- Version
- Download 38
- File Size 405 KB
- File Count 1
- Create Date September 26, 2019
- Last Updated November 18, 2021
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 26 SEPTEMBER 2019 45-88
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 26th September, 2019
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. SPEAKER
SWEARING IN OF A NEW MEMBER
THE HON. SPEAKER: On the 24th September, 2019,
Parliament received communication from the Zimbabwe Electoral
Commission on the election of the following Member of ZANU PF
Party as Member of the National Assembly with effect from the 21st September, 2019:- Hon. Clemence Chiduwa, representing Zaka East Constituency – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Order, order.
Can you reserve your acclamation until the Hon. Member is sworn in?
Section 128 (1) – [HON. DR. LABODE: Inaudible interjection.] – Order Hon. Dr. Labode – [HON. CHINOTIMBA: Munhu akapfeka wig!] – Section 128 (1) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that before a Member of Parliament takes his or her seat in Parliament, the Member must take the oath of a Member of Parliament in the form set out in the Third Schedule. Section 128 (2) of the Constitution states that the oath must be taken before the Clerk of Parliament. I, therefore, call upon the Clerk of Parliament to administer the oath of a Member of Parliament to Hon. Clemence Chiduwa – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Order Hon. Member
in a red shirt! Order, order. Can we preserve the dignity of this House, Hon. Member in a red tie, can you get out.
NEW MEMBER SWORN
HON. CLEMENCE CHIDUWA subscribed to the Oath of
Loyalty as required by the law and took his seat – [HON.
MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Order, order.
COLLECTION OF OFFICIAL PARKING DISCS
THE HON. SPEAKER: All Hon. Members are advised to collect official parking discs for the Opening Ceremony and SONA from Security Officers who will be stationed at the Members’ Dining Room today.
HON. A. NDEBELE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I have risen on a motion of privilege Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I called for Notices of Motions.
HON. NDEBELE: I saw no one standing.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, please proceed.
HON. NDEBELE: Hon. Speaker, I have noticed that amongst some of ZESA’s problems is the fact that they are bedeviled by challenges of theft and vandalism of some of their infrastructure, targeting specifically transformer oil and copper cables. I wish Hon. Speaker to then invite the Minister of Home Affairs. Perhaps we could have a joint statement from the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and the Minister of Mines and Mining Development on the wisdom of granting copper exporting licences to registered entities in Zimbabwe. It is a fact Hon. Speaker that in this country we do not produce copper. It is also a fact that granting copper exporting licences to particular entities, it promotes vandalism for copper cables. I thought it will be in good stead to invite a joint statement from the two Ministries on the issue of copper exporting licences because I believe these are granted by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.
Last but not least Hon. Speaker, internet data bundles by all means have become a public good but these just disappear from our phones and our houses. Unfortunately without a proper test, we cannot tell whether or not internet service providers are stealing from the citizenry. However Hon. Speaker, I have a feeling that if we invite our colleagues in the ICT Committee to interface with internet service providers as has been done by our Zambian colleagues to perhaps reach a non-binding agreement if this House cannot be persuaded to make laws against disappearing data and expensive data, it would help.
Currently the situation is data disappears, data is just too expensive and unaffordable and data expires. If you buy data today, you are then forced to use it before a particular day. The connectivity is so poor and nobody ever cares to compensate people for data lost as a result of poor connectivity. I hope Hon. Speaker, the Minister of Information Communication Technology and Courier Services can also be persuaded to give us a Ministerial Statement on what he is doing in terms of protecting the public against abuse by internet service providers. This is the reason why the gentleman is in office. With your indulgence Hon. Speaker, I wish to point out to you that the nation is owed two Ministerial Statements that I invited, one from the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Hon. Kirsty Coventry. I had another one I tend to forget. My memory escapes me because this Parliament does not grant me a secretary to work on some of these things – [Laughter.]
Where I am going is the fact that you and I my learned brother agreed at some point that there is need for a special committee that should look into outstanding business of Government towards us back benchers, especially because some of the things may escape the desk. In your ruling Hon. Advocate J. F. Mudenda, I invite you to also update us on how far you have gone with that proposal for that special committee which I had duly recommended. I thank you Hon.
Speaker.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Ndebele, I hope you will resuscitate your memory and give me the two together and we will take it up from there. On the special committee, the matter is under consideration. Thank you.
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Hon. Speaker Sir, since we cannot congratulate the newly sworn in Hon. Members of Parliament, on behalf of the House, I would like to congratulate the new Members who were sworn in for winning overwhelmingly, particularly Hon.
Members of the ZANU PF party. Of course Hon. Tsvangirayi is here. My fear is that he will also pass on, bearing in mind what was circulating on social media that they were killing each other. I would like to say congratulations to the Hon. Members who are representing ZANU PF for winning against their MDC counterparts.
HON. MATEWU: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. I do not think it is right if we have a culture in this House that people stand up to talk about the dead in the way that he is doing. I do not think the Hon. Member is right to say that. I think he must withdraw that.
He must withdraw what he said.
THE HON. SPEAKER: What exactly did he say?
HON MATEWU: The first thing he said was “kurakasha” then the second thing he said “kuuraya munhu nebute, hanzi akafa nebute” that is what he said. The Hon. Member is insinuating that one of our Hon. Members passed away because “akaurayiwa nebute.”
THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, the first part kurakasha is a language to indicate total defeat. Secondly, the Hon. Member talked about the use of bute to kill, which is witchcraft. The Hon. Member can you please withdraw that one.
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Mr Speaker Sir, I would like to withdraw what they were saying because they used to go around saying that there are some people who poisoned the late Hon. Member. In our culture if someone says that the late Hon. Member was killed it means something happened. However, I would like to withdraw what the opposition MPs were insinuating. It pains me and the people of Buhera that one of ours was killed. Our child was killed.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
NOMINATION OF HON. MUSABAYANA AS MEMBER OF THE
DELEGATION TO THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM
THE HON. SPEAKER: I have one announcement – I wish to
advise that following the round robin consultation of Members of the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders, Hon. Musabayana has been duly nominated to be on the delegation to the SADC Parliamentary Forum. He replaces the late Hon. Mguni.
RECOMMITTAL TO COMMITTEE STAGE
EDUCATION AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 1C, 2019]
First Order read: Recommittal – Committee: Education
Amendment Bill, (H. B. 1C, 2019).
House in Committee.
On clause 14(k):
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): The
Education Amendment Bill passed through this august House and was transmitted to the Senate. When we took it to the Senate, we had an amendment to Section 64 whereby it talks about the appointment of sexual reproductive health personnel. The Hon. Senators were not comfortable with the reference to sexual - they felt that it is uncultural and undesirable. Therefore, they proposed that the personnel be called, ‘Reproductive Health Personnel’. This is the amendment that has been brought to the House for consideration.
HON. BITI: We object, let it stand as it was originally...
THE HON. CHAIRPERSON: Order, order Hon. Biti, our
microphone is off.
HON. BITI: I move that we totally reject the proposals by the Senate. Hatisi kuda!
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND
PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Hon.
Chairman, our initial position was that we needed to tackle issues of sexual reproductive health and needed personnel that would be able to articulate to our learners issues to do with sexual reproductive health.
So the Hon. Senators felt that we should not use the word ‘sexual’, even though it exists.
In my view, I do not have any objection – even if we retain it as it was as ‘sexual reproductive health personnel’.
THE CHAIRPERSON: I shall now report that there is a disagreement on this amendment.
House resumed.
Bill reported without amendment.
THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: In terms of Part 2 (6C) of
the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, the Bill has to be presented to the President in the form that it was passed by the National Assembly.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. TOGAREPI: I move that Orders of the Day Nos. 2 to 40 be stood over until Orders of the Day Nos. 41 and 42 have been disposed of.
HON. PHUTI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. OBEDINGWA
MADLALA MGUNI
Forty-first Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the condolence message for the late Hon. Obedingwa Madlala Mguni.
Question again proposed.
+HON. PHUTI: I thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am. I am
happy to wind up on the passing of our colleague. He had a sudden death and he was a very humble and accommodative person. While we debate on the passing on of Hon. Madlala Mguni, I am happy that his wife is now with us here.
I would also like to thank all the Hon. Members who made contributions on this motion. The Members actually gave us the exact account of his personality. I conclude by saying that, may his exemplary life be taken heed of by all of us. I therefore move for the adoption of this motion that this House expresses its profound sorrow on the sudden and untimely death on Tuesday, 18th June, 2019, of Hon. Member of Parliament for Mangwe Constituency, Mr.
Obedingwa Madlala Mguni;
PLACES on record its appreciation of the sterling services which the late Member of Parliament rendered to Parliament and the nation; and
RESOLVES that its deepest and heartfelt condolences be conveyed to Mrs. Mguni, the entire family, relatives, friends and the Mangwe Constituency.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HON. KASTON
RINGIRISA GUMBWANDA
Forty second Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on the condolence message for the late Hon. Gumbwanda.
Question again proposed.
HON. MAVENYENGWA: Thank you Madam Speaker for
giving me this opportunity to wind up the debate on the death of Hon.
Ringisai Gumbwanda of Zaka East. I would like to start by thanking all Members who contributed during the debate on the untimely death of Hon. Gumbwanda.
The late was a veteran of the liberation struggle. He fought for the liberation of this country. He was also a headmaster in Zaka for many years and taught some of the Hon. Members who are in this House. I would also want to thank the people of Zaka East who had trusted him and voted for him to become a Member of Parliament for Zaka East Constituency. I am very sorry on his untimely death which robbed the people of Zaka of a brilliant Hon. Member who was representing them here in Parliament.
It is unfortunate that Hon. Gumbwanda and the other three Members who passed on did not receive their motor vehicles. Now I plead with the Hon. Speaker and the powers that be to re-look into issues of such nature, including the welfare of our Members of Parliament.
However, today I am very happy that another brilliant Hon.
Member from Zaka East Constituency in the name of Hon. Clemence Chiduwa has been sworn in. He is going to take over from where Hon. Gumbwanda left. He is also a student of Hon. Gumbwanda at the school where he was heading. Congratulations, Amhlope, Makorokoto, Hon. Chiduwa, we welcome you.
I therefore move that the motion be adopted:
That this House expresses its profound sorrow on the sudden and untimely death on Tuesday, 25th June 2019, of Hon. Member of
Parliament for ZAKA East Constituency, Mr. Kaston Ringirisai
Gumbwanda;
Places on record its appreciation of the sterling services which the late Member of Parliament rendered to Parliament and the nation; and
Resolves that its deepest and heartfelt condolences be conveyed to the entire Gumbwanda family, relatives, friends and the Zaka East Constituency.
Motion adopted.
On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI seconded by HON. T.
ZHOU, the House adjourned at Twelve Minutes past Three o’clock
p.m. until Tuesday, 1st October, 2019.