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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 19 OCTOBER 2023 VOL. 50 No.9

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Thursday, 19^th October, 2023

The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two o’clock p.m.

PRAYERS

(THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER in the Chair)

ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER

BILL RETURNED FROM HIS EXCELLENCY

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  I wish to inform the House

that on 31^st August, 2023, I received the Private Voluntary Organisations Amendment Bill [H.B. 10, 2021] from His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe with reservations. In terms of Section 147 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, the Bill lapsed on the dissolution of the Ninth Parliament.

I have therefore directed the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare to gazette a revised version of the Bill taking into account the reservations noted by His Excellency the President. The Bill will therefore follow the normal stages of a Bill in Parliament.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

HON. TOGAREPI: I move that Orders of the Day, Nos 1 to 4 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day, No. 5 has been disposed of.

HON KARIKOGA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS

First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the

Presidential Speech.

Question again proposed.

+HON. R. MPOFU: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. First and foremost, I would like to commend the President of the country for a resounding victory in the just ended harmonised general elections.  The elections were free and fair. I would like to congratulate you Madam Speaker and Mr. Speaker for being retained to be the Presiding Officers in this House. I congratulate you. I would also like to congratulate all Members of Parliament who were elected by the people to represent them in this august House so as to develop the country. I would like to congratulate our Chief Whip, Hon Togarepi.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, I heard the President emphasising that work from the Ninth Parliament should be completed during the life of the Tenth Parliament. In his address, His Excellency mentioned about agriculture. I will dwell much on issues of our dams which were a result of the new dispensation. We had water challenges in most of our areas, especially where I reside. As for me, I will add even the irrigation schemes. If there are dams, it is better because people can practice farming on small scale. 

In my constituency Matobo, there is an irrigation scheme called

ARDA at Maphisa Irrigation Scheme. The President visited ARDA

Maphisa and noted that the area had fertile soil. He had a meeting with ARDA officers and they were tasked to allocate us a bigger plot. This was done through the intervention of His Excellency. As we speak right now, people are enjoying the benefits. No one is starving.  There is another pipeline from Antelope Dam and this pipeline is also helping to irrigate the ARDA Maphisa Irrigation Farm. People are farming wheat and maize every season. They are sending these grains to GMB. This is also helping the farmers to have income and develop our country. All these are products of the new dispensation. Looking at what His Excellency has done for this country so far, I feel people should give him more credit because he is transforming people’s lives. 

The wheat is also processed in Matabeleland South and I am proud to say we do not have bread shortages currently. Women are baking bread and scones in order to improve the nutritional diet of their families. This is through His Excellency, Cde E. D. Mnangagwa. There is also what we call Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme, where people are now having bumper harvests and they have something to put in their granaries. No one is starving. Even though there is limited rainfall, this method of farming is trusted to bring some relief. By just adding fertilizer to the pits after receiving the few rains, the maize is able to survive and people do have some harvest. Even the elderly are able to plant after the land is prepared. For example, I myself deemed it fit to go and plant a few crops though I am partially disabled. I have also my portion that I farm for my children.

The President is introducing another programme of boreholes which will be drilled in every village. To be precise, 35 000 boreholes will be drilled throughout the country. It shows that our economy is improving and our country is developing as he says that the nation is ruled by its owners. If these boreholes are sunk in every village, women will benefit a lot because they will be able to plant their vegetables and they will have relish which limits cases of gender-based violence and poverty.

Now I will talk about electricity. There is an area called Hwange

Power Station which has Unit 7 and 8 being added to the national grid. This has increased our power generation and we will have more electricity in our country. At schools, children are now using computers with the aid of electricity and they will be able to utilise such resources. It is also an example that our education is improving. Businesses cannot be functional if we do not have electricity.  I applaud the President for his efforts, even going to 2030.  I have faith that no one will borrow from a neighbour because the President emphasised that we are supposed to develop ourselves.

Coming to mining, His Excellency said there was only 2.8 billion in 2017.  As we speak, we have 12 billion.  I know that the small-scale miners are developing well. That is an indication that our country is developing as well. Those who are imposing sanctions, it will not work. Those sanctions will not be effective because our President will have means and ways of trying to overcome those sanctions.  We commend the President, Shumba, Murambwi.

 I want to thank the Hon. President, there are about 60 women who came through the women’s quota, and I am one of them.  It is a way of uplifting women from all over the country and we cannot leave anyone behind, we are proud of this development.  We also have women who hold Ministerial positions.  We are happy about that – [HON.

MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Madam Speaker Ma’am, the President of

the country is a good listener, he looks after everyone.  As we speak right now, even the youths are also benefitting, we have one young person representing the youth from each province. We want to thank him for that. 

His focus on Vision 2030 will enable our children to learn the history of the country.  The youth are the future leaders, so, we commend the President for that.  Again, talking about the disabled Madam Speaker, the President of this country looks after them from corner to corner.  He says everyone should know that he or she is a Zimbabwean. Madam President, in the Senate, we have two representatives from the disabled community.

I would like to thank the President for allowing our First Lady to go around the country giving food to disabled persons.  She is visiting vulnerable people in trying to uplift them.  She is showing that she is a good mother.  She leads by example, so we take a leaf from her so that we are able to follow suit.  She is very humble; she goes everywhere, even to the Chiefs and she respects them.  I want to thank the President, Shumba Murambwi for that and I want to thank our First Lady.  We have been taught how to look after our husbands, if you see my husband, he is putting on a good suit. This is as a result of the First Lady.  We commend the President for giving us the First Lady – [HON.

MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – 

Let me come to the issue of war veterans.  The President has given us a Ministry to cater for the war veterans of the liberation struggle.  May the non-combatants also be catered for. Today is 19 October, it reminds me of another year when I was at war in Zambia. Just like today the 19^th of October 1978, Hon. Nguluvhe is my witness; when the

British entered into a women’s camp at Mukushi. If I speak of that, I feel my blood running.  On that day, most of our colleagues were bombed there at Mukushi.  We wish that the repatriation of those who died there can be done.  

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Mpofu, you are left

with five minutes.

+HON. R. MPOFU: Thank you Madam Speaker.  My request is that let us unite and develop our country because this country was fought for, let us defend it.  This country belongs to our ancestors.  Mbuya Nehanda was arrested and killed for this country.  Our wish Hon. Members is that we were elected by the people, let us represent them and take care of their concerns.  Let us take a leaf from His. Excellency and follow suit. Viva, Viva President Mnangagwa, son of the soil -

[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – [Ululation]    

*HON. P. MOYO: Thank you very much Madam Speaker

Ma’am.  I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to the State of the Nation Address which was presented by His, Excellency and the motion which was moved by Hon. Nguluvhe , seconded by Hon. Tsitsi Zhou.  I want to congratulate His Excellency,

President E. D. Mnangagwa for resoundly winning on the 23^rd August, 2023.  I also want to congratulate the Speaker of Parliament and yourself, the Hon. Deputy Speaker for being re-elected into your positions.  I also want to congratulate all Members of this august House.

I want to also congratulate myself for being voted for by the Mwenezi West Constituency.  

From the State of the Nation Address which was presented by His Excellency, President Dr. Mnangagwa, we appreciate the good job that he is doing.  We appreciate the vision of His Excellency and a lot of other things which have been transpiring in the past five years. 

Developmentally, I want to talk about water. I come from Mwenezi, which is a dry area prone to droughts.  I want to thank Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa for promising to drill 35 000 boreholes nationwide to benefit every family in Zimbabwe.  Still on my constituency Mwenezi West, we anticipate receiving the boreholes.  This will become handy because there is not much water in my constituency.  We are drinking water from rivers and other unprotected wells in the area. His Excellency said that there will be boreholes for sustainable livelihoods where people can do irrigation projects and other projects which would sustain their livelihoods.  We are used to the fact that tap water is only found in urban centres, but now we have tapped water in our rural areas.  We would now have boreholes and we thank the President for not leaving anyone and no place behind. We can also do gardens where people can do small-scale vegetable farming.  As a woman, I know the challenges of not having relish.  When you do not have a garden, you struggle to provide for your family.  Due to the President’s vision who initiated the project of gardening, we are going to see people having sustainable livelihoods.

He also spoke about Pfumvudza farming.  I reiterate that I come from a drought prone area, region 5, but because of Pfumvudza, women are busy with Pfumvudza dry planting preparing for the rainy season.  As their representative, I facilitated that they get small grain seeds because that is what we grow in our area.  I want to thank Hon. President E. D. Mnangagwa, the inputs have already come.  Our President is a visionary leader and we appreciate that.  

          There is also an issue of minerals.  We walk on top of money in

Mwenezi.  Zimbabwe is indeed endowed with mineral resources.  In

Mwenezi, we have different minerals which are ready to be extracted.  Looking at Ward 17, there is platinum.  Our children are benefiting from those mines because they are being employed.  Women also are participating in mining because we do not want to leave any one behind.  As women, we also have to partake in national programmes, hence we thank the President for his vision.  We encourage Mwenezi people to form cooperatives and it is allowed at law.  When we have such minerals and walking on top of them, it does not mean that we already have them.  So, we need people who are going to partake in small scale mining so that they improve their livelihoods.  We request that small scale miners be given the opportunity to mine.

          There is Sandawana Mine – I was happy when platinum was discovered there.  When platinum was discovered, it broke a territorial dispute between Mwenezi, Masvingo Province and Midlands Province, but we came to terms that when a mineral is found in Zimbabwe, it is for all Zimbabweans.  I appreciate that responsible authorities resolved that.  The project is now creating employment opportunities for our children.

          There is also an issue which emanated from the State of the Nation Address concerning conservatives. Some conservatives are in the midst of households.  So, the wildlife-human conflict continues to rage on.  You will find that in other areas, we used to see lions and elephants destroying people’s crops as well as killing animals and people.  This sometimes results in livestock being affected by diseases from buffaloes. We therefore, request this to be resolved.  We are not complaining that we do not need conservancies in our area, but the wildlife should be restricted to roam around so that there is no such conflict.  

Through tourism, you would find that wildlife generates foreign currency and sometimes game meat.  This should be done legally because we have our resources as a nation, even as Mwenezi West.   

I want to talk about education; we are very happy with the Education 5.0 Curriculum.  In Mwenezi, we have a factory that was commissioned two years ago.  The factory is brewing alcohol from Amarula, those who are trained for that are now producing whisky from that natural resource.  So, in Mwenezi, we are now producing whisky.

Hon. Members clap hands for us – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Our children managed to value-add the Marula resource, if abused it can intoxicate you but in Mwenezi, it is helping us to get better livelihoods.  

Women and men produce their farm produce and sell it to companies, they can add value through processing and make a lot of money. So, I appreciate the Education 5.0 curriculum. 

I want to thank His Excellency because in my constituency there was no school with boarding facilities but now, we have a low-cost boarding facility in Mwenezi.  Our children would live in people’s houses and some men ended up taking advantage of the vulnerable girls, sometimes impregnating them but now I appreciate that we have two boarding schools, Maranda Secondary School and Nhikita Secondary School. This is all because of Education 5.0 and I am happy that school children are the ones who benefited, the girls benefiting first in getting boarding facilities as well as the boys.  However, the Government should intervene so that we have more boarding facilities so that our children are well looked after.

          We also have a problem that emanate from drug and substance abuse. Even where I come from in Mwenezi, this is a problem that we are facing as parents.  Our children do not know that drugs are dangerous and not good for them.  So, my request is that we need laws that are going to address the issue of drug and substance abuse.  Some youths enjoy abusing drugs thinking that they will be intoxicated for a short while but this has long-term effects.  So, we need to make sure that there is no peer pressure because when those who indulge in drugs meet with those who do not, they may end up influencing others to partake in drugs.  

I want to thank His Excellency, President E.D Mnangagwa for the good job he is doing.  As a woman, I believe that many of us who are here who came like me know that it was not easy to be voted for as an Hon. Member of Parliament.  I thank the President who added women to the quota system, which is rare but because of the President’s vision, this is happening in Zimbabwe.  When you educate women, you have educated the community and the nation at large.  We are the ones who give birth, we are the ones who look after children, we are the ones who teach children and guide them even to be Members of Parliament.  We thank his Excellency for his vision that as a person who was bred and taught by a woman, he understands the importance of women 

 We appreciate the President because we see a lot of women who were given powerful positions in Zimbabwe.  We were seeing this in Rwanda, South Africa, and other countries but now Zimbabwe is following. We appreciate that His Excellency the President reveres our women and empowers them.

My fellow Hon. Members, being a leader means having leadership qualities; there are a lot of leadership qualities that came in the State of the Nation Address.  

Let me now touch on the issue of sanctions.  Sanctions were imposed on us and when you have not experienced them yet, you might not know what it is but this means that you cannot trade with other countries, you cannot do any business, you cannot travel to other regions or other countries. We have a lot of business people in this august House some of whom are professionals but for them to trade outside the country, it is quite difficult because of sanctions.  So, I would like to request that the leadership of SADC, together with the guidance of His Excellency the President, sanctions be removed.  I thank you.

          HON. BUKA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would like to

take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency, the President of Zimbabwe, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa for winning the general elections resoundingly -[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - Let me also take this opportunity to thank him for creating a peaceful environment that prevailed during the elections.  There was peace during the campaign period before voting, there was peace during the voting day and there was peace after the elections – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –  Madam Speaker Ma’am, I would also like to congratulate our First Lady, Her Excellency Dr. A. Mnangagwa who is, as you might be aware, the founder and patron of the Angel of Hope Foundation and also the Ambassador of Environment and Tourism – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – I want to congratulate her for her philanthropic work which has earned her a number of accolades locally and internationally.  The mother of the nation is indeed making us proud and has become a source of inspiration to women in Zimbabwe and beyond.

          Let me also congratulate you Madam Speaker and the Speaker of

Parliament for retaining your positions at the beginning of this Tenth Parliament.  On behalf of the people of Gokwe Nembudziya and on my own behalf, I want to say congratulations, makorokoto, amphlope.  May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly as you diligently lead this august House in making laws that will continue to uplift the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.

          Madam Speaker Ma'am, let me also commend His Excellency, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa for appointing women in key decision-making positions.  I am referring to positions like the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the Ministry of ICT, just to mention a few.  In the same vein, let me applaud him for also appointing young and capable Deputy Ministers as you have seen them perform in this august House. Madam Speaker Ma’am, history was made by our gender sensitive President when he appointed the first female AttorneyGeneral this year. He went on to appoint the Prosecutor General who is also a female Member and we all know her track record. We know what she is capable of achieving. We also have a number of female ambassadors who have been appointed by His Excellency. We have a number of women who have also been appointed to chair and be Members of the different esteemed boards in Zimbabwe. We really appreciate His Excellency for giving these great women space to excel and to show what the women of Zimbabwe are capable of doing.  Allow me to applaud our President for the quota system at

Parliament and at council’s level. This has increased the number of women in Parliament and in council. It has enabled women to voice issues pertaining to the welfare of women and also the children amongst other issues. I would also want to thank him for the zebra system in the Senate which has resulted in the continuous increase of women in Senate. My concern is with the 210 constituencies which are based on first-past-the-post system. In this Tenth Parliament, only 23 women managed to win the elections and this is a very low number considering that it is us women who have got the highest numbers in the constituencies, normally voting men into power. I am urging the women out there to stop the pull her down syndrome and start voting for women in the forthcoming elections. I am also urging the young, patriotic, educated and economic empowered women to go and fight in the constituencies. It is never easy, but it can be done. We need to compliment the efforts that are being made by our President, to increase women in Parliament by standing in the constituencies and winning.       My Constituency, Gokwe Nembudziya lies in natural region 5 and

there is not a single river that crosses in this constituency. It is a dry area whereby if one decides to drill a borehole, one will only get water from about 70 metres going up to 120 metres. In most cases we use special drilling machines. The people in my constituency compete for water with livestock on these very few boreholes. The Second Republic has however begun to drill solar powered boreholes which have nutrition gardens attached to them. These gardens have gone a long way in promoting food nutrition and security at household level. I am looking forward to that, and because of these boreholes, Gokwe Nembudziya will never be the same because the President has also outlined that the scheme to drill 35 000 boreholes is going to continue.

          I want to thank His Excellency for continuing with these people centred programmes under the illegal sanctions that were imposed by our detractors. These illegal sanctions have not stopped him from mobilising resources to improve the welfare of his people. 

          Let me turn to increasing agricultural productivity. Gokwe Nembudziya is not endowed by any form of any mineral. I have heard the last speaker talking about lithium and gold. In Gokwe Nembudziya, there is none. We only have the white gold which is cotton. Cotton is the only cash crop that has sustained the livelihoods of the people of Gokwe Nembudziya. I am however saddened to say that in the last three or four years, cotton production has had a number of challenges in particular, the low producer prices that are given to the farmers. The delayed payment to farmers by COTTCO in particular. As we speak right now, some of the farmers have not received their payments. They planted cotton last year during this time and now we are in October again, they have not received a cent. Like I have mentioned before that it is cotton that will make them send their children to school, it is also cotton that will make them bury relatives, marry and pay lobola for their wives amongst other needs that they have. So, spending a year without payment has put too much pressure on our farmers who become disgruntled.

          As the payment of cotton has remained elusive to some of our farmers, I am urging COTTCO and other relevant stakeholders to work round the clock and come up with lasting solutions which can motivate the cotton farmer to produce more. We need cotton to be produced in Zimbabwe for the different important uses that it has. Cotton is also a foreign currency earner and therefore we should promote a conducive environment for its production.  Amongst the challenges that the cotton farmers are facing, is the distribution of inputs that are not adequate.  Cotton merchants just distribute the same amount of basal fertilizers and top-dressing fertilizers for different soils without carrying out any soil

test.  

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, you will appreciate that for a farmer to produce more yields, he or she needs to test the soil and get the correct amount of fertilizers or lime that he or she must apply to that field to get the correct yield.  This is not happening Madam Speaker Ma’am.  In addition, I would like to say that the cotton farmers need also to be equipped with tractors and other modern farming equipment to produce this labour intensive crop.  When you go to my area, you find that the cotton farmers do not have tractors.  They basically rely on cattle to plough their fields, and yet this is a very important crop which needs to be expanded in terms of production.

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, wheat farmers and tobacco farmers are

producing a lot in terms of their yields.  I am actually worried because the President has said nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.   If the people of

Gokwe continue not to be paid good prices in time ….

            THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Buka, you are left with

five minutes.

          HON. BUKA:  If the people of Gokwe are not given correct incentives, we will end up being unable to develop our own area.

  Last but not least, Madam Speaker Ma’am, I would like to thank His Excellency for committing to the implementation of the devolution funds.  I am happy because I know that part of these funds will be channeled towards improvement of the road network in the rural areas.  The road that goes to Gokwe-Nembudziya Growth Point leaves a lot to be desired.  The Kadoma Patchway-Sanyati-Nembudziya needs urgent attention, it needs a complete overhaul.  Everyone who has used that road has cried, complained and I do hope that we will be able to get resources to work on this road.   For one to travel 156 kilometers, one would need about four to five hours of trying to navigate on the ragged terrain.  Members of Parliament who are here and have used the same road as me can witness the challenge that we have of this road.  

          Finally, let me express my condolences to the parents and relatives who lost five children in Buhera and Gokwe North due to the recent violent winds and thunderstorms.  May their souls rest in peace.  I also want to wish all those who were injured a speedy recovery.  Thank you.  

             HON. MANGONDO:   Thank you Madam Speaker.  I bring you

greetings and best wishes from the people of Murewa South

Constituency – [HON. MEMBERS:  Hear, hear.] – I would like to begin by congratulating His Excellency the President, Dr. Mnangagwa on his resounding victory in a free, fair and peaceful election.  Madam Speaker Ma’am, I also would like to congratulate you and the Speaker for being re-elected as Presiding Officers of this august House.  I would like to thank His Excellency, the President for an eloquent presentation of His State of the Nation Address – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Also, in the same vein, I would like to thank the First Lady, Her Excellency Dr. A. Mnangagwa for graciously gracing the occasion of the State of the Nation Address. 

 Madam Speaker Ma’am, I would also like to take this opportunity to now respond and contribute to the issues raised by His Excellency the President in His State of the Nation Address.  His Excellency, Dr. E. D.

Mnangagwa, at the Official Opening of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament of Zimbabwe raised several critical Bills and initiatives which were highlighted in his presentation.  I appreciate that His Excellency the President showed his true commitment to address key issues facing our nation and I would like to provide my acceptance on the issues that were raised. 

Madam Speaker Ma’am, may I refer to some of the outstanding

Bills which His Excellency alluded to, which came from the 9^th

Parliament which hopefully will be brought before this Parliament. The Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill; I acknowledge the importance of this Bill in ensuring the responsible and sustainable management of our mineral resources.  It is crucial that the legislation balances the interest of both the agricultural and the mining industry to minimise the perennial conflicts between the two while promoting transparency, environmental protection and equitable benefit sharing.  

Further Madam Speaker Ma’am, there is a need to arrest the pandemic of environmental degradation caused by miners who do not adhere to environmental standards and policies – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Safeguards should be put in place to balance exploiting our abundant God-given natural resources, whilst forcing environmental protections to prevent irreversible damage to the resource of our incomparable landscapes which drive out the tourism industry.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, Government should put in place measures to ensure that double pegging of claims is avoided as this is creating perennial conflicts which discourage investment in our mining industry.  This calls for accountability by Government officials who in some cases corruptly allow double pegging to occur. 

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, the Public Finance Management Bill is important that effective financial management should be the bedrock of any nation’s economic stability and prosperity.  I support efforts to enhance fiscal discipline and transparency, ensuring that public resources are utilised efficiently and effectively for the benefit of all Zimbabweans, leaving no one and no place behind.  It is absolutely crucial that funds are utilised for the purposes intended and any deviations should have appropriate sanctions.  This august House plays an important role in ensuring compliance.

          The Medical Services Amendment Bill – access to quality healthcare is a fundamental right and I welcome efforts to improve our healthcare system.  The Bill should focus on expanding access to affordable healthcare services, improving the quality of healthcare facilities and addressing healthcare worker challenges.  In my constituency, many people walk up to 15 km to access healthcare facilities.  Additionally, we have several clinics which are being built through self-reliance by communities, which remain unfinished.  I call upon Government to provide funding for their completion through devolution funds so as to expedite completion of these healthcare facilities in my constituency.  

          The Private Voluntary Organisations (PVOs) Bill – Civil society organisations play a crucial role in addressing various social issues.  Any legislation concerning these organisations should ensure their accountability and transparency while safeguarding their ability to contribute social development.  These PVOs should adhere to the roles for which they were licenced and should not go beyond their declared mandates. 

          May I now turn to the proposed new Bills which will constitute part of the agenda for the First Session of the 10^th Parliament. The Climate Change Bill – Climate change is a global crisis and Zimbabwe must play its part in mitigating its effects.  I encourage the Government to develop comprehensive climate’s legislation that addresses the emissions reductions, adaptation measures, access to international finance and mobilisation of domestic resources, carbon trading integrity and sustainable development.  I urge the Government to prioritise the most vulnerable groups to the impacts of climate change, including but not limited to, women, girl child and people living with disabilities.          Climate change is a cross-cutting issue which needs to be effectively mainstreamed across all line ministries as it causes significant threats to agriculture, water resources, energy security, public health and the achievement of Vision 2030.  I am calling on the line ministries to emphasise the expedited establishment of the National

Designated Authority (NDA) as cited in Statutory Instrument 150: 2023, known as the Carbon Credits Trading (General) Regulations, 2023.  The Carbon Credits Trading (General) Regulations represent a significant step forward in Zimbabwe’s commitment to addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  This can also attract carbon investment and promote sustainable development.  Climate change is also closely linked to environmental degradation and this Bill should help to protect ecosystems, conserve bio-diversity and safeguarding natural resources upon which Zimbabwe’s economy and livelihoods depend.  

          In Murewa South Constituency, we are experiencing significant deforestation, caused by indiscriminate cutting of trees, including in hills and mountains, which is partly caused by lack of affordable alternative energy sources for curing of tobacco and for domestic use.  This requires concerted efforts to ensure that tobacco companies that contract farmers are obligated to re-forestate and rehabilitate affected areas.  

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, the proposed amendments to the Parks and Wildlife Act and the associated Human-Wildlife Conflict Relief Fund, protecting our natural heritage and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts are essential.  I support efforts to strengthen wildlife conservation and management, while also ensuring that local communities benefit from their resources and compensated fairly when such conflicts occur.

          The President also made reference to the proposed Competition Amendment Bill.  Promoting fair competition is essential for thriving economy.  This view should focus on fostering competition, preventing monopolies and protecting consumers.  Ultimately, driving economic growth.  The Economic Empowerment Bill; economic empowerment is

important for addressing historical inequalities.  It is crucial that this Bill strikes a balance between redressing past injustices and creating a conducive environment for investment and economic growth.

             THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. S. CHIKOMO): Hon.

Mangondo, you are left with five minutes.

          HON. MANGONDO: The National Youth Bill - our youth are the future of Zimbabwe and we must invest in their education and employment opportunities.  I encourage the Government that this Bill focusses on empowering our youth and addressing their unique needs, as idleness has been noted as a significant cause of the drug and substance abuses and mental health epidemics which we face as a nation and my constituency is no exception.  

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, Murewa South Constituency is largely an agricultural based economy, comprised of three wards in communal areas.  Seven wards in resettlement and large-scale commercial farms as well as one ward in the urban area of Macheke.  As such, there are thousands of smallholder farmers who need Government guidance  and protection, especially in tobacco contract farming.

          I would like to address the state of roads in Murewa South Constituency as a matter of utmost importance.  The following key roads require the most urgent attention in Murewa South Constituency:

-Murewa to Macheke Road

-Zhombwe to Shumbahainyare Road

-Chamapango to Mukarakate Road

-Macheke to Dumaira Road

-Timber mills -Rufaro to Virginia also known as Settlers Road

          The deteriorating state of roads in Murewa South Constituency has a direct and adverse impact on the daily lives of my constituents.  People struggle with impassable roads, leading to difficulties in accessing essential services, schools, healthcare facilities and markets.  The state of schools in Murewa South Constituency is deplorable and not aligned with the policy of Education 5.0 since most of these schools were built through self-reliance by communities and require devolution funds to be deployed to improve state of the schools to acceptable standards.

          In line with the President’s speech and in line with Vision 2030, one of the levers that Government has to drive economic growth and development is through infrastructure and energy development.  The energy and infrastructure sectors are a life blood of any upper-middleincome economy.  Given the fact that these are very expensive projects, I would like to propose that Government establishes an appropriate framework to attract private funds so as to push the involvement of private sector resources to finance some of the big infrastructure projects.  In this regard, I would recommend that the Government establish a public-private partnership unit as well as an independent power producer’s office.  This unit and office should be saved as focal points for coordinating, facilitating and supervising PPPs and PPP initiatives in line with NDS 1 and 2 while reducing leakages.

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, I would like to ask, with your indulgence,

that as I am running out of time, I have a prepared speech, if I could deposit this to the Hansard for ease of reference.

          In conclusion, I would like to applaud the Government’s efforts to address these critical issues through various legislative measures and initiatives. It is essential that the proposed Bills are developed and implemented expeditiously in the best interest of the Zimbabwean people at heart.  His Excellency, the President emphasised leaving no one and no place behind.  Despite Murewa South Constituency being in close proximity to the capital Harare, it is in a state of underdevelopment and in dire need of the Government’s urgent intervention.  I look forward to engaging in constructive dialogue and collaboration and ensuring that these national initiatives result in tangible improvements for the nation as well as for my own constituency.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, I would like to acknowledge the resilient people of Murewa South Constituency for electing me as their representative to this august House. I will endeavour to serve them and this nation to the best of my ability.  I thank you.

          HON. MANDIWANZIRA: Thank you very much, Madam

Speaker.  I wish to thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the ongoing address on the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency, the President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa.  

          Let me start by congratulating His Excellency, the President for his massive victory at the polls on the 23^rd of August.  I would also like to congratulate the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. J. Mudenda for his re-election.  I think that is a testimony to his great leadership qualities in this House.  I also would like to congratulate you Madam Speaker for your re-election as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, of course, it speaks volumes about your ability and the great service that you do to our country – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –   Madam Speaker, allow me to also congratulate my colleagues who

are here, who made it into this Parliament just like I did.  I must not just congratulate the people who are here without thanking the people who voted for me.  I stand before you and in this august House as a third term Member of Parliament for Nyanga South – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – This is not because I am the cleverest of the people from Nyanga, the most educated or the richest.  It simply means I have favour from the people of Nyanga. I know that my name is Supa, but in reality, it is the people of Nyanga who are super and indeed, Nyanga is super.  

Madam Speaker, allow me to turn to His Excellency’s State of the Nation Address.  Before I go into the specifics of the SONA, I just would like to acknowledge and salute our President for his clear economic vision for taking this country out of its major difficulties to a successful economy.

I would like to compare our President to the former Chinese

Leader Deng Xiaoping who took over after the revolutionary leader Chairman Mao to lay the foundation for the economic progress that has made China the second largest in the world’s economy today.  President E. D. Mnangagwa is our Deng Xiaoping.  One who is laying the significant foundation for taking this country to greater economic heights. The success that has been scored by the Second Republic in turning around the economic fortunes of our country is there for all and sundry to see.

In his address to this august House, His Excellency, the President alluded to the growth of the mining sector from 2,7 billion USD in 2017 to 12 billion USD that it is today.  That is an amazing growth in a short space of time and speaks volumes to the capacity of our President to turn things around and take us to the promised land as a nation.

This country will not succeed without food, without farmers and our President made it very clear in His State of the Nation Address that 35 000 boreholes are going to be sunk across the country. That is the foundation for food security, which is the foundation for economic enterprise in our rural areas. The people are not just going to grow food for themselves, they are going to have nutrition gardens in which they are going to grow food supplying into our supermarkets and selling to those that are not producing.

So, the President’s vision to create business people from our rural areas and villages is commendable.  I would like to call on everyone in this country to step up and implement the President’s vision. I would like to start by making a call to the private sector that operates in our various districts that when it comes to considering community investment initiatives, those companies and mining houses must consider sinking boreholes in every village in support of the President’s

vision –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –

The local authorities, rural district councils, as they receive devolution funds, must consider buying borehole rigs so that they implement the President’s vision to sink a borehole in every village.  There is no point in waiting for His Excellency to use his office to go and mobilise resources to bring in the borehole rigs, we Zimbabweans must do it.  The President simply sets the vision and we must implement that vision. Everybody must be called upon in my view, to be part of the

President’s vision to make sure that the 35,000 boreholes are sunk, not in the next five years, but in the next two years.  We must just invite the President to come and officially commission his vision.

The President spoke about power generation. The investment has gone on to Hwange, Kariba to make sure that Zimbabwe has sufficient energy to power the industries that are now being built as a result of the vision and work of the President. The growth of the mining sector means the growth in demand for electricity.  The campaign to sell Zimbabwe as open for business means investors must come in and invest in our country, but before they can invest, they need power and I want to applaud the President for the investments that are going into power generation, whether it is hydro, thermal or solar.  However, I would like to call on the relevant Ministry to support the President’s vision by making sure that Zimbabweans, whether they are private, corporate citizens or are churches who invest in solar energy, be encouraged by incentives from Government. These incentives may be tax incentives to make sure that we are not crowding out the private sector and industry from the power that is available. Let us encourage Zimbabweans to invest in solar geysers, but any Zimbabwean who invests in solar geyser must get a credit from ZESA. So, I call upon the Ministry concerned to consider incentives to encourage people to use renewable energy.    The articulation by the President on the need to increase our power capacity in this country has given the people of Nyanga hope. For the past ten years, there has been a project on the cards on the Gairezi River in Dazi area of Tangwena, to build a 30MW power station. That project was awarded to an Indian company in partnership with a local company, but up to today, the people are still waiting. I believe the impetus given in SONA by the President will make sure that those who are particularly responsible for the project will start putting their hands and energy into the implementation of that specific project.

          When we talk about power, particularly solar energy which we have in abundance, it is something that I believe will be able to deal with the unemployment that we have among our youth who are coming out of universities and colleges. I believe this is an opportunity for development, for our young people to import the solar panels and necessary accessories for installations across the country. They must be supported by Government institutions like ZESA. They must be supported by Government institutions and parastatals in terms of the provision of funding or contracts that allow them to secure funding from banks. It is heartbreaking to see foreigners take advantage of our demand for power and they come and retail solar systems in our country when we have youth who are unemployed. I believe that Government, private sector and parastatals must come up and support the youth to implement some of these projects to create employment in our own country.

          I am very proud of the actions by our President in making sure that we have grown a mining economy from US$2.7 billion in 2017 to US$12 billion today. One of the reasons why we have had such phenomenal growth has been as a result of the President’s strategic thinking that we cannot be a supplier of raw materials to industries outside of our country, and therefore the minerals being produced in our country must be processed before they can be exported. We saw that with lithium, copper and manganese. With lithium, it has produced even bigger investments because those companies that have been taking our raw lithium are now busy building plants in this country to beneficiate those minerals. I am very happy that Government has made available

US$10 million to help the growth of the mining sector.

I would like to call the Minister of Finance and Investment

Promotion to increase the funding to ensure that the indigenous Zimbabweans, the ones who are digging the chrome, lithium or manganese also have the ability to go to that fund and secure money to bring in small plants to start the beneficiation and that they can produce the concentrates. This opportunity must not be an opportunity for foreigners because if we do not put the funding to our people, the foreigners will take advantage of this good policy by our President because they will come with the money from their own countries and invest in that machinery, and that opportunity is gone. Therefore, our banks must not just wait for Government and say simply because Government has put a US$10 million fund, our banks must see the opportunity to support our people to go into beneficiation. We believe our banks must listen to the President when he makes SONA because when he made a policy pronouncement that crates opportunity, I believe the opportunity that was created by the President that we must beneficiate our minerals is huge.

What we should have seen would have been the consolidation of banks saying we are putting together a fund to finance those

Zimbabweans who want to bring in machinery to process the minerals.

They should have simply gone to Government to say, give us a guarantee, we want to support the President’s vision and policy pronouncement. I believe we all must come to the party to support the vision of our President and the direction that the Government is taking.

The President mentioned some of the legislation that will be before this Parliament, one of which is the Medial Aid Societies Regulatory Authority Health Professions Bill. This speaks about how our President is sensitive to the struggle of our people. As I speak, many

Zimbabweans are contributing to medical aid societies in the hope that when they get sick, they will not struggle to look for money to pay for doctors or for medical attention. The reality is that even as they are contributing to medical aid societies, they are still being asked to pay upfront and being asked to go and recover the money from the medial aid societies. The whole purpose of a medical aid system has completely lost its value and meaning because Zimbabweans are being asked to pay every month, but when you go to see a doctor, you must still pay. When you go to a pharmacy, you must still pay to get the drugs and they will ask you to fill a form so that you can claim from your medical aid society. You wait for that money forever. It never comes back, but you would have contributed. I believe our President is sensitive to this plight, and therefore he has said this Parliament must look into this kind of Bill. Our people need to be rescued from what I see as abuse by medical aid societies.

The President did mention the role of small to medium scale enterprises in his State of the Nation Address. I believe that this is where our solution is as a country. Therefore, as Government allocates resources and particularly as we now look forward to a new budget, resources must be made available for our young people to start business and fund their ideas and projects. We have an education system that is now creating entrepreneurs. As long as we do not provide the funding for those entrepreneurs, we have not done enough. I therefore, ask that the Minister of Finance makes specific allocations for small to medium scale enterprises, and that is where the bulk of the resources must go because that is where the bulk of industry is. In that way, Government will then have sufficient grounds to follow up taxes in the informal sector because we would have provided a basis why they need to contribute. In support of the President’s vision and desire to see a greater role of the small to medium scale enterprises, it must be followed with resources.

Government is not the only institution that must provide resources. We must see the private sector encouraging small to medium scale enterprises by directly sourcing from small to medium scale enterprises. That is what will transform our country because that is where the potential massive employment creation lies.

I wish to thank you for this opportunity and wish His Excellency good health as he leads this country to greater economic prosperity. I thank you.

          * HON. JONGA:  Thank you Madam President. Firstly, I want to start by thanking the President, Dr. Mnangagwa for the resounding victory.  I want to say congratulations to His Excellency the President.  Secondly, I would want to congratulate the Hon. Speaker, Advocate Jacob Mudenda and the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Tsitsi Gezi for being elected as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively, to guide us and lead us as the National Assembly.  I also want to take this opportunity to congratulate every Member of this House.  

          Please allow me Hon. Speaker, to go into SONA presented by His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa.  The President spoke regarding the allocation of resources and devolution to different provinces.  The increase in the Devolution Fund means that we are now able to use such funds to build clinics and other community projects.  Where I come from, there were few clinics but I believe that with the Devolution Fund, this is going to change.  In the past, funds channeled to communities would not reach such communities but now I am glad that with the Devolution Fund and the increase in the Devolution Fund, it will benefit the actual beneficiaries, the communities which are targeted by the fund.  

Madam Speaker, the roads we use in rural areas will also be rehabilitated because local authorities who are responsible of such roads will be empowered with the funds to rehabilitate the roads.  I believe that in my constituency the roads are in a dilapidated state because they have not been rehabilitated for a long time. 

Let me move on to education Madam Speaker Ma’am. Because we have been empowered to plan using the funds that have been allocated, our schools are going to be enhanced in terms of infrastructure.  Looking at the boarding schools in different areas, in my constituency, let me inform the House that I do not have boarding schools.  We only have two boarding schools, Dotito and Hondo schools in different areas.  The funds should be used to increase the boarding facilities in my constituency.  This will benefit our children because they can get the best education that they need.  

The President spoke about 35 000 boreholes which will be allocated to different constituencies countrywide.  In my constituency, I am one of the beneficiaries of boreholes which use solar power.  These boreholes are found in Wards 16. 17 and 35.  Such wards benefited from the Presidential initiatives which will culminate in the community using irrigation to create employment and income generating projects.  

The President also, through the Pfumvudza initiative, is giving inputs.  I just want to thank the President because Pfumvudza distribution of inputs as I am speaking has already started.  The process of distribution of inputs has already started for those who have received their inputs, who are tobacco farmers and grain farmers.  They have already been given their inputs.  

I do not want to take much time.  What we need to do as Members of Parliament, our councils and other stakeholders, is to unite so that we fulfill the mandate, ambitions and the vision of His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa. With these few words, I thank you Madam Speaker. 

HON. MAKOPE:  Thank you Madam Speaker.  Let me take this opportunity to congratulate His Excellency, the President, Dr.

Mnangagwa for winning resoundingly the elections held on 23^rd   August, 2023.  I want to thank His Excellency for creating a conducive environment before, during and after the elections.  Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the Speaker of this House and the Deputy Speaker for being given another opportunity to lead this august House and drive that seat.  

Madam Speaker, let me reflect on the speech delivered by His

Excellency on the State of the Nation Address, a number of aspects were deliberated in his speech.  I also want to add my voice on some of the issues which were given by His Excellency. I want to commend on the commitment that has been shown by His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa in giving the people of Zimbabwe support in social services, particularly the education sector.  In the education sector, we have seen a number of schools being built, especially in rural areas, using the devolution funds.  

          In the constituency where I come from, I have witnessed a number of schools, which include Negari primary school, Rufaro Secondary School and Chimbi. All those schools managed to get the funds from the

Central Government, the Government led by His Excellency, Dr. E. D.

Mnangagwa. We want to applaud him for that effort – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – On the same aspect, I want to appeal to our esteemed Government to again improve in some issues relating to the education fraternity.  We have the Early Childhood Development (ECD), these are young learners, and they are still travelling long distances to attain the education.  My appeal is to decentralise some of the learning centres from the mother schools so that our young learners can also get an opportunity to get education.

          The constituency that I represent, Mwenezi North, is dominated by schools in resettlement areas. Most of these schools are satellite, they are not yet registered.  There are a number of challenges faced by schools which are not registered. During the examination period, they ferry their learners to the mother schools where they can get these facilities; where they can create a ‘mini-boarding’.  In those ‘mini-boarding’ schools, this is where we see a rise in the number of vice habits among our learners.  So, it is my appeal to the Government to expediate the process of the registration of these schools.

          I know the registration of schools demands a number of issues, cooperation of different ministries and departments. I know the Physical Planning Department, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and even the Local Authority have to come together and facilitate the registration of these schools. This probably creates a bureaucracy that will delay in the registration of our schools.  That is one major challenge that we see.  

In the area where I come from, we also have other languages which are still regarded as minority languages. We have a language which is called Pfumbi.  It is a hybrid language between Ndebele, Venda and Shona.  So, I appeal to the Government, through the Ministry responsible, to have a thorough research, work flat out and come up with this language as one of the national languages, like the other 16 languages which we have and regarded as one of our national languages recognised in all sectors of the social economic sectors.

I also want to commend on the efforts made by the Government in the erection of clinics across the country.  In the constituency that I represent, we have witnessed the state-of-the-art clinic in Petronella section.  Our appeal again is to have some more clinics in some of those areas, especially the resettlement areas because we still have a number of people walking long distances in order to get the health services. We need a clinic at Pambe areas, Chikwalakwala as well as Sagwari.  Those are some of the areas where health services are in urgent demand.  

On the same note, on the social aspect, I know the commitment of

His Excellency in supporting our senior citizens, the elderly as well as the disabled.  So far, I think in all economic activities and policies which have been crafted, they are living these people, the elderly as well as the disabled.  So, I think in our budgets, a social grant can also be given to these people, whom I think are not able to fend for themselves through artisanal mining and through farming because most of the economic activities or policies which have been crafted at the moment are looking up to the economically active group, leaving out the elderly who happen to be our citizens. Most of them, who are disabled is because of the liberation war in which they were involved. So, they still need the support of our Government.

Let me also commend on the mining sector, where we have witnessed an increase in the production of our minerals from 2.8 to 12 billion from 2017 to date. That is a great effort we have witnessed as a nation.  So, I want to thank His Excellency in facilitating the environment to be very conducive for all mining players to come up with this high production. We need to maintain this high production, but probably, I have a suggestion that as a nation this is the time we should also invest in the knowledge of mining.  I have been looking and comparing our nation with other nations, especially the Europeans, where they take mining seriously. They have mining as a subject, from ECD to tertiary level.  This is again my suggestion to have mining introduced as a subject from primary level. Currently, it is being taught in schools, just as a theme subject within the main umbrella Science subjects that cannot give us in-depth knowledge of mining.  If you look at those other nations that I have mentioned, even the Asian countries, they invested a lot in the knowledge of mining, how to extract, the processing and the value addition up to market level.  Comparatively, if you look at the European countries, they do not have minerals like we have here in Zimbabwe.  So, whose minerals are they targeting?

Definitely, they are targeting the African minerals, Zimbabwe included.  Therefore, we should defend our minerals by processing them ourselves, value-adding as well as exporting them.

          Madam Speaker, I want to mention the road networks.  We really appreciate the Harare-Beitbridge Road, it is a state-of-the-art road and other roads in the nation where His Excellency and the Government have shown a lot of commitment to improving our road networks.  We want to thank him for that.  

          On the same note, I want to appeal to our esteemed Government to also look into other roads, the dust roads especially in our rural sections where most of our rural dwellers are connecting in everyday lives.  I want to mention the Turn P-Neshuro Road, one of the roads in my constituency.  It is called Neshuro Road or Turn P Road; I always want to mention it as one of the emotional projects.  This road has been put on the budget year in and year out.  I remember in 2005, we watched on television seeing this road already surfaced and it created a lot of anxiety among our people.  Since 2021, the road has been on the budget again, but up to now, we are still waiting for the esteemed Government to look into that matter.  

          This road is very important because it is the face of Mwenezi.  It is the only road that connects the main Beitbridge-Harare Road with our growth point where most of the Government offices, Government schools and our general hospital are situated.  So, we have a lot of expectations from our Government to look into that.

          Madam Speaker, let me also appreciate the effort made by His Excellency in facilitating the Vision 2030 accelerator model type of agriculture across the nation.  I have witnessed one in Bubi, Lupane Irrigation Scheme where we have witnessed together with the farmers in my constituency, a state-of-the-art irrigation scheme.  In Mwenezi, we want to appreciate what has already been done by our Government. As we speak, there are people or companies which were given tenders to look into Murove Irrigation Scheme, Chizumba Irrigation Scheme as well as Zhawanda Pikinini Irrigation Schemes. 

 These irrigation schemes with other irrigation schemes that we are looking forward to having, are going to utilise the water in Manyuchi Dam which is lying idle. We have about 78% of Manyuchi water which is lying idle, currently they are using it for wildlife.  Very little water is being used for irrigation in Mwenezana Estate and other small irrigation schemes available.    So, I hope that our Government will look into that and expedite the process. Our farmers are eager and they are waiting to be allocated small plots in those irrigation schemes I have mentioned.

Madam Speaker, let me take this opportunity again to thank even the Government officials who are also implementing all these projects in the constituency that I represent in Mwenezi North.  I am very proud even to mention my C.E.O Mr. Chivanga, and the DDC Mr. Mutambara; these are the workhorses we are forced to reckon with.  I really appreciate their efforts in supporting the Government and the President’s mantra of nyika inovakwa nevene vayo I thank you.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Thank you Hon. Makope, had

it been in my own will, I would have given you more time to present since you mentioned so much on Mwenezi which is where I come from.

HON. OBEY BVUTE: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.  I

would like to start by congratulating the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for winning resoundingly the 2023 General Elections held in August this year.  On the same note, I also want to congratulate the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Adv. J. Mudenda for being re-elected to preside over this House in this Tenth Parliament.  I wish also to congratulate fellow legislators, myself included, for being voted into the Tenth Parliament.

Thank you Madam Speaker, for allowing me to pass a few remarks with regard to the SONA that His Excellency the President presented.  I

wish to applaud the work and effort put in by the Second Republic to embark on a socio-economic development trajectory.  Since 2018, we have witnessed for ourselves that His Excellency and the Government scored major milestones in infrastructure, particularly road networks, airports and border expansion projects, et cetera.  For example, the R.G Mugabe International Airport is an amazing piece of effort done by our own Government which we must applaud.

There have been also efforts in agriculture, mining, environment, energy and education, just to name but a few.  These efforts need to be thoroughly consolidated going forward, and the President’s SONA address bears testimony to this.  For this to continue to bear fruit, I urge the Government to focus on basics and getting the job done.  The nation is seeing the progress that has been happening under the Second

Republic.  This will keep our country on the regional and global agenda.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, the strides made in the introduction of

Education 5.0 curriculum is testimony of President Dr. E. D.

Mnangagwa’s determination to empower the people of Zimbabwe despite the sanctions imposed by the western world. There has been a paradigm shift in the education model that has moved from a knowledge based template to a more skills acquisition model. Through the use of continuous assessment model also known as CALA, though this system has shown a lot of challenges in the beginning, the benefits will surely outweigh the hassles in the long term as our children are taught to be innovative and to take advantage of the creative industries that lie ahead. Unlike during the generation of yesteryear, today’s children now have broader scope and learner pathways to choose from when they complete basic education. I would recommend for more private sector participation in creating twin arrangements with learner institutions, our typical basic school system at an early stage so that the children can get experience to interrogate their acquired skills that they are learning at the infant stage.

          The textbook provision in terms of learner to book ratio needs to be addressed so that the negativity around CALA is minimised as most of the guidelines in CALAs are there in the updated curriculum textbooks but the schools have deficiency and do not have enough of these teaching and learning materials to tackle CALAs. Some of the phobia around CALA is because children share one book to five pupils as a ratio. The digital learning dimension which has been introduced in the new curriculum will also address this issue in the long run through the continuous supply of laptops and other relevant gadgets in schools. For now, more needs to happen to resource schools with more basic teaching and learning materials.

          The President also touched on the aspect of the popular agriculture programme Pfumvudza/Intwasa which I must admit has been a revelation to modern Zimbabwe that we can boost our agriculture output by home grown initiatives that are sustainable and more ideal to our own circumstances as a nation. Pfumvudza is a very good idea which in my view just needs to be strengthened on the issue of monitoring and evaluation so as to realise its full potential. We also need to make sure that the vulnerable members of society like those living with disabilities, child headed families and elderly get prioritised on distribution. I have also tried to encourage this in Mutasa North where I come from.  At this juncture, I must highlight that I am very grateful to the people of Mutasa North for having voted for the President overwhelmingly and also for having voted me to represent them in this Tenth Parliament. 

          I was talking about food self-sufficiency and this is very important to Zimbabwe as at one point we were the bread basket of Southern African. I am sure that these efforts that are happening in agriculture at this point are taking us back there at the apex of agriculture to feed the world. I will just make a comment on Command Agriculture that many people are not talking about but it is a programme that is also helping the nation on food self-sufficiency. My remark on Command Agriculture would be for the relevant Ministry to revisit the issue and price model to make sure that it rewards farmers and it carries on as a viable option. This will also make a viable enterprise for students who are leaving basic education to choose agriculture. I am encouraging Government to consolidate Command Agriculture and to keep that programme going.      Tourism is one area SONA reflected on so much as a serious economic enabler and he made reference to a growth of 62% in international tourist arrivals during the first half of 2023. This shows great resilience after COVID-19 pandemic and we must applaud His

Excellency and his team for such splendid recovery effort. In Mutasa North, there is potential through the transformation of Honde Valley from being just a basic communal area to a fully fledged tourism destination. I would like to push this transformation during the five years I will be serving the people of this great area. 

At this juncture, allow me Madam Speaker, to kindly invite Hon. Members to an upcoming athletic marathon event on 18 November 2023 which is an attempt to showcase the beautiful scenery, weather and tantalising views of Mtarazi Falls and the meandering Pungwe River. It is also a chance for Hon. Members and their families to come and exercise.

          There was greater wisdom in my view in the deployment of resources to Unit 7 and 8 at Hwange Power Station to boost our electricity generation capacity. This was a game changer and evidence that our visionary leader is pragmatic. As a result, we are now witnessing stable power supply on our national grid. Indeed, going forward, the President hinted on the bias towards investment and promotion of independent power product (IPPs). This is fundamental so as to create sufficient power generation capacity to support these ambitious economic targets. In Mutasa North, there is also private-public partnerships that took advantage of the abundant water sources in the area where I come from and created mini hydro power stations which are now also feeding into the national grid. Credit goes to the Second

Republic for such spending initiatives.

          Devolution of resources needs to be encouraged and I must commend the President for the highlights that it will be increased this time around. Road infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance is high priority in Mutasa North because we need transportation for the fruits like the popular bananas and avocados that come from Honde Valley. It is imperative that road network get maximum attention, without ignoring schools and clinics that also need serious attention on devolution. My call is for decent budgets so that we can realise meaningful progress in this effort.

          I want to touch on sport and culture that was in SONA. While we appreciate our Government efforts in supporting all sports including the elite ones, we also need to put more effort and create more Peter Ndlovus and George Shayas, just to mention a few of this world through prioritising popular sport like soccer which unites billions of people worldwide. Soccer is Zimbabwe and Africa number one sport, so we need our stadiums back into shape to host international matches so that we remain visible on the international arena. It is my hope that sooner this item will get attention from the relevant Ministry. We also need to channel more resources in the creation of more academies to absorb children or school leavers who would have chosen this sport or chosen physical education as an employment avenue. A lot of our children at the moment are going overseas to study physical education and sport because our tertiary infrastructure and learning model is not taking physical education as a very special pathway to create employment. I would want to urge the relevant Ministry to consider investment and more for it so that our children who are not academically gifted can take this avenue to create wealth for their own families and for Zimbabwe.

In conclusion, I also want to appreciate the mantra - nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, brick upon brick and to wish the President and this Tenth Parliament success. I thank you. 

          HON. MAPFUMO:  Good afternoon Madam Speaker Ma’am. 

Greetings and congratulatory message from the constituency that I represent to His Excellency for the resounding victory in the just ended free and credible harmonised elections. Congratulations to you Madam Speaker and Mr. Speaker, for your re-election to chair this august House. Congratulations to my fellow Members of Parliament for being elected by the electorate to represent them in this House again.  

          Firstly, I would like to thank His Excellency Cde. Dr, Mnangagwa in his address, for recognising that water is life with the drilling scheme of 35 000 boreholes. This will go a long way in alleviating the water challenges, for example in the Constituency of Headlands that I represent where there is urgent need for boreholes in several villages as  people are still sharing water sources with their livestock. These boreholes have gone further to industrialise our grassroots villages by increasing trade through the community gardens that are now being set up, whereby villages can now have horticultural produce since there will be no availability of water. 

 As Headlands, we thank the President for his initiatives as it is direct development to the masses at grassroots who do not have access to other developmental wonders being done under the new dispensation and NDS 1, now going into NDS 2 towards Vision 2030, for example, the airports, the highways and the Beitbridge Border Post to mention but a few.  Normally, we get people at grassroots saying there is no direct contact with development under the new dispensation.  I think this initiative of boreholes will give direct contact to those that do not fly or travel outside the country to access the new highways and the beautiful border posts.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, the much-anticipated Climate Change Bill which will lead to climate proofing measures such as Pfumvudza is also a sanction basting measure, which we would want to applaud our President for making it a success.  Headlands is primarily a farming constituency and hence, the speedy payment of farmers by GMB is of imperative importance, not just in Headlands alone, but I am sure fellow Hon. Members here will testify to that. In order for us to achieve our agrarian reform to be a financial success and with all players being happy to contribute towards food security, there is need for speed payment.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, allow me to take note of the irrigation schemes country wide which continue to put our trajectory towards an upper-middle income economy, His Excellency has made sure that it is brought to reality.  For example, in Headlands, we have benefitted from these schemes with Muchekeranwa Dam ready for providing irrigation as half of it is in Headlands, the eastern side.  These, however need to be capacitated so that the farmers and villages on the eastern side of Muchekeranwa Dam, that is in Ward 32 and 37, will be capacitated with irrigation equipment such as pumps, mainline piping canals and pivots to achieve an all year-round greenbelt.  

We have other two mega water bodies lying idle in my constituency, that is Chinyudze Dam and the dam on the Mupfure River which I share boundary with Hon. Mangondo of Murewa South. This dam is huge and it can really assist in climate proofing challenges we are facing due to global warming.  There is land to farm in Headlands where I come from. I intend to rollout agriculture projects for the youth using these water bodies. His Excellency, the President in his SONA speech, touched on climate change, global warming effects. Global warming is real Madam Speaker Ma’am and it is upon us to mitigate the effects of climate change. We thank His Excellency, the President for his astute leadership which brought about schemes such as Muchekeranwa, Tokwe-Murkosi, Gwayi-Shangani among many others. We need to do away with the saying, ‘if you cannot irrigate it do not plant it’. That is the situation we find ourselves in due to climate change.   

His Excellency’s address in the SONA also touched on health. It is imperative for us to ensure that health access for all is easily available and affordable.  For instance, in, Headlands where I come from, it is at its infancy, with a shortage of clinics particularly Wards 11, 34 and 38. I am positive that these critical health issues will be addressed as His Excellency, the President has made great strides towards decentralisation of service delivery as he alluded to in His State of the Nation Address.   

Madam Speaker Ma’am, the Constituency I represent - thanks to His Excellency for the continued acceleration of the heritage-based education 5.0 model. In Headlands, preparation of the opening of Manicaland University of Applied Sciences Headlands Campus need to be expedited in order to achieve Science and Technology impartation of knowledge towards Vision 2030.  

Devolution Funds have seen the construction of a school in Ward 38, giving easy access to education for the community. There is need for more classroom blocks at numerous existing schools in Headlands, for example Yorkshire in Ward 6, Musasa in Ward 11 and Nyamukamane among many others. However, Madam Speaker Ma’am, following the President’s mantra nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, people of Headlands have been busy with their own resources, there are classroom blocks under construction in Wards, 7, 11, and 37. This includes a completion of a classroom block that was initiated in 1991 and left idle, but it is now almost complete using our own resources as mwene we Headlands.  Madam Speaker, allow me to touch on the issue of roads and connectivity with particular reference to the constituency that I represent in Headlands where our roads are in a dire state, some having been last attended to decades ago. Access to markets and easy movement is hampered. People of Headlands have been patching up here and there, but there is need for mechanised intervention in all our roads. Madam

Speaker, allow me, on behalf of the people that sent me here, to thank His Excellency and his visionary policies as one of our badly damaged roads which is the Ribe-Nyathi Mine Road is now among those on the ERRP. I will keep knocking for its timeous rehabilitation commencement. 

Connectivity will increase business activity in the constituency I come from. Plans and discussions with the relevant Ministry on completing tarring of Headlands-Chiendambuya-Mayo Corner StoreNyamapanda Highway which is not more than 100km are underway, hence connecting Forbes and Nyamapanda Border Post. Madam Speaker, allow me to continue and say, with the increase in power generation, with the coming up of Units 7 and 8 in Hwange, in

Headlands we are in need of more transformers in various institutions.

Headlands farmers heavily rely on electricity throughout the year. The deliberate investments that are ongoing for the increase in generation capacity are highlighted by His Excellency in the SONA Address. We applaud His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa in removing entry barriers for independent players, for the independent power producers to come on board.

I cannot debate on SONA Madam Speaker, without asking for a round of applause from the House for His Excellency for touching and not forgetting our gallant sons and daughters of the liberation struggle through the Act of the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle and

Amendment of the National Heroes Act together with the War Victims

Compensation which will now include recommendation from the Chidyausiku Commission of Enquiry. On that note, Madam Speaker, the war veterans in the constituency where I come from, call upon the national Museums and Monuments to urgently look at the state of Makoni District Heroes Acre, Ruwombwe Mountain and the Chingaira historical sites for they define us as a people.

Madam Speaker, allow me to touch on another important issue of drugs. The drug scourge, with the coming in of the development of the Sport, Leisure and Recreation Bill, will go a long way in keeping our youths busy in talent identification and usage. His Excellency, in the SONA, mentioned the need for measures to turn the scourge of drug abuse strengthening relevant institutions for effective coordination and programming of activities being instituted. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo as his mantra says, and we all have a role to play to combat the drug threat. 

Madam Speaker, as a contribution to His Excellency’s measures above, I have identified 50 hectares in my constituency which I propose that a National Drug Rehabilitation Centre that is self-sustained through agriculture be constructed, I stand to be guided – [HON. MEMBERS:

Hear, hear.] – 

To end on a lighter note Madam Speaker, it would not have been enough to only speak at the outstanding New Parliament Building in Mt. Hampden for myself and fellow new Parliamentarians in this august House without having set foot in this historical Parliament Building. On that note, Madam Speaker, I thank you for according me this opportunity to speak in this revered House and on behalf of Headlands Constituency, I thank you.

HON. ZVOBGO: Good afternoon Madam Speaker. My name is Edison Zvobgo Jnr representing Masvingo Central. It is my earnest and sincere honour to stand in this historical building and speak to this august House for the first time – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – 

Madam Speaker, I shall start by congratulating His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for his re-election as our country’s President and to congratulate the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker on their re-election. I would also wish to extend my congratulations to my fellow colleagues here present on their election as representatives of the respective constituencies.

Madam Speaker, I am grateful for this maiden opportunity where I wish to acknowledge and applaud His Excellency’s speech which was meticulously presented and delivered. The speech touched on the pertinent matters of people’s livelihood and the economy, highlighting the positive growth across several financial industries including mining, agriculture, education and health sector, amongst others.

Madam Speaker, His Excellency’s speech is not mere political rhetoric, it is grounded on actual reality. The province from which I hail from, boasts of lithium deposits in Bikita, organised mining projects and massive borehole drilling undertaking, the Mutirikwi Hydro Power Station, His Excellency, the President has made mention of these projects from a nationwide point of view, but my electorate is a manifestation of these projects. The aforementioned projects Madam Speaker, have seen immense dire stream benefits for the population in the province, and in particular my area of jurisdiction. This is to be applauded – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – 

In addition, I would applaud the Government’s creation of a conducive environment for investment and the saying by His Excellency that we are open for business and that we are the builders of our own economy as well as that we are a friend of all nations and enemy to none. Madam Speaker, I am confident that by exploring value addition and beneficiation of our country’s resources, industrialisation will gather unprecedent momentum. I am also encouraged by His Excellency’s clarion call that this august House should be an institution of peace building, hope and national development so as to expedite the building modernisation and industrialisation of our great country – [HON.

MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – 

Madam Speaker, in His SONA, His Excellency, precedes to lay down the national vision and strategy, and a careful analysis of the same reveals that it is all grounded in legislation.  One can safely state that the President not only wants us to succeed but he requires us to do so. 

Accordingly, the President’s vision for Zimbabwe’s future can only be achieved if the President finds in the legislature a vibrant, passionate and knowledgeable partner.

  At this juncture Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to call upon my fellow colleagues in this distinguished august House to commence the hard work that has been set before us with your wisdom, knowledge and experience as well as that of the Madam President of the Senate. I have little doubt that the legislative agenda set before us can and shall be delivered in the life of this Parliament.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, you may be aware that I have some personal connection with this House.  The late Julia Zvobgo was also a Member of this House representing the Zvishavane Constituency wherein she rose to the position of Deputy Speaker.  In the same vein, the late Eddison Zvobgo Snr represented Masvingo South and was the leader of this House on several occasions. Both of them were greatly honoured to be members of this august House immediately after our nation’s independence in 1980.  Indeed, Madam Speaker Ma’am, it was a time when giants walked these halls and sat on these benches.  Our own President sat and worked here in this august House together with notable names such as the late Joshua Nkomo, Simon Muzenda, Robert Mugabe, Edgar Tekere, Hebert Ushewokunze, Enos Nkala and so many others.  These patriotic men and women did not always agree perhaps because as the late Dr. Zvobgo used to say, if two men always agree, it simply means that one of them is not thinking.  Mr. Speaker Sir, while these men and women did not always agree, it is certain that they always pursued what they believed to be in our nation’s interest.  

History provides inspiration and examples of what to do and what not to do.  May I and my fellow colleagues, be inspired by this very same history and learn from it; to build where needed and unite

Zimbabwe in its quest to become a prosperous and wealthy nation.  Madam Speaker Ma’am, may God bless this august House, may God bless His Excellency the President and may God bless Zimbabwe.  I thank you.

HON. CHINODAKUFA:  Good afternoon Madam Speaker. I

would like to start by congratulating the President, Hon. E. D.

Mnangagwa for his resounding victory and secondly, the Speaker, Hon.

Adv. Mudenda and his Deputy for retaining their positions.  

I am going to make my presentation on the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency, Cde E. D. Mnangagwa.  I am humbled to address this august House as I commence my journey to serve and represent the people of Shamva North Constituency.  

In this development journey, Hon. Members of Parliament, I will take this opportunity to applaud the strategic road map to positive economic growth delivered to us by His Excellency the President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa in his SONA during the opening of the 10^th Parliament, on 3^rd October 2023.  The completion of matters outstanding from the Legislative Agenda of the 9^th Parliament as raised in the SONA is commendable priority which is not only to promote continuity in governance but accelerating completion of the projects.  

I would also like to acknowledge the robust measures put in place by the Government and to enhance the guaranteed agricultural productivity including climate proofing which saw us realising national food security, the availability of water as a basic requirement of the agriculture sector and the 2^nd Republic agenda to drill 35000 boreholes and establishing village agro-business units will bring a shift from rain fed agriculture, which has been affected by climate change.  

The efforts by the 2^nd Republic to establish village agro-business units has already been witnessed in Mashonaland Central whereby 200 youths, 20 from Shamva district have been mobilised from all eight districts of Mashonaland Central to launch the first youth village agrobusiness unit at an identified venue in Bindura District.  Whilst land is being identified in other districts, this will not create employment for the youths but promote skills and technology transfer, food security and rural industrialisation through value addition.  Shamva North is largely a communal land area rich in land resources, thus making village agrobusiness a necessary empowerment initiative for all well-resourced communities in Zimbabwe.  

Madam Speaker Ma’am, I commend the commitment by the 2^nd Republic to increase resources disbursed towards devolution and decentralisation programmes.  The priority being given to the projects which improve access and quality of education, health, water and sanitation has greatly improved service delivery in rural authorities.  The devolution programme has awarded the grassroots and Shamva District not being left out from the opportunity to decide on the priority areas and hence promote a demand driven development.  From the devolution funds, Shamva has seen the construction of Matala Clinic, Mupfure Clinic, purchase of a refuse compactor and a borehole rig, just to mention a few.  

The significant improvement of power supply by the 2^nd Republic Administration following the commissioning of Hwange Power Station Unit 7 and 8 is greatly applauded.  The complement of Government initiative to achieve rural electrification supported the purchase of installation of the five transformers in Shamva North Constituency which are serving five schools, five business centres and the surrounding communities.  

The positive side being taken by the Government to tame the drug and substance abuse through substance vocational training centres as hubs for local community development is indeed a sustainable measure to promote skills training amongst youths.  Most of our youths have failed to proceed to tertiary education due to failure to attain the five O’level passes or dropping out of school amongst other reasons. 

The growing of the youths will greatly benefit from vocational skills training and enterprise development. Low cost and accessible vocational training centres like Shamva Vocational Training Centre will facilitate rural industrilisation through establishment of business centres and entities by VTC graduates. I commend the call to private sector to play a part in support of our on-going initiatives for youth development and empowerment considering courses such as basic safe mining skills training, partnering with the School of Mines which is only found in

Bulawayo. It is a great need for the youth in mining zones such as Shamva, Mazowe, Kadoma and across the country. 

We appreciate the Second Republic’s youth friendly initiatives seen by the establishment of the Ministry of Youth, Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training. We embrace enhancement and participation of the small scale and artisanal miners through the establishment of the $10 million Mining Industry Loan Fund. The decentralisation of the Ministry of Mines offices to districts which are mining zones such as Shamva is indeed welcome. Shamva District appreciates the Fidelity Printers branch established at Shamva Country

Club which now has access to State market and artisanal miners.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I wish to extend my gratitude to the President, His Excellency Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for encouraging continued unity of purpose as to appreciate our on-going quest to build modernised and industrialise our great motherland Zimbabwe. As Zimbabweans, we develop at our own pace using what we have to do what we can in order to build the Zimbabwe we want. Our Zimbabwe, our responsibility. I thank you.

          HON. MUKUNGUNUGWA: Mr. Speaker, it is my singular

honour to be afforded this opportunity to speak before you in this splendid august House. I would like to congratulate His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa, on his re-election into the supreme office of the Republic of Zimbabwe. It is indeed an indication of recognition by the electorate in his visible great work during his first term of office that built a greater mark of confidence. The mantra nyika inovakwa nevene vayo has been bearing fruits at the front towards the realisation of an upper middle-income economy by 2030.

          I would like to take this opportunity to applaud Mr. Speaker and Madam Deputy Speaker, for your re-appointment as the leaders of this august House – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – and congratulate all Members of Parliament in this House – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – As the Member of Parliament for Chivi North Constituency, allow me to make a reflection on the SONA presented by His

Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa on the 3^rd of October, 2023. 

          The President in his presentation challenged Members of Parliament to accelerate the completion of outstanding matters from the legislative agenda and tremendous robust measures leading to an upward trajectory of the economy in sectors such as agricultural productivity and irrigation development. Chidandimo area in Chivi North Constituency benefitted from nutrition gardening. Chongwe Water Pipeline was commissioned by the President after having been closed for more than 30 years, and is benefitting more than 3 000 households, seven schools and several business centres in the constituency. Pfumvudza is the game changer for households in realising national food security. However, to fully utilise Chongwe Water Pipeline to its full potential, more funding is required for the rehabilitation of the system and connecting additional wards to the pipeline. 

          The President in his SONA, went on to highlight the devolution and decentralisation programme promising to increase resources to be disbursed. The impact of the disbursements so far received cannot be over emphasised in Chivi North Constituency, with construction and opening of Hwanya Clinic in Ward 3, Ruhworuchena Secondary School in Ward 5, construction of Tokwe-Mukosi Secondary and borehole drilling. However, timely and meaningful amounts are hereby required so that the priority of Government, to improve access and quality of education, health, roads, water and sanitation is achieved – [HON.

MEMBERS: Hear, hear.].

          Infrastructural funding, for instance, Chibi turnoff,

Mhandamahwe-Mufiri and Beitbridge roads have enabled improvement of service provision for commuters, investors and business community. The road construction and ERRP has created youth employment in the constituency and is greatly appreciated. However, Chivi North Constituency remains greatly being with busy roads that require upgrading such as Madzivadondo, Takavarasha-Chivi Growth Point and

Mukotosi to Chigwikwi roads requiring gravelling to be passable. 

          Road equipment is part of the deficit and is thereby needed to make road rehabilitation and construction to be realised, thereby enhancing connectivity. However, gazetting of the Tokwe-Mukorsi masterplan has taken too long in order for the district and nation at large to realise results from the magnificent infrastructure in terms of electricity generation planning for the area in and around the dam. 

          The President went on to highlight a number of Bills that this House is going to debate on. Hence, as parliamentarians, we have a task that calls on all of us to be patriotic and dedicated to contribute all our efforts to the building of our country through passing bills which support development. Mr. Speaker, nyika inovakwa nevene vayo mantra by His Excellency, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa challenges every citizen to be patriotic and exert maximum effort to build our dear motherland. The President challenges the 10^th Parliament to finish off the Bills outstanding from the

9^th Parliament.

          Mr. Speaker, the President in his SONA on the new Bills to be debated in the 10^th Parliament alludes to the National Youth Bill. Once enacted into law, this will curb the increase of drug and substance abuse need the youth as the Bill is stated with the provision of mechanisms that will enable mainstreaming of the youth in social, economic and political spaces as well as the sustenance of the Vocational Training Centres (VCT) as hubs for local community development.  Mhandamabwe Vocational Training Centre in Chivi North Constituency requires lecture blocks, workshops for practical and staff houses in order to be able to accommodate as many youths and lecturers for the centre.

          His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa was on point to mention the need for the Small to Medium Enterprises Act to be reviewed.  Such firms have a significant contribution to the economy’s GDP, hence their existence should not be overlooked.  SMEs need empowerment for growth through easy access to loans for business expansion as well as being given tax holidays and/or low tax rates to encourage them to formalise their businesses, hence a great trajectory in the country’s revenue base in the long term.

          At this juncture, allow me to thank you for the time given to reflect on the State of the Nation by His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa.  I thank you.

            THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I hope Members who are busy

on their cellphones find time to listen to the debates because these debates will also enrich their debates when their turn comes.

          HON. MUNDUNGEHAMA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir and

good afternoon.  My sincerest gratitude to you Mr. Speaker Sir for according me this crucial opportunity to make my presentation for and on behalf of the people of Chiredzi East Constituency. Allow me firstly, to pronounce before this highly esteemed august House, the dignified message of congratulations to His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe who is also the Head of State and Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, His

Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for his outstanding State stewardship and his diligent and delivering servant leadership that saw him overwhelmingly winning another term of office in the just ended undisputed free, fair and credible harmonised 23^rd August, 2023 elections –[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – 

          Allow me also to express my solemn congratulations to the Speaker of Parliament and his deputy on the most befitting and timely re-election of the Speaker of Parliament. I wish also to say congratulations to the Chief Whip, his deputy and to all my fellow Hon. Members of Parliament for having been entrusted by the electorate to serve in the 10^th Parliament of Zimbabwe whose main agenda and developmental roadmap, His Excellency the President, Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa in his God-given wisdom and acumen, has since outlined in his State of the Nation Address during the period of the Official Opening of the 10^th Parliament.

          Much has been said by my fellow National Assembly Members who made their submissions before me, vis-a-vis, the President’s SONA and awesome developments that the Second Republic has so far undertaken since its assumption of office in 2018. This is of course included, but was not limited to the magnificent transformation of our road infrastructure such as the state-of-the-art Beitbridge-Chirundu Road and many other roads across the country, the construction of dams, upgrading of power generation facilities, construction of modern border posts, launching of the first ever satellite system, issuance of E-passports and upgrading of our airports.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, when one takes time in evaluating the majestic developments that the Second Republic has successfully undertaken in a precedingly short space of time. Honestly, one must start to understand that His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa huchi. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Huchi, yes in the sense that he has surely managed to transform our once dilapidated country and economy into a cut above the rest in the Southern African Region – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear,

hear.]-  

          Let me hasten to say that the idea to drill 35 000 boreholes across the country, village by village by His Excellency, Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa must be a welcome move to all and sundry.  Water is life and yes, it is.  I come from Chiredzi East Constituency, with over 1 000 villages that currently live on less than 200 boreholes.  The President’s vision will surely help my constituency access the much needed safe and clean water.  With the land reform background, my electorate has never had enough of this precious resource.  Their current sources of water are the unprotected wells, the Tugwi River and the Save River.  With this eminent scourge of Cholera, I wonder how the people of my constituency will manage to survive, given the dire circumstances of water in the constituency. I wish therefore, to propose that the programme of borehole drilling be prioritised to constituencies and areas such as Chiredzi East which hardly have any alternative to clean and safe water.

Indeed Mr. Speaker Sir, our Government has been committed to road infrastructure development starting with those that make us economically viable as a country – that we appreciate so much.  However, may I also take this opportunity to inform this august House that wards 1, 2, 24, and 22 of Chiredzi East Constituency hardly have pathways to connect them to the greater nation.  

We are not asking for much, Hon. Speaker, we are only asking for gravel trucks that will allow our constituency people to move with their goods and services.  Mr. Speaker Sir, my wards 1 and 24 are also still operating on quite a number of makeshift schools.  These are schools that are found in Wards 1 and 24 of my constituency and geographically, they form almost 65% of my constituency.  

In those two wards which have an approximate population of about 60% of my constituency population, there is no single clinic that is operational in those wards.  I, therefore, propose before this august House that preferential treatment must be given especially in the establishment of such facilities so that our people benefit from them.

Mr. Speaker Sir, my constituency depends more on agriculture with cotton as their major commercial crop.  Just like what my fellow Member of Parliament from the Gokwe Constituency said during his presentation, the payment mechanisms, I propose Hon. Speaker that they be revised so that our farmers are motivated to continue growing this very precious crop because it is one of those commercial crops that helps them a lot on their livelihoods.

May I also propose that the payment of this crop be made timeously so that our farmers are motivated as they also meaningfully contribute towards the country’s GDP.

I wish to thank the President, Mr. Speaker Sir, for the establishment of the irrigation schemes in Wards 2, 4, and the Mkwasine Sugar Cane Estate.  Our people in those wards are food secure and economically viable from that initiative.  I, therefore, propose that since our region is drought-prone, more irrigation schemes such as the proposed Chegwito-Manhenga Irrigation Scheme, Mutapurwa Irrigation Scheme and Mufusirwa Irrigation Scheme be established so that our people are ring-fenced from the vagaries of climate change.  

Mr. Speaker Sir, I welcome the President’s call to the ratification of the Sugar Production Bill which I also feel is long overdue.  I also feel that the repressive colonial settler laws within the sugar industry be repealed and new farmer-friendly laws be enacted in order to have the industry grow.

In the same vein, it is again my proposal before this hon. House that another additional sugar mill be established in Mkwasine as a costcutting measure for the farmers there, thus also increasing their viability and at the same time promoting competitiveness within the sugar industry.

Mr. Speaker Sir, my constituency houses most wildlife conservancies in the lowveld. These are Gonarezhou, Marirangwe, and

Save Valley Conservancy.   The Parks and Wildlife Bill echoed by His Excellency is coming at the right time. 

Mr. Speaker Sir, my constituency has suffered the worst brunt of human-wildlife conflict, thus I propose that the ratification of this Bill must not only look at the compensation aspect but also promote beneficiation of the surrounding communities from the same sanctuaries.  This must of course include community empowerment programmes through wildlife and tourism.

Mr. Speaker Sir, we have had the boundary fence established between wildlife sanctuaries and the surrounding communities.  I also propose that this programme be expedited so that the issue of humanwildlife conflict is minimised.

In conclusion Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to thank His Excellency, the President, for his State of the Nation Address that is visionary and promises lots of hope to the people of Zimbabwe.  As we move forward as a united nation, being united even more by recognising the fact that we have one country to call ours, to love, to build, and to protect, and true to the Shona adage nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.   I thank you.

HON. TSITSI ZHOU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. KARIKOGA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Tuesday, 7^th November, 2023.

On the motion of HON. TSITSI ZHOU seconded by HON. KARIKOGA, the House adjourned at Twenty-Five Minutes past Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 7^th November 2023.