• Version
• Download 49
• File Size 585.58 KB
• File Count 1
• Create Date July 23, 2024
• Last Updated July 25, 2024

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 23 JULY 2024 VOL 50 NO 73

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Tuesday, 23^rd July, 2024

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

CHANGES TO MEMBERSHIP OF PORTFOLIO COMMITTEES

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  I have to inform the House that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders met on Thursday, 18^th July 2024 and approved the following changes to the membership of Portfolio Committees:- Hon. Tsungirirai Rungwave – Portfolio Committee on Transport and Infrastructural Development and Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement; Hon. Diana Marikano – Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Sports, Arts, Recreation and Culture;  Hon. Vivian P. Chitimbe – Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. Nyasha Batitsa – Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement and Primary and Secondary Education; Hon. Samantha Mureyani – Transport and Infrastructural Development and Public Accounts Committee; Hon. Melphiner Gwabeni – Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Sports, Arts, Recreation and Culture; Hon. Nomvula Mguni – Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. Sukupukile Dube – Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training; Hon. Otilia Sibanda – Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and Higher Education, Science and Technology Development; Hon. Sibongile Maphosa - Information, Media and Broadcasting Services and Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. Lungile Ncube – Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture and Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. Tendayi Nyathi – Energy and Power Development and Mines and Mining Development; Hon. Prosper Mutseyami – Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs; Hon. Susan Matsunga – Environment, Climate and Tourism; Hon. Francisca Ncube – Defence, Home Affairs and Veterans of Liberation Struggle and Security Services; Hon. Caston Matewu – Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Hon. Simelisizwe Sibanda – Environment, Climate and Tourism and Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.

PETITION RECEIVED FROM THE CHIREDZI RESIDENTS AND RATE PAYERS’ ASSOCIATION

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: I have to inform the House that on Wednesday, 26^th June 2024, Parliament received a petition from the Chiredzi Residents and Rate Payers’ Association, beseeching Parliament to protect the Zimbabwean youths in and out of school by ensuring that crystal meth is classified under dangerous drugs in the laws of Zimbabwe. The petition has since been referred to the joint Portfolio Committees on Health and Child Care and Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

RULING BY THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER

HON. MATEWU’S POINT OF PRIVILEGE ON CDF, HON. MEMBERS AND STAFF WELFARE

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Matewu raised a point of privilege on the 9^th of July in regards to CDF, Hon. Members and staff welfare. I would like to update the House that the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders is seized with the matter. A meeting with relevant ministries has been scheduled for next week and I hope we will get favourable results.

VISITORS IN THE SPEAKER’S GALLERY

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  I have to recognise the presence of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender Equality, Social Development and Family Affairs from Namibia in the Speaker’s Gallery – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – The delegation is led by Gothard Kasuto. You are most welcome Hon. Members.

          HON. TOGAREPI:  Thank you Madam Speaker.  I rise on a point of national interest.  I grew up in the period when the people of Zimbabwe were fighting for their freedom. I have scars of that protracted war.  After we won, we raised our flag as a symbol of us having won the fight against colonialism.  I observe with dismay when you move around towns, young people, mature people, probably some Hon. Members - you find them with stickers or other nations flags – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -  I am dismayed that this House refuses to see the Zimbabwean flag and the Zimbabwean bird.  Why did we fight?  It is because the only symbol that shows that we are free is when we raise our flag.

Madam Speaker, I would want to remind Hon. Members that at one point, around the year 2000, we had different political parties, all these political parties had the Zimbabwean flag on their political logos, meaning that they respected that they are Zimbabweans and they respected our flag.  I call for a Privileges Committee so that we correct that.  I see all the Officers of Parliament here, they have a Zimbabwean flag, why are we not chasing them from this House. 

HON. MADZIVANYIKA:  On a point of order Madam Speaker, Standing Order Number 65, on a point of Order Madam Speaker…

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  You cannot stand on a point of order when someone is standing on a point of national interest…

HON. MADZIVANYIKA: No, it is on the national issue that he has raised.             

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Madzivanyika, I will give you time after Hon. Togarepi has finished. Hon. Madzivanyika please, take your seat.

          HON. TOGAREPI:  Madam Speaker, as I conclude, I really want a process.  I do not know, maybe the legal gurus in this House would assist us.  We want to look at the ruling that was done against the flag of our country – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – We want an investigation, we want that corrected, otherwise we are not supposed to be in this House if we violate our flag – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – May we have order in this House. 

          HON. MATEWU:  On a point of order Madam Speaker. 

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  I will give you time Hon. Matewu, please may you take your seat.

          HON. CHIGUMBU:  On a point of order. 

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Please take your seat. Thank you very much Hon. Togarepi, your point of national interest has been noted, but – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Please may you allow me to give a ruling over that – [HON. HWENDE: You cannot make a ruling on top of a ruling.] – Order Hon. Hwende.  Hon. Togarepi, I cannot reverse or rule over Hon. Speaker’s ruling – [HON. MEMBERS:  Hear, hear.] – Hon. Togarepi, at the moment I am deferring the ruling until the Speaker is back – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –

          HON. CHIGUMBU: On a point of order Madam Speaker.

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Member, if you want to talk about my ruling, my ruling is final on this matter.  Please, take your seat.  Order, may we have order in the House please. 

          HON.  MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Madam Speaker.  I stand on a point of privilege with reference to what happened last year.  This House sat and debated on the budget.  We did an appropriation and allocations were done.  I am talking specifically to issues that affect the constituencies of MPs and their privileges.  Firstly, we approved the CDF and secondly as Parliament, we approved that Members should have access to loans for vehicles to the tune of US$60000.  After that process and all debates were done with people sleeping very late debating, all of a sudden people are notified through the grapevine, social media connections and all other connections through verbal talk that the loan facility has been reduced from US$60000 to US$50000.  In that process, already there was an Appropriation Bill which had approved that and the Finance Bill as well was approved.  Who had the power to go against an Act which had already been assented to, to affect the privileges for Members to be allocated CDF to develop their constituencies to a tune of US$50000?  Up to now, no-one has received anything.  Secondly, for Members to be denied access to a loan which had been approved.  All of a sudden that loan has changed and Members have been short changed.  Who had the powers to go against an Act which is already in place and what powers were used to go against that Act?  Madam Speaker, I seek your guidance to get clear information and as to who directed that position.  I thank you.

          THE HON DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Thank you Hon. Mutseyami.  I am not sure if you were in the House when I gave an announcement in response to Hon. Matewu’s point of privilege.

          HON.  MUTSEYAMI:  Yes, Madam Speaker, I was present in the House, but my prayer is totally different from what Hon. Matewu spoke about if you go through what I just said.

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  All the matters which you are raising Hon. Mutseyami are being discussed by the CSRO and next week, a meeting has been scheduled to meet the Minister of Finance and Local Government to shed light on the issues. Please be accordingly advised.

          HON. MUTSEYAMI:  Thank you Madam Speaker.  I take note, but the prayer with regards to the loan was not on the table.

          HON. S. DUBE:  On a point of national interest Madam Speaker. My point of interest is with regards to child mortality around the country.  Child mortality refers to death of children under the age of five years and may include still births.  Neonatal deaths and deaths for those under five years among other types of child mortality.  Madam Speaker, Zimbabwe has faced an increase in child mortality during the first half of the year 2024, with the most alarming figures coming from Mpilo Hospital where 98 children are reported to have died in the month of March 2024 alone.  Between January and April 2024, a total of 280 children are reported to have died at Mpilo Hospital alone.  Madam Speaker, given that the National Assembly comprises of 280 MPs, this means that Zimbabwe potentially lost its entire future lower House in four months from one hospital.  More children were lost in other hospitals and this is a cause for concern.  Madam Speaker, I rise to call for the whole society approach to curb child mortality, which should include an investigation by relevant Portfolio Committees on the cause of the rise in child mortality, a dedicated programme of ensuring all expectant mothers and mothers of infants have access to nutritious diets, adequate wages for nurses as well as availability of medicines at all baby clinics around the country.  I thank you.

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:    Thank you Hon. Dube.  You have raised very important issues, but I advise you to raise a motion on this particular issue so it can be debated in this House.

          HON. S. DUBE:  I thank you Madam Speaker.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

          HON. TOGAREPI:  Madam Speaker, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 14 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 15 has been disposed of.

          HON. KAMBUZUMA:  I second.

          Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

LEGISLATION TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PREVIOUSLY MARGINALISED LANGUAGES

Fifteenth Order read:  Adjourned debate on Motion on the officially recognised languages of Zimbabwe.

          Question again proposed.

HON.  MALINGANISO:  Madam Speaker. Frank Smith argued persuasively that language is not a genetic gift, but a social one.  Learning a new language is becoming a new member of the club, the community of speakers of that language.  Ludwig also argued that the limits of my language mean the limits of my world.  Even the holy book on Proverbs 18 vs 21 says, the tongue has the power of life and death.  Psalms 119 vs 173 says, may your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.  We are vessels of a sovereign lord. He accorded to each having known us before we were born, not only a tongue, but a language.  Sixteen such dialects in Zimbabwe because he is a God of diversity who ought to be worshipped as such.  The Bible says in truth and in spirit.  The question then is, have we chosen his precepts when each time we commence Parliament business we pray a prepared prayer and in English?  Hosea Chipanga would say, ‘makomborero kuvachena.”  Perhaps religion is trying its best. The Bible is available in almost every language but what puzzles one’s mind is, why can we not extend the same to economic texts, ICT, Mathematics, et cetera?  Corinthians 14 v 9 also says, “so it is with you unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying. You will just be speaking into the air”.

The question that arises is, with whom is our curriculum conversing? The best mathematicians in the world are the Chinese and the reason is simple. Their Maths teachers do not speak into the air, but they speak intelligibly into the minds of their students in a language they all understand and that is Mandarin. Would it not be prudent for our texts if in Binga, to speak to our children in Tonga, in Matabeleland, be it in Kalanga or Ndebele and in Beitbridge, maybe in chiVenda.  It can be argued that the current Maths champions are from America and I am submitting to us that they are Americans of Chinese origin.

Professor P.L.O Lumumba always reminds us that the Chinese have chosen what they want and they are on course to achieve same. Perhaps it is time we too choose as we must learn from Prophet Elijah who boldly admonished us from wavering between opinions. We must choose now to make available all our texts including Mathematics, ICT, Science, Heritage in all our languages. Zimbabwean heritage is being taught by Zimbabweans in English. One would wonder whether or not heritage that is so crucial to our existence is being understood by our learners. We must arrive at a place of unveiling texts of heritage in all our languages.

In her book, Cat’s Eye, Margaret Atwood argued persuasively that time is not a lie, but a dimension like the dimensions of space that only those that know enough to bend the space and travel faster than light can exist at two places at once and travel ahead of time. In the same spirit, our own national hero, the good singer, the late Oliver Mtukudzi, may his soul rest in peace; said, hatina nguva yatinofunga kuti tinayo. The time is now that we must come together as a people to give a deserved value to our dialects for purposes of deliberate preservation and promotion of our diversity.

In his book, Torn and New, An African Renaissance, Ngugi wa Thiong’o posits that whenever there is a situation of domination and subordination between two groups, whatever their colour and creed, this will be reflected in the language relationship. I do not seek to over-emphasise our history, particularly at the deliberate decimation and merciless annihilation of our tradition by our erstwhile colonisers. Hon. Bajila has already chronicled same very well. That I am airing my views here, in this borrowed language and I believe what we are all following, is testament to the fact that we are indeed subordinated and in need of emancipation from mental slavery as Bob Marley would put it.

We must exorcise ourselves of the Stockholm syndrome bedeviling even this House that being conversant in English is viewed to be equally being smart. Fishman would say, the destruction of languages is an abstraction which is concretely mirrored in the concomitant destruction of intimacy, family and community via national and international intrusions, the destruction of local life and of the weak by the strong. Hon. Bajila already alluded to our history about 1923, 1932, 1987 and 1994 and it is not for me to repeat.

The world-over, language education policies serve a powerful mechanism for the eradication of indigenous and other minoritised mother tongues. By restricting education to socially dominant languages, such policies erase and replace linguistically encoded knowledges and cultural identification with those associated with dominant group speakers. Ngugi wa Thiong’o referred to these as linguicide. We must employ education policies that promote the so-called minority languages so as to reclaim and promote same, lest we perish in division.

The idea of language reclamation is not merely a linguistic one as it is immensely married to issues of equity in education, indigenous self-determination and the construction or reconstruction of community well-being through culturally distinct world views, identities and life orientations. As argued by Reiner (2006), schools and their medium of instruction policies have been major catalysts for language shift. What remains an issue however, is whether or not schools alone constitute efficacious sights for language reclamation. Perhaps, as posited by Fishman (1991), this is a feat that requires deliberate social restructuring to restore family-based language transmission from where schools can be on tap rather than on top. The idea however, is striking a balance and it would appear that the schools and not the family institution is what we can control as State instruments of socialization. As has been the theme from awakened minds in this House, availability of texts in schools in all national languages and perhaps adopting a policy through consultations with communities for a third language at every school speaks well to language and identity preservation, reclamation and promotion.

The taskforce of Aboriginal Languages and Cultures (2005), puts it correctly that people are nations, not only because they do possess the legal and political attributes of nationhood in accordance with Europeans definitions, they were and they remain nations because of the undeniable fact of their distinctive languages, cultures, traditional forms of political organisation, inherent self-governance status and a collective desire to maintain such distinctiveness. I believe it is in the pursuit of these distinctions that this House must support the motion in question.

What we are grappling with is not unique. When Europeans landed in America and Canada, indigenous socialisation practices were decimated as was the case in all colonies, including Zimbabwe. In 1819, the US Congress passed the Civilisation Fund Act to support missionary schooling with the goal of exterminating indigenous languages so as to clear the path for take-over of native lands. By the end of the 19^th Century, punitive-segregative schooling in English, only boarding schools became a primary mechanism for linguistic pacification. In Canada, the country’s two official languages, that is French and English, according to Patrick (2010), reflect a two-founding people ideology that marginalised and ignored the 70 indigenous languages still spoken.

The British North American Act of 1867 followed by the Indian Act of 1876, informed a deliberate course of genocide and linguicide, moving indigenous people to reserves and creating segregated residential school systems.  Mission schools were taken over by Government in Canada and like in the US, the medium of instruction became solely English.  In fewer places, French accompanied as forwarded by Sachdev, Arnold and Yapita (2006) by derogation of and often severe punishment of even the minimal use of indigenous language.  We too were made to speak in English when we were attending primary school, lest we would be subjected to some form of punishment.

          The residential school system, however, had unintended effect of uniting survivors.  In the late 20^th Century, civil rights groups and progressive movements in the US posed alliances that secured passage of the 1972 Indian Education Act that funded native languages and culture programmes.  In 1975, Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act, enabled native Americans to operate their own schools.  It is a no brainer that we run our own schools. The question is; what is the medium of instruction and what are we seeking?  Who controls our education and are our communities involved?

          Proper development springs from grassroots.  I believe it is time that our communities are allowed to determine in what language learning must be conducted in their schools. The legislation I have just alluded to laid a legal and financial framework for placing native America Education under community control.  It is instructive that sharing the history of subjugation, there are lessons we can take from certain States in America and Canada, if we are to deliberately reclaim and support our languages.  We definitely need a sound policy to inflame a legal basis and financial support to communities, groups and schools seized with this important subject of our existence.

          Whilst there are communities in which English has not claimed ownership, in many of our communities, children and families have no choice about the language they use. In everyday speech, school work and the majority of our routine daily practices occur in English and everything is increasingly becoming English.  We therefore, require a deliberate action, deliberate policy with which to preserve our languages, promote the same in a manner that salvages our identity from this marauding quest by the erstwhile colonisers to actually down our heritage.

          Madam Speaker, the Mohawk of New York have reclaimed, promoted and now have their language well established in tertiary education, with those that learn in Mohawk, outshining their fellows who learn in English.   It can be done in Zimbabwe and it must be done and the time is now.  Having attained political independence in 1980, if Mbuya Nehanda and other fallen heroes were to wake up today and pose a question, have you written an obituary to all vestiges of colonialism?  What are we, a select few who are here assembled going to tell them?  Nehanda would ask in whose way and language are you communicating to the higher power when commencing Parliament business?  We, who are honest, would tell her in English and I can almost see the anger in her eyes as she poses yet another question, ‘how then you the law makers enact laws that seek to promote the greater good when 126 years after we died violently for your freedom, you are still a colony of the world’s minority?’

          We need to adopt the motion and extend it, not only to primary education but to tertiary and particularly mainstreaming that all texts that speak to ICT are available in all our dialects.

          *HON.  TOMPSON: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for giving me this opportunity to also debate on this motion.  Teaching of our languages in the country is very important and I support it.  This will help us in various places as we visit or work so that we understand each other without an interpreter.  That can help us very much to bring success, especially in teaching since people will learn in the languages, they are conversant with.  Trying to speak in a foreign language may lead to a breakdown of communication because you may not express yourself clearly.  I think the accidents that are on a rise on the roads is because people try to cram highway instructions instead of knowing them. 

          If someone were to learn sign language, it would become easy for everyone to understand and be able to communicate because in case of emergency, they may burn a house, there may be a breakdown of communication and lack of averting the accident.  Language also carries culture because when children greet their parents or elders, they are supposed to kneel.  Learning of languages is very important from the onset of education instead of starting at university level because this may lead to ignoring some of the languages.  I thank you.

          HON. MASUKU: Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to debate on promoting and teaching languages.  I support the motion that local languages should be promoted and taught within our educational system.  This motion is not merely a nod to cultural preservation, it is a profound step towards fostering inclusivity, enhancing comprehension and fortifying our national identity. 

          Firstly, promoting and teaching local languages is a cornerstone for inclusivity in a diverse society, many individuals grew up speaking local languages as their mother tongue.  When these languages are integrated

 

into the education system, we create an environment whereby every child feels seen and valued.  This inclusivity bridges gaps and ensures that no student is left behind due to language barriers.

          Madam Speaker, it acknowledges the linguistic diversity that characterises our nation and transforms it into a strength rather than a hindrance.  Furthermore, understanding and retaining concepts is often more efficient when taught in one’s native language.  Research supports the idea that students learn better and grasp complex ideas more effectively when instruction is delivered in a language they fully understand. This leads to improved academic performance higher retention rates and a more profound grasp of subject matter. 

          By teaching local languages, we empower students to excel and cultivate a love for learning.  In addition to enhancing individual comprehension and inclusivity, promoting local languages plays a crucial role in fostering national unity and cohesion. Language is a key important cultural identity and when a nation embraces its linguistic diversity, it nurtures a sense of belonging among its citizens.  Teaching local languages in schools sends a powerful message that all cultures and languages within the nation are valued equally.  This inclusivity can help reduce ethnic tensions and promote harmony as every group feels recognised and respected also. 

          Moreover, local languages are repositories of indigenous knowledge and wisdom.  They carry the essence of our history, traditions and world viewers. By preserving and teaching these languages, we ensure that this invaluable knowledge is passed down to future generations.  This is not only enriching our cultural heritage, but also provides unique perspectives that can contribute to innovative solutions in various fields from environmental conservation to community health practices.

          Madam Speaker, I cannot over emphasise that promoting languages also strengthens our national identity in an increasingly globalised world.  It is easy to lose sight of what makes us unique.  Our local languages are integral to our identity as a nation.  By fostering pride in our linguistic heritage, we build a stronger, more cohesive national identity that stands resilient in the face of globalisation. This unity is essential for national progress and development. 

Lastly, and as I conclude, the economic benefits of multilinguistic should not be overlooked.  Individuals who are proficient in multiple languages, including local ones, often have better employment opportunities.  They can serve as bridges in trade, tourism and international relations, bringing economic advantages to our nation.  That is, promoting local languages can contribute to both personal and national economic growth.  We must therefore, fully support and impress our linguistic diversity and work together to build a more inclusive understanding and united nation.

I was in South Africa, some countries were speaking their language, comfortably but we were busy, as you see I am reading here, it is English and it is not my mother language.  So, it is good for us to learn our mother language and teach our local languages.  Thank you. 

^^HON. S. MOYO: Thank you for awarding me this opportunity to add my voice on this motion. I am really happy about this motion which pertains to the discussion of having children being taught in their native languages so that they grow up articulating and appreciating their mother language. If children are raised without knowing their mother language, they will fail even to understand the principles of our culture, especially us in Venda, we have a habit that we do pertaining to the greetings. If one is not taught this language, he/she cannot articulate how we greet the elders. If the teacher cannot understand Venda, it is very impossible for him or her to teach the children to reach a level that they can understand.

This also pertains even to Ndebele, Shona or all the native languages that we have. This means that when a child is growing up, he or she has to be trained in their mother language so that he or she can be able to understand this tradition and value his or her culture because as we grow, each and every tribe and religion has its understanding.

Even in dressing, we have a different attire that we wear and the way we dress is different from the way that the Shonas or Ndebeles dress. If a child fails to dress in a particular way that is prescribed by the culture, it shows that the child would have failed to follow other principles of the culture. This comes to the issue that, even if the child gets into a marriage, that child will fail to behave properly and be accepted fully because they will end up with connotations that the child is ill-mannered and the character is not well because he or she would not have been trained in such a way.  This is because you did not follow the language which is part of the culture of each and every society.

I will come back to the issue of respect. A Venda child, as he grows up, if he greets a Venda adult in an improper way, the elders usually get provoked. Shaking a hand of an elder in a Venda culture is actually an insult. This is because the child can do this because he would not have been taught at school. I say that the teachers that are articulate the mother language of an area or the culture were supposed to teach in that area.

It is possible that a Shona can come and teach in Venda areas but it also has disadvantages because the Venda children will show a cultural gap or cultural dilution. They will fail to understand their tradition. Teachers that come from other religions and provinces are also a challenge to the other teachers because they end up being insulted from other provinces. There is nothing so painful, like you sacrificed that you want to go and teach children in another province and when you come to Beitbridge you get insulted by people saying, these people from the East, resulting in the teacher feeling uncomfortable due to not understanding the culture. I suggest that teachers should teach students from their area so that they can be able to articulate issues and share the knowledge and cultural values in full.

I will also come to the issue of teachers from primary schools, ECD. Looking closely, we see that our children are now failing to speak their mother language correctly. You will find that even their language is now filled with slang. They are failing to use proper language to their adults; here we say bho, in Venda which is not the proper intonation or is the improper term to our culture.

 This is not okay with our culture. We just end up leaving the children to speak as they wish because they will have failed. This will end up even going to the issue of drugs because they are just copying their culture. You are supposed to teach the children as they say charity begins at home. We have to train the child from the grass roots. This is incorporated through the use of their language as they learn it from the tender age. As they learn their language from the tender age, it also makes them appreciate their cultures and value their traditions. Hence, I urge this House that it should see that it is important for the children to learn their mother language because it encourages them to grow up knowing their culture and also valuing their culture. I thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to say my views pertaining to the motion raised by Hon. Bajila.

HON. PINDUKA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would also want to thank you for giving me this opportunity. I would like to thank the Hon. Members who debated before me on this motion, on the promotion of local languages. Language is a dynamic, symbolic, creative system of communication that consists of gramma that includes semantics and morphology, vocabulary that is words and phrases, pragmatics, context and implications. With that Madam Speaker, it is prudent to also note why we do have language across or in its diversity.

Madam Speaker, with language, the community or society can be able to convey meaning and ideas, express emotions and attitude, establish relationships and identities, create and negotiate social interaction, represents, creates and construct reality. The Second Republic has done quite remarkable in terms of promotion of local languages. I would also like to acknowledge that as Zimbabweans, we have also contributed greatly in terms of the promotion of local languages. To start with Madam Speaker, we have almost 16 official languages in Zimbabwe, even though we still need more to be taken on board, the 16 official languages is also a milestone in terms of making sure that all languages in their diversity are also included as our national languages.

This effort has made national languages be included in our local syllabi through the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. Of course, there is room for improvement and in terms of making sure that these languages are also taught, especially in elementary and primary institutions in Zimbabwe.

Madam Speaker, I would also want to share that through the Second Republic’s effort, institutions of higher and tertiary education, for example the Midlands State University has gone further to come up with the national language institute that has a mandate for empowerment of local languages to ensure that no one is left behind in socio economic and scientific advancement of the nation.

This is a great milestone as we know that this research institute will put forward the development of our local languages and the vision of the Midlands State University National Language Institute, ‘To be the leading and one-stop shop, innovative, technologically driven, world class language research consultancy, techno scientific service centre dedicated to the development and modernisation and internationalisation of Zimbabwe for the empowerment of society and wealth creation.

This national institute Madam Speaker, is also going further in terms of research in making sure that national languages are also developed, preserved and recommended for implementation.

Another area which is also important in terms of the promotion of our local languages is taking advantage of our media platforms. For example, the establishment. I think this time around, the Government has also made strides in terms of the establishment of community radio stations, which I think in my view, will also contribute significantly to the promotion of local languages across the country. These community radio stations will also come up with programmes that share different languages in different regions so that Zimbabweans can be able to learn and also appreciate our different languages in diversity.

Madam Speaker, it is also important to note that language is important and language is our pride. Language defines our identity as Zimbabweans. As such, language forms part of our cultural inheritance and intangible inheritance as well.  Out tradition beliefs, values, norms, practices are passed from generation to generation through language in its diversity. As such, in my view I also recommend for an improvement or a strengthened support in terms of cultural diversity or programmes.  If we look around Madam Speaker Ma’am, we emulate what is being done or implemented by Her Excellency, the First Lady Dr. Auxilia Mnangagwa through the traditional food cookout competitions.  That can also be done even in terms of promoting our local languages across the regions to make sure that Zimbabweans can also learn our diversity in terms of languages. 

          Madam Speaker Ma’am as you are aware that from the 24^th to the 30^th we are also going to have a Gastronomy Conference happening in Victoria Falls.  I think this can be done across provinces in terms of the promotion of local languages and also have conferences and workshops that look into the promotion of local languages. 

          In conclusion Madam Speaker.  Cultural programmes like these can be strengthened through support in terms of making sure that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is also capacitated.  For example, right now we are getting into the budget period where we need  to make sure that the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education is  supported with enough funding in terms of the development of material for the promotion of local languages.  Madam Speaker Ma’am, the country is better built by its own people and including our languages are  best promoted by ourselves as Zimbabweans across the political divide.  As such, it is upon us to make sure that all our indigenous languages, traditional languages are promoted.  Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. 

          *HON. P. MOYO:  Thank you Madam Speaker.  I rise to give my support to this motion brought by Hon. Bajila on indigenous languages. Language is very important because it is part of our identity as a people.  Many countries, for example, the Indians and French - if you go to France, you will be lost because they do not speak English.  It shows that they give importance to their language and anyone who visits them has to look for a book to learn the language in order to find your way around because most of them refuse to speak English.  That shows us that language is very important. 

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, as for us in Zimbabwe, since we were colonised and taught that language is not important in order for you not to be able to speak your own language, you have to learn in English.  Our children are growing up being fluent in English as if it is their language.  I would like to thank our Government because they are doing a lot of things, helping our children to know that one’s mother language is important.  Wherever you go, no matter how fluent you may be in English, if they know that you are a Zimbabwean, people will look down upon you that you are supposed to be identified by your language. For you to be known that you are a Zimbabwean, you are supposed to be known by your culture and language is part of that. 

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, I want to give you an example of where I come from Mwenezi, there are a lot of languages spoken but there is a language known in other areas.  If I say Chipfumbi, no one will be able to know that language.  It is one of the languages that we want to advocate to be taught in schools in Mwenezi West especially from preschool so that they identify with their background.  There is a prominent musician, the late Paul Matavire, may his soul rest in peace.  He was one of the people eloquent in Chipfumbi.  You would not understand what he was saying, it is because he was a child who grew up speaking that language.  That showed that he comes from Mwenezi.  That is what we encourage that each area must promote its own language and that language must be spoken and taught at a tender age at school.  Wherever they go, they must be fluent in their language, that way they are able to maintain the identity as Zimbabweans. 

          Right now, we have these cellphones, our children are going to school and are very literate.  Let us also have applications in Shona that can be understood by parents who are not fluent in English.  When you try to navigate your way on the gadgets, it is difficult if you cannot understand English.  For you to be able to understand, you have to refer to the children who are now specialising in languages and promoting their prominence.  We should also have those software applications in local languages so that at least people may know that in Zimbabwe there is an application.  I do not even know what an application is in Shona.  That shows that we are lagging behind in encouraging fluence in our languages.  If you go to other countries, when you go for meetings or conferences, you will realise that a lot of countries have preserved their languages.  If you look at China, they have their own alphabet and have their own way of speaking and they preserve that.  We can also emulate that because it is difficult for them to be infuriated by outsiders because they will be knowing very well that once somebody speaks in such a way, it is clear that that person does not belong to that area. 

          A lot of points have been raised but the most important thing is that language must be promoted even in here, most of our Hon. Members do not speak in vernacular languages but prefer English.  It shows that we are very much prioritising foreign languages and that shows that local languages ensure that we do not lose our identity.  I thank you.  

          #HON. MAMBIPIRI:  Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to debate on languages.  I would like to congratulate Hon. Bajila who raised the motion on how we can handle the issue of languages.  I would also like to applaud Hon. Moyo who allowed Hon. Bajila’s motion to be debated today.  For us to understand the beginning and end of this issue, we must revert to history.  We need to understand that language and the Constitution go hand-in-hand.  It all started in 2013 when we agreed as a country that we want a constitution and that it must be written.  We also agreed that in this constitution, we must talk about languages.  As we stand today, those who wrote the constitution played their part and they finished their job.  The work that remains is now up to us as MPs of Zimbabwe.  The outstanding work is to identify where to start, is it from the constitution or on how to assist people in our constituencies so that they understand that wherever we are as Zimbabweans, the issue of languages is at everyone's heart.  As we sit here, we do not want to spend a lot of time debating that it is good for us to debate in our languages.  It is also good to say learners should be taught in their own languages.  I believe that today, we must be making resolutions on the issue of languages and set out what we should do.  Firstly, we must understand that learners and teachers did not refuse the issue of languages nor the Zimbabweans, but they are waiting for us to set the direction on how the language issue must be understood.  As, I stand here, my prayer is for all MPs…

          *HON. MAPIKI:  On a point of order Madam Speaker. My point of order is that the Hon. Member is speaking a language from Malawi, but Hon. Bajila’s motion refers to the local languages not languages from Malawi.

          THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Mapiki, the Hon. Member is speaking in Chewa, which is one of the 16 languages in our Constitution.

          #HON. MAMBIPIRI:  Thank you Madam Speaker.  Hon. Mapiki is my relative and he must be able to understand that Zimbabwe has 16 languages and Chewa is one of the languages in this country.  I said everyone agreed that we want our languages.  Teachers and the learners are not arguing, but the only thing we are waiting for is for the august House to set the policy of how those languages must be taught, be it in schools or wherever we go but my suggestion is that if we set out the framework of how we should proceed, we must also take into consideration the issue of budget because for people to be taught these languages, there must be text books budgeted for to enable colleges to churn out the education so that they are able to learn properly and go to school to assist our children. 

    In conclusion, I would like to say as Hon. MPs, let us not waste people’s time.  Everyone knows that language is at the heart of everyone.  All we want to do is to assist each other with the framework, time frame to start and the resources that must be used - where are we taking them from?  I thank you.

         *HON. MUNEMO:  Thank you very much Hon. Speaker. I want to thank Hon. Bajila for the motion on languages that he raised in this House.  Language shows ubuntu and gives us our identity as Zimbabweans.  But if we do not take seriously the languages that we speak in Zimbabwe and continue to focus on English, it shows that we have lost our culture.  The elders said mhembwerudzi inozvara mwana ane kazhumu.  Look where it has taken us to.  Currently, when school children fail English at O’ Level, they will not be able to proceed with their education.  We are still colonised and not independent because English is hindering our children from proceeding with their education because we want English as our main language.  We should however, be taking languages like Ndebele, Shona, Kalanga et cetera so that school children will proceed as long as they have passed any of the indigenous languages.  This will help us empower each other as a country.  This issue of saying if you fail English, you cannot go on with education has deprived most of the children of their education.  Most children are now engaging in drug abuse because they could not proceed after they failed English.  If you look in the continent of Africa, there are many languages and cultures which show the importance of Africa.

          There is a proverb which says ane marengenya haatambire kumoto. There are some of us who love English so much and they forget our culture. This is destroying us. We are the ones who are proving to our children that English is more important than the indigenous languages. This is leading to children losing our cultural values as they are now wearing crop tops.  Gavi rakabva kumasvuuriro – children should learn from their elders so as to promote and preserve our culture and languages.

          This country has 16 languages and those who teach Ndebele should be deployed to Shona speaking schools so that a new language is learnt in the other side of the country. If we focus on English too much, we will not even be able to gossip about white people because we are mainly using English as our main language. Our language protects our culture and our country. It will also protect us because an enemy cannot hear what we are talking about in our own language. That is the importance of our language.

          I would like to request that when the curriculum is being changed, they should consider the issue of languages also. There should not be a dilution of culture through languages. Those who know said kusaziva kufa. When the white came here, there are some people who thought the white people are more superior than blacks. This caused us to be colonised. Mhembwe rudzi inozvara mwana ane kazhumu, we have lost our culture -  kazhumu kaya and we have embraced the English language so much. If you see someone who likes English so much, they have a colonial hang-over. The whites left this country but we are still using their language which means we are still colonised as a country.

          I am appealing to Government to change the law as alluded to by the last speaker who was speaking in Chewa. He said the issue is now in our hands as legislators because there are no teachers that refrained from teaching languages. As legislators, we are still debating the issue endlessly but it should have been resolved. Proverbs and idioms are so important because there are other issues that cannot be spoken when children are around. The use of proverbs acted as a decoy so that the children would not understand what the elders are saying.

          I would like to thank Hon. Bajila for this motion. In addition, I would like to say chakafukidza dzimba matenga, meaning that there are secret things in this country that if we post them on social media, the whole world will know what it means yet it should be a secrete for us only. People from as far afield as Russia, America and Australia can actually tell you all the gold deposits in your constituency. Mbuya Nehanda once said that we should preserve our culture and our land. We should go back to how we used to be taught in our language that we are Ndebele, Shona or Ndau people. Nowadays, people swim in Kariba Dam oblivious of the fact that the place was sacred yet the Tonga people knew that there is a snake called Nyaminyami which protects the people there.

          If you are not proud of your language, you are lost and need to be emancipated. A progressive person is one who knows his or her mother language and also speaks another language. This shows empowerment in one’s life because you can go to other countries and work there. The issue of language preservation and promotion is quite important because it teaches our children good cultural values. The teaching of indigenous languages should start from primary school going up to tertiary level. We should take a leaf from the whites who coined the term ‘catch them young’. I thank you.

          THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MACHINGURA): Thank you so much, you really have taught us a lot of proverbs. What is it that you said about marengenya?

          *HON. MUNEMO: I said ane marengenya haatambire kumoto nokuti anotsva kanguva kadiki diki. We should not embrace things that have a negative impact on our country. Let us preserve our mother languages.

          HON. I. NDUDZO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Firstly, I want to thank Hon. Bajila for raising an important motion of strategic national importance.  As the Bible says, “raise a child in the way he should go and he will not depart from it, when he grows old.”  Hon. Munemo has just restated one of the wisest English sayings that commends us to catch them whilst they are young. The motion that is before this august House is very important because it directs us to take care of the foundational bases of our children.  Many efforts are wasted when people are grown up and are in positions when you then try to redirect them to speak their mother tongue. 

          In my view, it is a little too late.  As English say “take care of the penny and pound will take care of itself.”  If we take good care and caution to make sure that the first day of formal schooling of our children, they are taught to embrace the value and the importance of their mother tongue, it will greatly enrich our population, our culture to make sure that we preserve the importance of our languages.  It is tragic that 44 years after independence, we still consider the ability to speak in English as a measure of intelligence – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, Hear.] – It is Albert Einstein who says “everyone is a genius but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”. 

          We have so many people who are intelligent, who are brilliant, who have got great ideas, that can contribute to our national building but they are not able to come on board because we have parochially used language as a barrier to deter others from being able to make a meaningful contribution.  It is also tragic that even though our Constitution recognises 16 languages, English still remains the exclusive language of record.  If you go to the courts of law, you cannot express yourself in any other language without the aid of interpretation.  Oftentimes, justice is not duly delivered because we do not always have interpreters who can communicate in all the 16 official languages of this country.

          It is therefore, very important to support the motion so that we put emphasis in ensuring that we safeguard our learning spaces, to be spaces where our children are taught to embrace the value of our local and indigenous, vernacular languages.  Language is not just a tool of communication, language is also an instrument of power, which is the reason why you will never come across a nation in the world where the conquerors speak the language of the conquered.  However, anywhere you go in the world you would find the conquered speaking, embracing and promoting the language of the conquerors.  This is the reason why if you go to Latin America today, you will find that all the nations in Latin America with the notable exception of Brazil, are all Spanish speaking. This is because of the Spanish strategy of extermination and elimination of indigenous and local languages.

          If you go to Brazil, if you go to Mozambique, Angola, El Salvador, you will see that Portuguese is the central and common, if not exclusive language because of the colonial relic and teaching of Portuguese in those territories.  In my view, we need to embrace the value of our indigenous languages, not just by supporting the prayer as proposed by Hon. Bajila.  We need to even go further and say, when you say you are supporting anyone or anything, without also deploying resources, you are not giving adequate support. 

          Mr. Speaker, I belong to the generation that went to school and we would feast on our local novels and we had great writers like Hamutyinei, Shimmer Chinodya, Chenjerai Hove and other literary luminaries but you will struggle even as you walk across town into our bookshops to find any modern literature - be it fiction or non-fiction, that promotes or that publishes local languages.  In my view, we actually need to make sure that we support the promotion of indigenous languages through even providing funding for literary works in indigenous languages.  Our children must grow up reading novels, reading short stories, reading poetry or prose, which is written in their mother tongues.

          Language is not just a tool of communication but language is also the means by which we preserve culture, heritage and tradition – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – It is important to make sure that even in our homes, people see the value of promoting vernacular languages.  I am often irritated when I enter into indigenous people’s homes and they want to measure the intelligence of their children by how many English rhymes they are able to regurgitate.  We must be able to learn and we must be able to embrace contributions from every Zimbabwean, even when those contributions come in indigenous languages.  One of the things that really annoyed me when I was growing up in rural Wedza, was on those great occasions like speech and prize giving day, when we were all indigenous people, who were all conversant with the vernacular language, they would bring in someone, who would be considered the guest of honour.  Those people would read long and boring speeches in English and sometimes their pronunciation of the words would leave a lot to be desired. 

          I find it sad that even today, we continue to perpetuate such cultures and tendencies that prejudice the promotion of local and indigenous languages.  I therefore, want to urge all Hon. Members to be fully supportive of this motion, not just by word of mouth but even as we have platforms of interaction with our constituents.  Even as we have platforms of interaction with stakeholders in our nation, we need as much as possible to speak in the languages which we are most comfortable. 

          The Roman Empire became a great empire because it had a language of its own, Latin.  When the Roman Empire collapsed,

Latin became a dead language.  After the Roman Empire, we had the British spreading their own empire and other European nationalities building their own freedoms after the 1885 Berlin Conference, which officially introduced to the world the scramble for Africa. 

It is sad that even now as we speak of a liberated Africa, our people are still not yet liberated as the great musician Bob Marley once said that, ‘we need to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery for none but ourselves can free our minds’.  I want to say we cannot free our minds without embracing, practicing, promoting and entrenching the values and importance of our own indigenous languages.  It is therefore, my respectful view that we need to do everything within our means but more importantly, to dedicate resources. We need to see to it that when the national budget is presented in this House, we can see what percentage is being channelled towards the promotion of indigenous languages. 

We want to see how many scholarships are we able to give to our own people to be able to study and do research in our indigenous languages, cultures and practices even to professorship or PhD level because so often a time, the most brilliant of our people are taken away from our nation through the mainstream scholarships.  If you find any Zimbabwean who has been given a scholarship to go and study, for example in Sweden, you will know that firstly, before they study engineering or any other subject of their choice, they will undergo years in studying the local language.  The same with almost every progressive society in our world today, yet in our own country at ECD level in kindergarten, you find that we are promoting foreign languages at the expense of local languages.

Madam Speaker, you will not come across any developed nation in the world or any civilisation that became developed through the study of anthropology, where people where able to progress and develop by promoting and by the domination of a foreign language.  Our moment of full development and progress as a society will only come upon us when we have fully embraced the value and importance of our indigenous language.  It is for those reasons that I fully support the motion and prayer as raised by Hon. Bajila.  I thank you.

⁺HON. D. MOYO:  I would want to thank you for the opportunity that you have given me to the motion that has been raised, which pertains to the teaching of children in their mother tongue.  As they said that charity begins at home, I want to add that the motion that has been raised by Hon. Bajila starts in schools and teachers that they should develop our languages.  This actually entails that all Government entities are supposed to also promote the languages.  This even goes to the military where the language of command in the military should be our mother language. Even with the police, hospitals and at border posts. It is good that they use Kalanga in Plumtree and Nambya in Victoria Falls. This does not only touch on the schools to prioritise the use of the mother language, but all the Government ministries.

In addition, I will also say that this also comes to the cultural and creative industries, including authors, artists and producers of various programmes. They are also supposed to promote programmes of local languages. Our country has an opportunity to develop and also broaden its scope. We fought for this, but let me add that the nationality in this country is lacking. We build the nation through these small languages that come and we become one nation, which I can call the foundation that comes through the history of the use of languages. In English, let me say a country we have, but a nation we do not. There is still a gap there.

I will say it in this Hon. House that we have an opportunity to develop this country. We want to develop all languages to be at the same level so that we do not have a language that discriminates other languages. We want all languages to be treated equally, all the 16 languages. It is also important that the boundaries that made our languages to be discriminated, is it also that possible that we do not promote this.

We have Matebeleland South or Mashonaland East or West. We want to destroy the boundaries that were created through colonialism and do away with calling each other names, but just use one common terms as a nation. As I said, a nation is built through these small areas and different languages. The country is like a body, but the nation is a soul. We want the country to have small groups of people that work together so that we can have progress in the country.

We do not need English to be the sole language that is the medium of communication in this country. The medium of instruction should be the mother tongue, which also promotes intelligence and increases understanding capacity which builds confidence in all our children. English is not supposed to be the sole language or medium of communication or instruction at schools. We want schools and other institutions of Government to work together in promoting the use of mother languages in schools and places of work. Thank you Madam Speaker for this opportunity.

HON. MUKOMBERI: Thank you Madam Speaker for this opportunity to allow me to add my voice to the motion which was put forth by Hon. Bajila, to do with the promotion of learning and teaching of local languages in Zimbabwe. Madam Speaker Ma’am, allow me to start my debate by citing the late iconic musician, Oliver Mtukudzi, who was declared a national hero upon his departure from motherland. At one point, he produced a mouthwatering piece of joyous and deep cultural rooted music to say, dada nerudzi rwako, chimiro chako nedzinza rako. I want to underline when he said “pembedza rurimi pwere dzigoyemura”.

On this piece of music by Oliver Mtukudzi, it is very clear that it is language which is central to the preservation of our cultural values and norms. When he said pembedza rurimi pwere dzigoyemura, it implies that in this case, we are saying our teachers therefore are playing a parental role to groom our children at school so that they grow up understanding the value of our local languages. In this case, we are saying, actually teachers are ipso facto custodians of the culture, through impacting knowledge to learners by using local languages as a language of instruction. Madam Speaker Ma’am, teachers are not against the view that local languages should be a language of instruction but some of us parents view speaking English as a barometer to measure how my child is performing at school.

It is a matter of concern that there are too many parents these days who think if their children speak fluent English thereby undermining local languages, that will be a sign of sophistication, intellect and success. They do not realise that to effectively and productively function in a society where the majority of people speak local languages, not speaking mother tongue is actually a huge impediment to one’s progress. The speaking of foreign language such as English works well when children are still in school. When they go home, when they are no longer speaking to themselves at school, they will want to speak to their grandparents and helpers at home.  In such a scenario, it is actually a very difficult exercise for those children who speak exclusively in English at school.

One cannot hire a translator only to convey a message from a child to an employee who is actually a maid. It is a very difficult exercise. It must be noted Madam Speaker, that the people who make things move speak nothing but local languages. It is the language of conversation and therefore, a language of production. Take an example, the people who work in an industry where the majority are not that learned, those who work in supermarkets, manufacturing industries, do not need to speak in a language they are uncomfortable with to be productive. They need a local language that they can all understand.

If one imposes a foreign language to them, that actually becomes elimination and a hinderance to progress and productivity. It implies that our children at school should be groomed in a way that they value local language.  This is so that when they grow up, when they join such industries, they will also speak such local languages for socialising with co-workers. There is a common Shona lingo that says gavi rinobva kumasvuuriro.  It means that the way we groom them is the way they become. According to Mahatma Gandhi, a man is just but a product of his own thought, what he thinks he becomes. It implies that if we think that English is so superior compared to our own languages, that will be our fate. We are going to also be considered very inferior as the Shona, Ndebele and Shangani speaking people. We actually value what is not actually ours.

I always more often than not, tend to soliloquy. This is to say, a general thinking by the majority of Zimbabwean that if our children speak foreign languages such as English, then we have made it in life and we have equipped our children with an important skill that they need to contribute to national development. My answer there is certainly, no.  Madam Speaker Ma’am, let me draw your attention to an event on 21^st February 2023, which in Zimbabwe is a National Youth Day. The world commemorated international mother language day under the theme, ‘Multi Lingual Education, a necessity to transform education’. The multilingual approach now is to say, our children should be taught a number of local languages as a language of instruction in their different areas so that they become versatile in terms of communication if they move around the country. The international mother language day recognises that languages and multilingualism can advance inclusion and economic development where everyone can effectively function without being hindered by their inability to master a foreign language.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, imagine a situation whereby in Zimbabwe we take English as the key for one to access a certain profession or being taken as an entry requirement for one to pursue a certain professional training. You can imagine how skills are lost through that discrimination to say those who did not pass English cannot proceed to do nursing as if they are going to practice nursing in an English-speaking country. They are going to practice nursing in Zimbabwe. They will be speaking to the patients who speak Shona in Zimbabwe. How can English be taken as a pre-requisite for one to train as a nurse, policeman and teacher as if they are going to practice in a foreign country? That value being given to a foreign language as English is an impediment that leaves others behind.

 The President always speaks to leaving no one and no place behind. The value that we give to foreign language such as English, is an indicator that we followed the colonial system by perpetuating its remnants. A lot of human capital is going to be lost by considering English as a primary language that one should acquire if at all they have to make it in life. Local languages are the basis for empowerment and inclusive development. This is why those Honourable Members behind the motion by Hon. Bajila support the fact that the speaking, teaching and learning of local languages should actually be a priority in Zimbabwe.

          Madam Speaker, multilingual education based on the mother tongue as first language is a type of education that begins in the language that the leaner masters most and then gradually introduces other languages to the learner after mastering basic concepts.  This approach enables learners whose mother tongue is different from the language of instruction to bridge the gap between home and school.  To discover the school environment in a familiar language and thus they learn better.  Imagine those children who grow up in the rural areas where at home they have never heard even a single word in English.  When they go to school, the first day they are introduced to – should I say a strange language, they are going to grasp nothing.  So learning is not taking place.  My definition of learning is a voyage of discovering new ideas and adding them to a body of knowledge.  It means that as they are learning, they are starting from the known to the unknown.  If it is from the known, which is their local language, it should be a gradual process whereby they are being natured starting from their language they master at home. 

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, the lack of investment in the promotion of local languages severely undermines learning, cultural expression and the building of social relations.  Significantly, this weakens the linguistic heritage of humanity and the ability of the entire society from being part of the bigger economic human capital.  If we consider examples of countries that emerged stronger economically, because there are developments plans that were built on their local cultural aspects such as local languages - those countries which speak English, French, they never include our own languages in their syllabi, it means they value their own languages, hence they strengthen their cultural beliefs. 

          Madam Speaker, this is why we see today we buy equipment and any technical advancement starting from such countries which embrace their languages but those languages we borrow them and take them as ours - that is actually shame to us.  The function of local languages should not be limited to conversing with our grandparents or to fit in a society but should be seen as facilitative function that enables society to get the best out of itself.  It is therefore crucial that the local language issue is taken to account in the necessary exercise of transforming education and economic development. Above all, it requires a more general awareness of the irreplaceability but fragile value of local languages.  Thank you, Madam Speaker, for the time granted. 

          *HON. KARIMATSENGA-NYAMUPINGA:  Thank you Hon. Speaker, I want to support the motion that was raised by Hon. Bajila.  This issue should be taken seriously, we cannot be a country where one has a grandchild who is in Harare or some of these towns whom he or she cannot communicate with because the child cannot speak Shona.  A certain lady came to my home crying saying that her daughter had phoned him and she could not speak Shona.  That lady had gone to extremes to send her child outside the country, the issue of language can break families.  MPs in this House, especially men can agree with me that those who propose in English are most likely to get positive answers than those who propose in Shona.  Only later that the ladies will discover that the one who does not speak Shona is not a good person than the one who proposed in Shona.  This shows that the person who proposed in Shona was taught better by their grandparents, cultures and different things. 

          Whenever we are talking of budget - when the Minister of Finance comes, people in the rural areas will be listening from radios, however English will be used.  Those people in rural areas will not understand the economic jargon.  We should have interpreters when budget is being presented.  Radio stations should broadcast in our local languages.  When this motion was raised, I thought the MP was speaking in Malawian language.  Languages should be used in Committees and even out of Parliament when we will be having other functions, we should be taught different languages for example the likes of Venda, Tonga, Ndebele et cetera so that Members are able to learn our indigenous languages. 

          When the other Hon. Member on the left side stood up, as she was gesticulating, I could see that she was speaking a very important issue but I could not understand what she was saying because I do not understand the language.  The machines should cater for all languages so that we get interpretation of all the languages and I will be able to listen to the language that I do not understand.  There is nothing embarrassing

as when someone is speaking a language and no one understands it.  We want to know all the languages spoken by any one of us in this House so that we will be able to contribute or deduce what will have been said.  We want to hear every speaker in this House.  So, there should be interpretation of all languages and we should all be able to follow the debate.  I was disappointed when I could not hear the languages that the other Hon. Members were using.  All the 16 languages should be taught here so that at least I can grab a bit of each language from the teachings.  One year I went to Sweden and I was very excited to the extent that I learnt a bit more English so that I could go and converse with them properly.  Unfortunately, they used their own Swedish language and I could not understand them at all.  I went to get some milk for the baby from the supermarket but because I could not read or understand the language, I picked porridge and gave it to the baby.  The baby could not digest the porridge and that was not a good experience.  Everyone should be able to read a little bit of any language to enable one to read basic instructions.  So, we would like to ask that in every shop, the instructions written on products should also be in our indigenous language so that it is easy to read and understand the instructions.  All schools should teach indigenous languages. 

I would also want to speak on the language for those with disabilities.  Those who are deaf cannot talk to the kombi conductors as there is no one to interpret the sign language.  We want sign language to be included everywhere.  A deaf child in Binga should also be taught sign language in their own language.  Currently, sign language is only being interpreted in sign language.  It should be interpreted in all the 16 languages and not only in English.  We are asking that the issue of sign language be in all languages and in all schools so that every child understands in their own language what is being said.  This will make it easier for the children to talk to their grandparents.  We also wish that as curricula are being made, there should be teaching of all the indigenous languages.  There should also be free education in indigenous languages so that even those in the rural areas can go to other places having knowledge of other languages.  When I go to Binga as a wife, we will not be able to understand each other and I will not be able to communicate if I become sick.  I might be found dead for failure to communicate well with them.  This is a very important issue.  We should also discuss the issue of braille.  It should be in all languages.  It does not mean that if I am blind, I should be deprived of the right to learn.  The President says no one should be left behind.  So, you can see that the disabled are being deprived of many of their rights.  I once asked about the budget because it was delivered without braille and I wanted to know if it had been delivered to everyone because we have those who can only read using braille. The Minister, in his response said something had been put in place to correct that. 

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. TSITSI ZHOU):  Order, Hon. Members! Can you please listen to the Hon. Member who is debating in silence.

HON. S. TSHUMA:  Madam Speaker, on a point of order.  We are discussing a very pertinent issue and everything is going well, but there is a gentleman running around giving out headphones.  I am then asking myself why we are not all having these headphones or why are they not placed under the desks so we can just retrieve them from there whenever we want to use them?  I thank you Madam Speaker.

HON. KARIMATSENGA-NYAMUPINGA:  Thank you Madam Speaker, I was saying that braille should be provided so that the blind can also move with the times. They can also join in the debate. As we are preparing for our budget, we want these issues to be included in next year’s budget so that funds should be set aside to teach our children that if you go to Bulawayo, you automatically start speaking Ndebele. No language is more superior than the other. We do not know the languages because we are not putting an effort in acquiring those languages.

          All of us used to beat our children when they failed English language because we knew that for a child to progress further in life, they should have passed the English language. We used to think that if our children are good in Maths and English, they have gone a long way. Let me tell you a story which happened to me. My aunt used to stay in Mozambique and she was married to a Mozambican man. When they came to Zimbabwe and my uncle got a job at Rainbow Towers Hotel, I went there to teach him how to speak Shona. He refused to be taught the Shona language because he was of the view that the language would not take him far. That was the truth because the Shona language could not give him a job, instead he preferred the English language which had many opportunities. We should take a cue from Sweden where the Swedish language is the official language. All the documents in Sweden are written in Swedish.

Yes, we do have many languages but on top of that, we should learn all the official languages recognised in the Constitution.  The English language should be used by interpreters whereby if foreigners visit our country, the interpreters would interpret for them because all our documents will be in our indigenous languages which they do not understand. By so doing, we would have created a lot of employment opportunities for our young people…

[Time limit]

In conclusion, I want to support this motion which was brought by Hon. Bajila that we should not only talk and debate but we need to see the implementation of this motion during our tenure in Parliament. If we do not implement these recommendations during our time, the next Parliament will continue debating on the same issue. It will take long for us to have all the official languages being spoken. I plead with every Hon. Member to be able to converse in all the sixteen languages so that we uplift the lives of our people. I thank you.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: On the issue of headphones for use during interpretation raised by Hon. Tshuma, the Hon. Speaker instructed us that there are headphones from the Serjeant-at-Arms offices which are given upon submission of identity documents. All of us are encouraged that before we take our seats, we collect these gadgets and use them during the course of the day.

HON. MATINENGA: I rise to add my voice to the very important motion which was raised by Hon. Bajila on encouraging Zimbabweans to learn more languages. A lot has been said by Hon. Members on the advantages of this motion. I will buttress on three important issues which are access to education, cultural understanding and job opportunities. I will not belabour on explaining these because Hon. Members have extensively touched on them.

I would recommend that we need to start at kindergarten where the Ministry of Education should actually make it compulsory for the children in primary school to learn at least two or three vernacular languages that will make them better communicate as they go to secondary and tertiary education. Leading by example, I would like to add and further expand on what Hon. Nyamupinga said that we should start by this august House learning the other languages so that at least by the end of this Tenth Parliament, as parliamentarians, we should have learnt all the sixteen languages. We are not doing ourselves a favour because we are not understanding what other Hon. Members are debating. We are not even able to respond to issues they would have raised because we will not have understood them.

Just like what Parliament did when they taught us to improve our computer skills, it can be done even when it comes to learning other vernacular languages. This will help us as we encourage communities to do the same, even at household level, we can encourage our children to respect the vernacular languages. This was a very important motion which was raised and we should incorporate it in our budget and as we interact with each other. I want to thank Hon. Bajila for raising this very pertinent motion which will go a long way in advancing our nation.

          HON. B. NDLOVU: Thank you for affording me this opportunity to also add my voice to this important motion that was brought by Hon. Bajila.  It is motion that talks about languages, teaching and learning of all the 16 languages in schools. I support this motion because we used to pray in our local languages. We would use our local languages to talk to our ancestors who would then take our payers to God.  These days I realise that people think that praying in English is the only way that God can hear our prayers. The question is, why is it that such things are changing on a daily basis? What I would like to say is when our children start attending school, they must learn in our local languages. This will be easy for them to learn and it will also be easy for the teacher to teach them.

For example, if we look at professionals coming form other countries like China, it could be an engineer.  When he comes here, he comes with an interpreter who interprets for him. If we start teaching our young children the local languages, it will be easy for them to understand what is happening. Most of the times, we spend a lot of time learning to speak in English yet some takes a lot of time learning their professions. What I can say is, you cannot use someone`s utensils to finish your own job because the owner will come any time to collect the utensils. We cannot continue using the colonisers language. We were oppressed by Whites, even our languages and our own wealth.  Now, we know that as the people of Zimbabwe, we need to develop our own country. Going back to the Bible, it is important to pray, as it is said when they were in the Upper Room, after they had fasted, they started speaking in different languages. That shows that it is important that people speak their own languages, because the Bible did not say that the Hebrews spoke in the Jewish language. What is important is that each person should speak his own language, be it Shona, Ndebele or other different languages.

I now plead with this House that it should show how important it is for us to speak our local languages. Lastly, there are people in our rural areas who are very talented.  You can tell by the way they build their homes or structures.  However, they are prevented from learning at colleges because they cannot speak English. What I would like to emphasise on is let us take our languages seriously if we want to develop our country. Thank you.

          *HON. MANANZVA: Thank you Madam Speaker. I would want to add a few words on this motion which was tabled by Hon. Bajila on the issue of our languages. The issue of our languages helps us when we understand our languages. You find that in our schools there are other children who are intelligent but because of language barrier they end up going nowhere. So, the issue of our indigenous languages should be encouraged. If you look at the English language, it is a foreign language which was brought by the colonisers because they had an agenda and we have been bewitched by this language. We do not realise that we are Africans who have their own indigenous languages. You find that people are now running away from their culture following foreign culture. There are some of our sisters who are bleaching so that they become white. In the last few days when we introduced our own local currency, some do not even want to use it because we are mentally colonised, we want to use foreign currency. My view is that, when we had our independence in 1980, we did not become independent in terms of our language, we remained colonised in that aspect.  When we got back to our land, when we chased away the Whites, we should have also chased away their languages.  If we are still forcing our children to understand English, it means that on the other hand we want their culture. People hate their languages and their characters.

When I say that our language has got ubuntu, let me give you an example, I wanted to speak in English and give an example in Shona, which means that when it is our language, they knew that there are certain words you can say in English, but you cannot say them in Shona. 

When we were growing up, we could not say elders are telling a lie but in English, you can refer to an elderly person as a liar.  In our language you say it lightly that you are not on the right track because they were promoting morality.  Our language is very important, but people are running away from our culture and taking the English language.  My grandmother used to say that English was brought by the ship and some of it got lost in the sea, but we did not know what our grandmother was saying. If we look at their language and culture, there is somewhere we are not getting it right.  That is why I said now we have people who are bleaching, but in the end, they are not doing justice to themselves.

Madam Speaker, I do not want to keep on talking because it has been debated for a long time.  When you see the introduction of English, you see that it has brought some challenges like food, which is now causing diseases.  The way we are living because of the English culture has caused so many problems.  There is a singer, Oliver Mtukudzi who sang that we should be proud of our language and culture.  There is also Simon Chimbetu with his song, uyu ndowekwedu kumapako, but has now been influenced by English. 

So, I am saying the spirit that has befallen on this country should be exorcised by promoting our languages.  If a thing comes from abroad, once it enters our border, it should be changed.  The instructions should be translated into our indigenous languages. I do not have much to say Madam Speaker.  Thank you for affording me this time.

*HON. S. TSHUMA: I stood up to support the motion which has been tabled by Hon. Bajila on promotion of our indigenous languages. This is a very topical issue which is being supported by all the Hon. Members in this House, but I have a few things to add on this issue without wasting much time.

The issue of our indigenous languages is very important. This is because we were colonised by the whites and that is why we love the English language. Hon. Ndudzo gave an example of many countries that were colonised by different colonisers, that ended talking the language of that country. The same applies to us. I can say that we were lost as a nation and it should be rectified in the shortest possible time so that we can develop as a country.

The issue of languages helps us in our development. Why do I say that? In our schools, children are learning most of their subjects in English, from ECD going up. So, it is very difficult for some of the children who are coming from homes where the parents are not conversant in English. If Kalanga or Ndebele was their home language, then they go to school and start communicating in English, it would take time for them to catch up. English is just a language like the one that I am speaking in or like Chewa or Ndebele. What is important is that when we are talking of skill, it is what you are able to do.

So, our children will speak fluent English when they get to form four, which means that whatever was happening from Grade 1 to form 3, they did not understand well, but they were moving on with the syllabus, not really grasping anything. We have important subjects in school such as Biology, Science, Physics, Chemistry, Geography and even Maths. If you look in our schools, a lot of our children are taking up these subjects because they are forced by our teachers. When they get to form four, they drop them because they are difficult.

What is difficult is just the vocabulary. The words that are being used, especially in Biology, but these subjects are important to us and our children. If they understand like these days when we talk about the reproductive system, if people are able to learn how our bodies function or if one says colon cancer, what does it mean? For example, what Hon. Nyamupinga referred to. She always talks about cervical cancer and to be a woman, you start as a girl. If our girl-child is able to understand from a very early age to learn and understand about cancer, probably they could be able to get rid of things that cause that disease.

If you want to compare all the countries worldwide, they use their own languages like what the other speakers have said. If you are going to another country, you have to learn their local language despite how learned you might be, but you have to learn in order to be able to communicate with the people there. I had a chance to go to China in Shandong province. I had a difficult time because I could not even get a single person who could speak in English. We ended up downloading a translation application that you would write whatever you want in English and it would be translated into Chinese so that they would understand you. Because of that technology, I think we can communicate.  If a person can do that then they can communicate in any language. Therefore, I encourage the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to include these foreign languages in the infant’s curriculum. It is easier to learn a foreign language at a very tender age.

          Someone was telling me that things like earphones, when you get to China, are not produced by elders but by children, even in primary education, including the phone chargers.  Here we cannot do it because our children will be learning English.  They will be busy trying to learn English instead of learning production or being innovative. Even if they are learning science, what they are learning is not science but English.  So, it takes time for them to understand the concepts of that particular subject.  We encourage the issue of our indigenous languages. We should look at it and support it as Hon. Members because it is a very important issue that makes our country go forward.  It will also avoid the dropping of special subjects because they will be thinking that they are difficult.  They should be able to do experiments in science using their indigenous languages so that we will have a lot of scientists in our country. 

          Let me give you an example of the Chinese and Russia because they are our friends here in Zimbabwe. If you look at these Chinese, they are the people who came and discovered lithium in Zimbabwe.  They were the ones who first discovered lithium after they had explored our country. Yet our children are running away from that because they want to do the easy things like marketing and social work.  They want to do easy things because they think it is difficult. For example, my friend’s child said, I cannot do biology but that is a very important subject in our country.  Those technical jobs are done because they offer a lot of opportunities worldwide.

  If we get sick here, we go to India but the people who are looking after you in India will be speaking in their indigenous languages.  You will be speaking English but you do not know how to describe what you are suffering from.            Without wasting much time, I support this motion.  I think we are late and we should push it so that we see it happening on the ground because our children are lagging behind because of speaking this foreign language.  I thank you.

          +HON. MANGONDO: Thank you, Madam Speaker.  I have also stood up to raise my voice in this debate of languages.  It is very important to us as a nation that we should come up with a plan to promote our local languages which promote our culture wherever we are. 

          Madam Speaker Ma’am, when you look at various languages, all the 16 languages in Zimbabwe and our culture resembles our languages.  If you come across a person who speaks chiBuja, they have their culture, which is different from the Hwesa people.  In the end, because we are not following our languages, we are specialising in foreign languages like English, people are abandoning their culture because they are now doing what resembles the language that they are being forced to speak. 

          In schools, when children write their examinations, whether Grade Seven, Ordinary Level, or Advanced Level, most children especially from the rural areas, like Murehwa South, where I come from, many do very well in Shona but fail all the other subjects.  There are a number of children who do very well in Shona. They are quite high than the children who do well in other subjects.  This is an indication that children are not articulate in their subjects because of the foreign language being used.  If we change it so that our children can take all these other subjects in their indigenous languages, they will do very well.

          If you look at other cultures, we talk of English which was brought by the colonisers, you find that where they come from, they have other people who speak other languages.  Even in Britain, where it came from, we have the Scottish, and they have their language.  We have the Welsh, they have their language but they continued promoting their language so that their education and culture is not diluted.

          However, in Zimbabwe as an independent country that has a new Constitution which recognises 16 languages, I think it is very important that we should promote these languages so that we have teachers who look at those languages and improve them. These days even if you want to look for a dictionary, you cannot find it. I last got a Shona dictionary long back. I do not know who stole it from me. You are saying we are improving our languages when we do not even have a dictionary. How do our children learn Shona when they do not have the literature? Those are the things that we should look at. If you see a person not valuing his or her language, it shows that we have lost out, we do not know where we came from, we do not have any background and we have forgotten our routes.

We have forgotten our value and our ancestors, so if you want to value all our languages, all our cultures the few that I have talked about, that is our wealth as a nation. That is the wealth of a nation not that the many words or many cultures will bring us apart. What is important is that we should give them the same value all these languages. All the cultures should be valued the same. That will bring us together because each and every one of us would want to learn other languages.

You find that even in schools like in South Africa or EU, you do not go to school to learn one language. You are supposed to learn two or three languages so that you can go higher to university. Here if you pass English and others, then you are now learned, you can go to university. That is not it. An educated person is one who can fit in all areas. If you cannot fit in all areas because you cannot converse in other languages, it means that you are not educated.

As a nation, we should bring up our children well so that when they leave school, when they finish Grade Seven, they should be able to speak two or three indigenous languages. If they start early it is easy to learn a language. It is not difficult to them. I witnessed when I was in South Africa. It was not difficult for the children to learn South African languages, but for us the elders, it was difficult. You would find them conversing in Suthu, Zulu, Afrikaans and English.  They converse in Shona as well. They are not confused when they come to where people are conversing in Afrikaans, they fit when Suthu or Zulu is being spoken. It shows that the person is now well groomed and is a person who is being prepared to get into the world with a wealth of languages so that they can fit everywhere. From there when they go to high school, they will just be adding because the foundations of languages has been set already whilst in primary school.

If you look closely at our languages, it is just a question of adding. There are similar things, I was listening when the Honourable Member who was debating in Venda - if you listen closely, the Venda words, you find that some of them are similar to Shona, some English and some Ndebele. It is not difficult, it is not hard for us if we bring it to schools. However, we see to it that our children  learn a lot of languages and have an advantage in that if they want to speak in other countries’ languages, it will be easy for them to catch up because they are used to converse in different languages.

          Madam Speaker, what I want to emphasise is that as a nation, we have a lot of wealth because we have many languages. It is wealth as it is. We should take our culture seriously, it as wealth. We should not look down upon it as like what our colonisers used to do. That is one thing that they were able to do to devalue our language. They made us leave our culture. Our culture comes from our languages. Once you leave your language, you are leaving other part of the culture because you cannot explain it in English. There is a difference, for example if you talk about appeasing the spirits, if you go into English words, you do not know what it means.  This means that the idea of appeasing spirits is now bad because in English it is a bad thing. If you go deep in thought, you see that it is just different, but it is the whites who thought that it was bad. They were appeasing their spirits. Even up to now they appease their spirits and we help them appeasing their spirits. This is probably the emanation of our problems because we end up not solving our troubles because we are helping the whites.

If you go to Great Zimbabwe, you find that what they were doing and the birds that were there, the birds there used to help people down here and those above, our ancestors. That was very important for our ancestors, but now we see it as if it is nothing because we were told that this is unspiritual. Those birds were not just birds, we say Zimbabwe bird because it is a symbol of our country. Yes, it is a symbol of our country but what was it standing for. Do we know that those birds stood for? We were forced to throw that away because they thought it was unspiritual and not important. What I am saying is we should improve all our languages in Zimbabwe. We should improve our knowledge of our languages.

              It should be funded so that the languages will be improved from the teachers, the books, the dictionaries, which we no longer have.  We should have dictionaries for all the 16 languages.  I see that if we come together as an august House representing the people, it will show that it is coming from one voice and the Government will be encouraged to come up with ways to improve our languages in the best interests of our people.   We can talk and debate in this House and it will just end here because we now have social media and people are aware.  But if we broadcast what we are doing country-wide, our people will know the importance of our languages and culture.  We will then have professionals, technocrats and doctors who will have learnt the languages.  I thank you for according me this opportunity to add my words in support of the motion.  This is what the people want - to be able to speak in their language freely and not speak in a language that they struggle to express whatever you want to say.  When speaking in English, you think in Shona first and translate into English.  Everyone should speak freely in their own language and be able to put across their ideas.  I thank you Madam Speaker.

    HON. BAJILA:  Madam Speaker, I move that the debate do now adjourn.

    HON. P. DUBE:  I second.

    Motion put and agreed to.

    Debate to resume:  Wednesday, 24^th July, 2024.

     On the motion of HON. KAMBUZUMA, seconded by HON. MUSHORIWA, the House adjourned at Twenty-Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.