appropriate public authority or court to remove the link; or
(b) (b) Through other means, obtains knowledge or becomes aware of stored specific illegal information promptly informs the appropriate authority to enable it to evaluate the nature of the information and if necessary issue an order for its removal.
(10) An internet service provider who fails to promptly remove or disable access to information in terms of subsection (9) shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 8 or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or both such fine and such imprisonment.
(11) Any service provider who knowingly enables access to, stores, transmits or provides an electronic hyperlink to, any information with knowledge of the unlawfulness of the content of any such information shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 14 or to imprisonment not exceeding a period of ten years or to both such fine and such imprisonment.
379D Jurisdiction
(1) A court in Zimbabwe shall have jurisdiction to try any offence under this Act where the offence was committed wholly or in part—
(a) within Zimbabwe or by any person in or outside Zimbabwe using a computer or information system or device, software or data located in Zimbabwe; or
(b) on a ship or aircraft registered in Zimbabwe; or
(c) by a national or permanent resident of Zimbabwe or a person carrying on business in Zimbabwe, whether or notthe offence is committed in Zimbabwe; or
(d) by a national or permanent resident of Zimbabwe or a person carrying on business in Zimbabwe and the offence is committed outside Zimbabwe, if the person’s conduct also constitutes an offence under the law of the country where the offence was committed and harmful effects were caused in Zimbabwe; or
(e) by any person, regardless of the location, nationality or citizenship of the person—
(i) using a computer or information system or device, software, or data located within Zimbabwe; or directed against a computer or information system or
(ii) device, software or data located in Zimbabwe.
379E Admissibility of electronic evidence;
(1) In any criminal proceedings for an offence in terms of this Act, evidence generated from a computer system or by means of information and communications technologies or electronic communications systems shall be admissible in court.
(2) In assessing the admissibility or evidential weight of the evidence, regard shall be given to—
(a) the reliability of the manner in which the evidence was generated, stored or communicated
(b) the integrity of the manner in which the evidence was maintained;
(c) the manner in which the originator or recipient of the evidence was identified; and
(d) Any other relevant factors.
(3) The authentication of electronically generated documents shall be as prescribed in rules of evidence regulating the integrity and correctness of any other documents presented as evidence in a court of law.
(4) This section shall apply in addition to and not in substitution of any other law in terms of which evidence generated by computer systems or information and communications technologies or electronic communications systems or devices may be admissible in evidence.
379F Forfeiture
A court convicting any person of an offence under this Act may order the forfeiture to the State of—
(a) any money, asset or property constituting or traceable to the gross proceeds of such offence; and
(b) any computer or information system, software or other devices used or intended to be used to commit or to facilitate the commission of such offence.”
The proposal is to delete Clauses 165(b) to 166(d). Thank you.
Amendments to New Clause 36 put and agreed to.
Clause 36, as amended, put and agreed to.
On New Clause 37:
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE): I wish to move the amendment in my name as reflected on the Order Paper On page 31 of the Bill, insert after Clause 36 a new clause as follows—
“37 Amendment of Cap.11:22
(1) The Interception of Communications Act [Chapter 11:20] (hereinafter called the “principal Act”) is amended in section 2 —
(a) by the repeal of the definition of “monitoring centre” and substitution of—
““cyber security and monitoring centre” means the Cyber Security and Monitoring of Interception of Communications Centre being unit central monitoring apparatus designated to be the monitoring facility through which all the intercepted communications and call-related information of a particular interception target are forwarded to an authorised person;”
(2) The principal Act is amended in by the repeal of section 4 and the following is substituted—
“4 Cyber Security and Monitoring of Interceptions of Communications Centre
(1) There shall be established a unit in the Office of the President, which shall be called the Cyber Security and Monitoring of Interception of Communications Centre.
(3) The cyber security and monitoring centre shall be advised by a committee which shall give advice to the director of the centre on whether or not a warrant should be issued.
The cyber security and monitoring centre shall be manned, controlled and operated by technical experts designated by the agency.
(4) The cyber security and monitoring centre shall give technical advice to—
(a) Authorised persons; and
(b) Service providers;
On cyber security and the interception of communications in terms of this Act.
(3) The principal Act is amended by the insertion after section 4 of the following sections—
“ 4A Functions of Cyber Security and Monitoring of Interceptions of Communications Centre
The functions of the Cyber Security and Monitoring Centre shall be to—
(a) be the sole facility through which authorised interceptions shall be effected;
(b) advise Government and implement Government policy on cybercrime and cyber security;
(c) identify areas for intervention to prevent cybercrime;
(d) coordinate cyber security and establish a national contact point available daily around-the-clock;
(e) establish and operate a protection-assured whistle-blower system that will enable members of the public to confidentially report to the Committee cases of alleged cybercrime;
(f) promote and coordinate activities focused on improving cyber security and preventing cybercrime by all interested parties in the public and private sectors;
(g) provide guidelines to public and private sector interested parties on matters relating to awareness, training, enhancement, investigation, prosecution and combating cybercrime and managing cyber security threats;
(h) oversee the enforcement of the Act to ensure that it is enforced reasonably and with due regard to fundamental human rights and freedoms;
(i) provide technical and policy advice to the Minister;
(j) advise the Minister on the establishment and development of a comprehensive legal framework governing cyber security matters.
4B Establishment of Cyber Security Committee
(1) There is hereby established a committee to be known as the Cyber Security Committee which will shall be an ad hoc advisory body to the Minister.
(2) The Cyber Security Committee shall consist of eleven members appointed by the Minister for their knowledge in computer and telecommunications, law and policy and skills in respect of any aspect dealt with in this Act as follows—
(a) one representative nominated by each of the following—
(i) The Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe;
(ii) The ministry responsible for information and communications technologies;
(ii) The ministry responsible for science and technology;
(iii) The ministry responsible for justice;
(iv) The Zimbabwe Republic Police;
(v) The National Prosecution Authority;
(vi) The ministry responsible for defence;
(vii) The Central Intelligence Organisation;
(viii) The Prisons and Correctional Service;
(b) one representative from the cyber security and monitoring centre;
(c) Any representative from any sector of the economy or any other person who may be necessary to the deliberations in respect of a particular warrant, appointed on an ad hoc basis.
(4) From among the appointed members, the Minister shall appoint the Chairperson of the Cyber Security Committee.
(5) The Committee shall, at its first meeting, elect a Vice-Chairperson of the Board from among its members:
Provided that the Chairperson and the Vice Chairperson shall be of different genders.
(6) The provisions of the Schedule apply to the Cybersecurity Committee.
(7) The Cyber Security Committee may, with the approval of the Minister, issue such guidelines as may be necessary for the carrying out of the provisions of this Act as it relates to its functions under this Act.”
(4) The principal Act is amended in section 5 by the insertion after subsection 3 of the following subsection—
“(4) The Minister, upon receiving an application for a warrant in terms of this section, shall refer the application to the Cyber security committee, who shall advise the Minister on whether or not any of the reasonable grounds to issue a warrant referred to in section 6 are present:
Provided that Minister may issue a provisional warrant if in his or her opinion any of the reasonable grounds referred to in section 6 are present.
(5) The Minister may withdraw a warrant issued provisionally upon the advice of the Committee that no reasonable grounds to issue to the warrant existed, without prejudice to anything that may be done by virtue of the warrant issued by the Minister between the time he or she issued it provisionally and the time it was referred to the committee and withdrawn.”
(5) The principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following Schedule —
“37 Amendment of Cap.11:22
(1) The Interception of Communications Act [Chapter 11:20] (hereinafter called the “principal Act”) is amended in section 2 —
Amendments to New Clause 37 put and agreed to.
New Clause 37, as amended, put and agreed to.
“SCHEDULE (4B (6))
- (1) Subject to this Schedule, a member shall hold office for such period, not exceeding five years, as the Minister may fix on his or her appointment.
(2) Subject to paragraph 8, a member shall hold office on such conditions as the Minister may fix in relation to members generally.
(3) A retiring member shall be eligible for re-appointment as a member.
Disqualification for appointment as member
- (1) The Minister shall not appoint a person as a member and no person shall be qualified to hold office as a member if he or she—
(a) is married to a person who is engaged in any activity connected with any business, if in the opinion of the Minister such financial interest or activity is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge by that person of his or her duties as a member; or
(b) has, in terms of a law in force in any country—
(i) been adjudged or otherwise declared insolvent or bankrupt and has not been rehabilitated or discharged; or
(ii) made an assignment to, or arrangement or composition with, his or her creditors which has not been rescinded or set aside; or
(c) has, within the period of five years immediately preceding the date of his or her proposed appointment, been convicted—
(i) In Zimbabwe, of an offence; or
(ii) Outside Zimbabwe, in respect of conduct which if committed in Zimbabwe would constitute an offence; and sentenced to a term of imprisonment imposed without the option of a fine, whether or not any portion has been suspended, and has not received a free pardon.
(2) A person who is—
(a) A Member of Parliament; or
(b) A member of two or more other statutory bodies;
Shall not be appointed as a member, nor shall he or she be qualified to hold office as a member.
(3) For the purpose of subparagraph (2)(b)—
(a) a person who is appointed to a council, board or other authority which is a statutory body or which is responsible for the administration of the affairs of a statutory body, shall be regarded as a member of that statutory body;
“Statutory body” means—
(i) any Commission established by the Constitution; or
(ii) anybody corporate established-directly by or under an Act for special purposes specified in that Act, the membership of which consists wholly or mainly of persons appointed by the President, Vice President, a Minister or a statutory body or by a Commission established by the Constitution
Vacation of office by member
- A member shall vacate his or her office and the member’s office shall become vacant—
(a) one month after the date upon which he or she gives notice in writing to the Minister of his or her intention to resign or on the expiry of such other period of notice as the member and the Minister may agree; or
(b) on the date he or she begins to serve a sentence of imprisonment imposed in Zimbabwe without the option of a fine—
- A) in Zimbabwe, in respect of an offence; or
- B) outside Zimbabwe, in respect of conduct which if committed in Zimbabwe, would constitute an offence; or
(c) if he or she becomes disqualified in terms of paragraph 2(1)(a), (b) or (c) to hold office as a member; or
(d) if he or she is required in terms of paragraph 4 to vacate his or her office.
Dismissal or suspension of members
- (1) The Minister may require a member to vacate his or her office if the member—
(a) has been guilty of any conduct that renders him or her unsuitable as a member; or
(b) has failed to comply with the conditions of his or her office fixed by the Minister in terms of paragraph 1(2); or
(c) is mentally or physically incapable of efficiently carrying out his or her functions as a member.
(2) The Minister, on the recommendation of the Board, may require a member to vacate his or her office if the member has been absent without the permission of the Board from two consecutive meetings of the Board of which he or she was given at least seven days’ notice and there was no just cause for the member’s absence.
(3) The Minister may suspend a member—
(a) whom he or she suspects on reasonable grounds of having been guilty of conduct referred to in subparagraph (1)(a); or
(b) Against whom criminal proceedings have been instituted for an offence in respect of which a sentence of imprisonment without the option of a fine may be imposed; and while that member is so suspended he or she shall not carry out any functions as a member.
Filling of vacancies in Board
- On the death of or the vacation of office by a member the Minister shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy.
Meetings and procedure of Board
- (1) The Cyber security Committee shall hold its meetings on an ad hoc basis on such date and at such place as the Minister may fix.
(2) The chairperson or, in his or her absence, the vice-chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Committee:
Provided that, if the chairperson and the vice-chairperson are absent from a meeting of the Committee, the members present may elect one of their number to preside at that meeting as chairperson.
(3) Five members shall form a quorum at any meeting of the Committee.
(4) All acts, matters or things authorised or required to be done by the Committee may be decided by a majority vote at a meeting of the Committee at which a quorum is present.
(8) Subject to subparagraph (9), at all meetings of the Committee each member present shall have one vote on each question before the Committee and, in the event of an equality of votes, the chairperson shall have a casting vote in addition to a deliberative vote.
Validity of decisions and acts of Board
- No decision or act of the Committee or act done under the authority of the Committee shall be invalid by reason only of the fact that a disqualified person acted as a member of the Committee at the time the decision was taken or act was done or authorised.
Minutes of proceedings of Board and committees
- (1) The Committee shall cause minutes of all proceedings of and decisions taken at every meeting of the Committee to be entered in books kept for the purpose in a confidential manner.”
Amendments to Schedule (4B (6), put and agreed to.
Schedule (4B (6), as amended, put and agreed to.
House resumed.
Bill reported with amendments.
Bill referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee.
TABLING OF AUDIT REPORT
PROTECTION OF WETLANDS BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AGENCY
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON M. NDLOVU): In terms of Section 12 (1) of the Audit Office Act [Chapter 22:18], I hereby lay upon the table the value for money Audit Report of the Auditor General on the protection of wetlands by the Environmental Management Agency which is under the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Tourism and Hospitality Industry. I thank you.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER SERVICES (HON. DR. MUSWERE), the House adjourned at Six o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 20th July 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 30th June, 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 SUSPENSION OF COMMITTEE BUSINESS
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that following the announcement by His Excellency the President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa on COVID-19 lockdown, all Committee workshops, public hearings and field visits have been suspended with immediate effect. In the event Committees have to hold urgent meetings, these should be conducted strictly on the virtual platform in order to comply with the guidelines on the prevention of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
APPOINTMENT OF HON. CHINYANGANYA TO THE STANDING
RULES AND ORDERS COMMITTEE
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that following the resignation of Hon. Gonese from the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders, the MDC-T Party has nominated Hon. Chinyanganya to be a member of the said Committee. This is in line with Section 151 (7) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which provides that whenever a vacancy occurs in the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders, a member must be elected or appointed as the case maybe as soon as possible to fill the vacancy. Hon. Chinyanganya is therefore duly appointed as a member of the Committee on Standing Rules and
Orders - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. SPEAKER: The following Hon. Minister have given apologies; Hon. F. Mhona, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Prof. P. Mavima, Minister Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. S. G. G. Nyoni, Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development; Hon. Z.
Soda, Minister of Energy and Power Development; Hon. W. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. July Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works.
HON. GONESE: A point of clarification on your first announcement Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I just wanted to seek clarification relating to the announcement on the lockdown measures and the consequent effect upon the operations of Parliament. I have understood what you have said in terms of the suspension of Committee business. I just wanted to find out in view of the fact that normal business hours I think are now supposed to end at 3:00 a.m. and curfew is starting at 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. if my understanding is correct, whether this has any impact on the operating hours of the institution of Parliament in view of those curtailed hours.
I just wanted to find out if there is any effect on that considering that there are Members who may be travelling who are not necessarily resident in town and the curfew is supposed to start at 6:00 p.m. and normally our operating hours are from 5 p.m. to 7p.m. in terms of the Standing Orders if there is business.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Vice President, can I confer with
you.
The Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Dr. Chiwenga approached the Chair.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Gonese for that
important request for clarification. I have been having a tete-a-tete with the Hon. Vice President who is also the Minister of Health and Child Care. He has accepted to clarify the issue.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH
AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN (RTD) DR. CHIWENGA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, on the point of clarification asked by the Hon. Member, we are in an emergency where we are trying to make sure we control the spread of this invincible enemy. As His Excellency the President said yesterday in his address to the nation, that we must all go out and encourage all our people, the citizenry of this country to get vaccinated, is one way of preventing the spread of this disease. Secondly, we must still carry out the protocols. So there are two tasks; to mop up everybody to make sure that those areas which have been identified as the hot spots, we want to vaccinate our people. Everybody has followed those instructions like what has happened in Victoria Falls and we would want all our borders to be secured. We want also our two metropolitan cities, Harare and Bulawayo to be secured and all those hot spots.
Having said that, Parliament is an essential service; it is one of the pillars of the State and so it must function. If there is business to be done, the protocols have got to be followed. We need to do the business so that the country keeps on running.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I hope I have clarified this. It is there in Level 4 which has been pronounced by His Excellency the President. There is that aspect of the essential service. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. I just want to help with the necessary SI. It is SI 200 of 2020. That is where it talks about Members of Parliament being part of the essential services.
So just to add on to that, it is SI 200 of 2020.
HON. NDUNA: Sorry Mr. Speaker Sir, if I can rise and be recognised on a point of clarity. If I can seek clarity on the announcement by the Hon. Vice President?
THE HON. SPEAKER: I thought the Hon. Vice President was
very lucid. What is that area of clarity that you require?
HON. NDUNA: Mr. Speaker Sir, in the announcement as he has also alluded to, we have to now go in and be frontlines by mopping up the citizenry on the issue of vaccination. My point of clarity resides in the resources. Is Parliament now going to look at the policy in that context and immediately give us resources to go and mop up as has been alluded to Mr. Speaker Sir. I thought I should ask in that context so that it can be answered holistically so that we can carry out that commission and mandate without any impediment.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I think the context in which the pronouncement has been made is that in your constituency, activities that should be part of your responsibilities – in the context of your responsibilities. Thank you.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON. MADHUKU: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir, my
question is directed to the Hon. Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. I would like to find out the policy guidelines for ZIMSEC and the Curriculum Change Process in schools, especially with regards to the introduction of new learning areas for those students in their final examination year. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you very
much Mr. Speaker Sir and thank you very much to the Hon. Member for the question. Examinations, as guided by ZIMSEC, are for those who have prepared for them and covered the syllabus. In the case of ‘O’ levels, the syllabus is a two-year programme and those who started and did Form Three last year are going to be writing those subjects that they did this year. If there are any other students who would like to do subjects this year that they did not do last year when they were in Form Three, it is up to them if they are ready.
The only component that becomes of essence is the component of continuous assessment that started off this year. Even if they did the subjects in 2020 and no continuous assessment marks were stored for them, they will have to do them this year so that they can write this year.
I thank you.
HON. MADHUKU: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir, my
supplementary question regards the introduction of the continuous assessment learning areas where we are having an outcry by the learners and teachers, because we understand that …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, you are debating. Ask
your supplementary question!
HON. MADHUKU: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is
that these continuous assessment learning areas are being introduced now with the teachers being trained now. The teachers are supposed to be part of the examination process at the end of the year. How does the Ministry and ZIMSEC cope with these challenges of the late introduction of the learning areas in their final examination year for the Grade Seven’s, Form Fours and Form Six? Thank you.
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker and thank you very much for the supplementary question. Continuous assessment as a phenomenon of examination assessment/area has always been in the system, albeit in a few areas that we used to call practical subjects.
What has happened is that we have extended that assessment to cover all subjects. The idea really is to run away from entirely assessing students on what they can remember but also to assess them on what they have done. So in the context of this period where we are already halfway through the year, what is going to happen to make a start and keeping in mind that change is always a problem and we need to start at some point. We have been discussing how we are going to model it and one way of doing it is going to be to reduce from the 30% that has been planned as colour to something less than that so that we can take care of the remaining period. The idea really is that we need now to assess not only on what students remember but also on what they have done. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Local Government and Public Works in relation to the Act on Local Government Section 205 (1)(c). What is Government policy in relation to estate land management as it relates to land given to Urban Councils for urban expansion, aware of the Urban Councils Act Section 205 (1) (c) also read in conjunction with the supreme law of the land Section 28 of the Constitution?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir and thank you Hon. Nduna for that question. I did not quite understand the actual question on what you presented. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: May you repeat your question Hon. Member? – [HON. T. MLISWA: Maybe he needs to explain the subsection…] – Can you paraphrase your question please?
HON. NDUNA: The question relates to estate management or issuance of land for stands for accommodation for the people in the urban areas. So that Section 205 (1) (c), speaks to estate management in the Urban Councils Act and Section 28 of the Constitution, speaks to the provision of shelter. So what is Government policy as it relates to the issuance of that land to those people on the housing waiting list in the urban areas, because that section gives three options – to lease, to sell or to donate that land to prospective house owners.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir. As far as estate management to local authorities is concerned, we have laid down procedures on how people on the waiting list or how residents to be are allocated the land. First and foremost, everybody who is going to be considered for a residential stand or commercial stand has to be on waiting list – that is the prerequisite. After they have been put on waiting list, they have to go through interview with the relevant local authority.
As Local Government, we have some stands that we get from the endowment fund which is about 10% of what we would have given to land developers. Once a month, we do the allocation based strictly on the waiting list throughout the 92 local authorities. We also have to assess if that person who is going to be awarded that stand or land is able to service that land. Once we do that, we give out a lease which contains conditions which have to be adhered to. For instance, we have to make sure that within 12 months, you should have put up a structure and if not, the stand will be repossessed. After about 3 years, you should have completed that structure and then you can go into negotiation of buying, having met the lease conditions. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: The section alluded to gives the Hon. Minister three options and the Hon. Minister has spoken about one option of selling. In the context of the housing back-log that in some instances stands at 25 000 houses out of the national housing back log of 1, 5 million, would it please the Minister to exercise the third option that is enshrined in the section mentioned that of donating the land to those prospective house owners in the context that they have no capacity to pay as she has alluded to and also in the context that land reclaimed for redistribution by the Minister of Lands according to the Agrarian Reform Act of 2000 is not meant to be sold.
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Hon. Speaker and thank you Hon.
Nduna for that follow-up question. We have categories as far as selling or meeting the housing waiting list. We have a percentage that we give to the vulnerable and they can be classified also under those that are not able. That quota is about 10% of those that we can exercise that option for and if they have proven during the interview that they are not able to meet the conditions of the other 85% or 90%, then they are considered based on the recommendation from the local authority. I thank
HON. MARKHARM: I just want clarity from the Hon. Minister I
give or buy leased land, is it through the local council or can it be directed to developers directly from the Ministry.
HON. CHOMBO: We have land that belongs to council and they
have their own procedures. We also have land that is State land that is managed through my Ministry and we have our own procedures. So, it depends where the buyer is, which route he or she is taking.
HON. T. MLISWA: This is State land which is for free and we want to give affordable housing to the people as per the national housing policy. Why is it that land is sold when it is State land for the national housing programme which the Government is embarking on because people then use the money to build the land? Why is that land sold when it is free and you then give it to people who tend to be land barons?
HON. CHOMBO: At the first instance, the person who applies is given a lease and in this case, we give out a 10 year lease with 10 different payments for leasing that land. However, we cannot give somebody title deeds that have not yet paid for that piece of land. The moment you give out a title deed, that means he or she is now the ultimate owner of that property. I thank you.
(v)+HON. L. SIBANDA: I would like to direct my question to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage. Why was the process of issuing IDs to children on Saturday and Sunday stopped before all the children were issued with IDs? Can I get clarification on what transpired?
+THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): Thank
you Mr Speaker Sir. Thank you Hon. Sibanda for the question you asked. It is true that the children were supposed to be issued with IDs on Saturday and Sunday but even the adults attended. So most of our offices were overwhelmed and they failed to serve everyone. They were no longer observing social distance. A lot of people came forth and they were not putting on face masks. This then led to a situation whereby only a few children managed to be issued with IDs. If we pay a closer look to the process on the whole nation, adults and children visited these places where they were supposed to be issued with IDs. However, due to the fact that the adults attended the days meant for the children it made it difficult for some children to be issued with IDs. They are allowed to go during the week to be issued with IDs and no one is supposed to be chased away. The problem is that people congest when there is such an exercise. What is also to be noted is that we had stopped issuing IDs for some time for lack of materials. Saturday and Sunday were meant for serving children but people attended in large numbers and made it impossible for us to serve only the children properly. I thank you.
(v)+HON. L. SIBANDA: I heard the Minister giving her response saying the children were being chased away. What plans do you have regarding going to schools and issuing children with IDs so that we avoid the congestion? I thank you.
+ HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: Thank you Hon. Sibanda for
the supplementary question. We are not the ones that are chasing away the children. They are being chased away at schools and schools belong to another Ministry. The suggestion that we go to schools to issue children with IDs is impossible because we cannot ferry our machinery to every school. These machines are old and they cannot cover the whole nation. If it was possible that our Ministry had portable machines, we could try. It is also our wish that everyone gets an ID and sit for their examinations. I thank you.
*HON. SEWERA: Is it government policy that you only serve 30 people per day?
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: I want to thank Hon Sewera for
the question. It is not government policy to serve 30 people per day.
We are limited by the machinery that we have, hence we only confine our service to 30 people per day.
+HON. TOFFA: My supplementary question to the Hon Deputy
Minister is; we have noted that issuance of IDs and birth certificates is a challenge but it is a right to every individual born in Zimbabwe to have these documents. As it is right now, children are suffering to get these documents so that they can be able to sit for their examinations. What measures do you have in place during this COVID-19 era to assist the children to get their documents?
+ HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: Thank you Hon. Toffa for the
pertinent question. It is true that it is the children’s right to have their IDs and birth certificates issued and it is also our wish that they be furnished with these documents. As it is on the passport issues, if we get consumables and the other necessary equipment, we will also do night shifts but that cannot be done with the birth certificates and IDs because the individual has to be physically present. We are aware that children are supposed to be provided with documents as their right as every other individual. On passports, we have a provision that we are going to conduct night shifts; but for the issuance of I.Ds and birth certificates, it is not possible because it requires the individual to be physically present. As for now - after the realisation of COVID, we have said the offices should be open up to 1800 hours, but due to COVID lockdown it is no longer possible. We will try to make sure that children are given access to the documents. We are also hurt about it because it is our responsibility. We are supposed to do our duty, but we are facing limitations due to COVID.
HON. MARKHAM: My question is directed to the Minister of
Justice and in his absence to the Leader of the House. My question pertains, mainly because of the ongoing demolitions both in the city and Melfort for example. Would it not be pertinent now for Government as a policy to release the Justice Uchena Report or Commission which was handed to the President in December, 2019 as this earmarks and defines all the people involved in these lands issues. This would relieve a lot of pressure on all administration whether it is Government or council and it would identify where we have problems so that we can solve them.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA) on behalf of THE
MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY
AFFAIRS: I would like to thank Hon. Markham for requesting the release of Justice Uchena’s report. Hon. Speaker it is a request not a question and therefore I will forward it to the relevant Minister. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: I just want to point out that this is the eighth time I have brought up this issue in this House and twice in committees. My follow up question and we might want to hand it on to the Ministry of Local Government. Is the Ministry aware that as we speak right now, development licenses including EIAs and EMA reports are being given across the northern suburbs in wetlands and in vehicle access areas? Are they aware this is continuing? Are we not exacerbating the problem for the future while in the south we are doing a different thing where we are now trying to correct the wrongs of the past and demolish houses?
THE HON. SPEAKER: That is absolutely a new question that does not relate to the Uchena Report. Hon. Deputy Minister, do you want to assist.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMNET
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): In regards to
demolitions, I think there are specific demolitions that are taking place right now using the Road Act and mostly, we are doing the demolitions along the road servitude. Those are the current demolitions that are taking place specifically. We have a policy on wetlands that we should not allocate any land on wetlands. If there is any allocation that is being done, we have to give out that land with mitigatory measures that should be stated in that offer, if it is wetland. Let us say we give you one hectare of land, we can say you can only do construction on 35% of the one hectare and do other mitigatory measures to make sure that you do not degrade the other 65% of that land. We try by all means to make sure that we do not offer land on wetlands.
HON. T. MLISWA: With due respect, Hon. Markham’s issue on
the Uchena Report is critical and I am glad the Vice President is here –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, I thought the Uchena Report is
going to be presented here and then at that stage you will debate.
HON. T. MLISWA: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Deputy –
THE HON. SPEAKER: You are now being very slippery. You
know, you were addressing the issue of Justice Uchena’s Report. You cannot move across to another issue. So you end up with two supplementary –
HON. T. MLISWA: No, it was not. That one before I even asked it you actually shot it down. My question to do with the Uchena Report was not complete, you shot it down.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, I have agreed on that and that is why I cannot ask it so my supplementary was really why do you –
THE HON. SPEAKER: You cannot have two bites Hon. Mliswa.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker, I stand guided by you and I will take my seat.
HON. T. MOYO: My question is directed to the Hon. Minister of
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. What is Government policy regarding the provision of innovative infrastructure that leads to sustainable economic development with particular reference to geo-spatial and bio-technology?
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): I wish to thank Hon.
- Moyo for the question on the provision of scientific and innovation infrastructure particularly to do with geo-spatial and space science as well as bio-technology. Government policy is a movement towards vision 2030 which is basically talking about Zimbabwe becoming an upper middle income economy. That becomes our national strategic intention and that has to have enablers. An enabler is a national capability which is the ability of the nation to drive its vision. In the middle of it, is the science, technology and innovation system of that nation. For the science, technology and innovation of that nation to work and deliver what is needed in the vision, we need to configure it properly.
In this configuration which I am now going to talk about is the need to have national strategic institutions that provide national capabilities that are critical. One of them is the geo-spatial and space science capability of any nation because a nation, as you know, is a boundary. It is a geographic entity and has to be understood together with its resources, people and infrastructure. Therefore, the mapping of the nation and its resources, the understanding of the nation and its communication is very important. To this end, the Government of Zimbabwe and His Excellency the President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa on the 10th of July 2018 inaugurated the Zimbabwe National Geo-spatial and Space Agency whose main activity is to give this nation the necessary capability to be able to understand itself, resources and infrastructure.
To date, we have built the head offices of this institution and the institution has already begun to be active by making sure that we have relooked at our agricultural capabilities in this country by looking at the Zimbabwe natural regions or agro-ecological zones which was adopted by Cabinet this year. Also, this country has started through the National Geo-spatial and Space Agency to map the wetland that one of the Hon. Members was talking about. To this end, now Zimbabwe within two or three months has the capability to understand itself in any area that it wants to understand – whether it is wetlands, rivers or crops that we grow and the areas or whether it is the transport infrastructure. We believe that the Zimbabwe National Geo-spatial and Space Agency is part of the configuration for giving the nation the capability that it needs to reach vision 2030.
When it comes to the issue of bio-technology, as you know Hon.
Speaker, this world is now based on what we call the cyclic economy.
This means that everything depends on the understanding of biological material. This biological material is recycled and moved from place to place and we call this bio-economy; the economy that depends on the understanding of life itself and genetics. To this end, we have started the National Biotechnology Authority and in that authority, we are spearheading the issue of Zimbabwe’s bio-economy starting from simple issues such as beneficiation of our fruits as just a simple example.
We have started working on issues such as marula and producing marula juice and related things from our natural heritage, our biological heritage and we are doing much more research for example tissue culture trying to improve the yields of our potatoes, maize and so forth. We are working on programmes which will enable this country to produce potatoes and raise the yield from the current 15 tonnes per hectare to what we anticipate to be 120 tonnes per hectare within the next year and so forth.
These two institutions, because we say for a nation to develop properly in the 21st century, it must pay attention to three aspects of science, geospatial technologies, bio-technologies and nano-technologies. Within our movement towards vision 2030, the configuration of our scientific and innovation structure has to reflect this so that the national capability is attained so that we reach the national strategic intent. To this end, this august House just passed the Centre for Education, Innovation, Research and Development Bill which is awaiting accent by His Excellency the President just to give heed and reality to this future that we are constructing. I thank you.
HON. T. MOYO: My supplementary question to the Hon. Minister concerns small scale gold producers (makorokoza). To what extend are they going to benefit from geo-spatial mapping and how relevant is your Ministry in assisting those small scale gold producers to locate natural endowments found in Zimbabwe?
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: One of the main focus areas of a National Geo-spatial and Space Agency is to understand the resource base of a country, is to be able to account for the resources of a country as if you are accounting for the money that is in your pocket. To this end, using satellite technology as well as complimenting it with field work plus global satellite navigation systems – we are able to map our minerals and know where they are before we can go and exploit them. With this method, it means we do not have to do feja-feja – we are actually going towards where the minerals are.
This is how critical it is and this is why certain countries will tell you I have come to invest on this mineral in Zimbabwe and you wonder what is going on. It is because they have a geo-spatial and space agency and they are seeing us from afar. We are joining that club and we are doing what we can do.
Zimbabwe has got a literacy rate of 97% - it is time after liberation that we liberate ourselves in that area. This is the movement that we are saying and when it comes to whether it is small scale or large scale, we have to know where our minerals are. The Cabinet gave the Zimbabwe National Geo-spatial and Space Agency the task to work with the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and we are working very well on the National Geo-spatial mining cadastral system. We believe that with this system, this country will begin to join the list of literate and technologically advanced countries that will use their brain to understand themselves and their environment and be able to economically rise towards vision 2030.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAHIYLOME: Thank you very
much Hon. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for that very enlightening response. My supplementary question Hon. Speaker Sir is, what is the Ministry doing to ensure that other tertiary institutions that are not under his purview like those under the Ministry of Agriculture and Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) as well as institutions like ZENT are brought on board so that they are not left behind? We are talking of innovation but VTCs are still using very old methods of doing things. The same applies to the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. What methods or strategies are there in place to make sure that everybody is brought on board? Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Hon.
Speaker Sir. I wish to thank Hon. Brig. Gen. (Rtd.) Mayihlome for the question on VTCs and other related institutions that might not administratively be still under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary
Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development. Hon.
Speaker Sir, this House in December passed the amendment to the Manpower Planning and Development Act. This Manpower Planning and Development Act, the amendment is actually talking by law to VTCs and any training centre post secondary to say, innovation and industrialisation should be the core aims of any training institution.
According to Section 75 (2) of the Constitution, if I am not mistaken Hon. Speaker Sir, it says, “any such institution that does not behave in such a way that it gives Zimbabweans good education, which leads to what Zimbabwe wants will be closed”. However, that is not the aim. The aim is, the Act is empowering all Manpower Development institutions to train properly. It does not matter whether they are administratively under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation and Technology Development. The Act dictates that this has to happen properly. So for the first time, this Act is coordinating all those institutions including VTCs.
Hon. Speaker Sir, the new Bill which is yet to be signed by His
Excellency which we passed in this House, the Centre for Education, Innovation, Research and Development Bill talks to all those centres to say when we are educating, we cannot be silos. We are educating Zimbabweans for a movement towards prosperity. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUCHIMWE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My
supplementary question is; Zimbabwe has got so many doctors who are abroad and technocrats who know jobs, who can manufacture. Are there any efforts put by Government to bring them back home so that they further develop our country?
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. The development of Zimbabwe is primarily done by Zimbabweans and it does not say Zimbabweans outside or inside. It means all Zimbabweans. It therefore means that all Zimbabweans who want to employ their skill and knowledge to the development of the motherland wherever they are would be harnessed. We will not force them to come but we will encourage them. It will be interesting and very important that we can work together for the prosperity of our nation. The Government policy is very simple. We are saying all Zimbabweans, no matter where they are today, whether virtually or physically, can come and build our country together. Our education is configured in such a way that it has to happen but us who are here believe that we can always work with our counterparts as long as we are working for the same aim, which is the development of Zimbabwe. So the policy is clear. We want them to work with people – Zimbabweans in the diaspora and here. Everyone is welcome. Thank you.
(v)HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to
thank the Hon. Minister for enlightening responses. I would like to get back to the issue of geospatial planning and I am sure they are involved.
I just want to be updated on the Government policy, particularly pertaining to title deeds, both urban and rural because that would unleash a block of the huge amount of land that can be used as collateral and even in the future move on to block chain financing. I thank you.
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I wish
to thank Hon. Markham for that very important question on survey for title and the use of geospatial technology. One of the key programmes that was outlined by His Excellency, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa at the inauguration of ZINGSA was to task ZINGSA to look at the issue of the fast survey of land using geospatial technology. We call this project Geo 99 and this project is in progress. We believe that by employing these technologies, we are able to do things that used to be done in three months, maybe in two days. So far, with this programme, we have employed it to the farming cadastre. It is at more than 60% completion. We had scanned all land diagrams in this country and we are in the movement of completing this programme. We believe from that time onwards, there will be no one who is swimming in a pile of paper, trying to get a diagram. It will be through the click of a button. As we go on with time and soonest, we believe that this space will be filled with those good news. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary
is as it relates to the geospatial mapping or otherwise on the issue of the minerals, in particular gold that you touched on. Is there a plan in your Ministry to produce technology that is going to beneficiate our gold and platinum so that we can produce catalytic converters from our platinum and produce gold coins? It is my view that we have more gold in order that we produce gold coins that are more than the paper money that we have so that we can use those as our currency.
HON. PROF. MURWIRA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I wish
to thank Hon. Nduna for the question, which is about the use of science and innovation for purposes of beneficiating our minerals. Indeed Hon. Speaker, this is one of the aims of having the national innovation hubs that His Excellency has started putting across all institutions of higher learning. That is exactly the purpose of the two Bills that were passed by this august House - the Manpower Planning and Development Act is talking about innovation and the Centre for Education, Innovation, Research and Development is talking about the core of use of innovation for beneficiation and also for value adding basically for industrialising this country. The policy is very clear when it comes to what we want to achieve. A country that can think and make its own things nobody can stop that country, that is the direction that we are taking.
+HON. M. KHUMALO: My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. What measures have been put in place in connection with education, in terms of e-learning and radio lessons, especially for those children who will not be going to school because of lockdown? Closure of schools has been extended by a further two weeks. In terms of e-learning, and radio lessons, pupils did not attend lessons last year and now the schools are closed again. In the rural areas, last year some schools got zero percent pass rate. Now because there is lockdown, children in towns are going to use e-learning and radio lessons but in the rest of the rural areas, there will be disaster.
I am asking the Minister what they have done in conjunction with ITC
Ministry, the Ministry of Information and the Ministry of Higher
Education to make sure those children benefit during lockdown.
+THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you Mr.
Speaker. I would also want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. We know that for children to learn, they need to have what we call elearning in English. We are facing challenges because we do not have infrastructure that will permit us to access internet throughout the country. Our Ministry of education is working hand in hand with the Ministry of ICT. They are trying to reach as many children as they can throughout the country. What is happening now is that there are radio lessons that are taking place. We know that it is not all the children that are accessing radio lessons because of two reasons.
Firstly, there is no network in some parts of the country. Secondly, some homes do not have radios but we have been working with our partners and we received about 6 000 radios that were donated to such schools that are not that developed. When it comes to those schools that did not receive the radios and where children cannot go to school in order to access those radios we have a preloaded material and the radios have pots where flash disks with all the materials that the children will have access through the radio, it is played on to the radio and the children listen. We have also written modules and these have been distributed throughout the country where people cannot access internet. We know that two months ago we launched television lessons and those are still ongoing and we were working together with information and broadcasting services. Those are efforts that are being put in place, we know that that is not enough, with time we will be able to reach out to all those children so that they can also perform better in their education.
Thank you.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Minister you
have just said that you distributed radios to schools so that children can go and listen to those radio lessons, are you aware that especially in rural areas like rural Nkayi we listen to Mozambique radio, if you go to Tsholotsho they listen to Botswana radio. So how are these children going to learn, maybe I did not understand.
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker. Let me respond in
English. Like I said earlier on, sometimes when you use vernacular there are instances where some phrases do not exist in our vernacular. However, I did indicate that where there is no radio signal - those radios are fitted with ports where you can use preloaded materials on flashes so that it can reach those pupils without the signals.
HON. T. MLISWA: My question to the Minister Primary and
Secondary Education, if the radios are 6 000, are they enough for everyone and for those who are not getting how do they then get educated. If you give only 6 000 what about those who do not have. Do those radios just work on fresh air or they need electricity, batteries and so forth? What do you do to ensure that those radios are working in terms of the energy required for example electricity and batteries?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Using our education management information system we are able to determine which schools are in most need in the whole country. So, that was the criteria that was used. Secondly we are aware that those radios are not enough we have more than 9 000 schools in the country but then we are targeting those that are low on the index of poverty. On energy, those radios are fitted with solar appliances for charging and they are also fitted with lights so that in the event - perhaps in the evening the lights are then used. They are also fitted with a port for charging cellphones.
So those are some of the appliances to make them user friendly.
HON. N. MGUNI: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Health and Funeral Insurances are denying older persons from 65 years and above from joining these insurances. What is the Ministry doing to assist them because they are entitled to their rights? Now people in the informal sector make enough money to afford policies. What is the Ministry doing or what policy is in place to address this problem? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. MURWIRA): Thank you Hon.
Speaker. I wish to thank Hon. Mguni for this very important question which talks about caring for our elderly. We think that this question should be put in writing so that there is a comprehensive response from the Hon. Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. I think at that moment, it will really get the attention that it deserves and it is key for us and the public to understand this issue. Thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Mguni, will you proceed with
written question please?
HON. TSUURA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question goes to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. What is Government policy in relation to the distribution of sanitary wear as provided by the budget of 2021 for the girl child during the ongoing lockdown?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you very
much Mr. Speaker Sir and thank you for the question. The policy is that once funding has been given, like it has already been and procurements have been made like in most cases they have been, those implements are given to the learners. During this course of Covid lockdowns, what we envisaged is that schools will arrange that girls come in turns to pick up the sanitary wear. We are not expecting that they do not distribute that until the lockdown is over because we may not know when it is going to be over and yet, the need will be persistent. So, we expect that schools will arrange for the collection of such. Thank you.
HON. TSUURA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. What measures are
being taken by the Government to ensure that girls have access to these sanitary wear?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. If I got it correct, it is like what policy or what measures are there to enhance access. I think schools advertise or they advise their students of the availability of sanitary wear and they arrange the logistics on how these are going to be accessed at school level. I know that in old provinces, these have been distributed and they are available in schools.
Thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. My
supplementary question to the Hon. Minister relates to the distribution of sanitary wear to the schools. As a member of the Steering Committee on the Parliamentary Caucus, we had an engagement with organisations which deal with children’s rights and it came to our attention that there is a challenge with some schools failing to collect the sanitary wear from the district offices as a result of having transport challenges. So, my question to the Hon. Minister is, what are they doing in terms of the implementation matrix to ensure that the sanitary wear which has been distributed to the district offices finds its way to the schools concerned because from our understanding, there is a serious challenge whereby schools have indicated that they do not have resources to go and collect the sanitary wear and take to the schools so that the children can have access?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I have not been made aware of those glitches in terms of movement of sanitary wear from the different schools. If there are instances where that has been happening and where I have been informed, there have been success stories. I think some of them have appeared in the newspapers where there are specific instances, and if we could be made aware of such so that we can arrange and assist those schools to collect for the students. Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. Do you ever notify Members of Parliament that you have done that so that they support that? The problem is that Government thinks it can do things itself. Members of Parliament are there to assist? Do you notify them to say we have got this parcel at the district office especially those on the lucky side like ZANU PF, they have got two vehicles each and those cars can be used to distribute that sanitary wear and that is a campaign strategy for any MP?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir and thank you for the supplementary question. I think that is possible but it can be done at local level where the problems are being experienced. At the Apex and National level, our policy is that these are delivered up to district level, but if schools have arrangements in the form of clusters where they can put their resources together and get transport to transport when usually they work alone, it becomes a big load to carry but we appreciate the suggestion and we would go back to the local level where those are being experienced so that assistance can be given. Thank you.
(v)HON. DR. LABODE: My supplementary question to the
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is that, now that the President passed the Comprehensive Sexual Education Act which incorporates pregnant girls being in schools and with the current epidemic of teenage pregnancies, how far have we gone to ensuring that we have a midwife at every school to be able to render help to these small teenage girls who are pregnant with prenatal issues? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON E. MOYO): Circulars following
the signing of that amendment into law have been sent out to schools and already schools are accepting those young mothers back into schools. This policy of accepting young mothers back into school, even before this law was put into place already existed as far back as 1996 where Circular P37 allowed girls who fell pregnant to take a bit of time out of school until they deliver and thereafter they be accepted back to school. What the law did was to legalise and operationalise that circular which already was in existence.
Questions without Notice were interrupted by THE HON SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order Number 64.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON T. MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 12 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, Number
13 has been disposed of.
HON TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
MATERNITY USER FEES AND MATERNITY MORTALITY
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH
AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN. (RTD.) DR. CHIWENGA): I will
present a Ministerial Statement in response to the issue of maternity user fees policy and maternity mortality which was raised by Hon Dr. Khupe in this august House on 3 June 2021.
Let me begin by giving a brief historical background of user fees in our public health care system. After Independence in 1980, Government announced that any person earning less than Z$150 per month was entitled to free health care in the majority of public health facilities with the exception of Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals and a small number of other high level referral hospitals. This exemption policy saw a threefold increase in clinic attendance. However, the slow growth of the economy from 1983 upwards coupled by an increasing population put pressure on the delivery of health services and gave birth to the need for user fees.
In the 1990s and as part of Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP), user fees were introduced with increases being applied throughout the early 1990s. However in 1995, user fees were abolished in rural health centres and rural hospitals. Up to 1997, the fees collected were sent to the Ministry of Finance and this was seen as a disincentive to health facilities and the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. In 1997, the Health Services Fund was established seeking to provide additional revenue to fund health service by collecting fees from users and retaining 40% at district level while the remaining 60% was surrendered to the Ministry of Health for use in rural health centres in the districts that the Health Services Fund was collected.
The Health Services Fund is still operational to date as shown by the following balances in some of our health institutions. Gwanda
Provincial Hospital, $538 089. Chinhoyi Provincial Hospital, $350 000, Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital, $76 200 and Chitungwiza Central Hospital, $100 000.
The Ministry is also aware of Section 302, Constitutional provision that all fees, taxes, borrowings and revenue of Government must be paid into the Consolidated Revenue Fund, unless an Act of Parliament permits an authority that receive them to retain them in order to meet the authority’s expenses. Discussions are in progress for Treasury to ring fence Health Services Fund within the Consolidated Revenue Fund, in compliance with the provision of the Constitution.
In 2001, Government abolished all maternal fees in public health institutions, except central hospitals. Consultations and drug fees at primary care level, that is at rural hospitals, Government, Mission and Rural District Council clinics were also abolished. The following users were to be exempted from paying user fees at all levels of care as part of social protection: children under five years old, pregnant women, except at central hospitals, over 65 year old, mental patients and cases of communicable diseases. Patients who disregarded the referral system were to be charged fees for consultation, diagnostic procedures, treatment, drugs and admission where applicable. In 2009, the
Government reintroduced user fees. This time in foreign currency, at Government hospitals to generate funding for health services as service delivery for most of the health institutions had collapsed during years of hyperinflation.
Current Policy on maternal fees
In 2011, fees for pregnant mothers were removed, after there was an advocacy for the abolition of user fees for maternity services and subsequent treatment of infants after delivery. Funds to support the fee removal were channeled to health facilities through the Result Based Financing (RBF) initiative supported by the World Bank (WB) in 18 districts from 2011 and the Health Transition Fund (HTF), a multi-donor pooled fund managed by UNICEF in 42 districts. The Health Transition Fund later evolved to the Health Development Fund, running from 2016 to 2020. The World Bank supported Result Based Financing
Programme was handed over to the Government in 2018, with the Government through the Ministry of Finance, now being responsible for funding disbursements to health facilities in the 18 front runner districts.
From 2016, the Ministry of Health and Childcare with support from the World Bank, also embarked on a pilot voucher system in Harare and Bulawayo to subsidise maternity services in urban as the result based financing system does not cover the two urban provinces of Harare and Bulawayo. This voucher system continues to be funded to some extent but have seen periods where no funding was available. As a consequence, City Health Authorities in both cities continue to charge fees for health services, including maternity services although in practice, many patients who are unable to pay do receive free treatment.
Although Government has adopted the policy of free maternity services in the public sector, the cost remain and have to be met somehow. On that front, all public health institutions, including central hospitals are entitled to submit to Treasury claims for services rendered for free to pregnant women, under five year olds and over 65 years old patients. This is the current operational position, though it needs to be constantly monitored and strengthened.
Non-Compliance with the user fee policy
In an update to Cabinet in February, 2018, the then Minister of Health and Childcare indicated that while most primary facilities were not charging user fees, some council facilities were still charging fees. In addition, while most hospitals were applying the user fee policy and complying with the exemptions provided, it was noted that there was a need for some sort of support to ensure the sustainability of the facilities, hence the Treasury claim position now in operation.
In addition, though the policy stipulates “no user fees” in rural clinics, some of form of user fees payable at the point of service are being charged, mostly by the Rural District Councils owned clinics, ranging from consultations and service fees, medicines or drug fees, card fees, security and development fees.
Unofficial non-monetary user fees
Furthermore, programme monitoring visits such as the Joint Review Mission and Supportive Supervision visits have also noted that a number of health facilities including those at primary level are requesting patients, particularly pregnant women to provide some commodities required to access services. There are some reports of health facilities, largely Mission Hospitals, requesting maize, grain, chicken, goats and work by relatives as a form of payment for services given.
A UNICEF U-Report poll administered in September 2019 on 10 119 users of health facilities revealed that 70% of pregnant women who responded had been requested to bring some items for delivery. However, the responses also included commodity not related to the health services such as baby towels, nappies or pampers, sheets, food et cetera. The proportions all differed by geographical areas or provinces.
- Antenatal Care (ANC)
As a result of Government policy of free maternity services, the following positive developments have been realised:
- The proportion of pregnant women with at least four antenatal visits has been increasing since 2014. The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) revealed an increase by about two percentage points from 70% in 2014 to 71.5% in 2019.
- The Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey also showed an increase in the number of pregnant women booking early to about 4 in every 10 pregnant women in 2019, up from 3 in every 10 in 2014.
- Labour and Delivery
Deliveries in health facilities have consistently remained high
(above 80%) since 2014 and this has been corroborated by findings from Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey in 2014 (80%) and 2019 (86%).
Pursuantly, skilled attendance at birth has also remained high over the years with 8 in 10 deliveries being done by either a nurse or a doctor since 2014. However, as with antenatal, poor quality of delivery care remains the main obstacle to better delivery outcomes. As such human factors including lack of expertise, poor attitude and human error account for 80% of all maternal deaths that occur in health facilities.
- Post Natal Care (PNC)
Post Natal Care coverage for the mother increased from 77% in 2014 to 82% in 2019 (MICS). Postnatal care coverage for the new-born baby also increased from 85% in 2014 to 91% in 2019 (MICS).
- Maternal Mortality
Mr. Speaker Sir, maternal mortality ration (MMR) is commonly recognised as a general indicator of the overall health of a population, of the status of women in society, and of the functioning of the health system. High maternal mortality ratios are thus markers of wider problems of health status, gender inequalities, and health services in a country.
Maternal Mortality Ration has been on a downward trend in
Zimbabwe since 2002. Findings from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey show a decrease by 25% from 614 per 100 000 in 2014 to 462 per 100 000 live births in 2019.
- Effects of Non-Compliance to the User Fees Policy
The Ministry is aware of the effects of health facilities continuing to charge user fees in contravention of the exemption policy from user fees:
- There is decreased use of services by those members of the community that are not able to afford the user or related fees.
- There is overburdening of nearby facilities that might offer the services for free as people move from the charging facilities and this has been the case especially in Harare.
- Patients delay seeking treatment until it is too late to assist them resulting in loss of lives sometimes both the mother and the baby.
- Patients bypass health facilities to seek treatment from alternative sources.
- There is generally non-compliance to treatment.
- Patients are tempted to share drugs with other patients and engage in self-medication.
- There is risk of patients purchasing unregistered, spurious, falsely labeled, falsified and counterfeit medicines from black markets.
- Patients engage in corrupt activities in connivance with health workers to access health care services.
- Policy Implementation
Mr. Speaker Sir, in conclusion and to ensure implementation of the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 on health and wellbeing;
- The Ministry of Health and Child Care is in the process of absorbing into the mainstream, all local authority healthcare delivery platforms which include clinics, polyclinics, rural hospitals and infectious disease hospitals. In this regard, the Ministry is in the process of filling the gap of provincial medical directors for Harare and Bulawayo Metropolitan Provinces who will be reporting directly to the Ministry. This will standardize health service delivery, among other things, addressing both the welfare of health workers and Government user fee policy positions.
- Provincial medical directors are the focal persons working directly with the Provincial Ministers of State and Devolution as part of the implementation process of the devolution policy in the provision of all public health services in the provinces.
- In addition, the Ministry has just crafted the National Health Strategy (2021 to 2026) which includes significant reduction of institutional maternal mortality as a key deliverable.
- The National Health Strategy has a monitoring framework to ensure implementation and equitable access to health services across the country. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, because the
Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care is going to give us another Ministerial Statement, I will allow very few clarifications relating to the speech.
*HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Hon Speaker. I would like
to thank our Vice President and the Minister of Health and Child Care for a very clear explanation in his report. There is not much that I would want because his presentation is straight forward. I just wanted to point out today that there are certain things that he is not aware of that are in line with the report that he has read out today.
My constituency is here in Harare in Rugare, very close to the
Parliament. There is a medical facility or clinic that belongs to the National Railways of Zimbabwe. It is not serving any purpose. For the past ten years it has been closed. They have locked up the doors to that facility. They do not allow people to use it. The Government workers have turned the local market place into their own surgeries. There are a lot of women that are giving birth in my motor vehicle because we do not have medical facilities because if you drive to Kambuzuma the area is closed.
There are a lot of children called chamadhegudhegu in my constituency. I now bring it to your attention that in Zimbabwe there are some people with the G40 mentality. They want to bring the Government down because if the Government takes two steps forward, they take 10 steps backwards. You will never know them until we show them to you. So it is my plea to our Vice President; I know him as an action only person, so that we can go and we can show you this area. Women are giving birth in my car as if it is a hospital. Why did the NRZ close the clinic? We had found people who wanted to renovate that clinic so that it becomes world standard. We have approached them many times but they have refused.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Moyo, I think you have
been heard.
*HON. PETER MOYO: Hon. Speaker Sir, my plea to the Vice President is that he and his security guards, who will also guard me, travel to this place so that he can see for himself what is happening. (v)HON. DR. KHUPE: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker Sir.
First of all, I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for his Ministerial Statement on this matter which was very urgent. When women are giving birth they will be performing a national duty and therefore they should not be punished for performing that national duty.
I would also like to applaud Zimbabwe for the reduction of maternal rate from 650 to 440 for every 100 000 live births, but we want it to reduce further. It can only be reduced if every woman gives birth from a health institution. The deterrent right now for women not giving birth in health institutions is user fees. I would like to urge the Hon. Minister to constantly monitor this policy so that women are not made to pay user fees when they go to give birth.
In some instances, women are asked for the user fees indirectly. They are asked to bring spirit, cotton and other materials required when a woman is giving birth. This must come to a stop and I would like the Minister to monitor and make sure that women are not punished for performing this national duty. I thank you.
(v)HON. DR. LABODE: Thank you very much to the Hon. Vice President for a very elaborate report. Hon. Vice President, I just want to reiterate the fact that Zimbabwe is a signatory to the 2030 goal of reducing…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I called upon
Hon. Lucia Chitura.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to first of all thank the Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care for his presentation. Hon. Speaker Sir, my point of clarification is on the user fees and all the equipment women are made to pay as user fees. Mr. Speaker Sir, what connection does the user fees or the paying of user fees have to do with the issuance of a birth record of a child? This is one of the biggest challenges the women are facing and because of this, it adds to the maternal mortality rate because women are afraid to go to the hospital where they are being subjected to abuse due to the non-payment of user fees.
I would like the Minister to clearly state because hospitals such as
Mpilo Hospital will tell you that as much as they respect the
Constitution and that user fees are free according to the Constitution…
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Toffa.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, what is your point of
order?
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, my point of order really is that we cannot hear anything. We cannot hear anything absolutely. I do not know if the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child care is hearing. We are struggling and it is quite disturbing. I do now know how best you can deal with this situation. All the time we are here, we are always having these problems and if we are not careful, our ears will be affected and Parliament has no money to compensate. Can we just make sure that we have proper speakers for this Parliament? Where is the Minister of Finance and Economic Development? I was going to ask him to give us some money so that at least things are better because this is a waste of time, to be honest with you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. KHUMALO): Thank
you Hon. Mliswa. May I allow the Hon. Minister to respond to those few questions? Hon. Minister, you may proceed.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN. (RTD.) DR. CHIWENGA):
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, if I might start with Hon. Moyo for the problems that he is facing in Rugare relating to the clinic/hospital which belongs to the National Railways of Zimbabwe that was closed down.
National Railways of Zimbabwe belongs to the Government of Zimbabwe so with the whole Government approach, we shall be making consultations with the minister responsible for that parastatal and have that clinic/hospital opened. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
The comment, I do not think that it was a question Mr. Speaker Sir, from Hon. Khupe on the national duty done by women of Zimbabwe, not only women of Zimbabwe but women across the globe. We take that issue seriously and will try together and not leaving it to the
Ministry of Health and Child Care, but all of us. I think it is our responsibility wherever we are as Hon. Members of Parliament, if notice something that will not going well in your constituencies, please let us know immediately … – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
We are restructuring the Ministry of Health and Child Care so that we can put systems that are self-accounting and can be easily monitored. We will increase the monitoring and what we are actually doing in this restructuring exercise is to make sure that if something wayward happens at any of our health facilities, it is quickly reported and we take corrective measures. So we shall monitor very closely. When somebody goes to deliver, you cannot expect a person who is in pain to bring her own methylated spirit, gloves and so forth. I think that asking for too much. We will look into that matter and would also want Hon. Members to help us by reporting of such incidents as they occur, if they occur, let them be reported and we take corrective action.
Hon. Toffa, there is no connection between the user fee and the issuance of birth records, if that has been happening, that must stop.
There are ways of one getting the monies if at all that individual has to pay the fees but we have already said that for those people who cannot afford, there is a way of claiming that money from Government through Treasury. Our provincial and Chief Executive Officers are being directed to make those claims on behalf of those who cannot pay but you cannot say that somebody has delivered and you say, no you cannot get your birth record until you pay us – there is no connection there. I think we need to get those reports for us to be able to take corrective measures.
I hope Mr. Speaker Sir that I have answered the questions that had been raised by Hon. Members. The last question was inaudible but I hope that I addressed her question. I thank you. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
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
Thirteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the First
Joint Petition Report of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care and Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS.
Question again proposed.
HON. PETER MOYO: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir!
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I think in you earlier ruling you had recognised that the Vice President reads the second report but you allowed us to come in on the first report. So you have made two rulings
Mr. Speaker Sir, because I thought that you were going to allow the Vice President to proceed to the second report before we came through. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, we must first
adjourn this debate, Order of the Day Number 13 so that we proceed to
Order of the Day Number 20.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH
AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN. (RTD.) DR. CHIWENGA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, I present to you the position paper on the age of consent to access medical services related to sexual and reproductive health raised by the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care.
To proceed, we need to understand the following: - what are sexual and reproductive services? Sexual and reproductive health services are medical services related to the reproductive system, they also provide antenatal care, contraception provision, both modern and emergency, HIV testing and counselling, HP vaccines and cervical cancer screening and treatment, post exposure prophylaxis and safe abortions and post abortion care, intrapartum and postnatal care.
Adolescence, according to the World Health Organsiation, are those people between 10 and 19 years of age. The great majority of adolescence are therefore included in the age based definition of child as defined by the Constitution and also as adopted by the convention on the rights of the child as a person under the age of 18 years.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Zimbabwe legal framework on sexual and reproductive health services, the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment
(Number 20) Act 2013, the general access to health care provision in the
Constitution is Section 76 which provides as follows, “every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic health care services including reproductive health care services”. In terms of Section 81, a child is defined as every boy and girl under the age of 18 years. Section 18 (1E) provides for children to be protected from sexual exploitation. Section 20 defines youths as from 15 to 35 years; Section 20 (1E), states that youths must be protected from harmful cultural practices, exploitation and all forms of abuse.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Public Health Act Chapter 15:17, for health services for which age of consent is not specified, the Public Health Act guides service provision. Section 35 of the Act provides for consent of user, it states that “informed consent”, means sent for the provision of a specified health service given by a person with legal capacity to do so and who has been informed. This Section specifies the need for informed consent given by a person with illegal capacity to do so. This infers that any one less than 18 years, has no legal capacity and cannot consent. This is in alignment with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
The Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act Chapter 9:23 - on age of consent to sexual activities; in Zimbabwe, sexual relations with a girl aged 12 years or below is rape as girls in this age bracket are not seen to have the capacity to consent to sexual relations. As for ages 13 to 15, it gets more complicated as per the criminal law and Codification Act of 2004 Chapter 9:23, Section 63 and 70, sexual relations with a person of or above 13 but under 15 is presumed to be rape unless there is evidence to show that the person was capable of consenting and did so.
This assumption of lacking capacity to consent does not apply to those who are 15 years. It is then up to the courts to decide if there was consent. Another potential result of the way this registration is applied is that boys who are just one or two years older than their female partners gain a criminal record for engaging in consensual sexual activities if it goes to court even though they are not yet adults.
Section 63 of the Cord provides that a boy over the age of 12 years but below the age of 14 years shall be presumed incapable of performing sexual intercourse. The contrary is shown on a balance of probabilities.
Section 17 (3), “It shall be a defense to a charge under subsection 1 for the accused person to satisfy the court that he or she had reasonable cause to believe that the young person concerned was of or over the age of 16 years at the time of the arranged crime; provided that the apparent physical maturity of the young person concerned shall not, on its own, constitute reasonable cause for the purposes of the subsection”
Section 64 (1) states that a person accused of engaging in sexual intercourse, anal sexual intercourse or other sexual conduct with a young person of or under the age of 12 years shall be charged with rape, aggravated indecent assault as the case maybe and or which sexual intercourse or performing an indecent act with a young person or sodomy.
Coming to the age of consent to marry, Section 78 (1) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that only persons who have attained the age of 18 years have the right to found a family. This was tested and confirmed in a landmark Constitutional Court case decision in 2016 to also mean entering a marriage. In the court case, the court concluded that Section 78 (1) of the Constitution sets 18 years as the minimum age of marriage. Any law or practice or custom authorising a person less than 18 years to marry is invalid with effect from 20 January, 2016. The Marriages Bill of 2019 will align and set the age of marriage at 18 years for all marriages and for both genders.
On the Children’s Act Chapter 506, Section 76 (1) where the consent of a parent or guardian is necessary for the performance of any dental, medical, surgical or other treatment upon a minor and the consent of the parent or guardian is refused or cannot be obtained within a period which is reasonable in the circumstances. Application may be made to a magistrate of the province where the minor is or is resident for authority to perform the treatment. A magistrate, to whom an application in terms of subsection (1) is made, may:
- After due enquiry and after affording the parent or guardian consent, a reasonable opportunity of stating his/her reason for refusing to give the necessary consent or without affording such person such opportunity if his/her whereabouts are unknown or if in the circumstances it is not reasonably practicable to afford him such opportunity;
- If satisfied that any dental, medical, surgical or other treatment is necessary or desirable in the interests of the health of the minor by order in writing, authorise the performance at a hospital or other suitable place upon the minor concerned for such dental, medical, surgical or other treatment as maybe specified in the order; and
- Where authority for the performance of any treatment has been given in terms of subsection (2), the person legally liable to maintain the minor concerned shall be liable for the treatment.
- Age of Consent on access to Antenatal Care (ANC)
Section 76 of the Constitution contains a right to healthcare which can be interpreted to include the right of women to access maternal health care, regardless of age. Thus, if a young person requires antenatal care they should be able to access it with their parents/guardians’ consent if under 16 years or with the magistrate’s consent in instances where parental consent is refused/unavailable.
- Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic health care services including reproductive health care services.
- Every person living with a chronic illness has the right to have access to basic health care services for the illness.
- No person may be refused emergency medical treatment in any health care institution.
Mr. Speaker Sir, there are numerous challenges posed by these various statutory clauses as presented.
- The age of consent to sexual intercourse is set at 16 years for both males and females who are unmarried. The Criminal Law
Codification and Reform Act currently provides that the age of
consent to sexual activity for married couples is 12 years. Section 70 (1) (a) of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act,
Chapter 9:23 reveals that the offence of “sexual intercourse with young persons” will only attach where the perpetrator has “extra marital sexual intercourse” with a young person. This poses challenges as it tries to link sexual activity with marriage.
- Access to contraception services and commodities: the country does not have legislation specifying the age limit below which parental consent is required to receive medical treatment. However, the common practice is that parental consent is required to provide medical treatment to a child under 16 years. In addition, since a child under the age of 16 years cannot consent to sexual intercourse in practice, it is presumed that a child under the age of 16 years does not need contraceptives. Emergency contraceptives would be considered a form of medical treatment and therefore, individuals aged under 16 would require parental consent to access them in practice.
In addition, there is a Government initiative under which contraceptives are available without a prescription and without parental consent at Government hospitals to children aged between 16 and 18 years. There are however, no age restrictions regarding access to contraceptives that are in the form of the barrier methods such as condoms that are readily available over the counter without parental consent being required.
- HIV testing and accessing results: Children under 16 may consent to HIV if they are married, pregnant or a parent, or they can demonstrate that they are mature enough to make a decision on their own. In addition, if a parent or care-giver cannot or will not give consent for a child under 16 years, the attending health worker can seek approval from hospital authorities or Minister to give treatment without parental consent if it is in the best interest of the child. The requirement to “demonstrate that they are mature enough to make the decision on their own” raises challenges as it is vague.
- Anti-Retroviral Therapy and treatment of HIV: The country provides for treatment of children but does not mention age of consent. In practice, a child under the age of 16 will require parental or guardians’ consent as with any other medical treatment.
- Age of Consent to report HIV status directly to adolescents: Test results will be reported directly to the patient from the age of 16 years, or on assessment of maturity by the health service provider if the child is under the age of 16 years.
- Age of Consent and access to Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART). The guidelines for ART and treatment of HIV in Zimbabwe provide for treatment of children, but do not mention age of consent. In practice, a child under the age of 16 will still require parental or guardians’ consent as with any other medical treatment. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission has also been well administered in Zimbabwe.
- Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Zimbabwe so far suggests that it will be aimed specifically at high-risk populations such as sex
workers and young women aged 15-24. It is therefore difficult to determine at what age pre-exposure prophylaxis would be available without parental consent.
- Post-exposure prophylaxis: HIV-post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is highly controlled in Zimbabwe. It is prohibited except in specific circumstances. A person would only be able to access it if it was an issue of sexual assault or if a health professional has been exposed as part of their work.
- Increased numbers of illegal abortions and a threat to women’s health due to the criminalisation of abortion.
Mr. Speaker Sir, key current Ministry of Health and Child Care responses to sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents:
The Adolescent Sexual Reproductive Health Strategy 2016-
The strategy provides guidelines on the provision of age appropriate adolescent sexual reproductive services. The underlying principle of the strategy is in providing services that are in the best interest of the child, given their present circumstances. The strategy aims to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with adolescent sexual reproductive services activity among adolescents and young people, through increasing safe sexual health and HIV practices, increasing uptake of quality youth friendly integrated adolescent sexual reproductive services and HIV services and strengthening the protective environment for adolescence and young people.
Some of the strategies include:
- Provision of friendly sexual and reproductive health services as an entry point for expanding adolescent health;
- Establishment and creation of community based spaces for parentchild communication on sexual and reproductive health;
- Capacity building of the health workforce (both pre and in-service) to provide quality, friendly and age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health information and services;
- Life skills (Unhu/Ubuntu) oriented girls and boys empowerment and capacity building sessions for both in and out of school adolescents.
- School health information and services for learners, for example human papillomavirus for cervical cancer.
National Health Strategy
Provides for antenatal care to young children who are pregnant.
Our maternal care programmes provide adequate cover for antenatal care in the country.
School Health Policy of 2018
It provides for age-appropriate education and health service provision within the principles of Unhu-Ubuntu. Education and counselling is part of the services package in our advocacy and service delivery processes. As such, the Ministry of Health and Child Care provides age-appropriate information and services (legal, socio-cultural and technically).
National HIV Testing Services Guidelines
It provides for age of consent for HIV testing services as 16 years. National Medical Male Circumcision Guidelines
It provides for age of consent for medical male circumcision as 18 years.
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education on Girls who fall pregnant
The Ministry already allows second chance opportunities for the girl child who falls pregnant and can be allowed back into school. The ripple effect of this and levels of discrimination need to be addressed through age appropriate information dissemination to increase levels of knowledge and capacity for both duty bearers and rights holders.
Implications of access to Sexual Reproductive Health services by minors
Medical
- Anatomy of teenagers is not fully developed to be able to carry the pregnancy and its complications which include obstructed labour, obstetric fistulas, symphysis pubis diastasis and ultimately maternal death.
- Early sexual debut increases risk of these adolescents to cervical cancer, sexually transmitted infections including HIV
Chlamydia and gonorrhoea which have adverse effects on future
fertility.
- Methods of contraception are not 100% effective therefore these adolescents remain at a higher risk of complications in case of unwanted pregnancies.
Social
- Entrap the girl-child in child bearing mode and create a vicious cycle of poverty.
- Reinforces child marriages; if age restriction for accessing reproductive healthcare services is removed, the interpretation is that, a person who can decide when to use contraceptives also has power as to decide when they can indulge in sexual activity and also as when they want to have a baby. This will be a time bomb for immorality against the diverse cultural and religious communities in Zimbabwe. A high potential of increased burden on Government’s Social Security Nets, where high numbers of children will be having children out of wedlock.
- Adolescents are mature enough to make independent choices about such high-risk issues as sexual behaviour, reproductive health, addiction and mental health.
Mr. Speaker, summary of the current legal framework;
Constitutional Provisions
Paragraph 9 of part 4 of the Sixth schedule of the Constitution states that all existing laws continue in force but may be construed in conformity with this Constitution. It is a transitional provision which allows the interpretation of the existing laws to be aligned to the
Constitution.
Section 81 on Rights of Children defines a child as every boy or girl under the age of eighteen years and has the right:
Rights of Children
81 (1) (e) to be protected from economical and sexual exploitation, from child labour and from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse.
Section 76 on the right to health care provide for:
(1)Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right to have access to basic health care services including reproductive health care services (no age limits)
(3) No person may be refused emergency medical treatment in any health care institution (no age limits)
In terms of the Constitution, there is no age limit to accessing basic health care services or emergency medical treatment.
Other Legal Statutes
Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Chapter 9:23]
Section 70 (3) indirectly provides for the age of consent as sixteen (16) years of age as previously stated. However, this is contrary to the constitutional provision that defines sixteen years as a child who should be protected against sexual exploitation and all forms of abuse.
RECOMMENDATION
We need to align Section 70 (3) of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act with the Constitution which is the supreme law of the land and align all other different ages of consent in various legal statutes with the Constitution, especially Section 81 on Rights of Children in the best interest of the child. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Mr. Speaker Sir, it was enlightening, educative and this exposed this Parliament which passes laws. Some of these laws are dangerous and they have got to be revisited.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. M. KHUMALO):
Hon. Mliswa, may you please raise your voice.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I said it was enlightening and educative in a lot of ways. It exposed us legislators that when we pass these laws, we do not read. We are half asleep. A lot needs to be done to align the laws to the Constitution.
I would like to talk about how 16 year olds consent to have sex but at 16 years of age, if you have to be treated medically, you need your parents to consent. This is the same as having somebody allowed to drive at 16 but they cannot be in public office until they are 21. Driving at 16 is more dangerous than being in public office. My remark is, Hon. Vice President, thank you for that expose. We need to really work in terms of aligning these laws. These laws are dangerous for any generation and the girl child is totally exposed. There is not much that can be done but for us, as Parliament to move in line with the trends and align the Constitution and change certain ways.
The criminal courts and the courts determine everything which is another pillar of the State which is independent and they go by the courts, they do not go by anything but by the law. Thank you very much Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health for that enlightenment. For me, all I can say is that we have got a lot of work to do – to pass laws that are good for the governance of this country and generation and protect the girl child.
HON. T. MOYO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. NDUNA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 1st July, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 14 to 19 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 20 has been disposed
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
SECOND REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
HEALTH AND CHILD CARE ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND
PROMOTION OF TRADITIONAL AND COMPLEMENTARY
MEDICINES IN ZIMBABWE
Twentieth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Second
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care on the
Development and Promotion of Traditional and Complementary Medicines in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF HEALTH
AND CHILD CARE (HON. GEN. (RTD.) DR. CHIWENGA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care made an enquiry on the development and promotion of traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe on 9th March, 2021. A motion was raised by Hon. Chinhamo-Masango on 6th May, 2021 and debate ensued thereafter. A report was prepared and subsequently presented to the National Assembly in May, 2021.
Standing Order 26 (7) requires the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care to provide a comprehensive response on emerging issues from this enquiry. I will present my response to issues raised by the Portfolio Committee on traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe with regards to the Government
position.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Committee made the following observations;
- Traditional and Complementary Medical Practice in Zimbabwe is grossly underfunded; ii.No land is dedicated to the growing of herbs for medical use in
Zimbabwe; iii. The Traditional Medical Practice is often misunderstood due to lack of appropriate information to the generality of Zimbabweans
as well as the colonial lenses that are used when looking at this practice; iv. Players in this sector are doing a lot of work on traditional medicines. However, the efforts are uncoordinated and lack coherence to bring about the much-needed development on this practice;
- Uncordial work relations between the Traditional Medical Practice (TMPs) and Complementary Medical Practice (CMPs) cripple the development and promotion of the traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe; vi.Lack of access to laboratories and ability to read laboratory results, medical insurance as well as non-use of modern medical instruments such as BP machines, limit the effectiveness of the traditional medical practice; vii.Non-disclosure of medicinal properties impedes the development of traditional medical practice in Zimbabwe;
viii. Political will is lacking in the development and promotion of traditional and complementary medicines as evidenced by the gross underfunding of this sector.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in response to the raised issues, most of the recommendations made by the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child
Care have been included in the National Health Strategy (2021 – 2025). However, to strengthen national coordination on the development of traditional and complementary medicines, my Ministry will implement the following;
- Set up a Traditional and Complementary Medicine Inter-
Ministerial Committee; ii. Constitute a Traditional and Complementary Medicine National
Steering / Expert Committee; iii. Establish relevant technical working groups that report to the Traditional and Complementary Medicine National Strategy /
Expert Committee.
Whilst terms of reference for the National Expert Committee are in place, those for the Inter-Ministerial Committee are being developed. The National Expert Committee, though constituted has not been functional due to lack of funding. Work is already in progress to develop a Traditional and Complementary Medicine Strategy aligned to the National Health Strategy (2021 – 2025). This creates an opportunity to include all the recommendations made by the Portfolio Committee on
Health and Child Care in the Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine Strategy (2021 – 2025).
If the resources are allocated in time, final stakeholder validation consultations on this strategy will be made during December, 2021 and the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care will be engaged during this process. In this regard, the Ministry of Health and Child Care will take the following specific actions to the recommendations made by the Committee;
Recommendation 1: The Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development should consider timeous release of allocated funds to the Traditional and Complementary Medicines in the 2022 National Budget, to enable more research and development in the field. The Ministry will engage the relevant Ministry to ensure the development of adequate funding for traditional and complementary medicines. During 2021, my Ministry will request the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to release the allocated budget for 2021. In the current budget, the vote for traditional and complementary medicines has been allocated ZWL100 million but the challenge has been on disbursements which have been slow to date.
Recommendation 2: The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement should consider allocating land for the cultivation of herbs for medicinal use in Zimbabwe by
December, 2021. The Ministry of Health and Child Care, in conjunction with the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement will facilitate commercial production of identified priority herbs in line with the pharmaceutical strategy, industrialisation strategy and import substitution. However, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) will be engaged to ensure that more cultivation and production of herbal material is done.
Recommendation 3: The Ministry of Primary and Secondary
Education and the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology should consider inclusion of the traditional medicines into the curricula at schools, colleges and universities, to demystify the practice, by December 2021.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care will engage the relevant Ministries to ensure integration of traditional and complementary medicines into the country’s education system. Already, the Ministry has started processes to establish traditional and complementary medicines training programs at tertiary level.
Recommendation 4: The Ministry of Health and Child Care
should cause collaboration of all relevant players in the sector to bring about coherence in the development of traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe, by December, 2021.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care will strengthen the institutional arrangements on traditional medicine, as well as improve coordination, through the interventions already mentioned, that is the setting up of national coordinating structures.
Recommendation 5: Cordial work relations between the Traditional Medicines Practices and Complementary Medical Practices are essential ingredients in boosting the development and promotion of the traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe. Therefore, the Ministry of Health and Child Care should always strive to put in place strategies that encourage good working relations between the two practices.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care will implement the traditional and conventional medicine coordination framework as well as implement strategies that decimate therapeutic communication barriers between the two systems of health. These include training practitioners from both systems.
Recommendation 6: The Ministry of Health and Child Care should ensure that Traditional Medicine Practices have access to laboratories, are trained to read, have medical insurance and are able to use the modern medical instruments, such as BP machines, as their counterparts in the conventional medical field by August, 2022.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care is developing a training programme for Traditional Medicine Practices on primary health care.
This is a basic training programme that will allow Traditional Medicine Practices to appreciate and strengthen their role in primary health care as well as in traditional medicine research. The Ministry is also working on coming up with a National Traditional and Complementary Medicine profile, so that existing gaps can be identified and filled.
Recommendation 7: The Ministry of Health and Child Care should start training and educating Traditional Medicine Practitioners to move from individualism or non-disclosure, to nationalisation and protections of property rights if Zimbabwe is to bring about total development in the traditional and complementary medicine sector within the first quarter of 2022.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care together with the Medicine
Control Authority of Zimbabwe and the Medical Research Council of
Zimbabwe have started sensitization meetings with the Traditional Medicine Practitioners on guidelines for traditional medicine research and Intellectual Property Rights. Further, the Ministry of Health and
Child Care in consultation with stakeholders, have developed a standard
Memorandum of Agreement document that can be used by Traditional
Medicine Practices and researchers to prevent misappropriation of Intellectual Property rights. The standard Memorandum of Agreement document has been attached to this write-up. I think I did not bring the document, we will get the document and give it to you.
Recommendation 8: Political will is key to any development, hence the Ministers responsible for the above-mentioned Ministries should immediately take keen interest in ensuring that the recommendations that have been directed to their respective Ministries are auctioned within the stipulated timeframes.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care will engage the relevant Ministries bi-laterally as well as through the inter-ministerial committee as already mentioned. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir – [HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]
HON. T. MOYO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put ad agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 1st July, 2021.
On the motion of HON. T. MOYO seconded by HON.
TEKESHE, the House adjourned at Seventeen Minutes to Six o’clock
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 29th June, 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
SWEARING IN OF A NEW MEMBER
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that Hon. Metrine Mudau from the ZANU PF party has been nominated as a party list member of the National Assembly following the death of the Hon. Lisa Singo. Section 128 (I) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, provides that before a Member of Parliament takes his/her seat in Parliament, the member must take the Oath of a Member of Parliament in the form set out in the Third Schedule. Section 128 (II) states that the oath must be taken before the Clerk of Parliament. I therefore call upon the Clerk of
Parliament to administer the Oath of the Member of Parliament to the
Hon. Metrine Mudau.
NEW MEMBER SWORN
HON. METRINE MUDAU subscribed to the Oath of Loyalty as required by the Law and took her seat – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear.] –
PETITION RECEIVED FROM MR. CLACKSON MUZA
THE HON. SPEAKER: I wish to advise the House that on the 21st June, 2021, Parliament received a petition from Mr. Clackson Muza beseeching Parliament through the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services to conduct an enquiry into his alleged discharge from the police service on trumped up charges. The petition was deemed inadmissible and the petitioner has since been advised accordingly.
INSTITUTIONAL GENDER POLICY WORKSHOP
THE HON. SPEAKER: I also wish to inform the House that all Members of the National Assembly are invited to attend a virtual conscientisation workshop on the Institutional Gender Policy on
Wednesday, 30th June, 2021. The workshop will be conducted from 8.30 a.m to 12.00 p.m. The link will be communicated to you via email. You are all invited to attend.
HON. MUSHORIWA: On a point of privilege Mr. Speaker Sir.
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to raise this issue pertaining to the forensic audit reports which are yet to be submitted to Parliament in spite of the fact that your Committee on Public Accounts has written to the relevant Ministry requesting these forensic audit reports to be submitted to the House. There are only two Ministries. One is the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology, Postal and
Courier Services where we want the report on the forensic audit on
NetOne. The second one is the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development. There are three forensic reports which are outstanding.
One is the examination of the agents banking relationship between the
Peoples’ Own Savings Bank and Zimbabwe Post Private Limited. Another one is the finding in respect of the forensic audit on some aspects of the operations of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the last one is the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority/IT forensic audit report.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we seek your office to cause these reports to be submitted to the august House as they have been outstanding and due for a long time. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mushoriwa, that will be done. Clerk of Parliament; note that we should send the invitation immediately after business of the day. They must be tabled this week.
Thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Mine is to pass condolences to the family of the late President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda. I for one was born in Zambia when my parents went there for the struggle and we considered Zambia as our home because of his leadership, how he embraced everyone from an early childhood stage to us coming back to this country in 1980 after independence. Up to today, we still consider Zambia our home because of his leadership. A PanAfricanist par excellence, a man who truly stood for Africa, humanism of the highest order and it is on that, Mr. Speaker Sir, that without much ado, I will be moving a motion to that effect. May the Zambian nation mourn, knowing very well that Zimbabwe and Zambia are one. The only separation is the river but other than that, KK taught us that we are one people and like his famous saying would go, ‘One nation, one
Zambia for Africa is one Africa, one nation.’ I want to therefore, Mr.
Speaker Sir, pay condolences to the Zambian leadership, the KK family and may his soul rest in peace. Like he would always say, Tiyende pamozi/ na mtima umo/tiyende pamozi/na mtima umozi/ Kaunda tiyende tiri pamozi/ tiyende tiri pamozi/ tiyende pamozi/na mtima umo/ tiloke Zambezi /na mtima umo/tiloke Zambezi/na mtima umo/Kaunda tiyende tiri pamozi/ tiyende pamozi/na mtima umo!
May his soul rest in peace. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. – [HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, a very critically important Point of Order on a national issue and perhaps beyond our nation, if not the continent itself. It would be strategic Hon. Mliswa if that motion were to be tabled today - if not tomorrow, so that at least debate takes place before His Excellency, the former President Kenneth David Buchizya
Kaunda is laid to rest on 7th July, 2021.
It would be a good idea that a copy of the Hansard of the
Condolence Messages debate, is then handed over to His Excellency the Ambassador of Zambia to Zimbabwe accordingly – that will carry the weight of our gratitude to this international icon. Thank you.
HON. S. BANDA: Thank you so much Hon. Speaker Sir, mine is a Matter of Privilege. Hon. Speaker Sir, my Matter of Privilege comes from the ever increasing numbers of Covid cases that are being reported on daily basis.
I would want to request Hon. Speaker, also taking into cognizance what the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Hon. Mnangagwa said that we need to be vaccinated. I am calling upon you Hon. Speaker to start at home here in Parliament by ensuring that all Members of Parliament and staff who come in through the doors of Parliament have vaccination cards to ensure that we do not transmit COVID-19 here or outside Parliament as we meet with a lot of people. It would be prudent if we heed the President’s advice that everybody should be vaccinated.
Imagine Hon. Speaker, a visitor coming to anyone’s house and transmitting COVID-19 whereas if they had the vaccination certificate, they would save a lot of souls. This is my humble submission Mr.
Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Banda. We will make the necessary arrangements with the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure that those Hon. Members who have not yet been vaccinated are vaccinated.
We had encouraged Hon. Members to be vaccinated also in their constituencies where they come from so that they provide some leadership in terms of demonstrating to the electorate the need for us all to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic. We will put forward your request for those who have not been vaccinated, including our members of staff here in Parliament.
(v)HON. GONESE: Point of clarification Mr. Speaker Sir with the issue that was raised by Hon. Banda. It is just a point of clarification!
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, please proceed.
(v)HON. GONESE: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir, as you may be aware I think most of the Members of Parliament have already been vaccinated but I just wanted to find out because as I understand it, the policy generally is that vaccination is voluntary. I
appreciate that we have to set the example but in light of the voluntary aspect, I do not know how it would work out for those who may not have been vaccinated but speaking for myself, I was vaccinated.
My understanding of the point raised by Hon. Banda, there would then be a requirement perhaps for Hon. Members to produce their vaccination certificates when they come to Parliament. So I just wanted to understand how that would work out in terms of understanding whether this now becomes the requirement for one to participate or not – that is what I just wanted to find out Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, the vaccination process is a voluntary exercise but we also need leaders in voluntary activities. On the balance of probabilities, any common sense would dictate that you need to be vaccinated unless you have other means of preventing the attack by this COVID-19 - so be it, but common sense would dictate that we need to be vaccinated for the sake of our health and those who live with us.
Hon. Banda did not suggest that any Member of Parliament who has not been vaccinated therefore does not carry a vaccination certificate should not be allowed into the premises of Parliament. I did not hear that from him. In any case, that would not be the case at all. Thank you.
(v)HON. GONESE: Thank you for the clarification Mr. Speaker
Sir.
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir.
My point of privilege Mr. Speaker Sir is on the destruction of houses in
Zimbabwe. Mr. Speaker Sir, I raised an issue with the Minister of
National Housing and Social Amenities, Hon. Garwe to come and give a Ministerial Statement, which he did. He promised this august House that no house would be demolished any more except those houses which are on wetlands and on school sites and where there is a ZESA line, sewage line or water line. However, what we have witnessed now is the acceleration of the destruction of houses which were not mentioned. He said Cabinet was going to sit down and come up with the modalities to regularise those houses but we do not see that happening. It is with a heavy heart that I raise this issue for the people who are defenseless and they have hopelessness.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this Minister, since the day he was appointed the Minister of National Housing, has built zero houses and destroyed thousands and thousands of houses making our people homeless in their motherland. Therefore, I call for the immediate resignation of Hon.
Garwe. He has destroyed the houses for the poor people.
When he came to address us, he promised that nothing was going to happen but we are seeing the opposite of that and we cannot just watch as Parliament when someone is terrorising residents. A lot of people are dying because of heart attacks. Some of the people’s houses which were destroyed are 10 to 14 roomed houses...
THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you wind up, Hon. Member!
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: I am just about to wind up. Thank you
very much for giving me this opportunity but I call upon the Minister to resign with immediate effect. He is actually a saboteur of this country –
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Peter Moyo, I am
sure you are aware now that there has been a de-acceleration of that process and the ruling party has instructed the two ministers concerned to desist forthwith, so the matter is being taken care of – [HON. TOFFA: What happens to those who had their houses already destroyed?] – That will be a decision for the Cabinet. I thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 3 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until order Number 4 has been disposed off.
HON. NZUMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
COMMITTEE STAGE
FOREST AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 19, 2019] Fourth Order read: Committee Stage: Forest Amendment Bill [H. B. 19, 2019].
House in Committee.
Clause 1 put and agreed to.
On Clause 2:
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE,
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M.
NDLOVU): Thank you Mr. Chair. We are proposing the insertion on
Clause 2, where firstly we are introducing the term ‘Director General’. This is to clean up the current Act. This was unfortunately left out in the initial Bill because in the initial Bill, it speaks of on one side, that is the Chief Executive and later on it speaks of the General Manager. We wanted to make it uniform with both National Parks and EMA, where the heads of these institutions are Director General. So we are deleting the term ‘Chief Executive’ and replacing it with ‘Director General’. On (b) we are bringing the definition of protected private forest after the provincial head definition. I thank you Mr. Chair.
Amendment to Clause 2 put and agreed to.
Clause 2, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 3:
HON. MUSARURWA: I move that before Clause 3, we insert a
new Clause 3 in the Bill in relation to the guiding principles, then the remaining clauses be renumbered accordingly. It is international standard practice that we have a guiding principle in a Bill.
HON. M. NDLOVU: Hon. Chair, I had already responded to this when I responded to the report by the Committee. We are in full agreement of the addition of the principles.
Amendment to new Clause 3 put and agreed to.
New Clause 3, as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 3, (now Clause 4):
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE,
TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON. M.
NDLOVU): The proposed new clause again seeks to align and clean up the Act. In the present state it says the Minister may appoint a person in the employment of the Commission or the Civil Service as a forestry officer. Our belief is this is a duty that the Director General should do.
So the new clause reads “the Director General may appoint any person in the employment of the Commission as a forestry officer for the purpose of this Act”. We have now removed the Civil Service because at the time they were getting seconded officers when the Act was promulgated.
Amendment to Clause 3, (now Clause 4) put and agreed to.
Clause 3, (now Clause 4), as amended, put and agreed to.
On Clause 4, (now Clause 5):
HON. S. BANDA: I just wanted the Hon. Minister maybe to review and instead it should read, ‘in appointing members of staff, the Commission shall endeavour to ensure equitable gender distribution, youth involvement and people with disabilities.’ I have seen that people with disabilities have not been taken care of and also seeing that the youths will be vital in maintaining the forest, even when we are no longer there. So, I am kindly asking the Minister to include those two.
THE MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE
CHANGE, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY (HON.
- NDLOVU): Hon. Chair, I realise that we have too many documents which are the original Bill and the Notice of Amendment which is on the
Order Paper. For purposes of smooth transmission, I move that
progress be reported and seek leave to sit again after we have synchronised the two.
House resumed.
Progress reported.
Committee to resume: Wednesday, 30th June, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 5 to 28 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 29 has been disposed of.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. ALUM MPOFU
Twenty-Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the untimely passing on of the late Member of Parliament for Mberengwa
East, Hon. Allum Mpofu.
Question again proposed.
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. I
would like to thank Members of Parliament who debated on this motion after the passing on of our very important Member, Hon. Allum Mpofu on 28th March, 2021. Indeed, like it was observed by Hon. Members, this was a very big loss, given that Hon. Allum Mpofu was a very active
Member of Parliament.
During his passing on, he had moved a very important motion regarding the Patriotic Act. It was very touching and disturbing for Members of Parliament. I would like to thank everyone who debated on this motion.
I also want to urge the Administration of Parliament to take note of the request that I made when I moved this motion, that when we lose Members of Parliament, as was the tradition, that we have a certificate issued that would then go to all the Members of Parliament who passed on during the Ninth Parliament so that we do that in retrospect. This House and their families will then have something to remember with respect to the contribution they would have made.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Togarepi, you are not
audible.
HON. TOGAREPI: I have already wound up the motion, so I move that this motion be adopted.
Motion;
That this House -
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the untimely passing on of the late Member of Parliament for Mberengwa South, Hon Alum Mpofu on Sunday 28th March, 2021;
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 Mpofu family, relatives and the entire Mberengwa East Constituency, put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I move
that Order of the Day, Number 30 on today’s Order Paper be disposed
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. JOEL BIGGIE
MATIZA
Thirtieth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the untimely passing on of the late Member of Parliament for Murewa South and Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Joel Biggie
Matiza.
Question again proposed.
HON. MAVETERA: Thank you very much for this opportunity
Hon. Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would want to thank all Members of this august House who managed to contribute towards this very important motion. I would also want to acknowledge and thank the opportunity that I got from Parliament for us to be able to speak on the life of Dr. J.B. Matiza.
Right now Madam Speaker Ma’am, we also have Covid around us
and it is still here. Indeed, it is one pandemic which has actually led to us losing a lot of our loved ones. Like what Hon. Togarepi said, I concur that there is need to get certificates for the families of these beloved to also be able to cope and understand the contributions that they made. They can also be able to keep them in remembrance of their loved ones.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, I want to thank the efforts and the work
that Eng. J.B. Matiza managed to do. This has been taken forth. I would also want to compliment and thank that, indeed it was a replacement which also went back to Mashonaland East Province, which
I think we also need to applaud. I so move Hon. Madam Speaker
Ma’am that this motion be adopted.
Motion;
That this House;
EXPRESSES its profound sorrow on the untimely passing on of the late Member of Parliament for Murehwa South Constituency and
Minister for Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon Joel Biggie
Matiza on Friday 22nd January, 2021;
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 Matiza family, relatives and the entire Murehwa South Constituency, put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: I move that we revert to Order Number 28 on today’s Order Paper.
HON. NDUNA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON
THE ANALYSIS OF ZINARA’S AUDITED ACCOUNTS FOR THE
YEARS 2017 AND 2018 AND THE 2017 FORENSIC AUDIT
REPORT
Twenty-Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the
First Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Analysis of
ZINARA’s audited accounts.
Question again proposed.
(v)HON. B. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker for the opportunity that you have given me. I want to thank members of the
Public Accounts Committee for a wonderful job. I want to thank the Auditor General and all the Members of this House for the comprehensive debates on this report.
Madam Speaker, I move for the adoption of the motion on the First
Report of the Public Accounts Committee on the Analysis of ZINARA’s Audited Accounts.
Motion put and adopted.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. T. MOYO: Mr. Speaker, I move that we revert to Order of the Day, Number 28.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON BUDGET,
FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE
EXPANDED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE
2021 POST-BUDGET FEEDBACK MEETINGS
HON. DR. NYASHANU: I move the motion in my name that this
House takes note of the Report of the Portfolio Committees on Budget,
Finance and Economic Development and the Expanded Sustainable Development Goals on the 2021 Post-Budget Feedback Meetings.
HON. T. MOYO: I second.
HON. DR. NYASHANU: Thank you Mr. Speaker.
INTRODUCTION
1.0 Introduction
Parliament plays a very important role in the national budget process. As the representative of the people, Parliament is mandated under Section 141 (a) to ‘facilitate public involvement in its legislative and other processes and in the processes of its committee.’ Section 13 (2) further stipulates that ‘the people must be involved in the formulation and implementation of development plans and programmes that affect them.’ Thus, Parliament through the Joint Committee on Budget,
Finance and Economic Development and the Expanded Sustainable Development Goals conducted 2021 post budget feedback meetings from 26-30 April 2021 to update the citizens on progress on recommendations incorporated in the 2021 national budget.
The feedback meetings particularly targeted the 21 centres that were visited last year during the pre-2021 National Budget consultations. These meetings were in response to an outcry from stakeholders and members of the public that their recommendations during budget consultations are not taken on board. The concerns raised during budget consultations were in line with the principles of budget transparency, which underscores the need to have a comprehensive feedback mechanism so that citizens know how their inputs into the budget were considered.
2.0 Methodology
The Budget, Finance and Economic Development jointly with the Expanded Committee on Sustainable Development Goals were divided into 4 teams which undertook the feedback meeting across the country’s 10 provinces. Having visited 21 centres for the 2021 pre-budget consultations, it was resolved that it was imperative that the same centres be visited again to give feedback to the people of Zimbabwe on the outcomes of the 2021 budget. Therefore, the following centres were visited, namely; Mvurwi, Chiweshe, Mt Darwin, Mahusekwa, St
Mary’s, Chitungwiza, Mutoko, Harare, Karoi, Gokwe, Mberengwa,
Shurugwi, Chachacha, Hwange, Inyathi, Plumtree, Murambinda, Zimunya, Chiredzi and Chivi.
During the meetings, the Members of Parliament adhered to the Covid-19 regulations and at most 50 people per centre were allowed to attend the physical meetings across the country. As a remedy to reach out to more people while avoiding physical meetings, some feedback meetings were also held virtually on radio stations, namely; Diamond FM, Khulumane FM, Yah FM and Classic 26. Webinar sessions were also held with ZTN.
3.0 Objectives of the Feedback Consultations
2.1 To engage the citizens and update them on the outcomes of the
2021 national budget; and
2.2 To give an update on budget implementation.
4.0 The 2021 National Budget Highlights
4.1 The Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Prof. Mthuli Ncube tabled a $421, 6 billion national budget for the year
2021 under the theme “Building Resilience and Sustainable
Economic Recovery” on 26 November 2020.
4.2 The 2021 budget was premised on an estimated revenue collection of ZWL$390.8 billion and about US$841.5million being support from development partners to make a total expenditure of
ZWL421.616.
4.3 The 2021 Budget is the first one to support the implementation of the National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 running from 2021 to 2025.
4.4 Primary and Secondary Education received the highest allocation with 13.1%, followed by Health and Child Care with 12.98% and Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement received 10.97%.
5.0 General Submissions Received
5.1 Members of the public applauded Parliament for honouring its obligation to conducting post budget feedback meetings on the
2021 national budget and recommended that it be an ongoing process.
5.2 The majority of the people appreciated that most of their recommendations were considered in the National Budget and this showed Government’s commitment in meeting the needs of its citizens. However, the people recommended that in future, during such meetings, it is important for Parliament to give detailed information on how the funds have been expended.
5.3 The people commended Parliament for developing a Citizens Budget, which summarised key issues raised in the 2021 national budget. However, they recommended that the budget documents, including the Citizen’s Budget be printed in the 16 official languages recognized by the Constitution for ease of communication.
5.4 It was also proposed that budget documents, including the Citizens Budget be distributed well in advance to give ample time to the members of the public to read so that they actively participate during the feedback meetings.
5.5 Members of the public highlighted that there is need for the Government to walk the talk and ensure efficient and effective utilisation of public resources for the betterment of the people of Zimbabwe in line with Vision 2030. Therefore, the public expressed concern that the Ministry of Finance of Finance and Economic Development should timeously disburse funds to enable line Ministries and departments to provide service to the people.
5.6 The people highlighted the need for Parliament to improve on information dissemination on budget and its allied processes. In this regard, the public recommended that the consultation centres should be increased to at least 3 centres per District.
5.7 The people pointed out that any information pertaining to any Parliamentary engagement with the citizens should beavailed at least two weeks prior to the visit through the local MPs, DCCs and relevant peoples’ representatives in the areas to be visited so as to improve the quality and quantity of the contributions from the public as well as to improve their understanding of the issues.
5.8 The people also noted that Parliament should rotate the centres to be consulted and not only visit the same centres repeatedly.
6.0 Specific Submissions from the public
6.1Devolution
6.1.1 Members of the public applauded the release of devolution funds aimed at improving the lives of the rural communities. It was further submitted that more funds be allocated towards devolution.
6.1.2 The people recommended that devolution funds must be disbursed all at once to enable local authorities to plan and implement projects efficiently. Transparency and accountability of the funds is key. Local Authorities should be assessed quarterly on their usage of devolution funds and where possible, there is need to follow up and audit on the use of the funds by local authorities.
6.1.3 Devolution funds should be realistic towards issues raised by the public and should be allocated from the bottom-upwards.
6.1.4 The people called upon the Government to put in place an Act of
Parliament to support implementation of devolution funds
6.1.5 Others proposed that the sizes of districts should be taken into consideration when allocating devolution funds as some districts cover a very large space of area and population.
6.2 Water and Sanitation
6.2.1 Many centres mentioned the importance of water availability in their communities which should be addressed by the 2021 National budget.
6.2.2 The majority of the people pointed out the need to expedite the construction of dams and boreholes in both rural and urban areas as livestock and people largely depend on these. Government must prioritise completion of some dams already budgeted for in the 2021 national budget such as Gwai-Shangani.
6.2.3 Some recommended that funds should be allocated towards Mahusekwa dam widening and desilting and construction of more dams in Karoi. It was noted that River Tandai in Chimanimani has better water reserves, and there is need for a dam to benefit people in Karoi with their irrigation schemes. Kwarire Area in Buhera was
noted as another key area where there is need for irrigation to sustain the lives of people in the area.
6.2.4 The budget, under irrigation schemes, should support farmers in Mutoko with irrigation equipment as it marks their source of living.
6.3 Education
6.3.1 The high budgetary support in the education sector was highly appreciated.
6.3.2 However, it was submitted that there is need for vocational training centres in Gokwe, Mt Darwin, upgrade of Nyanyadzi training centre in Chimanimani,Chivi, Mberengwa and Shurugwi. Residents of Chimanimani noted the vast timber in their community and therefore recommended for the establishment of a Timber College in Manicaland and in turn, create employment for the benefit of the Chimanimani people. Areas such as Mutoko,
Chimanimani, Mwenezi and Inyathi need Agriculture Training
schools to benefit local farmers with modern farming who have been negatively affected by climate change.
6.3.3 Some members of the public were also concerned by the fewer schools in the country resulting in students walking long distances to the nearest schools. There is need for more schools in Hurungwe, Gokwe South, Chivi district, Mvurwi, Mwenezi and Hurungwe.
6.3.4 In Gokwe South most schools were mentioned to have inadequate teachers which need action in the current budget to cater for teacher recruitment in these rural areas.
6.3.5 Schools affected by Cyclone Idai should also be capacitated.
6.3.6 Thus, generally, the public recommended that more funding be availed to Education in light of Covid-19, especially towards supporting online learning.
6.3.7 Representatives from the tertiary education fraternity decried the high level of student dropouts due to the non-affordability of tuition fees. The government was therefore, urged to expedite the modalities of accessing student grants and to localize some scholarships in order to cater for more students in need of financial support.
6.4 Agriculture
6.4.1 The public welcomed the 10% allocation towards agriculture, which is the backbone of the economy.
6.4.2 However, members of the public recommended that the Government timely provides inputs for the 2021/22 farming season.
6.4.3 The general public appreciated the budget on providing cotton inputs in Gokwe as this greatly improved cotton production this year. More emphasis was placed on the need of value addition on agricultural crops in Gokwe mainly cotton, maize, sunflowers and groundnuts. It was proposed that a textile industry or ginnery be located in Gokwe to cater for cotton produced. The people noted that 60% of the cotton produced in Zimbabwe comes from Gokwe.
6.4.4 The public also requested Government to support horticulture farming in Zimbabwe, especially in Mutoko.
6.4.5 Members of the public appealed to the government to intervene on the establishment of agricultural markets since the majority of farmers have not yet been paid by Cottco for last year produce.
6.4.6 Members of the public noted with concern that the budget talks about supporting farmers through Agribank. However, Nembudziya,Gokwe, Chachacha Shurugwi and Mwenezi resettlement areas do not have banks.
6.4.7 There is need for tractors and harvesters for A1 and A2 in the Shurugwi and Mwenezi who face challenges in using ploughs which cannot cultivate a larger space. Famers in the area have an average of 5 hectors which is always lying idle because they do not have the inputs.
6.4.8 Government should assist resettlement farmers in Chachacha
Shurugwi with agriculture inputs.
6.5 Information Communication &Technology (ICT)
6.5.1 The budget set aside funds for infrastructure development, learning materials and alternative learning methods in light of Covid 19.
6.5.2 There is lack of ICT infrastructure, particularly network boosters in some areas in Gokwe and Chovelele in Mwenzi. Communication is a problem in these areas which the public recommended the current budget to act upon. Lack of ICT gadgets, particularly, computers in most rural schools is a major challenge for implementation of the new curriculum.
6.5.3 Virtual meetings cannot be held with most rural schools due to lack or requisite infrastructure. The general public raised concerns about the poor ICT infrastructure in most rural areas and recommended that the Mid-Term review prioritises ICT infrastructure development in rural areas.
6.5.4 Stakeholders bemoaned the exorbitant prices of internet data bundles which are beyond the reach of a majority of Zimbabweans in rural areas. Proposals were made for the government through the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology to make provision for affordable prices of data to enhance the e-learning process.
6.6 Energy
6.6.1 The budget should set aside funds for rural electrification, particularly targeting rural schools and clinics. It was noted that in some areas already electrified, there was no electricity since Rural Electrification Agency (REA) takes too long, even more than two years to respond to a fault or for a transformer to be replaced thus reducing the efficacy of rural electrification. It was recommended that REA should improve on maintenance of electricity infrastructure.
6.6.2 There were challenges inelectricity availability in rural areas such as Gokwe, Mwenezi, Chimanimani.Worst cases were noted in Mwenezi where Veterinaryoffices report cases of expired animal drugs due to lack of refrigeration facilities where they should be stored. A clinic in Chiramba area in Chimanimani which was built 10 years ago still has no electricity. Nyambuya, Mupfamvu, Muchadziya schools in Chimanimani have no electricity but the wiring is there without transformers which the public recommended the current budget to address.
6.6.3 There is need to expedite electrification of rural schools to enable them to also participate in online lessons.
6.7 Social welfare
6.7.1 Members of the public commended the government for the upward review of child per capita grants from ZWL$200.00 to ZWL$1000.00. However, the public noted that the amount was still inadequate to cater for the monthly upkeep of a child in residential care and called for further review of the child per capita grant in subsequent budgets.
6.7.2 The government was also urged to establish an After-Care Fund and a department in the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to solely support young adults who are discharged from residential child care facilities. Further to that, it was proposed that more resources should be allocated towards the development of a register for children in care and foster homes, given that most of the children do not have proper identification cards.
6.7.3 The public called for an increase in funding for vulnerable groups who are beneficiaries under social welfare especially during this time of the covid-19 pandemic. It was highlighted that social safety nets should cater for the vulnerable groups in Zimbabwe, especially those in the SMEs during this covid-19 pandemic.
6.7.4 Members of the public demanded to know the beneficiaries of the
18 billion stimulus package.
6.7.5 Concern was raised on the need to ring fence compensation and relocation funds for the families affected by the construction of Gwai-Shangani dam.
6.7.6 Members of the public noted that currently one social worker stationed at a district office is overwhelmed with over 20 000 cases in his or her jurisdiction, and thus, called for unfreezing of posts for social workers so that the Ministry of Public Service Labour and Social Welfare can recruit.
6.7.7 The public supported the need for the Government to computerise the Information Database system for vulnerable groups who
qualify for social safety nets provided for by the Ministry of Public
Service, Labour and Social Welfare.
6.8 Infrastructure
6.8.1 The public were concerned about the poor state of roads and other critical infrastructure in Zimbabwe.
6.8.2 They called upon the current budget through the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme to speed up the process of rehabilitating major roads which include Bulawayo-Nkayi, Murambinda – Birchenough, Mutare-Birchenough and Hwange-Makwa Synique
roads.
6.8.3 Members of the public called for the rehabilitation of roads destroyed by Cyclone Idai, namely Zvishavane -Rutenga via
Buchwa Mine and the road which leads to Mwenezi Rural District Council from Beitbridge Highway. Some of these roads have become death traps.
6.8.4 The major bridges mentioned which needed urgent action included
Chilonga, and Mwenazana bridge in Mwenezi, Mupedzanyota
along Mutare-Birchenough Highway, Deka in Hwange and Nyatsime in Chitungwiza.
6.8.5 The public in Chimanimani called for fast establishment of a border post from Cashel to Mozambique which can also be a revenue source for the nation.
6.8.6 The public called for the budget to avail enough funds to revamp and rehabilitate already existing tollgates to meet international standards. Tollgate in Hwange and Nyika in Bikita were mentioned as examples of some of the tollgates that are not up to standard.
6.9 Health
6.9.1 The public applauded the government for allocating 13% of national budget to the sector. However, they raised the need for efforts towards meeting the 15% stipulated in the Abuja declaration.
6.9.2 The public recommended provision of free BP medication, free lotions for albinos, free cancer treatment and free labour wards in rural areas.
6.9.3 There is need for health centres in settlement areas such as Mwenezi, Shurugwi Chachacha and Gokwe. In addition to that, the public recommended for staff establishment of health workers to be increased, particularly in rural areas. It was proposed that there be unfreezing of government posts in these critical services.
6.9.4 The 2021 budget must ensure continued support of NatPharm to ensure the availability of medication in all public health institutions.
6.9.5 The people of Chimanimani were in dire need of mortuary.
6.9.6 In Chiredzi, the public recommended for free Sanitary pads in rural schools since no single school has yet received the sanitary wear.
6.9.7 The budget should unveil funds for the construction of district hospitals and clinics in Plumtree, Chimanimani, Gokwe, Inyathi and Mberengwa to minimise the distance travelled to seek medical attention.
6.9.8 In Chivi, Mwenezi, Chachacha and Inyathi, the public recommended that the budget should also set aside resources to capacitate village health workers (Mbuya Utano) since they are carrying the health burdens of people where clinics are located very far. It was pointed out that some of their homesteads were used as maternity waiting homes or shelters.
6.9.9 The public called Parliament through the responsible committee to push for the speeding up of the procurement of the budgeted 100 ambulances so as to resuscitate the ambulance services in hospitals and clinics in all districts of Zimbabwe in 2021.
6.10 People with Disabilities
6.10.1 The members of the public noted with concern that the benefits meant for people with disabilities were not reaching the targeted beneficiaries in both rural and urban areas. They noted that these targeted grants for people with disabilities should be accessible to everyone without difficulties.
6.10.2 It was proposed that the committal and disability grants be increased from ZWL$800 to not less than ZWL$4000 per month per individual.
6.10.3 The people recommended for a school to be constructed for people with disabilities in Chiredzi. The government through respective local authorities should avail stands and accommodation for people with disabilities with flexible payment terms
6.11Youths and Women Empowerment
6.11.1 The members of the public welcomed youth development programmes aimed at empowering youths to participate in agriculture and mining. However, they called for removal of collateral security for youths and women since they do not have the collaterals.
6.11.2 It was noted that Empower Bank was a good initiative but the requirements were prohibitive to the poor youths in the rural areas. Concerns were raised on expensive rates and unattainable collateral requirements, making the youth unable to borrow. Members of the public called for streamlining of some of the requirements.
6.11.3 The Government was urged to ensure that empowerment funds were reaching the intended beneficiaries, especially in the rural areas.
6.11.4 The public underscored the need for Small Medium Enterprises Development Corporation funds to be decentralised to reach areas such as Mt. Darwin, Gokwe, Mberengwa and
Mwenezi, among other areas.
6.11.5 They recommended for the interest rate to be pegged at 15% instead of the current 45% per annum since many businesses were affected by the covid-19 pandemic.
6.12 Corruption
6.12.1 Members of the public pointed out the need to strengthen the anti-corruption institutions in order to be able to deal with corruption, especially, white collar crime by Government officials.
6.12.2 Some participants thanked the Government for allocating resources towards strengthening of anti-corruption institutions such as Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and Zimbabwe Republic Police to enable them to perform their mandate effectively. They recommended that such institutions be allowed to retain a certain percentage of the funds that they recover or collect and use them to fund their operations.
6.12.3 The public called upon the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to establish anti-corruption courts across the country to urgently handle all cases of corruption.
6.13 Welfare of Civil Servants
6.13.1 The majority of participants noted the urgent need to address the plight of civil servants, particularly the teachers so that they return to the class. It was proposed that civil service salaries be addressed as a matter of urgency, with their salaries pegged in line with the poverty datum line.
6.13.2 Apart from salaries, stakeholders advocated that the next National Budget addresses the housing needs of primary and secondary school teachers, amongst other key issues. In addition, they highlighted the need to refurbish houses for rural teachers and also construction of new ones.
6.13.3 Government was urged to recruit qualified ECD teachers in
rural areas.
6.13.4 The public also recommended government to provide transport for headmasters in rural schools. Headmasters were seen
using public transport carrying examination papers from district offices to their respective schools.
6.13.5 Government was urged to capacitate ministries in terms of operational vehicles in order to enhance their effectiveness. It was noted that limited vehicles were causing hardships for government workers in rural areas, such as Mwenezi.
6.14Security Services
6.14.1 Stakeholders observed with concern that the 100 vehicles purchased for the Police Service were grossly inadequate to cover the whole country and advocated that more financial resources be allocated in that regard. It was noted that the Police in rural areas such as Chiredzi, Mwenezi, Gokwe, Shurugwi and
Chimanimanidid not have vehicles.
6.14.2 The public noted that in some mining areas such as Shurugwi, crime rates had increased hence the need to urgently buy more cars for police officers so that they can patrol and attend to crime scenes timeously.
6.14.3 Some members of the public proposed that Neighbourhood teams be included in the home affairs budget as it plays a significant role in curbing crimes at community level.
6.14.4 Member of the public noted the need for establishment of a police station at Nedziwa in Chimanimani.
6.14.5 The members of the public noted that the prison service remains neglected with no vehicles to ferry prisoners in Gokwe.
6.15Mining
6.15.1 The public recognised the importance of the mining sector in national development and called upon the Government to support mining activities in the country, particularly, small scale and artisanal miners. It was observed that small scale miners were not recognised at law and were excluded from contributing towards decisions that affect them. It was also pointed out that training of artisanal miners on safety, health and environmental management was imperative.
6.15.2 For instance, the people of Mutoko expressed that they were not benefiting from the mining of granite fromtheir area. The
public called for the requisite regulation to be put in place so that they benefit from the mining of minerals from their area thorough corporate social responsibility.
6.15.3 It was noted that some mines such as Sandawana and Shabani mines were lying idle. The members of the public recommended for the establishment of public, private partnerships so as to resuscitate some of these mines. They therefore recommended for the budget to cater for resuscitation of all closed mines across Zimbabwe since it benefits the country as well as creating employment for the locals.
6.15.4 The public also indicated that more funds should be allocated towards strengthening Fidelity Printers.
6.15.5 The public also highlighted the need for mining licences to be given to local residents and for mining offices to be decentralised to local towns.
6.16Transport
6.16.1 Stakeholders observed that although the 2021 National Budget supported the procurement of more buses, the ZUPCO fleet
was still inadequate to cater for the commuters in Harare and many other rural and urban areas. The people of Chivi, Mahusekwa, Mwenezi, Mvurwi and many others requested Government to at least allocate one ZUPCO bus so as to ease transport challenges. It was pointed out that some people were walking long distances to visit local clinics, hospitals and shopping, among others.
6.16.2 Members of the public also lamented the high fares of
ZUPCO buses in comparison to the prices of “mushikashikas.” The government was therefore, urged to consider lifting the ban on operations of private sector transporters in both urban and rural areas so as to bring in competition within the sector.
6.17Taxation
6.17.1 A clarion call was made for the government to review the current taxation system which was viewed as regressive.
6.17.2 Some stakeholders noted that the current tax regime weighed heavily on government employees as compared to informal sector operators who use cash rather than transfers or swipe, thus evading tax.
6.18Governance
6.18.1 The public recommended decentralisation of government services to districts for easy access by the public. For example, provision of passports, banking and processing of applications for mining activities. Agribank and POSB should establish banks in each district to ensure easy access of pension payouts.
6.18.2 Mateke areain Mwenezi is affected by wild animals from Gonarezhou Park. The public called upon government to capacitate Zimparks to enable it to exercise their mandate and protect the people from the wild animals, which are wracking havoc in communities.
6.18.3 The public applauded government for managing the exchange rate which is now stable but however, recommended that it should remain stable to avoid hikes in prices of basic commodities.
6.18.4 The public stresses that the fiscal and monetary policy measures should stabilise the economy.
6.18.5 The public noted the need for price alignment with the foreign exchange rate.
7.0 Committee Observations
The joint Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development and the Expanded Committee on SDGs deliberated on the submissions and made the following observations;
7.1 That the post budget feedback meetings were generally a success, given that it was the first time Parliament was conducting such meetings. The meetings were widely accepted by the general members of the public, including, women, youths and persons with
disability.
7.2 There was generally a low turnout at most centres which may be attributed to lack of knowledge on the purpose of the hearings. However, it was noted that while in some areas very few people attended the meetings, the quality of submissions received were of high quality and relevant in arming Parliament with critical information.
7.3 That public awareness and distribution of informative material was critical in ensuring that attendees are armed with adequate information to make informed submissions.
7.4 That undertaking awareness campaign to educate the Parliamentarians as well as the members of the public on the budget cycle was very critical.
7.5 That Non-Governmental Organisations seemed to have had very little interest in post budget meetings and it was imperative that Parliament engages them so that they facilitate in mobilising the people in future.
7.6 That the Citizens Budget is a very good document which was handy during the feedback meetings.
7.7 That it is important for Parliament to liaise with local leadership and MPs so that they also mobilise the people in their constituencies.
7.8 That the people wanted to hear more information concerning what their respective areas had benefited in the national budget and progress on implementation of key national projects.
7.9 The Committee noted with concern that the feedback meetings were hampered by inadequate information which made it difficult for the Hon. MPs chairing the sessions to engage the citizens effectively. It was noted that specific information was very key and hoping that the next programme shall be armed with adequate information.
7.10 The Committee noted the importance of having all MPs to acquaint themselves with key and approved projects in their respective constituencies so that they can follow up budget issues and report to their respective constituencies.
8.0 Committee Recommendations
The Joint Committee made the following recommendations;
8.1 That there is need to visit a number of geographical areas including the grassroots centres for the pre-budget and post budget consultations for wider coverage of views of the public.
8.2 That the two Committees should conduct a capacity building workshop to discuss the key budget issues for discussion with the members of the public before embarking on the feedback meetings.
8.3 Publicity of feedback meetings should be by exploring modern ways of publicising hearing such as the use of social media platforms namely Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp.
8.4 That the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should provide critical information on the outcomes of budget to equip the
Committee during feedback meetings.
8.5 Government should put in place mechanisms to ensure communities benefit from mining operations in their jurisdiction in line with Section 13 (4) of the Constitution.
8.6 There is need for an increased budget allocation to fund the prebudget and post budget activities of the Joint Committees in view of the request from citizens for the Committee to cover a number of geographical areas.
9.0 Conclusion
The Committee members and the members of the public welcomed the inclusion of this activity on Parliament calendar since it affords
Parliament an opportunity for a feedback mechanism on national budget consultations. The public is interested in knowing whether their views on the budget were taken into consideration. This will also encourage them to participate meaningfully in future budget consultations. The activity has marked a huge milestone for parliamentary engagement with citizens of Zimbabwe on budgetary matters to ensure that no one is left behind. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I rise to
second the motion raised by Hon. Dr. Nyashanu...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I am sorry Hon. Mushoriwa,
you are not audible. I will pick Hon. T. Moyo to second the motion.
HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for giving
me this opportunity to second the motion that has been moved by Hon. Nyashanu regarding post-budget feedback meetings. Post-budget feedback meetings are very important because they are in line with Section 141 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe which says that the general public should be involved, particularly in the legislative process and also in law making process. These were necessitated largely because of the views of the public who felt that whatever submissions which were made prior to the national budget were not taken care of and were not considered.
I happen to have participated in this process as a Member of the Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development. I joined the team that visited provinces in Matabeleland. I will talk about the turn out. In some areas, the turnout was overwhelming whilst in other areas the turnout was low. I want to take note of the turnout that we saw in Bulawayo, Hwange and Plumtree. It was so overwhelming. It is important to highlight the fact that the youths were so involved in postbudget meetings where they applauded the Government for meeting some of their submissions.
The 2021 national budget of $421.6 billion has gone a very long way in meeting some of the expectations of the public. In Matabeleland region, the public really commended the Government for doing splendid work particularly on the Gwayi/Shangani Dam. In Plumtree, they also commended Government for meeting some of their objectives and goals especially rehabilitation work and the construction of the major highways. It is also important to note that some of the submissions were to applaud the Government for ensuring that there was free provision of safe drinking water, especially after the drilling of boreholes. It is also important to note that the expectations of the general populace, to a very large extent were met given the fact that these visits were done in the first quarter of the 2021 Budget. We need to continuously commend Government for a job well done.
However, disabled people complained that their monthly stipend has not been increased. There was some discord where we met one person in Bulawayo who had received an increase in the monthly allowances as a social security measure but others were saying that their allowances had not increased. We want to call upon Ministry of Finance to ensure that the expectations of the disabled are met.
Finally, we also want to appeal to Government to ensure that students who made submissions that they were expecting Government to provide grants to them, their expectations had not been met. What Government has done is to provide loans to students. It was the expectations of students that they were going to be provided with grants so that they would pay on completion of their university or college studies. We hope in the 2022 Budget, Government will meet the expectations of students in tertiary institutions. I so submit and I thank you.
*HON CHIKUKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker I want to add
my voice on this motion which was raised by Hon Nyashanu and seconded by Hon Moyo. I was part of the delegation on the feedback meetings. What I witnessed is that many people were happy that we had gone back with feedback but some said that the department of
Parliament which should inform the public should do so on time because there is a place where people would see cars and they would wonder where people were going to. I am referring to Mashonaland Central where people would then ask and our chairperson would explain.
We went to Nzvimbo where there was another meeting. To show that people are interested when Government sends people to them, they stopped their meeting and the Salvation Army Reverend gave us time to interact with the people. As a Committee that had gone there, we were happy with this scenario. We resolved that when we go back to Parliament, we should let the Speaker be aware that staff of Parliament who are supposed to inform people are not do so. I have seen this in other Committees. If there is a certain way that we were doing it, we should change because people are not informed.
The other issue which was raised by the people is that they expressed their gratitude because it was their first time this year that people came and consulted on the budget and there was feedback. The people who were leading the teams were specific on issues that were raised in those areas. What really made people happy were issues concerning hospitals and schools. When they talked about hospitals and roads they were happy about the provision of devolution funds. They said there are some things that Government talks about which are just on paper and are not implemented.
When it comes to issues of water, they were happy that funds were allocated to DDF. On schools they said that teachers need money and they wanted it known that in Nzvimbo there is a place where teachers are housed at the school premises and the teachers spend most of their times at bottle stores. So, we promised them that we would report on it and an investigation instituted.
They pleaded that next time when we go back we should inform them on time. What I learnt is that as a Committee, when we are going there, staff of Parliament should do their work properly. We know that there are laws in place, which laws are put by the people and can be removed by the people. Here at Parliament, there is a burning issue and I am raising it as the Chairperson of the Local Government Committtee. I want you Madam Speaker to investigate that when we are going out as a
Committee, the support staff goes back home after a day’s work and are transported by cars. That law was put in place by the people. It should be removed by the people because when they are doing their work, they are not doing it for their benefit. It hinders progress on our work because both the drivers and those being driven have to be dropped off at different times. They arrive home late and you want those people to report for duty early the next day.
I plead with you Madam Speaker. I once talked about this and we also talked about it as Chairpersons of Committees but I have realised that the Administration of Parliament is not taking this issue seriously. I think you should help us so that when we go out, we do not face that same predicament again. I thank you.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. Hon. Chikukwa brought a very valid point, but I think it needs to be brought up in a more professional manner. Within this debate it does not really stick out. I then implore your good office to give her that space tomorrow, to be able to bring that on Thursday, on a point of national interest. It is a valid point. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Mliswa. I
have taken note of what Hon. Chikukwa said but all the same, she can also raise it as a Matter of Privilege on Thursday. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Maam. I want to
applaud the joint Committee on SDGs and that of Budget for adhering to the ethos and the values of the Constitution as enshrined in Section 141 that mandates Parliament to make all Parliamentary processes public. Madam Speaker, a nation is judged by the way it upholds its own Constitution. I will dwell first and foremost on that in that I want all
Committees to take a cue from the Committee on Budget and the SDGs, so that they go back to the public. Committee on Transport to go back to the public and tell them on the budgetary performance on the monies that Hon. Dr. Chief Nyashanu has alluded to, the quantum that was presented by Hon. Prof. Mthuli Ncube as it relates to the issues of performance.
How can this be done? It can only be done if the Executive, through the parastatals and Ministries also present their monthly, quarterly and annual reports in order that the Committees should go down to the public and also present to them how the budget has performed. If it is going to be DDF, how the money presented to DDF has performed. If it is going to be Transport, how the money that was given to Civil Aviation Authority, ZINARA and all the other 13 parastatals, under the Ministry of Transport, how those monies have performed. In particular, in this time where we have a vision- a torch bearer, Vision 2030; in this time when we have NDS1 that cuts across 2021 to 2025, there is need to adhere to the ethos and the values of good governance.
As enshrined in Section 298 and 299 of the Constitution, all Government institutions and quasi-Government institutions are accountable to Parliament. As it relates to Section 119 of the
Constitution, speaks to and about the same issue. So we need to hold the Executive to account, in the manner that they conduct their business and go and report back to the public. There is also a point, which the Hon. Chair has alluded and spoken to so vociferously, so effectively. It touched the pith, the core, the heart of Yours Truly Mr. Speaker Sir.
Section 13 (4), speaks to the optimum utilisation of our God-given natural resources, so that they can benefit the communities. It is with a pleading heart that I plead with you Mr. Speaker Sir, in the advent of the Community Share Ownership Trusts and the demise of the same, there has not been any meaningful development that is championed by our God-given finite mineral resources. We are endowed with ubiquitous amount of natural resources but there has not been any meaningful benefit to the communities. I sit in a constituency that has got the largest gold reserve in the whole of Africa. It is called Pickstone Peerless and it is championed and excavated by Brekridge Resources but there has not been any meaningful development, in particular, all the infrastructure in the area that they are taking resources are dilapidated.
So I understand, I hear the cry that the people have and the recommendations from the joint Committee on SDGs and Public
Finance. I make this prayer, cognisant of that fact to you Mr. Speaker Sir, that there should be immediately a meaningful development, infrastructure related coming out of our God-given finite natural resources. If it is going to be the gold, like I am alive to the fact that there is 100 kgs coming out of that mine, each month, that is nothing less than US$5 million. The road that they use to criss-cross the distance between the extracting zone and the refinery zone or Fidelity printers and refineries is dilapidated, so deplorable and disused. To say the least Mr. Speaker Sir, it needs rehabilitation, rejuvenation and maintenance but not a dine comes from these mining houses. So it is my clarion call and fervent view that all these operations get to come to a screeching halt until there is modus oparanda that is defined in order that the communities have benefit. There is not be reason to leave gaping and yawning holes when there is open cast mining at the detriment and the demise of the environment, without any benefit including just but pittance. I want to touch on that because we need to uphold the Constitution. The natural resources are as enshrined also in the preamble of the Constitution where it is recognised that we have our natural resources and we should use them for the effective development of the people that have those natural resources for the effective development of our culture. It is there in the preamble of the Constitution.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the founding values in Section 3, they recognise, including the people with disabilities and all those who fought in the war of Umvukela, our natural resources should go and make sure the livelihoods of the people that were involved in the war of liberation; the pensioners are bettered in their livelihood. I have come now to the supremacy of the Constitution in Section 2. Any Act of Parliament that is not consistent with the Constitution should be repudiated to the extent of its inconsistency. It is my hope and view that today, because of that report, Isaiah 6 verse 1 “when King Hosea died, I saw heaven”. We need to adhere now to the ethos and values of the Constitution because of this report. Not only that, all Committees now need to tour the line because of the report that has been presented here. We have been sleeping on duty Mr. Speaker Sir, for a very long time. It is not too late, it is not lost on us. It will be remise however, to continue to be in slumber mode. We need to now reinvigorate our operations. We need to say to ourselves this is the way to go, two wrongs do not make a right. It is not too late to deal with a lethargic way of dealing with modern day issues.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we cannot continue to be medieval, we need to take the bull by its horns, address the issues according to the values of the Constitution for the betterment, peace and order of Zimbabweans as it is enshrined in our Constitution and we should adhere to it. If we take our God given natural resources and we put them to good use in the development of infrastructure in our constituencies, I can tell you this; there will be high rise buildings in Chegutu West constituency. We have that platinum from ZIMPLATS and we have a Community Share Ownership Trust, which all other Hon. Members in Chegutu Administration District want to shred to pieces because it has not benefited us in any way. When it was put together, ZIMPLATS promised that there is going to be a dividend over and above the seed capital of US$10 million but we have not seen, not even a little benefit.
So we are going to court in order that we shred that Community Share
Ownership Trust; we restart the formula and we demand that
ZIMPLATS pays a dividend assuming, it is US$10m per annum. It was put in place in 2013 and this is nearly 10 years down the line. We can have more than US$100m. Just say to yourself what is it that you can do with US$10m.
Mr. Speaker Sir, you can paint the whole of Chegutu West
Constituency with high rise buildings; from the start at Rukawo Motel to the last building at David Whitehead but alas, the only buildings that are in Chegutu West Constituency just go one floor up as though we are not endowed with ubiquitous amounts of mineral wealth. We need to adhere to the ethos and values of the Constitution not yesterday and not in the future but immediately. The people of Chegutu West
Constituency have asked me to come and vociferously, effectively and efficiently debate in the manner that I have and I applaud you for giving me this opportunity and I thank you for adhering to the values of this constitutional report that Hon. Dr. Nyashanu has presented.
HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir and I thank the
Chairperson of the Committee Hon. Nyashanu, seconded by Hon. Moyo. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is indeed a good practice, though not law to always give feedback to the people in whatever we do. As Parliament, we are there to represent people. While I must commend the Committee for doing this, there are also ways of making it better. One of the reasons which we fail to represent people in totality is how we get to the last person in a ward, constituency, administration district or province. The Committees in Parliament go just one place in a province or two or four, that is not touching all the corners of the country.
What have they done to go right down to Tsholotsho, Binga, what have they done to go to Chirundu and Mutare? This is where we seem to have a disconnect between the people and what we do. The other issue which is important is the issue of languages. Why have we not put the Constitution in the 16 languages? The Tonga people want to see this written in Tonga and spoken to in Tonga so as all other languages. We seem not to appreciate that the Constitution has a provision of 16 languages: why are we not taking that with us. These are the people and 16 languages must be accommodated. So in a way, you will never get people to understand what we are doing because there is a language barrier in their own country. So, the figures and messages must be put in their languages. Not only that, there are other people who have a disability, the disabled. How do they get to those who are blind, how do they get to understand what is going on?
Hon. Moyo spoke about how the disabled are not happy with the way they are being left out and for a very long time, they have been left out. The Constitution itself talks about ‘resources permitting’ that there should be facilities for them and yet they are disabled permanently.
How can the Constitution talk about ‘resources permitting’ when one is disabled for life? We cannot be seen to be playing with peoples’ lives and when it is a permanent issue that they have, may the solutions be permanent, they cannot be suspended because of lack of resources.
Mr. Speaker Sir, what is the Consolidated Revenue Fund for? Do people know that ndiyo homwe yenyika. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, while the Committee has done its work, a lot remains outstanding with the Ministry of Finance. How much do we have in the kit? First of all, the first thing people must be told is that we have 20 billion in the kit and out of the 20 billion in the kit, this much was disbursed to these ministries and so forth. This is disbursement. There is a difference between disbursement and implementation. They went and said, which is great, 55% of what was asked for was agreed upon. Disbursement was how much? Implementation, coming from where? This is the reason why I am talking about the Consolidated
Revenue Fund, if at all it has been swept out, the Minister must come to Parliament for a supplementary budget. As Members of Parliament, we are suffering because he has not come for a supplementary budget to be able to deal with the inflationary issues. When does the disbursement happen? It is another issue and the time factor. When do we pass the budget and when does the disbursement happen? Between that time there is inflation? Not only that, now when he has allocated a certain amount of money to a ministry or entity, they do not get the full amount of money? Why are we excited about the 55% though it is an improvement and the Committee has done well to be able to tell the people that we do our part of pushing 100% but the Ministry then approves 55%? The question mathematically is out of the approved 55%, how much of it has got into the various project and then when you realise not much has gotten there, projects which are supposed to have two billion in terms of disbursement, the disbursement up to date 2021 budget is five million. Out of two billion disbursements, they disburse 5 million, so what are we doing? What are all these civil servants doing in all these offices when they do not have the money to be able to oil the machine?
So, it has been recommended that there are too many civil servants who are doing nothing. It is true because the money which is being disbursed to the Ministry is not at all there; so they are sitting around, they are on Wi-Fi and they are doing the things that they are doing. So why also do you not look at cutting down civil servants? If we cannot afford them, give them packages. Most of them have farms. Give them what will empower them so that they are able to sustain a better life. These are the options. With the land reform which happened, most of them prefer being on their farms given the right package, but right now they cannot do that. So it is important that in line with the requirements of IMF, we also look at that.
Mr. Speaker Sir, if you look at the idea of the grants to the students and you opt for loans and percentage statistics, how much of that has been done? It remains a talk show. This is what it is. It remains a talk show. Parliament does not sleep in passing these budgets. The Chairman will be there on his toes but when it comes to the execution of these budgets others are sleeping. So how then do we build a country when others are sleeping and others are awake? We do not sleep. We leave this House even at 3.00 a.m or 4.00 a.m, have a dinner and so forth because people make sure Parliament would have done its part and be proud of that Mr. Speaker Sir because your Honourable Members in this august House are truly honourable when it comes to fulfilling what needs to be done.
Right now, Members of Parliament use their own resources; CDF is not there but it was approved. I do not know why the Chairman did not talk about that but I felt he probably felt it is conflicted. Let me talk about it. We approved CDF. Where is it and why has it not come back for a supplementary budget? Information centres, Honourable Members, was that not approved? How do we disseminate information to the people? Covid is happening and there is no information centre. There is nothing happening. These public hearings, we need information centres to tell people what is happening. You then accuse the MP of sleeping on duty when there are no resources for him to do that. The car that he has does not have enough fuel;he/she comes to
Parliament, a budget was approved, you go for fuel, the fuel is not there.
You cannot blame Parliament for that. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development is supposed to be in a position to be able to make sure that they cater for the needs of Parliamentarians, civil servants and everybody else. Short of that, it is like going to the doctor and being given a full course of medication. You have got seven days to take it and then you go and buy for three days. Will you survive? You will not survive. If it is a seven day course, let it be a seven day course, not reducing a seven day course to a three course.
Children who are not well fed, when they are young, they will suffer from malnutrition as you know – kwashiorkor. Kwashiorkor is the result of certain vitamins not being in your body and this economy with this performance of the Minister not implementing, is suffering from kwashiorkor and that must be understood because we do not have time to mince words as we are approaching our end of tenure. We must be able to have been known to be an august House which did our part and we were able to excel.
The projects that we are talking about must talk about employment. With all these projects which happen but we fail to alleviate unemployment problems. Armed robberies have escalated. Why, it is because of unemployment and we need to be able to address that. Civil servants payments, salaries, remuneration and inflation - there is no buy in power. What are we doing to ensure that we are doing that? This is the role of the Minister.
So what I am saying, Mr. Speaker Sir is, without the Minister responding to this and this is an issue which I am bringing up tomorrow in Parliament on national interest, the State of the Nation Address must be responded to by Ministers. Up to now, they have not responded. I do not know if Members of Parliament know that. In failing to respond to that, how do they discharge their duties because the State of the Nation Address is the one that gives them the vision, the direction the President is taking? The principal has spoken, the President. What are you doing? What is your response to this august House which represents the people, to say this is what you are going to do? You have done nothing. That again proves to you that they are incompetent. They are not doing their job because the State of the Nation Address is critical in getting a response because there is a way forward. Mr. Speaker Sir, the aspect of the remuneration of civil servants is critical.
On multi-currency, we do not know what to do. Instability, we want to have our own currency but we have another currency and so forth. So it also becomes a problem to plan when you have a multicurrency system which is not consistent. I have always said this. It is allowed to be consistently wrong but it is not allowed to be inconsistent in being wrong. So it is important that consistency prevails in terms of disbursement of money and implementation as well. The Public Finance
Management Act has been violated.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Chairman of the Budget Committee must know that moving forward, there is no budget which will be passed for any Ministry without them following the Public Finance Management Act and then reporting to Portfolio Committees on this. For too long they have gotten away with this, with murder and the Executive likes to bully yet they are not working at all. They have no respect for the work that Parliamentarians do and they also are well remunerated. So what is the point of giving them good remuneration when this is not being adhered to?
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to conclude by saying that the Committee on Budget and Finance must be commended for this wonderful work, but we are tired of writing and reporting with no implementation. It is a culture, inertia as Mr. Speaker, Hon. Advocate Jacob Mudenda would say. Inertia - we suffer from that. The recommendations of these Portfolio Committees are not even implemented. So why do we even sit on those Committees? Those must be implemented and it is important for the Chairperson to ensure that recommendations of Portfolio Committees are implemented. Failure to do that, do not approve the budget. We must be able, like Hon. Nduna said, to be known who we are when we are representing people.
Hon. Members, when we are on the ground in these public hearings you know what people say. It is important again that whatever people say is recorded verbatim. You have got Bills which are coming to Parliament; the War Veterans Bill which was here, the veterans said something and what appeared is wrong, so the petitions do not end. We must be trusted by people and whatever they say must be incorporated but for as long as we do not have the 16 languages accommodating everyone, we are not serving the interest of the people Mr. Speaker Sir.
We must forthwith be able to talk and give people written things in the
16 languages as enshrined in the Constitution.
Once again Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity. For as long as implementation is not done, all the work that we do, spending sleepless nights in places and so forth, does not come to realisation of the needs and we must remain the hope of the people.
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
(v)HON. SANSOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker for this opportunity to add my voice to the debate on the motion brought up by Hon.
Nyashanu. I was part of the team that visited Bulawayo Province, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South. In Matabeleland North, we went to Hwange. I just want to highlight a few issues that were raised there.
The people appreciated the Parliament’s initiative to come back after the budget was approved, to tell them how many of the issues had been taken up out of the issues that they had raised. This was the first time that we have done this. They really appreciated it. However, they pointed out that the publication of the meetings was a bit inadequate. I think we need to work on that as the Chairman has alluded to.
Also, there evolved the absence or lack of funding for the Nambian museum despite the fact that they raised that in the pre-budget consultations after the realisation that it had not been taken up. They were not too pleased and I think there is need to work on that because the Nambya Museum was established through their own initiative without any funding from central Government. I think that is an area that needs to be attended to.
They also raised the issue of roads, although it has been raised in other reports, I think they singled out Makwa Road that has been extensively damaged by mining companies. The road links Hwange town to the Zambezi River and also to Binga and there is need to work on that road which is now virtually impassable. They also raised the issue of the School of Mines that is in Bulawayo that it should be located in Hwange rather than in Bulawayo where little mining takes place.
Finally, there was the issue of Government’s shareholding in Hwange Colliery, some people were calling for Government to reduce its shareholding in Hwange Colliery to not more than 16%. Overall Mr. Speaker, wherever we went, people raised the issue of corruption and pointed out that it does not serve any useful purpose to raise taxes without plugging loopholes and I believe that is quite a valid point. I thank you for the opportunity Mr. Speaker Sir.
(v)*HON. KWARAMBA: I had almost given up on contributing,
thinking this was a male domain as most of the issues that I wanted to raise have already been tabled. When we were moving around during the Post Budget consultations, I was in a team that covered Harare,
Norton, Karoi, Gokwe, Mberengwa and Shurugwi. Many people raised concerns that we were visiting towns and growth points only, excluding rural areas. People in the rural areas also want to know how Parliament operates even in terms of budget – that was the major concern raised.
They lamented that Parliament also needs to include the rural folk.
They mentioned that people must be invited to attend Public Hearings in time and not to be given short notices. They also raised the issue that the people who are tasked to mobilise the people did not do so since they feared being taken to task pertaining Devolution Funds. Therefore, Parliament should look for alternative ways to mobilise communities to such events. I think these were the points that were not explained clearly but people were very happy Mr. Speaker Sir about the Post-Budget consultations. Section 141 of the Constitution was fully utilised since it gives us authority to go and hear what people say through public involvement. People were extremely happy and they urged us to continue doing the good work. During the Public Hearings, we also realised that it is very important to disclose issues that were included in the national budget pertaining to a particular area. This will help communities to know that their contributions are taken seriously and were included in the national budget.
Mr. Speaker Sir, let me conclude by saying that in Mberengwa there is a road that requires urgent refurbishment and the community is lamenting over it. Since I am not a resident of Mberengwa, I do not know the name of the road but it is said that the road was supposed to be refurbished years back, but nothing has happened to date. The roads in Mberengwa are in very bad state, I urge the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development to avail funds for the refurbishment of roads in Mberengwa. I noticed that even when we attended the burial of the late Hon. Alum Mpofu – the roads were very bad. Please may necessary attention be accorded to the roads in Mberengwa. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I hope that
I am now audible. The report that was tabled by Hon. Dr. Nyashanu, the
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development is a very important motion and is also crucial in the fact that all the Chairpersons of the various Portfolio Committees were part of the Budget, Finance and expanded SDG.
Mr. Speaker Sir, first and foremost, I would want to thank the Parliament Administration for granting this opportunity – being the first of its kind in 2021, for Parliament to go back to the very centres that they had gone to consult communities pertaining what they wanted to see in the budget. Mr. Speaker Sir, the Post-Budget consultations were very important and I want to echo on what the Chairperson said that many people were happy that we had gone back and being the first of its kind, it was a learning curve. We learnt a lot and I think that we need to then take some of the lessons as we go forward to future programmes in the next year.
Personally Mr. Speaker Sir, fundamentally I think one thing that is certain which we believe needs to happen and Parliament to heed, is to ensure that first and foremost, our Members of Parliament, especially those who are not in the Budget and Finance and Economic Development Portfolio Committee should also be issued with a simplified version of the budget. I think that the Budget Office at
Parliament have been doing a fantastic job and those booklets that the Budget Office has been producing should be issued to every Member of Parliament so that every Member of Parliament is in a position to go back to his/her constituency and various Wards and explain the budget even before Parliament sends its Committees. I think it is crucial that a simplified version goes out there. I think the documents that were produced by the Budget Office go a long way because even none financial Members of Parliament will be in a position to follow because it is pictorial and easier to follow. I think that it is crucial that funds be channeled to the Budget Office for the sake of ensuring that we empower every Member of Parliament including Senators to ensure that the people with whom we interact with get to have that information.
The other thing that we also believe needs to be done Mr. Speaker Sir and I am actually glad that in the next few weeks, we will be debating on the Public Finance Management Act because some of the ills that Hon. Members were talking about are found in terms of the inadequacies that were there in terms of the Public Finance Management
Act. I am hoping that Hon. Members will take advantage and opportunity to ensure that when the debate on the Public Finance Management Act starts, we will be in a position to put several issues that will make the budget process in Zimbabwe transparent and also ensure that it is people driven. We want to ensure that whatever we are going to do is contained within the various laws.
I think Mr. Speaker, you are aware that Chapter 17 of the
Constitution talks about the fundamental issues and characteristics for Public Finance Management. We need to ensure that all these things that we bemoan as having gaps in terms of performance, implementation et cetera need to be factored into the Public Finance Management Act that is coming after we have debated the Bill. It is my view that Members of Parliament need to acquaint themselves with the PFMA which has been gazzetted and now before Parliament. The reason why I am saying this is because it answers some of the things and some of the issues that the public was complaining about – the question of the nondisbursement of funds.
However, on the flip side, as Members of Parliament, we also need to go beyond the question of loop talking in terms of expenditure. It is also crucial that as Parliament, we need to dissect, to question and to look into the other side of the budget which is the revenue generation. As parliamentarians, we need to pay particular attention to where the money for the budget is coming from. Some of the reasons that we found is that the Minister sometimes will say I have had to give $10 to ministry X but then gives that ministry $5. The non-availability of the revenue; ordinarily a budget as you are aware, is a financial plan for the next year. It does not necessarily relate to say that the budgeting that you are talking of, you are going to get every dollar.
However, what is crucial in my view is that as we go to the people, as we develop our budget processes in Zimbabwe, Members of Parliament also need to pay particular attention especially to the financing aspect of the budget. When we want roads to be done, boreholes to be drilled and all the things that we want to do – where do we get the money? Which expenses should we curtail so that we will be in a position to put the resources to areas that are beneficial to the country as a whole?
It is my view and I just want to thank Team A that I went with led by Hon. Chief Nyashanu and the various Chairpersons for the job that was done and also the fantastic contributions that we got from the members of the public and stakeholders. To that end, I thank you.
HON. M. KHUMALO: Thank you Hon. Chair. I also want to
contribute on the report by the Expanded Committee. Firstly, let me start with the welfare of the teams that go out during this very important session of Parliament. There is a tendency that Parliament and even some external funders of these programmes, starve Members of Parliament and staff during the tours. If you travel for a week being on full board; an adult must not just live to be fed; at least there must be a token in the future to make sure that the teams are well catered for financially.
This exercise awakened Parliament in that we discovered that a lot of people particularly in the rural areas were not aware of the budget process, how the budget is crafted and how it is implemented. They were not even able to distinguish between parliamentarians and officers of Government in the budget process. So, it was awakening that people were able to familiarise themselves with the budget process.
This budget process also assisted the Executive; I want to applaud
Parliament for doing this. The Executive usually brings their budgets to Parliament and then we approve. When they implement, there is no publicity on which things they are doing and how they came about. Therefore, the process was able to help Government because each team was able to give feedback on all the activities or programmes ministry by ministry.
Hon. Speaker, the process also assisted Members of Parliament. In certain areas, it was very difficult for Members of Parliament to take issues from ministries. Remember that ministries are also funded by external partners (NGO’s). We found an area where an NGO has done a lot of work but that work is not recorded in the budget. Hence the exercise was able to bring to the attention of members out there and also assist Members of Parliament to publicise the activities that are happening in their areas.
Mr. Speaker, the citizen booklet; that booklet is quite good but we discovered that it only concentrated mainly on the areas that were attended to by the Committee last year. Now you get to an area for example Matabeleland North where we covered two areas, Hwange and Bubi. Now, when you do like that, that is a provincial visit. People in Tsholotsho will not have time to go to Bubi and Hwange. However, when we were reporting on this exercise, we were able to talk about the provincial allocations and how they were executed, so the people of Tsholotsho benefited.
When we come up with that citizen budget booklet, let us put everything that was done by the budget throughout the country so that even those areas where people did not attend the public hearing will be able to hear some of the things that were catered of in terms of their areas.
Lastly, I want to look at the issues that appeared on the budget. There is a tendency also by the Ministry of Finance to neglect those issues that come every year like an issue in Gwanda where a bridge has been coming every year. These people in Gwanda nearly chased
Members of Parliament because that thing was not budgeted for. In my
Constituency, Lupane West, you can talk about other things like GwayiShangani and other things but if you do not talk about network and boosters, you would have not done anything. However, when you look at the budgets, year in and year out, nothing comes out on the network issues. So, in future, the Ministry of Finance must look at those issues that are coming every time from communities so that they are a priority in the budget. Hon. Chair, I thank you.
+HON. MUDAU: It is my first day to be here in this august House because I was seconded by the people of Matebeland. I would like to thank the people of Matebeleland South who seconded me to Parliament. I would also like to appreciate my party ZANU-PF which recognised my potential and brought me to this august House. I am here because we lost an Hon. Member of Parliament and because of that, I want to appreciate all who decided to bring me here.
What I want to talk about is the issue regarding the usage of different languages which is crucial in Zimbabwe. I come from Beit Bridge and we speak Venda. I came into this august House and will serve two terms and when issues such as budget for languages was being raised, I wondered why it is not being spread to different areas covering different languages so that our people hear us communicating in their languages. The budget should also focus on peripheral areas and even different road networks. It is important that even rural roads are serviced. I have noticed that in the rural areas, most roads are in a state of disrepair and they are the same roads used by ambulances and food relief vehicles which at times fail to get to communities because of the bad roads.
Let me also look at those who are disabled. The disabled people are not happy. Some are totally disabled whilst others are blind but when they hear that some people are earning large amounts of monies they end up feeling that their disability is not being noticed. In Beit Bridge, you see a lot of things happening there which should be corrected. Even the budget for development is not very clear what it is being used for because if the money is not used for rural schools and hospitals and other communal facilities then we will not know what they are being used for. It is important therefore that the annual budget should look at how the money is being used for. In Matebeleland South, it must be clear how much has been allocated to the province. There should be a day for accounting for the usage of these monies until people are satisfied because if we are just told the money was used to rehabilitate roads without evidence then the people will not be satisfied.
Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for affording me this opportunity.
(v)*HON. PETER MOYO: Firstly, I would like to thank the mover of this motion and the Executive which saw that it was fit for us to go back to the people. The people were very happy and they noticed that there was change. This should continue. In the Midlands, people said they wanted us to implement what we would have agreed to in the budget. They wanted us to stick to what we would have agreed or tell them what we are able to do and not do. They said we should meet our promises. They said they were happy that the Chinese were helping them and that meant the money budgeted for should be channelled to what it was budgeted for.
We went to one area where they said they only hear about e learning but they do not know whether it is being implemented. They said the issue of e-learning should be supported in the rural areas and boosters should be maintained so that children in the rural do not lag behind. They felt that a lot of money should be channelled towards these boosters or even a supplementary budget so that the 350 boosters are revamped. This was the people’s outcry for us to hear their plea.
The other issue was on schools. They felt that the rural schools should function just like the schools in the urban areas. This issue that we are talking about is very pertinent. Everyone should look at the rural child down there where there is no network. They said they witnessed it in 2000 when donors came with radios. They said those radios should be re-introduced and given to school children because they do not need a lot of radio frequency in rural areas. There are some places like Gwanda which cannot get local radio stations frequencies, so they resort to listening to foreign radio stations. They implored us to have those radios reintroduced.
The issue of roads is another thorny issue, especially in Mberengwa where I come from. I do not think there is any place with such bad road network. I do not know why it is lagging behind, like we are still in Rhodesia. The reason why we chose to go to the education centre was because we could not get to areas located where there are no tarred roads. If we had gone there at least people would know that there are bad roads in the country. So, our esteemed Chairperson should take it to the President that the road is so bad. Even the former President, his road was tarred. The whole road from Longwe to Mbesi where Hon. J. Gumbo hails from is really bad so people there want that road to be revamped in the shortest period of time. They want the road to be revamped to Masasi where the hospital is. You find that in places like Gaha and Hobani there is no tar. They asked why companies like Mimosa who are getting a lot of money from our minerals, and they have adopted Masasi School, why can they not come together with other companies like Sandawana so that they can rehabilitate the road so that it is tarred?
The other issue that people were complaining about was that in
Mberengwa we have a lot of gold and emeralds but why is it that we do not have development? Right now, Sandawana Mine is closed but there are emeralds there. There are a lot of minerals in Mberengwa but if you look at the road that leads to Mnene, it is very bad. The biggest issue that was raised in Mberengwa and Gokwe was about the roads and that big companies should take the responsibility to rehabilitate the roads.
When it comes to the issue of learning, the communities should have access to network. Some students in other areas are learning online but students from these areas are not learning because they have no network access so we are breeding dull people there. I will not say much because a lot has been talked about but what they were crying about implementing. They want implementation so that we go back and monitor the projects. They said we should come back and monitor the projects. Thank you.
(V)+HON. G. DUBE: Thank you Mr. Speaker for the opportunity that you have given me to add my voice on this motion where we were giving feedback on what is in the 2021 Budget. People were very grateful that we went back with feedback on the budget.
In interacting with people from Hwange, they were complaining that the funds that are distributed to the different ministries are not getting to the rightful people that are supposed to benefit from them. They were complaining especially pertaining to funds that were disbursed to rehabilitate the road from Victoria Falls to Bulawayo. They said that funds were disbursed for the resurfacing of the road but what they are noticing is that the rehabilitation that is happening is only the patching of potholes. There is no proper maintenance of the road such as widening or construction of additional lanes. People were asking if this road could be resurfaced and widened for it to be a proper road, and that there be close scrutiny of the funds that are disbursed to make sure that they are used for the right purpose.
Also the roads that link Hwange Rural Districts are not being serviced sufficiently. The only thing that they do is they level the roads with graders and pour some gravel on it but that is not all. There is a major road that links the two districts. They complained that the Chisuma gravel road was supposed to be a tarred road because it is a major road in the district. The residents within these districts were complaining that they do not understand why these roads are not been serviced whilst coal is mined at Hwange. They believe that since the roads are for this area they were supposed to benefit through the rehabilitation of infrastructure as residents within the community.
People from Hwange wished they were more tertiary institutions within the area. There is only a teachers’ college in Hwange but they wished it could be given a higher status to become a university rather than offering diplomas. They pleaded that Government offers more funds so that they could benefit from the land that was given to Lupane State University to construct a satellite university at Victoria Falls for their children to also benefit from the educational facilities within the area. It is also not reasonably fair that institutions that offer certificates in tourism and hospitality are only found in Harare and Bulawayo whilst most of the tourists are found within Victoria Falls, so it would be a good thing if a tertiary institution that offers certificates in this discipline is constructed within the Victoria Falls town. They pleaded that Government looks into the funds that are awarded to different provinces in its budget. The funds that are allocated to areas like Victoria Falls should be increased so that development in terms of tertiary institutions can be achieved.
The residents also asked for the revival of community share ownership schemes so that the communities also benefit from the natural resources that are found within their areas. They pleaded that the companies be resuscitated and they have spoken for many years that in Hwange District, there is a very big river called Zambezi. That is where they get most of their foreign currency. It is a plea from the people from that area that when it comes to the budget and since this river is a God given gift, it was not man- made, they should also benefit from it. The Government should pronounce that a certain percentage should benefit the community within Hwange District because it looks like all the funds collected are taken to Harare (kobamba zonke). People from that area are asking for a small share so they can also develop their schools, clinics and hospitals. The Ndebele people have a saying that goes ‘asikaphule sonke Donga” but if Donga continues benefiting on his own, then it will not be good for the country. So it is their wish that foreign currency collected from Zambezi should be given to them there and there instead of it being brought back as devolution funds.
Mr. Speaker Sir, they also mentioned that there is coal mining in Hwange District but there are no higher education schools in Hwange that offer Advanced level or science laboratories and even universities in Bulawayo, the university is in Lupane. Students can only apply to go to that university and even the high schools are not well equipped so they are not getting good education.
The Government should take note of such things. We learnt a lot from this disease and children from the rural areas are lagging behind in terms of education from those that are in the cities. The Government should make sure that there is network everywhere and also increase the number of boosters everywhere in the rural areas so that a child in Jambezi, Magwagwa and Chikandabube should be able to research just like a child who is in Harare or Bulawayo or whatever city so that there can be equality. There should not be any difference to say this one is poor and this one is rich. That is what people are complaining about.
Disabled people should be assisted in all districts in language and Government institutions should be accessible. They should be able to access all services. It is difficult for most of them to access most of these Government offices because there are no ramps. These people want to be assisted by all means because they are also Zimbabweans. I hope all the contributions that were made from Gwanda to Zambezi are going to be taken on board by the Government. It should not just end by making promises that are never fulfilled. With those few words, I thank you Mr.
Speaker.
(v)HON. O. SIBANDA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I would want to contribute to the report that was moved by Hon. Dr.
Nyashanu. It is a fantastic and detailed report. I am so glad that at least Parliament has found each other in that all Chairpersons grouped together for a common purpose. By this, we will understand that each constituency’s needs are catered for when going out to see the people, and getting information on what is needed in various constituencies.
Hon. Speaker Sir, this will assist us in terms of debating when we are doing our budget. If you look at our budget debates, sometimes we debate from an uninformed view. Sometimes we even fail to monitor and evaluate what would actually be happening after the budget has been passed because we will not be knowing what is happening in various constituencies. For example, in my constituency Vungu, if you talk about schools you look at schools which are based in resettlement areas, where schools have been operating since 2020. There are no school blocks, examinations are not written at these schools. Students have to move to other schools for the purposes of writing examinations. Therefore, you discover that the pass rate at the resettlement schools is zero. No children pass from these schools because of the inadequate equipment and classrooms. One wonders how then does this budget gets seen to these schools because there is no progress.
The issue of boosters, Hon. Members have talked about it. It is the same challenge which we face but you find that after the budget allocation and the Ministry is allocated funds for the purposes of assisting on such things, we do not see these things physically being implemented in various constituencies.
The issue to do with irrigations, the President of the country talks about rehabilitation of old irrigation schemes so that people will be self sustainable but up to today, I am three years old in this Parliament. Nothing is happening at those irrigation schemes despite the fact that we sit as Parliamentarians to debate the budget and pass it. The relevant
Ministry is allocated that money which does not reach, for example my constituency. The irrigations in Vungu, if they are rehabilitated, it will cut costs in terms of giving hand-outs in the form of social welfare hand outs from the Ministry which has been also budgeted for. We will cut the costs in terms of budget on Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare once these irrigations are functional.
However, you realise that nothing is happening despite that millions of dollars are allocated to the Ministry of Lands. I would like to thank the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, headed by Hon. Mhona. There is action which we can see. Something is happening pertaining to the roads. We are so grateful. People are so happy and they talk about it and say, this has never happened during the past 30 or 40 years but Minister Mhona has come and things have changed. We are so happy.
We want these Hon. Ministers to have something to talk about, to leave a legacy at our constituencies through Parliament and our Executive, to say in the Second Republic this is what we did. I am happy that all the Chairpersons from various Committees will meet. I propose that when the Chairpersons of various Committees meet, they must discuss and agree on the priority areas in terms of budget allocation. For example, if we talk about the Ministry of Defence and War Veterans, we need so much money so that even the living conditions of our defence forces at their various camps are improved in terms of accommodation and transportation. The living conditions of the Police Force are improved also. You cannot have a policeman who stays in Mkoba policing Gweru for example and later on, goes to rent a room from an accused person. These are things which we should consider when passing the budget and say, how about the welfare of our forces and our civil servants so that they do not get involved in corruption. We pass budgets every year. As Hon. Members, can we have a look at whether we are doing enough in terms of monies allocated to various ministries so that we are sure that when we come for a second year, the Committee will go and see exactly what was budgeted for and what the money was used for. Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.
HON. DR. NYASHANU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. DZUMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 30th June, 2021.
On the motion of HON. T. MOYO seconded by HON. TEKESHE, the House adjourned at Twenty-Nine Minutes past Five
o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 17th June, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Today is a Thursday and as is normal practice, we go into questions without notice. Hon. Minister and Leader of Government Business, last week we did not have a good day in that we only had two Ministers. Today I am not seeing many Ministers either. I think we have to do some work to try and ensure that Hon. Ministers come to attend. I do not have an apology from anybody.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I hear you Mr. President. I am actually in the process of checking on the Ministers’ group what could have been the problem. I have not received any apologies but I have sent out reminders. Just for the record, last week I was attending a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee in Manicaland. We will try our best, together with Hon. Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, to make sure that Ministers come.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you very much. I think we need that very much, otherwise the Hon. Senators will feel that they are being unfairly treated and indeed, they are being unfairly treated. Hon. Minister Chombo, I want to commend you. Last week she was here with the Minister of Defence and War Veterans. Well done Hon. Chombo – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – She stood up question after question and responded very well. In the meantime, whilst we are waiting for other Ministers to come, can we make do with the Ministers present. We have Hon. Minister Mutsvangwa who is also the Leader of Government Business, Hon. Minister Chombo, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, we also have Hon. Minister Munzverengwi, the Minister of State for Mashonaland East Province. I do not see anybody else.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President for this opportunity. My question is directed to the Leader of the House. How prepared is the Government in terms of COVID-19 pandemic where cases are rising every day?
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you so much President of the Senate. I want to say that, worldwide, Zimbabwe has been placed on the top seven countries which were more prepared when it comes to COVID-19 preparedness. It started in March, 2020. The Government saw it fit to introduce the lockdown and it was announced by the President. This was a response to assess the situation in our hospitals on whether we had the capacity and medication and also the situation in the rural areas. It was announced that people should not move around willy-nilly and that helped in reducing the number of infections when the pandemic started.
Through our Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, we used media, newspapers, radio and television to spread the campaign against COVID-19. Our Ministry has officers in districts and in wards. Information is very important so that all the people are aware and know what to do in order to look after themselves and neighbours when it comes to COVID-19. The Government engaged in revamping our hospitals in Districts, Provinces and at National level by installing ventilators in the hospitals. The Government saw it fit that our people should not just read and rely on social media information because people just place in unnecessary information, some of which will make people panic and confused to an extent that they do not know what to do.
We came up with Call-Centres and opened up toll-free lines where people can call without any charges so that all Zimbabweans can call freely. People can validate information they might have received from those people who spread unauthentic information, people just call 2023, the toll-free line for validation. In January we had our second wave, which took away our friends and relatives. Some countries are now talking about the third wave which has affected countries like India where a lot of people are dying and even our neighbouring countries are suffering. In Zimbabwe, we have had people who died in Kwekwe and there are still studies going on to verify whether it was as a result of the COVID-19 Indian variant. We are seeing that, because of the winter season, where temperatures have dropped, the cases are rising and we keep on encouraging the people of Zimbabwe not to be complacent. They should not get tired of putting on their masks, sanitizing and practicing social distancing.
We want to thank our Government because if we look at other countries and compare with Zimbabwe, our country was able to vaccinate quite a number of people. People are spreading romours that you will die after being vaccinated on social media. The vaccine is very safe. If you are vaccinated you will be prevented from the deadly virus and the effects. Government is pouring money into the vaccination programme so that 60% of our population is vaccinated. We are supposed to vaccinate 10 million people but so far we have vaccinated about 1 million people and we are happy with the figures. We however continue to encourage people to be vaccinated.
Mr. President, in Chitungwiza and Matebelaland South there is a low uptake of the vaccine. As leaders who come from those areas, let us encourage people to get vaccinated so that the disease will not be deadly to them. Right now the number of infections has risen, we are hot spotting and seeing which areas are affected so that we come up with localized lockdown. The Ministry of Health and Child Care being headed by our Vice President, Hon. Gen. (Rtd) Dr. Chiwenga, is in those areas. If the place has quite a number of infections, the area will be placed under lockdown.
We have seen that some areas that surround us like Namibia and Zambia, the cases are increasing. We are encouraging people to stay at home and only leave their homes when it is necessary. People must stay home, all the workshops and gatherings have been stopped so that we are able to contain the virus. We are encouraging people to conduct their meetings virtually. We hope and trust that as Zimbabweans, we must work together and be united in order that we reduce the effects of this virus.
*HON. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to speak. I want to thank the Minister for her explanation. I want clarity we do have Committees that were scheduled to go and conduct public hearings and the dates were in place. Are they still proceeding or because of this lockdown this has been stopped?
*HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Tongogara for the supplementary question. This issue was raised by the Leader of Government Business, they are looking into it. We know that Parliament is an essential service; but investigations are still going on, on how we are going to proceed with this, at the same time trying to prevent the spread of the disease.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you very much Hon. President for giving me an opportunity to ask a question. My question goes to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. Looking at the state of roads in this country; the roads are in a very bad state but the Government sprung into action and declared it a national disaster which is a very nice move. My question is what they said as compared with what is happening on the ground does not really reflect the status quo. We are not seeing any machinery doing work on the roads. What is Government doing to solve this?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTUAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you very much Hon. President for this opportunity and I thank Hon. Sen. Komichi for his question. It gives me an opportunity to explain to Zimbabwe what His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe brought into this country. It means the measures that were supposed to be taken by road authorities are not being taken over by the Ministry. I would also like to show gratitude and notify this Senate that the programme and intention to fix the roads in the country is underway. As we speak, officials from the Government are all over in the country. They are going around the country looking at the projects that are being done in the country with regards to the fixing of the roads.
Hon. Sen. Komichi, the Ministry is not stagnant we are open on it and we are open as Government officials to any suggestion of a road that you think needs pertinent action. You can actually tell us if there is a place that needs urgent attention; we can actually act upon it. The programme is all over the country and I am happy to explain. It is true that it needs to be done urgently and that we pay attention to our roads. The money that we are using, we are actually taking if from the national budget. I would like to say to this Senate let us bring our ideas together, help each other. Where we think it is petitioned you can actually relay the information to us, we are open to that and we are working to fix the situation.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: My question is supplementary to the Minister of Transport. The Sadza/Bohera Highway does not have any bridge. Residents are having problems transporting their produce to the market.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. SEN. NYAMBUYA): You can put it in writing this is time for policy questions.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President and thank you Sen. Chief Charumbira for your question. Social media peddling fake news is causing disharmony in families, society and even in the country as a whole. Social media is different from traditional media in that when it comes to traditional media the journalists are trained and are known. They are accountable and are accredited in the traditional media, but in social media anyone can post anything. As long as you have a phone, that is all you need. So it is your phone, the mind and the person. Whether it is for destroying or transmitting true news or to bring disharmony and discontent among people they just post it on social media. So, countries worldwide are seized with this idea of fake media and social media.
We cannot say social media is bad because it also helps us to know things quickly, but when it comes to fake news it is causing discontent. The Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Post and Courier Services, headed by Hon. Muswere, has a Bill which it is bringing to Parliament, the Cyber Security and Data Protection Bill, which will look at how we are going to clamp down on those who spread fake news on social media and those who hack other people’s accounts. So, it is an issue which is seized by the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Post and Courier Services.
In my Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services we have seen that we should not lag behind. So we should join them. When social media spreads fake news we come in with a counter of good narrative. We have a twitter account and a cyber team as a Ministry which checks what is fake or what is happening on twitter, facebook and even on whatsapp and see the messages that are being spread by detractors so that we rectify them quickly by putting good narrative. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Supplementary question Hon. President. I once asked this question in this House to you, Hon. Minister. When you are fighting with the enemies are you also fighting for us or it is just for the Ministry only? You should also fight for those citizens who are affected because you have the capacity as a Ministry.
*HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: There are fake twitter accounts that circulate fake news. There is a fake account which purports to be that of my husband. When you see such things circulating on twitter, on social media, please get hold of the various media houses so that we can rectify to say we do not have such things. We also have a cyber team that can actually respond to such issues.
+HON. SEN. N. KHUMALO: Thank you President of the Senate for giving me this opportunity. My question goes to the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services. There were people who received the first COVID vaccine dose. When they went back for the second dose on the day that they were told, they found out that the vaccine was not available again. It is almost a month now and they have been going up and down and there is no vaccine available yet. I want to inquire from the Minister, when are these residents going to get the vaccine which they were promised. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I want to thank Sen. Khumalo for that question. I hope I got it right where she is concerned about the second dose. I would like to assure this august House that the vaccinanes are coming. They have been ordered. They will be arriving this month and those who have had their first dose should go and check where they had it or anywhere else. As long as they have got their card they will be given a second dose.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: My supplementary question is, after they have stayed for quite a long time without getting the second dose does the first dose still work properly? I am not really assured there.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Minister, I do not know how technically competent you are.
HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA: That is very technical. I was going to say, Mr. President, this is something which is very technical and I would refer it to the Minister of Health and Child Care, but otherwise as far as we are concerned as a Government we are saying all those who have received their first dose should go for their second dose.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I wanted to direct my question to the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation but I realised she is not in the House and she has always been not in. So, I will direct my question to the Leader of the House. The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation is a fully fledged Ministry and well staffed but it has two implementing arms under it. These are the Sports and Recreation Commission and the National Arts Council but of late, the Ministry has put in place structures at national, province and district, the same as Sports and Recreation Commission and the National Arts Council. Now the Ministry is doing exactly the same job that is supposed to be performed by the implementing arms in all these three structures that I have spoken about.
I then request for clarity from the Minister. Who then is responsible for making the policies, who then implements and who monitors? To me it appears there is a very serious duplication that will be costly to the Government. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Sen. Kambizi. To me that sounds very technical and very detailed to the extent that either you wait for the Minister to come or you put that question in writing.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Leader of the House. I would like to know, in line with our clarion call of not leaving anyone behind, the measures that have been taken to assist learners who are in primary schools including those that are going to be writing their Grade 7 examinations. In light of the continued Covid pandemic that has disturbed normal learning and in light of the fact that children in rural areas do not have access to remote learning, I would like to know what is in place to assist those learners without compromising the assessment that is going to be given at the end of the year.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I would like to thank Senator Ndlovu for that very important question. COVID-19 pandemic has brought a serious problem and it has affected our education system. We are known as a country of a very good education system. What has happened is with lockdown, children are studying online from home. It has actually affected many children in the rural areas. The policy of Government is to make sure that we do not leave anybody behind and our children are the same, whether they are in rural or urban areas.
Mr. President, the country needs to move very fast on digitilisation and it is important and critical that all schools in this country do have the three items which are required for them to be able to be online. Our schools need to have electricity. We know that REA may not be able to put electricity as fast as we want considering that we do not know for how long we are going to be with this pandemic. The Ministry of Energy has been instructed by Government to make sure that they bring in a lot of investors in solar. As a country, we are lucky we have more than eight hours of sunshine so it is important that we bring many investors on board so that more schools have got electricity. Once we have got electricity, there is need to make sure that there are transmitters because connectivity is also critical. There is also need to make sure that the children have got the gadgets like laptops, smart phones and i-pad. This is why you saw the President launching ZITCO which is a local company which is producing computers, laptops and smart phones so that we have more of those gadgets. Once all our schools have got these computers, electricity and connectivity, we will be assured of giving our children equal opportunity to education.
We totally agree that at this point, it was very difficult from the time when the lockdown was implemented, so children could not continue with their lessons. So, this is where Government is trying to fastrack to make sure that schools have got electricity and that we also put a lot of money in terms of acquiring the gadgets. The Ministry of I.C.T is making sure that there are transmitters in all ten provinces so that we bridge the gap between the rural and the urban children.
*HON. SEN. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works. Kombi drivers become reckless when they see police officers. They just drive whichever direction that they want. What is Government position on that?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a Statutory Instrument that came through as a measure to curb the spread of the pandemic. For those who are travelling, it was found appropriate that people stop using kombis but start using ZUPCO buses. ZUPCO buses are fumigated, sanitised but again those who operate kombis were summoned to say those who are interested to use the franchise can join ZUPCO. ZUPCO is under Local Government and Public Works. We got a very few people, I think we got 600 to 700 that we are working with and the rest refused. V.I.D actually gives those certificates of competence and those that you see today who are reckless with their kombis playing cat and mouse with the police, those are the ones who are causing chaos in urban areas. We are working with the municipality police as well as home affairs police to assist us to get rid of these people and safeguard the lives of people in the country. We also have those who are travelling during the night and early in the morning before police are on the roads. We encourage you Members of Parliament to encourage citizens not to use these unregistered kombis. Those who are affiliated are using stickers named ZUPCO those are the ones that people are supposed to be using. Those without those stickers should be avoided at all cost.
(v)HON. SEN. B. MPOFU: My question is directed to the Leader of the House. What is Government policy on repossessing land which is owned by indigenous Zimbabweans?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President, I want to thank the Hon. Senator for that very important question on the global agreement detailed the issues of BIPA. The issue of indigenous Zimbabweans whose farms were resettled was very clear that those who had the farms taken during the Land Reform, if there are people who have been settled there for a very long time, for example if there are more than 70 people who have been settled on that farm, that would call for the owner to go to Government for compensation either by getting another farm or money.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: Thank you very much Mr. President. My question goes to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. In the rural areas where we stay, we are seeing bus operators allowing standing passengers. My question is: what is Government’s position when motorists are overloading passengers and goods? This is because our people are being put at risk of contracting Covid.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you very much Hon. President. I would also want to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu for asking a very important question to do with the curbing of the pandemic. When we see such rowdy transporters, we will see to it that their licences and permits are withdrawn. The Ministry will definitely withdraw the licences granted to them. It is because they would have disregarded the laws that have been put in place as a measure to curb the pandemic. When we see transporters who are operating in that manner, we will be grateful to know who they are and immediately stop them from transporting people.
HON. SEN. MABIKA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Leader of the House. What is the operational policy of Government in monitoring and evaluation of Government programmes? For example, we have women empowerment programmes in our districts but the officers are not mobile as they need to help the women. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you very much Mr. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Mabika for that question. The Government policy is to make sure that all Government projects are monitored and evaluated because it is only through monitoring and evaluation that we can get the results we want. You are aware that as Government, we have a Minister who is in charge of monitoring and evaluation of Government projects and programmes.
In terms of lack of resources, I think that is a particular issue which needs to be raised with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises. That will be an issue because there is no need to say we are doing community development, we put officers there and projects which are not being monitored and evaluated. Even in agriculture, the issue of resourcing and empowering Agritex officers is very important. We are grateful that now they have got motorbikes and they can actually move around. I am sure this a situation which can also happen to SMEs to make sure that whatever projects and programmes they have initiated in these areas are monitored so that we achieve the results we intend to achieve.
*HON. SEN. CHINAKE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to ask my question. What is the Ministry of Health and Child Care’s position with regards to issuing of burial orders? It takes about six hours to get a burial order. You go to the hospital to get it signed and the doctor is not there. There is no social distancing and people are crowded in these places. What is the policy of the Ministry with regards to that issue?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I suggest you put your question in writing so that it is submitted to the relevant Minister for a detailed response and your question will have been done justice.
*HON. SEN. RWAMBIWA: Thank you very much Hon. President. My question goes to the Minister of Health and Child Care. In his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House. What plans does Government have for district hospitals to get scans? For example, Silveira Hospital in Bikita is a big hospital but there is no scan there.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: It is a specific question. If you can put it in writing so that the relevant Minister can do the research and give you a satisfactory answer. This forum is for policy questions.
*HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Thank you very much Hon. President. Allow me to plead in this House to say when His Excellency appoints a Minister and a Deputy Minister, he would have noted something essential. We have scenarios where we do not have both the Ministers and the Deputy Ministers present. It shows they do not have respect for the Chair. There are pertinent question that are asked in this House that need responses.
My question is, what is the Government policy with regards to value addition on minerals? At one time, Zimbabwe had the largest deposits of alluvial diamonds but there is no value addition on those minerals. Looking at platinum, we are now second from bottom worldwide in the production of platinum. Let us have conducive laws that allow everyone who wants to continue mining to be involved in value addition so that we do not continue losing our minerals through those who take them as raw. We should see value addition in these minerals. Thank you very much Hon. President.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I agree with the first part that is on the need of Hon. Ministers to come and respond to questions which are raised by Hon. Senators. It is part of the role of Parliament’s oversight and to ensure that they understand what Government policy is all about and whether it is being implemented. So, we are working together with the relevant authorities and Leader of Government Business in the Senate, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa and the relevant authorities to try and correct this undesirable situation.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Senator for his question. It is a very important question. This issue of value addition and beneficiation is very important to this country. It safeguards employment in this country. He talked about diamond; it is there in my rural area. I listen to people as they cry for employment. When they request for jobs in sections of washing and polishing the diamond, their aim is to be part of the process because God gave different minerals in different areas. Some places have diamonds, others have platinum et cetera. Marange people look up to Chiadzwa, for their children to get employment and the province is looking at that please.
So, this issue of value addition and beneficiation is what the Government is looking at with pertinence. Looking at the action that has to be undertaken to say diamonds are mined, polished - they have since started in Mutare. They are looking for diamond polishing facility and it is our anticipation to have locals employed in these firms. When we export these minerals, we are actually sending away employment. I also want to say, the Second Republic, on the issue of value addition and beneficiation - we should notice that coke batteries are now done in Zimbabwe. A lot of companies are now into coal mining and we are now getting enough coal in this country. Long back we used to import coal but we are now getting it locally and it is giving us a lot of money. He also talked about platinum, if we continue to send raw platinum out of this country, we are losing because within that raw platinum we might be having other minerals that are being taken out of the country. That issue is actually under the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Chitando. These minerals actually will change the livelihood of citizens of this country. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. GWESHE: Thank you Mr. President. My question is in relation to COVID-19. In rural areas, people are being told on social media that if you are diabetic or hypertensive, you are not supposed to be vaccinated. Is it true? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Hon. President Sir. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Gweshe for the question on fake news that goes around through social media. Vaccination is very important, especially if you have underlying conditions. We came up with phases for these vaccinations, like essential services and vulnerable groups which means people who are diabetic and those with various ailments were in that group so that they would get their vaccinations first. Doctors and nurses would examine people with those conditions before they vaccinate them but it does not mean that those who are diabetic are not supposed to be vaccinated. Vaccination is very good for everyone, except for breastfeeding mothers. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business. What is Government policy, regarding idle farms, where people who settle there are not utilising the land? Since Zimbabwe is well known for farming, what is Government policy in that regards? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVAGWA): Thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Femai for your question. I think you have seen the President of the country stressing production because we can only improve our economy through farming. As witnessed by this year - the Government was serious in farming, that is why we have a bumper harvest. Previously we have seen that we were being affected by droughts and also people were not really utilising their land but this year about 84% of farmers, including the rural people utilised their land productively.
We are expecting a surplus harvest this year, for example we need 1.7 metric tonnes of grain so that we feed the nation but last year we had 900 000 metric tonnes only. This year through the Government policy of fully utilising our land, including the Pfumvudza/Imvukeala, we expect 3.7 million tonnes. When it comes to issues of food security it is close to the heart of Government. So, Government policy is that if you are given land you should use it as a business. The Second Republic has seen that there are people, probably who benefited from the Land Reform and they did not get loans from the bank in order for them to be able to farm but the Second Republic encouraged joint ventures with those with money to buy machinery and inputs, so that our farms become business. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice was interrupted by THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE, in terms of Standing Order Number 62.
*HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Hon. Mr. President, I request for an additional time of 15 minutes for Questions Without Notice.
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: The time for Questions Without Notice is extended by a further 15 minutes.
HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: My question is directed to the Minister of Mines and Mining Development but in his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House. There are investors who are coming to stay and invest in our rural areas. They are given mining claims on sites where graves for our departed ones are. They end up carrying out their mining activities leaving those graves of our relatives and ancestors exposed. That is very destructive to our culture. What is Government policy on that?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you very much Hon. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe for this very important question. The Government of the Second Republic is focusing on stakeholder consultation whenever investors come into the country. They are told and given guidance on what they are supposed to do when they engage the local authorities and our Ministers of State and Provincial Affairs. There is no investor who comes through without engaging the Ministers of State and Provincial Affairs. Investors do not come to disturb the stability that is in a community. The Government is always encouraging stakeholder consultation where they engage with traditional chiefs because they are of paramount importance to the Government of the land. The Government is always encouraging consultations. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you very much Hon. President. My question is on SI 127, which is to do with the management of foreign currency. Is the Government policy in line with what is happening on the ground? Consumers are being shortchanged as companies who are obtaining foreign currency from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe use the black-market rate when pricing their goods. They can actually display 1:84 as the exchange rate but the actual price being used will be different. For example, if something is priced at US$10, at a rate of 1:84, it means the consumer is supposed to buy at a price of ZW$840 but what we see is that they change the tactic and use an exchange rate of 1:130. They change the price, which means that the price will go up in US$. I do not know if we understand each other. We are going to continue feeling the pain. I do not know if those working on SI 127 are observing this.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): Thank you very much. What Government did was to stabilise the financial situation. We know what was happening with the mobile money banking sector. We have those who were printing money because it was intended on bringing down the economy of the country. We are very grateful to the President, that in June, 2020, he mapped a move to bring an end to this chaotic situation in the financial sector.
The objective of Statutory Instrument 127 is to stabilise the financial situation in the country. The mandate is to ensure that the law is enforced and brought into operation. The issue of people who abuse the foreign currency obtained through the auction floor exchange rate, buy products and sell in US$ is an illegal act. The exchange rate that comes from the auction system actually shows the real situation on the ground. If there is something that is illegal and destabilising the good work that has been done by the Government, it is important to report such cases to the police to ensure development in the economy and put an end to such crime.
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
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: Thank you Mr. President. I move the motion standing in my name;
That this House takes note of 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.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I second.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI:
Introduction
Pursuant to Section 149 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Advocacy Core Team (ACT) petitioned Parliament of Zimbabwe on the age of consent to accessing reproductive health care services by adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe. Accordingly, the petition was referred to the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care and Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS for consideration. Thus, the Joint Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care and Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS considered the petition and resolved to inquire into the issues raised in the petition. This report is a summary of key findings on the enquiry into the subject matter.
Objectives
The objectives of the enquiry were:
- To assess the level of access to reproductive health care services for adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe;
- To understand the legal frameworks that support or hinder the provision of reproductive health care services for adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe;
- To appreciate the barriers to accessing reproductive health care services by adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe;
- To get first hand experiences and feedback from the public on the access to reproductive health care services for adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe; and
- To solicit for public views and recommendations for improved reproductive health care services for adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe.
Methodology
Due to the exigencies of Covid-19 pandemic, the Joint Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care and Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS received separate oral evidence submissions from the petitioner, the Advocacy Core Team on the 1st and 14th of September 2020 respectively. The oral submissions were aimed at explaining in detail the issues that were raised in the petition.
On the 28th September 2020, the Joint Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care and Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS held an oral evidence meeting with the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, General (Rtd.) Dr. C.G.D.N Chiwenga on the subject matter. The purpose of the meeting was to afford the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care the opportunity to respond to issues that were raised in the petition.
The Joint Committees considered the oral submissions from both the Advocacy Core Team and the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care.
Thereafter, they resolved to conduct public hearings in selected areas in the ten provinces of the country from 9th to 12th November 2020. This was meant to solicit for public views on the subject matter. Accordingly, the Joint Committees split into three (3) teams as tabulated below.
Team 1
Date | Place | Venue | Time of Public
Hearing |
09/11/2020 | Hwange | Lwendulu Hall | 1100hrs-1300hrs |
10/11/2020 | Bubi | Tatazela Hall Inyathi | 0900hrs-1100hrs |
10/11/2020 | Nkayi | Agape Mission | 1400hrs-1600hrs |
11/11/2020 | Gwanda | Gwanda Hotel | 0900hrs-1100hrs |
11/11/2020 | Plumtree | Plumtree Community Hall | 1430hrs-1630hrs |
12/11/2020 | Bulawayo | Nkulumane Hall | 0900hrs-1100hrs |
12/11/2020 | Bulawayo | Pumula South Hall | 1400hrs- 1600hrs |
Team2
Date | Place | Venue | Time of Public Hearing |
09/11/2020 | Wedza | Wedza Sunshine Inn | 1000hrs-1200hrs |
09/11/2020 | Marondera | Mbuya Nehanda Hall | 1430hrs-1630hrs |
10/11/2020 | Bindura | Chipadze Hall | 1000hrs-1200hrs |
10/11/2020 | Mt Darwin | Mt Darwin Community Hall | 1400hrs-1600hrs |
11/11/2020 | Karoi | Chikangwe Community Hall | 1000hrs-1200hrs |
11/11/2020 | Chinhoyi | Cooksey Hall | 1400hrs-1600hrs |
12/11/2020 | Chitungwiza | UNIT L Hall | 1000hrs-1200hrs |
12/11/2020 | Harare | City Sports Centre | 1430hrs-1630hrs |
Team 3
09/11/2020 | Gokwe | Gokwe Community Hall | 1030hrs-1230hrs |
10/11/2020 | Gweru | Mkoba Hall | 0900hrs-1100hrs |
10/11/2020 | Gweru | Gweru Main Theatre Hall | 1400hrs-1600hrs |
11/11/2020 | Masvingo | Mucheke Hall | 0900hrs-1100hrs |
11/11/2020 | Bikita | Better Schools Program Nyika Hall | 1400hrs-1600hrs |
12/11/2020 | Mutare | Sakubva BeitHall | 0900hrs-1100hrs |
12/11/2020 | Rusape | Vengere 602 Hall Makoni | 1400hrs-1600hrs |
In addition, the Joint Committees also received written submissions via email and webinar platforms. The public hearings were funded by Parliament in conjunction with the National AIDS Council with its Strategic Partners namely: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and World Health Organisastion (WHO).
Petitioners’ Prayer
In the petition, the Advocacy Core Team was beseeching Parliament to consider amendments to the relevant legislations that ensure all adolescents and young persons under the age of 18 years can consent to accessing reproductive health services by ensuring that:
The Public Health Act of 2018 is amended to provide that there should be no age restrictions on accessing Reproductive Health Care Services by persons aged 12 years and above, and these services include: HIV testing, pre and post counseling, access to contraceptives and other pregnancy prevention management services for adolescents and young people; and to ensure that there are proper administrative measures to monitor and provide Reproductive Health Rights for persons aged 12 years and above.
The Children Justice Bill is enacted to provide for access to reproductive health services for adolescents and young people aged 12 years and above.
All other appropriate legislations are amended to ensure consistency among policies guaranteeing access to critical and often lifesaving health care services for adolescents and young people.
Summary of Submissions
Evidence from Oral Submissions
Access to Reproductive Health Care Services among Adolescents: The requirement of Consent as a Barrier
Unpacking the petition to the Joint Committees, the Advocacy Core Team explained that the petition does not seek to adjust the age of consent to sexual behaviour or the minimum age of marriage, hence, this should not be linked to the age at which adolescents can access reproductive health information, education and services.
The Advocacy Core Team argued that:
In spite of Section 76 and 81 (f) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe guaranteeing everyone the right to health care services including Reproductive Health Care Services (RHS), the setting of legal minimum age with which an adolescent can access RHS without parental or third party consent has created a barrier for adolescents to effectively access these services.
For instance, reference was made to Section 35 of the Public Health Act of 2018 and the National HIV Testing Guidelines of 2014 which limit the age to accessing Reproductive Health Care Services to 16 years.
The Advocacy Core Team also cited the National Adolescents and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Strategy II, 2016-2020 (ASRH Strategy II) as the Government of Zimbabwe’s guiding document for the provision of Reproductive Health Care Services for adolescents and youths. They stated that the ASRH Strategy II targets the age groups between 10-24 years and advocates for Reproductive Health Care Services for adolescents to be provided in a youth friendly way.
During the oral session held on the 28th of September 2020, the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care concurred that Section 76 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe guarantees health for everyone including Reproductive Health Care Services. He also confirmed the existence of the National Adolescents and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health Strategy II, 2016-2020 (ASRH Strategy II) but emphasized that the ASRH Strategy II is premised on-age appropriate sexual reproductive health information and services. Furthermore, the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care confirmed the existence of the National HIV Testing Guidelines of 2014 which limits the age to access these services to 16 years.
However, the Advocacy Core Team further argued that the requirement of consent is also limiting Health Care Service Providers from effectively attending to adolescents when providing Reproductive Health Care Services due to inadequate legal protection where services are rendered without the legal consent. The petitioners implored the Joint Committees to consider legislation that protects health care service providers and third parties from liability where they provide Reproductive Health-care Services or consent to provision of such services in matters involving persons below the age of 16.
The Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care asserted that ideally, individuals with the capacity to consent should be allowed to do so, no matter what their age. Assessment of capacity, however, is rarely straightforward for adolescents. Capacity to consent requires the ability to communicate a choice, to understand the options, to reason effectively about these options, and to make an un-coerced decision. Active involvement of a concerned and capable parent is the best possible situation for sexually active adolescents. Parents are presumed to be competent decision makers. They have legal and financial duties to care for children including adolescents.
The Advocacy Core Team further purported that the restrictions have resulted in a public health concern in matters relating to the increasing spread of HIV and STIs among adolescents, unplanned parenthood, illegal termination of pregnancies, and the perpetual vulnerability of adolescents in particular the girl child. To buttress their case, the Advocacy Core Team presented the following statistics:
- The national teenage pregnancy rate was at 22%;
- Studies show a general lack of comprehensive information and knowledge about Reproductive Health-care Services (RHS) among adolescents and according to Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey, 2015(ZDHS 2015) only 41% of boys and girls in the 15-19 age groups have sufficient knowledge or information on reproductive health;
- Zimbabwe has one of the highest maternal mortality in the region and 15% of these are among adolescents and young people,
- AIDS is the leading cause of death among adolescents and is the cause of an increase of 50% in adolescent mortality giving negative RHS outcomes according to World Health Organization (WHO);
- According to the progress report on the 90-90-90 Global fast track targets on HIV, 48% of young people in Zimbabwe do not know their HIV status as they need parental consent. One of the key contributors to this outcome is the age of consent for accessing SRHR, HIV and AIDS services as there is no law that explicitly define the age of consent for accessing SRH services
Causes of Early Sexual Activity among Adolescents
The Advocacy Core Team attributed the causes of early sexual behviour to:
- Modern Food and Diet;
- Peer Influence/Pressure;
- Social Context; Technology-Internet,
- TV and Globalisation of Western Culture;
- Parental Behaviour—some parents are absent from their homes in pursuance of jobs while others subscribe to religious sects that promote child marriages;
- Reduction in Abstinence Messaging;
- Genetics – (may be subset of Modern Food and technology); and
On the same note, the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care singled out poverty as the key driver to early sexual behaviour among adolescents in Zimbabwe. He, therefore, emphasised that key issues to be addressed are the underlying causes of early sexual activity like poverty, school drop-outs and orphanhood.
Evidence gathered during the public hearings
It is imperative to state on the onset that young women, adolescents and youths were mostly in support of the petition while older women, men and religious leaders formed majority of the resenting voice.
Key drivers of early sexual behaviour among young people.
Submissions that were made during the public hearings also spoke to some of the issues that were presented to the Joint Committees during the oral evidence meetings with the Advocacy Core Team and the Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care. These include the key drivers to early sexual behaviour among adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe and barriers that restrict access to the SRHR services by adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe. It was highlighted that the diverse nature of young people affects their sexual behavior. The categories mentioned were namely: orphaned children; child-headed families, children on the streets, children in school, children out of school and children indulging in alcohol and drug abuse. The following is a summary of the submissions made in relation to the key drivers of early sexual behaviour:
- Poverty
It was noted that economic challenges among young people in Zimbabwe and their diverse backgrounds were forcing them to irk out a living by selling sex (child prostitution). Absence of social safety net for the orphans and vulnerable children further intensify their dire situation.
- Exposure to technology
Unguided use of technology was exposing children to sex related material on internet for example, pornography. Consequently, children were tempted to experiment on what they see.
- Alcohol and drug abuse.
It was submitted that Vuzu parties were rampant in Bulawayo and other parts of the country, where adolescents and young persons were said to be indulging in sexual behaviour.
- Communication between parents and children.
It was observed that there was poor or lack of communication as parents either are too busy, absent, in the diaspora or think it is inappropriate to talk about sexual reproductive health issues with their children.
- Lack or inadequate information on SRHR.
It was observed that young people fail to make informed decisions about their SRHR needs due to lack of or inadequate information about their bodies and risks associated with indulging in early sexual behaviour.
It was pointed out that deviant behavior by young people was leading them to making wrong decisions or choices on their SRHR needs.
- Broken down families and social fabrics.
It was submitted that families and societies were no longer as closely-knitted as they were in yester years, hence children were now vulnerable as they are exposed to abuse from some rogue elements in both the families and societies. The submissions that were made to the Committee also revealed that most of sexual abuse cases involving children, the perpetrators are parents, guardians, close relatives or pastors and most of these cases go unreported.
- Early Puberty.
It was observed that early puberty may be due to inorganic food or lifestyles. Thus, as children develop physically faster than their real age, it changes how they think about themselves and how people relate to them socially. Consequently, young persons were more likely to hang out with friend older than themselves who engage in risky behaviours such as early sexual behavior and substance abuse.
- Peer pressure among young people.
It was noted that in the absence of appropriate guidance, children were prone to give in to pressure and to conform to what their peers do.
Barriers in Accessing SRHR Services by Adolescents and Young People
- Restrictive legal framework.
Public Health Act requires that a minor below the age of 16 years be accompanied by a parent or guardian when seeking health care services. It was noted that this requirement makes it difficult for young people to access SRHR services especially in cases where the parent or guardian is a perpetrator. Further to this, there is absence of a legal framework that protects the service providers in providing SRHR services to young people.
- Unfriendly services.
There were concerns that service providers had a judgmental attitude towards young people who seek SRHR services and information.
- Cultural and religious beliefs.
It was regarded a taboo in both African culture and Christianity in general for young people to indulge in sexual intercourse at a tender age.
- User fees.
It was highlighted that young people did not afford the costs associated with accessing SRHR services.
Submissions in Support of the Petition
The Committee was informed that, young persons in Zimbabwe should be permitted to access healthcare services without parental consent since facts on the ground show that children are engaging in sexual acts yet it is culturally a taboo for a child to discuss sexual matters with a parent.
Children were already exposed to a lot of misguiding sexuality information from the internet and social media and it was better to give them comprehensive sexuality education and avail Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services at their disposal to safeguard them from negative consequences of bad sexuality decisions and practices. Opening up access to SRHR services would help children make informed decisions about their sexual health and avoid health hazards such as unintended pregnancy, illegal and unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections. It would further promote awareness of HIV/AIDS status by adolescents and the young persons in Zimbabwe.
It was submitted that upholding the Constitutional principle of “best interest of the child” first was critical since some young persons and adolescents were being sexually abused by their parents or guardians as well as close relatives. Therefore, restricting them to only accessing healthcare services with parental or guardian consent would present a conflict of interest for the perpetrator who happen to be the guardian or close relative. Consequently, the parental or guardian consent becomes an impediment to adolescents and young persons in such circumstances and may result in increasing cases of unwanted pregnancies, illegal and unsafe abortions and sexually transmitted infections.
It was also submitted that, the restriction on accessing health care services by adolescents imposed by Acts and policies should be amended to take into account the needs for access by children in child headed families and those that are on the streets. It was further submitted that Zimbabwe health systems should work towards achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 that seeks to promote good health and wellbeing by ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages.
Some members of the public submitted that promoting access to reproductive health care services for adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe without the need for parental consent would encourage young persons and adolescents to seek guidance on sexual reproductive health from the right platforms such as youth friendly corners. There were concerns that the current socio-cultural system does not provide room for adolescents to discuss with their parents about sexual reproductive health as a result they tend to seek advice or guidance from wrong platforms that can be misleading.
The Committee was also informed that, there was need to amend the Public Health Act and open up access to health to protect children living with disabilities who are vulnerable to abuse and face communication barriers with health personnel too.
It was submitted that abstinence and morality messaging should continue but for those children who fail to abstain, Government should open up services and yet still prefix such assistance with proper counseling and removal of user fees. Only children that would need the services due to different circumstances are the once who should access services and it should not be mandatory.
Moreover, it was highlighted that, health personnel responsible for providing healthcare services should be educated on the proper code of conduct that does not discourage adolescents and young persons to access such services. There was need for a reliable toll free line to ease access to information. In addition, legislation that protects the health service providers should be in place to ensure effective service delivery on reproductive health care services for adolescents and young people.
Some members of public noted that SRHR is broad and is not just about sex, but covers other non-sex issues which are difficult to open up to parents like menstrual hygiene and other matters of puberty. Allowing children access to SRHR services would ensure that they get the needed help in every facet of SRHR.
Concerns were raised regarding adolescent or teenage pregnancies which promote the vicious poverty cycle involving school drop outs, child marriages and Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in society and which also condemns especially the girl child to suffering and sometimes death. It was felt that it was better to give even the so called naughty children a second chance in life and not let a sexual morality failure prescribe perpetual doom for their future.
Opening up SRHR services will help the children in need and will not promote promiscuity or errand behaviour just like children who know where to get drugs of abuse but still choose not to use them.
Submissions opposed to the Petition
It was submitted that statistics showed that the national teenage pregnancy rate was at 22%. Additionally, Zimbabwe Demographic and Health survey in 2015 reveals that the highest percentage of teenage girl pregnancies was among 18 and 19 years of age. Of these, almost two thirds were in rural areas. It further reveals risk factors for teenage pregnancy as low level of education, living in rural areas and teenagers in the lowest wealth quantile. Against this backdrop, young persons and adolescents did not require access to sexual reproductive health services without parental or guardian consent rather they need access to education, opportunities of higher education and employment, improved protection from sexual abuse and information on reproductive health.
It was also submitted that, Section 60 (3) states that parents and guardians of minor children have the right to determine, in accordance with their beliefs, the moral and religious upbringing of their children. Contrary to Section 60 (3), the petition seeks to take away the parents’ right to preside over the moral and religious upbringing of their children and a child’s right to belong and be identified with a family through values. Furthermore, Criminal Law (Codification Reform Act) stipulates that a child below the age of 16 is not capable of consenting to sexual intercourse and it is an offense to have sex with children below that age. In their views, the petition seeks to encourage an offense that is prohibited by the criminal law of Zimbabwe.
It was further submitted that promoting access to reproductive health services for adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe without parental consent was seen as a way to encourage young persons and adolescents to indulge in immoral behaviors. Thus, they underscored the need to revive social clubs or recreational facilities that will occupy young persons and discourage idle time that leads to sexual immorality.
The Committee was also informed that, some services that were being advocated for by the petition such as access to contraceptives were viewed as harmful to adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe. They therefore argued that such reproductive health services should be rendered to responsible individuals and not adolescents and young persons who are still maturing. They also proposed that a comprehensive study be conducted to ascertain the long term effects of contraceptive use by minors. They further argued that the health system was currently struggling to provide contraceptives to women in Zimbabwe hence there was no need to increase the number of those accessing contraceptives.
Zimbabwe was regarded as a Christian state and rooted in morality and in their view, the petition suggested that our trusted religions had failed, which they totally disputed and for them, getting back to the roots and Christianity was the solution. Accepting the petition was seen as tantamount to giving up on children. Teaching children abstinence and moral righteousness were the only solution to SRHR challenges that the petition seeks to solve.
It was pointed out that disobedient children should not cause change of law or be protected but face the consequences.
They also pointed out that parental guidance and protection was an integral part of our Ubuntu and children will always need their Parents support and should never be left to run their sexuality before reaching adulthood. Taking away parents’ protection from children would, in their view, have a detrimental implication which would lead to an immoral society.
In their view, opening up access to SRHR will result in more child exploitation, statutory rape, shortage of contraceptives, abortion on demand, rights without responsibility, collapse of family structure and spiritual bondages.
They advocated for the age of consent restriction to remain, arguing that the very fear of getting pregnant or sick would ensure that children abstain and remain safe; but once they get access to SRHR services on their own, they will be tempted to indulge.
Joint Committees’ Observations
The Joint Committees made the following observations on the submissions received on the petition:
In spite of the diverse nature of adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe which brings about differences in their SRHR needs, they do not have access to reproductive healthcare services.
Although Section 76 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides for healthcare services including reproductive healthcare services for every citizen, the Public Health Act of 2018 restricts age of consent to access the same to 16 years. Furthermore, there is no law or policy that protects the service providers when they provide the SRHR services to adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe.
Apart from the restrictive legal framework, culture, religion and the judgmental attitudes of the service providers act as barriers impeding adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe from accessing SRHR services.
The Education Amendment Act allows pregnant girls to be in school yet provision of SRHR services is restricted to 16 years.
Most young women, adolescents and youths who participated during the public hearings were in support of the petition while older women, men and religious leaders formed majority of the resenting voice.
While parents or guardians, culture and religion play a very important role in the upbringing of children, statistics have shown that adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe are indulging in early sexual intercourse when they are ill-prepared for the risks associated with such behavior, hence the petition to Parliament.
Some of the young people could not express their opinions freely in the presence of their elders and religious leaders during the public hearings.
There was an outstanding misconception that the petition sought to lower the age of consent to sex and promote mandatory distribution of contraceptives to all children.
Despite the divergent views, there remained a unanimous agreement on the gravity of the Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights matter as raised in the petition. However, it was on the solutions that the submissions would differ.
Considerable number of participants, especially those against the petition attested to lacking appreciation of the petition’s contents. Consequently, they had misconceptions from social media and other lobby groups thus, the committee had to intervene to clarify its mission more often. As is the case with most parliament hearings, majority of people in the grassroots did not get a copy of the document under discussion ahead of the meetings.
Despite it not being the core of the petition, there was an overwhelming support for harmonisation of ages of consent to sex and marriage at 18 years.
Joint Committees’ Recommendations
Flowing from the above observations, the Joint Committees recommend the following:
Adolescents are not a homogenous group of people, hence the MoHCC should provide case by case assessment of this diverse group in order to provide for their varying SRHR needs especially the at-risk adolescents and young persons by December 2021.
The MoHCC should amend Section 35 of the Public Health Act to provide SRHR services for young people under the age of 18 years and provide for the protection of the service providers by June 2022. Furthermore, service providers should be trained on how to provide friendly SRHR services to adolescents and young persons by April 2022.
The MoHCC should embark on awareness campaigns on SRHR issues for young persons in Zimbabwe by August 2022.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and MoHCC should immediately ensure that pregnant girls in school access SRHR services without difficulties.
MoHCC should ensure that adolescents and young persons friendly corners are established where it is convenient for them to access the SRHR services by June 2022.
The custodians of culture and religion should not tire in strengthening their systems in the upbringing of children and should continue to preach the abstinence message in order to instill moral values in children.
The Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation should provide recreational facilities for adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe in order to occupy themselves reasonably by December 2022.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should allocate substantial budget to the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in the 2022 National Budget to enable it to provide the social protection measures for the vulnerable adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe in meeting their financial needs.
The Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs should immediately expedite the amendment of relevant legislations to provide for more deterrent sentences to perpetrators of child sexual abuse or rapists or child sexual exploitation.
Conclusion
Despite the divergent views on the most appropriate course of action to take, it is evident that the issues that were raised by the Advocacy Core Team in their petition were lived realities in the communities of Zimbabwe. Adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe are indulging in early sexual behaviour and what drives them into this varies depending on circumstances. What is worrying are the undesirable consequences associated with this risk behavior, which the prayer of the petition attempts to address. It is, therefore, important for the Ministry of Health and Child Care to ensure that access to SRHR services by adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe is accommodative to carter for them in their diverse nature.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Hon. President for giving me an opportunity to participate fully on this issue that has been brought before us on the report of this Joint Committee. Firstly, you have heard in the report that we divided into three groups. I led Group Three that went in various places that I can actually name. What I heard is what I will report in this House.
The issue that we have Hon. Senators is not an issue to say we can compare the old days, the 1940s and the 1960s with the status quo amongst us. This has nothing to do with culture. This has gone out of the cultural sphere. This is now about protecting our families. Inasmuch as we love culture, those who petitioned us did not say we should not follow the Constitution or our culture. They said we are seeing something happening, should we let it go and leave it as it is? Truly speaking, our two committees went for a fact finding tour, receiving views of the public on the petition. They could not just agree by merely reading the petition, so they had to go out there and see it to themselves.
I led the group that went to Gokwe. It went to Gweru and there were two meetings, the first meeting at Mkoba hall and the second one at the Gweru Municipality. The team also went to Mucheke Hall in Masvingo, BSPZ at Nyika, Beit hall in Sakubva, Mutare and Vengere hall in Rusape. What we heard there Mr. President, are the recommendations that you heard from the report.
This issue needs us to put our heads together and come up with a sustainable solution. There are some amongst ourselves who are still able to sit down with their children and advice them accordingly. However, the petitioners are saying there are orphans and other children who are vulnerable are actually coming across these things. Some are disabled and they do not have people to address them. Some are very young and they do not have knowledge of the subject. They are easily influenced. Are we supposed to leave them like that?
If one of your domestic animals has a problem, you will try and find a solution to assist it until it heals because it is still young. This is the situation that we have at hand. If we do not assist the domestic animal because it has gone out of the way, there is no healing to talk about. This petition did not say we want to take away the role of parents on their children but it is aimed at orphans and vulnerable children. They should get assistance. This is their standing position.
We went to Gokwe as I have mentioned, it was a 50:50 situation. In Mkoba, we were even shown young boys and girls who now know issues to do with sex. Our children are not told anything to do with sex by their parents. No one is telling these children about sexual activities. These children know these things without being told. They actually google and watch it on television. They have different sources of information on that topic.
Ourselves, we knew these things through our childish games we played as youngsters but we used to reprimand each other on statements that are not supposed to be said. However, it is a different scenario for children of today. Technology is teaching them something totally different. Parents do not tell their children to switch off the television. They actually laugh at what is coming out on television. They do this in front of children. Children are easily influenced by what they see. They know all the programmes, some of them we do not know. What then should we do given the scenario at hand? That is why you see that it was brought before us. The recommendation that was read before us actually shows that we saw the reality. This is why we made such a recommendation.
Last week, the Committee went to Concession, in Mashonaland Central. We saw a nine year old girl with a baby and we do not know what really happened. This is what we witnessed, shocking as it is. We could not comprehend or understand how that happened. This pained us to imagine if this was our daughter. If your child contracts the virus at a tender age, there will be an argument between parents. They will be accusing each other that it is your fault. Now the petition is saying, is it not possible to allow the children, just as they run away from a lion or a snake, will they not access these sexual reproductive health services at that young age as a way of running away from diseases and unwanted pregnancies. Children have a right to survive. These are wishes of those who wrote the petition. What then should we do? How would you feel if it is your grandson/daughter who has been abused? Imagine that parents have passed away and children left under the custody of guardians. No one will follow-up to check how those children are living. Some people who are guardians will abuse those children and they have no one to accompany them to access health facilities. Will they ask that relative who would have abused them to accompany them to the clinic?
Now, if the law allows them to access those services on their own, they will go to a nearby health services centre. These children if they have information they will know where to rush when they face such problems. Times have moved and things are now changed from our generation. During our time, when it was Christmas eve, we would not sleep due to excitement that we are going to eat meat, drink tea and bread. We could not sleep in anticipation, thinking how we would celebrate Christmas but these days, children no longer value tea because it is always available in our homes. They choose what they want and they actually mix everything.
These days that is why there are many diseases which used not to be there, for example diabetes. Times are now different from way back. I plead with you Hon. Members, when you debate this issue you have to take into consideration that these things that are happening in this country – there are some who are still in denial that these things are happening because they have not yet experienced them. Some actually were against the wearing of masks until they got sick. That is when they admitted that masks should be put on, COVID-19 is real.
Some Hon. Members who are going to debate on this issue, you should take your time. If you want to research, you can research to find out whether what we came across is realistic. Those in either of the two Committees, are in agreement that these things do really exist. This is not about changing the existing law of majority age. Should we abandon these children who are 10 years old, let us allow them to get assistance from health personnel. The health personnel should treat those children without any fear. Right now they are asked to bring a parent or guardian. The children are afraid to tell their elders about what they will have done and they will never come with the parent or guardian but they would not stop doing it. They are afraid of being beaten up. If grown up people are afraid of being beaten what about the children? If the health personnel ask the child to bring the guardian or parent, it is scary. They know they will be in big trouble.
It is my desire Hon. President, if I was alone, I was going to pass this report and admit to the changes. I want to appeal again and again that these things that I saw – I do not have a child or grandchildren who has done that but I support the change of law on children. Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 22nd June, 2021.
On the motion of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. SEN. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI), the Senate adjourned at Twenty-Seven Minutes to Five O’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 6th July, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 17th June, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mayihlome, you are
not giving Notice but reporting to the House. Please stand guided.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD) MAYIHLOME: I stand guided
accordingly Madam Speaker Ma’am. I rise to report to the House that in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order No. 22 (4) on Joint
Enquiries, I have to report to this House that the Portfolio Committee on
Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security have resolved to hold a Joint Enquiry on the Police Amendment Bill [H. B. 2, 2021]. I so report Madam
Speaker Ma’am.
HON. NDUNA: On a point of privilege Madam Speaker Ma’am!
Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I rise on a Point of Privilege
Madam Speaker Ma’am, if it pleases you, to request that the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development responds to the reports of the
Eighth Parliament of your Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development of the Eighth Parliament that in my view can ameliorate and lessen the number of road carnage incidences and also tell this House the issue of infrastructure development that has taken root then now and in the future; so that it is seen that there is something happening in your House. It is my request that the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development responds to those reports, they number more than five. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Nduna, you referred to
the reports of the Eighth Parliament. The reports lapsed with the Eighth Parliament. Other Hon. Members are new and joined Parliament in the
Ninth Parliament. So we cannot go back to the reports of the Eighth Parliament.
HON. NDUNA: I stand guided Madam Speaker Ma’am but I
thought that Parliament was a place of record.
HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, may I first of all apologise to you for the conduct yesterday. I profusely apologise to you and the Chair.
Madam Speaker, I also want you to protect this institution too. I
think we have a situation where the Executive is in the tendency of bullying other pillars of the State. The Judiciary has been bullied and we as an institution that makes the law must be seen to be protecting the Judiciary. Secondly, Parliament is being bullied willy-nilly. We are born as triplets with each one having their role to play but outmost Parliament has the most important role to play of oversight. There must be respect of each institution as they stand.
I can say that Parliament cannot be used by leaders of Government business. We had the former Speaker and Leader of Government Business, the current President His Excellency, E. D. Mnangagwa who was Leader of Government Business and who was a Speaker. I worked with him when he was Leader of Government Business. With his experience and everything, he respected Members of Parliament and did not abuse his position. We also had Hon. Patrick Chinamasa who was also Leader of Government Business. Their conduct was mature and it was not emotional.
They did not use their position - if there is anything, they used their position to propel this institution so that it remains an institution of integrity, dignity and hope for the people. I say so because we cannot allow this institution to settle personal scores. We are guided by the Standing Rules Order of Parliament as you know and as such, it is important for us to visit that from time to time.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, if you are
referring to the issue of yesterday which you raised in this House, if you remember well, I said I am going to give a ruling tomorrow, meaning today but I am yet to give the ruling and you are bringing the issues today before I have made the ruling. I think you must learn to separate issues.
HON. T. MLISWA: I have not mentioned any name. I have just spoken about the Executive and I have not spoken about anybody bullying other institutions. The Judiciary is being bullied, Parliament is being bullied...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: How?
HON. T. MLISWA: It is being bullied because there must be a separation, the doctrine of separation of power is not being exercised by the Executive and it is important that it is exercised because the country falls into anarchy when we have one arm of the State which has oversight over having power over the institution that is oversight. This creates anarchy and I would like you to observe that even the Ministers not coming to answer questions during Question Time, shows that they are much more superior than anybody else yet we have oversight.
So, these are the issues which I am talking about that there must be the doctrine of separation of powers that must be exhibited by the Executive not to be the bully. They can no longer be the bully because the moment that we have one institution stronger than others yet we are all equal, in fact no power if it becomes an issue which is intolerable and which creates anarchy. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa, what I can only
say is that you are out of order and please take your seat.
HON. TOGAREPI: Madam Speaker, I think I should raise an issue here. Hon. Member Mliswa, what he was doing – was it a point of privilege or a debate? It is like he is allowed to say whatever he wants about anything without following procedures. I feel it is very important
that...
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Chief Whip, that is why
I ruled him out of order. Please may we continue with the business of the day?
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 21 be stood over until Order of the Day No.
22 has been disposed of.
HON. T. MLISWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON DEFENCE,
HOME AFFAIRS AND SECURITY SERVICES ON THE PETITION
FROM THE ZIMBABWE PEOPLE’S REVOLUTIONARY ARMY
(ZPRA)
Twenty-Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the
Report of the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and
Security Services on the petition from the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA) Veterans.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS
(HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Thank you Madam Speaker.
Firstly, allow me to thank the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services for placing a motion to present a petition for the amendment of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act. I would like to appreciate the Hon. Members who participated in the debate. I realised that some were emotional, sincere and some frank and candid during the debate. This is a clear reflection of the seriousness that they attach to the issues of the veterans of the liberation struggle. The
Portfolio Committee’s petition was composed of two presentations, one from the ZPRA cadres and the other from the War Veterans League.
I appreciate the Portfolio Committee for consulting widely before submitting the petition for debate in this august House, suffice to say some of the administrative issues have already been addressed by His
Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe on Saturday the 12th of June, 2021 when he launched the vetting programme and the economic structure for the veterans of the liberation struggle. I would like to thank all the Hon. Members who attended the launch. We hope that we shall allow all the veterans board to carry out its work as it is mandated to do.
Madam Speaker, I shall start by unpacking the petition. There was a request for the amendment of the definition for non-combatant cadre in Section 2 of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act. Section 2 of the
Act defines a non-combatant cadre as any person accredited as such in terms of this Act, who having crossed any Zimbabwe’s borders for purposes of participating in the liberation struggle as a member of ZANLA or ZIPRA forces, but due to circumstances beyond his/her control, did not get military training and remained in the transit camp in Mozambique or Zambia until 29th November 1979. The ZIPRA veterans requested that this provision be amended as it excluded other countries wHere transit camps were established. They recommended the inclusion of countries like Botswana, Egypt, Cuba, Algeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Angola and Ghana. The war Veterans League also agreed on the need to amend the definition, but disagreed on the inclusion of other countries. They indicated that some of the countries highlighted by ZIPRA veterans like Angola and Tanzania had military training camps and not transit camps.
They asserted that only Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana had recognizable transit camps. After consultations with the veterans of the liberation struggle, the Ministry concedes to the amendment of this clause and the addition of Botswana to the definition. This means that only Botswana, Mozambique and Zambia had transit camps as a result of their proximity to the then Rhodesia. There were no transit camps in Egypt, Cuba or any of the other countries highlighted in the petition as these were camps that were a result of people being sent by their political parties and not specifically for liberation struggle .Whoever went to these other countries for the purposes of the struggle should have passed through Mozambique, Botswana and Zambia and naturally, would have been registered there.
Madam Speaker, I therefore, concede the inclusion of Botswana in the definition of non-combatant cadres in Section 2 of the interpretation clause so that it reads ‘non-combatant cadres means any person accredited as such in terms of this Act who having crossed any of
Zimbabwe’s boarders for purposes of participating in the liberation struggle as a Member of ZIPRA forces. Due to circumstances beyond his or her control did not get military training and remained in the transit camps in Mozambique, Botswana and Zambia until the 29th November
1979’.
There was also a request for amendment of the definition ‘transit camp’ in Section 2 of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, Section 2 of the Act defines a transit camp as any camp for the temporary accommodation of any person who crossed Zimbabwe’s boarders whether or not for purposes of participating in the liberation struggle as a member of ZANLA or ZIPRA forces.
The petitioners requested that this provision be amended, particularly where it says ‘whether or not for the purposes of participating in the liberation struggle’. We appreciate there were gaps in this definition as it left possibilities for the inclusion of individuals who crossed the boarders in pursuit of their own motives which are not related to that of the liberation struggle.
Madam Speaker, I therefore, concede to the amendment of the
Transit Camp so that it reads ‘transit camp for the purposes of this Act means any Camp for the temporary accommodation of any person who crossed Zimbabwe’s boarders for the purposes of participating in the liberation struggle as a member of the ZANLA or ZIPRA forces’.
The Veterans League also complained that it was against international best practice for war collaborators and non combatant cadres to be called war veterans and therefore, demeaning to be referred under one umbrella term ‘Veterans of the Liberation Struggle.
Firstly, I wish to point out that the war collaborators and noncombatant cadres are not referred to anywhere in the Act of the Constitution as war veterans – that is misleading. Secondly, we do not go by what the international people say, we conform to the dictates of the people of Zimbabwe as provided for in the Constitution. The title in the Constitution of Zimbabwe in Section 23 reads ‘veterans of the liberation struggle’.
According to the dictionary, a veteran is a person who has had long experience in a particular field. The people of Zimbabwe recognised the four categories as groups of people who have had long experience in the liberation struggle, hence the umbrella term, ‘veterans of the liberation of the liberation struggle’.
The Constitution goes further to define who the veterans of the liberation struggle are in Section 23 as:-
- 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 reason during the liberation struggle who are veterans according to the Oxford Dictionary definition.
The Act was therefore drafted in compliance with the Constitution. The people of Zimbabwe made this provision, hence we cannot go against the voice of the people. If there is a requirement to amend this provision, it would imply that the Constitution has to be amended first.
The war veterans are not deemed in any way as each category has its own definition in Section 2 of the Act. The use of the umbrella term does not take away any rights that the war veterans or ex-political prisoners, detainees and ristrictees had in the previous Act. It simply adds the two new categories that were recognised in the Constitution and their benefits will also vary.
The Act is not clear on the awarding of benefits to all four categories of the veterans of the liberation struggle. It is the responsibility of Parliament to enact primary legislation which provides for the frame work for the policy idea or law that delegated legislation like Statutory Instruments will be used subsequently to feel out the precise details of the law. In this instance, the veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act provides the framework of law and details in relation to the benefits will be provided for in the Statutory Instrument. This has always been the case, even when were administering the war veterans Act and also the Ex-detainees Act.
Section 134 of the Constitution allows Parliament to delegate power to make statutory instruments within the scope of and for the purposes laid out in the Act. This, however, accords with the doctrine of separation of powers in which Parliament is the law-making body and the Executive enforces the law within the confines of the powers given to it by Parliament.
Furthermore, benefits need constant review as the economy changes. If there are stipulated in the Act it means that the Act will have to be amended occasionally which is not ideal. It should also be noted that it is to the intention of the veterans of the liberation struggle Act to change the way things were done before in the two Acts that I have made reference to.
The War Veterans Act was the legal framework for issues relating to war veterans. Benefits were provided for in the Statutory Instruments in the same vein, consultations are in progress for the gazetting of the benefits. The veterans board is representing the four constituencies in these consultations. The board is the link between Government and the people.
Concerns over the cut off point of war collaborators
The Committee recommended that the cut off age be reduced from 16 to 14 years. The period of 1975-1979 is when the war was at its peak and a person who was as young as 12 would have provided meaningful collaboration. In order not to raise international outcries on issues relating to participation of children in war, it was agreed during the stakeholder consultations that the Act provides for 16 years by 1979 such that a person who was 12 years in 1975 would also qualify. We are a part to your and conventions. We do not want to be seen as a country that promotes child soldiers, that is abuse. If there are genuine cases that need attention, they can be dealt with on an individual basis through an appeal to the veterans’ board as provided for in Section 10 of the Act. There was also a request to the effect that Section 13 (3) be amended by the removal of ‘may’, so that the section reads; The
Minister ‘shall’ within the resources available and after negotiations with veterans of the liberation struggle, prescribe a gratuity payable once only to a veteran of the liberation struggle.
Whilst gratuities are a noble cause, it should be borne in mind that they can only be given when resources permit. Section 23 (2) of the Constitution provides that the state must take reasonable measures, including legislative measures, for the welfare and economic empowerment of veterans of the liberation struggle. This implies that Government should provide when it is permitting. There is need for a lee-way for the Executive of this obligation. By using ‘may’, the law dictates to the Executive that they have an obligation to fulfill though there is need to give room for the Executive to plan accordingly.
Section 3 (2) (b) was also recommended for amendment so that it reads, “Chairmanship of the Board should be rotated between ZANLA and ZIPRA. This is a noble suggestion which we have no qualms with. However, it is important to note that the Executive is mandated to appoint chairpersons in most of the Government Boards and the issue of regional representation is always applied in compliance with the Constitution.
Request for a provision in the Act which caters for the reservation of Parliamentary seats for veterans of the liberation struggle. Whilst this is noble, the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act cannot accommodate this provision. This request should be channelled through the Executive and provided for in the Constitution. We conducted a survey just last week and the results proved that almost 20% of the current Members of Parliament are veterans of the liberation struggle. This shows that we are well represented and these are democratically elected members. I advise that we should not limit the people of Zimbabwe to vote for more veterans next time.
From the report, it was observed that the petitioners were concerned about the Act’s failure to explicitly state that all vetting officers were supposed to be veterans of the liberation struggle particularly those who hold positions of authority such as excommanders, chiefs and headmen.
The details relating to vetting are purely administrative. The office of the veterans of the liberation struggle being headed by the chief director only supervises the vetting process in terms of Section 7 (c) as this is a Government programme. However, the structure of vetting was changed. The vetting process this time around will not be done by the Ministry officials alone. Committees will be set up to carry out the exercise and these will include the war collaborators, the non-combatant cadres, chiefs, headmen, war commanders as recommended during the stakeholder consultations.
The petitioners also requested that the Act be amended on medical benefits such that veterans can access medical care from both private and Government hospitals.
The Constitution in Section 23 talks about Government institutions and public entities taking reasonable measures for the welfare of veterans. Once more, reasonable measures denotes reasonableness in regard to resources, hence the priority on the use of the Government hospitals in the Act.
Section 76 of the Constitution also implores the State to take reasonable measures within the limits of the resources available to it to achieve the progressive realisation of the right to health to every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe. The priority on Government hospitals in the Veterans Act is a measure to provide the healthcare benefit within the resources available in accordance with the provision of Section 76 of the Constitution on the right to health.
Our Government has hospitals at District, provincial and national level. In situations where the District hospitals do not have facilities, one can approach the provincial or even national level. Parirenyatwa has state of the art facilities – the Second Republic has prioritised the improvement of our hospitals.
However, in exceptional circumstances where one can prove that they cannot access treatment in Government hospitals, we can allow that they seek medical care in private institutions. In a year or two, we will have our own state of the art memorial hospital with specialist services to support our comrades.
Customs and Excise duty exemptions on importation of vehicles and equipment of the veterans of the liberation struggle
There is no such facility available in Government. This can however be sought on an individual basis hence we should not use a blanket approach, otherwise it will be prone to abuse. It will not augur well with the general public to note that veterans are seeking such exemptions yet we are saying they do not have money and need welfare assistance.
The Act should have a Clause stating that the 1997 grant must be the yardstick for payment of gratuities to those who did not benefit during that time
Gratuities are a good cause but these should be provided for when the funds are available, hence the provision in the Constitution that the state must take reasonable measures. Also when drafting laws, careful consideration is made to different things and one of them is that the law should not be ambiguous. The 1997 yardstick on its own is difficult for us to agree today as to the monetary value concerned, difference in population as it was then and currently, and the economic impact thereof.
The Act is not explicit in defining the powers of the Chief Director in relation to the administration of schemes.
The veterans of the liberation struggle act just like the previous repealed two Acts establish a fund, in this instance called the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Fund which is controlled by the Veterans Board. The board oversees the fund and delegates the day to day administration of issues relating to the welfare of the veterans to the Chief Director who is a civil servant. His duties are prescribed by Government, the
Executive and is an ex-officio member of the Board representing Government. He is there to implement the welfare issues as directed by the board and the Minister. The administration of empowerment schemes is the mandate of the corporate vehicles which were launched by His Excellency, the President on the 12th June, 2021.
The Act does not specify the extent to which vetting officers can act as commissioners of oaths. Vetting officers act as commissioners of oath in leading evidence during the vetting process which can be used against the applicant in the event that the person has lied on oath. The Act does not need to further explain on what a commissioner of oath does, moreover the applicant is explained of his or her rights before vetting commences. These are purely administrative issues which do not require the amendment of the Act.
There was a recommendation that the Act should provide for those who participated in the struggle but died before being vetted. Madam Speaker, this is a very good recommendation but the Constitution at the moment is silent on the recognition of deceased veterans, even the previous Act did not make any reference to them. I would recommend that these issues be discussed separately. It is a very emotional and serious issue which needs proper and detailed discussions at every level so that the issue is put to rest.
The War Veterans League advocated for a standalone ministry. I appreciate the concern from the veterans’ league but this is the prerogative of the President and we should not male prescriptions to the Executive.
Request for Medals to Honour all Veterans of the Liberation
Struggle
This is an ongoing process. There is a Cabinet Committee which is chaired by the Vice President, which looks into these issues. Every year, the President awards medals and funds permitting this can be accelerated as we are cognisant of the rate at which our comrades are passing on.
We are now mobilising our own funds as a Ministry so that we can speed up the process.
Let me now turn to the debate which took place in this august House. I would like to thank Hon. Members for taking time to participate during the debate on this particular subject matter. Most of the Members who debated were positive in support of the petition and also recommendations thereto in the two reports from ZIPRA petitioners and the Veterans’ League which I have adequately responded to already.
I shall therefore turn to the other areas discussed in the august House.
Regarding the issue of veterans’ records raised by Hon. S.K. Mguni, we will indeed take advantage of the information which is available at social welfare to verify all applicants who wish to be considered as non-combatant cadres.
Hon. Dzuma, Hon. Gabbuza, Hon. James Sithole and Hon. Mguni raised concerns on vetting and that some bogus veterans are currently receiving benefits that they do not deserve. I wish to point out that this is a very serious criminal offence which should not be ignored but reported instantly. Some deserving comrades might not be getting what they deserve because of these fraudsters, so we need to assist the Government in reporting such cases.
Hon. Dzuma, your concern on the need for the vetting process to be expedited is very genuine. We agree that our veterans suffered a lot during the struggle and it has been so long before some of them received any benefits and recognition. However, I am pleased to inform the House that His Excellency officially launched the vetting process on Saturday, 12th June, 2021 and it is now in motion.
The first phase of the vetting exercise is registration which has already commenced. This first phase is intended to provide an indicative number of applicants and their locations. All those who wish to be registered as non-combatant cadres and war collaborators are completing registration forms at provincial and district offices of the Department of
War Veterans’ Affairs and selected military cantonments across the country. Registration forms will be sorted according to transit camps for non-combatant cadres and operational areas for war collaborators in preparation for vetting.
The second phase which is the actual vetting will be conducted by selected war time commanders and war veterans once numbers have been determined from the registration exercise. Dates are yet to be determined for the actual vetting but we want the process to be expedited. Our vetting this time around will not be done in cities; rather people who wish to be vetted will go to their areas of operation in the rural homes in order for them to be vetted. If we decentralise, we know that people know each other and villagers know who participated and who did not.
In addition, to avoid the enlisting of unscrupulous and bogus chancers who might want to take advantage of the vetting exercise and fraudulently obtain the veterans of the liberation struggle status, the
Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act provides for steep penalties. Security services will be present at vetting centres to deal with such imposters.
Hon. Mguni, Hon. Dzuma, Hon. Mushoriwa, Hon. Mliswa and Hon. Khumalo also raised their concerns of the conditions of provincial and district heroes. This is a responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs, much as it is not my mandate, I strongly feel that this matter should be taken seriously and attended to. I shall relay the concerns to the Minister of Home Affairs so that we give a befitting status to our heroes. Their contribution to the independence of Zimbabwe is priceless.
Hon. Gen. (Rtd) Khumalo informed the House that there are many comrades who are currently not receiving any medical benefits and that only those who have connections are accessing these benefits. So far, Madam Speaker, we have not received such complaints. If any such unethical practices are in existence they should be reported to our offices or to me personally. Medical benefits were being availed to every vetted war veteran or ex-political prisoners or detainee in terms of the previously repealed Acts as long as an application was made in the prescribed form and manner. Likewise, once the new categories are vetted, they can also apply for medical assistance when the need arises
in terms of the Veterans Act. I am pleased to inform the House that in recognition of the principle of devolution in Section 264 of the Constitution, we have decentralised our services to district level so that every comrade even at grassroots level can easily access our services.
Hon. Mliswa, Hon. Mpariwa and Hon. Gabuzza also emphasised that our comrades’ welfare was not being prioritised the way we expected. They also highlighted that government ministries should contribute to the welfare of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle. The new dispensation being led by our visionary leader has been singing the same tune on the need to change the lives of our veterans. The President launched the economic empowerment vehicle for veterans through the establishment of a holding company and its subsidiary companies. Government has ceded assets which amount to billions of dollars and we hope that those who will be entrusted with responsibility to run these companies will do so with speed in order to raise wealth for the veterans. We have also received overwhelming support from various ministries in the form of provincial farms, mining claims, a hunting conservancy and laptops from the Ministry of ICT to facilitate e-programs. We are still pushing for more assistance from the ministries so that we have a solid structure for the welfare and economic empowerment of our veterans.
Lastly Madam Speaker, there were some accusations that the appointment of the Veterans board was not done fairly or in a proper manner. I wish to inform the House of the steps we undertook to appoint the Board. The Act provides that members of the Board should consist of persons nominated by their respective organisations that represent the interests of the four categories of veterans. Letters were sent to all organisations that represent the four categories and they all responded with their nominees. CVs were shortlisted based on the requirements and we consulted the leadership of ZIPRA and ZANLA during the process. The names were submitted for routine security clearance and then the required number was selected, in consultation with the President. Issues of gender balance and regional representation were considered.
In conclusion Madam Speaker, I would like to appreciate all the Hon. Members who contributed to this import debate. It is our responsibility as law makers to make a sound legal framework for our veterans in line with the spirit of the Constitution.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Thank you very
much Madam Speaker. I also want to thank the Hon. Minister for the articulate response to the debate on this very emotional and important subject. I move that the report be adopted by this House.
Motion that this House takes note of the Report of the Portfolio
Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services on the
Petition from the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZPRA)
Veterans appealing to Parliament to amend the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act, put and adopted.
HON. KASHIRI: I rise on a point of privilege. Hon. Speaker, chakanaka chakanaka.
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. We
have rules in this Parliament. He is rising on a point of privilege. He cannot do that at this point. You know when privilege comes in. He has to come through another angle. Can you guide the Hon. Member accordingly? Those are the rules.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are right Hon. Mliswa.
Hon. Kashiri you stood on what point.
HON. KASHIRI: On a point of interjection Madam Speaker.
Thank you Hon Mliswa for the interjection. On a point of order Madam
Speaker, I was saying chakanaka chakanaka. In the House today I see Members of Pan African Parliament among us. Pan African Parliament consists of the Hon. Speaker J. F. Mudenda, Hon. Dr. Khupe leader of opposition, Hon. P. Togarepi our chief whip, Hon S. Mathe, Hon. Sen. Mwonzora, Hon. Mashakada, Hon. B. Rwodzi, Hon. Sen. Mupfumira, Hon. Sen. Chimutengwende and the staff of Parliament. I would like to express our sincere appreciation for a job well done in South Africa.
[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] The Members fought viciously against the franco-phone nations who were fiercely fighting for the non rotation of the chairmanship of the Pan African Parliament. I would like to say makarwisa, makarwa semvumba. Well done. I thank you Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Kashiri. It
is true that they did well and did us proud, those Hon. Members who were at the Pan-African Parliament Session.
It is true you raised the Zimbabwean flag high. May we clap hands for them? – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – A special mention goes to Hon. Barbra Rwodzi who snatched the ballot box which then foiled the unplanned elections because it was going to be an unfair election.
We thank you so much. Well done.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: Madam Speaker, I move that we revert to Order of the Day Number 10.
HON. KASHIRI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
SECOND REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON MINES
AND MINING DEVELOPMENT ON THE FINDINGS OF THE
INQUIRY ON THE PETITION FROM WOMEN AND LAND ON
FARMER-MINER DISPUTES
HON. MKARATIGWA: Madam Speaker, I move the motion
standing in my name That this House takes note of the Second Report of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development on the
Findings of the Inquiry on the Petition from Women and Land on Farmer-Miner Disputes.
HON. TOFFA: I second.
HON. MKARATIGWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
On behalf of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining
Development, I would like to present to this august House a report on the findings of the enquiry conducted in response to the petition from
Women and Land Zimbabwe on farmer miner disputes.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Pursuant to Section 149 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Joint
Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development and; Lands,
Agriculture Water and Rural Resettlement received a petition from Women and Land Zimbabwe, calling for the review of laws that deal with the farmer-miner disputes whilst at the same time ensuring that the laws address land rights vis-a-vis women in the rural areas. The petitioners were gravely appalled by lack of policy formulation by Government to respond to the problem being faced by farmers nationwide but in this case, focusing on the Midlands Province. In addition, the petitioners also raised allegations of lack of monitoring by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development on operation by mining companies. The Environmental Management Agency was also accused of ineffectiveness in carrying out their mandate. Accordingly, they called for the Government to decisively intervene to rectify the conflict that is existing between farmers and miners.
2.0 BACKGROUND.
Over the years, there has been a serious land-use dispute between farmers and miners in many areas around the country. The current law clearly states that mining activities supersedes every other activity including farming. It gives miners the right to extract minerals that are underground while farmers have the right to operate on the land surface. Mining activities have tended to encroach on the territory of farmers hence the disputes. Miners have been accused of deforestation on farmlands, degrading the environment with little or no rehabilitation of the areas. In other extreme cases, the farmers are slowly losing their small pieces of land to miners who are using the current law to displace the farmers. In most cases, women have been on the receiving end in this setup leading to loss of land for agriculture and ultimately loss of livelihoods.
3.0 METHODOLOGY
The Joint Committee’s first step was to analyse and deliberate on the petition followed by a consultative meeting with key stakeholders. These included the Petitioner (Women and Land Zimbabwe) and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement. The petitioner, Women and Land Zimbabwe outlined their concerns and expectations. In order to get a full appreciation of the issues raised in the petition, the Committee conducted a field visit and a public hearing at one of the hotspots, located in Shurugwi. The participants included; farmers, miners, local authority, officials from the Government departments (Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Local Government, Gender Commission, traditional leaders, communities among others. This was followed by a debriefing meeting where observations were deliberated. The joint Committee was disappointed that the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development failed to attend any of the engagements at different stages of the enquiry. The visit and subsequent meeting were highly interactive and the participants expressed their views on the existing land use conflict in the Shurugwi area.
4.0 FINDINGS.
4.1 Land use conflict
The field visit provided the Joint Committee an opportunity to appreciate the existing conflicts on the usage of land (land use) between small-scale farmers and small-scale miners existing in the area. The conflicting and competing interests were so clear as both the farmers and the miners expressed the need to exploit the land resource for their survival on one end and Government aspirations of coexistence of these two critical sectors. They clearly stated that, land was their only source for survival. In this regard, there is stiff competition for land, with the farmer fighting for land for cultivation while the miner is fighting for that same piece of land for the extraction of gold. The farmers, who are mostly women, are at the receiving end of this conflict as they are usually overpowered by their male counterparts engaging in mining activities. On one occasion, the Committee witnessed a conflict on the ownership of the family land between the mother and the son. The son was accused of bringing in mining investors on the mother’s farmland without her knowledge and consent.
4.2 Water management conflict
There is also pressure between farmers and miners for water in
that dry mountainous area. Farmers are desperately in need of water to irrigate their small pieces of land downstream while miners are in need of water for the winnowing and cleaning of their ores upstream. These miners have even blocked the natural flow of the stream through diverting the channel to their mining site, leaving farmers downstream without sufficient water of a good quality to support the production of their crops. The water quality has been greatly affected due to contamination through chemicals. Such contaminated water has become a public health hazard and a danger to the plants. It was disheartening to note that one of the farmers was on the verge of losing 45 thousand onion plants that are almost drying because of water shortages.
4.3 Land degradation
The land degradation is occurring at a fast rate from the illegal alluvial gold mining in the area. It was acknowledged during the visit that there is a sharp increase in the number of illegal miners occupying and digging the piece of land in question. The activities of these miners are not organised in any way and visuals of cleared land and unguarded mine shafts were observed. The joint Committee observed an environment characterised by loss of biodiversity and loss in aesthetic value on the degraded lands. It was also noted that the miners were ignorant of land reclamation efforts which rendered the land unproductive of any meaningful agriculture to take place. As such, the land for agriculture where women are practicing their farming is constantly shrinking as more deposits of gold are discovered in the area.
There is also threat of siltation as a result of riverbed mining.
4.5 Loss of livestock.
It was reported that cattle have been falling into pits left by the illegal gold miners. An emotional farmer told the Joint Committee that he had lost almost 42 beasts to the pits, while another one is left with just over 20 from a total of 63. The cattle farmers who have lost immensely submitted to the Committee that they had lost their source of livelihoods and their statuses of wealth in the communities. The cattle in many cases were also sources of draught power. This demonstrates the magnitude of the problem of land degradation as a result of disorderly mining activities.
4.6 Lack of law enforcement
There is a general consensus amongst stakeholders consulted that there is lack of law enforcement. The Committee was informed that the law enforcement agents have been doing nothing to address the farmerminer disputes despite the fact that these miners are illegal. Also noted was the inability of the various Government departments related to matters at hand to resolve the issues especially EMA, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement.
Allegations of rampant corruption were raised against the law enforcement agents who come to attend to this issue.
5.0 COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS
5.1 The overall impact of these observations is that the conflicts are negatively affecting livelihoods of many families mainly the vulnerable groups such as women and children who depend on agricultural production on one hand and alluvium gold mining on the other, with a huge bearing on people`s health, environmental sustainability and community livelihood.
5.2 There is generally lack of harmony in the legal frameworks available which allows the coexistence of both farmers and miners. This is causing problems mostly to women in the agriculture sector who are constantly threatened by increasing number of illegal gold miners in the area.
5.3 Women are threatened by loss of land especially upon the death of the husband. A number of widows have been threatened by men and such cases have been escalated to the courts of laws. In this regard, Women and Land in Zimbabwe has been playing a very significant role in assisting women throughout the legal processes.
5.4 Mining Officers no longer follow the requirements of the Mines
and Minerals Act especially Section 31 (h) on ground not open to prospecting upon any Communal Land occupied as a village without the written consent of the rural district council established for the area. Pegging of mines is done within a distance of 90 meters, which is against the specified regulations.
5.5 In areas where compensation was given, it was mostly negotiated unfairly. In one case, it was more of a bribe than compensation as it was given to one family member at the expense of everyone else.
5.6 There is a general misconception that the Mines and Minerals
Act overrides all other Acts, hence it has been abused to the disadvantage of farmers and others who find themselves losing their prices of land.
5.7 Wetlands are not considered when pegging mines.
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should expedite and finalise the Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill by June 2021;
6.2 The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should, on a regular basis, monitor performance, compliance to mining laws and operations of mining companies operating nationwide; EMA must be resourced to enable it to fully carry out their mandate;
6.3 The Ministry of Mines should conduct a research and come up with a model that will guide and inform the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining in Zimbabwe by December 2021;
6.4 The Ministry of Lands should enact a Land Policy by December
2021;
6.5 Going forward, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, the
Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement and the Environmental Management Agency should work together to enable the harmonisation of land, mining and environmental laws and;
6.6 The above-mentioned Ministries should coordinate their efforts in order to ensure effective and efficient enforcement of the laws that prohibit illegal mining.
6.7 The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should always follow what is on the site of works plan when supervising the operations of mining companies as it will address the boundary disputes.
6.8 The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should undertake a research on the most suitable Artisanal Small-scale Mining Model for Zimbabwe by December 2021.
6.9 The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development should go on the ground and check if the land owners, communities and the Rural District
Councils were consulted and during the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultations conducted by miners.
6.10 EMA should ensure that the EIA consultations are made public to deal with the corruption which has become rampant in this area.
6.11 EMA should make sure that they do not approve any mining activity on wetlands.
7.0 CONCLUSION.
The Committee greatly appreciates the proactive role played by Women and Land Zimbabwe in unraveling the challenges being faced by farmers specifically women in areas were both farming and mining are being practiced. The Committee was convinced that the gesture by the petitioner was a noble cause that if left unchecked and unaddressed, the communities will be destroyed in terms of food security, environment and even loss of water due to siltation. In this regard, the Government is compelled to intervene and address the concerns raised by both the petitioner and the affected communities. I thank you.
HON. TOFFA: As I add my voice, I would like to thank our Hon Chair, Hon. Mukarakatigwa for presenting our report eloquently and factually. Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to first of all thank Women and Land Zimbabwe for bringing this issue forward with regards to women farmers and conflict with miners. I say this because as we went round on our fact finding mission, in most instances, people that were visible were the men and the women would be in the background. We also found that in most instances where women’s land was being taken away from them, women were powerless, they did not know what to do and they would sort of take their position in the background.
I must also hasten to say and thank the Gender Commission. They were also present in our rounds as we went from place to place. There was an incident that the Hon. Chair referred to, where a woman had her land taken away by her son who went into a deal with a mining institution or contractor. This woman got absolutely nothing. She did not even know how much her son had got. What is mind boggling is the fact that this man was able to do the whole process, taking papers which included his father’s death certificate, his mother’s papers and the whole deal went through. The poor woman, who is the owner of this land was now having disputes or was facing ridicule and animosity from her neighbours because they felt that she had gotten a benefit.
When we, as a Committee, asked for this young man to come forward, it was quite shocking to see what was before us. Without belittling any God created human being – this man, you could not say this was a person that had been able to pull such a big deal because there was a mining company that had different types of equipment. He had graders, earth moving equipment and huge generators. When we brought this man forward, he was visibly intoxicated meaning that some form of corruption had taken place. We then called the woman forward
I think it was after the intervention of Women In Land and the Gender Commission; her name has just slipped my mind (the name of the woman representing the Commission has just slipped my mind) for the woman to come and state her case. She could hardly speak because she was now emotional. She had become an enemy of the community. Never mind the fact that she had actually been dispossessed of her land and property. Her son did not even give her anything.
Let us move to another area where we went talking to the issue of the environment and water. People are doing river bed mining. Holes are being dug – if you stand in the hole, I think you need three or four people – it is quite deep in the river. When it rains, those holes are all covered. This is where the loss of livestock come in. Not only livestock, people also tend to have short memories when it rains. Maybe they want to go fishing or they are chasing after their goats or cows even human lives, we were told that they were actually lost.
We were taken to see the point of conflict which was water – in the mining. It was mostly young people because of the way our economy is; the lack of jobs. These young people have no choice but to find whatever means they can to make a living. There was a water point which was up on a rise and it was higher than the river. At the top there, the miners diverted water or there was a forked point where the miners would divert water to where they are mining and the women’s gardens would be starved of the much needed water to water their vegetables. The miners seemed to have the upper hand or would decide when they would give them water. In engaging the miners and the farmers, we were trying to see how they would relate and come to some kind of compromise so that there would be a win-win situation.
In the report that the Hon. Chair Mkarakatigwa presented, young children are also being affected. We saw some very young boys that were participating in river bed mining because of the economic situation again. This is where this child can help their family to farm. When we look at the environmental degradation that the Hon. Chair highlighted, there is no enforcement. EMA lacks the teeth and muscle to enforce. EMA does not have enough staff and vehicles to go around and check on what is going on.
Women need a more friendly environment and it is of paramount importance that Government finds a middle way so that the women that are doing farming and feeding their families and those very miners have access to the land without being disturbed. Women in mining take about 10% of the miners in Zimbabwe and people that are mining still need to leave off the land.
The river bed mining has a lot of ripple effects. Not only are they damaging the environment, they are also poisoning the water because they are using mercury. The animals are being killed; the quality of meat that we are getting is not good; the quality of crop that we are getting as well is not good. As the people eat these vegetables that are being contaminated by the chemicals that are being used, their systems are being poisoned as well.
I think that women need a better deal. Women especially in the rural areas have no real voice to speak with. People like Women and Land Zimbabwe and the Gender Commission help in such situations. I say this again Mr. Speaker Sir, if it was not for the courage that they were given by the presence of this organisation, Women and Land Zimbabwe as well as the Gender Commission, I do not think that they would have gotten the attention that they did get. I still believe as I stand here today that as much as we went as a joint Committee to attend to the issues, the issues are still not yet solved.
I think it is also very important that when Committees go around to the communities and have public hearings and attend to issues and situations, it must not be just a talk show. It must not be a situation where a Minister will come and round up an issue. We need to be seen to be an effective Parliament that makes a difference. Even for us as parliamentarians, it is very disheartening because when we go out there and we speak to people and they look into our eyes, they actually think and believe that we are sincerely coming to do our work and there is going to be a solution. However, you find us going back term after term. I will just refer to a situation where Hon. Nduna was referring to last term’s report and the Speaker ruled accordingly, of course. But I do not think he will need to do that if we as a Parliament made sure that we solved all our problems and the people’s issues.
Having said the Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to support all the recommendations that were made by our Committee and stand by our report. Once again, I plead with you Mr. Speaker to make sure that these issues and all the women’s issues that we attended to maybe taken seriously. Thank you.
HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD.) MAYIHLOME: Mr. Speaker, I would like to applaud the Committee on Mines and Mining
Development, the Chair’s report seconded by Hon. Toffa. I would like to add my voice really because this is a very topical and emotional subject in the constituencies that we come from because mining, particularly illegal mining has ridden rough shod over everybody else in this country ever since somebody told them you can bring as much gold, we will not ask where you got it from.
This unwritten or is it written law which says mining takes precedence over any other activity on the land could also be our source of problems as farmers in this country or the people of this land. Yes, I also applaud the Women and Land Zimbabwe for highlighting this issue. I would want to inform this august House that the effects of mining and illegal mining are felt right across the board whether you are male or female, if you are in agriculture you are at their mercy. As I speak Hon.
Speaker, I have a personal experience of having lost 30 herd of cattle in 2020 to illegal miners’ pits.
A farmer perhaps was said to be subordinate to the miner when mining was assumed to be underground but the mining of nowadays is on the surface. It is opencast and is reckless. Anyone can just mine anywhere. They dig the pits and no one follows up to see to it that the pits are closed. No provision is made by local authorities or the Ministry of Mines to make sure that the miners are taxed so that revenue or income is used to employ people who are going to close those pits. So, it is the farmer’s mess. At this rate, if this country continues at the rate at which we are proceeding all areas that have minerals or gold in particular and also having farming land would be non-existent 15 years from now. I do not think that is what this country wants.
A farmer for example, is supposed to pay land tax for an area that is designated say, 200 hectares you are supposed to pay so much tax to the Government. Regardless of what damage the miners do to your farm or how much land they take away from you, the Government still wants their pound of flesh for the 200 hectares and they do not make any effort to come and check to see whether the 200 hectares is still all useable. They just want their money. One Ministry of Agriculture on the one hand or the local authority demand payment for the 200 hectares, yet Ministry of Mines or the miners are allowed to destroy whatever they want out of that farm.
The law says if you farm is more than 100 hectares a miner can come and peg with or without your consent. These are some things that are so wrong with the current situation which the Mines and Minerals Act should address if it is to come to this august House. We have waited and now it is the third year that we have been waiting for that Bill and it is nowhere near being gazetted so that it is fully debated and a solution is found. A farmer does not get any royalties from minerals that are found on his farm. It all goes to Government but the damage is to the farmer.
I know of a registered sturdy breeder in my constituency of a
Brahman breed who was forced off his land. He is presently renting land elsewhere because he was chased away by gold panners. These same gold panners took that gold produced illegally to Fidelity and they were applauded for bringing gold to the fiscus but the farmer gets nothing. He has lost his land and everything that he has invested on that piece of land.
The Committee Chairperson and the seconder of the motion, Hon. Toffa have spoken at length about the damage to the environment and water, pollution from mercury, defecation and such things, these I will not belabour on but what I can say is that mining should be regulated. Miners should also observe the laws. The registered miners are perhaps easier to deal with because at least you know where to find them and you can perhaps cause them to stop their mining operations. It is the illegal miners that this Government has turned a blind eye to over the years that have wrecked havoc in this country. Not just in Shurugwi, but nationwide, everywhere. In the recent past, the Hon. Minister Marapira was at Matopo Research Station which is a major international research centre for livestock and crops. They ordered the miners out but they refused and told the Minister they would not leave. They have dared the police, they always play cat and mouse with the authorities because the law allows them to bring that illegal product to the market without any questions asked.
I just want to talk about the Water Act which Hon. Toffa and Hon. Mkaratigwa mentioned here. Our understanding is that precedence for water is prioritised as followsl; firstly to humans for consumption, secondly to livestock, thirdly agriculture and fourthly mining and then other activities. However the illegal miners have turned the tables around and they believe that they have the first preference on water. They do not care about human beings, livestock or agriculture. To them gold takes precedence over everything else. We cannot have a nation where laws are followed by some and not followed by others. They snare, cut wood and they move wherever they feel like moving to. Even the laws of trespassing do not mean anything to them, they do not observe them. In the past they used to at least listen when you told them not to go to certain areas. Nowadays the illegal miners tell the farmers what to do. You cannot challenge them, so my last appeal to you Hon. Speaker is for government to consider compensating farmers who lose their land and livestock to illegal miners. These illegal miners are the government’s baby. We cannot say we do not know who they are because government recognises them by accepting their gold.
Farmers need to be compensated for illegal mining on their land. Government must bring the Bill on Mines and Minerals so that mining is properly regulated and there is order in agriculture. Without farmers, there is no future and worse still, basic livelihoods of rural families headed by women, for that matter, are deprived of their land and source of living. You however turn a blind eye, all because you want the pieces of gold. It is not right for that to happen in this country. In my view, are the fundamental issues that the Ministry of Mines and Mining
Development must address as a matter of urgency. I thank you.
(v)HON. R. R. NYATHI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I also want to add my voice to the motion raised by Hon. Mkaratigwa, seconded by Hon. Toffa. It is very true that for a long time in Zimbabwe we have had a serious problem with disputes between the farmers and miners. For a long time we have seen no solutions to this dispute. In my experience - inasmuch as you know that I come from Shurugwi which is also one of the mining towns, there are a lot of such disputes between the farmers and the miners. So I want to appreciate the petition that was given by the women and men of Zimbabwe concerning that which is a cry which is long overdue, seeking assistance to come up with a solution to the dispute.
There is land degradation by the miners. Our miners are destroying the areas they are mining, the environment and everything.
Moreso, the miners are not operating in terms of corporate governance. I also want to mention that the resources are non renewable, so much of our minerals are going out and even outside the country. There are so many leakages which I think if we do our mining responsibly without even going into agriculture, we can sustain and upgrade the standard of living for our people in Zimbabwe. Even when we look at the Vision
2030, it can be achieved with little or bare minimum resources. I think that very soon we are going to be having some water woes and this has been alluded to by Hon. Mkaratigwa that some of our miners are … -
[Technical glitch.] –
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): Hon.
Members, we are having challenges on virtual. So maybe I should give this opportunity to Hon. Chikukwa who is in the House. I will come back to you Hon. Nyathi when the problem has been resolved.
*HON. CHIKUKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to add
my voice on the issue that was raised by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Mkaratigwa and seconded by Hon. Toffa. This is a very pertinent issue and it is very painful especially to womenfolk as in the majority of cases, they find themselves on the wrong end of the stick.
I am pleading with this august House to ensure that the current law that is being used by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development be urgently reviewed because it is a very old law that was enacted to protect the interests of the minority few. This minority regime never imagined or thought that the Land Reform Programme would come to pass. I am pleading for the urgent review of this law. When we look at the proposed amendment, issues that were raised, it means that a farmer is only responsible for the land on the surface and the foundation and the underground does not belong to the farmer since it belongs to the miner. Mr. Speaker Sir, because of this relationship between the farmer and the miner, it means that in some of the areas, many people wake up shocked to find cracks in their houses since mining activities will be taking place underground.
Even in other areas where there are no farming activities like Hwange, people will be into livestock farming but once the miner comes into the area, his priority is to mine the minerals underground. What must be done is for this august House, led by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development, to urge for the promulgation of a completely new law to regulate this sector. Furthermore, Hon. Speaker, the culprits that are engaging in such practice are self-centered bullies. Take an example of a widow who is in peaceful occupation of her land - one with children is better off than the one who is childless. In the majority of these cases, the people who attack these defenseless widows and children are armed with machetes.
In order to preserve one’s life, the victims will not stand up to these bullies. It is now even worse for these defenseless people because they can no longer report the culprits to the police for it appears that even the police are afraid of these machete wielding gangs.
I was pained by the story that I heard of a child who sold some property after having taken advantage of his semi-literate mother, whom he misrepresented to. The mother, in her innocence, appended her signature to the document that the son had proffered to her for signing. In order to avoid such innocent people being taken advantage of, I propose that all signing of documents be done at the local Ministry of Mines and Mining Development offices. This method will curtail the issuing of mining licences without the blessing and knowledge of the farmer.
I further propose that the farmer be given the first right of refusal to any claim that is going to be issued. That method will conserve the land and also control chaotic mining. I heard other speakers extolling the virtues of the sanctity of life. It is important that we respect human life. We are now facing a problem with people who are abandoning formal employment under the belief that there are easy pickings in artisanal mining. As a result, there is now also the danger of the introduction of chemicals such as mercury into the river system in a bid to do some artisanal mining by members of the community. Such activities are depriving people of water and also causing illnesses related to chemical use such as cancer. It is not only the people who are being affected, livestock is also not being spared and as a result, farmers are losing their valuable livestock.
I urge that before any mining activity takes place, there be proper environmental impact assessment, which deals with issues of land reclamation once excavation has been concluded, so that the miners conduct is legal. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order, Hon. Banda, you
are not appropriately dressed for Parliament.
HON. S. BANDA: Sorry Hon. Speaker, I do not understand.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Sorry Hon. Banda, you are not
appropriately dressed for Parliament.
#HON. S. BANDA: With all due respect Hon. Speaker. Thank you Hon. Speaker, let me address you in my mother tongue. I have come here wearing my genuine national dress, that is why you always Hon. Mliswa wearing his national dress together with the hat and this shows that he is of Muslim origin. We are christians hence we do not wear the head gear as is the case with Hon. Mliswa’s dressing but when you look at the dress code, you will realise that the two attires are the same. It could appear as if this is now discriminatory since Hon. Mliswa is allowed to come to Parliament in the same dress code. I have come here in genuine African attire and you discriminate against me.
I hear what you are saying and with all due respect Hon. Mutomba,
I am properly before the House and properly dressed. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order, I would indulge you Hon. Banda if what you are wearing at the moment is a complete suit of the African attire, but unfortunately it is not. – [HON. S. BANDA: Hon. Speaker!] – I do not have to argue with you, I have already made a ruling Hon. Banda, what you are wearing is not a complete suit or African attire.
HON. S. BANDA: Hon. Speaker even if you look at me...
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA: I do not
want to argue, I have already made a ruling.
HON. S. BANDA: Hon. Speaker, even if you look at me, I do not know because all of this is just like one material. So, I do not know where have I gone wrong.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA: Would
you come along Hon. Banda.
Hon. Banda having walked to the Speaker’s Chair.
(v)HON. MASANGO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to add my voice to the motion which was raised by Hon. Mkaratigwa and seconded by Hon. Toffa. My contribution is mainly on what I have seen in my constituency. The issue of makomba, holes being dug in Mhangura by illegal miners has gone viral. I have seen daring illegal miners going to dig in someone’s yard, field, and garden or even in a school yard. People are having conflicts everyday pertaining to this and I am really afraid that in one of these days, they will kill each other. These illegal miners do not even build toilets when they get to a place because they know that they will be leaving that place very soon. Even their lives are in danger because they may end up contracting diseases and even having COVID due to their large numbers when they are in an area.
These people are rogue elements and no one can rein them in.
My other worry is that in Mhangura, farmers will end up not farming due to the fact that their land will be invaded by these miners and most of their time will be spent going to courts just to try to displace those miners so that they get off their land. As Hon. Chikukwa alluded to, in some instances when the police are called to intervene, they do not even take any action because they will also be mining there lest something really needs to be done to these illegal miners. I thank you.
HON. MUSANHI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to applaud the Mines Committee Chairman for the motion that he raised and it was seconded by Hon. Toffa. There is a huge conflict in the country right now between the farming and mining communities. In 2017, I lost a head of about 150 cattle that were poisoned through cyanide in my farm. I called EMA to come and have a look at these cattle and the post mortem was done by the Department of Veterinary
Services. They gave a report to say cyanide was the cause for the death. They closed the mine for about 2 to 3 months but within the 3 months, it was reopened. The people were also on the same mine, mining illegally.
I think in the Eighth Parliament, we debated about this issue and we thought the Mines and Minerals Act was due for amendment but it was not done. I do not know for what reason but it seemed like everybody was hopeful that this long and outstanding colonial law that was made by the colonial masters in order for them to amass our minerals as much as they would want would come to an end. It could not end just like that and it looks like it is going on and it is carrying on.
After losing a head of cattle of 150, I thought we had debated enough in the Eighth Parliament to have this law amended but it was not amended. I do not know whether it will help us in this House to debate this issue for as long as the Executive does not want to take part and come to the table to amend this. In the same farm of mine, this issue, I have gone up and down to the police and EMA department but this has totally failed. We have had females in my farm, more than 2 or 3 of them who have fallen into the open holes that are left by illegal miners. No one seems to turn an eye on this very important issue where people are losing their lives. It looks like our lives are no longer valuable and what is important is the gold now.
For as long as we turn a blind eye on this issue that was raised by the Committee of Mines, I do not think this country will go anywhere.
People are going to laugh at us and it will not help this country at all. If valuable lives are being lost and people do not seem to take any heed of that, it is a bit frustrating and shameful on our part as a Parliament.
We have debated and complained that all the water sources are now polluted. They are putting cyanide and mercury into the water. If someone takes water which has cyanide it will go a little while but that person will succumb because of that poisoned water.
I think this is a very important point that we think must be loud and clear to our Executive so that they amend this long and colonial law that was put well before we got independent. Now we are 41 years into our independence and this law is still there. I pray that this must be looked at urgently. Thank you.
(v)HON. NGUNI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir for affording me this opportunity to air my voice on this important debate which was presented by Hon. Mukarakatigwa and seconded by Hon. Toffa.
Hon. Speaker Sir, mining is a major employer of our local communities, especially the youths but it goes with some negative impact also. So many lives have been lost due to the mining activities most probably because of the way how we apply our laws. I think there is a need to come up with relevant laws that will have control over these mining activities in this country.
I come from Bubi where there are major activities. In Bubi, mining has employed a lot of youths and so many local communities are surviving with mining, but the challenge which goes with mining activities is the licencing. These prospecting licences; once one gets that licence, they go to work whereever they want.
I think there is need for the Government to look at that licence for a prospector. The prospecting licence should be indicated where one is going to prospect so that these people will be traceable. You will find that someone who got a prospecting licence for example, from Midlands, can come and mine in Matabeleland North. This contributes to a lot of confusion because in most cases, those people who will be coming from afar are the ones who are causing some conflicts.
In most cases, those people would have left their places where they are known so that when they come to other areas they embark on attacking others or doing some other negative activities that are not associated with mining.
Therefore, I would like to urge the Government to have that prospecting licence limited to where the mining is going to take place so that these people can be traceable.
The other conflict that I have discovered is on the miner versus the farmer. People with mining prospecting licenses just go to any place where they think they can find gold. They can even start prospecting in your maize field or in the area where people are grazing their cattle. That has caused a lot of confusion or conflict. That is why I am suggesting that the prospecting license should have some boundary limits and that when one gets the prospecting license for a certain area, they should first approach the local leadership starting from the local council going to the village heads. If one just gets a licence then goes to the bush and start prospecting and when they sees somebody’s beast, slaughter it and start causing confusing.
Yes, I concur with all other members who have contributed that mining is a business and it is a major employer of our local youth. So many families are benefiting and surviving from the mining activities. I think we have got proper laws of governing mining because mining is causing a lot of confusion. These so called makorokoza, they come from mining prospective. So, the only way to curtail these people is to have proper laws that govern these licences.
The licence of mining or the prospecting licence should not be issued just for someone to go for the prospecting where ever he wants. Before one is issued with a licence, they should indicate where he is going to prospect and that should be noted down. There should also be an impact assessment that should go with his certificate because those people do not even do the land survey when they are mining.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I think your gadget is playing
games, we cannot hear you.
(v)HON. S. MGUNI: I was saying the impact that was left behind by the miners when they mine is so dangerous because they leave a deep pit where by cattle are being trapped. I was suggesting that these people should have guidelines that guide them so that after mining, they should fill the pits before they leave.
The other thing that I also noticed is that mining has its positives and negatives. I have mentioned mostly the negatives but of course there are positives. There is a lot of employment and our communities are developing. People are buying cars, pay school fees and so forth. Communities are gaining a living out of mining. Mining can also help us to import cars because people have money for that. It is a major income for some of our communities. People increase their wealth due to mining activities. It also helps to increase the economy of the country. Most countries are developing due to mining activities but what is only left out which is a missing link is maybe to craft proper laws to govern mining activities.
(v)HON. SVUURE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for affording me this opportunity to also contribute to the debate. I would also want to thank Hon. Edmund Mkaratigwa for the report that he has proffered and seconded by Hon. Jasmine Toffa.
I was part of the team that went on a tour responding to the petition that was brought forth by women in farming. What we observed from the tour that we took was a sorrowful state of things. There is the assumption on the co-existence of the miner and a farmer premised on the belief that a miner will do his mining from underground and a farmer would do the farming on the surface. Practically, this is not so. You will find that when a miner mines on the same land on which the farmer is supposed to do their farming, sometimes they dig surface trenches. After the trenches are done, it renders that land not so useful for agricultural purposes. These are the experiences that we saw because the law at the moment assumes that a miner and a farmer can co-exist but practically that is not sustainable.
We also experienced the notion that mining supersedes farming. It is not a disposition because this brings mining above every other economic sector which is not fair at all. This assumes that everyone in involved in a viable economic activity must be involved in mining yet there are those that would rather invest in something else or farming for example. I think the law must critically address this notion that mining and the unwritten law like someone described it that mining supersedes everything else but like I said, not everyone can be a miner.
The law must be clear on land use. If one gets a title for farming, then they must restrict themselves to farming. If the other gets the title for mining, they must restrict themselves to mining. This co-existence phenomenon is only a myth. The practicability of it is very questionable.
There are rules and regulations that govern mining. These rules contradict with farming. In mining, there use explosives. There are set regulations that govern the distance from which people must be able to do other operations from where the mining activity or the blast is being done. For a miner to be able to co-exist with a farmer where the miner is doing rock blasting and using explosives, you will notice that the safety of the farmer is at risk.
Because of women’s natural vulnerability, they are in a pathetic situation especially those that are doing farming in mining areas. For instance in Shurugwi, we encountered one situation where there were miners endeavouring very nice market gardening projects but just above their piece of land, is a mine. The artisanal miners that are doing their mining adjacent to this farm where the women are doing their farming have got no respect for the farming activities. Both are getting water from the same weir for irrigation and mining. I do not know what makes these young miners believe that they have the first priority on the water before the women. When we got there, we observed that they divert the same canal that is supposed to take water from the weir to the women’s garden to their operations. When the women tried to raise this issue with the artisanal miners, they became aggressive and rowdy. They also told us that even if they try and report the issues to the police, they are not respected at all or the police hardly attend to the scenes. They were saying they were actually now tired of making reports because no follow up is done. If anything, their reports are ignored as if they do not mean anything at all. We noticed that women are at the receiving end of the rowdiness of the artisanal miners. Their co-existence has proved to be impossible.
We also noticed land degradation – a very massive degree of land degradation especially in Shurugwi where the artisanal miners have no respect for land use at all. Once they perceive that there is a mineral underground, they just come in, ruffle the land, dig trenches, get the mineral and they go away. The next time the farmer comes to try and do their farming activities, you find that the land is already distorted and it is no longer possible to do farming activities.
There is also a belief that farming is agronomy only but we must also realise that farming is also animal husbandry. When we talk of rearing of animals on a farm where mining activities are being done, you should take note that mining activities also involves chemicals like mercury and cyanide which are very dangerous to animals. We have heard reports where on a farm, cattle ranging from over a herd of 100150 animals died from consumption of contaminated water that has been contaminated with mercury. This is something that is worrisome.
The other issue that I would also want to mention is when a husband and wife own land and the husband dies while the wife survives. There is a notion and one of the Hon. Members made specific mention of an incident that we heard of in Shurugwi where the son after the father had died, he naturally believed that he was the heir to that piece of land. He began to enter into concessions with investors, apportioned some pieces of land and entered into some agreements without the knowledge of the mother. When the mother woke up one day, she found this investor had brought some equipment on the farm that she believed was hers.
We also want to speak of the rights of women pertaining to inheritance. I think when the father dies; naturally the farm should remain in the hands of the mother and not the son, unless the mother asks the son or the eldest son as is believed to takeover. So, we had a situation where a son naturally felt he was the one that had to take control of the farm. Without consulting the mother, he entered into concessions and agreements on a farm that was not even his. This kind of thing disadvantages women.
We also would like to appeal on long pending Mines and Minerals Bill that when it finally comes to Parliament, it should address clearly the long time dispute between farmers and miners. I would suggest that let it be clear that when someone gets a license for mining like I mentioned earlier, let that piece of land be restricted to mining only and if it is a license for farming, let that piece of land be restricted to farming because it has proved beyond any doubt that the co-existence of these two is not practical at all.
I would like to thank the mover of the motion and also would like to appeal that the law will critically look at this issue. This valid concern by the women in farming can address their genuine and realistic grievance even as we noticed when we went round on the tours. Thank you.
(v)*HON. NYAMUDEZA: First and foremost I would want to thank Hon. Mkaratigwa for such a good motion. The Mines and Minerals Act allows anyone who wants to do mining to go and mine anywhere they fancy, when you look at the ground, agriculture is more in terms of production and the works that needs to be done viz-a-viz mining. This has something to do with the prospecting licenses that are issued.
At the moment there is conflict between miners and farmers because they have conflicting interests. One is a miner and that is their domain and the other one is a farmer and that is their domain so we need to reconcile the two so that they can co-exist harmoniously so that the miner concentrates on mining and farmer on farming.
We know that our Zimbabwean economy is based on agriculture. In fact, agriculture is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy. If we are to allow everyone to just go and prospect at any piece of land that they would want it would then produce chaos. We want sanity to prevail in the mining sector so that people can be able to co-exist and work together. A person was given a 99 Year Lease for agricultural purpose and before that 99 Year Lease is through one suddenly finds someone busy in their field.
This has been happening in Penhalonga and Mberengwa where
people are mining in other people’s fields. The miners will tell you that they have come through the normal provincial channels to do that. It is not good for people to have conflicts between the miner and farmer. My plea Hon. Speaker is that we should quickly resolve and come up with a solution.
As Members of Parliament we should pass a law that mining should not supersede any sector of the economy. As one Arm of the
State we should say that there should not be any of the three Arms of the State that overrides the other. Before this conflict is resolved, no miners should go on to anyone’s land and start mining. I hope and trust that the Minister of Mines will be called within a short space of time so that he can deal with issues to do with mining and how the miners or artisanal miners are going to rehabilitate the land.
They should also bear in mind interests of the women and we should not lose sight of the fact that women are the majority. We should be asking women because they are more responsible people and they have a bigger responsibility looking after the family. They even have a bigger part to play in the development of this country. Once we do not give women their proper position our country will remain underdeveloped. I thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I also want to contribute to this topical issue which deals with factor endowments. When speaking of factor of endowments we are speaking of the theory of production. This theory talks of parameters mainly three or four which are the issue of entrepreneurship whereby we are comparing farmers and miners. The issue of land, which is the major issue in this particular instance and the issue of labour where some will chose to be miners and others will chose to be farmers. Research which was conducted in Ghana showed that Ghana was the second largest producer of cocoa in the world. Ghana was also the second largest producer of gold in the world.
Now they are very good in doing two things at the same time whereas when you look into the theories of competitive advantage and comparative advantage in international trade, sometimes you may have to chose one over the other but it is not necessary to make that choice. The research which was done showed that more people preferred farming to mining. It may not necessarily be the same, depending on where we are. If we look at Zimbabwe at this particular moment, I think it is divided into six agricultural regions. Sometimes if you look at the economic cost of foregoing one over the other, you may find that it may be better, economical and more strategic to do mining than farming or it can be vice-versa.
There is a nexus which does not make life very easy. What I think is that in terms of diversification we need to look into zoning and see what is best to produce sustainably in which area then we clearly zone it as a mining zone or agricultural zone. The problem that we have is we have one which is over the other and that balance is not there. If we look into history there are studies that were conducted which show that this area has got such mineral or is best for maize or cotton.
If we go into that research we will be able to follow the zoning that was done pertaining particularly to land and we will be able to divide it accordingly. Some areas have erratic rains yet farmers try to go and farm and year-in year-out there is drought. On the other hand had we allotted such areas to mining we may have made a better decision. So, there is need for co-existence between these two.
Let me go to a study that was carried out in Peru. The mining and agriculture industries signed a co-operation agreement whereby they would not fight but agreed to do things in agreed areas. Reconciling it might be very difficult but when push comes to shove and the juxtaposition is compared to nexuses at the end of the day, I think we need to zone our country in a way where the factor of production that gives the maximum benefit is the one that is followed. I thank you Hon. Speaker.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. N. MGUNI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday 29th June, 2021.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that all orders of the day be stood over until order number 26 has been disposed of.
HON. T. MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RIGHT TO BASIC STATE FUNDED EDUCATION
Twenty-sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the right to basic state funded education.
Question again proposed.
HON. JOSIA. SITHOLE: Thank you Mr Speaker Sir. I would like to express my gratitude over the debate on composite classes.
Among the Hon. Members who contributed are; Hon. Madhuku, Hon.
Shamu, Hon. Mushoriwa and many others. It was noted throughout the debate that composite classes are not easy to teach, particularly when we have got the new competence based curriculum. Primary schools are now geared for six subjects, which are set for examinations. These subjects are a local language, English, Mathematics, Social Science, Physical Education and Arts, Sciences and ICT. Such subjects if disintegrated will culminate into eleven components which a teacher has to scheme or plan for and in this case it becomes really difficult for a teacher who has to teach two or three classes because that load will not be manageable. Actually the competence based curriculum is not an easy one where a teacher teaches two or three classes because it involves a lot of practical components and in some cases the teacher has to leave the classroom, go outside and do some other activities with a class while the other one remains unattended or even two classes remaining without a teacher.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I felt quite elated as Hon. Members showed that a head of a school cannot be part of the full time teaching staff because that head will actually leave doing all other duties and also that the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare needs to bring about more teachers so that we are not going to have composite classes and hence improve the pass rate in our primary schools because it was observed, through researches, that a number of schools practicing composite classes were producing zero percent pass rates in most cases. So with that, Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to move that the report now be adopted.
Motion that:
NOTING that Section 75 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has a right to a basic state-funded education,
WORRIED that children attending composite classes are given less learning time than their counterparts who have fulltime teachers,
COGNISANT that primary school learners in Zimbabwe who are taught in composite classes register poor Grade 7 results,
DISTURBED that heads in composite class schools are fulltime teachers within the teacher to learner ratio,
NOW, THEREFORE, calls upon:
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to completely remove composite classes from our Education System.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to apply the teacher/class ratio for all small schools as opposed to the teacher/pupil ratio.
- The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to progressively recruit more teachers to increase the establishment of teachers in schools with composite classes.
- The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development to increase funding during annual budgets to facilitate provision of infrastructure and learning materials in these schools, put and adopted.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI seconded by HON. MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Eighteen Minutes past Five o’clock p.m. to Tuesday, 29th June, 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 16th June, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
INVITATION TO JOIN THE PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS STEERING COMMITTEE ON CHILD RIGHTS
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I wish to inform the Senate that the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights Steering Committee is requesting Senators who wish to join the Caucus to submit their names to Mr. T. Chiremba, Secretary to the Caucus. Mr. Chiremba is stationed in the Journals’ Office, Office No. 101, First Floor, Parliament Building.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 4 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I move that Order of the Day, No. 5 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. TONGOGARA: I move that Order of the Day, No. 6 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE VIRTUAL 48TH PLENARY SESSION OF THE SADC- PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 48th Plenary Session of the SADC- Parliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to add a few words regarding this very important motion that was raised by Hon. Sen. Mohadi. Mr. President, I agree with the mover of the motion that the Forum, because of its importance to the region, be capacitated both financially and administratively as has been alluded to by my colleagues, Hon. Members. The contribution by Member States is a true testimony of unity of purpose by SADC Member States.
Mr. President, we applaud the secondment of staff as secretariat from the National Parliaments. As Zimbabwe, we condemn in strongest terms the aggression that is taking place in our neighbouring sister country of Mozambique. I remember when last year, one of the Hon. Members of this august House raised the issue in this House as a security threat to Zimbabwe. Yes, we did not take this thing seriously because the danger was still minimal. Mr. President, I agree with the previous speakers that we fully support this motion because there is now need for SADC to pool resources together and confront this enemy as a united front. This is because an attack on one is an attack on all of us.
However, the question is why are these terrorist attacks concentrated in areas that are rich in minerals, oil and gas? The reasons are clear; they want to loot these resources. If you look at the situation in Mozambique, these people are not from Mozambique; they are trained and funded somewhere. So this shows that there is a foreign hand that is involved. As Zimbabwe, we express our total support and solidarity with the people of Mozambique and their Government. Again Mr. President, we hear of the resurgent of fighting in the DRC Eastern region, the rule of law and the sovereignty that was brought about in the DRC by the people like our Deputy President of the Senate Lft. Gen. (Rtd) L. Nyambuya is not threatened. It is true that we now need a regional response in order to counter the phenomenon from spreading to other SADC member states.
Lastly, Mr. President where there are wars taking place, the majority of the victims are women and children. So, I would like to thank our own Speaker of the National Assembly for leading this high powered delegation to this meeting held virtually. I also want to thank your Hon. Members who followed the proceedings from this meeting with keen interest. The Zimbabwean delegation Mr. President supported important recommendations and way forward on the proposed SADC Parliament and the transformation road map that was produced by the Joint Task Force that will pave way for a complete regional integration matrix.
Mr. President Sir, as Zimbabwe, I urge this august House to fully support this report and all the recommendations and the full implementation of them. With these few words Mr. President, I thank you.
+HON. SEN. MKWEBU: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to debate on the motion that was tabled by Hon. Sen. Mohadi on SADC Parliamentary Forum. It is very important that what happens in other countries especially our neighboring countries we should take serious consideration for it can also happen to us as a country. It was important for SADC PF to meet and talk about the issues that are affecting Mozambique so that tomorrow even if it is affecting us or other neighbouring countries, the neighbouring countries to Mozambique will be aware of such an issue. The terrorism that is happening in Mozambique is very painful and the way it is happening is disturbing.
Mr. President, as a neighbouring country to Mozambique we should see far beyond what the human eye can see, for what happens to your neighbour can also happen to you. We should be well prepared and increase our security so that the same terrorists will not come to our country. We heard the SADC Parliamentary Forum has met and they have come up with different resolutions. We should also sit even as a country and find a way of safeguarding our nation against such events.
Mr. President, it is very difficult and very disturbing when a country has disturbances especially in their economy. As developing countries we have our own problems and if our economy has been disturbed which is what is pushing our country to an extent that we have terrorists who are coming to attack especially our security sectors, it becomes very difficult. As Zimbabwe, I urge everyone especially our Government to see that they are safeguarding our economy against events that are the same like what is happening in Mozambique.
During war, you will realise that as SADC countries we used to protect each other therefore, we should do the same even to what is happening in Mozambique. As a country we are supposed to try and assist them in whichever way we can. I thank you Mr. President Sir.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you very much Mr. President for giving me an opportunity to support a report that was brought in by Hon. Sen. Mohadi, it is very important to us as a country and all other countries in SADC. I would like to thank the delegation of Zimbabwe that was there on this meeting. I would like to thank SADC that it must give a resolution to conduct such a meeting because it is a very important meeting. It discusses SADC issues, the war that is currently prevailing in Mozambique. We fully understand that matters of this nature need people to sit down discuss and map the way forward just like SADC. It is not only Mozambique’s problem but it is now a SADC issue and this has to be taken care of. We know that SADC is peaceful, we had never come across any problems such as that one in Mozambique.
This is our desire in SADC. A lot of enemies do not want to see Africa progressing, they do not want to see stability and peace in Africa. They instead choose to create chaos and war. There should be peace but these people are always fighting.
We are very thankful and such a resolution by SADC is actually very good for SADC. It encourages unity for all SADC countries which in turn cultivates peace and teaches that unity is very important because that will never give a chance to the enemy. All of us, united as SADC countries, are able to safeguard our own countries. When we are divided, it is more chaotic. The war in Mozambique is a very ugly one. It has resulted in the death of a number of people. We have seen people on television being injured and killed by machete wielding insurgence.
We are very thankful to the Speaker of Parliament who led a delegation and contributed to the resolution to see to it that we have peace as SADC region. This is what has caused countries like DRC to always be at war. It is caused by those who desire the riches that are found in that particular country. We see those who see our situation and say we are not deserving of these riches and minerals, hence they go behind our back and cause conflict.
It is our desire that SADC, when it comes to the issue of Mozambique, will come up with a sustainable solution and put an end to the conflict in that country. We want SADC to enjoy their own minerals and children to attend schools. Development that is supposed to take place should take place, but when there is war there is no development that takes place because that opportunity for development is taken away by conflict wars.
We are very thankful to the delegation that went and deliberated on the issue of the war in Mozambique. It will always come out right because they will be getting support from other countries in the SADC region.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President. I move that the debate be now adjourned.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 17th June, 2021.
MOTION
DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIBERATION HISTORY MODULES
Seventh 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. KOMICHI: Thank you very much Hon. President. I would also like to thank the Senator who brought this motion. I am very happy to contribute on this motion in the manner in which I see it. We might differ in the way that we see it, but my perspective on the issue is that our history as a country and also as Africa as a continent is very important. In most cases, some of these things are not written down; we just hear them as folktales. It is very important that these things are written down. We do not have an identity because of lack of written documents. It was a case for us because our history has been set aside for a long time and the concentration was only on the history of the white people.
When we went to school, we learnt a lot about Rhodes and Vasco Da Gama. We knew all of this because we used to cram and wrote exams, some which we passed and others which we failed because the things were written down. Our history of our heroes, no one wrote it. We also had an unfortunate situation, that we were taught to hate our own intelligence and ability.
What I am going to say is what I desire to see with the identity of Zimbabwe. Our children should know and should be proud of the people who led and participated in the struggle, our struggle as we fought those who had invaded our land; who are they. We should be proud of these things, but if you are to listen to the debates that come out on social media you actually see that there is a bit of disrespect for those people who fought well during the liberation struggle. Instead, there are praises for people like Bismarck. This is what was seeded in us to the extent that we actually hated ourselves.
There should be financial support for our history to be written down so that we build an identity. There are those who led in the first liberation struggle, for example Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Mapondera, Lobengula and many more. No one takes pride in this history. No one brags about such history. In as much as they talk about people like Hitler and other European big figures. They should talk greatly of such characters who led the liberation struggle in our country as much as they talk about those in Europe. We should get rid of that colonial mentality when we have identified ourselves. There is no nation that progresses without an identity even the Chinese. We are Zimbabweans, we are Africans because we have written something that is good and something that can be looked at as nation.
The past few weeks, I read from social media when people displayed their ignorance on why the statue of Mbuya Nehanda was erected in Harare, it was portrayed as if she was a god. That is when I saw that people of this nation at times are misled. We are not proud of the things that were done by our ancestors. Mbuya Nehanda is a woman who led the struggle, even Sekuru Mapondera and Lobengula. When we live as human beings, there are those people we should respect, even those from the Komichi family. We do not throw away our ancestral lineage.
In our community, there is a manner in which people live and there are different people who do great things for others, we should respect those people. The Lord lives but those whom we respect, we respect them because they are among us and they have done great things. We have community level, family level then national level. At national level that is where we see Lobengula and Mbuya Nehanda. We should be proud of the works they did for this country because they did a lot for us. They were arrested because they defended our identity.
The problem is we mix the Lord with those who gave birth to us, our ancestors. We mix and confuse the issues. When we say let us go and pay respect to Mbuya Nehanda, we are not saying we are praying to Mbuya Nehanda. We should not confuse the two concepts with praising the Lord and give respect to Mbuya Nehanda. This is a very good initiative which should be supported financially. The museum that is being built here in Harare should get all the support it deserves. Books should be availed that have history where people should give reference to. We even went to the Second Chimurenga where we have the living amongst us who participated in that liberation struggle. We were in the rural areas facilitating, coordinating in the rural areas. We should not look down upon ourselves. We should have our history. If we do not write these things, Hon. President, after 20 or 50 years, our children will never know what transpired during the liberation struggle. They will never know that a lot of people died, sacrificed their lives for us to be where we are today but each and every stage, there are people who performed above others whom we should honour.
I have one person whom I feel very emotional about, who participated in the Second Chimurenga. He touched my heart and even when he passed on, I was a very young man, I was 16. To me, he was like a mother, I really cried. I could see that every child of my age during that period wanted to be like the Commander. We used to envy him, he did a great job during the Liberation Struggle, he headed the ZANLA Forces. He was General Tongogara. There is also Nikita Mangena, Cde L. Masuku and many more. These are the people we should honour so that Zimbabwe knows what great work they did.
Children of Zimbabwe should all know this and they should acknowledge the work that was done by these great men during the liberation struggle. If we do not do that, their names will die a silent death, no one will ever know. I would like to thank the New Dispensation, I used to ask myself that when Cde. Tongogara passed on, did he not leave a family. I used to say where is she if he left a family and that is the woman who is seated with us in this House, Angeline Tongogara. For the past 37 years, she was hidden, we do not know where she was hidden. It was very painful because I used to look at what General Tongogara did. We could not see the link, there was a missing link. I was happy to see her in this House, I can confess. I went to greet her and I called here generalness; I was referring to the wife of the General. I was touched, my eyes were full of tears, she did not see it, I was so happy – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear] – I want to thank the New Dispensation for such a gesture.
Mr. Speaker, we lived for 37 years using a colonial name KG 6, one of the greatest barracks in the country. When I passed through the area one day, I saw the barrack written Tongogara. I was very happy and I am proud of that. I saw the Defence College written N. Mangena. I was happy that we are able to identify ourselves as Africans. These are some of the issues that we should be proud of when we look at developing the country. Without unity, there is no progress and you cannot do anything, you depend with others from outside. An idea that comes from Sen. Mwonzora, you do not listen to it because you do not have confidence in yourselves. When we have built a culture of where we came from and where we are going, which direction we are taking, together we can develop the nation. There is nothing that will fail if we move together as a nation.
Mr. Speaker, we are failing to do anything to the economy because we have not identified ourselves, we have not united as people. However in 1980, we got independent but going forward around 2000, we found another hero. If you remember very well how we lived in Zimbabwe, we had a very bad polarization. When it came to politics, we never saw each other eye to eye. If you remember very well the violence in the rural areas, houses were burnt and people were killed. We thought we were united but we were not. It was tested around the year 2000.
Then we look at the late Hon. Morgan Tsvangirayi, who said we should come together. We are now on talking terms. Hon. Sen. Mwonzora was at State House yesterday. We see that things are improving. Even in here, we are now talking to each other, we now have proper debates and we walk together. The man I look at as a hero is the late Hon. Morgan Tsvangirayi. He fought very well that Zimbabwe comes together and becomes one. He used the non-violence approach. This is the heroism that we should look at as a nation. When he joined Government in 2009 up until 2013, the economy improved.
We remember these heroes. Their profiles should be put in museums. As MDC T, we took the legacy from the late Hon. Morgan Tsvangirayi - that of dialogue and emphasis on unity. If children of Zimbabwe are together, we will have economic prosperity. We will not look at tribe but at everyone as Zimbabweans. Thank you very much.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Hon. President. I want to add my voice to this motion. Before I go on, I want to thank Hon. Sen. Tongogara for her vision that everything should be documented. The prosperity that we are enjoying and the fact that we now have black Senators is history on its own and should be documented.
We thank our citizens for respecting the chiefs because we have chieftainships. We were in bondage for 19 years and this should be documented so that our children would know. This would help them know how to handle this country going forward. I take Zimbabwe as the first line of chieftainship because it was fought for and every chief here knows that for them to have their areas of chieftainship, it was fought for by our elders. We fought for this country, so we should have proper history on how they did it like what one of the Hon. Senators said. We should respect the Mbuya Nehanda statue and everyone should know where we came from and where we are going. You see that surrounding countries have seen that our vision is very clear because we have a clear path on how we ended up where we are.
I think you know that we were once in the frontline states. In 1986 when Samora Machel died, we were students and all the students cried because they knew he was a hero and what he did in order for us to get our freedom. So, people should be aware of that.
Looking at what Zambia did by looking after our freedom fighters, despite the risks that they encountered, it is very important that it be documented that we are Siamese twins. It is just a border but we are one people. It is good to have everything written down so that people will know. It will be there for record sake. All the wars that are taking place in Mozambique are part of the history that we are writing down so that our leaders come together and come up with one thing so that they protect one another. We should be united in order to defeat the enermy.
I am very happy with the motion which was brought in by Hon. Sen. Tongogara. I am also happy that our Government has recognised that there are other people who helped in order for us to get our independence, like the “Mujibhas and Chimbwidos” and those combatants who were not on the war front. Now we will know how many people went out to fight. If we do not have records, our history will be distorted and a wrong signal will be sent to our people. Where we are right now, we are skilled and we know we have a lot of historians. We have people who have done it before. We have war veterans in this House. So we are very thankful because our history is now being compiled. We do not want people who lie. I think many people here witnessed the war and they know what it means. They have heard the sound of the gun. We are happy that our generation is embarking in the documentation of all this so that we come up with one good thing.
I just stood up to add my voice thanking Hon. Sen. Tongogara for the motion which is very good. Thank you Mr. President for according me this opportunity.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this important motion. First and foremost, I want to thank Hon. Sen. Tongogara for bringing this motion to this august House. This motion is a very difficult one to debate because if we think of the past, all the memories are brought back and when we talk about this motion we are talking about some of our citizens who died and were not seen where they are buried. Till today, no one can tell a story about where they are which is painful to all of us who were involved.
Some of them are disabled and they cannot walk, others are blind and they cannot even see because of the bombardment that took place during the war. History is not very clear, there is need for more research to uncover more information and archive it so that even the upcoming generations, whenever we talk about the liberation struggle, they will be able to know exactly what transpired because if it is left like that and when this generation of ours is gone, no one will tell the true story because it will not be written anywhere.
If we look at our history in the education sector which our children were being taught, it is a pity because they were taught about the history of the colonial regime which did not mean anything to us. Really, it was a question of someone passing “O” level in history with an “A” after reciting who Christopher Columbus or Vasco da Gama was. Did it add any value to our history? There is need for us to go back and do more research. I would suggest that if possible more funds should be allocated to this Ministry so that there is research on this issue and that we leave a legacy for our children.
One Senator talked about the widows whose husbands died during the liberation struggle. I will keep on repeating the issue of research because some of them are not known anywhere. It has come and it has passed on and their history is not known anywhere. I urge the women Senators to revisit this issue, visit our widows who are old because some of them cannot even walk, talk or see but need our presence. They need our company and laugh with us. If we just forget about them everybody will forget and even ourselves when we die we will be forgotten. The history of Zimbabwe is incomplete because we do not have our records written down.
For those who have had the chance of visiting places like Mozambique and Zambia where we have our mass graves, even if you do not have tears, if you just visit that place you will shed tears because it is a sorry sight. As we speak now, you will find that the most of our fighters were buried in mass graves but if you go there today, you see just a list of names. Their history is not very clear Mr. President, because that list has no information. Who is going to add that information if we do not have researchers who can dig deeper into these issues.
If you look at our Parliament building, there is that Heroes Gallery corridor where there is no information about the liberation struggle. I would suggest that at the new Parliament building, we should look for information that will reflect how Zimbabwe was liberated as we enter that new Parliament building. For those who will come to see the new Parliament or anyone entering Zimbabwe having a wish to see our Parliament, they will see a true reflection of our country, Zimbabwe. We all love and like our Zimbabwe. We all like our liberation heroes, but I am saying if this history is not written anywhere, it will be the end of the chapter. Our children will not be able to explain how Zimbabwe was won.
Even today, the new generation asks you silly questions on how Zimbabwe was liberated. If you tell them in Shona that Zimbabwe yakasunungurwa, meaning to say it was liberated, they will ask you - where was it tied so that we can also go and untie it? Those are silly questions that they ask you. It is not their fault because we have not told them the truth. They cannot read about the history of Zimbabwe anywhere. It is there but it is not deep enough for someone who did not experience this war, to understand what it really means. That is why we end up having these questions which do not have any meaning Mr President.
I think I have tdebated a lot. This motion makes one become very emotional when we talk about the liberation struggle. As we go out, let us go and educate our children and it should start as far as primary level so that they grow up knowing our history. As they say ‘catch them when they are still young’ In Ndebele they have a song, which says bafundiseni abasakhulayo. If they are not taught about the history of the liberation struggle, they will not know anything about it. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Tongogara for a motion which was well thought uot. So, by bringing it to this House, she wants it to be looked at. As Zimbabwe, we do not know our history. I went to school a long time ago but even if I am asked to sing Christopher Columbus today, I would sing, yet nowadays our children do not know anything about Mbuya Nehanda or Sekuru Kaguvi because we taught them English things only. We forgot our culture which we should value so that our children know our history. Our generations are passing away and our children will remain with no one to consult.
When the statue of Mbuya Nehanda was erected, there was a lot of talk and some even asked whether there was going to be some cultural activity, when it was said yes, they said it was unholy. They do not know that when we pray in our culture, we also say ‘take it to the most High’. I was very pleased to see Hon. Sen. Mohadi putting on an African dress with the Zimbabwe Bird. I think we should adopt this as our national dress. We can also follow the way Mbuya Nehanda used to dress. People will laugh at you but if someone puts on a short dress, they will say they are well dressed. We should go back to our culture because our culture has been distorted. Our children do not understand even the text books that they are reading. So, I think the history of Zimbabwe should start to be taught in schools. Even in private schools, they should learn Zimbabwean History. The history of the struggle of Zimbabwe should be written in a way that everyone will be acknowledged. It should not only be those who held top positions but everyone who participated should be recognised.
I was thinking that if the history was going to be written down, we should go down to where the Comrades were operating because people there know the Comrades who worked in their areas. They will guide those who would be gathering information as to who were on the ground and who perished. People know each other from the bases where they were operating from. Everyone who fought and died for Zimbabwe should be recognised.
I keep on thanking Hon. Sen. Tongogara because we are leaving behind our history. People know about Shakespeare but if you ask them about the history of Zimbabwe, they do not know anything. A lot has been said. I told myself that this motion cannot pass without me adding one or two words that our history of Zimbabwe is very important. We should not shun away our culture because we also honour God. Since we now speak in English, we have forgotten where we came from. If someone sees me with snuff, they will laugh at me. There is someone I asked for snuff this other day because I had a headache, and she thought that I did not know about its healing properties. We know our culture and we know it helps very well. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF NGEZI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion that was moved by Hon. Sen. Tongogara. This motion is very touching. As chiefs, we know that one of our own, Chief Mashayamombe’s head was decapitated and taken abroad and never brought back. I think many other heads or body parts were taken abroad. Children will learn about this in history but may the Government assist us in bringing back these body parts so that we will have them in this country to prove to our children. What it means when they take those heads, their intention was to create their own history. It was a trophy for them, it is a sign of conquering. They have decapitated, cut off the heads and went with them.
Where I come from, this is where Sekuru Kaguvi is buried but here is the problem. I do not think that there is anyone who knows this place and I have never heard anyone talking about this place. The grave does not even resemble that of an important person who did great things in this nation. The grave is in a bad state. There were a lot of things that were burnt in that place and a lot of miraculous things happened in that area. We should cherish that history and it should be kept very well. Sekuru Kaguvi did a lot of great things. It is my desire that we should not forget the history of such great people who did great things for this nation. We have a lot of things that we expect people to do in this country with regard to safeguarding this history.
There are a lot of people who were there during the events that took place during that time, they are still alive and they should assist us by telling us what really happened. Taking the sport of football for example, the difference between the spectator and the one participating is that the spectators see better than those who are playing in the event. What I am saying is as Chiefs we have a Chief who passed on recently, Chief Dendera. We should cherish the work done by some of these chiefs, even the spirit medium that guided people and the war veterans that went to war. Nothing just happens for no reason, they would appease firstly their spirit medium and follow the instructions from the mediums. Now the spirit mediums are not referred to but they are now being referred to as evil spirits. When you look at the white people who we envy, they can actually swallow and we can conform to what they want us to do and we assist them in doing their cultural rights. It is my desire that we abandon this idea to think that these people who do great things in our country are of low value. The only valuable thing is that which is brought in the country by eroplane. That is a very bad thing, we must remember a lot of good cultural things that we did.
People would ask for sadza from their spirit medium, it would come out and people would eat. This has never happened in America, our history is regarded as useless - that is where the problem is. We should take seriously the history of our nation. When we look at the likes of Chaminuka and Mbuya Nehanda, these people died and are now spirits but we have people who say worshiping of the dead is evil.
For Jesus Christ to have power he died, before that he had no power. He only acquired the power when he had passed on and resurrected. That is why Mbuya Nehanda said my bones shall rise, it was after her death that she became so powerful. Some war veterans were even shocked how they managed to be alive after the war - it is because they were guarded by spirits like Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi in the forests. With those few words, I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate. I want to believe that whether someone is dead or alive they should be respected. There is no great thing that we can do for someone except acknowledging the great works they have done. Back home, I remember, if I did something good like bringing mbeva, my mother would sing my totem for the great things that I would have done. We must acknowledge what the heroes of this nation did, even what people are doing as we sit here in this Senate. Even those who chair, it should be documented that he was in charge from this time to this time. This should be said even when they are still alive and this should be documented.
Yes, there is history but some of things must be written when people are still alive. There are a lot of things that bring people together. I was born in 1949, I witnessed the Zhanda war, and some people know it and some do not. Those who came from Malawi and Mozambique would say izanda and they were beaten up. We reconciled those people, and I will mention Cde Joshua Nkomo as one of the leaders. He said no these people are sons of the soil, do not go around beating up these people. Around the 60s we regarded each other as brothers and sons of the soil simply because we were blacks, and this brought unity amongst us. Where did this go? As long as you are black, you are a son of the soil. If you go back to that approach, we come together, we are united, nothing will come between us.
Christianity that came to us actually disturbed the concept of son of the soil. It actually changed that to say you are a Christian. If you say I am a Christian, you will see a lot of people following you and you are left behind if you are not one. The traditional approach and Christianity do not come together and do not mix. If you are introduced to traditional ways of living, you will actually find people with different views. You are actually left out alone with such views.
Our culture was destroyed by those from beyond the borders. It is my wish that we see a true history being written. We all know what really happened and what really transpired. It is our wish that the correct thing is written down. It will help us a lot. It will help the nation to understand what really happened on a particular day.
Mr. President, I would like the history of an individual who did very well to be written down. Those who did not do well, those who failed, let it be written down also. During our days of herding cattle, if you were called Chombe you would fight simply because you have been named Chombe. It was because Chombe had a bad history, he was a sell-out. He snitched on others. Chombe was written as a sell-out in DRC. No one wanted to be identified as him. My desire is to see the history for everything that has happened written down.
You see what the New Dispensation did in this country by erecting the statue of Mbuya Nehanda in town after I think 40 years. During the liberation struggle, these are the people they praised and prayed to for victory. They did not know that the country had been taken back to the children, sons and daughters of the soil, but now that we hve erected the statue they now know. Who will fail to know what transpired that year when Mbuya Nehanda’s statue was erected? Who will fail to know or understand the history?
In the Bible, it is written “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. When the living pass on they shall also be honoured. Why then honour someone who has not done the same deed to others? It is not possible. History should include everyone, those who did well: and those who failed. That is what the Bible says. The Bible clearly states out all the events and even mentions who sold out Jesus. It was Judas Iscariot. By now, we would not know Judas but we know him because of his acts and that is history.
It is our desire that history is written amongst the living. The truth, even the wrong things where they failed should also be written down so that children know and understand to say, these are the things that happened during a certain period. With those few words, I say thank you Mr. President. Thank you also Sen. Tongogara who moved this motion.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: Thank you Mr. President. I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Tongogara for this motion which she raised in this House, which is very pertinent.
Mr. President, I was thinking that this Hansard should be taken to the President because it is a good thing. It is an issue which is very important in our country. I was thinking that if this gets to the President, if he understands what people are saying in this House, if it were possible he should start from those whom he gave land. Probably the children of those we are talking about in this House only benefited two or six hectares, but the wise ones got more than 100 hectares.
Mr. President, one day I once said that as I am in this House there are people who liberated this country. I want to refer to those who were buried in Mozambique. If you go to the burial site, there are women and men who left children in that country who have no one who remembers them. Hon. Sen. Tongogara, I want to thank you for this motion. There are a lot of them who are not remembered.
I want to come back because last week I heard the Minister of Defence and War Veterans talking about vetting of war collaborators. Vetting should start with the people whom we are talking about. The names that are mentioned, probably they are of those whom we know and others are just silent. Do you know Mr. President, I once said in this House that if we were cultured people, we would not be poor in this country. I once said the children who went to fight for this country were sent by the ancestors, but we buried that and we took the white man’s culture. Mr. President, we are pleading that these people should be remembered. Why I said the Hansard should be taken to the President is because the President of this country has a vision for these people. He knows that if we remember these departed people, our country will do very well. Uneducated as I am I want my name to be written in the books of this country because I am, in this House but why do you want to uphold me only and you forget those who made us to be what we are today? Take this Hansard to the President so that our President reads it. Let us put our heads together. Thank you Hon. Sen. Tongogara.
We also have another problem that we do not want to debate important motions. We have some heroes who came back but they died due to COVID, we also want that history. There is Hon. Sen. Shiri and many others. We want their history to be documented, it is very important. When this vetting is being done, it should go back to the Chiefs because they have history of who went and came back from Mozambique. If it is done properly, we will not cry in our country, even this idea of getting vaccines from outside the country will be a thing of the past, those people will end up looking for vaccines here. I think we should remember the heroes that liberated this country. Mr. President, even in the history of Senate, you should also write my name. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. SEKERAMAYI: Thank you Mr. President. I rise to support the motion that was brought in this House by Hon. Sen. Tongogara on the importance of safeguarding the history of this nation. As, Zimbabwe, we went through difficult times. Whites came and they took the country from us. Our elders tried all they could, for example Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Chaminuka and Lobengula. They tried all they could to fight the white man but to fight the white man with fists whilst he had a gun was not an easy task.
Mr. President, after a few years, other countries where becoming independent until in our own country we came together and brought independence to this country. Organisations like African National Congress, National Democratic Party, ZAPU and ZANLA were formed. We came together and we fought and this bravery meant that one day we were going to spill blood. There was that dedication, that desire to say even if the white man had a gun, we had to fight and bring freedom. Old men, the young men, young women and old women sat down and deliberated on the next move. People crossed Zambezi to Zambia, some even went to Mozambique, Botswana and others went for training in Tanzania. Others went for training in Russia, China as well as Cuba. This is all history. If that history is not properly written, our children would not know. The history that was written by the whites is what we did at school and we passed that but it is important that we have our own history.
There are young men and women who left the country, some died on their way to unite with others who were fighting the white man. Others were trained and others were very unfortunate, they did not survive. It is up to us as a people to write all this history. There are very big names that we know of our leaders who were brave enough to fight the enemy. They were arrested and thrown in jail. The current President was arrested when he was very young and was sentenced to death but was fortunate enough because of his age, he could not be killed. This is how he survived. It was because of these people who gave up their lives so that we attain freedom. It was not easy for us. It took a very long period and whites did all they could to derail progress in this country so that we could not develop as a country. They were bombing camps and they even poisoned people so that the war could yield nothing but us as children of Zimbabwe, we remain defiant. These spirit mediums led us through. We never went back. Camps were built to train young men and young women in Zambia. Camps were made in Tanzania and Mozambique and other people were taught abroad. They came back and were deployed in different areas like Tete, Manicaland and so on. The enemy was fought to an extent that they actually acknowledged that it is no longer time to continue fighting but to have talks. It is during the talks that people undermined each other. It was a point where colonialists acknowledged that they could not continue. Defeat was imminent. Now we are able to write our history. Let us strive to write our own history so that our children understand where we came from. We should be proud of ourselves. Blood was not shed for nothing.
Our President opened the Museum for African Liberation, which gives chronological order of events on how things took place, where we came from, where we are and where we are going. That is very important. Let us continue.
I agree with the previous speaker who mentioned that it is very painful when we think of the likes of the late Josiah Tongogara. It is not easy Hon. President. We worked with the likes of the late Hon. Air Chief Marshal Perrance Shiri (Rtd) in here and this is the history we should be writing so that our grandchildren will understand where we came from. They should understand and develop this history.
Hon. President, if possible as Senate, we ask our President to have groups that we will go to different countries and see the graves of our colleagues who died during the liberation struggle. We should see where Cde. Tongogara was assassinated and locations where mass bombings took place. Where there were medical stores, the enermy poisoned and destroyed those places. Things that were done by the whites as we fought them are very painful. This is a topic we should take seriously.
This should get to the President and our desires should be made known - where we are and where we are going. It would be just two or three buses. We should go to Chimoio and see the graves. The fighters who were laid there were relatives to us. We have parents who never saw their children again. We will make such a request to the President so that we are able to go and see where our colleagues were laid to rest. If possible Hon. President, we can chose Members of Parliament from the Senate and National Assembly to have a team that writes our liberation history so that it is not an idea from few individuals.
The books that are written should reflect the aspects of the liberation struggle. Those of our colleagues who failed to make it to Zimbabwe, let their souls be happy wherever they are knowing that what they worked for well has been realised and the objective of going to war has been realised.
Hon. President, I just wanted to add a few words to say this topic is very important. This is the foundation of what we should do for the history of this country to be known by many out there. With these few words, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity.
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, 17th June, 2021.
MOTION
ADMINISTRATION OF FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the financing of football from the fiscus.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MKWEBU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 17th June, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 10 to 13 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 14 on today’s Order Paper has been disposed of.
HON SEN. FEMAI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND RECREATION AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON INDIGENISATION AND EMPOWERMENT ON THE STATE OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRES, THE EMPOWER BANK AND SPORTING FACILITIES
Fourteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the joint Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and the Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MBOHWA: I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to round up my report that I presented on Vocational Training Centres. I would like to thank all Hon Senators who debated on the report of the joint Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation and the Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment on the state of Vocational Training Centres, the Empower Bank and the sporting facilities.
Your support of the motion and recommendations made by the Committee in the report are appreciated. The strategic importance of VTCs, the Empower Bank and sporting facilities to the social economic transformation of Zimbabwe cannot be undervalued. VTCs empower our youth with entrepreneurial skills to venture into the small and medium business sector which currently contributes satisfactorily to the country’s gross domestic product. Closely linked to that, is the critical financing role of the Empower Bank which provides the much needed business start-up capital for the youth. Similarly, sporting infrastructure attracts better performance resulting on the abundant social economic benefits such as employment creation and revenue generation among others.
It is our Committee’s hope that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the Ministry of Youth, Arts, Sports and Recreation and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works will take our recommendations seriously. Having said that Madam President I now move that the report be adopted and also be removed from the Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion, that this House takes note of the Report of the Joint Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and the Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment on the state of Vocational Training Centres, the Empowerment Bank and Sporting Facilities in Zimbabwe put and agreed to.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND PROVINCE (HON SEN. MAVHUNGA), the Senate adjourned at Half-past Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 16th June, 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
REMOVAL OF MOTIONS FROM THE ORDER PAPER IN
TERMS OF STANDING ORDER NO. 107 (1)
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House
that with effect from today, all motions and notices of motions which have exceeded Twenty-one days and are still appearing on the Order
Paper will be removed pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order No. 107 (1). Once such motions are removed from the Order Paper, they cannot be reinstated within the same session. Hon. Members are therefore urged to take charge of their motions and notices of motions and should ensure that they do not exceed the stated time limit.
INVITATION TO JOIN THE PARLIAMENTARY CAUCUS
STEERING COMMITTEE ON CHILD RIGHTS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I wish to inform the House that the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights is requesting members who wish to join the Caucus to submit their names to Mr. T. Chiremba, Secretary to the Caucus in Office No.
101, First Floor, Parliament Building.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have got a list of Hon.
Ministers who have sought leave of absence from the House. The
Ministers are: Hon. Vice President, Dr. Chiwenga; Hon. Dr. F. M.
Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. Nzenza, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. Mathema, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. D. Garwe, Minister of
National Housing and Social Amenities ; Hon. K. Coventry, Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation; Hon. Soda Z., Minister of Energy and Power Development; Hon. Masuku, ; Hon. Chitando, Minister of
Mines and Mining Development and Hon. Musabayana, Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: On a point of clarification Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I just wanted you to probably help us in understanding your earlier statement when you said that motions that have lapsed a certain period have to be removed from the Order Paper with immediate effect.
My question and clarification that I want to seek Hon. Madam Speaker is that as you may be aware, we have been asking questions pertaining to how the Business of the House has been prioritised to the extent that even when we were waiting to debate one’s motion, the order of the House has not been very clear. I am seeking your indulgence to simply say that could the immediate withdrawal of motions not be extended to be given notice rather than to immediately remove those motions bearing in mind that the Business of the House is done by the Whips and sometimes when trying to move a motion, you will find that your motion will not be having priority at that particular moment.
I think the urgency of then saying today, do you not think that a notice or giving some days could suffice to give members sufficient time to dispose of their motions?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are Hon. Mushoriwa?
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Yes Ma’am.
THE HON. DPEUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mushoriwa, if you refer
to your Standing Orders booklet, it is provided for in the Standing Orders. This is just a reminder and I am sure that the Hon. Speaker has also spoken about it. So …
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Agreed Madam Speaker that it is provided in the Standing Orders but the same Standing Orders also provide the manner in which the Business of the House is to be conducted and apparently …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: So are you saying we should keep reminding you?
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Speaker, I am on record for I think three times questioning on how the Business of the House and even questioning on whether we still have the Business of the House Committee because sometimes it has been haphazard and this is the reason why I am saying, could you extend your indulgence in terms of allowing Hon. Members some leeway to dispose their motions rather than for them to wake up tomorrow to find that the motions that they wanted to close have been removed from the Order Paper?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mushoriwa, this is why I am issuing a reminder. Hon. Members can reinstate their motions in the next session.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
(v)*HON. T. ZHOU: Good afternoon Madam Speaker Ma’am.
My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Mhona. Hon. Minister, on which side of the road are drivers supposed to overtake? What can be done for our drivers to be aware of the fact that if they are moving at a slow speed on a dual carriage, they have to be on the extreme left than to continue on the right lane of the road to enable fast moving traffic to proceed and on which side of the road should they overtake. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Madam Speaker, I also want to thank the Hon. Member who is the MP for Mberengwa, Hon. Zhou. I want to thank him for his question.
He actually took the words from my mouth. We had put in place measures in partnership with the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe, to embark on a programme to educate drivers, that when you are driving in a dual carriage way what is expected but because of COVID-19 pandemic, we are unable to do that now. We wanted to raise awareness in Zimbabwe that these are some of the reasons why there is high road carnage because we are failing to adhere to the regulations that guide traffic on the appropriate lane to use. I am sure that once COVID-19 comes to an end, we will embark on this programme. We should educate our drivers so that we protect lives on the roads. I thank you.
(v)*HON. G. SITHOLE: My supplementary question is - when drivers are travelling during the night, when they want to overtake, some vehicles do not have very bright lights. Is it lawful for motor vehicles to have very bright lights which cause other motorists to be forced out of the roads? Is that legal? Thank you.
*HON. MHONA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would also like to thank the Hon. Member of Parliament for Chitungwiza, Hon. Godfrey Karakadzai Sithole for his supplementary question to the one that was posed by Hon. Zhou. Some of these things Madam Speaker, we put lights on some of the motor vehicles that are extremely bright as if they are going on a hunting expedition. I think as a country, we cannot come up with a law that we should have lights that will cause other road users not to see properly but as drivers, we should ensure that we do not flash the driver in front of you so as not to impair their vision. We should enlighten others to use the road wisely and to use it being mindful of the driver in front of you and not do anything that may cause an accident. I thank you very much for your question.
HON. NDUNA: I want to know from the Minister if there are plans to revitalise, revamp the highway code so that it is in conformity with the modern day trend and the infrastructure development that Hon. Zhou has alluded to and also with the SADC signage that has come into
play.
*HON. MHONA: Thank you very much Madam Speaker. Let me also hasten to thank Hon. Nduna for that very important question as a follow up to advise the House that Zimbabwe has signed the SADC Protocols in terms of the road signs and our highway code which is also under the purview of the Ministry. I am glad to say that we are in conformity to the standards and dictates of that protocol. That is going to be happening and it is actually happening. Thank you very much.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I just want to hear from the Minister; we have signed SADC Protocols on signage but we still do not see a lot of signage on our roads. If a foreigner came to Zimbabwe, they would be lost in this country. It is so difficult to find anywhere because the road signs are no longer there, especially on the old roads. What are they doing as a Ministry?
HON. MHONA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Let me also thank
Hon. Gabbuza Gabbuza for the pertinent question that he has raised.
Madam Speaker, if you notice that with the advent of the Second Republic, whatever we are renovating and whatever we are rehabilitating in terms of road maintenance, we are now putting the new SADC signage and others might be wondering what sort of signage we are talking about. We are saying those who are literate and those who are illiterate, they would all be in a position to use the same road. If you go through the new roads, we are putting this signage. I am glad that you have highlighted that old roads – yes, we do not have signage. I can assure you that as we partake into this very important project of the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme, we will make sure that we have signage that is in compliance with the SADC Protocol. Thank you Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, I would like to remind Hon. Members who are on virtual to switch on your video whenever you are speaking. Thank you.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My
question to the Minister is on provisional licences. When are we going to start testing people using sign language?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank
you Madam Speaker, let me also thank Hon. Mudarikwa for that. I am glad that this august House mandated to come up with relevant tools of legislation that would also facilitate some of the challenges that we face. I am glad to partake in the process whereby they can initiate that kind of an arrangement. As we speak, we are saying this is the desire of the 2nd Republic so that we comply with the Constitution fully in terms of what we are supposed to offer and these are some of the initiatives that as a
Ministry, we are welcome to work together with the Members of Parliament. Thank you Madam Speaker.
*HON. E. NCUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development. What measures does Government have to put to an end the people that are in the habit of waylaying customers in stores such as TM and OK who want to buy using cash and then they offer to swipe on their behalf in exchange for the cash. We ask this because we no longer see Z$2 and Z$5 notes in circulation in shops that we are buying. Is this not what we call mopping up of our cash? What do they need this money for that they are getting from the people who want to buy? I thank you.
The Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs having stood up to respond to a question.
HON. T. MLISWA: Uyu akatanga aenda kun’angaka uyu
achinobvunza-bvunza
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Mliswa.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Can you restrain
him Madam Speaker. He is out of order.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Mliswa Order please.
Order Hon. Mliswa!
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Can you restrain
him Madam Speaker. He is out of order, can you restrain him.
HON. T. MLISWA: He went to a witch-doctor this one, the Minister of Justice. He must be restrained from going to the witchdoctors where he went to.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Mliswa. Why are
you doing that?
HON. T. MLISWA: He did it.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are out of Order Hon.
Mliswa, this is not the platform.
HON. T. MLISWA: I will tell you that it will not work.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I will order you to go out
Hon. Mliswa if you continue doing that.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker,
he must withdraw his words or he must go out.
HON. T. MLISWA: No, you are not the Chair to say that. You went there.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Can you
withdraw.
HON. T. MLISWA: I have evidence and I can show you the evidence of the person he went to and it is in my phone.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Can you
withdraw. This is abuse of Parliament Madam Speaker.
HON. T. MLISWA: I have evidence.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, this is not the platform
Hon. Mliswa. You are actually abusing me, you are not abusing him.
HON. T. MLISWA: I have evidence and I can show it to you.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, I do not want to see that.
Hon. Mliswa, leave the House.
HON. T. MLISWA: Iwewe regera nyaya yokuenda kun’anga
uchitsvaka mafavours. You have been doing this for a very long time. You cannot send me outside when he was there. He cannot do that. He went to a witch-doctor and I have evidence.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, this is not Mashonaland
West. No Hon. Mliswa.
HON. T. MLISWA: You were supposed to ask for evidence not
to chuck me out of the House unless if he is using the same spell on you again. Ndizvo zvaanoita, mishonga yake yaanoita and ndakuexpoza.
Hon. Mliswa was escorted out of the House by the Serjeant-atArms.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker
I think this is unbecoming behavior in the House and I propose that action must be taken. It is not the first time. On several occasions he causes commotion in the House, he does not respect anyone and I believe that he is abusing his presence in the House, particularly on
Wednesdays to abuse the House. I think it is high time that the Hon. Member is investigated by Parliament. He has been abusing Ministers, fellow MPs and everyone else and I do not know why we have been lenient with him. He does not respect the rules of this House and he does whatever he wants and abuses everyone. I believe that as Parliament, we must investigate his behavior. He has been doing this for a very long time and these incidences are well documented. I plead with you Madam
Speaker that an investigation be done on his conduct in this august House. He is a shame to this House.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have noted your concerns
Hon. Minister. I will give a ruling tomorrow. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Regarding the
question about those who will be in short and requesting shoppers to exchange cash for swiping, Madam Speaker, Deputy Minister, my understanding is we do not have a law to regulate such conduct. I will defer the question to the Deputy Minister to say do we have any policy as regards those that go to shops coercing shoppers to give them or negotiating with shoppers to give them cash in return to swiping? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE (HON.
CHIDUWA): Thank you Madam Speaker. What I can say with regards to the vice that we are seeing these days where we have got currency dealers who are dealing in the illegal parallel market soliciting for those who are shopping so that they can swipe for them. First of all, I would want to say it is an illegal activity but in terms of the policy, the illegality is on the use of parallel market activities but with regards to someone going in the shop to swipe for whoever on their behalf, at the moment, we do nto have a law that is stopping such practices. So, that is the position that is there but what is illegal is the parallel market activities. Thank you.
HON. GONESE: Thank you Madam Speaker. My supplementary
question to the Hon. Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development is whether this is not a symptom because apart from those who are asking consumers for cash so that they can swipe for them, we also have a proliferation of people at our supermarkets who are exchanging USD. These are asking consumers to give them USD so that they can use either ecocash or a swipe to purchase goods from the supermarkets.
My question therefore is, is this not a symptom that the policies of this Government are not working? Firstly, there is a shortage of cash which is why people would then go and ask to swipe on behalf of others so that they can get cash. In terms of foreign currency, the policies that the auction rate is viable are not working because the reason why people would then exchange USD for a different rate is because the current auction rate is not sustainable.
For people who go to the supermarket to continue doing that is because there is a market and the only reason why there is a market would be that the policies are not working, the auction rate is not sustainable and it is not commensurate with market forces.
(v)HON. T. ZHOU: On a point of order! The Hon. Member is now debating instead of asking questions.
HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. What I would
want to submit is the fact that there is a parallel market and the fact that we have got people who are dealing in illegal activities does not mean that whatever they are doing is correct.
The market is driven by market fundamentals; the Dutch Auction System is an open system where those who would want to buy foreign currency should go and bid. There is no control over the bids that are submitted by bidders. Whatever comes from the auction is a reflection of demand and supply. Anything outside that is done by speculators.
The existence of speculators does not mean that the Dutch Auction System is not efficient.
Our system is efficient but what we need to deal with is the issue of greediness, economic saboteurs and those who think that they can benefit from arbitrage. Arbitrage is not only existent in Zimbabwe. Speculators are everywhere and the issue of the differential between the market and the parallel market rate is not something that is peculiar to Zimbabwe, it is everywhere. The moment the differential is driven by greediness, then it becomes a challenge to us and this is why we had to come up with those intervention measures but in terms of the efficacy of the auction system, we are happy that the auction system has brought stability in prices.
However, whatever problems that we are facing because of the intervention that we have made, these are transitory problems. It is a normal economic activity. What we are doing in terms of the intervention that we have done is that we are mopping up excess liquidity in the market. You will see that this is going to curtail a number of those parallel market activities. In terms of the efficacy of the market, we are happy with the performance and what is coming out of the market is a reflection of market forces, demand and supply for foreign currency. I thank you.
HON. MUTOMBA: My supplementary question to the Deputy
Minister of Finance and Economic Development is that is it not possible to come up with a Statutory Instrument which must enforce these supermarket dealers or business people not to trade in cash. Their business is to trade in goods, now, if we are letting these people trade in cash, it means they are now competing with banks or Bureau de change.
Why are we allowing them to trade in cash? What could actually be happening is that they will be selling products, cash is being left at the till and that cash is taken into the rmarket so much that they can buy the entire USDs which is supposed to be coming in so that we can get some tax. I thank you.
HON. CHIDUWA: Thank you Hon. Member. We have already
started engagements with the Confederation of Zimbabwe Retailers to ensure that they rein in their members. We started off with moral suasion. From the monetary point of view, it is not difficult. We can wake up tomorrow and limit all swipe transactions per card to one shop. This will mean that people may not be able to swipe more than twice in one supermarket. Again, these are some of the policy options that are there but at the moment, we have engaged the CZR and they are engaging their members. After that, when we do the review, if it continues, then we will be able to come up with policy interventions. However, at the moment, we are at a stage where we are engaging the retailing community to stop the practice.
HON. G. SITHOLE: My supplementary to the Hon. Deputy
Minister is that, I would want to know what the Government is doing in terms of policy measures to ensure that the bond note that we are using is also acceptable internationally and regionally. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHIDUWA): The issue of the
convertibility and regional or international acceptance of our currency – as we speak now, the Zimbabwean dollar is accepted regionally and internationally through the exchange rate. Not every currency is convertible. We are looking at currencies like the United States dollar, the Euro, the Chinese and all that. Not every currency can be accepted in every country. Every country has its own currency and that is what is being used locally. When you want to do international and regional transactions, then you go to your bank and convert to the accepted currency in that destination. When we are using the exchange rate, it means our currency can be used locally and regionally via the exchange rate. There is no need for us to come up with a policy position to say we would want our currency to be used in the United States. We use the exchange rate.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: For the benefit of those Hon. Members who are on the virtual platform, the following Hon. Ministers are in the House; Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,
Hon. Ziyambi; Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting
Services, Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa; Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs, Hon. O.C. Z. Muchinguri-Kashiri; Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology
Development, Hon. Prof. Murwira and his Deputy Hon. Machingura; Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Mhona; Minister of State for National Security, Hon. O Ncube; Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Chiduwa; Deputy
Minister of ICT, postal and courier Services, Hon. Phuti; Deputy
Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Kambamura; Deputy
Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. Chombo; Deputy Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Hon.
Simbanegavi; Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Moyo; Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, climate and Rural and Resettlement, Hon. Dr. Masuku; Deputy Minister of
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon. Mabhoyi and Deputy Minister of Energy and Power Development, Hon. Mudyiwa.
HON. MUSARURWA: My question is directed to the Minister
of Justice. According to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, it is clear on the rights of accused persons in terms of Section 70 (v), that any person who has been tried and convicted of an offence has a right to have their case reviewed and appealed against both conviction and sentence. Why is this right taken away through unreasonable delays which cause a lot of people to suffer for years? What is Government policy on unreasonable delays in hearing and determining appeals? Is it not a misconduct of the judiciary to unreasonably delay hearings and determination on appeal causing a lot of people to suffer in prison?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker, you will notice that recently, the President appointed Constitutional and Supreme Court judges. We also want to appoint more High Court judges. The reason why this move was being taken is because we acknowledge that there were delays in ensuring that cases are expedited. As we add more staff to the bench, we will ensure that cases will be dealt with accordingly.
HON. GONESE: My supplementary question to the Minister is
based on the adage that justice delayed is justice denied. We have a situation where Hon. judges, magistrates and all members of the judiciary sometimes take inordinate delays in pronouncing judgements. This also applies to bail applications which in terms of the Constitution are urgent matters. There have been some guidelines relating to the period of time within which judgements are supposed to be written. We are now having a situation where this is not being adhered to.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: May you ask your question
Hon. Gonese?
HON. GONESE: As Government, do you have any policy in
place to ensure that this situation is adhered to because this is not just a question of personnel but of the presiding officers not appreciating the inconvenience and injustice to the affected accused person? What is Government planning to do so that this situation can be addressed and does not persist?
HON. ZIYAMBI: The original question indicated the
constitutional position which ultimately is the policy and has also indicated that justice delayed is justice denied. All efforts must be made to ensure that we realise that goal, of ensuring that justice is dispensed quickly. The policy of Government remains the same – to ensure that justice is dispensed as quickly as possible.
*HON. KARIMAZONDO: My question is directed to the
Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement.
What is Government’s policy as regards to the issue of rabies? Once a person has been bitten by a dog, what is the individual supposed to do? *THE MINISTER OF LANDS, AGRICULTURE,
FISHERIES, WATER, CLIMATE AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT (HON. DR. MASUKA): I thank the Hon. Member
for the question. Rabies is one of the diseases that should be reported to the Government department so that we move around inoculating dogs so that they are protected from rabies. Once one is bitten by a rabid dog, we urge the individual to go to the hospital and the owners of the dog would be asked why their dog is not vaccinated against rabies as per our laws.
*HON. KARIMAZONDO: I thank the Minister for the clear
elucidation to the question. When one goes to the clinic, for one to be assisted once they have been attacked by a rabid dog and goes to the clinic, for one to access drugs, they are asked to buy their own medicine which is not readily available and the drugs are very expensive. What can Government do to assist the people because the majority of the people are failing to buy this medication? I would want to give an example of what happens when we look at the issue of HIV/AIDS.
People might contract the disease through enjoyment or not but being bitten by a rabies dog is not by choice. Can Government take into consideration measures to ensure that the victims are assisted?
HON. DR. MASUKA: I thank Hon. Karimazondo for the question
he posed. I will start by saying prevention of rabies is to encourage everyone to have their dogs vaccinated annually. In the unfortunate event that one has been attacked by a rabid dog and they go to the hospital, I will then say the issue of drugs falls with the Ministry of
Health and they are in a better position to talk about the pricing of drugs. I may not be the best person to comment about the prices but people should pay in terms of the drugs that they can access because they are a Ministry on their own that deal with such issues. I thank you.
(v) *HON. SARUWAKA: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Minister is that how can communities be assisted to enable them to be allowed to buy this rabies vaccination once the Government fails to do that. I have an incident that occurred in my constituency when the community wanted to buy the drugs, they were told that they were not allowed to buy the drugs. There are rabid dogs and the community would want to assist but they are told they cannot do so but we are also hearing that the Government does not have sufficient funds to do so. How best can this be resolved so that the community can play a hand once the Government has failed to come up with the drugs? Thank you.
HON. DR. MASUKA: Thank you for the question that has been
raised that there are certain communities that would want to assist the Government by buying the drugs because the Government will not be having them. That was in the past. At the moment, the drugs are available. If they have any problems they should indicate the area where there is that problem and we will attend to it so that they can access the drug. We urge all dog owners to know that they are obliged to have their dogs vaccinated annually. Thank you.
HON. KASHIRI: We recognise that the Deputy Minister of
Health is now in the House. There is part of the question that Hon. Karimazondo asked about the fees or the value of the medicines that are required to treat rabies as compared to somebody who is getting free medicine for HIV/AIDS if he may assist in terms of that?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(HON. DR. MANGWIRO): Thank you Hon. for asking for this
clarification about the rabies vaccine. I will take it a step further to say rabies is an extremely fatal disease if it is not treated properly. The Minister of Agriculture has explicitly expressed that all dogs must be vaccinated because the rabies disease is fatal. If a person is bitten by a dog, the owner of the dog must produce a certificate of vaccination to prove that the dog was vaccinated. If it is a wild dog or that one met in the streets or does not have a certificate, we presume the dog has rabies and a person must be given an anti-toxin, the anti-rabies vaccine.
So, the vaccine is generally available in our hospitals. As to the prices, if you go private it would be expensive but in our Government hospitals, I may not have the cost price itself but generally it is available. Most of the times depending on the hospital, it is at times given for free depending on the situation. However, about the prices I will clarify and give you the specific prices. I am sure if people have money and the
Hon. Minister has said the vaccines are available, I do not see it being a criminal case if one can afford to buy and I will definitely encourage those who can and make sure our people are protected. I will definitely bring the correct prices and the general availability of these anti-toxins for the rabies virus.
Like the Minister said, we generally encourage people to make sure their dogs are vaccinated. What I might also say to the Minister is that control of wild and roaming dogs, I think needs to be upped a bit especially in towns. We definitely need to take control of these. Also, rabies comes from other wild animals like foxes and those also need to be controlled. It has been found that at times cats can transmit the same disease. I am sure we definitely need to take control of these. As for the prices, I repeat I will get you the correct figures and bring them to you.
(v)HON. NGWENYA: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. I understand in 2020, they received a grant in aid for the rehabilitation of schools all over the country. Most of the schools however have not received that grant in aid. May the
Ministry please clarify the position?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. E. MOYO): I would like to
thank the Hon. Member for the question. The grant in aid meant for rehabilitation is given to us by Treasury and sometimes those resources may not be enough to go round all deserving schools. However, as releases are being made, those grants are made available to deserving schools. The process of getting the grant is that the affected school makes representation to the district office which makes their own assessment and recommendations to the province and then it comes to head office. Upon releases from Treasury, those monies are then released to the schools for rehabilitation. I thank you.
(v)HON. NGWENYA: My supplementary question is, I need
clarification. I realise that most of the schools getting grants are for 2021 but some of the schools that applied for 2020 grant have still not received anything. Is there any priority that you use as Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to select certain schools at the expense of other schools?
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you for the supplementary question. I think that question might be related to a specific instance for which you can get all the details so that we can investigate. Otherwise these grants are issued on a first come first served basis. So, if there are people that applied in 2020 and did not get grants whilst those who applied in 2021 got the grants, then we need further details to investigate and then give you a detailed answer. I thank you.
(v)HON. MOKONE: My question is directed to the Minister of Information and Publicity. Some time towards the end of last year we saw the Ministry issuing six television licences to new broadcasters and six community radio licences. When are these radio and television stations going to start operating because we are now in mid-year and going towards the end of the year before they start operating? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND
BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I
want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. The issue of access to information to all our people in this country is what Government is rolling out. The issuance of six licences to commercial televisions is one direction to ensure we bring in more players into the media space. The licences were issued through BAZ, the statutory body which is mandated to issue out licences. The process went very well and the six licences were issued. We have no doubt as a Ministry that within the set deadline of 18 months we will certainly have commercial televisions being rolled out. They have 18 months, to go through the whole process, put their issues together and make sure that they flight their televisions.
HON. NDUNA: My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Hon. Kambura. What is Government policy in relation to the operations of the provincial mining directors cognisant of the fact that in the Act that he presides over, the current Mines and Minerals Act, I have not seen the inclusion of mining directors but only of the mining commissioners. What is Government policy in relation to the operations of the mining directors?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBURA): I want to thank the Hon.
Member for the question. It is not Government policy or is it a policy as such but when provincial mining directors were appointed, they were appointed riding on the powers and authority of the Permanent
Secretary, who is the Chief Mining Commissioner …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are no longer connected
Hon. Minister.
HON. KAMBAMURA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I
would like to thank Hon. Nduna for the question. I would like to point out that the appointment of Provincial Mining Directors was done under the authority of the Permanent Secretary, who is the Chief Mining Commissioner but we have since noted the anomaly and have included it in the amendment of the Mines and Minerals Bill that will be coming to Parliament soon. In the amended Bill, we have factored that aspect but they will be referred to as Mining Directors in the amended Bill. Thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to
thank the Hon. Minister for his eloquent response. Would it please the Hon. Minister to hold in abeyance the actions of the Mining Directors in so far as eviction or the cancellation of licences of people who hold title to claims until their operations or offices have been regularised? I am alive to the fact that there are only seven courts that have been commissioned by the Constitution but the Mining Directors are acting as a court in terms of despoiling those who hold title in terms of disputes and otherwise. Would it please the Hon. Minister to hold in abeyance their actions so that they can be regularised and after regularisation then the Mining Directors can carry on their duties with impunity?
HON. KAMBAMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. The
Office of the Provincial Mining Director is fully constituted and as I have said, they ride on the powers of the Permanent Secretary and have the right to sit over disputes, of which …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: You are not connected Hon.
Deputy Minister.
HON. KAMBAMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am, the
office of the Provincial Mining Directors is fully constituted and as I indicated before, they ride on the powers of the Permanent Secretary who is the Chief Mining Commissioner. So they are allowed to sit over disputes and also to decide on cancellation of mining titles after referring matters to the Permanent Secretary. Where the miner is not satisfied with the ruling, he/she can appeal to the Hon. Minister before the Mining Director finally cancels the mining title. If there is a specific issue that Hon. Nduna has, he should put it in writing and bring it forward so that we investigate the matter. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: On a point of clarity Madam Speaker! – [HON.
- NDEBELE: Inaudible interjection.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Ndebele! – [(v) HON. MBONDIAH: Hon. Speaker, my hand has been up, I am on virtual!] – I am following these lists Hon. Member. Hon. Nduna, please proceed.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My point of
clarity rides on the Constitution which is the supreme law of the land.
Section 2 of the Constitution says, “Any Act of Parliament which is inconsistent with the Constitution should be repudiated to the extent of its inconsistency”. The Constitution recognises seven powers of the court. What has given the Mining Directors the powers that the courts have? Their actions are with impunity, without approaching the courts for eviction or cancellation of the licences. What is it that is informing their action that is above the Constitution? This is the point of clarity Madam Speaker Ma’am.
HON. KAMBAMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. I
would like to thank Hon. Nduna for the supplementary question. Unfortunately, I do not have the Act with me here but it is clearly stated that they can cancel a mining title. So if you can check with me Hon. Nduna, I will give you the exact sections that refer to that part.
I am not quite sure about the point that you brought forward that there are some irregularities. I think for the past few months, we were carrying out consultations during the amendment of the Mines and Minerals Bill. I think if ever there are any irregularities that you noted, you should have brought them forward. I would like to thank you, if ever; you brought some forward to be considered in the amendment of the final Act. I thank you.
(v)HON. MASENDA: Madam Speaker, it is Hon. Masenda on
virtual. Is that in respect to Written Questions?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: No, it is Questions without
Notices.
(v)HON. MASENDA: I did not book my name for Questions
Without Notices.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Your name is on the list. –
[(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: May I replace him Hon. Speaker?] – No!
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.
My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government and Public
Works. Considering the disasters that we have been experiencing during the past rain season in towns like Harare where there was a lot of flooding and destruction of houses, what is the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works doing about construction by people through our local authorities where houses are being built in waterways and wetlands in rural local Government authorities?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon.
Speaker and thank you for that question from Hon. Madhuku.
Of course and for sure the rains wrecked havoc and a lot of destruction, especially to our infrastructure. As such, Central
Government has set up a committee in the Cabinet that is led by the Vice President Hon. C. G. N. Chiwenga which looks at dysfunctional settlements. There is a programme that is going around identifying those structures or buildings that need immediate attention and a budget has been set aside for that. I thank you.
(v)HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Madam Speaker, my question is
we are saying local authorities in the rural areas are continuing to allow construction of houses in wetlands and in waterways yet we have learnt a lesson from Harare. What is being done about these local authorities?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would want to thank Hon. Sithole for that follow up question. The programme for dysfunctional settlements is being done all over the 10 provinces and there was an investigation that was done to identify those areas or those structures that have been put on wetlands especially. By so doing, we are trying to identify who put those people on wetlands. If they are land barons, they are going to be taken to book and pay for that. If it is local authority, they have to pay for that and if it is the central government, they also have to pay for that but because the central Government is responsible for all the humans, we have to make sure that all the people have been resettled on the right place and we address who the issues after we have made sure that they have been resettled.
For now, we have put in place systems whereby no one is supposed to be constructing anything especially on wet lands. My Ministry will be very happy to be given that information if there is any local authorities that are still perpetuating that kind of act. I thank you.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Madam Speaker. It has become knowledge with local councils to issue stands presumably to build lodges within dams’ water bodies. What is the policy regards such practice. We have seen lodges sprouting around dams within towns and definitely they will mess up water bodies. What is the policy regards?
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Madam Speaker and thank you very much Hon. Kashiri for that question. When somebody is allocated a stand and mostly if it is for commercial, you have to get EIA from EMA to see if that place is suitable for that kind of construction. As somebody within the area, you are supposed to question especially if you are an MP and you see there is an anomaly, you question that and you are free to go and check if all that has been done especially the EIA before that construction. If it has not been done, you are free to lodge a complaint and that can be taken to court and be addressed. I thank you. (v)HON. MBONDIYAH: Thank you Madam Speaker. My
question is directed to the Minister of Mines and Mining Development. What is Government policy regarding the pits and gullies left open by small scale miners leading to the loss of livestock and human lives?
Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): Thank you Madam
Speaker. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for the question on open pits that are left by miners after they have extracted minerals. It is Government that the miners must fill up or rehabilitate those pits after mining, failure of which heavy penalties must be put on them. The
Ministry is currently working with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to see that miners comply to both the Environmental Act and the Mines and Minerals Act. We are looking forward to seeing the miners in the sector as our teams will be going around the country to monitor the activities of the small scale miners. I thank you Madam
Speaker.
(v)HON. MBONDIYAH: Hon. Minister is there stipulated fine, if so what is the fine?
HON. KAMBAMURA: Madam Speaker, teams from the
Ministry of Mines are already on the ground doing that task, checking on compliance but officials from Ministry of Environment will be joining us soon but I do not have the exact dates of when they will be joining our teams but we will advise the Hon. Member when I check with the Ministry of Environment as to when they will be joining our teams. It is something that we have agreed with them that they will be joining our teams to check on compliance throughout our mining areas. I thank you.
HON. A. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, on the question of
unsustainable mining activities, could the Minister appraise this House on what his Ministry is doing to contain the activities of Chinese nationals who continue to practice unsustainable river bed mining? I ask this question on the background of the fact that this morning, the media was awash with pictures of irresponsible river bed mining taking place in the Rushinga mining area. Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): Thank you Hon.
Speaker. I think this is not a follow up question but it is a new question altogether. However, I will try to answer the question. River bed or alluvial mining was banned by Cabinet last year and I hear that there are people who are still doing that, they are doing it illegally. I call upon the Minister of Home Affairs to look into that. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUCHIMWE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like
to applaud His Excellency President E. D. Mnangagwa for his restless effort -[AN. HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjection]-
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members. Hon.
Muchimwe, please ask your question.
(v) HON. MUCHIMWE: My question is the road has ended.
Hon. Muchimwe not having been clear on virtual
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Muchimwe, please may
you write down your question so that the Minister will investigate and give you an answer.
(v)HON. MUCHIMWE: Okay, thank you very much.
HON. P. DUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is
directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement. What is the minimum distance between the main roads and the resettlements?
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam Speaker and I want to thank the Hon. Member for that particular question which is very technical and I think he will get a very good answer if he puts it in writing.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. P. Dube, I think you
have taken note of what the Minister has said. Put your question in writing. Thank you.
HON. P. DUBE: Thank you Hon. Chair.
*(v) HON. CHINOTIMBA: My question is directed to the Minister of Agriculture. What is Government policy concerning deforestation which is taking place during the winter season? People are cutting down trees. What does Government policy say concerning people who are wantonly cutting down trees? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND
BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA):
Thank you Madam Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Member for his question on deforestation. The people who are cutting down trees are destroying the environment and those people should be reported to the police so that they are reprimanded. Thank you.
(V)*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Thank you Hon. Minister. People are
reporting to the police but nothing is being done. The police say that it is work that is supposed to be done by EMA. When we approach EMA, they will tell us that they do not have any police to do that work. EMA will also refer you to the police yet the police also expect us to go to EMA. What then are we are supposed to do?
HON. KAZEMBE: If that is what is happening, then Hon.
Chinotimba as a representative of the people, you can take up the issue to the District Inspector, Police. However, I would like to explain what happens with such issue but, I believe the Minister of Mines and Mining Development touched on that issue.
What normally happens is that when the police say that it is a responsibility of EMA, what they mean is that the department that deals with deforestation is EMA because they know the policy. I want to mention what the Deputy Minister of Mines said, that if people are mining in the wrong places, the police should bring them to book. In most cases, the custodians of the law are responsible. The police are not saying EMA is responsible but they are saying EMA is the custodian of the Act.
However, what would have been done in terms of the environment
is a criminal offence. If the police realise that this activity is unlawful, they have the right to arrest people. I urge Hon. Members of Parliament, if you come across cases whereby the police have erred or ignore such issues, you should take it up with my Ministry or even to consult the District Inspector, Police. I thank you.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Do we still have structures that we used to have way back whereby within our local communities there were people who were actually working together with the local leadership, the chiefs and headmen to ensure that there was no cutting down of trees?
*THE MINISTER OF INFORMATION, PUBLICITY AND BROADCASTING SERVICES (HON. SEN. MUTSVANGWA): I
want to thank the Hon. Member for the supplementary question concerning the work being done by EMA. I believe this is not a policy question but the issue here is that they are not doing their duty. I will take this matter to the Minister of Environment and Tourism to look into the work that is being done by EMA.
The question that is mainly centered on structures that used to be there way back in the communities - those structures that ensured that no deforestation is taking place are still there. I believe they would not do away with those structures because their work is important but when referring to the different areas, I think the question should be put in writing so that the relevant Minister can give a clarification on the structures in terms of protecting the environment.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question goes to the Hon. Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Kambamura. I would like to know the magnitude of the steel project to be put in Manhidze and if the Government was consulted in the eviction of the 800 people who were affected by the project. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): Thank you Hon. Speaker.
I would like to thank Hon. Kashiri for the question about the project in
Manhidze. Initially, I would like to point out that there is no figure like 800 people being evicted. The word eviction is not proper in this regard but if ever there are people to be removed, they will be relocated.
The project to be set up in Manhidze, Mashonaland East will be of great magnitude such that the company will produce about 1 million tonnes of carbon steel per annum. It will be one of the largest plants in the whole of Africa. The industrial park to be set up will employ about 2000 local Zimbabweans.
Currently, desk top projects that are yet to be done involve the building of a dam along the Munyati River, construction of a power line from Sherwood to Chivhu, the refurbishment of a railway line from Mvuma to Chivhu and the construction of a road from Chivhu to the project site. Currently, there is no determination that has been made as to how many people will be relocated. There is an EIA that is being undertaken and after the conclusion of the EIA report, that is when the company will know how many families will be moved from the project area. They are yet to determine the exact location of the project area and to see which families will be affected. Whatever will be done in the relocation of the families, it will be done in consultation with the local leadership and also the company will undertake to meet all the costs of relocation which include building of houses for the affected families.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: My supplementary question to the Hon.
Minister is will the resettlement programme of the affected families in Chivhu be within the World Bank recommended standards of resettlements because the people are settled on mining industries?
HON. KAMBAMURA: I would like to point out that currently, we do not know if ever there are going to be any relocation to be made. As I have said, there is an EIA process that is being undertaken. It is after the finalisation of the EIA report that we will know if ever there are families to be relocated. I would like to assure you that the company is committed to follow all our legislation with regards to relocation of affected people in mining areas.
(v)HON. GANDAWA: It appears that there are people who are going to be moved. The Minister has mentioned that there is likely to be construction of a railway line and obviously people are going to be moved. What preparatory plans are there to ensure that those who are going to be moved from those places are taken care of adequately?
HON. KAMBAMURA: I have said that the company is going to
refurbish an existing railway line. On the existing railway line, there are no families that are staying there. Any refurbishment is going to be done after an EIA report has been completed...
(v)HON. TOFFA: On a point of order, the Minister is not responding to the question that has been asked by the Hon. Member.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Minister please respond
to the question which has been asked.
HON. KAMBAMURA: That is what I was doing. Maybe the
Hon. Member can wait for me to finish.
In my initial response, I indicated that the company shall be refurbishing an existing railway line and in conclusion of the current EIA report, if ever there is need to relocate people, that will be done according to our legislation and that will be the mandate of the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture to find a suitable place to relocate or move the families that will be affected. The company will meet all the costs of relocation. That will all be put down in the EIA report to be finalised.
(v)HON. GANDAWA: Madam Speaker, I am not answered.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Maybe you will need to put that in writing Hon. Gandawa.
(v)HON. TOFFA: My supplementary question is, at what point are the people or citizens that are affected going to be consulted and at what point are the members of that community made aware of what is going on formally. This is what is causing a lot of friction. At what point does the Minister talk to people?
HON. KAMBAMURA: That is the process that is being undertaken as we speak right now. Two weeks ago, we had an InterMinisterial Team which deliberated on the way forward. One of the things that was agreed to was to do everything in consultation with the local community. So, the process is on-going. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE HON.
DEPUTY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 64
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
COMMUNITY SHARE OWNERSHIP TRUSTS AND THE
INDIGENISATION AND ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT POLICY
- HON. TSUURA asked the Minister of Mines and Mining
Development to explain to the House the Government policy regarding Community Share Ownership Trusts and the indigenization and economic empowerment policy.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): In 2007, the Government of Zimbabwe promulgated the Indigenous Economic Empowerment Act with the intention of empowering indigenous Zimbabweans and thus, gave the law a provision for the setting up of Community Share
Ownership Trusts (CSOTs).
The Community Share Ownership Trust was launched by the
Government of Zimbabwe in order to empower indigenous Zimbabweans and to address imbalances spawned by colonial dispossession. In 2018, the Finance Act by the Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development repealed sections of the Indigenisation and
Economic Act, and restricted provisions and requirements of the Indigenisation Act to the platinum and diamond mining sectors.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE RURAL INFORMATION SERVICE
CENTRE IN HURUNGWE EAST
- HON. MASENDA asked the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology to inform the House when the construction of the Rural Information Service Center will commence in Hurungwe East.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFORMATION,
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, POSTAL AND COURIER
SERVICES (HON. PHUTI): Madam Speaker, allow me to thank the
Hon. Member for the question but by ‘Rural Information Service Centre’ I assume the Hon. Member is referring to ‘Community Information
Centres’. If this assumption is correct Madam Speaker, my response is as follows;
Establishment of Community Information Centres (CICs) is done on the basis of equitable distribution among the ten (10) provinces of the country. The first phase saw the establishment of 146 CICs in all Post Offices that had access space except for just a couple. For those post offices that did not have excess space, containerised village information centres (CVICs) were established within the environs of the concerned Post Offices. In this regard, Mashonaland West Province had the second highest number of CICs established, with 15 CICs, coming after Manicaland that has 18.
The second phase saw the deployment of 24 CVICs spread across the country’s eight (8) rural provinces. During this second phase, Mashonaland West Province benefitted three (3) CVICs distributed as follows; Chirundu, Rafingora and Selous.
During the third phase, the Ministry of ICT, Postals and Courier Services through the Universal Services Fund (USF) which is administered by POTRAZ, looks forward to the deployment of a further
24 CVICs or CICs every year for three years throughout the country’s eight (8) rural provinces. It is under this phase that, depending on the results of the assessment in the province, the Ministry will consider Hurungwe East. Consultations will always be made with local leadership in coming up with areas that should benefit the province. I thank you.
(v)HON. GANDAWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. I would want to learn from you. When we ask specific questions from Hon. Members, the expectation is that we get specific answers to the question submitted. We seem to be getting general answers to our questions. I am not too sure if we can raise supplementary questions to specific questions that we will have raised. Hon. Masenda raised a specific question for his constituency. I am glad the Minister came with a response but the response that we are getting is not very specific to his constituency. I would like to learn from you Hon. Speaker, if written questions get general answers or we get specific answers to a particular constituency when questions are raised? Thank you Madam Speaker.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think the Deputy Minister
has done justice to that question Hon. Gandawa.
(v)HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: May I find out from the Hon.
Minister whether they are checking if these Community Information Centres are functional because we are just seeing them and they are not being used as there is nothing happening.
HON. DR. MUSWERE: Thank you very much for giving me the
opportunity to respond to a question that excites me very much - to check on whether the Community Information Centres are used optimally. I am happy to respond to this question because prior, we saw Community Information Centres being launched all over but there was no mechanism of following up as to how they work, who they serve and how much. However, let me say to you that the Community Information Centres that we are rolling out are coupled with connectivity that goes for a free period of time to encourage people to use that service for various purposes, amongst them research and to enhance other ICT related requirements. I will give an example of a Community Information Centre in Binga that I officially opened last weekend, whereupon mopping up the POTRAZ staff found three people conducting interviews online and that proved that the Community Information Centre is servicing including those that are outside the expected perimeters such as interviews for jobs, schools and other necessities. That is how the CICs are serving currently. I will also spice and say there is an assumption from somewhere that CICs are distributed selectively. Let me give an example that will satisfy one of my learned colleagues here, that just this weekend the information centre that I launched was in Binga and one may know where Binga and what Binga is about. I thank you Madam Speaker.
POLICY TOWARDS CURBING ARMED ROBBERIES, BURGLARY
AND MUGGINGS
- HON. MASUKU asked the Minister of Home Affairs and cultural heritage to inform the House what government policy is towards:
- Curbing armed robberies, burglary and muggings which are rampant.
- Giving municipal police arresting powers so that they can augment the national police as is the case in other jurisdictions.
- Procedure followed by the police in response to incidents of distress calls such as accidents, robbery and burglary.
- Plans available to increase police vehicle fleet within provinces and districts that are failing to get assistance from private sector donations.
- Plans available for the decentralisation of the production of passports and national identities to provinces and districts.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Madam Speaker, according to the
briefings availed to me by the Commissioner General of Police, they have intensified their operations throughout the country to fight armed robberies, burglary and muggings. As previously alluded to in my previous responses to the same question, the Commissioner General of Police has taken note of robbery reports. Furthermore, there are numerous on-going measures aimed at curbing armed robberies, burglaries and muggings which include the following: intensifying foot, cycle and motorised patrols in crime prone areas. In addition, the Commissioner General has directed all officers commanding provinces to deploy Support Unit, Criminal Investigations Department, Duty Uniform Branch and Police Intelligence in hot spots to curtail the robbery cases. Also heightening awareness campaigns, educating members of the public not to keep large sums of money at home or business premises or even to move around with huge sums of money. You find for instance people moving around with R190 000. I know there is a case where this amount was stolen. You find people keeping as much as close to a million United States dollars in a company safe when financial institutions are available.
The Police Command is engaging the Judiciary as well as another measure, urging them to impose stiffer penalties on perpetrators of violent crimes such as armed robberies, muggings and murder as a deterrent measures. It is also in this regard that we continue to appeal to the House to tighten the legislation so that fugitive armed robbers when finally caught are not easily given bail. In fact, some of the armed robberies are being committed by such elements who flout bail conditions with impunity, for instance the notorious armed robber Taj Abdul who has been evading justice for more than 20 years. When he was arrested, he was on the brink of being granted bail. As another measure, the police is also engaging various stakeholders with a view to enhancing inter-agency co-operation in the fight against crime. Recently, the police held meetings with security companies in an endeavour to improve security strategies such as the way companies are handling cash-in-transit movements among others as another measure, police have also established that some of the armed robbery cases being recorded across the country are as a result of the influx of unlicensed firearms. Some of these firearms were illegally brought into the country by criminal syndicates through the country’s porous borders.
Furthermore, some licensed firearms owners are also not securing their weapons and in the process end up losing them to criminals who then use them to commit robbery cases. Accordingly, the police is intensifying roadblocks, stop and searches as well as awareness campaigns to conscientise firearm license holders to adhere to the provisions of the Firearms Act which demands the safe storage of firearms at all times. I thank you.
HON. C. MOYO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want to
ask the Hon. Minister whether it is true that the former kombi drivers and conductors who did not join ZUPCO are the perpetrators especially when we consider the rise in the crime rates? I thank you.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want
to thank the Hon. Member for the question and to be perfectly honest, I am hearing this for the first time but it could be worthwhile information that I will take across to the police to investigate further. I thank you. (v)HON. WATSON: Thank you Madam Speaker, having heard
everything that the Hon. Minister said. Did the Commissioner General tell him when he believes all these interventions will have an impact? Crime escalates in Bulawayo everyday armed robberies, muggings all kinds of crime and one of the hot spots is actually two blocks from the Bulawayo Central Police Station. How difficult can it be to send officers on patrol along the CBD hot spots? Why are we not seeing any sign of that or any sign of reduction in the armed robberies – they happen virtually every other night? Thank you.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I want
to assume that I got the question correctly. I thought I heard the Hon. Member saying that they are not seeing action on the ground with regards to what the Commissioner General has promised …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Police patrols during the
night, especially in Bulawayo. – [(v)HON. WATSON: And during the day Madam Speaker, in the CBD, two blocks from the Police Station.] – HON. KAZEMBE: Well if it is not happening as yet Madam
Speaker Ma’am, this is an issue that we discussed recently and if it is not happening as yet, I will have to seek audience with the Commissioner General to find out why it is not happening the way he promised. Otherwise, I am glad that the Hon. Member has brought to my attention what is on the ground. We will follow up.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would
like to thank the Hon. Minister for his response but listening to his response, the Hon. Minister spoke about …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, please may you
raise your voice Hon. Toffa.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Sure Madam Speaker Ma’am. Madam Speaker
Ma’am, having listened to the Hon. Minister’s response and considering the time that he has been given to respond to the question. The Hon. Minister spoke about intensified patrols on foot, bicycle and car patrols and has not asked on the percentages involved. Bulawayo, for instance, has had an issue with not having police car patrols on the ground. We need to know what percentage increase? What does he mean by intensified?
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would
like to thank the Hon. Member but if the Hon. Member wants to know the specific percentage, I think it is a bit too technical for me. What we have agreed in our discussions is that we should see more presence. So if we were seeing five police officers, for example, we should see more 10 to 15 officers. It must be visible so that it becomes a deterrent but as for the specific percentage, I am not in a position to give the exact percentage. I thank you.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Madam Speaker Ma’am, for instance, Hillside Police Station has no cars. So how can they have intensified because as we speak there is no single car that has been released to their none existent fleet? How has that been intensified?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think on that Hon. Toffa,
you will need to put it in writing again so that the Hon. Minister can investigate on why it is that there are no cars in Hillside.
(v)HON. TOFFA: Madam Speaker Ma’am, people will be getting
robbed everyday as we speak.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Please put that question in
writing Hon. Toffa.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Madam Speaker. Hon. Minister,
my question relates to the intensified patrols that you mentioned. We come from rural areas where distances are large compared to urban areas. What is the plan in terms of supplying more vehicles to cover these distances to intensify the operations?
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would
like to thank Hon. Kashiri for such a very pertinent question. With your indulgence Madam Speaker, I notice that the next question is exactly like that one. I think there is another question again for the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage so maybe I could respond to this one and kill two birds with one stone or I respond to the question that is on the Order Paper which speaks to the number of vehicles. I stand guided.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: On my Order Paper you only
have one question which is Question Number 14.
HON. KAZEMBE: Madam Speaker maybe I have that question
where we are being asked what we are doing about vehicles but I can respond.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Yes please, go ahead.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Madam Speaker. When I said
that we are going to intensify, obviously when you come up with a strategy, these are strategies that we came up with together with the police in order to deal with increase in armed robberies. These armed robberies are very common in urban areas – that is why we are concentrating in urban areas at the moment. It does not necessarily mean that we are not doing anything about the rural areas. The nature of crimes in urban and rural areas are slightly different.
So we approach the two categories differently and appropriately but responding to the issue that the Hon. Member raised with regards to vehicles, this is an issue that is being dealt with by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. I am glad that the Minister of Finance and Economic Development is here. Indeed, we do have challenges but something is already in place. Recently, not too long ago, I delivered 58 vehicles to the police, courtesy of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development.
Indeed, we have a shortage of vehicles but the Minister of Finance and Economic Development is seized with that matter. We hope and trust that we will be getting these vehicles in due course. I thank you.
HON. KASHIRI: Point of clarity Hon. Speaker! Thank you Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for his response.
Where we come from, there are no good roads. When you see police vehicles sometimes when they dispatch them, they are all generic. For instance, if they are releasing Toyota Hiluxes or Mazda BT 50s, some of these cars will not last in our constituencies. It is my view that if you could, may be…
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Kashiri, you are
not connected.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I was saying it is
my view that if it were possible, the Ministry to look at separating the type of vehicles they sent to rural areas versus those that they are circulating in towns because of the nature of the roads that are in rural areas. The Mazdas and the Hiluxes are not durable. We would like the 4 x 4s, high clearance ground so that we can have durability. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND
CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member, Hon. Kashiri for that suggestion. Yes, I said the Minister of Finance is here, he is actually helping us with regards to the purchasing of vehicles. I confirm that yes, as they are buying the vehicles, they are buying different categories. This is why they have given us the Datsuns – Datsun go, the smaller vehicles for the town to assist in town but as we go forward, the
Minister will be purchasing different – infact he is even going to purchase motor cycles which are going to assist in certain areas performing certain specific tasks. So, yes I can confirm that different types of vehicles will be bought in phases to ensure that each and every area is taken care of. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. GABBUZA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to
know from the Minister what is the Ministry’s plans with the several broken vehicles in almost all police stations? I can give an example of Fairbridge, which has got 60 broken trucks, some of which can be repaired and be useful.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to
thank the Hon. Member for that observation. It is true and police are actually seized with it and, they are going through analysing case by case, checking which vehicle can be repaired and whether it is economic to repair them. Some of them are actually now too old such that even repairing them can end up being more expensive than purchasing a small Datsun Go. I agree with him that some of them are usable and we do have plans to repair, especially the bigger trucks. The police is actually looking at it to see, evaluate and cost the exercise to see how much it costs and then we can approach Treasury for the funding. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: My question is on the issue of community policing. In several neighbourhood, you would find communities have organised themselves into neighbourhoods watch committees, which are really doing a commendable job. I want to check with the Minister if there are any plans to incentivise these neighbourhood watch committees? Community members attest to the fact that in rural areas cattle rustlers are brought to book sometimes, single handedly by members of the community that assist the police. However, I have noticed that they really cut out a sorry figure, these community based police officers, if you allow me to use that phrase loosely; torn uniform, rundown boots. So I want to check with the Minister if here is any consideration to prioritise these individuals because sometimes they will tell you, Honourable I have travelled 40 km on foot with this culprit and they are hungry. They get to the police station and no lunch is arranged for their welfare. I thank you.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank Hon. Ndebele for the follow-up question. I agree with the Hon. Member that we do have neighbourhood watch committees, the CCCs, community based kind of committees which assist the police. It is indeed our wish to try and incentivise them. You would agree with me that we need even to incentivise the policeforce itself. With your indulgence, we are fortunate that the Minister of Finance is here, I think this is his area. With your indulgence, I will defer the question to him to assist with regards to what Treasury is doing along those lines. I know that it is being attended to with regards to how we can incentivise our police, including the neighbourhood committees.
(v)HON. NGWENYA: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to
enquire from the Minister, whether it is the issue of source of funds that the community people buy things like tyres for the police? Does this not compromise the police officers when those same people who buy tyres for them commit crimes? Will they not be biased and favour those people?
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to
thank the Hon. Member for that question. It is undesirable to say the very least, that we end up getting financial support from communities.
That situation, as I have alluded to, is a situation that the Ministry of
Finance is seized with, trying to ensure that our police are resourced.
That is why I had actually deferred the earlier question to the Minister of Finance because all these issues have a lot to do with resources and I feel the Minister of Finance is here, he can answer. Yes, it is undesirable but at the same time, if you heard what Hon. Ndebele said, he was actually grateful that communities in some areas are assisting police to deal with crime. Yes, assistance is accepted but it should come without any conditions to expect favours. Police are trained people. Their job requires that they treat everybody fairly but nonetheless, the issue with regards to resources, I would kindly with your indulgence ask the Minister of Finance to give more details as I know he is seized with this issue. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
HON. KASHIRI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Hon. Minister, it is a bit of common knowledge and it has happened many a time that police cannot attend to scenes because they lack fuel. The vehicle might be available at the station but they do not have fuel. As you deliberate with the Minister of Finance, would you please make sure that we have fuel storage tanks that are supplied fuel at police stations? This will assist us in intensifying operations. It is just an observation Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. KAZEMBE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. All these questions are revolving around the issue of resources. This is why I was kindly asking you to allow the Minister of Finance to give a comprehensive response. I am aware that he has got plans to ensure that he assists the police. He is the best to articulate the plans that he has because everything is around resources and the person who gives me resources is sitting right next to me. He can articulate what he has in plan. I know he is doing something and he has already given 58 vehicles to the police and there are more that are coming. He would be the best person to articulate what he has in plan for us as policy. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. Thank you for allowing me to say a few words about the issue of resourcing the police force. Our resourcing agenda roadmap is premised on three areas. First of all, it is on the infrastructure and cantonment issues. Secondly, it is on logistics and transportation and finally it is on the emoluments, the salaries and general working conditions. We have tried to attack all those three categories. I know someone asked about the issue of incentives for community providers of securities. It is an issue of thinking through the type of incentives we should be offering for services. We have been very thorough and we have reasonably done very well in offering incentives for the productive sector but not so much for service provision. We are working on this and I take on board the question with a bit of suggestion, that we should look into this kind of service and see how we could incentivise them. I thank him for that.
Going back to the three categories for supporting the police on infrastructure; we have embarked on a programme for building houses, for building cantonment areas for the police. Some of you who drive on Enterprise Road, you have seen those apartments at Tomlinson Depot or Chimoyo Flats which is a new name. We are completing those and we recently released about ZWL$285 million which will be followed by the cash releases to complete those apartments. That is just one example. We have said we want to go around the country and try to document the sort of gaps that exist in the quality of infrastructure. In the other areas of the security cluster, just to digrace for two minutes, for the prisons for instance, we have moved further down the line. This morning I was at Chikurubi Prison to go and see for myself with the Minister of Justice, the Chairman of Public Service Commission and the Deputy Minister for Housing. We wanted to see for ourselves what is going on, the houses that we have built there and we have done a bit, but there is more housing coming on stream. We want to do the same thing with the police, just to make sure that we can clear the backlog of housing.
Coming to the issue of logistics and transportation, we have a vehicle acquisition programme. Minister Kazembe is right that so far we have handed over small vehicles mainly for urban usage. We are now going to add higher clearance vehicles you see in the rural areas. We have a programme right now where we have acquired just over an additional of 100 vehicles which we are delivering to the police. They are already fully branded and over time you will see a bit of change in the mobility of the police. We also added motor cycles as well to the buying programme because to respond to a breakage in some house somewhere, you just need two policemen on a motor cycle to respond to that and a motor cycle costs US$1000 equivalent at the most. It is not an expensive vehicle. We have realised this and we are making sure that they are capacitated. We are doing something about this. That also applies to prisons and eventually the military side.
Coming to the issue of working conditions, emoluments, salaries; again on the security cluster, we have been able to try to keep within at least 75% of the cost of living level and poverty datum line. It is never easy. We always have budget constraints but we have tried to keep to that level so that at the moment, a Constable is on a salary of just about ZWL$33 000. I think we have gone a long way in trying to upgrade the level of salaries and we will continue to do that.
On the issue of uniforms, boots and so forth; again we have done a lot in the last two years in making sure they can acquire material. They do have their own shops or other facilities where they can sew up their uniforms but the idea is to support them with material and we are doing that. I think over time, you will see an improvement in the situation. This is not a one year issue but a multi-year programme of improvement of the quality of support to the police services and their own services to the community. I thank you.
HON. CHARLES MOYO: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker.
On Sunday, thieves broke into my house and I engaged the officer in charge. Besides that, the last Saturday for your own information, the Minister of Home Affairs, the officer said the problem is the issue of incentives to Neighbourhood Watch Committees. Surely with this kind of cold weather, no incentive! Mr. Speaker, I met the chairperson for the neighbourhood watch committee who said they are 14 but they are not getting any incentive. The thieves even went with the keys of the whole house. I think it dwells around with how we can incentivise our neighbourhood watch committees, taking into consideration that the suggestion boxes are no longer being used, even the WhatsApp platform is not even being used. My question is - what could be the timeline? Usually, the Hon. Minister of Finance would say by December, February or by July. Surely, when can you say is the deadline to look into the neighbourhood watch committees because they are going to play a pivotal role, especially in addressing the issue of crime. I thank you.
HON. PROF. M. NCUBE: I thank the Hon. Member for the supplementary question. He wants specifics on the date. Unfortunately, I cannot give him a specific date. He just made a proposal. In fact, it is a question but it is actually a discussion Mr. Speaker Sir. You will agree with me, which I will appreciate. They have made suggestions, that is what I am hearing. I have to take it back and reflect with the officials on a possible incentive scheme, but it is a noble one at the same time to improve the quality of policing in our communities. So, the best I can think of in terms of timing is the next budget which is November, because that is when I am able to put things in a Finance Bill and turn into law which is enforceable by this Parliament. By the way Hon. Members, we are going to have a retreat Mr. Speaker Sir. I expect him to by then come up with a few ideas as to how we could do this together and whatever we propose will find its way into the Finance Bill, it will helps us manage our community security situation. Thank you.
(v)HON. BRIG. GEN. (RTD) MAYIHLOME: Than you Hon.
Speaker Sir. My supplementary question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Finance. He spoke about the suggestive structure and emoluments, but what he did not talk about and what is critical to me are the tools of trade. Our police forces are so backward in terms of the equipment. You talk of speed traps, they do not have any, even at roadblocks they use drums. I think they are the only police force in the world that is still using drums. What is the Minister doing about resourcing police to be fully equipped with modern equipment? Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. I thank the Hon. Member for that question. He is trying to address the issue of technology resources that the police need to do their job. We are looking into this. I have asked my officials to interlocute with their colleagues in Home Affairs and the Police so that we can get a list of this equipment that they need and the budget required so that we can deal with it. I know one of the foremost things had been the issue drones for example, for policing borders and other places and the speed traps which he has referred to and other vehicles for catching those who are over speeding. They know their equipment and I cannot summarise it for them. So we are just waiting for that list and we will be able to support them in this regard. I thank the Hon. Member for raising such an important issue. Thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: I have a suggestion for the Minister of Home Affairs. Sometimes Hon. Minister with regards to vehicles - it is not so much a question of lack of these vehicles but a question of abuse. So as part of your strategies, I will be happy if you review vehicle policies with a view of really tightening them up. In police stations that have one vehicle, you hear constant reference to mota yamudhara meaning it is a vehicle for the top most officer at that particular station, yet it is not. In reviewing the policy, I will also be happy if you reactivate the system of log books and the actual checking of where a vehicle has been taken to, because more often than not, you are driving in a particular province and you are bound to meet a police vehicle that clearly says it does not belong there and when you look at the person in there, you can tell that they are not pursuing duty, but possibly braaing meat out of their province. That leaves a gap where the vehicle belongs. Thank you.
(v) HON. TOFA: On a point of order Hon. Speaker. There has been inequality when it comes to choosing Hon. Members to speak because there is no gender balance.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MUTOMBA): I am
not seeing anybody except yourself at the moment who would want to raise supplementary questions and I was to give you the floor after the Minister has responded to the question that was raised by Hon. Ndebele.
I do not know how you would want me to operate here Hon. Tofa.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I
would like to thank Hon. Ndebele for his suggestion which I think is in two parts. The first part was an observation that the vehicle seems to be the vehicle that belongs to Mdhara, mota yaMdhara. I think that situation is going to be dealt with as the plan that the Hon. Minister of Finance articulated it is rolled out. The reason why that is happening is because there will only be one vehicle at the whole police station. So, it is only prudent to give it in the hands of the person in charge. He is the one who allocates the vehicle to whoever depending on the case that is supposed to be attended to. That is why they end up referring to it as mota yaMdhara.
I agree with Hon. Ndebele that we may need to tighten and the way forward in my view – in fact, recently Cabinet approved an integrated solution of the entire Home Affairs which includes computerisation of the police and the system that we are working towards will ensure that those vehicles are fitted with tracking devices which link them to the main platform, the main integrated system and it will be able to show us where each vehicle has gone to in accordance with the deployment. If it goes out of bounds, an alarm is raised at the Headquarters. That system was approved by Cabinet and we have already started working on the system and a number of partners have been engaged and discussions are ongoing. I thank you.
(v) HON. TOFA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. My
question is to the Minister of Finance. He stated that they increase the number of bicycles and he also said they bought a 100 vehicles but what the Minister did not do was to tell us how many vehicles were actually needed for the full police force and how many bicycles so that when we are exercising our oversight role and checking the boxes, we will be able to know where we are at. I am sure as the Minister of Finance, understand figures, he should know what I am talking about. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): Thank you Mr.
Speaker Sir. It is a very specific figure but also we did not refer to bicycles. If our police are on bicycles, they will be much too slow to respond to some of the very fast moving crimes that we are aware of.
However, in terms of the actual numbers, our target figure has been 500 vehicles and we are working towards that target - this is just the police alone. For motorcycles, our official target is 200 motorcycles but these figures will be reviewed and the more vehicles the police have, the better. I thank you.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: My question is directed to both the
Minister of Finance and Economic Development and the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage. Is it not better for you to give vehicle loan schemes to certain ranks of the police officers? The reason why I am suggesting this is that if it is your personal vehicle, there is more care to it and we will have a pool of vehicles readily available. It will not strain Government so much because those vehicles will now be paid as a mileage used on police services. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): The Hon. Member has
proffered a suggestion, we will chew the bone on it and mallow over it, see if it is something we could consider. If we do, I think it will be a shock to the system.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): In addition to what the Minister of
Finance has said, it really needs to be looked at. We will be the first to do such in the world but it is a worthwhile suggestion. My only concern is that the way police operates, to then rely on an individual’s vehicle whether it is on loan or not becomes a bit difficult. We are supposed to provide service as police which is unconditional. So, if we end up involving personal vehicles, I think it becomes a problem.
POLICY TOWARDS CURBING ARMED ROBBERIES,
BURGLARY AND MUGGINGS
14C. HON. MASUKU asked the Minister of Home Affairs and
Cultural Heritage to outline plans available for the decentralisation of the production of passports and national identities to provinces and districts.
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL
HERITAGE (HON. KAZEMBE): The department has decentralised
issuance of vital civil registration documents such as birth certificates, death certificates and national identity documents to all the provinces. It has also decentralised to 62 districts and 206 sub-offices. So, the decentralisation programme is already ongoing and plans are under way to establish more registry offices subject to availability of funds.
Production of passports is a centralised function in line with the
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards. While of acceptance of passport applications is done at 10 provincial offices; in 2020, the department embarked on a programme to decentralise processing of passport applications to districts with the view to ensure accessibility by members of the public. This saw the department establishing a passport office in Chitungwiza district for example. The programme is ongoing and in 2021, the department intends to establish two more passport offices at district level. I thank you.
HON. MUDARIKWA: I am suggesting to the Hon. Minister that
the birth certificates office should be decentralised to the clinics where the child is born and immediately is issued with a birth certificate rather than to travel with the papers from the clinic to the district office which is 170 km away from where I live. I thank you.
HON. KAZEMBE: I would like to thank Hon. Mudarikwa for
such a brilliant suggestion. Government recently approved the engagement of a private company on a BOT arrangement which is going to, not only issue passports but also look at the issue of issuing birth certificates and ID’s.
Indeed, they are going to deploy an integrated solution which will include exactly what the Hon. Member of Parliament is suggesting. This is why I said, it is a brilliant suggestion because it is already in the pipeline. Once a child is born, automatically that record goes straight real time to the civil registry and the process is initiated automatically.
Within the database at the registrar’s department, there will be what we call a family tree which automatically links that new born child to the family. So as soon as that record hits the registrars system, then the process is initiated.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to say this imitative by Government is going to end all these troubles because this company has done this in more than 25 countries and they have offered to do this to the
Government of Zimbabwe. The Government of Zimbabwe is not paying anything for it; they will recover their money from the revenue that they will collect from the passport.
So, in our view, this is the solution to all our problems. Over and above the issuance of birth certificates straight from the birth places, it would also mean that people will be able to apply for passports from the comfort of their homes because this is a very sophisticated system which is used the world over where applications are done real time and on line and people are only invited to the Passport Office for their biometric characteristics to be captured.
We are going to work together with the Ministry of ICT and the Ministry of Finance who already have kiosks out there – the CICs and the kiosks used by the Ministry of Finance. We will use them as outlets for issuance of passports. There will be no need to come and queue at Makombe; it will be delivered at all those various district outlets. We hope and trust that this system will be ready for use according to the timelines that they have given us. By December, people will be able to enjoy these services.
(v)HON. TOFFA: I would like to thank the Minister for his response and also for the progressive measure that they are taking as Ministry and Government. Issuance of birth certificates at hospitals and clinics when babies are born is not new – it has been in existence. What is the Ministry doing to make sure that nothing but a birth certificate and birth record is issued to the baby because when most mothers give birth, they are subjected to questions about the payments of bills which in turn takes away the baby’s right of getting a birth certificate.....
THE TEMPORARY CHAIRPERSON (HON. MUTOMBA):
What is your question Hon. Toffa?
(v)HON. TOFFA: What is the Ministry doing to make sure that the hospitals issue nothing but a birth certificate and a birth record and no questions asked?
HON. KAZEMBE: This requires us to have a conversation with the Ministry of Health and see how best we can deal with this issue. As the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have got nothing to do with bills at the clinics. It is something we need to talk about. I understand what she is saying, that the right of that child is taken away because of the outstanding bill. Once the system that I alluded to earlier on is in place, it happens automatically. You cannot withhold the record. The moment it is out, it goes real time on line straight to the Registrar General but before the system is deployed, I think we need to have a conversation with our colleague Ministry and see if that is really happening and what can be done about it.
WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
PROGRESS MADE IN RESOLVING OWNERSHIP WRANGLE OF
PEACE MINE AND POLICY REGARDING DOUBLE
CERTIFICATION
- HON. M. M. MPOFU asked ask the Minister of Mines and Mining Development to inform the House progress made in resolving ownership wrangle of Peace Mine due to double certification which has been raging on since 2004 and to explain the Government policy regarding double certification created by officials in the Ministry.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): The ownership wrangle
at Peace Mine was not fully resolved. It is still at the courts. The Ministry currently has a dispute committee to check circumstances surrounding double certification. The Committee holds sittings and determines the rightful holder of mining titles. The Ministry is currently working towards the implementation of the mining cadastre system to help resolve the issue of double certification created by manual system and to prevent such occurrences in future.
OWNERSHIP OF MALGREEN MINE IN SILOBELA AND
MEASURES TOWARDS EMPOWERING THE YOUTHS BY THE
MINE
- HON. M.M. MPOFU asked the Minister of Mines and Mining
Development to inform the House who the owner of Malgreen mine in Silobela is and to further clarify the measures being taken by the mine towards empowering the youths.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): Malgreen Mine was
registered in the name of Silobela Youth in Mining. The mine is owned by a syndicate of six youths based in Silobela. The mine is a functional small scale gold mine and has been selling its gold to Fidelity Printers and Refiners. Most of the workers at the mine are youths between the ages of 18 – 35.
SETTING UP OF HAMMER AND BALL MILLS AND CURBING OF
ILLEGAL GOLD PROCESSING
- HON. M.M. MPOFU asked the Minister of Mines and Mining
Development to explain to the House:
- What Government policy is regarding the setting up of hammer and ball mills in view of the noticeable number of mills which have mushroomed across the country and;
- What the Ministry is doing to curb illegal gold processing.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): On legally registered
mining location or processing site, there is no discrimination on the type of equipment to use. There has however been a proliferation of illegal mining activities whereby use of hammer mills and ball mills is preferred because they are mobile.
The use of hammer and ball mills on illegal mining sites is outside of the tenets of the law and joint operations continue to be carried out to discourage the activity.
STATUS OF JENA MINE IN SILOBELA CONSTITUENCY
- HON. M.M. MPOFU asked the Minister for Mines and Mining Development to inform the House on the status of Jena Mine, in the Silobela Constituency, amid unsubstantiated rumours doing rounds, that the Mine has been sold to Landela Company, sparking fears and despondency that the surrounding communities will not get any benefits from this new company in terms of its corporate social responsibility.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING
DEVELOPMENT (HON. KAMBAMURA): A new mining group,
Kuvimba Mining House, in which Government has 65 percent shareholding, was launched in 2020. The company boasts of an asset portfolio of USD1.5 billion worth of minerals such as gold, nickel and chrome. The mining assets will attract massive investment over the next years giving dividend to shareholders. It will benefit the youth, war veterans, pensioners, depositors whose monies were eroded. This is a way of achieving partial privatisation with the Government owning 65% of the shares in the mining group while 35% is held by a number of investors.
The Kuvimba Gold Mining portfolio spans across Freda Rebecca
Gold Mine, Shamva Gold Mine and Jena Mine. In 2020, Kuvimba Holdings (Pvt) Limited acquired 85% of Jena Mine from ZMDC. The company intends to bring in an investment which will see production increasing for 25 kgs per month to 100 kgs per month and this will result in employment creation for the youth in surrounding communities. The acquisition resulted in Jena Mining transitioning to becoming a private entity.
In terms of corporate social responsibility, Kuvimba Holdings (Pvt) Limited will continue to carry out the CSR activities in the community which were being done by ZMDC such as road maintenance.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY
SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 64.
TABLING OF REPORTS FROM THE AUDITOR-
GENERAL
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. NCUBE): Mr. Speaker, I seek leave
of the House to table the Report of the Auditor General for the year ended 31st December 2019.
Section 10 (1) of the Audit Office Act [Chapter 22:18], provides that the Auditor General after examining the accounts transmitted to him or her in terms of Section 35 (6) and (7) of the Public Finance
Management Act [Chapter 22:19] and the accounts of any public entity, designated corporate body or statutory fund and after signing a certificate recording the result of his or her examination, shall prepare and submit to the Minister not later than the 30th of June in each year, a report on the outcome of his or her examination and audit of the accounts referred to him or her in terms of Section 6 (1).
The Audit Office Act further provides in Section 12 that any report transmitted in terms of Section 10 shall be laid by the Minister before this august House on one of the seven days on which the House sits after he or she has received such report.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in line with the aforementioned provisions of our laws, I now lay the Report of the Auditor General for the year ended 31st December 2019 before this august House for consideration. The contents of the report are as follows: Financial year ended 31 December, 2019 on local authorities; Financial year ended 31 December 2019 on the Appropriation Accounts and Fund Accounts; Revenue and Finance
Statements and Fund Accounts in Arrear as at 31 December, 2019; the Financial year ended 31 December 2019 on State Enterprises and Parastatals and Annual Performance Report of the Auditor General for the year 2019. This is complete for 2019. I will table the 2020 Report once it is ready. I thank you.
HON. MPARIWA: I rise just to express my appreciation and on behalf of my colleagues also in the Public Accounts Committee in terms of the tabling of the reports that the Minister of Finance has tabled to today. We really appreciate because this was actually hampering the work of the Public Accounts and several other committees. Yesterday, it was raised by Hon. Mushoriwa that there were reports that have not been tabled by the Minister responsible and indeed in our meeting on Monday as Public Accounts Committee, we had actually highlighted the nontabling of these reports and the Speaker had highlighted that if the Minister will not have tabled the reports, then he would have done so in terms of the Audit Act. I really want to appreciate that the Minister has tabled the reports and that this is the culture that is missing, and I think the Minister will continue tabling the reports and also activate others to do likewise. Thank you.
HON. KASHIRI: I would like to thank the Minister for bringing the reports to the House. However, we wanted to ask whether these copies will be available in our pigeon holes as hard copies or they are coming as soft copies so we could be on the lookout for them. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): They will be available
as hard copies but they can also be available as soft copies if you so wish, both versions. Thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. NCUBE): Mr. Speaker, I move that Order Numbers 1 to 11 be stood over until Order Number 12 is disposed
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. SIBUSISO BUSI
MOYO
Twelfth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the untimely passing on of the late Hon. Sen. Sibusiso Busi Moyo.
Question again proposed.
HON. RAIDZA: As the mover of the motion, I want to thank the
Hon. Members who took their time to debate this motion; Hon.
Chikukwa, Hon. Mutambisi, Hon. Chingosho, Hon. Mpariwa and Hon. P. Moyo. I therefore move that:
This House expresses its profound sorrow on the untimely passing on of the late Senator for Midlands Province and Minister for Foreign
Affairs and International Trade, Hon. Sen. Sibusiso Busi Moyo, on
Wednesday 20th January, 2021;
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 Moyo family, relatives and the entire Midlands Province.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI seconded by HON.
MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Eighteen Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 15th June, 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, Nos. 1 to 4 be stood over until the rest of the Orders have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE VIRTUAL 48TH PLENARY SESSION OF THE SADC- PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I move the motion standing in my name that;
This House takes note of 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.
HON. SEN. CHIEF MTSHANE: I second.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Madam President. Madam President, I hereby present the report of the 48th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum which was held virtually on 4th to 5th December 2020.
Introduction
The 48th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum was held virtually on 04 and 05 December 2020. The deliberations were aimed at consolidating Administrative and Financial matters of the Forum as well as to discuss issues of regional concern.
Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, Speaker of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, led the delegation which comprised the following Members of Parliament:
- Tambudzani Mohadi, Member of the Standing Committee on Food, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Infrastructure;
- Goodlucky Kwaramba, Member of the Standing Committee on Gender Equality, Women Advancement and Youth Development and Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Women’s Parliamentary Caucus;
- Dought Ndiweni, Member of the Standing Committee on Democratisation, Governance and Human Rights;
- Anele Ndebele, Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment; and
- Joyce Makonya, Member of the Standing Committee on Human and Social Development and Special Programmes.
Official Opening Ceremony
The Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Professor Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, was Guest of Honour and officially opened the Plenary Assembly. The Premier pronounced his country’s support to efforts to transform the SADC Parliamentary Forum into a SADC Regional Parliament as his country assumed the Presidency of the SADC PF.
Professor Ilunkamba recalled that, in the aftermath of the aggression war in 1998, SADC troops, made up of Angolan, Namibian and Zimbabwean contingents supported DRC troops to put an end to foreign aggression. He said DRC would forever remain grateful for such regional cooperation, thus paying tribute to the troops that fell in the battlefield to defend the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the DRC.
In proposing a vote of thanks, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Botswana, Hon. Phandu Tombola Chaha Skelemani stated categorically that it was unacceptable that SADC remained the only region in Africa without a Regional Parliament. He paid tribute to the mutual dependence among Member States of the SADC region attested by the intervention to maintain peace in the DRC.
Statement by the Speaker of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda Pursuant to Rule 45 of the Rules of Procedure
Hon. Mudenda recalled that on 11th October 2020, he moved a motion in accordance with Rule 26 (4) of the Rules of Procedure regarding the tabling of motions on matters of urgency and regional importance to support the candidature of Hon. Duarte Pacheco of Portugal for the position of President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
In this regard, the Hon. Speaker was happy to report that Hon. Duarte Pacheco was overwhelmingly elected as the 30th President of the IPU after an unprecedented online election held during the Extraordinary Virtual Session of the IPU’s Governing Council on 2nd November 2020.
The election of Hon. Pacheco would precipitate his vision of having Parliaments playing critical roles in finding collective responses to global challenges.
Furthermore, the Hon. Speaker reiterated President Pacheco’s commitment to strengthening the IPU by building bridges between countries, peoples and continents to address the problems facing the world. There was also an urgent call to respect the voices of all Parliaments regardless of their sizes or geographical location.
Adoption of the Report of the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee tabled its report for consideration and adoption during the 48th Plenary Assembly meeting, which was duly adopted.
Update on Transformation of the Forum into a SADC Regional Parliament and Related Plenary Assembly Matters
Plenary Assembly noted with appreciation the highly successful Lobby Meeting led by the Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Nzwidamilimo Mudenda, Chairperson of the Strategic Lobby Team to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lesotho, Rt. Hon. Dr. Moeketsi Majoro, on Monday 9th November 2020. The meeting expressed profound gratitude to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Lesotho, Rt. Hon. Sephiri Enoch Motanyane, for facilitating this meeting.
The Plenary Assembly expressed profound appreciation to the National Assembly of the DRC, through Hon. Speaker Jeanine Mabunda, for hosting the 48th Plenary Assembly Session. Hon. Speaker Mabunda was elected SADC PF President unopposed. She became the first woman from her country to assume the Presidency of the SADC PF.
The Plenary Assembly noted the Transformation Agenda and Roadmap document submitted to Member Countries as the most practical implementation tool for the transformation process. The Parliament of Zimbabwe has since made positive comments towards the document.
Update on the Official Residence of the Secretary General
The Plenary Assembly noted with appreciation that the Forum had purchased an official residence for use by the Secretary General (SG). The Plenary noted that the SG had since moved into the new property situated at Erf 2052, Klein Windhoek, 89 Joseph Mukwayu Ithana Street, Ludwigsdorf, Windhoek, Namibia.
Secondment of Staff from National Parliaments
The Plenary Assembly noted and appreciated the secondment of staff from the Parliaments of Angola, Malawi, Seychelles, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa to the SADC PF Secretariat. Other countries were requested to fill the remaining slots on the Forum’s administrative paradigm.
MOTIONS ADOPTED DURING THE 48TH PLENARY ASSEMBLY MEETINGS
Motion on a Matter of Urgency and Regional Importance: Condemning Terrorist Attacks in the Republic of Mozambique and Expressing Solidarity with the Government and People of Mozambique
The Plenary Assembly Session adopted a motion strongly condemning terrorist attacks in the North of Republic of Mozambique and the unrest in the Eastern part of the DRC. With respect to the armed insurgency in Mozambique, the Plenary Assembly noted that such terrorism was threatening that country’s security and sovereignty and undermining the efforts to consolidate the Rule of Law and Democracy. The Plenary called for a regional response to the terrorist attacks in Mozambique to avoid the phenomenon spreading to other SADC Member States.
Motion on the Impact of the African Migratory Locust on Agriculture and Food Security in Southern Africa
Plenary Assembly adopted a motion calling for an integrated pest management system in managing the locusts in order to effectively control the further spread of the pests.
Motion on Debt Cancellation Campaign Initiative and Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments
The Plenary Assembly noted the establishment of the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP), which was officially launched in October 2020, by the Speakers of the Parliaments of Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa. Member Parliaments were enjoined to support this initiative and advocate for debt cancellation as a remedy to the current dilemma the region and continent are facing in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recommendations and Way Forward
- Parliament of Zimbabwe to support the “Proposed SADC Parliament and the Transformation Roadmap” produced by the Joint Task Team as a practical way to complete the missing link in the regional integration matrix. In this regard, the Parliament of Zimbabwe has written to the Executive reiterating unqualified support to the Transformation agenda.
- Parliament of Zimbabwe notes and appreciates the assumption of Hon. Christophe Mboso N”kodia Pwanga as the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Parliament fully associates itself with calls for a regional approach to root out terrorism in Mozambique and other parts of the world. A regional effort should be made to nip the scourge.
- Zimbabwe stands ready to respond to the growing infestation of the African Migratory Locusts which threaten to exacerbate regional food insecurity.
Conclusion
Hon. Esperanca Laurinda Francisco Nhiuane Bias, Speaker of the National Assembly of Mozambique and outgoing President of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, concluded the Plenary Assembly by thanking all delegates for the support that her country received in the last two years of Presidency of the Forum. She encouraged the Plenary Assembly to continue pushing for the transformation agenda
On behalf of the SADC PF and on his own behalf, the Hon. Speaker of Parliament of Zimbabwe saluted the outgoing President of SADC PF for presiding over the affairs of the Forum with tact, firmness, impartiality, fairness and credibility. He implored the outgoing President of SADC PF to thank the President of Mozambique, H.E Filipe Nyusi, for graciously supporting the National Assembly of Mozambique to host the Plenary Assembly for a record three consecutive times.
The Plenary Assembly adopted the nomination of Hon. Advocate Jacob Francis Mudenda into the Executive Committee of the SADC PF spearheading the Transformation of the Regional Forum into a Regional Parliament. This role, he continues, as the Chairperson of the Strategic Lobby Team of the Transformation of the Forum into a Regional Parliament. I thank you.
HON. SEN. DR. SEKERAMAYI: Mr. President, Hon. Senators, I stand to fully support the report given by Hon. Sen. Mohadi and want to say to Sen. Mohadi, it was good that you followed the discussions.
The 48th SADC Parliamentary Forum held from 4th to 5th December is a necessary platform for SADC. It is a platform that enables our leaders to meet even virtually and exchange ideas, ideas aimed at making sure that we develop energetically all the countries in SADC.
As you have reported, there was need to look at the financial situation and administrative situation, but all that is always done when there is a good motivation and that motivation is necessary. Mr. President, it is also advisable that we should support the transformation of the SADC PF into a Regional Parliamentary Forum. If you take the DRC which was chairing this, DRC is one country where SADC countries, for example, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia have played a very critical role. The support by Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia to the DRC government resulted in the insurgence failing to topple the government and that is in the interest, not only of the DRC but of SADC as a whole.
Mr. President, as Zimbabwe, we condemn, as they did, the terrorism that is now affecting Mozambique. The area of Cabo Delgado points towards Zimbabwe and if there is instability in that area, it is a question of time before that insurgence tries to attack Zimbabwe. So it is in my opinion absolutely necessary that we should take precautionary measures to stop that.
The Eastern DRC, to all intents and purposes, is part of our own regional community and it is important that we are able energetically, to support the Mozambicans. Mr. President, yes we have got a problem of the locusts. I think our own systems should be able to address that so that the locusts do not become a menace, not only to the eastern part of the DRC, but they can become a menace to the whole of SADC, Zimbabwe included and so we should take measures to stop that.
I would want to say I think our Government should support the idea of a Regional Parliament so that there is that platform which enables us to share ideas. With these few words Mr. President, I want to support the recommendations of the meeting. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Mr. President for according me this opportunity to debate on this motion which has been brought by Hon. Sen. Mohadi on the 48th meeting of SADC PF which took place in Angola. We thank him so much for the work that he did. We are so thankful about the reuniting of the SADC so that we become one family.
The idea that there should be a Regional Parliament is a very good idea. This shows us that we have a good vision, that as African countries we want to use our unity so that we benefit from our countries as Africans.
The former speaker said that this platform is used to talk about ideas that have to do with our economy in the region, and our politics. If we have this vision, even investors in SADC will find us with regional laws from our Parliament because the Regional Parliament will help us to come up with strong policies for investors and our policies will be emanating from one source of power. What causes us Africans to be divided is having different policies. If you go to Mozambique you find their investment policies are different from what we have here in Zimbabwe and in Botswana. Investors who come will play games with us.
The diamond that we have here can be found in Botswana, but the policies vary so much that some people end up being exploited when others want to keep their wealth as a country, this is leading us to a regional integration. If you do that, you find that will open up new ways of doing business. I can see SADC becoming a huge market. As Zimbabwe with our 14 million people and the whole SADC is 300 million, that integration will give us power as the black people so that we become strong. If we want to engage in dialogue with the other parts of the world, this dialogue of integration will be empowered.
We should be proud because out of the integration, we have power. What we are witnessing in Mozambique, the terrorists should not be left like that because it has been proved that foreigners propagate conflicts. The former speaker referred to the Eastern DRC. It says that in the whole world, it has the largest deposits of minerals, they are concentrated there. Eastern DRC will never test peace because there are multinational companies who come to exploit and propagate conflicts so that they get the chance of exploiting those minerals. What is happening in Mozambique should not be left like that because someone said that they may extend to Zimbabwe. There are mineral deposits in Muzarabani so the minerals that are in Mozambique are also in Muzarabani. Why can we not think that if the terrorists are disturbing the economy in Mozambique, what will stop them from disturbing the economy in Zimbabwe? So, regional integration, as the leaders have said, should be celebrated because we were tasked to lead the transformation. If it is true, we should put our heads together as Zimbabweans and be proud to be bestowed with that responsibility. We should be proud because they have seen that in Zimbabwe, we have people who are intelligent. So, they have given us that authority, and we should support this as Zimbabwean Parliament, that this work should succeed.
They also talked about debt cancellations. The debt that we have in Zimbabwe, we cannot pay them back otherwise we will be left with nothing. So, the idea of moving the motion of debt cancellation should be supported by everyone in SADC. So, we should make sure that there are serious engagements that should take place so that the debts are cancelled and we start from a fresh page because we do not have the capacity to pay the debt. It is a very pertinent issue that was deliberated there. As SADC, we should make sure that we work on the process of peace. No country should live in conflict in SADC and no country should lack in SADC. What causes unrest in our midst really affects our economies. Unfortunately, the world is now a global village. It is not by choice but because of technology, we are now a global village. That is why when one country is affected through social media, it will have reached the whole world within a small space of time. Which means we are one.
So, we should make sure that as SADC region, we should have democratic inclinations in place which are admirable. We should have a model democracy which we agree on as members of SADC. I think if we do that, it means that our investors will have confidence in us. We need to sit down and agree on what we mean by democracy so that when we put it on the platform, we know that Africans from time immemorial were democratic. Our Chiefs as they were leading us know what is good and bad. I think because of our level of education, we should have an admirable system which is not challenged by people.
Mr. President, we should challenge the world as Africans because we have resources more than any other continent on the universe. We are supposed to help other countries outside Africa. We should be on the forefront of helping other countries. We must take that challenge because we have gold, diamond, copper, all the minerals that are there, they are found in Africa. As Africans, we should take pride in ourselves by making sure that wherever we are, we should do admirable things. I believe that this movement which is happening in SADC is heading towards the right direction. We should take it seriously because we are transforming ourselves as Africans to become better people. Thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President for awarding me an opportunity to participate at an opportune time where we say a child has been born on the eastern side and people are going to celebrate the birth of a child passing through Zimbabwe. I am very thankful to the one who moved the motion, Hon. Sen. Mohadi and the Chief. I would like to thank the Speaker of the House of Assembly who led the delegation that came with a position as has been mentioned by the previous speakers. This resolution by SADC is very good. It is befitting for this nation.
I wanted to make a comment on the SADC countries, that they have now woken up in this period. They can now see the benefits of unity. Now because of that, we are going to clap hands for SADC for they have woken up from their slumber that they have now come up with a Parliament for Southern Africa. It is my wish that they do not end there. There should be an army that is designed to defend the continent against insurgency so that we work together with the help of the Parliament. The Army should be there, specifically for SADC.
It therefore eases the issue of sanctions that we have always been crying of. Trade will be coming through SADC and because of our unity, we are able to achieve more. So, the introduction of the SADC Parliament will ease the sanctions. As a result of our unity, the sanctions will have to be done away with because they cannot affect the whole continent.
There is an advert that used to come on TV which encourages people to kill mosquitoes before they kill you. As many did not know what they were supposed to use to get rid of the mosquito, they found out that a child had passed on due to malaria. People should take things seriously. When advice comes through, people should take heed of it with all the seriousness needed.
People think because the insurgence is in Mozambique, they should ignore it. It will come through to Zimbabwe as well because Mozambique is just next to us. This is where our independence came from – this independence that we are enjoying. If we closely look at what the previous speaker has said, we have a lot of riches in our minerals. My question then is, these people who have brought war, are they from Mozambique. We now hear we have different groups that are training. Are there no other things that people can focus on? Where are people getting guns? These are the things that we can ask as SADC to investigate who exactly is bringing these guns. Who is supplying these guns to Africa? What we want is machinery to drill boreholes, not guns. With time, we will discover the location where this ammunition is coming from.
All we know is that our riches are beneath the soil. They have their resources that they need to focus on. Some of them have reserves that they do not even offer to us. They have their own mineral resources but they so much admire our own diamonds. They want them as raw materials to take to their countries without benefiting this nation. So I wanted to thank SADC for this initiative that they are encouraging. They should keep themselves glued to that idea. This way, people are able to survive and realise their own dream as Southern Africa, and ourselves as Zimbabwe. Especially in Parliament, we should be able to contribute as a unified force to say we should act upon certain situations, for example the one in Mozambique. Assistance that we are supposed to send to Mozambique should be seen as united forces coming through to assist.
I have a story that I want to tell. The owner of the homestead had a problem with the rats and he set a trap. The rat asked the bull to get rid of the trap. The response was, ‘the trap is for you Mr. Rat because you are the problem.’ He even went to the goat to ask for assistance. The response from the goat was, ‘if you really want to stay amongst the domesticated animals you can join us.’ He went to the cock and he said, ‘get away, we do not want to see you at this homestead. The snake passed near the trap and was trapped. When they heard noise coming from the trap, they sought light to check what had been caught and one of the family members was bitten. People were shocked to see that it was a snake. Now that there was a funeral, they had to look for something to eat. It was only the cock that was going to be cooked as relish. The number of people that had increased, people had to go for the bull to feed funeral attendees. The bull was gone because they were told and never hid to the warnings. If possible, the war in Mozambique should be considered in our budget. We will be involved because of our proximity. Before this thing comes to us, we should deal with it. This is a trap that we hear of from a distance but it will come to us one day. It is better we deal with it from that side. I encourage people to deal with this war once and for all before many lives are lost.
Let us put our heads together and encourage SADC to prevent this war. Let us not allow foreigners to extract our God given wealth. If you see myself Hon Femai, allow me to dig and collect these minerals because I am Zimbabwean, but if it was someone else they should go back to their homes. It is always not good that foreigners who bring guns into the country are the ones who come to get our resources. That is my request that we are left out as Zimbabweans to dig and look for these minerals on our own.
*HON SEN. CHINAKE: Thank you very much Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate. I would like to say thank you very much to Hon Sen. Mohadi for this motion that she brought to this House. I will also want to thank the Speaker of Parliament, Hon Mudenda for leading this delegation.
It is very true that in SADC, we are actually behind because if you look at other countries in Europe they have their own groups such as G7 or G8. This is where they have the World Bank;they are actually in harmony. They understand each other very well. We actually go there and borrow money from them and they communicate very well.
If you go to China you will find the British, Chinese and Japanese there. If you go to America, all those people are there. Even if you go to Germany, all these people are there but in the SADC region, there is nothing like that. Look at what is happening in South Africa; our children are in that country. They actually get to a time when they experience xenophobic attacks and get burnt. They are chased from that country but in Europe nothing of that sort happens. They actually look after each other. People work in each other’s country and look after each other.
The initiative that was started by SADC to establish a Parliament is a noble cause because they should come up with a resolution to say we should look after each other as SADC region, to say every problem that is faced by one country is not for that particular country only but it has to be faced with a holistic approach from all other countries. Way back, South Africa used to get help from this country but now it is the other way round. People went to Wenera. We are thankful to the SADC region for this initiative that they have started.
If you look at Africa, there is oil, diamonds and a lot of things that are taken by the white people to go and fix other products in their countries and they come back as second hand goods sold to us. As SADC, why can we not come together with a solution or an industry that manufactures vehicles? We have everything both human and capital resources. We need to sit down and come up with such initiative. We have a problem of collecting oil from Mozambique but we do have oil in the SADC region. Let us come together and come up with a resolution that we cooperate. Fuel should be cheap because we have the resources from within. We are very good at farming in this country because we do not have a problem with cotton or maize but in most times, we actually import because we are not discussing as a people.
As black people, we hate each other. During Ian Smith’s regime, no white person would roam the streets; those with mental challenges would be locked up somewhere. As black people, we laugh at each other and that is our problem. When we see each other, we cannot assist each other. We should support each other and not allow people from afar to laugh to us or see what we do.
Another point is that we should appreciate our culture very much. If you look at the Long Chen Complex, you will see that the Chinese have built it to reflect their culture. Let us come together as a people. Is it because we are cursed as a people? When our children go out and learn another culture, they do not return back. If we establish a Parliament as SADC, they should look at all these things that we are mentioning, to say what do we do for SADC to progress?
Most of the countries are landlocked, so let us come together as a region to have our own resources. There is nothing that comes from heaven. Most of the things are here with us. With blessings that we have from the Lord, let us fix our own economy and other pertinent issues so that we have progress in the country. I thank you.
HON SEN. MOHADI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 16th June 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I move that Order of the Day Number 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. TONGOGARA: I move that Order of the Day Number 7 be stood over, until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. MUZENDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
DEVELOPMENT OF LIBERATION HISTORY MODULES
Eighth 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: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEKERAMAYI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 16th June, 2021.
MOTION
ADMINISTRATION OF FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the financing of football from the fiscus.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President for
according me this opportunity to support the motion, which was moved by Hon. Sen. Femai, in line with soccer. We heard of heart rending stories, that we produce a lot of prominent players but after playing soccer, after they retire, they end up being paupers. They cannot even take care of their hospital bills and they end up being vagabonds. After playing for the country and raising high the flag of the nation, they do not see the benefit of their efforts.
Mr. President, in some developed countries, their soccer teams end up participating in the World Cup, bringing medals for their countries, because they fully support them. The challenge that we have in this country, which I think should be rectified, is that those who play soccer, we do not consider it as their formal employment. In those developed countries they spend their day practicing soccer, waiting for matches and when they go for matches, they will be ready. They take it as their job and when they fall sick, they are taken care of but in this country, we do not do that.
The challenge we have here is that we say we have a national team but they are employed somewhere else. After their day to day activities, they go for trainings, yet they will be tired. I do not think they will be fit enough to train to match those who spend their time practicing. Therefore, my plea is that if we say we have a national football team, they should be well looked after. When they go for practice, they should be provided with transport instead of using public transport as they will be tired and fatigued. So, through our Ministry of Sports, which we know that our President has a vision that everyone should be given a place to lead in the field which they are competent in, we urge Government to support our players, that is why we have the Minister of Sport, who is a swimmer. These people are supposed to represent the country, the players should be well resourced so that when they go out representing us, they will play wholeheartedly, knowing that they are well looked after. They should be provided with accommodation. They must not rent apartments because when they want to go to represent the country, they will be stressed because they will not be having money to look after their families. If we have national teams that represent us, their welfare should be well looked after so that they know that soccer is their source of employment. By so doing, this will encourage the players to put all their energy in practicing and when we compete for the national or international teams, we will raise our flag as Zimbabwe. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. SEKEREMAYI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate. Soccer is a game, it is very exciting and it needs support. When we grew up as young children, we did not have anything; we used to play soccer in the streets making our own plastic balls. People are motivated by those great and famous players, they want to go and play soccer so that they will be like them. What we must know is that if all those great footballers were adequately paid in their country and got the support they needed, they will return to their country. Let us try by all means to promote soccer, netball and all the sports in this country. Most of the countries where soccer is successful, their governments will be funding them. Let us strive as a nation to support these boys and girls in their sports.
Mr. President, you remember we used to have a Parliament team that used to go and play soccer in Zambia, this shows how the country support sports. Yes, the programme might have come to an end but you will see that there was that emphasis of adequately supporting these sporting disciplines. Looking at David Mandigora, it does not show a very good picture. People should be admiring success of their legends. I support that idea to say those in sport must be supported fully.
We should perform above expectation. I do not see any reason why we should not have a football team that can defeat teams from other countries. On that note Mr. President I say with those few words let us adequately support our sport.
*HON. SEN. MUPFUMIRA: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to speak on this motion raised by Hon. Sen. Femai. It is very true that our players from different sporting disciplines end up being destitute on the streets without a reflection that they have done great things for this country. People who are in sports, arts and culture end up like this, let us look at people like the late Mukadota, we understand very well there is a period in which they got all the support but there was no programme to support them.
Soccer is just like business, you do not start planning your life when you are aged, you must plan your life when you are still young bearing in mind that you will grow old and one day you will retire and then fail to play soccer. The Government must play a big role in assisting people and making them aware of investment plans, how can they invest for their future. There must be a fund that will be meant for assisting people. Let people be taught that things will one day come to an end; the glory will come to an end. They should be in a position to prepare for their future. If someone is into sport, it is good when they are still active but when they age most of them die in the same way. They will just be people who need assistance. Let us look at people like Chings Chingaira, he started entertaining people during the liberation struggle but just before he died, people started looking for funds to assist him. We must teach our youths to plan for their future, things like contributing for their medical aid, and funeral policies when they die or get ill. It does not give a good picture when people suffer and show signs of struggle; all this time people are suffering, there should be a plan to say those who are into athletics or who play football, there should be some assistance that they get as they begin their journey.
Even an insurance policy would do to safeguard them or a pension policy to say when they are old or they are not able to participate anymore because of injury or any other reason they will be looked after. We should be in a position to assist them so that our country is not shamed. We are being left behind.
We are afraid to have our children venture into sport because maybe they lack advice. One of our cricketers, Andy Flower was introduced to the Hall of Fame for being one of the best cricketers in the world. If as Zimbabwe we are able to get someone like Andy Flower getting his name onto the Hall of Fame, why can we not do the same for other sports?
When people are now looking for money to bury you, there is no dignity. It is a shame. These people did a great thing for this country. They are actually freedom fighters. They did great things for us but now we are looking for money to bury them. It is a shame. We need to make sure that there is a retirement plan for these people, but retirement is not designed when one has become old. These things should be done upon inception of a particular sport. The moment they begin, this is where a plan should be made. At an advanced age, where do I start looking for a house? Plans should be made; financial management should be carried out to say this is a business. Even the farms we have, it is a business. Some take it for fun. Those who take it seriously actually achieve a lot.
How will they get respect when they experience these things? If children express their intention to get themselves into sport parents actually stop them from participating. They actually discourage them from playing soccer and say, where on earth have you seen football being a paying sport? We have got examples of the likes of Peter Ndlovu. It actually changed their lives and that of country such that we are proud as a nation to say these people excelled in their lives because of sport. Let us be serious; there should be a policy that looks into the welfare of these people when they retire from sports.
Let us make sure we do something and bring dignity to those who work very hard. These are the ambassadors of this nation. Let us make sure we do something to ensure that these people have a better life. Maybe this is why we have teams that have not excelled. We need proper plans for this sporting fraternity, financial education, financial management from when they start until they finish, especially preparation for their future; not that when they are done we start talking about investment. With those few words, I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Femai for raising this motion.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice in support of Hon. Sen. Femai’s motion and his seconder, in terms of sport specifically in line with soccer. Most issues have been articulated about what is happening in the soccer field. Let me say that soccer brings people together. Soccer is entertaining. These days if you see where Dynamos and Highlanders play each other, you will find that people in Zimbabwe love soccer.
It is very true that soccer players are in trouble. When they go to the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), it is a major tournament which players should be trained for. Even if it is a friendly match between Zimbabwe and other countries, we do not expect to see our people travelling to Malawi by road. They should fly there, it shows that as a country we are respecting our soccer players because they are going there representing our country.
If we look at the lives they are living, it looks like we do not care about their welfare. ZIFA should have a plan for those who retire so that current players can gain experience from retirees like Peter Ndlovu. I do not see why he cannot train the youngsters.
We have seen in the rural areas that there are some school leavers who are good in soccer but no one is looking at them. Like what others have said, we are neglecting them. We should come up with many teams so that our children engage in various sporting activities. Soccer is dangerous because one can fracture a hand or leg and in some instances they may not receive proper medical attention, yet they are doing it for the country. That should be rectified. When our players go out to play, when they are not happy they will not win because they would have gotten no assistance from the country. They will just be going there as a duty, which is a shame to our country.
I remember when our national team played against Somalia; we know that Somalia has never won any game but they beat our country. There was a party in Somalia because they had thrashed Zimbabwe. That should be rectified because they are representing our country and it brings pride to our country. If a soccer player wears his uniform, he should bring out the stature of Zimbabwe by the way he is dressed and the way he plays. It shows preparedness.
I think the powers that be should look into that because our players are representing the country. With these few words, I want to thank you.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Let me remind Members of this august House that you should rise from your seats to be recognised not to raise your hands.
*HON. MAVETERA: Thank you Madam President for giving me an opportunity to add a few words on the motion which was moved by Hon. Sen. Femai and supported by Senators in this House. Madam President, the motion that is before us is very pertinent. It is a touching and painful issue. I think what Hon. Senator Femai brought into this house is shameful. It is shameful in that we watch our players becoming paupers. They have a history. We had so many prominent players but their end was sad. They ended up being paupers but if you look at other countries which encourage their people, they are doing well. I think you know about Brazil, where Pele came from. He is respected by his country, he is an ambassador and is a symbol of his country to the extent that whenever there is a world cup, it does not pass without Pele’s presence. It started by being recognised by their own country.
Madam President, why are we not taking that route? We heard that the Government should pour in money but I think that is a small issue. It think Government is bigger than that, Government should come up with a policy when it comes to sportsmen. I think when we were growing up in the 1970s and early 80s, people who wanted to make money were being told to join the Dynamos executive and to become rich, because there was no policy. So thieves would rush there, that is the culture which we have put into our sporting discipline.
I remember when Highlanders was playing Dynamos, the Chairman from Dynamos would come with his bouncers and they would collect money and put it in their pockets. Where is the Government there? It is happening because there is no policy and the criminals are looting what should benefit the country. Soccer is now a business; there is no business which has paid a lot of people than soccer. That is why you see that when the FIFA President is here, he will receive more recognition than the head of State because there is money and it is organised. That is what we are pleading with our Government that they should pour money but they should come up with a policy of what will be happening in soccer. The policy should state who should be there and what should they do and the players should be told that they are entering into a business venture. It is not a luxury that you can do after doing your other duties. The Government should screen to find out who gets in. I think we will move forward. Our Constitution says that the Government should do things that bring national unity. There is no other way of promoting national unity besides soccer. Soccer unites us, I think those who know, when we united and rally behind the Dream Team, all of us know that Zimbabwe was put on the map.
Mr. President, if we go to politics, you find that there is ZANU PF and MDC. There is no Zimbabwe but when it comes to soccer, all of us would go there united. I think policy should foster national unity and that is the aim of the Government that we should come up with strong laws so that we would promote sports in the countries including what others have said that our players are ambassadors. If you look at Zimbabwe, you find that the people who have put us on the map are these sporting people who end up being paupers. Look at how Peter Ndlovu and Moses Chunga played and now we have Nakamba, Mwariwari, we have many of these players. I think we were put on the map by Bruce Grobbelaar who raised the flag of Zimbabwe and in other sports we have N. Price and many more.
I think the Government should see how important is soccer so that we should support it by enacting laws which are followed by everyone. This will make our country move forward and also create employment. I want to give an example before I sit down of Wieslaw Grabowski. He came here, he did not have anything, his wife is a doctor but he found a gap of potential, he formed an academy called Black Aces Academy and that is where many children were groomed to play for Zimbabwe. The training was not enough but some of them are now rising up, so I am saying that soccer can empower people.
We do not want our national heroes to die paupers death. Some of them cannot even afford a coffin and we forget that one day we were watching them as they were raising the flag of Zimbabwe as we were defining ourselves as Zimbabweans. With these few words Madam President, allow me to take my seat. The onus is upon us that we should come up with laws. Even in Europe, if you look at urban laws that control soccer, you find that they are strict laws. We do not have laws in place and thieves have taken advantage because there is money there. Thank you Madam President.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you very much Madam President for giving me the opportunity to contribute to what others have said. Usually when you are the last one, a lot of things would have been said. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Femai for the motion that he has brought to this House. As a chief I would like to say most of my life has been spent in the football fraternity. This is something that I understand to benefit a lot of people. You can actually live out of it.
We are looking at return on capital. Those who sail their ways during the football match actually get paid. A lot of people who are involved get something out of a match. A soccer match brings people together but the biggest problem that we have is that soccer was sponsored by companies like Meter Box and Hunyani. The companies used to get tax rebates because they were into the development of sport and entertainment.
As an Upper House of Parliament, we should look into this situation and say soccer is beneficial to so many people in the country. This is a sport in which we all understand each other despite our differences. We should find something that we inform Ministry of Finance and other responsible authorities to say those who are involved in soccer do get rebates so that they involve themselves in the development of these sports.
We all remember Ericsson. He died of blood pressure. We found Clemence Matau and he became one of the soccer stars. We sent him to school from Form Three up to Advanced Level until he joined the national team. When it becomes difficult, all this being done, you have invested a lot of money and there is nothing that comes out of it. We want to help each other as a House to say for these people to develop themselves, they should be assisted in a certain manner that does not allow them to die without investment.
When you look at cricket, those who play cricket get a lot of financial benefits. I have never seen an Old Mutual Cup in Zimbabwe but Old Mutual is one of the biggest companies. These are some of the things that pull us back as a country. Let us look at those wealthy companies. What are they doing for the people of Zimbabwe? Most of the people are glued on soccer. Wherever you go in the rural areas, you see people playing soccer. In companies like Mhangura, there was an apprenticeship programme to say after the soccer season, people will continue working as usual. We are between a rock and a hard place. Those companies that are into development of soccer should find assistance looking at tax rebates so that it acts as a motivation and encouragement to invest in this country. Most of them are dying from drug abuse. Some of them are dying without anything.
In 1980, when we got our independence, David Mandigora became soccer star of the year. We should be thanking him but nothing much is being done for the efforts that he made to this country. We should sit down and deliberate on the way forward to say what then do we do when someone has passed on. It is now more than 40 years since we attained independence but Douglas Vambe the ZBC news drummer died a poor man. We should support each other. If we do not think of ourselves, who then will come through and support us? I just want to support Hon. Sen. Femai’s motion.
Most of the challenges are to do with funding. If we get sponsors who support the development of sport on Zimbabwe, we will be happy. The likes of Musona are products of Ace Academy. Dynamos and Caps United does not produce players, they buy players. People are brought together through sport and this is what brings Zimbabweans together. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity.
HON SEN. FEMAI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 16th June 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 2021 VIRTUAL HEARINGS AT THE UNITED NATIONS ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION TO RESTORE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND IMPROVE DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the 2021 Virtual Hearings at the United Nations on fighting corruption to restore trust in Government and improve development prospects.
Question again proposed.
HON SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 16th June 2021.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND PROVINCE (HON SEN MAVHUNGA), the Senate adjourned at Twenty-Four minutes past Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 10th June, 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 (HON. GEN. (RTD.) SEN. NYAMBUYA): Today being Thursday, we have questions without notice. Unfortunately, I only have one apology from Dr. K. Coventry who is away on Government business. I do not have any other apology and in the Chamber today, we only have four Ministers who are the Minister of Defense and War Veteran Affairs, the Deputy Minister of Local Government, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Mashonaland Central and the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Mashonaland East. This is not an acceptable state of affairs. I would like to express my displeasure and dismay at this very unacceptable state of affairs which is tantamount to contempt of the Senate. The Clerk will have to write a letter to the authorities expressing our utmost displeasure at the state of affairs. It is not acceptable and I am sure the Hon. Senators agree with me that it undermines the role of the Senate which is stipulated in the Constitution; that is their right to ask Hon. Ministers questions on what is happening. Having said that, I hope we will receive more Ministers since I only have one apology and we will have to make do with those who are here. We are grateful to you Hon. Minister of Defense. In fact it is the women Ministers who have shown that they are actually more professional than their counterparts. Thank you Hon. Ministers. We can field our questions to the Ministers who are here.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Local Government. What is the Government policy regarding driving school trucks which are found in our city centres?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): I would like to thank the Hon. Member for asking such a pertinent question. When you refer to driving schools, I did not quite get your question whether you were asking about where they train people whether it is safe. If that is the case let me clarify that we have noted that in urban centres people are just doing what they want. They do not follow council by-laws. As local government, we have a blitz that we have embarked on, together with local municipal authorities, because we have seen people who are plying different trades at undesignated areas. You notice that at Mbudzi, we are preparing a right place for that. Together with ZRP and Municipal Police, we are on a blitz and have warned illegal traders who are operating illegally at different places to move to where they are supposed to be. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: I would like to know that when demolishing structures for those who have tuck shops within their durawalls in their yards and those who do not have durawalls but have tuckshops in their yards. I would like to know whether both are going to be affected by these demolishes.
*HON. CHOMBO: I would like to thank Senator Femai for his question. Every municipal authority has its by-laws. If you are referring to a residential area, then it is not a business area. We warn all those who are carrying out commercial activities in residential areas. It does not matter whether the business is within the durawall or outside the durawall. As long as we do not have permission to be operating that business in that residential area, you have to stop that forthwith. If possible, then you can demolish on your own but as local authorities we are allowed to come and observe, and then demolish.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Local Government. Right now there are PSC buses that carrying civil servants. Are these buses supposed to be parked at designated points because we have noted that they park in front of people’s houses and you discover that they litter by throwing away empty bottle drinks, chips and others. So, I would like to know if there are designated points for PSC buses, or maybe it will be just left like that without any corrective measures.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Our buses leave in the morning to pick up people. When they drop off people they are supposed to come and park the buses at our Government offices like CMED and other Government buildings. We do not allow public service buses to be parked wherever. I would like to request that if you notice any anomaly, please notify us so that we correct that.
*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government. I would like to ask that as Hon. Members, are there any designated parking bays for Hon. Members where we do not pay. I request that the same arrangement that obtains at tollgates should also be done for Hon. Members and maybe there should be clarity whether there are places we are supposed to pay or not when parking our cars?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Member for asking that pertinent question. In Harare, as you know that this is where we converge as Hon. Members to do Parliament business, there are designated points at Third Street where every Hon. Member is supposed to park. I would like to believe that no Hon. Member has been given a ticket. However, if you see it fit that you should be given permission to park wherever you want to in town as a Hon. Member, as the Local Government, we can sit down with you and come to an agreement. I thank you.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to ask my question. I will direct my question to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works. What does the Government policy say concerning some stands that were sold by the City Council to citizens five years ago and have not been serviced up to date in some cities, especially Bulawayo?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): We have had a lot of problems and I think this problem dates back several years; it is a legacy issue if I may say. We have had some stands that were allocated to people before they were serviced. This is why we are having problems of drainage, sewerage and water blockages.
The norm is that a person should be sold a stand that has been serviced with sewer, water and a road network. We are now forcing the city councils to make sure that if the services were paid for, then they are supposed to provide that service through their land developers. If you have such incidences where people have been given stands, I know there are quite a number of them, kindly bring that to our office’s attention so that we make sure that we have a dialogue with the relevant city authorities. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development; in his absence, I would ask the Minister of Defence and War Veterans to respond. The Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development has been moving around the country. We all know that there are no good roads to move grains from farms to G.M.B or selling points. So, I would like to know if the Government has any corrective measure to take regarding that situation.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI) on behalf of THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chirongoma for such an important question because it is Government’s desire to have a good road infrastructure. It boosts Government’s economic programmes. After working, people desire to reap benefits but if there are no good road networks, it is a challenge. Like what the Hon. Senator has alluded to that there was a bumper harvest this season, so, it is important for our road network to be accessible.
However, we have Government roads which fall under the Ministry of Transport; we also have roads falling under the DDF and other roads which are managed by the Local Government under municipal authorities. Therefore, I do not know the specific roads that the Hon. Senator is referring to. This question might need to be put on the Order Paper but it is an urgent matter which should be communicated so that we take it to the responsible Ministry. I believe they will respond as soon as possible.
We are all aware that after the heavy rainfalls, a committee was formed and given the task to look at the rehabilitation of roads in both rural and urban areas. However, I would like to promise knowing that urgent issues like these, Government has various plans that are going to be implemented to solve different challenges that are faced on our road networks. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr. President, I would like to direct my question to the Minister of Defence and War Veterans. I would like to believe that the Bill which talks about the welfare of War Veterans is already being worked on. What is Government policy regarding the different programmes that are going to be carried out? Are these programmes going to be in rural areas?
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): I would like to thank Sen. Chief Charumbira for his pertinent question regarding Government policy. Looking at the vetting of war veterans that have not been vetted and ex-detainees - most war veterans and ex-detainees have already been vetted. Most of them have already benefited. However, we are looking at war collaborators and non-combatant cadres who went to Mozambique, Botswana and other countries training but without using arms. Those two categories are the ones we are focusing on. When we look at our Constitution, the people of Zimbabwe said that these people should be vetted and that they should benefit.
We anticipate that we have people who exceed 100 000, some might be genuine and some might not. So, vetting is important because it will assist us. We have started phase 1 which is for registration, it is a stage of declaring that one is a non-combatant cadre or war collaborator identifying where they were operating from – whether they were in Mozambique and where they were in Zimbabwe; the people they interacted with because most of these people are known by chiefs and headmen where they operated from. We are going to find people who know most of these people in most rural areas but because of COVID-19 which delayed programmes, some are passing on and some are suffering. We have embarked on the programme so that people benefit. We have opened offices in districts – every District has an office which has a Government employee at that level. These offices are centres of registration for war veterans and the different categories that we mentioned. There are four categories.
There are forms for war veterans, ex detainees, war collaborators and non combatant cadres. One has to go and register, tell us his or her story and we will send the details. We are starting this registration on the 17 June to 17 July 2021. These registration forms will be taken to the board which will go through the forms, working with different leaders of the parties that we are talking about in district centres. That is why we held a meeting where we requested what I am requesting from Parliament that you inform your constituents to come forward and register. The second phase is going to be coming but we have not yet organised the exact centres because it is going to touch different categories; war veterans, non combatant cadres and war collaborators. We had commanders who were working with these war collaborators – these are the commanders who are going to be deployed to different districts. We do not have the centres for now but we are working hard to identify such centres. What we are launching right now is the first phase which is this Saturday and we will be publishing the centres.
We also note that we have cantonment areas and these fall under our Ministry. For those who can, they can go to cantonment centres to register; when we embark on phase 2, we will communicate to the nation.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: I would like to understand on non-combatant cadres. Maybe the previous programme that was done did not benefit a cadre. For those who have already passed on and if their children are still alive, how are they going to benefit?
*HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI: I believe that the non-combatant cadres that the Hon. Sen. Chief is referring to were not vetted. This is a new programme that came after the Bill which was passed in this august House aligning it to the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The Constitution of Zimbabwe was written by the general populace of Zimbabwe which stipulated that we should honour war veterans but they did not say that this should benefit the late. This is speaking to those who are still alive and not those who passed on. We will be identifying those who are specified in the Act – those four categories.
Those who passed on whether they are war veterans or war collaborators but were not mentioned by the general populace in the Constitution. Legal issues are challenging but for sure, there are a lot of war veterans who passed on but this is according to what the people of Zimbabwe said in the Constitution. This is something which is supposed to be factored into the Constitution as an amendment but for now we are basing on the Constitution. There is no such amendment hence we are going to work with what is constitutional, what we were empowered by the people of Zimbabwe to do, I thank you.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: My question is directed to the Minister of Defence. We hear that war collaborators and ex-detainees were at the villages cooking for the war veterans. What are you going to do to such people because they are supposed to benefit from the spoils from the liberation struggle? The collaborators were doing their duty because they were active. In which group are you going to classify them?
*THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): If we look at the current Act, it gives a definition of who is a chimbwindo and ex detainees. It calls upon witnesses who witnessed that indeed the said person played that active role. If they fall into that category as defined in the Act, there should be no problem. If we go beyond what is contained in the Act then it means that everyone in Zimbabwe would now be covered by the definition including eight year olds who were also cooking. The Act is meant to cater for people that were actively involved in the provision of food and running around with equipment and so on. People like village heads or kraal heads will know who they collaborated with during the war. If people feel that they have been left out, they can lodge an appeal with the Appeals Committee which is specifically set up for that purpose. So, any aggrieved party should go to an Appeals Committee, the members of that Committee are Commissioners of Oath and you give your testimony under oath. Errors could occur but once that Committee sits, it assists to rectify the error and mistakes. It comprises of lawyers, village heads, chiefs and headmen. Nothing is going to be left behind. Once this is in the public domain, the public want to benefit but if we look at our local experiences, we even look at best practices in other countries.
We also look at the issue of resources, does the Government have sufficient resources? Hon. Members in this august House are the ones who passed the Budget. Whenever it is budget time, I request that I be given or allocated money. At times the money allocated to my budget is not even provided or it is very little. So, we need to be realistic about our current state of affairs because everything comes back to Parliament. So, I would like to believe that I have tried to answer this question as best as I could. You are the ones who allowed us to come up with that particular law. Should there be any lacunas, we will have to come back to you. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Defence and War Veterans. What is Government policy as regards the members of the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) and the Airforce in terms of assisting communities with buildings? For example in Manicaland which was devastated by Cyclone Idai, how can one get in touch with the offices of the National Defence Forces when requiring assistance? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Thank you Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe for the question. If you look into our Constitution, it tells you that the Defence Forces are not just there for war, it is there to defend our territorial integrity among other things. We also work during peaceful times with the community to assist them because we are the people’s army. If you have such request, you can write to any of our offices or you can call on the Ministers of State in your provinces. They will be able to assist you because they are the chairpersons of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) meetings. So, they will be in a position to accept those letters and plan with JOC so that local communities can also benefit.
However, what you should know is that the army has no money. It has no budget for community activities. We have inadequate amounts for sufficient food allocation. We are mindful that the Government has a burden and we are trying as much as possible to assist although we do not have such a fund. We ask you to approach the Local Government so that devolution funds can then be utilised to build schools, bridges and other such infrastructures because we have bricklayers, engineers and builders in the Ministry of Defence. So, we believe that you will be able to send your request to our offices or to the Ministers of State. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. SIPANI-HUNGWE: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works since her Ministry works with the Local Government and they superintend over councils. My question is; are you observing that this country is now full of dirty, especially in cities. Wherever you go, you see garbage not being collected and the garbage is now on the roads and vehicles can no longer move freely. Have you observed that? If you have made such an observation, what are you saying about it, especially to city councils?
My second question is; Parliament has done very well in terms of the welfare of Members of Parliament. I was in the Eighth Parliament and we were promised that we will be allocated residential stands. What is the progress in as far as those promised stands for Members of Parliament is concerned? Some of us will leave Parliament and some will not come back when the elections are held and others have passed on. What is the status of the stands that you have promised us and we paid some money towards the residential stands? I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS: Thank you Hon. President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Sipani-Hungwe for her questions. They are pertinent questions. I am in agreement with you that service delivery from local authorities is at its worst although I am not qualified. As Central Government, we are concerned about such shoddy service delivery that is being provided to the local communities by local authorities. We sat down with local authorities and carried out an investigation into the causes of poor service delivery in terms of waste management, water and sewer reticulation. When we look back, we observe that the towns were structured in such a way that it would cater for a very small population.
However, the rural to urban migration brought pressure on the infrastructure that had been made for a few people and the service delivery was overwhelmed. The type of service they were giving and the one that was now expected were not in sync and because of the changes in the exchange rates and currencies, they were unable to deal with the issues of water management, waste management and garbage collection. They were unable to buy the requisite equipment because of the funds that they had. We also observed that the majority of the machinery was not being serviced. Once it was bought, it would be put into use until it became dysfunctional. This was happening in all the local authorities and that is what we witnessed. We also observed that the devolution funds that were meant to buy such machinery was not being properly utilised for their intended purposes. We came up with a report and we are looking at it with a view to rectify it.
As local government, we are now working with local authorities and we have now enhanced our supervision mechanism so that basic service delivery is offered such as the collection of garbage, sewage reticulation and provision of portable water. In the next few months, you should be seeing a difference with regards to such issues. The other problem being faced is that the people being provided with those services are not paying rates; it then becomes difficult for the local authorities to provide service deliverables. They collect about 13% of 100%. So if they are supposed to collect $1million they are collecting $13000. This has impacted greatly on service delivery. We are working hand-in-glove with the metropolitan councils such as Harare and Bulawayo. You are going to see changes soon.
With regards to stands for MPs, I am in agreement with you that the majority of members are unhappy. They are justified in being disgruntled because even those in the 8th Parliament have not received their stands and we are now in the 9th Parliament. The reason was that the stands are there but have not been serviced. We do not have sufficient funding to service them and it is now illegal for us to offer you an unserviced residential stand. We have however sat down with Parliament and asked them to look for funding to service the stands and allocate them to Hon. Members. We are now at an advanced stage and very soon you will be told the majority of your stands will be serviced. I am asking Hon Members who live outside Harare to also look for stands out there so that we put less pressure on the provision of serviced stands in Harare. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: My supplementary question is on local authorities. We heard the Minister saying the ratepayers are not paying. Is she aware that the City Councils are raising rates every other month and it has become difficult for a person who paid $5 last month and you go next month they are told they owe $20? Have you looked into that trend? I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHOMBO: Thank you Sen Tongagara for the supplementary question. At the end of each year, budgets are agreed upon, interviews are done at ward level and end up at the Ministry of Local government and the budget is passed. If you look at that, the majority of the people are not going to give their input into the local government budgets to see the proposals. These fees should be agreed to by everyone. However, when such meetings are called so that people can interrogate the budget, the majority of us do not find time and we are not placing a lot of importance on that issue. We only become alive to the Bills and scrutinise them when they come. I urge you Hon. Senator that if there is such a malpractice in any of these local government authorities you should approach us so we see if what is happening is in tandem with what you agreed in the budget.
HON. SENATOR CHINAKE: I heard the Minister saying we can find stands outside Harare. What is the modus operandi when one wants to get a stand in Masvingo because the council is saying they have not been given such an instruction? I thank you.
HON. CHOMBO: Thank you for the question Hon Sen Chinake. I am going to respond as a Member of Parliament. The chief whips sent a document calling for Hon. Members to indicate their areas of preference for allocation of stands. If the document did not get to you from your political party, please approach you own political chief whip so that you can be assisted in that regard. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. GUMPO: My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government. The road from Karoi to Omei in Siyakobvu is 250 km of gravel road. It is very rough and for the past two years, there has not been any bus. This is where the majority of the poor people live. From Harare to Kariba, you pay US$10 and it is only tarred road. From Siyakobvu, half of the journey they pay US$15 to $20. When we asked why there are no buses to Siyakobvu, we were told that the new type of ZUPCO buses is not meant for gravel roads. We asked Government to give us the old ‘chicken bus’ and ZUPCO will then award such people contracts so that we have transport in Siyakobvu. When are these buses going to start plying that route? I thank you.
*THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Out of respect, I could not just say that this is a lengthy question and secondly, it is not a policy question. What you need to do is to put it in writing so that the Minister can go and research and come and give an answer, but should the Minister want to answer your question, she is free to do so.
*HON. SEN. GUMPO: I have written letters to the Ministry and have not received any response from their office.
*THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: If you write your question down, it works as they will be forced to come with a response to a written question because what we are doing now is oral questions. Be that as it may, let us hear what the Minister has to say.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Let me thank Hon. Senator Gumpo for his question. I am in agreement with him that the truth of the matter is that you wrote a letter to our offices. I would want to confirm that I got the letter yesterday evening to look into your grievances. You gave the grievance of there being no public transport in the form of buses and also with regards to District Development Fund ferry that is used to ferry people. That ferry broke down but I got in touch with the Director of DDF, Mr. Jonga yesterday and he said because of the sanctions, they have experienced challenges in repairing the ferry. However, he said that they are now repairing the ferry and by end of June, it should be commissioned and be back in use.
I also got in touch with our Chief Executive Officer for ZUPCO about the bad road and that there is no ZUPCO bus. He said yes, they cannot send their new buses but he was on his way to Bulawayo. He said he will physically assess the said route. He promised that beginning of July, there will be a bus to do a trial run on the said road. So the beginning of July, you are going to get the ferry back in use as well as a bus that will do a trial run on that route.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government. What is the policy with regards the maintenance of offices of Government Ministers so that visitors such as Members of Parliament and others can have teas and soft drinks when they visit resident Ministers?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): When you talked about biscuits, we thought of eating. The office of the resident Ministers or Ministers of Provincial Affairs do not fall under Local Government but under the Office of the President. That is where their budget lies.
*HON. SEN. CHINAKE: I would want to ask the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs who said they no longer have a budget in the Ministry but we see that they are employing more people as soldiers. What are you going to be paying them? Where are you going to get the funding that you are going to use to pay them?
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS AFFAIRS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Hon. Senator Chinake says that the Minister said that they no longer have any funds. I do not believe that I said we no longer have money. I did say that our budget is allocated from Parliament. You are the ones that approve budgets. We come here with our bids and among the requirements will be money for the construction of soldiers’ houses, purchase of uniforms and food, and other various health matters such as drugs and so forth. You approve the budget in this august House and the Ministry of Finance keeps the record. We then make requests to the Ministry of Finance. That is how the budget runs. That is the budget cycle, you approve our budget in this august House. From time to time the Treasury will then allocate the funds on a monthly basis. What I had said was we are not being allocated money to do construction for the community. I said it is not our duty; it is the duty of other ministries – that is how I had responded to the question. You then queried why we are recruiting when we have not funds, let me put the record straight and state that when we come to Parliament, we come up with different plans. In our Act we are allowed to have 40 000 soldiers, that is our strength, we cannot go beyond that.
There are soldiers who are old and those that die; hence we need to be continuously maintaining the strength for purposes of deployment to secure our borders so that you are safe and that there is peace. You are also able to do farming because we have a staff complement of 40 000 soldiers. We are doing the recruitment; it is a programme that we brought to you during the budget process. We were given an allocation to recruit these soldiers, so the money is there for training as well as catering for the needs of those that are being recruited. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT in terms of Standing Order No. 62.
ORAL ANSWER TO QUESTION WITH NOTICE
STATUS OF ACCORDING LIBERATION HERO STATUS
- (a)HON. SEN. TONGOGARAasked the Minister of Defence and War Veterans Affairs to inform the House the criteria used by Government on the status of those people who are accorded liberation hero status.
(b) Why war veterans who joined the armed struggle in the early 1970’s are vetted by those who joined the armed struggle in the late 1970’s.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND WAR VETERANS AFFAIRS (HON. MUCHINGURI-KASHIRI): Mr. President before I delve into the question, let me briefly quote what the preamble of our Constitution says about heroism. “united in our diversity by our common desire for freedom, justice and equality and our heroic resistance to colonialism, racism and all forms of domination and oppression, Exalting and extolling the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives during the Chimurenga/Umvukela and national liberation struggles”.
So, this is well defined in our Constitution, in our Preamble. The inclusion of a statement extolling heroic resistance to colonialism in the preamble of the supreme law of the nation establishes the importance and pervasive nature of the value of liberation borne out of heroism. The Constitution clearly recognizes the need to give due respect, dignity and honour to the heroic effort of those who participated in our liberation struggle and further defines them as 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.
It is on this basis that Section 3 of the National Heroes Act Chapter 10:16 confers upon the President of Zimbabwe the powers to declare the hero status on certain citizens of Zimbabwe. The section states that 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.
The process of declaration starts with recommendations from various organisations and associations from a wide spectrum of our nation that wish to have certain individuals conferred with any of the three categories of hero status.
Given the history of our nation, most heroes and heroines have predominately been those with political and military backgrounds. On account of the due prominence given to liberators by our Constitution of 2013, however, the National Heroes Act Chapter 10:16 also take into account outstanding distinctive and distinguished service by all citizens. It is on this basis that other heroes without political and military backgrounds like Dr. Chambati, he was a (businessman); Garry Magadzire (Agriculturist), Christopher Ushewokuinze (businessman) and Oliver Mutukudzi (Arts) just to mention but a few, these have been awarded hero status as national, provincial or district heroes by public demand. The onus is therefore, upon any citizens, groups of people, organisations or associations to justify their recommendations to the President award of any of the three categories of hero status on the basis of service rendered.
Mr. President, the criteria therefore, is that one should have rendered outstanding distinctive and distinguished service to the nation.
(b) Why war veterans who joined the armed struggle in the early 1970’s are vetted by those who joined the armed struggle in the late 1970’s.
Mr. President, it is not correct that veterans who joined the armed struggle in the early 1970’s were vetted by those who joined in the late 1970’s. The answer to the question is best explained by giving a historical context to what happened during the initial vetting of war veterans. When Government announced the 50 000 gratuity senior veterans were assigned the responsibility of conducting a vetting exercise in 14 days later extended by 4 days.
Some of the senior veterans who conducted the vetting process are:-
Serial | Name | Rank during the liberation War |
01. | Brig. Gen. F. Mhonda | General Staff |
02. | Late Brig. Gen. E. Chitekedza | General Staff |
03. | Assistant Commissioner E. Pfumvuti | Detachment MO |
04. | Cde D Mahiya | Detachment Commander |
05. | Cde Joseph Mbedzi | Northern Front 3 Commander |
06. | Rtd Brig. Gen. Chitsungo | General Staff |
07. | Cde Chitiyo | General Staff |
08 | Cde Chokuwamba | Detachment Level |
09. | Rtd Brig. Gen. Gatsheni | Coy Commander |
10 | Rtd Major Fibion Sibanda | Regional Commander |
11 | Rtd Major Tshipa | Regional Commander Northern Front 1 |
12 | Rtd Major Nditsheni Dube | Platoon Commander |
13 | KK Dube | Regional Commander Northern Front 2 |
14 | Col Ossie Mhandu | Battalion Commander |
15 | Cde Ndaba Ncube | Regional Security Officer |
16 | Ngambeni Ngulube | Platoon Commander Northern Front 2 |
17 | Tsiletso Makhado | Detachment Commander |
These are some senior during that time; some joined the struggle way before 1970’s. These are by all accounts veterans who joined the struggle in the early to mid 1970’s. The 1997 vetting exercise however, produced its own set of problems including but not limited to:
- The inclusion of undeserving individuals, and
- Omission of genuine veterans given the hasty nature of the exercise.
This is when an Inter-Ministerial Team comprising of security agents was put together to also address the fraudsters and vet genuine veterans who had been left out. Once more, the team was made up of senior veterans with a wide and deep background of the liberation struggle, the likes of Comrade Ntuliki, Gweje, Hwacha (all late) and Colonel (Rtd) Maeresera. Thus, from the inception of the vetting exercise therefore, senior veterans have been responsible for vetting. Over the past 24 years, nonetheless, individual cases have been handled by the inter-ministerial team although there was no proper appeal mechanism. This has now been put into place through the creation of an Appeals Committee of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Board.
I should also mention that the purpose of vetting is to ascertain the credentials of persons claiming to be Veterans of the Liberation Struggle. In the discharge of their duties, the vetting officers shall admit and give due weight to any of the following kinds of evidence:
- The sworn living testimonies of the claimants backed by accredited Veterans of the Liberation Struggle;
- The sworn living testimonies of persons who know or are related to or were associated with the claimant;
- The sworn testimony of any person that was recorded before he or she died and
- Other independent documentary evidence not limited to written evidence but including audio-visual or other kinds of acceptable evidence.
From the above provisions in the Act and the foregoing explanation, it should be fairly easy for those who joined the struggle in the early 1970s, most of whom were senior commanders to successfully go through the vetting process as they are well known by those who joined the struggle after them. In the event that such senior veterans fail to qualify, they can always appeal to the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Board and further to the Minister, whose decision shall be final. Despite this decision being final, aggrieved persons can still approach the High Court for review.
MOTION
DEVELOPMENT OF LIBERATION HISTORY MODULES
Third 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. SHUMBA: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to support the motion that was raised by Hon. Sen. Tongogara regarding the history of the liberation struggle of Zimbabwe. This is a critical issue which should be recorded in history books so that our young people are trained and they know how our independence came by. I know that from the past, people were taught history that is why there are a lot of lawyers.
Most of the history that was taught differs from what is being taught now. At one time, there was European and African history. Now we have young people who do not know how our independence came about. They do not know what war is because they were born after independence. I believe that the issue that was raised by Hon. Sen. Tongogara is a good issue which, when we look at what is happening right now – we are looking at President E.D. Mnangagwa who has established a museum where African history will be recorded and displayed. This teaches us that our history should not just disappear but people should know every African state history. Just like in Zimbabwe because old people like us experienced the war, we know what we went through for us to attain independence but when we see most of our colleagues, they are grown up. How are our children and grand children going to know our history?
Some young people are saying if you say you liberated the country, you should go and tie the country on a tree and they will go and liberate it. They think that it is a very easy issue. They do not know that there are people who sacrificed their lives. There are people who suffered. Even those who did not go out of the country lost a lot of things, including livestock as a result of the liberation struggle. They do not know that when we look at Zimbabwe, there are few white people that we come across. It is different from South Africa. We cannot tell or say that there is independence or not – the whites are still too many.
When we differ in opinion in Zimbabwe, we differ among ourselves. The crux of the matter that was raised by Hon. Sen. Tongogara is that there must be books that are published and there should be writers who write about the liberations struggle. There are a lot of war veterans who are still alive who are supposed to record or capture their history in history books so that the young people grow up knowing how independence was attained.
I would like to appreciate this because it is a very important motion because the young generation does not know but they need books so that they know our history. They need museums so that they too understand the path that we took to attain independence. We need to come together without arguing or differing. We need people who experienced the liberation struggle who know and understand the liberation struggle up to this stage that we are in. These things should be written down in books so that young people read and know the history of our country and write examinations. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the current motion which was moved by Hon. Sen. Tongogara. I want to add my voice to this critical and crucial motion which was moved by Hon. Sen. Tongogara and seconded by Hon. Sen. Chirongoma.
I would like to honour SADC, which was referred to as the Frontline States during the war and assisted Zimbabwe and other countries like South Africa and Namibia to attain independence. The three countries which assisted us are, Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique and indeed, the liberation struggle needed the support of the SADC or Frontline States. It was impossible for the country to wage war from within but it was important to strategise from outside the country for the successful war of liberation which emanated from the support of countries like Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique.
Our soldiers did not have enough weapons but because of the guerilla warfare, we managed to overcome the imperialist system. When the white people saw that we were serious, they resorted to negotiations at the Lancaster House Conference. However, when looking at the history of Zimbabwe, you discover that liberation fighters and our parents died because they could not protect themselves. The countries which were supporting us also had casualties and their people died after being attacked by the Rhodesian Regime. We know that there cannot be independence without the sacrifice of cadres, but we would like to appreciate those who passed on before the attainment of our independence. They died in foreign lands, giving their lives to liberate Zimbabwe and they did not manage to come back home.
I would like to express my support to the motion and say that Zimbabwe, SADC and the authorities should embrace the decision that the curriculum should include the History of Zimbabwe so that our young people know and understand it. If we do not do that, our young people will not know the path that we took towards independence. So, we appreciate that SADC has that plan to factor in the History of Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, the education system is advanced in terms of teaching History and writing the History of Africa.
At one point I went to Cuba and saw the History of the Slave Trade which is captured there. However, the people who visited were African people who were enslaved but do not have the correct history of the Slave Trade with records of people who were enslaved and their countries of origin. So, I believe that the history that is being written by Zimbabwe is going to benefit SADC and the whole of Africa so that the Slave Trade history is captured and recorded in Africa. I would like to appreciate and thank the countries which assisted us to attain democracy.
Women were not allowed to vote, obtain national identity documents, buy assets like cars or open bank accounts. A woman was only allowed to do that when they had a male child. If a woman went to maternity leave, they were replaced at work and all these things changed after independence. Now women are able to do all the things which they were previously denied like opening bank accounts. I would like to appreciate the changes which were brought through independence in Zimbabwe. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. MALULEKE: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to add a few words to support the motion that was moved by Hon. Tongogara. It reminds me of a lot but I am going to say a few things. If you ask me the history – if you say 1497 then we know that Vasco da Gama went to India. In 1963, our young people need to know that the liberation struggle started. It is important to write a lot of Zimbabwean history books which will be taken to schools so that young people learn of the struggle from Zero Grade to University education and they know the history of Zimbabwe. When they go to school, they learn a lot of other concepts but it is important for them to understand how the liberation was attained in Zimbabwe.
I went to Chimoio with women when I was in the Politburo and night and day we were crying after learning and observing what happened there. This is where I began to appreciate that the Mozambican people really supported us Zimbabweans during the liberation struggle. So our young people need to know what happened. Hon. Sen. Tongogara said a lot of things and as the Upper House, our plea is that Ministers should be in the House hearing us so that they know that these issues should not end in this august House. The issues being discussed here should be implemented so that schools are able to embrace the Curriculum through the right channels so that young people learn.
Some might not know, we have border lying areas where there were a lot of problems and we could not hide because there are no mountains. So, we were detained in Detention Centres. These are things that young people need to know, they do not know what ‘Keeps’ and Detention Centres are. There was a lot of abuse of people. For example, sometimes a woman would be asked to recite the identity document number of her husband and if she failed, she would be tortured or asked to stand on one leg as punishment.
Our children need to know that they need to understand the history of their country. At times people lost their livestock which was forcefully taken away from them. This prompted Zimbabweans to go out of the country to fight for the liberation of Zimbabwe. Chiefs know that there are young people who went out of the country to train as liberation fighters and we need to know that and it should be captured in our history. We do not need to just know about Cecil John Rhodes but about who went out of the country first, we need to know about Mbuya Nehanda, the Chinhoyi battle, what happened there and so on.
President Mnangagwa did a good thing. I passed through the place where the statue of Mbuya Nehanda is mounted and young people were watching. This is a marvel and it is something which should be emulated by young people. This is a reminder and it honours the young people who went out of the country but failed to come back because they passed on before the independence of Zimbabwe. As this august House, let us work together so that this history is published in books. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. MUPFUMIRA: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to say a few words regarding the motion that was raised by Hon. Sen. Tongogara. I was prompted to stand and debate that, yes, it is important that these issues are found in school syllabuses. Even some of us in this august House might be hearing this from other people but facts are important. We need people who are knowledgeable and know what happened because we might write the wrong history. The other thing that we need to know is that we are growing up and some who know what happened passed on. I will give an example of the Chinhoyi Seven Heroes. The place that we call the Heroes Acre in Chinhoyi is not the place but there are people who know the exact place where the seven heroes were killed. We also had the privilege to engage Father Ribeiro, Mr Mazorodze and others and this is when we saw the correct place.
There are some people who are clever who went about spreading information which is not correct. Some of the people in Chinhoyi do not know that this is a sacred place. This allowed us to work with historians to identify the provinces with historical importance because heroes acres are not about Harare and the Heroes Acre but where things transpired. I am happy that when I was in the process of identifying where our heroes passed on, we had identified monuments and other places which were supposed to be heritage sites like the heritage site for the seven heroes. That is where the chimurenga started then, Altenna farm where the chimurenga started and culminated in people going to the Lancaster House Conference.
In Masvingo, there is a place in Gutu which was identified by villagers where 105 people were killed in 1977 in November. These are places which are not known by people but we still have survivors of this massacre and they can recite the history of that place in Masvingo.
In Chimoio, we spoke to students at State universities and ferried students in 26 buses. However, if you go to that monument what you see compared to the history of the place is not pleasing at all. There is need for it to be well kept. The buildings surrounding that place do not align with the significance of the Chimoio area. We want to have correct history not to hear it from people lying that they were there and giving the wrong information. We need to tell the truth about our history.
We went with university students who cried after they saw what was on the ground. The other thing that really affected me – it is sad that that Minister of Defence has left - was that there is no proper road to the monument. In Mozambique, there are beautiful roads but from Chimoio to our shrine, there is no road at all. We need to ensure that we correct that and boost our tourism. Let us go and see what happened so that we understand the significance of the place where thousands of our people were killed. Also take our children for appreciation so that they do not ask to be taken back to the colonial era. This is very important but it needs financing and supporting to enhance domestic tourism. It does not matter whichever political party you belong to, we all fought for the liberation of Zimbabwe and we need our children to know and understand that.
I remember when 1652 was mentioned, I straight away knew it was Jan Van Rybeck but we do not value such things. I appreciate this motion. In Matabeleland North, there is the Pupu battle where people were massacred but there is no monument. I hope that the people who are going to carry over the responsibility of the places that we identified are going to make sure that there is a monument so that our young people are taught so they understand the correct history. Sometimes people write incorrect history. We want facts. In 1966, I was a young girl but you hear people far younger than me claiming that they were there and they know these places. My prayer is that historical sites of all events that are found in all the provinces and districts should be treated as sacred shrines so that the young people can go there and see what happened. I thank you Senator Tongogara for that good motion.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: You saw me consulting. People are moving out of the Chamber a lot and we stand the risk of not having a quorum. If that happens, then we will have to come back tomorrow and sit to adjourn. My appeal is that this motion will be on the Order Paper so Hon. Members, you can prepare so that we continue with the motion next week. Looking at those inside the Chamber, I believe we might be having a problem of quorum. So it is better that we adjourn before we lose the number that forms a quorum.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. HUNGWE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday 15th June, 2021.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA seconded by HON. SEN. HUNGWE, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Minutes past Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 15th June 2021.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 9th June, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA): I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 4 be stood over until the rest of the Orders have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I move that Order No. 5 be stood over until the rest of the Orders have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
DEVELOPMENT OF LIBERATION HISTORY MODULES
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I move the motion standing in my name,
That this House;
MINDFUL that Zimbabwe attained its independence after a protracted liberation war;
ALSO MINDFUL that SADC played a pivotal role in assisting liberation movements in Southern Africa;
COGNISANT that SADC member states with assistance from UNESCO and SADC are currently reviewing the liberation struggle history curriculum and developing appropriate materials covering various modules such as, Youth in the liberation struggle and the role of front line states;
AWARE that it is essential to document the history of the liberation struggle;
DESIROUS to ensure the teaching of liberation history from a national to a regional perspective;
NOW, THEREFORE, calls upon Government to provide material and financial support to the SADC initiatives for the development of the liberation history modules.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President. Would you please allow me to read my motion?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: You may Hon. Senator.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Mr. President. Mr. President, it is a known-fact that Zimbabwe attained its independence through a protracted war of liberation. Many lives of both young and old were lost. The journey to independence was filled with various daunting challenges. Mr. President, allow me to take you back in time; food shortages, lack of medicine supplies, transport, clothes and uniforms was the order of the day during the liberation struggle. For us women, menstruation was a nightmare because we lacked sanitary wear. It is needless to mention the spies who undermined our struggle during our war of liberation.
Mindful of the above, beyond doubt we owe the success of the liberation struggle to the then frontline States such as Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia who played a preponderate role in assisting the liberation movements with logistical support, that is, training camps, accommodation, security, moral and technical support to the liberation fighters just but to mention a few.
Mr. President, in a progressively more globalised world, emphasis is increasingly being placed on the significance of attitudes, values and communication skills as crucial educational ccompetencies required by individuals to optimally function as global citizens. Mr. President, nowhere is this statement more important than it is for the Southern African Development Community (SADC). SADC seeks therefore, “…to carry forward its vision of peace, freedom, reconciliation, social cohesion, solidarity, resilience and development for the generations to come.” To realise this vision, the teaching of liberation history from a regional perspective could potentially play a pivotal role in fostering responsible citizenship values in the region.
Mr. President, during the August, 2017 Council of Ministers meeting held in Ezulwini, Eswatini, Council approved that Global Citizenship Education (GCED) values and the Southern Africa Liberation History (SALH) education be integrated in the school syllabus and further requested SADC Ministers of Education to operationalise competencies required by individuals to optimally function as global citizens. Nowhere is this statement more important than it is for the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). SADC seeks therefore “...to carry forward its vision of peace, freedom, reconciliation, social cohesion, solidarity, resilience and development for the generations to come.” To realise this vision, the teaching of liberation history from a regional perspective could potentially play a pivotal role in fostering responsible citizenship values in the region.
Madam President, during the August 2017 Council of Ministers meeting held in Ezulwini, Eswatini, Council approved that global citizenship education be integrated in the school syllabus and further requested SADC Ministers of Education to operationalise the decision. The decision was taken to ensure that the younger generation in SADC is afforded an opportunity to learn and critically reflect on the history of the liberation struggles in the region. This is envisioned to promote social cohesion and regional identity in the medium to long term. Subsequently, the integration of liberation history in the curricula and syllabi will further contribute to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 4 target 7 in relation to the, “promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development.”
In June 2018, during the Joint meeting of Ministers of Education and Science, Technology and Innovation, in Durban, South Africa, SADC Ministers approved the establishment of a Regional Working Team comprising Curriculum Experts from all SADC Member States with the mandate to determine the status of teaching of the Southern African Liberation History and the extend of its inclusion in the school syllabus. Consequently, the university of Namibia was therefore commissioned to do a comparative mapping study to review GCED content, practices and articulation in curricula and teacher education in the SADC region. It was therefore acknowledged that in as much as there is some form of GCED content being taught in SADC schools it is of paramount importance to shift from teaching history from a National to a Regional perspective.
Madam President, it is against this backdrop that SADC, UNESCO and the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre
(S-A-R-D-C) are developing appropriate materials for this purpose, covering various modules such as
- Youth in the Liberation struggle;
- The Regional Dimensions of the Liberation Struggle; Role of the Frontline States, just but to mention a few.
This build on and uses the materials compiled by the SADC Hashim Mbita Project on Southern African Liberation Struggles.
It will be remiss of me not to mention that the lack of knowledge of the National Liberation Movements and the sacrifices made by nationalists within their countries and the pan-Africanist revolutionaries in other countries for the independence of the region has led to today’s youth becoming increasingly disengaged with the past political and social realities, lack of participation in nation building and civic education, intolerance, xenophobia and other intercultural problems. Hence the fundamentals of the initiative of teaching the youth our liberation history from a regional perspective are to:
- Build solidarity amongst the youth
- Encourage learners to understand the regional historical linkages.
- To promote teaching of history in a uniform approach
- Forge an understanding of common humanity and to develop an appreciation, respect for differences and diversity.
- Sharing values and responsibilities beyond colonial boundaries.
- Forge a regional identity to combat discrimination and xenophobia.
I would also like to acknowledge the efforts that Zimbabwe has taken in so far as teaching liberation history is concerned. The Zimbabwe History curriculum places emphasis on African and European History. The curriculum in Zimbabwe covers SALH education to a notable extent. The history of South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Zambia and Malawi is studied in fair detail. Zimbabwe, like Namibia and Tanzania has integrated GCED and SALH education fairly well in their curricula. GCED and SALH education are thus taught in Form 1 to Form 4 in subjects such as history, geography and heritage studies amongst others. However, it is of paramount importance that we work hand in glove with the SADC and UNESCO in a bid to come up with a uniform approach to teaching liberation history.
As we may all be aware, Zimbabwe was honoured by the African Union (AU) to host the African Liberation Museum and to play a coordinating role in the construction of a unique repository of our African Liberation heritage. This idea of a Museum of African Liberation was endorsed by African Ambassadors and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) last October in Harare. Subsequently, His Excellency President Mnangagwa officially led the ground breaking ceremony of Africa’s new 53 acre Museum of African Liberation site in Harare on 14th December 2020. This Museum is beyond doubt an opportunity for education and cultural diplomacy for all those countries that fought to win their freedom.
Essentially, we achieved political independence through solidarity with other regional countries, now our goal should be for our youth to understand our historical linkages and make use of them to promote regional and economic development. There is an English phrase which says “catch them young.” We need to educate our young ones to inculcate regional values that promote regional integration and development.
Now therefore, in light of the above, I urge the government of Zimbabwe to support these SADC initiatives and provide material and financial support to the UNESCO-SARDC initiative to develop these modules on liberation history, especially as both of these offices are hosted in Zimbabwe, that is the UNESCO regional office and the Southern African Research and Documentation Centre, whose founding patron was Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and also that the African Liberation Museum is also based in Zimbabwe. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to support the motion which was raised by Hon. Tongogara which is meant to support the liberation struggle. Until we attained independence, indeed it was a very difficult period for the black people. When imperialists came to Zimbabwe, they took advantage of us and they took Zimbabwe as their own, which was painful for the majority. They came with their colonialist laws which were meant to deprive the black people of their basic rights. First, they started with the introduction of jobs which were not fair on black people who were forced to work for free without getting any payment.
Mr. President, people were observing this and at first, they obeyed until they became fed up and decided to go out. The path to liberation was not an easy one. The farms that you see across the country, even the sub-divisions that were done by the white people were to their advantage and to the detriment of the black people who were resettled on poor land whilst they took arable land. After noting this, the black people decided to form liberation movements like the African National Congress and started to observe the bad things of the imperialist system.
The black people continued and eventually ZAPU was formed and it continued to oppose the imperialist system. During that same period, the whites saw that black people were beginning to realise their rights. So black people were being overcome by weapons like rifles, so in return the blacks began to sabotage the white people’s crops and they would just destroy their dip tanks. After ZAPU, the MDP was formed and ZAPU was also banned. When it was banned, ZANU was also formed led by Ndabaningi Sithole, then he fought hard to attain independence. ZAPU and ZANU separated with each party taking a different path but with the same objective of attaining independence because we were not independent then.
The other thing that was painful is that the same white man stood with his vote of maybe 20 people versus one yet we are the same. Black people wanted the ‘one man one vote’ system. This continued until these political parties, ZAPU and ZANU saw that the imperialist system did not understand any other language besides war. Blacks were not given the opportunity to learn such that when you attained Standard 6 you were assumed to be educated. The Zimbabwean women were taken as people with no value and women could not get identity cards until independence. This journey came at a point when it was decided that there should be war.
These political parties decided to work together to fight the imperialist system but eventually they separated again so that we remained with ZANLA and ZIPRA forces. The war continued until the whites realised the seriousness of it. There was a real war situation until the white man realised the seriousness of the black man. People were detained and treated like animals until at a time when the liberation struggle intensified. A lot of people died - the young and old, women and men, and even the whites perished. Their soldiers were also dying.
The journey of independence eventually came in 1980 when we got the First Republic. We got our independence then. In other provinces, I observed the other day that there were a few schools where students were being taught. For example, in Mashonaland West where I come from, you will discover that secondary schools are only three or four. So most people became drop-outs at standard 6 levels.
This motion which was raised by Hon. Tongogara shows that the path to independence was not an easy one but because of the will of God, we attained independence. Today we are in the Second Republic and independence and freedom is continuing. Our President, Hon. E.D. Mnangagwa is working very well; there is progress in terms of development in the nation. I thank you.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 10th June, 2021
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
THE RURAL TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME ON WATER AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. GARWE): Thank you Hon. President of Senate. I wish to make a Ministerial Statement on Zimbabwean Rural Transformation Programme focusing primarily on the provision of water and waste management systems.
According to available demographic statistics in the country, 70% of our population resides in the rural areas of which 60% of that population is now susceptible to open defecation. A study By Dr. Smartson P. Nyoni and Mr. T. Nyoni highlights that the magnitude of open defecation is catastrophic. Globally, 15% of the population still practices open defecation.
Hon. President, open defecation and poor sanitation results in the spread of water borne diseases that affect both the children and adults. The outbreak of such diseases results in the disruption of education programmes as well as any productive work impacting negatively on community development and the overall economic productivity of our country. This is a survey done by the Human Rights Watch in 2013.
According to P. Morgan, open defecation is practiced in rural areas especially in the bush owing to lack of accessible sanitation or as a result of traditional cultural practices. Timely remedial intervention which involves the deliberate investment towards alternative system which improves rural sanitation and flushable toilets is of paramount importance. Furthermore, open defecation has been a source of transmission of water borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera.
Pursuant to that study, Hon. President, the aspirations of NDS 1, 2021 – 2025 and Vision 2030, says that there is now a compelling need to embrace appropriate technology towards the disposal of human waste in informal and dysfunction settlement as well as in the rural communities.
Rural waste management system is an innovation by Zimbabweans which Government intends to apply in communities that do not have proper sewage systems. The system is readily available for application in rural communities and or dysfunctional settlements dotted throughout the country in the peri-urban areas. The system uses at least 2 litres of grey water per flush in comparison to the conventional system which uses 7 to 9 litres of portable water.
Apart from using the 2 litres of water, the system can also use water that has been used after washing clothes or bathing. Furthermore, the proposed system is economically viable in terms of water use and the overall cost attendant infrastructure. The system is fitted with a water closet, water tank and also fitted with a seal that eliminates any odor emanating from the pit. The system may also be connected to the water mains in areas with running water. In rural areas where running water is a challenge, the system is installed with a 10 liter water tank which can be filled manually from time to time.
Additional requirements include the erection of a septic tank and a soak away. The design of the septic tank and soak away is subject to the number of people using the system. The system can also make use of the existing pit-latrine infrastructure, thus reducing construction costs by as much as 80%.
The construction of a septic tank and soak away maybe be done through the participatory approach by local communities. This refers to schools and clinics in the rural areas. The system comes with a washing basin and a fitted sanitizer cylinder.
Hon. Senators were shown the system.
It is important to note that components associated with the system will be distributed throughout the country from ordinary hardware stores and dealerships. The components are also manufactured from recycled plastic paper. In that regard the normal bidding process and procedures that require contractors being asked to come and work on the programme are only necessary where there is bulk procurement.
The proliferation of informal and dysfunctional settlements that are also served by pit latrines and open wells is of major concern in peri-urban and urban areas. Their existence is contradictory to the aspirations of NDS1 and Vision 2030.
THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA’S EXPERIENCE
In August 2018, His Excellency Cde Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of the Republic of South Africa promised to get rid of open pit latrines in schools across the country following numerous deaths of pupils. This was according to a report by a tabloid called South Africa’s Eye Witness News. The South African Government commissioned an audit of the country’s 25 000 schools in September 2018 and an infrastructure plan for replacing pit latrines. According to the same tabloid, partial assistance came from donors, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and UNICEF. The above mentioned organisations eventually emerged as key financing partners of the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) programme.
Mr. President, His Excellency Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa’s vision 2030 which he pronounced in 2018 states that ‘Zimbabwe must attain upper middle income economy status by 2030 and as a matter of course, Government must now take a deliberate position to provide sustainable, modern and affordable infrastructure in both urban and rural communities. Vision 2030 also speaks to SDG 6 which states ‘Ensure availability and sustainability of the Management of Water and Sanitation for All”
Mr. President, we are pleased to inform the Hon. Senate that the system has been developed, installed, tried and tested at Glen wood Primary School in Epworth as a pilot project. We are further pleased to inform the Senate that the system has proven to be effective, functional and user friendly in terms of applicability and cost.
It is our considered view that if this system is implemented to the letter and spirit, a solution to the rural sanitation challenges may have been found as we gravitate towards achieving the aspirations of vision 2030.
THE PROPOSED ROLL-OUT OF THE SYSTEM
The system is going to be rolled out by the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities in collaboration with the ministries of Primary and Secondary Education, Health and Child Care and Local Government and Public Works.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce through the application of the National Quality Policy will be approached in setting up stocks designs or prototypes to be replicated country wide. The Standards Association of Zimbabwe and the Harare Institute of Technology are also key players in design and development of this technology where issues of the use of alternative renewable energy are now paramount.
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is facilitating discussions between the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development and Sant Con Consortium with a view to foster the possibility of local production of the technology using universities and technical colleges country-wide.
Phase 1 of the roll out programme is focussing on rural schools, community centres and clinics. The programme may be funded through Schools Development Associations, Constituency Development Fund, devolution funds or donor participation.
It is against this background that the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities seeks the Senate’s indulgence in supporting the programme by directing part of the Constituency Development Funds towards financing the implementation of the waste management system in peri-urban and rural communities.
We have brought the system with us here. The tank on top is a ten litre tank where you can put water using the manual system. We use grey water, which is the water that we use for washing hands when we are having meals. Instead of throwing away that water, it can be poured into that tank. When we wash our clothes, it can be poured into that tank; when we bath, instead of throwing away that water, we can use it there. The smaller tank underneath is for the system. It flushes two litres only and it is more effective than the conventional system that we use. On the left side, we have a cylinder – because of COVID-19 we said as we were developing the system; let us look at ways of ensuring that we have got sanitizers within the ablution system. So that cylinder will have a sanitizer. Underneath that cylinder is a basin for washing house. I so submit. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Thank you Hon. Minister for bringing us such a progressive and innovative system which will clearly improve the quality of lives of our people in the rural and peri-urban areas. We must not lose sight of the fact that the majority of our people live in the rural areas.
*HON. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr. President, it will be very difficult to just ask questions but please guide us so that we do not digress. This is a new concept which we need to understand. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister whom I revere because he is able.
During his presentation, I thought about a lot of things and I was asking myself if this project has been implemented in the rural areas and whether it has been accepted. I heard that this was tested in Epworth but we also understand that is supposed to benefit rural areas but it was experimented in an urban set up. I am saying this because at one point, we were very busy with jatropha projects and we lost a plant. We were told that fuel would be availed in every Province but right now, no one is talking about the jatropha project.
Whilst we celebrate, this concept must be first implemented in the rural areas so that there is testing for efficacy. At one point, there was a biogas project – we had biogas stoves and we were told that people were no longer going to be using firewood but small amounts of biogas but where are all these technologies right now? These technologies sometimes are done by people who are not in the rural set up. We need to understand first whether this project is going to apply to every rural area. We need to determine the source of water whether it is going to be coming from underground or from where – all these things should be clear. I heard the Hon. Minister quoting an author ‘Morgan P’ – these people are not found in rural areas but it is important that we put it in the right context. We want development in our country. Diseases like cholera, typhoid and so forth are prevalent in high density areas but in the rural areas they are not very prevalent, so I am saying this is a good initiative but how can this be improved to benefit the rural communities? You mentioned dysfunctional communities and you gave the example of peri-urban and rural areas. I do not know how this was raised. I believe that this would fit in primary and secondary schools. I believe this would make sense in such areas even when there are sporting activities. We need to clarify whether this is going to be availed for free to rural communities or how much it is going to cost. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHUNDU: I would like to thank the Minister for the new initiative which is expected to benefit rural communities. My question is - when is this going to be implemented and how is it going to be implemented since the rural areas constitute 60% of the population? Who is going to benefit first? Is there a particular social class that is expected to benefit from the project? Sometimes you find people quarrelling over such initiatives. Some say they do not want to see traditional leaders being involved in these projects. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF MAKUMBE: Thank you Hon President. I am happy to hear technological advancements because that is my area of specialisation. I would like to support what was raised by my President of the Chiefs’ Council. For sure the mentioning of white men as a referral point should be clarified because we need to know how rural people are going to benefit from such an initiative because this is something which is made from recycled plastics. Are the citizens involved in the production of this new initiative or maybe we are supporting a personal project of someone who wants to benefit? We need to know whether this is empowerment for young people in rural communities. If it is working then we would like to know the life-span of the product. The Minister might explain how this will last because our people like new ideas. However, we do not want our people to lose their monies taking projects which will be white elephants and might not work. So we need to understand the local content of this. For those in Watsomba community, we need to understand how they can take ownership of such a project. Is this going to be sold whilst they take our money or are we going to supply plastics and get something as a community?
*HON. SEN. CHIEF NGEZI: Thank you for affording me the opportunity to add a few words. I appreciate that the Hon. Minister knows that rural people have a lot of knowledge, so I think when implementing such a project, it is important to involve rural communities. This is what the President of the Chiefs’ Council mentioned, that such new technologies might not necessarily benefit rural communities. So, it is important that communities understand how they will be taking part. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I would also like to thank our Hon. Minister who presented on development. He said that we cannot achieve Vision 2030 because there are water reticulation and waste disposal challenges. This is true because in some homesteads there are no toilets and they use the bush system. I want to understand from the Minister, looking at Vision 2030 and the challenges that we are facing such as things that are supposed to be found in communities but are not there at the moment. My question is - what is government planning to do to make sure that Vision 2030 is attained? I would also like to put my weight behind what the traditional leaders said. It is important that the right information be given to the rural communities. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to support the ministerial statement that was given by the Hon. Minister. I do not think it is fair that there is much criticism but the Hon Minister said this initiative is going to prevent diarrhoea outbreak in urban centres. There are outbreaks of diarrhoea because there is shortage of water. I believe that in urban areas, this programme should be compulsory. My question is - will the rural communities benefit from this new technology or is it going to be sold to rural communities? We know that those who are in urban centres also have rural homesteads, so we need clarity as to whether it will be availed to every homestead or not. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHINAKE: My question will touch upon what has already been mentioned by my fellow members. The first issue is that we appreciate the Hon. Minister for bringing new technologies to rural areas. In rural areas where we come from, you discover that compared to urban locations, there is no water and the boreholes which were sunk in rural areas are now also being sunk in urban areas. So Hon. Minister, I believe this new technology should be implemented in towns first so that we can ascertain whether it works well or not.
*THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. GARWE): Let me thank all the Hon. Senators and our traditional leaders who asked questions. I will start with the question that was asked by Hon. Senator Chief Charumbira. He asked about dysfunctional communities. These are areas which are for example, in Mashonaland East places like Caledonia and Solomio and Mboki in Mutare. These are dysfunctional communities which are supposed to be having running water and sewer but they only have pit latrines. They do not have addresses. When you want to visit someone, they will tell you they will wait for you at the “gazebo” then you follow that person to their house. When a thief steals, you cannot trace him in Caledonia.
Diseases are there and the magnitude might differ between rural and urban areas but cholera, dysentery and other water borne diseases are found. Water, like I explained, we use grey water, the water that we wash our hands with, the water that is left after bathing or washing clothes or blankets is the water that we use. This was done because in rural areas, there is no access to water like in urban centres because we will be having septic tanks and soak-aways. If it is a school, for example if there are 700 children, the septic tank would be big and we then fit bio- digesters to generate electricity from the system that you mentioned Senator Chief Charumbira.
These are some of the benefits that are found from this project. The other benefit is that we are using an existing toilet. A toilet that was already built but we are just covering the pits. This is not a portable toilet but it is only fitted on an existing toilet. If it is a school where there are 300 children then at the boys section, there will be a soak away and septic tank and the same thing will be done at the girls section.
You also asked Hon. Senator Chief Charumbira where this has been implemented. We started with OFID schools. These are schools that were built by Government with funding from OFID which are found in eight rural provinces. For example in Chivhu, we are going to start implementing that project. We did that in Epworth because of its access so that people can go and see. We have a school that already has this system.
Hon. Senator Chief Chundu, you asked when this will be implemented. This has already been implemented. I mentioned that this project is already running in Mashonaland East. Last week we were in Bubi, Matebeleland North and next week we will be in Manicaland. We are targeting 17 schools which have model buildings which were constructed by Government. This is what Government envisions that every school in Zimbabwe will attain modern standards.
Hon. Senator Chief Makumbe, you asked the benefits that we derive from this programme. Remember that in 2018, the President mentioned that Zimbabwe should be a modern country. What it means is that when in Bulawayo, Harare or Gweru, we see flushing systems but this should not be limited to urban areas. When Zimbabwe becomes modernised, this will be replicated in every province, city or rural area where there is water and proper sanitation according to Sustainable Development Goal Number 11, which talks about water and sanitation. This means that the livelihoods of rural communities will be improved so that their livelihoods are the same with those in the urban areas. For example, right now DDF is sinking boreholes in different parts of the country in line with the sanitation vision.
You also asked what the life expectancy of this technology is. The durability of any technology depends on how people are going to be using it. The utility of any technology is determined by how people look after it so that it is durable. Its life expectancy will be determined by how we look after it.
There was also a question on its local content – the local content is 100%. The young man who came up with the idea is called Edwin Shavi from Matabeleland North. This is his idea, you know His Excellency, the President is opening innovation hubs at universities with such new innovations.
What we are agreed with his invention is that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education together with our Ministry and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education tastes standards through colleges who are going to implement this, together with the inventor of this new technology. This is not meant for his employees but it is also meant for the plumbers and other people who are going to get employment from his innovation.
There was also a question of the traditional leader’s involvement – the first thing is that Government wants to implement this project in all rural schools and hospitals in the same rural areas. The second programme will be done in the chief’s residences; the Government is going to pay for schools, clinics and the chief’s residents. If the Government capacitates chiefs, they will then be involved in Government projects and programmes so that they will be implemented in all rural communities.
This is a long term programme which will go beyond 2030 because most Zimbabweans are using pit latrines. So, we are now in a world of technology, we cannot succeed like Singapore where 60% of the population is using pit latrines.
This is a Government’s vision of empowering the chief’s lifestyle, their people, schools and hospitals. However, this is free to everyone, the system can use running water, and it is cheaper. The price is a third of what we buy in companies like Halstead Brothers. W-systems in Halstead Brothers is more expensive than this, so, it is more in the reach of many if it is done by university then the cost will be cheaper so that everyone has access to such a new technology. This is what the President was talking about that no one will be left behind.
Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi you mentioned the roll out plan, Hon. Sen. Femai, the problem of water shortages in urban areas is a temporal problem which will be alleviated by local authorities. We cannot say that Zimbabwe would not prosper because the City of Harare has failed to address the water challenges. We all know these challenges especially the City of Harare so we are not going to dwell on that today.
Hon. Sen. Chinake you asked whether it is going to be used in the rural areas – yes, this project will be implemented in rural areas even in urban areas where there is running water, it can be connected. When there is no water, it can be reconnected back to that tank and people can flush using that system. I believe I have addressed all the questions, I thank you.
MOTION
ADMINISTRATION OF FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the financing from the fiscus.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 10th June, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 2021 VIRTUAL HEARINGS AT THE UNITED NATIONS ON FIGHTING CORRUPTION TO RESTORE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND IMPROVE DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the 2021 virtual Parliamentary hearing at the United Nations on fighting corruption to restore trust in Government and improve development held on the 17th and 18th February 2021.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. SHUMBA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 10th June, 2021
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF PUBLIC SERVICE, LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (HON. PROF. MAVIMA), the Senate adjourned at Ten Minutes to Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 9th June, 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
CHALLENGES IN ACCESSING DOCUMENTS THROUGH E-MAIL
THE HON. SPEAKER: I wish to advise the House that Hon. Members who are having challenges in accessing documents that are sent through E-mails should get in touch with ICT Department for assistance, in Room 310, 3rd Floor, Parliament main building.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM HON. MINISTERS
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have received so many apologies from Hon. Ministers. Hon. Leader of Government Business, while apologies are accepted, they are now becoming a habit. That habit is unacceptable. There are some Ministers who are perpetually sending apologies. That is not good for the country and Parliament at large. The Ministers are: Hon. Vice President, Dr. Chiwenga and Minister of Health and Child Care; Hon. Muchinguri-Kashiri, Minister of Defence and War Veterans; Hon. Mutsvangwa, Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Servises; Hon. Dr. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. Mathema, Minister of Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. Edgar Moyo, Deputy Minister, Primary and Secondary Education.
Like this one Hon. Leader of Government Business, you cannot have the Minister away and the deputy away. Surely, if the Minister is away, the Deputy should be around. Hon. Chitando, Mines and Mining Development, Hon. Kambamura, also the same, why both of them away? Hon Prof Murwira, Minister of Higher Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Hon Prof Mavima, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon J. G. Moyo, Minister of Local Government and Public Works; and Hon Haritatos, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries, and Rural Resettlement.
Those are the apologies; twelve of them - almost half the Cabinet is not here. I know a few are with His Excellency the President, I think about two but I am not sure about the others.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
HON NDUNA: My question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development and in his absence, to the Deputy Minister.
THE HON SPEAKER: Do not go as far as that, that is my prerogative. Ask the question!
HON NDUNA: Thank you for your prerogative Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON SPEAKER: Withdraw that, you are being sarcastic.
HON NDUNA: I withdraw the sarcacism
THE HON SPEAKER: Thank you, I am an English teacher my friend. Please proceed.
HON NDUNA: My question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development. What is Government policy in relationship to establishment of alternative sources of energy, in particular solar power?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON MUDYIWA): I would like to thank the Hon Member for the question. The Ministry of Energy has a policy where we are promoting the use of alternative energy, like solar and mini hydro power stations. As a result of that, we have a renewable energy policy which was launched in 2020 by His Excellency the President, where we are incentivising all those who want to venture into renewable energy.
We also have the bio-fuel policy where we are encouraging the use of bio-fuels like ethanol and biodiesel which is extracted from jatropha plant. Our policy as a Ministry is that we need that alternative energy as much as possible since the generation of electricity in the country is not enough to meet our daily needs as a country. As a Ministry, we are encouraging biofuel energy and renewable energy investment in the country. I thank you.
HON NDUNA: To that end, is it possible for the Minister to favour the House with the amount of time that an investor is faced with from inception to the time of operation if they have to start a renewable solar project in Zimbabwe in order to complement, augment and make sure they complement the power deficit that is there nationally to take root.
HON MUDYIWA: In the past, it used to take up to one year or more than a year to process such investors but as a Ministry, we have reduced that period to about three to six months. The challenge that we are facing is that we have got quite a number of investors who want to invest in renewable energy in the country but most of them were not taking up the offer because of our tariffs which were considerably low. That is where we were having challenges.
HON MARKHAM: Following on Hon Nduna’s question, could the Minister, also as an alternative energy supply us with any detail as to the Government policy of waste to energy programmes in view of cities like Harare where the waste is all over the place and you have waste energy as a major source in numerous countries as a supplier of electricity? I thank you.
HON MUDYIWA: As regards waste to energy programmes, we are promoting investment in that area. For your own information, at Mbare we do have a plant where there is generation of electricity from waste to energy. Currently we are encouraging the municipalities to engage such investors. We have got Pomona Dump place where there are negotiations between the City of Harare and an investor who wants to invest in waste to energy generation of electricity. Thank you.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. Considering the effects of Covid-19, are we realising increases in enrolments, comparing the period year ending 2020 to first term of 2021. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, are you clear about your term timelines, you are saying first term, we are in 2021.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: I am saying Mr. Speaker Sir, we had an enrolment up to end of 2020, now we want to see if there is an increase as we got into the first term 2021, the enrolments for 2021 compared to 2020.
THE HON. SPEAKER: It is clearer now.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker, it is a statistical question that needs a written question so that they can do the statistics and bring them to the House.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, can put your question in writing so that you can get the correct statistics?
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, my question is directed to the Leader of Government Business. What measures have been put in place by the Government to ensure that newly crafted polices and newly enacted laws are made available to the general populace?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Hon. Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. I want to say that with the advent of technology compared to yester years, once the Act has been gazetted, it is available on electronic format, you can also buy it from the Government Printer and it is widely circulated even by Parliament once it is enacted. I think the availability of our laws have been enhanced by technology and you can have the electronic copies, the hard copies you can buy them from the Government Printer and the relevant Ministries also they try to educate members of the public regarding the Act that they administer. So, we have several ways that are being used by Government to ensure that the laws that we would have enacted are traceable to the people.
HON. CHINYANGANA: I want to thank the Hon. Minister for his response, what about the rural population and the elderly who are not able to read and some of them do not have access to the electronic means of communication? What is Government doing to make sure that they also are made aware of important laws and important policies that would have been put in place by the Government?
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. All the laws that affect a certain segment of the society, that particular segment is educated about that particular law. It is also incumbent upon all our Hon. Members, once we have an Act that you feel affects your particular constituents, you should take it out there, and explain that is in my view one of the roles of the legislature to explain the laws that would have been enacted. Even before we enact laws, Parliament tries to ensure that within the geographical spread of the country, we identify places where public hearings are done and people are educated about the laws that we need to enact. So I believe that it is a collective effort from all of us to ensure that particular legislation that affect specific members of our society, we educate them regarding the existence of those laws. I thank you.
*HON. NDUNA: Allow me to speak in Shona Mr. Speaker Sir. How far have we gone in terms of raising awareness and putting the laws in different languages, in line with what is provided for in the Constitution?
*THE HON. SPEAKER: The Minister has responded that you as Member of Parliament need to speak the vernacular language of where you come from so you have to speak in that vernacular language - be it venda and so on. You should educate them. I thought his answer was comprehensive.
vHON. CHIKUDO: My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. It is around the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA), what difference has ZIDA made to the national economy since coming into being with particular reference to foreign direct investment and the ease of doing business?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (HON. MUSABAYANA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Member for raising such an important question. The ZIDA was set up through an Act of Parliament to ensure that we assist on the ease of doing business. As you know, Zimbabwe was ranked lowly on the ease of doing business. Why, because people had to move through different offices to be able to process or to register their organisation or their investment.
Now with the coming in of ZIDA, it has created a one-stop-shop where everything from enquiry to registration and the consummation of investment agreements is done through one roof. As to the quantum and value of the investments that have been done to date, that is a bit on the specific side which we will interrogate and bring to this office, but what I would like to say is that to date…
THE HON. SPEAKER: Bring where? Bring to this office?
HON. MUSABAYANA: Sorry Mr. Speaker Sir, to this respectable august House. Mr. Speaker Sir, to date, a number of investment enquiries have gone through ZIDA and they also do the due diligence. As you know, President E. D. Mnangagwa is always saying we are open for business, but that does not mean we are open for any business that does not add value to the whole being of the Zimbabwean citizenry or society and at the same time we also make sure that only clean money is coming in and the projects that are being undertaken are projects that are sustainable and resilient in the future and make sure that they are also sustainable in terms of environmental impact. So to date we have registered a lot of investments that are being processed, but as to the quantum, we will appraise the House. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir – [AN HON. MEMBER: Supplementary question Mr. Speaker Sir.]-
THE HON. SPEAKER: There is no supplementary question because the Hon. Minister has indicated that he will bring a comprehensive resume of the actual investments that have been recorded so far since the establishment of ZIDA. I hope the Hon. Minister will comply as agreed. Thank you.
HON. CHASI: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Hon. Leader of Government Business in this august House and it revolves around the question of crypto currencies which a number of countries in Africa have now adopted, including our neighbours such as Botswana, South Africa, up north we have got Nigeria and other countries.
I would like to understand Government’s position on this matter. Is it a matter that is currently under consideration or Government has completely ruled it out as some of the countries have done? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. Mr. Speaker Sir, the issue of crypto currency has never been under discussion or consideration. At the particular moment, I think it is a subject for debate and consideration in the future, but it is not under consideration currently. I thank you.
*HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. Is it Government policy that if you commit a traffic offence, you have to pay a spot fine?
*THE HON. SPEAKER: May you pause your question again.
*HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Is it Government policy that if you commit a traffic offence you are supposed to pay a spot fine? Even if you do not have any money you are forced to pay because long ago, there was 625 where you would need to pay when you get the money. Thank you
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir and I want to thank Hon. Tekeshe for raising that question on spot fines. Yes, it is Government policy. Policy allows that. That is why it is called a spot fine. It has to be paid at that particular place. You and the police officer are allowed to talk but if you fail to agree, you are then told to sit down and you are given time to think. You can borrow money from others to pay the fine because if we allow you to go without paying, everyone who commits a traffic offence will use that excuse that they do not have money. If you are allowed to go without paying the spot fine, where do you expect the police officer to make a follow up on the payment of the fine? How will he find you? I thank you.
* HON. TEKESHE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I wanted the Hon. Deputy Minister to clarify whether 625 is still applicable because it is a person’s right to pay when they are supposed to pay, but for you to ask us where you are going to get the offender, that is not for our response. So without money, I should be given a grace period in which to pay for my traffic offence.
*HON. MAVHUNGA: The Hon. Member is saying that is he not allowed, but the point is that you would have committed an offence. Without an offence, you are not required to pay but if you commit an offence, you have to pay. If you do not have money, you need to communicate with the police at the roadblock. You cannot run away with that money. We need that money. Thank you.
+HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you mother for your response but you should know that …
+THE HON. SPEAKER: Here, we have Hon. Members not mothers.
+HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I will be having money in ecocash or swipe but police officers do not have swipe machines or ecocash merchant; they want cash. Where do I get the cash because banks are not giving enough money so that I can move around with cash? Who amongst us here has cash in his or her pocket? Even here in town, when you say you want cash, where do you get it from? If you arrested me in the rural areas and you expect me to be having cash, where do you expect me to get that cash from? Should I stop going to the funerals because I will be told you are over-speeding? Is that good?
+THE HON. SPEAKER: Let the Hon. Minister respond in Ndebele.
+HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I also want to thank Hon. Moyo. I understand the plight. We have little money but police officers do not have swipe machines. This is one thing that we are going to consider and they also do not have ecocash because I think it will be so difficult for them. We understand there is no money but because people are committing crimes, we need to fine them. When we speak about the swipe machines, we will try to discuss as a Ministry but there will be a lot of these machines because the country is so big. We are appealing to the public to drive and at the same time having cash so that they can pay spot fines if they commit offences – [Laughter.] –
+THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. I had said that the Hon. Minister will explain in Ndebele that she had said you can dialogue with the police officers giving reasons why you are failing to pay spot fines. There should be understanding between the public and the police officers when the public have explained that way. I know the police officers are listening.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. In one of my encounters with the police, I have seen that I have not been allowed to pay my vehicle licence because I owed the police a certain fine for a certain violation. Would it please the Minister to use that platform more and more that they are now enjoined with other platforms in the Zimbabwe Transport Integrated Management System (ZTIMS)? Would it please the Minister to use that platform to get remittance or to get their fines as opposed to detaining motorists?
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you Hon. Nduna. We will try to do what you are demanding us to do but remember we will have to consult. Thank you.
(v)* HON. MAKONYA: Mr. Speaker Sir, my supplementary question to the Minister is that, if you do not have a spot fine, you need to reason with the police. This will promote corruption because I can give the police officers $2 and they can let me loose.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, the possibility of corruption in the process where you end up giving the police officer $2 and then you are told you can disappear.
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: Hon. Speaker, I did not get the question.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The Hon. Member is saying, in the process of discussing with the police officer while you negotiate, does this not create an opportunity for corruption whereby the suspected offender ends up paying a bribe to the police officer and the police officer ends up saying, you can please proceed.
HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: There is that possibility Hon. Speaker Sir. This is why we are saying we should have spot fines because we do not want people to negotiate – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - Once we start negotiating, we are going to negotiate and end up into corruption. This is why we are emphasising on spot fines. People must just pay their fines. Thank you.
Hon. Markham having stood up to pose a supplementary question.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Markham, is that a new question?
HON. MARKHAM: It is a supplementary question Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Unfortunately, we have had four supplementary questions. We cannot go beyond four in terms of our rules.
HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My supplementary question relates to the use of ecocash …
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Member, I have just told Hon. Markham that we have had a maximum of four questions, so we cannot allow another supplementary question. Thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development. Last week, we were told by the Deputy Minister that all the money due from the auction system has been paid up to date. Has this indeed happened and have the banks paid their customers? What is Government policy to ensure that customers are given their allocations they applied for? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question which is purely operational. The Government policy is that you access forex through the auction system and you are duly notified through your bank. It is the bank that then proceeds to ensure that you get your allocation. Should the Hon. Member be having problems with that process of ensuring that the allocated foreign currency is accessed, I think it is a matter that can be taken up through the relevant banking channels to the Reserve Bank. I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My research with the bank is that some of them, particularly the big banks, are 8 weeks behind on the allocation of foreign currency. As a policy, could the Minister of Finance please check as to what is happening with the system - because in trading, if you wait for 8 weeks and your money is taken a week before, that is 9 weeks which is two months that your money has been taken out of your cash flow before you receive the foreign currency. I am not blaming anyone but all I am asking is, as a policy, could Government check what the issue is delaying this by 9 weeks? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. This is very specific. I know that the banks as a matter of policy do not debit your account before they effect a transfer, but if that is happening with certain banks, I think it is a specific question or issue that needs to be relayed to the Reserve Bank and subsequently to the Ministry of Finance. As a matter of policy, once you get allocated and you are notified, the bank will tell you to fund your account if it is under-funded or they will inform you that we are going to debit your account the equivalent of what they will be transferring. So any issues that are administrative or otherwise that the Hon. Member is encountering are best dealt by the bank or the Reserve Bank. I thank you.
HON. MUSHORIWA: Hon. Speaker the Minister of Finance as referred to by Hon. Markham had indicated that everything is in order but we have just confirmed with the bank that the larger banks are 8 weeks and the smaller banks are 4 weeks in arrears in terms of receiving the allocated money from the auction system. Can the Hon. Minister explain why those delays are there?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker. Again, my response is that the bankers are the ones that are in communication with the Reserve Bank that releases the funds. They are best placed to explain what will be happening. The policy of Government is to go to the auction, you are allocated funds and the communication is done by the Reserve Bank through your bankers. If anyone is experiencing any problems, it is the respective bank that is supposed to explain to customers what the delay is, if any. If they are not satisfied, they can approach the Reserve Bank which can explain, because this is truly a specific issue that is not related to our policy to ensure that we access foreign currency through the auction system. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: May I suggest Hon. Leader of Government business that you have some conversation with the Minister of Finance to check whether these delays are highly pronounced so that corrective action can be taken. Thank you.
*(v) HON. CHIKUNI: Thank you Mr. Speaker, how are you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am fine and you.
(v)*HON. CHIKUNI: My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works. What does the policy say in the event that a chief dies – how long does it take for the installation of another chief?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Chikuni for that question. Once a chief dies, soon after his death someone is left in charge and the person acting on behalf of the chief comes from the chief’s family. The installation of chiefs is different from region to region. During the period that the acting chief is performing his duties, we believe that the families that are supposed to benefit from this chieftainship will be adequate time to choose a chief. Thank you.
(v) * HON. CHIKUINI: I want to understand why it takes years, sometimes ten years or 20 years before another chief is chosen?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Hon. Chikuni for the question. The delay in getting a new chief takes time because of family conflicts. As a Ministry we do not have the mandate to pick chiefs and we are not involved in terms of who should become chief. Some will say that the spirit mediums have to play a role and some say that the first born child should become chief. So, it depends on the family and in most cases, there are misunderstandings and conflicts within the family and that is what delays the process on the coming in of new chief. I thank you.
*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Who was speaking on virtual – was it Hon. Gozho?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): It was Hon. Chikuni.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): Okay Hon. Chikuni, you cannot raise two supplementary questions.
*HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would want to know from the Hon. Minister that in the event that the acting chief refuses to hand over power to the new chief, what happens?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Madam Speaker and thank you Hon. Nduna for that question. There is what is known as the Provincial Chiefs Council. It has the mandate because once they decide on who should succeed the late chief, the name of the incumbent chief should go to the Provincial Coordinator and it should go to the Provincial Chief’s Council and in most cases, three chiefs should go to attend to the matter. They will sit as an Electoral College and ensure that all procedures have been followed. They will ensure that the procedures that are supposed to be followed by the families have been done. After that they give us the name as a Ministry. We take that name to the President. So no one has the right to hold on to power. If the acting chief refuses to hand over power, there are stages that are taken for one to hand over power. No one can hold on to the throne, without permission. I thank you.
*HON. CHIKUKWA: Thank you Hon. Minister. I heard the response that you gave. I do not know whether it is true that there are families are taking over chieftainship – for example, I am from Chiweshe and people will say that we are from the Chiweshe family and we are telling you that so and so is supposed to take over the throne. As a Ministry, you will say no, this is not possible. As a Ministry we recommend so and so. Is this true?
*HON. CHOMBO: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would like to thank you Hon. Member for that supplementary question. As a Ministry, we do not have the right to choose a successor. The name of the person who will succeed the chief will come from the Chief’s Council. I thank you.
(v)+HON. M. M. MPOFU: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. We see a lot of increase in armed robberies. As a Ministry, what are you doing to protect people, especially at filling stations? When people report to police, they are told there are no vehicles to follow up the crimes. So what are you doing to protect the public from these increased robberies?
+ THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): Thank you Hon. Speaker. I would like to thank Hon. Mpofu for that question. Indeed there is an increase in armed robbery and as police, we are also disturbed by this issue. I once responded to this question. There are a lot of guns and it looks like guns are coming in through various places. Our borders are just too big that the police or the army may not be able to close tightly. However, as a Ministry, we are seized with the matter. We hope to have more vehicles very soon. We have been promised by the Ministry of Finance that we will receive a fleet of vehicles soon.
The other thing is, yes the police say they do not have transport but some police stations have vehicles but they are very few. So, we are looking at that, indeed we are not happy with that. We are living in fear but we will try. I thank you.
+HON. M. MPOFU: My supplementary question is those robberies are taking place almost every day. So what are they doing? I hear the Hon. Minister saying they are trying but those robberies are taking place right now. We need to know what strategies are in place.
+HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI: I hear what the Hon. Member is saying but that is a security issue. So, I cannot reveal what exactly we intent to do. How many people are going to be deployed, will they be in civilian or not and how they will be armed? Like I said, we are looking at that and we are in control because all of us are worried by the situation including the police themselves. I am sure you heard that a policeman was injured in a shootout. All those things are very worrisome but I cannot reveal the strategy here because it is a security matter. I thank you
*HON. KWARAMBA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. My question is, we understand that teachers have been trained to do continuous assessment on school pupils, but what we notice is that the Grade Seven pupils would sit for six subjects, yet those pupils did not attend school for a long time because of COVID-19. Now, why introducing new subjects when pupils were not attending lessons? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. Part of the curricula includes continuous assessment and full assessment, and examination of learners dictates that component of continuous assessment be part of the examination process. It cannot be avoided to have teachers having skills to ensure that they conduct continuous assessment appropriately. It is up to the relevant school authorities to ensure that within the timelines that are available, learners are supposed to learn all the materials that they are required to satisfy the requirements for examination. I thank you.
HON. NYAMUDEZA: My question is directed to the Minister of Transport. What is Government doing to revamp the railway system so that we can see the trains back on our tracks?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: I want to thank the Hon Member and indicate that the board of NRZ and the Ministry of Transport are doing a lot. At some stage, we entered into a contract with DIDG that did not materialise but they are exploring and I am told that the board is out of the country trying to find some investor so that they can enter into some partnerships for us to revive our rail system which is an economical part of the transport system for industry. I thank you.
HON NYAMUDEZA: Can we have a timeframe for the revival of the railway system?
HON ZIYAMBI: When you are hunting, you do not know where you are going to catch the animal. So the question is very difficult to say, tomorrow I would have concluded an agreement and the trains will be up and about. It is a process but once all the modalities that are required are in place, then and only then can you say we have identified this particular investor, we are going to have this partnership and we have given ourselves these timelines to ensure that we revamp and we will be up and about.
HON MARKHAM: Could we have clarity on the Government policy on whether they will continue pursuing the electric railway system or we are going to stick to diesel fuel? I thank you.
HON ZIYAMBI: That is part of the process and answers will be available in due course. I thank you.
*HON. E. NCUBE: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. When people fight and they want to seek medical assistance, the hospital requires a police report. What is of paramount importance between the life of the person or the police report? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON MAVHUNGA-MABHOYI): I want to thank Hon Ncube for her question. Life is more important than the police report but the report is needed at the hospital to enable one to get medical attention with the full knowledge of what happened. We do value life, it is more important.
HON NDUNA: My supplementary to the Minister is that, would it please the Minister to align the Act that the police speaks to and about in terms of the requirement of the police report on people that are injured, to align it to Section 62 of the Constitution, ‘the Right to Health’ in order that the supremacy of the Constitution according to Section 2 is upheld and all other Acts that are ultra vires to the Constitution are repudiated to their inconsistency with the Constitution.
HON MAVHUNGA-MABHOYI: I think you are suggesting, is it not so? The alignment is going to be done and remember the alignment is done through Parliament and not through the police. We are going to look into that one. I thank you.
HON. M. KHUMALO: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works. What is the Ministry doing in order to uplift the level of the five local boards in the country which have remained stagnant in terms of development so that they reach town status?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): In local government, there are conditions that are set that have to be made for anyone to migrate from being a local board to a municipality and town council. This has to do with development and population so as long as they have not met those conditions, there is no way we can just up their status. As Local Government we try by all means to encourage the local boards to work with the relevant municipalities to make sure that they try to grow them.
HON. M. KHUMALO: Can I find out from the Ministry, in terms of those local boards who are also provincial capitals like Lupane, what are they doing to uplift a provincial capital which is still a local board?
HON. CHOMBO: We try to make sure that we put in the services that are required for it to be a city status or a municipality status. For instance Lupane, we try to set up the Judicial offices, we are building the Government Complex there in trying to make sure that the Resident Minister has moved in there. We are trying to make sure that for a specific city we have put in the required services that will be conducive to uplift the status of the local board or city.
*HON. JAJA: Thank you Madam Speaker. My question is directed to the Leader of the House. The small vehicles that are providing transport to people, the mushikashika vehicles, do they have travel permits and are they ensured?
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Since the commencement of Covid-19 era, when Government instituted the first lockdown policy, it then opened up for people to start travelling in line with the World Health Organisation. The Ministry of Local Government was given the mandate to ensure that all vehicles that are responsible for ferrying commuters should be under ZUPCO. So the mushikashika vehicles should not be found under ZUPCO because we need combis- the 18- seater and above, the small vehicles are not allowed to ferry commuters as a business venture.
*HON. JAJA: The Minister is saying it is not Government policy but this is happening. We see small vehicles ferrying commuters and they can carry up to 12 passengers in a small vehicles. Are these vehicles ensured, why are they operating? In the event of an accident I doubt that anyone will survive under such circumstances.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Those who are responsible for safety of commuters on the road and for enforcement of compliance in terms of safety are in this august House so you can pose a question to them to ensure that commuters are not harassed by the mushikashika people.
+THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS AND CULTURAL HERITAGE (HON. MABOYI): Thank you Hon. Minister. Indeed these pirate taxes do not have permits, they are not allowed to carry passengers. They will be running away from Police and sometimes they are involved in accidents whilst they try to run away from Police. Those are the type of vehicles that we want to pay spot fines, the one that you are opposing. When we see them we try to arrest them and because they are human beings we are afraid of chasing them in order to prevent accidents. They are not allowed to carry passengers. Thank you.
(v)*HON. MAKONYA: Supplementary question Madam Speaker. Thank you Madam Speaker, my supplementary question to the Minister is, are they aware that most of those pirate taxis are owned by policemen. Some of them are driven by policemen in uniforms. Thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): Thank you Madam Speaker. The Hon. Member is reporting very well. If you see a policeman driving a pirate taxi in uniform, you are allowed to arrest them. You are allowed to arrest them or to report, but it is difficult to report. No one is allowed to be beaten. We are saying you must arrest them because they will be committing a crime. They are not supposed to be driving a pirate taxi because a pirate taxi is not allowed and he is committing a crime whilst putting on a uniform. Arrest them. It is not allowed. We do not want that.
We did not know that pirate taxis belong to the policemen. I am glad that you are giving us that information and we will indeed try to investigate whether pirate taxis are owned by policemen. Tomorrow when I get to the office, I will talk to my Minister that those pirate taxis are owned by us policemen. I thank you.
*(v) HON. CHIMINA: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. It iconcerns access to identification cards. What measures have you put in place to ensure that the ID cards are easily accessible to the public? I thank you.
+THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): Thank you Madam Speaker. I know there are long winding queues at the Registrar Generals Office because many people do not have ID cards and you have to understand that we are coming from COVID lockdowns. Most of the offices are open right now but we do not have material to make identity cards. We have that challenge at the moment, but I hope in the near future, we will be able to resolve that. If we get adequate resources, we will work day and night in order for us to clear the backlog. I thank you -[(v)* AN HON. MEMBER: On a point of order Madam Speaker. My point of order is to the Deputy Minister. She is being asked in Shona but she is responding in Ndebele. I thank you.]-
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: She is allowed to respond in the language of her convenience. I thank you.
*HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small to Medium Enterprises. What measures are you taking as Government pertaining to illegal vendors, be it on roads, tuck shops or other areas? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): The Hon. Member responded to the question when he said they are selling illegally which means they will be breaking the law. What that means is that is work that is meant for the Zimbabwe Republic Police under the Ministry of Home Affairs and municipality police under Hon. Chombo. So you can ask what they are doing to people who will be selling illegally everywhere. They are able to respond to that question. I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON. MAVHUNGA-MABOYI): Thank you Madam Speaker. All those who will be selling illegally should be arrested. Sometimes we arrest them and sometimes they run away with their wares. So when the law is broken, people are arrested and they are supposed to pay a spot fine. I thank you.
*HON. PETER MOYO: Supplementary question. Thank you Madam Speaker. The reason why I asked that question is that these days there are no formal employment opportunities, be it is supermarkets or anywhere. Some of those people vending are graduates or well educated people.
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your question?
*HON. PETER MOYO: My question is, would it not be proper that those people who are selling illegally be regularised so that they sell legally. If you look at for example my constituency in Aspindale Park, there is a very good market. They do not want to go in there because they do not want to pay. They prefer to sell from outside. Why? Because it is private land, the rentals are very high. So would it not be good that Government should sit down with the vendors and the owner of the property so that they may charge reasonable rentals that would help people so that they may not suffer the way they are doing right now.
Indeed it is not good for people to block roads like what they are doing right now. Some of them get run over by vehicles and thieves are also increasing. So I think it would be good to get good places for them to sell. I thank you.
*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: That question would be directed to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS (HON. CHOMBO): Thank you Madam Speaker. Local authorities have by-laws. These by-laws must be followed. Our by-laws do not allow vending in front of shops or places that are not designated for vending. Most local authorities are using devolution funds to construct stalls or vending markets but people do not want to use them. People blame the local authorities for not delivering in terms of service but it is because they are not getting revenues. Right now, you see that there are demolitions of illegal structures. We are encouraging people to follow those by-laws. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would like my Honourable learned brother, the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to unpack the policy behind the issuance of Cabinet authority to travel on Government business. In other words, to spell out to this House what it entails. Madam Speaker, by design, Government policy is meant to feed into the laws of the land, especially to ensure that the wheels of justice move without disturbance. I am asking this question on the background that people who have pending criminal cases, especially those pertaining to corruption have been granted Cabinet authority to travel outside the country on Government business, in the process frustrating court processes. In that regard, we have become a nation of paradoxes because we have committed to fully fighting corruption. Thank you Madam Speaker.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. The first principle that the Hon. Member must appreciate is that arrest is a method of securing your attendance at trial. It cannot be equated to being convicted. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. We cannot then say that because you have a pending case, it means definitively you are corrupt until such a time that the court has convicted you. That is when we can give that label that you want to give those particular individuals. The court process is not there unless proved otherwise to be a deterrent to people to continue doing their day to day activities.
In other words, until you are convicted, our laws say that you are innocent, serve for the conditions that you are given by the courts. You are allowed to carry out whatever businesses that you have been undertaking unless your bail conditions dictate that you cannot do certain things. So, let us not run into a scenario whereby we just label everyone who has a pending case as being a convicted person. That is not the case. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, I had invited the Hon. Minister to unpack or explain what it is that Cabinet considers before granting authority to travel on Government business. Indeed Madam Speaker, it is a paradox because in some cases, someone then has to skip court because they have been granted authority by Cabinet to do so. In that regard, it paints this Government as belittling processes to do with prosecuting cases of corruption. I am inviting the Minister yet again to explain to us what it is that Cabinet considers before granting authority to somebody to travel on Government business outside the country.
HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. There are two processes. Everyone within the Government structure, be it Parliament, the Judiciary or the Executive; if you want to travel outside the country, you need Cabinet authority. The reason why the Cabinet authority is needed is also to ensure that our Treasury Chief is aware that you need to travel and he then concurs to the release of the fund. That is the standard procedure because you need to ensure that those processes are followed and the requisite documentation that leads to the release of funds are processed.
If you have a pending case, you need to satisfy your bail conditions to be able to travel. So if your passport is with the courts, you need to go and make an application for the release of the passport. If the court agrees, then you are free to go. So, they are two separate processes. If you are out on bail, satisfy your bail conditions first or else you apply to the court for variation.
As for the Cabinet authority, any Government has to be organised and those that are in charge with our purse need to be satisfied that they are able to support that particular travel. I thank you.
HON. NDEBELE: Madam Speaker, practice has shown that during question time, we are allowed to proffer suggestions to our Government. That is what I intend to do. Madam Speaker, cases of corruption attract a lot of public interest. It is therefore my suggestion that Cabinet might as well consider withdrawing Cabinet authority to travel outside the country if one is facing corruption charges because word out there is the 2nd Republic is belittling processes to do with stopping corruption. There is need to nub against institutional bias. As things stand, it looks like parliamentarians are favoured and there is no effort to promote impartiality in dealing with corruption. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OFJUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Madam Speaker, I explained that there are two concurrent processes that are followed if you are on remand. The first one is that you need Cabinet authority and the second one is that you need to satisfy your bail conditions. If they allow you to travel, then that is okay. He is suggesting that I interfere with court processes. If the bail conditions of that particular MP dictate that they allow that particular individual to travel, and Cabinet authority has been issued, then they are free to go because they are still innocent until proven guilty. I thank you.
(v) HON. I. NYONI: My question is directed to the Minister Health. Of late we have seen an increase of murder cases committed by mentally challenged people. On May 2, a mentally challenged Gutu man seriously assaulted two minors resulting in the death of one. Also on May 7 this year in Gatsva Village in Gutu, a 40 year old mentally challenged man fatally assaulted his father with a hoe handle, after that he went on for his 76 year old mother leaving her battling for her life. My question is what is Government policy on the mentally challenged to ensure their admission to mental institutions and have access to free medication?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. I did not get the question because the Hon. Member is saying what Government policy is to ensure that our mental patients have access to our mental institutions. For a start we have mental institutions across the country. The reason why we have them is to ensure that our mental patients are admitted, treated, rehabilitated and reintegrated. I am not quite sure whether his question is about the adequacy or otherwise. As a matter of policy, we have those mental institutions that are there to ensure that our mental patients are treated.
(v)HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Madam Speaker. I guess the Minister did not get my question correctly. The background issue of this thing is that we are having murder cases committed by mentally challenged people. These people in the first place should have been in mental institutions but they are not there. My example was the murder that was committed in Gutu by a mentally man who assaulted two minors resulting in the death one. In the same area on the 7th of May, we had a 40 year old who assaulted his father with a hoe handle until he passed on. He went for his 76 year old mother, leaving her battling for her life. Those people in the first place are not supposed to out there. They are supposed to be admitted at mental institutions. My question is: what is Government policy to ensure that these are admitted in such institutions so that they do not remain challenged to themselves and those outside?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam Speaker. If the question relates to our mentally incapacitated members of society who commit crime, once they are arrested they are supposed to go before a mental board to assess their mental capacity if they are determined to be mentally incapacitated, they are committed to a hospital so that they can be treated. I am not sure exactly what his thrust is, because we have clear policies that deal with our mental patients, prisoners and that is why I asked whether he is talking about the adequacy of the service rather than the availability of the service, in which case it has specific issues to deal with how those particular mental patients are being dealt with. I would invite him to write so that the Minister of Health can look at the particular incidences that he so refers to.
Questions without Notice were interrupted by THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 67
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
IMPETUS TO THE WHEELS OF JUSTICE CONCERNING RAMPANT MURDER CASES
- HON M. M. MPOFUasked the Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary Affairs whether there are any deliberate efforts to give more impetus to the wheels of justice especially at the High Court of Zimbabwe concerning the rampant murder cases which take more than three years or indefinitely to be heard at the High Court, while at the same time murderers will be having the audacity and zeal to commit similar crimes whilst on bail and finally some escape borders to neighbouring countries while others die before their cases are heard and finalised at the High Courts.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): Let me hasten to say the Judiciary is enjoined in terms of Section 165 (1) (b) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe to ensure that justice is not delayed and that judicial duties are performed efficiently and with reasonable promptness. This includes murder cases.
I admit that murder cases are taking time to be finalised. The delays are caused due to different reasons. Let me start by mentioning that murder is a Third Schedule offence which attracts a sentence of up to death penalty. For this reason proper preliminary processes must be followed before a matter is set down for trial. These processes, although they appear dilatory, they include indictment of an accused person. To indict an accused person, the prosecution should be of the view that they have sufficient evidence for a successful conviction.
Murder cases are sui generis in the sense that an accused may be arrested before the docket is complete. Hence, whilst a person is on remand, police have to gather medical affidavits, obtain ballistic report before the matter is set down for trial. The process also includes appointment of pro deo legal practitioners. Section 70 of the Constitution recognises the need for legal representation as an essential prerequisite for a fair trial. The practice in place is that before an unrepresented accused person is arraigned before the High Court for a murder trial, a legal practitioner assigned by the State and at State expense should be appointed to represent him or her.
Even though murder cases by nature take time to be finalised, the Judicial Service Commission has taken measures to speed up trials in such matters and others. One of the measures is decentralisation of High Courts in Zimbabwe. Efforts have been made in the past 10 years to enhance access to justice by decentralising the High Court and increasing the number of lower courts in the country. In 2016, a third High Court was established in Masvingo, followed by another High Court in Mutare in 2017. Plans to establish further High Court stations are in place for instance in Chinhoyi. Also, High court circuits have been sitting in Midlands Province at Gweru and Matabeleland North at Hwange.
Policies which translate to a Strategic Plan of the Judicial Service Commission have been set. The plan runs from 2021 to 2025. One of the set goals of the JSC provided for in the Strategic Plan is to ensure an efficient and effective judicial system. It is expected that by 2025 a High Court will be established in at least 7 of the 10 provinces. This move will reduce the time frame within which cases are heard and determined.
The JSC has also taken measures in accordance with the Strategic Plan to provide tools of trade and administrative support to the superior courts. Further, the JSC has taken measures to optimise by putting in place a case management system which ensures the proper tracking of cases in the system. All cases including murder cases must be completed within a reasonable time in the circumstances. This has resulted in the number of murder cases completed surpassing those pending cases.
Let me touch on bail aspect. The right to bail for all accused persons, including persons accused of murder, is provided for under Section 50 (1) (d) of the Constitution. The constitutional provision aforementioned protects the right to liberty more stringently, hence an accused person must be unconditionally released unless there are “compelling reasons” for keeping him in detention. It is within the confines of the law that every accused person, including persons accused of murder, has the right to liberty and is entitled to be granted bail by the court before trial. Every accused is deemed innocent until proven guilty and the Constitution provides for the right to bail.
Deliberate provisions were put in the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act to guard against commission of similar offence and absconding trial by accused person while on bail. Section 117 (2) (a) of the CPEA provides that the refusal to grant bail and the detention of an accused in custody shall be in the interests of justice where one or more of the following grounds are established. That is where there is a likelihood that the accused, if he or she were released on bail, will:
- Endanger the safety of the public or any particular person or will commit an offence referred to in the First Schedule; or
- Not stand in his or her trial or appear to receive sentence; or
- Undermine or jeopardise the objectives or proper functioning of the criminal justice system, including the bail system.
To sum up, I have admitted the delays in conclusion of murder cases but as I have mentioned in most instances the delays are due to the need to follow due process. However, we have made efforts to speed up the processes by establishment of High Court, setting up strategic plans and introducing case management systems. With regards to bail, I have highlighted that this is a constitutional right. However, there are deliberate mechanisms in the CPEA to guard against the concerns of the Hon Member.
RECONSTRUCTION OF PIRIVIRI BRIDGE IN HURUNGWE EAST
- HON MASENDAasked the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development when the Ministry will reconstruct the Piriviri Bridge in Hurungwe East. Which was washed away by floods twenty years ago considering that a budget of $20m RTGS for this activity was set aside in 2019 and 2021 but no progress has been made as yet.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MADIRO): Madam Speaker Ma’am, yes indeed the project was budgeted for in 2019 but due to the prevailing economic conditions, the money allocated to the projects that had not yet commenced were transferred to the projects that were already ongoing to ensure that they are completed.
Whilst it is in the National Budget for 2021, the declaration of the roads as a national disaster saw the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme 2 superseding all other plans for the year 2021 and therefore will see the Piriviri Bridge together with other flood managed structures dating back 25 years finally being reconstructed or rehabilitated in the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme Phase 3. I thank you.
(V)HON. MASENDA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. It is a point of clarification actually to say, when can we expect to see activity at the Piriviri Bridge?
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: When should we expect activity at the bridge? Did you hear that Hon. Minister?
HON. MADIRO: I did not hear it Madam Speaker Ma’am. I seem to understand that the Hon. Member is saying; when are the phases going to be unfolded?
If that is the question Madam Speaker Ma’am, the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme is a three year programme. Phases one and two were collapsed together, which becomes Phase One and the second phase which will be undertaken in 2002 will be rehabilitating roads so that they get a longer life span, almost renewing the roads. Phase three will be the rehabilitating of bridges which will be in the year 2023. I thank you.
WRITTEN SUBMISSION TO QUESTION WITH NOTICE
CONSTRUCTION OF PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE IN MATEBELELAND NORTH PROVINCE
- HON S. K. MGUNIasked the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to inform the House what the Government policy is regarding the construction of permanent infrastructure such as Rural District Court Building and Prisons in the Bubi Constituency in Matabeleland North Province.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): Allow me to explain the National Development Strategy 1 which covers the years 2021 to the year 2025. The NDS1 outlines the policy direction and strategic thrust of the country over the next 5 years. It identifies priority prorammes/projects to be executed. I am pleased to announce that infrastructure and utility development is one of the priority projects that the Government is aiming to achieve by year 2025. On that note, Government Departments, Ministries and other State institutions are working together to achieve infrastructure development in every province of the country.
Regarding the construction of Prison at Bubi Constituency, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works recently consented to transfer the Inyathi Old Prison structures currently being utilised as offices by the Public Works Department to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service. Meanwhile the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service is ready to commence rehabilitation of Old Inyathi Prison structures into a modern correctional institution. The resources for the renovation of Old Inyathi Prison structures have already been secured. Currently, we are waiting on the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to move their office furniture to pave way for us to begin renovations.
Turning to the issue raised by the Hon Member on the construction of permanent court buildings at Bubi Rural District, the Judicial Service Commission is in the process of decentralising lower courts to every district and at least 7 provincial cities must have High Court offices by the year 2025. One of the set goals of the JSC provided for in the NDS1 is to ensure an efficient and effective justice delivery through the establishment of Resident Magistrate Courts in every district by the year 2025. Recently the JSC gazetted Inyathi and Chimanimani as Resident Courts. Currently there is a court in Nkayi which is 80 km from Bubi that can provide service to the residents of Bubi. However, Government will continue making efforts to ensure that there are resident courts in every district in order to limit the distance travelled by people in accessing justice.
In conclusion, let me assure Members of Parliament that Government is working tirelessly in order to meet the targets set out in the National Development Strategy by the year 2025. Construction of resident courts and prisons and correctional facilities is on the priority list.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: We have come to the end of Questions with Notices. I call upon the Minister of Industry and Commerce to give us a Ministerial Statement.
THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): Thank you Madam Speaker. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the mover of the motion Hon. Togarepi and seconder, Hon. Mhona for introducing the motion on the State of the Nation Address given by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa. I also want to join members in thanking our President for the leadership …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order! Hon. Minister, please may you approach the Chair.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE (HON. DR. KANHUTU-NZENZA): Madam Speaker, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 49 be stood over until Order of the Day, Number 50 has been disposed of.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Fiftieth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE (HON. DR. NZENZA): I would like to thank the mover of the motion Hon. Togarepi and seconder Hon. Mhona for introducing the motion on the State of the Nation Address (SONA) given by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa. I also want to join members in thanking our President for the leadership that he continues to give to all of us.
In his SONA, His Excellency, the President of the Second Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa highlighted a number of issues, ranging from the impact of COVID-19; performance of the economy and the need to expedite the completion of legislative processes with regards to all outstanding Bills among others.
My Ministry is working on a number of legislative reforms that include the amendment of the Sugar Production Control Act [Chapter 18:19] which was enacted in 1964 and has now lost relevance, repealing the Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act [Chapter 14:33] to Economic Empowerment Act and amending the Competition Act to align it to regional and international trends such as the African Continental Free Trade Area.
I am pleased to inform this august House that there is significant progress towards the amendment of the Sugar Production and Control Act. To date, the principles to amend the Act were approved by Cabinet and are now at the Attorney General’s office for drafting of the Bill. When finalized, the Bill will be submitted to Cabinet for consideration before presentation to Parliament.
May I also advise the august House that there is a proposal to consider sugarcane as a strategic crop. Consultations between my Ministry and that of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement and stakeholders in the sugar industry have been done. This will enable sugar cane farmers to access incentives that are available to other growers of cash crops such as tobacco and cotton.
Progress on the repealing of the Indigenization and Economic Empowerment Act [Chapter 14:33], to give rise to the Economic Empowerment Act is positive. My Ministry has already undertaken wide consultations with various stakeholders. The principles of the Bill were finalized and will soon be forwarded to Cabinet for consideration. However, ZIDA has also proposed to submit its input into the principles.
The main thrust on the amendment of the Competition Act is to align it with the Competition Policy which is in sync with regional and international protocols, particularly the African Continental Free Trade Area. The amended Act will strengthen the Competition and Tariff Commission as an institution and will also complement the Consumer Protection Act that was signed into law in December 2019. My Ministry has since forwarded the draft amendment to the Attorney-General’s office for scrutiny.
I am pleased to inform the House that the Ministry has made progress on the implementation of the country’s industrialisation drive by structurally transforming the economy for inclusive and sustained growth and higher productivity levels as provided for in NDS1. Central to the industrialisation agenda is implementation of the following ten prioritized or low hanging value chains: Agro processing – (soya bean, cotton, sugar, diary, leather and fertilizer); packaging; pharmaceuticals; bus and truck; and motor, iron and steel.
The Ministry is working closely with other ministries and departments and key stakeholders in value addition and beneficiation of agriculture and mining products.
In line with the country’s devolution agenda, priority is being given to decentralisation of industrialisation initiatives where value addition and beneficiation industries will be set up in specific provinces and districts where the endowments are located. My Ministry is working very closely with Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in this area and officers from my Ministry are now stationed in all provinces to drive these initiatives.
The impact of COVID-19 has affected us not only in Zimbabwe but globally. As indicated by His Excellency in his State of the National Address, the COVID-19 pandemic had a devastating effect on the country’s economy in general and industry and commerce in particular.
The following are some of the challenges that were faced by business;
- Destruction in the global supply chain,
- Logistical challenges resulting in imports of raw materials as well as exports being negatively affected,
- Timely delivery of imports of raw materials due to delays in clearing at ports of entry thereby increasing cost by incurring charges,
- Reduced cashflows due to reduced demand as a result of low economic activity.
Mr. Speaker Sir, some of the impact also include, pressure to honour obligations such as wages and rentals and also the loss of employment due to contraction of some businesses. However, Mr. Speaker Sir, there were some opportunities as a result of COVID-19. Some businesses took advantage of the pandemic to diversify into the production of PPEs, also as part of Government import substitution strategy. Also the encouraged companies should be more inward looking by assisting local manufactures to ramp up production.
Mr. Speaker Sir, sectors such as the pharmaceuticals experienced an increased demand for their products in order to manage the symptoms of the pandemic. I would also like to report on capacity utilisation. Despite the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, the state of manufacturing survey conducted by the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industry (CZI) in collaboration with my Ministry showed us a remarkable improvement on capacity utilisation. This rose from 11% in March, 2019 to a remarkable 47% in 2020. Their projections showed that by the end of 2021, we predict that capacity utilisation will surpass the 60% target and indeed rise to 65%. This is being helped by the fact that firms are now able to access cheaper foreign currency from the auction system introduced by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development and the RBZ Governor in June, 2020. This has added more to capacity utilisation and growth in the country.
We have however noted positive improvements as well in the capacity utilisation and these are averaging 10% within the motor industry and also interestingly, above 60% for the food, drink and tobacco sectors. Under the Competitions and Tariff Commission, the Competitions and Tariff Commission is a statutory board responsible for implementing and enforcing Zimbabwe’s competition policy and law in line with the Ministry’s mandate. Its role is to undertake the major examination with the intention to prohibit transaction that will likely substantially lessen completion or indeed a monopoly that will be contrary to public interests.
Mr. Speaker Sir, under the competitions and tariff, we also investigate unfair business practices and abuse of dominance or monopoly positions and these include anti competitive agreements, curtails and abuse of dominance conduct. We also investigate issues relating to customs duties and tariffs and charges with a view to assisting local industry from facing import competition. The Commission is the national investigating authority for unfair trade practices which can manifest in many different forms such as dumping or surges in imports or production of subsidised exports. These are the imports with a trade domestic impact on the domestic industry, hence a trade remedies unit responsible for carrying out these investigations has been set up.
Mr. Speaker Sir, under policies and strategies to grow the industry, we are buttressing positive momentum. My Ministry is working together with all key industry and commerce players to promote and ensure a conducive environment for the growth of local manufacturing sector. In this regard, a number of policies and strategies have been developed to help drive the industrialisation agenda in line with the National Development Strategy 1.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, these drives include the Zimbabwe National Development Policy of 2019 to 2023. Indeed the implementation of this policy is centred to the development of linkages across key sectors of the economy which are mostly, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and service sectors. Under the local content strategy, Mr. Speaker Sir, the local content strategy is a policy thrust to foster value addition through the utilisation of domestic resources and the localisation of supply chain. The implementation of this strategy will lead to increased local production which is anchored on stimulating the development of our local industry as well as to promote these value chains in agriculture as well as in extractive industrial and service sectors.
Mr. Speaker Sir, despite the lockdown, I am very pleased to report that industry responded positively to the local content strategy as shown by increased number of companies that are now beginning to source their raw materials locally as well as an increased diversification and production of fully Zimbabwean products. We are witnessing up to 65% of locally produced goods on the shelves and this is quite remarkable
Mr. Speaker Sir. Under the pharmaceutical and manufacturing strategy 2021-2025, we have a strategy to resuscitate and grow the local pharmaceutical industry. At the moment, we are only utilising 12% of medicines consumed locally but the strategy will be launched tomorrow which will see growth in the pharmaceutical sector under local production.
Mr. Speaker Sir, under the Zimbabwe Leather Strategy of 2021 – 2030, we launched the strategy, it was launched by the Vice President in Bulawayo on the 9th April, 2021. This strategy envisages transforming the whole leather sector and producing leather products locally and also increasing value addition for the domestic and exports markets. My Ministry is also in the process of developing the sugar industry development strategy as well as the cotton to clothing strategy.
Mr. Speaker Sir, my Ministry is also working on operationalising the Consumer Protection Act. Already seven members of the Commission were appointed and have already started implementing their designated task. I am very pleased to inform this august House that the National Competitiveness Commission is now functional and we will be involved in interrogating prices and cost of doing business in line with my Ministry’s mandate.
Mr. Speaker Sir, under the National Quality Policy of 2021 to 2025 His Excellency the President, in his address in this august House, highlighted an increase in the certification of new products by the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ). This was due to my Ministry’s emphasis on improving the quality of locally produced goods. These needed to meet the high quality standards that are expected in this country and also regionally.
As part of efforts to further increase the quantity of locally manufactured products and the quality of imported products that are being sold on the local market we now have a National Quality Policy for 2021 to 2025.
The National Quality Policy envisages the establishment of a National Bureau of Standards which is an accreditation institution among other national quality infrastructure. My Ministry will also spearhead the re-engineering of the National Quality Institution in an aid of industrial and export development competitiveness.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the National Quality Infrastructure also includes Stadardisation Accreditation, Conformity Assessment which includes assessment, testing, calibration, certification and metrology, which is key to improving the quality of goods and support industrialisation programme.
Mr. Speaker Sir, there has been a reform of State enterprises and parastatals. The reform of our State enterprises and parastatal is one of the key pillars for the achievement and attainments of the goals of Vision 2030. I am very happy to state that the revival of ZISCO Steel is on course. An inter-ministerial committee was set up of which I am chairperson, to drive the revival of this company.
ZISCO has invited potential investors to present their expressions of interest and the bids are now in the process of being adjudicated and the process is expected to be completed at the end of June 2021. Mr. Speaker Sir, I will be updating this House on progress from time to time.
In closing Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to thank the Hon. Members for the support that they are giving that relates to the mandates of my Ministry. The achievement of programmes that we are implementing in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce require that all of us need to work together for the progress and growth of our beloved country. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (HON. PROF. M. NCUBE): Mr. Speaker Sir I move that this debate do now adjourn and the House reverts to Notice of Motion Number 1.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ON THE PETITION ON FEES INCREASES IN TERTIARY EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
HON. MAPHOSA: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development on the Petition on Fees Increases in Tertiary Education Institutions.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
HON. MAPHOSA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
INTRODUCTION
In line with Section 149 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe the Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) received a petition from Student Representative Councils (SRCs) of Tertiary Education Institutions and Mr. Tapiwanashe Chiriga, the Secretary General of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU). The petition was submitted on behalf of students in tertiary education institutions.
The petitioners implored Parliament to cause the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development (hereinafter referred to as the Minister) to meet with the students and listen to their concerns. They also pleaded with Parliament to summon and urge the Ministry to decrease fees in tertiary education institutions by 50% and allow students who were unaware of the new fees structure to stay on campus accommodation.
BACKGROUND OF THE PETITION
The petitioners were concerned about what they called a “steep rise of fees” for tertiary education institutions, i.e., Polytechnics, Teachers Training Colleges and Industrial Training Centres. They argued that the new fees structure was approved four days before the institutions were due for opening and the fees increased from ZWL$10,000 to ZWL$40,000. The petitioners were concerned that the four-fold increase in fees was unreasonable and beyond the reach of many and would inevitably result in many students dropping out. Further, the petitioners were concerned that the new fees structure was introduced without consulting the SRCs in the various institutions. The petitioners argued that while the increase in fees was inevitable the percentage increase was unreasonable. The Committee, therefore, considered the petition and launched an inquiry into the issues raised in the petition.
OBJECTIVES OF THE INQUIRY
The broad objective of the enquiry was to afford the Committee an opportunity to understand the fees review process in higher and tertiary education institutions and the problems encountered thereof. In more specific terms, the Committee sought to:
- Assess the fees review process in higher and tertiary education institutions;
- Assess the involvement of Students in fees review process;
- Understand the rationale behind the fees increase; and
- Allow the Minister to respond to issues raised by the petitioners.
METHODOLOGY
To get an in-depth understanding of the scope and content of the petition, the Committee received oral evidence from the Minister, the Principal of Harare Polytechnic Engineer Mudondo, Mr Chiriga, the ZINASU Secretary General, SRC leadership from Harare Institute of Technology (HIT), Harare Polytechnic and Nyadire Teachers’ College. This was in line with the prayer of the petitioners.
COMMITTEE’S FINDINGS
Fees Review Procedure in Higher Education Institutions (Universities)
The Minister submitted to the Committee that the Ministry is not
responsible for proposing new fees structures at universities. Rather fees adjustments were proposed by the universities based on their institutional needs. As a matter of process, the Dean of Students convenes a meeting with the students to discuss the proposed fees adjustments. The matter is then taken to the Student Affairs and Fees Revision Committee which includes the Dean of students, Senior Chaplain, a member of the University Council, Vice Chancellor, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Registrar, Bursar, a member of the University Senate, Dean’s representatives, the Director of Campus Life and Student Development Programmes and, the President of the SRC.
The Minister informed the Committee that neither the Ministry nor the Minister are part of the Fees Review Committee and the Minister does not sit in the fees review meetings. During the Fees Revision Committee meetings, views of students are taken into consideration. The Minister submitted to the Committee; Minutes of Fees Revision Committee meetings conducted by state universities in which the SRCs participated. The Minister later highlighted that participating in a meeting does not necessarily mean having the demands met but the fact remains that one has participated in a meeting. Table 1 below presents the fees revision meetings conducted by universities and the number of SRC members present in each meeting.
Table 1: Fees Revision Meetings Conducted by Universities.
UNIVERSITY | DATE | SRC MEMBERS PRESENT |
Bindura University of Education | 14 January 2021 | 3 |
Chinhoyi University of Technology | 13 January 2021 | 1 |
Great Zimbabwe University | 28 October 2020 | 1 |
Gwanda State University | 16 September 2020 | 2 |
Harare Institute of Technology | 15 January 2021 | 3 |
Lupane State University | 9 September 2020 | 3 |
Manicaland State University | 8 February 2021 | 1 |
Marondera University | 14 January 2021 | 1 |
Midlands State University | 12 March 2021 | 1 |
University of Zimbabwe | 4 February 2021 | 1 |
The University Council adopts the recommendations from the Fees Revision Committee after which, an Ordinance is drafted and sent to the Minister for approval. The Minister emphasised that the role of the Minister in the approval of fees was to make sure that fees charged do not deviate from the principle of accessibility of the right to education. The Minister informed the Committee that after being satisfied that the students were consulted and that the fees were below those that were charged in 2018, the Ministry did not see any reason to disapprove the proposed fees structure. Finally, following the approval of the Minister, the Ordinance is set for implementation.
Fees Review Procedures in Tertiary Education Institutions (Polytechnics, Teachers’ College and Industrial Training Centres).
The Minister informed the Committee that the fees review process in Tertiary Education Institutions was different from that of higher education institutions as the former is regulated under Section 7(1) and (2) of the Manpower Planning and Development Act [Cap 28:02]. The Act gives the Minister responsible for Tertiary Education, in consultation with the Minister responsible for Finance, powers to fix fees for Government institutions. The Minister pointed out that Statutory Instrument 81 of 1999 only provides for representation of students through College Advisory Councils and Finance Committees and, legally, it does not enjoin the Minister to consult each and every college’s SRC. Essentially, the Minister submitted that direct consultations with the whole student body were a privilege and not a right, as was happening in 2008/9 due to galloping inflation during that time.
It was further highlighted that at the institutions, the Academic Boards and students discuss the fees review; recommendations are submitted to the Principal for onward transmission to the Ministry through the Tertiary Education Department. This department then compiles and averages the fees proposals after which the averaged fees are taken to the Permanent Secretary and the Minister for approval. The Minister testified that this process was undertaken by all tertiary education institutions.
The Minister submitted documents containing various fees proposals made by institutions. From the Minutes submitted, the SRCs from: Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic, Morgan Zintec Teachers College, Mkoba Teachers College, Masvingo Teachers College and United College of Education were consulted in the fees review meetings. The Minutes from United College of Education and Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Polytechnic stated clearly that the SRC members present in the fees review meetings agreed to the newly proposed fees structures.
Rationale behind the fees increase
The Minister submitted that in order to answer the question of decreasing the fees by 50%, one needed to look at how much it takes to run the institutions. He further explained that fees changes are determined by the principles of sustainability, reasonability and affordability. Institutions needed money for their daily operations such as payment of salaries, buying teaching and learning consumables, bandwidth, licencing computer software, e-library subscriptions, insurance, maintenance of infrastructure, affiliation fees, external audit and examination processes, purchase and maintenance of vehicles and construction of buildings. The Minister informed the Committee that whilst universities got a Government grant to pay salaries, they normally had to meet all other costs through fees and internally generated resources.
The Minister pointed out that for institutions to operate on a balanced budget, universities and colleges should receive more support or charge more fees since reduction of fees will have adverse effects on the quality of education offered. Essentially, this compromises the country’s ability to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4.
The Minister reminded the Committee that from 2015 to 2018 the average fees for universities were US$450 and that the current tuition fees of ZWL$15,000 to ZWL$20,000 was still lower than the US$450 charged in 2015. He further explained that in terms of equivalent value, the fees had not gone up. The Minister explained that the totals submitted in the petition were inclusive of accommodation fees and accommodation on campus was not compulsory as students can opt for cheaper accommodation elsewhere. Furthermore, the Minister opined that it should be borne in mind that the Ministry does not have control over conditions which influence increases in accommodation and meal prices as this was determined by prevailing conditions on the open market.
The Minister explained that it is the institutional needs that determine the fees. To elaborate on this, he gave the example of the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Harare Institute of Technology (HIT) and Bindura University of Science Education which he said were science and technology universities which require specialised equipment. The fees charged by these institutions reflected such peculiarities. The Minister also argued that most of the students were paying the newly approved fees as exemplified by HIT where 82% of the students had paid as at 20 April 2021.
The Minister disputed the fees claimed by the petitioners. The petitioners had submitted that fees for Tertiary Institutions were pegged at ZWL$40,000. However, the Minister submitted that tuition fees for tertiary institutions was relatively uniform, averaging around ZWL$12,500 for National Certificate Level. This was corroborated by Eng. Mudondo, Principal for Harare Polytechnic, who pointed out that the tuition fees in Polytechnics was uniform across all institutions and differences would arise after ancillary and amenities fees were factored in. These, as highlighted by the Principal, may differ with each institution according to their needs. At Harare Polytechnic the Principal further submitted that a National Certificate student paid ZWL$16,100 for academic fees while a student pursuing National Diploma paid ZWL$20,000 per term exclusive of ZWL$17,000 for accommodation. Polytechnics also had a payment plan system for students who could not afford a once-off payment. However, this was treated on a case-by-case basis. On accommodation fees, the Principal demonstrated that if the ZWL$17 000 were to be broken down, a student would be paying ZW$188 per day for their meals and accommodation and this points to the inadequacy of the fees.
Turning to University fees, the Minister pointed out that the average tuition fees level was ZWL$18,320. The Minister implored the Committee to note that cutting down the fees by 50% as requested by the petitioners would result in institutions cutting down on essential budget items like; internet bandwidth, e-learning subscriptions, workshop practice for engineering, practical sessions for life sciences, outdoor trips, and supervision of students on attachment. This, the Minister accentuated, would impact negatively on the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Delays in announcing the new fees structure
The petitioners expressed concern that the new fees structure was announced to students barely four days to the opening day. The Minister submitted that fees were not required to be paid on the opening day and, above all, institutions accepted payment plans for students who could not afford a once-off payment. The same point was echoed by the Principal of Harare Polytechnic who submitted that he had approved students who had payment plans. Also, the Minister reminded the Committee to be aware that students had taken part in the fees determination process.
The Government had introduced the CBZ Student Loan Scheme to cater for vulnerable students. The Minister encouraged students who face challenges to approach the Student Affairs Office for help. The Minister further pointed out that in order to maintain institutional capability while ensuring inclusive, equitable and quality education and also promoting lifelong learning, the fees levels charged by State universities and colleges should be reasonable and affordable while at the same time being sustainable.
The students complained that the increase of fees came against a background of a poor diet during the previous semester. The Minister responded that diet issues were discussed at the institutions and students had a say on what they ate as long as they could pay for it. Institutions could not be expected to subsidize meals.
The students claimed that the current crop of leadership was a direct beneficiary of free education, now of which, it was denying students. The Minister rejected the idea that there was free education in Zimbabwe as someone had to pay for that education. The Minister pointed out that through the Education 5.0, institutions were on course to make institutions self financing and self-sustaining. However, he cautioned that this would take time and a collaborative effort from all stakeholders.
Another plea raised by the petitioners was that the Minister had consistently refused to meet with students. The Minister submitted that he met with the SRCs at the Management Training Bureau on Wednesday 19 February 2020, hence the notion that he did not meet students was incorrect.
Petitioners’ Response to the Minister’s Submissions
Mr. Chiriga disputed the submission made by the Minister that the average fees at universities was ZWL$18,320 and submitted that at HIT, students were paying ZWL$40,148 which was not inclusive of accommodation. This was however, later disputed by the SRC leader from HIT, who submitted that tuition fees at the institution were ZWL$22,500 and accommodation was ZWL$17,000.
Mr. Bruce Moyo, the SRC President of Harare Polytechnic, representing the SRCs of all the tertiary education institutions submitted that to his knowledge, no SRC from the tertiary education institutions was consulted during the fees review process. He also expressed concern that the petition was on the increase, of fees in tertiary education institutions yet the Minister took time explaining issues prevailing in universities and only mentioned tertiary education issues in passing. He concurred with the Principal that the average fees of a National Certificate at Harare Polytechnic were ZWL$16 100.
HIT’s SRC leader submitted that the SRC was involved in the Fees Review Meeting and that three members of the SRC attended the meeting. However, the SRC submitted that it never agreed to the fees structures which came out of the meeting. The SRC submitted that students were not receiving data for e-learning given the online classes which were the new way of conducting lectures. Further, the SRC also bemoaned the prohibitive conditions laid down to access the CBZ Student Loan Scheme.
Interventions by the Committee
The Members expressed concerned on whether the CBZ loan facility had conditions which would encourage uptake of the facility by the students. The Minister responded that the Ministry had taken note of the concerns raised in 2020 and had taken remedial action to review the conditions of the loan facility. The Minister further highlighted that students who face challenges in paying their fees should approach their respective Student Affairs Offices and their issues will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The Committee queried if the Minister was not worried about the 18% of students who failed to pay fees at HIT. The Minister responded that the Ministry was alive to the plight of vulnerable students as safety nets have been put in place.
The Committee also highlighted to the Minister the need for a lasting solution to the problems which emanated from upward review of fees. The Minister concurred that the ideal solution would allow such disputes to be addressed without escalating the issues to Parliament. He also submitted that students should also desist from skipping proper channels when they seek answers. In most cases, students had approached the President and Parliament without first approaching the responsible offices at their respective universities and colleges.
COMMITTEE’S OBSERVATIONS
The Committee observed that inclusive of accommodation, fees for a student enrolled in the higher or tertiary education institutions ranged between ZWL$35 000 and ZWL$45 000.
The Committee observed that higher and tertiary education institutions do not operate in silos and are thus, vulnerable to the economic shocks that occur from time to time. It is these shocks that prompt an upward review of fees which negatively affects affordability and accessibility of education.
The Committee observed that due to COVID-19 and other economic shocks, earnings have decreased while the cost of accessing higher and tertiary education has increased. Resultantly, it was more difficult to pay fees in 2021 than it was in 2017.
The Committee observed that there is a lack of a clear higher and tertiary education financing model and this has a bearing on the determination of fees for these institutions. Further, while it was fact that Government supports these institutions through grants, it was unclear what percentage of support was given by Government and the percentage that the institutions were supposed to shoulder on their own.
The Committee noted that it was not in a position to propose fees levels to the institutions as this was largely an administrative function.
The Committee noted that there was limited involvement of SRCs in tertiary education institutions in the fees review process.
The Committee observed that in practical terms, students in tertiary education institutions were paying more than their counterparts in higher education institutions. If one was to multiply the fees paid in colleges by the three terms, it would surpass those paid in two semesters by university students.
The Committee noted that there was no uniformity in ancillary and amenities fees which were charged by institutions hence there was no uniformity in academic fees across institutions.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Committee recommends the following:
- The Ministry should come up with a sustainable education financing model that recognises the Zimbabwean context and is alive to the changes that may occur in the broader socio-economic environment by September 2021.
- The Ministry should engage CBZ in a bid to improve the requisite conditions for accessing the loans under the CBZ Loan Scheme by August 2021. The improved conditions may translate to an improved uptake of the loan facility particularly by the vulnerable students.
- The Ministry should harmonise tuition fees paid across all State institutions for the same programme by January 2022. For example, tuition fees for studying Law at the University of Zimbabwe should be the same at Great Zimbabwe University.
- The Ministry should put measures in place that will promote effective participation of SRCs in the review of fees by tertiary education institutions by January 2022.
- The Ministry should come up with a framework that recognises and regulates the existence and activities of students’ unions such as ZINASU and ZICOSU by January 2022.
CONCLUSION
While the evidence presented by the Minister, Principal
, the petitioner and other SRC leaders was to some extent divergent, there was a general convergence on the fact that an upward review of fees was necessary and inevitable. The evidence further revealed that although resilient, Zimbabwe’s higher and tertiary education sector is still vulnerable to the economic shocks which in turn, negatively affect affordability and accessibility of education. It is therefore pertinent and with utmost urgency, that an education financing model be designed with the involvement of all the stakeholders to ensure the progressive realization of a vibrant, inclusive, equitable, affordable and accessible higher and tertiary education sector.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I do second the motion. The issue of fees increase in tertiary institutions is a cause for concern to all of us, guardians, parents and us as a committee. As a committee we have been sitting over complaints by student representatives almost every year. I think it is high time that the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education comes up with a plan well in advance so that we do not have to sit over these issues time and again. If we look at the petition that was brought before the Committee, the students were complaining that fees were increased and notification of fees increase were received a few days before schools opened. This did not give enough time to parents and students who work for their fees to prepare. My submission is that tertiary institutions should give notification of fee increases well in advance so that everyone has ample time to look for the fees and not the way they are giving notification at the moment, because it catches both parents and students off-guard.
If we look at the statistics that were given, about 27% dropped out of school because they could not afford the fees. Had they been given ample time to prepare for the increases, I am sure a smaller percentage would have dropped out as compared to those that dropped out. I think it is high time that government comes up with a user friendly loan scheme to enable students to access finances to fund their education. I remember when I was still a university student, the loan application scheme was very simple, such that everyone was able to access the loans to fund their education. I recommend that such model be reintroduced rather than the current system which is proving to be very difficult for students to access these loans.
The other issue that arose is that of accommodation. Many students are living off campus and it is not ideal for studying. Tertiary institutions should come up with models to build student accommodation on campus. We have read stories of many students being robbed, raped and even being murdered on their way to school because some lectures end very late in the evening and for them to be walking to their various places of aboard off campus presents a challenge to most students. Those are my submissions. I thank you.
(v)HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Hon Speaker for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this motion which is a petition which was moved by our Chairperson Hon. Maphosa, seconded by the former Mayor of Kadoma, Hon. Chinyanganya. The issue of quality education is prime. There was a list of top 100 universities which was released sometime last week. Unfortunately Zimbabwe has no university on that list which is a big shame. We therefore need to remodel our higher and tertiary education sector so that we go back into the elite class of colleges and universities such that if people think of going to universities, particularly in Africa, their first port of call must be Zimbabwe.
Quality education goes hand-in-hand with the amount of fees paid. Yes, Zimbabwe is in a terrible economic state at the moment, which government is trying to improve. With that in mind, we need to balance the fees that are paid at tertiary and higher learning institutions. The petition was coming from tertiary college students, polytechnics, teachers colleges and so forth. If you look at the fees, the first bone of contention is that the fees being paid by those at colleges is more than that being paid by those at universities. It is our suggestion that the Hon. Minister kindly reviews this petition seriously and consider lowering the fees being paid by students who are at polytechnics, colleges and teachers colleges as well because they cannot pay more than those at universities.
Let me highlight what the principal of Harare Polytechnic said in terms of accommodation. He indicated that students were paying an average of RTGs$17100 per term, which translate to RTGs$188 per day for accommodation and food. I think though students feel that it is on the high side, if you reason with the principal, you may also see the logic in that. However, the principal then went on to the next step - we saw in the newspaper and on social media that the Harare Polytechnic students were milling outside the gate as they were told no fees no examinations. Some students lost an exam or two, that kind of behaviour needs to be changed. Let the students write examinations then afterwards you can start speaking of fees.
Hon. Chinyanganya and even Hon. Maphosa spoke of the kind of loans that we have. The kind of loans that we have Hon. Speaker, I think they are not very fair because you are burdening the guardians or parents and also the students because as soon as the loan is given, there is no grace period. Not even one month because the very next month they want their fees. So, you find that the students and even their parents may not be able to go and apply for those loans because they know they are not able to repay in good time. Even by the time they start the next semester, they will be at a disadvantage.
So we are calling on CBZ and other banks which give loans to students to say can you give loans that do not punish parents and students. Those loans should have a grace period and in particular, it is even better to say after the student completes their education that is when they will be able to recoup because that is when the student would have maybe started working or some entrepreneurship along the way. Basically, I am in support that tertiary students’ fees be reduced. For universities they can maintain as they are and also in terms of the petition, I do not think the university students were really petitioning Parliament to reduce the fees. I thank you.
(v)HON. T. MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker for affording me this opportunity to contribute to the very topical report that has been moved by Hon. Maphosa the Chairperson of the Committee, seconded by Hon. Chinyanganya. This is a petition from students in tertiary institutions where they were saying they were never consulted regarding the increase of fees. It is important and indispensable Mr. Speaker to highlight the fact that for fees to be reviewed, some due process should be taken or followed. It is my submission that according to the Committee’s findings, the dean of students met with student executive council members where they consulted one another before fees were agreed upon.
When that process has been done, they will write a letter to the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education seeking approval of the review processes of fees. That process was also followed. These agreements are done by colleges and universities to ensure and enhance quality education. It is important to note that for quality education to be realised, indeed fees must be reviewed positively so that quality education is enhanced. Once fees have been reviewed, there is purchase of infrastructure, e-learning gadgets and provision of quality food in our institutions. The fees that we are referring to would include both tuition and accommodation fees.
The Committee noted that the review of fees is important to bring about sustainable development in colleges and universities in line with Sustainable Development Goal number four (4) which talks about ‘ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030’. We first have to ensure that all the quality education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes. Once that is done, there will be equal access to affordable technical, vocational and higher education by 2030 of this SDG. There will be equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education including universities.
Mr. Speaker, it is my submission that what we need are not just loans. As an august House, we want to urge the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and also the Ministry of Finance to provide grants to our students because most of the students who are disadvantaged and vulnerable are the poor and those who are disabled. Once those grants have been re-introduced, everyone will be able to afford college and university education. I need to applaud the Government for affording scholarships to students with disabilities.
I want also to talk about the Grant-in Aid Scholarships which are afforded to ECD up to Upper Six students, especially those in the poor districts like Gokwe North and schools in Gokwe-Chireya Constituency that I represent whereby the Government has provided funding for students and parents are no longer paying fees. That should also be done in university whereby the Government should provide enough adequate funds to students, not those loans that are provided by financial institutions like CBZ.
CBZ would require collateral security. They will talk of those students who do not have parents who are on salary. Obviously, they are disadvantaged and cannot access those loans. So, it is important and imperative for the Government to provide free basic education in the form of grants. As soon as they finish their university or college education, they are able to pay back to the Government and the process will continue. It is an important eye opener. It should allow the Government to go a step further and provide those important fundamental issues like the Education Amendment Act of 2020. That is important Mr. Speaker. With those few remarks, I thank you for allowing me to ventilate my views on this important subject. I thank you.
HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute on this very important report by the Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education presented by Hon. L. Maphosa and seconded by Hon. Chinyanganya.
Education is very important and is the foundation for the growth of our children to become reasonable and reliable citizens. The issue of school fees is very important; it should be reasonably charged and affordable to many. It is very unfortunate that it appears there were no consultations when the new fees came into force. I remember during our days when we went to university that we were given grants. If you would get to advanced level and then you go to university, our parents would be relieved of the burden of paying school fees. Those were the good old days. Our listening Government should resort to that good arrangement of giving our children grants.
The school fees should also be affordable. I note that in most of the universities, for example in my constituency in Bulawayo East, we have got the National University of Science and Technology. There is an innovation hub there where they manufacture sanitizers, masks and these are sold at a profit. This university also offers services in DNA testing for a fee for people from within Zimbabwe and outside. That is income for the university as well.
I am sure such income that is generated within the tertiary institutions should be used also to run the institution instead of relying on school fees only. That will go a long way in reducing the amount of school fees that is charged.
In brief, I would like to recommend that definitely there should be a review of these school fees so that they remain affordable to all students despite their background so that those coming from a poor background can also have access to education.
The issue of this CBZ loan is quite a good idea. However, the loan should be affordable and easy to pay. If we look at the situation now, when our children finish school, it is very difficult for them to get employment so that they can pay back that loan.
However, with perhaps the improvement in the economy, this might help in a way to make sure that the loan continues unabated. I thank you.
HON. MAPHOSA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. TEKESHE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 10th June 2021.
On the motion of HON. PRISCILLA. MOYO second by HON. TEKESHE the House adjourned at Seven Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 8th June, 2021.
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
CHANGES TO PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have to inform the House of the following changes to the membership of Portfolio Committees.
(a) Hon. Tsvangirai has moved from the Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation to the Portfolio Committee on Environment, Climate and Tourism.
(b) Hon. Samuel Banda has moved from the Portfolio Committees on Transport, Infrastructural Development and Industry and Commerce to the portfolio Committee on Budget, Finance and Economic Development and Primary and Secondary Education.
(c) Hon. Musarurwa will serve on the Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing. I thank you.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY OF ZIMBABWE FOR THE YEAR 2019
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the report of the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, for the year 2019 presented to this House of Parliament, in terms of the Section 262 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. I so, move Mr. Speaker Sir.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PEACE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2020
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): I move that this House takes note of the Report of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission for the year 2020, presented to Parliament in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which states that every Commission must submit to Parliament, through the appropriate Minister, 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.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JUDICIAL SERVICES COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2020
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): I move that this House takes note of the Report of the Judicial Services Commission for the year 2020, presented to Parliament in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which states that every Commission must submit to Parliament, through the appropriate Minister, 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.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2020
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): I move that this House takes note of the Report of the Human Rights Commission for the year 2020, presented to Parliament in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which states that every Commission must submit to Parliament, through the appropriate Minister, 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.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2020
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON ZIYAMBI): I move that this House takes note of the Report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for the year 2020, presented to Parliament in terms of Section 323 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which states that every Commission must submit to Parliament, through the appropriate Minister, 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.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: I just wanted to advise that the ZEC report unlike other reports, the report was not attached to our file. We have checked with Papers Office, unfortunately we were told that the internet was down. I ask for your indulgence that this matter be stood over so that Members can have access to the ZEC report.
HON. MARKHAM: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. On the Electoral Commission Report, I have been to the Journals Office twice to tell them it is not working, I have also e-mailed them twice and we still do not have that attachment. I can tell you there is not one Member of Parliament with that one, to my knowledge. The other one is the J. C Report, it did arrive but we cannot open it and I have come across a number of MPs in that same situation. I am worried that we are not acting quickly enough when we have attachments, yet these are very important documents. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Markham, the Clerk will ensure that the attachments are done so that the Hon. Members can debate.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): In that regard I move that the debate do now adjourned.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 6 to 13 be stood over until Oder of the Day Number 14 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 2021 VIRTUAL PARLIAMENTARY HEARING AT THE UNITED NATIONS UNDER THE THEME “FIGHTING CORRUPTION TO RESTORE TRUST IN GOVERNMENT AND IMPROVE DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS
HON. MAVENYENGWA: I move the motion in my name that this House takes note of the Report of the 2021 Virtual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations under the theme “Fighting corruption to restore trust in government and improve development prospects held on the 17th and 18th February 2021.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: I second.
HON. MAVENYENGWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker.
Introduction
The 2021 Annual Parliamentary Hearing at the United Nations was convened virtually on 17 and 18 February 2021 under the theme, “Fighting corruption to restore trust in government and improve development prospects'.” Participation was drawn from 400 Parliamentarians as well as diplomats, representatives from civil society and experts on the theme. The theme was designed to ensure a parliamentary contribution to the Political Declaration of the United Nations General Assembly Special Session against corruption (UNGASS 2021) scheduled for June 2021.
The Parliament of Zimbabwe was represented by the following Members of Parliament:
Hon. Tsitsi Veronica Muzenda;
Hon. Vincent Tsvangirai; and
Hon. Robson Mavenyengwa.
Opening Session
The Hearing was officially opened by Hon. Duarte Pacheco, President of the IPU and H. E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir, President of the 75th Session of the General Assembly.
In his remarks, Hon. Pacheco noted that corruption has become a cancer to democracy and requires collective anti-corruption efforts as well as political will in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG 16) “to substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms by 2030”. In this context, he called for Parliaments to be guided by the 2005 UN Convention Against Corruption. This requires legislation and resources to enforce laws that have become even more urgent due to the pandemic. Hon. Pacheco also lauded the Global Organisation of Parliamentarians Against Corruption (GOPAC) for its active role in trying to reduce corruption.
H.E. Mr. Volkan Bozkir noted that corruption remains a pervasive global challenge which erodes public trust in democratic institutions. He underscored the crucial role played by Parliaments in their legislative, representative and oversight functions through keeping the governments accountable, informing governments about the challenges and aspirations of the people and translating UN resolutions into effective legislation. In the context of the COVID 19 Global pandemic, H.E. Bozkir called on Parliaments to ensure that emergency funds approved to fight the pandemic are not diverted through corruption.
In her keynote address, Ms. Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chairperson of the Board of Transparency International, highlighted the importance of the 3 Ts in fighting corruption, namely: Trust, Truth and Transparency. She emphasized that the adoption of conventions is not enough but implementation of the principles in letter and spirit is imperative. She noted the clear correlation between anti-democratic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and high levels of corruption.
UN Convention Against Corruption and Implementation Challenges and Corruption Involving Vast Quantities of Assets “Grand Corruption”
Corruption was identified as a serious threat to global security and stability. It adversely affects development, delivery of public services, especially health care which has now been burdened by the current fight against the COVID 19 pandemic.
Following presentations from lead presenters, participants were given an opportunity to share country experiences and best practices. Hon. Mavenyengwa shared Zimbabwe’s experience highlighting the following best practices:
- Creation of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the National Prosecuting Authority,
- Zimbabwe's corroboration with International Criminal Justice, the launch of National Development Strategy 1 (2021 -2025), and
- National corruption laws such as Prevention of Corruption Act, Money-Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Act among others.
The following salient outcomes emanated from the deliberations:
- The 2030 Agenda cannot be achieved without tackling corruption through enacting laws to curb illicit financial flows, recovering ill-gotten assets, protecting whistle blowers and creating robust, independent anti-corruption bodies.
- In addition to good corruption laws, there is need for public awareness, strengthened public institutions and political will to enforce and implement these laws and policies.
- Ending impunity through criminalization and effective punishment of corrupt practices is necessary.
- Enhancing regional and international cooperation and collaboration in combating corruption. Parliamentarians were identified as key players in the establishment of inter-governmental agencies and processes to facilitate the implementation of the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
- The need for a multi sectoral approach - in particular, the inclusion of the participation of civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector in fighting corruption was emphasised.
- Despite different levels of development across regions of the world, the use of artificial intelligence is a key component in fighting corruption.
- The media, including social media, is a watchdog over the conduct of public officials and politicians. However, its role should also be regulated to curb excessive production of fake news and misinformation. The UN launch of a facility called 'Verify' to authenticate information from social media testifies the need to exercise restraint on social media.
- States can draw from the Oslo Statement (2019) which contains 64 expert recommendations on preventing and combating corruption involving vast quantities of assets.
- A proposal to create an International Anti-corruption Court (IACC), modeled on, but distinct from the International Criminal Court (ICC), was made. However, it was met with reservations amid concerns that the organ may be used to target victims from weak developing countries, while culprits from the rich powerful countries are protected.
Gender-Sensitive Anti-Corruption Policies and Key Anti-Corruption Measures: Assets Disclosure and Beneficial Ownership, Whistleblowers, and Financing of Political Parties/Elections
The Session identified the following challenges faced by women:
- Corruption undermines economic development and perpetuates poverty and may drain resources for public services that women depend more on than men.
- Political and grand administrative corruption may perpetuate gender inequalities such as discrimination against women with respect to resources, participation in politics, and access to high-level positions in public administration.
- Male-dominated decision making has even wider consequences as fewer resources may be allocated to government policies and programmes that benefit women.
- Women risk being exposed to physical abuse, sexual extortion and exploitation.
Parliament and Anti-Corruption: Good Practice and Strategies
Participants critically examined The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC), noting that it requires member states to enact domestic anti-corruption laws. These laws are required to prohibit extortion, bribery and money-laundering.
However, it was further noted that the UNCAC does not effectively address mechanisms for enforcement of the provisions of the Convention or the domestication of laws. Its provisions against political corruption were described as weak. In this regard, the UNCAC has failed to curb grand corruption.
Gender Sensitive Anti-Corruption Policies and Key Anti-Corruption Measures: Assets Disclosure and Beneficial Ownership, Whistleblowers, and Financing of Political Parties/Elections
- The following outcomes and recommendations emanated from the Session:
- Parliaments play a critical role in fighting corruption through its legislative, representation and oversight functions. Parliaments were called upon to exercise their functions as follows:
- Ensuring a strong legal framework to curb corruption. This involves passing national anti-corruption legislation and creating an environment that makes corruption more difficult by promoting transparency.
- Ensuring that public resources are used legally and responsibly by monitoring government policies and activities to ensure conformity with priorities of their constituents.
- Establishing a robust whistle blower program where women feel safe to raise concerns such as a gender-specific response team in addition to other whistle blowing channels (i.e. women reporting to women). This can be done through budget allocations and amendment of existing laws.
- Supporting gender analysis and collection of sex disaggregated data on corruption and the application of collected data, particularly in law making, oversight and representative roles.
- Participants called for gender parity in the representation of women in Parliament. Furthermore, Women Parliamentarians were encouraged to lobby their political parties to be placed in strategic Committees to help address vulnerabilities faced by women in the various sectors.
- There is need to combine targeted anti-corruption policies with efforts to empower women in governance and improve access to information through promoting and advocating for an enforceable right to information for women and men.
- Participants were called upon to further explore the establishment of the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). Such an international mechanism with authority and power to freeze laundered money and to investigate and punish the criminal elements has a chance of reducing corruption.
Overall Recommendations
Zimbabwe has made great strides towards anti-corruption and anti-money laundering efforts as evidenced by the anti-corruption measures adopted by the Government to eradicate corruption and build trust in Government.
However, there is a need to address some gaps in terms of legislation, for example, enacting legislation in line with the provisions of Article 32 of the UNCAC which provides for the protection of witnesses, experts and victims of corruption.
Parliament can also influence the budget allocation towards fighting corruption to ensure adequate resources to, among other issues, capacitate relevant officers as well as to facilitate public awareness campaigns.
Parliament should play its oversight function in ensuring the implementation of the various measures in place as well as the functioning of established institutions to fight corruption.
Parliamentarians, through their Chief Whips, should lobby for women Parliamentarians to chair strategic committees.
Parliamentarians should contribute towards anti-corruption efforts using a gender lens. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir.
HON. JOSIAH SITHOLE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to second this motion by Hon. Mavenyengwa on the issue of trying to combat the disease called corruption. Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to say generally causes of corruption come from greed and poverty. Those who have always want to continue having. As a result, you find that they will want to accumulate more than what they should have at the expense of others. On the other hand, those who have no resources may also want to get them in a manner that promotes this illness called corruption.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to applaud our Government for the efforts that have been made towards fighting corruption. We have heard from this report, issues from the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC). Such efforts are actually meant to make sure that corruption is reduced to its lowest ebb.
Corruption as we have seen does not give confidence to the citizens of a nation over those who will be running the country. Even if it is done clandestinely, they always believe that there is something to do with those who are in the upper echelons. Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to say corruption is also there in our lower tiers and organs. Even in the villages, you find if food hand-outs are given, usually the beneficiaries or the deserving ones are on the losing side because there will be other measures taken by those who would be in charge. It could be the village heads or people in the relevant ministries.
Also where there is a pandemic, we find a proliferation of corruption because some people want to take advantage of that. If you look at the issue of COVID 19, there are people who would be celebrating and say here is our chance. There will be things meant for the deserving people but you find they can be diverted before reaching the beneficiaries. It is important that we make some collective efforts towards curbing corruption in order to make sure that our country, Zimbabwe prospers.
We are also seriously affected by the issue with regards to women. They are the people who are supposed to see that children have something to eat and they are the people who are usually at home although a number of women now go to work but the challenge is that they do not occupy senior positions. Usually to get to those senior posts, there are some demands made. For a Christian woman who does not agree to having sexual relations in order to be promoted to a senior position, that woman stands to be disadvantaged. In our institutions of higher learning, some students are really at task to pass their examinations because they will be required to provide some sought of sexual relations with a lecturer or someone who is in authority.
Mr. Speaker Sir, what has been said about truth, trust and transparency, normally those who engage in corruption do not say the truth. In most cases, telling a lie is what makes them benefit. I think we need to educate our communities to always go for the truth so that we do the right thing in eradicating corruption.
The issue of political will is quite a major one. You find that during campaigns and as we go for elections, it is the women who always tumble and fall because men have greater valor. Some women even reject their colleagues and go in support of the men for whatever reasons. In such a case, you find that the playing field will not be level for our women but I want to applaud the Government of Zimbabwe in terms of extending the quota system which makes women to have an opportunity to continue being in this Parliament.
We also find that the United Nations Convention against Corruption has been found to have some loopholes and it is our hope that such holes are plugged so that we have a system that is water tight because if those upper organisations still have some grey areas where we need to improve, it means we have nowhere to copy the international best practices from. We want to make sure that our United Nation against Corruption is improved in its systems.
It is also good for Parliament to ensure that the laws that we are going to pass in our august House must be implemented. We have always talked about Zimbabwe making wonderful beautiful laws, but when it comes to implementation, down there at grassroot level – I am saying that we want to continue with our oversight role to see the proper implementation of these laws, irrespective of who they are directed to. It goes without saying that we have to improve our budgetary allocations towards issues that are related to corruption so that we call it a thing of the past for this nation. I want to end by saying our President has given no room on the issue of corruption, but some people continue feeling that there are some people who are being left out, who are being exonerated when they are corrupt but it is because we are supposed to have a untied effort. Everyone must play a role towards identifying those who are supposed to be prosecuted or brought to book. I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. GARWE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday 9th June, 2021.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
RURAL WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. GARWE): Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to present a Ministerial Statement on Rural Waste Management Systems. According to available demographic statistics in the country, 70% of Zimbabwe’s population resides in the rural areas and of that 70%, 60% of that population is vulnerable or susceptible to open defecation. A study by Dr. Smartson P. Nyoni and Mr. T. Nyoni in (May, 20) highlights
on the magnitude of open defecation in Zimbabwe. Globally, 15% of the population still practices open defecation. Open defecation and poor sanitation results in the spread of water-borne diseases that affect both children and adults. The outbreak of such diseases results in disruption of education programmes and productive work thus, impacting negatively on community development and the overall economic productivity of the country (Human Rights Watch, 2013. According to Morgan P. (2020), open defecation is practiced in rural areas, especially in the bush owing to the lack of accessible sanitation infrastructure or as a result of traditional cultural practices. Timely remedial intervention which involved in the deliberate investment towards alternative systems which improve rural sanitation and flushable toilets is of paramount importance. Furthermore, open defecation has been a source of transmission of water-borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhea, dysentery and cholera.
Proposed Easiflush Waster Management System
Pursuant to the aspirations of NDS1 (2021 – 2025) and Vision 2030, there is now compelling need to embrace appropriate technology towards the disposal of human waste in informal and dysfunctional settlements as well as rural communities. Eaziflush Waste management System is an innovation by a wholly indigenous and Zimbabwean owned company which Government intends to apply in communities that do not have proper sewerage systems. The system is readily available for application in rural communities and/or dysfunctional settlements dotted throughout the coutnry. Eaziflush system uses at least 2 litres of water per flush in comparison to the conventional system which uses 7-9 litres per flush of potable water. (Refer to the attached Brochure). Apart from using 2 litres the system can also use water that has been used after washing clothes or bathing, etc.
Furthermore, the proposed system is economically viable in terms of water use and he overall cost of the attendant infrastructure. The system is fitted with a water closet, water tank and is also fitted with a seal that eliminates any odour emanating from the pits. The system may also be connected to the water mains in areas with running water. In rural areas where running is a challenge the system is installed with a 10 litre water tank, which can be filled manually from time to time. Additional works required include the erection of a septic tank and soak-away. The design of the septic tank is subject to the number of people using the system. The system can also make us of the existing pit latrine infrastructure, thus reducing construction costs by as much as 80%. Attached herewith, is a Cost Comparison Schedule (Annexure C) of the Eaziflush System and the conventional flush system for ease of reference.
The construction of a septic tank and soak-way may be done through the Participatory Approach by the local community. The system comes with a wash-had basin and a fitted sanitiser cylinder. (Refer to the attached Brochure). It is important to note that the components associated with the system will be distributed throughout the country from ordinary hardware stores dealerships. In that regard, the normal bidding process and procedures will be adhered to only when bulk procuring is required. The proliferation of informal and dysfunctional settlements that are also served by pit latrines and open well is of a major concern in peri-urban and their existence is contradictory to the aspirations of NDS 1 and Vision 2030.
The Republic of South Africa’s Experience
On South’s experience, in august 2018 His Excellency, Cde. Cyril Ramaphosa the President of the Republic of South Africa promised to get rid of open pit latrines in schools across the country following numerous deaths of pupils. This was according to a report by a tabloid called South Africa’s Eye Witness News. The South African Government Commissioned... an audit of the country’s 25,000 schools in September, 2018 and an infrastructure plan for replacing pit latrines was adopted. According to the same tabloid, partial assistance came from donors, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and UNICEF. The above mentioned organisations eventually merged as key financing partners of the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) Programme. His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, which he pronounced in 2018, states that Zimbabwe must attain Upper Middle Income Economy Status by 2030 and as a matter of course, Government must now take a deliberate position to provide sustainable, modern and affordable infrastructure in both urban and rural communities. Vision 2030 also speaks to Sustainable Development Goal Number 6, which states “ensure availability and sustainability of the management of water and sanitation for all.”
Madam Speaker Ma’am, we are pleased to inform Parliament that the system has been developed, installed, tried and tested at Glenwood Primary School in Epworth as a pilot project. We are further pleased to inform the august House that the system has proven to be effective, functional and user friendly in terms of applicability and cost. It is our considered view that if this system is implemented to the letter and spirit, a solution to the rural sanitation challenges may have been found as we gravitate towards achieving the aspirations of Vision 2030.
The Proposed Roll-Out of the System
The system is going to be rolled out by the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities in collaboration with the Ministries of Primary and Secondary Education, Health and Child Care and Local Government and Public Works.
The Ministry of Industry and Commerce, through the application of the National Quality Policy, will be approached in setting - up stock designs or prototypes to be replicated country-wide. The Standard Association of Zimbabwe and the Harare Institute of Technology are also key players in design development of this technology where issues of the use of alternative renewable energy are now paramount.
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is facilitating discussion between the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development and Sant Con Consortium with a view to foster the possibility of local production of the technology using universities and technical colleges across the country.
Phase 1 of the roll-out programme is focusing on rural schools, community centres and clinics. The programme may be funded through the Schools Development Associations, Constituency Development Find, Devolution Funds or donor participation.
Madam Speaker Ma’am, it is against this background that the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities seeks the august House’s indulgence in supporting the Programme by directing part of the Constituency Development Funds towards financing the implementation of this waste management system in peri-urban and rural communities. I thank you.
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I am still recovering from his last statement, where he is asking the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) to also come in. I just want to know the cost of the unit that he spoke about, at least each unit and also if that can sustain the sit-on toilets that are flushable? Can it sustain the taps that can run water through opening and closing? I thank you.
HON. MARKHAM: Thank you Madam Speaker. Thank you Hon. Minister. Madam Speaker, I approve the use of 2 litres of water. My concern is whenever we discuss these issues, we refer to rural areas and we leave out urban and peri-urban areas. I would like to highlight that with the lack of water in urban areas, this is also very applicable to urban areas, particularly in formal settlements. The fact that they use liitle water, it is actually as applicable here, to rural areas but my question is, can you confirm that the product has zero input from outside. Is it all locally manufactured? I would also like to know the total cost per unit. I thank you.
*HON. S. BANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I also want to thank the Hon. Minister for the Statement. I want to add on what was said by Hon. Markham. In Mt Pleasant, one of the best suburbs in the country, there are places where they practice open defecation, the same way they practice open defecation in Epworth or Mabvuku. They just take plastic bags and do what they do, then leave it somewhere. I was wondering also if this technology can also be practiced in towns because I think it is now becoming a huge problem. I thank you.
*HON. CHIKUKWA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would also want to thank the Hon. Minister for bringing this Ministerial Statement. This Ministry is just a few years old but he has done a good thing by bringing their Ministerial Statement so early. I understood what he said and I am very pleased with that. What I would like to know is on the houses that he talked about that they would build in rural areas, is there anything different from the houses they have right now? Their houses are good as they are. Are they going to be allocated title deeds, so that surveying can take place? Will this not cause urban-rural migration because many people would prefer going to rural areas since it is now difficult to get a house in town?
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: I have two questions to the Hon. Minister though I was not so sure in terms of the direction of the Ministerial Statement. It appeared like it was not so clear. Firstly, I want the Hon. Minister to confirm, when he says 70% of Zimbabweans live in the rural settlement, what is the definition of rural? Does rural include the peri-urban as they are, where do peri-urban settlement fit in? Are they part of the urban or part of the rural?
Secondly, I want the Hon. Minister to tell us in the budget of the Ministry, how much money has been allocated to this programme that he has raised in Parliament so that we know that it is a policy which is backed by financial resources because any policy which has no resources, backing it may just be an empty slogan. I just want the Hon. Minister to do that because I am looking at the Blue Book in terms of the allocation that they got from Treasury. I thank you.
HON. I. NYONI: I would like to thank the Minister for the Ministerial Statement that was detailed. However, I missed some parts. I heard him highlighting some effects of open defecation of humans only. From my limited knowledge, it also has effects on livestock, rural areas, farms and others. If it was highlighted, please accept my correction.
The issue of pit latrines is very important that for those who have it, perhaps this should be promoted so that it is a form of hygiene. In places where there is not water, these pit latrines would be the way to go. It is just a suggestion. I thank you.
*HON PETER MOYO: I want to find out from the Minister that in places like Mberengwa, Mwenezi and Chiredzi where there is water shortages, how is this new technology going to be implemented?
*HON JAJA: Apart from South Africa, are there any other countries that are using this system?
HON GARWE: Let me start from Hon Nduna’s question. Thank you for the questions and you want to know the cost in comparison to the conventional methods. The system costs as little as US$450 per unit; the conventional methods which we are now used to. The cheapest stands cost US$1500 per unit as of now. Predominantly, his question was premised on this.
His second concern was on how Members of Parliament can get involved. We are requesting the august House to direct Hon Members when they get their CDF, to use some of those funds in funding the installation of the system in primary and secondary schools or clinics. They will choose within their constituencies. That is what we are proposing.
Hon Markham, you asked the question whether the system can be applied to peri-urban areas. I made mention of peri-urban areas in my presentation which are being served by dysfunctional settlements. Where we cannot install the traditional system, we will use this. As you may be aware, we have already started the programme on the regularisation of informal systems and very soon we will be in Hatcliffe. We know Hatcliffe has issues. We will be dealing with this issue as well.
On whether the system is locally manufactured, I did mention in the report that we are now in discussion with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education including universities and technical colleges so that we can form a partnership where it will be manufactured locally.
Hon Banda, you made a comment about open defecation and propose that - why can we not apply it in urban as well? Yes, we agree with you; it can be applied anywhere. We were focusing on the rural communities – rural is a generic name which includes the farming communities as well because one Hon Member asked a question about demographics.
Hon Chikukwa, I thank you for your comment. We are working together with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works to give out title deeds to houses which do not have title deeds. The problem is prevalent in urban areas as well. I am looking at areas like Gletwyn which is a low density but the area has no title deeds.
On the regularisation programme, we are also making sure that those houses have title survey and there is proper planning so that the home owners can have title deeds.
We have noticed that if a breadwinner passes on, the land baron will demand part of the proceedings from the agreement of sale because there is no proper paper work. We are moving in very fast so that we restore sanity on such issues.
Hon Mushoriwa wants to know what we mean by 70%. In Zimbabwe we have ten provinces and of the ten provinces we have eight provinces that are called rural provinces. The former commercial farmers which are now under A2 and A1 farmers are also affected because the new farmers, majority of them are being served by open bushes, open defecation, pit latrines and blair toilets. On the question if there is any budget allocation from Treasury, we do not wait for a budget allocation to think. This is an innovation that came after the budget was announced but we do not stop because there is no budget allocation. We then go to Treasury and say this is an innovation adopted by Cabinet which is so beneficial to Zimbabweans, can you create a budget for it and that process is work in progress.
Madam Speaker, as we speak, there are about 70 schools that were financed by OFID which we are all aware of them in all the eight rural provinces the money has been set aside by Treasury. Yes, for now there is some budget but we are not ending there, we are looking at all the schools and clinics that are in the rural communities. They have to be funded by Government. Part of that Government funding it is our wish that part of the CDF which you manage here be channeled through your MPs to fund the escalation of this system.
I want to thank Hon. Nyoni for saying it needs to be popularised and promoted. This is the reason why we are coming here. We will be working very closely with the Ministry of Information and all other media institutions to ensure that it is properly marketed and people are aware of it. About water, there is a question to say how are we going to have it in areas where there is no water and you made reference to Mwenezi as one of those areas. The system uses grey water, if you are preparing a meal you wash your hands to eat sadza, you do not throw away that water, you put that water in the ten litre tank that I talked about. If you wash your clothes or bath yourselves, you do not throw away that water, you take that water and set it aside for feeding into the ten litre tank that is the grey water that we are making reference to. For as long as you are washing your hands or you are bathing, there is water for this system.
Over and above that, we are all aware of the programme that through the Ministry of Lands ZINWA has embarked on a borehole drilling programme throughout the country and DDF is doing the same. So, these are programmes that we want to be running concurrently as DDF provides clean water in terms of the relevant SDGs. We want to provide sanitation in terms of SDG No. 11 which speaks of sanitation and clean water.
There is a contribution from Hon. P. Moyo, he was talking about the same thing and I have already answered that DDF and ZINWA are drilling boreholes. The last one was from Hon. Jaja on whether there are any other countries that are using the system other than South Africa. With all due respect, it is not an issue. We must be the first to change the lives of Zimbabweans and Africans generally in providing innovation and new technology. That is the reason why we are more educated than everybody else. Thank you.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: I think the Hon. Minister did not answer my question. I did not say that people should stop thinking, it is good to announce policies and this is the reason why I was asking the Minister to simply say how much resources have the Government set aside for that project because without financial resources it becomes problematic. The second part is that if he says eight provinces out of ten are considered rural, if you check in all the ten provinces of this country there is an urban settlement and I am just wondering why the Minister would then say that 70% are rural when we are aware the in each and every province of this country …
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, ask your question Hon. Mushoriwa.
(v)HON. MUSHORIWA: My question still stand to say which method has the Ministry used to come up with the 70% of the population that stays in the rural areas.
HON. GARWE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Allow me to thank Hon. Mushoriwa for his request for further clarification. The programme is not a cut and pest kind of a programme where Treasury has to sit and give a budget and say this is a budget now we are rolling out. This is a progressive programme. It is a programme that we are tackling as we gravitate towards Vision 2030, we must by that time have dealt with the use of pit latrines, open wells, blair toilets or open defecation. That is what we are doing, in so doing we will mobilise funding as we progress. Right now, we are so pleased to advise the House that Treasury is setting aside a considerable amount of money to start with 17 schools that were constructed using OFID funding. I understand the funds are still there so we want to ride on that and start a programme.
Madam Speaker, he then queried how we got the 70%. It is in a report prepared by the two Nyoni’s as I read in my presentation. Also if you go to the department of statistics in the country, it gives you the same figure, it is not a creation of the Ministry, this is what is on the ground. Madam Speaker, if we have ten provinces and of the ten provinces eight provinces are deemed to be rural including the farming areas and peri-urban areas, therefore a figure of 70% being exposed to open defecation is not an exaggeration. Hon. Speaker, I thank you.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. GARWE): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 15 to 19 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order Number 20 has been disposed of.
Motion 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
Twentieth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the 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.
Question again proposed.
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the report which was presented by Hon. Saizi.
Madam Speaker, the issue at hand is very critical in preserving the life of young girls. It is very important that young girls access reproductive health services. Our law as it stands actually works to the disadvantage of young girls because they cannot access reproductive health services without the consent of their guardians – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
HON. CHINYANGANYA: Madam Speaker, the lives of young girls are at stake as we speak because of our law which prohibits young girls from accessing reproductive health services without the consent of their guardians or parents. It is high time that Zimbabwe reconsidered this position.
If you want to take a closer look at behavioural changes that have taken place since the turn of the millennium, we find that most young girls or young adolescents are having sexual intercourse whether we like it or not, so for us to say they cannot access reproductive health services actually, it works to the disadvantage of the adolescents.
Many girls are getting pregnant before they reach the age of 18. Why, because they cannot access those services that would have helped them prevent those pregnancies. If we deny the fact that our children are engaging in sexual activities, we are shooting ourselves in the foot because many legal abortions are taking place. Many young girls are dying giving birth because they would not have had the chance to access contraceptives because our law is prohibitive. If they go to the clinics and hospitals to say look here, we are pregnant or we want contraceptives, they will just be chased away saying why are you engaging in sexual activities, but that is what is obtaining on the ground. We should reconsider that position by amending the Health Act, making it open for young adolescents to access reproductive health services.
Many adolescents are dying of STIs because they cannot go to hospitals to get treated because they are scared. They cannot tell their parents that they are indulging in sexual activities because of the current law. So it is high time that we reconsider this position as Parliament of Zimbabwe and advocate for the amendment of the Health Act so that our adolescents can access sexual reproductive health. That is my contribution Madam Speaker. I thank you.
+HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to air out my views on the motion which was seconded by other Members. Firstly Madam Speaker, we would not want to say things whilst we are hiding the fact that the young children go to health services. We are not saying children should go and have sexual intercourse but we are saying, Hon. Speaker, these children should go and get assistance so that they should not have abortions because as they try to abort, we see there are a lot of deaths that happen because of the different ways that they use in aborting these unwanted pregnancies. It is not good, Hon. Speaker, that at the end, these children face a number of challenges in trying to abort. Therefore, I am saying let these children go and get assistance from the clinics.
I also want to add on, Hon. Speaker, that there are Hon. Members who said 90% of the people who came to the public hearing disagreed on the fact that adolescents should have access to reproductive health services. I would want to say it categorically that these same Hon. Members who are saying so, are the same Members who go and sleep with these children. Madam Speaker, I would like to say that these Hon. Members who are in this House should respect the women because we are seeing them. They are saying these children should not be allowed to get health services yet these are the same men who we see going out with these children in the hotels.
One Hon. Member said that Zimbabwe is a Christian country which should not allow children to go and access – [HON. NDUNA: Point of order Madam Speaker] - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members. What is your point of order Hon. Nduna?
HON. NDUNA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I am a HeforShe advocate. The type of debate that is being presented here does not amalgamate and does not promote coercion, in particular as it points a finger at male legislators in this House – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – We are waiting to debate Madam Speaker Ma’am and when you point a finger at one person, you have got four fingers pointing at yourself. It is my thinking that if you control the debate such that it does not become acrimonious, it does not escalate in the manner that it is doing – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – It does not give us space as male legislators to debate effectively and efficiently in support of the girl child but the current scenario does not have depth. It is my thinking that there is need to nip it in the bud. Leadership is an art and so is debate. If this is going to be the type of debate, then it does not promote the male legislator to debate. I thank you – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Nduna, I hear you. Hon. Sibanda, please do not point fingers to fellow Hon. Members of Parliament.
HON. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I am not pointing a finger to anyone. I was just responding to what other Hon. Members debated last week. +Madam Speaker, there is an Hon. Member who said Zimbabwe is a Christian country and said that children should not have access to sexual health services. The Hon. Member should know that accessing SHRS is a human right for everyone who is in Zimbabwe.
Another Member quoted the Bible saying that God once spoke to Israelites but if you read the Bible in Mark 10, Jesus said let children come to me because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. So, I do not know where this Hon. Member got the issue from. May I not waste time Madam Speaker. I am demanding the Minister of Health and Child Care to amend the Public Health Act to allow every child in Zimbabwe to get access to health services.
I also disagree with the Hon. Member who once said, let this be allowed to children whose parents are in the diaspora. I am saying Madam Speaker, let the child access these services so that we do not have children dying at an early stage, children dropping out of school or not getting opportunities of being MPs like myself. Thank you Hon. Speaker.
(v)HON. DR. MATARUSE: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me time to contribute to this important motion introduced by Hon. Saizi on behalf of the Committee on Health and the Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS. I want to thank the Committee for doing a good job; they produced a good report. I just want to highlight a few issues. The first issue is that prevention is better than cure and I strongly support the Committee for recommending that children should have access to family planning without the consent of the guardian. I have seen a lot during my 35 years in practice. I have seen young people coming after abortions with threatening events leading and I have seen young people coming with ectopic pregnancy. I want to tell you that there is no time to consult the guardian under such circumstances. Dealing with these issues could have been prevented if these people have family planning. I have seen people with advanced cases of STIs. I will tell you that I have seen people with their penis no tool to reproduce. These cases could be prevented if they access to services without the knowledge of their guardian because the children are afraid their guardian that they have got affairs.
I want to inform the Parliament that there are enough checks and balance in the Ministry. There are people who are qualified to make rational decisions and assist these young people. We have got a lot properly qualified psychologists and qualified nurses to be able to deal with the psychological problems of the young people. They can counsel them and make proper decisions. Those who need the services could then get the services and those who receive the counselling will be assisted. At the maternal in charge of the health department, you will find there is a junior sister, there is community sister who is really properly qualified and you will find there is a sister-in-charge, there is matron, a Government medical officer, a superintendent looking at that particular centre of activity. I am sure that team can make rational decisions and properly assist these young people. I personally agree with the Committee that we should allow the health professional to provide their services freely. Thank you Hon. Speaker.
HON. L. MAPHOSA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for allowing me to air my views and the motion that was raised by Hon. Saizi and supported by Hon. Dr. Labode. I would want to start by what I always do when I am doing any debate. It must be understood what this debate is all about. It is not about allowing consent to sex by children. That is a very wrong interpretation of the whole issue. We are talking of access to reproductive health services in institutions of health, not just anywhere else but in the right institution set up for those particular reasons.
Having said that, it boggles the mind to hear people talking about culture coming in on someone who would have contracted STI when having sex somewhere that we do not even know and going to a hospital...
Hon. S. Banda having brought out a packet of condoms
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. KHUMALO): Order Hon. Banda. Hon. you are not even connected. Hon. Banda, Order please! You are not even connected and we are not even hearing you.
HON. L. MAPHOSA: I am sorry Mr. Speaker Sir. I think there is a tendency in this House of belittling women whenever they are debating. I do not know what this is all about because last week when Hon. Banda was debating I was on virtual and I was not agreeable to 90% of what he was saying but I never said anything because I respected the procedures of this House. So, it should be taken note that our male counterparts should respect us. We are not their wives in this House or their girl friends. We are Members of Parliament adhered to appearance.
I will continue Hon. Speaker Sir. Before I was rudely interrupted..
Hon. S. Banda having continued to disturb the Hon. Member on the floor.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. KHUMALO): Order Hon. Banda.
HON. L. MAPHOSA: When I stand up, I do not stand up to play, I stand up to lay facts. So I know why this is all happening. It is not the first time. The last time I was debating Hon. T. Mliswa tried it but failed. I will go on Mr. Speaker Sir. Before I was rudely interrupted that I do not know where culture fits in the debate that we are doing because when we are talking about accessing services, we are talking of somebody who already has been infected or already has got a problem.
We are not saying go and have sex. We are saying child, if you find yourself you have had sex with your consent wherever you were, you should be allowed to go to a hospital to find whatever help you want there. So that is our debate Hon. Speaker Sir and I think I have to correct that. Culture cannot heal any STI and it cannot deal with the issues of pregnancy and of health when that child has got a tear in their cervics or whatever. Culture cannot deal with that. Even religion cannot deal with that. Yes, they can go and be prayed for, but they will need stitches in hospitals. They will need betadine for the wounds and they will need everything and this is what we are talking about - I think people should understand that.
I find it very hypocritical to have people saying – yes in this august House to a law was passed that children should be allowed to go to school when they are pregnant. We agreed on that as law makers’ because we said we were protecting the girl child not to lose their education when they become pregnant and it is a good cause. I find it rather disturbing that we can allow a child of 13 and 14 years to go to school while pregnant within the vicinity of other children, but we are saying no if that same particular child wants to go and prevent herself from getting pregnant. Where is the rationale?
We are not saying children should go and have sex but those that are doing that should be allowed to go and access the services that they want. We have got countries that are modernised and some people who have got money and who got their children in these countries and these services are availed in those countries, but we have those same people coming to Zimbabwe and saying we cannot have those services because we are a Christian country. So, it is okay that the children of the rich who are outside this country who have got those countries doing the same thing that we are advocating for are having it okay because their children are protected and us the poor in Zimbabwe and those that cannot pay. It is not like these services are not offered – they are, but they are only accessible to those with money and those without money cannot go to a private doctor and they are suffering.
We do not want a selective service to only those that have money. We want a service and a law that will cater for every child in Zimbabwe and that is what we were talking about when we were advocating for a Child rights Parliamentary Caucus and a Child Rights Ministry because we have seen that issues to do with children are being dealt with by people who do not have these children at heart. Some, I will use ‘some’ because if I say men, they will then stand up and disrupt again. Some of the men who are vocal about not allowing children accessing Sexual Reproductive Health Service (SRHS) are the same men that are violating children –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – For your own information, we have had meetings with young girls, they have revealed some of the most scary things that you can ever imagine.
The men do not want to have virginal sex with these children because they fear that they will fall pregnant. They now go for anal sex, with children of the ages of 12 to 17 years. These children are contracting STIs, they are being violated because if that is done to you, for you to gain the confidence again as a woman cannot happen. If you are an older woman like myself, you cannot go for that because I know I have the right to say no, but if I am a child and I am given $20.00, I comply. So these are the issues that we are speaking to and we are appealing to the Minister of Health to amend the Public Health Act to cater for these children, so that if they find themselves in those situations to go and find redress.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I stay with my 12 year old niece. This generation is completely different from what we were when we were 12 years. We never attended parties at 12 years. We never knew of anything if I tell you she tattoos herself, she writes love letters – you will find letters in her uniform. She is already in her menstrual cycle at 13 years old. What it means is, if what she is exhibiting is what she is practicing, it means any time from now, she can be pregnant at 13 years. I am talking of a child who is in Grade 7. I am always in Harare, I am not there most of the times but when I am there, I see these things. What does this mean? It means that all the dangers that we are speaking of here, are happening in my own house and I speak from experience. I am not paid to talk about these things, like somebody said that those who are saying they want this are paid. No, I am a young mother and I have got these children staying under my roof and I have my neighbours and I know what I am talking about. So, without taking everything from everyone’s mouth, I thank you.
(v)*HON. CHIHURURU: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to also add my voice on the issue of children’s rights to access sexual reproductive health service. I know we are all in denial but this is happening. Our children are far ahead of us in terms of technology and they access these things without our consent and later want to experiment. As mothers, we can notice that my child is far much ahead of me in terms of everything.
I have a granddaughter who is four years old. I am in various groups where I can receive some unappealing things and pictures. When she noticed those pictures on my phone one day one day, she ran to my bedroom to have a better look at those pictures. I searched for her, only to find her hiding in the blankets so that she can enjoy seeing those pictures. This shows that we are behind in terms of what they know. They know a lot of things which we cannot believe.
I think we should visit bars as Members of Parliament, we will see the shock of our life with what will be happening to our young girls and these elderly men. Men are denying this but they are the ones who sleep with these young girls – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear hear.] –That is why we are appealing to the relevant Ministry to let children who need those healthcare services to be allowed to do so. They should be allowed to access condoms and family planning tablets if they need them because this is happening, whether we like it is not.
I once went to Mozambique, young girls would go to a hospital and get their pills and condoms. I asked why this is happening and they said we realised that if we do not allow them to use protection, they will not complete their education because our children are far ahead of us.
HON. S. NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. Speaker for giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the joint Committee on Health and Thematic Committee on HIV/AIDS. This motion was moved by Hon. Saizi, seconded by Hon. Dr. Labode. The gist of the matter here is, open access to health facilities by adolescents. The issue here is to allow these young girls to access health facilities. As parents, it is very difficult for us to believe that our little girls whom we love so much may be from the age of 8, 9 and 10 are sexually active.
I have spoken to teachers and I have spoken to girls themselves; they have agreed that they are doing it and as parents we must say, now what we need for our girls is precaution. We need them to access sexual reproductive health services with no restrictions if they need them. As one speaker alluded to, these are young girls. When they indulge in sex, they get hurt. When they do anal sex, they get bruised and it is difficult for them to tell mummy that this is what has happened.
In some churches, there are these aunties who check on girls’ virginity. So, there is no way these girls can accept to use the vagina, knowing that this lady in church will check. So, what do they do. They comply when men say they want anal sex and in the process they are bruised. When they are bruised, they need to go to the clinic to access health services. As a mother, it is not easy to say yes they are doing it, even coming to my own house to say that this is the truth and we cannot run away from the truth. It is happening, young as they are.
I will give an example of a little girl, 10 years old, who gave birth a few days ago. I am sure we all saw that she is a baby herself but she has given birth to a baby who weighs 2.8 kg. I am a mother of twins. One of my twins weighed 2.5 kgs and the other one weighed 1 kg but let me tell you going through that pregnancy was just a nightmare. I could not walk, it was just difficult for me. Now imagine this little girl, a 10 year old, going through this pregnancy and giving birth to a child who is 2.8 kgs. Maybe if this child had access to these facilities that we are talking about, she would have gone there and may be that pregnancy would have been terminated. Now she is 10 years old and she has got a baby. What is the society saying, she is now a mother. So we have mothers who are 10 years. What are we saying? Should they go to the clinic or not? What about those who are doing it without babies, bruised and need to be treated? Let us allow our little girls who are abused by these men, be it older or younger people. At the end of the day, what they need is facilities where they can be treated and again where they can tell their story. It is not easy for them to tell me as a mother or you as an aunt because you will say - what were you doing? Is this what you are doing? So there is need for a place which is secluded and you can tell your story and no one disturbs you.
Now this Act which is saying these little girls cannot access health facilities – I implore Hon. Members in this august House to change. We are the law makers and we can change this law today and not tomorrow. I implore Hon. Members to amend Section 35 of the Public Health Act on consent of users which specifies that consent is only given by a person with legal capacity to include an exception of the legal capacity requirement for adolescents to access sexual reproductive health services without a guardian’s consent in all cases.
I have seen my own relatives who were abused during their childhood because they could not access health facilities but they were damaged to an extent that they do not have children now as I am talking to you. If there was that facility, after being abused; they would have gone to a clinic and sought medical attention.
The world that we are living in has changed. There is ICT that our children are using and we cannot stop them from using ICT because they are using these tablets or phones at school. They google and find out about these things and they know exactly what is happening. You can try and stop them but they know exactly what is happening. In some of our homes especially in towns, we have small houses; we share bedrooms with these kids and we think that they are young at the age of four, five or six. We think they are still babies – they are not babies but they are seeing what is happening. They go and tell their friends and say, ‘come on let us try it. Is this what they were doing? Let us do it’ and they do it.
We cannot keep on allowing these girls not to access health facilities. The moral fibre of society will continue to be plugged in disarray if the health system continues to military stick in its execution of health service. The Alma-Ata Declaration on Health talks about health care for all and not an imaginary few. When these girls are pregnant, because they cannot come to mommy or aunty; they go to their peers who will tell them to use for example a crotchet hook so as to try and remove that pregnancy and in the process, they die. We have children who have died because they were trying to terminate these pregnancies.
I ask all mothers, aunties and even daddies; these are your girls. Support your girls, children or grandchildren. Let us speak with one voice. Some of them have STIs but they cannot access medication because some of these perpetrators are people whom we live with. They are fathers, uncles, daddy’s friends, brothers’ friends or neighbours. What will happen is –when this child talks to mom; mom will say – ‘do you want daddy to go to prison? Over my dead body – I will chase you from this House’. We have read stories where we have seen a man and a woman pining out a small girl and a man raping that little girl. We have seen it and we have read about it. This is happening – we cannot pretend as if nothing is happening. It is happening and let us protect our girl child. We are there as guardians; even God knows that we have to protect these children. He gave us so that we can protect them from all evils and the worst evil is when a man rapes a little girl and we keep quiet about it. When she wants to go to the hospital, you tell her what to say. We want a system whereby they will go and tell their story without anyone interfering.
When these pregnancies are being terminated, they must be terminated in a clean environment, which is the hospital. I implore you all Hon. Members to support this amendment of Section 35, to allow our little girls to get access in a clean and safe environment. I thank you.
(V)HON. MUSHORIWA: I would like to add my voice to the debate on the floor which was brought by the Portfolio Committee on Health together with the Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS. The report was read by Hon. Saizi and was seconded by Hon. Dr. Labode.
I have listened to the report from the Portfolio Committee and I also listened to Hon. Saizi and Hon. Dr. Labode when she contributed in seconding this motion. I also listened to another Hon. Member who also contributed giving a dissent to this recommendation that the Portfolio Committee came up with. This issue is a critical matter that divides; no wonder why you could understand the emotions that comes through it.
Hon. Ndiweni highlighted that a number of people that participated in the hearings were against this proposal, primarily because they were –[HON. S. BANDA: Hear, hear.] – citing the issue of us being a Christian nation. On the other side Mr. Speaker Sir, there is also the call that the Portfolio and Thematic Committees have raised, the question that we do not need to put our heads in the sand and pretend that nothing is happening and that indeed, there are young people out there who have matured beyond what we all know.
I have also understood Mr. Speaker Sir, being a Member of Parliament who represents one of the oldest high density suburbs in Zimbabwe which is Dzivarasekwa. I have listened generally talking to the christian and Moslem communities in my constituency who obviously will side with the sentiments that were echoed by Hon. Ndiweni and others. I have also spoken to other people who pointed out the number of girl children, those who have been to school be it Dzivarasekwa High 1 and High 2. Those adolescents who fell pregnant when they were in Forms 1 and 2 and could not complete their education.
Mr. Speaker Sir, if a referendum was to be done pertaining to this issue, it is my view that it is people’s emotions that will carry the day. What we want as a people is to continue holding onto what we have been doing and what we were taught even in this country. The two oldest professions in the world are politics and prostitution. Sometimes we close our eyes and say, no, there is no prostitution yet we know from the day that we started knowing the difference between good and wrong that people have been practicing prostitution for time immemorial. We also know that even since time immemorial, I do not know who the oldest person is in this august House but even if we were to talk to the oldest person in this august House, he/she will tell you that there were certain children that they attended school with who fell pregnant whilst they were in primary or secondary school. Some children who were so brilliant that failed to complete their education.
Mr. Speaker Sir, a few days ago, there was an issue that shocked the Dzivarasekwa Constituency. When schools closed recently, some of our children at Dzivarasekwa High Schools, there were some photos and videos that came out that basically shocked me as a legislator and representative. School children doing Form 1 and 2 were kissing, hugging and fondling each other’s private parts were being filmed without any shame. This is the reason why I feel that this is a very tight matter. We want to speak and stick to our way of doing business, we want our morals to remain upright and we want to stand as a nation built on christian values.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as a practicing Christian; I aspire and wish to see our children confirming to the norms and standards that our parents, teachers and the Bible teaches us. I am also very aware of the fact that in the Bible, even Jesus Christ does not force people to accept him but those who accept him become children of God. In a matter that is as tight as this is, we need to look and see the balance. What is better to allow the few children who are crossing the path to die through STIs, engage in back yard abortion or should we say as a nation and as Zimbabwe, we want to continue to uphold and claim that we are what we are or what we think we are?
In my view Mr. Speaker Sir, I will grudgingly believe that the best thing that we may need to do is to move in the direction that the Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care is recommending. The issue, in my view, is not like we are saying let us go out there and tell the children to indulge. The issue is to do with us, making sure that we leave no one out because there are certain children definitely who are going to fall and we need them to be accommodated. At the end of the day Mr. Speaker Sir, the morals of a society start from homes that we come from. Most of us in our constituencies and across the country know that there are children who come from homes whose parents do not value the so called societal norms. What do you then do with a child who has crossed the line?
Mr. Speaker Sir, I have just been researching. We have a drug problem in my constituency and I suppose across the entire nation in terms of our youth. Here is the thing, if a youth is engaging in drug abuse, we do not turn a blind eye and simply say no, no, this boy is busy smoking dagga or drinking Bronco or this. Then we say no, no, Rujeko Clinic or Parirenyatwa Hospital should not attend to the child because he/she is less than 18 year age limit for people to drink beer. We attend to them and treat them. Let us also do the same to these children. Those who have crossed the line should also be attended to.
To that extent Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to persuade my colleagues to those who feel strongly on a moral, spiritual and cultural upright to simply say we are as strong as a nation as the weakest point. Let us consider and take the plight of those children who may also cross the line. In that regard Mr. Speaker Sir, I support that the Health Act be amended accordingly. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -
HON. MISIHAIRABWI-MUSHONGA: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. Let me thank the Portfolio Committee and in particular, the mover of this motion but more importantly for the work that they did in going around and engaging. In particular, let me thank them for engaging with young people because I think one of our biggest problems as a nation is to speak on behalf of the young people. If we listened more to the young people, we would understand where we are supposed to go because the life is not about us, it is about those young people.
I just want to start with a few things just to buttress the point that has been raised by my colleagues. They have said let us be clear about what this debate is about. It is not about asking kids to go and have sex, it is about facilitating that those that need the services should be able to get those services. Let me also explain because I keep hearing this thing about those that have messed up. In fact, it is those that have not yet messed up that need that SRHR. If we spoke to our kids more, they would understand that delaying sex is what is good for them. Because we have made the discussion around sex a subject that is not for the dinner table, let us be honest all of us who are sitting here how many of us have been able to sit with our kids over dinner and have a conversation about sex. We have not.
The reason why we are in this trouble is because we have failed ourselves both as parents, church and all other institutions that are supposed to do what they are supposed to do. What we are doing is to address a problem because of a failure that society has had. We are actually not talking about access so that we give access to those that have a problem but we have an opportunity for those that are thinking that this is what I want to do to have a conversation with somebody that can tell them about the problems that are associated with early sex.
I know that men may not like this but I have to say this. The reason why we are having a conflation around services and sex is because there have been studies that have been made. For men apparently they think about sex 19 times a day. So, when you talk about services, automatically their mind goes to sex. Can we stop this? It is not about sex but services. Women actually think about it but half the times that you men talk about it.
The second issue around this debate is that this is a class issue. It is not just a class issue in terms of those that go to Europe. It is a class issue internally here and this is why the elite cannot understand where we are coming from because a child that is coming from a rich family has a medical aid, family doctor, personal pharmacist and when they want these things, they do not have to go through their parents. There are avenues for them to do this. The child that we are talking about is the child who is sitting in Epworth who does not even have a parent or guardian. We know what HIV/AIDS has done to this country. We know that we have so many child headed households. These are some of the children that we are talking about. You cannot talk about guardianship with a child who is a child themselves but is looking after another child in that particular home.
There were some Hon Members who were talking about the need to allow for a section of those people to have access. Legally how do they do it? Are they then supposed to go with death certificates that they do not have to prove that our father and mother died therefore I am a child headed child and I want this child to get services. The issue is that let us allow for access in general because we understand that we are living in a society that is unequal. Like I said, for those that are coming from rich families if they get pregnant, they will walk into a place and get a termination. We know that is what they are doing. For this child that cannot go to a private doctor and get a termination, they are reduced to doing the kind of things that my colleagues were talking about.
The long and short of it is that this is a gender conversation and this is why when men were coming here, we were quick to say to them can you stop abusing us because for men, sex is about pleasure and not responsibility. For women and young people, any sexual act gives some kind of responsibility. That is where we are different between ourselves as women and men. This is why you find that for most women that are standing up here, they are passionate about it because it affects our daily lives. That is what we have always known from the first day that I became a girl and started menstruating and having period pains; I understood that I needed services. If you are going to tell me that I cannot go into hospital and tell them that I am suffering from dysmenorrhoea because I cannot talk to my dad and tell them that every other month I suffer in such a way that I cannot go to school, then you are not being a nation. This is why I said let us broaden the conversation around SRHR to go beyond just sex.
One of the problems that we are having here is the assumption that SRHR means that Doctor Labode is going to be standing in the street and giving tablets or condoms. Nobody is saying that. We are saying create a nice environment so that a proper conversation can take place with a child who probably has not had sex but is thinking about having sex. In your mind, you are saying even that child who just wants a conversation who if they were to sit with an adult, would be told about the dangers of not having sex. You are sitting here and you genuinely want to tell us that you want to stop that conversation from taking place.
I am surprised that for many of us, one of our fights in this House has been around making sure that we increase the age of consent to sex because we know that there are predators in this country who are busy abusing children. That conversation has not taken place in this House. As we speak right now, the age of consent legally is 12 years, that is what we should be fighting about. We should be sitting in this House and say this is ridiculous. We cannot have our little girls being abused. But no, you want to spend all your time fighting about access to contraception. You want to fight about issues of access but you do not want to talk about the legal age of consent. If you talk about legal age of consent, trust me, you will have all of us marching in the street because we are sick and tired of our children who are being abused.
Just to conclude, I am getting this emotional because I had an opportunity to sit under Katswe with a group of little babies, some of them HIV positive and looking very stunted. If a child is HIV positive and they have stunted growth, they even look smaller than their age and yet when you sat through and listened to these kids talking to you about men that come and have sex with them, you would be shocked. I do not want to say they are the men that are sitting here but men have to take collective responsibility for the kind of abuse that they are doing to our young children. For any one man in here to begin to speak against this particular motion is to say you are supporting those marauding men that we are finding in Epworth.
We are prepared to come out of this House right now and spend the night in Epworth and see what is happening to those little babies. They have been traumatised by losing a father and mother. They are traumatised because the economy does work for them, they have nothing to eat, they are being traumatised by men that come and sleep with them and you want to sit in here and further traumatise that child by saying you are not going to get access to treatment because we want to look good, because we want people to believe that we are the best people that live here, shame on you. You should actually be ashamed of going into this discussion. I have met those kids, perhaps it is not right for me to give that judgement. We should ask Katswe to invite some of those kids to sit in that courtyard and you listen to those kids speaking. Then you can come into this House and say in your right mind, with a proper conscience, you can go and sleep and say you would rather have that child die than to have that child go and seek help because you want to look good since you are a Christian. I am not going to say that I am a Christian but I know that I am a Christian but I also know that I am a sinner. So, that is not what I am putting in front. I am asking everybody not use the Bible as a stick to destroy these young children. If there is anything that we need to talk about right now, it is how we should create a safe environment for these little broken kids that are going to be adults but having experienced a very bad past of abuse. I like what Hon. Dr. Mataruse said, that hospitals are the places in which they can get both psychological support and physical examinations. I am a survivor of mental illness and I know what mental depression can do to a person. I am lucky I survived because I could get access to services but you certainly want to deny this little child anything that can give them an opportunity to at least live and like I said, shame on you. Thank you Mr. Speaker – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]
*HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I stand here to support the motion that was raised about children getting access to sexual health. I heard a lot of Hon. Members debating here and some people even showed us things that we cannot view in this House, an Hon. Member showing us condoms in this House. I was shocked as an old person. Our children are no longer ashamed to show us condoms in public. We want our children to get access to sexual health because as a grandmother or a mother, I cannot be told by someone who never gave birth - giving birth is very painful and as women in this House, you realise that women are celebrating that we should get access to sexual health reproductive care. We are not saying they should go to traditional doctors to get help but they should go to safe places for help even if they may have been abused. This will enable them to get proper professional assistance as well as counseling where they can be told that you went through these problems because you were a child but now you are mature enough. These facilities must be available to all the children. So, I will not go on but let me say as women in this House, we do not want to be shown things that are not good. Thank you.
*HON. JAJA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Girl child refers to a mother. This culture that is being talked about - if a girl child gets pregnant, as a mother you will suffer, you will not have peace in that house. It is as if you are the one who sent your daughter to engage in sex. So this is very clear, children need to be protected. If I am looking after my daughter, I do now want to be given a burden of looking after the grandchild, so they should get prevention before things go bad. If they get pregnant sometimes they do not have the money to go to clinics and other times they die during pregnancy.
We did consultations with Hon. Dr. Labode and children were pleading with us that they be allowed to use protectors because they do not get money to go to clinics when they get pregnant. So, they go around looking for unsafe ways to terminate the pregnancy thereby endangering them and die. I urge this august House to appreciate what a child is. I grew up under very difficult circumstances. We did not even know what a television is. We used to watch Sarafina drama, no pornography but these days children have access to everything. We should allow them to protect themselves instead of getting pregnant because you will not be able to take care of that. I thank you.
*HON. CHIKUKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I was quiet and observing some people saying that the Bible must not be used but the Bible does not say anyone who commits a sin should be stoned to death. We are seeing a picture of a child who has given birth. Indeed, no one wants sin to be committed but it is being committed by people. I want to give an example. There was a person who saw a child being almost attacked by a vulture. That person was busy filming the child but when people saw that they had made a judgement that the biggest vulture was the one who allowed a bad thing to happen, the photographer left the child to be devoured by the vulture – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - What I am saying, ‘is we do not like children to do that. These days we do not spend most of the times with our children including Pastors’ children. Some of the people are prophets; the devil is using them and the devil is using young people also. They can be attacked by the devil. For example, this child has slept with a man at such a tender age and there is need to tell them not to use prevention methods. It is too late. Some of the children may be down-syndromes and the parents or guardians who are supposed to take care of them are abusing them. It is better for community leaders to teach these people to ensure that whether they like it or not, they should be able to report their grandparents in case of abuse. So we are saying - what should we do because we have problems in our midst? Jesus said the person who did not commit any sin should take the first stone to throw. We are not encouraging our children to engage in sex activities but we are merely acknowledging that they may be doing it, so we need to help them to prevent early child pregnancy. Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members can you practice social distancing there please.
*HON. NYABANI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. This issue has long been there but let us look at our culture as a point of reference. Let us look at the manner in which we got married ourselves. The process is very clear. You come in as the son-in-law and you are introduced to the family. I would like to say, Mr. Speaker Sir, everything has its own time. A child does not eat porridge before the time has come. The process should be followed accordingly. They start by being breast fed then they move on to the next stage.
Our culture is very clear. A child should be given ample time to grow up and reach the appropriate stage – [HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjections.]-
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member please! Order please, Hon. Member!
*HON. NYABANI: Mr. Speaker Sir, in our country we have our own culture. We do not allow people to die because they are simply fighting each other. We do not allow chaos to continue while we do nothing. We should find a sustainable solution instead. We should be in a position to advise these children on the best way to act. Who is teaching these children? These things should be taught to children and should not be left to continue without any action being taken.
Those who are rushing to say let us give condoms to these children are wrong. I have daughters myself. I look forward to my children experiencing the same cultural practices that we did as their parents. Let us not kill this nation. We should not abandon our culture simply because we have come through to the Parliament of Zimbabwe –[ AN HON. MEMBER: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir.]-
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Nyabani proceed. There is no point of order there.
*HON. NYABANI: Mr. Speaker Sir, as Members of Parliament let us come up with sustainable solutions to this crisis. Let us make sure our children have adequate knowledge with regards to this issue. From what we got from the Committee on Health I believe they only visited urban areas and not the rural areas. They should have involved chiefs and other traditional leaders to tap into their knowledge and their perspective on this particular issue. Even village heads, they should have listened to what they have to say on this issue.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the Holy Bible clearly states that where a lot of people turn to one direction it does not necessarily mean that is the correct direction. We are actually losing it when we say we need to give condoms to these children. Let us follow our culture. Children should be safe guarded and we should do so through imparting knowledge to these children. Why harvest before time. Let us allow them and give them time to grow up.
I do not agree with what these Hon. Members are saying. Let us refer to our churches, let us refer to our traditional leaders. Let us not follow wayward ways of living. Honestly, what kind of reasoning is this that we have brought to the House? We should be upholding our culture; we should be imparting the proper knowledge to our children not to promote wayward behaviour. What are condoms meant for for our children? I am totally against those who have brought such an idea into the House. Thank you very much Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this House.
HON. I. NYONI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on this subject that is raising so many tempers. First of all I would like to thank the Committee on Health that did a joint with HIV and AIDS for the detailed report.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Nyoni I know you are alone there. Can you remove your mask?
HON. I. NYONI: Am I clear now. I do not have my mask on.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, you are now clear.
HON. I. NYONI: Thank you very much Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to add my voice on the report compiled by the Committee on Health and HIV and Aids presented by Hon. Size and seconded by Hon. Dr. Labode on the age of consent to access reproductive health services by adolescents and young persons in Zimbabwe. Section 76, Subsection 1 to 4 of the Zimbabwe Constitution states that every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has the right and access to basic health care service, including the reproductive health. This right has no age limit. It transcends right down to those who are under the age of consent. It is important that young people have access to legal abortion and family planning services and education to both reproduction and health issues.
I am going to repeat what was said by Hon. Dr. Mataruse. Getting pregnant involves two people that is, male and female, transmission of STIs involves two people, that is male and female. My recommendation is that we have the Public Health Act amended accordingly. Thank you Hon. Speaker.
(v)*HON. NHARI: Thank you Hon. Speaker for giving me this opportunity to support the motion that was moved by Hon. Saizi and seconded by Hon. Labode.
Nowadays, children know things that we did not know when we were growing up. This is due to the exposure that they get from the advancement of technology and they end up indulging in sexual activities at a young age.
The current Public Health Act does not allow young people below the age of 18 to access medical healthcare without the consent of a parent or guardian. As a result, many adolescents die or suffer from sexually transmitted illnesses because they do not want their parents to know that they are engaging in sexual activities.
What I am saying is, children should be educated on SRHS. Also, they should be allowed access to healthcare, even without the consent of their parents, so that we do not lose them. We also have children from child headed families and they should be assisted so that they access healthcare services.
Let us help each other as a nation in order to assist our children. Thank you Hon. Speaker.
(v)*HON. PETER MOYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to add my voice to this debate appreciating the Hon. Members who went around finding out how our children are living. In this country Zimbabwe, we have two types of children. There are children from rich families and those from poor families. Children from rich families use protection because they get money from their parents as pocket money. Some of them can even have a US $1000 on them, whilst poor ones do not have even a cent. They will buy protection from the pharmacies. I worked for a pharmaceutical industry for 20 years. They buy morning after pills and family planning tablets; even school children.
If you look at statistics of children who got pregnant during the lockdown, it is so frightening. Some of the parents sold their crops for children to go to school and yet they get abused by rich men, including some Legislators. If you look at some of the well-up people, if you want to do your research go ahead. Some of the officials in high offices are the ones who are impregnating these children. So the issue of giving children access to sexual healthcare is very important and I support it. It is better for us to do that so that they go through school and complete their education and become tomorrow’s leaders. We are losing a lot of future leaders because of culture that is no longer operational or relevant.
My child who is seven years old can operate my cellphone better than myself. So, our children are engaging in sexual activities day and night. It is better for them to prevent themselves from getting pregnant.
On one hand, they are afraid of their parents and on the other hand, they are being abused by rich people who are indulging in sex with them. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say this law must be enforced. Children should get access to condoms and choose on their own what they want to do. As it is at the moment, admitting it or not, they are engaging in sex. We hear about children engaging in sex from all over the country and some of them contracting HIV. It is a pity that children who are getting married even at 18 years are already on ART. We try to invoke culture which is no longer applicable, it is no longer relevant in the 21st century. It is better for our children to use protection so that they do not get diseases and so that they get married properly and become future leaders. We need to consider this so that it becomes law. They should be given condoms and get them in numbers so that they get protection.
(v)HON. DR. T. KHUPE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to contribute to the debate which is before this House. I have seen children losing opportunity because they got pregnant and they dropped out of school; they had an abortion and they ended up losing their womb such that they cannot give birth anymore...
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: What is your point of order?
(v)HON. PETER MOYO: My point of order is that I did not finish, I was just about to conclude my debate.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I have made a decision to call Dr. Khupe because you were no longer there. Dr. Khupe please proceed.
(v)HON. DR. T. KHUPE: I was saying I have seen children losing opportunities because they got pregnant. They had a child and because they got pregnant and they an abortion, they ended up losing their wombs such that they cannot have babies anymore since they got HIV at a tender age. This is not right and I think it is high time we stop all this. Contraceptives help to protect people from getting pregnant and from catching infections during sex. The motion before us is important because prevention is better than cure. The fact of the matter is that our children are already indulging in sex and it is our duty to protect them.
My heart bleeds when I see a child carrying a child. We have now turned our children into mothers and fathers when they are not yet ready for that responsibility. It is high time we wake up and smell the coffee. Look at the picture on the screen and look at that miserable child who is carrying another child and breast-feeding. These children are going through serious trauma Mr. Speaker Sir. What we need to do is to have conversations with adolescents to the effect that not having sex is the best way to protect them from HIV, STIs and unwanted pregnancies but at the same time, it is important that our children be protected by having access to protection through sexual reproductive and health rights services. Our children must have access to these services. I therefore Mr. Speaker Sir, would like to add my voice in short by supporting the recommendation by the Committee. I rest my case.
HON. SAIZI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. PRISCILLA MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday 9th June, 2021.
On the motion of HON. PRISCILLA MOYO, seconded by HON. TOFFA, the House adjourned at Twenty-Two Minutes to Six o’clock p.m
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 8th June, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:
CHANGES TO THEMATIC COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I wish to inform the Senate that Hon. Sen. Mabika has been re-assigned to the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security from the Thematic Committee on Human Rights.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Senators are reminded to put their phones on silence or better off switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND CENTRAL (HON. SEN. MAVHUNGA): I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 4 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
ADMINISTRATION OF FOOTBALL IN THE COUNTRY
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I move the motion standing in my name 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;
- a) 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.
- b) 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.
- c) Put in place legislation that caters for the welfare of soccer players after their playing days are over.
HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: I second.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President. First of all, I decided to move this motion on football in Zimbabwe because I have seen what is faced by people playing soccer. Most of them are struggling whilst they are prominent people in the society. I saw it fit that we must discuss about this issue of soccer in our country. Many countries take playing soccer as a business and the players have got managers just like what companies do, for example, Liver Brothers but for this country, it is different. Soccer players in other countries have got assets including beautiful houses.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the grounds used to be full to their capacity with people who would want to watch the players like George Shaya. When the country attained independence, many people would rush to the stadium to watch George Shaya playing soccer. Sadly, a few months ago, I heard George Shaya had lost his leg through amputation and this has worsened his situation, despite the fact that during the 1980s and 90s, he was a very prominent soccer player; five times soccer star of the year consecutively in Zimbabwe.
In other countries, people that have been soccer stars on such numerous occasions own substantial businesses and have corporate sponsors. This is not happening in this country. It is only former chairpersons of such football clubs that you find driving motor vehicles while players wallow in poverty. Football is very important Mr. President because it is a unifier of all the people regardless of their political and church affiliation. For example, if a goal were to be scored by George Shaya, all the Dynamos supporters will celebrate regardless of their political and church affiliation. Even after the match, all the people will be discussing about how the match will have been played and how their good players will have performed.
At the end of the day these same players who are entertaining the people have nothing to show for it. I will give you a brief testimony of what transpired in football matches. The biggest crowd pullers who can sustain themselves through gate takings in Zimbabwe are Dynamos, Highlanders and CAPS United. After the stadium would have been filled to the rafters, the Sports and Recreation Commission gets 6% of the gross gate takings, the same for ZIFA and ground rentals 20%. After all the other expenses would have been deducted, their players are virtually left with nothing to take home to their families. Once you find players from big teams such as Highlanders and Dynamos boycotting training over non-payment of their dues. It shows that things are not well.
There is a huge racial discrimination in football so much that the President of the Second Republic has shown people that he does not condone it all because he picked the former Olympic swimming Gold medalist, Kirsty Coventry and appointed her the Minister of Sports. By so doing, the President showed that crooks and bad apples should leave football alone and that there should be no discrimination and everyone should enjoy sports. I am glad that it appears that there is light at the end of the tunnel after all.
Former players should lead football, be they European, British Indian; they should come and lead football and people would be happy as this will also lead to the development of the country through sport. If there is no football or sport, there will be no development. Football is both therapeutically and recreational. A lot of social ills can be avoided through attending soccer matches or sport.
Furthermore, the match expenses amounts to 21% of the gross. Referees are also paid, the same applies to ZRP who get 15 to 20% of the gross. In the past, we used to have free ambulances from the Red Cross Association but today, everything is now commercialised. The club will remain with 40% which is divided by the two clubs, that is the home club will get 30% and the away team will pocket 10%. The 10% is insufficient to buy diesel to take the team back to Hwange and as a result players will not be paid hence they will remain wallowing in poverty in their mother land. This has forced the majority of our players to ply their trade in South Africa.
This has tended to create a myopic vision on the abilities of the majority of our players since they play in the South African league and they never excelled in European leagues. How do we expect ourselves to qualify for the world cup when the majority of our players are playing in the South African league? Their skills cannot match those of say, Cote d’Ivoire which has 200 players plying their trade in the top European leagues, and have great players such as Didier Drogba.
There is no transparency in how the teams are utilising the funds that they get. It then begs the question why these players are entertaining such huge crowds and at the end of the day have nothing to show for it in monetary terms? In European leagues they now bend a knee as a sign of kicking out racism in sport. In Africa, particularly in Zimbabwe, there are no Europeans, Indians or where there are whites playing sport, there are no blacks. We urge this august House to assist us in overturning this racial discrimination in sport and football in particular. There are no Zambians, no Malawians plying their trade in football in Zimbabwe. Our coaches and players are looking for greener pastures in countries like South but they come back without anything. We do not qualify for CAF but only qualify for AFCON games which are played by local players. We do not qualify in other tournaments because what we call our international players are only regional players from neighbouring countries like South Africa. We do not have players in countries like Spain. Therefore Mr. President, we must sit down and put our heads together to solve this vice. The Government must also be able to scrutinise what is happening so that they can have first hand information and they can investigate what is really happening, what causes someone who has been a soccer player for many years to end up being poor.
The Government must also investigate on the associations and commissions that continue to take money from these sporting fraternities whilst players do not get anything. George Shaya’s leg was amputated after he had diabetes. Five times Soccer Star of the Year is poor, has nothing and is wallowing in poverty but if we look at the administrators from the 60s, 70s to the 80s during George Shaya’s era of being the best soccer player, those administrators have mansions. Some of them have good big cars and others own companies but when it comes to players, I can hardly point a finger to a player who played soccer during that period who has a single bicycle. What causes that situation?
Hon. Members, when we come here to Parliament and say our five years term has elapsed without even a bicycle, how do we feel? When people see us they say Honourable and they will be very happy. We will also be happy but at the end of the day we have nothing. As Honourable Members, how do we feel? It is something which is very difficult. I am therefore encouraging people to have one vision on improving our soccer and sporting fraternity. Those who played soccer in the yesteryears, Government must gather them and choose people who are going to be trained in the diaspora, in the European countries where big matches are played like the World Cup so that people can gain enough qualifications to be called a sport administrator.
When they finish their courses, Government must put enough resources to the soccer fraternity, for example a five year plan. They inject money without taking anything whilst sports improve. The teams which are already available will be improving and the new teams will also improve. When everything is settled, Government will see that it is now time to harvest or take something from the sporting fraternity. It helps in the development of the country.
When we grew up we expected that during this period of 2021, Zimbabwe would be able to go to World Cup tournaments, but it is unable to go as a country because of the challenges faced in the football environment, the reason being that we do not accept people from other races who are good at soccer. For example from India, South Africa, Zambia or Europe, the people will not last two months if they come to administer soccer before we hear that he has been fired.
Some will be surprised why Senator Femai has spoken about soccer so much whilst we have the COVID-19 pandemic and other diseases. There is no disease which is more than not being able to access your funds which you are supposed to get because of some corrupt people. At home you will be sleeping on an empty stomach without eating anything whilst you would have spent the whole day playing soccer and the ground will be filled to maximum capacity. The overseas players are protected by security personnel because they are celebrities.
Here in Zimbabwe, for us to go and watch soccer at the National Sports Stadium against Cameroon, the police cash in a lot of money whilst the flag is up. They collect 20% for doing their duty. They are hired and the players will be given 20% which they have to share among themselves and all the bills have to be paid from that money yet the money will not be enough. Are we promoting sport or we are just saying by words?
I saw it fit to raise this motion that there is fire on the mountain as things are not well in the sporting fraternity. If you do not know if what I am saying is true, let us go and see George Shaya - Henry ‘Beefy’ Chari - when he used to play soccer everyone praised him but right now, he has nothing and looks like an ordinary person.
I plead with you Hon. Members and Mr. President, for this motion to be discussed in this House with all expertise knowing that what is happening here and what we are doing concerns the future of our children. When things were normal, kids used to name each other after the names of soccer players because things were good. Some parents used to emulate these soccer star players to the extent of even buying balls or naming their children after those prominent soccer players. I plead with you Hon. Members to debate and discuss with one vision, that these soccer players of yester years, today and the future are our children. So, let us consider about them and their future. For example, Highlanders or Dynamos teams, we cannot say these teams belong to one person but the teams belong to the community. How can that team have an individual owner?
I used to be a Dynamos Chairperson for 17 years and the person who used to be the patron of the team is also here in this august House. Players used to play soccer and they used to get their incentives, but nowadays there is nothing like that. When our children are playing soccer, those soccer players will ask parents to remain behind so that they can talk to you. However, when they engage you, they will highlight issues to do with lack of funding and resources yet those funds would have been taken by some corrupt people.
Let us take this motion seriously so that we can debate about it and find better ways to resolve the problems faced by the sporting fraternity. Zimbabwe must be a prosperous country when it comes to soccer. Our country used to be the best country in terms of soccer, right now, it is ranking at the lower bottom. I would like to think that this is being caused by racial discrimination that if a person comes from another country to play soccer, they are not accepted very well and at the end of the day, they are forced to return to their countries.
We want our Zimbabwean players to be the coaches, though most of them are not good because of lack of motivation and remuneration. We do not have international players; our players play soccer in neighboring countries like South Africa. However, the countries we compete with for example, Cote d’Ivoire, and their players are in the international teams in European countries.
Mr. President, I encourage this House to debate on this issue of sport and take it very seriously. Yester year’s player’s welfare and living conditions should also be looked into. I thank you
*HON. CHIFAMBA: Thank you Mr. President. I would also
Want to thank Hon. Sen. Femai for the motion, despite the fact that I do not have experience in playing football, I understand some of these issues. I empathise with young people who play football, travelling to other countries for football and coming back with medals and trophies.
However, football is facing a big challenge because of corruption; we always talk about corruption in this august House. I felt pity hearing that prominent yester year’s soccer players like George Shaya was amputated. It really pains me that despite the fact that at one point he was popular, now he is a destitute.
When people spoke about Zimbabwe, such gold stars would be mentioned. In terms of sports in Zimbabwe, at one point people used to talk about Kirsty Coventry who was and has vast experience in swimming activities. The good thing is that she was promoted to become a Minister.
At times we hear things that are sad with regards to the gold star holders in our country that they do not even have decent accommodation. At times they play soccer but coming from uncomfortable environments. However, these are people who raise the Zimbabwean flag. When you see international players in the football fraternity, you emulate what they are and it encourages one to play football.
We have got a lot of talented young people in Zimbabwe who are in schools in the rural areas and different communities but because there is no remuneration, some of them end up not exploring their talents. For example, if you are given medication by someone who is not a nurse, you would not have faith in that person. However, when you are given by a professional, then you have confidence because you know that they know much better.
This should also apply to football administration so that those who are qualified and experienced should take up such responsibilities. No one knows where football players will be at some point in life. It is painful that corruption is destroying a lot of things. You find young people playing soccer but not being remunerated, so they will end up quitting the profession. It also discourages upcoming players; this means that Zimbabwe is also being retrogressive in that aspect. Young people should go out and play soccer properly equipped.
There are also some musicians who are also dying; you end up wondering seeing that they die as paupers. Some young people play cricket and they raise the flag of Zimbabwe by bringing medals and trophies. Even that Mujaji raised the flag of Zimbabwe despite his disability.
Therefore, football should be played accordingly and young players should be remunerated. Even myself at my age, I cannot just come here without adequate resources for example without fuel, I will not be able to come to Parliament. You find that whenever there is a soccer match, the stadium will be filled yet these soccer players are not benefiting anything from these matches.
Corruption is a cancer which is affecting different facets of the society. You will discover that football pitches are filled up but the players are not given anything. Sport is an important thing and we have a lot of talented young players who do not get the support they need. Sometimes they feel discouraged to continue. Therefore, there is need to encourage young players; I remember at one point there is a country which was respected. In this country there was a lot of domestic violence but when there were international matches, domestic violence cases reduced because men were watching football. This is quite pleasing, some women ended up saying that they wish these international matches could be played often. Football is uplifting; it is a game is loved by many. It is a game which unites people. We need to support all sports in Zimbabwe. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. MOEKETSI: I would like to thank the mover of this motion and the seconder. I would like to add a few words to this motion. I believe that this august House should take this motion seriously because our country is deteriorating because of lack of support for sporting activities. As an august House, we should make sure that different supporting activities are supported. If I recall well, Nigerians are benefiting from films or dramas that are promoted in their country. That industry is thriving. I remember the Mukadota, Paraffin and many other dramas – the actors were not just acting but they were teaching and promoting the arts in Zimbabwe. I urge this august House to support this important motion.
I concur that young players playing in Zimbabwe are our children. I also have a nephew who plays soccer locally. He wakes up early in the morning and goes jogging. We also have supper but he would have gone back for training again. It is important that we support our young people and our sporting activities. There are a lot of international players and because they are being supported, they are where they are and doing what they are doing because of the support they get from their countries – that is their employer. For our young people who are engaged in different sporting activities, sporting is their employer; because of that, we might get foreign currency if we develop that. Let us not ignore the talent.
I appreciate what Nigerians are doing – when you look at the different age groups that are found in the arts sector there; some people are supposed to be retired but because at whatever age and in whatever they are doing, they get paid and they survive on that. I emphasise that it is important to prioritise sporting activities in Zimbabwe. As Hon. Members, the onus is upon us to make sure that we lobby for support of sporting activities. I thank you.
*HON. CHIRONGOMA: I thank you Hon. President for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this motion raised by Hon. Sen. Femai and seconded by Hon. Sen. Chifamba. I would like to weigh in on the issue of sports. All sporting activities are good for the country of Zimbabwe. It is good to go for soccer. I used to play for Kelly’s and Dynamos when we were young. It used to be a joy to provide recreational sport to the people.
Football and other sporting activities can develop the country. The country will be developed because people will be employed and others will be selling goods and wares and irk a living out of that. Sport is recreational especially for business people; once you go to sport, you forget how tough business can be. Indeed, I truly support this good motion.
Be that as it may, we need to remind one another that in the second republic, we have witnessed the support of Government on sport. Hon. Kirsty Coventry was a swimmer who earned Olympic gold medals and was appointed Minister. That on its own also raised the bar on how deserving sport can be. As a country, I would want to tell this august House that sport...
As a country, I would like to tell the august House that sport is good for everyone but because of the pandemic that we are currently under, we have undergone a lockdown. Lockdown was introduced as a measure to curb the rapid spread of COVID-19 and should our God allow us and there is a subsiding of the numbers of those who are afflicted by COVID-19 as is expected, our country will return to normal.
The big teams are not the only players that were entertaining people. Even in the communal areas, teams were entertaining people at provincial, district and ward levels and even at the lower echelons. Young boys would also be observed playing plastic balls – that is how they start and this is how we should start sporting development. Even our girls and young ladies were going from one country to the other to play sport and it was good for our country. At the moment because of the lockdown, children now know a lot of these international players by name because they observe them on television, which shows that sport especially football is entertaining even to children. We therefore shall not succeed due to funding. The figures of those who are affected have declined. There are well funded businessmen who would want to lead particular teams and plans to encourage children to play sport are in place. Even in the communal lands and constituencies, Members of Parliament were holding several tournaments to ensure that children also participate in football and netball and that is a good thing.
Let us urge the Government and support this motion and also ensure that it comes to fruition. Let me reiterate that our biggest stumbling block is COVID-19. Once the numbers become manageable, our Government through the various ministries will be able to put in place the roll-out programme. I have observed that grounds are being maintained and upgraded, the same applies even in the communal lands where we are coming from so that people are involved in various sporting disciplines that are entertaining people. With these few words, I support the motion before the House. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. GWESHE: Thank you Mr. President. I love soccer so much. There are some things that really touched me, so I am not going to repeat what has already been said. Playing soccer is very risky and one can break a limb or back yet one will be representing the country. Some time ago, a Zambian plane killed the entire Zambian soccer team.
In Zimbabwe, we have children who have gone abroad with CAPS United. We were embarrassed during that year and others will recall what I am talking about. Some of the children disappeared soon after their tour of duty. Why were they running away? Had everything been good in Zimbabwe, they would not have run away and disappeared. I urge Government to look into the issue of sport or soccer as it is a risky business and children will be risking their lives. Those who remained there are now leading better lives and are laughing at those who returned home. I want Government to look into the issue.
My nephew used to play for Dynamos Football Club but later on passed away. The Dynamos team came and was ashamed to see some of the former players who were wallowing in poverty. I urge Government to look into the welfare of such players that are exposing themselves to the risk of playing soccer. I thank you.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHINAKE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President Sir, I move that Order of the Day, Number 6 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: 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
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of
the 2021 Virtual Parliamentary Hearings at the United Nations.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do
now adjourn.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order, Order! Hon. Tongogara!
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: My hand was up. So may I then
proceed?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Yes, that is why I had to stop Hon. Senator.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I just want to add my voice to the report that was brought by Hon. Sen. Muzenda that shows that corruption is now endemic, but not just in Zimbabwe but it is in the SADC community because the SADC Parliamentary Forum is now being disturbed by the scourge of corruption. That has turned out to be detrimental to the development of the countries. In that regard, we now need to interrogate the issue of corruption and also be alive to the fact that it is not only found in Zimbabwe. We need to come up with a way to stem out this endemic of corruption.
I am grateful that His Excellency the President has come up with a Zimbabwe anti-corruption Commission so that they can eradicate corruption. What is happening is that we hear that people are being arrested for abuse of office, they appear in courts and we hear that once they have been arrested and appear in court, that is the end of it. No one is found guilty so this then turns out to be a catch and release way of doing things. We urge the judiciary to be judicious in dealing with their cases and that cases are completed so that those that are guilty are convicted and incarcerated. During these cold months they will be in a position to have learnt a lesson because cold months will act as a deterrent and public funds by their very nature should not be misused. We should not have things hanging in the balance but have finality to some of these cases where people are arrested for corruption.
What also emerged from the report is that there should be a strengthening of what is already in place and should be safeguarded, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic so that whatever it is that is being done will be above board. I am grateful that the Hon. Speaker was the head of delegation and at that forum he did explain the measures that our government had taken in order for us to alleviate and control the spread of COVID. I am grateful and want to thank the government and His Excellency, the President Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa that we are a people and a country that is among the first few to be vaccinated. I thank him for his visionary leadership as he discerned that this COVID-19 would be on us and we should take up corrective measures and we are now all going to be vaccinated. A lot of people have now been vaccinated in this country and we have documentation to that effect that shows that they have been inoculated from that Covid-19. I thank you for affording me the opportunity to add my voice.
HON. SEN. CHIEF MTSHANE KHUMALO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I second.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING CASES OF ALLEGED MISCONDUCT BY MDC-ALLIANCE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on the report of the Privileges Committee Investigating Cases of Alleged Misconduct by MDC-Alliance Members of Parliament.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TONGAGARA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) ON VELD FIRE MANAGEMENT
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on Veld Fire Management.
Question again proposed
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND CENTRAL PROVINCE (HON. SEN. MAVHUNGA): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT ON THE PARLIAMENTARY LEADERSHIP FOR THE 2030 AGENDA WEBINAR SERIES: COVID-19 RESPONSE - LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on the Report on the Parliamentary Leadership for the 2030 Agenda Webinar Series: Covid-19 Response - Leaving No One Behind
Question again proposed
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. FEMAI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND RECREATION AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON INDIGENISATION AND EMPOWERMENT ON THE STATE OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRES, THE EMPOWER BANK AND SPORTING FACILITIES
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion
Question again proposed
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to say a few words regarding recreational sporting facilities and training centres which we toured. I just want to point out a small issue that I noted when we were moving around sporting facilities. I noted that our government after recognising that our young people are not all gifted intellectually, which culminates into degrees and other qualifications, noted that it is important to create vocational training centres (VTC) which will empower them with skills that will give them income.
Government invested a lot in building such centres with a vision of bettering their lives, but it is sad that despite the fact that such centres were muted and built, we went to Filabusi, the VTC was put in a complex where there were other activities. Now, this infrastructure is obsolete, despite the fact that nice houses were built. At times we believe it is better that such houses can be converted into VTCs. Sometimes you wonder how people who oversee such places and the recommendations they put to government allow the dilapidation to continue.
This pained us a lot as we found goats being reared in that VTC. They said it was difficult for them to train young people because they are illegal gold panners in that area. At the end of the day, you end up wondering why some are being constructed whilst others are being destroyed. Does the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development allow people to mine in VTCs and such centres because it is important that after constructing such centres they should be looked after well so that our children have a future. The infrastructure was intact so we cannot allow it to disintegrate while we are watching.
We also went to Umguza where we toured a dairy project and we were told a sad story but we got similar results from a centre in Midlands, the Kaguvi VCT. There are power struggles in that VTC which ends up affecting young people who are supposed to be trained in that area. There is conflict of interest between management, teachers and the Ministry so there is no clarity in terms of the implementation of different programmes in that VTC. At times you are told that monies that are being paid are not being accounted for. We noted that there were some dairy cows which were donated by Dandairy and these cows were supposed to generate income for these students but we are surprised to be told that these dairy cows are not producing milk and they do not have stock feed.
This is worrying and it is important to look into the issue because when there is a disease outbreak and the cows are not going to the dip-tank this is worrying. There are only instructions that there should be slaughtering. So it is important that the right issues be prioritised so that children benefit from their facilities. We also went to the stadiums in Gweru. We went to Ascot and other facilities. The playground is now dilapidated. The structures have grass all over the place. No-one is maintaining the stadium. The council is not doing its job. We look at other places that are being managed by councils which were set aside for recreational activities and were given to people as residential stands. It is surprising that council is parcelling out land which is supposed to be for VTC as residential stands instead of building recreational facilities. It is important that government looks into the issue as it is quite a disturbing issue. We saw it fit that the responsible Ministry should reverse decisions made by municipal authorities and that they make it a point that recreational centres are maintained well so that they generate income and even bring in foreign currency.
Mr. President, we also saw that other stadiums which are being sub-contracted or contracted to other companies are beautiful and better than those that are maintained by councils. For example, the Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane is beautiful and different from other stadiums, so you end up wondering what the difference is between the management of Mucheke Stadium and Mandava Stadium. At Mucheke, there is grass all over the place as it is not being maintained properly. As a nation, we need to ask ourselves what we are doing when we allow such dilapidation to happen in our infrastructure.
So Mr. President, I stood up to speak about what I saw which is affecting our young people’s careers. Education for those who did not excel intellectually who are supposed to benefit through sport, engineering, woodwork, carpentry and building through vocational training centres, most of these centres are now obsolete and no one is maintaining them. With these few words Mr. President, I wanted to add my voice that, as a nation we need to resuscitate that which is disintegrating because sports are very important as they revive the economy of the country, can be a source of income for families and can also be a source of income for young people who did not excel intellectually. I thank you Mr. President.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND CENTRAL PROVINCE (HON. MAVHUNGA): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th June, 2021.
MOTION
MAINTENANCE OF THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE COUNTRY
Twelfth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the road rehabilitation programme countrywide.
Question again proposed.
#HON. SEN. DUBE: I want to add my voice to the motion which was raised by Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi. Let me first say this is an important motion. There is no country which cannot be there without riches because for an economy to strive, it is important to have a good road infrastructure and there must be a good road network. As a result of heavy rains, some roads are badly damaged but we thank our President, His Excellency Cde. E.D. Mnangagwa who took it upon himself to initiate the Road Rehabilitation Programme which is covering most places around the country, even roads that are not major roads.
The road network is part of the wealth of the country because every businessman makes use of the roads. There are a few goods which can be transported by air. Most goods come through our roads, so our roads should be good always. It is my plea again to the leadership and Members of Parliament, to take note that the roads should always be maintained and grass cut along the roads. Communities can do this as it is not necessary for Government to do it. We need to take it upon ourselves because you discover that when there is tall grass, some people can hide in it and perpetuate criminal activities. You find some people committing crimes as our roads are not cleared properly.
We know that there are some activities that can be done like part-time jobs of clearing roads. It is better if our roads are cleared even though there are potholes. We also need to note that roads link up to different countries, for example in our region because there is access to same countries through the road network. Some roads are in a poor state, for example the Victoria Falls – Bulawayo Road which has potholes and there are accidents along that road because of its bad condition. So Mr. President, due to the heavy rains that we received last year, some roads are not in a good condition.
We would also like to request that such roads be rehabilitated including rehabilitating roads like the Tsholotsho-Lupane-Victoria Falls Road which was resurfaced recently. This road has potholes now, which means that those who were given the task of rehabilitating the roads were not using the right mixtures. When rains come, roads are not supposed to be like that if the proper mixtures are used. So it reflects that contractors did not do their job well, whether there was corruption or not or it was the cement quality or other materials, but I would like to urge that those who are responsible for road maintenance should do that.
With the few words that I have said Mr. President, I would like to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about the importance of a good road network. At times you need to go to a clinic or hospital but without a proper road, some people die before they get to a health institution because of poor state of roads. I thank you Mr. President.
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, 9th June, 2021.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA seconded by HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI the Senate adjourned at a Minute past Four o’clock p.m.