PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 4th May, 2013
The House of Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MR. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR. SPEAKER
PRIME MINISTER’S QUESTION TIME
- SPEAKER: I would like to inform the House that there will
th June, 2013 at Quarter be Prime Minister’s Question Time tomorrow, 5 past Two in the afternoon.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that Orders
of the Day, Nos. 1 to 3 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the
Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
SPECIAL REPORT OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON
LOCAL GOVERNEMENT, RURAL AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES
- KARENYI: I move the motion standing in my name that this House takes note of the Special Report of the Portfolio Committee on Local Government on local authorities.
- MUDAU: I second.
- KARENYI:
1.0INTRODUCTION
1.1 In its oversight function your Committee invited the Hon.
Minister of Local Government Rural and Urban Development Dr Ignatious Morgan Chiminya Chombo to apprise the Members on the mayors and councillors that he had dismissed from Office and to further state from which town they belonged to and to give reasons for such dismissals. Furthermore, your Committee requested for submissions from the Secretary of the Ministry seeking clarification on the status of such councillors. Your Committee was concerned that the dismissals impacted very negatively on the Local Authorities’ ability to provide quality service to the people in the affected localities.
2.0 METHODOLOGY
2.1 The Hon Minister gave a detailed submission on the affected localities starting with Harare. Your Committee proceeded to consider the Hon Minister's evidence.
- Harare City Council
In its examination of the responses by the Hon. Minister on cases of mismanagement within local authorities, your Committee heard of cases within the Harare City Council where a Councillor H Gomba was implicated and had to be subsequently dismissed. The Hon Minister said in arriving at the decision taken against Councillor. H. Gomba, the appropriate Section of the Urban Councils' Act 114:1 (c) and (d) was used.
- The Hon Minister disclosed that some councillors in Harare had worked in cahoots with Council Officials and altered names of people who had been residing in their homes during the past 40-50 years and replaced them with their names instead. The reason was anticipation that the houses would be sold to the sitting tenants and these were determined by rentals, rates and electricity bills. Such councillors, the Hon. Minister alleged, wanted to take advantage of the situation as was reported in the Press. The suspects were given a chance to defend themselves but they could not extricate themselves out of the situation.
The accused included:- S. Machetu - dismissed Gorekore - dismissed
Mbadzi - pardoned
Zaranyika - dismissed
Takura - dismissed for being dishonest with Council funds
Dumba - dishonest with Council funds and dismissed
Vengesai - dishonest with Council property, involved in improper procurement of goods and was suspended.
Katsande - reinstated but he was later dismissed.
- In the case of Councillor Machetu and others listed above, your Committee observed that the Hon. Minister dismissed them despite the court judgement exonerating them of any wrong doing. The High Court, in its Judgement HC 1067 of 2011, ordered their reinstatement as councillors citing that the decision to dismiss them was grossly unreasonable. Your Committee wondered why the Minister applied the law selectively in view of the fact that the Court had set aside the dismissal of these Councillors and at the same time, the Hon Minister pardoned others who had committed similar offences.
- Chitungwiza Town Council
- Councillor P. Marange was convicted of criminal abuse of office as a public servant and found guilty of corrupt practices. He was sentenced to three years. Provision of the Act Section 41, paragraph 7 was invoked. The conviction automatically disqualified him as a councillor. In evidence before your committee, the Hon. Minister also stated that in the matter involving Councillor Vengesai, the charge was that he created a company with another council official and awarded Council tenders to their company.
- Councillor Kanyama was alleged to have criminally abused his office as a public servant by unprocedurally allocating himself Zengeza 3 Creche Stand No. 7210 Unit J and Stand No. 7687. The said stand was a creche yard and a creche structure was set up. The rest of the area was a playground. Kanyama is alleged to have built his house right in the middle of the playground and proceeded to possess another Stand in the corner which he then gave to his brother. After one and a half years, Mr. Kanyama appealed against his dismissal claiming that it was unprocedural.
- The Hon. Minister informed your Committee that he had suspended two special interest councillors that he had appointed for nonperformance. On the whole, the Hon. Minister disclosed that the said Councillors were conniving with council officials in avoiding tender procedures. As a result, they awarded tenders to themselves and their companies, something which was not authorised by Council. The Hon. Minister stressed that as a result of abuse of office by the councillors, he had no alternative but to dismiss them. The Hon. Minister laid the blame squarely on the Harare Mayor for having allowed such cases of impropriety to flourish within the City Council.
- Councillor Mr. D. Puzo was accused of mismanagement of Council Affairs and Section 114 (1c) and (1d) of the Act was invoked while investigations were in course. A similar charge was laid against
Councillor P. Keru who was subsequently suspended.
- LOCAL AUTHORITIES OUTSIDE HARARE
- The Hon. Minister further chronicled other cases of corruption within other Councils. These cases all related to mismanagement of
Council property and Council Affairs. The following Councillors from
Rusape were all dismissed for these offences:-
Councillor Gomana
Councillor Pambuleni
Councillor Mberikunashe
Councillor Chisomboti
Councillor Chipere
- In Bindura, similar cases of mismanagement of Council property and Council Affairs were reported. All the following
Councillors, except Councillor Muchemwa, were dismissed:-
Councillor Wakatama
Councillor Mazembe
Councillor Madamombe
- In Chinhoyi, the Ministry officials informed your Committee that Councillors were suspended for various acts of misconduct. The
Hon Minister said that Mayor Nyamhondoro, with his Deputy Mayor, Councillor Nyambi and Councillor Charuza were involved in the mismanagement of Council property and Council affairs. The Hon.
Minister said, “...vaida kuita utsotsi hwetender”. The suspects were suspended while awaiting investigations from the Court.
- Other cases of abuse of property and mismanagement of Council affairs and flouting of tender procedures and behaviour bordering on racial segregation in the City of Mutare were reported by the Hon. Minister. The cases of corruption and abuse of office also included among others, the following:-
Councillor I Masaka - the Deputy Mayor for driving without a licence and being involved in an accident with the Mayoral S – Class
Benz which was worth Z$2 610 134 440, 00 when purchased in 2004. The prejudice to the Mutare City Council could not be ascertained as the vehicle remained unrepaired. However, as of the end of April 2012 repairs to the vehicle were quoted at US$26 000 and US$13 000 respectively.
Councillor E. Upare –for mismanagement of Council Affairs and tender of Public Finance Investment Programme (PFIP) funds, he was acquitted by the courts but was subsequently dismissed. Investigations were said to be underway as more Councils have been implicated in similar cases of mismanagement of their affairs and tender of Public Finance Investment Programme (PFIP) funds.
He was dismissed but investigations are yet to be concluded as there are other Councillors that have also been implicated.
In the case of Brian James the Hon. Minister stated that as a white member of the society, he did not want collective decision making. He had held meetings with the Ministry before and had been warned or sanctioned on five previous occasions. However, he had not taken heed of the warnings and had proceeded to contract some other white colleague at an exorbitant cost to the Council. The Council had been advised by the Ministry to refrain from engaging in activities that drained its coffers. A sum of $600 000 of Council funds had been extravagantly abused leading to Brian James Being forced to unceremoniously resign. However, he bounced back purporting to be coming to conclude what he had started. Brian James was allegedly unfair and abusive to his colleagues. The Hon. Minister was later approached by the Council to dismiss him. However, this has not yet been done as he still remains under suspension.
4.0 RURAL DISTRICT COUNCILS
4.1 The Rural District Councils had also not been spared the scourge of corruption and abuse of office by some of their Councillors. In the Manyame Rural District Council, C Manhombo was allegedly burning down people’s houses and misusing Council funds from sales of pit sand. He was initially dismissed but later on reinstated on the belief that he had turned over a new leaf. Your Committee is extremely concerned that the matter has not been appropriately dealt with as burning other people's properties is a clear criminal case of arson which should have been referred to relevant authorities. Furthermore, your Committee is concerned at the abuse of Council funds which seemed to have been going on unabated
4.2 In the Mutasa Rural District Council, cases of abuse of office, theft of food meant for the ill patients in Ward 10 and fraud by Councillors O Mbona and M Nyangani were reported by the Hon.
Minister. Both of them were dismissed.
4.3 In the Rushinga Rural District, a Councillor Kanyama was found guilty of mismanagement of tenders. He was reprimanded and dismissed.
4.4 In the Wedza Rural District, Councillor S Mapako was responsible for the mismanagement of Council Affairs. He was reprimanded and stood down as Council chairperson.
4.5 Cases of abuse of tender processes were also reported in the
Gutu Rural district Council where a D. N. Jinga was reprimanded.
All the cases reported were committed by individuals without any resolutions from the Council. The Hon. Minister said, “They did not do this with the authorisation of the Council”.
5.0 OBSERVATIONS
5.1 Your Committee noted with concern, administrative lapses and discrepancies within Local Councils as exercised by the Hon Minister.
These included interference in the awarding of tenders in the Local Authority of Chinhoyi.
5.2 Your Committee further noted that an arsonist was not charged despite the malicious damage to people's properties.
5.3 Furthermore, there seemed to be selective application of the law when dealing with cases of misconduct by Councillors. For example, your Committee could not comprehend the logic of imposing different disciplinary measures for similar offences by Councillors in the same Ministry. Some were dismissed and others were pardoned, cautioned or suspended for exactly the same offences.
5.4 Your Committee was disturbed that a number of commissions were appointed to conduct investigations on Councils by civil servants who earn a salary at the end of the month and also draw a lot of money from the local authorities as they carry out their investigations.
Your Committee was also concerned at the Minister's disregard for the laws of the country by dismissing councillors who had been acquitted by the Courts, Councillor Machetu and three others are a case in point.
5.5 Your Committee also observed that the Hon Minister seemed to be confusing criminal offences with Council issues.
5.6 The appointment of Special Interest Councillors to serve in the various local authorities left a lot to be desired. The Minister alluded to the fact that different political parties could present their candidates to be considered as Special Interest Councillors in the various Councils. However, the Hon Minister did not inform the Political Parties which special interests their parties would represent. The majority of the
Special Interest Councillors did not bring in any special interest to the
Councils. Instead the Special Interest Councillors appointed by the Minister to represent special interest groups in different local authorities come from one party. The following appointments of Special Interest
Councillors are a typical example:-
Chegutu Municipality
Martin Zimani, former Zanu.PF Mayor who lost ward 12 Zanu.PF primaries.
Chasauka, former Deputy Mayor who lost Ward primaries to MDC Councillor Edias Ticharwa.
Ms. Chahwanda lost Zanu.PF primaries.
Mutare Municipality
Esau Mupfumi, Zanu.PF Central Committee member who lost Mutare Senatorial seat to the MDC.
Misheck Mugadza, a former commissioner of Mutare appointed after the sacking of MDC Mayor Misheck Kagurabadza.
Tapiwa Matangaidze, Zanu.PF provincial secretary for transport in Manicaland Province.
Harare Municipality
Torongo Hieronymo, Zanu P.F Secretary for Harare Provincial
Kuchekwa Kizito, losing Zanu PF candidate for High field West in the Parliamentary election.
Ushewekunze Abicia T
Magwalaba Thembinkosi, a ZANU PF sympathetic lawyer
Nyachowe Charles Chairperson of AAG
Sasha Jogi
Allana Hanif Moosa
Mainos Mudukuti
Shingai I Mutumbwa
Marufu Lisbon, Loosing Zanu.PF candidate in Chitungwiza
Tom S Alfred
Makoni Rural District Council
Monica Chinamasa, Wife of Patrick Chinamasa, ZANU PF
Politburo member and Minister in the Inclusive Government.
Chief Chipunza
Chief Makoni
Chief Chuduku who is also a Senator.
Chief Chikore
Doctor Zata
Buhera Rural District Council
Pasipanodya Chiturike lost Ward 8 to MDC’s Peter Madzivenyika
Henry Kujinga who lost Ward 23 to MDC’s Tongesai Zvavamwe
Nelson Mahamba
Abigail Musarurwa a ZANU PF women’s league activist in the
Province
Desmond Ncube
Chief Makumbe
Chief Nyashanu
Chief Chamutsa
Zvimba Rural District Council
Peter Nyizira, Former ZANU PF councillor who lost Ward 23 to
MDC’s Emmanuel Chinanzvavana
Lancelot Zviringwe lost in Ward 22 ZANU PF to Fani Tempo
Gokwe Town Council
Davison Masvisvi ZANU PF District Chairman for Gokwe centre who lost Ward 5 to MDCs Liphius Mutegwe
Jefrey Runzirai
5.7 That there is need to investigate the behaviour of the councillors on one hand and the Hon Minister`s way of handling issues in the ministry.
5.8 Your Committee wondered as to the special interest represented by the Chiefs. It was surprising how a chief could be a councillor at the same time and your Committee strongly feels that these are anomalous situations that need to be redressed.
6.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
6.1 Your Committee is also concerned that cases of maladministration within councils seriously undermine service delivery within the local authorities and therefore recommends the following:- (a) That the Minister practice professionalism in the administration of Council affairs by ensuring that the law is not applied selectively.
(b) That Special Interest Councillors should truly represent interests of special groups in their various local authorities regardless of their political affiliations.
(c)that in the interest of justice, transparency and integrity the Hon. Minister should seriously consider the interest of the people by ensuring that they are not served by dysfunctional local authorities and that those acquitted by the Courts are reinstated as a matter of urgency.
(d) That due tender processes must be complied with in the case of all local authorities.
- That in the interests of true representation in Councils, Chiefs numbers must be limited.
- That continuous training of Councillors should be ongoing so that the councillors understand the operation vis-a-vis the council
- That mechanisms, should be reinstated as ordered by the committee.
7.0 CONCLUSION
7.1Your Committee is of the considered view that the Ministry would scrutinise this report and come up with remedial action which will enhance service delivery and operations of the local authorities country wide.
- CHEBUNDO: Thank you Mr. Speaker for affording me the
opportunity to contribute to this important report by your Committee. I do not belong to this Committee but I found the report to be very much interesting and important that I need to add my voice.
Given the importance of the lower tier level of Government, the local Government, I believe hon. members will agree with me that there is need for us as a country to be serious when it comes to putting arrangements that facilitate the good management of the lower tier level of our Government. This is especially important for development and therefore, its management in my view, both at ministerial level and at the lower tier level, needs to be put in such a good arrangement. A thing that has been raised by the Committee should not be seen to be obtaining on the ground again.
The first point Mr. Speaker is that, our hon. minister, who the report is addressing after giving evidence to the Committee, in my view I want to thank the Committee first and foremost, for bringing the minister to the table. The minister is known for absenting himself from Parliament. You will agree with me that for the past whole term, Parliament has been seized with questions put forward for the minister but he was not turning up. Members were concerned and at several meetings that issue was raised? So, for the Minister to have come before the Committee, I think we want to thank the Committee for achieving
that.
The second thing is that, there are quite a number of issues that came out. I will quickly think along the lines on the fact that in the local Government laws or Acts, they are known everywhere that they give so much powers to the minister. He ends up, in my view, doing the things that have been mentioned here such as the way he handles the issues of corrupt councillors and councils. The Committee discovered that he managed to handle several of these cases selectively. Some seem to have been pardoned and others seem to have been left to go off the hook even after the courts found them wanting in terms of their dealings.
One would quickly look at the issues along the political lines. As mentioned in the report, the minister in my view, was biased because he would go for councillors, for example, for the party of excellence. MDC councillors who were found wanting by his party in Chitungwiza and were fired for corrupt activities, the minister would come to their protection. But, at the same time if you go to the councillors that have been mentioned by the Committee who belonged to ZANU PF, even where the courts have found them guilty, the minister will still pardon them or reinstate them.
That alone is an indication of the kind of a minister, who in my view, did not do or perform well regarding the management of the sector ministry itself. Mr. Speaker Sir, when I read in the papers in the past, when the print media was trying to rank the ministers according to their performance for the past term of office, I wonder why Minister Chombo was not put at the top most of the worst performing ministers? That is, in view of all these things that are now coming out of the reports and we know he performed along those lines.
Mr. Speaker, I have a case of corruption from my constituency. The Finance Director of Kwekwe Municipality was proved by the local governing body and by his council to have abused more than $230 000. There was glare evidence being put across and the council decided after making some enquiries to dismiss such a corrupt person. The Finance Director entrusted with the money of the community, abused them and the council decided to dismiss him. The local governing body which is in the Urban Councils Act and has powers similar to those of courts, found him guilty and dismissed him. Then, the minister would bring back the Finance Director simply because he was in the structures of
ZANU PF at provincial level.
If it was not for the intervention of this Member of Parliament and communities of Kwekwe who took the minister to the High Court, that Director would have been reinstated. But finally, of course we stood our ground at the High Court and paved the way for the dismissal of that corrupt person. That is again one of the examples of how the minister handled issues of corruption with selective approach which has been alluded to by the Committee. I think I will continue to say the minister was the worst performer in terms of making sure that the sector Ministry was run professionally and without interference.
Mr. Speaker, the issue of special interest councilors has been actually alluded to by the Committee. I think it is one area that I just want to share with the hon.members that you did a very good job by bringing in a Constitution that brought devolution. With devolution, it means some kind of more democratisation of processes that manage local government to ensure that people will participate with less interference from those who would have been appointed to run the ministries. In my view, that will facilitate for more development to be achieved in this country because development starts at the lower level of Government tier and this is the local government level. So, one would want to give credit to Parliament of Zimbabwe and credit to people of Zimbabwe for coming up with a Constitution that will put paid to arrangements like the one that was there which gives the minister unlimited powers to abuse public and local government.
I want to thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir, for giving me this time to add my voice along the lines of the important report presented to your Parliament by your very able Committee led by Hon. Karenyi.
- S. MUSHONGA: In Mazowe Rural District Council, the councilors in the Tender Committee awarded tenders to themselves. They were arrested, they are under prosecution and there is no suspension. The Chief Executive Officer who approved this award of tenders to sitting councilors who are members of the Tender Committee is under prosecution and he has never been suspended.
We have raised this with the minister but we know why they are not being suspended. They belong to a certain political party. If this scenario was operational in Harare or Bulawayo, I can rest assure you that these councilors would be suspended or dismissed. We are not talking of issues which have happened now; this is something which has happened before 2008, which is in court. Nothing is being done because there is always a blind eye turned to some corrupt activities by councilors who belong to a certain political party.
We want the minister when he is exercising his ministerial powers to act across the political divide. We want the Minister of Local Government not to entertain any corruption in councils. It is very unfortunate that because of this selective application of the law or attitude of the minister, it is helping to breed corruption.
Most Rural District Councils are working to pay themselves official salaries. There is no development in Rural District Councils. It is very unfortunate and we want to urge the minister, hopefully that after the 29th of June we have an election and a new minister who will probably go by the book and who will apply the law without any fear or favour.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: May I move that Order of the Day, Number 5 be stood down until all the other Orders of the Day have been disposed of. Whilst I am on my feet, may I move that Order of the Day Number 2 which had been stood down earlier on be dealt with?
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE ON
THE REPORT OF THE COMPTROLLER AND AUDITOR
GENERAL ON THE MANAGEMENT OF DAM PROJECTS BY THE
ZIMBABWE NATIONAL WATER AUTHORITY
- CHINYADZA: I move the motion standing in my name that
this House takes note of the First Report of the Public Accounts
Committee on the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the Management of Dam Projects by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority.
- S. MUSHONGA: I second.
- CHINYADZA: I rise to present the First Report of the Public
Accounts Committee on the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General on the management of dam construction and water supply projects by the Zimbabwe National Water Authority code named ZINWA.
The report was presented to Parliament in February 2013 and it is my fervent hope that all members of this august House have had ample time to go through our report and are prepared to vigorously debate the findings of this for the good governance of Zimbabwe and an enhanced service delivery by the parastatal. Accordingly, I will summarise the findings of the Committee and hope that members of the House will pick up the pieces in the debate of this invaluable service provider in our nation.
Objectives
The examination of the ZINWA Audit Report by the Public Accounts Committee was motivated by the following twin objectives:
- i) To provide an in-depth analysis of the CAG’s audit findings and to expose the underlying causes and issues circumscribing poor service delivery by ZINWA and ii) To recommend appropriate corrective action which may facilitate the implementation of efficient and effective management tools on dam construction and water supply projects by ZINWA.
Methodology
In evolving its recommendations the Public Accounts Committee received oral and written submissions from ZINWA itself, State
Procurement Board, Infrastructural Development Bank, Zimbabwe Institute of Engineers and also the private contractors who were contracted to undertake dam construction and water supply projects under the management of ZINWA.
Findings
- Projects taking too long to be completed
The audit found out that between 2004 and 2009 ZINWA was managing 14 dam projects and at the time of audit all had exceeded their target dates of completion by periods ranging from one to six years and only 3 were near completion (viz Matezva 99%, BubiLupane 65% and Tokwe Mukorsi 60%).
These unacceptable delays were predicated on four factors:
- Inability to prioritise projects
- Incompetence of contractors
- Payment problems to contractors
- Scarcity of technical skills to monitor project implementation.
The consequences of these horrendous delays not only reflected themselves in the fettered service delivery and hence lost decades of socio-economic development to ordinary Zimbabweans, but also stultifying increases in project costs relating to interest costs, penalties, stand-in time for machinery and inflation.
- Failure to Select Competent Contractors
Written submissions availed to the Committee shows that the slow progress at Mutange Dam currently at 32% completion was attributed to lack of adequate capacity of the main contractor, New Civils, who has since sub-contracted its work to Multi force. The project commenced in 2002 and was targeted for completion in December 2013.
The major problem which is exacerbating the failure to select competent contractors is the inadequate legal provisions which fail to confer the ultimate responsibility of choice of contractors between the State Procurement Board and ZINWA. The SPB is responsible for only the adjudication of tenders but not implementation which is done by ZINWA. The problem arises when the SPB opts for a tenderer who has no discerned capacity and deems that its responsibility ends there, yet ZINWA would have recommended differently. The result is that contractors who have a poor record with ZINWA continue to be awarded contracts by SPB. This compromises the project implementation.
AWARDING TOO MANY CONTRACTS TO ONE COMPANY
Audit revealed that contracts were being awarded to companies already working on other projects regardless of how well they were performing on projects already in-house.
DELAYS IN PAYMENT OF WORK DONE
Numerous projects were experiencing work stoppages ranging from 8 – 11 months due to non-payment of work done. As a result, contractors experience serious cash flow problems as Treasury fails to pay as promised.
IN HOUSE PROJECTS FOR WATER SUPPLY
The audit revealed that most water supply stations and pump houses were NOT adequately equipped. It was observed that ZINWA inherited 500 which needed rehabilitation but was NOT allocated the requisite funds to make these operational. Some of these pumps were over 20 years old and could not be rehabilitated and hence needed funds to acquire new pumps, which funds were not made available. Compounding this funds problem is the resistance ZINWA is getting from consumers who are reluctant to pay for the service provided. By 6 June 2012, ZINWA was owed over $100 million with the main debtors being irrigators/farmers, domestic consumers, local authorities and government.
RECOMMENDATIONS OF COMMITTEE
Having made the observations referred in this report, the PAC made the following recommendations:
- In order to facilitate project completion, the Committee recommends that the ministry and Parliament should concentrate only on projects which can be completed with the resources available in a given time frame. Projects of national priority but without adequate funding should be considered under other financing options such as PPPs, Build, Operate and Transfer (BOPT); and Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT).
- With regards to selection of incompetent contractors, the Committees sees no role for corruption in the awarding of contracts and therefore recommends that competence should be the funding principle in awarding contracts;
- With regards the Problem of awarding too many contracts to one company, the Committee recommends that ZINWA and SPB, should award contracts only to companies that are financially sound and have the requisite skills and equipment to implement the projects within the stipulated time frame;
- The committee observed that there are a number of dams throughout the country whose water is NOT fully utilized due to lack of infrastructure to ferry the water to the point of use. In this context the Committee recommends that ZINWA should accord the highest priority to projects which distribute the water so harnessed to point of use. Accordingly, their project planning should include all stages from water harnessing, water distribution and billing;
- With respect to funding problems in ZINWA, the Committee DOES NOT condone a situation where Government sets up a parastatal but does not allocate it sufficient funds to enable it to meet its mandate. In this context, water is a matter of life for all people in Zimbabwe and this service cannot be left to the highly incapacitated parastatal to perform to MDG targets without adequate funding. Hence Treasury, as a matter of priority, allocates sufficient funds for ZINWA to procure the pumps it needs;
- Finally, water charges are not in tandem with usage levels. Accordingly, ZINWA should put in place a billing system that is linked to actual use and the opportunity cost of water. Further ZINWA should diversify its revenue base by exploring other cash generating services in the resources they operate. I thank you Mr.
Speaker.
- CROSS: I rise to speak to this particular motion because it is very important. I recently had an opportunity to look at two projects being managed by ZIMRA. One of them is Tokwe-Mukorsi and the other one is the Mtshabezi. In the case of Tokwe-Mukorsi, the Budget and Finance Committee went to the site in the afternoon at 3.00 p.m. The engineer in charge of the projects from ZIMRA was in an air conditioned office with his shirt off and surrounded by empty beer bottles.
No other members of ZIMRA were on site. They had already left for the weekend. We then proceeded to inspect the actual site. Mr. Speaker, I have been in business for nearly 50 years. I have never seen a construction site in such a mess. The foreign constructors on site, one engineer from Sulini said they were doing this on site but every house was based there. This project was initiated in 1998 – 1999 as a joint venture with the sugar companies in the Low veldt. At the same time, sugar companies offered to build this dam in return for access to the water for expansion purposes.
That offer was turned down by the state and the Ministry of Water was given the responsibility of draping this dam. This dam has now cost three times its original estimated cost and it remains 60% complete. We are now entering into a phase which is extremely critical, that it is the largest dam in Zimbabwe after Kariba. It will be five times the size of Kyle. It is a big dam with a huge wall. The wall is nearing 90 metres high. It is being constructed on a rock fall basis which means that the concrete slab which is cast in the front of the dam, will determine its impermeability. When the contractor starts sealing the river which he has started to work on, I understand that the river has been coursed off now and the water has been diverted to the tunnel. They are entering into a phase where the work cannot stop. Once you start pouring concrete, you have to continue until it is completed day and night. This is essentially a function of availability of funding.
Mr. Speaker, if the country does not have the resources and you have allocated US$50 million to Tokwe-Mukorsi in this current year, if the country does not have the resources to fund such projects properly, then we should borrow the money on a short-term basis and make sure that the contractor has adequate resources and until the project is complete. I want to inform the House Mr. Speaker that, if there is any interruption in the pouring of concrete at Tokwe-Mukorsi, it will put the entire project in jeopardy.
We may have spent about US$120 million or US$150 million on real estate which we were going to think was going to be flooded and then it will destroy most of the wall because of dam breaks. This is not saying that this is not hypothetical, this is a reality. In addition to this Mr. Speaker, it is critically important that we have these projects supervised properly by professional engineering firms. It is a common practice in this country that when a project of this magnitude is undertaken, a professional firm is paid on commission basis to supervise the tendering, supervise the contraction and in the end being satisfied that the work is being done to the satisfaction of the contractor. In this case we have ZINWA supervising the contractor and ZINWA is incapable of performing that function that is the reality. They do not have the skills, they do not have the experience and they simply do not have the capacity to supervise a sophisticated contractor like Celine from Italy. This is extremely dangerous. This is a very serious issue.
The second project is the Mtshabezi Project. Mtshabezi dam has about 52 million cubic meters of water in it. It has not been empty since it was constructed and the dam was closed. Bulawayo is once again facing a critical water shortage. Already Ncema dam has been decommissioned. Next will be the Nyanguni Dam followed by lower Ncema and then Umzingwane.
The position in Bulawayo today is worse at this time than it was last year. We face a situation in Bulawayo where if nothing is being done urgently about this situation, Bulawayo is not going to be able to provide the basic needs of its people by the end of this year, by October. We need 100 000 cubic meters of water a day in Bulawayo to meet basic minimum needs and that is 30% less than water we need at full supply. At 100 000 cubic meters a day much of Bulawayo high density townships are without water and are supplied by a tanker or by boreholes. In the face of this, ZINWA was given authority to proceed with a pipeline project from Mtshabezi Dam to Umzingwane, some 32 kilometers. They awarded the contract to a Chinese company. This was not funded with Chinese money, it was funded with our money, allocated by this House, initially in a grant of US$35 million. I can tell you that that is a very, very huge contract. The company completed the project but we had to allocate it more money. We gave it another US$5 million. In October last year, they completed the two pipelines and in opposition to what our local engineering firm had recommended, it had recommended cement pipes. They installed two plastic pipes. The plastic imported from South Africa. The Chinese contractor completed the pump station and the Minister of Water went to the site to open the project on the 24th October, 2012. He found the project completed. He went into the pump station and he asked how to turn on the pumps to see if they were operational and he was informed Mr. Minister, there is no electricity. This is true, the Minister then returned to Harare and phoned his colleague in the Ministry of Energy and said what can you do?
ZESA brought a power line to Mtshabezi 72 kilometers from Gwanda and he did this in six weeks.
This shows utter incompetence on the part of ZINWA. Here we have got a project which has cost US$40 million and the situation is that last month Mtshabezi was delivering between three and five thousand cubic meters of water a day to Bulawayo. The design capacity of the system is 17 000 cubic meters of water per day. So, they are operating at 30% of design capacity, no explanations were given nor the reasons on why it is not performing, the contractor is now here on sight.
Now if you just take these two projects, I do not understand, if you take the Aquifer project to most of Bulawayo which has a design capacity on two Aquifers to provide like 20 000 cubic meters of water a day to Bulawayo. It is supplying between 1 000 and 2 000 cubic meters of water a day. It is operating at less than two percent capacity. We have spent US$5 million there in the last six months without any improvement in performance. We have refurbished the Aquifer system not less than four times in the last ten years. Every time there is a crisis, we put more money in. It is managed by ZINWA. The Minister refuses to pass the management to the Bulawayo City Council which at least has some competence.
Mr. Speaker, how much longer are we going to go on tolerating this kind of incompetence? The fundamental principle is that any project worth more than US$5 million should have a professional consulting engineer appointed to manage the project. He should report to the Ministry of Water and to ZINWA if it is necessary and ZINWA will still be the financing agent but they do not have the competence. They cannot afford the competence of the kind of people who should be looking after these projects on our behalf. This is an extremely important motion and I hope that the other hon. members in the House will support this in the strongest possible terms. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: I move that the debate do now
adjourned.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 5th June, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, the House adjourned at Twenty
Four Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 10th October, 2013.
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
SENATOR MARAVA: My question is directed to the Minister of Transport or in his absence, the Leader of House. The hon. minister would be aware that we have witnessed a lot of carnage on our roads. The major culprits have been the conventional mini-buses. However, this has been exacerbated by the entry into the transport business by small Ex- Japanese vehicles, mainly the Ipsums and Noahs. Sometime last year Madam President, his ministry issued a statement banning the operations of these small vehicles, the Ipsums and the Noahs. This led to their disappearance from our roads. Hon. Leader of House, has there been a change of policy with regards to the licencing and operations of these vehicles? What policy measures is the ministry putting in place to ensure that these vehicles do not continue to endanger the lives of the travelling public as we approach the festive season?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): Thank you
Madam President, I am grateful for the question that the hon. senator has asked. Of course in the absence of the substantive minister, I will do my best to share with you the position of Government in relation to the question of carnage on our roads. Hon. senator, be assured that the question of carnage is of great concern to our Government and indeed to the entire population of this country. You will realise hon. senator that we now have something like 14 years of sanctions. We have gone through that period without infrastructure development in our country as a result of the constraints resulting from sanctions.
However, the last three years have seen a resurgence of some economic growth. I am sure, hon. senator, you are aware of the efforts that are being made now on some of the roads. Those who come from Bulawayo know that a lot of progress has been made by the Ministry of
Transport on the construction of the road from Plumtree-Bulawayo- Gweru and now to Harare. That has now improved the state of the roads, as well as widening the roads in our country. That is not the only scheme we have in relation to dealing with that problem. Government has already approved schemes to do the same from Beitbridge- Masvingo and Harare-Chirundu. Also the other one connecting Mozambique, that is via Mutare- Harare and Chirundu, also not forgetting the other branch that goes to Victoria Falls.
We believe that this cannot be an event; it is a process where that policy will unfold. The pace will be determined by the availability of resources in the country. We do not think that the question of issuing of licences is at the core of the accidents on our roads. We believe that there has been a growth from the economy in terms of motor vehicles on our roads without a corresponding expansion of infrastructure to accommodate the growth of that volume of traffic on our roads.
However, Government is always keen to improve on any legislation relating to road traffic, with the intention to improve the quality of driving on the roads and the quality of behaviour by our citizens on the roads. This is a duty that rests on all citizens to take upon themselves in order to facilitate the coming about of legislation that can promote safety on our roads. With those comments, hon. senator, I thank you for asking the question.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs. I want to know the policy of Government as it relates to those officers who are transferred from one station to another. Do they or their families continue to occupy accommodation at the previous station at the expense of those who are still stationed there, especially those who come from training depots? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR.
ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President. I would like to thank the hon. senator for asking that question. However, the question is not very specific because there are several scenarios. An officer may be transferred for disciplinary reasons or for investigation and you cannot therefore say the family should vacate the lodgings because of that. If an officer is transferred to another station, definitely they have to vacate the place they have been staying because they are no longer stationed there. Thank you Madam President.
SENATOR CHIEF CHISUNGA: Thank you Madam President.
My question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs. According to the new Constitution, the chiefs’ courts are now part of the Judiciary. May I know if there is a policy which safeguards the integrity of these courts considering that in previous years, people undermined these courts? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): I thank you
for that question and I believe there has not been any change. The judicial system of the country has always included customary courts like the chiefs’ courts. They have always been part of the dispensation of justice in this country and they continue to do so.
After appeals have been made by some chiefs, we are reviewing the extent of the jurisdiction of chiefs with a view to expanding their responsibilities in some areas of their competence. When we achieve that goal, we have to do it through consultations with the Council of Chiefs countrywide, in order to take on board their views, where they believe that there is need to adjust their jurisdiction. However, we also consider the possibility of doing so accompanied by the level of training in order to reduce the volume of cases that go to the magistrate courts, which we believe could be dealt with by the chiefs’ courts at the low level if we properly provide for adequate punishments which the chiefs can dispense. It is a matter in progress. I have already met several chiefs who have come to complain and some of their complaints are quite genuine.
Personally, I believe it is necessary that some of the issues that flood the lower courts should be dispensed at the traditional customary courts. Hon. senator, my ministry is seized with that matter and I have no doubt that when we are fully conversant with the system, we should bring a Bill that will pass through Parliament, elaborating and expanding, as well as making sure the dispensation of justice is contemporary with the current legal system practiced in the country. I thank you.
SENATOR MUSAKA: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs. Probably, I should start by making an observation. It should have come from the Chiefs, but I do not intend to offend the chiefs; it is the delivery of justice in terms of the infrastructure. If you go to the rural areas, justice is being delivered under a tree. I am asking this from a human rights point of view as it is a bit dehumanising. Sometimes I feel like avoiding going to that court because of the conditions under which I am being tried. Is there a policy to provide better infrastructure so that the individual on trial can feel comfortable and the individual can feel there is fairness and justice being delivered? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): I am grateful for the question you have asked. Perhaps I should give you a bit of history. Hon. Senator Musaka, you have a father, your father had a father and your grandfather had a father and we are here today because of that chain. That chain is what we are today, so we cannot despise what was before us. What we can do is to improve on what our grandparents established; the systems they established, so that we cannot say “Justice does not come from the room in which it is dispensed; it comes from the system that dispenses Justice”. It could be under a tree, it could be in a river or a mountain, but justice is what is dispensed not the way it has been dispensed.
However, I take your point very seriously. There are two systems which we have in Zimbabwe. It is easier to establish courts in Matabeleland because it is father to son chieftainship. It is easier because you may be able to establish a court knowing that it shall perpetually be father to son. However, the President of the Chief’s Council, Senator Chief Charumbira is here, and from his point of view, if there are eight brothers and one becomes Chief, the other seven have to follow but they will not be staying in one village. So we do not know whether the courts will be shifting as the Chieftainship moves from one brother to the next. I do not know whether Senator Chief Charumbira has ever discussed with the council of Chiefs that the Chiefs in Mashonaland area should discuss and agree that under each
Chieftainship, there must be a common place established, and then Government can put a courtroom there. So those are some of the issues that must be taken into consideration but as I have said, in Matabeleland, it is easier to do it. Thank you.
MADAM PRESIDENT: I think Senator Musaka had forgotten
that madare anoitirwa panze.
*SENATOR MACHINGAIFA: Thank you Madam President.
My question is directed to the Minister of Justice and it is a follow up on what he has said regarding the Chiefs Courts and their accommodation. There are some people who are suggesting that if stands can be allocated where the public may build the Chief’s house and a Court especially near a school or clinic, that house will be built at that stand, so that it
will be like - State property, whereby a Chief who is in power at that particular time will move into that accommodation. When he has been moved out of the Chieftainship, he moves out of that residence and the one who takes over his position will come and stay in that place so that they will be using that house and utilizing the Court house which will have been constructed at that point. Thank you.
*MR. MNANGAGWA: Thank you hon. senator for asking that
question. I am sure if you were listening to what I was saying you should have not asked that question. The problem that we have is that in different areas, culturally you will find that the Chieftainship revolves around the families and therefore, if we were to say a Chief for a particular area has been elected hence we are going to construct some buildings for his use, then somebody may even die before we have finished constructing the house and the traditional court. That is why I had consulted Senator Chief Charumbira to tell us how they go about the election of Chiefs in particular areas. This will enable the public to construct accommodation and the chiefs’ court at a central place whereby a Chief will dwell. There should also be a traditional court house so that whenever they inherit the Chieftainship, they move into that designated area. However, at the moment what we are looking at is, a Chief who has been selected also selects a place which is near his place where he will conduct his court trials so that whenever there are any traditional celebrations like roasting of beef and goat meat, they will do that at their own premises.
This is a different scenario from the Ndebele chieftainship because the chieftainship evolves in one family from father to son and in that manner, they use the same residence hence it will be easier to construct a decent dwelling place and a traditional Court house.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Thank you Minister for your responses.
I think I need to remind hon. senators about the Standing Rules regarding posing questions. There is no need for you to address the Minister, just pose your question.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President, my
question is a follow up to the issue of traditional courts. Can something be done like an induction of the Chiefs so that there is a common understanding of the laws of the country, so that there is a common base on which they try cases? I am saying so because there is evidence that some Chiefs do not understand the guiding supreme law of the country, which is the Constitution. When they give their judgements they are in contravention of the supreme law of the land.
- MNANGAGWA: Thank you Madam President. Again on
that score, the foundation of chieftainship is built not on ignorance but on the basis that Chiefs are the custodians of tradition of the people. With that in mind, it will be dangerous for us to think that the Chiefs are ignorant.
However, a workshop can be held where we can share views and expose new legislation relating to General Laws of the country but without the assumption that the Chiefs are ignorant. There are traditions that make him a Chief and those traditions cannot be regarded as ignorant customs.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Madam
President. I would like to add onto the answers given by a minister of the Chief Mapanzure Clan. We hope next time you will give us a chance to respond to some of these questions pertaining to us as Chiefs to some of these questions where we are responsible for administering the laws. When we look at the Ministry of Home Affairs, we also find that there are some police officers who are ignorant of the laws that exist in this country. When we talk of customary law, and when we say traditional chiefs want to enforce a law or arrest somebody; they will send a messenger or a policeman from the ZRP to go and make that arrest. However, when some of these police officers are given such a message by the Chief’s Court they question that message. My question is do you give lessons to your police officers to understand that they should work hand in hand with traditional Chiefs and Chief’s Courts?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: (MR
ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President, for giving me this opportunity to respond to the question raised by the President of the Chief’s Council. With regards to the police officers - some of them are not aware of the traditional Chief’s powers. What I will do is I have gained this information from you. I will take it up with the hierarchy of the police, so when they see the chief’s messenger coming, the policeman is aware that he deals with his official duty and that he is not out of step to follow instructions given by the traditional chiefs to send them to take a message to somebody who is requested to come for trial in the Chief’s Court.
*SENATOR MAVHUNGA: Thank you Madam President, my
question is directed or is in connection with the reburial of people who perished during the war of liberation. Listen now, we hear of people talking of some graves which have not been discovered in those areas where people died during the war. In some instances you will find that the relatives of the deceased take the responsibility upon themselves to rebury their beloved ones. My question is does the Government give any assistance to people who may want to rebury loved ones who died during the war?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Thank you
Madam President, for this information and question which has been posed regarding the reburial of people who died during the war of liberation. As we talk we have heard of some cases where people who died in that period and here reported to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
These people’s remains were exhumed and reburied in a decent way. Therefore, I plead with you members of the senate if you know of any place where there are some people who died during the war, please come and report to our Ministry and we will exhume the remains and rebury them decently.
+SENATOR KHUMALO: Thank you Madam President, there
are remains of people who fought in the war and they have not been buried properly. I would think if that comes similarly there are remains of people who died during the Gukurahundi which have not been buried properly. I hope we are also going to think about them and bury them properly.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Thank you
Madam President, for the questions which have been raised regarding the reburial of people who died during the Gukurahundi period. The problem we have is that we have a case whereby we are burring people whose cause of death we are not aware. We will run into the problem whereby we burry even people who are not supposed to be buried by the state. This is quite a difficult question because when we are following this reburial programme, we have to follow the channels set up by the Government. We have to follow the criteria required for the people to be reburied, people with a specific history.
+SENATOR MATHUTHU: Thank you Madam President, my
question is directed to the minister of Home Affairs. I have realized that the Lupane Heroes Acre and other Heroes Acres in that area have not been constructed, and accorded the proper dignity that they deserve to have. You find that livestock move around even on the graves. What is the policy with regards to this issue?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Well I am
not very fluent and efficient in Ndebele but I hear the question is based on the Heroes Acres in that they are not being properly taken care of. This is a very good question. I would suggest that the question also raised a history which has to be followed so that people understand the current situation at these Heroes Acres. There are some things which are supposed to be done in order for the Government to properly take care of the Heroes Acre not only Heroes Acre but also other areas.
We have been in problems we seem to be sneaking out of these problems, but the problem we face is that we were living in the period of sanctions. We know that if the sanctions are removed we will be able to get enough money so that we can work on all the projects which we were set out to do including care which should be given to the Heroes Acres nationwide.
MADAM PREDSIDENT: Order! Hon. Muchiwa, I have to name
you and when you are named it is not really good. And I am hoping I do not have to name you again because I have been saying Order, hon. members and you did not pay attention to that and when do not pay attention I have to name you.
SENATOR MUCHIWA: I am sorry.
SENATOR SHIRI: My question is directed to the Ministry of Home Affairs. May I know whether police undergoing training are also given lessons in communicating in Sign Language? You find that some of the disabled people, who come to report their cases of abuse at police stations, may be people who are not well understood by those serving them as they have a special language. So my question is, are the police officers given lessons in Sign Language?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR
ZIYAMBI): I want to thank the hon. senator for that important question. I have understood your question. What I will do is that I will go back to the police hierarchy and find out what they have on their curriculum and come back with the answer.
*SENATOR CHIEF MUSARURWA: My question is directed
to the Minister of Home Affairs. I would like to know the plans which you have regarding the areas where the First Chimurenga was fought, especially areas like Fort Charter where people lost their lives.
According to our history, you are aware of the existence of such places. What plans do you have regarding these areas?
Also, what plans do you have for the preservation of sacred places in and around the country?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR
ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President. Starting with sacred places for the heroes of the First Chimurenga war, some of these places are outside this country. We need to preserve and conserve these places. I remember there are people who look after these places and we had meetings with the people who are caretakers of these places. They said they need to conserve and preserve our sacred shrines. They said they need monies so that they can take care of these places. Our plans are that in future we should have a budget directed to the care of these sacred places. I thank you.
*SENATOR CHIZEMA: My question is directed to the Minister
of Home Affairs. You find that when a police officer is discharged from duty or he dies, from the look of things, the uniforms are not taken. There are some thieves who take advantage and put on the uniforms and use them when committing crimes. In the colonial period, when a police officer died, the uniform was taken by the police and burnt.
Unfortunately, these days, there are some people who you meet in the streets putting on this police or military attire. Hon. Minister, is that allowed?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR
ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President. It is very true that we have some people who steal military or police attire and these people conduct unlawful roadblocks and steal from unsuspecting people. I remember in the past, the hierarchy of the police force advised the public that whenever there is a roadblock which is conducted by two or three police officers, you should ignore that roadblock as it would be a fake roadblock. Our law does not allow ordinary people to put on military or police attire.
We are not very sure whether these thieves are using attire which has been obtained from police officers who have either died or were dismissed. Therefore, we need to look at how these people use this attire. If you see anyone who is not a member of the uniformed forces putting on this attire, you should go and report because when you leave the police or military, you are supposed to surrender your uniform.
+SENATOR MKHWEBU: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. I want to find out when the Ministry is going to finish the construction of the statue of the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo?
* THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR
ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President. Today, we discussed this issue with Minister Mohadi. We were speaking to the people who are carving this statue. They told us that they are still in the process of constructing it. We have sent out some people to make a follow up on the production of this statue because we heard that by the end of the year, the construction of this statue should be completed. This all depends on the people who are constructing this statue. We will be looking at the problems they are facing so that they can be rectified for the statue to be completed on time.
*SENATOR GOTO: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. This is with reference to beef, you find that somebody who has been given a permit to slaughter a beast in the rural areas, when they want to ferry this beef to the urban areas, they are advised to go and obtain a permit called the Carcass Permit. Why do you not decentralise this document so that when this person is carrying beef, there will be no problems. I would like the issuance of this document decentralised so that it can be easily accessed by people who want to ferry their beef from the rural areas to wherever they want instead of covering up with blankets and ferrying it at night.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR
ZIYAMBI): On this question, I will have to get the answer from the Ministry; I do not have the answer at the moment.
SENATOR CHIEF SIANSALI: My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. Does your Ministry have any plans of decentralising passport offices to provinces if not districts, so that our people can be afforded those documents without hassles?
THE DEPUTY MINISTE OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR
ZIYAMBI): It is a very pertinent question and it is very correct that we need our people to access the necessary documents near their places of residence. We are starting with birth certificates and we are negotiating with all our rural district hospitals and the local authorities so that we have one of our officers stationed at the hospitals. However, regarding passports, what we will do is that we want to decentralise the processing of passports. The documents will be processed and sent over for passport production here in Harare. Everyone in the country should make a loud noise about sanctions because the paper that produces passports is imported. Therefore, the question of decentralisation without adequate resources will be very difficult to sustain but as soon as the situation normalises, it is our hope and wish that people will be able to access their documents in places around their residential areas.
Thank you Madam President.
+SENATOR MKHWEBU: Thank you Madam President. My
question is on the sentence given to cattle rustlers if they are convicted of stock-theft. Thank you Madam President.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): Hon.
President of Senate, I understand Ndebele but speaking it is a bit difficult, so I will speak in English. Isigwebu samasela.- [HON. SENATORS: Laughter]- Yes, it is obligatory, once you are convicted of stock-theft, the mandatory sentence is nine years. There are some areas in the country where people believe that a mandatory sentence is lenient. However, the Judiciary is of the view that, even in stock-theft there are grave cases and others that are light but we just have one broad brush for light as well as grave stock-theft cases. We paint them with one brush, but we think that it is not the proper thing to do.
We have not received suggestions from the public, but the judicial system has expressed that we should adjust it so that we will have categories of stock-theft. For instance, there is a current case which came in last week. A man married somebody’s daughter and the fatherin-law charged lobola in the form of five cattle which the son-in-law was unable to deliver. The girl’s father went on to drive the five cattle from the son-in-law’s family herd. The son in law reported the case to the police as stock-theft. The son-in-law was always boasting that nothing would be done to him since he had already taken his wife and so he would not pay the cattle even if the cattle were there. The son-in-law went to collect back the cattle from his father-in-law and the case was regarded as stock-theft requiring a mandatory sentence. In criminal procedure, we have what we call mens rea, a Latin word meaning the intention to steal. Then there is the actus reus, which is the act of implementing the intention to steal.
In this particular case, it is difficult to establish the mens rea or the intention to steal because the father-in-law was implementing a decision done at the family court level to collect lobola and the intention to steal is not present. We believe that we need to attend to this issue so that we categorise these cases of stock-theft and apply justice fairly. It is unlike a situation where somebody takes away someone’s cattle even under the circumstances which I have described and they are painted with one brush, it is not a fair justice. Yes, the law is there, if you steal cattle, you go in for the same period of time, regardless of whether you steal one or 20 cattle, the same sentence still applies. That is not very easy for the judiciary. I thank you.
*SENATOR MAWIRE: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. Are there any plans for the construction of decent accommodation for the police officers especially those in the growth points where others are currently staying? We have noted with concern that, if this is not well planned, our police officers have now resorted to rented accommodation elsewhere. When these people are not properly accommodated, some of the official documents they will be using get lost. My second question is on the construction and renovation of police officers’ mess where they eat and drink after work. Are there any plans towards the refurbishment of these places so that we do not find police officers drinking and eating in public places? This exposes them to corrupt activities and indignity.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (MR.
ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President for these questions, which were asked by the hon. senator. The questions are very important. We discussed these issues of decent accommodation for the Zimbabwe
Republic Police (ZRP). The first step adopted was to apply through the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, so that there is a quota system allocated for the ZRP especially where we can construct a police station and decent police accommodation. Further to that, police officers should be allocated stands because we have experienced problems where police officers will be staying in rented houses where some landlords are thieves or some other uncalled for behavior, and our police officer is also exposed to that and is bound to be corrupted. You find that police officers also use public transport and I think that this does not augur well with their duties. They need to have a proper transport system. The senator also discussed police canteens.
We are working hard so that we can refurbish these canteens.
I remember we discussed the issue of spot fines, which was supposed to be directed towards refurbishing police stations, accommodation as well as to maintain peace and order in the country. Our greatest challenge as police officers is that the budget allocated to us is not sufficient for us to complete all the projects that we want to embark on. We are not happy when we see our police officers eating or drinking in public. We find that if the police officers stay amongst the crowd, their status and execution of duty is compromised because when they stay in those conditions they are definitely corrupted by the system. Therefore, our hope is that as time goes on we will be able to have enough money allocated to us in the budget to build decent canteens and accommodation for our police officers so that they do not compromise their standards.
As the Ministry of Home Affairs we have all those plans for our police officers to stay decently, in a non corrupting society.
Questions without notice were interrupted by MADAM
PRESIDENT in terms of Standing Order Number 34.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
PROTECTION OF VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE
- SENATOR CHIMBUDZI asked the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs what measures Government has put in place to protect children who are victims of sexual abuse.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MUNANGAGWA): Madam
President, I rise to thank Hon. Senator Chimbudzi for her question, which I hope will make hon. senators aware of the measures
Government has put in place for the protection of such children.
The Government of Zimbabwe, as a signatory to various national, regional and international declarations on the rights and protection of children implements various social protection policies, legislative instruments and programmes to ensure the fulfillment of all children and women’s rights. These initiatives resulted in the establishment of the Victims Friendly System in 1997 through the amendment of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act that aimed at supporting survivors of sexual violence and abuse to pursue their right to access specialized health, justice, welfare and other services without hindrance or intimidation.
In December 2012 the Judicial Services Commission facilitated the launch of the 3rd Edition of the Protocol on the Management of Sexual
Abuse and Violence in Zimbabwe. This resulted in the Judicial Service Commission providing enhanced performance and efficiency in responding to the protection of children from sexual violence and abuse.
CONSTITUTIONAL MEASURES
The new Constitution provides for the rights of children against abuse in the following provisions:-
- Section 19(1) stipulates that “the State must adopt policies and measures to ensure that in matters relating to children, the best interests of the children concerned are paramount”.
- Section 192 (c) states that “the State must adopt reasonable policies and measures, within the limits of the resources available to it, to ensure that children are protected from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse”.
- Section 19(3)(b)(ii) provides that “the state must take appropriate legislative and other measures to ensure that children are not required or permitted to perform work or provide services that place at risk the children’s well-being, education, physical or mental health or spiritual, moral or social development”.
- Section 81 (1)(e) provides that “every child, that is to say every boy and girl under the age of eighteen years has the right to be protected from economic and sexual exploitation, from child labour and from maltreatment, neglect or any form of abuse”.
LEGISLATIVE MEASURES
The Sexual Offences Act (2002), which is now part of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act of 2006, criminalises sexual offences which have been defined to mean;
- rape; or
- aggravated indecent assault; or
- sexual intercourse or performing an indecent act with a young person, involving any penetration of any part of his or her or another person’s body that incurs a risk of transmission of HIV; or
- sodomy
- deliberate transmission of HIV”
The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act defines sexual offences for the purposes of Section 302A (which relates to testing of persons accused of sexual offences for HIV infection) as the following offences- i) rape; ii) aggravated indecent assault;
Section 3(1) (b) of the Domestic Violence Act (2006) defines domestic violence as “any unlawful act, omission or behavior which results in death or the direct infliction of physical, sexual or mental injury to any complainant by a respondent and includes sexual abuse”.
Section 3(2) (b) of the Domestic Violence Act (2006) further stipulates that for the purposes of defining sexual abuse it “includes any conduct that humiliates, degrades or otherwise violates the sexual integrity of the complainant”.
Section 3(1) (i) and (m) of the Domestic Act (2006) provides that
“abuse is derived from the following cultural or customary rites or practices that discriminate against or degrade women -
- forced virginity testing; or
- female genital mutilation; or
- pledging of women or girls for purposes of appeasing spirits; or
- forced marriages; or
- child marriage; or
- forced wife inheritance; or
- sexual intercourse between fathers-in-law and newly married daughters-in-law;
- abuse perpetrated on the complainant by virtue of the complainant’s age, or complainant’s physical or mental incapacity”.
Policy Measures Put in Place in 2013
- Government of Zimbabwe launched the Protocol on the MultiSectoral Management of Sexual Abuse and Violence in Zimbabwe (December 2012).
Madam President, the Protocol has strengthened the functions of the
National Victim Friendly System Committee which is chaired by The Chief Magistrate’s Office. It has overall responsibility for coordination of policy reform and the implementation of the Protocol.
The Government together with other stakeholders is rolling out the Protocol as a yardstick of what is required from each stakeholder in the management of sexual abuse and violence against children and other vulnerable members of society. It provides a renewed opportunity for survivors of sexual violence and abuse by ensuring that their right to coordinated, comprehensive, quality care and support are guaranteed.
The Protocol sets out minimum standards and key procedures for all relevant stakeholders to provide survivor-centered services to child survivors of sexual violence.
As a result of this initiative, all courts have been directed to give priority to cases of sexual abuse and violence against children. In most instances the cases are now being completed within a week of an offender’s first appearance in court. This approach has seen a drastic reduction of the sexual abuse cases awaiting trial. The system is therefore now ensuring that child survivors of sexual abuse and violence do not endure long traumatic delays before the cases are tried. Getting done with the case brings closure to the dark episode in the child’s life and helps in the child’s rehabilitation.
Sentences being imposed by the courts have become more and more severe. We are not sure whether these sentences of ever increasing severity would work to deter offenders but all the same, the message is being sent that the courts will not sit back and watch these offenders terrorise children. The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act provides for sentences of up to life imprisonment.
1.1 Binding commitments from key stakeholders to protect children from sexual abuse and violence through the protocol
Who is bound by the protocol?
All government departments who are signatory to the Protocol and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) committed to the management of sexual violence and abuse are bound by this protocol, namely: The
Zimbabwe Republic Police Victim Friendly Unit, Ministry of Health and
Child Care, Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Ministry of
Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Ministry of Women’s
Affairs, Gender and Community Development; Ministry of Justice,
Legal and Parliamentary Affairs; Ministry of Media, Information and
Broadcasting Services; Department of Public Prosecutions, Attorney
General’s Office, Law Society of Zimbabwe, National AIDS Council, Civil Society Organisations.
2. The Victim friendly Court
Madam President, the Victim Friendly System refers to measures put in place for the protection and active participation of survivors in the criminal justice system. Through the 1997 legislative amendment to
Section 319 of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act (9:07), the Victim Friendly System was put in place to accommodate all witnesses, particularly children, deemed as vulnerable witnesses during criminal proceedings in the Victim Friendly Court. We have 17 Victim Friendly Courts in the country and under that system; the following milestones have been achieved:
- Judicial and other court officials became less formal to accommodate the participation of children.
- All children who come to court as complainants or witnesses
testify in camera, and their testimony is relayed into the main court through the closed circuit television (CCTV).
- All children have an intermediary during court proceedings.
- Establishment of the Multi Sectoral Victim Friendly Court
Subcommittees
- Use of anatomically correct dolls for child survivors and
witnesses
- Provision of witness expenses by Government.
Training of staff
Through the Chief Magistrate’s Office and collaborating partners,
Government of Zimbabwe has trained over Two Hundred and Eighty Five (285) Judicial Service Commission staff members, including magistrates and Clerks of Court on the management of sexual abuse and violence and supporting vulnerable survivors. Awareness campaigns are on going through the Victim Friendly System Sub Committees.
In 2013, between January and August, the number of child survivors of sexual abuse and violence supported in our courts stood at 2
026 girls and 65 boys.
3. Multi-Sectoral Stakeholders
Madam President, the Government of Zimbabwe is working through a multi-stakeholder framework to achieve the measures put in place to protect children who are victims of sexual abuse as outlined below.
Child Survivor/Child Perpetrator surrounded by the following stakeholders:
- Police
- Clinic
- Court
- Civil society
- CBOs/FBOs/Traditional leaders
- VFC National Coordinating Committee
- VFC Sub Committee
- Child Protection Committees
- School
- Child led groups
4. Other measures in place to protect children from sexual abuse
4.1. Pre-Trial Survivor Services
- Information Sharing
- Reporting to community and Industrial structures
- Medical services
- Psycho Social Support
- Place of Safety
- Relief Supplies
- Referrals
4.2. During Trial
- Interview with the Prosecution Department
- Familiarisation with court system
- Welfare Services/Support Person
- Use of Closed Circuit Television system
- Intermediary
- Anatomically correct Dolls
- Comfortable and Homely side room
- Sensitive Court personnel/gestures
- Witness expenses
- Referrals
4.3. Post Trial
- Temporary Shelter
- Medical Services
- Follow ups
- Psycho social support
- Rehabilitation and Reintegration
- Relief Materials.
4.4. Expert Evidence
The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act, Section 278, Subsection 3 and 3A authorises State Registered Nurses to do medical or forensic examinations. Thus they may be called to the courts as Expert Witnesses where the court requires their expertise. Through this legal process, the Government of Zimbabwe is providing efficient facilities for the fast tracking of access to medical services by survivors who need to beat the 72 hour Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) deadline against
HIV infection. I thank you
MADAM PRESIDENT: We thank you for your thorough
response to this question. Your Ministry has done justice to the question. So, that brings us to the end of Questions for Oral Answers. At this juncture, I would like to appeal to the Leader of Government Business, Sir, we had 7 questions for Oral Answers today, and only two, have been responded to because two ministers or representatives of Cabinet Ministers were present. That means we have to carry over 5 of those questions.
I am appealing to you Sir, to please encourage Cabinet Ministers to take this assignment seriously because it is part of their duties. It is also a way that the hon. senators can be answerable to their constituencies. I would like to believe that these questions come from their constituents. The hon. senators in turn, have to bring them to the Senate. So I am appealing to you Sir, to please encourage the other Cabinet Ministers to provide written answers to Questions with Notice. That is the only way we can meet our mandate as people’s representatives. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): I will pass
on the message. Thank you.
MADAM PRESIDENT: We really appreciate that you have been
with us since 2.30 p.m. and you are still here with us.
MOTION
ALIGNMENT OF LAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the harmonization of existing legislation with the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you very much Madam President.
Madam President, I stand to make clarification here. Bearing in mind that:
- The Executive has expressed its willingness to cooperate with the Legislature as regards this motion,
- The Deputy Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Chasi, availed himself to this august Senate within the shortest time after the introduction of this motion. He explained the problems facing the Executive in respect of the matter under consideration. The Deputy Minister also assured this august Senate that the matter was indeed receiving urgent attention.
- The last person to debate on this motion yesterday was none other than the President of the Chief’s Council, Hon. Senator Chief Charumbira who echoed the need for oneness in this august Senate.
- Madam President, where I come from, we respect Chiefs – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear]- Therefore, as the mover of the motion, Madam President, I agree to the request by the Hon. Deputy Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary
Affairs that we defer debate to the 20th November, 2013 as proposed by Hon. Senator Chief Charumbira after which debate shall resume. I would like that to be noted. Thank you very much.
SENATOR W. SIBANDA: I second.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): I move that
the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 20th November, 2013.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): Mr.
President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 14th October, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, the Senate adjourned at One Minute
th October, 2013. to Four O’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 14
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 8th October, 2013.
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
VERNACULAR INTERPRETATIONS
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators who wish to
contribute in vernacular, to do so slowly to allow interpreters to accurately capture your debates.
CORRECTION OF SENATORS’ SPEECHES
MADAM PRESIDENT: Senators are also reminded that drafts
of their speeches will be forwarded to the Senate by the Orderlies, within an hour of their debates for corrections. Senators are reminded that corrections are restricted to grammar and spellings only. Corrected drafts should be returned to the Hansard Department through the Orderlies as soon as possible to facilitate corrections. Senators are therefore, urged not to leave the Chamber before the adjournment of the Senate or not to leave until they have corrected their draft speeches.
INVITATION TO THE DEATH PENALTY DAY
MADAM PRESIDENT: Amnesty International is inviting all
hon. senators to attend the Death Penalty Day at Harare Gardens, in the Bandshelf Pavilion on the 10th of October, 2013 from 12:00 hours. The event is to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty.
INVITATION TO A TEA-PARTY
MADAM PRESIDENT: All women Parliamentarians are invited
to a tea-party to be hosted by Archbishop Dr. Eunor Guti on Wednesday, the 9th of October 2013, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Hon. senators are requested to confirm their attendance with the Public Relations Department.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I finally remind hon. senators to
please switch off your cellphones.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order Read: Adjourned debate on the motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
SENATOR MAWIRE: Madam President of the Senate, Deputy
President of the Senate and hon. senators, I would like to start by congratulating His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe and
Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde. Robert
Gabriel Mugabe, for his re-election as the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. I also extend my congratulations to you all hon. senators, our fellow members in the Lower House and Hon. President Madzongwe for her re-election as President of the Senate.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our people have tasked us to move our nation forward. Trust and faith in us, saw millions of Zimbabweans voting for us into the positions we hold today. It is for this cause that the Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe was duly opened by His Excellency on the 17th of September, 2013 with the task of aligning the existing various pieces of our legislation to the new Constitution and to deal with outstanding legislative business of the Seventh Parliament.
Hon. senators, His Excellency touched on agriculture, which is the mainstay of our economy. It is true that our agricultural sector is depressed owing mainly to recurrent droughts, erratic rainfall patterns and lack of adequate funding. Our country is blessed with a lot of water sources, which, however, have been under-utilised. For example in my province Manicaland, there is Osborne and Mupudzi Dams which are not being utilised. I thank His Excellency for noticing that we need a ministry which deals with irrigation development. The recurrent droughts that we continue to experience cannot be felt if we utilise these water sources through putting up irrigation infrastructure to aid our farmers and improve food reserves.
Madam President, as pointed out by the President that Government will emphasise increased reliance on irrigation agriculture, it is important that we look at those areas and farms with existing infrastructure which have worn out equipment and help people to revamp their activities.
On funding, our people are faced with financial problems and are failing to fund their farming activities. There is need to fund the farmers so that their production increases. The White farmers were well funded and were able to produce more; they came here with nothing and were funded to run their farms. This is also what is needed by our farmers who were given farms. Some of them had nothing. If well funded, our farmers will produce, and will be able to fund their activities. This calls for what the President termed marketing incentives to motivate the farmers. A lot of farmers are shunning the growing of maize and other grains because they are facing poor market prices. After receiving funding, it will be important to have inputs subsidised and have them on the market timeously. Also, there is need for women to get support in the form of agriculture equipment and funding for their farming
activities.
Madam President, turning to indeginisation, our visionary President, His Excellency Cde. R.G. Mugabe should really be honoured for such valuable policies. Our economy has suffered because we are not the ones running it. Key sectors of the economy have foreigners running them and they can easily be influenced. Locals know that if the economy suffers, they also suffer. However, foreigners will just leave and go back to where they came from, leaving us crying. 100% support for indigenisation will help curb the problem of unemployment which has affected our youths and women.
Madam President, His Excellency highlighted that the economy is characterised by declining production levels, high costs of production, company closures and high unemployment. Revival of closed and distressed strategic companies will go a long way in creating employment for our people. In my constituency, companies like Mutare Board and Paper Mills and Karina used to employ over a thousand people. If they are opened, people will benefit a lot. I therefore urge the Government to continue mobilising funds towards this cause.
Madam President, on the education sector, I give credit to the Government for its policies which steered our literacy rate to great heights. Our nation has the highest literacy rate in Africa of 90%. However, a lot needs to be done so that the country moves in a positive direction. There is need to transform the education system in line with the developing societal demands and expectations. We need to see more being done in schools to complement His Excellency’s efforts of providing computers to schools. In this modern world, e-learning has taken the floor in schools, and we need to move with the pace that technology is moving. Our education system should produce excellent products, equipped to meet all the demands of our developing world.
I do appreciate that the Government has, in the past, given grants, but during the past ten years, these grants have not been given to schools. Parents are facing problems which have seen a lot of children dropping out of school. The grants help schools to move forward and offer relevant education. BEAM funds have been received well in primary schools, but the funds are not availed on time. In some secondary schools, BEAM funds have not been received since mid 2011. The Government needs to look into this matter because there are a lot of children who need assistance.
Madam President, teachers’ welfare remains a cause for concern, and it continues to impact negatively on children’s performance. Most teachers are shunning rural areas because of poor infrastructure in these schools and financial constraints. We need to address these issues if we are to improve our children’s performance. A child cannot perform if she or he is taught by three different teachers in a year. Improved welfare for teachers would see rural schools retaining teachers for a greater part of their careers, thereby influencing a positive development in education.
The introduction of teacher incentives tells a story of how the welfare of teachers really needs to be addressed. If one visits schools where incentives are given, those schools have continued to perform, whilst those in rural areas continue to perform poorly.
Madam President, civil servants must also be given Transport and Subsistence allowances for them to improve their performance. In higher and tertiary institutions, the Government needs to chip in and help upgrade the infrastructure in the area of accommodation. This will help protect the girl child. Students face financial problems and failure by some parents to provide for them have seen some of them failing to live properly in the institutions. The girl child is the most affected as she is sometimes exposed to the dangers of prostitution. Therefore, I appeal to the Government to timeously avail allowances for students in order to help them sail through their tertiary life without exposing themselves to dangers associated with sugar daddies and mummies.
Madam President, I wish to look at the welfare of people. The
Government has the Department of Social Welfare and I am really concerned by the number of elderly people and the kind of assistance they need. These people are vulnerable and need us to look into their welfare. This group of people can no longer manage to fend for themselves. Most of these elderly members of the society have chronic diseases, which require them to get drugs, and it needs money to do so. The Social Welfare department should be well funded in order to help these people, in reference to Chapter 2, section 21 of the Constitution, states that, “the State and all Institutions and Agencies of Government, at every level must take responsible measures, including legislative measures, to secure, respect, support and protect elderly persons and to enable them to participate in the communities.”
Madam President, I will go on to speak on the welfare of our veterans of the Liberation Struggle, who continue to lead poor lives after the excellent job they did of fighting for our independence. These men and women really need the assistance of Government and other stakeholders in their day to day activities. They have failed to resist the economic hardships, for most of them are not gainfully employed. We witnessed the white man rewarding his own heroes using our land and we have failed to do the same to our own. I appreciate the other efforts that have been made by the Government but I say, it is not enough for us to see those veterans leading lives which tell a lot of problems, they also need better salaries and houses et cetera.
Madam President, our Health Ministry is one of the ministries which have a big task in Government. This month is the cancer month, cancer has become the leading cause of death in the world surpassing that of HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. This tells us that there is a lot that needs to be done by all stakeholders. The country only has two dialysis machines which are at Parirenyatwa serving the whole nation. If we were to reduce the number of cancer deaths, then we need to go an extra mile in helping cancer patients. We need to continue working hard in as much as we need to have the figures going down. We need to contain all the areas which assist in the spreading of these diseases. Let us encourage our children and let us abstain; only one way truly prevents us and our children from acquiring these diseases. It is 100% more awareness on controlling one’s sexual behavior.
Madam President, talking about this without talking about corruption, one will have left out a thing that has become a concern in our economy. Hon senators, if we come into this House and continue to discuss other issues without addressing this issue, then we are not doing enough. This corruption is destroying our economy day and night. A lot of money is being lost through corrupt activities which we have just looked at and let go. Most people claim that the police institutions which should be helping in preventing and stopping corruption are the ones doing it all.
This claim is being raised from police road blocks where people are paying spot fines. I call upon Government to remove this and go back to that policy where one would be given a ticket and would be asked to pay at any police station within 7 days. People are forced to pay bribes because they do not have money when they get to these roadblocks. Government institutions and Auditors should be well equipped so that they regularly audit offices of finances for our different departments. Our people have continued to be corrupt because there is little being done by the law and Government. If we stop corruption, it will allow the country to move. Thank you, Madam President and makorokoro kuti tirikubata basa redu murunyararo.
+SENATOR MKHWEBU: Thank you Madam President. I
would like to thank Senator Mutsvangwa for moving this motion on the Presidential Speech. I would also like to thank Senator Mumvuri for supporting the motion that was moved by Senator Mutsvangwa.
I would like to say congratulations to the President of the Senate and the Deputy, for being selected to lead us in the 8th Parliament. I would like to thank the President for his Speech in which he spoke about drought relief. Drought is very prevalent in Matabeleland South. The President mentioned that each district should be given nine tonnes of maize, which are not enough for all the wards. It therefore becomes difficult when it comes to allocation, the Government needs to look into this issue. As I have said before, drought is very prevalent from where I come from and I plead with the Government to make sure that there is enough food for everyone.
The President also mentioned the issue of indigenisation; in Matabeleland South we rear cattle. However, it should be noted that there is not enough food for our cattle; again I am appealing to the Government to provide us with loans. In addition, Madam President, I have to state that we do not have enough water for the cattle.
In his Speech, His Excellency also spoke of Manyange Dam. This dam has been appearing on the Blue Book for years now. Everyone is expecting the Government to do something about this dam as there are water woes in Matabeleland. We are expecting that the dam could be used by about three constituencies. There are also boarding schools which could get water from that particular dam as well as the business community. A lot of people could make a living from that dam as there is no water. People from these districts have been facing water challenges for years, if the Government constructs this dam, people could do projects through irrigation from this dam.
Madam President, I would also want to speak about corruption, I would like to urge this House to look into the issue of cattle rustling. I plead that there be brand marks for cattle in each district so as to solve this problem. There is a law that is used by councils, these councils keep cattle for three months and then sell them that is if the owners do not come to claim them. As a result the number of cattle in Gwanda has declined because they sale the cattle after three months. Again people’s cattle get stolen, you find that one person will lose about 100 cattle at the same time and remain with nothing. I am hereby pleading on the issue of brand marks so that each and every district has its own brand mark.
Madam President, I plead that each brand mark be computerised so that people may know which district the cattle belong to. I am pleading with the whole nation on this issue as it is very rife in the whole nation. Madam President, there is a Bill that will soon be coming on mining. I am pleading that, there are a lot of gold panners in Gwanda who do not have the necessary machinery and working capital to start their projects.
I wish that the Government could pass a Bill so that they can be able to work for themselves and get working capital.
Madam President, gold has helped a lot in Gwanda especially during this era of sanctions, it has helped us to survive up to today. We thank His Excellency on that issue.
Lastly Madam President, I would like to speak about the customs that are there in Gwanda. I would like to speak about Njelele in Matopo and Zhilo in Sigodini. Each and every society has its customs and cultures and a way of following them, these areas are under the supervision of Chiefs. Culturally, each and every area has its own leader. They have sent me to let you know that they do not have proper roads to get to Zhilo, they do not have clean water. I am pleading with the Government to help by constructing proper roads and to make sure that they have clean water. There are people who go there from different areas in Zimbabwe for help. They are hoping that the Government will give them a helping hand, especially when it comes to water and food. I thank you.
MADAM PRESIDENT: I also thank you Senator Mkhwebu.
SENATOR MASHAVAKURE: I am a Senator from people
living with disabilities. Thank you Madam President, for affording me this opportunity to contribute to this motion by Hon. Mutsvangwa, on the occasion of the Official Opening of Parliament, by the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Comrade R. G. Mugabe.
In the Constituency that I represent, we are very delighted with the prospect of the alignment of the laws of this country with the new Constitution. This alignment can actually help us a lot in the sense that, for instance, in the disabled Act of 1992, there are issues of accessibility that are spoken of there, especially accessibility to the infrastructure. But it is also, Madam President, our hope that this accessibility issue can be taken further and can be extended so that the Disabled Person’s Act that I am talking about can be aligned with the new Constitution.
The new Constitution this country adopted this year has got a very benevolent spirit towards disability. I can cite a few sections, for instance, on equality and non-discrimination in Section 56 subsection (3) and (4), you can even go to Section 83 which specifically deals with issues of the rights of people with disabilities. You can even proceed to Section 194 (1) (k) which also specifically mentions disabled people among other many sections. But we also have clauses that refer to the marginalised and disadvantaged generally, which in my opinion include the disabled. Again, under the principles of Public Administration and Leadership in Section 194, particularly subsection (1) (d) and (j), even the preamble of Chapter 14 clause (b), actually espouses the broad democratic participation by all Communities in Zimbabwe. That to us sounds like we are included although disability may not be specifically mentioned in some of those places. Actually the spirit is there that everybody in this country, including the disabled, should benefit from whatever is being provided for or whatever is given by the new Constitution.
It is therefore, Madam President, with this in mind that our community, the disabled community also believe that certain omission or apparent omission in Chapter 14 on Metropolitan and Provincial Councils which do not refer specifically to the disabled people actually refers to them indirectly. It is just that the wording was not specifically included. It is therefore, our hope that with the Speech of the President that alluded to the alignment of laws to this country’s Constitution, disability will be accommodated in Sections 268 and 269. That is concerning the Constitution or composition of the Metropolitan Councils and Provincial Councils it just like the Constitution gives us two Senators, we might as well have two representatives of people with disabilities in each of the Metropolitan Councils and in each of the Provincial Councils, following the structure that we have in the Senate, where we have an almost equal number of females and males. I understand from the Constitution that the Government has got the power to formulate legislation which will operationalise these Local Authority
Councils, Metropolitan Councils and the Provincial Councils in Section 273 and 279.
I would like to urge the ministers and ministries responsible and any other official involved with this formulation of legislation not to forget disability in pieces of legislation that are going to be used to constitute and to run these different Councils. In fact, a lot of our people are asking us what the situation really is and we have been telling them that we believe that Government has not forgotten because throughout the Constitution, issues of disability are very clear. They are clearly enunciated and it is our belief and hope that come the process when such pieces of legislation are formulated, definitely we will not be forgotten.
In the same vein Madam President, it is our belief that, with the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Parliament of Zimbabwe and the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe did undertake in May and June, I think and again from other sources of information, it is our understanding that our
Government has since deposited the instrument of ratification at the United Nations in New York, possibly on the 23rd of September. We strongly believe that it is part of the process of aligning the laws of this country with the new Constitution.
The ratified Convention should be included so that persons with disabilities in this country can benefit from whatever is provided by this Convention. In other words, we are saying the process of domestication or incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities should be part and parcel of this alignment of laws that the President talked about in his Speech.
Madam President, I would like to move on to issues to do with the indigenisation and give due respect and recognition to the fact that the Government of Zimbabwe for instance, has had somebody to represent people with disabilities in the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board for some years now. I also recognise the fact that a number of disabled people have actually benefitted from the Land Reform and have got plots and even farms in the country.
It is our hope also that we can move on and benefit from other facets of the indigenisation programme, like the President said that Government is going to formulate a mechanism by which civil servants can participate in the indigenisation deal. Our hope is also that we will not be left out. Everybody who is interested, including people with disabilities, will not be left out. I would like to urge Government that whenever and wherever indigenisation is talked about, disability is somewhere around the corner.
A lot of people are actually disabled. It is just that some people do not want to acknowledge the fact that they are disabled. Occasionally, they come out but sometimes they prefer to hide because maybe it is not advantageous enough at that particular moment. If we were to investigate, I think a few of us will be found with one or two disabilities somewhere somehow. I would also like to encourage our traditional Chiefs to take disability seriously. I understand they are some of the major players in the community share ownership schemes in the areas where they come from. I want to urge senators and those that are not in the Senate not to forget your disabled groups, orphans and other vulnerable people; we are there to be served by you.
Madam President, there is also the issue of transport, I think the
President did refer to the development of some of our roads and possible expansions, maybe Chirundu-Harare, Masvingo-Beitbridge roads and so forth. I would like to urge our local authorities to think seriously when they plan some of these things that they do in our towns for instance; at the moment where I stay in Harare, I understand they are building some bus terminus somewhere at the back of the town. That is very good and I think it is a development. My idea of public transport is that it should service the needs of the majority of people in Harare. The majority which I think are workers who for instance, if I work in Mukwati and some of these places in the East and I am dropped off somewhere close to the Harare Agricultural Showgrounds; that is a long distance to cover on foot to reach to the Eastern part of the city. The same applies to people being dropped off at Fourth Street and having to travel to ZANU PF Headquarters or Rainbow Tours Hotel or somewhere in the West.
I think the basic principle of planning transport in an urban area should be to service the interests of the majority first. The motorists, I suppose I am one of the motorists, but I think everybody should be encouraged to use public transport. In other words I am saying the terminus which is being built in the West should actually be used as a parking place for motorists and the rest of the workers should actually be allowed to travel eastwards. An example is, if you are coming from Highfield or Kuwadzana, you should be dropped off at Fourth Street and those from Mabvuku, Tafara and Ruwa should be dropped off at that other terminus that they are building so that people are dropped off near their work places.
I think it is a trend worldwide that you do not encourage myriads of motorists into town. You actually discourage them so that the public transport system can make use of the roads in the central business district. What I am trying to say is that as part of this process, one of the things that we should dream of is probably doing away with the commuter omnibuses that I like travelling in, but I think maybe it is high time that we start resuscitating our ZUPCO buses so that they carry loads of people across town. We can even have our bus stops in the city centre.
Maybe one of the days, if I bring my vehicle, I will leave it at the terminus in order to decongest the city centre. It helps people with disabilities. An example is the Market Square place, there is Bank Street and Mbuya Nehanda Street, where they meet, there used to be robots there but these days they are not functioning. To coincide with the new Constitution which is giving rights to the disabled; the robots have been disabled. What happens is that if you are coming out of that terminus and want to follow Mbuya Nehanda Street towards the place where we get our national identity documents, the cars are coming from the left and the place is noisy. I am talking specifically about people with visual impairment, the people behind you and those in front are making noise and you are not very sure that the car has stopped and you spend a lot of time trying to work out whether to cross or not to cross the road. If the robots are working, you hear the noise of cars coming to a halt, signaling that the cars have stopped and you are able to cross. However, that robot is not working. The next robot, to the right, which is Chinhoyi Street and Bank Street, the robot has not been working for the last two or so years for the reasons best known to the City Fathers.
There are several other places where you find – I cannot call them pot-holes, they are actually gullies, the pavement is dug and left open. If you are visually handicapped and like to move very fast, one day you may find yourself landing in a very deep hole and it may take some cranes to take you out. That problem should be addressed. The City Fathers should start planning for everyone and put projects and plans in place to rectify the situation so that we are all comfortable in our city. The robots should be fixed so that they function normally and everyone will benefit. If I were to walk alone along Nelson Mandela Avenue towards Standard Chartered bank along Sam Nujoma Street, on my left, I would listen to the cars coming from the left. When I hear them stop, I cross the road knowing that no car will turn into Nelson Mandela Avenue because it is one-way. These one-way streets have been beneficial to some disabled people, but the system is not flexible enough because sometimes there is electricity blackout and the robots stop functioning. Under such circumstances, you walk through the road and the cars are all over you hooting.
I would like to move on to the issue of human–trafficking which the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe referred to. He talked about people who are abusing others in this region and therefore the need to …
Senator Mlotshwa having stood up and trying to avoid passing through the Chair and the hon. senator speaking.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Hon. Mlotshwa, I think it is alright; there is no way you are going to make it the other way. You can come through this way.
SENATOR MLOTSHWA: Thank you.
SENATOR MASHAVAKURE: The President talked about the
need to sort out issues of human-trafficking, which cannot continue to happen in our region. I would like to stretch it further and say that, abuse of humanity takes place even on our doorsteps, in our own country. In that respect, I am talking about people with disabilities. Organisations, associations and institutions are formed in the name of disability. However, what is achieved by these bodies is very minimal.
We continue to meet people with disabilities begging and singing while others try to sell fruits. Recently, I received a letter from someone who was complaining that the Municipal Police was harassing them and even breaking their limbs. I hope that is true. They are trying to make ends meet by selling their wares in the city centre.
I do not know where the problem is because we have a lot of bus termini in the city like the Fourth Street, Road Port, Charge Office, Rezende Street South, Copacabana and so on. I thought the City Council would possibly take these people, especially the people with disabilities from my constituency, the deaf and dumb, whom I often meet in town while selling air-time and fruits. Some of them are from the Spinal Injuries Association. These people should be designated in suitable points such as at the Road Port, Fourth Street, Charge Office, Rezende and so on, from which to sell their items. I think orderliness will be maintained if this is done. What I got from the Spinal Injuries Association is that, when they asked for places from which to sell their items, one was placed at Haddon Motors, which is in Eastlea. For the four to five days that he was there, he only sold four to five bananas and the others got rotten. The others were placed at Avondale Shopping Centre, Westgate and so on. Why should people be taken to where there are no customers? The bulk of their customers are found in town, Machipisa Shopping Centre, Lusaka Market, Mbare and so on. Why then can we not place these people where there are customers who can buy their items? Why should we hide them away from the city?
One of the days when I was in England, I was walking with my Professor’s wife and there were people singing. I asked if the people were blind and I was told that they were not but were trying to make money. In America, I understand that these people are called panhandlers. There is nothing new about begging, it is all over the world. Anyone who turns into vending will be trying to avoid begging. We should help them so that they make a decent income without having to steal or do any of these unlawful things. I think that our City Council should help them. In this regard, I would like to appeal to the Minister of Local Government, Doctor Chombo, to empower Councils so that our situation is improved. I hope one day I will be able to talk to Senator Shiri over some of the issues that our people are facing.
In relation to the abuse of the people with disabilities, I think that if Government is able to register organisations and institutions, it should also be empowered to monitor and evaluate whatever these organisations and institutions are doing. They should be monitored on how they expend their finances. I have noted that the Constitution stipulates that the Government has a mandate to formulate legislation that will give powers to the Auditor-General to look into the affairs of certain Government departments. Madam Speaker, I would like to request the authorities that be to also give the powers to the Auditor-General to occasionally, with or without notice, look at the way things are happening…
MADAM PRESIDENT: Order Hon. Senator Mashavakure. In
the Senate we do not have a Speaker; we have the President of the
Senate.
SENATOR MASHAVAKURE: Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue Madam President. I would like to urge the authorities that, when they make the necessary legislation, they should give powers to the AuditorGeneral to also investigate at his or her own discretion, whatever is happening in an organisation or institution which would have been registered by the Government of Zimbabwe. This would either be a Trust or a private volunteer organization. I think that will stop a lot of mischief that is happening. Organisations are formed in our name, but there will not be a single disabled person in the management of that organisation. How then can someone form an organisation where disabled people cannot participate claim that the organisation is for the benefit of the disabled or is established on their behalf?
Madam President, the next thing is that we have the department of Social Welfare or Social Services, where our people get what is called Public Assistance. At the moment, it is only USD20. Can you imagine travelling from some place in a rural area; you are blind like me or are wheel chaired like someone else, where you need an escort. You pay USD5 for your escort and USD5 for yourself to go and collect the money; you need the same amount to travel back. This means that you will collect the money entirely for the purpose of covering transport expenses. If you borrow the money, you run the risk of not being able to pay it back. I think the Government should, in its own wisdom, consider seriously the possibility of raising that figure so that people can benefit from the goodwill.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Order, Hon. Senator Mashavakure, I
wish to remind you that you only have four minutes left of the time that you are allocated.
SENATOR MASHAVAKURE: Alright, no problem. We also
think that there are other issues that will affect everybody else. For instance, if you had your US$20 and did not spend it all and you put it in a bank, the next time that you go to the bank, you will find out that maybe the money is gone. So, as part of the formulation of laws governing our banking system, that the President alluded to in his speech, I think the issue of bank charges should be addressed seriously.
Four years into the era of this basket of currencies, banks cannot continue to complain that they are having administrative problems and therefore the best thing they can do is to eat into people’s accounts. That is a custom and practice that should now be stopped. Madam President, I would like to thank you for this opportunity.
* SENATOR MANYERUKE: Thank you Madam President. I
would like to start by thanking you for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution on this motion and also congratulate you for being given the opportunity to lead this august Senate. May the lord empower you to be able to communicate with the people at all levels. I would also like to say thank you to Senators elected into this Senate because we know that the elections were quite a contest and winning was quite an effective thing.
I want to congratulate His Excellency for opening up the First Session of the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe and congratulate him for winning the elections which were held on the 31st of July, 2013. I am also very grateful that the elections were held in a peaceful atmosphere.
Even in the area where I come from, in Muzarabani, which is one of the hottest areas, it was cool as if we had just lost a chief. Therefore the spirits of the land were happy because of that.
His Excellency succeeded in the elections and the observers, who had come from other countries, confirmed that the elections in Zimbabwe were held in a free and fair manner. Even those people who were against the elections felt that the elections were free and fair.
The President also touched on farming and mining and I will only touch on a few things. Since I come from Muzarabani, this is a hot climatic region and we grow mainly the cash crop cotton. Our problem is that the price of cotton is making the farmers give up on growing cotton and they are now going to areas where they prefer to grow tobacco.
Our farmers also feel that they want to grow maize and they look forward to receiving maize seed and as of now, the rains fell some three days ago but unfortunately the seed has not come. I know we are hard working farmers and if we are given enough equipment and seed, we are able to feed our families. I would also like to say thank you to the
President of Zimbabwe and the Commander-In-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces because he is supporting all the provinces of this country, regardless of the people’s affiliation, tribe and religion. In Muzarabani, we appeal to the President so that he gives us small grain seeds, including beans, that we have a bumper harvest. In other areas people prefer growing maize.
We also look forward to ministers, who were elected to lead the country, to do their work properly. I am also glad because they have started doing their work and they are working very hard. In Muzarabani, we have a dam on Mavuradonha Escarpment. We look forward to the construction of this dam. The water flowing from the dam will enable the farmers to grow their crops and thereby avert hunger that is caused by persistent drought.
We say thank you to His Excellency because he empowers us and encourages us to talk of peace and development in our areas. We talked about development in unity and in peace. Thank you, Mr. President for giving us the time to discuss in Peace.
As leaders of this august Senate we should speak in unity as we are doing now, according to the Presidential Speech. We will be able to keep peace and unity in the country. I would like to thank you Hon. President of the Senate for leading us and encouraging us not to miss our sittings, so that we do our work properly according to the mandate given to us by the electorate. Thank you Madam President.
SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
SENATOR MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th October, 2013.
MOTION
ALIGNMENT OF LAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION
SENATOR MARAVA: I move the motion standing in my name
that this House;
NOTING the people of Zimbabwe voted overwhelmingly at the referendum in favour of the new Constitution on the 16th of March,
2013;
WHEREAS Parliament passed the new Constitution in May 2013;
AND WHEREAS the President of Zimbabwe assented to the
Constitutional Bill on the 22nd of May, 2013;
AWARE that some existing legislation has not yet been aligned to the new Constitution;
CONCERNED by commissions and omissions by the Executive
which are likely to breach provisions of the Constitution;
FURTHER CONCERNED by the absence of Bills that seek to harmonise existing legislation with the new Constitution;
NOW, THEREFORE : Calls for the expeditious harmonisation of existing legislation with the Constitution of Zimbabwe and the implementation of the constitutional provisions particularly those that seek to uplift the status of women.
SENATOR MAKORE: I second.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you very much Mr. President, my
motion has to do with the alignment of some existing legislations to conform with the new Constitution.
Mr. President Sir, I need not remind Senators that Zimbabwe now has a new Constitution. However, I need to highlight the fact that there are changes that must be made to our statute law immediately to give effect to the new Constitution. Some sections of the Constitution came into effect on the 22nd of May, 2013 when the new Constitution was gazetted. The rest of the Constitution came into effect on 22nd August 2013.
- Declaration of Rights
Mr. President, the Declaration of Rights is already in operation and several statutes should have already been amended to reflect this. (a) Right to life (Section 48 of the new Constitution)
The new Constitution permits the death penalty to be imposed as under the present Constitution, but only in more limited circumstances:
- It can be imposed only for “murder committed in aggravating circumstances”
- It can be imposed only on men between the ages of 21 and 70.
Mr. President, the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act and the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act [Criminal Law Code] will have to be amended to give effect to these restrictions.
(b) Rights of arrested, detained and accused persons [Sections 50 and 70]
Mr. President, the new Constitution gives the following new rights:
- Arrested persons must be allowed, without delay and at the State’s expense, to contact anyone of their choice, including their relatives or legal practitioners.
- Arrested persons must be allowed, without delay though at their own expense, to consult their medical practitioners in addition to their lawyers.
- Arrested persons must be released after 48 hours unless their further detention has been authorized by a “competent court”. Their detention cannot be extended in any other way.
- Accused persons are entitled to legal aid “if substantial injustice would otherwise result” and must be informed of that right.
- Detained persons must be allowed to communicate with and be visited by their relatives, their religious counselors, their lawyers, their medical practitioners and anyone else of their choice.
- Anyone may apply for an order of habeas corpus to obtain the release of a detained person or to ascertain his or her whereabouts; it is not necessary for the applicant to establish locus standi.
Mr. President, none of these rights is provided for in our statute law, which will have to be amended urgently to provide for them. In particular, the following provisions of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act will have to be amended.
(d) Freedom of expression and freedom of the media [Section 61]
Mr. President, the new Constitution expressly protects academic freedom and freedom of the media. It also guarantees freedom of establishment of broadcasting and other electronic media, subject only to licencing procedures that are necessary to regulate the airwaves and are independent of State, political or commercial control. State-owned media must be impartial and allow fair presentation of divergent views and opinions.
The relevant legislation must therefore be amended to reflect this new reality.
(e) Rights of women [Section 80]
Mr. President, the new Constitution prohibits discrimination between men and women, particularly in relation to custody and guardianship of their children.
The Guardianship of Minors Act will need to be revised so that it confers equal rights on mothers and fathers. At present it assumes that fathers are the guardians of children and favours mothers in regard to the custody of children.
The Marriages Act and the Customary Marriages Act also need to be amended to ensure that marriage of girls under 18 is prohibited in both civil and customary law.
- Citizenship
Mr. President, the new Constitution has made several changes to our citizenship law which must be reflected in the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act.
- It has conferred citizenship as an absolute birthright on people born in this country; that is, it permits citizens by birth to hold dual citizenship. This is reflected in Section 42(e) of the new Constitution.
- It has conferred citizenship by birth on people who were born in this country and descended from SADC citizens, so long as they were ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe on 22nd May 2013, as reflected in Section 43(2) of the new Constitution.
- Foundlings, that is, children under 15 who are found in Zimbabwe and whose parentage is unknown are deemed to be citizens by birth as is contained in Section 36(3) of the new Constitution.
- It has lengthened from five to ten years, the period of residence required for citizenship by registration. This is contained in Section 38(2) of the new Constitution.
Mr. President, it is my humble submission that all these changes must be reflected in the Citizenship of Zimbabwe Act.
- Elections
Mr. President, members would be aware that new provisions came into force on the 22nd May 2013, on how representatives to Parliament and local government would be chosen. Specifically, there is the introduction of proportional representation for the Senate, for extra women’s seats in the National Assembly and for some Provincial
Council seats. Although the new Constitution required that an Act of Parliament must provide for the conduct of elections, alignment of the
Electoral Act with the new Constitution was done by regulations [S.I.
85/2013].
Mr. President, under the Lancaster House Constitution, the Attorney
General was the Government’s chief legal adviser and was also responsible for prosecuting criminal cases on behalf of the State. Under the new Constitution, these two functions are separated. Specifically, the Attorney General continues to give legal advice to the Government [Section 114] but responsibility for criminal prosecutions is transferred to a new National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) established by Section 258 of the Constitution. The NPA is headed by a Prosecutor General (Section 259). Mr. Tomana, who was previously Attorney-General, has become the Prosecutor-General by virtue of paragraph 19(2) of the Sixth
Schedule to the Constitution, which states that “the person who held office as Attorney-General immediately before the effective date continues in office as Prosecutor-General on and after that day”. The post of Attorney-General therefore remains vacant. Mr. President, in the absence of legislation setting out its organizational structure, the NPA’s existence remains largely theoretical. In terms of Section 259 of the
Constitution, an Act of Parliament must provide for the NPA’s organisational structure and the employment of its staff.
- Provincial and Metropolitan Councils
Mr. President, a new Act must be enacted setting up provincial and metropolitan councils in accordance with Chapter 14 of the new Constitution. Strictly speaking, the councils have been established by the new Constitution itself, but until legislation is enacted, the councils will have no venues, no structures, no procedures and no staff. Mr. President, the Act must spell out in clear terms the roles and functions of the provincial chairpersons so as to avoid duplication and conflict with the newly appointed Ministers of State for Provincial Affairs. The Act must also provide for capital grants and other payments to be allocated equitably between provincial and metropolitan councils and local authorities, as required by Section 301 of the Constitution.
- Enabling Acts for the New Constitution
Mr. President, the new Constitution has created three new commissions:
- the Zimbabwe Gender Commission
- the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission
- the Zimbabwe Land Commission
Although the Constitution outlines how they are appointed and their functions, these commissions need enabling Acts to regulate their procedures and staffing, and to confer ancillary functions and powers upon them, in the same way that enabling Acts have been passed for commissions such as the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, which were established under the previous Constitution. Mr. President, it is my hope that the members of the Executive under whose jurisdiction the above issues fall, will move with speed to bring the Bills to Parliament. I thank you.
SENATOR MAKORE: Firstly, I want to thank Hon. Marava for
raising this very important motion of the Constitution. I would also like to thank the 7th Parliament for a job well done, where they managed to produce such an important document. I also want to put to this august Senate; it is my opinion or my view that this Constitution must be interpreted in both vernacular languages, so that the citizens understand this document in and out.
Looking into the phases of this Constitution, all sections are fundamentally important. I would like to single out an important section that has been mentioned by Hon. Marava in his presentation. It is the Declaration of Rights. Citizens must be in a position to understand their rights. The rights to me are a treasure that really purposes fully the intentions of war. In the Constitution, in terms of the national objectives of the Constitution, it is to guide all institutions and agencies of State and Government.
The goals set out in Chapter 2, should guide all Government bodies as they exercise their powers, make laws and policy decisions. In general terms, Government authorities should be exercised with the aim to establish and promote a just, free and democratic society in which
people can enjoy prosperous, happy and fulfilled lives. This Section states that the objectives set out in this Chapter, must be considered when interpreting the obligations of the State under the Constitution or any other law.
Mr. President, the Constitution is the supreme law of the country.
It is anticipated that all laws that are below should be aligned to this Constitution. This presentation does not guarantee that at least, that will not be done, but it is only an emphasis that the processes must be speeded up so that we are not found wanting, in terms of the implementation aspect of this particular Constitution. The rights, such as stated here, are very social. For example, those that have been mentioned under the prisoners, they are so social where one can communicate with anybody, request the legal representation, can be visited and be seen by his relatives or friends. These are social clauses. It means that these steps are interpretations to the intended objectives for which the war was fought. It gives guarantees, rights, freedoms, justice and solace in all our processes – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.]-
By the same token, this call is a call for total realignment of all the laws to our Constitution. This process, as was mentioned, must be speeded up. They have mentioned a number of phases and I do not want to sound like a legal persona. I want to touch it from a layman’s approach. Normally, they say, “the voice of the people is the voice of
God”, and we assume that this Constitution was a people driven
Constitution – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear] - and it is their voice. Fundamentally, I do not want to waste much of your time, but this call is meant to quickly realign all our laws to this Constitution. I thank you, Mr. President.
SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: I move that the debate do
now adjourn.
SENATOR MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 9th October, 2013.
On the motion of SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA seconded by SENATOR MOHADI, the Senate adjourned at One Minute past
Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 15th October 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
INVITATION TO A CLEAN-UP CAMPAIGN AND
ENVIRONMENTAL DAY
MADAM PRESIDENT: I wish to inform hon. senators that the
Anglican Church of the Province of Central Africa and Proudly
Zimbabwean Foundation are inviting all Members of Parliament to an Anglican Communion Cleanup Campaign and Environmental Day to be held at Avondale Shopping Centre in Harare on Saturday, 26th October, 2013 from 0800 hours to 1630 hours. His Excellency, the President, Comrade R. G. Mugabe will attend the event. Senators who wish to attend should confirm with the Public Relations Department.
APPOINTMENT TO THE STANDING RULES AND ORDERS
COMMITTEE
MADAM PRESIDENT: Section 151(1) of the Constitution
provides that Parliament must appoint a Committee to be known as the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders for purposes of supervising the Administration of Parliament, formulating Standing Orders, considering and deciding all matters concerning Parliament, and exercising any other functions that may be conferred or imposed on the
Committee by the Constitution or by Standing Orders or any other law.
Section 151(2) of the Constitution provides that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders must consist of the Speaker and the President of the Senate and the following Members of Parliament: The Deputy Speaker; The Deputy President of the Senate; The Minister responsible for Finance and two other ministers appointed by the President; The Leader of Government Business in each House; The Leader of the Opposition in each House; The Chief Whips of all political parties represented in each House; The President of the National Council of Chiefs; Two Members who are not ministers or deputy ministers, one being a Senator appointed to the Committee by the President of the Senate and the other one being a Member of the National Assembly appointed by the Speaker.
In terms of Standing Order No. 14 of both the Senate and the National Assembly Standing Orders and the Provisions of Sections 151 of the Constitution, I therefore, inform the Senate that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders shall comprise the following:
Hon. Jacob Francis Mudenda, The Speaker of the National Assembly and Chairperson; Hon. Sen. Edna Madzongwe, President of the Senate and Deputy Chairperson; Hon. Mabel Memory Chinomona, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly; Hon. Sen. Chen Chenhamo
Chakezha Chimutengwende, Deputy President of the Senate; Hon
Patrick Chinamasa, Minister of Finance, Hon. Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, Minister of Defence; Hon. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs; Hon Sithembiso Gile Gladys Nyoni, Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises and Cooperative Development; Hon. Thokozani Khupe, Leader of the
Opposition; Hon. J. M. Gumbo, ZANU PF Chief Whip; Hon. Innocent
Gonese, MDC-T Chief Whip and Hon. Jasmine Toffa, MDC Chief Whip.
Section 151 (2)(i) of the Constitution also states that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders shall also be comprised of eight members who are not ministers or deputy ministers, four being elected to the Committee by the Senate and four being elected by the National Assembly. The membership of the Committee must reflect as nearly as possible, the political and gender composition of the combined Houses of Parliament.
We have now received eight names, six from ZANU PF and two from MDC-T as follows:
ZANU PF: Hon Sen. C. Tawengwa; Hon. Sen. M. Mutsvangwa,
Hon. Sen. T. A. Mathuthu and MDC-T: Hon Sen. S. Mlotshwa
The nominations comply with the requirements of Section 151(2) (i) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, I, therefore, declare them duly elected to the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders.
INUAGURAL MEETING OF THE STANDING RULES AND
ORDERS COMMITTEE
MADAM PRESIDENT: I also wish to inform the Senate that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders will have its inaugural meeting on Wednesday 16th October, 2013 at 1100hrs, in Committee Room Number 4. All committee members are expected to attend.
2013 PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
MADAM PRESIDENT: I also wish to invite all members of the
8th Parliament, to the 2013 Pre-Budget Seminar that will be held from the 31st October, 2013 to 3rd November, 2013 at the Elephant Hills Hotel, Victoria Falls.
The Seminar is an important annual Parliament activity meant to enhance the contribution by Members to the process of Budget formulation and prioritisation ahead of the presentation of the 2014, National Budget Statement and the passage by Parliament of the Finance and Appropriation Bills.
Departure for Victoria Falls will be on Thursday 31st October,
- To ensure adequate preparations and logistical arrangements,
Senators are required to confirm their attendance with the Public Relations Department. Officers from the department will be stationed at the Members Dinning Lounge from 1400hrs, starting from Wednesday 16th October, 2013, to facilitate registration for the Seminar.
Confirmations close on Wednesday, 23rd October 2013. Only confirmed members will be catered for.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: Finally, may I remind hon. Senators to switch off your cellphones before commencement of business.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
SENATOR MUZENDA: Thank you Madam President, I also
want to add my congratulations to you, Madam President and to your
Deputy for being given the post. I would like also to congratulate His Excellency, President Robert Mugabe, for articulating the agenda of the First Session of the Eighth Parliament.
Allow me, Madam President, to look at two issues which were in the Presidential Speech. These are agriculture and infrastructure. Agriculture is the backbone of our economy; therefore, it has to be given the highest priority so that food security is achieved. Madam President, in order to address the issue of food security we need to mitigate against vagaries such as the weather. However, we cannot continue to cite drought as a reason for non-performance of the agricultural sector. We need to harness water from sources such as dams, rivers and underground water.
I wish to suggest a very simple and I think workable solution which we as a country can adopt. Let me propose a very simple but effective solution. I am aware that in Zimbabwe we have 1 958 wards but I will raise the wards so that the solution I wish to prefer would work. Let us suppose the 2 000 wards were encouraged to just plough 25 hectares of maize, supposing that Government would give 25 hectares and put those under irrigation, it will mean that 25 hectares times 2 000 hectares will give us about 50 000 hectares of irrigation. 50 000 hectares under irrigation, if we calculate further, would translate into about 350 000 to 500 000 tonnes of maize. I am aware of that because the rains were inadequate last season, we have had to import 150 000 tonnes and my supposition, if we had put the suggested hectares under irrigation, we could have maybe avoided the importation of maize.
The other solution, Madam President, would be to seriously consider, I know this has been talked about many times before, but I think that as a country, subsidizing our agriculture. We are aware that in Malawi, before the death of President Mutharika, they subsidized their agriculture and that year when they subsidized their agriculture, Malawi did very well. Subsidies do work Madam President and we are importing maize from Zambia because the Zambian Government last year subsidised farmers that is why the farmers were able to harvest the much needed maize. So, I think our Government should seriously think along those lines. If we had sought to subsidize our farmers, the 150 000 tonnage we are importing, if we had given our farmers $400 per ton for maize we would have saved $60 million which we are supposed to be getting so that the maize comes to Zimbabwe.
There is also need Madam President, to encourage the Government to let the farmers know the producer price before they start planting so it encourages farmers to plant maize. If people know producer prices ahead of time, they can decide what to plant and what not to plant.
Let me also look at the infrastructure Madam President. Infrastructure is very important for our economy now. We therefore, need to seriously look at our roads and rail system because we are anticipating that there is going to be a boom in the mining, and also in the manufacturing sectors. Therefore, we seriously need to engage our neighbour Mozambique, to look at the port infrastructure so that we use them.
Madam President, I come from Midlands, and right now you are aware that the Midlands Province did not have enough rainfall in the last season. There is serious starvation in some areas. I am aware that there are mitigation factors which Government is trying to implement. But I think that there is need for those who are supposed to be looking at helping those who are in drought to seriously look at how well that is being implemented. I am looking at the harmonized social cash transfer. I am aware that each family is supposed to be given $10 to $25 per month, but that is very little. In addition to that, at the moment there are about three hundred thousand households which are in need of that, but to date, Government has only managed to give about 31 000 families.
So, there is really need to hasten that.
The other point I wanted to also share is that I think it is high time that communities were encouraged to at least plough according to their regions. For example, there are regions that will do very well if sorghum, millet and so forth were ploughed rather than maize. So I think that our Agritex people should teach our farmers about what to plough.
Madam President, I am also aware that in Midlands Province there are problems of water especially in Gweru and other cities. There are problems of water because of lack of capital. Government, the municipalities have not been able to get financial help because they cannot borrow from the banks because it is exorbitant to borrow from banks. Therefore, there is need for maybe municipalities to be helped in order to get cheaper money. There are also problems with some of our dams like Gwenoro Dam which is drying now and it is very difficult for the city to find other means for people to get water.
There is also a problem of population growth, as also people have been coming to cities in the hope that they would get jobs. This weighs heavily on the infrastructure like water and so forth; burst pipes are also a problem. In addition, to burst pipes the municipalities are not able to read meters properly because most of the meters are defunct and all that needs money.
Madam President, I would like to end here and hope that we as the Senate are going to push for legislation which is going to make sure that our country moves forward. Thank you very much.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Thank you Hon. Senator Muzenda.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIASING ON
PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION (MR
HUNGWE): Madam President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 16th October, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 62ND SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY UNION SENATOR MATHUTHU: I move the motion standing in my
name that this Senate takes note of the Report of the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) held in
Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire from 28 to 29 September, 2013.
SENATOR CHITAKA: I second.
SENATOR MATHUTHU: Thank you Madam President. The
President of the Senate and Vice Chairperson of the African
Parliamentary Union Executive Committee, Hon. Edna Madzongwe led a delegation that travelled to Abidjan, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire to attend the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee of the African
Parliamentary Union (APU). The Session was held from the 28th to 29th
September, 2013 at the National Assembly of Cote d’Ivoire. Other delegates were as follows Hon. T. Mathuthu Member of Parliament, Hon. P. Chitaka Senator, Mr. J. Gandiwa Assistant Clerk of Parliament and Secretary of the delegation and advisor, Mrs. R Makoni Manager in the office of the President of the Senate and Mr E. Tivakudze Security to the President of the Senate.
20 out of 39 APU member countries attended the Session representing an attendance rate of 51.3%. These countries were Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d’lvoire , Djibouti, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Mali,
Morocco, Niger, Nigeria Rwanda, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
2. The Opening Ceremony
Hon. Sako Sarah Fadiga, the 1st Vice Speaker of the National
Assembly of Cote d’lvoire welcomed delegates on behalf of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Soro Kigbafori Guillaume. She stressed the key role played by the APU in bringing people together and in expanding the Pan African Parliamentary movement of regional cooperation and integration, in order to achieve peace, solidarity, fraternity and harmonious development. She highlighted the threat posed by terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking and cross border crimes to economic growth.
In officially opening the Session, the Acting Chairperson of the
Executive Committee of the APU, Hon. Edina Madzongwe, expressed appreciation to the authorities at the National Assembly of Cote d’lvoire, for hosting the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee of the APU.
She thanked the country for the hospitality extended to delegates. She further appreciated the work of the APU Secretariat in organising the Session and making excellent preparatory modalities. Hon. Madzongwe raised concern on the terrorist attacks in Kenya. She condemned terrorism in all its forms and reaffirmed solidarity with affected countries.
Hon. Madzongwe applauded the return of constitutional rule and order to Mali and the recent election of Ibrahim Boubakar Keita as President of the Republic of Mali. On one hand, she reiterated that APU was concerned with the unrest in Central Africa; on the other hand, APU was hopeful of the legislative elections to be held in Guinea as this would lead to stability in that country. Hon Madzongwe underpinned the need to identify ways of expanding the APU. It was further noted that there was need for member countries to contribute to debate as well as pay subscriptions timeously to avoid the accumulation of arrears.
3.0 Session Proceedings and Resolution
The Session deliberated on matters relating to the Secretary
General’s Report, implementation of decisions and recommendations of the Conference, consideration of 2012 Audited Management Account as other agenda items. He explained the preparation for hosting the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee, preparations for the 63rd Session of the Executive Committee and the 36th Conference that will be held in Libreville, Gabon from the 4th to the 5th of November 2013. The Session will be followed by the 36th Conference of the APU from the 7th to the 8th of November 2013.
The Secretary General also explained that at the Kigali meeting held in November 2012, at the suggestion of the Executive Committee, the 35th Conference of Speakers resolved to set up an Ad hoc Committee to hold in-depth discussion on the obstacles to the development of the APU. Member states were requested to send their contributions on the development of the Strategic Plan for the APU. Out of the 39 member states, only four submitted their contributions, making it impossible for the Ad hoc Committee to meet. Member countries were, therefore, requested to submit their inputs to the General Secretariat so that the process of coming up with a strategic plan is set in motion.
4.0 Audited Management Account for the 2012 Financial Year
The Secretary General presented the 2012 Annual Management
Account which was drawn up in conformity with the provisions of
Articles 15 and 16 of the Financial Rules of the African Parliamentary Union. It was noted that out of the 39 National Groups, 21 had paid their contributions. These were Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,
Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Togo and Zimbabwe.
The contributions settled for the year 2012 amounted to
US$769 814, representing a recovery rate of 64.29%. Unsettled contributions for 2012 totaled US$410 197. APU received US$25 000 as a donation from the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union. Total receipts for 2012 were US$999 059, while total expenses were US$830 056. This leaves a credit balance of US$169 003. Working capital at the beginning of 2012 was US$611 911. Therefore, working capital at the end of 2012 was reported as US$780 914.
Notwithstanding the positive financial position and report for APU, it is important to note that Zimbabwe is not a fully paid up member of the APU. Out of its expected contribution of US$32 879,
Zimbabwe only paid US$14 555, leaving a negative variance of
US$18 324. This means Zimbabwe paid 44.26% of its dues. In light of the above, and noting that Hon. Senator Madzongwe is the Vice Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the APU, it is recommended
that:
To protect the image of the country and integrity of the institution, Parliament of Zimbabwe must fully pay its contributions on time.
5.0 Auditors Report of the APU Management Account
Article 16 of the Statute states that the Executive Committee shall appoint two Auditors annually from its members to audit the accounts of the previous financial year. The same article vests in the Executive Committee, the power to approve financial regulations. In conformity with the provisions of Article 16 of the Financial Regulations, the Annual Management Account was audited. It was observed that the collection rate for 2012 of 64.29% was superior to that recorded in 2011 (48.5%).
In conclusion, the auditors of the African Parliamentary Union noted that the operation of receipts and expenditure for the year 2012 had been properly reported in the Annual Management Account and was carried out in conformity with the statutory and budgetary provisions.
It is important to note that the auditing process, in the view of the delegation, complies with the statute of the APU. However, it does not comply with international best practice in that the audit ought to be done by independent registered auditors. The audit for APU, in line with its statute, was done by Members of Parliament, who are also members of the Executive Committee of the APU. This creates a scenario whereby it may be perceived that the organisation is auditing itself. This is not consistent with proffering an independent audit opinion and observation which is the hallmark of good corporate governance. In this respect, it is recommended that:
The account of the APU must be externally audited by an independent registered auditing firm in the host country. This would require an amendment of Article 16 of the APU Rules of Procedure.
6.0 36th Conference of the APU
The Executive Committee adopted the draft agenda for the 36th Conference. The Executive Committee also adopted the draft agenda for the 63rd Session of the Executive Committee. It was resolved that the 63rd Session of the Executive Committee and 36th Conference of the APU will be held in Libreville, Gabon from the 4th to the 5th November, 2013 and the 7th to the 8th November, 2013 respectively.
The Committee of Women Parliamentarians of the APU resolved that the theme for the upcoming meeting at the conference in Libreville,
Gabon is, ‘The role of women in conflict resolution in Africa.’ Pursuant to provisions of Article 10 of the Statute, the Executive Committee appointed Equatorial Guinea and Gabon as rapporteurs for Committee 1 and Committee 2 respectively.
6.0 General Comment
There is need to review and revise the Statute and Rules of Procedure for APU to enhance clarity and style to make them consistent with other legal documents.
7.0 Conclusion
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks to the authorities and people of Cote D’Ivoire for successfully organizing the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee of the APU. The Zimbabwean delegation arrived home on the 1st October, 2013.
SENATOR CHITAKA: Thank you Madam President for giving me the opportunity to second this motion, which has been ably presented by Hon. Senator Mathuthu. Before I go into the contents of the report, I would like to thank you Madam President for affording me the opportunity to be part of this delegation, ‘zvinotendwawozve.’ I must also bring to the attention of this august Senate the fact that, not only did Madam President lead the Zimbabwe delegation, she also found herself as Chairperson of all the meetings. She is the Vice President but the President of the APU Executive Committee was not available, so she ended up chairing all the meetings for the two days. She did not just chair these committee meetings but she did it very ably and she made our country proud.
Members of this august Senate might take note of the fact that she is the only female head of Parliament represented in the APU. It was gratifying and satisfying to receive accolades from other countries, especially those countries from the Arab and Moslem background where you might perceive them as having not so progressive policies on women advancement. These were the countries that were in the forefront of commenting Senator Madzongwe for her able handling of the committee proceedings. You made us proud Madam President.
Coming to the report, I will only touch on three issues. The first issue, which might not be coming out very clearly in the report, is the fact that in the Kigali conference, an ad hoc committee was set up to mobilise and come up with a strategic plan for the APU, including how to expand its membership. Zimbabwe was tasked with mobilising the Southern and Eastern African bloc. That is an honour and I believe they will be meeting very soon to map the way forward. Therefore, Zimbabwe is not just a passive participant; they are very active participants in this APU gathering.
Let me come to the two recommendations which I would like members to really take note of. The first one is dues. It actually does not look as bad as it is stated in the recommendations; Zimbabwe’s arrears are current arrears. There are countries that have got four or five years arrears, so we are just asking our Government to clear current arrears but it is not as bad as it might look. We are among the few countries that are up to date with subscriptions. We were surprised because we expected ourselves to be behind in our subscriptions but I think efforts were made to bring them up to date.
The second recommendation is very important. Let me read it to refresh hon. senators’ minds. ‘The account of the APU must be externally audited by an independent registered auditing firm in the host country. This would require an amendment of Article 16 of the APU Rules of Procedure. The current process there is basically that APU appoints auditors from among its members. Now you know in our case, we are very much at the forefront of transparency and accountability in terms of financial management, so this has the conflict that you are asking a body to audit itself. Therefore, Zimbabwe is strongly recommending a change of the statute so that the auditing of the accounts is done by external bodies and not members auditing themselves. It is a very important recommendation that we ask this august Senate to support so our President can take it forward.
Lastly but not least, I would like to commend the secretariat and support staff that accompanied the delegation. We came back on the 1st October, 2013 and a week later Johane Gandiwa had already produced the report. This is something that we should commend. I know of delegations that have gone and two years later some of the reports never came, so we must commend our secretariat, Johane Gandiwa, Mrs Roseline Makoni and Emmanuel Tivakudze for being so efficient. They discharged their duties in a very professional manner. We will not go into detail but we had one or two tough situations, very uncomfortable situations, but I can assure you and report to this Senate that this team of ours acted very professionally and I would like to thank them for their professionalism. Finally, I wish you well when you attend the next conference, which is in Gabon. Thank you.
SENATOR HLALO: Thank you Madam President. My
contribution to this matter is going to be on the issues I will be raising as I speak. My first observation is the balance between the member countries which are fully paid up and those which are not, which is almost half. I think on your next trip, encourage our African brothers and sisters to pay up so that we can be seen to be capable of looking after our own affairs, as we always say that we want to take charge of our affairs. We say in Africa that Africa is for Africans, I think let it start with what we can do collectively and that is paying up.
I know Madam President that you will be able to conjure our African brothers and sisters to pay up. When you look at the figures you are talking about - US$14 000, for a country to pay up so that the programme of the APU can go smoothly. If Zimbabwe can succeed in getting that for a start, I think they need to be encouraged in a manner that will make them see the fruits of paying up.
The other issue, Madam President, I know it is very good for our senators to travel outside, so I would ask your good office to carry on picking senators to travel with you so that we can at least benchmark what we do here in Zimbabwe as opposed to only knowing what we do in the country. It gives us a measure, as my colleague, Senator Chitaka was saying, when you look at Zimbabwe it is true that our literacy rate is very good and that it also shows that if we go to any platform, we are able to carry out duties assigned to us because of the education. We should applaud that.
I also did not have the opportunity to thank you for the trip you afforded me. In the last Parliament we were not given the opportunity to thank you. Thank you.
*SENATOR CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President, I do
not have much to say but I felt I had to contribute to what is being debated in this Senate. I want to thank Senator Mathuthu for this motion that has been seconded by Senator Chitaka. I was deeply touched by the few things that were mentioned, especially that the delegation was being led by you Madam President.
We know you as a well respected woman who respects members
of the delegation. I was thrilled by the fact that you chaired all the sessions that took place at the APU. As a woman, I am proud of you. What has made me proud is that there were 20 countries and as a woman you reflected good leadership that was appreciated by all the other countries around you. As women, we are proud that we chose a President of the Senate, who is able to carry out her duties. This is what we need to emulate as your subordinates, so that when we are engaged in such business we should reflect the same. We want to thank you, Madam President, that the work that you are engaged in, was not just for your own good but for the country of Zimbabwe as a whole. We want to thank you together with your delegation.
Let me say that the good work that you did; you heard members of the delegation and you were able to work together and we are proud of you. Even those people who do not know us where you went to were proud of us as a country because of the work that you performed. I also want to thank Mr. Gandiwa for producing the report on time. We need to thank such individuals when they perform their work diligently. We want to thank Mr. Gandiwa for the report that he produced. This shows that he is dedicated to duty and what we are talking about here is reflected in the report. We want to thank you Madam President for the work that you did in representing the country and we hope that in Gabon, you will be able to perform your duties. I thank you.
*SENATOR MAKORE: I want to thank you for the opportunity
that you have given me Madam President. I thought it would be better for me to give a few words concerning the Committee that did us proud in Abidjan. I want to thank the mover of the motion Hon Mathuthu. The issue of unity that you mentioned, peace, solidarity and economic development is very important in Africa, especially where there is peace, because there is also development. Peace is vital; in saying this Madam President, I realize that all war torn countries are facing challenges in reaching a status of peace.
Looking at countries such as Iraq, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Lybia; if we are to take a closer look at where they are today and where they used to be before the war, it becomes an issue to comprehend. This should be a lesson to Africa as a whole that if we have peace, and are united, it will lead to the development of countries in Africa. I was thinking that it would have been good for us to boast in creating a United States of Africa (give me a round of applause).
I think this issue must be supported by everyone, we are being belittled in Africa but we have very important resources. Countries in the West and others around depend on resources in Africa, hence we always want to talk a lot about colonialism forgetting that they are after our resources to enrich their countries. If we create a United States of Africa and we create our own wealth in unity and good relations as
Africans, it would be good for us. I want to say that your participation at the APU displayed that you have the capacity. God loves this country because it has intelligent people.
I want to say that we have a field of intelligence in Africa, especially in our country Zimbabwe and we want peace. You have never observed the people of Zimbabwe, they act as a family. They are after development, whenever they get some money, go and have a look at where they build their homes and where they stay -they have good homes. They want water that is easily accessible, construct good roads with the little money they have and they manage to send their children to school.
All their priorities are development based. I want to say that it is important in Africa and that the time has come for us to reflect and see ourselves as complete and not to have low self esteem but to be more concerned about development, reflecting that we can challenge what people think of us, like what you did. You chaired the session and was well esteemed and highly commended and some even wanted to bring gifts although I have not heard of the nature of the gifts.
What we appreciate is that whoever goes out there to represent Zimbabwe, the pride is on Zimbabwe as a whole. This shows us that we are a unique people. I want to thank you for going there and also the emphasis that you put on the need for peace as reflected in the way you condemned the Kenyan terrorist attack. The women who were seated close to me whilst I was watching television on the Kenya attack; I think the person next to me was Mrs. Steven, I cannot remember. I heard that she was touched and felt pity when she saw a heap of people lying prostrate and others ran away because of the bomb attacks that happened in Nairobi-Kenya.
Madam President, it is a sad scenario, imagine innocent people, in many cases, such attacks affect the innocent who want a peaceful living - it is painful. I want to thank you for highlighting such an important issue in Africa. We want Africa to progress and develop; we want
Africa to reach a stage of creating employment so that the children of
Africa can develop in what we are doing. Payments might be a challenge but it is not the financial aspect alone that is important but also ideas that lead to progress.
Yes, money is important but what is also important is for us to go and propose agendas that emphasise economic development, peace and unity in Africa. I want to thank you, if I continue adding to those words, it would be mere pep talk. With these words, I thank you for listening as I debated.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION: (SENATOR
HUNGWE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 16th October, 2013
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION,
the Senate adjourned at a Quarter to Four o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 16th October, 2013.
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
APPOINTMENT TO THE STANDING RULES AND ORDERS
COMMITTEE
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I wish to make a correction to the
announcement on 15th October, 2013, relating to the nominations of membership to the Standing Rules and Orders Committee. Nominations received from ZANU PF included the name of Hon. Sen. Mathuthu instead of Hon. Sen. T. B. Mohadi. I therefore declare Hon. Mohadi duly appointed as a member of the Standing Rules and Orders
Committee.
Pursuant to the announcement made yesterday, the Speaker and the
President of the Senate have made the following appointments to the
Committee on Standing Rules in terms of Section 151 (2) (h) of the Constitution:
Hon. B. Chikwama appointed by the Speaker, Senator P.
Mupfumira appointed by the President of the Senate, Senator Chief Charumbira is a member of the Committee in terms of Section 151 (2)
(g).
REPRESENTATION TO THE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT
AND SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: In terms of the Protocol to the
Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to the
Pan African Parliament, Article 4, Sub-paragraph 2 states that each Member State shall be represented in the Pan African Parliament by five
(5) members, at least one of whom must be a woman.
Sub-paragraph (3) of the same Article states that the representation of each Member State must reflect the diversity of political opinions in each National Parliament, or other deliberative organs.
Article (5) Sub-paragraph 1 also states that the Pan African
Parliamentarians shall be elected or designated by the respective National Parliaments or any other deliberative organs of the Member States, from among their members.
I have received the following nominations:
Presiding Officer, Hon. Sen. C.C.C. Chimutengwende;
ZANU PF, Hon. J. M. Gumbo, Hon P. Mupfumira; Chiefs
Council, Hon. Sen. Chief F. Z. Charumbira;
MDC-T Hon. T. Mashakada.
The five nominations meet the requirements of Article 4 Subparagraph 2 of the Treaty establishing the Pan African Parliament.
I therefore declare the above members duly elected to represent Zimbabwe at the Pan African Parliament. The National Assembly has elected the same five members to the Pan African Parliament.
Article 6 Subsection 3 of the Constitution of the Southern African Development Community (SADC Parliamentary Forum) states that the forum shall consist of the Presiding Officers and five representatives elected to the SADC Parliamentary Forum by each National Parliament; provided that in the election of the five representatives to the SADC Parliamentary Forum, each National Parliament shall ensure equitable representation at the SADC Parliamentary Forum of Women and Political Parties that are represented in that Parliament.
I have received the following nominations:
ZANU PF, Hon. Sen. T. Mohadi, Hon. Dr. S. Mukanduri, Hon.
Sen. M. Mutsvangwa, MDC-T, Hon. I. Gonese,
MDC, Hon. J. Toffa.
The Five nominations received meet the requirements of Article 6
Sub-section 3 of the Constitution of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
I therefore declare the above members duly elected to represent Zimbabwe at the SADC Parliamentary Forum. The National Assembly has elected the same five members to the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I wish to remind hon. Senators to
switch off their cell phones before commencement of business.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
*SENATOR MATIIRIRA: I want to start by congratulating the
President of the Senate, Hon. Madzongwe and her Deputy for coming back to the Senate as leaders. I also want to congratulate the President of this country, Cde. R. G. Mubage, for winning the election which shocked the whole country. Mr. President, I want to thank President Cde. Mugabe for encouraging us as women and also giving us preference to become part of the leadership charged with crafting of legislation.
I want to emphasise on the words that were given by the President especially in agriculture. I stay in Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe and in line with where I come from, especially the district of MarambaPfungwe, it is an area that receives very little rainfall. I know the Government was experiencing economic hardships, but my request is that if possible, dams must be built so that there is irrigation and people will have something to sustain them.
On the issue of development, this area is underdeveloped; it is lagging behind in terms of development. For example, people want to develop that area, they should look at the issue of road construction especially Marutsetse road, it is a road that comes from Murehwa, Mazowe bridge, Mutoko and Mudzi. At this moment the road is not accessible especially in this rainy season. We also want to encourage people to engage in agricultural activities and to ensure that they grow the relevant crops in their areas. On the issue of development, the farmer needs health and water so the ministries should unite and ensure that development takes place. Mr. President, this is a setback in terms of development in Maramba-Pfungwe.
To end my speech, I want to thank you Mr. President for the opportunity that you have given me to contribute in this august Senate.
Thank you.
SENATOR MOHADI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
SENATOR MAHOFA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday 17th October, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 62nd SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE OF THE AFRICAN PARLIAMENTARY UNION
(APU)
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU).
Question again proposed.
*SENATOR CHABUKA: Thank you Mr. President for giving
me this opportunity to say a few words. I want to thank Madam President even in her absence and the members of the delegation that she went with, Senator Mathuthu, Senator Chitaka and the technical team that accompanied them. I want to take this opportunity to thank them for the work that they did. I also want to thank Senator Mathuthu and Senator Chitaka for the report that they gave. Many a times, people go out and do not give feed-back forgetting that the people who elected us want us to do that work. We also forget that the country needs to develop, so we need that information from outside.
Mr. President, I also want to thank the role that was taken by the women at the APU, for ensuring that our country is peaceful. I want to thank Madam President for chairing that Committee. It reflects that as Zimbabwe, we are taking into consideration that women have a role to develop the country and the women in Africa now have gained some mileage on the work that should be done by women.
I also want to thank the delegation as a whole because they have shown that they are people who are free. The contribution that they made and the feed-back that they have given us has assisted a lot and it will continue to assist us as we conduct our business here. It will assist us not to have a Senate where we sit for two days, then two days later, we are gone. Rather it urges us as senators to work together like what Senator Chitaka, Senator Mathuthu and Madam President did. I want to thank you for representing us well. Thank you.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Mr. President for
recognising me to debate on this motion. Mr. President, I want to add my voice to the Report on the 62nd Session of the Executive Committee on the African Parliamentary Union. Let me start by thanking the mover, Hon. Senator Mathuthu and her seconder, Senator Chitaka.
I also want to give gratitude, Mr. President, to the Government of Zimbabwe for allowing our National Parliament to be a full member of this organisation, the African Parliamentary Union. Such forums allow us African states and nations to get an opportunity to discuss and proffer solutions to some of the problems and critical issues which bedevil and affect our continent of Africa.
However, Mr. President, let me briefly outline my own observations which I derived from our participation in meetings of this organisation, the African Parliamentary Union. Firstly, there are very few nations from our region of Southern Africa, who are members of this organisation as it was noted by the mover of the motion. Out of a total of 40 plus states, only five National Parliaments from this region, are members of this organisation. To name a few, these are: - Angola, D.R.C, Malawi, Namibia and our own Zimbabwe.
Mr. President, by far the majority of these National Parliaments are either French speaking or Arab states. Southern Africa, therefore, tends to be overshadowed in most of these deliberations. The vocal ones which I have mentioned above always express their wishes and they have their way of doing things. Let me dwell on the Arab nations in particular, these nations’ religion is pre-dominantly Islamic and their way of convicting individuals to a faith is by force as opposed to persuasion, the way which the Christian nations use. It is interesting to note the word Jihad itself refers to religious conquest which they boast of. So, these nations always want to practice activities to spread their influence in their region and beyond. Some of the studies which I have done on the conflicts and conflict resolutions indicate that the existence of both religions where Christianity and Islam exist predominantly, this causes perpetual conflicts in several African states. Examples are Nigeria, Sudan, Mali and others and more recently in Kenya. What is going on cannot be ignored. In each of these countries and many others, you observe that the civil strife is between the Moslem North against the
Christian South.
In Zimbabwe, we are spared this agony at the moment because we are for now, predominantly one religion only, that is 99% Christianity. Let us enjoy this peace and tranquility Mr. President, while it lasts. I want to believe that the same situation prevails in our sister countries such as Malawi, Namibia, Angola and DR Congo who are also members of this organization. The point I want to make Mr. President, is that we must be apprehensive of the ultimate influence of the vocal Arab nations and the French speaking nations. In order to counter and balance this, we must encourage members from this region to join in large numbers to penetrate this organization. Especially, the English speaking countries, so that we maintain and may also advance our influence through such forums as the African Parliamentary Union.
Let me point out that the case of other nations not joining is not clear. When this organization held its meeting in Equatorial Guinea some two years ago, South Africa, our big brother in the southern region, came as an observer. But at the end they did not join and until now, they are not members of this organization. That worries us. Maybe we can play a friendly hand and try to persuade them to join so that we can have this dominance as well.
Coming to the aspect of auditing of the organization’s accounts as it was given by the earlier speaker, this is a weakness which must be rectified very soon. The concept of self-auditing, in all fairness, Mr. President, the role of oversight which must be exercised by an outside partner. On the arrears of the organization, which again was mentioned earlier, it is a pity that the organization is under threat through under funding. Small nations have accrued some debts which they may not be able to clear in the foreseeable future.
This scenario, Mr. President shows that Africa is a poor continent and yet it has got vast resources which other nations are taking advantage of. Before the brutal attack of the oil rich Libya and the subsequent murder of Colonel Gaddafi, several Nations, several national Parliaments who are members of this organization had their subscriptions paid by the gallant son of the soil in the name of Gaddafi himself. He carried out projects which he called the Lybian Projects. We saw this when we went to Sudan. So, I am saying Africans must help each other to clear these debts. There are other rich nations, but now that Gaddafi is gone, there are no other people who are paying for the poor nations.
Mr. President, I would not be prudent if I end my debate without commending Madam President and her delegation which went to Abidjan for this august meeting. They represented us well and we want to say congratulations. To the secretariat which was headed by Mr. Gandiwa, I want to say well done for producing a timeous report which is giving us this feedback. With those few words Mr. President, I want to thank you.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHISUNGA: I want to thank you for giving
me this opportunity to give my contribution. I want to thank hon. Mathuthu and Hon. Senator Chitaka. What is important to note in such gatherings is, that is where as countries we can meet and give each other these practices as African Nations to assist us in development. There is something that is always being said and I believe that if we are to take this as children of Africa, we will be able to develop. That is the issue that we are a poor continent, if you look at the dictionary, it explains that poverty is the failure to use the resources around you, the failure to use them in order to develop and improve life, that is what is called poverty.
The last speaker said that our continent Africa has a number of natural recourses, some of which we have not even discovered as yet and some we have not yet started extracting as a continent. If you look at many countries, you find that oil is in abundance. This shows that the issue of poverty in Africa is wrong. If we use our intelligence and exchange notes in Africa, we can actually alleviate poverty. I want to give an example, the last speaker touched on some of the issues that I wanted to speak on. But I will try and explain them. We have our relative Colonel Gaddafi was able to do quite a number of things with the money that was acquired in Libya. Libya is a desert, but through the little that they had, they were able to change that country into an area that was ever green with irrigation, but they do not have good soils like us. This is only possible if people are able to be innovative and to use their knowledge.
Mr. President Sir, I want to say that, as the country of Zimbabwe, we were represented well by the senators who were part of the delegation. It was realised that Zimbabwe has good leadership and also in leading different kinds of works in those areas. I actually look forward that all these good works can actually be deterred if we are unable to pay our dues as we are supposed to. If I listened carefully, we were told that we paid around 40% of subscriptions; so I urge the Government to assist the Parliament of Zimbabwe to pay these subscriptions so that we can stand as full members. As a nation, we can also add our voice in such meeting as the one with a report being presented. For example, the year that Col. Gaddafi was murdered, if we had the right to be members of the club or union, with South Africa, we would have been able to vote against that. I just want to show how important it is for us to be in such fora in Africa. Whenever such things happen, as Zimbabweans, it enables us to also give our voice, so that Africa cannot back track. If
you look at the Security Council, there are countries that really surprise me, probably because of the powers that they have, the United States of America, France and Britain, no matter whatever they want to push for, if China vetoes this, nothing happens. If Russia vetoes this, nothing happens. It is very important that Madam President and her team were able to represent us as a country. We look forward to them further representing the country; also representing us in terms of peace and conflict.
If you look at the Arab countries, they have a lot of conflict in terms of democracy but at the end, nothing comes out; they are in worse problems than they were before. As Zimbabweans, I think that we act as a light to them. I want to quote from the Bible “we are the light of the world” as the light of the world, we should be able to stand with authority and assist Africa so that it does not follow the same route that
Libya and Egypt followed. With these words, I thank you Mr. President.
SENATOR MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me
this opportunity. First and foremost, I want to thank the mover of this motion Hon. Senator Mathuthu, seconded by Senator Chitaka.
I also want to thank this delegation because you will find that most of our foreign delegations; most of the time when they come back, they do not give a report. This team has showed us the way – [HON SENATORS: Hear, hear] – I also urge senators any senators who will go out of the country, to follow suit; to come and report to this Senate. This is the only way we can impart knowledge, because it is not all of us who will have the chance of going, but all of us in this august Senate need to know what is happening elsewhere. It is a very good example to us all. It is an eye opener as well as a good thing to be exposed to other countries because as you go there, you learn a lot and you impart knowledge to others. Those who will not have got the chance to go will have to get the knowledge from others. It is really a good gesture to me. Lastly, I would want to thank the delegation that went to the
African Parliamentary Union because Africa is one, we are one nation, so we should work together. I thank you Mr. President.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MIDLANDS PROVINCE
(SENATOR MACHAYA): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 17th October, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MIDLANDS PROVINCE (SENATOR MACHAYA), the Senate
adjourned at Seven Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 1st October, 2013.
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
CORRECTION OF SENATORS’ SPEECHES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I wish to remind hon. senators of
the following: drafts of Senators for inclusion in the Hansard will be forwarded to Senators in the Senate within an hour of the speeches for corrections. Senators are requested to correct the speeches and return them to the Hansard Department immediately. The corrections should be restricted to grammar and spelling mistakes only.
VERNACULAR INTERPRETATIONS
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Senators who speak in vernacular
are requested to speak slowly and to make pauses; this allows interpreters to capture and interpret Senators’ speeches correctly.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I advise hon. senators to
switch off their cellphones before business commences.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order Read: Adjourned debate on the motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
SENATOR TAWENGWA: Thank you Mr. President, I rise to contribute on the motion moved by Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa and seconded by Hon. Sen. Mumvuri. I also want to thank all those who contributed before me.
At this juncture, allow me Mr. President to congratulate you and
Madam President Madzongwe for having been elected as Presiding
Officers of this august Senate. Mr. President, the address by His
Excellency, The President Cde R.G. Mugabe on the occasion of the
Official Opening of the First Session of the Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe on the 17th of September, 2013, charts the way forward for the nation, the expected performance of Government in particular, the acceleration of development, economic prosperity and change of work ethics must top our agenda as Zimbabweans if we are to deliver.
Mr. President Sir, as we are all aware, His Excellency Cde. R.G
Mugabe is a:
- Freedom Fighter
- A committed fearless revolutionary;
- A man who defends Zimbabwe and has contributed so much
to the nation;
- A man who believes in National Identity, pride and dignity;
- The empowerer of the downtrodden;
- A man who has opened doors for women and youths who have ventured into farming, mining, sport, arts and business in general;
- A man fulfilling the ideals of the Chimurengas.
As such, we should follow his footsteps in fulfilling the aspirations, hopes, expectations and desires of Zimbabweans, some of which are:
- Poverty alleviation and eradication;
- Improved housing delivery;
- Employment – self otherwise;
- Quality delivery of affordable health services;
- Clean portable water;
- Three meals a day;
- An acceptable level of service delivery from Government and Local Authorities as a tier of
Government;
- Economic prosperity;
- Quality Education;
- Fighting corruption.
Men, women, youths, those with disabilities, the destitute, the aged, War Veterans, Detainees, Restrictees, Collaborators and the generality of the Zimbabweans want to be part of the empowerment of this country and have put their faith in us. Our strength must be harnessed in order to address the above issues and others. Let us all join hands, put body and soul together in fighting corruption and all other ills in our country.
We have to prosper as a nation and be champions of empowerment in order to secure a lasting solution to the Zimbabwean peoples’ plight.
Let us be owners of our economy and benefit from our God given resources.
Ownership and means of production firmly in the hands of the majority, Mr. President is wealth creation. We must believe in ourselves and give 100%.
Mr. President, on the issue of agriculture, Zimbabweans by nature are hard working farmers and all that is required is to proffer ways to resolve various issues pertaining to agriculture; that is:
- Timeous delivery of inputs
- Pricing policy and timely announcements of pre-season producers prices, ( just to see what has happened to the white gold (cotton) due to pricing and the downstream industries);
- Role of the financial sector in order to access affordable credit facilities for the purchase of inputs and equipment
- Timeous payment after delivery;
- Water harvesting for irrigation;
- Restocking in terms of livestock
- Protection of the local industry against imports; Need for skills training in specialised areas.
Mr. President, we are however very proud of our tobacco farmers whose progress is self evident, agriculture’s greater impact will manifest over time. We are also happy to note that Government is importing agricultural machinery and equipment.
Mr. President, I want to thank His Excellency Cde. R. G. Mugabe for focusing on the resuscitation, revival and recapitalisation of industry as this will create the much needed employment. There is also need to protect our industries from imports which are sub-standard and of poor quality. There is also need to increase our power generation, and this area needs urgent attention if our industry is to survive. Mr. President, every now and then we read and we see pictures of ghastly gory, unnecessary accidents caused by un-road worthy overloaded, speeding vehicles which cause unnecessary deaths on our roads. This wanton carnage should be prevented and we appeal to the relevant authorities to take charge.
It is also upon the Government to provide a reliable public transport system which is user-friendly and caters for people with disabilities. However, let me take this opportunity to applaud Government in the current progress on the dualisation of our major roads.
Mr. President, I urge all Zimbabweans to speak in unison against the illegal sanctions imposed on our country Zimbabwe. Sanctions are causing a lot of suffering, loss of lives, stunted industrial growth and unemployment, thereby affecting the general welfare of our people. We should all say no to the illegal sanctions.
Mr. President, let me briefly touch on service delivery by local authorities. I pray that those who were elected to serve in local authorities are doers, worker bees, servants of all works and true servants of the people. People are suffering out there, spending the whole day on pavements and road sides while trying to sell their wares. They play cat and mouse with the municipal police. At night, the same people spend hours in queues for water, the precious liquid. The responsible authorities should provide suitable sites for these innocent Zimbabweans so that they have a suitable place from which to sell their wares. They should also provide alternative water points or water tanks. They should also clear the rotting refuse and garbage on our streets, mend roads and provide clean water and acceptable level of service delivery.
Mr. President, may I register my concern on the continued poor performance by parastatals and also welcome the strict adherence to performance based contracts. Those who do not perform should just quit. Madam President, may I also bring to the attention of this Senate, the plight of some former employees of our parastatals. These former employees are now destitute and wallowing in poverty, yet they are owed thousands of dollars by their former employers. Air Zimbabwe and ZISCO Steel, just to name a few, should urgently address former employees’ concerns.
Mr. President, I pray that the hon. Minister of Finance will allocate Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to senators to enable us to directly participate in the enhancement of the lives of people in our constituencies. Can you imagine how many boreholes my Chief who is next to me here, or other chiefs would have drilled in their constituencies and also the sudden change of lives for the hewers of food and drawers of water? They can even build dip tanks over the next five years. Therefore, let us all lobby for the relevant minister to consider senators when allocating CDF funds - [HON SENATORS: Hear, Hear]. It is our wish and aim to promote coordinated development projects in our constituencies.
Mr. President, may I congratulate and thank the peace loving and patriotic Zimbabweans, including churches, who prayed for peaceful, free, fair and democratic harmonised elections, which were held on the 31st of July 2013. Due to the peace, tranquility and stability before, during and after the elections, our tourism industry is on the rebound while growth in this sector, including domestic tourism is certain.
Mr. President, I will end my address by thanking Madzishe, our traditional leaders, the custodians of our national heritage for selflessly assisting thousands of our people who were affected by drought in various areas of our country.[HON. SENATORS: Hear, Hear]. We also thank the Government for the timeous importation of maize grain.
Madzishe, our agenda is rooted in our culture – varimi vanoshanda nesimba. Mr. President, there is no short-cut to a complete circle. The struggle has to continue until the final victory. Pamberi nekushandira nyika, Pamberi nekushandira vanhu. Ndinotenda Mr. President, Siyabonga.
SENATOR CHIEF NEMBIRE: Thank you Mr. President. I rise
to add my voice to the Motion. Firstly I would like to congratulate
Madam Madzongwe and Mr. Chimutengwende on being elected
President and Deputy President respectively, of this august Senate. I would also like to congratulate all members for making it to this august Senate. This shows that people have confidence in us. What is now left is for us to deliver without excuses. Let me thank the mover of this
Motion, hon. Senator Mutsvangwa and the seconder, hon. Senator Mumvuri.
I will zero my debate on two aspects, agricultural and infrastructural development. Mr. President, on the agricultural sector, I urge the Government to urgently support this sector since most people want food. Farmers need to be capacitated through providing them with inputs timeously. This will help to reduce the importation of food from other countries. Further to that, viable producer prices must be paid to the farmer in order for them to produce. The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) must be fully capacitated so that they are able to pay farmers in time.
Mr. President, I will call upon the Government to speedily come up with climate change policies which will help farmers to cope with the effects of climate change, particularly in drought prone areas such as
Muzarabani, Mukumbura and Mbire. The Government can construct dams on rivers such as Hoya and Musingwa in Mashonaland Central and also drill irrigation boreholes in the same areas. Mr. President, I would also want to applaud the President for coming up with a Climate Ministry, which also oversees the environment.
On infrastructural development, I urge the Government to urgently complete the Mukumbura road and dualising all highway roads. Mr. President, in Mount Darwin, most of the roads are in a sorry-state and most transport operators are shunning these roads, leaving private transporters who in turn charge exorbitant prices, making it very difficult for ordinary people in rural areas to travel. I call upon the Government to rehabilitate all roads in rural areas through capacitating the Ministry of Transport and the District Development Fund (DDF). Mr. President, I end up by urging all hon. Senators to preach the gospel of peace. I thank you.
SENATOR MUPFUMIRA: Thank you Mr. President and hon. senators. I am Prisca Mupfumira from Mashonaland West Province and Makonde Administrative District. Let me start by congratulating hon.
Madzongwe and hon. Chimutengwende, on being elected to be the President of the Senate and the Deputy President of the Senate respectively. I would also like to extend my hearty congratulations to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Head of Government and Commander in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Mr. R.G. Mugabe and all the hon. senators.
Let me express sincere gratitude to all Zimbabweans for holding peaceful, credible and fair elections on July 31st. A special mention to the people of Mashonaland West Province, in particular Makonde Constituencies; comprising Chinhoyi, Makonde and Mhangura, for voting for me and affording me the opportunity to represent them in this august Senate. I promise to live to their expectations and will strive not to let them down.
Mr. President, I express appreciation to the President’s address and also to Senator Monica Mutsvangwa’s motion, which was supported by Hon. Mumvuri. The President’s Speech started with agriculture and this was not by accident or chance but emphasised the importance and critical nature of agriculture in Zimbabwe. Mr. President, the subject of agriculture is vital to the nation as it is life and the driving force of our economy. The single formidable indigenisation and empowerment programme is the Land Reform, which has benefited all across all social classes to the grass root.
The agrarian reform sought to empower previously marginalised Zimbabweans and was meant to enable them to participate in contributing to the Zimbabwean economy and hence it is the single most important element which can bulldoze our ailing economy. It is productive agriculture which can guarantee food and nutrition security, which is why in May this year His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, Comrade Mugabe launched the Food and Nutrition Policy, which made special emphasis on all stakeholders, public and private, to invest in sustainable food and nutrition security projects. Agriculture contributes significantly to GDP, raw materials, employment and has high percentage significant to rural livelihood, hence the driving force of the economy.
Mr. President, hon. senators, we are collectively responsible for ensuring food and nutrition security for all. All people should have access to food in sufficient quantity and quality to meet dietary needs. This must be supported by a healthy environment which allows a healthy and active life. Food and nutrition security is an important driver of economic and social development. Addressing food and security also enhances economic growth for our country. The African Commission has also labeled the year 2014 as the year of agriculture for Africa, endorsing the important role this sector plays not only at a national level, but also on the continent.
Mr. President, the Copenhagen Consensus (2008) states that addressing malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies has the highest rate of economic returns. Effects of a malnourished nation include reduced work capacity, illness, disease and associated expenses and poverty.
Mr. President, factors affecting food security include the following amongst many others, climate change, recurrent droughts, lack of funding for farmers, power cuts, low fiscus allocation to agriculture – allocation to agriculture is below 5% yet in recognition of the importance of agriculture on economic development and growth, the African Commission, through the Maputo Declaration of 2003, encouraged member states to spend at least 10% of national budget on agriculture.
Mr. President, development partner support declined since 2000 as most donors withdrew support because of western imposed sanctions. The world recession exacerbated the situation, whilst non food crops such as tobacco and cotton are supported through contact farming very little can be said for food.
Mr. President, hon. senators, to support President Mugabe’s vision of agriculture there is need for legislation to compel users of food crops, traders, manufacturers and industry to support agriculture without exploiting the farmers. Banking sector support has been negligible, coupled with punitive bank interest rates. For instance, of the US$620 million announced by the president of the Bankers Association, less than 5% is for maize, little or none for wheat yet over 50% is for tobacco. In accessing loans, offer letters must be accepted as bankable and collateral acceptance must be inclusive. On interest rates, banks should be compelled to have low interest rates below 5% for staple crops and loan repayment systems such as stop orders must be in place. In addition, Agribank must be well capacitated. These are some issues to consider in debating the Banking Act Amendment Bill.
Mr. President, Zimbabwe’s production of key food crops (maize, wheat, sorghum) has remarkably declined over the past decade. This has seen Zimbabwe move from being a food surplus exporter to a food deficiency importer. Yields have significantly declined. The Grain Marketing Board (GMB) is unable to maintain strategic reserves of grain, which are supposed to be 500 000 tonnes of maize. Replenishing has been through imports by both GMB and the private sector.
These continuous food shortages have necessitated crafting and launching of the National food and Nutrition Policy by His Excellency the President. To see this policy realise viable momentum, the GMB should be adequately funded. It should be able to pay for all previous grains delivered by farmers. They must also pay for the transporters. It is sad to note that to date the GMB has only collected 20 000 tonnes of maize and yet our strategic reserve is supposed to be 500 000 tonnes.
It is also sad to note that while Zambia offered Zimbabwe 150 000 tonnes of maize, as at yesterday only 12 000 tonnes had been imported. This is a sad situation. The GMB has to be adequately funded. Most of us are farmers. Farming is a serious business and one cannot venture into a business without knowing whether or not it is going to be profitable. I urge that we have pre planting producer prices. I also urge that we have early settlement incentives to incentivise the farmers, so that we can regain our bread basket status.
Mr. President, on electricity supply, the suggested use of prepaid meters for farmers is not viable as farmers income is on average a once off paycheck and so to this end the power supply authority should introduce special tariffs for farmers and establish special payment plans such as quarterly payments for electricity bills for farmers. There must be schemes for the input suppliers, as they and banks are pivotal in guarantying nutrition and food security.
Mr. President, let me applaud the proposed Constituency Development Fund Bill to ensure accountability and transparency in the utilisation of the resources. If meaningfully funded and utilised this fund will provide people with an overall improved quality of life, and I am speaking for people in Makonde Constituencies; through this fund schemes for farmers. Input suppliers and banks are pivotal in guaranteeing food and nutrition security.
Mr. President, hon. senators, let me applaud the proposed Constituency Development Fund Bill to ensure accountability and transparency in the utilisation of the resources. If meaningfully funded and utilised, this fund will provide improved quality of life in Makonde Constituency. Through this fund, we would be able to refurbish and repair broken down boreholes, drill new boreholes thus providing improved access to water, sanitation and hygiene in the district.
Currently, there is a chronic shortage of functional boreholes in the area.
It is unacceptable for people, especially women and children to walk such long distances to search for water, only to find out that the water has run out. There has to be substantial investment in the refurbishment and in some cases, the establishment of proper water supply infrastructure and sewer systems.
Mr. President, hon. senators, education and skills training, as mentioned by His Excellency Cde. R.G. Mugabe, is crucial to the development and sustainability of all sectors of our economy. Setting up of the Psycho-motor model in the President’s office is a much welcome move. This will be a hub for driving the revision of the current education and training curriculum to incorporate early skills development, entrepreneurial training and ICT learning at the early stages of a child’s education.
The early identification and nurturing of skill sets will result in a society that is self-reliant and self-sustaining. The VTC should be revived at ward level. This is then beneficial in addressing issues such as indigenisation and employment creation. The establishment of the Common Facility Centres will also be a channel to facilitate this empowerment and skills transfer. Close collaboration of cooperatives can be realised through such a system and the development does not only become top-bottom but also bottom-top.
Mr. President, hon. senators, the sovereign wealth fund is also a welcome initiative. Therefore, in light of this, we look to the fund to be focused on extensively supporting the indigenisation programme, in particular youth and women empowerment through the Common Facility Centres mentioned above. I was left dumb-founded on realising that the majority of young learners in my constituency lack the very basic learning resources such as desks and chairs. In the new resettlement areas, very few or no schools have been built in the past decade. This is a loud alarm of the strides we have to take in this regard.
Mr. President, hon. senators, I would like to applaud the
Government on the current move to raise the wages of civil servants. This is an important move as incentives drive service delivery by leaps and bounds, in particular the education sector. If teachers in the remote areas are incentivised, the quality of education will improve and commitment levels to educating the future of this nation will rise as well.
Mr. President, hon. senators, another area that needs urgent attention is transport infrastructure. Kenzamba, which is very rich in mineral wealth, is less than 50km from Chinhoyi yet it takes over two hours to drive there because of the poor and rough roads. Driving there is a nightmare, yet that is where you get simple and loyal electorate.
By improving the road network in this area, all other areas of development will be resuscitated. The current inaccessibility of some of these areas in Makonde has led to the inability of its people to access basic social services. Children have to walk through inhospitable terrain to access basic education. Many times, ambulances fail to attend to the sick due to lack of access roads. This has also made it difficult for many of them to take full advantage of the indigenisation and empowerment opportunities available in this area through mining and agriculture, whose opportunities are in abundance in this area.
Mr. President, hon. senators, the nation is looking forward to a bright future with the present Government. The last five years have seen a rapid decline in health and social services, exacerbated by sanctions and lack of decision making by the Inclusive Government. The current conditions in the district are abysmal, and a lot needs to be done to improve the quality and access to basic and social services for the constituents.
After independence, the Government ensured that there was a primary health care centre every five kilometers, ensuring that every Zimbabwean had easy access to health care. Currently, it is sad to see that some people have to walk up to 20 kilometers to gain access to much needed services. Having arrived at these health centres, most are not well stocked and equipped to provide quality service. Currently, most health facilities do not have access to clean and safe water and neither do they have electricity nor connectivity.
At some clinics like Kanyaga in Makonde, pregnant mothers have to give birth in appalling conditions as some centres do not even have curtains to ensure their dignity. Maternal mortality is one of the biggest challenges being faced by the health sector in Zimbabwe. The highest mortality rates are found in the rural areas of Zimbabwe. Therefore, we need to invest strongly in our primary health centres to ensure that no woman dies while giving life.
Mr. President, hon. senators, I would like to applaud the Government for its efforts to ensure fair gender representation in both the National Assembly and the Senate. This year’s Parliamentary elections saw the election of significant numbers of women into the National Assembly and into the Senate. These impressive numbers are unprecedented in this country and speak to the requirements of the current Zimbabwe Constitution and the SADC Protocol on Gender Equality. Indeed, this strong representation puts Zimbabwe on the path to meeting Millennium Goal Number 3; target 2, whose goal is increased gender participation in decision making positions. Women make up half the population of this country, therefore it is impossible to make any progressive decisions in any sphere of our society without the input and contribution of women.
Mr. President, while Parliament has addressed the issue of gender parity commendably, more needs to be done in the representation and allocation of ministries to women in Cabinet. We are all confident that this will be corrected sooner than later.
Zimbabwe has the highest literacy rate on the continent and boasts of an education sector that has churned out highly educated people over the decades. Therefore, I argue that there are many educated, experienced and knowledgeable women who are capable of heading many of the ministries. It is my sincere hope that Zimbabwe will soon be ahead of the pack by continuing to champion the rights of women by integrating them into positions where they can effectively influence policy in order to move the country forward at a faster pace. As Chairman Mao once said, ‘women hold up half the sky’.
Mr. President, hon. senators, now that the Government of National
Unity, which was characterised by lack of decisive action is done and over with, we are in a better position to deliver in a transparent, corrupt free environment guided by the principles of servant leadership. May God bless us all indeed. Long live Zimbabwe. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION: (SENATOR
HUNGWE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 2nd October, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION, the Senate
adjourned at Ten Minutes past Three O’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 2nd October, 2013.
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
APPOINTMENT TO STANDING RULES AND ORDERS
COMMITTEE
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I would like to inform the Senate
that pursuant to Section 151 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,
Parliament must appoint a Committee to be known as the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders. In line with provisions of Section 151(2) (c) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, the President Cde R.G. Mugabe has appointed the following to be members of the
Committee on Standing Rules and Orders: Hon. P. A Chinamasa,
Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Hon. Dr. S.T Sekeramayi, Minister of Defence, Hon. S.G.G Nyoni, Minister of Small Enterprises and Cooperative Development. Pursuant to Section 151(2) (d) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Hon E.D. Mnangagwa has been appointed as the Leader of Government Business in Parliament.
In line with Section 151(2) (e) and 151(2) (f), MDC has made the following appointments to the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders;
Hon. T. Khupe, Leader of the Opposition in each House, Hon. I. Gonese, Chief Whip in the National Assembly and S. Mlotshwa, Chief Whip in the Senate. We are still awaiting other members to be appointed to the Committee in terms of Section 151(2)(h) and 151(2)(i).
PROHIBITION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES DURING SITTINGS
OF PARLIAMENT
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I also have to inform the Senate
that the Members’ Bar, with immediate effect, will not serve any alcoholic beverages during sitting of the Senate. Only soft drinks will be served.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to
switch off their cellphones before business commences.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order Read: Adjourned debate on the motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
SENATOR MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President Sir. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Madam Edna Madzongwe for retaining her seat as President of the Senate. I would also want to congratulate you as Deputy President of the Senate. Furthermore, I would like to congratulate the President for attaining his Presidency to rule the country of Zimbabwe. I want also to thank Senator Monica Mutsvangwa for moving this motion.
Mr. President Sir, during the speech of the President, you will find that the President touched on a lot of issues, but I want mostly to talk about the livestock production. You will realise that Mr. President, I come from Matabeleland South, which is in Region 5, where there is very little rainfall, which is below average. In such areas; you will find that it is not only Matabeleland South; there are areas like some parts of Manicaland, Matabeleland North and some parts of Masvingo which are affected by this climate. As a result, those areas I am talking about, received very little rainfall and they have poor harvest. During the previous season, they did not harvest anything due to harsh weather. By the end of last year, Matabeleland recorded a total of 9 272 cattle deaths due to the effects of drought. The most affected was Mangwe District with 5 476, followed by Matobo with 1 232, then Beitbridge with 1 015. What does it mean? It means that the national herd has been severely depleted due to years of adverse weather and harsh economic conditions.
The national herd currently stands at just over 5.2 million cattle. Livestock is a critical asset in our societies for food, drought power, income and as value for wealth. We are deep into that time of the year where cattle herds may dwindle to even more scary figures, especially if the rains remain erratic while mitigation efforts fail to reach the people.
When we speak of mitigation efforts, we are looking at the provision of tractors and balers so that as we approach the rainy season, we can harvest our little grass that we have and reserve it for the future in order for our cattle to survive.
Mr. President, His Excellency, mentioned the livestock-droughtmitigation programme, which comes as part of the Government’s drought mitigation efforts, aimed at complementing the current drive to rebuild the National Herd. It is welcome news that the programme is in full swing. Some farmers have already received the hay that is being cut and posted to affected areas. We have also received some rations for pen-fattening and the supplementary feed for beef survival. We welcome the idea because the national herd was going to perish. Mr. President, in line with what was mentioned by the President, the emphasis will increase towards irrigation and water harvesting. If we only speak about the feed that we get, we will not have spoken about the true picture of what is taking place in the areas. Even water is a problem, the livestock hardly gets enough water and there is need for us to harvest more water in these drought prone areas. There are so many ways of harvesting water; we can drill boreholes in these areas, harvest running water in small rivers through construction of dams so that our cattle get enough water.
Mr. President, the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate, should consider repairing and deepening boreholes in order to improve water yields. Currently, there is a high risk of losing livestock due to weaknesses caused by lack of pastures and travelling long distances in search of water. The ministry must also find a lasting solution to the rampant veld fires countrywide. Mr. President, I was worried and shocked by the veld fires in the areas situated just after Masvingo. If these veld fires continue, the country will be a desert within the next few years and there will be no more cattle or livestock to talk about.
Mr. President, it is a sad fact that a good number of our farmers in Region 5 did not harvest much due to poor rains. Many families continue to lose their hard earned assets to grain traders and farming contractors’ debt collectors, particularly in reference to cotton farmers.
Over the years, Government and Non-Governmental Organisations have been rescuing the situation through food handouts. However, these efforts are mere supplementary and inadequate for us to be comfortable with because we cannot supplement where nothing has been harvested. In these areas, people did not harvest anything and as a result, there is hunger.
It is high time that the Government should dig deep into the establishment of widespread irrigation farming in arid regions. Mr. President, apart from rearing livestock, people in Region 5 can survive through irrigation schemes; it is another solution for their problem. Most of the irrigation schemes that I am speaking about are not functioning. There is need for a lot of rehabilitation for these irrigation schemes in order for our people to survive. I would like to thank the Government of Zimbabwe for working very hard on the Mtshabezi dam project for reticulating water to Bulawayo. It is indeed, a good gesture. I would also like to comment on the irrigation scheme in my constituency, which is doing nothing at the moment, particularly the Zhobe dam. It was built some years ago and there was a plan for an irrigation scheme which was done along the dam. Unfortunately, that irrigation scheme never commenced. I understand that the plans are there, but there is nothing happening. I would like to urge the Government to speed up this irrigation scheme so that people from Beitbridge would survive.
Mr. President, the Harmonised Social Cash Transfer Programme, where more than 32 000 households in 11 districts, received a monthly allowance of $25 each, from the Government is a big step in curbing the drought effects and should be kept running. The Government has commenced a 150 000 tonnes of maize importation programme, which should relieve several households in the priority areas such as Matebeleland South, Matebeleland North, Midlands, Masvingo and some parts of Manicaland. However, it is disheartening that Zimbabwe, which was once called the Bread-basket of Africa, is now importing such amounts of grain. Mr. President, now we have the land to till, the people of Zimbabwe must work. Given the lack of adequate capital faced by new farmers, it is a welcome move by the President to reassure the nation that the Government will provide farmers with inputs and better marketing incentives. More support is needed with regards to farming implements, even if it means at district level to assist farmers in turn.
At the end of the farming cycle, the need for the operationalisation of the Commodity Exchange of Zimbabwe cannot be put better than what the President said. Indeed, it should be hastened so that even as farmers put seed into the ground, they will be having a clear picture of what to anticipate and therefore plan accordingly. In such times when adverse weather conditions are persistently taking a toll on small scale farmers, it is unacceptable and evil to allow their further exploitation at the hands of the monopoly of unscrupulous buyers.
Mr. President Sir, my speech would not be complete if I do not talk about the Beitbridge via Masvingo road because this road has taken a large population of Zimbabwe through accidents. The road is very narrow and it is very old, with a lot of potholes. If we consider roads to be maintained, to me, that road would be number one because this road
is the gateway into Zimbabwe. It takes the face of Zimbabwe into Africa. Every tourist who comes through South Africa travels along that road and the road is so bad. You can hardly take a journey from here to Beitbridge without coming across two or three fatal accidents. I know the President talked of plans to repair that road, of which it is on course, but it has not started and people are dying every day. I think there should be speedy work towards repairing that road.
Mr. President Sir, I will also not forget about the Beitbridge border post. Everyone, when thinking of going to South Africa, passes through that border post, which is an eye sore because the border is too small at the moment. This border post, everyday, has about over 200 buses going and coming from South Africa and yet it is still as small as it was some 10 or 15 years ago. You can imagine the population of the people who are crossing that border daily from our own country and other countries, yet the border is so small. I think it is high time we think about it because if I am talking about Beitbridge border post, it is the post that brings in more money to this country than any other post.
Almost 70% of the revenue of Zimbabwe comes from that border and we should look after it. With these few words, Mr. President, I thank you.
SENATOR GOTO: Mr. President Sir, and hon. senators, I want to congratulate the new President of the Senate and Deputy President of the Senate. I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity to thank the mover of the motion, Hon. Mutsvangwa and His Excellency for his address to Parliament on the occasion of the Official Opening of the First Session of the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe.
Mr. President Sir, allow me to thank the Zimbabwean people who brought our country back home, called Zimbabwe, by electing a ZANUPF Government; principled people, a determined party.
Mr. President Sir, I want to thank the President for his call against corruption. This shows that His Excellency is a principled person. We must all follow his example. Corruption has killed our country and has become sanction number two after the sanctions imposed by western imperialists. It must be fought against by the Zimbabwean people.
Mr. President Sir, I would also want to thank His Excellency for alluding his strong support for the inputs programme. The agricultural sector in the country succeeds through the aid from the Government. We thank you, your Excellency, for fulfilling your election promises. I want to call upon the responsible department, which will be implementing farmer support services, to heed to the President’s call to shun corruption, the unnecessary evil. Let us utilise our resources, land in particular, in a productive manner; the daily saying by His Excellency.
I hope the infrastructure challenges we faced in 2011 will be implemented this time around by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, especially the narrow road from
Mushandirapamwe to Wedza Growth Point in Mashonaland East Province should be widened. Let us deliver now, what we promised the people. Let us work hard so that our Government does not go down.
We should not depend on donors, it kills us. I thank you. *SENATOR MACHINGAIFA: Thank you Mr. President, I am
Senator Machingaifa. Firstly, I would like to congratulate the President of the Senate, Senator Edna Madzongwe on her election, as well as the election of her deputy who is the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Chimutengwende. I would also want to congratulate all of us as senators on our election to this august Senate.
I would want to extend my congratulations and best wishes to His Excellency President R.G. Mugabe on his landslide victory in the recent harmonized elections. Here in Zimbabwe we see His Excellency as our God and our savior; he saves us. I would liken His Excellency in biblical terms to the time when Peter struck off the ear of one of the people who had come to arrest Jesus and Jesus took the ear and placed it back. No one in Zimbabwe can do that except President Mugabe.
Mr. President, I would want to thank the people for what they did because they brought the country which was in the doldrums back to the correct path. His Excellency, touched on a number of issues. When he said so, he was laying the groundwork so that the ministers who are Zimbabwe’s capable and able sons and daughters can then follow.
I will touch on water, specifically dams. The ministers that are responsible for dams should assist us. I once read a certain book once upon a time which says water should be harnessed when there is rainfall because once you fail to harness it you have lost it. Harness it through dams or any forms of harvesting so that you can use it for livestock or even crops.
I would also want to touch on the other issue concerning stock feed. Livestock is having a torrid time as a result of veld fires. Is there something we can do about it? I think the ministers responsible should come up with a project of grass cutting so that this can be used as stock feed during the summer times so as to save our livestock.
In Mashonaland East where I come from especially in Hurungwe, we have tobacco farmers. I appeal that Hurungwe and Karoi should have tobacco auction floors because we have the problem of having most of the money that is made in Karoi and Hurungwe being spent in Harare. If we had tobacco auction floor most of that money would have been used in that area. In Hurungwe West the Member of Parliament who was there did not complete his or her duty. There is Nyamhunga Clinic which is in a sorry state. If the Ministry of Health were to look into that clinic, they should address the anomalies bearing in mind that there are people who need to access it.
Before I finish off, if it were possible, farmers in Hurungwe could have an agricultural training college to teach the youngsters about farming, specifically tobacco growing.
Lastly, it is the issue which without being mentioned would leave my debate incomplete. There is a road that leads from Magunje and at the moment it is not tarred. There is also the road from Magunje to Makande; during the rainy season, it is not accessible. In fact it could be accessible by boats instead of motor vehicles. The minister responsible should address this situation because we promised people that we are going to deliver hence that translated into landslide victory. Therefore, this is the time to come together and come up with new programmes and deliver to the people. I thank you so much Mr. President and all the hon. senators who have listened to my debate. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION (SENATOR
HUNGWE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 8th October, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION, the Senate
th adjourned at Six Minutes past Three o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 8 October, 2013.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 16th October, 2013
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MR. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MR. SPEAKER
REPRESENTATION TO THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT AND
SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
- SPEAKER: In terms of the Protocol to the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community relating to the Pan African Parliament; Article 4, Sub-paragraph 2 states that each member state shall be represented in the Pan African Parliament by five (5) members, at least one of whom must be a woman.
Sub-paragraph (3) of the same article states that the representation of each member state must reflect the diversity of political opinions in each National Parliament, or other deliberative organs.
Article (5) Sub-paragraph 1, also states that the Pan African Parliamentarians shall be elected or designated by the respective National Parliaments or any other deliberative organs of the member states, from among their members.
I have received the following nominations: Presiding Officer Hon. C. C. C. Chimutengwende, ZANU (PF), Hon J. M. Gumbo, Hon. P.
Mupfumira; MDC – T, Hon. T. Mashakada; Chiefs, Hon. Senator Chief F.Z. Charumbira. The five nominations received meet the requirements of Article 4 Sub paragraph 2 of the Treaty establishing the Pan African
Parliament.
I therefore declare the above members duly elected to represent Zimbabwe at the Pan African Parliament. The Senate will also elect the same five members to the Pan African Parliament.
Article 6 subsection 3 of the Constitution of the Southern African Development Community (SADC Parliamentary Forum) states that the forum shall consist of the Presiding Officers and five representatives elected to the SADC Parliamentary forum by each National Parliament; provided that in the election of the five representatives to the SADC Parliamentary Forum...
Dr. Gumbo having been whispering to an hon. member.
Hon Chief Whip, can I have your ear?... each National Parliament shall ensure equitable representation at the SADC Parliamentary Forum of women and political parties that are represented in that Parliament.
I have received the following nominations: ZANU (PF); Hon.
Sen.T. Mohadi, Hon Dr. S. Mukanduri, Hon. Sen. M. Mutsvangwa.
MDC – T; Hon. I. Gonese. MDC; Hon. J. Toffa.
The five nominations meet the requirements of Article 6 Subsection 3 of the Constitution of the SADC Parliamentary Forum.
I therefore declare the above members duly elected to represent Zimbabwe at the SADC Parliamentary Forum. The Senate will also elect the same five members to the SADC Parliamentary Forum”
APPOINTMENT TO THE STANDING RULES AND ORDERS
COMMITTEE
- SPEAKER: Pursuant to the announcement made yesterday, the Speaker and the President of the Senate have made the following appointments to the Committee on Standing Rules in terms of section 151 (2) (h) of the Constitution: Hon. B. Chikwama appointed by the Speaker Hon. P. Mupfumira; Hon. Chief Charumbira is a member of the committee in terms of section 151(2) (g)
My apologies. Someone took over the role of the Speaker during the night and came up with a correction; Hon. B. Chikwama is replaced by Hon. T. Dziva.
Yes, there is a song which says, Ndochigara sei chigaro chamambo? Please bear with us and I crave your indulgence. The correct name appointed by the Speaker is Hon. Y. Simbanegavi. I hope no future confusion shall arise.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
TONNAGE OF IMPORTED GRAIN
- MR. GONESE asked the Minister of Agriculture,
Mechanization and Irrigation Development to state the tonnage of grain Zimbabwe has imported from Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique and other neighbouring countries during this year?
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE MECHANIZATION AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT (DR MADE): Let me start by
saying the Government is committed to importing 150 000 metric tonnes from Zambia. Of this 150 000 metric tonnes, so far we have brought into the country 14 000 metric tonnes and we are still working on the balance as it is on a cash upfront payment basis.
Relating to the importation by the private sector, the private sector is also importing maize mainly from South Africa and various tonnages have been imported by various companies. Grain in this context refers to maize. That is all I wish to say Mr. Speaker Sir.
- MADZIMURE: Whilst it is a good effort to try and alleviate the problem. What has your research told you, what has been the cause of this deficit whilst countries like Malawi and Zambia which used to be net importers of grain are now exporting back to Zimbabwe. What was the reason and how are you dealing with the cause?
- MADE: With due respect, I do not think that the hon. member is raising a follow up question but I wish to respond as follows:- The matters relating to the deficit are very well known. We have made reference to them again and again. We must improve our own capacity by making sure that the farmers do receive adequate inputs. We must also review the cost of those inputs that are very prohibitive to the farmer. We must also intensify our mechanization programme and irrigation development which is what has been stated now.
I do not want to continue lamenting the matter that is very well known that relates to the question of the farmer having to put up cash upfront in terms of some of the inputs they are getting due to the challenges of sanctions – [HON MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]. I want to respect the hon. members, but I do not expect them to insult me.
AMENDMENT OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE AND
EVIDENCE ACT
- MR. MARIDADI asked the Minister of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs to state when the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act will be amended to ensure that suspects and accused persons, that is, defendants in criminal proceedings, are accorded the rights to which they are entitled under Sections 50 and 70 of the new
Constitution?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR CHASI): The question that the
hon. member has asked is a very important one. I can say to this august House that this work is being undertaken as we speak. Hon. members will be aware that the Constitution is the over-arching piece of law that covers every piece of legislation in the country. However, our approach has been to deal with those statutes that immediately impact on the freedoms such as the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act.
The amendments that are being carried out will go through the usual processes that any piece of legislation has to go through. This includes going through the Cabinet Committee on Legislation and coming to this august House. I am therefore, unable to say to the hon. member precisely when the amendment will take effect.
- MARIDADI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My
supplementary question is with regards to the pronouncement or the Speech that was given by His Excellency the President. He mentioned corrupt people by name and he said, it should not be tolerated. We have not seen traction on that regard. People have not been prosecuted yet. I would like to ask the Minister the position of that case?
- SPEAKER: Order, order. The supplementary question
appears not to follow because the essence of the question refers to the rights of defendants in terms of Section 50 and 70 of the new Constitution.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY MR. SPEAKER
VISITORS IN THE SPEAKER’S GALLERY
- SPEAKER: May I recognise the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery of members of staff and students from Morgan ZINTEC College in Harare Province. You are most welcome.
MOTION
INTRODUCTION OF A CANCER LEVY
- KHUPE: I move the motion standing in my name that this
House:
ALARMED by the number of women dying from breast and cervical cancer in Zimbabwe;
CONCERNED by the unavailability of cancer treatment in Zimbabwe;
DEEPLY WORRIED by the lack of accessibility to cancer treatment in Zimbabwe;
FURTHER CONCERNED that cancer treatment is not affordable especially to the majority of women;
DEEPLY SADDENED that cancer treatment is not available, accessible and affordable;
NOW THEREFORE:
Recommends the introduction of a cancer levy in order to save many lives; and calls for the establishment of cancer treatment units in every district.
- LABODE: I second the motion.
- SPEAKER: Ms. Khupe, I think you have a video to show. May I ask the House to be attentive and follow the video as she puts forward the message to us?
Video of persons suffering from cancer shown.
- KHUPE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Indeed, cancer is now a national emergency. October is the national breast cancer awareness month which is also known as Pink October. I can see that most of the hon. members are wearing pink, well done and thank you very much. – [HON. MEMEBRS: Hear, hear.]- It is a month where we remind ourselves on the importance of prevention and early detection of cancer because once cancer is detected early, survival chances can be 100%.
You have just seen that video hon. members. What you saw on those screens are not just pictures. This is what women go through on a day to day basis. I had cancer myself, but thank God the Almighty, I managed to overcome it. Women with similar breasts to those that you saw on the screen, have come to my office and said, Deputy Prime
Minister, I have cancer. – [HON. MEMEBRS: Inaudible interjections]- MR. SPEAKER: Order, Order. Carry on hon. member.
- KHUPE: These women have said to me, I know you have
breast cancer and I have breast cancer too. I want you to look at my breast. This woman opened her breast. It broke my heart because I said yes, I have breast cancer too but my cancer was not as advanced as hers. She said to me, I do not have money for treatment. Mr. Speaker Sir, this is the reason why when I talk about cancer, my heart bleeds. My heart bleeds because the majority of women who suffer from cancer are women who live in the rural areas.
These women are suffering in silence. These women are dying in agony. What you saw on those screens is exactly what these women go through. Cancer is undisputedly a rising epidemic in Zimbabwe.
Therefore, there is urgent need to invest in its screening and treatment. Today I would like to talk about two cancers. I would like to talk about cervical cancer and breast cancer. I would like to begin by talking about cervical cancer. 60% of women in Zimbabwe risk dying from cervical cancer which is caused by human papilloma virus. Being diagnosed with cervical cancer in Zimbabwe has become a death sentence. 1 800 women are affected by this epidemic annually. Out of the 1 800 affected women, an estimated 1 200 die annually.
According to the national cancer registry statistics, at least 33% of women diagnosed with cancer in 2009, had cervical cancer. This is what they say. Mr. Speaker Sir, cervical cancer accounted for more than 8% of all cancer deaths. This is a serious matter because women are dying from something that can be prevented. One of the ways to prevent cervical cancer is through male circumcision –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjection]- Listen to this hon. members because according to statistics, a man who is circumcised, has got 60% chances of not transmitting the human papilloma virus which causes cervical cancer.
So when I talk about male circumcision, I am not joking. The last time that I talked about male circumcision, one hon. member said I am crazy. I am not crazy because if you are male and circumcised, you are going to save many lives. I said 60% of women in Zimbabwe risk dying from cervical cancer which is caused by human papilloma virus. This is one area that we need to explore as Parliament and as a country as well.
Coming to breast cancer Mr. Speaker, statistics show that breast cancer affects one in every ten women. How many women do we have in this august House? We have got plus or minus 100, which means about ten women might be affected by breast cancer. I am one of those women, I sit in this august House, I have breast cancer. Breast cancer affects, one in every 100 men, breast cancer does not just affect women.
How many men do we have in this august House, we have plus or minus 200. What it means is that either one or two men in this House might have cancer. At least I know one man who used to sit in this House who suffered from breast cancer – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections].
I am not saying these things because I am trying to scare you hon. members. I just want you to understand the magnitude of this problem so that when we are talking about cancer, we all understand where we are coming from and what exactly we are talking about. This is why when I started I said, when I talk about breast cancer or any other cancer, my heart bleeds. My heart is bleeding because the majority of women who suffer from this epidemic are in the rural areas. These women do not have an idea of what breast cancer is all about. The only time they discover they have got breast cancer is when it pops out. When it pops out initially they think it is a boil or they have been bewitched. They start running around going to witchdoctors, by the time they get to a health institution, they are told this is advanced breast cancer.
Mr. Speaker Sir, statistics have shown that in Africa, the only time women discover that they suffer from breast cancer is when the cancer is in stages 3 or 4. These are advanced stages; you cannot do anything about them. So, what you will do is to watch these women dying in agony like what you saw on those screens.
Having said this Mr. Speaker, I want us as Members of Parliament to answer these questions, is cancer treatment available, is cancer treatment accessible, is cancer treatment affordable? For me, Mr.
Speaker, the answer is a very big ‘no’. I want to substantiate my answer
with the following facts:
Currently, in Zimbabwe we have got two institutions that treat cancer, these are Parirenyatwa Hospital and Mpilo Hospital. So, these two institutions are supposed to cater for the 12 million people in
Zimbabwe. People are supposed to travel from Binga, Chiredzi, Beitbridge, from all over the country so that they get to these treatment centres. At times, if is not in the majority of cases, when they get to these treatment centres, they are told chemotherapy is not available; radiation machines are out of order.
When it comes to screening, Mpilo and Parirenyatwa do not have screening facilities. These are facts; I am not generating something that does not exist. Over and above that Mr. Speaker, these people are supposed to look for transport money to get to those centres. They are supposed to look for accommodation, food and over and above that, they are supposed to look for treatment money. With chemotherapy, I did eight cycles myself and with each cycle you are supposed to pay up to US$300. You do chemotherapy every three weeks. So, for every three weeks, you go for a cycle you are supposed to pay US$300. When it comes to radiation, you do it for six weeks every day except for Saturdays and Sundays. Every session is US$300. Even you as hon. members, you cannot afford this type of treatment.
Mr. Speaker Sir, facts are very clear that cancer treatment is not available. I said earlier on that screening facilities are not there. At times you are told chemotherapy is not there. At times you are told radiation machines are not working. It is also a fact that cancer treatment is not accessible. Can you imagine somebody from Beitbridge or Kariba going to either Parirenyatwa or Mpilo Hospitals? Who are these people that we are talking about? We are talking about these women who live in rural areas. Honestly, do they afford? So, it is clear that cancer treatment is not accessible. It is also a fact that cancer treatment is not affordable. I said earlier on that chemotherapy is
US$300, radiation is US$300.
Mr. Speaker, cancer has certainly become more fatal than HIV because with HIV, you know there are ARVs, you know there are some organisations that give all sorts of assistance. My fellow hon. members, this is what we are confronted with.
The battle against cancer for me is personal. I have used my personal battle with cancer to raise awareness and to increase access to treatment and education to thousands and thousands of women. This is the reason why I ended up setting up the Thoko Khupe Cancer
Foundation as a way of trying to complement Government’s efforts. So, I am going to be calling on every Zimbabwean to support this very cause. I am going to be sending you SMSs to say please donate a dollar towards this cause. I would like to thank you in advance and may God bless all of you in advance.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to conclude by calling on this House to support this motion, where I am advocating for the introduction of a cancer levy just like the HIV levy. This cancer levy will ensure that screening facilities are available all the time. It will make sure that chemotherapy is available all the time. It will ensure that radiation therapy is available all the time and more importantly, it will ensure that we will intensify our awareness programmes because early detection of cancer saves lives.
I would also like to call upon this House Mr. Speaker Sir, so that we recommend the establishment of cancer treatment centres in each and every district, not one, but many of them so that people there can walk to those treatment centres. That is part of the recommendation. As I said earlier on Mr. Speaker Sir, cancer is indisputably a rising epidemic.
Therefore, it is important that we invest in its screening and treatment.
Finally hon. members, I would like to urge you so that we speak with one voice when we talk about issues to do with life and death. Let us learn to be above party politics when we talk about these issues. Cancer can affect anyone, like I said earlier on, breast cancer; affects one in every ten women. Breast cancer affects one in every 100 men. More than 60% of the women in Zimbabwe risk dying from cervical cancer, 1800 women are affected by this epidemic annually and out of those an estimated 1 200 die annually from cervical cancer.
Thank you very much for lending me your ear Mr. Speaker Sir. I am asking you to support this motion. Thank you.
- SPEAKER: Order, order, because of the confidence she has displayed about cancer, may it be recorded that through her intervention, one of my friend’s mother was saved because of her intervention – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear].
- LABODE: Mr. Speaker Sir, cancer belongs to a group of diseases we refer in public health as the non-communicable diseases. So, when you hear me talk about the Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) I will be talking about diseases which include all the cancers.
The burden of NCDs is threatening progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The rapid rise in the NCDs is depleting income in the low income earning countries; more so, at family household level. Because treatment is not available in public health facilities, in Zimbabwe at the moment, the treatment of cancers is actually a burden to the families.
Cancer therapy in Zimbabwe in public institutions (this is information from Mpilo Hospital) is estimated at about US$10 000. Why? Because if you are diagnosed in Buhera, or when you suspect you have cancer while in Buhera, you must now move to the Provincial Hospital where when you arrive there, as the last speaker said, you are told that the machine is not working but in most cases the machines will not be working. The mammogram is not there. The doctor will examine you and declare you or probably give you a diagnosis which says query, cancer, and will refer you to the central hospital. In this case, for Buhera, it will be Harare Hospital. When you get there – this is an old woman – remember, cancer, because you do not look sick, it is a silent killer, so nobody thinks they should help you by getting you an ambulance. They just tell you, get on the bus and go there.
You get to Harare Hospital, those of you who have been to Gomo
Hospital know what Gomo Hospital looks like. This is a village woman from Buhera. Where does she start from and how do you get to the right place where you are supposed to go? Finally, when you do get where you are supposed to go, a biopsies is done by a surgeon to confirm. This is a piece of tissue taken from your breast or cervix and this is where the saga starts.
There is only one Government Pathologist called Mr. Hove who is based at Parirenyatwa; may God bless his soul for still remaining in Government. He is the only one and all these specimens are now sent to him at Parirenyatwa. It takes him at least plus or minus 6 weeks to give a diagnosis. In the mean time, that Buhera woman has been sent to Buhera. Gomo Hospital will not look for a woman who is in Buhera and so that woman has to find her way back to Harare to confirm. The time she gets to the village and tells one or two women that she is suspected of having cancer, they will say, no, they will cut your breast or they will cut your cervix. Because of the stigma of losing one of her sexual organs, this woman is likely to stay back in Buhera and die with that disease.
If she does come by the way to Harare, she is lucky because she is in Harare. Bulawayo by the way has no radiotherapy and Bulawayo caters for five provinces. Masvingo, Midlands, - I am talking about Mpilo Hospital - Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Bulawayo, we have no radiotherapy. So, at that stage when you have come and you have been diagnosed with cancer, you now must find your own money and your own way to Parirenyatwa Hospital. This is a woman who is probably coming from Binga or Nkayi. She must come to Parirenyatwa and stay for about 4 – 6 weeks for radiotherapy on her own account. If she has no relatives, it is too bad, she has to go back to Nkayi or Buhera or go back to wherever she came from.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this is a tragedy. But, having been in Public Health, I tell you that this debate of whether to treat, prioritise or not to prioritise cancers, has been raging on for the last twenty years. I sat even in Geneva where even World Health Organisation (WHO) would say, we have little resources. When you have US$200 in your house, and then the ceiling surges and it is raining; it is leaking literally but you have children to feed, you opt to buy mealie-meal with the US$200. You may actually opt to allow that leak to continue and say, one day I will have money and I will fix it. But, by the time that you want to fix it, the house may not be there anymore but your initial response would be to buy food. That is what exactly you will do.
This is the situation with cancers. Can poor countries not sit down and say, I will give you a very good example; Mpilo Hospital this year received a budget of US$400 000 to manage and feed patients and do everything else. This amount could have treated only 40 cancer patients at a cost of US$10 000.
So, you find yourself in a position where as a low income country, paying either lip service to cancer management or just shying away. The reason why you are likely to shy away is because even information on cancer is very scanty. The districts are not able to diagnose so they report a suspected query, breast lump, to be confirmed by Mpilo
Hospital. You get to Mpilo or to Gomo Hospitals and then Gomo
Hospital sends you back and then after sending you back, you do not come back. That has reduced the number of cases. The numbers are rapidly increasing but because of poor diagnostic equipment the hospitals cannot demonstrate.
Then we have another problem, this patient has come now and has managed to come to Parirenyatwa and has had the radiotherapy. Then there are these complications from blood and there is no one to manage them because this woman has to go back to her District Hospital.
Proponents of prioritisation of cancers - actually based it on the fact that it is a human right to be able to access treatment for any ailment and they produced figures of course that there is a rapid increase while those who were against it really, were using economics. It cannot be disputed that it will gobble all the money available for health. There is very little money available and because cancer is a silent killer, it gives no political mileage unlike malaria. Those who remember the 1993 malaria epidemic, the whole country moved to live in Matabeleland North literally; everybody, because of the number of people who died and also the cholera situation that was here.
The Communicable Diseases (CDs) make a political statement which moves the whole nation. Every resource that is there is moved there while the cancer victims die slowly; they die moving and nobody notices. They can even be taken to be pretending and nobody will know that they are dying. Nobody will read the riot act to you and not even WHO, will tow you or raise issues of human rights because of the way it progresses. Cancer is unlike HIV/AIDS that hits and leaves a number of people lying all over the place. You remember what happened during cholera in Harare. Staff was moved and drugs were moved from Bulawayo to come to Harare because of that, which was right.
Because of that Ministries of Health and Governments due to lack of resources, tend to shy away from it, but Zimbabwe is a rich country. God so loved Zimbabwe that He endowed it with gold, platinum, coal, gas, and diamonds and we should be able to treat our people at no cost, at zero, free. People should put this in the Institutions and get this for free, that is if only we can manage our resources.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the effective cancer management programme hinges on five components; one being the propagation of healthy eating, healthy living, exercising, cutting down on alcohol and stopping smoking. All those things would at least reduce some of the cases and then an early detection system which would include health education, mammograms and a good referral system at district level as well as clean pre-operation and counselling support services. This is where a woman now has been diagnosed. We need that woman now to be counselled and one of the counselling functions here is building one’s faith in the fact that we believe as Christians that by his stripes, we are healed.
She will go through the next phase stronger and trust me; a lot of women by faith have actually been healed. Then the fourth stage is to ensure that when you have been diagnosed, you can do something about it. You do have the treatment, the surgical interventions, chemotherapies and radiotherapies. Then we also need the post-therapy support services. You saw that breast there, I used to have a breast but suddenly I do not have a breast because I come from Buhera, I cannot afford this nice plastic breast. I need that psychological support to be told akhula ndaba, it does not matter, you can actually live with one breast. Also the postsurgery counselling must include a husband or a brother who can support this poor woman.
In conclusion, I want to say it all comes down to money. The Ministry of Health needs money. In fact, there must be a budget line within the Ministry of Health for NCDs, otherwise we are going nowhere. No matter what we say here, if we do not give these
Chimedzas the money, then there is nothing we can do. We will sit here for five years and do nothing. Money is required and money we have.
- MUSANHI: Mr. Speaker Sir, the mover of this motion
moved a very valid motion. I think she spoke like a real patriotic Zimbabwean. I have noted very important points that she raised but she, however, ignored a very important point that men also suffer from prostate cancer which is a major killer of men who are 50 and above.
Therefore, I support this motion because the honourable former Deputy Prime Minister has raised this very noble motion which will serve the whole Zimbabwe, regardless of which party you support because sickness is sickness.
I think, Mr. Speaker, let us not look at it discriminatively that we look at breast cancer alone. I think that if we look at cancer, let us look at both breast and prostate cancer so that it covers both men and women. Mr. Speaker Sir, I feel that the motion that was moved before this one which concerns health was about the kidney treatments which are also very expensive. If you are to raise a levy, I think we should look at both breast and prostate cancer and make a package for both of them. I would like to thank the hon. member for raising this motion. It is a very important one and I feel that the hon. member has done a great job in raising this motion.
In conclusion, our hospitals that cater for this sort of disease are limited, like we heard from the mover of this motion. Only two of them against the number of people who live in Zimbabwe, I feel the hon.
member would do us a great favour in helping us alleviate the burden of levies on our fellow countrymen by actually denouncing the sanctions that are affecting this very noble thing – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]. I thank you -
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Has the hon. member finished?
- MUSANHI: I thank you very much for giving me the chance to express my opinion towards this noble motion.
+ MR. CHINOTIMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I would want to thank Hon. Khupe the mover of this motion. We may laugh and spend the whole day laughing at such a painful situation, which presents life threatening situations - especially when she referred to herself as a victim of breast cancer who has also had a mastectomy. Well, I do not know if the photos that were being shown here pertain to her or not –
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]
- SPEAKER: Order, can you hear the hon. member please.
+ MR. CHINOTIMBA: Mr. Speaker Sir, the issue that I am
addressing is not a laughing matter, it really hurts because if it is your wife who has had a breast removed, you would be quite hurt. I am quite hurt if Hon. Khupe has had a mastectomy and we should be sympathetic towards her. The issue of cancer is painful and I lost my father to it too. We should look at the issue of cancer in a serious manner and like she said, we should not politicize the issue concerning cancer.
What hurts me most, Mr. Speaker Sir, is that once an issue has been debated and if it is a good motion from the opposition or the ruling party, people do not really understand what exactly the mover wants to say. We should learn to support good ideas and good motions and not lend our support to bad motions from either side of the House. This will take our country to a better level as what was said by Hon. Misihairabwi yesterday.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the issue of drugs not being readily available, I would want to inform Hon. Khupe that we may raise thousands and thousands of dollars, whilst the money is there, we then send Hon.
Parirenyatwa to go to Germany and see if he can procure the necessary drugs and equipment for the treatment of cancer. Mr. Speaker Sir, I will state that- [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]
- SPEAKER: Hon. members, this is a very, very important motion, if you have got something to address to the motion, please stop heckling and wait for your time. May we allow those who are holding the floor to speak and let us give them our ear. Hon. Chinotimba, please carry on.
*MR. CHINOTIMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, I am worried
about the fact that the mover of the motion is from another party or opposition party. Be that as it may, we must support her motion. Even if I may say things that she may not be agreeable to, they must support the member who is the mover of the motion. If we have raised money from the proceeds of the diamonds, or that we have raised money and we intend to send someone to Germany – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]- Mr. Speaker Sir, our country cannot develop if we have hon. Members of Parliament who are like us, who when we speak, they are like hoho hoho, - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] - Madam Speaker, if we support each other as hon. Members of Parliament - Hon. Khupe has said that if we are faced with such grave issues like cancer, we should be apolitical and I give her kudos for that. I urge the hon. member that when she goes to her ministry or her offices, she can urge her colleagues to keep quiet in the august House whenever they would have raised a motion which requires the support of the other members of the august House.
Money can be raised, but as long as the Minister of Health and Child Care is not allowed to travel the length and breadth of this world, it is useless. - [AN HON. MEMBER: Ko kuIndia kana kuChina ndiko kune mishonga ikoko?] - Let us unite in here as the august House,
Madam Speaker, so that we can join Hon. Khupe and Hon. Parirenyatwa and send them to Australia to source drugs with one united voice, saying please give our country drugs- [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections]-
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order hon. members, can we listen to what he is saying. - [AN HON. MEMBER: Ko Look East Policy makaisepi?] - Can you continue hon. member.
*MR. CHINOTIMBA: Madam Speaker, the visual presentation
touched my heart, to those people who are not good at discerning things, they may not appreciate Hon. Khupe’s debate, but to those who are intelligent – Madam Speaker, they should be pained especially when an hon. member like Hon. Khupe, whose body parts are not proportional, meets other women whose bodies are proportionally built. It is so painful- [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order hon. members. Hon.
members let us have order.
- MUSUNDIRE: On a point of Order.
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: What is your point of Order hon. member?
- MUSUNDIRE: Madam Speaker, it is un-Parliamentary to
state in this House that someone’s body is not proportional due to cancer. It shows that the hon. member is not serious-[HON
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, let us have order. There is no point of Order. Can the hon. member continue?
- CHINOTIMBA: Thank you Madam Speaker- [HON
MEMBERS: Aa-a, Aa-a. Aa-a]
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Who is saying Aa-a. Order, who is
saying Aa-a? What is the Aa-a for? There is no point of Order. Can the hon. member continue with his debate. - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
Hear]
*MR. CHINOTIMBA: Madam Speaker, I am not mocking Hon.
Khupe. I am quite pained. Madam Speaker, the main thrust of my debate is that we should unite in this august House, fight against this disease, unite to raise money and fight this disease so that we can traverse the whole world looking for ways to fight this disease, so that even those who can go to Britain can raise funding and drugs to fight cancer.
I also heard from Hon. Khupe that male circumcision can reduce cervical cancer. It is my considered view that, people who are promiscuous and those in polygamous relations, should be enlightened on the dangers of such behaviour that can cause cancer. Even if it means it is me, Chinotimba, who behaves in that manner, I should be enlightened and the same should apply to similar-minded persons who are at Harvest House- [Laughter]- Madam Speaker, I agree with Hon. Khupe that funds should be raised to assist cancer victims. We may take this as a laughing matter and even politick about it, but what we have observed is not pleasant. Let us help each other to use legal means to raise that money. Above all, the Minister of Health and Child Care should be allowed to freely travel internationally to source drugs for the treatment of cancer so as to eradicate it. If as a country we manage to source funds for medication, the staff whether they are permanent secretaries, doctors or even the minister, Hon Parirenyatwa should be able to go abroad to countries such as Germany and others to access medication without sanctions being imposed. The minister is unable to access these drugs because of sanctions. Therefore, I am urging all political parties in Zimbabwe, not only ZANU PF and MDC but all political parties, should look for support so that cancer drugs can be readily available. The political parties should go out there and lobby for the removal of sanctions on all drugs. I thank you.
- MATARUSE: Thank you Madam Speaker, I will not waste
your time by going through the statistics. The first speaker did a very good job, she actually presented like she is a trained doctor. I just want to add one specific issue, the issue of cervical cancer, which she executed very well.
Cervical cancer is mainly caused by a virus which is sexually transmitted. Therefore, prevention of this virus from spreading should start from within this House. We know others come from as far as Binga and spend the whole week in Harare and we are saying, stick to one partner or have no partner. There is a vaccine which has been developed; initially it used to cost 80 pounds and a person needs three doses, which means we are looking at 240 pounds. It has now gone down; GSK is selling it for $31 a dose, which is $93 for three doses.
My recommendation is, let us incorporate the vaccine for this particular cancer. I want to demonstrate that it is reasonably cheap and very possible to form rural cancer treatment centres. To set up a cancer treatment centre in the rural areas, I looked at the issues required and I made pictures. What we need is a computer, screen, a special bed, a speculum, light source, acetic acid and the training of the people involved. We need a total of about $6 550 to set up a rural screening test for the cancer. It is done by a nurse, so it is possible to do it in the rural areas. I will circulate to you what some people may think is obscene. It is a picture of the mouth of the womb and a nurse will be able to detect. If you put acetic acid on it and take a picture, you will be able to detect at the pre-counsellor’s stage and at that stage a person can use cryotherapy to destroy the cancer cells. It can completely be cured before it gets bad.
In conclusion, it is very possible to set up cancer treatment units in the rural areas at approximately $6 550. I advocate that let us have a cancer levy to set up these cancer treatment centres. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE
(DR. CHIMEDZA): Thank you Madam Speaker. First of all, let me put my sincere apologies for coming in late. I just found the debate already in motion but from what Hon. Labode said, it is an emotional and very important issue. Allow me to thank Hon. Khupe for bringing this debate on cancer to the fore and this happens to be the breast cancer month. We can see everyone is really passionate that we get on top of this cancer issue.
Just for your information, the non-communicable diseases which include cancer, diabetes, hypertension, et cetera are taking over from HIV in terms of the mortality and the morbidity that they cause. Therefore, it is an issue of great concern to my ministry and to the generality of this country. We have had problems of funding and I am sure that is why for the past five years, we have not moved much in that direction due to lack of resources. The previous Minister of Health did not manage to do much in terms of getting equipment and cancer drugs to combat this disease.
Let me put this into perspective, probably it has already been said, that in terms of breast cancer, it is the fourth commonest cancer if all other cancers are considered in terms of mortality and morbidity. In women alone, breast cancer is the second to cervical cancer. This being the breast cancer month, you can see that breast cancer is indeed a very big issue, it being the second most common cancer.
I see hon. members are passionate about setting in a cancer levy to move this issue forward. However, there are a lot of things happening in the health care sector and as a matter of fact, in the past couple of weeks, we have been debating on how we can move from compartmentalising issues and looking at them globally so that everything is covered. On HIV levy, what we have been discussing is, it should not just take care of HIV; there are other things that it should take care of so that we move from viewing one disease and focusing on it alone outside other
diseases. It becomes so fragmented and difficult to manage. Hon.
members are talking of cancer centres in rural areas. It is a brilliant idea but a rural health centre should be capacitated to take care of the cancer, diabetes, hypertension and all other diseases including HIV. Therefore, when we invest in this, let us take a global viewpoint.
Let us take a bird’s eye view on all the things that are needed here. This is the thing that is on focus now because it is an issue that has affected very senior members of our society. It is an issue that has been brought to the fore. This is the month that we talk about breast cancer, but there are other issues that are equally damaging, that probably, like Hon. Dr. Labode has said, are not coming to the fore. They are there but we see them and deal with them every day.
So, what I was thinking is the issue that we discussed at some point before we came on to the scene. There was a debate within the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Health and Child Care, that the key problem in the health care sector is inadequate funding.
The two ministries, at some point, had proposed that there be a National Health Insurance Fund and that this fund comes as a levy, not just focusing on cancer but focusing on the whole health care sector and if we get anyone who gets sick, whether in the rural areas or town, they just need to walk to the hospital and get service, but that service will be paid for from that fund and then that health institution will be able to pay their workers – the nurses and doctors. They will be able to replenish their drugs, pay for equipment and maintain institutions in a way that they can serve the people of this country better.
So, while I like the idea of a levy, and we are all passionate about this need, people are cognizant of the fact that the health care sector is poorly funded and we want to remedy this by bringing in a levy. I agree, but let us make it a global levy and not just a cancer levy. Let us formulate a National Health Insurance Fund, where we will be able to fund the global health care sector.
Yes, we have an Aids Levy Fund and it has done phenomenally well. It was an emergency then, but we had to do what we had to do and brilliant minds came in and this has worked. But we are saying; now we have an opportunity here to fund the whole health care sector so that in each and every clinic, there are adequate drugs. You may be treated of cancer but die of diabetes or diarrhoea. We simply do not want that either. So, Madam Speaker Ma’am, I am grateful and I think that the point has been put across that we need to work towards a National Fund for all health care ailments.
There is an issue that we seem to trivialize here, and when we talk about it, often we think that it does not matter. For those that have not come across these sanctions, these sanctions kill children and pregnant women every day –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. member address
the Chair.
- CHIMEDZA: Thank you Madam Speaker. What I am
saying is that I fail to understand the call to lift sanctions, which even harm people in opposition fail to0 resonate with MDC-T colleagues.
They suffer because of them. Why does the MDC-T want to cling to these sanctions –[HON MEMBERS: Inaudible Interjections]-
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, hon. member. Can you allow the hon. member to debate freely?
- CHIMEDZA: Thank you. Madam Speaker, I think it is important for those that have decided to put blinkers on their eyes and refuse to see the damage that the sanctions have brought to the people of Zimbabwe to open their eyes. This is a serious issue. They are very passionate about things that happen elsewhere. They are passionate about things that happen in Kenya, for example and then they fail to see how many children and women are dying in their own country. I do not know what this will achieve for MDC-T or any political cause, so let us take this issue seriously. While we are working on all these things, sanctions are an important issue and every Zimbabwean worth his or her soul should stand firm against this evil. I thank you, Madam Speaker.
- N. CHIKWINYA: Thank you Madam Speaker, I am one of the ladies who are wearing pink today in recognition of this important month. May I thank Hon. Khupe for raising this important issue? I come from a cancer stricken family and I know exactly what you are talking about. My mother died of cancer and when she was dying she said to me “mwanangu rwara neimwe hosha haikona cancer inorwadza.”
We had all the money in the world to get her treated. We actually bought a drug called Taxotine, which cost us US$20 000 but we still could not save her. I also have got three sisters and other cousins who have died of cancer, so I know what you are talking about. I also want to thank the Lord Jesus Christ for having saved you to be here and be talking about this issue.
This is not a partisan issue. This is an issue that all women should rally behind and talk about, objectively, firmly and move ahead as women. Madam Speaker, let us talk about how young women can be educated about this. How we can put this programme in the rural areas, where we have women who have died because of this problem and then let us talk about witchdoctors and prophets, that this is not a prophetic or witch doctor’s issue but this is a medical issue. Let us carry out medical tests. In Shona we say “n’anga gadzibude munyaya idzi”. Let us talk
about real issues.
Having said that, do women know that they can test themselves before going to the doctors? Are they aware of that? Do we have television or radio programmes that talk about this issue? Let us not waste time probably talking about music on television – [HON MEMBER: Sanctions!]-. Yes, I will certainly talk about sanctions; I will come to that, certainly. There is an element of that.
Early diagnosis and how it is supposed to be done. Educational programmes, like I said earlier on, how it is supposed to be done. Food – what sort of food must women eat and the hazards of overweight, which may also cause cancer and to my fellow Parliamentarians, circumcision is important. If I were to be allowed to check, I would want to check how many of our males have been circumcised –
[Laughter]-
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order!
- N. CHIKWINYA: Madam Speaker, I support the cancer
levy issue. Just as the hon. minister would want to look at a holistic approach to all these problems, but I am saying taking one step at a time is important. Can you just look at one issue, deal with it and when we are done, move on to the next issue. That is how I would want to look at
it.
Lastly I would want to say can we take this programme to our constituencies since it is still the cancer month as Members of Parliament? Can we have more information from you and let us move ahead and spread this gospel because so many women have died.
Madam Speaker, if I may also say it must start from here that as hon. members, we donate towards her fund because she is doing a great job. I thank you very much.
MRS. CHIRISA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I think as
Members of Parliament we agree that the issue of cancer is a major burden the world over. Each year, tens of millions of people are diagnosed with cancer around the world and more than half of the patients eventually die from it.
Madam Speaker, I will not go into facts and figures because this has been said. I just want to remind this august House that October is celebrated worldwide as the month dedicated to building awareness, educating and empowering women on breast cancer.
In Dubai, they launched the ‘think pink’ initiative and this has been going on as a yearly programme to reinforce and build awareness on breast cancer. This can also be done here in Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Health.
Zimbabwe could benefit a lot because there are initiatives already and increased drive towards educating and empowering women in Zimbabwe and there has been a positive response to that. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hon. Thokozani Khupe for supporting the drive and helping the nation to reach more people, especially women and informing them about this disease.
Madam Speaker, I will talk about the campaigns that I have in mind that can help Zimbabwe improve identifying cases early through effective screening. Unfortunately, for the screening purposes, I do not know whether the Ministry of Health, especially the Minister, is aware that the machine at Parirenyatwa is always breaking down and it has never worked. For this machine to be repaired, we need to fly someone from South Africa to make those repairs. I think we should start training our own people.
We agree and I repeat that breast cancer is by far the most frequent cancer among people. This underscores the importance to improve our understanding of the risk factors of cancer, design and implement practical prevention strategies and develop better and more effective treatment options.
The foreseeable increase in the global burden of cancer will likely be more profound in less developed countries like ours. According to the Cancer Control Opportunities in the developed world by the Institute of Medicine, it is recognized that cancer is a significant disease burden in low and medium income countries, Zimbabwe included.
As a nation, we could create more awareness of hon. members on this issue of cancer, by supporting, through this House this motion on cancer and encourage all Members of Parliament, not only women but even male members. These have wives, daughters and daughters-in-law who might be affected. Everybody should be encouraged to be educated on breast cancer. Members should talk about these issues in their respective constituencies and provinces. They should encourage their wives to undergo breast cancer screening.
The Ministry of Health should also launch media and other campaigns to build awareness and educate women on breast cancer. The campaign should also include the ‘think pink’ initiative which should also talk about the breast consultation. We can also produce a special educational booklet to be distributed across the country. This booklet should be in all languages and it should have details on self detection methods in addition to key facts of the disease plus feature articles and quotes from reputed personalities. We can use our own Hon. Khupe in support of this grand initiative.
There should also be special orientation programmes planned in universities, schools, Government offices and various corporates in all cities and towns including our rural health centres and growth points. To further these activities, as Parliamentarians, let us commit to take up causes that assist women and mankind. We hope we will manage to reinforce the fight against breast cancer this October and beyond.
Madam Speaker, as a country and as the people’s representatives, it is our responsibility to support and do everything possible that result in the health and well being of our people. The emphasis of the Breast Cancer Awareness programmes should be on preventive measures. Every year in October, Government should organize various activities including road shows targeting women to give them a forum in which concerns and questions about breast cancer may be raised. Popular radio stations can also be used as a medium to interact with listeners and hear their stories and most importantly, to educate and build awareness.
I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD
WELFARE (DR. CHIMEDZA): I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 17th October, 2013.
MOTION
LIFTING OF SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON ZIMBABWE
- HLONGWANE: I move the motion standing in my name
that this House: CONCERNED by the high rate of de-industrialisation in
Zimbabwe’s major cities and towns continuously in the last 12 years;
FURTHER CONCERNED by the levels of unemployment currently experienced in Zimbabwe;
DEEPLY WORRIED by the sanctions induced poverty levels that have blighted Zimbabweans for the past 12 years;
PERTURBED by the alarming brain and skills drain experienced by Zimbabwe’s economy in the last decade;
ALARMED by the arrogant unilateralism of the West which imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe without engaging in exhaustive dialogue;
NOW, THEREFORE: Calls on the European Union, Australia,
New Zealand and the United States of America to lift all forms of sanctions they imposed on Zimbabwe.
RESOLVES to submit this motion, together with a covering letter to the European Parliament, the European External Action Service, the United States Congress, the Australian Parliament, New Zealand
Parliament and the House of Commons, encouraging them to urge their Governments to lift all forms of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe.
- MAVIMA: I second.
- HLONGWANE: Thank you Madam Speaker for allowing
me this opportunity to debate this very important motion. Let me preface my remarks first, by thanking Hon. Khupe for moving a very important livelihoods impact motion that touches and traverses all our lives, going forward. I think that with a bit of consultations across the two sides of the House, it will assist in forming a bipartisan approach in terms of the kind of motions as represented by the one on cancer. That is a very important motion Madam Speaker.
Madam Speaker, the motion before us is a very important motion because it is going to address four things. The first thing that it is going to address is the whole question of whether or not, in the background of a denialist approach, it comes to the issue of sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, we can now understand these measures. We want to understand as a House and indeed as the whole of Zimbabwe whether these sanctions are in fact real and what they represent? We ask the question, are there any economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe? It is time that this House gets seized with this matter in a comprehensive manner.
The second aspect that this motion is going to try to bring out is the whole question of whether or not these sanctions are legal. In other words, we try to interrogate the legal premise of the sanctions as imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union as well as the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. Do they pass the international legal tradition as far as international law is concerned, as far as international humanitarian law is concerned and as far as international legal best practice is concerned? We must be able to deal with that matter.
The third issue that this motion is going to try to bring out is the empiricism as far as the effect of these sanctions in Zimbabwe or on Zimbabwean people is concerned. When we say that there are economic sanctions on Zimbabwe, what do we have to justify that these sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe are in fact working negatively on the people of Zimbabwe. Of course, ultimately, the intention is to try to come up with an approach wherein we will communicate with the US Congress, as the
National Assembly of Zimbabwe. We will communicate with the European Parliament, communicate with the House of Commons, communicate with the European External Action Service as well as the Australian and New Zealand Parliaments to recommend to them to urge their Governments to get these sanctions lifted.
So, I am expecting fierce debate, very nourishing and very objective. Madam Speaker, let me start by saying that Zimbabwe for twelve years, has suffered a double barreled sanctions regime. These were imposed on Zimbabwe, first by the United States of America Congress on the 21st December, 2001, with an instrument called ZIDERA. ZIDERA is an acronym representing Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act which I am going to go into details.
That ZIDERA Madam Speaker, not only imposes economic
sanctions on Zimbabwe. It also imposed on the other hand, travel restrictions on our President, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe. It also imposed travel restrictions on those that are in key Government institutions and those that head certain Government companies.
The other point is that following the application of ZIDERA by the United States Congress in December 2001, Europe followed suit on 18th February, 2002. The European Union imposed again, another double barreled regime of sanctions on Zimbabwe and these were built around the template of ZIDERA. In other words, there is a set of economic measures imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union. In addition to that, outside of Article 96 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, under what they call the Common Security Framework, they imposed an entire gamut of measures that are built to deny our President as well as key Government officials from accessing markets in Europe. This is from travelling to Europe to do Government business and other very important programmes that may assist in directing how we proceed as a country.
The allegation at the core or the reason why these sanctions are imposed, I will start with the European Union which cites the issue of violation of human rights in Zimbabwe. It is an issue that I think we should not shy away from. As Members of Parliament, I think that we have an opportunity to debate this motion and we must deal with those matters head on. They cite the issue of human rights violations in Zimbabwe as at that time. They cite the issue of property rights violations as at that time and I can give you a quote Madam Speaker in the regime of sanctions as imposed by the European Union.
They say in order for the sanctions to be lifted, “the Government of
Zimbabwe must halt all illegal invasion of property.” This was happening in 2002. We all know what they are talking about. The kind of properties that they are referring to are farms that black people moved in to occupy after more than 100 years of colonial subjugation. In order to realign property relations in Zimbabwe, the process may not have been agreed. We may not have been able to build consensus in terms of process, but the outcome in terms of realigning property relations in Zimbabwe, in order to realize a sustainable social setting in our country, I think it was important and it had to be done that way.
So, clearly what the European sanctions are saying is that, because you have embarked on a Land Reform Programme, which is an economic model in a sense, we are going to apply these sanctions on yourselves. This is so that you move away from that economic model of empowering the majority of people that have been denied that right for well over a century under colonial subjugation. That is very unfortunate.
I have shown you that there are two sets of sanctions built around the same template imposed by the United States Congress as well as the
European Union. I am going to start with the European Union sanctions.
They were imposed under Article 96 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. The Cotonou Partnership Agreement is the Charter that establishes the ACP/EU joint Parliamentary Assembly in a North/South interface. This is a dialogue in trade, in the economic partnership agreements and a dialogue in trying to transfuse political values between the two groups. The North representing the European Union and its entire block of 27 countries and the South representing the ACP countries –African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
So, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement has articles. It is a legal
Charter. Article 96 as well as part of Article 97 allows any one of the
two parties to invoke measures or sanctions where it is not satisfied with issues around Article 9. I am going to come to what that represents.
The Europeans complained that Zimbabwe was in breach and violation of Article 9 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement. Article 9 speaks to the issue of human rights, good governance, and rule of law and to the issue of democracy. And, the Europeans were not convinced at that time in 2001, that Zimbabwe merited a continuation in privilege in terms of its relationship with Europe. Therefore, they invoked Article 96 of that Cotonou Partnerhip Agreement. Once that Article 96 was invoked, it meant decline in economic terms. This is what it translates to as far as the economic measures imposed on Zimbabwe are concerned.
Firstly, it meant that, Zimbabwe’s signature or participation to the
Multi-Annual Financial Framework was suspended. In other words,
Zimbabwe could no longer benefit from the European Development
Fund. The European Development Fund is a Fund put together by the European Union under a Treaty which is designed to assist all ACP countries. But, there is a process of dialogue and negotiation that you go through as an African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) country to enable yourselves to access that money. I will give you one example Madam Speaker, for the benefit of the House.
The 10th European Development Fund (EDF) that has been running since 2008 and is expiring this year is worth over 23 billion Euros. Once the sanctions were imposed on Zimbabwe by the invocation of Article 96 - it meant that Zimbabwe was no longer able, from 2002, to access/participate in any EDF programme. This is how unfortunate our situation is.
What is EDF? EDF is the Financial Arm of ACP-EU Partnership - it is like the Treasury of the ACP-EU Partnership. It funds the meetings of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly but beyond that, it is part of Official Development Assistance that is due to all ACP countries. You use that kind of money towards development within your own country. Zimbabwe, since 2001, has been denied access to this very important budgetary support instrument.
The other point, Madam Speaker, at that time is that – as soon as the invocation of Article 96 was put in place. The Education Transition Fund was suspended – the Education Transition Fund is the kind of Fund that we have seen in the last Government benefiting the education sector. The textbooks were procured through the Education Transition Fund but during the period when this Article 96 was invoked and applied on Zimbabwe - the Education Transition Fund was suspended.
We all know the effects of that. How our education system went into chaos and how our education system went from being one of the most marveled to becoming something that we did not want to be associated with in the past few years – was as a result of that.
The invocation of that article also disturbed Zimbabwe in a sense by way of collateral effect in terms of its participation in the Economic
Partnership Agreements. There are problems to do with Economic Partnership Agreements, problems that have to do with issues of accumulation, rules of origin, differentiation and so on. But, the fact that Zimbabwe was looked at using the spectacles of a bad boy image meant that Zimbabwe was no longer going to be able to participate in most of these programmes. Beyond that, Madam Speaker, they come up to eleven kinds of programmes that were suspended as a result of the invocation of Article 96 – programmes that are a direct benefit to the Zimbabwean economy.
Let me go and bring this closer to home that the European Union economic sanctions had a direct negative effect on the following important companies in Zimbabwe, among them, the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ). The National Railways of Zimbabwe, as we all know, is an important player in an economy such as ours. In fact, movement of goods by rail, in any economy, is a very important factor in terms of cost reduction, reducing the cost of doing business and reducing the cost of the price of goods.
In our situation, just to show you for illustrative purposes. The NRZ, around 1998/1999, before the imposition of these sanctions, just in the distance between Bulawayo and Hwange Colliery, was doing 48 goods trains per day. As I speak, they do two per day – that has been the cumulative effect of the economic sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe upon instructions by the Europeans. The way that NRZ was constructed, in the pre-independence days called Rhodesia Railways, is that the locomotives were sourced from Europe and the spare parts must also be sourced from Europe. As we speak, in terms of capacity utilization, the National Railways of Zimbabwe is at its lowest – it is not able to feed the economy in a manner that it is supposed to.
We know that the National Railways of Zimbabwe traverses the length and breadth of our country supplying vital arteries to our economy which are important in terms of making sure that goods are available at a much cheaper cost within the economy – that is important. I will not belabour the point about ZESA, we all know that the kind of power outages that we are experiencing and have been experiencing since 2004 and north of that period coming this way are remarkably different from the kind of power shortages that we would have experienced before the turn of the century. Why is it like that?
Because our economy was built with Europe being the source market, all assets that we have in Zimbabwe, including industry by the way, the machinery, the technology – everything was sourced from Europe. Once Article 96 was invoked together with a bit of Article 97, it meant that Zimbabwe was no longer going to be able to access spare parts from these source markets that are traditional to us.
The other important company, Madam Speaker, is the Zimbabwe Mineral Development Corporation (ZMDC). It is clear, going forward, now to everybody in Zimbabwe including ourselves as an august House that Zimbabwe’s economy is going to be anchored on the extractive industry. ZMDC is the Government arm that controls most of these mining aspects; sanctions were imposed on ZMDC meaning that its officials could not travel to Europe. Beyond that, meaning that its individual entity companies could not get raw materials, supplies nor procure spare parts from Europe.
You can understand, the difficulty of ZMDC with the pivotal position that it occupies in our economy - with sanctions being applied to it. I do not have to belabour the point as to the negative effect that it would have had in terms of job creation - how many thousands and millions of Zimbabweans have lost jobs as a result of that. You also know, Madam Speaker that there are banks, in Zimbabwe, that had sanctions imposed on them. The jewel bank which is CBZ and ZB bank – all banks that are associated with Government infrastructure, it was difficult for those banks to pay their subscriptions to international banks. It meant that it was difficult for those banks to transact in United States dollars any international transactions.
I am going to illustrate that in graphic terms going forward because that money once transferred from any source across the world, as long as it is in United States dollars, has to go via New York and once it gets there; there is a notorious office in New York that traces these assets that are supposed to be coming to Zimbabwe. Once it convinces itself that this money is directed to Zimbabwe, they freeze the money, withhold it, take it way and it is not accessible to anyone who is doing business in
Zimbabwe.
Last but not least, Madam Speaker, there is a company in Zimbabwe called the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). It is a group of companies that has close to 20 aggregate companies. But key among the companies that are owned by the Industrial Development
Corporation is a company called Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company (ZFC). I do not have to belabour the point as to the importance of ZFC in this economy. Everybody knows ZFC’s role is to make sure that there is production of fertilizer – a vital commodity in driving of our agricultural sector.
As I speak, US$5 million belonging to ZFC is frozen in New York – it cannot access that money because of the sanctions that are imposed on ZFC, on the Industrial Development Corporation and all its aggregate companies. I speak to you also, Madam Speaker, about a company called Olivine. Olivine is a company owned by IDC and IDC is a State company but Olivine is owned 50% by IDC and 50% by a company called AON. Olivine is important to our economy because it makes a soap called ‘perfection’. When I was growing up, my mother would wash my clothes with perfection. Imagine a woman in Chikombedzi not being able to access her perfection; imagine a woman in Binga not being able to access her ‘Perfection’ soap. One of the cheapest soaps available on the market, to enable a rural woman to survive and then we tell ourselves that there are no sanctions in this country.
Another company that I am going to talk about is called Chemplex Corporation. Chemplex Corporation is an important actor in our economy and it was put in place as a strategic asset for our country. The reason why Chemplex Corporation is important is that, it produces support services for livestock production in our country. If there is no Chemplex Corporation, it means you do not have treatment for cattle in terms of ticks, there are no dip tanks and you cannot produce vaccines that are important in order to maintain livestock in this country. Livestock is an important factor as far as our economy is concerned within our agricultural sector. These are the economic sanctions as imposed on Zimbabwe by the European Union under Article 96 of the
Cotonou Partnership Agreement.
The second category of sanctions imposed by the European Union under the treaty is that they migrated away from the interface of the ACP-EU and decided, within the remit of their own Treaty of the
European Union, under an instrument called the Common Security Framework (CSF), to establish a sanctions regime that prevents leaders of this country from accessing European markets, that prevents key stakeholders in our economy including heads of Corporations that are important from accessing European markets. This may look trivial to some of us but let me break it down for you to show you what it means.
It means that the head of NRZ may not be able to go to Germany or France to get involved in a business meeting. Remember the way in which the NRZ was constructed is that everything that the NRZ is – is sourced from Europe and therefore if there is need for service as far as their locomotives and wagons are concerned, they have to go back to Europe because that is where these things came from. Under the notorious CSF, it means that they cannot access those European source markets.
What it means is that suddenly business between Zimbabwe and Europe has been frozen. That is an economic sanction in a sense. When our President cannot access important markets in order to assist in the development of the economy, how else do you illustrate economic sanctions. The problem of CSF is its notoriety and its unilateralism. Clearly, the CSF by its very nature, when it is applied to a second or third world country, is a clear violation of international law, international humanitarian law and agreed ethical standards in terms of rules of engagement with third world countries.
Let me go to the American sanctions. I have just shown this House the two-barrelled sanctions imposed by Europe. Let us now deal with the issue of American sanctions on Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (ZIDERA), what is important about this
Act is what I am going to say here. It gives an instruction to the Secretary of US Treasury to give an instruction to any American executive director of any international financial institution to do the following:-
Firstly, to oppose and to veto against the following: any extensions by the respective institution of any loan/credit or guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe. Any executive director of American extraction who sits in a position where they are in charge of an institution , they have instructions to veto for the extension of any loan or a guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe –[AN HON MEMBER:
It has never been used]. I hear you are saying it has never been used, I will address that. This is the problem that we have in this country that there are people who speak in support of sanctions. This is the problem we have – [AN HON MEMBER: Warungu watema]. Sanctions by their
very nature are an act of war.
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. member, please address the
Chair.
- HLONGWANE: They are making disturbing sounds. By
their very nature, sanctions are an act of war. Zimbabweans are war weary. We just came from a protracted liberation struggle. Our ancestors fought another war against the same people. This is a third war against the same people and we have colleagues here who have the courage to speak in support of the sanctions regime.
If the Government of Zimbabwe wants to access any lines of credit from any financial institution and that financial institution is headed by an American national, he will veto as per the direction of the
Government of United States against any extension of that line of credit and he will oppose any Government Guarantee to the Government of Zimbabwe. This is what it means in simpler terms.
Secondly, they will oppose and veto any cancellation or reduction of indebtedness owed by the Government of Zimbabwe to the United
States or any financial institution. This is cruel. That is what they say. It means that we must continue to be saddled by a huge debt from which we may not be able to recover. These are economic sanctions. This is what it means.
A small country like Zimbabwe with a population of 12m people, has two global powers, 27 European countries with a GDP running into trillions of dollars imposing sanctions on it. How do you impose sanctions on a small company like ZMDC? How do you impose sanctions on a small company like ZB Bank? How do you impose sanctions on a small company like NRZ? This is the problem that we have got.
I want to talk to you in a more graphic way about the IDC situation. IDC is important in our economy because it occupies prominent space in all key sectors of our economy. In America they have put together an agency called the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). This OFAC is a notorious institution which has been put in place by the Americans to freeze all money that is directed towards Zimbabwe. They have done so very successfully. I have given you the example of ZFC. They are withholding, as we speak, US$5million.
Let me give you a more graphic illustration of what this OFAC can do Madam Speaker. A few months ago, a Zimbabwean national who is based in Botswana tried to remit US$975.00 for the purchase of a stand in Sunway City here in Harare. That US$975.00 was frozen by OFAC.
This is not the Government of Zimbabwe. This is an individual who is of Zimbabwean extraction who is in Botswana. He is an ordinary Zimbabwean who is trying to build a home for himself.
He is an ordinary Zimbabwean who is trying to provide an important basic human right for himself, that of shelter. That money was frozen by OFAC. This notorious institution which has no leniency to anybody froze that money that belongs to an individual. We must all be sad hon. members. If this kind of a situation can happen to one individual who is out there, it can also happen to us who are sitting in this House. Madam Speaker, we may fail to transact in the same manner, but, this is scary.
So the economic sanctions as imposed by America and Europe are not only affecting Government leaders or the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and his inner cabal, that is not true. They even affect the one individual, a Zimbabwean who is working in Botswana. They have frozen…
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, the hon. member is left with ten minutes. So you can continue hon. member. Hon. members please do not confuse the member.
- HLONGWANE: These cannot confuse me. Thank you
Madam Speaker. Just to illustrate this in a graphic sense. IDC has lost close to US$20 million. Most of it was frozen by OFAC so that, that money cannot find its way to Zimbabwe in order for IDC to transact. Here is another example. South African banks, because of the stigma of sanctions, Zimbabwe being associated with the fact that it is under an economic embargo; South African banks are emphathising with some of those international banks. In other words, even if you want to transact in Rands, it is difficult for you to do that.
This is the kind of problem that we have Madam Speaker. The second most important thing is, whether the sanctions are legal or they are not legal, I want us to interrogate that in full. Let me run through that
Mr. Speaker:
The first point, according to the General Assembly of the United
Nations, Resolution 210 and I quote: “Economic Measures as a Means of Political and Economic Coercion against Developing countries”. This is the title of the Resolution. It was arrived at on December 20, 1991.
This is what it says, “industrialised nations must reject the use of their superior power as a means of applying economic pressure, with the purpose of inducing changes in the economic, political, commercial and social policies of other countries.” That is the Resolution of the United Nations, Resolution 210.
Let me unpack this resolution for a moment Madam Speaker. When it talks about political coercion, what is it that they are talking about? It is clear that these sanctions, part of the reason why they are imposed is because the Europeans do not want the person of President R. G. Mugabe. Therefore, they want to influence Zimbabweans to think differently politically. This is not acceptable. It is a breach of this particular Resolution Madam Speaker. They have said this in their parliaments and we know that they have said it. They have taken certain positions as far as the broad policy in Zimbabwe is concerned.
We know that for instance, they want to do the same thing that they did in Iraq. After establishing an entire biting regime of sanctions, they then went to invade Iraq. After that they engaged in a process called debuttification. You know that, the party that was empowered at that time was called the Butt Party and they engaged in de-buttification. This is exactly what the Europeans would rather have us do. They want to engage in a process of de-zanufication in Zimbabwe.
They do not want the person of President R. G. Mugabe and his entire party. This is the reason why they imposed these sanctions, but Resolution 210 of the United Nations General Assembly is clearly being breached. Let me address the issue of the Economic Coercion scenario. Why Economic Coercion Madam Speaker. I said at the outset, one of the things that the European sanctions say is that they will only be lifted if Zimbabwe holds the invasion of private property. It obviously means that Zimbabweans must stop taking back their land.
So clearly, what the sanctions are designed to do is to get
Zimbabweans to move away from an economic model that empowers the majority of Zimbabweans. That is what they are trying to do –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear}-and this is not acceptable. Secondly, we are dealing with the legality or lack of it, of these sanctions. The other point is that according to the United Nations General Assembly Resolution of
December 4, 1986, which is the Declaration of the Right to
Development, Article 1, paragraph 1 of the Declaration, it speaks to the inalienable individual and collective human right to development.
When we cannot access lines of credit Madam Speaker, we are being denied an inalienable democratic right to develop ourselves. The sanctions are in clear breach of this Resolution. So they do not pass the test of International Law and the United Nations Statutes and therefore, they are unilateral as much as they are illegal.
The third point Madam Speaker is that there is a convention called the
Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action of June 25, 1993 of the
World Conference on Human Rights of the United Nations. What does this Declaration speak to? It speaks to the universal and inalienable right and an integral part of fundamental rights to development of any human being walking on earth. We are failing to do that because we are constricted by the sanctions as imposed on us by the European Union and the Americans.
The fourth point Madam Speaker is that the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, in its Resolution of March 4, 1994, expressly states on the question of sanctions and human rights that, and I quote; “unilateral coercive economic measures prevent the full realisation of human rights”. You know the cholera that we had in this country; it is because there is no funding to the health delivery system in this country. We cannot access lines of credit and tens of thousands of people died. –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]- Madam Speaker, it is a shame for anybody, any leader who was elected in this country, to speak in support of sanctions. –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]-
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order hon. members, let us have order.
- HLONGWANE: Point number 5, Madam Speaker. There is
also what is referred to as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Madam Speaker, Article 3 of that Declaration refers to every individual’s right to a standard of living adequate for their wellbeing. This includes food, medical care, housing and other necessary social services.
Madam Speaker, I refer to a case where a Zimbabwean national who is based in Botswana had his US$975 frozen by OFAC because he wanted to construct a House here in Harare. But this Article, Madam Speaker, refers to the democratic right of every individual to decent accommodation for themselves.
In Article Number 6 Mr. Speaker, we are dealing with the legality of these sanctions. It is clear Madam Speaker, to any sane thinking Zimbabwean that the sanctions regime, because they were not established or applied on Zimbabwe using United Nations Statutes, those sanctions are therefore not only unilateral, they are illegal.
Therefore they are a breach of International law as well as International Humanitarian Law.
Another point Madam Speaker is that the sanctions on Zimbabwe are an assault on Zimbabweans’ Civil Liberties and also an assault to the international covenants. I am talking about covenants on civil and political rights and the international covenants on economic social and cultural rights. The covenant stipulates “that a people may not be deprived of its own means of subsistence”. This is important Madam Speaker, because when you do not have access to international lines of credit, you cannot invest in agriculture, you cannot fund agriculture. It means that you are being denied an important means of your subsistence as a people. Such things are an act of war and America and Europe are at war with Zimbabwe.
Point number 7, the Unilateral Sanctions Policy on Zimbabwe also breaches the United Nations Declaration on principles of International Law concerning friendly relations and cooperation among states in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2624(xxv) of October 1970. The Declaration stipulates in
Article 32, that “no State may use or encourage the use of economic, political or any other type of measures to coerce another State in order to obtain from it the subordination of the exercise of its sovereign rights and to secure from it advantages of any kind”. This is the structure of the sanctions that are imposed on us by ZIDERA and the European Union.
Madam Speaker, they seek to subordinate Zimbabwe continually, as has been the case before 1980. The sanctions seek to perpetuate a legacy of colonialism. They seek to perpetuate a legacy of imperial thinking. They seek to perpetuate a subrogation of Africans. Let me put it on record that the two sanctions regimes are in breach of this important resolution of the United Nations General Assembly.
Another resolution by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, in 1983 Madam Speaker, condemned the application of economic coercion, especially when the latter is used against developing countries. Resolution 152 (VI) of the UN Conference of July 1983 entitled, Rejection of Coercive Economic Measures, these are sanctions.
It states as follows “all developed countries shall refrain from applying trade restrictions, this includes the EU and America – from applying trade restriction, blockades, embargoes and other economic sanctions incompatible with the Charter of the United Nations, against developing countries as a form of political coercion which affects their economic and political and social development”.
Madam Speaker, it is clear that the sanctions that were imposed on Zimbabwe by the Europeans and Americans are illegal and therefore all of us as leaders must not condone sanctions. To show that sanctions are illegal, all of us must sing from one hymn in condemning the sanctions. We must sing from one hymn in urging the Americans and Europeans to lift these sanctions to the extent that they are impacting negatively on ordinary peoples’ lives.
One of the issues that I also want to raise is the question that the Europeans and the Americans raised the issue of human rights that
Zimbabwe, was in breach of human rights and therefore it deserves to have these sanctions imposed on it. I want to address that issue Madam
Speaker. I will illustrate this way for you; the President of this country,
President Robert Mugabe, spent 12 years in a white man’s jail, in a colonialist’s jail when he was fighting for the rights of every black and white Zimbabwean in this country. When he was fighting Madam
Speaker, he was fighting to liberate all of us so that we sit and debate in a Chamber like this today. Why did they do that Madam Speaker, because as far as they are concerned, an African’s right is not a human right? That is why, when President Mugabe wanted to liberate us, when Joshua Nkomo wanted to liberate us, when Emerson Mnangagwa wanted to liberate us, they put them in jail Madam Speaker.
I was talking Madam Speaker, about the issue of human rights. I was saying Madam Speaker, that all people in Zimbabwe and we know it in empirical reality - all people in Zimbabwe that fought for the rights for all of us that are sitting here; either were put in jail, they were exploded to death or they suffered for 15 or more years in some form of punishment under the jail of a colonial regime.
What it means Madam Speaker, those that fight for the rights of Africans, are not recognized by these two gigantic political and economic powers of our world. Europe does not recognise them and
America does not recognise them. Let me give you more illustrations Mr. Speaker. Nelson Mandela Madam Speaker, that great iconic fighter, that great iconic liberator of our continent, that great advocate of the rights of Africans, until four years ago, was still referred to as a terrorist in the United States (US) Congress; an embarrassing scenario Madam Speaker.
A man that served 27 years in jail to liberate Black South Africans was in the books of America a terrorist who must never have set foot in America. These are the kind of people that we are talking about Madam Speaker.
Let me give you another point Madam Speaker; Kwame Nkrumah, that great African founder was removed from power by a coup that was orchestrated by the Americans. So was Patrice Lumumba Madam
Speaker. Patrice Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was murdered in a plot that was orchestrated by the Americans. It is on record; it is documented Madam Speaker. So, what is our point? Samora Machel is another. Our point is that these Americans and Europeans, when it comes to the issue of human rights, as long as it refers to African rights, there are not human rights as far as they are concerned.
They are only human rights when we begin to take our land from their kith and kin. That is why they raised the issue of human rights; because it was their friends that were being dispossessed of land. As long as it was coming from a black person to another black person, there is no issue of human rights. This is a sad situation Madam Speaker.
So, what is my point? My point is that, the question that they raised as justification for the imposition of sanctions is a flawed argument. It is intellectually lazy to speak of the issue of human rights when empirical evidence clearly points toward the opposite as far as our history is concerned Madam Speaker.
Now, I am speaking on my last point – [HON MEMBERS:
Inaudible interjections].
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, order, Hon. Members. Vehicle Registration Number ACI9518 Ford Ranger is blocking other vehicles – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections].
- HLONGWANE: Thank you Madam Speaker. This is my
last point Madam Speaker. We have spoken about the issue of the legality of these sanctions. It is now clear to everybody Madam Speaker that these sanctions are there and they are real.
I want to talk about the fairness of the process that the European Union (EU) used to impose the sanctions on Zimbabwe. I have already made the argument Madam Speaker, that the European Union sanctions were imposed under Article 96 and part of Article 97 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement.
There is a process Madam Speaker, which is followed. As far as
Zimbabwe is concerned, the whole issue of political dialogue between Zimbabwe and Europe was hurried up. There is a regular Article 8; political dialogue that goes on between Europe and each individual
Africa Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) country. That dialogue happens every now and then. The reason for that dialogue is to try to close the gap in terms of issues of human rights, issues of democracy, issues of the rule of law and other issues of governance between any one ACP country and the European Union. So, there is a structured dialogue that is put in place. The rules according to Article 96 Madam Speaker, are that before invocation of Article 96, which is the Economic Sanctions; a measure of last resort is resorted to, the parties must fully exhaust Article 8: Political Dialogue.
In the case of Zimbabwe Madam Speaker, this did not happen. On 21 December 2001, the Article 96 consultations began. Article 96 consultations allow for more that 120 days of discussion of dialogue which is supposed to be exhaustive, where you listen to the other party. You understand where they are coming from and you try to interrogate the processes and agree before arriving at a measure of last resort, which is Article 96. In the case of Zimbabwe, that did not happen
Madam Speaker.
On 21 December, 2001, the Article 96 consultations began. On 18
February 2002, the sanctions were imposed. I asked this question
Madam Speaker in the plenary of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary
Assembly Session to our colleagues in Europe and they said Madam Speaker, they did not have time to give Zimbabwe a hearing because everything that was happening in Zimbabwe at that time was wrong. That is the answer that they gave me. But Madam Speaker, I have already shown you that the issue of human rights has been ignored throughout our entire history by the same Europeans. They have in fact, as I have shown, worked against human rights in our country as well as in other countries.
So, the process was not fair. The dialogue under Article 8 was not exhaustive. They rushed to engage in Article 96; consultation, which is a measure of last resort without exhausting the other dialogue and as Zimbabwe, we have an ethical and moral right to deny the legitimacy –
[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections].
THE DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order, Hon. Mahlangu, we do not
expect that from an Hon. Member who is sitting at the front bench – [HON. MEMBERS: And a former deputy minister]. Can you continue honourable member?
- HLONGWANE: So, the 120 days as provided for by the Act Madam Speaker, were not exhausted and therefore to that extent, the entire House – [Laughter].
Hon. Hlongwane having addressed Mr. Speaker as Madam
Speaker - sorry Mr. Speaker Sir.
I was saying that the 120 days as provided by the law; Article 96 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement were not exhaustive and therefore because Article 8; Political Dialogue, was also not exhaustive, we must all agree that the double barreled sanctions measures on Zimbabwe by Europe are illegitimate and therefore, to the extent that they do not pass the test of international humanitarian law. They are illegal and therefore we must unite, all of us as leaders in this chamber to condemn those economic sanctions.
Mr. Speaker Sir, sanctions are an act of war. They deprive people of their right. Sanctions kill Mr. Speaker, as I have already illustrated in the debate of this motion. Sanctions maim, they are a war by other means. Zimbabwe has been technically at war with the West for the past
12 years. I already said Mr. Speaker that we are a war weary nation. Having come out of a protracted liberation struggle; having seen our ancestors running away from guns when they did not have any and we are getting to our 13th year next year, if these sanctions are not lifted. We have a protracted economic war waged on us by the Europeans; waged on us by the Americans.
Therefore, the National Assembly of Zimbabwe, this House must submit this motion and write a letter to the US Congress, House of
Commons, New Zealand Parliament, Australian Parliament, European Parliament and the European External Action Service explaining to them the graphic empirical reality which obtains on the ground in terms of the effect the sanctions are having on our people.
This is important, Mr. Speaker. We must play our part as a
National Assembly. We must play our part to join hands with the Government in trying to urge the West to lift these sanctions. It is very important Mr. Speaker.
- MAVIMA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to start by thanking Hon. Hlongwane, my colleague, for presenting a very erudite statement about the sanctions that this country is suffering from. There is a concept known as Bounded Rationality. Bounded Rationality lets people do things that they may think are beneficial to them but in reality those things will be detrimental.
There are wars that have been fought on the basis of Bounded
Rationality and nations have destroyed themselves on the basis of Bounded Rationality. The Rhodesians establishment fought a war for 15 years and sent some of their youngest people to the war front on the basis of Bounded Rationality. This country was going to be liberated anyhow. The worst was unnecessary. I am going to make a very simple and brief presentation. There is a way in this country on this issue of sanctions, we have acted on the basis of Bounded Rationality.
I currently preside over 85 000 Government and council schools. These schools where we are sending our children and grandchildren to, have lost close to 15 years of resourcing because of the sanctions regime that we are under. I was prepared to answer a question from one of the hon. members of this august House about the infrastructure situation that exists in our provincial offices of education. I said to that member, over the past four years, the entire Ministry of Education has received
$155 000 for furniture as allocation and only $900 was able to be used.
We have suffered a resource problem in this country that has affected health, education, transportation and as a result, our entire infrastructure dilapidated. We need to think seriously as Zimbabweans. Move away from Bounded Rationality that could actually call for sanctions as a temporary measure for partisan interest, individual political benefit and look at a broader picture about where Zimbabwe should go.
As a necessity, many countries go through several decades of deciding what should be the locus of power, as a starting point. I am glad that Zimbabwe has been going through this process. What should be the locus of power? How should power be used? What certain responsibilities should rulers have? It is a clearly Zimbabwean matter and has nothing to do with international interference. Here is the situation, Mr. Speaker Sir.
From the time of their revolution to the time of agreement and their Constitution, the Americans took close to 100 years. During that period, they clearly circumscribed that debate. They clearly refused to be interfered with by the British and other former colonial masters. They eventually decided on a democratic situation and a Constitution that they have been using to this date.
Why should we not have the same situation in Zimbabwe? When Americans debate their national issues, Mr. Speaker Sir, they clearly do this on the basis of national interest and unity without any separation between Republic and Democrat. We lack this in this country and we need to develop it. There are issues that should unite us as
Zimbabweans. We should approach international issues on the basis that other countries do, which is permanent interest for Zimbabweans and not necessarily permanent friends.
There are arguments that the imposition of sanctions on Zimbabwe was a function of consideration for human rights. I beg to differ Mr. Speaker Sir. The main reason why sanctions were imposed on
Zimbabwe illegally was reviewed clearly by the infamous statement by
Jack Straw to the then Minister of Foreign Affairs, the late Dr. Stan
Mudenge. It was a matter of the entitlement of kith and kin for the
British, the French and the Americans. It was on that basis that Jack
Straw clearly indicated that the Western world was going to squeeze Zimbabweans to the point where our leaders were going to be stoned on the streets and that nearly happened in 2008 Mr. Speaker Sir- [HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]
Mr. Speaker Sir, the debate on human rights does not make sense, especially coming from the Westerners, they have a short memory[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]-these are the same establishments that cropped up and created dictators of the cult of Noriega, of Pinochet, who were completely oblivious of human rights. Zimbabwe became important to them – at the point and time Mr. Speaker, we moved to assert our economic self-determination, that is, the point at which Zimbabwe became important. This proxy war that this country has had to endure for the past 14 or so years is a war that the Western world is fighting to reassert the interests of their kith and kin- [HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]- It has nothing to do with the interests of the black Zimbabweans of this country. The interests of the black Zimbabweans of this country resides in the principle of African nationalism, it is represented by a long struggle that the African Diaspora, together with Africans on the Continent have fought for four centuries. That is how it should be viewed.
How do we move Zimbabwe forward? We should move forward
by getting out of this bounded rationality context. We should move
Zimbabwe forward by clearly understanding that we have a responsibility to create institutions for Zimbabwe and by Zimbabweans, like we have started to do through the Constitution-making- process that brought us all together and created a document that we all agreed upon. That is the starting point. We need to further develop these institutions clearly understanding our national interests, clearly knowing that this country and its future is for us Zimbabweans, our children and our grandchildren. Everything that we do, we should look at those things that bring us together and knowing clearly that our interests will never be served by the interference of foreigners. This is the basis upon which I urge all Zimbabweans to reject-[AN HON. MEMBER: ZANU PF]completely-[Laughter] - unequivocally, the illegal sanctions and restart a process to build our own institutions. Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.
- MASHAKADA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for affording
me this opportunity to participate in this very important debate that has been tabled by Hon. Hlongwane. I must say, Mr. Speaker Sir, that I have observed a very worrying trend in this House, even beyond this
House, a trend where we now tend to blame sanctions on anything that happens in this country. We are now using sanctions as a scapegoat[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] - Mr. Speaker Sir, even if there is a drought in this country; some people will say it is sanctions. What I am saying is that, let us also look at those things that we have caused by our own omissions and commissions, rather than just label everything on sanctions.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to tow you down history or memory lane. During the liberation struggle, a lot of people suffered and perished while fighting for liberation. People were tortured, bombed, imprisoned-[AN HON. MEMBER: Naani?]-naIan Smith-[HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]- there were a lot of human rights violations during this period, but what was the response of the international community? They imposed sanctions on the then Rhodesian Government. [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]. The Western countries rallied under the banner of the United Nations Security
Council (UNSC) to impose sanctions on Smith after he declared the
Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI). These sanctions helped or assisted the liberation forces as well-[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] - because combined with the war of the 70s and the debilitating effects of the sanctions, the economy began to crumble during that period, quickening the demise of the Smith regime. This is documented and well chronicled. The point I am saying is, countries like Sweden, Norway and Denmark supported the liberation struggle. Therefore, we must not forget that the international community at some stage will have a responsibility or obligation when human rights are violated, when governance and rule of law has broken down and democracy is under threat. The international community will always have an obligation to do the correct thing – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] -
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Chibaya, please, your
fellow hon. member is raising a debate. If you could respect that.
Thank you.
- MASHAKADA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. One thing this
House must realise is that, because we did not have a UN resolution or a
Security Council resolution, our situation cannot be classified as a classical sanctions case. That is why you find some of us we can call them restrictive measures because of the absence of the UN Security Council resolution to make them legal.
Mr. Speaker Sir, why were the restrictive measures imposed? By all means, do we support these measures? Not at all. Why were these measures imposed in the first place? I thought ZANU PF would be in a better position to explain to Zimbabweans why these sanctions or restrictive measures were imposed. Hon. Hlongwane has referred correctly to Article 9 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, which binds the relationship between Africa, ACP countries and Europe in terms of how they should conduct themselves. The European Union invoked restrictive measures in terms of Article 96 because of certain obligations which Zimbabwe had not fulfilled under the Cotonou Agreement.
The hon. member has raised the issue of land reform as the reason why sanctions were imposed. I think you did not tell us the full story.
In terms of the Constitution, Government was supposed to take land and compensate the farmers – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] –
- SPEAKER: Order, order. If you have got a position as far as the motion is concerned, please reserve your position and you will be given the opportunity to speak. Hon. Mashakada, please proceed.
- MASHAKADA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I am one of those people who argue that in this country, we did not have a Land Reform Programme, what we had was a land revolution. Those two things are different. As it was a land revolution, it was characterised by force, violence and any other form of coercion to achieve the end of a revolution. In that regard, these transgressions became excessive intentionally or unintentionally. That is why under Article 96, the European Union said, we have a governance issue in Zimbabwe.
In 2000, when the MDC party was formed, we had activists like Tichaona Chiminya being petrol bombed at Murambinda, no investigations took place. All these things triggered restrictive measures on the country. I also want to say, if you want to understand the economic crisis that we now attribute to sanctions, it had a long history starting from ESAP in 1991. When Robin Ireland said remove subsidies on education, health and agriculture and we complied with those measures, that hit our economy seriously. I remember at that stage, in the labour movement, we were against ESAP saying this is a neoliberal policy and Government should abandon it. ESAP said you must liberalise the border, you can import freely et cetera and we exposed our industries to so much competition when they were not ready. We devalued our dollar and did rightwing policies that injured our economy.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in 1998 we spent US$3 billion in the Congo war and that bled our economy. Instead of putting that US$3 billion to health, education, railways and ZESA, we were spending it in a foreign country. In fact, Mr. Speaker, this economy is very strong. No country could have gone through such economic bleeding as to be surviving to this date. We had the black Friday when the Zimbabwe dollar crushed against all major international currencies, this was gradually and cumulatively authoring our economic problems. Then we had the quasi fiscal operation – the printing of money. The zeros that we saw, the hyperinflations, the quintillions and all those things. Do not isolate those things. They contributed to the economic crisis and the problems which we now conveniently label as sanctions.
My point is, Mr. Speaker Sir, in order for us to find a long lasting solution to our economy, we must open our eyes wide and devise internal measures to recreate and revive our economy. This economy is blessed with a lot of resources; mineral and other natural resources. We can leverage our own resources to move the people from poverty. We can do a lot for our own country and mind you, even if we can hypotheticate that we did not have these sanctions, was Britain or America obliged to give us anything. What for? They are not obliged to give us anything. Germany or France are not obliged to give us anything.
Mr. Speaker Sir, one feature of sanctions is trade. If you look at the trade between Zimbabwe and Europe, it is still very high. In fact, we are not even able to meet the quota of supplying sugar to the European Union. We are not able to meet the quota on beef, cotton, tobacco, tea and coffee, yet under typical sanctions regime there is no trade, there is a complete trade embargo but here we are and we cannot even fulfill our quotas in these markets.
The other problem, people are economic with the truth. It is not true that because of the veto powers of the US on multilateral institutions; therefore we cannot access credit or loans. The problem why we cannot access loans and grants is because of international payment arrears. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is as simple as that. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a bank. They look at debt and credit. If you do not service your loans or financial obligations or your interest payments, you do not expect joy from those institutions.
This is why, Mr. Speaker Sir, IMF and the World Bank suspended balance of payment support to Zimbabwe as early back as 1998. It did not start after 2000 because we had already failed to service our own international obligations. You remember when I started, I said let us not blame everything on sanctions. Let us isolate things that we could control and things that we could not control for us to get a solution, to move this country forward.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in 2000 the Government of Zimbabwe adopted a Look East Policy, which means we would have transformed our economy to look East. We would have cut ties with the West and looked East. Today China is the second largest economy. They can revamp our railway lines; they can give us rolling stock. In fact, if you go to Mashonaland, companies that are working on the energy sector, China Africa Sunlight Company, trying to assist us to get power. Extensions at Kariba South are being done by the Chinese. So, we do not have any reason to moan about these people because we have got the East. We have got India and China, which could support us. Why do we want Britain or America? Why not deepen our Look East Policy, since China is the second largest economy.
We have got Russia, Japan – the best railway people are in Japan,
China and so on. Mr. Speaker Sir, when we were in the Inclusive
Government, we achieved a lot for this country, even under the so called restrictive measures. In health, education, energy and water, we delivered services to the people. Mr. Speaker Sir, we even eradicated cholera during the Inclusive Government. The then Minister of Energy,
Mr. Mangoma, reduced the ZESA debt from US$100 000 000 to US$17 000 000 during the Inclusive Government.
We joined hands with ZANU PF and we set up an engagement committee for Zimbabwe to re-engage the European Union and the United States of America and those measures helped to ease these restricted measures. Today, a number of officials that were targeted had their names removed from the sanctions list. Today, a number of parastatals were removed from the sanctions list because of our efforts [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-.
The mover of the motion is my colleague. I respect him very much and no prisoners taken but my advice is that as Zimbabweans, we operate in a global village, let us mend our relations with the east, west, north and south. Let us establish good neighbourliness and good diplomatic relations. We do not need to go on a war path, fighting everybody. Only by doing that can we ensure that our sovereignty will be long lasting and protected. We do not jeopardize our sovereignty by fighting almost everyone around the world. First of all, we are too small for that and secondly, we do not have the resources to waste time fighting people. Let us produce food for the country –[HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-.
- SPEAKER: Order, order. The hon. member was just winding up, give him a chance.
- MASHAKADA: Right now people in the country are asking when it is going to see the promises in the ZANU PF manifesto being implemented to drive the country forward. That is the debate we want in the country rather than this sanctions mantra. Let us put our hands to work and work for this country and look after our resources and move forward. Thank you.
*MRS. CHIMENE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I rise in this august House to make my contribution on this important motion. This motion has a lot to do on the economic survival of Zimbabwe.
Let me start by talking about the Agreement which caused all these
– the ‘Cottonua’ Agreement –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections]- I know what I am talking about and therefore listen to my contribution regardless of the pronounciations.
- SPEAKER: Order, order. I think the hon. member was trying to say Cotonou. Thank you. – [HON. MEMBER: Hear, hear]-
*MRS CHIMENE: Mr. Speaker Sir, I know what I am talking about but I am talking about the rhyming of these words and I deliberately said this word because there is something I want to add onto it. I am quite aware of what I am supposed to say. I find that my colleagues on the other side of the House are interested in contributing in English and yet they have little understanding of the language. That is why I am making my contribution in a language they understand.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on a serious note; yes, I was joking and it is allowed to joke during these debates. Let me go biblical. As black people of Africa, we had our own ways of living and worshiping. We knew that there is God. But when the Whites came into this country, they came with their own Bible and religion. I will discuss a bit on that and make reference to the Bible before debating on sanctions. The Bible has a lot of things discussed regarding the conduct of an individual living within a community. In Leviticus 25, it is said that there is nobody who has the right to take somebody’s property, even if I owe money and fail to pay back; one should not attach property. If property is attached, there is a period which was set aside in the Bible. If fifty years jubilee elapse after one is holding on to the collateral item, one is forced by God’s law in the Bible which was brought by the White people that one should return that collateral item which one would have seized.
Now, Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to say that as Zimbabweans, how deep is our sin that we do not receive any forgiveness? Even if we owed them since 1890 up to date; the 50 years have elapsed. We got into 100 years under bondage but the Westerners say they are holy.
They are the ones who came to Africa with the Bible.
When we talk of human rights, we need to implement these human rights and look at the people who are teaching us about these human rights. We should also look at the people who brought this Bible so that we see whether they are implementing it in full. When they came with the Bible, they taught us that the law says; you shall not kill, fornicate or do any evil things. They did not implement all these things in full. Instead, they impounded our properties and they are supposed to have returned those things in 50 years because we believed this was equal to the things they would have taken from us. When we talk of human rights, we see human rights, they are very partisan -[HON. MEMBERS:
Inaudible interjections]-
- SPEAKER: Order. Can you give the hon. member the
opportunity to express herself in the debate?
*MRS. CHIMENE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I speak a language that most of us understand here. Some are just applauding and yet they do not understand because the other speakers debated in
English. I will speak my mother language. Human rights are only spelt out when it suits others; they look at the colour of the skin. When do they become ‘human’ to us?
Mr. Speaker Sir, I am saying the sanctions were imposed on this country because of the violence which was in this country. We have to look at the origins of this violence up to the time whereby anything that is happening in the county is referred to as violence. We have a place in Zimbabwe called Lalapanzi. What are the origins of this name Lalapanzi? When people were subjugated by the colonialists and were trying to defend our country; lots of people died at Lalapanzi being shot by the guns because they did not know that there was something that would kill someone from afar. Our ancestors were using spears, bows and arrows. People were lying down after being shot; they were not hiding from the guns but they were dying.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we would want the people in this House to know that, when we talk of violence happening in a country, you do not talk about it when it is happening because there is no time for sanity in that debate. When we were violated, we went to war to liberate this country and when we went to war, we did not bid anyone farewell because it was war and we knew that there was violence. Why have we been targeted by these sanctions? Why have sanctions been imposed on Zimbabwe? We find that when we have some people who are in a homestead or in a country, these are people, who are adults, be they men or women, these people become thieves.
In English, these people are called habitual thieves or habitual criminals and, what is happening in this august House is not surprising because we find that we have habitual sellouts. I was very much touched when I heard an hon. member – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections]-
- GONESE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. The hon. member has referred to other hon. members of this august House as
‘habitual sellouts’. I submit that it is unparliamentary and that is a violation.
*MRS. CHIMENE: Mr. Speaker Sir, I am not going to retract my statement because this is based on what is happening in this House.
- SPEAKER: Order hon. member, a point of order has been raised and I request that you withdraw that statement?
*MRS. CHIMENE: Mr. Speaker Sir, I withdraw my statement
from this House but I was talking about sellouts in the country. I did not refer to this House, my apologies and thank you.
Mr. Speaker Sir, it is really hard for me to find that there are some issues which when they are being debated, they are supposed to be done in unison. Because, when you talk of sanctions, even if you have not said anything about it, people find themselves becoming emotional because of this term. Therefore, this means that the sanctions are well known and their effects are being felt in the country.
- MARIDADI: On a point of Order Mr. Speaker. The point
of order is that, this very nice debate requires a certain level of intellect and sophistication and I do not see it resident in the hon. member.
Thank you. –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Chikwinya, order please. Hon. Maridadi, your point of order is unparliamentary. Can you withdraw your statement?
- MARIDADI: Mr. Speaker Sir, I withdraw.
*MRS. CHIMENE: Mr. Speaker Sir, I will repeat the words which were said by His Excellency when he was saying, shame, shame, shame, to people who do not seem to be aware of the negative effects of sanctions in Zimbabwe. Mr. Speaker, I will talk about what I saw and heard as evidence of this in such a way that, if this could be replayed, the whole country would view that.
When Mr. Tsvangirai was addressing a meeting in Manicaland, he said to the people, are you hungry? The people said, yes. Then he said to them, you have not yet started suffering. You find people saying such a motion should not be debated in this House and debated truthfully; we look back at some of these speeches made by the people of Zimbabwe. When the mover of this motion was debating, some people were saying, why do you not go to China to get medicine?
Mr. Speaker Sir, let me say it out in front of these hon. members.
You find that most of the hon. members or most of us who are in this
House, they did survive on the medications which we had sourced from China. The medicines are such as tiens, which means that they are beneficiaries of the look-east policy. Mr. Speaker Sir, I do not think that any member who is a true representative of the people will debate this issue on sanctions with kid gloves. These sanctions are a cruelty. They have hatred and all the evil, satanism and demonism in sanctions. When you find these people saying, there is a lot of ill health and hunger in the country and those people who applied for sanctions are living in these sanctions and they seem to be unaware of these sanctions, they are the people who called for these sanctions.
Mr. Speaker, when we are making this debate, we are not going to use kid gloves because the people of Zimbabwe are suffering. Even the animals in our game reserves are also suffering. Our animal husbandry is also in trouble because of these sanctions. I am talking to people who lobbied and called for the sanctions from the countries abroad. These people are hon. members and we are debating this in front of those people in this august House. We will never hide from the truth but to say the truth as it should be said. We will debate in this august House issues which are going to create life and longevity in Zimbabwe.
We had problems and we suffered a lot during the war of liberation when some of the people in this august House were not yet born. Therefore, we are not going to be swayed by people who only read things from the books. Yet I know that we were removed from our fertile lands to infertile places. Therefore, it is easy to tell a person who is living an evil life. We know that we cannot mention these people by name and their livelihoods because they are protected by the Privileges and Immunities of Parliament but an individuals’ behavior tells of who he or she is. I am sure hon. members agree with what was stated by Hon. Misihairabwi-Mushonga when she called for the installation of cameras in the august House, so that whatever is debated is viewed by the viewers at home. Hon. members who are here representing different constituents say different things when they are in this august House.
When speaking in their constituencies, they speak with forked tongues.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I hold this House in reverence when listening to what is being said and being done by hon. members. Honestly speaking, if we had no Privileges and Immunities of Parliament in this august House, we would find members debating a lot of things because each member would be debating without listening to the other. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]- I am making my contribution to this debate yet they keep disturbing me. This only serves to show the people who called for these sanctions. We have a Shona adage that says, kana uchida kuwona muridzi wemwana unomuwona pafa mwana iyeye uowona mai vake. We have now seen the owners of these sanctions through this debate. The people who called for these sanctions have been exposed.
In our case, Mr. Speaker Sir, I have every right to make my contribution on what I know about this country. If you are used to grabbing what does not belong to you, if you are used to living a lazy life, you will have problems with working hard. Whenever people make contributions that encourage people to work hard, you will find the lazy ones discouraging such debate.
Mr. Speaker Sir, an hon. member shouted that, ZANU PF killed. We had thousands of people who were killed during the liberation struggle and we need to remind each other. There is too much heckling in this House, we should know when and how to heckle because if you heckle on issues of national importance, we will expose you. As an individual, I do not heckle but I make my contribution but some hon. members were elected to this august House to seek personal glory and not to represent the people.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I feel brave, proud and happy when I am standing in front of people especially people who try to protect evil. They spoke about the sanctions imposed by Ian Smith that they helped us in the liberation struggle. Let me say that this is an unimaginable insult because the problems faced by the freedom fighters during that era, the people who did not experience this war but just heard of it should not invoke those sad memories. These are bitter memories that should not be revived.
Hon. members, let us debate on productive issues that are pertinent to our country. When we came to this august House, we made the agreement that the aim of this motion is for the removal of these sanctions. We should all speak in unison and call for the removal of these sanctions. Let us not protect the maintenance and retention of these evil sanctions. We will continue telling each other the truth about these sanctions since we now know those that called for these sanctions and are still calling for their continuation. Please let us represent our constituents by fighting for the removal of these sanctions.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I thank you for affording me this opportunity to make my contribution.
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MR. SPEAKER
APPOINTMENT OF THE DEPUTY CHAIRPERSON OF
COMMITTEES
- SPEAKER: Section 136(1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe states that a member presiding at any sitting of the National Assembly must be a member elected for the purpose, by the House and must not be a Minister or Deputy Minister. Standing Order No. 10(1) provides that:
“As soon as practicable after the commencement of every Parliament and from time to time thereafter as necessity may arise, the House shall appoint one of its members to be Deputy Chairperson of Committees who shall be entitled to exercise all the powers of the Chairperson of Committees, excluding his or her powers as Deputy Speaker”.
I now, therefore, call for nominations to the position of Deputy Chairperson of Committees. I call upon the Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Chimedza.
On the nomination of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE, DR. CHIMEDZA, Hon. Marumahoko was duly elected Deputy Chairperson of Committees. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear,
hear] -
APPOINTMENT TO THE CHAIRPERSON’S PANEL
- SPEAKER: Standing Order No. 10 (3) provides that: “As soon as practicable after the commencement of every session or as occasion may require thereafter, the House shall elect two members who, with the Chairperson of Committees and the Deputy Chairperson of Committees, shall constitute the Chairperson’s Panel. Such members shall be entitled to exercise the powers of the Deputy Chairperson save in regard to the acceptance of a motion for closure.
I now, therefore call for the nominations for the positions to the Chairperson’s Panel.
On the nomination of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HEALTH
AND CHILD CARE, DR. CHIMEDZA, Hon. T. M. Dziva and Hon.
Mutomba were duly elected to the Chairperson’s Panel –[HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear].
- S. CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for giving me
this opportunity to debate this motion by Hon. Hlongwane. First and foremost, I want to thank the hon. member for bringing this motion for debate to this House. I say so because we want to make the nation get into a clear and proper picture on what is facing the nation in terms of economic performance.
I am relating to economic performance because as I look at the context of the hon. member’s motion, he is concerned by the decline of our economy. He is concerned by the deindustrialization of our industry. He is concerned by the migration of our academia, what he calls brain drain into the Diaspora. Therefore, I want to believe all these factors which he is mentioning are causing an economic decay and decline to the people of Zimbabwe.
He however, goes on to locate the same economic decline to sanctions and this is why I say I want to thank him for bringing this motion. As the nation listens to this august House deliberating, we must come out with a clear position on what really is causing economic decline.
I will first of all want to speak on what he has deliberated before, that is to say we have sanctions in Zimbabwe. I beg to differ and I will demonstrate why. We have restrictive measures in Zimbabwe and I want to quote. Hon. Hlongwane is aware and is a member of the ACP-EU Parliamentary Committee. He went to that meeting recently. He is very much aware of the EU Council resolutions Number 310 of 2002 drafted and passed on the 18th February 2002.
They say “WHEREAS the Council has expressed serious concern about the situation in Zimbabwe, in particular the recent escalation of violence and intimidation of political opponents and harassment of the independent press, it has noted that the Government of Zimbabwe has not taken effective measures to improve the situation as called for by the European Council in Larkin last December.
The Council has assessed the Government of Zimbabwe continues to engage in serious violations of human rights and freedom of opinion of association and peaceful assembly. Therefore, as long as the violations occur the Council deems it necessary to introduce restrictive measures against the Government of Zimbabwe and those who bear wide responsibility for such violations”. There is no word like sanctions.
I am quoting the EU regulations, then that is the body of countries which you are purporting that they have given you sanctions.
I want to go back to the issue of conditions which were observed in 2002 vis-à-vis the same conditions prevailing today. Have we addressed the issues of freedom of opinion? Have we addressed the issues of freedom of assembly? Have we addressed the issues of freedom of expression? Do we not have AIPPA? Do we not have POSA? Do we not have the Criminal Law and Codification Act?
Contrary to what Hon. Hlongwane said earlier that Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement was not respected in regards to 120 days of negotiations being respected. Actually the EU Council gave Zimbabwe more than 120 days. It gave them 2 years to the extent that on the 19th February 2004, after the Government of Zimbabwe had been given enough time to reform…
- HLONGWANE: I rise on a point of order. The hon. member
is deliberately misleading the House. The period between 21st
December, 2001 and 18th February, 2002 cannot be 2 years. Thank you.
- SPEAKER: Sorry, I think it is a numerical correction.
- S. CHIKWINYA: The first resolution was arrived at on 18th
February, 2002 and the follow up resolution was arrived at on 19th February, 2004. It then makes it 2 years and 2 days for numerical correction.
I want to quote. “Pursuant to the position of 2002/145 of CFP, the Council imposed the prohibition of the supply of arms and related material and the provision of related technical training or assistance on the supply of equipment that might be used for repression in
Zimbabwe”. This was in direct response to the violence which we experienced in 2002 during our Presidential Elections.
We failed on our own to satisfy the requirements of our partners. This is not necessarily about our partners but it is because of the commitments which we made as a country. On the 23rd June 2000, Zimbabwe became a signatory to the Cotonou Agreement. Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement states that cooperation shall be directed towards sustainable development centred on the human person who is the main protagonist and beneficiary of development. This entails the respect for and promotion of all human rights. These Articles and these
Declarations are not simply put there in writing as a fashion. They have got an end stick to it. The countries signatory to this Cotonou Agreement agreed upon themselves on the 23rd June, 2000. What do we do to our own member state who has agreed today to respect human rights?
They then drafted Article 96 and Article 97 which then prescribes restrictive measures in terms of economic support and technical support. This is where Zimbabwe suffers because it failed to respect its own human rights. Mr. Speaker, we have documented evidence. It is very unfortunate and it makes my heart bleed. We have people we are forced by the dictates of parliamentary procedures to call honourable, but, these people have got blood in their hands. The MDC lost ..
- SPEAKER: Point of order hon. member. I think you cannot say that statement to fellow hon. members.
- CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. The Speaker simply
said I cannot say it. So I will not say it.
- SPEAKER: Order, order. The hon. member is requested by the Chair to withdraw that statement?
- CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I had not heard you
saying that. Out of an abundance of respect for you Mr. Speaker Sir, I withdraw the statement. Why I had said so, and I will never repeat those words but what I am going to read, will show you the same. The MDC, on the 7th March, 2008, lost Dickson Sibamba. He was killed in Buhera allegedly by Joseph Chinotimba, Peter Madangure, Col. Morgan Mzilikazi and Inspector Matongorere –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible
interjections]-
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. members, allegations are
allegations, so, let us stick to facts and not allegations. Thank you.
- CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. We have
documented evidence, graphic and so forth. What I am going to do …
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Dr. Shumba, you wanted to say something?
- SHUMBA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. The hon. member should
not use the platform of this House to continue to abuse on an issue that he has withdrawn and then continue to make innuendos to refer to the same issue.
- SPEAKER: Hon. Chikwinya, you were going to suggest something?
- CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, I was suggesting
that I do not use allegations as you have rightfully stated. What I am going to do is to present a document of evidence of human rights abuses for tabling to the Hansard – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-
- SPEAKER: Order, order. In terms of Standing Orders, we cannot allow that submission hon. member. You cannot submit it.
- CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I had thought that I refrain from speaking about the issues by submitting the document. So I will then speak about the issues. I had talked of Dickson Sibamba. The other person who was killed again in Buhera, and I will not mention the alleged people, it is Jacob Mudondo. There are various others – [HON.
MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-
*MR. CHINOTIMBA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I do not think that the hon. member should continue with his debate. It pains me because he has accused me of murdering an individual. I am very emotional about that one. Why should we allow him to continue with his debate? Let us talk about the sanctions. If he is accusing me of being a murderer, why was I not arrested? He says he has evidence and yet I am still a free member. He is provoking me. We cannot debate this motion if he is accusing me of murder. This motion must be stopped.
Hon. members broke into song.
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Chikwinya, Parliament is not a place for criminal inquiry. The hon. member made a serious allegation that Hon. Chinotimba murdered a person in Buhera. This is not permissible; he should report the matter to the Police for investigation. If there are any such other matters relative to any act of crime,
Parliament is not the place, the matter must be referred to the courts – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – I therefore request the hon. member to withdraw that statement – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections. Ngaagare pasi, ngaagare pasi, haachatotauri] – Hon. members broke into song.
[MR. CHINOTIMBA: Hazviiite, hazviite zvaataura, I will sue you, he must not withdraw.] -
The Sergeant-At-Arms approached Mr. Chinotimba.
Hon. Nkomo having stood up.
- SPEAKER: Order, order, take your seats. Hon. Nkomo, you wanted to say something.
- S. S. NKOMO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I believe that this House is run by rules and orders and I think that the Speaker had requested Hon. S. Chikwinya to withdraw certain things and he had withdrawn those things. I think Mr. Speaker Sir, whilst this side must obey your rules; the other side also is obliged to obey your rules.
Mr. Speaker, I think I personally heard the other member on the other side, threatening that he will deal with Hon. Chikwinya outside. I think Mr. Speaker the order I am requiring is that the same rules should be applied on those other hon. members that threaten others. I implore the Speaker to also exercise that rule on the other side of the House, especially the hon. member who said he was going to deal with Hon.
Chikwinya.
- SPEAKER: I am not accepting the insinuation of not having taken any action. If the Hon. Nkomo had seen what had happened, I instructed the Sergeant-At-Arms to go and warn the member in question. So, action has been taken without fear or favour. Just because of a lot of heckling, it is possible that the withdrawal by the hon. member might not have been heard. So, to close the matter, I want to ask hon. member Chikwinya to withdraw clearly and the debate can continue.
- CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the statements which you have ruled must be withdrawn. I move further
Mr. Speaker – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]- within the context of analysing why the restrictive measures are within us today.
Hon. Hlongwane deliberately left out the provisions of Article 9 of the Cotonou Agreement which he is fully aware, have a consequential effect to Article 96 and Article 97 of the ….
- HLONGWANE: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. Point of order – [HON MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] – usanyepa kani, usanyepa. Thank you Mr. Speaker…
- SPEAKER: In terms of Standing Order Number 22, the
debate is now adjourned.
It being Five Minutes to Seven o’clock p.m. MR. SPEAKER automatically adjourned the House.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 1st October, 2013.
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MR. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MR. SPEAKER
CORRECTION OF MEMBERS’ SPEECHES
- SPEAKER: I wish to remind hon. members that the drafts of members’ speeches for inclusion in the Hansard will be forwarded to the members in the House within an hour of the speeches for correction. Members are requested to correct the speeches and return them to the Hansard Department immediately. The corrections should be restricted to grammar and spelling only.
VERNACULAR INTERPRETATIONS
- SPEAKER: Members who speak in vernacular are requested to speak slowly and to make pauses. This allows interpreters to capture and interpret the members’ speeches correctly.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
- SPEAKER: May I once more remind hon. members to
switch off their cellphones before business commences. Please, switch off your cellphones.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
*MR. MATIMBA: Before I make my contribution on the motion,
I would like to start by congratulating you, Mr. Speaker for being elected into the Speaker’s post. I would also want to congratulate His Excellency the President for the speech he gave, outlining his expectations in this august House during the opening session.
I would like to make my contribution based on what was said regarding the availability of food and averting starvation in the country. I represent Bikita Constituency which is in Masvingo, a drought prone region because of the low rainfall. As we speak, starvation is rearing its ugly head in my constituency. In his speech, Hon. Kuruneri debated on the importance of the Zambezi Water Project as an important tool in fighting hunger and starvation. This is a long term project. In the meanwhile, as leaders, we should be planning on short term policies to save our people from starvation.
I personally made an experiment at my home by harvesting rainfall from a four roomed house and storing in a tank. I represent Bikita East constituency. The water so gathered was able to water a healthy two and half hectare maize field and I had a bumper harvest. My experiment showed me that if 20 000 people receive assistance in water harvesting using the above experiment, and each one of these households growing two and half hectares of maize, 50 000 metric tonnes of maize will be realised, hence a bumper harvest and a big knock out to starvation.
These are some of the projects which can be used whilst we await the implementation of huge projects. All that is needed by a household is the installation of gutters and tanks. Even if the water stored may be prone to evaporation, the amount is negligible but the harvest is huge. I therefore appeal to all householders with asbestos or zinc roofed houses to install gutters and tanks so that they may even carry agricultural activities in gardens at a low cost.
I will now make my contribution on the indigenisation. The President encouraged that this programme should be treated with utmost importance that it deserves. In my constituency, there is a big organisation called Bikita Minerals which pledged $1 million in 2012 but to date, only $50 000 has been given to the community. I therefore plead with the powers that be to work hard on the implementation of the indigenisation policy. This should not be treated lightly or just a small talk, but, should be implemented fully for the benefit of communities.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I will now turn to the health aspect of the
President’s speech. The President talked of the building of a thousand clinics which may take a long time to construct. Meanwhile, preventive measures should be put in place. In the past, we used to have village health workers working among the people. They had health kits for giving first aid before a patient could be referred to a bigger health institution. This was a very good programme based on the fact that prevention is better than cure.
I will now give praise to our civil servants who were very patriotic and soldiered on through hard and trying times. I was very happy to hear His Excellency calling for the increase of the civil servants’ salaries. These people are hard workers and deserve every dollar of their salary to boost their morale. The President’s encouragement should be implemented by the ministries involved so that it is not just mere talk.
I will now talk about problems facing my constituency, Bikita East. As I stated earlier, this constituency is in the arid regions four and five. The only suitable venture for this region is animal husbandry, which is the rearing of cattle, goats and sheep. Unfortunately, there is an adjacent conservancy there.
Animals from the conservancies include predators like lions which have since killed 600 herd of cattle which are the mainstay of the farmers’ economy. I therefore plead with the Parks and Wildlife and the conservancy owners to keep these marauding predators from attacking villagers and their properties. In these conservatories, we have problem animals such as the lions, elephants and the kudu which are grazers. When these animals get into your field, they destroy all the crops. I may say we are different from Hon. Chinotimba’s constituency which has hyenas which prey on human beings.
In his speech, the President also talked about the importance of the country’s road network. The roads in my constituency were last repaired ten years ago and they are so bad that no bus is prepared to ply these routes. The routes include Chikuku to Matsange and the Silveira Mission Hospital road which has been partially tarred. I plead with the ministries responsible to fully tar this road because this is the biggest referral hospital in my constituency. My request is that this road be completed with the requisite tar. The President commissioned the road and said it has to be completed but up to now, it has not been completed. When people get to the referral hospital, their health will be worse-off because of the road network.
Then we have Mbuya Nehanda Toturwi Road – we are also
requesting that it be attended to. These are roads that assist our people to make their areas accessible. As you know, if the road network is bad, even transport is not available. So, people walk long distances either to the hospital or to go and buy wares for sale.
On the issue of electricity, I have one hospital in my constituency – Chikuku hospital. It is quite big and that is where most people go but there is no electricity - they use candles for lighting. When pregnant women are giving birth, they deliver using candles, in this day and age yet there is an electricity line but we do not have electricity. We have people who travel long distances on foot to access healthcare facilities. We have already started construction work at Marambanika Gate clinic with the initiative of the Member of Parliament and the community. It is now at foundation level; our request is that you assist us in completing the clinic. Both Maranganika and Nerumedzo clinics need to be upgraded.
We also want to trap water in dams – Musaizi dam, if the dam is built, it can assist a lot of families and schools to engage in irrigation programmes. Currently, we have a programme of taking water to the people. We are doing it with the community, Chikuku piped water scheme and it is working out well. We need assistance so that water is accessible to other communities.
Mr. Speaker Sir, with these words, I want to thank my colleagues for their support and surely hope that they will assist us. Thank you.
- HOLDER: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. First of all, I would like to congratulate His Excellency the President R. G. Mugabe on his resounding victory. I would also like to congratulate you on your election as Speaker of this House.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I quote the President’s speech, “The mining sector is poised to play a greater catalytic role in the country.” However, how is this going to be when there are problems being faced by the mines? Government has made the apple tree tall for the small scale miners to reach the apples yet they expect the small scale miners to give a piece to the fiscus. Our mining problems are premised on mining policies that are ‘one size fits all’ policy – whether big or small.
Secondly, the mines and mining administrative issues; Environmental Management Agency and environmental issues is like draining a pool to get fish instead of adding water to the pool then you are guaranteed to get continued supply. EMA is complex and expensive and somehow the requirements defy logic and are non-practical at all. While miners are expected to pay these big amounts before even starting, they face punitive fines. EMA is not involved in any environmental mitigation programmes which makes me wonder what they are really about – revenue collection.
Proposed geo-membranes for slime dams are complex and expensive – they serve no practical purpose. There is lack of clarity on who is the authority in the mining industry enforcing regulations as police, EMA officials, mining officials all descend on miners. It is of no wonder that there are high levels of corruption and bribes.
On gold pricing, the amount taken by Fidelity Printers is 15% comprising of 6% commission; 7% royalty; 2% presumptive tax – it is too high. I equate this to the killing of the hen to extract the egg. There is also the issue of lack of trust, when authorities visit the mines; they already have preconceived ideas that the miner is breaking the law. So, their visits are more of faults and witch-hunting than value adding to the miners.
There is also lack of support in the Department of Mines as it is seriously under staffed. In Masvingo Mining District, there is only one Regional Mining Engineer in the Inspectorate Department and this affects the level and quality of service offered to the miners in the
District.
Mining is capital intensive and has very long payback periods. This has caused some miners to be seasonal miners who only mine when they get some cash and also promote high-grade cheap-to-mine deposits which lack consistency and continuity, whilst paying no attention to environmental issues.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I propose that the above problem should be reviewed through policy legislation. The mining legislation and policy must be revised and simplified sections to cover small scale mining. The policy should be supportive of the investment and encourage the reward.
Environmental impact assessments and environmental management regulations should be simple, supportive of investment and affordable by small scale miners. The levy charged on the Project Cost is too much and should be limited to the cost elements with Environmental Impact Assessments only. Geo-membranes should be recommended in areas that are prone to underground water pollution only. Environmental Management Agency should assist in the procurement of these membranes as they are not locally available. The Environmental Management Agency should have environmental mitigation programmes as their inspectors should give environmental management advice rather than to witch-hunt. The same applies to inspectors from other Government Departments. Their visits should be value adding to the miners and miners should not be afraid of their
visits.
There should be clarity on Mining and Mines Inspections and there should be cooperation or the establishment of Mining Inspectorate which inspects the mines once a year and compiles reports, as opposed to numerous inspections by numerous departments for the same things.
Fidelity Printers and Refineries should offer incentives rather than endless commissions and royalties delivered on gold. The Statutory Government arms and departments like ZIMRA, NSSA, EMA should not view miners as law breakers but as sources of revenue and must help in nurturing the industry through a supportive rather than vindictive approach.
Funding
Government, through the Ministry of Mines, to make available, through a vehicle which we used to have, like DDF, for provision of mining equipment which small scale miners can hire for a fee on production or share basis. This will assist in consistency in mineral production and will earn Government some revenue.
- MAVHENYENGWA: This afternoon, I would want to start
by congratulating the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His
Excellency, Robert Gabriel Mugabe for his resounding victory in the 31st
July 2013 Election. I would also want to congratulate you, Mr. Speaker Sir, and your Deputy for your election to lead this august House. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate my colleagues for being elected to represent the people of Zimbabwe in their respective constituencies.
This afternoon, I would like to add my voice on the Presidential
Speech which set the tone of the business of the First Session of the
Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe. I represent Zaka North Constituency in Masvingo Province. The President in his Speech, touched on a lot of problems being faced by most rural Zimbabweans especially those in Zaka North. My constituency, in particular, has no source of wealth other than agriculture which is communal as there are no A2 farms.
The rain season is just around the corner and already the communal farmers are restive as they do not know where they will get their inputs for the approaching farming season. The President, R. G. Mugabe highlighted the need to assist farmers who have suffered for the past five years in which the Government failed to avail inputs. I hereby urge the responsible authority to avail inputs before the rains.
Farmers need to plant with the first rains as the rain pattern is no longer predictable. The ministry concerned should also consider small grains as some parts of Zaka North receive very little rainfall. While the President talked about dualisation of highways, I urge the Government to seriously look into the rehabilitation of rural dust roads which are in a very poor and bad state.
In Zaka North Constituency, people walk for long distances to get transport as most transport operators do not ply the DDF rural roads due to their bad state. I urge the Government to equip DDF which maintains these rural roads so that our communities can be assisted. I have some of the very bad roads in my constituency such as Chivata, Muroyi, Jichidza, Baramanza, Chigwagwa and Ngwere.
There is no development which can take place if road network in an area is poor. This subject needs serious planning and attention. Zaka
North Constituency’s working class is mainly civil servants who are teachers, health workers and others. Our President talked of improvement of civil servants conditions of service and remuneration. This move by the President should be applauded. The rural civil servants are disadvantaged in many ways as most benefits such as stands, loans, etc, are normally accessible by those in towns. May the Government consider the plight of rural based civil servants and reserve stands, loans and other services for rural based civil servants. To motivate the civil servants, there is a need to avail funds for projects which can improve the livelihoods of these workers, especially the rural based ones. The projects should be extended to our poor people who we represent so that they can get money to pay for the fees of their children.
The state of Government buildings at schools, clinics and AREX centres are in very bad state. They have been neglected for long and now need urgent attention. I made a tour of Zaka North Constituency which I represent and noted that our civil servants in the rural areas are heroes as they soldier on under very bad conditions. I urge Government to relook at the amount of CDF with a bias towards raising it so that some of these problems may be attended to by hon. members.
For Zaka North Constituency, I have 33 schools both primary and secondary, one referral hospital, and 8 clinics – which all need attention. There is a problem of drinking water at these institutions and the community at large. If DDF is equipped and funded well it can ease this water shortage by drilling more boreholes.
The President talked about health matters which include availability of drugs at health centres. Rural clinics are empty. They do not have drugs. They need to be restocked with drugs. People in Zaka
North are still walking for more than 10km, contrary to the Ministry of Health and Child Care policy. On the planned 1100 clinics to be constructed by Government, I would urge the responsible authority to consider the plight of Zaka North Constituency Wards 4, 5, 6 and 11 who walk for very long distances in difficult mountainous paths to access health facilities. This situation is not good for pregnant mothers, children, old people and those living with HIV/AIDS.
Zaka North receives very little rain and has incessant droughts. The Government should hasten the planned construction of small dams to enable small scale farmers to irrigate their crops. The Nhema
Irrigation Scheme in my constituency need to be constructed as planned. The ground breaking ceremony was done by the Vice President Mujuru, but work has not yet started. The three chiefs in my constituency namely Chief Nhema, Chief Nyakunhuhwa and Chief Ndanga, are ready and willing to give land for small scale irrigation schemes which can assist a lot in alleviating hunger.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I am happy that the President talked about Zimbabwe Livestock Drought Mitigation Programme to assist farmers in drought prone areas to save their livestock. Zaka North is one of the drought prone areas. People will be happy if they get this assistance and save their cattle, which is their source of livelihood. Mr. Speaker Sir, with this contribution by Zaka North Member of Parliament to the
President’s Speech, I would want to express my faith in the new Government set by the President and believe that it will quickly articulate programmes asserted to by the Head of State. I thank you.
- L. MOYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to express my profound and sincere gratitude and appreciation for His Excellency’s Address which gave us direction on the social and economic path to be followed during our parliamentary deliberations. I would like to join other hon. members in congratulating the President on his election as the Head of State of our sovereign country, Zimbabwe. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is also my honour to congratulate you on your election as the Speaker of this august
House.
The object of my presentation is to respond to His Excellency’s Address. I would like to give a clear picture of what constitutes my constituency in terms of its geo-physical location, socio-economic status, the challenges it faces and the aspirations of the people of Mwenezi West. It is a stronghold of the revolutionary party as evidenced by the ever high electoral statistics since independence in 1980.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Mwenezi West constituency lies in climatic region five bounded by Mwenezi River which houses Manyuchi Dam and Bubi River to the south. The constituency is drought-stricken because of the unreliable and erratic rainfall patterns. As I speak now, people are scavenging for food because of the recurrent drought. The soils are a spread of, or combination of loamy sandy clay soils suitable for small grain production such as millet, sorghum, rapoko and cash crops like cotton and groundnuts. Part of the constituency is home to Nuanetsi Range, Malangani, Tacola conservancies and Sabot Acqua
Culture, supporting a lucrative crocodile project. The vegetation is of
Savanna type, dominated by Mopani trees, a source of protein rich for Mopani worms, macimbi, for human consumption or selling to earn a living. The Manyuchi Dam and other resources noted are an opportunity for development if properly utilised.
On Agriculture, Mr. Speaker Sir, the status of farming in Mwenezi West which I represent, is a gloomy state as the constituency is seriously affected by adverse weather conditions and recurrent droughts. Good rains are experienced at least once in every four or five years. I was particularly moved and encouraged when His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe, stressed the need to empower our farmers through strategies which can avert our country from developing an over reliance on hand outs from donors, the donor syndrome. These wise and helpful words from the Head of State should be taken seriously. Manyuchi Dam, which is one of the biggest dams in the country, is a potential source for developmental projects. It can guarantee food security if properly utilised. It can assist people of both Mwenezi East and West to be selfsufficient. Despite His Excellency, the President’s call for increased irrigation agriculture, Manyuchi dam has not been fully exploited. It is just a death trap for people and their livestock because of crocodiles.
It is my humble submission that a very big irrigation scheme could be an engine for food security. Applications for Magomana Irrigation scheme were made ten years ago but nothing has been done to assist the people and to develop the district which relies on the Grain Marketing Board. The GMB depots are in Midlands and Mwenezi East constituencies. Mwenezi West has many medium sized dams which only need pumps and pipes for irrigation purposes. Now that the Government has realised the indispensability of irrigation farming, the Ministry of Agriculture should expedite the establishment of a big irrigation scheme in Magomana area adjacent to Manyuchi dam.
On Health. Mr. Speaker Sir, His Excellency talked about the need to amend the Health Act in order to reflect the provision of health services to the people and to treat health care as an alienable right for every Zimbabwean citizen. This is commendable but, Alas! There is no single hospital in Mwenezi West. The resettlement areas which cover about 60% of the constituency do not have a single clinic, yet they are former white commercial properties which can easily be converted into clinics to alleviate the plight of the people and to curb the spread of diseases like malaria and water borne diseases which are prevalent in resettlement areas. A sad situation obtains as many cases of maternal delivery deaths and complications are reported. The Government should speed up the setting up of clinics at the following establishments or homesteads; Bubi River Ranch Homestead, Mateke, Chovelele, Barberton, Tigerbeg, Malumba, Nandis etc. The buildings are there.
What is needed are nurses and drugs only.
On Education Mr. Speaker Sir, while focus should be placed on the teaching and learning of science, engineering, technology and mathematics, the curricula should merge theory and practice. It should reflect the current socio-economic order. Secondly, a lot should be done in the resettlement areas to construct decent model houses and standard classrooms fitted with electricity to enhance the teaching of technology, computers and science. It is regrettable that most of the classrooms and teachers’ huts are still thatched establishments of pole and dagga. It is my conviction that a poorly paid worker, resident in a small hut which cannot accommodate his/her bed and a chair cannot be professionally effective to execute his/her duties when the morale is dampened. Mwenezi West does not have a boarding school. Boarding Schools are needed at Maranda, Dine and Nikita Secondary Schools.
Corruption
Mr. Speaker Sir, corruption corrodes the whole morale fibre of the nation. The misuse of public offices for personal or private gains or for the benefit of the holders of the offices should be dealt with sternly.
Roads. Transport and Communication
Mr. Speaker Sir, it was pleasing to note that the Government would continue the upgrading and dualisation of the national roads infrastructure. There is also great need to clear, regrade and resurface most of the gravel roads throughout the country and to open new gravel roads in the resettlement areas to support the Land Reform Programme.
The resuscitation of destroyed economic infrastructure like Manyuchi, Makugwe, Goloni, Chipwe, Munyamani bridges will increase the accessibility and connectivity of the constituency. There are only two cell phone base stations in the constituency which is about 355 kilometers long by 85 kilometers wide. Seven more boosters are needed to cover the whole constituency. Some areas like Chovelele, Mazetese Barberton, Tigerberg, Chirindi and Mangwerume rely on
NetOne from Mberengwa District. Areas in Mateke depend on Chiredzi South Constituency. The establishment of an information technology centre is very necessary at the constituency centre which is Maranda Service Centre for improved communication.
Housing Programme
Mr. Speaker Sir, this is the subject that underpins the dignity of humanity. The current regrettable and gloomy status of the nonavailability of a growth point, banking services, G.M.B, vocational and administrative centres as well as other social amenities, seriously affects peoples’ desired social and economic plans for development. Most of the services are accessed from outside the constituency as if Mwenezi West is a satellite constituency of the surrounding constituencies. There is need to upgrade Maranda, Dine, Vongwe service centres into growth points status.
Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment
Mr. Speaker Sir, His Excellency, the President spelt out the unquestionable significance of the programme which, if properly, implemented, can ensure that our people can become masters of their land or significant stakeholders in the running of their national economy.
In the true Pan Africanist spirit, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, said “Political independence without economic independence is like half crossing the bridge”. As we are now more serious about crossing the last part of the bridge in order to realise total independence, it is incumbent upon us hon. members, the Government and the responsible Ministries and authorities to ensure that the programme is fully supported with policies. There is need for monitoring mechanism to make sure that it spread its wings to all the districts such as Mwenezi, Chiredzi, Binga et cetera.
The programme should not only target urban areas. The people of Mwenezi West, Mr. Speaker Sir, need economic empowerment through the provision of soft loan schemes, community share ownership trusts- re-stocking of livestock and small to medium sized projects. There is need for the establishment of a vocational training centre and common facility centres to assist the youth and the women to acquire the desired life skills. This can result in self-employment and ownership of businesses and companies.
The small to medium size enterprises have a big challenge in transforming the informal sectors into properly regulated sectors for increased tax revenue and for peoples’ social and economic development.
In conclusion, Mr. Speaker Sir, for meaningful and sustainable development to be realised, there is greater need to rehabilitate old economic infrastructures like dams, roads, bridges and boreholes throughout the country. This will stimulate development and transform the economic terrain while removing such negative tags of being labeled ‘food importers’. The Government should fight tooth and nail to lure our talented skilled and educated sons and daughters in the diaspora to come and develop the nation.
The upgrading of service centres to growth points and town status where banks can be located, providing loans to farmers, the youth and women can help effect development and lower unemployment statistics.
In Mwenezi West Constituency, more irrigation schemes are needed upstream Mwenezi River to complement the current Dine and
Chizumba irrigation schemes in order to fully utilise the Manyuchi Dam. A wide spread water and sanitation programme through borehole drilling and dam construction is needed for the benefit of the people and their livestock.
Our committed, hard working and patriotic civil servants should be well remunerated while their working conditions at institutions such as schools, clinics and administrative offices are being capacitated through better accommodation, water and electricity supplies. This reduces the brain drain to other countries and people will use their expertise to develop their own country and to promote the indigenisation programme.
Finally, I wish to thank all hon. members for their patience in listening to my presentation so that together, through social cohesion and unity of purpose, we can develop our people and country. I thank you.
*MR MATANGIRA: Firstly, I want to congratulate you on your election as the Speaker and the Presiding Officer. Secondly, I want to congratulate the President of the country, His Excellency, President Robert Mugabe for being elected President of the country.
I want to take this opportunity to congratulate everyone in this House and that God saw it fit for us to represent the people of Zimbabwe in Parliament where everything for the development of the country should take place.
The reason why I have stood up is that as a new Member in this House, I want to support what the President said. I want to thank him because all he said affects the people of Zimbabwe which is what we
call politics.
Firstly, I want to look into the issue of hunger. Hunger in Bindura South is an issue because there are sandy soils and because the economy was bad in the past five years, there were no inputs and people were not farming on time and they were not harvesting anything. So, they could not get anything for their sustenance.
I also want to mention that the constituency is composed of farms and those in resettlement areas. What I request from this august House is that it is not only in my constituency where people were resettled, but I want this august House to know that when talking about A1 farms, people were settled in farms where there were tractors which did the cultivation. Now, there are no tractors and so, we need tractors in those farms. Farming inputs are also needed because the President of the nation said that, there is climate change and the weather patterns have changed.
When rain falls, it no longer follows the normal pattern but it rains for a short period so that the people in the communities can farm.
However, considering the short period, people are not able to cultivate and farm within the given time. So, they should get tractors, rippers and disk harrows and if possible, in every ward, there is need for a tractor. Not for free and not from the Government, but people should learn that when the ward gets a tractor or a disk harrow, if it costs US$25 000 for five years, these people should be able to pay back.
Then the President of the country talked about inputs. In my constituency, Bindura South, we sat down and agreed that if every household would get at least two bags of Compound D fertiliser and Ammonium Nitrate (AN) fertiliser, not for free, but for them to pay back after the harvest. Those in the farms also should be given more and if they get about four bags of Compound D and four bags of AN so that they are able to farm at least one hectare. People should be encouraged to farm food products to ensure that there is food security because we cannot be seen importing food when we have the land.
The President also talked about irrigation schemes that these should be increased in number. In my constituency where I come from, there are so many dams that can count up to about seven. We have Acadia Dam, Masembura Dam, Mudotwe, Mubhinzi, Guhwa Dam and there are so many of them. We have three rivers which flow throughout the year. Mubhinzi is in our area, Mazowe is in our area, Mupote is in our area but the irrigation schemes are not there. So, we are requesting that the irrigation department should help us to construct irrigation infrastructure so that people can farm and that we can water our food products and then get our inputs.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the President also mentioned the issue of livestock production. Livestock is the wealth of the African person. We all went to school because of the livestock and in the constituency where I come from; there are very few dip tanks. I request in this House that we should lobby and advocate for the building of more dip tanks because you will find out that three wards are sharing one dip tank. So, it is not everyone who is able to take the cows to that one dip tank and by not taking all those cows to the dip tanks, it affects the health of the cattle and we also request that the relevant dipping chemicals be made available.
Yes, we have been promised that we will get inputs and we have hope that we will get the required inputs and if we get these, our country will develop especially in manufacturing. If you look at the industry, you will find that it manufactures using raw materials from the farms. If you look at David Whitehead and other manufacturing companies, they get their raw materials from the farms and Lever Brothers also have their products made from soya beans, which is produced on the farms. So, what we are waiting for are the inputs and we are also waiting for drought relief maize.
Looking at the issue of transport Mr. Speaker Sir, the constituency where I come from is a constituency that is close to Harare but the people are having problems in accessing different areas because of the poor road network. We have the Nyava-Denda Road that comes from Pondwa. It is tarred from there to Bindura. That road has too many loose stones that can be used to ensure that the tarred road is constructed. In 2002/2003, that is when those quarry stones were put and they have been kept there for eleven years. We are requesting that this road now be tarred because the quarry stones are there. I do not think it is so expensive because we have coal in Hwange.
Then there is a road from Masembura at Manhenga to Hora, this road is not accessible at all. You cannot travel on this road. We request that this road be attended to. It links with Goromonzi North. This road is quite bad. Since 2008, the road network is so poor that even a wheelbarrow cannot move along that road. Those who farm in those areas in Jingwa – Masembura area use scotch carts trying hard to maneuver their way through the bad road network. My request is that these two roads be attended to so that the people can access various areas.
I want to go to the issue of education. Bindura South Constituency has secondary and primary schools but in some of the wards, people have to walk for about 20 km. Children cannot walk 20 km. Then we look at the issue of abuse of the girl child, where there are such distances they experience abuse on their way to and from school. For a child who is in Form Three or Four, you will find that those boys and men who are at the local bars actually end up abusing these girl children, who in the end get pregnant and drop out of school. We are requesting that each ward gets a secondary school. We have mentioned and requested this before.
We tried to address the problems with the little that we got by trying to construct a school using the resources that we were given by the Government. For example, if I managed to get a farm and build part of the school from the money that I get after selling the harvest, then the Ministry of Education can takeover and build a school. As a constituency that is in the rural area, we have one secondary school called Nyava.
We are also requesting that if we can have Mudotwe Secondary School becoming a boarding school. Those in the constituency and close by can also go to that school, then it can be upgraded and have A’ level status to ensure that children can learn within their community. Parents do not have money to send their children to Fletcher or Bradley because the fees that is being charged is beyond their economic means as they have not been getting anything for the past five years.
Again, on the same issue, the children in rural areas that are in upper six and are passing have challenges. We are requesting that they be given grants. Bindura has a university. If these kids could be given grants for them to attain their degrees and they can be bonded and can come back to assist others thereby giving back to their communities, then people can admire this programme.
Coming to the issue of education and health, Mr. Speaker Sir, we have teachers who work at the schools that I mentioned. They have medical aid schemes. They face challenges in that sometimes they go to the clinics or hospitals within the constituency and they are told that because the clinics work under rural councils, the clinics do not accept medical aid. It means the teacher has to use $10 to get on the bus and go to Bindura where medical aid is accepted and $5 to come back. Probably it is just a headache where he could have been given aspirin or paracetamol. We are asking if it is possible that the Government should assist so that the clinics in the rural areas can accept the medical aids.
On the issue of health, I want to thank the President of this country through the Ministry of Health that he said he will be able to give us one thousand clinics. This should be appreciated because in the past 5-years no clinic was built. If you have been promised a thousand clinics the initiative is now upon you as a Member of Parliament to ensure that you build a clinic in your constituency then the Ministry of Health can also come in.
I also ask, through this august House, that every ward should have its own clinic. If the ward has two clinics, then we need one to be a referral clinic where people can be given tablets and then go away. This year we want to farm and we do not want people travelling long distances just to get Paracetamols because it means they do not have time now to work on their farms.
Last but not least, I want to touch on the issue of mining. In my constituency, there are two big mines; Freda Rebecca and Trojan Nickel Mine. We were lucky to have a Community Share Ownership Trust with
Freda Rebecca and the President gave us a Community Share Ownership
Trust. We were thinking that if it is legal, the Community Share
Ownership Trust was in theory $10 million, but maybe through this
House, if the farming inputs are difficult to get, the Community Share Ownership Trust be used as guarantee so that farmers can get inputs such as Compound D fertiliser. That money could be used as collateral or guarantee so the farmers can pay $5 each in order to get fertiliser to do their farming.
At the same time, we have been saying that here in this country we have so many minerals that are not processed here in Zimbabwe. In my constituency, they are there. Through this august House, we are of the opinion that our minerals should be processed here in Zimbabwe so that the by-products can be used here in Zimbabwe. This will assist our country in creating employment.
Lastly Mr. Speaker, I want to talk of the respect and dignity of this
House. We all came here and made our own oath with the Bible and we told the whole family and the whole country that we, in God’s name have been chosen by the people and we will represent the people as has been chosen by God. We will be people who will ensure that the President elected by the country is for all of us. So, I urge this House to be united and have unity of purpose and fear God. I am requesting Mr. Speaker Sir that in this House we should agree. Ancestral spirits are there but the liberation of this country came through martyrs such as Mbuya Nehanda and Lobengula. Those were the first martyrs and then came those that died for this country, the liberators.
This country should be given respect by the people who say they serve the Government of Zimbabwe. We should work together and united we will succeed. I once said in this august House that the reason why we have conflict is because we will be heading towards elections over who will lead but when the person elected is there, we need to compliment each other so that we can develop as a country. We should not be there to downgrade one another. I read in the Bible that Aaron was saying that Moses had married in Africa. He did not know that he was downgrading God. So, I am saying, let us call pastors now and again to come here and preach to us and remind us what a country is and to understand that the country is run as a result of God’s will –
[laughter]
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Can the hon. member address himself to the Presidential Speech. There are two vehicles that are blocking other vehicles in the parking area, Third Street. These are ADA 3304 and it is a pick up. The other one is ADA 3293 and it is a white Ford. Can the owners of those vehicles please remove them and ensure that they are not blocking other vehicles. Thank you.
Can the hon. member continue?
*MR. MATANGIRA: I am sorry Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank you and I would want to end off by saying that we are here because of those who died and we should unite for the development of our country. I thank you.
*MR. MAPIKI: Firstly, I would want to thank you Mr. Speaker
Sir for your resounding election. I would also want to congratulate the President for his resounding victory and also, the hon. members in this House for their election. I would want to start by saying dust to dust, if you were elected by the people you need to go back to the people.
I wanted to talk of what President Mugabe said. He talked of Mbuya Nehanda and Lobengula who said their bones will rise and this has happened. This has reflected that their bones have surely risen in terms of the wealth of the country. What touched me most was the issue of mining. This issue of mining really touched me. I am from Shamva South and there are so many minerals there. We should have legislation that enables us to mine. If a child is caught with 2 ounces of gold that cost $10, he is given a ten year term in prison but we are saying the resources belong to his forefathers. I am saying that we need to look into this legislation so that we can benefit from our resources.
I would also want to look at the issue of the value addition that was mentioned by the President. We are saying as we mine, we should add value to our minerals so that we can see our success. Then, I want to look at the issue of the diamonds. Here, rough diamond is $60 per carat but once polished it is used to make rings, a carat for 440 can produce 2 rings. We find that a ring costs $5 000 and yet it uses one carat. So, we are saying, they are getting $10 thousand for each carat that they have paid for $60 or $40 there.
In other countries they employ about 6000 in such companies mainly people in that area but here in Zimbabwe we are crying foul over unemployment, we are failing to employ our own people. I am thinking that we need to put our heads together. Lobengula and Nehanda said their bones will resurrect but did not say will rise against each other but here in Parliament let us not rise against each other and do what the people expect us to do. The issue of wealth and indigenisation that we are talking about is the core of development. We need to talk of value addition on our minerals if we do not then there is something definitely wrong with our minds, we need to address that issue.
We need to also look at the cutting and polishing of diamonds. We have one college that is in Mount Hampden for them to do a course in identification and selection of diamonds they need $750 and to do a 6 month course on polishing of diamonds they want $4 500. This is not affordable to the rural parent because people cannot afford that. Such laws need to be addressed if we are to develop.
On the issue of Small to Medium Enterprises, people are complaining that there are no big industries and I am saying that we need to support our children, only then can things improve. If you look at the urban areas, there are people who are selling vegetables and those selling tomatoes, instead of the council building areas for them to sell their wares; you would find that the council is not aiding them but arresting them. What it means is that for people to become wealth, we need to improve on our legislation. If it means that the people in the small to medium enterprises need adequate places to sell their wares then that should be looked into.
Yes, we took the land but it also gave people in the areas periurban land. The prices for these stands should be affordable so that people can sell their wares at reasonable prices. We in the rural areas are poor and cannot raise so much money such as US$4 per square meter, but we are saying that is the property that we need and that is the inheritance that we leave for our children. The fees charged should not be exorbitant, so we hope the councils will reduce this and come up with a payment arrangement
On the issue of SMEs, I went to Uganda where resettlement was done a long time ago. Farmers carry their wares on scotch carts at night from farms that are closer to the road. They ended up acquiring machines to process raw materials such as bananas to make yoghurt and baby food. Lorries ended up coming to order these from Kampala. Likewise, here transport should go to Shamva to order things which would have been produced and processed there. We need to ensure that we represent the people.
On the issue of infrastructure, we are requesting that there should be laws such that there are cheaper stands. If it is for flea markets or for machines, it should be reasonable. If there are ministries that deal with
SMEs – there are agreements that are signed with other countries like
India-Zimbabwe for example, on the machinery for polishing diamonds.
We are advocating that people in the rural areas be given knowledge on what the various ministries are doing so that if it is importing machines, it has something to do with value addition, it should be duty free. Once tax is levied, it becomes expensive so we need to consider some of the legislation in place. We have MOUs on importation of certain machines which people should know. Some of this legislation was put during the Smith Regime so that we would not develop.
On the issue of housing, we should have cheaper houses. Those at growth points are facing challenges because they are being charged $4 per square metre, it is too expensive yet the Government will have availed that land. You find that we in the rural areas are not even able to get a stand there but those in the towns are the ones who have money and they come and buy. The gap between the rich and the poor is then widened. I am saying that as we craft legislation, we should also consider how people earn a living in the rural areas and the informal traders who are being chased after by the police everyday- because that is their source of livelihood. We need to consider that.
On the issue of agriculture, I heard others saying that agriculture is a challenge especially in Masvingo. I am saying Masvingo should not be a hunger stricken area. We have an agreement with Brazil where we can get irrigation equipment. We are saying that we have machines that we have. If we drill boreholes with these machines, we can have Solar Powered Submersible Pumps. These are the ones that transport water and if we see that the water table is deep, we drill further and then we organise families in 20s so that they can go on 20 hectare farms. They can then engage in horticulture. They can then produce vegetables and sweet potatoes and we can make flour or biscuits, thus adding value.
We can then export these processed foods to South Africa than to take the money that we have and order goods from South Africa and we bring them here. It means we have given all the money to South Africa and our country cannot develop. I am challenging Members of Parliament from Masvingo, Bulawayo or wherever that there is a programme that was done by the outgoing Government that imported graders and bulldozers inputs from there. We should also organise so that we get the rigs that drill boreholes and then at least we organise our people to get into irrigation and horticulture in order to improve our food security.
The issue of our economy does not need complicated mathematics but simple village mathematics. So that is the issue that I was looking at in terms of agriculture. On the issue of irrigation infrastructure in Matebeleland - people should also engage in food production and not only look at livestock production by drilling boreholes that are 160metres to engage in irrigation. Those who are in cattle ranching should also look at the dairy farming. They should take the cattle hides and engage in manufacturing. This can be done by SMEs who use the leather to make shoes. No one will come here and tell us what to do. We have to do it. 60% of people who are employed in this country have been employed through SMEs. We need to support them through funding, knowledge and adequate skills. We need to start off by empowering our children because India is creating employment of about
6 000 people for each diamond bought in Zimbabwe. Then it means that here we need to look into our legislation and find a way forward. If we can create 3000 jobs for each diamond it is not a bad start.
On the issue of indigenisation, I was thinking that companies that are coming to invest here, besides being charged a certain percentage – in Shona we say that kudya chemuzvere kubatamwana. So we are saying the social responsibility on these companies should develop the area by building clinics. They are not building clinics for health care or drilling boreholes for us to get clean water but we are allowing them to get our minerals. So I think that legislation needs to be reconsidered. If EMA has recognised that their social responsibility is not being done, it should be shown. Mr. Speaker, this is why I am saying that we need to unite. The bones of mbuya Nehanda should resurrect on the issue of empowerment and wealth.
On the issue of education, when we grew up, there was what was called F2. We were empowered with skills. When a child comes from school, he should employ at least two people but if a person has been empowered in terms of skills – there should be more practical subjects such as agriculture and mining as a subject because we are saying our country has resources underground. We need value addition of minerals as a subject so that at least if a child fails academics and passes practical subjects, he is able to sustain himself. Our pass rate, I was made to understand that it was 15% - so we need to find out what exactly we want. We are saying that only 15% of the children are passing, which means it is 15% gold and 85% junk. We are saying our education has a challenge and the issue of adults who have degrees from Japan where they cook soup from dog meat; we do not want to employ them because we do not cook such soup. We want people with relevant skills such as cutting and polishing of diamonds. So that is the target. We need to look into that. When we look at the issue of indigenization without addressing the legislation concerning this issue, then we are not doing anything.
When we have engaged in farming, we should consider the prices on our own. We should process our own raw materials. MOUs should be signed. Long back we knew that a person from school should know how to do woodwork. These days we look for builders to build a school but, there is Building as a practical subject at that school. When building a school, we should not even look at the issue of labour because the children are there and we should be utilizing the skills that the children have. Pupils in Grade 7 in China can manufacture an AK47 rifle. What are we doing here in Zimbabwe? So, I think that it is an issue that needs to be addressed.
On the issue of health, we must be honest with each other here. We want the Members of Parliament in this country to inform us what they have done for them to come here and say that we cannot have 10 000 clinics. What I have done in Shamva South is that we have a resettlement and rural area. I have managed to move around and converted the white men’s houses into clinics. I have 16 wards and 10 wards already have clinics that are ready to open. Two have already been opened using those white men’s houses.
I sat down with parents and we agreed that 80% of the inputs will come from them because Council gave us water and the community made 100 bricks to construct a clinic. We are saying, when you go back to your constituencies, you need to sit down with the community and build clinics because in my area, the issue of clinics, yes it is a bit of a challenge but I have strategies that I hope to employ.
*MR. SPEAKER: Order, hon. member, you are speaking on health issues and there is a motion on health issues on the Order Paper. I am asking that you go back to the motion. Thank you.
*MR. MAPIKI: Thank you Mr. Speaker. On the issue of farming, In Shamva South in Mashonaland Central, we have realised that cotton does not pay but we realised that there were others who have machines for ginning the cotton. So, those with the ginning machines can do the ginning for us and we pay for that, then we are able to sell the lint and then have oil from that cotton. That is what we have done in terms of agriculture. We are also thinking of having another partnership with Glendale Spinners so that the farmers can benefit. In that way Mr. Speaker, this is what I have noticed. I request that Parliament should look into this because we cannot be cry-babies like what Mr. Gono said.
So, I want to say that we represent the people and I want to go back to the people. Let us not fight each other because Mbuya Nehanda said one day her bones would rise and not that they would rise against each other. So let us do our work as Members of Parliament.
*MR. R. MAWERE: Thank you Mr. Speaker, I would like to congratulate you for being elected as the Speaker. I would also like to congratulate His Excellency for winning the elections. He won with a resounding victory and won by 61%. You will find that it is a year of sixty ones. Morgan Tsvangirai turned sixty-one.
I was very much pleased when the President discussed about the progrramme which he started by laying out the rules to be followed in the making of laws in the country. He talked about the promotion of agriculture in the country because agriculture is the mainstay in the country’s development and also determines the direction which the people will follow in their lives.
If you follow what happened in the previous election, decisions were made through the stomach. We need to work through institutions which have to be improved and these include ARDA which needs to have an effective leadership. During the past years, we used to purchase every agricultural product from ARDA. You would get milk, potatoes, food. Therefore, we now call upon the responsible Minister, Dr. Made to treat it as a matter of urgency to resuscitate the viability of ARDA. Zimbabwe is not supposed to be importing food from other countries because it was once the bread-basket of the region.
We had areas like the Middle Sabi, the Halsted Trust; it was the mainstay of agriculture in the country. May you please reinstate the status of ARDA so that we have people who are well fed and will lead to the development of the country? I am sure, if people are given inputs so that they can be self-sufficient, this will lead to the development of the country. We are not supposed to be relying on donations and donors.
Let me now discuss roads. I represent Mutoko East Constituency which is on the periphery of Zimbabwe on the boundaries with areas like Nyanga. The roads are in an appalling state. If you visit areas like
Nyamuzizi, we find that there are no bridges because during the Smith era, this area, Nyamuzizi was earmarked for a game park. But, as a
Government of the people, we have since resettled people in that area. Therefore, since we have changed the land-use, let us now put the necessary infrastructure for the benefit of the people. We find that in each rainy season, people are swept by the waters of the un-bridged
rivers.
Therefore, I plead with the ministries that be, that let us construct and repair bridges in these areas so that people have access to roads and carry on with their businesses instead of getting people who will move from that area into that area and look like people who are going into a foreign land. We find that also feeder roads into these areas also need to be bridged. I remember last year, we had a school child who was swept away by the flooded rivers. Therefore, through the Government, and the Ministry of Transport, please, give assistance, we do not need to have casualties of children being swept away by rivers. The children are the future of Zimbabwe; we need to take great care of them.
Still on agriculture, Mutoko is a horticultural area – we plead with the Government to render support in this area especially in the construction and setting up of industries so that we add value to these agricultural products. In the same manner, we will also be creating employment and our people will benefit more because when they bring their produce to Mbare Musika they lose. We also have people with mango fruits that they bring to companies like Innscor in Harare. I believe that these products should be processed in our area as people will benefit and get more profit. As a result, when these people bring their produce to Harare, they get little from their sweat and agriculture.
Therefore, I plead with the Government to support my people in the Value Addition Programme.
In this august House, we heard some august Members who asked what psychomotor is. Let me now explain – psychomotor is a hands-on tool because it has to do with what happens in tertiary institutions. What we are saying is, when we talk of pyschomotors – we do not have any college in our area so that we use psychomotor, which is the development of human beings. So, that all these people, who will be working in the cannery factories will be doing so from a psychomotor institution. I, therefore, plead with the powers that be – let us work towards the improvement of our institutions.
I am not going to discuss health because I have been advised by Mr. Speaker that it is scheduled in future debates. We need roads so that people can be ferried to hospitals. In my constituency, we only have one big referral hospital called Nyamuzuhwe hospital. We depend on donations from the Italians; we have a road that is less than ten kilometers – the road is very short. People that go to All Souls Hospital reach the hospital in a worse-off state and sometimes they die on the way. Therefore, I plead with the powers that be to help us to repair this road so that our patients can be ferried comfortably.
People suffering from liver cirrhosis have problems in travelling along such roads. Let us repair our roads so that all people live a good life. We will find that when the roads have been repaired, the institutions will perform to the utmost because we cannot air lift people for a ten kilometer distance. I plead with the Minister of Transport, that even if it means gravelling the roads – please, let us do that.
This is my plea, cry and request. Mr. Speaker Sir, thank you for affording me this opportunity to make my contribution.
*MR. MATAMBANADZO: Mr. Speaker Sir, may I start by
congratulating you for being elected to be the Speaker of this august
House. May I also thank the President for winning resoundingly in the 31st July elections. As a result, the whole country is very happy because our country was being destroyed as our enemies had devious plans but His Excellency, through his intelligence and tact, managed to regain the status of the country and return it to its rightful owners – the black people of Zimbabwe. The percentage he has is what I will call 90%.
Mr. Speaker, I come from the Kwekwe Central constituency which is situated in the Midlands Province. I plead with this House to sympathise and empathise with me on the Kwekwe Central constituency because of the following deplorable conditions that should be rectified.
This area is very important as it is the center of our country – geographically, it is central. Even visitors from abroad such as China,
Russia and other countries will prefer to see the geographical center of Zimbabwe which is Kwekwe and assess its position and status - the reason being that it is a very rich area naturally because it is rich in minerals and gold.
We also have the biggest mine – the Globe and Phoenix Mine which is a very popular place internationally. The President also emphasised the importance of this area and said it is going to help in developing the country; just as Zambia is developed through copper; Botswana is developed through diamonds and South Africa through its other minerals - the Zimbabwean economy is developed through gold. Unfortunately, our gold is not properly handled just as Zambia would go down in development if it does not handle properly its copper. I promise you that I work on my documentation and chart the way forward on the mining and adding value to gold after holding meetings with the gold miners in my constituency.
I managed to hold a meeting with one of the companies with the biggest iron ore mines in the country called ZISCO Steel. As you all are aware, ZISCO Steel closed down just like Globe and Phoenix Mine and we have no steel. Yes we know, we had problems five years back but as of now, I think, we are in a position to rebuild our mines and development starts from Kwekwe.
Lancashire Steel is a subdivision of ZISCO Steel and since Lancashire Steel depends on ZISCO Steel – we cannot divorce the two. I had discussions with the management at Lancashire Steel and they told me of their plans. My meeting with the management showed that they need subsistence in the development of the mine. I am glad to report that we were in agreement in most of the issues that we discussed. They informed us that the company can be independent from ZISCO Steel as
ZISCO Steel is going to be run by Indians since they won the tender. But, the Indians have not had time to implement their development policy ever since they won tender. So, we do not know whether the Indians are going to develop ZISCO Steel but Lancashire Steel is saying that they are able to take the developments on their own.
In their report to me, they advised that all their equipment is in good order – equipment from manufacturing bolts, wire, roofing nails are all manufactured at Lancashire Steel. Talk of any wire product that we use in our farms such as fence, we find that they are manufactured at
Lancashire Steel. They manufacture even the smallest wire such as the one which we use in our offices as staple pins, which shows that this company is a very important company in our country.
In the last five years, this was looked down upon as an inconsequential organisation. So many people lost their jobs as a result and some people died of hunger because they did not receive any salary. Some of these workers have died of starvation. When I held my meetings with them, I realised that I have a great job to perform ahead as a Member of Parliament responsible for that area.
This company, as I stated before, has enough equipment, all they want is to be given an amount of US$4m. This will be enough to resuscitate this organisation. You will find that they even told us that given this amount of money, they can work and do without the ZISCO Steel which is struggling and they will be able to meet the needs of the country. ZISCO Steel was supplying different kinds of iron and steel and they were selling it to Lancashire Steel. Lancashire Steel would then make out the required products by the industry and the people of Zimbabwe.
They are looking forward to receiving US$4.6m from the market after they have done their research and this could be increased depending on the value addition of the products. We thank the President for such a speech because we have lots of equipment and merchandise. Let us work together with our President and resuscitate these machines and these organisations.
We have some workers who were retrenched who are still alive and 300 of these workers have gone for 36 months without receiving any salary. I have, as an individual, sourced for foodstuffs for these people and I cannot sustain them alone. Therefore, we need to resuscitate this institution so that these people can receive their salaries and live a normal day. We also need to look at other ways of assisting this institution.
We also have another company in Kwekwe which is called
Steelmaker. It is owned by Indians. This company is benefiting millions and millions of profit through its works. What they are telling us about how this company is benefiting is that it is into buying scrap metal and melting it and manufacturing the iron and steel products such as angle lines, beams and window frames. They manufacture these from the scrap metal and they get their orders from ZESA.
During my discussions with them I talked to them about the iron and steel and they said they could resuscitate the blast furnaces which are used in the manufacture of steel. Like I promised you before, in the near future, I will give you full details on the resuscitation of these blast furnaces but the price quoted is not more than US$2.5m.
During our meeting, we agreed that if you are buying a tonne of billets from Turkey – they said they buy it for US$500. We also buy the scrap metal for US$100, so the total amount of money used is US$600. What that means is that through using this Steelmaker Company, we will be able to assist in the resuscitation of ZISCO Steel. They also told me that after they have made a profit of US$4.5m, Government will also benefit 15% from that money. In that manner we will receive enough finances to pay for the salaries of civil servants.
I plead with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, together with Government, to give me enough support in the resuscitation of these institutions because I know that if we work together, especially in this time whereby we have no problems, we may have development in our country and constituency.
I will now turn to the education sector in Kwekwe. I had a meeting with students who are on attachment in various universities and technical colleges. They told me that at the colleges where they are, their parents are failing to pay for their fees because the fees are so high. The balances which they owe the colleges are now up to about US$2000. If these students are given the chance to write the examinations without paying the fees, they are not given their results.
Therefore, I would want to give assistance to these students in these colleges. Some of my colleagues were telling me that the amounts I am talking about are very little but I know that the adequacy of the money is relative. If these university students are supported, they will be employed and when they are employed, the country will develop.
We need to look for a method whereby the university students are given a chance to receive free education and when they are through with their education and working, they will make some repayments towards these school fees. I think this will be much better than having students drop out because the parents have since failed because the only way they can get their money is by vending, which I think does not raise enough money for the school fees.
May the ministry responsible for these students assist them with the payment of school fees and these students will make their repayments on completion of their studies. That is my contribution on university education and the payment of school fees.
THE MINISTER OF TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY
INDUSTRY (ENG W. MZEMBI): I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 2nd October, 2013.
MOTION
DETERIORATION OF THE HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEM IN
ZIMBABWE
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Health Sector in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
- NDEBELE: Mr. Speaker Sir, I realise the need to introduce myself. I am Anele Ndebele, Member of Parliament for Magwegwe. I am still learning the ropes Sir. This is my maiden speech. I intend to take full liberties that come with that maiden speech. I will waiver the right to read because I have noticed that the most convincing and the most persuasive debates have come from those that have spoken off the cuff. I will do so Sir. Let me congratulate you Sir, for your election to that seat. I realise our different political persuasions do not necessarily detract from the fact that you also come from Matabeleland like I do. –[HON. MEMEBRS: Inaudible interjections]- Mr. Speaker Sir, I believe it is true that you come from Matabeleland Sir.
- SPEAKER: Order, order. May the hon. member sit down? Hon. member, some details are not essential for the debate. Please carry on.
- NDEBELE: I raised it Sir because I was going to come round to say I plead with you to take seriously the exhortations that came from the Vice President, that you use your seat to develop your home area. From an elevated… –[HON. MEMEBRS: Inaudible
interjections]-
- SPEAKER: Order, order, hon. member, with all due respect, please address the motion.
- NDEBELE: Mr. Speaker Sir. Like I said, I am learning the ropes. This is undoubtedly …
- SPEAKER: Order, order. Hon. Chinotimba, order. The hon. member has indicated that he is new. Can you please accommodate him?
Thank you. Please carry on.
- NDEBELE: Mr. Speaker Sir, let me thank Hon. Labode and Dr. Mataruse for moving and seconding this motion respectively. I realise that this is a very important motion to either side of the House because the issues of health really affects all those that voted us into Parliament. Let me begin by raising it to the House that the state of good health is not just the absence of diseases and infirmity but it also requires that we speak to issues of physical, emotional and social well being. To those that have made a profession of coming to Parliament every five years, you would appreciate that to get here, you need a healthy electorate.
So I anticipate no heckling when it comes to debating this motion from either side of the House. The Health Care crisis has three dimensions, Mr. Speaker Sir. It answers to the issue of access, cost and quality. Let me begin by speaking to the question of access. In my Constituency Magwegwe, I realise that it is important to speak of areas where one comes from. We only have one clinic and this is a council institution and it has to provide for more than 20 000 households. I am sure that on its own, means the delivery capability of this institution is over-weighed by the number of people that have to go to this centre for medical attention. Coupled with these issues or problems to do with under-staffing, this means that in spite of the question of having some people travelling very long distances to get to this health centre, there is also the question of a workforce that is not well motivated.
The question of attitudes comes in there. I have realised that
Government is no longer giving grants to council clinics like the one in Magwegwe. I urge the authorities to re-introduce the issuing of grants to council institutions such as the one we have in Magwegwe because they are really struggling. Apart from the 20 000 households that I spoke about, they also have to see people that are coming in from rural areas. They come in from rural areas because in their areas in some cases, in resettlements, there are no clinics at all or the clinics are experiencing shortage of drugs.
So it will be of great help if Government re-introduced grants to council clinics. Still on council clinics, I realise Mr. Speaker Sir, that in Bulawayo, we do not have a district hospital. It would be ideal if Government could avail resources to support establishment of at least one district hospital that can be run by the Local Authority. The district hospital which then refers them to a referral hospital such as Mpilo or
U.B.H. So, it will give a lot of relief to the referral hospitals, if Government could avail a grant to build a district hospital.
Let me come to the question of costs Mr. Speaker, Sir. User fees are a deterrent to most peoples’ health seeking behaviours. I have in mind the cost of X-rays. X-rays are extremely expensive for those that have been laid off from the industries in Bulawayo; US$15 is unaffordable to a lot of people. This is rather too steep. The Ministry needs to provide for social protection measures such as the removal of health services, user fees for specific vulnerable groups would come in hand. I am thinking of vulnerable groups such as the under fives, pregnant women and also those who are above 65 years.
Mr. Speaker, I notice that there is a conflict in terms of policy. There is a disconnect Mr. Speaker Sir, between what happens on the ground and what is purportedly Government policy. We believe that user fees have been waived for the elderly and pregnant women but the situation as it occurs on the ground Mr. Speaker Sir, is that people are still asked to pay user fees. Pregnant women still have to pay at hospitals. We have seen really ugly incidences where in order to get their monies, hospitals are engaging debt collectors. This is traumatic to families that live in just under a dollar. So, user fees are still too high and we need that policy disconnect addressed.
Then there is the question of quality. Health infrastructure, as has already been spelt out by others before me needs rehabilitation. Most hospitals in Bulawayo, including the clinics that I was talking about in Magwegwe were built so many years ago during the Smith regime. If you talk about UBH for instance, the problems that UBH is facing are too numerous that sometimes we might be overwhelmed not to do anything about them. They have plumbing problems. The plumbing needs total overhaul, the flooring is deplorable. As you visit the sick people, you see the rodents coming out from the floors. To think that is a hospital, it is deplorable. The elevators, they just have one working. I know the problems that I am spelling out here cut across right through the country and represent the rather bleak picture that characterises the health sector.
The internal roadwork within the hospital is deplorable. Water reticulation is down. I know they bought two pumps but they still need ball valves, they still need a tank. They experience very low water pressure when there is water rationing in surrounding areas. New buildings are required. There is congestion in the surgical wards and the school of nursing. There is also a shortage of accommodation for staff and I believe a resident got burnt down, the incinerator is very old. The problems are two numerous when it comes to staffing Mr. Speaker Sir. Doctors have 63% in post; they do not have a Padiatrician. The nurses, its 71% deployment, pharmacy have 63% and health information officers they have only 20% deployment. All this speaks to the difficult situation that our health sector is currently experiencing.
Mr. Speaker Sir, it will be unfair for us to raise problems and never suggest any solutions. I believe if Government could step in to help with the procurement of essential drugs including ARVs. This would help a lot because HIV prevention and mitigation is struggling under the circumstances; there is a shortfall of ARVs. Also required for the benefit of the under fives Mr. Speaker, are nutrition supplements. I know under fives, doctors would agree require vitamin A. I know breastfeeding mothers also require nutritional support.
I know the Ministry itself needs to step up its nutrition and counseling. It also needs to step up its surveillance for potential areas of malnutrition. I urge the Minister of Health to step up efforts in this direction but how is he going to do this? Like I said, I see the need to realign certain laws that currently govern the old sector to the new Constitution. I am thinking the Public Health Act also needs a bit of ticking, the Health Services Act. It has been mentioned before that we need to establish a national health insurance scheme. So, if that is going to work in conjunction with already existing insurance schemes, I believe we may need to establish an authority to manage medical aid associations.
Mr. Speaker Sir, questions were raised around an increase in non communicable diseases; we are talking about diabetes and related diseases. The world over, non communicable diseases are on the rise and these require urgent attention from the Ministry of Health. Perhaps this House may need to consider sourcing funds to support the health sector with regards non communicable diseases from VAT, roads funds. This House may also consider a cell phone tax. I believe it is unknown how much effect cell phones will have on us with time. I also want to think air time taxes will also help to fund health interventions. There is also the unexploited or yet to be exploited public-private partnerships. I believe all these interventions might help the ailing health sector. Mr. Speaker Sir, with this submission, I also move that this House sets a Commission of Inquiry into the health sector as it requires urgent attention. Thank you Sir.
- SPEAKER: I must congratulate you for mastering confidence in your first speech.
+MS. D. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. Firstly, I would like to thank Hon. Labode for moving this motion. I would also like to thank those who contributed towards this motion. A lot of things have been said, that I would have loved to speak about. I would like to talk about Mpilo Hospital and what is happening there. What happens there is very disturbing especially for people who live near the hospital and also those who get attended at Mpilo Hospital.
If you have a look at the name Mpilo, you will realize that the name gives you hope, that when I get attended there, I will be helped.
However, what is happening there is very disturbing as I have said. As you have read in the newspapers, there is corruption in the hospitals. In the past days, we have read in the newspapers that at Mpilo Hospital, a lot of money is being wasted and those doctors are charging people privately and pocketing the money that people are expected to pay before they are operated. Even the elderly who are pensioners are also expected to pay.
These are some of the issues that the Government has to look into. We cannot expect pensioners to be paying at the hospital. Doctors are also not expected to do that in a hospital where people are supposed to be helped.
Another issue that I want to point out is that since 2009 to date, fake receipts have been used at Mpilo Hospital.
- SPEAKER: Order hon. member, the interpreters are saying you should speak slowly so that they interpret for you properly.
+MS D. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would also want to say that when you hire these interpreters, you should take those who are very familiar with vernacular languages so that they can also be able to interpret members’ speeches properly for the Hansard Reporters.
Mr. Speaker, I was still speaking about the issue of receipts. It is sad to note that billions of dollars were lost at Mpilo Hospital. This money was taken away from orphans and the elderly people who use the hospital. It is very sad that there are people who are using fake receipts yet they take that money for their personal use.
I would like to commend the Committee on Health to look into this issue. Again Mr. Speaker, we all know that every Government has Government Auditors. I want to know what these Government Auditors do if they do not look into such issues and if they do not audit such big institutions like Mpilo Hospital. What then are they doing if they are not looking into such corruption?
I also want to talk about the issue of supervisors. I wonder what they have been doing whilst people were using these fake receipts. Government Auditors together with the Committee on Health have to look into this issue properly. I represent Bulawayo Central Constituency and Mpilo Hospital is next to my constituency. It is a referral hospital, and people in my constituency use it as a referral hospital and I also use it. The standards at Mpilo Hospital have gone down and it is not even being cleaned.
Others are saying it is now the opposite of what it was meant to be. Instead of giving hope to the people, it is now the opposite. It is now a death hospital. The workers are saying that, they do not have enough blankets and enough machines. They are complaining a lot yet they know that they use other people to get these things while those funds are later on used for personal use. The Government, as I have said, should really have to look into this matter.
I am also saddened by the fact that there are young people who are taken at Mpilo Hospital to be trained as nurses. However, this process is not being done in transparency. We have realised that these trainees are mostly from other areas like Masvingo and Harare, which is not
Bulawayo or Matabeleland. We would want people from Bulawayo Constituency and Matebeleland in general to be the major trainees at Mpilo Hospital.
We have also heard that these trainees or students are expected to pay a lot of money which some of these students do not even have since some of them come from poor backgrounds. They are meant to bribe in order to get places for training. This is the corruption that we will not accept. We do not want this to happen. Most of these monies are used for personal use instead of it being used in Government institutions. This august House has to look into this issue.
Again, Mr. Speaker, the issue of having students coming from other provinces where they speak other languages which are not Ndebele has caused communication breakdown especially considering its even the elderly who get help from Mpilo Hospital. Most of these nurses who come from other provinces do not have the passion for that hospital, they are only there to distract and destroy. They only come to the hospital to do corruption and then go back to their own provinces. Each and every person should serve a community where they come from because they understand that particular community, the language spoken in that community and the way of living of people in that community.
The other challenge that we have is that of doctors. Some of the doctors come to the hospital drunk. You remember that there is an hon. member who talked about breathalysers in Parliament and we need breathalysers for these doctors as well so that we can find out if some of these doctors are sober before they attend to patients. …
- SPEAKER: Order! order!
+ MS. D. SIBANDA: In most cases, we realise that as leaders we plead with the people to vote for us so that we lead them. However, we do not bother ourselves to look into the health issues for those particular people. In order to lead someone, that particular person has to be in good healthy. Health is a right for each and every person. Good health is not about a government doing a favour to the nation, but it is the people’s right. It is there in the Bill of Rights.
I am standing here saddened by the things that are occurring at
Mpilo Hospital. They need a lot of things like boilers, staff accommodation for both nurses and doctors who do not have accommodation. They also need a pharmacy and tablets. We do hope that the Government will look into this issue as well. We do hope that corruption will be looked at as well.
In conclusion Mr. Speaker, I would like to plead with this august House as well as the Government and the responsible ministry to look at the issue of Mpilo Hospital so that the standards are raised. Mpilo Hospital used to be a good one yesteryear. We hope that it goes back to be a hospital of hope. As I speak today, no one would agree to be admitted at Mpilo Hospital. As leaders we need to look into this issue.
Again, as leaders of Zimbabwe, we need to respect the people that we lead. We need to appraise their standards. We need to make sure that we are leading a healthy society. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): I move that
the debate be now adjourned.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 2nd October, 2013.
MOTION
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (MR. MNANGAGWA): Mr.
Speaker Sir, hon. members; I rise to congratulate you Mr. Speaker Sir on your recent election as Presiding Officer of this august House. As a former Speaker myself, from 2000 to 2004 and as the newly appointed Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, I fully appreciate the challenges and opportunities which come with the esteemed but demanding position of Speaker of the National Assembly.
Mr. Speaker Sir, as you rightly pointed out in your acceptance speech, the post of Speaker is an honoured position that should always be occupied by men and women of ‘outstanding ability’ and
‘impartiality’. I must point out here that the notion of ‘outstanding ability’ entails thorough knowledge of the principles of law, law making, legal precedence and parliamentary procedure while ‘impartiality’ connotes fairness and ‘presence’ of mind in decision making. I am thrilled to note that all these qualities are inherent in you as testified by your sharp and incisive intellect, sound legal training and practice, patience and long experience in governance.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the just-ended 7th Parliament, which was in effect a ‘hung Parliament’, meant that it was not always easy to debate issues and pass Bills as no Party could effectively implement its policies in accordance with its election manifesto. Now that ZANU PF Party won a landslide in the July 2013 Harmonised Elections and commands a comfortable majority in both Houses, I believe that it is now possible to debate and enact the legislative programme and policies outlined by His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde. R. G. Mugabe on the Official Opening of the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe.
The nation awaits the fulfillment of the promises we made to them during the election campaigns with bated breath. Indeed, the task of superintending over and ensuring robust and constructive debate around these issues without denigrating and usurping the powers of the Executive and the Judiciary lies in your able hands.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I especially want to congratulate you on a mature, logical, lucid, well-researched and unequivocal acceptance speech wherein you pledged to guide the business of the House in a professional and dispassionate manner without fear or favour. I further commend you for promising to protect freedom of speech in the House, of course, subject to the strict adherence to and respect for the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Standing Orders and any other relevant statute. As you rightly pointed out, ‘while the minority will have their say, the majority will have their way’.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I take this opportunity to extend my sincere congratulations to the Hon. Mabel Memory Chinomona for being elected Deputy Speaker of this august House. I believe that you will complement each other well in balancing the National Assembly’s separate and joint Constitutional mandate with the Senate, which is of making laws for peace, order and good governance of Zimbabwe.
Finally, Mr. Speaker Sir, may I once again congratulate you on your election to the post of Speaker. It is a well-deserved appointment for a man who has seen it all from being a District Administrator,
Provincial Governor and Senator, Lawyer, Businessman and the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission.
I thank you.
The House adjourned at Nineteen Minutes past Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 24th September, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
PHOTOGRAPHS FOR SENATORS
MADAM PRESIDENT: I have to inform the Senate that all hon. senators who have not had their photographs taken are kindly requested to do so up to 16:30 p.m. today. This will take place in the Member’s dining hall today. The photos are required for uploading on the website and development of Members of Parliament charts.
Hon. senators are also advised to submit their e-mail addresses and other contact details to the Public Relations Department, in order to facilitate proper logistical arrangements on various Parliamentary programmes.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: Finally may I remind hon. senators to
please switch off your cellphones before the commencement of business.
MOTION
PRESIDNTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
SENATOR MUTSVANGWA: I move that a respectful address
be presented to the President of Zimbabwe as follows:
May it please you, your Excellency the President;
We, the Members of Parliament of Zimbabwe, desire to express our loyalty to Zimbabwe and beg leave to offer our respectful thanks for the speech, which you have been pleased to address to Parliament.
SENATOR MUMVURI: I second.
SENATOR MUTSVANGWA Madame President, on the 17th of
September 2013, His Excellency, President R.G. Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Head of Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces was pleased to open the Eighth
Parliament. His address was to usher in the legislative work of the Eighth Parliament. I want to hail the President for laying out a clear and precise work programme which we will strive to fulfill as legislators so that all the three arms of Government, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary can deliver the often delayed prosperity which our people rightly expect in this well endowed African land that is full of hope.
The President succinctly, but with significant purpose, made reference to issues relevant to the revival of key sectors of our economy, that is, agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing leading to reviving the following 14 Bills to be presented for debate during this session. That is Land Commission Bill, Bank Act Amendment Bill, The Consumer Protection Bill, Zimbabwe Quality Standards Regulatory
Authority Bill, Public Private Partnership Bill, Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill, The Border Post Authority Bill, Toll Fees from ZIMRA to
ZINARA, Tripartite Negotiating Forum Bill, Harmonisation of Labour
Laws Bill, Bill for establishment of the Gwanda State University,
Marondera Agricultural Science and Technology, Constituency Development Fund Bill, A Savings and Cooperatives Societies Bill and a Bill to domesticate trafficking in persons especially women and children.
I am sure that my colleagues will dwell on these when they present their responses. The address of the President is a point of departure in the long march of our Zimbabwe as it seeks to reassert itself on the global stage, after years of foreign rule and subsequent persecution by those who still hanker for post colonial control. The Lancaster House Armistice of 1979 marked the resurgence of Zimbabwe as an independent state with a people who had, through blood and iron painfully founded their own army for self protection. Independence Day on April 18th, 1980 opened the road for political consolidation of that identity. The bold land reform program re-established the communion of the people and their main economic means of livelihood.
Madam President, hon. senators, now that the elections have come and gone we look forward to meaningful and effective collaboration from all Zimbabweans so that a new can-do spirit reminiscent of the euphoric 1980 is once again fluttering over the land. It is important that our work in this august House meets the rekindled expectations. We dare not disappoint them at all.
The President, is right that the starting point is to translate our recently passed home grown Constitution to practical reality. I was covice chair of the COPAC Committee of Parliament that spearheaded the writing of it. The people endorsed it in a referendum. Now we must make it work so that it can stand the test of time by delivering on aspects that are dear to the day to day life of our people. This is an important assignment that requires time, effort and diligence even as we deliver on other areas of the people’s electoral dreams.
Madam President, the majority of our people still live off the land with their life centered on farming. They are happy that they now have their land back. Their fervent hope is for it to deliver more rewarding means of existence that launches them on a road to prosperity, away from hunger and other deprivations. Funding is the key. We need to empower our farmers through provision of inputs support and marketing incentives.
Madam President and hon. senators, the rapid recovery of the tobacco sector attests to the fact that; given the inputs, our people can do it. This year alone, tobacco leaf producers pocketed $600 million, indeed a princely sum that is transforming our people’s livelihood forever. They have become part of the global cash economy as their blend leaf tobacco is much sought after in all corners of the cigarette smoking world. We need to repeat this success with other cash crops as well as animal husbandry. It is our job as representatives of the people to study all issues pertinent to farming and come up with requisite laws that will help sustain the momentum of production for the farming community.
We must exorcise the ghost that Africa depends on the charity of other global food producers when its savannas can produce so much food. The harnessing of water, the use of water saving techniques through increasingly accessible and free solar energy is a game changing opportunity for the betterment of rural lives. We must employ solar pumps so that water is available for all year farming leading to several crops across seasons.
An engagement with various technology partners especially China is so central to this agenda. Members of the House will be pleased to know that I am already employing this leading energy technology at my farm and have been overseeing its commercial deployment in various regions and districts.
Madam President and hon. senators, no investor will risk money in a country plagued by power cuts and consequent recourse to diesel generators. I am heartened by the fact that several power tenders have been awarded for thermal and hydro power electricity projects. We must also actively pursue installation of mini-hydro power stations in the mountainous Eastern Highlands.
Coal bed methane must be added to the energy mix to take advantage of Lupane gas fields. After all, it is faster and cheaper to set up a gas plant, and its accompanying by-product is a strong chemical industry that will also supply much needed fertilizers and sulphuric acid for industry use.
The biggest single obstacle to foreign direct investment is the absence of sufficient reliable power. Major platinum producers in this country are even using this excuse to procrastinate on setting up a national platinum refinery so that Zimbabwe does not export value to other countries.
Brazil has shown the way in bio fuels, they are our technology partners in Chisumbanje. We must now aim for optimal use of this source of liquid fuel while taking full advantage of other chemical derivatives needed by industry. Clearly the long ignored energy sector now cries for sustained attention. Our work is clearly cut out on this one.
Madam President and hon. senators, now that we are in various political agendas that sought to restore ill gotten colonial property rights for a defeated racial minority have been shunted aside by our clever electorate; we can proceed on a Land Commission that addresses aspects that have a bearing on optimal land use. This is a domestic issue of our own interest for present and future generations.
The indigenisation policy has enabled us to reclaim our mineral rights away from rapacious foreign owned entities. Our diamond, gold, platinum, chrome, iron ore, coal and coal bed methane gas are all world- class resources. It was an affront that they engender prosperity for far away foreigners while we the owners wallowed in poverty at home. Foreign companies prepared elaborate prospectuses that enabled them to raise billions of dollars of capital on the London Minerals Stock Exchange. So they can dig and cart away our minerals while our national coffers remain empty.
We are groaning under the weight of an intolerable debt burden. On the other hand, the balance sheets of these foreign entities that hoard our mineral rights are busy enticing banks, investors and fund managers from global capital market centres in far away London, New York, Frankfurt, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Riyadh. It is absolutely vital we pass legislation that promotes the trade of our minerals on a national stock exchange even as it may allow secondary listing in other global stock markets.
This matter will be addressed in tandem with the creation of a Sovereign Wealth Fund. With such a treasure trouve of much coveted high value mineral assets, we can quickly turn Harare into a bustling financial centre that chases away our perennial liquidity blues. In the process, we also create wealth and work opportunities for our energetic and well educated young people. Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia have demonstrated that this can be done.
The setting of a Sovereign Wealth Fund will help raise much needed capital for our infrastructure needs that has seen much neglect.
We cannot be efficient and competitive as a nation unless our roads, rail and air network connections are up to scratch. We also must invest in a world class telecommunications network so that information is as available as breathing air to our populace. Our urban centres must have water and sanitation facilities that rival or outshine other world cities. That way we will have a health work force that can churn our world class products and deliver comparative services, making Zimbabwe a foreign direct investment destination of choice.
All these aspirations are possible if the country is enjoying total peace and stability. I salute the patriotism and professionalism of our defence and security establishment whose tenets are people centered courtesy of their National Liberation War crucible. They were at the forefront of resisting regime change and remained unquestionably resolute even as they were starved of the means to discharge their national duty by a hostile Minister of Finance in the last Government of National Unity. It is incumbent that we move rapidly to address all aspects of their conditions of service while furnishing them with up to date equipment and other needs.
Similarly, we must do all to maintain a competent civil service that is well rewarded so that it can help deliver the care and welfare our people expect and the service our business community anticipate. In similar vein, foreign policy serves to bring prosperity to the nation. We must adequately fund our foreign missions so that they can deliver good service in the globalised village.
Madam President and hon. senators, the new African narrative is one our hope as the continent becomes the new frontier of global growth. The 21st century promises to be an African epoch. It is now
Africa’s time. In a short 33 years, Zimbabwe has done so much to lay a foundation to lay a foundation that will be a bedrock for sustained economic growth. All elements are in place to engender a homegrown Africa middle class that can put continental development back on track after years of slavery, colonial subjugation, post colonial distraction and confusion. That is the importance of the agenda spelt out by His Excellency. We will not disappoint our people; neither will we let down our African brothers and sisters as we assume our rightful role in human progress.
Madam President and hon. senators, may the Almighty Lord bless this august Senate and guide each one of us to debate this motion with dignity, wisdom and most of all, stand united as Zimbabweans. I thank you.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President for giving
me this opportunity to debate on the Presidential Speech. Let me start by congratulating you for being elected to the post of President of this august Senate, I say congratulations. I want to wish you and your Deputy President good health, wisdom and guidance as both of you will lead us during the deliberations for the next five years of this Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe. Secondly, Madam President, I want to thank the mover of the motion, Senator Mutsvangwa, for leading debate on the Presidential address. I hope this will form a foundation for all of us to give our maiden speeches since there are many new faces in this Senate.
Let me now turn to the Presidential Speech. In his address, His Excellency the President set the tone for business which is going to dominate deliberations of this First Session of the Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe. He touched on a wide range of issues but I will debate on a few of them only. Let me start by looking at agriculture. On agriculture, the President cited the sector as the mainstay of our economy, and indeed I agree. Apart from the other sectors like mining, manufacturing, tourism etc, agriculture is one of the key drivers to full economic recovery which we all aspire to achieve.
This is only possible, Madam President, if Government institutes policies which promote that sector. Government should ensure timely distribution of adequate inputs, access to affordable finances and viable producer prices, not only for major crops like maize and wheat, but also for small grains such as sorghum, millet and groundnuts, which are grown in dry areas of region 4 and 5, the area I come from. In order to avoid food shortages, Government should seriously think of giving special marketing incentives to those farmers who grow food crops especially maize and wheat as, opposed to those who grow cash crops like cotton and tobacco.
Irrigation development was specifically mentioned by the
President in this speech. Irrigation development has to be given priority on almost all resettled farms in order to use the available land productively throughout the year instead of relying on summer cropping only. His Excellency, the State President, also spoke about the Land
Bill, which will be introduced during the current Session of this Eighth Parliament. This is a welcome development in my view which actually was long overdue. The Bill, if enacted into a law, will hopefully address the questions of multiple farm owners, absentee landlords or owners and unproductive owners on pieces of agricultural land. Some of these resettled farmers fail to appreciate that they were empowered by the new dispensation, by Government and they also fail to take farming as a business.
Madam President, I also want to urge Government to take decisive measures on idle and uncooperative former farm workers and squatters who still stay illegally on the settled farms. The activities of these people; most of them are hampering the smooth operations on these farms through activities such as land degradation when they cut trees indiscriminately for firewood and otherwise. They start veldt fires in pursuit of hunting with unvaccinated dogs; they also embark on stream bank cultivation and illegal mining on and around the farms with impunity. In order to survive, they steal some of the agricultural crops on the farms and this defeats the purpose of producing for the nation by the well intended farmers.
On that note, I want to appeal to all stakeholders such as the
Zimbabwe Republic Police, EMA and the parent Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement to come up with a viable solution, to correct this situation. I would propose personally the bringing back of the
Trespasses Act on farms to address this challenge. Madam President, on the energy sector, the President noted with pleasure, the significant and improved supply of power due to continuous rehabilitation efforts which are being carried out at the nation’s major power producing stations.
This is encouraging indeed and this development must be sustained.
The President noted that this had been achieved through the assistance of friendly countries like China. Such efforts are highly commendable. The nation, especially the ordinary citizens, have to some extent, benefited through the reduction of electricity bills which they owe to the ZESA utility. Madam President, I want to appeal to us the consumers to be also responsible and do our obligation by settling our bills timeously so that the entity can keep on generating more power for the nation.
I appeal to every senator here; let us all educate our electorates that services from any utility are not free. We all have to pay for those services. The best the Government can do is to subsidise the cost of production so that the charges become affordable at the end. For example, if a bag of fertiliser costs $40 and the Government subsidises the producer and we buy it at less than $20, that is a welcome development. That is what we must do.
Madam President, this calls for responsible and economic use of our national resources. We are all urged to work very hard for the growth of this economy, which no doubt, exhibits great potential in every sector.
Madam President, allow me to refer to my notes which are jumbled now. His Excellency the President, on several occasions, has reaffirmed his Government’s commitment to improving the remuneration of our civil service. One way of doing that is by instituting reforms in the civil service and this is outlined in the new Constitution which we are using. For example, the harmonisation and review of labour laws should be expedited in accordance with the new constitutional provisions. I want to strongly believe, like most of you would do, that a small well remunerated civil service or labour force should be able to give the nation the quality service which we deserve. In turn, the civil servants themselves should exhibit transparency, accountability and zero tolerance to corruption during the exercise of their duties.
Madam President, besides these few areas which are discussed above, it is my hope that this 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe will step up efforts as Team Zimbabwe to attend to issues such as health, access to water and sanitation, access to education and job creation to mention but a few of the issues which were raised in the Presidential address.
Madam President, before I sit down, I want to appeal to all of us gathered in this august Senate to take the President’s speech as a challenge for all of us legislators to deliver on the promises which we made to the people during the election time. By the end of the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe, we should be able to enact those laws which are beneficial to the majority of our people. Madam President, on that note, I wish to thank you for your kind attention. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 25th September, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE, the Senate
adjourned at Eight Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 25th September, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
INDUCTION SEMINAR
MADAM PRESIDENT: I have to inform hon. Senators that there
will be an induction seminar for all Members of Parliament to be held on Monday the 30th September and Tuesday the 1st of October 2013, starting at 08:30 hours. Hon. senators are advised to check in their pigeon holes for the induction programme. The venue will be confirmed in due course.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. Senators to please
switch off your cellphones before the commencement of business.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
*SENATOR CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President. I
would like to say thank you Hon. Mutsvangwa for raising this motion, supported by hon. Mumvuri. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate Madam President on behalf of the Mt Darwin Constituency for your selection to be the leader of this House. I also like to congratulate your deputy hon. Senator Chimutengwende, may the Lord be with you and guide you in all your deliberations. Let me also say thank you to his Excellency for the speech he delivered when he opened the 1st Session of the 8th Parliament. He debated on a lot of things including agriculture. We know that agriculture is the back bone of the industry of this country. The President has it in high esteem and he emphasised that it has to be highly supported because it has not been performing well because of various reasons, which include, the bad climatic conditions and the uncalled for sanctions by the West. We also found that we have very little support coming from other countries and this led to the decline of agriculture in the country.
His Excellency also said one of the things which may increase the production in agriculture will be an increment in the irrigation facilities in the country. In that way, we may be able to farm properly. He also emphasised on the need to harness all the waters as much as we can in the country. In my Constituency, we have Ruya Dam which should soon be constructed and I know we are going to establish an irrigation scheme as we have this dam. The President also called for expertise in utilising the harnessed water in such a manner and one of the most important things in raising the standards of agriculture is easy access to inputs by the farmers. Because if they get the support in farming implements and any other things they want, Zimbabwean farmers are hard workers and will perform wonders if they are given enough support. The President also said that he established some areas where A1 farmers and rural farmers are going to be assisted by His Excellency. In my Constituency, in areas like Ruya and Chesa, I am sure if these places receive assistance farmers will be very happy if they get all the assistance they need from the Government in their agricultural projects. I say that because the farms in Chesa and Karuyana have lots of dams which, if fully utilized, will bring food and wealth in the district and the country as a whole. Water from these dams should be harnessed for irrigation schemes, which will lead to a bumper harvest and drive away hunger. Hunger creates diseases, domestic violence and non-progress but if people have a bumper harvest there will be development. I therefore thank His Excellency, for such a well thought progressive speech for the development of agriculture.
In my constituency, Semwa Dam is under construction along the Ruya River and we hope that on its completion, since it is in the dry arid area, it will be fully utilised for agricultural purposes.
His Excellency also discussed problems in transport. I was very happy to hear this topic because in my area, we have the Mkumbura road which leads to the Boarder with Mozambique. This road has never been included in the road budgets since time immemorial and yet it is one of the most important roads in the country. My biggest wish is that, if the Government has enough funds for constructing this road, it should be tarred. This road is important because it is also used by Government services at the Mkumbura Boarder post and all the people at the valley floor. It is the link between this area and the hospitals such as Mt Darwin; a good road network leads to communication amongst the people themselves and other countries such as Mozambique in this case.
The President also discussed education, where he promised to develop the status of education a notch higher. This will be done through improvements in the curriculum. Zimbabwe has a high rate of literacy in Africa and this can only be upheld by improving the quality of education. Before independence, Mt Darwin had very few schools, but this has been improved. Since independence we have had lots of schools being built.
When I talk about education in my constituency, two schools came into mind, which is Mt Darwin Primary, with a population of 1000 pupils and Mt Darwin Secondary which has a population of 1 900 pupils. This is a sign that we need more schools in this area because both these schools are in Mt. Darwin centre. We need to build satellite schools to ease the congestion in these institutions. The ideal situation is that each primary school should feed into a secondary school so that we cut out hot sittings. I hope and trust that ministries involved in education will consider this suggestion seriously so that we develop a worthwhile education system and uphold our educational status in Africa.
The President also discussed peace in the country, as a representative of the Mt. Darwin Constituency; I look forward to peace in the country because peace brings development in our areas and creates good relationship amongst the people. Thank you Madam President.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHIDUKU: Thank you for giving me this
opportunity to make my contribution to this motion which was raised by Hon. Mutsvangwa and supported by Senator Mumvuri. His Excellency touched on a wide range of topics. I would make my contribution on agriculture. Agriculture is the back-borne of development in our constituencies. Bad harvests create disharmony amongst the people. I plead with the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance to create a formidable team which will lead to the development of agriculture.
Inputs should be given to farmers on time before the end of the month of October. Should these inputs such as fertilisers and seeds reach the farmers after these dates, there will be poor harvest. The President based his speech on the ministries he created with different responsibilities. The two ministries I mentioned above are an important element in the development of agriculture.
A good farmer knows crops which are suitable for his geographical area which is determined by the rainfall patterns. These crops include cotton which needs an above average rainfall. Farmers are shunning this crop because of the poor remuneration to farmers. Some farmers will prefer growing maize because of their rainfall patterns but farmers are also shunning maize because of the poor prices that are offered to the farmer. Zimbabwe is now importing maize which is a shame; the simple solution to this problem is to make it an economic viable venture for the farmer so that farmers will go back to these cash and food crops for the development of the country.
The Matabeleland region is not a good crop farming area because of the low rainfall. The best idea for this area is animal husbandry. Therefore, farmers in these areas should be given as much support as possible to carry out their animal farming projects.
There are some issues which have surprised me and kept me wondering whether I am the only one who is aware of such anomalies.
These anomalies include farmers who were allocated arable land by the Government but the land is lying derelict. The Government should encourage these people to fully utilise this land because farming is the mainstay of the Zimbabwean economy. Farming is hard and painful but it leads to the development of people in the country. These people are under-utilising this land despite the good rainfalls. Government should come up with a plan of assessing and evaluating the poor progress by these people and wherever there is a problem, the two ministries I have mentioned above should come up with best intervention measures to assist these farmers who are letting the country down and make an investigation as to why these people are not carrying out their work. Yes we know farming is hard work and we need to work very hard but we know we were given this land so as to fully utilise what is given to us. Therefore let us utilise it for production purposes. Anyone who has been issued a piece of land should fully utilise that land. Each year, they must give an account of what they would have produced. In so doing, we create a healthy position for the Government and the people of Zimbabwe. We will work in an enabling atmosphere because before independence we were placed into the arid lands, unfertile, sandy and unproductive lands, but now the tables have been turned and we have been given land in the best farming areas of the country. I therefore plead with the people allocated these pieces of land to fully utilise them.
Fertiliser must come in time because if a farmer is given farm inputs in November, he will fail in his endeavours. I thank you Mr.
President.
SENATOR SHIRI: It is my singular honour to come before you in this august Senate as I deliver my maiden speech. Not only am I honoured as an individual, but I believe the entire disability fraternity in Zimbabwe is indeed honoured by this historic milestone in the quest for full emancipation of Persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe.
At this juncture, allow me to congratulate His Excellence the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe for winning the July 31st harmonised elections. We have no doubt that our country will move to greater heights under his leadership. I also want to congratulate you Madam President for your re-election as President of the Senate and Comrade Chen Chimutengwende for being elected Deputy President of the Senate.
We agree with His Excellency that agriculture is the mainstay of our economy and we appreciate the commitment of our Government in empowering our local farmers through the various strategies such as provisions of inputs support and marketing incentives. We would like to implore Government to develop a quota system where farmers with disabilities will also benefit from such well thought and productive strategies without discrimination or prejudice. At least 15% should be reserved for farmers with disabilities.
While Government moves towards accelerated prioritisation of the implementation of sustainable pro-poor economic development initiatives, it comes without saying and would need not much reminding that persons with disabilities are the poorest of the poor and as such, we look forward to a more holistic approach in guaranteeing the participation and involvement of persons with disabilities, as both key players and beneficiaries of the various initiatives our Government shall develop. History tells us that persons with disabilities have been left out in most issues of economic development.
While we are basking in the glory of the successful co-hosting of the just ended 20th Session of the UNWTO General Assembly and as we strive to build on the momentum generated from this achievement, we need also to turn our focus on incorporating the need for accessible tourism to enable us to tap into the growing market of persons with disabilities from within Zimbabwe and across the world. They also need to have a fair and deserved chance to experience and enjoy the tourism products Zimbabwe has to offer. We need to also start focusing on making all our tourist attraction areas accessible (barrier free) so that persons with disabilities can enjoy and experience the joy as their able bodied partners.
We welcome the move by Government to have the water and
sanitation infrastructure upgraded as this will improve the lives of urban dwellers and mainly those with disabilities as they will have easy and guaranteed access. The lack of water and sanitary facilities impact negatively on the lives of persons with disabilities as their options are limited since they cannot carry water from long distances, making their lives very difficult.
As we move to consolidate and align the current Occupational Health and Safety legislation to internationally accepted standards, the amendment of the Health Services Act, the Medical Services Act, the
Public Health Act and such other pieces of legislation as mentioned by His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe, I implore this august Senate to consider the plight of persons with disabilities as they have not been having adequate access to health services and assistive devices and technologies.
While we welcome the move by government to promote access to education at all levels including primary, secondary, higher and tertiary level, persons with disabilities still experience systematic discrimination and/or lack of access to education at these levels. As Bills to broaden access to higher and tertiary education are tabled in this august Senate we will need to come up with specific provisions that promote and guarantee that persons with disabilities also benefit without prejudice.
While we welcome the intended introduction of an e-enabled programme that will see the full automation of Government business management, I want to encourage and remind our Government of the need to have disability friendly ICT technologies so that persons with disabilities also benefit.
His Excellency mentioned the plight of civil servants and the various steps Government intends to take to improve the working conditions such as review of salaries and reviving the provision of nonmonetary benefits. To that end I hasten to commend His Excellency and reinforce the need to cast a special eye towards those with disabilities especially when it comes to non-monetary benefits as their needs vary from those without disability.
I believe that persons with disabilities if given the right and necessary support and provisions created they can be major players and drivers of our country’s economy. As such, I support fully the implementation of the country’s Indegenisation and Economic Empowerment law. However, there is need to look critically if the law gives enough provisions for persons with disabilities to equally benefit and participate in empowerment programmes at all levels.
At this juncture, I want to reiterate the fact that Economic Empowerment of persons with disabilities is the backbone of their total development and emancipation in any society. As such I fully support the review of the micro, small and medium policy framework which is currently underway. We encourage that while this is done, the situation of persons with disabilities be put under the microscope and critically considered. It is no doubt that persons with disabilities face discrimination when it comes to employment opportunities as evidenced by numerous cases, some of which have spilled into the courts of law.
I therefore, Madam President, call for the harmonisation in unveiling these opportunities between the mainstream society members and persons with disabilities. I also want to challenge all Government ministries to mainstream disability with specific emphasis in major socio-economic areas such as education, health, accommodation and employment.
To this end Madam President, hon Senators, myself and my colleague shall seek to propel and guide the august Senate’s deliberations to promote, protect and fulfill the rights of persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe as equal citizens through the elimination of all socially determined barriers which aide the exclusion or restriction of persons with disabilities to fully and effectively participate in any society in Zimbabwe. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION (SENATOR
HUNGWE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 26th September, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION, the Senate
adjourned at Two Minutes past Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 26th September, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock pm.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to
switch off their cellphones before business commences.
INDUCTION SEMINAR
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: The induction seminar for all
Members of Parliament scheduled for Monday the 30th of September and Tuesday the 1st of October 2013 will be held at Pandhari Hotel. The programme for the days has been circulated to all Members of
Parliament through their pigeon holes. The buses leave Parliament Building at 0815 hours.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is
directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. Dr.
Parirenyatwa. Thank you for availing yourself today. I think a number of people would like to know what the current age of majority for Zimbabwean children is. At what age can our children get married? I ask this because the papers are awash with a lot of information which can only be cleared by you. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (DR.
PARIRENYATWA): Thank you very much Mr. President. Thank you
hon. senator for that question. It is quite a difficult one because we have a new Constitution which stipulates that the age of marriage is now 18. However, in the past, the age of marriage was 16 and I think that is where the confusion was. We should use the age that is in our
Constitution. Thank you Mr. President.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Mr. President. My question
is also directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. I would like to find out, in view of your denial that condoms are not going to be given to children under the age of 20 and around the age of 10. What measures is the Government putting in place in order to try and curb pregnancy among these children?
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (DR.
PARIRENYATWA): Thank you Mr. President. I would also like to thank the hon. senator for asking that important question. Indeed, there are a lot of unwanted pregnancies in this country, particularly below the age of 15 and that is a big cause of concern. Concomitant with that is the fact that there are also a lot of unwanted pregnancies and abortions. As I said yesterday, in this country, we have tried as much as we can to fight HIV and AIDS. As we do so, we are also addressing the issue of teenage pregnancies including the issue of child sexual abuse and rape in general.
We are putting up a taskforce to look at the issue around child sexual abuse and rape in general in this country. We hope that those recommendations will be put into this House so that we can all debate on them. More importantly, we have put up what we call Youths Friendly
Corners in all our institutions. Some of them are stand-alone Youths Friendly Corners. Youths go there and are educated, sharing information, not only on sexual and reproductive health rights, but also about culture, society and growing up. Those Youths Friendly Corners are increasingly becoming quite useful and we hope that senators and hon. members can promote them in their constituencies.
In addition to that, we have a graduated syllabus in schools where sexual and reproductive health is taught. It is graduated such that, 10year olds do not get the same sexual health education as 15-year olds. It is all graduated as they grow up. We advise that, let us delay sexual debut in our children. We must delay the first sexual act as far as possible, nearer or if possible at marriage. While we delay the sexual debut, we also advise that if you are in institutions of higher learning like universities and colleges, we give you the full gambit of sexual education, including contraception. We do that kana waenda kumapolytechnic nemauniversities. However, kumaschools we are actually saying very emphatically, we should not give any contraceptive and certainly not to 10-year olds. Yesterday I said that it is against our cultural and social norms and medically, it is quite questionable, although we know that there are a lot of unwanted pregnancies in that age group.
The answer to that is education and it starts with us here, it should be a whole movement. Senators should be able to educate wherever they go. Machurch, mapriest aya, every week ngavatitiche about all these values for us and our children to imbibe. We are saying it is a whole movement involving the Ministries of Education, Higher Education and of-course, Health and Child Care. However, it is also inter-ministerial in general that we should push. It is a big scourge on us as a nation, that there are all these unwanted pregnancies, sexual abuse, where people are raping children as young as 9 months. We should really say to ourselves, yes, as a country, pasi parohwa nenyundo, ngationei zvekunyatsoita tiripamwechetepo. Thank you very much Mr.
President.
SENATOR HOLAND: Thank you Mr. President. My questions are directed to the Minister of State for Liaising on Psychomotor Activities in Education. Could he please enlighten us on this new institution that has been put in place? To the Minister of Education; there is a title for it which I have not quite captured, what is the relationship between the two ministries, the Ministry of Higher
Education and the Ministry of Psychomotor Activities in Education? The second part of the question is directed to Minister Muchena. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON
PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION (SEN.
HUNGWE): Thank you Hon. President and I would like to thank Hon. Holand for her question. I think many people are expecting a statement to that effect. Could I plead with you if you could allow me more time to come to this Senate and make a statement to the effect of the new mandate of my Ministry and how it relates to the Ministry of Education.
If I could be allowed to make a preference, I would also ask the hon. senator to put it in writing so that we could do the same to other hon. senators who are here, so that we are clear on what this new Ministry is all about. I thank you.
*SENATOR CHIEF MUSARURWA: Thank you Hon.
President my question is a follow up question to the Minister of Health and Child Welfare. I understand his responses but my question is, are you also including traditional chiefs in the lessons in terms of upbringing of the child or juveniles because in your response, you talked about churches but you did not talk about the cultural values. Could you please include the chiefs because they are part of the system and the tradition?
*THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (DR.
PARIRENYATWA): Thank you hon. chief for the question you asked.
We will be very glad for you to be part of this which is going to deal
with values of the people in the upbringing of children. My apologies now because I did not mention some people who should be part of the stakeholders in this assignment. I left a lot of people and you are part of them but definitely, I know that you should be included in the group which is responsible for the values.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: I have three questions
but now that we do not have the Minister of Agriculture but we have a senior minister who works with other ministries, I will direct my questions to him. Hon. Senior Minister Sir, we have noticed that there is food shortages in areas that include Matabeleland and Masvingo, what is the Government doing to alleviate this situation.
My second question is, what is happening to the children who are failing to go further with their education in tertiary institutions such as universities? You find out that a student in the first and second year turns to be a drop out because the parents cannot afford the fees. They have sold all their cattle in educating this child, so how will these children progress with their education? Will they be drop outs at university level?
THE SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE IN THE
PRESIDENT’S OFFICE (SENATOR K. MOYO): I want to thank
the question posed by the President of the Council of Chiefs, Hon. Senator Chief Charumbira, regarding the food situation particularly in those areas which are drought stricken and hunger is posing a threat to the lives of the people. Let me start by saying Government’s position on this matter is very clear and His Excellency the President has repeated quite often that it is Government’s responsibility to ensure that no citizen of this country ever dies of hunger.
Only last Wednesday, before the President left for New York to attend the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly, Cabinet debated extensively on this subject. It was quite clear, also, that more information was needed from those affected areas in terms of the number of people who are threatened with hunger. The Minister of
Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation was tasked to go and prepare a paper to present to Cabinet this coming week, with details of the situation in terms of food requirements in relation to the affected areas. I am quite aware that areas, like part of Manicaland, Matabeleland South, part of Midlands and also some parts of Matabeleland North are really seriously affected. It also becomes incumbent on all of us as leaders to ensure that if there is any affected area which has not been attended to, certainly that certainly, that state of affairs must be brought to our attention. I must as well add that part of the deliberations in Cabinet also were directed to the issue of the grain inputs given the fact that the rains are hovering on us. We do believe that the task given to the minister responsible will also assist us to ensure that inputs are availed to the people as early as possible so that when rains begin, we do not start running in all directions to source the inputs.
Therefore, I want to thank the hon. Senator, Chief Charumbira for his question because it is absolutely pertinent and it is a matter we cannot fail to address if lives are to be saved. I am also aware that tones of maize have started arriving in the country, sourced from Zambia where I believe we are earmarked to receive 150 000 tones of maize. The maize has started arriving in the country and wagons were taken to different directions over the weekend; to Masvingo, Matabeleland South and other affected areas. We hope that this will indeed alleviate the problem by our people in those affected areas. It is a matter where I can assure you hon. senator that our fingers will always be on the paths and I am quite confident that given our capacity and capabilities as
Government, we shall not fail our people. Once again, let me say we are prepared to come back to this august Senate after Cabinet next week to give you details of the appropriate action taken regarding this matter. I thank you.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
VISITORS IN THE SENATE GALLERY
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I would like to acknowledge the
presence of students from Chipembere Primary School, Harare Province in the public gallery. You are most welcome. Thank you.
SENATOR CHABUKA: Thank you Mr. President. My question
is directed to the Minister of Higher Education, Dr. Muchena. Minister, can you clarify to us on the criteria you use to select those students who go to South Africa for the Presidential Scholarship.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
(DR. MUCHENA): Thank you Mr. President. Let me start by giving the full name of my ministry. It is Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development and I would appreciate it if members use the full name. Let me say with regard to
Senator Chabuka’s question, since you asked a specific question referring to a specific programme, I plead the indulgence of the House that I bring a written response when I am fully briefed.
*Mr. President, may I take this opportunity to answer Chief
Charumbira’s earlier question on university fees. Your question is very important because when we look at the African culture, we put a lot of emphasis on the importance of cattle in our lives. We invest in the cattle but these are now gone.
As a Ministry, we have now decided to look at ways of assisting students who may want assistance in school fees because we know there are a lot of parents who cannot afford these fees. We have also noticed that there is need to work together with other stakeholders such as Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders to look for ways and means of assisting these students in universities. In the past, we used to have grants and loans which were used to assist the students. The state of the economy in a country also determines how these funds can be availed. As a result, my Ministry is looking for ways and means of alleviating this problem. As we speak, we have many children who are not able to get university education because their guardians and parents cannot afford the school fees which are called for by these institutions. I am sure in the immediate future, I will be able to come forward and tell you of the solution which we have adopted in solving these school fees problems in tertiary institutions. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to
pose questions one at a time.
SENATOR TAWENGWA: My question is directed to the
Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr. Parirenyatwa. The National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe is 100% owned by Government and it is a company which supplies drugs nationally to all health institutions. It also stores and distributes drugs. Since 2009 to date, this company is owed $10.5 million by Government through supplies to the health institutions. The company now relies on donors to the extent that 100% of all the drugs are supplied by donors. The company no longer relies on its core business and it is now mainly on distribution. We thank the donors for their assistance but our concern is what happens if donors pull out when we do not have drugs? When would we expect the Government to pay National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe to enable it to supply health institutions so that people across the nation get cheaper drugs? The company purchases in bulk, hence the drugs are cheaper to our health institutions. They are not asking for recapitalisation but an enabling environment where they are paid or institutions where they supply are well funded so that they are able to purchase drugs.
We are aware hon. Minister that there are budgetary constraints but let us also prioritise people’s well being. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD CARE (DR
PARIRENYATWA): President of the Senate, I would like to thank Senator Tawengwa for that very pertinent issue. You have articulated it very well; the National Pharmaceutical Company is a company that is indeed 100% owned by Government. It used to be called the
Government Medical Stores and then it was privatised but it is owned 100% by Government. It works as a warehouse for all our drugs and equipment in our institutions because it makes them much cheaper as they purchase in bulk.
The problem that is there has been that the National
Pharmaceutical Company has supplied drugs to our Government institutions and those institutions have not been able to pay back to the National Pharmaceutical Company so that is why there is this debt of US$10.5m over the years. Every year in each budget we have tried to lobby that the Ministry of Finance puts money for the National Pharmaceutical Company. I noticed in the last budget there was no money at all from the fiscus to National Pharmaceutical Company. We are aware that if our institutions would pay the National Pharmaceutical Company what they owe, then the National Pharmaceutical Company will continue to run under normal circumstances.
The issue here is that Government should provide the money to its health institutions so that they pay back to the National Pharmaceutical Company of Zimbabwe. The issue we want and we are asking all Senators here is to be with us in lobbying Finance to give money for the purchase of our drugs. You are all aware that for anything, for our health system to be called a health system, one of the most important things that should be in clinics and hospitals is drugs and medicines. If the drugs are not there, if you give a person a prescription, you are really doing half a job and most of our people cannot afford to go and buy a prescription from the pharmacies.
Senator Tawengwa you have done well that you raised this issue so that we can put our heads together and understand the need to help each other. We will try to see that all the monies owed by the health institutions are all paid up. In the past we used to get 50% from donors and then the other 50% from the Government. Now because of changes we now have 80% from donors and 20% Government. Last year we had 98% from donors and 2% from Government. As I speak, most of the medicines in our National Pharmaceutical Company are funded by donors and we want to alleviate this very big threat; because donors can withdraw anytime and you can imagine the chaos, not only for ARVs but for common diseases. I think that you have done very well Senator to raise this question and I hope that we all understand the severity and gravity to which we should assist the National
Pharmaceutical Company. I thank you.
SENATOR MUSAKA: Thank you Mr. President my question is
directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care. In the resettlement areas the problem really is that we have ended up with the highest concentration of resettlement. I want to know what exactly is being done about the health delivery services, when you move into those resettlement areas, in terms of health delivery services it is as if they are still owned by whites. There are no clinics no nothing, so I just wanted to know what the Minister is doing about that and equally the same with education as well. When you move in those areas, education is very poor, there are no schools, you find a small building like a chicken run being used as a classroom with very poorly trained teachers and this is depressing. You will again think that it is still the colonial days but again it is a bit of a problem so I just wanted to know from the Ministers of Health and Child Care and Higher and Tertiary Education, what steps they are actually taking about that.
- PARIRENYATWA: Thank you very much Mr. President of
the Senate, let me thank Senator Musaka for those questions. For the part regarding health I will answer it in two parts. The first part of it would be worthwhile for us if it is put in writing. In terms of the resettlement areas; please be specific so that we can actually focus on them. The second part of the answer is that there is a general policy that we should now move with our Provincial Medical Directors, that the resettlement areas should have clinics identified by the communities. The houses that used to be farm houses should be identified and handed over and made clinics, with the agreement of the community and the health officials.
Where it is not the resettlement areas, the standard is that we should not walk more than 10kms before you bump into the next clinic that has been the general rule. In this particular case it will be good if we get something in writing and at the same time to know that in general the Provincial Medical Directors, District Medical Directors are supposed to identify together with communities areas where clinics would be most suitably placed in those areas. I thank you.
MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION,
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (DR
MUCHENA): Thank you Mr. President, schools are not within my mandate, I am the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development but I will draw the attention of Hon Dokora to your concerns, perhaps you should submit your question in writing for him to answer next week. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I again remind Senators to
ask one question at a time and not to be asking two ministers at once.
SENATOR AGNESS SIBANDA: My question is directed to the
Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology
Development. What plans do you have for the entire women of Zimbabwe so that every woman in Zimbabwe can have at least a certain level of education, that they can be included in the decision making programmes of the country?
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT (DR. MUCHENA): Thank you Mr. President, I want to thank the hon. senator for her question and indicate that indeed it is the policy of the Government of Zimbabwe to promote education in general and higher and tertiary education in particular. Since you have addressed that to me, you may be interested to know that there are more and more women going into universities. I was pleasantly surprised when I was being briefed, I noticed that for example, at Africa University in Mutare, the number of female students is double that of male students, in other words there are more than 800 female students compared to 400 male students at Africa University.
I think Zimbabwe has an insatiable hunger for education; they just want to learn and learn, that is why we have so many colleges and so forth. It is incumbent upon us as leaders to encourage them to go to colleges to get additional qualifications and just generally to be people who want to excel.
If the hon. senator wants specifics about education, then she has to split the question because Hon. Dokora has just come in for the schools and for me - Higher and Tertiary, Science and Technology Development. We are encouraging women to do science subjects. Thank you.
SENATOR MAKORE: My question again is directed to the
Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development. Firstly, I would like to welcome you Minister to this department. Because you are a lady or a woman, you are going to be much more sensitive to the areas of education which we really respect as Zimbabweans.
The question that I am putting is very straight forward, it could have been mentioned in part by Senator Chief Charumbira but as an appendage to that question; we have that experience where we see our children who go to outside universities under sponsorship or the Presidential scholarship programme, by and large we have heard that those students who could be in South Africa, Algeria or somewhere in the East, are not well cared for. Of late you have read in the papers that they will make any other activities to make ends meet, it could be inhumane but they will be seeking survival, though in terms of our customs and culture, it damages our beautiful country of Zimbabwe.
However, consistently we keep recruiting when we cannot maintain those who are already there. What plans do we have because at least the sponsorship does not seem to care for those students outside the country? Their monies sometimes are not met as would have been stipulated, for example, we have heard that you are supposed to give them US$3 000.00 annually but it has since gone down to an extent that they can get US$400.00 after so many months. Can the Minister, I know that you have just joined this particular ministry, last year you were the Minister of Gender and Women Development but I believe perhaps you have plans to sort of address this very embarrassing state of affairs. Thank you very much.
THE MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
(DR. MUCHENA): Thank you for that question, but I can say it requires a little bit more detail for me to answer you satisfactorily. You made indirect references or innuendos to students not being well taken care of and getting into situations which are not clear to me.
Mr. President, I think the hon. senator should put it in writing with a each specific question with specific references. You have mentioned Algeria and so forth and if there are any incidences that you might be familiar with; that will help us to prepare the answers for you.
However, this morning, Mr. President, we were going through the structure for the ministry and we have already applied to the Public Service Commission which is now Civil Service Commission according to the new Constitution. We have applied for posts where there are more than 500 students in a country from Zimbabwe; we have applied for the post of a student education attaché at the Embassy so that when students get into problems such as you have referred to, they will have immediate attention. So we await Civil Service Commission’s response on that but I would prefer a written question so that we can deal with specific issues.
Questions without notice were interrupted by THE DEPUTY
PRESIDENT in terms of Standing Order Number 34.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
*SENATOR MUCHENJE: Thank you Mr. President Sir for
giving me this opportunity to make my contribution on the Presidential Speech when he opened the First Session of the Eighth Parliament of Zimbabwe. I would like to congratulate Hon. Madzongwe for being reelected as the President of the Senate for the next 5 years. I would also like to congratulate her Deputy Hon. Chen Chimutengwende. I would also like to congratulate Members of this august Senate for being elected as the people’s representatives. I also hope that as mature and wise elders we will diligently carry out our duties to the expectations of the electorate. Let me congratulate the people of Zimbabwe for holding such peaceful elections. The manner in which these elections were held surpasses all the other elections ever held in Africa. The people of Zimbabwe showed that they uphold the principles of peace, order, respect and love of each other during the election period. If you continue leaving in peace and harmony Zimbabwe will develop. I would like to make a small contribution on the Presidential Speech. Some of the issues touched by His Excellency have a bearing on my Constituency.
I was very glad to hear the President talking about agriculture which is the mainstay of my Constituency. The President promised to give full support to the farmers through supplying them with agricultural inputs and accessories. The farmers were very pleased to hear this promise and look forward to its fulfillment.
My Constituency is an agricultural community which is made up of A1, A2 and rural farmers. My Constituency is in a good rainfall region which is good for farming. We have so much rain that in the past when other regions were drought stricken, we had a bumper harvest. In such instances we would supply food to drought stricken neighbours.
The farmers’ request is that the promised support should be delivered early to the farmers and if possible, before the month end of October so that the farmers may carry out their activities within the rain period, and farmers will have a bumper harvest and surplus which will be given to drought stricken areas.
Farmers are mainly concerned by the fact that despite the low rainfall in the previous season, my Constituency had a bumper harvest and sold some of their produce to the Grain Marketing Board.
Unfortunately, to date, these farmers have not been paid. I plead with the
Ministry concerned to avail funds in their budget to the Grain Marketing Board so that the farmers may benefit from their hard work.
Most farmers in my Constituency are now aware of the fact that farming is a business and as a result they do not rely on the sponsorship and finances of the banks and donations. They rely instead, on the sale of their farming produce. As a result when these farmers sell their produce to various institutions, they look forward to receiving payment so that they may develop their families and Constituencies. The proceeds acquired enable the farmer to buy farming implements, inputs and take their children to school.
The saddest thing that has happened to farmers in the last 5 years is that, despite the drought which occurred in other districts, my Constituency had a bumper harvest and sold the produce to marketing institutions, to date, these farmers have not received a cent on their production. My heart bleeds for them. I plead with the ministries responsible to allocate enough funds to the Grain Marketing Board so that they may pay these farmers for the grain sold.
The farmers feel very hurt when Zimbabwe imports grain and yet Zimbabwe used to be the bread basket of the region. The Zimbabwean farmers are hard workers, that given enough support they do wonders. It hurts to see our shops and supermarkets filled with imported food stuffs which could easily be acquired in Zimbabwe if the farmer is given enough support.
Given enough support in inputs and implements, these food stuffs can be grown in Zimbabwe and we can have surplus which we can also export. The climate in Zimbabwe allows the farmers to grow crops like soyabeans, sunflower, ground nuts, maize and small grains such as sorghum rapoko and others which are used in the manufacture of food stuffs we import.
May I plead with the powers that instead of spending money on the importation of food stuffs let us direct the money to support our local farmers who will be able to deliver a service to our expectations.
There is another problem which is faced by farmers in my Constituency especially those who are business minded and who are into irrigation. These irrigation schemes rely heavily on the supply of electricity. Unfortunately, the unpredictable load shedding and power cuts are disturbing irrigation activities. The disturbances are due to the fact that some crops need to be watered during the day when the sun is at its highest temperatures and yet electricity is only obtained midnight when the farmers cannot utilise it. Electricity at times may be cut off in as many as two days to the disadvantage of the farmer. May you please assist the farmers by rectifying this problem? If ZESA has a problem, may the ministries responsible give enough assistance so that the farmers do not lose out in their activities?
Let me now turn to the small grains such as rapoko, millet and others. In many instances, these grains are looked down upon to such an extent that they are sold at a low price, which discourages the farmer to continue growing them and yet when somebody is sick, the prescription given includes a healthy diet made up of these small grains. We also know that historically our forefathers survived a healthy life through these nutritious foods. May the responsible ministries recognize the importance of these grains financially?
These small grains are drought resistant but need to be planted in October so that the farmers may have a good harvest. I plead with the stakeholders to supply the farmers with the inputs and implements towards growing these crops.
I will now turn to the availability of these inputs and implements in many instances the suppliers of these essentials are located far from the farmers. It becomes expensive for the farmer to ferry these to his farm especially in resettlement areas. Suppliers of goods and services should be near the farmers so that they will be able to use their scotchcarts or cars for transport.
If the farmer pays heavily for transporting goods and implements to his farm and adds the expense on to the price of his commodity, he will not be able to realize profit on his produce in such a way that even if they sell the produce they will not be able to break even. In my constituency, I have noticed that we now have the young generation embarking on farming projects. They grow crops and undertake poultry and piggery projects. They no longer seek formal employment in big cities or other countries. On the other hand, they are now able to employ other youngsters in the area. Our wish is to see these projects being supported.
When some of these farmers visit banks to seek loans for their production, they face problems such as lack of security guarantees needed by banks for repayment purposes. You will also find out that the loans are payable in the same year. Therefore, we need to change the rules and regulations for accessing these loans so that the guarantees needed for the repayment of loans will be easier for the farmers to acquire farming implements needed for their production.
SENATOR MAVHUNGA: Mr. President, I thank you for this
opportunity. Allow me to begin by congratulating you on your election to that esteemed seat for which I believe the election was a clear testimony of your proven capabilities.
May I also congratulate myself and my fellow colleagues for being entrusted by the people from our various constituencies to represent them in this Upper House of Parliament. I am convinced that the representation will take this nation a step further towards sustainable development.
My great congratulations go to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Mr. R. G. Mugabe for being given another mandate to be the Head of State and Government. Thus, he will continue leading the nation through what we all know to be a treacherous path with thorns of political bickering, gullies of an economy eroded by illegal sanctions and all pointing to a general social discontent. The re-election of Mr. R.G. Mugabe shows how much confidence the people of Zimbabwe have in him as a leader who liberated blacks from colonial bondage in 1980. A leader who continues to fight for the total emancipation of Zimbabweans from all forms of colonial domination, politically, morally, economically and socially.
Mr. President, the speech by His Excellency on the opening of the 8th Parliament was very clear on what direction we need to take as a nation. What is critical now is for the various ministries, departments and all implementing organs at all levels, national, provincial, district and ward level to follow the correct paths towards the development of this nation.
Mr. President, His Excellency pointed out that agriculture is the backbone of our economy and indeed, it has been the backbone of our economy since time immemorial. History tells us how our ancestors practiced such methods like nomadic and shifting farming for subsistence living. With the passage of time, agriculture is undergoing a silent revolution to suit the ever-changing human needs as well as complying with the climatic changes. The present day Zimbabwe is one characterized by a steadily growing population, expansion of urban settlement and an uncertain climate pattern. Under such circumstances, it is therefore necessary to respond positively to these changes through adopting farming methods that comply with the current scenario. The major step towards that is development of our irrigation system.
A developed irrigation system will enable us to improve our agricultural sector through planned farming without the inconvenience of an unpredictable season. A developed irrigation system enhances full utilization of land, which is a finite factor of production against a growing population. What it therefore means is that, we have to harness all the water that we get from the rains and store it for planned use. Mr. President, I am fully convinced that if we increase the number of dams, boreholes and any other water bodies in our provinces and provide adequate irrigation facilities, we will see a tremendous increase in the agricultural output of this country.
In Mashonaland Central, specifically Bindura-Shamva
Constituency, which I represent, irrigation systems are a preserve of the fortunate few. Enough has not been done to cater for the needs of the majority who continue to experience food shortages because of inconsistent rainfall patterns. Most irrigation infrastructures are no longer functional and need urgent attention.
Mr. President, industry has been crippled by illegal sanctions imposed on our country. Mashonaland Central has been the worst hit. There is no meaningful industrial activity, save for a few cotton ginneries whose operations are seasonal. This is despite the fact that the province is a producer of raw materials from agriculture, mining and other activities. It is our anticipation that we should have some form of industrial activities in each of our districts, adding value to abundant raw materials produced in each district. For example, we can have a weaving industry in the Dande valley where cotton is grown massively and some food processing plants in Bindura. Mr. President, the development of industry will go a long way towards improving the province of Mashonaland Central and its administrative capital, Bindura.
His Excellency stressed the importance of mining as a catalyst in industrial development. He further noted that, this can only be enhanced by a sound policy and legal framework that promotes extraction and processing of minerals without disadvantaging the people of Zimbabwe. Mashonaland Central is a mineral rich area. We have abundant gold deposits in the Bindura-Shamva area. There is a lot of artisanal mining being carried out by those commonly referred to as makorokozas. I will not call them makorokozas because the term is denigrating of indigenous Zimbabweans trying to earn an honest living. These people are operating outside the law. Mr. President, it is our duty to design a piece of legislation that puts them inside the law so that they operate without running battles with the police. It is our responsibility to see to it that these artisanal miners get Government assistance, just like any other miner in this country.
Mr. President, the state of roads in Mashonaland Central leaves a lot to be desired. His Excellency was very clear when he said that a sound transport infrastructure is crucial in all national development activities. What this means is that, development follows a good road network. We have the Harare Mukumbura highway which needs to be completed. Construction of this road was abandoned some five years ago, leaving a stretch of about 80km to the Mukumbura border. This stretch is in a very bad state and makes travelling to Mukumbura very expensive.
Mbire district has only six kilometers of tarred road. Mr.
President, it is very painful and it should be touching to everyone that at this juncture, we have a whole district with only a stretch of six kilometer tarred road. This does not only retard development, but also makes travelling expensive for the ordinary people. It takes an average of twelve hours for one to travel from Mahuwe to Kanyemba, a distance of only 145 kms. There is no road to talk about; hence, transport operators are reluctant to invest on this route. The completion of Bindura-Shamva road is long overdue. A rehabilitation project which has taken more than 15 years.
Bindura is our provincial capital but the face of this town is not as up to standard as a provincial capital should be. The infrastructure development does not match that of the needs of the 21st century. We are calling on the Ministry of Local Government to intervene and set up decent shopping malls, hotels and improve on the face of the town to match modern cities. The provision of water supplies in Bindura needs improvement so as to suffice the needs of the growing population.
Bindura is still drawing water from Mazowe River. The construction of Bindura Dam was abandoned and it is our wish that this project is carried on urgently to improve the supply of water in Bindura.
Mr. President Sir, my speech would not be incomplete without mentioning the important role played by our freedom fighters in liberating this country from colonial bondage. By freedom fighters I am referring to the following groups of people:
- Those who received military training at various camps outside the country.
- Those who were trained in the front.
- Those liberation fighters who died in the liberation struggle.
- Those who crossed the borders for the purpose of advancing the armed struggle but did not receive any military training.
- The ex-political detainees and restrictees.
- War collaborators (Mujibha naChimbwido).
Mr. President Sir, these are the people that brought us the freedom we so cherish today. Some ex-combatants and ex-detainees and restrictees are receiving a pension. We would be happier, Mr. President, if their pension is improved to match the poverty datum line.
As for the other groups, Mr. President, nothing has been done as recognition of their input and sacrifice to the struggle of our independence. They suffered physically, socially and emotionally during the war and they continue to suffer even after the war. They need school fees for their children, food on their tables, inputs for their land, they need basically everything that makes the daily life of a human being; yet they do not have the means.
We are calling on the Government to do the following for our freedom fighters:
- Improve pensions for war veterans.
- Provide pensions to those who are not receiving pensions
- Compensate liberation fighters who died in the struggle and provide pensions to their families.
- Provide decent accommodation to freedom fighters.
- Provide land and inputs to all freedom fighters.
- Assist ex-combatants who wish to advance their education with school fees.
- Support children of living and departed freedom fighters with school fees up to higher and tertiary education level.
- Support widows of deceased freedom fighters.
- Provide decent burial for fallen heroes whose remains are still in the bush.
- Provide a permanent guarantee of allocated land to excombatants and their families (evidence on the ground indicates that once an ex-combatant dies, land officers reallocate the farm leaving the family of the ex-combatant destitute and landless).
Mr. President, the issue of freedom fighters is an emotional one and needs the serious attention of Government.
Mr. President, His Excellency gave us the direction that we should follow. It would be a great betrayal to the whole electorate of this country if we just come here to debate without implementing. It is important that our words are translated into action, and that action produces tangible results, which results we will then point and say this is what the 8th Parliament of Zimbabwe delivered to the people of
Zimbabwe. I thank you
*SENATOR MAHOFA: I want to thank you for giving me this
time. Firstly I would like to thank this august House for the election of Hon. Madzongwe and Hon. Chimutengwende to lead this country as people who have come of age, who know how to lead adults and they will be presiding over the Senate for the next five years.
Allow me, again, to talk on the issues highlighted in the Presidential Speech. I want to thank the mover of the motion, Senator.
Mutsvangwa and the seconder of the motion, for us to begin debating. Allow me again to thank all the comrades in the Senate who managed to come to the Senate. Mostly, I want to thank the President of the country for the new Constitution that we all took part in, that actually led to more women in both Houses. It is something that has never occurred since we gained independence. You know that 80% of people who participated in the war, as well as those who died, were women but in representation at decision making level, they were very few. We are so happy that the people of Zimbabwe, through their chiefs, were able to draft a new Constitution that has increased women representation and other men who were not able to stand in their constituencies.
I want to thank the chiefs that they chose their President of the Chiefs Council. It shows that the chiefs have wisdom and they should be allowed to debate and bring forward what they see and to maintain and ensure that our values are maintained through our customs.
I want to come to the issue that President Mugabe has wisdom. What he said during Parliament showed those who love him that he is a father. When he was elected as President, he realised the need to help the people of Zimbabwe. You do not know the bills that people had accrued in terms of ZESA bills and rates, but before he won, he was able to write off those bills and families were saved from breaking up through this measure.
I want to go on to explain who President Mugabe is. In my own view, even those who say that they do not want him now appreciate him.
Firstly, there was water and then there was food and we managed to go and vote. When this happens it means that the spirits are saying, all the people ,regardless of political parties, this is the way to follow. This was done by President Mugabe. In other words, President Mugabe was able to bring back the people to Canaan. This is the man that we are talking about.
I want to go on and say that we can talk about roads, water, schools and many other things but let us look at what has happened in the past five years. There was no development; no road construction took place because of the Inclusive Government. It is time for us to put our heads together despite the different political parties so that we can develop our country. As Zimbabweans we will be free because we will be living in a democratic country.
Mr. President, I normally say, if there are people who have been to other countries, they know the difference between Zimbabwe and other countries in Africa. In other countries there is no peace but in
Zimbabwe there is so much peace and good living. It is because of the leader that we have, who won resoundingly in the election. Some people are surprised that there was no violence during the election. Whether people agree or not, I am sure the chiefs will agree with me that the land has its owners, it is not something that we can joke about. Those owners, if they pronounce that there is no rain tomorrow, surely there will be no rain. I believe that land is what sustains us and that is why we voted the way we voted.
Now I am coming over to you. In my constituency of Masvingo, the major issue I would want to highlight is the issue of the Harare – Beitbridge road. Accidents on that road are too many because the road is narrow. All the roads that are in the rural areas that were constructed by DDF, not a single one was repaired in the past five years. We appeal to those in the transport department to ensure that the roads are constructed so that there is better accessibility. We do not want to go back to the 1980 era. I also request that in Masvingo the Tokwe – Mukorsi Dam should be completed, the President mentioned a lot about water. That dam will actually assist in irrigation and this will alleviate the poverty in Masvingo if this dam is completed.
Those in the Lands department should also rectify the issue of land squabbles to ensure that people farm for sustainability. The only thing left for people to sustain themselves is self employment. The only way one can be self-sustainable is through the land. I am made to understand that there are loans that are being given to those people who want to farm. That is what a good leader does. He knows where to put measures to ensure that everyone is happy.
I want to go on and say, the problem that we are facing right now in Zimbabwe is that people go to school and we have a high level of literacy but there is a shortage of jobs. I think the education that we had in the 1960s whereby a child did Form 4 and when they finished Standard 6, they would go and do courses. There were other skills that a child could learn; he could go and farm or be an electrician to ensure that he earns a living. I think that type of education should come back and not to concentrate on Maths and English. That will not help us because we are increasing in number. I urge the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development to look into this and teach people skills that they can use to sustain themselves tomorrow. They can start looking after themselves before they even get
a job.
Still on the issue of education, I know some might not agree with me but I am saying the issue of National Youth Service had discipline of teaching people how to join the job industry. I think that should be reintroduced so that children learn different skills and they will also learn to appreciate and respect their country. When we talk of the war and what happened, most children today do not know anything but they need to know that. The truth is to be where we are today as women, it is because of the war. Therefore, children need to be given adequate education from a tender age so that they know what awaits them.
I want to end up by saying; the Senate is a House that I realise when I look at the people who have come of age here that should create an era of history that should develop the country. If we had come to joke we would be fighting with the opposition but what I urge us to do is, together with the opposition we put our heads together and work together. We need mature politics not politics to intimidate each other but politics to develop the nation. If we have such ideas as adults, this country will develop. We want to end this year as the President said, we need to come up with something tangible that we would have done.
That is what people out there are hoping to see.
Mr. President, I want to say continue with the work ahead of you together with the President of Senate, Senator Madzongwe. I want to say there is nowhere we can go without you. Our success is based on your leadership. We need to look after this country so that our culture remains there. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION (SENATOR
HUNGWE): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 1st October, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR LIAISING ON PSYCHOMOTOR ACTIVITIES IN EDUCATION, the Senate
st October, 2013. adjourned at Four o’clock p.m, to Tuesday 1
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 5th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock pm.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to switch off their cell phones before commencement of business.
OMISSION ON THE ORDER PAPER
MADAM PRESIDENT: As you are all aware, the Minister of Home Affairs moved that he was going to move for ratification today but that particular Business was omitted. Our Order Number 4 is going to be the Business from the Minister of Home Affairs.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE BONN CONVENTION
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT: Before I move this motion, I would like to apologise to hon. senators about yesterday. This was something beyond my control. Members might know that the facilitation team came in yesterday and requested to meet with the JOMIC Co-Chairpersons of which I am one. I advised them that I needed to come to the Senate, but as you know that when these matters are being discussed, the time went beyond what I had initially budgeted for. Thank you Madam President.
I move the motion standing in my name:
THAT WHEREAS Subsection (1) of Section 111B of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any convention, Treaty or Agreement acceded to, concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President with one or more foreign states or government or international organisations shall be subject to approval by Parliament; AND WHEREAS the Statute of the International Renewable
Energy Agency (Statute of IRENA) was signed in Bonn, World
Conference Centre on 26th January, 2009;
AND WHEREAS the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe is
a signatory to the aforesaid Statute and desirous of becoming a party to the statute;
AND WHEREAS Article (C) of the Statute of IRENA provides for
the deposition of instruments of ratification or accession with the depository;
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of Section 111B (1) of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid Statute be and is hereby approved for ratification.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is an international organisation dedicated to facilitating the rapid development of renewable energy worldwide. The Statute was concluded in Bonn, Germany World Conference Centre on the 26th of January 2009.
Zimbabwe became a signatory of the International Renewable Energy Agency on the 26 of June 2009. The IRENA Statute was approved by Cabinet Committee on Legislation on November 2010 which recommended it to Cabinet. Cabinet approved the statute and instructed the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs and myself to undertake this ratification process. The Renewable Energy in the statute means Bio Energy, Geo Thermal Energy, Hydro Power, Ocean Energy including internal tidal wave and Ocean Thermal Energy, Solar Energy and Wind Energy.
On the establishment of the Agency, the Agency is based on the principle of equality of all its members and shall pay due respect to sovereign rights and competencies of its members in performing its activities. The objectives of the Agency are to promote the widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms of Renewable Energy taking into account National and Domestic Priorities and benefits derived from a combined approach of Renewable Energy and Energy efficiency measures. The contribution of Renewable Energy to environmental preservation through limiting pressure on natural resources and reducing deforestation, particularly tropical de-afrostration desertification and bio diversity loss to climate protection, economic growth and social cohesion including poverty alleviation and sustainable development to assess the security of energy supply, to regional development and to inter generational responsibilities. The activities of the agency shall be a centre of excellence for renewable energy technology, as well as acting as a facilitator and a catalyst, providing experience for practical application and policies, offering support on all matters relating to renewable energy. It will be helping countries to benefit from the efficient development and transfer of knowledge and technology. The membership of the agencies is open to states which are members of the United Nations and to regional inter-governmental economic integration organisations willing and able to act in accordance with the objectives and activities laid down in the statutes. With that brief background Madam President, I wish to move that the IRENA statute be ratified. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON
THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE:
Madam President, I move the motion standing in my name;
THAT WHEREAS subsection (1) of section 111B of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any Convention, Treaty, or Agreement acceded to, concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President with some or more foreign States or governments or international organisations shall be subject to approval by Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Government of Zimbabwe now desires to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which was adopted on 13th December 2006.
AND WHEREAS in accordance with its Article 42, the
Convention and its Optional Protocol opened for signature by all States and regional integration organisations at UN headquarters on 30th March, 2007.
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of subsection (1) of section 111B of the Constitution, this House resolves that the afore-said Convention be and is hereby approved for accession.
Madam President, as you might be aware that my ministry which administers the Disabled Persons Act seeks your approval for signature and ratification of the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and its Optional Protocol. As you are aware, Zimbabwe is one of the first countries to have a Disabled Persons Act but up to now, we have not yet aligned this important international instrument that addresses needs of people with disabilities.
Why a Convention Madam President? Firstly, the Convention was crafted to respond to an overlooked development challenge. Research shows that approximately 10% of the world‟s populations are persons with disabilities, that is, over 650 million people and approximately 80% live in developing countries.
Secondly, it was in response to the fact that, although pre-existing Human Rights Conventions offer considerable potential to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, this potential was not being tapped. Persons with disabilities continue being denied their human rights and were kept on the margins of society in all parts of the world. The Convention sets out the legal obligations on states to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities. It does not create any new rights.
The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities and to promote respect for their inherent dignity in society.
The Convention marks a paradigm shift in attitudes and approaches to persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities are not viewed as objects of charity, medical treatment and social protection rather as subjects with rights who are capable of claiming those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as well as being active members of the society. The convention gives universal recognition to the dignity of persons with disabilities.
Preamble of this convention states that disability is an evolving concept and that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
Article 1 of the Convention states that persons with disabilities include those who have long terms, physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which interacting with various barriers may hinder their full and active participation in society on an equal basis with others. Disability results from an interaction between a non-inclusive society and individuals. Person using a wheelchair might have difficulties gaining employment not because of the wheelchair but there are environmental barriers such as lack of accessibility to buses or staircases which impede access to buildings and other areas of the work place.
Persons with extreme near-sightedness who do not have access to corrective lenses may not be able to perform daily tasks, for example, Madam President, you and me if we were to take our glasses off, we will not be able to read what I am reading now. This same person with prescription eyeglasses would be able to perform all tasks without problems.
Convention terminology; The convention teaches us to use respectable terms like persons with disabilities, it discourages the term handicapped, physical or mental challenges. Please note however, that preferences for terminology among persons with disabilities and among geographical regions may vary due to our own regions. The individual wishes of persons with disabilities should be respected as much as possible.
Convention Structure includes the following: -
Preamble;
Purpose;
Definitions;
General principles;
General obligations, equality and non-discrimination;
Women with disabilities;
Children with disabilities;
Awareness raising;
Accessibility;
Right to life situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies;
Equal recognition before the law;
Access to justice, liberty, security of persons;
Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse;
Protecting the integrity of the person;
Liberty of movement and nationality;
Living independently and being included in the community;
Personal mobility;
Freedom of expression and opinion and access to information;
Respect for privacy;
Respect for home and family, education, health, habilitation and rehabilitation;
Work and employment; adequate standard of living and social protection;
Participation in political and public life;
Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport;
Statistics and data collection;
International cooperation;
National implementation and monitoring;
International monitoring mechanism; and final clauses, optional protocol.
Convention bodies Madam President, the convention has two bodies namely, Conference of the state bodies which meets to consider any matter with regard to implementation of this particular convention or biennially decisions by the conference.
The other body is a Committee on the rights of persons with disability, this is a body of independent experts serving in their personal capacity tasked with reviewing states implementation of the convention. Initially it comprises of 12 independent experts rising to 18 members after an additional 60 ratifications or accessions to the Convention.
Optional Protocol, the optional protocol seeks to be ratified together with the convention creates additional functions for the committee on the right of persons with disabilities.
Individual Communication Committees considers communication from individuals or groups of individual claiming to be victims of a violation of the provisions of the convention by a particular state or a particular state party to the protocol.
Inquiries Committee Member may conduct an inquiry on a state party; following information received indicating grave or systematic violations of the convention by a state party.
In conclusion, Hon. Members, Madam President, let me conclude by saying that the time of ratifying and implementing this particular convention is now. There is urgent need for training, capacity building, awareness raising, good practices collection, and validation and knowledge management. There is need to mainstream disability in all development activities. There is also need for implementation of the convention principles in the internal operations of the government. However, there is also need to include persons with disabilities in all stages of implementation and build capacity of organizations of persons with disabilities as the persons with disabilities echo the saying
“Nothing about us without us “.
I therefore seek for approval from this august house to sign and ratify the UN convention on the rights of persons with disabilities together with its optional protocol. I thank you Madam President.
SENATOR MULOTSTHWA: Thank you very much, mine is to
appreciate that this agreement is now being brought for approval. So I want to echo what the Minister has said but I have a concern that in our committee of MDG‟s, which is chaired by Hon. Khumalo, we had an association of people with disability presenting Oral Evidence and their major concern was that they are failing to vote. They are voting every time in the presence of somebody so are we not violating their rights or else the question is, is what we are approving today going to take care of the voting patterns or the voting system that the people with disability are going to use in the next election, that is what I wanted to hear from the Minister, that we want to approve and the time is now but then there are serious concerns of not being able to vote, is this agreement going to take care of that? I thank you.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President, let me
start by thanking the Minister for bringing this convention to this Senate and enlightening us on what it strives to achieve by ratification which she is seeking. Suffice to say I think it has been now long overdue, it has been on the cards for quite some time but disability means a lot. I have got a few questions to put to the Minister, if she has mentioned it in her presentation, I might not have captured it, just for clarification.
What is the approximate number of disabled persons in Zimbabwe? What is the approximate percentage which is under active assistance which is directly under government assistance? How often does your Ministry update these figures so that they know what to do to help the disabled? We might also want to know the measures which are in place to enable the disabled especially the children when they graduate into adulthood to make them sustain their livelihood? Lastly, is albinism included in the category of disabled persons?
Those are a few clarifications which I want from the Minister and then we might have a better understanding of this protocol, otherwise of the objectives which she has put across, I think the time is okay for us to ratify the protocol which is before us here, I do not think there is any dispute about that. We should urge all Senators in here to ratify after we have debated on this important convention, I want to thank you Madam President.
SENATOR MANDAVA: Thank you Madam President, I also
want to join my colleagues in thanking the Minister for bringing this important motion which as the previous speaker has said, is long overdue. In the presentation that Senator Mlotshwa was talking about, the organization of the disabled has got the feeling that your ministry is overloaded and perhaps a directorate to deal with the disabled is needed. The other thing was the concern about the percentage of women that are educated. In ratifying this protocol, maybe as I said I might not have heard it, are we ensuring that there will be an exercise to deliberate/accelerate the education of women that are disabled?
SENATOR SIBANDA: Thank you Madam President, I would
like to ask the Minister of Labour and I would also like to thank her for bringing this important subject. What are you going to do with the blind people who are all over our streets and sometimes they are being led by little children and the little children are the ones who go on begging for whatever they are asking for? What steps are you taking for these blind people who are seen on the streets begging for assistance? I thank you, Madam President.
SENATOR MUCHIHWA: *Thank you Madam President for
giving me this time to make my contribution. I also want to thank the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare for raising this motion which is very interesting. I am not going to say much on this motion but I would like to support the motion which she has raised in this august Senate. She pointed out that we should have ratified this so many years back but we still have to ratify it. All the same she has had enough courage and time to bring this convention to the attention of the Senate and we have to support it. We have been told about some of the things which would assist these disabled persons if this convention is ratified, all the queries that have been raised in this Senate will be solved.
These include the young children who are the guides for the visually impaired people who also need some assistance. In order for all those things to be considered and ratified we need to support this convention because no steps have been taken to rectify all these anomalies. There will be some short comings but we also know that there will be some corrections. We noticed that amongst the disabled, we have very few women who are educated because they are denied access to schools; you find that the disabled women are impregnated by able bodied men and when this is ratified these people will be protected from these predators. We need to work as one, we need to make corrections to our things and we need to make Zimbabwe move forward, thank you very much.
*SENATOR CHIEF MUSARURWA: Thank you Madam
President, I also want to add my voice to the ratification of this agreement which has been introduced by the Minister which is aimed at the welfare of people with disabilities. These should have been ratified a long time ago but we have noticed that we have had some delays
because of one thing or the other. We noticed that as Chiefs, we are also the custodians of the people‟s welfare and we are very glad because the government has taken steps that may assist us because in our jurisdiction we are the welfare officers for the people in need of assistance. We have also seen that Amai Mugabe is doing a very good job in looking after the orphans and the disabled - especially if you go to Danhiko, a place where people with disability are, she is doing a great job. We would also like to thank the government for taking up this agreement seriously because it is going to assist our people living with disabilities. I thank
you Madam President.
*SENATOR KABAYANJIRI: My contribution on this debate is
research which has been done on disabled people. I believe that the Minister, Hon. Mpariwa has records which show the total number of people living with disabilities. You find that most of these disabled people come from rural areas and you find that there are few facilities in the rural areas. Most of the people who are taken care of, are people who are in the cities. My request is that hon. minister, may you please make arrangements so that the disabled people in rural areas can also access these facilities including welfare facilities that are offered by the State. Research has shown that most of the disabled people come from rural areas. I thank you.
SENATOR CHIEF NGUNGUBANE: Thank you minister for
bringing this important Convention before this House for ratification. Madam President, I think as a nation we are all guilty of treating disabled people as second class citizens. I hope this will lay a foundation for a paradigm shift where we view people with disability as ordinary citizens who have equal rights as us.
She mentioned the issue of rights. As senators from the political parties and traditional leaders, these people affect us in one way or the other. There is a lot of expectation minister. Will this Convention bring any change to those people out there? What am I saying? These people are encountering a lot of problems. A deaf woman goes to hospital and that woman cannot communicate with the next person and the nurse.
Madam President, those are the issues that the disabled people are expecting. I know this is a Convention but I want to find out from the minister as a way forward, whether these concerns that the disabled people have are going to be addressed? Is it not just going to be another talk show where we talk, throw away the papers, forget about them and they continue suffering? Thank you.
SENATOR T. MOHADI: Thank you Madam President. I would
also want to thank the minister for bringing this Convention to this august Senate. Madam President, I am worried mostly about the education part for the disabled children because I do not know whether there is anything in place for them as they seem not to be going to school. They spend most of their time especially in towns, walking up and down with their parents or relatives asking for assistance.
Madam President, secondly I am also worried about the final destination, where they are supposed to stay. You find that they do not have a place to stay; they just stay and sleep anywhere in the open. Now that we are approaching winter, I do not know whether there is anything in place for them. In my constituency, they stay at the ranks most of the time. Is the hon. minister aware that the disabled people now help people cross the borders? They take someone without a passport and they cross the border, after crossing the border the blind person will ask someone from the other side of the border to accompany them to the Zimbabwean border. I do not know whether the minister is aware of that? If she is aware, what is the ministry doing about it. I thank you.
*SENATOR MTINGWENDE: Thank you Madam President for
giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this noble voice in this august Senate. I support the minister‟s motion on people living with disabilities. Some of the members who made contributions before me talked about street children. My contribution is along the same lines but I am centering my discussion on the parents of these children who are disabled or children of parents who are visually impaired.
I plead with the ministry to give assistance in schools so that children of people living with disabilities are given assistance in the payment of school fees through the BEAM facility. My experience has shown me that access to the BEAM facility mainly favours orphaned children. Not all of these children access this facility but are picked up at random. Does this programme also cater for children of parents living with disabilities?
I have noticed that communities in which we live sympathise mainly with orphans. I plead with the communities and Government to give assistance to children of parents living with disabilities, especially in schools and health institutions. We need to have this bias so that these children are protected. They should also have access to these facilities because we noticed that BEAM mostly targets people who are only said to be poor but they should also include children of the disabled. These children need to have a better future.
May I please add on and say minister; are you aware of the number of people living with disabilities? When you look at these figures, may you present them to this House? The ministry should not only look at people who are getting assistance from the Social Welfare because we have some people with disabilities who are in the rural areas who are not receiving any assistance from the Social Welfare. Some of these people really deserve to be assisted but the registration is not done properly.
You also find that these people cannot access assistance because the offices that deal with welfare issues are far from people who should be benefitting from their assistance. Therefore we believe the people with disabilities in rural areas should also receive these benefits from the Social Welfare. I feel we need to have a census for the disabled people in the areas where they are staying because if we do not do this, nobody would realise that they do exist and nobody will give them any assistance.
*SENATOR CHIBAGU: The office of the Social Welfare is very
effective and influential, especially working with the disabled. My plea is that, what we are debating here should not only be debated and debated, but there should be some implementation of what we have debated. We all know that when God created us, he created us in his image so that we may look like him, therefore he loves us all. We need to talk about people with disabilities because they have lots of problems.
As I say this, I have received a telephone message from Guruve, I have been told that a woman has given birth to a disabled child. They told me that this person is hydrocephalous and these disabilities are not something you apply for from God; it is something which just come from God‟s creation.
Therefore, Minister we need to have ways and means of assisting disabled persons because parents of these people have problems in looking after their children. I also plead through you hon. Senators, who travel abroad, we have some countries where you do not see any disabled person in the streets but in Zimbabwe we have plenty of them begging for arms. I remember the other day moving in town, I saw a disabled person lying helplessly on the street. When I asked her whether there was any problem, she told me that she needed to be assisted with food. So Minister, I plead with you, your Ministry is very important; it is as good as the Ministry of Health because it has to do with the welfare of the people. I feel, if there can be some plans which can be put in
place whereby some fields are ploughed for the welfare of these people, I think they would have a better life.
I feel I have to make this contribution because we have noticed that there are a lot of people who have problems but they have nowhere to go. I look especially at places which are like my Constituency, which is on the border areas; you find that even Ministers who come to these areas, they do not come to our area because it is too remote. You will find that in my place we have people whom we call Bushmen, but these are also people who are just like you and me; they need to have some assistance. My plea to the powers that be is that disability is not something which we apply for; and disability is not something which makes you fail to do anything in life. You could be able to do whatever you want; all you need is full assistance. Therefore, the Government should do that. I thank you very much.
THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE
(MS. MPARIWA): Thank you Madam President. I want to thank the hon. Senators who have applauded the bringing up of this Convention for ratification in this august Senate. You may also realise that there is hunger for space in terms of question time. The way concerns have been raised, some of them were not particularly relevant to the presentation, because when we say Ratification of UN Convention, the GNU was formed in 2009. There have been predecessors over and over and they were hesitant to bring this Convention. I did so because I think we have to start from somewhere. What I saw was question time during a presentation, which is not particularly.. –[HON SENATORS: Inaudible interjections]-
MADAM PRESIDENT: Order, order, I want to interject, I want
to appreciate the fact that you have realised that the Executive should come to this Senate more often than they do because people are thirsty
to...
HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.
MADAM PRESIDENT: People are thirsty to pose questions to the Ministers but they hardly come. I thank you, you may continue.
- MPARIWA: I think I am one of those, when I have got time I come but normally when I see a question relevant to my portfolio; they can bail me out. I will never run away because it is the way you can actually enhance the work that the Ministry is doing with colleagues so that they can also mentor you in terms of the gaps in policy and actions.
So they are observers; and it is good for you; it makes you strong.
I now come back to the concerns, the MDGs Committee, the observations by Senator Mlotshwa in terms of the gap. Let me hasten to say that her observations are correct but the good thing is that we now have a new Constitution, it offers more that what the UN Convention is actually proposing. We then have the new Electoral Act, which will also be adopted by the two Houses. It has more provisions to cater for both the secrecy of the vote; the one that I have referred to in paragraph three of my presentation in terms of assistance. So the Constitution is actually offering more than what we have in the UN Convention.
I am glad that this thing is not even violating the provisions but actually setting a standard; but as Zimbabweans because we had people with disabilities who participated in the Constitution making process; they made their voices heard and they were very clear. We celebrate that Zimbabweans have seen that society is comprised of two categories of people; those who are able bodied and those with disabilities. We harnessed together and we brought up issues in the Constitution. That is our according to the question of Senator Mlotshwa.
On Senator Mumvuri, of course in my presentation, I mentioned about the 10% of people with disabilities in the country and how often does the Ministry update this figure or actually to make a survey in terms of how many people - you know if resources were permitting, we would do them regularly. Now we have a starting point, at least we have to get – what I have heard here that even the 10% are not yet all covered in terms of assistance, let me, including those that have been noticed including yaamai vakanonga munhu panze, yomwana akasunungukwa asina kunyatsoita zvakanaka, it is iwe neni tine basa.
It is our responsibility as community. Tava kurasa ubuntu where we can actually say munhu ane dambudziko tomuendesa kupi? The Ministry of Labour and Social Services has got an office everywhere in the districts. You can connect those people in your districts especially as leadership. Just to take that child and the mother kungomuendesa. I heard even treatment yevanhu vane disability, vanamai vakazvitakura vanopedzisira vasisakwanise kurapwa and so on nevana vanofamba vasina kukwanisa kurapwa.
We have a scheme which we call Assisted Medical Order; what does it mean? Ibepa rinonyorwa ne Ministry of Labour and Social Services kuti ndimai ava, havana munhu anovabatsira vanorwara kana kuti vanemhuri. Vobva vaenda kundorapwa. That is why we are saying endesai kuMinistry of Labour and Social Services zvinotibatsira to create a database rokuti tizive kuti kana kuri kuZvishavane kuna amai vari pa Number yakati vanoda kubetserwa. Why ndiri kudaro because even targeting yesocial protection nemasafety nets, it goes to people who are registered. This is why then there is a glaring gap of people who are being assisted and those that are not being assisted.
We have what we call the National Action Plan for orphans and the vulnerable, to cater for all those children. It is our responsibility as Government, as leaders and as a nation to look after what we call the vulnerable; those you see in the streets, those children you see leading the blind in the streets, begging, it is the responsibility of the
Government once we know. Take those people to Social Service
Offices, alert or call their offices, they will go and pick those people up. We have institutions where we put people. It is not all rosy but it is somewhere where they can have shelter, food, clothes and somewhere to bath. At least they are protected from the harsh economic environment and climate.
Those who witnessed two months ago, we were giving out items to homes that are out there. Those that are flooded around the streets, once you see them, alert the ministry so that we can do what we call removal and rehabilitation. It may be difficult to take them all away but those that you would have noticed, as leaders, try to alert the ministry, try and call a social services officer or write an anonymous letter because some of you may not want to be associated with the fact that you are the one who has notified us but you would have helped us.
On the assistance that is given to people including those people with albinism, it is a condition and most of them attend special schools. We offer them spectacles because some of them have poor eyesight and we have lotions and so on. Once we identify a parent with a child who has albinism and they are registered with us, those people receive some kind of attention and assistance from the ministry with money that we call public assistance to help the less privileged whom we call the vulnerable groups. It includes even those who need food, the disabled, the aged, the sick and the orphaned. Most of those children you see escorting disabled old people are orphans. In most cases they would have lost both parents and are staying with their grandparents. So, it is the responsibility of leaders, also to alert the various organisations because we have NGOs that look for children, Street Ahead, for example. We have Committees we call, Child Protection Committees in the communities that we come from. They can also help us. Child Line even has a hot line that you can call once you see a child whom you think is not living under proper conditions. What happens between them and us, I think it is part of the Government‟s partnership with the various organisations that look after people with disabilities, the vulnerable in the community.
We have what we call the National Disability Board. This board comprises of all people from all provinces, nominated by people with disabilities, to come and represent all the issues that we have been discussing in here so that the ministry is aware of what is happening in Muzarabani; Zaka, Jerera, Magunje, Karoi and Tsholotsho. This Committee is reflective of regions or provinces so that it caters for issues, even lists of names of those that are registered with the board. I will be very specific, just two days ago we were discussing with the
Director of Social Services saying there is a meeting that is happening in Morocco for people with disabilities. We want someone who will go and represent these people but we had to revert back to the National
Disability Board because they are saying „there is nothing for us without us‟. They have to elect this person. They have seen the circular and what kind of a person is expected to come and address the conference on behalf of Zimbabweans with disabilities. So, the National Disability Board is there in place to assist the ministry in giving information and various organisations that assist with wheelchairs, walking sticks, spectacles that I have been talking about and even rehabilitation.
Senator Mandaba, issues are overloaded in the Ministry of Social
Services, yes of course because I administer the Children‟s Act. Yes, it is overloaded but at the end of the day, what do we do so that we improve the situation, the coverage or the outreach to those that deserve to be assisted. I think that is where it matters most. On the issue of education, for example, we have BEAM. BEAM has been overloaded because we are getting orphans and vulnerable people all the time but the good thing that we should be celebrating about is that we are now having a new Constitution. What are its provisions? Free basic education to every child. Who then will not be able to afford to take their child to school? It does not matter whether the mother lives in the street or is disabled but basic education to every child, meaning that even a child living with a disability or orphaned can go to school. We need to collect all those children and inform the public. This is why in my presentation I said there is a lot that needs to be done. There is capacity building, information sharing, skills sharing so that everyone else is aware of the requirements of the UN Convention and also the
Disabled Persons Act, so that we vary the two and then get into the Constitution.
It is good that it is overloaded because it is good to lead a ministry that deals with the people, talk with them and involve them in whatever you do. Senator Muchihwa commented that it was good and I want to thank her for the support of the ratification. Senator Chief Musarurwa, I also want to thank you for acknowledging that it was long overdue. Of course as you might know, since 1980 we have had several ministers and this UN Convention has been there and nobody moved it and we want to applaud you as members in the Senate because you have encouraged the ratification of the Convention and its protocol.
Yes, research must be carried out so that it covers rural and urban areas. I do not think that it is deliberate or it has ever happened because what we are using now is the information that I found in the ministry at the moment and should resources permit, a new survey will be done. We will take the encouragement that you need it to be equal in all provinces, towns, peri urban and so on. The research will assist in planning and targeting mechanisms, who needs to be assisted, where are they, what ages are we talking about and what are their circumstances.
My expectations were raised after the ratification of this Convention. It is good to raise expectations because without expectations people die, so we live for expectations because it makes us strong. We have different problems but we have the expectation that tomorrow might be better. When the people that we are representing in terms of this UN Convention hear that this has been ratified, they will be happy. The National Disability Board has had two chairpersons during my tenure and they were encouraging me to ratify this Convention. I think, they are celebrating because last week I was overloaded with emails of appreciation in terms of the ratification. I hope you also join them in celebrating that the exercise we are carrying out is not an exercise in futility but we are heading somewhere.
Senator Mohadi, on Education and awareness, I think I have talked on that. The Child Protection Committees, I have talked about them. We are all duty bound to protect the society, especially those who are vulnerable. I have even said that there is no street child because you and I are parents, they are ours but it makes sense to take them and place them in homes.
We have social services office, Beitbridge Reception Centre, I think you know it, that we are doing with IOM, ILO and the Ministry of Labour and Social Services, where we are taking those people there. It is not easy to keep them because there is a board where immediately after they have been assessed and they are given the assistance, they go back. I think it takes a lot of work and energy but we are doing something. The same as at Plumtree, we have a reception centre for those kids who would have crossed over and realised that all is not well, we integrate those children back to their families. In most cases, if you go back to those children‟s families, you will find out that one may be living with a grandmother who is blind in the rural areas. Therefore, a social protection and safety net would have been created by the identification of the kind of family from which a child is coming from.
We then put the child on public assistance as a ministry.
The selection committees in schools are the ones responsible for picking children with needs. However, let me crush this one because I think it is coming to an end as we enter a new era with the new
Constitution. There is going to be free basic education to every child. Therefore selection should be monitored because those who are in the community are the ones who should be identified. Should you identify a child who qualifies to benefit from BEAM, alert the Headmaster because he is one of the people who are there. That is why I am saying we both have a lot of work to do because of the ubuntu among us. If you find one of your own under difficult circumstances, you should alert those who are able to help him. If you see someone being murdered, is it not that you alert the police, as such, we should also alert the mechanism of our government‟s system which is able to help those who are vulnerable.
Education is now in the Constitutional provision.
We will do a survey of the people with disabilities as we move forward. Care and protection, yes Senator Chibako, I cannot overemphasise that. However, I think we should continue alerting the ministry in terms of our observations. I also stand guided in terms of actions that may be taken as we are all there to represent people. This is towards election time and I know we all want to sail through. Let us assist each other because you and I have got work to do. Thank you Madam President.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE AFRICAN UNION CONVENTION FOR
THE PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE OF INTERNALLY
DISPLACED PERSONS IN AFRICA
THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE: I
move the motion standing in my name;
THAT WHEREAS Subsection (1) of Section 111B of the
Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any convention, Treaty or Agreement acceded to, concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President with one or more Foreign States or Governments or international organizations shall be subject to approval by Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Government of Zimbabwe now desires to
ratify the African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of
Internally Displaced Persons in Africa (Kampala Convention);
AND CONSCIOUS of the gravity of the situation of internally Displaced Persons as a source of continuing instability and tension for the African States;
AND ALSO CONSCIOUS of the suffering and specific
vulnerability of internally displaced;
AND WHEREAS the entry into force of the aforesaid Convention shall be subject to Article 17 of the Convention;
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of Subsection (1) of Section 111B of the Constitution, this House resolves that the aforesaid Convention be and is hereby approved for ratification.
The Head of State, His Excellency Cde R. G. Mugabe signed the
Kampala Convention in 2009. This noble gesture demonstrated the
Government of Zimbabwe‟s commitment and will, to protect and assist persons who become victims of internal displacement due to various factors. 40 percent of all the people worldwide, who have been displaced within their own country as a result of conflict or violence live in Africa. According to the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR), Africa has 9.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). There are almost four times as many internally displaced persons as there are refugees in Africa. Unlike refugees, IDPs do not have a special status under International Law.
The African Union Convention for the Protection and Assistance of IDPs, 2009, also known as the Kampala Convention, came into force on the 6th of December 2012. It is the world‟s first legally binding instrument to cater specifically for people displaced within their own countries.
Adopted at an AU summit in the Ugandan capital Kampala, the Convention required ratification by 15 member countries before it could enter into force; Swaziland became the 15th country to do so on the 12th of November, 2012, joining Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African
Republic, Chad, Gabon, the Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda and Zambia. At least 37 other AU members (including Zimbabwe) have signed the convention but have yet
to ratify it.
The Convention aims to “establish a legal framework for preventing internal displacement, protecting and assisting internally displaced persons in Africa.”
The Convention in brief;
- Reaffirms that national authorities have the primary responsibility to provide assistance to IDPs.
- Comprehensively addresses different causes of internal displacement; conflict, generalised violence, human-caused or natural disasters and development projects like building dams or clearing land for large-scale agriculture.
- Recognises the critical role that civil society organizations and communities which take them in, play in assisting IDPs and obliges governments to assess the needs and vulnerabilities of the forcibly displaced and the host communities in order to address the plight of people uprooted within their borders.
I therefore seek the approval by this august Senate to ratify the said AU Convention on Internally Displaced Persons. Thank You Madam President.
SENATOR MARAVA: Madam President, this thing I cannot let
it go because it falls under my jurisdiction. Madam President, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity. First of all I want to thank the Minister for bringing this protocol into this august Senate. Madam
President, there is a point I would like to stress here. Besides the host, President of Uganda, our President was number one to sign this protocol The Kampala Convention.
That was showing the importance Zimbabwe was placing on this protocol. The minister has just done good service to this Convention Madam President. In other words I think we should have been number one not Burkina Faso, Togo to ratify this Convention. We should have been number one because our President was number one to sign. So,
Madam President, considering also that this protocol is an African baby. It is an African product, it is an African pride it all does us well to ratify it. So, I am actually happy that we have realised the importance of joining other progressive nations in ratifying this Convention. Thank you.
SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Madam
President, I also want to add my voice and support this very progressive protocol brought by the Minister. But just to ask the Minister in celebrating this protocol, what is the time frame? From which date in history are we expected to enjoy these good issues coming out of this provision? Because there are a lot of things which may arise during implementation that it can be celebrated by all sorts of people especially, the issue regarding stations. It mentions stations in Africa because of displacement. The tension that still exists today in Zimbabwe is arising from the Land Apportionment Act in the early 1930s. We still have Chief Jahana from Filabusi who has been moved from Gokwe, Midlands. We have Chief Gweru, how far do we go in history? Because we want to celebrate this provision.
THE MINISTIER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL
WELFARE: Thank you Madam President, let me thank Senator
Marava for his support and I know very well he has a passion for this particular Convention because he actually heads this kind of portfolio. So, I want to thank him very much and promise that we will work together because it takes two to tango. We are trying to protect our own, and we are trying to follow we are trying to implement.
Thank you very much for the support Chief Charumbira thank you for the support. I know that he belongs to the PAN African Parliament, one of the organs of the AU. He would not have done justice if he had not supported the ratification of this particular Convention. As for the how part of it? I think it is a process issue, I cannot mention any dates here but I think we will do everything necessary so that we move with speed in getting to who was where and what happened. Thank you, Madam President, for giving me the opportunity to respond.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTION FOR THE SUPPRESSION OF THE FINANCING OF
TERRORISM
THE CO-MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Madam President,
I move the motion standing in my name;
THAT WHEREAS Subsection (1) of Section 111B of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any Convention, Treaty, or agreement acceded to, concluded or executed by, or under the authority of the President with one or more foreign States or Governments or international organisations shall be subject to approval by Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe
now desires to accede to the United Nations Convention for the
Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism;
AND WHEREAS Article 25 of the aforesaid convention provides
for the deposition of instruments of ratification with the Secretary
General of the United Nations;
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of subsection (1) of Section 111B of the Constitution, Parliament resolves that the aforesaid Convention be and is herby approved for accession.
The Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in
Resolution 54/2/09 of the 9th December 1999. To date 180 country member states have signed, ratified or acceded to this Convention. The Convention entered into force on the 4th April 2002. Zimbabwe is not a signatory to this Convention however it has committed itself to work with the Financial Action Taskforce and the Eastern Southern African Anti-money Laundering Group ESAMLAG to address its anti-money laundering or combating financing of terrorism. The fact that Zimbabwe is a member of the Financial Action Taskforce which is a mechanism under the Convention makes it mandatory that we accede to this Convention before the Financial Action Taskforce convened its meeting so as to avert the imminent threat of sanctions, we had to appeal to the President and this has since been done in terms of Section 31(H) Subsection 5 of the Constitution as amended. Which states that; and I quote “In the exercise of his function the President shall act on the advice of the Cabinet except in cases where he is required by this Constitution or any other law to act on the advice of any other person or any other law to act on the advice of any other person or authority”.
This motion then seeks to formalise the procedure. The effect of the economic sanctions was that the country was not able to transfer money outside the country or receive money from other countries. The sanctions were also to have a negative impact on both regional and international trade that predominately relies on money transfer.
The Convention seeks to suppress the financing of terrorism and enhance international cooperation among member states in the fight against terrorist activities.
Article 1 of the Convention provides the detailed meaning of the key terms used in the financing of terrorism offences cited under this Convention. Article 2 provides that any person who commits the financing of terrorism, if the person by any means directly or indirectly, unlawfully or willfully provides or collects funds with the intention that they should be used in the knowledge that they are to be used in full or part in order to carry out act of terrorism.
Article 4, mandates state parties to adopt such measures as may be necessary to criminalise the offences stipulated in the Convention in their jurisdictions as well as to provide appropriate penalties which take into account the grave nature of the offences. It is also a requirement that state parties adopt such measures that criminal acts under the scope of this Convention are under no circumstances justifiable by any consideration of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethical, and religious or any other of similar nature.
The establishment of the Jurisdiction; the Convention under Article 7 makes it mandatory for state parties to make necessary measures to establish their jurisdiction over the offences outlined in Article 2, and the circumstances when they are committed. Article 8, further requires state parties to take appropriate measures for the identification, detection and freezing or seizure of any funds used or allocated for the purpose of committing the offences herein set forth on Article 2.
Ratification of the UN; in the event that the state party prosecutes offenders using their domestic laws; they are required under article 19, to communicate the final outcome of the cases to the United Nations.
Article 20 also requires state parties to carry out their obligations under the convention in a manner that is consistent with the principles of foreign equality of states and that non-intervention in the domestic affairs of other states is observed.
Accession to the Convention, it is provided for in article 25 that the Convention shall be open to accession by any state party and that the instrument of accession shall be deposited with the Secretary General of United Nations. It is therefore, recommended that since Zimbabwe did not sign the Convention but now wishes to accede to it, the Senate approves the accession to the Convention as provided for in Article 25 and the ratification thereof. I thank you, Madam President.
SENATOR MLOTSHWA: Madam President, I know that the
Senate is seized with a lot of work today but I need some clarity.
Minister, I cannot remember whether or not we got the document of that Convention, let me say I did not get it but I am trying to understand through you that since we are not seeking a signatory; there is a section that you read that talks about the movement of money out of the country and the financing of the alms. I really do not understand what the Convention seeks us to approve and really the benefit of us as Zimbabweans. Can you clarify a bit on those sections?
THE MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS: Thank you Madam
President. It is true we are not a signatory to the convention but because we have entered into an agreement or we have entered into an agreement with the Financial Action Task Force, which falls under this Convention.
We are therefore required to accede to the Convention and because when this thing happened sometime in January and we did not have much time, we had to call upon the President to accede to this
Convention in order to avert the eventuality of us being sanctioned. Because if you do not accede you are then sanctioned and the sanctions entail that we are not going to be able to transfer monies from our country to another country and that money is not going to be allowed to come into your country. It means therefore that you are not going to do business with the region itself or outside the region and even our friends were going to be barred by the sanctions thereof not to do business with us. So we found it prudent that we appeal to the President to do it before Parliament approves it or before the Senate approves the accession to this convention and secondly the proceeds we are talking about here or the monies that we are talking about are the monies that are ill gotten by organizations and individuals for the purpose of furthering terrorism or acts of terrorism. That is exactly what we are trying to evade because we are members of the UN and because we are now members of the Financial Action Task Force which falls under this, we are now bound to accede to this. I do not know whether I have answered the hon. Senator adequately? I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
SECOND READING
SECURITIES AMENDMENT BILL [H.B. 1, 2012]
Fourth Order read. Second Reading: Securities Amendment Bill
(H.B. 1, 2012)
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT (MR MANGOMA): Thank you hon. Chair the Securities Amendment Bill, the background to it is that the Securities Act was promulgated in 2004 and operationalized in 2008. Subsequently the Securities Commission was established in 2008 to regulate and supervise the Securities Market, however since then, developments that have taken place in the financial sector both locally and globally have rendered the Act ackake and not in sync with these developments thus necessitating amendments to the Securities Act.
The justification for the proposed amendments; at the core of the amendments to the Securities Act is recognition of the inadequacy and shortcoming of the current Act which has resulted in compromised supervision and regulation of the Securities Market. Inadequacy of the Act has seen the regulator which is the Securities Commission being challenged in the courts by some players in the market and particularly the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange which it is suppose to regulate. The other objective is to ensure that there are no omissions or arrears of ambiguity which may give room for questioning the actions of the regulator or resulting untoward interpretation of the provision of the Act as is currently the case. Also hon. Chairman, the 2008 global financial crisis resulted in the realization of the importance of adequate regulation of financial market to ensure financial stability.
Since the crisis, many jurisdictions including those in the developed countries have had to review the way their regulators conduct their functions with a view to ensuring adequate supervision and regulation of market players. It is therefore important that, through legislation, government comes up with a framework that ensures that the regulator of the securities market is adequately armed to deal with issues of transparency and accountability in capital markets. There is also a need for proper infrastructure for the development of capital markets in Zimbabwe such as the establishment of a central security depository, demutualization of the ZDC and the automation of traders.
On the definitions, it has become necessary to tighten what licenceble activities are and to include that there are those activities which involve securities, regardless of whether or not they do so directly or indirectly or even for no remuneration. This comes in the work of misunderstanding on some activities that were said to be beyond what the Commission could regulate. On the membership of the Commission, currently the number of commissioners is a minimum of three and maximum of 5 and now we are proposing to increase it from a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 9 so that we cover respective qualifications and qualities required and this will include people with legal background, accounting, economists, risk management, I.T specialists, experience in financial markets, representative of marketing interest and representative of investors.
The nomination Committee has been slightly adjusted to make sure that there is fair representation of the people who appoint
Commissioners. Whilst we are looking at the Commissioners, we are also changing the terms of the Commissioners from largely being full time to those who provide oversight. On the disqualification of appointment to the Commission, we find it is sound cooperate governance to avoid cases of conflict of interest. It is proposed to amend Section 7 and provide for the prohibition of appointment of persons who hold directorships in listed companies or a registered or licenced entity by the Commission. This should address the current problem where some Commissioners were directors of listed companies.
The meetings of the Commissioners are also being decreased from the current requirement that there be 11 meetings in each year to once a quarter. This is in line with them being non-executive. With that to also create the position of a Chief Executive Officer and staff of the Commission who will then be responsible for the day to day running of the Commission.
It becomes important to separate the policy oversight function of the board and the executive functions of the secretariat as this will now empower the secretariat to execute their mandate without having to seek permission at each step of the way. It also limits the number of meetings of the Commissioners to make sure that they do not become micro managers of the secretariat.
In setting up the oversight committee of the Commission, it has been found important to make it mandatory to have sub-committees and two of the sub-committees that are mandatory are the Audit Committee and the Licensing Committee. Irrespective of what happens, they must have a minimum of those two sub-committees. It has also been found necessary to request the commissioners and staff to disclose their certain connections, interests and assets. This will be done by the
Commissioners at every meeting that they have to make sure that when debate comes up, those conflicts of interest are provided and that we will not have compromised decisions.
The amendments also are putting in the establishment of an investor protection fund. It is proposed that an investor protection fund be established and the setting of a board of trustees to manage those funds. This comes in the wake of the need to remove ambiguities surrounding the creation of the fund which resulted in law suits against the regulator by players in the market who were resisting the move.
In more jurisdictions, investor protection funds are put in place to compensate investors in the event of market failures. In Zimbabwe we believe it is important that investors are protected. On the registration of the Securities Exchange, it is proposed that we make provision for corporatisation and demutualisation of Stock Exchanges. This is meant to give the Securities Commission powers to direct exchanges to corporate ties and demutualise in line with good corporate governance. This is important considering that the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange has been resisting directives to move in that direction.
On cancellation of licences and registration of registered exchanges, there is a need to include a clause that mandates the commission to seek the minister‟s approval or notification before cancellation of licences of a registered exchange. This is particularly important to make sure that any licence is not just cut because of a potential systemic risk by cancelling one without knowing what impact it will have. The provision also provides a framework under which the minister gives the green light to proceed with cancellation to ensure that bureaucracy of Government does not delay the process.
Section 36(2) should be amended to have an appeal made to the minister before reference to the administrative court. This is in line with what is prevailing under the Banking Act which gives the minister who administers the Act the opportunity to hear an appeal and possibly resolves it before having to go to the court. We are also looking at the people who are required to be licensed. Section 38(b)(c) explicitly indicates that the Securities Commission regulates asset management companies and collective investment schemes. This is done to remove any ambiguities. It is also hoped that with the provisions that have been made that it will make it mandatory for all the players who have been licensed to automate so that the automation agenda and the supervision is met.
On the validity of the licence, it is proposed to amend the section that instead of having a business that relies on being licenced annually, which means that as you proceed you create uncertainty as to whether you will be licenced or not. You licence them in perpetuity but you pay annual fees to keep your license current. We are also putting in new regulation requiring that exchanges and the depository to keep proper books, accounts and other records and that these be at the end of each financial year be lodged with the Commission. This also includes requiring that monthly management accounts be made available to make sure that we will not be surprised when things go wrong.
On regulatory powers, the Commission should have powers to grant certain regulatory authority to certain entities on certain conditions to administer certain rules, the so called self regulatory organisations. The section should clearly define what the self regulatory organisations are and the terms and conditions under which they will operate. This clarity addresses the on-going impasse between the regulator and the ZJC on the self regulatory organisations and their modus operandi.
Listing of the exchanges; if an exchange should list, the listing authority should be the Securities Commission itself. This is done to avoid issues of conflict of interest where the listing exchange might want to list on its own and therefore compromise other members. On penalties, there is a proposal to shift the current penalties from level 10 or five years imprisonment to where it is based on the multiple of the gain that would have been made so that there is a real pinch. Someone might decide to go to prison than to pay the huge fines but this will tighten and make sure that everybody falls in line.
It is also further catered for to make sure that after the criminal penalties that there should also be civil penalties to compensate those who would have lost. In addition, the Securities Commission will have the powers to summon any person or entity at any given time with regard to any investigation, prosecution or disciplinary action.
Hon. Chair, in conclusion, the amendments being proposed to the Securities Act are a result of wide consultation with stakeholders in the capital markets including the Securities Commission, the Zimbabwe
Stock Exchange, Insurance and Pensions Commission, Association of Investment Managers among others. As has already been mentioned earlier, the amendments have been motivated by the need to strengthen the regulatory framework for the capital markets as well as to put in place the appropriate infrastructure such as the automation for the efficient operation of the capital markets. I therefore submit the Bill for consideration.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Committee Stage: With leave; forthwith.
COMMITTEE STAGE
SECURITIES AMENDMENT BILL (H.B.1, 2012)
Senate in Committee.
Clauses 1 to 38 put and agreed to.
Senate resumed.
Bill reported without amendments.
Third Reading: With leave; forthwith.
THIRD READING
SECURITIES AMENDMENT BILL (H.B. 1, 2012)
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT: I move that the Bill be now read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
SECOND READING
MICRO-FINANCE BILL (H.B. 2, 2012)
Fifth Order read: Second Reading: Micro-Finance Bill (H.B. 2, 2012).
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT: Thank you Mr. President. The issue about the Micro-Finance Bill takes into account the importance of micro finance in the country and this becomes a major point in the National MicroFinance Policy of Zimbabwe. Lessons have also been drawn from experience and legislation of other jurisdictions to ensure adherence to best international practice.
At the core of the proposed principles, is recognition of the role of the micro-finance sector in the economic development of Zimbabwe and the need to put in place a framework that promotes the development of that sector. In recent years throughout the world, there is a growing recognition of the critical role of micro-finance in economic development and poverty alleviation through the provision of financial services to the low income groups, which are normally unable to access financing from the traditional banking systems. Improved access and efficient provision savings, credit and insurance facilities enable the poor to be self sufficient by providing them with self employment opportunities.
The rapid growth of the micro-finance sector and the size relative to the formal financial markets calls for adequate regulatory systems and structures to close regulatory gaps and foster orderly development of the financial sector. The regulation also promotes consumer protection as it deals with abusive and reckless lending by some of the micro-finance institutions. The policy direction of the micro-finance sector is based on the National Micro-Finance Policy; however the policy will have to be updated in line with developments in the economy and the global financial markets.
In order to operationalise the policy, there is need to formulate a Micro-Finance Act that provides a supportive and enabling environment for microfinance institutions. On the regulatory framework, prior to 2004, microfinance institutions were regulated by the Ministry of Finance in terms of the Money Lending and Rates of Interest Act. When you look at how the financial sector is being regulated, you will find that there is a litany of Acts which is trying to regulate this market.
Therefore, it has become important that we find the need for the Microfinance Act to play a critical role in making sure that all the microfinance activities are put under one Act. In most jurisdictions, regulation and supervision of microfinance is under the Central Bank. However, observations indicate that, most countries like Zimbabwe, having the fragmented framework, will continue to cause problems in terms of how it is done.
In the categories of the microfinance institutions that we have, we have got deposit-taking institutions that will be microfinance banks and we also have non-deposit-taking institutions like money lenders. On the licensing, the Bill provides for the licensing and regulation of the two types of the microfinance institutions by the Reserve Bank. This will detail the application process, fees to be charged and the tenure of the licenses.
On capital requirements, the Reserve Bank will, from time to time, prescribe the level of capitalisation of deposit-taking microfinance institutions. Provisions will be made on what is deemed not permissible activities in microfinance institutions. This includes activities such as issuing third party cheques, opening current accounts and foreign trade operations. On lending, the Bill prescribes the procedure to be followed in granting loans by microfinance institutions, to ensure that this is done on the basis of the ability to repay as well as to ensure consumer protection.
The Bill also prescribes the maximum shareholding in the microfinance institutions by a single person. This is to try and avoid one person being so big that they dictate and compromise the operations of that institution. It also specifies how a board of directors will be put in place and requires that, for deposit-taking institutions, there should be adequate disclosure of financial statements. There are also specifications on the appointment of internal and external auditors to make sure that all the activities are properly supervised. The Reserve Bank will provide prudential supervision to deposit-taking microfinance institutions to ensure protection of the safety of deposits and protection of the financial system as a whole. The Reserve Bank has been given the power to intervene in the affairs, and where necessary, to institute investigations where the institution would have contravened provisions of the Act or conditions upon which its license was granted.
The Reserve Bank will also intervene where the institution is being conducted in a manner detrimental to the interests of its depositors, creditors or where the institution has failed to maintain the prescribed minimum core-capital or where it has insufficient assets to cover its liabilities. The conditions are also the same as we have done on the
Securities Exchange Act, where those institutions that take deposits also contribute to a deposit-protection-scheme. With that background, I therefore move that the Bill be now read a second time. I thank you.
SENATOR MLOTSHWA: It is only on clarity because at times
we need to be informed. I think that we are seeing that so many people in the informal sector, both small and medium businesses depend so much on these microfinance institutions. I would like to understand whether the regulatory board will take care of the rate of interest and duration of payment? I say this because in most cases, people end up being deprived of their properties after failing to understand the operations of these microfinance institutions. Thank you very much.
SENATOR CHITAKA: Firstly, I would like to congratulate the
minister for bringing this Bill to this august Senate. I think the consolidation of the various pieces of legislation dealing with microfinance institutions was long overdue. Before this, a lot of people were conned of their hard-earned money by the mushrooming of various modes of „micro this, microfinance this, micro-lending this.‟ Therefore, I would really want to commend the minister for finally taking hold of this problem and trying to put a stop to it.
I have a few questions for clarification. You have to excuse me because I do not remember when I saw the Bill, so if my questions are answered within the Bill, please bear with me. Will this Bill regularise those microfinance institutions that are currently operating? I ask this because they might suddenly, overnight find themselves on the wrong side of the law. How will the regularisation take effect? The other question is, are there any criminal and civil penalties in this Bill to deal with rogue microfinance institutions? The reason I am asking this is because where I come from, in Manicaland, there are two individuals who are running „ponzi schemes.‟ At one point someone ran away with
$15million. „Ponzi‟ schemes are what we sometimes call pyramid schemes. These people were operating legally well, advertising their services and promising people that if you deposit your money, it will be paid back 15 to 30 percent more per month. As a result, people rushed there and took their savings amounting to $1000 in the hope of getting more in two or three months. Unfortunately, all of them were conned and when they tried to recover their money, they found out that the institutions did not own any assets. The directors have somehow mysteriously… [AN HON. SENATOR: Vanished.] – They did not
vanish but the assets have vanished, money had vanished and there were no assets to show where the money had gone. These people have no legal recourse. They reported to the police and the individuals were just questioned and released on bail. There is no provision for any of those guys to actually mount civil proceedings to recover their money. So, does this Bill cover the civil as well as the criminal prosecution of rogue Micro-Finance operators? The last one, does the Bill address the potential unfair competition that I see looming, where you find some big banks have set up some small division, called Micro-Finance this and that? This is a big bank now setting up a division supposedly MicroFinance deposit taking outfit.
You also get little Chitaka there with his Micro-Finance Company there genuinely Micro-Finance trying to do the same. Now, the big bank has an advantage that it has got a huge source of funds and the risk is much better. They can dilute this little arm, if this little arm goes under it is diluted in their bigger portfolio. The net effect is that they could actually get business away from these genuinely Micro-Finance institutions to come and do business with the big banks. I do not think that is the intention of the legislation. So, does the legislation address that?
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT: Senator Mlothswa, part of what is actually being achieved by this Act is to regulate the interest rates. We call them chimbadzo and so on. That is the whole purpose by making sure that those people who want to lend money are actually registered. When you start to lend money without being registered it becomes a criminal offence. So, that is really the purpose so that there is order in what people do and that you are protecting people. We then have those that simply want to lend their own money and those are the non depostit taking institution and they become regulated by this Act or by this Bill.
Obviously, there will be people who will try to continue business as usual but then there will be real law that they can be charged. So, that is what will happen.
Hon. Senator Chitaka, thank you I think we realised that the regulation needed to be streamlined and to be made easier. It is important obviously as we move to implement this, that those who are in business are not pushed out of business and that there will be transitional mechanisms to make sure that they comply with the requirements of the law. So, where there are gaps they will able to fill them in. The Bill provides for criminal and civil penalties to make sure that when people commit they know that they are committing a crime and then they will be held accountable.
One of the things that we are emphasising is the civil side so that you simply do not go to jail but all the depositors are then not taken care of. You also find the issue where we are insisting on depositors‟ protection fund to make sure that the depositors‟ who had put in their money feel a sense that they are protected against many of the eventualities that may happen.
On your third question of unfair competition unfortunately, as long as anyone who is big or small is playing by the same rules you cannot say you are too big, get out. I am sure you find one of the advantages a big corporate with the advantage of having a huge capital base but they also have a huge overhead base. So, those two will tend to cancel each other and you will find that decision making of a smaller body is actually much quicker. Therefore, should be able to out compete with the larger institutions. I thank you Mr. President.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Committee: with leave, forthwith.
COMMITTEE STAGE
MICRO FINANCE BILL [H.B. 2,2012]
Senate in Committee.
Clauses 1 to 49 put and agreed to
An hon. member’s cellphone having rang continuously:
THE CHAIRMAN: You are reminded to put your cellphone on silent before the Senate commences business.
Clauses 50 to 63 put and agreed to.
First and Second Schedules put and agreed to.
Senate resumed.
Bill reported without amendments
Third Reading: With leave; forthwith.
THIRD READING
MICRO-FINANCE BILL [H.B.2, 2012]
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT: Madam Speaker, I move that the Bill be now read
the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND
POWER DEVELOPMENT, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Six
Minutes past Five o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 6th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two O’clock pm.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY MADAM PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to switch off their cell phones before commencement of business.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President. I rise to
pose a question to the Minister of Health and Child Welfare. Can the Minister update this Senate on the recently mooted policy on „exporting‟ nurses to countries which have got a shortage of such labour force?
Madam President, can I ask another question.
MADAM PRESIDENT: The second and last because you should
only ask one question.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President. That is
why I sought for permission to ask the second one. Recently, there was news that there is a new ARV drug. What measures have been taken by the country to acquire the drug which can be administered to people living with HIV and AIDS? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE
(DR. MADZORERA): Thank you Madam President. I thank hon.
Senator Mumvuri for those questions. The first one is on the „export‟ of nurses, „export‟ in quotation marks because we do not want them to feel like commodities that are going to be put on the market. We are talking of the cooperation of Zimbabwe with other nations on the matter of human resources. Zimbabwe would like to start cooperating with other countries on the matter of human resources for health because we are well endowed with the skills and facilities to train health workers, particularly nurses.
We have the potential to train far in excess of our requirements. Sending our nationals to other countries to work there for a specified period of time will give them international experience that we need. It is good for us to train our youngsters and give them skills. Far beyond what Zimbabwe requires, we will continue to train nurses so that we empower our young people to become professionals. This is work in progress, we have not yet started and we have not put down in place the principles that will govern that cooperation with other countries. We have had some countries that have made direct requests for nurses and to train health workers for them. South Sudan is one such country in question. We also have other countries that are already cooperating with us in training doctors, for example, Lesotho sends 40 medical students to Zimbabwe every year for training. This has been going on for a few years.
We would like to accelerate this in the same manner that countries like Indonesia and Cuba have done so that we have Zimbabweans everywhere. It is also work in progress and it is not going to prejudice Zimbabwe in any way. We are talking about sending out those health workers who are excess to requirement. We believe that in the next few years, we will have a lot of such health workers.
The second issue was on the new drug for antiretroviral therapy. I am not sure which new drug the hon. senator is referring to. However, I
suspect that he is talking about Tenofovir, which is a drug that we are now using in place of Stavudine. That does not mean that Stavudine is a bad drug, we are still using it. Over 30% of our patients in the country are still on Stavudine and about 60 plus percent are on the new drug Tenofovir. These drugs work in combination. The reason why we are replacing Stavudine is because of its side effects which we do not like. However, not everyone reacts in that manner. Therefore, we still have a lot of people on Stavudine, living happily and getting value for money. We will continue to use Stavudine until we have run out of all the stocks in the country. We will not throw away any drug, but continue to use it on those people who do not react. By 2015, we anticipate that we will SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Madam
President. The Minister is aware that the issue of nurses is topical in this country. Having listened to the Minister‟s response, I see that he needs to clarify a few things. We are meant to understand that the real problem now is about having excess numbers of nurses in the country but it is a budgetary issue that we do not have enough money to employ enough nurses in all health centres. Can you clarify that because we believe that, what we are seeing in the rural areas, for example in clinics, in some areas we have health care nurses not those that are registered, which means there is a shortage of nurses in the rural areas. In some cases when a nurse goes off duty, there will be basically nobody to assist. So it is not about excess staff or excess number of trained nurses but is about the budgetary constraints. Minister, could you clarify on that?
- MADZORERA: I thank the Chief for this question. It is very important and I think we have tried to answer it before in the public press. We are not going to send our nurses out to deal with our budgetary problems, no, we are not. The issue of sending nurses out has nothing to do with the current employment freeze. In fact, right now we are short of several thousand nurses. When our economy comes right and we have money enough to everyone we want to employ, we will be able to mop-up all the nurses on the market and still remain with a deficit. We do not see ourselves being able to send out nurses over the next couple of years.
Even the development of protocols and signing agreements with other countries is not something that will happen quickly enough to enable us to use that as an outlet for our current employment freeze. So, the two are completely not related. The export of nurses is a long term vision; it is a long term plan that has got nothing to do with the current employment freeze.
You asked about the manning of rural health centres. At the rural health centers, we have primary care nurses whom we trained; they are the ones who man the clinics. We have two primary care nurses per clinic and it is true that when one goes on leave, there is staff shortage at the clinic. So, ideally we should have three or four primary care nurses but at the moment we are not able to increase that number though we have a new human resources establishment that I think has been approved by Treasury. Treasury now awaits funds in the future to permit the new human resources plan to come into action. We are still using an establishment that was done in the late 80‟s, but this establishment has been revised and we have a new establishment that has not yet been authorised to come into action for budgetary reasons.
However, every clinic has two primary care nurses who are trained for 18 months as nurses. They are quite competent to run health centres but yes, there is a shortage; two is not enough for a health centre. Thank you.
SENATOR CHIEF NGUNGUBANE: Thank you Madam
President. I would want to seek clarity from the Minister of Health on whether user fees for pregnant women were totally scrapped or not.
Some health institutions Madam President, are still charging pregnant women user fees and the reasons being that they are not covered by the Global Fund. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE (DR
MADZORERA): Thank you Senator. Chief Ngungumbane. The issue
of user fees, we are tackling it stage by stage. At the moment, it is the Health Transition Fund which is a multi-donor pulled fund that we are using to remove user fees at health centres. We have started with rural health centres where the most under-privileged people live. In terms of access to health, the people in the rural areas are the ones with the least access. So, to relieve their burden we have removed user fees at all rural health centres for pregnant women, for children under five and for the elderly who are over 65 years. We plan to move this very quickly to the district hospitals and we believe we have the money now to do that. So, we are working out the modalities of paying to the district hospitals. In other words it is a result based financing mechanism where a hospital that does 100 caesarian sections per month gets more than that one which does 60 caesarian sections per month. That is what we are moving on to and we have enough money to do that. The bottleneck will be at the provincial and central hospitals where we do not have money to cater for that. Women will have to continue to pay if they come to Parirenyatwa or Harare hospital and so forth.
All primary care clinics are now receiving money on a monthly basis, that is, US$750.00 per month in order to allow them not to charge the pregnant women and the other categories I have already mentioned. I would like to say that this amount is far in excess of what any clinic has been collecting so far in the country. Very few clinics have been collecting up to US$100.00 per month on user fees. We have given them a very generous allowance and many clinics have started actually using that money wisely through their health care committees to renovate the clinics and upgrade their situation. So, the future is looking bright. This programme, according to the finances we have will run over the next five years and the five years started in 2012. Thank you Madam
President.
*SENATOR MUCHIHWA: Thank you Madam President. I
want to ask the Minister of health about cancer, mostly in rural areas and the outskirts of towns where there is no machinery to treat cancer. There are many women who are being affected with breast cancer as well as cancer of the uterus which result in the loss of life. As a ministry, what is your policy? What are you doing about the equipment that is used to treat cancer-chemotherapy? How best can we be assisted in that regard?
*THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE
(DR MADZORERA): Thank you Madam President. Senator
Muchihwa‟s question is very important. The issue of cancer treatment is on two sides, the supporting and the prevention.
Prevention of cancer should be the main issue and the main focus. People are now coming to seek assistance on cancer treatment when it is beyond control because we will then end up doing what we call, „polish treatment‟ so that one passes away without having to discharge smells or to be eaten by rats but that is not a good policy. We are encouraging people to be more pro-to-prevention. Women should check their breasts and whenever they notice signs of a pimple, they should run to the clinic no matter how small it is difficult to treat. This programme is done at all the clinics. In Harare, it is done at Chitungwiza hospital.
A doctor or nurse is able to examine a woman’s uterus and smear it with the acid; they will be able to see that there is cancer and take photographs of that. That type of cancer can be treated if it is quickly diagnosed. One can fully recover after treatment.
The machinery that you are talking about which is sophisticated, only comes in when the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes; to the stomach and even the liver. These machines are only found at Parirenyatwa and Mpilo Hospitals. We bought two new machines; one of them is being installed at Mpilo; they are still doing renovations so as to house it because it cannot fit where the old machine was. There are such equipment as gummer cameras and so forth; the new equipment that was recently purchased. Our new equipment is now coming to the required standard. It is best even to diagnose cancer and it should be send to Provincial Hospitals. Thank you Madam President.
SENATOR MANDABA: I thank you Madam President, I just want to pose some questions and maybe remarks about nurses to the hon. Minister. Zimbabwean public is demanding quality care. I remember when teachers were in short supply; a programme like Zintec was introduced. This did not lower the standard of teaching but it took teachers gradually. The programme was arranged in such a way that, at the end of the training, the teacher was qualified; 18 months is not enough for a nurse to be trained to give quality care. This is why the referral centres; the tertiary institutions are overloaded with patients; therefore causing over work, off to the nurses who then the public complains of not being handled properly because they will be working under pressure. Surely, an 18 months trained compared to three years cannot give the same care. We expect that, even in rural areas people should be given quality care and those trained for 18 months need to
be upgraded. In actually fact, countries now are looking at degreed nurses to work in hospitals and we are still far away if we start by training primary care nurses. My suggestion and my call is that....
MADAM PRESIDENT: Order, this platform is for posing questions not suggestions.
SENATOR MANDABA: Thank you, then my question is the 18 months trained nurses cannot give quality care and therefore should be upgraded. Those that were trained for three years need to be even upgrade further to go for degrees; if we are to give the public of Zimbabwe quality care. I thank you.
THE MINISTER HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE (DR. MADZORERA)
Thank you, I think Hon. Mandaba has asked a good question in a statement manner. I agree with in some respects; I disagree in others. The cadre we are training which is called primary care nurse is a very well trained cadre. I believe when the previous Government introduced the primary care nurse, it was believed that this was a cadre who could not leave Zimbabwe and work somewhere else. No sooner had we introduced primary care nurses, we discovered that they were very marketable. They were going everywhere to the UK to work as nurses. They are very well trained cadres and I am sure Hon. Mandaba will be the first one to say that but she wants them to be trained the way she knows training of nurses. Upgrading them, we do not have plans to upgrade primary care nurses at the moment. What we are doing is to train them in midwifery.
So it is 18 months of primary care nurse training plus, I think it is a year of midwifery training. A lot of them have gone through midwifery training. So that will make it two and half years of training and they are very good midwives after training. What they need is support and supervision. We cannot have; it is like saying let us have a brain surgeon at every clinic that does not work. We have gradations of health care delivery, so we start with the primary care clinic. They treat what they can treat; even the village health workers can treat malaria.
They are at the forefront of treating malaria but they get six weeks training. They are serving thousands of lives. We cannot expect everybody to be a neurosurgeon, no we start at the lower level, they do what they do and they refer to the district hospital. The important thing is for them to know when to refer. The district refers to the province and so forth, that is our referral system but support and supervision is extremely important and we resuscitating this. We must have doctors who visit the clinics regularly, not just for treating patients but for teaching and instructing the juniors. You will find that after 10 years of work, that primary care nurse will be like a mini- doctor because of the continuous visits that they get from superiors. Degreed nurses; a degreed nurse from the University of Zimbabwe is nowhere close to the registered general nurse that we train in the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare. You give me to choose when I fall sick between a degreed nurse and an RGN. They have the practical experience, they train in hospital; they know what to do. How can you nurse when you train at the University of Zimbabwe?
Even their attachments to health institutions, I think are brief. They are not long enough to give them proper exposure and become proper nurses. We have a problem in Zimbabwe, unless we change the model of training and start giving degrees to nurses who trained in the Ministry of Health first and then we will have an adequately trained degreed nurse. Thank you.
SENATOR HLALO: Thank you Madam President, my question to the Minister is about the hospital in Gwanda. I do not know whether it is a provincial or district hospital. I had the misfortune of having my relative who was involved in a car accident and I went over to Gwanda to see the patient. The hospital looks like it is an old hospital; are there any plans to upgrade such facilities so that they also come incline modern institutions?
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE (DR.
MADZORERA): Yes, Sen. Hlalo, Gwanda hospital is a provincial hospital.
It is supposed to be in good shape but a lot of our provincial hospitals are not in good shape. We have been upgrading these hospitals one by one through the targeted approach. We have not yet finished upgrading all the hospitals in the country. I am not sure whether Gwanda is on the targeted approach for this year where about 18 institutions were put on the targeted approach. I could check that later but, yes it needs upgrading; it needs re-equipping. In terms of reequipping, I should say I think we may be fortunate later this year if the equipment we ordered through Zimbabwe-Chinese comes, about
US$80 million worth of equipment. We are going to re-equip all our District, Provincial and Central Hospitals but still, I appreciate that the physical infrastructure needs upgrading at Gwanda Hospital.
*SENATOR MAKUYANA: Thank you Madam President. I also
want the Minister to explain the relationship between his ministry and the herbalists who are coming into this country, where we have the traditional medicines such as Tianshi; they are now numerous in this country. Are these people registered within your ministry because some of the drugs that they dispense have side effects? Thank you.
*DR. MADZORERA: Thank you for the question Senator Makuyana. These medicines that are being brought into the country and other numerous medicines that are referred to as traditional medicines are not regulated. There is no law to regulate these, similar to the traditional medical practitioners that we have here. We do have regulations in place and these are with the Attorney-General. We will gazette them in the not too distant future. It has taken us a long time to come up with these regulations because some of these medicines that are not documented, without names are difficult to regulate but we have come up with regulations that we are going to use to regulate the medicines in that sector.
It does not matter whether you use herbs from a n’anga or from anyone outside the country. If you have side effects, come and tell us as the Ministry of Health so that we can keep a record of those who have had side effects to these medications regardless of the dispenser of that medicine. It does help you legally and it helps us in the future. Thank you.
*SENATOR MANYERUKE: Thank you Madam President. I
would like to ask the Minister of Health and Child Welfare. There are children in our communal lands and it is in relation to HIV/AIDS counselling and testing progemme. Those that you train at provincial level are they under your ministry or are they being donor funded or donor driven. If it is not your ministry that is paying them, who else is paying them? Thank you
*DR. MADZORERA: Madam President, Senator Manyeruke‟s
question requires me to do some research because the ministry has its own HIV programmes. There were other programmes which were there; maybe they are the ones she is making reference to. These are paid by donors but they fall under our ministry because you cannot simply go to a clinic and say you would want to test people but we are working with donors and it is donor funded although they are attached to the ministry. I do not know why she has posed that question; whether the money or the number of workers is insufficient, I thank you.
*MADAM PRESIDENT: Senator Manyeruke, you are allowed to ask a supplementary question.
*SENATOR MANYERUKE: I am making reference to the
salaries because they go to work without remuneration, hence my need for clarification as to whether they are with the ministry or with the donors.
*DR. MADZORERA: It is an issue I will research into. If I am to equate them to our village health workers, the amounts that they are paid is little. They are being paid US$ 30 per month, I believe. So it is not proper for them to come every month to collect the money but after three months they come and collect the money. That was put in place so as to be economical to them in collecting their US$20 per month but this needs to be looked into.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHISUNGA: I would like to ask the
Minister of Health and Child Welfare as to why Mbire District Hospital shares commodities, equipment or material with Guruve when the two have since been separated. As we speak, we only have a single doctor and the vehicles that are being allocated are at Guruve and everything is managed from Guruve Hospital, fuel included. The administrators of health are also from Guruve. What is the Minister of Health and Child Welfare doing to ensure that Mbire District Hospital be a stand-alone hospital?
* MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE (DR.
MADZORERA): The question is difficult, it also requires me to go and research. That one hospital reports to another hospital is not new, that is what our structure is like but it requires me to research on the structure and find out why this district hospital is reporting to another hospital. I also want to research on whether its status is a district hospital or not. The designation then tells us where that particular hospital reports to through the structure. I thank you.
*MADAM PRESIDENT: You have heard these questions which
require detail. These should not be part of Questions Without Notice. If you want details, like the ones that have been given by Senator
Manyeruke and Senator Chief Chisunga, these are the types of questions that we should pose on Questions With Notice, where they are written and sent to the relevant ministry or they are sent to the Ministry of Health. All these questions that you have asked, he is going to make reference to once they are written questions. He will then task his subordinates to research and they will provide answers so that when we get into the Questions with Notice session, you will then be provided with your response. So, if there are things that you want to find out about what is going on in our constituencies, we should write down these questions and they should then become part of our Questions with Notice. That will be quite helpful because questions without notice are with regards to policy issues. So for the first 45 minutes, we will be dealing with the policy issues and from a quarter past three o‟clock, we will then be dealing with questions with notice and these are quite helpful if we were to bear that in mind.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Madam
President. What is the policy as regards to the nurse aids? In the communal lands, we find that if the nurse has gone off duty, the nurse aid or the primary nurse, the one who wears pink uniform gives treatment to people. Is she permitted to treat people?
*THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE
(DR. MADZORERA): This is a good question from Senator Chief
Charumbira. Yes, she is permitted, depending on what she is treating. I, earlier on said our village health workers are treating malaria in my responses. There is what we called Chloroquine borders a long time ago. They used to move with bicycles and baskets full of medicines. They are trained on how to dispense those medicines depending on the symptoms. If those who wear pink dresses are at the clinic and you come at 1500 hours when you are suffering from malaria, because the nurses are absent, they will treat you. You will die if you decide to go back and come the following day. So, they have been trained to diagnose malaria and they can treat malaria there and there and it is legal.
However, they cannot treat everything and dispense antibiotics. If there are those doing unlawful deeds, it is important that behaviour be nipped in the bud. I thank you.
SENATOR MHLOSTHWA: Thank you very much Madam
President. Minister, I want to know what the policy says about the caregivers. We are in the world of internet and there is so much internet coverage everywhere, even in the rural areas. You will find a nurse is always on the phone when there are patients to be attended to. What does your policy say on these issues? Maybe, by the time you crafted the policies, there were no cellphones. What should they do with these cellphones? Should they be taken somewhere like in the offices and then take them during lunch or should they have them every time whilst attending to patients?
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE
(DR. MADZORERA): Thank you Sen. Mlotshwa for that question which is very important. I have never thought about the cellphones in the clinical setting. At the moment, nurses, doctors and every health worker are allowed to carry with them their cellphones. We have never made a ruling that bans cellphones in the workplace.
Your question and contributions are very important and causes us to think about what to do in future. The broader aspects of your question are on customer care and not really on cellphones because we could take away the cellphone and customer care will remain poor. We are very seised with the matter of customer care. The attitude of nurses and even doctors had really gone down during our period of hardship. Where life was really no longer valued very much because people were busy thinking about how to survive and they were even stealing things from the hospitals so that they can earn a living by selling them.
So, we need to bring back the culture that Sen. Mandava and others had long ago. In 2009, we had put together a committee of what we called elders but it failed to function because of financial reasons. The purpose of that committee was for these elders to go from hospital to hospital, clinic to clinic teaching the younger nurses particularly, the general etiquette. The way to behave and how to handle clients, they need to have that instilled in them because some of them trained during the hard times where they never saw a single client being handled properly. So, they do not know and we cannot blame them too much.
However, we are resuscitating this and we want to improve customer care. We are even looking at ways, through our quality department of having all our institutions ISO certified. What this does is, it puts quality in the fore of the mind of the health workers, so that they keep thinking quality, quality all the time. We hope that will improve the quality of care and I think that is the way to go rather than addressing the cellphone issue. If my cellphone rings and I am attending a client, I can ignore it and return the call later. If my mind has been properly trained and that is where we need to get to.
In terms of Standing Order No. 34, time for questions without notice was interrupted by Madam President.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
SENATOR MHLOTSHWA: I move the motion standing in my
name that this House takes note of the report of the delegation to the 21st
Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly held in Budapest, Hungary from 11th to 18th May 2011.
SENATOR CHITAKA: I second.
SENATOR MHLOTSHWA: Madam President, the African,
Caribbean and Pacific and the European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU JPA) met for its 21st Session in Budapest from 11th to 18th May 2011. The Zimbabwean delegation was headed by Hon. Makhosini Hlongwane, MP (ZANU PF), Sithembile Mlotshwa, MP
(MDC-T), Hon. Thandeko Mnkandla MP (MDC-M), H.E. Ambassador
- M. Muchada and Dr. G. Chipare (Principal Director, Parliament of Zimbabwe) and Mr. M. Tavenyika, (First Secretary) at Zim-Brussels.
This JPA has three standing committees, the political affairs, the economic affairs and the social affairs. There is also a women‟s forum and other human rights and civic society meetings that are run concurrently with the standing committees. Madam President, I want to say that as I table this report that I personally, have benefited so much on, being sent to this ACP-EU JPA and I appreciate so much what I have gone through and what I have experienced. I think by now after all these years, I am a better person than I was before I went there.
The 21st Session was officially opened on 16th May 2011 by H. E.
Pal Schmitt, President of the Republic of Hungary.
Statements were also delivered by Louis Michel and David
Matongo, the JPA co-Presidents. Colleagues, you will note that this Joint Parliamentary Assembly has two co-Presidents, one from the EU and one from the ACP because they are two bodies. Andris Piebalgs, the EC Commission for Development; the Hon. Shamsudeen Usman OFR, Minister of National Planning Commission of the Federal Government of Nigeria and President-in-Office of the ACP Council; and the Hon. James Martonyi, Minister for Foreign Affairs and President-in-Office of the EU Council.
The co-President of the EU side, Louis Michel put emphasis on his statement. It is unfortunate that I do not have the statement to table it with me. I will make a summary of the things that he emphasised on. He put emphasis on homosexuals that in their part of the world, they see nothing wrong by legalising gay marriages. This matter was seized and the ACP side did not agree. …
Madam President having noticed two Hon. Senators conversing
MADAM PRESIDENT: Order, if you two have something to
really discuss, I advise you to leave the Chamber.
SENATOR. MLOTSHWA: The ACP side which is our side did not take well what Louis Michel was talking about. Our own coPresident David Matongo talked of the GNU and him being from
Zambia and being from the SADC, called on SADC as his region, to make sure that they solve political crisis by listening to the voices of the people so as to avoid the GNUs. That was part of his statement.
The statements generally focused on the future of the ACP-EU relations post-2020; the impact of the Lisbon Treaty on ACP-EU relations; the status and prospects for EPA negotiations; the consolidation of democracy in ACP and the EU and the future of the
EDF after 2013. Remember we were in 2011 when this Parliament met.
The statements were well received. The ACP Member States remain pre-occupied with the post-2020 period when the Cotonou Agreement ends because the EU remains very evasive as to whether there will be a successor agreement, and if so, what form it would take.
Zimbabwe, alongside Kenya, in the context of the ACP-EU
Standing Committee on Political Affairs whose report on “Challenges for the future of democracy and respecting constitutional order in ACP and EU countries”, referred to the two as examples of unusual country situations that necessitated power sharing arrangements. You will realise that around the globe, people that come and meet in this Joint Parliamentary Assembly are seized with talking about all the issues of all the countries that are members of that JPA. So the rapporteurs that were reporting under the political affairs, their topic of the report was,
“Challenges for the future of democracy and respecting constitutional order in the ACP and EU countries”.
The two countries, Zimbabwe and Kenya objected to naming just a few power sharing arrangements and called for either the inclusion of exhaustive lists of such countries, including those in EU. However, the final report adopted by the Joint Parliamentary Assembly specifically named Kenya and Zimbabwe as the examples of that time.
Zimbabwe was also discussed in the „Catch-the-Eye‟ debate with
Commissioner Piebalgs and with Hon. Janos Martonyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President-in-Office of the EU Council. In the debate, both Hon. F. Hajaig from South Africa and Hon. Piet van der Walt of Namibia, in his capacity as Chair of SADC, called on the EU to lift all sanctions imposed on Zimbabwe, pursuant to the SADC decision.
The SADC group distributed statements to that effect.
Commissioner Piebalgs and Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi responded that the EU was ready to work with SADC on Zimbabwe as confirmed by the EU‟s engagement with the SADC Mission that visited
Brussels on 2 May 2011. The EU undertook to support the SADC‟s efforts towards the drafting of the roadmap to credible elections in Zimbabwe and added that the roadmap should not substitute the full implementation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA).
Zimbabwe offered to host the next round of the ACP-EU Regional
Parliamentary meeting while Southern Africa gave initial support to the Zimbabwean bid. An inclusive decision would be required to buttress a firm lobbying strategy by the Parliament of Zimbabwe if it is to land the important meeting. The decision will be taken at the level of the Bureau.
Zambia eventually hosted the Regional Parliamentary Meeting in February 2012. You will realise that the report is old, we are now in 2013 but we are talking of 2012.
The Zimbabwe delegation really wanted the Zimbabwe Parliament to host the regional meetings that are held by this JPA. What they do is that they give a region to host these regional meetings. So it was the chance for Southern Africa to host this meeting and us, as Zimbabwe wanted really to be given a chance to host the meeting so that at least people would come and experience what Zimbabweans are like. You will note that the EU Members of Parliament were so keen to come and visit Zimbabwe if we had been given a chance to host this regional meeting but we did not manage. Hence, Zambia under Southern Africa, hosted the meeting last year in February.
Zimbabwe was also discussed during a luncheon organised on the margins on the 17th of May, 2011 by the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO
Forum and the Zimbabwe Europe Network (ZEN). The topic was
“Zimbabwe: What hope of free and fair elections without violence”. This was the topic that was discussed in 2011 by the human rights groups that had a site meeting and the people came and discussed Zimbabwe. We were put on limelight as the delegation because questions were posed and we were made to assure the JPA that Zimbabwe will hold elections without violence.
As it says here in the statement that we were presented with an opportunity to share different
- Proposes that Parliamentary capacity be adopted as an indicator of aid and development effectiveness and measured over time in the knowledge that it contributes to sound financial management, sustainable political stability and economic success.
- Recalls that ownership should allow partner countries to define own political priorities.
Engagement of non-state actors and local authorities.
- Calls on EU and partner countries to deepen and broaden the structured dialogue process for the civil society organisations and local authority engagement so as to ensure their full and meaningful participation in the planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment of budgets and programmes;
- Stresses that the territorial approach and multi level governance are key elements in more effective development strategies; calls therefore on the EU and the partner countries to take account of territories as a sphere of public action;
Calls on donors and partner countries to fully evaluate and deepen the Paris and Accra commitments through reforms based on democratic ownership and support for CSOs and local authorities;
- Also underlines the role of independent legal systems and free media in fostering good governance and accountability;
New Development Partnerships
- Recognises that 72% of the world‟s poorest people in the middleincome countries (MICs); recognises that MICs require different form of development partnership that focuses more in inclusive growth, economic diversification, redistribution of wealth and the promotion of development effectiveness through South-South cooperation and of peer learning and sharing of development experience;
- Recalls the need for aid adapted to the specificities and needs of fragile states, lower-income post-conflict countries and small island developing states (SIDs), and for strengthened efforts to cooperate with the poorest countries;
- Calls for aid to target the poorest people and not just the poorest countries;
- Emphasizes that aid should be looked upon as a catalyst and not as a means of development; recognises that the ultimate purpose of aid is to attain a state where aid is no longer necessary;
Division of Labour
- Calls on the EU to take a leading role on division of labour (DoL) in the context of high level forum-4 and to step up its efforts to increase donor coordination and DoL, accompanied by measures in favour of democratic ownership, the assumption of responsibility and better aid quality;
- Stresses the need to solve the problems of so-called „darling‟ and
„orphan‟ countries and neglect of crucial sectors such as health, education, social cohesion and gender equality;
Welcomes the adoption of the EU Code of Conduct on Division of
Labour in Development Policy by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 May 2007 and points out that the EUs failure to fully implement the principles contained in the Code of Conduct on Division of Labour (DoL) misses the opportunity to make savings of up to EUR6 billion;
Private Sector as a Development Actor
- Recognises the growing involvement of private sector stakeholders in development partnerships; recognises the benefits of incorporating private sector development aid into aid effectiveness agreements, but also the need to clarify what roles the private sector could and should play and to link them to the achievement of MDGs and to sustainable development, as well as to the primary responsibility of the public sector; underlines the importance of not moving back to tied aid in this context;
Emphasises the importance of transparency and assessment of the impact of private sector development actors on development outcomes;
- Calls on donors to utilise aid to catalyse development of the domestic private sector, improve domestic regulatory institutions for the private sector and promote private sector development that incorporates the poorest populations and contributes to development objectives.
Beyond Busan
- Emphasises the importance of sustaining momentum on aid and development effectiveness beyond Busan;
- Recommends continuing to monitor and evaluate the implementation of and progress towards the commitments of the PD and the AAA; recommends that the next survey be conducted to coincide with the deadline of the MDGs in order to complement global reviews of development programme at this time;
Emphasises the importance of embedding aid effectiveness in a development effectiveness framework that priorities overall development outcomes and includes policy coherence for development and the involvement of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in order to better take into account the regional dimensions of aid and development effectiveness;
- Requests that an inclusive „Busan Compact‟ be launched at high level forum, which brings together specific time-bound commitments and initiates fundamental reforms in the global governance of development cooperation;
- Notes the emergence of new development actors, including individual countries whose approach is not governed by European cooperation standards and calls for a political, inclusive approach to those countries with a view to achieving a transparent overall development-cooperation dynamic;
SENATOR CHITAKA: We have all seen the report. I must say
that it is little bit of a mouthful for Senators to understand. However, I have picked one or two issues. The first is the age of the report – I think in future we should submit these reports timeously, otherwise they become irrelevant. This meeting was held in 2011and we are now in 2013.
The second comment that I would like to make is that if you look at the discussions and the whole structure of ACP-EU, it is premised mainly on the rich EU countries versus the poor ACP countries, the civilised EU countries versus the primitive ACP countries. It is premised on the democratic countries versus the non-democratic countries. I think it is about time we changed the model. We need to move away from these associations that have traditional archaic models and move into a partnership based on equality and respect.
As long as we are regarded as the poor cousins in this relationship, we will continue to have this mentality that we are poor when we are not poor. We are being made to believe that we are poor and if we continue to accept this partnership where we are beggars and they are the givers – munhu akajaira kupuhwa haazofungi kuti regai ndimbozviitirawo zvinhu
zvangu. It is about time we changed the protocol that we have about these ACP-EU partnerships so that we have a partnership based on real exchange of ideas and mutual respect.
I really do not believe that Africa still needs aid. Africa is rich enough without aid. As long as we stop people from stealing our wealth and develop our own people here, we will not need a single cent from the so-called developed countries. Look at this country for example, how rich it is with platinum and diamonds. Even the soils here are very rich, we can feed ourselves. We really do not need to be reminded to say we must give you aid. We do not need to be reminded about Cotonou
Agreement coming to an end – there are a lot of pages on „aid‟, I hope in the next few years we must go away from these kind of associations based on real mutual respect. I thank you
*SENATOR CHIEF MUSARURWA: I would like to thank
Senator Mlotshwa who was our representative especially in the Senate and the country. We are against the people who made the speech that we should let marriages of the same sex go ahead or allow lesbianism and gayism. We should have told them that Zimbabwe is a different country. We do not accept gayism and lesbianism. You should have told them that they should do that in other countries but not in Zimbabwe.
*SENATOR MANYERUKE: Thank you Mr. President. I would
like to thank Senator Mlotshwa on representing us in that international congregation and that she was able to meet with people from different countries and gather their ways of living. We thank her for this report which is very comprehensive. I also support the sentiments which were raised by Senator Chitaka that every Zimbabwean who has drafted the new constitution, believes in mixed marriages. We do not believe in gay marriages or lesbian marriages because we know that we have more women than men in Zimbabwe. We can even have polygamous families. We also know that the birth rate is high. As of now, we still find the birth rate of baby girls being higher than baby boys. Senator Mlotshwa, let me say you were very fortunate enough to fly out of the country and travel in an aeroplane. Thank you Mr. President.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
SENATOR MLOTSHWA: I move the motion standing in my
name that this House takes note of the Report of the delegation to 21st
Session of the ACE-EU Joint parliamentary Assembly held in Lome, Togo from the 16th to the 23rd September, 2013.
SENATOR CHITAKA: I second.
SENATOR MLOTSHWA:
1.Introduction
The 2nd Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) and the Standing Committees were held from the 21st to 23rd November and 19th to the 20th November, 2011, respectively. These sessions were proceeded by the meetings of the 26th Session of the ACP Assembly and
ACP Standing Committees held from the 16th to the 18th November,
- The official opening of the JPA took place on Monday 21st
November.
2.Delegation
The delegation to the above meeting comprises the following members of Parliament: Hon. Makhosin Hlongwane, member of the
House of Assembly and Head of Delegation; Hon. Senator Sithembile Mlotshwa, member of the Senate; Hon. Thandeko Mkandla, member of the House of Assembly; accompanied by Dr. Andris M. Rukobo (Principal Director, Information Services).
3.ACP Meetings
The ACP members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and on 16 and 17 November in Standing Committee and on 18 November in the ACP Assembly.
3.1 Committee Meetings
Deliberations of members of ACP took place in three committees namely, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs and Social Affairs. A central discussion in the Political Affairs standing Committee as on “the
Political impact of the Libyan Conflict on neighbouring ACP and EU states”, which was led by Assarid Ag Imbarcaourne (Mali). With respect to the EU, the discussion focused on the impaction regional security. On the other hand, the impact on the ACP countries relates to humanitarian crisis, security and stability in the Sahelo-Saharan region and socioeconomic repercussion as ACP migrants who previously worked in Libya, making financial remittances to their countries, had to go back home after the fall of the Gadafi government.
The discussion concluded that the consequence of the collapse of the Jamahiriya for the ACP was generally negative and its long term effect will be grave. It was further observed that while some quarters might consider the “Arab Spring” good, the “winter” that followed might be long, uncertain and probably harsh. In the discussion it was also acknowledged that the African Union (AU) had been completely sidelined by the West in Libya, and Africa was therefore unlikely to fully participate in the reconstruction of Libya, as well as in finding long term solutions to the problems there.
Another issue which was discussed in the committee was the situation in Somalia which is considered to pose a threat to the Horn of Africa in terms of the humanitarian situations as well as the breakdown of law and order. It was pointed out by Kenya, which raised the issue, the Alshabab insurgents were committing heinous crimes in Kenya and had killed, abducted and maimed Kenyans and nationals of other countries, including humanitarian workers. As a result of this deteriorating situation, Kenya had no choice but to intervene in order to defend its territorial integrity. In exercising this inherent right to self defence, the Kenyan delegate argued, the objective of Kenya was to destroy Alshabab networks and restore stability in the region but had no intention of staying in Somalia any longer than was necessary on the situation. The delegate further proposed that the JPA should adopt a resolution. Ethiopia strongly supported Kenya‟s position. The discussion was further taken up in JPA committees and during the Plenary.
The economic Affairs Committee discussed a number of issues including “The impact of debt on development financing in ACP countries”. The meeting looked at the increased levels of sovereign debt following the global financial crisis.
The causes for the high levels of sovereign debt were identified as negative balance of payments in ACP countries, weak public sector governance, lack of effective tax system burden of conditionality attached to contacted foreign loans and other factors which result in a lack of availability of reserves to fund the economy in times of crisis. The reliance of ACP countries on foreign capital, at the expense of local capital was especially emphasised.
The committee emphasised the need for members of Parliament to develop skills to deal with issues of debt and the economy and play an oversight role which was their core mandate.
A discussion also took place on, “Price volatility, the functioning of global markets for agricultural products and their impact on food security in ACP countries”. Price volatility, it was pointed out, had considerable impact not only on consumers, but also on producers, especially small ones. As a result, it was emphasized that it was necessary to fund solutions and make interventions.
Discussion on the matter centred on:
- Efforts made by some developing countries;
- Safety nets, including subsidized food to the poor and emergency food stocks;
- The need to identify local investment, before looking for investors
Other discussions that took place were on agricultural policy, an update on the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM) and the Economic partnership Agreements (EPAS). With respect to EPAS, it was reported that negotiations were still underway. Delegates however expressed serious concern on the consequences of the measures, and that the EU was not negotiating in good faith.
The Social Affairs Committee discussed “The inclusion of persons with disabilities in developing countries”, pointing out in particular the linkage between poverty reduction and sustainable development and disability. Another discussion was on “social and environmental impacts of mining in ACP countries”. Emphasis was placed on the need for developing national capacity and strong regulatory frameworks to keep check on foreign mining companies, and the need for political support in safe guarding the populations from the effects of mining. Particular attention was also drawn to the need to invest revenues accrued from minerals sustainably e.g. in human resources.
3.2 ACP Assembly
The plenary of the ACP Assembly took place on Friday, 18th
November, to exchange views on matters to be discussed at the
ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, review reports of the 3
Standing committees, namely Political Affairs, Economic
Development and social Affairs, with a view to forging a common ACP position on the various issues and matters and Resolutions to be adopted by the ACP-EU Joint parliamentary Assembly.
The Secretary General, in his remarks, referred to the historical context of the ACP with the signing of the Lome Convention in 1975, the significance of the ACP block of 500 million citizens, and described it as the largest economic space and trading block. He underlined the democratization process in the ACP and the growing culture of peace in Africa. However, there were still challenges related to poverty with consequences on the life chances of people, the environment and development.
Reports on deliberations in the Standing Committee were also presented. Focus was on the Lisbon Treaty, the Libyan crisis and the impact of Niger, Africa, Europe and beyond, the situation in Somalia as well as updates on situations in ACP countries including Madagascar.
The reports from the Economic Affairs Committee focused the discussion on price volatility, current status of EPAS, negotiations,
BANANA measures, draft resolution on debt and agricultural policy.
The Committee on Social Affairs reported on disability and mining and the environment. They emphasised on the need for developing national capacity and strong regulatory frameworks to monitor foreign mining companies and the need to safeguarding people from the effects of mining. It was agreed that there was also need to invest revenues accrued from minerals for example to human resources.
4) Official Opening
The formal opening of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly took place on Monday, 21 November 2011. In his address the President of the National Assembly, referred to the democratic process taking place in Togo. He noted that the JPA was historical, as it sought to initiate a process of renewal and establish new beneficiaries since the signing of the Lome Convention.
The EU Co-President of the JPA, Louis Michel thanked the President of Togo for hosting the JPA. Officially opening the meeting, he underlined that Togo had taken its rightful place on the world stage. He went on to say the holding of the JPA in Togo was a demonstration of support by the ACP/EU to the Togolese people and the efforts it is making politically and economically.
He also touched on the importance of the democratic governance debate to the JPA, the “Arab Revolution”, food crisis and the situation in Somalia. Mr. Assarid, the ACP Co-President of the JPA spoke of diverse issues that faced the JPA, among them debt, the Lisbon Treaty, urban development, access to medicine and the consequences of the
“Arab Spring”. With respect to the situation in Libya, he pointed out the challenges posed to countries in the region, arms especially the questions of dealings, drugs and lawlessness and called for EU support in dealing with challenges.
In his solidarity message, the President of Niger disputed that the ACP was characterised by authoritarianism and oppression. He pointed out that the key challenges were food security, energy and transport, threats of terrorism.
In his address, the President of Togo pointed out that the agenda of the JPA was broad and sought to address issues of concern to the ACP and the EU. Among the key issues is the need to look at the situation in Northern Africa. To look at security, especially the problems of piracy in Somalia and Gulf of Guinea; and the crisis in Europe and the solutions that are being applied and the issue of globalisation. He then pointed out that while the existence of the ICC was appreciated, there is growing discomfort about it in Africa. He said that there is a growing perception that only citizens of African countries have been indicated by ICC. He suggested that the life span of the ICC should be limited.
5) Discussion in the ACP/EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly
STATEMENT BY ANDRIS PIEBALGS
In his statement, Mr. Andris Piebalgs, Member of the Commission responsible for development referred to developments in different parts of the world including the “Arab Spring” and the challenges that these developments brought forth to the ACP and the EU, and elsewhere. He emphasised that the EU development policy must keep pace with these changes. In particular, there was need to devise poverty alleviation strategies. With respect to the link between “good governance” and development, the crucial role of Parliament and civil society was emphasised. Moreover, democracy and respect for human rights should anchor discussion of development. Other important issues include the centrality of agriculture as a catalyst for sustainable and inclusive growth.
Access to Medicines
There was also a discussion on the access to medicines with focus on malaria, cost of drugs vis-à-vis the incomes of the people. The discussion also touched on the need for safe and affordable medicines, the link between poverty and access to medicines and the need to respect local traditional knowledge systems. The case and success of Cuba in medicine generally and use of herbs was referred to. The Commission emphasised the importance of quality control and implementing comprehensive health reforms, as well as prioritising and promoting research.
ICC
Another discussion was on the international justice system. The ACP countries took the view that the ICC was being used against ACP mainly African countries and that there was duplicity by Europe on the matter. Consequently, the ICC had been undermined as the same countries which talk of and appear to champion human rights, violate them in Afghanistan and Libya among others with impunity.
Delegates of the EU, however, defended the ICC and pointed out that, according to Galher there is not only “heavenly justice but also earthly justice”, and disputed that only Africans were targeted, but the Europeans were also being tried at the Hague under a different court.
The Plenary Assembly also discussed the reports from the three Standing Committees, namely Political Economic and Social and received reports from the workshops on Energy Public Health and Participation of Young People. The workshop on energy observed that there was need to shift to renewable resources and to massively scale up energy initiatives, as energy is a security issue. The workshop on Health observed that malaria was a major public health issue but was faced with the challenges of development of medicines and mobilisation of resources. The workshop on Young People emphasised the need to improve institutional capacity.
6. CONCLUSION
- The Joint Parliamentary Assembly was generally a success and a range of issue was discussed and there was robust between the ACP and the EU debate. The main focus was on the Arab Spring, especially the consequences of the situation in Libya, piracy in Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea, the crisis in Europe, EPAS and governance issues, generally.
- The delegation drew lessons and made contributions to various issues under discussions.
SENATOR CHITAKA: Firstly I would like to commend my
sister Senator Mlotshwa for bringing this report to this august House. I have a few comments. The first comment is unlike the earlier report that was presented in this august House. This report did not mention Zimbabwe. In other words, Zimbabwe was not on the agenda of these meetings of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. Zimbabwe was not on the agenda. I think it will be important to us as a country, to strive to make sure that Zimbabwe does not continue to be on the agenda of these forums. It is my hope that after the coming harmonised elections, Zimbabwe will cease to be an agenda item at these regional and international forums.
I also note the successes on the discussions reported in the report about the conflicts in Libya, Somalia et cetera. It is worthwhile to note that it is when Africa intervenes directly when we get amicable solutions. Africa has had a history of failure to intervene; we play lip service to a lot of these conflicts. Sometimes we actually fuel conflicts by taking sides. It is only when Africa makes a decisive stand and actually backs it up with muscle whether military, financial or diplomatic muscle that we see results. Results are now happening in Somalia because of the direct intervention of the African union force led by Kenya and Uganda.
We also note that in Libya Africa dragged its feet until the Europeans intervened and now we are crying that Africa is being sidelined. It is because the African Union dragged its feet, they did not want to be seen to be supporting one side or the other, at the end of the day the conflict was resolved according to the dictates of the European Union. So, we cannot complain, takatorerwa basa racho.
We also come to Zimbabwe where you notice that because of the direct intervention of SADC and the African Union, the situation in our country after 2008 was stabilised. So, we would hope that Africa continues in its intervention and not shy away from dealing with the difficulties that can beset our Continent.
My second point is about agriculture. Agriculture has been mentioned in the report referring mainly to price volatility. I think we should press upon our partners in the EU especially that sometimes it is better not to give aid but to teach the person how to fish or farm. It is better to support agriculture rather than to give us food. The emphasis should be giving us the know how through extension services, helping us to farm better, helping us to produce food for feeding them because they do not have the land whilst we have got it and not to impoverish us. They want to make sure that we are incompetent in farming and at the end of the day also dictate their prices by subsidizing their own farmers in Europe. We should urge the European Union, our partners there, to at least, instead of giving us food, give us the farm implements, inputs and the knowledge to do the farming.
Just like in the Health Sector as described by the Minister, Dr. Senator Madzorera here, I think we do not need doctors because we have very competent doctors. What we need is the equipment and the support in the form of drugs.
Coming to mining, I noticed that there is a section on mining referring to the environmental damage that is being done especially by the multinational mining companies. I would have loved to see a commitment from the „so called‟ developed countries. I say „so called‟ developed countries because I think it is a misnomer to call them developed countries but instead we have to call them the industrialised countries maybe. Describing them using development, I do not think that way.
The industrialised countries have been talking about local laws and regulations to regulate these mining activities to avoid environmental damage. I challenge them to also put regulations and penalties in their countries to penalize their companies which are here polluting our environment. They should be penalized in their countries of origin. Their countries should say, “you went to Chiadzwa and dispossessed so many villagers there of their land without compensating them, so we are fining you here as the European Union” and have the money taken back to the host countries like Zimbabwe, to resettle and compensate the people who have been affected there.
They cannot have their cake, eat it and at the same time say, deal with the people who are degrading the environment whilst the companies degrading the environment are mainly from outside the country. Let us lobby, my sister when you are there next time. Lobby that yes, we want to preserve our environment but help us …
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT: Order, Order! She is not
your sister in this Chamber, she is an honourable senator.
SENATOR CHITAKA: My apologies to my Honourable Senator
Mlotshwa. Sometimes we forget that we are in the Senate but ukama haugezwi. If I can conclude, I was about to conclude Mr. President. On the mining issue, my submission is that our representatives to this forum must lobby that these companies which come here to mine, should mine but when they pollute and damage the environment, the penalty should not just be given locally but there should be some penalties also instituted in their home countries. I thank you.
SENATOR MAKORE: Thank you very much President for this opportunity you have given me. Firstly, I want to thank Senator Mlotshwa for a very eloquent report she has submitted to this House. I noticed that this organisation is a very meaningful organisation due to its sincerity and tolerance in discussing political, economic and social affairs of Africa. To me, it is a good institution because there, we localize our discussion in an attempt to arrive at appropriate political, economic or social solutions.
Of great importance, I noticed that there are many wars in Africa and in particular that of Somalia although we continue to have wars in Africa. I believe this organization, if supported and respected, we will arrive at solutions very amicably. To me, it is a great honour to localize our discussions and get concerned with the solutions of Africa which are perhaps more homely domesticated and which can be arrived at very peacefully.
We should also be concerned about the highest level of development in terms of agriculture because there is need for an element of food security in Africa. That is very important. We experienced something very sorrowful in the case of Somalia in the past years. We noticed Mr. President that people were coming here from Somalia on foot and proceed down to South Africa. Some of them were as thin as this ball point and I do not know why. You could hardly look at a person of that nature twice.
I think we must give social support to this organization and any other similar organisation that shall come later. That organization should be encouraged to bail out other countries in Africa which get into such situations of hunger. To me, it is so much important Mr. President.
The other factor which I should look at very seriously is that of the judiciary. We are clamouring that the judgments that are being done elsewhere by other international institutions either regarded as fair or not, are being upheld. There are judgments being made by other international organizations on countries which they sort of reign over. These organisations steward their member countries and look into whatever crimes that could be committed in the relevant countries. This is a challenge to Africa because we do not have unity and courage that can push us to form such form of institutions to control ourselves.
Thanks to this idea that is coming from the Africa, Caribbea and Pacific Union (ACPU) member countries. I think it is important and it is supported but this is not the only thing that we can do. Let us start from social support up to such other levels as well, but I believe a unity of approach and the intense with which that can be encouraged to build institutions of that nature will create pride for Africa. After that, we can also deal with our own issues in Africa and compete with other international countries.
I want to support also the issue of mining in terms of its social aspect. Yes, we have a lot of riches in Africa and again these countries depend much on the raw materials from Africa. What we can only be far short of is giving value to our primary goods available; otherwise Africa can be the golden state above all other countries internationally. It is rich in these resources.
Be that as it may, we do not have adequate support mechanisms to avoid a lot of land degradation. Holes are being dug everywhere and I think while mining is important also; the environment is on the same note very important.
On quite a number of unsustainable mining activities we are undertaking, we are engaged in them because of hunger and a lot of other problems that we have in Africa and particularly in Zimbabwe. We see these mining activities injuring a lot of people because we do not have sophisticated systems that could help reduce the incidence of such tragedies due to mining incompetency.
I think under this organisation that we have, something can be initiated as to how best we can approach these particular problems in Africa. I do not want to go further because I think it is now too late. I want to thank you over this little contribution.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE: I
move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 11 June, 2013.
MOTION
RATIFICATION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE: I
move the motion standing in my name;
THAT WHEREAS Subsection (1) of Section 111B of the Constitution provides that any Convention, Treaty or Agreement acceded to, concluded or executed by or under the authority of the President with one or more Foreign States or Governments or
International Organisations shall be subject to approval by Parliament;
AND WHEREAS the World Health Organisation Framework
Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) was opened for signature on 16th June to 22 June 2003 in Geneva and from 29 June, 2003 to 28
June 2004 in New York;
AND WHEREAS Article 35 of the World Health Organisation
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control provides for the deposition of instruments of ratification or accession with the depository;
NOW THEREFORE, in terms of Subsection (1) of Section 111B
of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid Convention be and is hereby approved for accession.
Tobacco use is one of the leading preventable causes of death. The global tobacco epidemic kills nearly 6 million people each year, of which more than 600 000 are people exposed to second hand smoke. Tobacco causes disease in nearly every part of the body that you may think of. The major pathology caused by tobacco is cancer, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular conditions, tooth decay, hair loss, premature ageing, and hearing loss. Nearly any part of the body can be affected. For men, this is particularly important, tobacco can cause impotence. It is a major predisposing factor for most of the communicable diseases.
Passive smoking is just as dangerous as active smoking.
Mr. President, I am presenting the WHO FCTC. This Framework Convention, which we call in short the (WHO FCTC) was developed in response to the globalisation of the tobacco epidemic. It is an evidence based Treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health. The Convention represents a milestone for the promotion of public health and provides new legal dimensions for international health cooperation. I wish to underscore once again, that the WHO FCTC is purely a health Convention that seeks to promote and protect the health of the public in our countries. It is not a Convention on tobacco growing.
Article 3 of the Convention clearly states the objective of the
Convention as follows;
The objective of this Convention and its protocols is to protect present and future generations from the devastating health, social, environmental and economic consequences of tobacco, consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke, by providing a framework for tobacco control measure to be implemented by the parties at the national, regional and international levels, in order to reduce continually and substantially the prevalence of tobacco use and exposure to tobacco smoke.
The WHO FCTC is the first International Treaty negotiated under the auspices of the WHO. It was adopted by the World Health Assembly on the 21st of May 2003 and it entered into force on the 27th of February
- It has since become one of the most rapidly and widely embraced
Treaties in the United Nations history. As at November 2011, the WHO FCTC had 174 parties. In Africa, 40 of the 46 WHO Afro-region countries have signed and ratified the WHO FCTC and have become parties. Three parties namely Zimbabwe, Malawi and Eritrea have not yet signed. The other 3 countries namely Cote d‟Ivoire, Ethiopia and Mozambique have signed but have not yet ratified the Treaty. The deadline for signing was June 2004 and countries which did not sign by that date can now only be party to the WHO FCTC by accession.
Let me enumerate the guiding principles of the WHO FCTC which are set out in Article 4 of the Framework Convention. These include;
- Every person should be informed of the health consequences, addictive nature and mortal threat posed by tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
- We need strong political commitment to develop and support comprehensive multi-sectoral measures and coordinated responses, taking into consideration;
- The need to take measures to protect all persons from exposure to tobacco smoke.
- The need to take measures to prevent the initiation to promote and support secession and decrease the consumption of tobacco products in any form.
- The need to take measures to promote the participation of indigenous individuals and communities in all tobacco control programmes.
- The need to address gender-specific issues in tobacco control strategies.
- International cooperation, particularly the transfer of technology, knowledge and financial assistance.
- Comprehensive multi-sectoral measures and responses to reduce consumption of all tobacco products to prevent the incidence of diseases and premature disability and mortality due to tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke.
- To deal with issues relating to liability within and across borders.
- The importance of technical and financial assistance to aid the economic transition of tobacco growers and workers whose livelihoods are seriously affected as a consequence of tobacco control programmes.
- The participation of civil society is essential in achieving the objective of the Convention and its Protocols.
Article 5 of the Convention sets out the obligations of the State under this Protocol, these include; employing effective legislative, executive, administrative and other measures to achieve the stated objective. In particular, the State must protect public health policies developed from commercial and other vested interests of the tobacco industry according to national law. The main provisions of the WHO FCTC include demand-side management and supply-side management. The coredemand reduction provisions of the Convention are contained in Article
6 to 14. These include;
- Price and tax measures - to reduce the demand for tobacco, particularly for the youth and may include restrictions on importation of duty-free tobacco products by travellers. In the process, countries can also raise funds for health care through price and tax measures.
- Non-price measures - to reduce the demand for tobacco, namely, protection from exposure to tobacco smoke in indoor working places, buses, commuter omnibuses and other public places.
- Regulation of the contents of tobacco products – regulation of tobacco product disclosures including disclosure of all toxic constituents and emissions in the tobacco. Ensuring that tobacco product packaging and labeling do not promote a tobacco product by any means that are false, misleading, deceptive or likely to create an erroneous impression about its characteristics, health effects, hazards or emissions including any term, descriptor, trademark, figurative or any other sign, that directly or indirectly creates the false impression that a particular tobacco product is less harmful than other tobacco products. These descriptors may include terms such as „low tar‟ or „light,‟ „ultra light‟ or mild.
These are misleading terms, all tobacco is harmful.
Health warnings describing the harmful effects of tobacco will also be prescribed for every packet of the tobacco product, education training and public awareness of Tobacco Control Measures, in particular the health risks and addictive nature of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke. Put in place a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship subject to our legal environment. Finally promote cessation of tobacco use and provide adequate treatment for tobacco dependants.
On the supply side of the equation, the core supply reduction provisions are contained in Articles 15 to 17 and these include;
Combating illicit trade in tobacco products, this includes putting in place a tracking and tracing regime to assist investigation of illicit trade in tobacco products;
Prohibit sales to and by minors;
Prohibit the manufacture and sale of toys, sweets, snacks and other items that appeal to minors in the form of tobacco products;
Provide support for economically viable alternative activities for tobacco growers and workers in cooperation with regional and international organisations;
Article 19 of the Convention deals with issues of civil and criminal liability including issues of compensation;
State parties to cooperate with each other through the Conference of Parties and exchange current information on health effects of tobacco;
Share information on legislation and regulations and assist each other in legal proceedings relating to criminal or civil liability;
Mechanisms for scientific and technical cooperation and exchange of information are set out in Articles 20 to 22;
Parties are to initiate and cooperate in research that addresses the determinacy and consequences of tobacco consumption and exposure to tobacco smoke as well as research for identification of viable alternative crops;
National, regional and global surveillance of tobacco should be integrated into tobacco control programmes.
Article 21 sets out the reporting requirements under this Convention and the information that should be reported on and shared by the parties every two years. Articles 23 to 27 establishe the institutional arrangements and financial resources of the Convention.
There are two major institutions in this Convention; we have the Conference of Parties and the Convention Secretariat.
The Conference of Parties is the governing body of the Framework
Convention of Tobacco Control and comprises all parties to the
Convention, that means all the countries that have signed the
Conventions. It regularly reviews the implementation of the Convention and takes decisions necessary to promote its effective implementation. The Conference of Parties may adopt protocols, annexes and amendments to the Convention. Its regular sessions are held every two years and this is where we as a country have been missing out because if you are not a member of the Conference of Parties, decisions as a country are made for you and as a major tobacco growing country we have been losing out over the years. Now, we want to sit at the table with the other decision makers in the Conference of Parties.
The second important organ is the Convention Secretariat which serves the Conference of Parties and its subsidiary bodies. It supports parties in fulfilling their obligations under the Convention and translates the decision of the Conference of Parties into programme activities. The Secretariat cooperates in its work with relevant departments of the WHO and other international organisations and bodies.
If we come to financing arrangements, each country finances its own programmes in its own country. But there are other international financing mechanisms and the Convention Secretariat assists countries to access other financing mechanisms at a global level, particularly in the area of assisting farmers to transmission from tobacco to other crops.
Zimbabwe wishes to accede to the Framework Convention on
Tobacco Control with the following interpretative declarations;
The Republic of Zimbabwe declares that the national strategy targeted at encouraging tobacco production and exports will continue to be pursued because of tobacco‟s critical contribution to the National Gross Domestic Product. With respect to matters relating to the support for economically viable alternative activities and crops to tobacco proposed by the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control of the WHO adopted by the WHO Assembly on May 2003, Zimbabwe further makes the following interpretative declarations;
Zimbabwe declares that in the context of preamble paragraphs 15 and 16 and of Articles 4, 17 and 26 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control of the WHO, there is no prohibition to the production of tobacco or restriction to national policies of support for farmers dedicated to this activity;
In addition, Zimbabwe declares it to be imperative that the Convention be an effective instrument for the international mobilisation of technical and financial resources in order to help developing countries to make economical alternatives to the agricultural production of
tobacco viable as part of their national strategies for sustainable development;
Zimbabwe also declares that it will not support any proposal with a view to utilising the Framework Convention for Tobacco Control of the WHO as an instrument for discriminatory practices to free trade and competition;
The Government of Zimbabwe declares that in the context of Article 5, 3 and noting the champion to this declaration, consultation in respect of this Treaty will be in accordance with the laws of Zimbabwe;
The Republic of Zimbabwe declares that its interpretation in the context of Article 21,1 of the Convention is that the implementation of Article 13,4 D of the Convention concerning disclosure to relevant governmental authorities of expenditures by the tobacco industries on advertising, promotion and sponsorship not yet prohibited will be subject to national laws regarding confidentiality and privacy;
In considering the protection of the country‟s interest upon acceding to the FCTC, it should be noted that Article 30 of the FCTC state unequivocally that no reservations can be made to this Treaty. In this regard, Zimbabwe therefore, signs the FCTC with the interpretative declaration as per the United Nations Treaty, Clause 3, 6, 2 interpretative declarations. This is the essence of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Mr. President and I lay it before the House for approval.
*SENATOR MAKUNDE: Thank you Mr. President Sir, I would like to say thank you to the Minister for introducing this Convention to this Senate. The Minister also showed us that, we are trailing behind as Zimbabwe and of course we have some countries like Malawi who have not yet signed this Convention.
The youths of today are encouraging the country to move to catch up with the times. At times when we hear of these effects or controls on tobacco; what comes into the minds of tobacco farmers in
Zimbabwe is that we are going to run out of business because tobacco
is our cash crop. We also know that the tobacco we grow is not just for smoking but there are other bi-products.
I once visited China and Singapore; you find that whenever you go out of the country, when you go to Singapore, when we arrived, we were taken to a smoking room. When we were smoking, they were spraying some chemicals on us so that we would not affect other people through passive smoking. You will also find that in such countries they have also banned smoking in hotel rooms. Zimbabwe as a country, we have to move with the times because the mover of this Convention is a professional medical doctor. He is aware of the ills and health hazardous associated with smoking of tobacco. We have noticed that in some instances we had smokers who would smoke even if they are coughing until they drop down, they still continue smoking. Therefore, it means there are some side effects on this tobacco. As far as I am concerned, I move that this Convention be ratified by
Zimbabwe, I thank you.
*SENATOR CHIEF MUSARURWA: Thank you Hon. President, the hon. Senator who had made contributions has said much of the things I would have wanted to say. I will say I support the motion or
Convention on tobacco growing because you will find that when people are towards old age, they smoke tobacco but this is disturbing and destroying their health. I have my paternal uncle, who is affected by tobacco. If it was not for tobacco, he could be in his good health. I personally, am a very big tobacco farmer in this country and I felt the urge that I should be part of this gathering so that I support this Convention on tobacco.
We all know that, our country is under siege from illegal sanctions but we also know that tobacco is a cash crop; it is giving more money in this country. Our country is supported by money from tobacco and our country is run by this cash crop. I think you also support me, not only tobacco but we also note that agriculture is the backbone of our economy with particular emphasis on tobacco. Minister, you are in health and through your deliberations, please protect our farmers because we know that tobacco is not only for smoking; it has other uses. In health, I know it is used for treatment.
Minister, I heard that Zimbabwe stated that it will continue growing tobacco because we find that there are some people who smoke in their countries. They have their way of smoking especially enclosing people in a protective way, but Zimbabweans we have our own ways of doing our own things. I appeal to you Minister, when you are in that fora, please protect the farmers in Zimbabwe. What is needed is for you to create an educational programme whereby people may be protected from passive smoking or from other illnesses which you discussed like importance inhumane, damage to the teeth and other things. What we know Minister is that some of these countries also support this, so that they continue with the sanctions programme.
*SENATOR MTINGWENDE: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I know we have stayed for quite a long time this room; we are tired but I think this is an important issue which we should discuss that has been brought by the Minister. Yes, I heard something which was said by the Minister in his presentation and I am very glad because of that. I also think we have heard of the many problem and ill-health problems which come through tobacco.
We know that no matter how smart somebody can be, or no matter how prosperous they can be, as long as that person; that individual is smoking, we find that he is compromising his personality because of the addictive nature of tobacco. Therefore, we believe in our short memories, short knowledge on health, we say tobacco really has health problems and I personally support the Minister who introduced this Convention. It is a pity that we have not ratified this Convention but we are glad because this Convention is going to be passed as soon as the day before yesterday because we have been given the guarantee that we are not going to be stopped from farming tobacco.
SENATOR MUCHENJE: Thank you Hon. President Sir and I say thank you to Hon. Minister for this tobacco Convention which we have not signed. The other reason which we have is that we have some problems in this country; we are farmers and I am one of the farmers. The problem is we have problems in getting farming implements which may be used in ploughing other cash crops; as a result we resort to tobacco. If only we could have some ways of getting support for getting other cash crops, definitely we would diversify. Therefore, Minister, we appeal to you to support the farmers through campaigning for implements and cash inputs so that farmers can grow soya beans, ground nuts and other cash crops so that they may leave tobacco. We plead with you Hon. Minister, go to your Cabinet colleagues and ask them to give support to financial schemes which are in support of farmers so that they can diversify from tobacco. I know Minister, you have told us of the disadvantages of growing tobacco but you know we should wean ourselves from this crop slowly. Therefore we will start to reduce the hectarage of tobacco and take in other crops.
You told us farmers who grow tobacco and also workers in the tobacco industry; that we can also be affected by the damage caused by tobacco. Minister, we plead with you, we appeal to you, please promote education on the disadvantages of smoking tobacco or working in a tobacco environment, so that these people can be protected from the tobacco. They should therefore be supplied with protective clothing.
Minister, you also know that many of the farmers who grow tobacco have big harvests and we find that most of the tobacco that we grow in this country is exported. We only have very little which remains in this country for our own use and therefore we appeal to you, Minister, we need to look at the problems faced by these farmers so that we have this education. We need to have the education for the farmers and for workers in the tobacco production so that they can be protected from the ills brought by tobacco. I plead with you. As I have said before we need to promote protective clothing, safety at work places, such as the supply of protective clothing in tobacco factories so that those who operate from these factories do not suffer from illnesses caused by tobacco. We also need education on how tobacco really affects us. If possible, tell us each and every part of the body that is affected by tobacco. I thank you.
*SENATOR MAKORE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me
this time to make my contribution on the harmful effects of tobacco to people who smoke and to none smokers. I believe that this is a good programme for us but it is bad for the farmers because if they are to harvest their crop and get a lot of money and then they are told that it is harmful to health, I do not want to believe that they would be in support of such a policy.
As farmers, yes, as dependant as we might be, Minister, I also board buses and public transport, smokers do not respect non - smokers that will be in these public vehicles. To those who read newspapers, you read that a non smoker is more affected than the smoker himself. We do not understand how this happens. This issue about smoking is difficult to people but I say it is good if there are other ways in which people can be taught. The Convention does not say that farmers cannot grow tobacco but you have mentioned that tobacco is not only grown for purposes of smoking but there are other things that it can be used for. The issue of tobacco is that there should be a way in which smokers can be stopped.
I have lost four of my nephews as a result of smoking. They died miserably. They were admitted in hospital and thereafter passed away. This is a good Convention, Minister. People need a long life and need to live with their families in a healthy environment. They should also enjoy good health. If we know that this is something that kills, we should commend the Convention because there is lack of discipline among smokers in buses, commuter omnibuses and public places.
Those who smoke are addicted to the extent that they will tell you that they cannot think properly without smoking. It was mentioned by Senator Mtingwende that the person will be smartly dressed, smartly dressed as I am with my neck tie and then you see a person smoking a cigarette. That diminishes the smartness and you are causing other people to fall ill. I thank you for such a Convention. Without further ado, I thank you Minister and Mr. President. I say we should ratify this Convention.
*SENATOR MARAVA: Mr. President there is one thing about the passing of this Convention, it is that Zimbabwe is now going to be a signatory and is going to join the progressive world. We will also be part and parcel of the conference of all parties and we should not be left behind all the time because it is not a good habit. We should always be amongst others so that we can benefit. Our absence among such gatherings is disadvantageous to us.
The second point is that it concerns our Zimbabwean farmers. I have looked for a substitute crop for those farmers who, to a large extent, were making a livelihood on tobacco. I have failed to come across a substitute. Your Peace and Security Thematic Committee led by the Senator Mumvuri went to Mashonaland Central and we saw that there was massive tobacco production; there were about 800 employees.
A lot of progress has been made through the production of tobacco.
In fact, you say that there is nothing like mild in cigarettes. You said that all tobacco is harmful and that there is no better tobacco or worse tobacco than the other, so I failed to come up with a substitute. Then there is the issue of addiction, Mr. President. There are those who say it is easier to give up drinking than smoking, so this addiction that is so strong in tobacco caused by nicotine, what is it exactly? How can we avoid it and what would be the way forward. I thank you.
*SENATOR MANYERUKE: Thank you Mr. President, I also want to add my voice on this Convention that has been brought by the minister. I only have a few issues over the strategies to control tobacco. If it were possible, you would go into the farms where people are resettled; those who were left by the commercial white farmers. Most of them are smokers because of debts owed as a result of not being paid by the commercial farmers. They are competing and smoking at the time they will be harvesting tobacco. Twelve year olds and fourteen year olds are smokers. I once went to the compounds where they live and wondered how such young men would be smokers. They need strong education on the harmful effects of tobacco and that it causes a lot of diseases such as lung diseases. When you see someone who smokes, you see smoke coming out. It is only that you live in towns. In the communal lands those who roll tobacco, you see steam coming out or smoke coming out and there is a stench that comes out from these people. I do not understand exactly what the tobacco stench is. You have a difficult act to follow, Minister, in as far as ensuring that the people know about the need to save the health of the country. Thank you Mr. President.
*SENATOR:CHIBAGU I would like to thank you 100%. There are some children who are very miserable. In my area people were caught; they made a fire on the mountain and they were smoking tobacco. There is tobacco and there is also dagga which they smoke which causes the rotting of lungs. A lot of children have died because their lungs were affected by such drugs. This gospel should be spread time and time again so that people would appreciate those who are uneducated believe in smoking. In my constituency, there is a lot of work to be done because a lot of people drink their beer, the illicit brew and as a result people die. They also die as a result of smoking dagga.
I am happy and I give you my support about this Convention. I urge you to start preaching the gospel to the constituents so that people‟s lives can be built. Tobacco is not good, especially dagga, together with this illicit brew called kachasu. They become incoherent when they speak and their demeanor is reprehensible. I thank you for what you have done and I invite you to my constituency.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD WELFARE:
Thank you Mr. President. I would want to thank the hon. senators because of their support to the Convention on Tobacco Control. I am quite pleased by the acceptance of the topic and the contributions by the members. They have shown that they have really appreciated about the important declarations that we agreed to as Cabinet. That this is how we are going to sign, so that we can protect the growing of tobacco in
Zimbabwe as it is our cash crop.
I appreciate that hon. senators are in agreement and they have appreciated, in terms of financial assistance, which is an issue that they have raised. It is the duty of the Convention to enable us to raise funds, even at international level to assist the farmers that are going to stop growing tobacco, they will be assisted. They have barns and other things that will have been rendered useless. This in relation to how best we can compensate farmers, so that they can have new infrastructure to grow tobacco, soya beans or other crops.
This is the intention of the Convention, to look for funding for farmers that will no longer be involved in tobacco. No one is going to be forced to stop growing tobacco at the moment. Our main aim at the moment is for people to stop smoking. I agree with the Hon. Senator that most of our tobacco is not for local consumption but for export and only 2 percent is used locally. A lot of people want our tobacco, so we supply them.
My duty is to ensure that we safeguard the welfare of Zimbabwean people only and they will look after themselves in the export market.
Protective clothing, yes, I have heard about it. There are regulations that are there in terms of people who use chemicals for spraying but there are laws that need to be enforced by the Ministry of Agriculture. I will inquire from our counterparts and find out because this is important.
It is a big issue that smokers do not respect non-smokers. We have a Statutory Instrument No. 62 of 2003 that bars people from smoking in public areas such as buses and so on. That is gathering momentum as we draw nearer towards signing of this Convention. As citizens, we have done our duty and we should not allow people to smoke in our presence. That is also what the Convention seeks to correct. I agree with you, it is very difficult to stop smoking than beer drinking. Our tobacco is very addictive. The use of the Convention is to also help those who want to stop smoking. I am sure those who watch films, there are certain people who have nicotine patches as they will be trying to stop smoking so that their bodies do not receive big shocks as they stop smoking. It is also part of the Convention, to assist those who want to stop smoking.
Tobacco control strategies, from former white commercial farms, we have heard about it and we are aware of this issue and we will see how best we can assist these youths that have now been addicted to tobacco since they do not have any other alternative.
The last issue, Mr. President, which I want to comment on, is that of dagga. Dagga is problematic but we have a law that criminalises the planting and growing of dagga. This is different from growing tobacco and it is illegal to grow or smoke dagga. It needs to be controlled because it damages the brain much worse than tobacco and it is criminalized. I thank you hon. senators.
Motion put and agreed to.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILD
WELFARE, the Senate adjourned at Nine Minutes past Five o’clock
p.m. until Tuesday, 11th June, 2013.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 12th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p. m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators
to switch off their cellphones before we commence business.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE SENATE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day, have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 21st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th June, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 22ND SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 22nd Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 13th June, 2013.
On the motion of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Five
Minutes to Three o’clock p. m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 11th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p. m.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
INVITATION BY WiPSU
MADAM PRESIDENT: Women in Politics Support Unit
(WiPSU) is inviting all members of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus to a dialogue meeting on the creation of a safe place for women to participate effectively in governance and national processes, from the 14th to the 17th of June, 2013 at the Troutbeck Inn Hotel, Nyanga.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to please
switch off their cellphones before commencement of business.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the
Delegation to the 21st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: Madam President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th June, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 22ND SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 22nd Session of the ACP- EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: Madam President, now that Hon. Senator Mlotshwa is not around, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 12th June, 2013.
On the motion of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY EDUCATION, the Senate adjourned at Quarter to
Three o’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 13th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p. m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE ACTING PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE ACTING PRESIDENT: May I remind all hon. senators to
switch off their cellphones before commencement of business.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Mr. President. I have got
two questions to ask the Deputy Minister of Public Construction. Can the minister update this Senate on the building of the new Parliament, especially since the next coming Parliament is going to have more members than we have today? The second question is, what is the policy of the ministry on the already existing and dilapidated buildings that are owned by the State? They seem to be in a dilapidated condition. Most of them have lifts and many other functions that are not operating.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS (SENATOR
GEORGIAS): The first question about the new Parliament - yes, there is a site allocated for the construction of a new Parliament and my ministry was tasked to put plans in place in order to build the new Parliament but unfortunately, this project was later taken away and given to the Ministry of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development. So, we just have to wait for the Ministry of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development to come up with a plan on who is going to be the contractor or maybe, the ministry will do the construction. That is the best I can tell this Senate.
On the second question – yes, there are a lot of dilapidated houses and we are doing our best to keep all Government houses in good shape. We are also trying to renovate some which we can afford to but as you know there is a scarcity of resources. It is a serious problem because we have over 550 partially finished projects which we cannot complete. It is really a problem as far as finance is concerned and we are also having quite a bit of a problem with some tenants who rent property from the Government. They do not pay on time. I thank you.
SENATOR MANDABA: Thank you Mr. President. I would like
to find out from the minister, hospitals used to have a handy man and now everything has to be done by the Ministry of Public Works. A lot of equipment is being dumped outside hospitals when sometimes it just needs a screw. Is it not very expensive to wait for construction instead of maintaining whatever they have? I have also noted that at the DA’s offices, a lot of boxes I think they were the old voting boxes, are lying outside. Could these not be made use of? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS (SENATOR
GEORGIAS): What is happening at the moment, like I mentioned earlier, is the scarcity of resources. Each ministry that has finances of its own, tasks the Ministry of Public Works to repair or renovate that building and they pay by themselves. They buy the material and we just go in and do the labour work and rectify whatever has got to be repaired. Mpilo Hospital and Parirenyatwa Hospital, for instance, they put projects out there and we had to engage our professionals to build houses for the doctors. The financing of the projects came from the hospitals. Thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT: Just to remind you that we have
two deputy ministers in the Senate, that is the Deputy Minister of Public Works and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
SENATOR MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President. My question
goes to the Deputy Minister of Public Works. I want to ask about the construction of the houses that were left 4 to 5 years ago in Beitbridge and are now a sorry sight. What are you doing about them? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS (SENATOR
GEORGIAS): Sorry Mr. President, I never heard the question clearly.
SENATOR MOHADI: The question is - what are you doing
about the houses that were built in Beitbridge and were left half finished and now it is taking about 4 to 5 years to complete them? Everything is just at a standstill.
SENATOR GEORGIAS: Like I said, because of scarcity of
resources, we have about 550 projects which are partially finished, maybe this could be one of them. There is no money and that is the truth. The Government cannot finance all these projects unless donor funding comes in and puts up money in order to finish some of these projects, otherwise we have a serious problem with finance. Thank you.
SENATOR DETE: Thank you Mr. President. My question is, we have got the main Harare Post Office which is now like a white elephant. Does the Government have plans about it?
THE ACTING PRESIDENT: To which ministry are you
directing the question - the Ministry of Public Works?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS (SENATOR
GEORGIAS): I am not so sure about this Post Office that you are talking about hon. senator but I know we have got a few empty buildings which we are finding very difficult to find tenants for them. Take for instance the Quality International Hotel, we have a problem of finding a suitable tenant because you cannot just go around and pick up any tenant. Everybody wants to rent the property, but they cannot pay. They will give you flowery proposals of what they can do, but when it comes to paying rentals they are unable to pay up. Some of these tenants owe up to $250 000 in rental arrears and we have problems collecting the money from them. Therefore, I do not know what plans the Government has for the old post office. We may have difficulties in finding tenants for that building. Thank you Mr. President.
SENATOR HLALO: Thank you Mr. President. My question is
directed to the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. We seem to be going towards a very serious drought in the country. Are there any mitigating measures which the ministry has taken to safeguard the lives of the people who do not have an income to self sustenance?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (SENATOR MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr.
President. I would like to thank Senator Hlalo for asking such a critical question at a critical time. You are aware that Zimbabwe managed to get about 150 000 tonnes of maize from Zambia, thanks to the Zambian President, Mr. Sata and our President who negotiated the deal. That maize has already started trickling into the country. Provinces like Matabeleland North have already started getting the maize.
As the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, we look after the vulnerable, the poor and elderly, those who will not even be able to do
‘food for work.’ I must say that, we will get our allocation from those tonnes which come through the Ministry of Agriculture. We also work with developmental partners like the World Food Programme (WFP) and they have been going round looking after the poor. We would love to get more money from Treasury to make sure that we look after the most vulnerable groups. However, as you are aware, the country is going through financial constraints and the ministry is not able to meet each and every case. We are doing our best by working together with the Ministry of Agriculture.
SENATOR SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is
directed to the Deputy Minister of Public Works. A year or so ago, we heard that Quality Hotel was being renovated so that the Members of Parliament would be accommodated. How far have you gone with the renovations? Is it going to be ready before we close or during the next Parliament?
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS (SENATOR
GEORGIAS): As hon. senators may know, Quality International Hotel was designed for rooms meant for a hotel. In order to accommodate a certain number of Members of Parliament and hon. ministers in that place, we are trying to re-design it. The rooms take a lot of space and accommodate a very small number of people and that is what we are trying to address. Once that is done, the hotel will be open to all Members of Parliament and Government officials seeking accommodation in town. Thank you Mr. President.
SENATOR MAKORE: Thank you Mr. President. My question
seeks policy clarification from the Minister of Housing. I would like to find out the target group for which you are building houses. Are you building for the Government workers only or for the public?
THE ACTING PRESIDENT: He is the Deputy Minister for Public Works not Housing. I know he is kind enough to respond.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS (SENATOR
GEORGIAS): Thank you Mr. President. You correctly pointed out; I am not the Minister of Housing. However, from the grapevine, I believe the Ministry of Local Government has been tasked to build houses for private people and not for Government only.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is
directed to the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. There was debate in this Senate late last year about social benefits for the ageing Zimbabwean population in the form of allowances. I would like to know whether this programme is now operational.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL
WELFARE (SENATOR MUTSVANGWA): You are aware that the
Older Persons’ Bill went through and we are happy as a ministry that it took this long for Treasury to release some money. We have received a little bit of money. There is a board which looks into the individual cases of elderly people that sits and assesses how the money is disbursed. In the Bill, there are a number of things that should be done with the elderly, how they can be helped, empowered and have dignity brought back to them. It is almost six months since the Bill has been passed, but what has been restricting the ministry from disbursing money to the elderly was lack of funds from Treasury. Thank you Mr.
President.
SENATOR MANDABA: Thank you Mr. President. Mine is a
follow up to Senator Marava’s question. Our term is coming to an end and by midnight of the 29th June, all of us will not be on a salary. Most of us here have chronic illnesses and our medical aid cover is also coming to an end. Are we going to be able to visit hospitals and get free medical treatment as covered by the Older Persons’ Bill?
I have another question for another minister. When we were in
Sudan, our Ambassador was living like a pauper. Has anything been done for Ambassadors to regularise their salaries and allowances to make them comfortable in the countries from which they work from? Thank you Mr. President.
SENATOR MUTSVANGWA: Thank you Mr. President. Our
Department of Social Services is mandated to provide health assistance to the vulnerable, not just the elderly but orphans, children and so on. This has been a very difficult time for the country and the ministry in particular. The Assistance Medical Treatment Order (AMTO) means that when an elderly person or vulnerable person is sick, we write a note advising a hospital to treat the patient free of charge. We have been calling some hospitals so that they accept those people, but some of the hospitals are beginning to turn them away because we are running in arrears of over $2 million. We keep on pressurising Treasury to make sure that a certain amount of money is paid towards these hospitals so that we can at least keep our good name there and our clients will get their assistance. We still have people getting treated, there are hospitals which are still accepting AMTO, the Assistance Medical Treatment Order from the ministry but there are some hospitals which are obviously saying the bill is too high so we are fighting both sides. We are also talking to the hospitals to accept AMTO and we are also talking to Treasury to make sure something is paid towards these arrears. Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (MR.
MAKHULA): Thank you very much Mr. President for the question pertaining to the need to know the comfort directed to those ambassadors who were in danger in that country. I would like to direct the senator to the nature of our ministry. Our ministry is engaged much in the movement of our President and much linking to countries that are around us. The man speaking now is very much linked to Ambassadors in the various countries that are standing and representing us in all the countries that have interest in our country.
Right now, I am coming from the British Embassy where I came rushing for this meeting. Anyway, about the question, allow me to go and consult from my senior and then I will come and answer the question. That goes on to link with the Minister of Finance. The last time we had problems outside our country befalling our Ambassadors as Government had no money to even pay those people who are out there. I wonder if it could get enough money to solve that problem. We are aware and really it is our interest that our people who are sent out should be comfortable, but then if our Ministry of Finance was here, we would ask if he has any plan to rescue those people outside. I thank you.
*SENATOR MAKUYANA: Thank you Mr. President, my
question is directed to the Minister of Labour and Social Services. We have many companies that are failing to pay their workers; some have gone for so many months without getting their salaries. Some of the companies, even parastatals, for example the National Railways of Zimbabwe, is failing to pay its workers. Those workers are family people. If you go to those companies’ index, you will find that they are making profit but they are not paying their workers. Is there anything that is taking place in your ministry to solve these problems? These companies include ZISCO as well and a number of other companies.
Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (SENATOR MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr.
President. We are aware of companies which are not able to meet their mandate; that is paying employees and even paying those who have retired. The ministry is inundated by a number of workers and employees. Every day if you come to our ministry, actually it is a very sad situation. People are being retrenched, and a lot of companies are retrenching. The reason for retrenching is because the company is not doing well and when the company is not doing well and you are retrenching, there are workers to be paid, it is a serious dilemma.
As a ministry, we have that mandate to make sure that we bring together the employers and the employees, to make sure that at least there is that debate and we sort-of find a balance.
*THE ACTING PRESIDENT: Order, order. The Senator has
asked in our mother language (Shona), if the Minister is able to speak in Shona, we are asking her to use Shona so that the hon. Senator who has asked will fully understand.
*SENATOR MUTSVANGWA: Thank you Mr. President. Let
me answer Senator Makuyana for this attaching ministry which is affecting all the people and Government as well, because many companies are retrenching. Some companies which are not retrenching or closing are struggling to pay their workers. We see it befitting that we continue dialoguing with the companies because some are taking advantage of the fact that as a country we are going through a hard time.
As a ministry, we do not have many resources for our officers to move around companies, engaging and talking to workers’ committees and the leaders so that we really find out what is going on so that we come up with a solution. Yes it is very painful that we see people who have worked for up to 36 years in one company but when they go home for retirement, they are only given US$1 000, which is a sad story. We see other people who are being injured during working hours but the company does nothing when they go away, this is very sad. I want to tell this House that the Ministry of Labour, with the few resources that we have are working very hard. If you visit our offices in the Ministry of Labour, you will find that we have so many visitors, employees and employers coming together to dialogue. I thank you.
SENATOR MUMVURI: My question is directed to the Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the Embassies out in the countries with which we have diplomatic ties, there is staff which is attached to the trade sector. I just want to know how much trade this staff that is stationed outside generates for our country. Is it worthwhile for them to stay there or maybe is it necessary to withdraw some of them. I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (MR.
MAKHULA): Thank you Mr. President, this is a very good question from the hon. senator. I think this will be best answered by those who handle the policies. I will invite our secretary, assisted by whoever it is, who is connected with this out there. Allow me to carry this question and then next time, I will get the answer towards this but then this should be known. I thank you
*SENATOR MTINGWENDE: Thank you Mr President, my
question is directed to the Minister of Labour and Social Services. When considering the vulnerable people that she talked about, is anything being done about the mission hospitals so that those who should benefit from your ministry should be assisted since it is not Government, I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE (SENATOR MUTSVANGWA): Thank you Mr.
President, I talked about AMTO (Assistance Medical Treatment Order), which is written by the ministry to assist those who need help. We refer people with written orders to Government hospitals but if there are others who are close to those hospitals, we write them orders so that they can be assisted. Our main duty is to ensure that all those vulnerable people are assisted.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE SENATE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr.
President, I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day, have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 21st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed:
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr.
President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 18th June, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 22ND SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Delegation to the 22nd Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS: Mr.
President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 18th June, 2013.
On the motion of THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PUBLIC
WORKS, the Senate adjourned at Six Minutes past Three o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 18t, June, 2013.
A st230240 18/06/2013
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 18th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two
o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
SUSPENSION OF COMMITTEE BUSINESS
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: I have to inform the Senate that
due to the primary elections being conducted by various political parties and the high prevalence of no quorums for Committee meetings, the business of all Committees of Parliament will be suspended sine die with effect from Friday 21 June 2013.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELL PHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to
switch off your cell phones before business commences.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE SENATE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: I move that Order of the Day, No. 1 be stood over since both the mover and seconder of the motion are not here, until the rest of the Orders of the Day, are disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the delegation to the 21st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary
Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION (SENATOR TAPELA): I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 19th June, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 22ND SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the delegation to the 22nd Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND TERTIARY
EDUCATION: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 19th June, 2013.
On the Motion of the DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND
TERTIARY EDUCATION, the Senate adjourned at Twenty-one
Minutes to Three O’clock p.m.
A ends
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 19th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELL PHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to
switch off your cell phones before we commence business.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE SENATE
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE: I move that Order of the Day, No. 1 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day, have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 21ST SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the delegation to the 21st Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 20th June, 2013.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 22ND SESSION OF THE ACP-EU JOINT
PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the delegation to the 22nd Session of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 20th June, 2013.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME
MINISTER’S OFFICE, the Senate adjourned at Twenty-five Minutes to Three O’clock p.m.
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 20th June, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
SWITCHING OFF OF CELL PHONES
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT: May I remind hon. senators to
switch off your cell phones before business commences.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: I would like to find out
from the Minister sitting next to me and I have just seen that he is also representing the Minister of Finance this afternoon, so he is wearing two hats. Minister, next week we will come to the close of Parliament term and Government still owes Members of Parliament a lot of outstanding payments in the form of travel expenses, coupons and etcetera. What arrangements have you put in place to ensure that before end of the term next week, payments are made? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (MR. TIMBA): I will have to take this specific request to the substantive minister for a substantive response. Thank you.
SENATOR MANDABA: I would like to find out from the
Minister in the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration as to how far we are with the healing process? Is it continuing during and after elections? I know that they wanted to have structures in the provinces. Are they still going to decentralise? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (SENATOR. HOLLAND): Mr. President, the question is what will happen with the national healing programme after the elections? The mandate of the Organ for National Healing,
Reconciliation and Integration was to advise the three Global Political
Agreement principals on how the question of peace will be addressed in Zimbabwe. Successfully after four years, the three provided an infrastructure for peace with four elements.
These have been adopted in the COPAC draft which is now a
Constitution. This means the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission is part of whatever enabling Act will be in place after the elections. The code of conduct for and by political parties has been signed by the three Principals. It is operational. Yesterday we were discussing a State occasion launch in conjunction with the history project, which you all have been involved in with the traditional leaders, the academics and grass roots communities. The launch will spell out that this is a programme that the Principals have agreed to and it will be on-going. The history project is at MSU under Prof. N. Bhebhe as part of the Africa History Project in UNESCO. The code of conduct is going on.
The fourth element, which is the programme, is at MSU. There will be launched, in August, a degree programme in the new department of Peace, Economics and Reconciliation, which is the fourth leg of the Infrastructure for Peace and it will be connecting as is done at MSU; academic work with grass roots reality lives for society to learn and continue to learn what peace is about.
With that there is an exhibition centre for peace, where the practical problems facing Zimbabweans in relation to national healing will be put to test. Results will be used by communities to continue with the peace process. Briefly the answer is, the Infrastructure for Peace has been agreed to by the three Global Political Agreement Principals. It is now being implemented, it is operational and yes, it is actually going to be something that will be a result of COPAC.
As I have said in this Senate over and over again, the people who were involved with COPAC, whenever they stand up to speak, lonkenje – mese muno, especially the women, I see people who will be taking their places in the new National Peace and Reconciliation Commission because the structures go from the national four men, four women and a
President for chair; at the provinces four men, four women. At the districts and at the wards, the structures of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission will be up to village level.
These people who will be part of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission will be dealing with all transitional justice matters. Into ezibuhlungu – zvinhu zvinorwadza, in relation to what people feel is the injury they have suffered as a result of political conflicts.
As we have said in the organ we have been talking to the traditional leaders – Chief Charumbira and Chief Mtshane Khumalo. We understood from the very first meeting we held with them that in Zimbabwe, people have never departed from their traditional way of resolving conflict, which is in Ndebele ukukhumelena umlotha - as Chief Mtshane and Chief Charumbira told us in the first meeting, kusvutisana fodya.
Embodied in the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission is the appeal from the three organ Principals, our Chair, the late Landa John Nkomo and the late, our colleague Minister Gibson Sibanda replaced by Minister Moses Ndlovu, we appealed to our people to put ukukhumelana umlotha - ku svutisana fodya as the way in which we are going to approach our reconciliation process at every level abantu baxoxisane bazwanane, vanhu vataurirane vanzwanane. It is the Shonas in our country who say kugona ngozi kuiripa. That does not mean exchanging of wives or taking your kraals out to give to the other person but it is people really discovering ubuntu, hunhu hwedu in the process of conflict resolution and really adopting those measures of bringing peace in your heart, in the heart of your family and your community because esintwini sethu - pachivanhu chedu pahunhu hwedu, we recognise ourselves in one another, as indeed the Bible says, “we are all created in the image of God”. It is that image of God which we look for in one another when we do reconciliation. I hope that answers the question. I thank you.
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Mr. President. My question
goes to the Minister of State in the Prime Minister‟s Office. I would like to know what measures Government is putting in place to ensure the smooth holding of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation
Conference (UNWTO), which is going to be held in the later part of August 2013, in view of the lack of consensus on the holding of the harmonised elections this year. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (MR. TIMBA): Let me start by saying that there is full commitment by the Inclusive Government to ensure the holding of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation Conference in Victoria Falls that we are co-hosting with Zambia. It is correct that at this juncture there appears to be uncertainty as to when the country will be holding its elections. Whether that would happen before that conference or after it but hon. senators would be aware that currently, there is a constitutional court judgment which has ruled that such an election should be held by the 31st of July, which is almost a month before that conference is held. Notwithstanding that, Mr. President, hon. senators would be aware that on the 15th of June there was a meeting of the
Summit of SADC Heads of State and Governments and during that meeting, there was an agreement by all the three parties to the Global
Political Agreement and all the SADC leaders that the Government of Zimbabwe should engage the Constitutional Court with a view to seeking an extension of time for the holding of the elections beyond the 31st of July.
Pursuant to that resolution of the SADC Summit, Principals in the GPA met yesterday to deliberate on the same and an agreement was reached that at least representatives from the three parties should meet to come up with a consensus application that should go to the
Constitutional Court to seek for that extension of time. Prior to that Mr. President, it is unfortunate that one of the ministers had prematurely filed an application with the Constitutional Court, whose application was not based on any consensus discussion among the three parties within the GPA. The Principals are now seized with this matter and there will be a second meeting that they will hold on Friday. We sincerely hope that after the Friday meeting, they will be able to come up with a common position with regard to this matter and hopefully, with a common application that will be put before the Constitutional Court to determine when we are likely to be able to have our elections. I think the most important thing is that there is commitment in Government to ensure the successful hosting of this conference that we will co-host with Zambia. I thank you.
SENATOR MUMVURI: In view of the minister‟s response, does
the minister not think that if the extension which is being sought about is now infringing in the days of the holding of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation. Is there a possibility that elections can be held after the conference has been held?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (MR.TIMBA): Mr. President, I would like to avoid, if I may be allowed, to anticipate the discussions that the Principals are due to hold on Friday. I thank you.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is
directed to the Minister of State for National Healing. I would like to know - National Healing is a very important issue now in our country.
My question Mr. President is, are we ever going to have an issue like a Minister or Ministry of National Healing since it is so important and we have to put all the weight behind it? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SENATOR HOLLAND): Thank you Mr. President. There
are two things. The first one is that the country is faced with the new way of doing things in the whole world where the budget for running governments has to be reduced drastically. I am told Zimbabwe spends 73% of its budget on running government, which is unacceptable. If you are familiar with NGOs, you know that the administrative costs have to be something like 15%, may be 30% but no-more for the NGO to be
viable.
So, the challenge that is faced by Government is that although,
Cabinet approved the recommendation by the three Co-Principals at the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration for the formation of a Ministry for National Healing and Reconciliation; and although that was adopted by Cabinet and should be part of the enabling Act so that all policy matters to do with peace in Zimbabwe are directed from a ministry, the recommendation we have now is that in the pulling together of different ministries, perhaps consideration will be given to there being a ministry of something something like National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration which will really lift the profile of the entire area of peace and national healing.
I just wanted to say you will see how important it is. I have just been to Mabvuku, my senatorial constituency and may be this can also help our colleague who is talking about the importance of us following the Constitution; I was trying to get the aliens because I have the highest number of aliens in the country in Mabvuku, Tafara and in Epworth.
People in the mobile unit were saying to the alien people, “why do you want to register”? It was this morning and they did not know that the Senator was around. They retorted back, we want to vote. Why do you want to vote because with your registration card still indicating that you are an alien you can still reside in Zimbabwe. So, these people were going back home.
I am just saying the amount of healing that is required in Zimbabwe is huge because if we are saying we are following the law, we have to follow it from where we are registering people, from where we are checking our names from all that. So, I ended up doing national healing work there, trying to get people to understand that voting is everybody‟s right. If things were moving well with such a ministry and employees were there; they are the ones who should be traveling round the country telling people it is your right to register kuti ah! imi muri mukati tinokudzingai basa kopinda vamwe. But, of course we do not have that at the moment. So those very naughty officers were lying to the people kugara mu Zimbabwe hakudi kuti muchinje hualien hwenyu knowing that they are preventing people from exercising their right to vote. I thank you.
*SENATOR MANDABA: My question is, we have got prisoners,
some of whom got into prison because they fought and killed a person. Some committed various crimes but when in prison, they will be asking themselves why I did this? Where does national healing come in and end? As National Healing, do you not help prisoners including that man in prison whose term is about to end and when he is about to be released, he is likely to meet relatives of the murdered person. Does National Healing go beyond that?
THE MINISITER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (SENATOR HOLLAND): Thank Mr. President, I am glad
Chief Charumbira has come back because in the issue of National Healing, we have walked with the chiefs, at his presidency and chief Mtshane Khumalos.
*This is a very good question. In some areas, people have copied what Zimbabweans do. If a person has killed someone, there is a victim friendly court and all those things. It will be said to the murderer and the victims‟ relatives, would you like to meet? In Africa we hear that people interact. You do not have to ask that question. You go back home and write a proposal which I would like to look at. I will be looking forward to see it next week if you are not able to do it, come and we can do it together with the head of Unit which deals with prison issues. It is very important in Africa to understand that before the whites came, we did not have prisons as we were told by the chiefs in that we had our own ways and means of solving complex issues. It was good.
If an issue has been discussed the defendant and the plaintiff there comes a breakthrough between conflicting individuals. In these families there will peace both in the area and the country as a whole and the fact that if I made a mishap, there are ways and means of solving such issue.
Whites said it rightly that “to err is human, to forgive is divine”. God is the forgiver of all sins but for black nenyaya yekusvutisana fodya nenyaya ukukhumelana umlotha, vanotora nyaya yekuti vanhu vagone kuregererana nokutaurirana. So I am asking you to have a Prisoners National Healing Programe, then you come with the recommendation to the Organ. We will then start with the issue that is being asked and then we can recruit anaMai Dandajena vese ava vapanana zvigaro muchiita unity ye prison tione kuti zvinhu zvemujere zvanaka. The issue of prison is painful if it happens to you be it mukwasha, muroora, kana chii nokuti hausisina mukana iwe wekupinda uchiona kuti unogadzirisa kuti muroora wako abude. Ku America neku England kunotori neprogramme kuti vanhu vagadzirisane so that the people will reach agreements whilst still inside. So I like your question very much and please I would like to see your programme, Senator Dandajena you should go and help them so that you will bring a programme for us to deal with the issues of national healing in prisons. I thank you.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT
BILL RECEIVED FROM THE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
THE DEPUTYPRESIDENT: I have received the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Bill from the House of Assembly.
SECOND READING
MONEY LAUNDERING AND PROCEEDS OF CRIME BILL [H.B.4,
2013]
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE on Behalf of THE MINISTER OF FINANCE: Mr.
President, the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Bill seeks to align the country‟s Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of
Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Legal and Institutional Frame Work, in line with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations. In particular, the Bill seeks to amend the bank use promotion and suppression of Money Laundering Act Chapter [24, 24], the Criminal Matters Mutual Assistance Act [Chapter 9, 06], Building
Societies Act [Chapter 24,02] and the Asset Management Act Chapter 24,26 as well as repealing the serious offences (Confiscation of Profits) Act [Chapter 9,17].
Hon. Senators may recall that, Zimbabwe is one of the founding members of the Eastern and Southern African Anti-Money Laundering
Group (ESALG), which in turn is an associate member of the Financial
Action Task Force (FATF), an International Standard Setting Board on
Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.
Mr. President, by virtue of its membership to ESAAMLG and indirectly to FATF through ESAAMLG, Zimbabwe is obliged to implement the Standards of Combating Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing developed and adopted by FATF. The FATF standards are built upon a number of United Nations Conventions and resolutions, including:-
- The 1988 UN Convention against illicit Traffic on Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances;
- The 1999 UN Convention on the Suppression of the
Financing of Terrorism; and
- The 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime.
These Conventions are all aimed at promoting International Cooperation in preventing and containing drug trafficking, domestic and cross border organised crime, corruption and the financing of terrorism.
It should be noted that the FATF Standards change from time to time in line with changing cross border crimes and activities.
Mr. President, prior to 2001, there were 40 FATF recommendations/standards on Anti-Money Laundering, which member states were, required to incorporate into their legal and institutional arrangements. In 2001, the FATF Standards were reviewed to bring in the Combating of Financing of Terrorism (CFT), hence there was an addition of 9 Special Recommendations pertaining to CFT. In February 2012, the standards were further reviewed and consolidated to 40 recommendations covering both AML/CFT issues. An additional aspect of combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction was added to the AML/CFT issues through the new recommendations adopted in February 2013. Although FATF call them „standards‟, it is an obligation for ESAAMLG member states and other Regional Style bodies to implement such standards.
In 2006, Zimbabwe underwent a mutual evaluation exercise to establish the extent of compliance to the FATF standards. The Mutual Evaluation Report for Zimbabwe, which was published in 2007, indicated that Zimbabwe‟s AML/CFT legislation and other systems were not FATF compliant in 14 out of the 16 Core and Key recommendations. The country was assessed using the 2004 FATF methodology which was based on the 40 plus 9 Special Recommendations. The next assessment of the country which is tentatively scheduled for 2016 will be based on the New FATF 40 recommendations adopted in 2012. The country should therefore be guided by the new FATF standards in order to avoid regular review of the AML/CFT legislation.
Pursuant to the need to address the identified deficiencies, in 2012,
Government received technical assistance from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). The Consultant produced a model Law on AML/CFT. Following recommendations by the National Task Force on Money Laundering, an omnibus Bill was produced as opposed to the adoption of one single AML/CFT (Model Law) which had been proposed by the UNODC.
Mr. President, comments on the Bill have been received from the International Monetary Fund, ESAAMLG Secretariat, National Economic Conduct Inspectorate and Board of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, as well as the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
The following are the Highlights of the Bill:-
The Bill is divided into seven Chapters, of which Chapters 4 and 5 will be administered by the Minister of Justice, whereas the remaining Chapters will be administered by the Minister of Finance. The five chapters that will be administered by the Minister of Finance are meant to strengthen the Bank Use and Promotion and Suppression of Money Laundering (BUPSML) Act in line with the identified deficiencies as well as to the recent changes to the FAFT Standards. A major change that will be incorporated into the BUPSML Act is on the provisions pertaining to financing of terrorism. These provisions were incorporated into the Money Laundering and Proceeds of Crime Bill in order and Proceeds of Crime Bill in order to come up with consolidated AML/CFT law, currently the AML/CFT law. Currently, the AML/CFT legal framework fragmented since there are two main relevant laws, namely the BUPSML Act and the Serious Offences Act. In addition, the
Suppression of Foreign and International Terrorism (SFIT) Act [Chapter 11:21] which was enacted in 2007 but brought into force in June 2011 did not have measures to combat terrorism financing, hence the need to address this gap. However, the SFIT Act will remain in place as it is meant to comply with Zimbabwe‟s obligations under various African Union Instruments on suppression of terrorist activities.
- Provision aimed at strengthening the BUPSML Act cover the following gaps identified through the Mutual Evaluation Report of
2007:-
- Carrying out ongoing Customer Due Diligence (CDD).
- Enhanced CDD measures for hire risk customers.
- Identification of the ultimate beneficial owner on whose behalf a transaction is being conducted.
- Prohibiting financial institutions from allowing a customer to open an anonymous account or to open an account using a fictitious name.
- Shareholders and directors of financial institutions to pass a „fit and proper‟ test and removal of those who subsequently cease to meet the test.
- The Bill provides for the establishment of a Recovered Assets Fund, wherein proceeds from AML/CFT forfeited or confiscated property will be receipted. This addresses one of the major deficiencies which were identified through the
ESAAMLG Peer Review System.
- Other issues covered include the requirement for all AML/CFT reporting entities to have proper internal controls, record keeping, training of staff, appointment of a Compliance Officer on AML/CFT matters, and obligations to file Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs).
- In terms of the Bill, dealers in precious metals and minerals such as diamonds are now designated entities for AML/CFT purposes. Previously, they were not covered in the BUPSML
Act.
Chapter 4 and 5 of the Bill
- These chapters relate to criminal sanctioning on matters relating to money laundering and terrorism financing. These chapters will replace provisions of the current Serious offenses Act. New provisions creating an Asset Forfeiture Fund were included in the Bill.
- The Bill will explicitly cover as predicate offenses for money laundering, offenses committed in other countries which would constitute predicate offenses in Zimbabwe had they been committed in the country. In addition, the Bill Provides detailed mechanisms and procedures for freezing and confiscation of proceeds of crime. It also makes provisions for civil forfeiture.
Urgency of passing the Bill into law
- It is critical that Zimbabwe passes the Money Laundering and
Proceeds of Crime Bill into Law before the 20th June 2013, a deadline set by FATF at its plenary meeting held in Oslo on 17 June 2013. The implications of Zimbabwe not passing this Bill on or before the set deadlines are far reaching. The country will be down-graded from its current FATF classification of „grey list”, which consists of countries where serious AML/CFT deficiencies have been identified but who have given a high level political commitment to address the deficiencies and are in fact addressing their deficiencies to a „black list‟. The black list is also known in FATF terms as the „Public Statement‟.
- The FATF blacklist, (which currently consists of only two countries namely Iran and the DPRK), is for countries that have refused to cooperate to address their AML/CFT deficiencies and are therefore considered a serious risk to the world‟s financial system. The consequence of being escalated to the FATF „Public Statement” or uncooperative countries is that FATF member countries (who include Zimbabwe‟s major trading partners such as
South Africa, China and almost all Western countries) will instruct financial institutions in their jurisdictions to review and restrict dealings with Zimbabwean financial institutions.
- In most cases, this includes the refusal to extend correspondent banking services to Zimbabwean financial institutions, a development that will make it very difficult for Zimbabwean financial institutions, businesses and even the state, to make or receive international payments. To this end, it can be concluded that the FATF sanctions will make it difficult to allow inward or outward movement of capital from Zimbabwe, thus rendering the country a closed economy.
Conclusion
- President, I humbly submit this Bill for consideration by this august Senate.
SENATOR CHITAKA: Thank you Mr. President. Firstly, I
would like to commend the Minister for bringing this Bill to this august Senate. What I have picked is, first, if we do not pass this Bill, the country will be inviting sanctions on itself. I must underline the word sanctions because we have some of our colleagues who always cry foul when we invite sanctions on ourselves. This is an opportunity for us as a country to avoid inviting sanctions on ourselves so that in future we do not cry and blame sanctions that we impose on ourselves when we are the ones who would have invited them.
The second point is that this Bill is very welcome, especially in view of the fact that Zimbabwe was becoming a haven of some deposit dictators and dubious business persons who are fugitives in some countries. We need to use this Bill to clean up such dubious characters so that they do not soil our financial landscape as well as keep this country free from terrorism. Before I sit down, I want to pose a question to the Minister for his clarification. Minster does this Bill address the issue of those persons, especially civil servants and politicians who appear to live well in excess of their legitimate means? Can such unaccounted for dubious wealth be classified as suspicious and appropriate action taken in terms of this Bill? I thank you.
SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr. President.
I rise to support this Bill because I do understand where it is coming from and the consequences of us not expeditiously passing this Bill. There are meetings currently taking place internationally where I am aware that each country has to present its papers to show that they in fact have passed this Bill. Without taking this debate too far and in the spirit of passing a Bill that will obviously be passed; this is a good Bill. It is combating money laundering and also controlling the financing of
terrorists.
The rebels we have on the continent, for example in Africa, DRC,
Somalia, Darfur, everywhere, we always wonder who is financing them. They are all financed through mechanisms that are being controlled by this Bill. We are only doing the best for Africa but we are coming up with measures to be sure that those financing illegal activities or wars on the continent are not closing those gaps and those loopholes. I am aware that internationally, every country has to sign this, otherwise as Hon. Chitaka is saying, you are put on sanctions are put on sanctions and
these sanctions are a bit different from the Land Reform sanctions. These are sanctions that come for not complying with what is internationally acceptable. So I commend the senators to support this Bill, thank you.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHITSUNGA: Thank you Mr. President
Sir. I want to add my voice in supporting the Bill. It is a good piece of legislation which is helpful to our country and it helps us to sink with the global practices for we benefit from such relationships.
What I did not appreciate or satisfied with is that our Government should do things timeously and not wait for last minute so that we do not have guns pointed on our heads because we only have seen this Bill this afternoon. We did not have enough time to check what is contained in it. That will not make us good leaders. What is more important is that for the past two months, we did not have business in this Senate yet this Bill was there. It should have been brought to this Senate in time rather than to wait for the last minute like this. Someone was sitting on it. In future, this is a national issue which is important for our nation. We are passing it but may accept things that we will cry foul on in future. I thank you.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you Mr. President, I also rise to
support this Bill, which I believe is very important. I am especially touched by Part II of Chapter Two of the Bill under which Zimbabwe is reeling under. The problems that are facing Zimbabwe right now especially of cash, we are using currencies that do not belong to us; that problem is solved under Part II of Chapter Two which includes monetary instruments such as cheques, travellers‟ cheques, promissory notes, money orders and other negotiable instruments. All that is dealt with in that section, I think that is a solution to our Zimbabwean problem right now where we are using other peoples‟ currencies. Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (MR. TIMBA): Thank you Mr. President, let me start by thanking senators for supporting the Bill. Allow me Mr. President to respond to some questions that have been raised by some senators. Let me start with Senator Chitaka and say that the Bill does enhance “the know your customer requirements”, which you are aware has been implemented by various banks. Therefore, this will allow a situation where banks are able to monitor any suspicious transactions by any individual whether they are politicians or non- politicians or business people.
I want to apologise for the delays in the Bill coming to the Senate, Mr. President, but allow me to say that there was considerable debate on this Bill in Cabinet and we only secured Cabinet Approval for this Bill on the 18th of June, thank you. I now move that the Bill be read a second time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read a second time.
Committee Stage: With leave; forthwith.
COMMITTEE STAGE
MONEY LAUNDERING AND PROCEEDS OF CRIME BILL
(H.B.4, 2013)
Senate in Committee.
THE CHAIRMAN: You will agree with me hon. Senators that
this is a bulky Bill. So I will try and lump the Clauses.
Clauses 1 to 110 put and agreed.
First and Second Schedules put and agreed to.
Senate resumed.
Bill reported without amendments.
House resumed.
Bill reported without amendments.
Third reading: With leave; forthwith.
THIRD READING
MONEY LAUNDERING AND PROCEEDS OF CRIME BILL (H.B. 4,
2013)
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (MR. TIMBA): I move that the Bill be now read the third time.
Motion put and agreed to.
Bill read the third time.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME
MINISTER’S OFFICE (MR. TIMBA), the Senate adjourned at
Twenty Five Minutes to Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 25th of June, 2013.