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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 7 NOVEMBER 2023 VOL 50 NO 10

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Tuesday, 7^th November, 2023

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

PRAYERS

(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Just one observation. Hon. Members should come in before the Speaker’s procession. Whips, you should lead, more-so when we are the ruling party. Hon. Whips, can you make sure that this is corrected.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

 

          HON. TSITSI ZHOU: I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.

          HON. DHLIWAYO: I second.

          Motion put and agreed to.

 

MOTION

REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY FOR THE YEAR 2022

Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the National Prosecuting Authority for the year 2022.

Question again proposed.

Hon. Members not having volunteered to debate.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Are you saying that you did not read that report?  I think our Whips must help prepare the Hon. Members on the speech on the motions.  I think some Hon. Members are mesmerised, totally. Chief Whip, please can you defer this motion to the end of our precedence.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

HON. TOGAREPI: Hon. Speaker, I move that Orders of the Day Nos. 1 and 2 be stood over…

THE HON. SPEAKER: We are done already with Order of the Day No. 1.

HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I was outside, I move that Oder of the Day No. 2 be stood over until Order of the Day No. 3 has been disposed.

HON. TSITSI ZHOU: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2022

          Third Order read: Adjourned debate on the Report of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission for the year 2022.

          Question again proposed.

          Hon.  Members having taken time to respond.

          THE HON. SPEAKER: This report was circulated.

          HON. ZIKI: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.  I had the opportunity to take note of this comprehensive report done by ZACC.  This report entails their performance and how they met on all categories of the work before them.  They accomplished around 67% on average of the cases that they were dealing with.  Of concern to us should be their challenges; some of which is human capital in the institution.  I would suggest that they be incentivised, incentives given to the officers to sort of curb this human resource flight.  Before it is done, of importance is remuneration package.  I think this is the reason why they are not retaining staff. There is also a suggestion of capacitation, but now we find people are leaving ZACC after they have been trained.  So we will end up with an institution that is training officers for other institutions.  So, my submission is that staff must be given incentives to attract better qualified members of staff.  These are my submissions Hon. Speaker Sir.

          HON. TOGAREPI: Hon. Speaker, I move that the debate do now adjourn.

          HON. SPEAKER: Before you adjourn, may I suggest that today, you should have had a Caucus meeting with your members so that you align the Members of Parliament in terms of what you expect of them.  This should have been done yesterday.

          HON. TOGAREPI: Thank you Hon. Speaker, yes, we would have done that, but Parliament administration has bunched all Committees to the first two days of the week and last week there was Pre-Budget seminar, so we did not have any free room to meet.  We are only going to have our Caucus tomorrow.  We wanted to invite Hon. Ziyambi to come forward to try and help Members to understand these submissions, but we could not. 

          THE HON. SPEAKER: Is this group still there?

HON. TOGAREPI: Yes, it is.

THE HON. SPEKAER: If you are online, check all the reports that were on line.  There is no excuse for anybody not to read these important reports which affect our lives and which affect the citizens of this country.  So, what I may indulge you; I am not thoroughly convinced that Hon. Members did not read the report since this report was tabled, I think on the 23^rd.  It proves to me that he actually read the report because what he raised are some of the issues that were raised in the report.  I think you take my point Hon. Chief Whip.

          HON. TSITSI ZHOU:  I second.

          Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE OF ADDRESS

          Fifth Order read:  Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.

          Question again proposed.

          HON. MAONEKE:  Thank you Mr. Speaker.  Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa for his re-election through a fair, transparent and credible election.  In the same vein, I would like to congratulate you Mr. Speaker, on your re-election as well.  To my fellow Honourables, I say congratulations to you on your securing the mandate to serve our mother country Zimbabwe in your respective constituencies. 

          My understanding is that the State of the Nation Address sought to set the legislative agenda.  It is constitutional and it was done within the framework of the laws of our country.  It sought to clarify the roles the leadership had set our nation to chase up.  It sought to unite us as we chase those roles.  The State of the Nation Address as well sought to figure out whether all the set targets which were supposed to be done by the previous legislative agenda were done.  It also sought to ensure that everybody cooperates. 

          Now that the road has been clarified and that the roles have been clarified to all of us, the State of the Nation Address sought for cooperation from all of us.  The statement by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, as far as I am concerned, is a very rich statement as it indicates collective ownership and collective responsibility on the part of all Zimbabweans.  Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, means all of us have to play a role in one way or another.   Nyika inovakwa is an indication that we all have got a role to play.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, I had the audacity to go through the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency and make an effort to compare it with other state of the nation addresses in other countries.  What struck my mind was another State of the Nation Address which was delivered in 1940 by the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.  He delivered a State of the Nation Address after Germany had occupied Netherlands and Belgium, and they were now on their way to France, after France their next target was Britain.  So, the British Prime Minister had to address the House.  In his words, he went on to say, ‘I will say to the House as I would say to those who joined this Government, I have nothing to offer, but blood, toil, tears and sweat.  We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind.  We have before us many long months of struggle and of suffering.  You ask what our policy is.  I can say it is to wage war by the sea, land and air with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime.  That is our policy.  You ask what our aim is.  I can say victory, victory at all cost, victory however long and hard the road might be for without it there is no survival.”

          I had to go through this statement in an effort to try and figure out validity, relevance, suitability and applicability of the State of the Nation Address which was delivered to us and I discovered that the State of the Nation Address delivered to us by the President is valid, is applicable and is suitable to our environment.

          Allow me to refer to that State of the Nation Address as a social, economic and political campus indicating the direction social matters are taking, implicating the direction economic and political matters are taking. 

          Mr. Speaker Sir, let us look at the Mines and Minerals Bill.  The President is emphasising the importance of beneficiation which you will understand is purification of the minerals.  What we get from under the ground, from the extraction, is a mineral ore and the President is emphasizing the importance of beneficiation for several reasons, some of which include:

1. Purification; which entails deriving maximum benefit. We are purifying and removing the impurities to get the best out of that ore.
2. Purification entails creation of other industries involved in purification minerals, hence leading to creation of employment and increase in taxes that will add to our GDP.

Beneficiation as well creates additional value from the by-product that we drive as we purify the minerals. In the process of purifying the minerals, there are some by-products, not the main mineral that we were chasing after. We make use of the by-products for creation of employment and for creation of other industries.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the process of purification of minerals has got both backward and forward linkages. What I mean is that through the process of purification, we sell the minerals at better prices and in the process, we also pay the company the responsible prices in meaningful terms. Moreover, purification means or entails identifying the correct client for our product. This can also give us the advantage of creating better relationships for the consumers of our materials or our minerals.

Mr. Speakers Sir, let us look at the Education Bill, wherein the President emphasised the importance of Education 5.0 which, in my understanding, is an evolution. Every system that surrounds us at some point in time changes. Our education system has also evolved to answer to the aspiration and dreams of modern-day man. There are new needs in this environment which were not in existence prior to today. If you go to the ICT, there is new vocabulary in their dictionary. They now talk of Zoom, they now talk of Tele-Conferencing, they now talk of cognitive thinking. Our education system should answer to the recurring questions around those areas.

Mr. Speaker Sir, though I did not study history, I wish to refer you to a certain scientist who was so much of the view that human beings evolve. This scientist is very popular, his name is Charles Darwin, 1881 and 1882, he is the one who proffered the theory of evolution, wherein he emphasised that human beings evolve, they change. Using his words, he was saying human beings at some point in time, when the last time they were homo habilis, they evolved to become homo erectus. From there, they evolved to become homo sapiens, from homo sapiens to homo sapien sapiens, from homo sapien sapiens to the digital man that I am talking to this day in this fourth industrial evolution. Our education system should evolve, should change and should cater for these changes.

Let us look at the drug and substance abuse where the President emphasised the importance of abstaining from that drug abuse. As I was researching about this matter Mr. Speaker Sir, I got the shock of my life in today’s paper when I realised that last week, on the first of November, it was drugs day. They said it was celebrated in Mufakose here in Zimbabwe. They were actually celebrating and advocating for decriminalisation of drug usage. They want to keep using drugs and one of our local doctors commented, instead of discouraging the use of drugs, he was actually saying the Government should invest more in rehabilitation centres.

Mr. Speaker Sir, in the area where I come from, in Chivi, we are losing a lot of youths to drug abuse. Now we are seeing that the elderly people have joined. My wish is that the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Health should join hands to fight drug abuse. We expect the police to arrest the perpetrators. We also expect the Ministry of Health to build more rehabilitation centres so that after discharge, perpetrators can be reintegrated back into society.

Mr. Speaker Sir, in my area where I come from, people are now addicted to drugs such as cocaine, crystal mirth, cannabis, some pharmaceuticals and alcohol beverages. Some of them are being imported through our borders and some through  other illegal means. My wish is that the Ministry of Home Affairs arrests perpetrators to ensure that this kind of behaviour is controlled.

I had opportunity again Mr. Speaker, to look at the other Bill which was mentioned, the Medical and Services Bill. I am told the Leader of the Legislative Agenda could not finish this Bill. My wish is if possible, this Bill be finished as soon as possible. In addition to that, there is also the Water Amendment Bill. In Chivi where I come from, we have got several water bodies such as Magoba, Bangala, Muzhwi and Tokwe-Mukorsi. Unfortunately, in most growth points, we are running out of clean water. Well, in his wisdom, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe is proposing to drill around 35 000 boreholes across the whole country. Unfortunately, as we speak in my area, we have only been able to drill less than 20. My wish is that the Minister of Devolution, where possible, treats this matter seriously because we are running short of clean water; especially  now that there is cholera outbreak. My wish is that the Minister distributes the drilling equipment equitably throughout the districts and provinces.

Mr. Speaker Sir, allow me to refer to Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa as a visionary leader. I say so because I have looked at the number of projects that he has done in my area Chivi which includes drilling of the boreholes that I have mentioned, repairing of dams and repairing of roads. This is an indication that the President has got his nation at heart. Thank you.

THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Maoneke. Can you switch off your mic please! Hon. Member for Chivi Central Constituency, I was listening carefully when you quoted Churchill and I was struck by the fact that you have got such a photogenic memory and you really quoted him word for word. I was also impressed by your reading of Charles Darwin and that goes to show that the breed of MPs that we have must demonstrate some sense of wide reading. Well done Hon. Maoneke – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –

HON. KARUMAZONDO:  Thank You Hon. Speaker. Firstly, I would like to say congratulations to His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa on his resounding victory in the August, 2023 harmonised elections.  I would also like to congratulate you Mr. Speaker and Madam Speaker, as well as all other Members of this august House on securing the mandate to serve the people of Zimbabwe.  I would also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the electorate in Maramba Pfungwe for affording me this opportunity to represent them in the 10^th Parliament. 

I would also like to add my voice to the motion moved by Hon. Nguluvhe, seconded by Hon. Tsitsi Zhou on the SONA presented by His Excellency to this august House.  I would like to take the challenge posed to us by His Excellency to accelerate the completion of matters outstanding from the legislative agenda of the 9^th Parliament. 

The Second Republic achieved many milestones and has set the tone for this 10^th Parliament in terms of implementation of strategies to enhance and improve the livelihood of Zimbabweans.  Through the combination of irrigation schemes and borehole drilling, my constituency played a role in contributing to the consolidation of national agricultural productivity and food self-sufficient.  We benefitted 20 boreholes as part of the 35 000 boreholes initiative in the move to establish village agro-business units which are yet to go through installation so as to service the community.  The successful implementation of the irrigation schemes through Saparanyambuya Dam led to Maramba-Pfungwe constituency contributing to the national wheat basket for the first time in history.  I will be requesting the introduction of more irrigation schemes by dredging of unused dams which have suffered siltation and construction of weirs where it proves to be more economical than dam construction.  One of the key infrastructure projects I would like the full support of Government in implementing in this 10^th Parliament Mr. Speaker Sir, is the construction of Nyatana Dam.  Key to His Excellency’s address was the significant improvement of power supply as a result of the commissioning of Hwange 7 & 8 units.  He went on to add that deliberate investments are on-going for increased power generation.  Nyatana dam has the capacity to generate power for Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central provinces, once completed. It is therefore my wish that special consideration be put into supporting our efforts to see the construction and completion of this project, which will not only add to the electrification of the rural population, but will also add to the provision of water to the surrounding communities for domestic and agricultural use.  This will encompass electrification and water and sanitation issues in the village, thereby transforming the livelihoods of the constituency of Maramba-Pfungwe as well as the nation at large.

Electrification of Maramba-Pfungwe constituency plays an integral role in the establishment, provision and use of ICT to schools, hospitals, district offices and businesses as well as the general community.  Through electrification of Maramba- Pfungwe, we can ensure delivery of services such as lighting, heating, connectivity of telephone lines as well as internet access. 

As it stands, the people of Maramba-Pfungwe struggle to get good internet connection with existing networks.  Maramba-Pfungwe is the only district in Mashonaland East without a functioning telephone line.  We would like to see the installation of ICT infrastructure in Maramba-Pfungwe.  Students in schools cannot even speak of having computers before we provide them with electricity.  Clinics cannot service the constituency adequately without power supply.  Nyatana Dam will be able to adequately cater to Maramba-Pfungwe’s energy needs among other rural electrification initiatives.

His Excellency mentioned that priority is being given to projects that improve access and quality of education, health, roads and water sanitation.  I would like to attest that I have seen the completion of the duplication of the Harare-Mutare Road stretch from Msasa to Melfort among other roads that were improved in Mashonaland East, not to speak of other major road networks countrywide.  In Maramba-Pfungwe, the construction of Mrewa’s-Madicheche road has been moving at a very slow pace making hospitals, market places and other key amenities inaccessible to the residents of Maramba- Pfungwe. Public transport is nonexistent to service people in this area due to the poor state that the road is currently in.  Other key developmental projects to be successfully implemented include the construction of Government schools in Maramba-Pfungwe which has no existing Government school; introduction of community information centers and supply of at least 3 ambulances at the UMP district hospital.

I would like to commend Government on the huge strides made towards decentralisation of service delivery including deployment of medical specialists to provincial and district hospitals.  However, more still needs to be done, in Maramba- Pfungwe, healthcare system is servicing the district with 50% staff levels.  There is need for pediatrician’s, general surgeons, gynecologists, physicians and nurses to add to the staff complement.  There is also need to supply antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs for chronic illnesses as the district is currently receiving painkillers only.

Part of the initiatives to be implemented in Maramba Pfungwe include, establishing vocational training centers to address issues to do with sports and recreational activities, SMEs and empowerment programmes for youths with specific attention to school drop-outs and those who fail to complete their education due to socio-economic challenges.

In closing, it is my wish to see the Government support in all the initiatives earmarked for Maramba-Pfungwe by ensuring that devolution funds are channeled to the constituency in time so that the district will manage to purchase a grader, tipper and borehole drilling rig to allow effective and efficient service delivery to my constituency.

Maramaba-Pfungwe inozivikanwa nekuvhota zvine mutsindo.  I thank you.

HON. MUTANDI:  Mr. Speaker, first allow me to begin by extending my heartfelt congratulations to the President of Zimbabwe, His Excellency, Cde. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for his resounding victory in the 2023 Harmonised Elections – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –. This mandate from the people reflects their trust and confidence in his leadership and I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone in this Chamber when I express our hope for a successful and productive term ahead.

I would also like to extend my congratulations to you Mr. Speaker and Madam Deputy Speaker of Parliament for retaining your positions – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – your leadership in guiding the affairs of this esteemed institution is commendable and I have no doubt under your guidance, the 10^th Parliament will be a vibrant and effective platform for addressing the critical issues facing our nation. May I also express my gratitude to the electorate for electing me as a Member of Parliament, as well as my party for giving me a chance to positively contribute towards the national Vision 2030 as a member of this august House – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –.

Mr. Speaker, as we gather here today to respond to the SONA presented by our President, we must acknowledge the collective responsibility we have to address the challenges and seize the opportunities outlined in his address. The President’s speech shed light on the progress and hurdles that lie ahead for our beloved Zimbabwe. Let us collectively reflect on these issues and chat a course for a brighter and more prosperous future for our nation.

First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the ongoing efforts to improve our WASH, that is water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. These efforts are aimed at ensuring access to safe, clean and potable water for all our citizens. Access to clean water is a fundamental human right and these endeavours are vital for the well-being and health of our people. The Government must be commended for the ongoing borehole drilling programme which seeks to drill 35 000 boreholes in Zimbabwe. However, it is clear that more resources and attention are needed to accelerate progress in this critical area.

In the realm of infrastructure development, we must applaud the road rehabilitation programmes that have made significant strides. The construction of Harare – Bulawayo Highway and in Mutare, the Christmas Pass by-pass as well as the ongoing rehabilitation of the Bulawayo – Victoria Falls Highway, are major infrastructure projects that are essential for the movement of people and goods. These initiatives not only improve connectivity, but also stimulate economic growth. We must continue to invest in infrastructure projects like these to drive our nation forward.

Mr. Speaker, the President’s mention of gas infrastructure development is also of great importance. The efforts to capacitate Verify Engineering to supply medical gas and oxygen in Zimbabwe and the region are commendable, particularly in light of the global health challenges we have faced. Nevertheless, we must stress the need for additional funding to ensure the consistency of uninterrupted supply of these vital resources which are essential for our healthcare system.

The emphasis on value addition in the President’s address is a welcome development aligning with our goal of promoting economic diversification. To take this further, we should consider the establishment of canning and preservative factories in areas that produce tomatoes, avocados and other products. This will not only reduce post-harvest losses, but also create opportunity for value addition, job creation and improved livelihoods for our people.

In the mining sector, we acknowledge the ongoing efforts to transform it into a US$12 billion sector. However, it is imperative that we ensure women active participation in this industry. Legislative and other interventions should be put in place to break down the barriers that have limited women’s involvement in this critical sector. By empowering women in mining, we can maximise the sector’s potential and contribute significantly to our national economic growth. The high rates of informality in the economy underscore the need for a comprehensive strategy to formalise this sector.

This includes capacitating the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank and providing more funds to the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community and Small to Medium Enterprise Development to create safe work spaces for women. Furthermore, we should prioritise women and small and medium enterprises in tender processes as this will foster inclusivity and economic stability.

In conclusion, our President’s SONA has highlighted both our achievements and the challenges that lie ahead. It is our collective responsibility as a nation and as a Parliament, to address these issues, invest in critical infrastructure, empower our citizens and promote inclusive growth. Together, we can build a stronger and more prosperous Zimbabwe for all our people. Thank you.

THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Mutandi. So far, there is some demonstration that indeed when you read, you can debate and I think you have got the capacity to do so. Please do the same for the other items that come on the Order Paper because I can tell, you have the capacity to do so.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER

PRE-BUDGET RECEPTION

THE HON. SPEAKER: Just a reminder Hon. Members that the 2023 Pre-Budget Cocktail Reception is scheduled for today at 1800 hours at the Rainbow Towers at the Jacaranda Rooms located on the M-floor level. You should remain spick and span please.

HON. MPASI: Thank you Hon. Speaker for this opportunity to add my voice to the SONA presented by our visionary leader, His Excellency, Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. Let me start by congratulating His Excellency and generally, all Zimbabweans for the resounding victory in the recently concluded free, fair and peaceful harmonised elections – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – A second five year term accorded to our able President shows that our future as Zimbabweans is in safe hands – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]. Let me also extend my warm congratulations to you Hon. Speaker and your deputy for retaining positions – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – We value your leadership in this world class Parliament.

Hon. Speaker, there are a lot of notable developments since the coming in of the Second Republic and we very much appreciate. I will however, dwell much on what affects Shurugwi North and nearby areas since that is where I come from. The first one is on roads construction. The Second Republic has made significant strides in roads construction and as Shurugwi, we have also benefitted. The road rehabilitation exercise is however still underway and it is our request that this ongoing exercise be speeded up and brought to completion at least before rains worsen.

Shurugwi is generally a mining town and movement of both goods and people is crucial, hence reliable roads in the area and around are key.

          On agriculture and livestock production, Hon. Speaker, let me also mention that Shurugwi is not only rich in minerals but it is also endowered with good soil suitable for farming as well as climatic conditions suitable for livestock production.  The Presidential schemes on both livestock and farming have significant numbers in my constituency benefiting.  These include women, youth and vulnerable members of our society. This initiative must have impacted positively especially on youths who can no longer be idle through drug and crime rates. 

          His Excellency the President, in his State of Nation address, touched on drug abuse.  We appreciate that our President is aware of the problems affecting our communities.  Indeed, these problems are affecting Zimbabwe as a whole and Shurugwi has not been spared.  This cancer has brought with it a sharp increase in crime rates.  This becomes worse in Shurugwi where perpetrators move about with machetes and other dangerous weapons.  We kindly ask for stiffer penalties. 

On farmers and miners conflict. In Zimbabwe, we normally talk of conflicts between humans and wildlife. In Shurugwi, it is a bit different, rather it is conflicts between miners and farmers.  We all need to eat and we need foreign currency coming from mining activities.  We thus need to strike some sort of balance in this regard. My plea Hon. Speaker is that both farmers and miners be allowed to co-exist.

On backlog on mining rights, Hon. Speaker, we are a blessed nation as far as mining is concerned.  One however needs to hold mining rights for them to mine legally. It is my humble request that the relevant Ministry clears its four-year backlog and assist citizens wanting to venture into mining.  I thank you.

          HON. DHLIWAYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  All protocol observed.  Mr. Speaker Sir, on behalf of Chipinge East and on my behalf, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for his resounding victory in the recently held Harmonised Elections – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –

          He took bold steps to transform the economy, what a well-deserved victory after some reforms which catapulted the economy to an astronomical economic growth trajectory. Allow me Hon. Speaker to call it EDonomics at work – E. D. Pfee.

          Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate you Hon. Speaker and Deputy Speaker for retaining our positions following uncontested elections. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] – I would not have done justice if I do not extend the congratulatory message to my fellow Hon. Members in this House for the mandate to serve the sons and daughters of our great motherland, Zimbabwe.  Congratulations Hon. Members of Parliament for your victory.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, let me take this opportunity to once again thank the President, His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for according a National Hero Status to our father and founder of ZANU, Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole. 

Hon. Simbanegavi having passed between the Member speaking and the Chair.

          THE HON. SPEAKER: Order Hon. Member just sitting down there, you cannot pass through the Chair and your colleague who is debating. 

          THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SIMBANEGAVI): My apologies Hon. Speaker.

          Hon. Simbanegavi having made her apology while seated.

          THE HON. SPEAKER: You make your apology whilst standing up, Hon. Member.

          Hon. Simbanegavi stood up and made an apology.

HON. DHLIWAYO: Mr. Speaker Sir, let me also take this opportunity to once again thank the President, Dr. E. Mnangagwa for according a National Hero Status to our father and founder of ZANU, Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole.  The President healed a long agonising pain that we the Ndau people bore for ages.  This resonates well with His Excellency’s mantra, leaving no one and no place behind.  Indeed, the moment you took over as the captain of the ship, you remembered us the Ndau people.  You are waling the talk baba.  

           Further to that, the opening of the E-passport in our district town Chipinge, is testament of the President’s vision to ensuring that we achieve an upper middle-income status by the year 2030.  The logistical problems of travelling and long waiting periods have since disappeared.  We will appreciate if the VID offices follow suit and establish permanent offices in our district town.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, I also want to thank the President, and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for the 18 boreholes sited and 12 boreholes drilled in Chipinge East.  Nevertheless, Mr. Speaker Sir, following the reports of the Cholera cases and reported cholera induced deaths in Chipinge District, on behalf of Chipinge East, I humbly request the intervention of the Minister of Agriculture to speed up the installation of already drilled boreholes and drilling of some new boreholes that we may reduce the loss of life due to this impending peril.  Of the highest priority is Mt. Selinda Hospital in Ward 19, Marozva Village, and Village A in Ward 18, Daisy Hill in Ward 12 among others. 

          I also want to contribute on the State of the Nation Address.  The State of the Nation Address set the tone and spirit the people of Zimbabwe have to adopt in order to achieve the short to medium term Vision 2030. His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa’s vision is to ensure that Zimbabwe becomes an upper middle-income economy by or before the year 2030. In a layman’s language, an Upper Middle-Income economy is an engine of economic growth where everyone has uninterrupted access to social utilities such as electricity, health facilities, clean water and education.  These countries are major global economics engines with per capita incomes ranging from US$4 000 to US$12 000 per annum.   This implies the majority will have improved quality of life.  For this reason, His Excellency the President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa stresses inclusivity in his mantra; ‘Leaving no one and no place behind’.  In his SONA, His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa opined to the need to keep on an upward economic trajectory through Agricultural policy measures such as Pfumvudza among other policies.  Truly, this has seen small scale farmers quadrupling their levels of productivity, particularly amongst those who have religiously followed the instructions in Chipinge East.

          It is of utmost importance for this august House to further support His Excellency’s Presidential Schemes on Agriculture through advocating for more budgetary support.  Moreover, it is my opinion that such schemes may be expanded to fruit trees and other plantations such as eucalyptus plantations.  The eucalyptus plantations may be further utilised to practice bee farming of which one of the main outputs is eucalyptus honey which is in huge demand the world over.  At one point when I was passing through some parts of Buhera, I witnessed a huge booming mango tree in the midst of a sudorific scorcher, yet I have heard a number of people from that place saying the area in not suitable for agriculture and I said to myself if these areas can sustain this one big tree, surely it is also suitable for 100 trees.  Say each of our villagers spare at least a hectare to plant ecologically suitable fruit trees, surely we will have enough to kick start some fruit juice manufacturing industries in our rural areas.  As long as we lag behind in terms of fruit tree plantations, then we will never imagine our fruit juice local production, an area we have competitive advantage as witnessed by our own Mazoe pride.  I think this is even less costly than what we are committing to grains as a country given the fact that fruit tree plantations only pose some challenges at the beginning.  Once they are established, they need less support.

          This is therefore my request to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Forestry Commission and the esteemed Members of Parliament to promote fruit tree plantations in their respective constituencies.  This may also be a mitigatory measure against climate change.  It is also an important substitution trade policy measure.  Currently we are importing more than 90% of 100% of juices that are consumed widely just because we are not producing sufficient fruits that attract the establishment of the industry.

          Another hot potato is the medicinal marijuana farming sector.  There is need for this august House to relook at the laws governing this sector with an intention to lessen restrictions in the sector, improving the ease of doing business and promoting medicinal marijuana production.

          I see no reason of restricting entry into the specified agricultural sector.  This is a multi-billion dollar industry.  The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare may see to it that pharmaceutical plants are set up for beneficiation, marijuana medicines production, once we have sufficient marijuana farms.

          I think we cannot afford to delay.  It is time to fire up all our economic engines as we push for Vision 2030.  Effusive thanks goes to our beloved Amai Dr. Auxilia Mnangagwa for a befitting great work in tree planting among other projects that are further parachuting our economy into greater heights,

          Mr. Speaker Sir, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa commented on positive contributions by the mining sector to the national cake with growth rising from $2.8 billion in 2017 to the current $12 billion dollars industry.  What an astronomical improvement in economic growth.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, there is however a pending Bill that is before this House.  This House must consider and bring it to finality.  In bringing this Bill to a finality it is of vital importance that this House ensures that the permanent residents, our youths, women and men are fairly empowered.  All those EPOs that have been lying idle for more than five years throughout the country must be scrapped.  This House must ensure a fair determination of the maximum sizes of the claim that must be allocated to any juristic individual.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, I also feel an interrogation of what the permanent residents are contributing towards the multi-billion dollar industry must be carried out.  It is one thing to have an improved output and another to ensure that the permanent residents have a fair share out of that output.

          In my years of adulthood, I realised that while geographical borders are fixed, economic borders, economic territories may be extended into other people’s geographical territories like what other powerful nations are doing through their multi national corporations and other foreign economic agents.  Big companies such as the platinum giants represent those extended foreign territories.  It is our duty to see to it that our black majority gets a fair share out of these territories and also encourage our native business persons to extend our economic borders. 

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order.  The Hon. Member just sitting down now, the Standing Rules and Orders do not allow you to move in front of your colleague who is debating.

HON. GATA:  My apologies Mr. Speaker, I am sorry.

HON. DHLIWAYO:  Employment and taxes are not sufficient.  We have to strive to be owners of our own resources.  Let this august House strive to create more earners of profits, earners of rents and earners of interests rather than focusing on increasing the earners of salaries and wages.  It is not enough to fight for employment, it is not enough to fight for taxes.

We cannot afford to see companies in the platinum group of metals mining sector moving at a snail’s pace to implement value addition while we lose an unquantified amount through exporting unprocessed ores.  That is donating our jobs to other countries whilst we are fighting unemployment at home.  How?  If process A, B and C of the value chain is taking place in a foreign country X, it means employment that was supposed to take place in Zimbabwe is actually taking place in a foreign country X.  It has been more than 7 years since the call to beneficiate and you hear some companies in the Platinum Group of Metals saying they are now about to implement the first phase.  For how long Mr. Speaker Sir shall we continue to watch our PGM, our jobs, our incomes being donated to other countries?  I call upon this House through its oversight role, to back our President and Commander-In-Chief of the Defence Forces Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa and the Minister of Mines and Mining Development to ensure that the companies in the platinum group of metals comply with speed to the beneficiation call as we all rally towards achieving an upper middle income economy, a vision that we cannot afford to fail.  We cannot afford to continue to lose jobs for our youths and to lose our export revenue because of slow progress.  At this point in time, we may raise the beneficiation tax to recover part of the losses and or increase our community share ownership schemes.  Further to that, all incentives in the mining sector given to investors coming from the rest of the world must be scrapped.  Prior studies in this sector have shown that investment in this area have nothing to do with incentives.  No one will fail to invest in a gold mine because a certain incentive has been scrapped.

God bless Zimbabwe, God bless our President Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa.  God Bless you Hon. Mr. Speaker and all Hon. Members of this House.  Thank you.  

THE HON. SPEAKER:  You reminded me of the olden days when Rev. Ndabanini Sithole spoke.  Very inspiring indeed.  When you started to speak about medicines, I was saying to myself, there is the munyai, to take me kwaNdunge when some people start shaking my seat so that I can go there and be strengthened – [ Laughter.] – Thank you very much Hon. Dhliwayo. We now call upon Hon. P. Zhou, Midlands Province and Women’s Quota. I think you requested that you speak while you are seated, I grant you that privilege. Please proceed.

*HON. P. ZHOU: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to also add my voice to the motion brought to this House by Hon. Nguluvhe, seconded by Hon. Tsitsi Zhou. The debate emanates from the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency the President. Before I go further, I would like to congratulate His Excellency, President Mnangagwa for winning resoundingly, defeating the opposition. They were totally annihilated and right now they are fast asleep in their blankets. I also want to congratulate you Mr. Speaker Sir, together with your Deputy Hon. Tsitsi Gezi. The people who elected you back to those seats know that you are good at your work. I would like to congratulate you. I also want to congratulate the Hon. Chief Whip, Hon. Togarepi as well as all the other Members who were successfully elected into this august House. I would like to say congratulations.

In my debate, I would like to focus on the main issues that were of great interest to me from the President’s Speech. The theme that – nyika inovakwa nevene vayo will be the first point. Secondly, the promotion or uplifting of women by the Government led by President Mnangagwa. Thirdly, I would like to refer to the engagement and re-engagement policy by His Excellency. Finally, I will refer to my own opinions to proffer as suggestions to Government policy.

With regards to the mantra, nyika inovakwa nevene vayo, it is a great marketing strategy, it is also a great slogan and it is also great as a mantra. It does not matter it is an opposition support or the ruling party supporters like us, they are very motivating words. If you feel like opposing, it means there will be a problem. That is what has led to what we are seeing right now, where we see some empty seats in this House, but the most important thing is that nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.

On the issue of sanctions, the main cause of them being imposed on us was that we repossessed our land. We complained and suffered at the beginning, but we realised that, that is the biggest problem. The Second Republic led by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa realised that we need to come up with a solution because we are not able to access funding from international financial institutions. Essentially, I was saying they can keep their money whilst we proffer our own solutions. Starting from Harare going to Beitbridge, you will really enjoy travelling on that road. Look at your speedometer whilst you are driving instead of looking through the windscreen because you will fly out of that car. As you get to Beitbridge itself, you need to see for yourself and feed your eyes. As Members of Parliament, if we get time, we need to visit those places because that is domestic tourism. After all, we have the red passports.

If you want to travel by air, when you get to Robert Mugabe International Airport, you might as well think that you are in Europe or if you have gone to America, you might think it is Dallas Airport. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo without grants or lines of credit from international monetary institutions. I refer to the Harare-Beitbridge Highway, there are a lot of dams that have been constructed such as Tokwe-Mukorsi. That dam or lake has transformed people’s livelihoods.

With regards to engagement and re-engagement, Government policy also stems from the mantra, nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. With regards to engagement and re-engagement, it is Government policy stemming from the mantra, nyika inovakwa nevene vayo 

With reference to promotion of women and empowerment of women, most of us suffered with regards to getting education.  We did not get adequate attention or support from the parents.  That is how we grew up - we were oppressed although we were given the respect as mothers or women but we did not get equal opportunities for leadership positions.  So, I would like to congratulate the Second Republic for promoting that aspect.  For us, through the women’s quota, we thought we were only going to be in this august House for five years but I am glad that after the amendment that quota was retained and sixty women came to Parliament.  It is always difficult to compete with men because they have power and the financial muscle. So, we would not get fair competition if we were to be pitted against them. 

I therefore, would like to really appreciate the President for ensuring that we are in this House as women. 

That was a visionary aspect because there was also an allocation to ensure that women below the age of 35 or the youths also learn from us the senior women so that they inherit  whilst we remain behind but we expect it will be a mixture of ages in the august House as all of us will be in the House.  We do hereby request our Hon. male colleagues to regard these Hon. female Members as our children so that they do not lose dignity out there.  Although I referred to women, I would also like to make reference to the Youth Quota.  The Youth Quota does not select in terms of gender, so the youth are also being groomed to be future leaders because it will be 20 of them coming through the Youth Quota.  

I also would like to make a request with regards to Members elected through the proportional representation system.  I request that they be united and work together because the PR Members do not always work well with the elected members for fear that the PR Member may be eyeing the seat of the elected member.  So, both members need to be taught to work together in unity.  I will give an example of where I come from in Zhombe.  I go wherever I like because I work with Hon. Samambwa well. When I go to Silobela, I work with Hon. Nyevera well and if I go to Redcliff, I also work well with Hon. Moyo. If you have been elected through the quota system, do not be mistrusted.  I think there is need for an induction for some constituencies.  Some women are not allowed to venture into the constituency by elected Members.  With regards to CDF, you are only asked to sign yet you will not be invited to any of the meetings and you are not aware of what is taking place.  When I listen to Ms. Dingani talking, I always say I wish you knew what is happening on the ground. 

With regards to the 30% quota system of councillors, we rejoiced very much because we used to fail to gain access. As the ruling party, we then realised that it will be reserved for the other parties but now this has changed.  I was called yesterday by an Hon. Member who was crying because they wanted to distribute Pfumvunza inputs but there is no coordination between the representatives of council from the ruling and opposition parties.  They both had different lists and the inputs have still not been distributed because of the impasse on who should get the inputs.  We asked them to resolve the dispute because the inputs should be distributed.  The female quota councillor was told that her area was to ensure that women get sanitary pads and nothing else.  So, I hereby request Mr. Speaker, that such issues be addressed so that councillors are taught to work in harmony regardless of their political affiliation.

 In addition, I would like to express my gratitude for the appointment of Permanent Secretary Ms. Nyemba, Women’s Affairs Mavis Sibanda, Skills and Audit Permanent Secretary Rudo Chitiga and closer to home, the Senate President Hon. Chinomona, the Deputy Speaker Hon. Gezi, Deputy Chief Whips in the National Assembly and the Senate.  There is our Ambassador to Zambia Hon. Charity Charamba, if I was allowed to ululate, I would stand up and do so regardless of my aching leg.  It means the President has seen the great works that we do as women. These are key appointments.

With regards to the engagement and re-engagement policy, it is very key.  It is being used effectively by His Excellency the President, whether you like him or not, it is working, ukarwadziwa haupori. The cooperation between Belarus and China in Zimbabwe is so good, on social media you hear a lot of negative things about the Chinese, so who do you think is better, the Western people who actually took away our land or the Chinese who are bringing development to our country?  I did some research on the relationships, I looked for statements by the Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe.  He said, the relationship between China and Zimbabwe is closely intertwined, dating back to the liberation struggle and he said they will not leave Zimbabwe, they will continue working with Zimbabwe to fulfill Vision 2030.

          He said Zimbabwe and China are friends, partners, brothers and sisters.  He also referred to the 2008 incident where Zimbabwe was taken to the United Nations to be sanctioned by the United Nations, but China vetoed that and it further strengthened the already existing relationships.

          China has built this New Parliament Building, the President said, it is iconic, majestic and magnificent and I am very happy.  Hon. Speaker, whilst we were at the old Parliament building, it really pained me that I may not be able to get into this beautiful building.  So, I really want to thank the Almighty God who enabled me to sit in this august House whether it is a grant given to us by China, I am grateful.

 I also would like to refer to the Manhize Steel Plant, the plant employs more than 2000, in addition to that, the steel that is being produced there gives foundation and impetus to industries in Zimbabwe.  China has given us all the agricultural equipment including Haulage Trucks as well as centre pivots.  So, I would like to applaud the Belarus President, Mr. Alexander Lukashenko for giving us a direction. I cannot refer to everything, but that shows us that we also have a way out. 

Another aspect is that the First Lady, Dr. Amai Auxilia Mnangagwa is exemplary to us and I really would like to thank her very much for all the work she is doing.  I thank you. 

          HON. MHURI: Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.  I would also like to support the motion raised by Hon. Nguluvhe, seconded by Hon.

Tsitsi Zhou.   I would like to start by congratulating His Excellency the President, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa for the resounding victory in the 2023 fair, peaceful, and credible harmonised elections.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, I would like to say that the peaceful environment we saw before the elections, during and which we continue to witness is set by the people of Zimbabwe.  I would also like to thank His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe for congratulating all of us in this Tenth Parliament.  Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate you Mr. Speaker Sir and your Deputy for your re-election to this Tenth Parliament.  Likewise, let me also congratulate all the Hon. Members in this august House, as I am here, representing Shurugwi South, it is also in order in my view, to thank the people of Shurugwi South for giving me this opportunity to represent them in this august House.

          Mr. Speaker Sir, I am really excited to be in this magnificent new Parliament Building as this is my first time to be a Member of Parliament and I also hope that this will not be the last.

          Madam Speaker, thank you for allowing me to add my voice to the State of the Nation Address which was delivered by His Excellency on the 3^rd October, 2023.  The President told us to make sure we accelerate the matters outstanding from the agenda of the Ninth Parliament.

          The President also talked about the need for us to work very hard as a country to guarantee agricultural production and productivity.  He talked about irrigation development and farming equipment.  Zimbabwe in the Second Republic, has been and is continuing to realise national food security.  As we speak, Zimbabwe is now food self-sufficient.

          The Second Republic is currently involved in the drilling of 35 000 boreholes for community gardens and the establishment of village hubs. To complement the Government’s efforts to be in line with the President’s vision, I am motivated to do more in the area I represent, we have started reconstituting and the rejuvenation of Village Development Committee as pronounced by the Traditional Leaders Act.  This Committee will make it easy for the village hub of business unit when they are introducing our area to the developments.  The people of Shurugwi, with the drilling of boreholes in our villages, and as we speak here, we have got our rural development team installing bush pumps in some of the drilled boreholes in our area.  I had a good sleep last night as I was receiving information that the team is installing bush pumps in our area, thanks to the President of this Republic.

          We have also witnessed the drilling of boreholes in schools and rural health centres. We however look forward to the electrification of some of the clinics like Gwanza, Gamwa, Mufiri and Mazivisa, just to mention but a few. However, we appreciate Government’s efforts in the rehabilitation of roads.

          The vision of the President is also rural development through Rural Development 8.0 where we plan as a country, for industries in our rural set ups and to make this a reality, we are pushing for all our business centres to have water and electricity. We appreciate the good works of the President in this initiative. Chachacha Business Centre saw the drilling of four boreholes and we are working on putting a water system to serve the rural service centre as well as the surrounding areas and the nearby Zvamavande Rural District Hospital. We cannot thank the President enough.

          In his address, the President also talked about road rehabilitation, re-development and re-construction. Shurugwi South is privileged in that one of the strategic roads which is the Shurugwi-Mandamabwe Road, was approved by Cabinet and from the information which we are having, real works should be starting anytime from now. This will definitely open up opportunities for our people and development will easily be implemented where there is a proper road network.

          The President also talked about Vocational Training Centres. In my constituency, we currently do not have any. We however look forward to the construction of Vocational Training Centres to help in curbing drug and substance abuse and make sure that our youth are kept productive and busy. Let me, at this juncture, thank the President once more for being a listening President. In August 2018 to be specific, we lobbied the President, as a group of professionals under the Zimbabwe Construction Industry Council in Victoria Falls. It was just before the 2018 August elections. We were really surprised by the President visiting us as we were asking him to give us a chance in the Beitbridge-Chirundu Road. I can stand tall today to testify that significant progress has been realised and this in my respectful view, we did not disappoint the nation as well as the President.

          We are also grateful to His Excellency, because he also listened to our plea concerning bringing sanity to the construction industry sector through the Construction Industry Bill which is part of the Bills which will be tabled in the Tenth Parliament. I am tempted to also talk about another Bill which we feel will also complement the Construction Industry Bill and address most of the country’s challenges in the built environment sector. Land barons, in my respective view, should be stopped. We need to enact the Geometrics Practitioners and Practice Act in place for all these illegal activities involving land to be stopped. This piece of legislation as seen in other countries, creates sanity as it brings regulation of the geo-spatial sector which includes engineering survey, mining survey, space scientists (the ones who introduced Zimstat 1, GIS, ICT, cartographers, mapping and other related spheres.)

          Currently in our construction industry sector, experience is made up of professionals in the matters dealing with land. Land barons are taking advantage of lack of accreditation in the built environment sector and this therefore leads to the enactment of the Geometrics Practitioners and Practice Law so that we close all avenues for opportunists as work will be done by accredited people who will be held accountable. Our universities are doing a good job and we are witnessing many graduates, especially in the areas of innovation, science and development. Hon. Prof. Murwira introduced and is producing innovators and scientists, but when they graduate, these people cannot be recognised. There is need to regulate what they do so that they fill the gap where non-qualified persons are currently abusing.

          The President’s vision talks about job creation and this also includes formal jobs which are regulated. Madam Speaker, this issue is in line with the vision of our President as well as the National Agenda 2030. Our country should be built by Zimbabweans and as earlier mentioned, we have people who are qualified to support this vision, hence the need for the regulation of the construction industry sector through the enactment of the Geometrics Practitioner and Practice Bill as well as the Construction Industry Bill.

          I come from Shurugwi South. Shurugwi is a mining town and we are excited to hear about the Economic Empowerment Bill as well as the amendment to the Mines and Minerals Act which should be part of the legislative agenda of the Tenth Parliament. We look forward to the Shurugwi natural resources benefiting the people of Shurugwi in line with the devolution agenda. We also look forward to a friendly framework where investors work with the people of Shurugwi in development. This includes road construction since as you are aware, they also use the same roads, job creation, income generating projects, issue of sub contracts for our people and other life changing initiatives which will transform the lives of our people. I believe these Bills will bring with them an opportunity to address all these issues.

In conclusion, the President encouraged us to make sure that law is an instrument for development. Furthermore, Parliament was encouraged to be an institution of peace building, hope, national development and an entrenchment of constitutionalism and democratic practices in our country. As a Member of this Tenth Parliament, I commit to play my part in the enhancement of the vision of our President. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. God bless this Parliament. God bless Zimbabwe. I thank you.

          HON. SAKUPWANYA: Hon speaker, I want to congratulate His Excellency the President, for a resounding victory in the recently held 2023 Harmonised Elections. I would like to extend my congratulations to Mr. Speaker and the Deputy Speaker for your re-election as Speaker and Deputy Speaker respectively.  

            Madam Speaker Ma’am, taking note of the speech by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa, I want to highlight and appreciate the work done in the past five years towards the youth without which I would not be here. Implementation of the Youth Quota is a recognition of the leading age demographic in our population. I applaud His Excellency on his focused stance of implementation. It is that implementation mindset that makes me optimistic that we will indeed ensure the National Youth Bill will not only sail through under this 10^th  Parliament but implemented as well within our five-year term.  

Agricultural season which success is marked by bumper harvest particularly in maize, wheat and tobacco, shows the seriousness of the Second Republic towards self-sufficiency. I want to thank and appreciate our President for the Presidential Inputs Scheme which works through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme that ensures no one or no place is left behind. The climate proofing agricultural technique shows Zimbabwe is keen and is understanding on the effects of climate change and puts us as a shining example of an action-oriented society.  

The timely distribution of inputs to prepared farmers is one of the key aspects that ensure a bumper harvest. As I speak, the programme has already been rolled out throughout the country for the 2023 -2024 season, giving ample time for preparation of the rains. While the Agricultural Ministry has hit the ground running, in that sense, more funds are needed to ensure inputs are accessible to the final users at ward level.  

I want to appreciate His Excellency for recognising the youth through the initiated agricultural youth hubs that have been set for each and every province. Madam Speaker, I want to highlight that capacitation of these youth hubs are vital to ensure youth have the necessary skills to be productive and to maximize yields. This is in line with the President’s call to increase the capacity of our Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) to equip our youth with the necessary tools to tackle the world and build Zimbabwe within their various sectors.  

Madam Speaker, I want to appreciate education 5.0 initiative, which focuses more on the Zimbabwean solution. The innovation hubs from which we have already seen fruits borne out of necessity are a masterstroke towards practical education. The COVID-19 era was one in which home-grown solutions were at the pinnacle to our survival during this deadly pandemic. Homemade sanitizers, PPEs and even the famous zumbani treatments through these innovation hubs was a show of faith in our ability as Zimbabweans to have solutions to our own challenges. In that light, I would also challenge those in the health and education sectors to analyse, formalise, patent and include our traditional herbs in the curriculums, especially for the basic illnesses.  When one has a headache, stomach ache or even a basic flu, we should not be reliant on imported chemicals when our own forefathers had natural remedies to these illnesses which in turn had little to no side effects.  

The initiation of Empower Bank for the direct empowerment of youth projects is another beacon of hope set in place by President Mnangagwa towards youth development. It is understood that nothing worth it comes without sweat and so we recognize the encouragement of youth to present bankable projects within which they will be assisted – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - It is my hope that the bank itself will be supported through additional funding and given more tools to access even the remote areas. I would like to highlight and emphasise that the youth are not only productive in the towns but even in the rural areas. It is my hope that we will see Empower Bank opening more branches particularly in the province of Manicaland where we only have one branch. This allows for accessibility of the youth and encouragement that we do not need to be in a town to be productive.  

Decentralisation of this manner also ensures that we demystify the myth that the only way to earn a living is migrating to town. In this light, I want to state that the phrase ‘rural areas’ should no longer be associated with poverty, lack or a deplorable state – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -

       Instead, the policies instituted by our Government have encouraged entrepreneurship, production and productivity from these deeply rich rural societies. The colonial mentality was one that made us the indigenous Zimbabweans think that dirt of the rural areas was a sign of hunger and the only livelihood for rural folk was that of a begging bowl and subsistence farming. It is the Zimbabwe of today that has shown us that the very dirt we used to frown upon holds vast minerals, rich commercial agricultural land and holds the key to economic powerhouse that Zimbabwe was always meant to be. It is therefore incumbent upon ourselves as elected leaders to create an environment where the true story of Zimbabwe is told.   

Madam Speaker, as we have commemorated the anti-sanctions day on the 25^th of October 2023, I want to acknowledge the engagement efforts led by President Mnangagwa with his foreign policy mantra of us being a friend to all and an enemy to none. The engagement efforts have yielded great interest for investment in our blessed nation. The efforts of engagement have meant that the calls for the anti-sanctions day is not only a day observed in Zimbabwe but the whole SADC region. It is my hope that we continue to amplify the calls for removal of these illegal sanctions as they stunt the growth levels within our nation. That we may continue to educate the youth on their effects so as to dissuade them from following false narratives spread by propaganda peddlers who have no good intentions towards the upliftment of our Zimbabwe.  

I would like to thank the vision of President Mnangagwa for highlighting the need to tackle drug and substance abuse. In this light, the action of giving the youth a stand-alone Ministry, that is the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training Centres is greatly applauded.  

Madam Speaker, the youth of Zimbabwe have some of the most creative talents and have a lot to offer the global society. You will find that even using the common Facebook, or x accounts, youth from Zimbabwe are making waves that are at times quoted by internationally recognised celebrities. With all that access, they are not able to monetise their talent as the said social media accounts are not able to pay content creators directly to a Zimbabwe account due to sanctions. It is therefore our duty to ensure enough doors are created to harness the creativity of our youth.  

On this note, we cannot ignore the technological developments taking place the world-over and Zimbabwe must not be seen lagging behind. When we mention ICT, we are not only talking about laptops and computers but we must delve into the conversations around AI while taking advantage of the traits of implementation as exemplified by His Excellency who is a leader that walks the talk.  

 Lastly, I would like to highlight the success of the recently held 2023 Elections. It is imperative that I mention, we are Zimbabweans first before we belong to any political party. For if Zimbabwe wins, we all win, but if Zimbabwe fails then we all would have failed. The peace and tranquility portrayed before, during and after the elections was testament to our democratic maturity that set the standard for even some western nations.  I congratulate Zimbabwe under the stewardship of President Mnangagwa for leading in this regard. We must all hold our heads high for delivering a free, fair and credible election that has ushered all of us Hon Members into this majestic august House. I thank you.

          HON. J. SITHOLE: My sincere gratitude to you Madam Speaker for according me this opportunity to make my contribution on behalf of the people of Chiredzi South. I want to congratulate His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and also Head of State and Commander-in-Chief for his outstanding leadership that saw him gaining another term of office in the just ended undisputed, clean, fair and credible harmonised 23^rd August 2023 elections.

          Allow me also to express my congratulations to you as the Deputy Speaker of this House. I want to say congratulations to the Chief Whip and his Deputy and to all my fellow Hon. Members of Parliament for having been trusted by the electorate to serve in the Parliament of Zimbabwe. Much has been said by my fellow colleagues of the House of Assembly who made their submissions before me.

          We have witnessed magnificent transformation of our road infrastructure such as the state of the art Beitbridge-Harare Road and many other roads across the country. The construction of dams, upgrading power generation facility, construction of modern border post, launching of the first ever satellite system, insurance of the e-passport and upgrading of airports. When one takes time to evaluate the development that the 2^nd Republic has successfully undertaken in a short space of time, honestly, one must understand that His Excellency, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa is a visionary man in the sense that he has successfully changed our plan and economy.

          The noble idea to drill 35 000 boreholes across the country village by village must be a welcome move to all, water is life. Madam Speaker, from Chiredzi South Constituency with over 1 000 villages that live on less than 100 boreholes. His Excellency’s vision surely helped my constituency to access safe and clean water. I have a rural constituency and its inhabitants depend on water from unprotected wells like Runde River, Mwenezi and Limpopo. With this fast-spreading cholera disease, I wonder how my people will survive. I suggest that the programme of borehole drilling be prioritised to constituencies and areas which hardly have no safe water.

          The Government had been committed to road infrastructure development starting with those that make us economically viable as a country. Madam Speaker Ma’am, in my constituency, I am humbly asking for repairing of roads to allow people to transport their goods across the whole constituency. Chiredzi South is located between rivers, Runde River and Chilonga River which make low bridges to cross. I therefore propose the construction of Runde Bridge at Chilonga crossing point. With the adoption of the 5.0 system by our Government, which promotes e-learning, I propose that Chiredzi South be considered in making sure that they have e-learning equipment and ICT gadgets such as computers.

          Currently, there is no school in my constituency with such facilities. In my constituency, people depend on agriculture with sorghum as their major commercial crop. We had some challenges on the disbursement of funds towards the payment of this crop in the previous seasons. May I propose that the payment of this crops be done timeously so that farmers are motivated as they also contribute to the country’s GDP.

          I wish to thank His Excellency for the establishment of irrigation scheme in my constituency which are solar powered. I also welcome the President’s call to the ratification of the Sugar Production Bill which I feel was long overdue. My constituency is bordered with wildlife in the lowveld, these are Gonarezhou and Malilangwe. The Parks and Wildlife Bill echoed by His Excellency is coming at the right time. With my constituency having suffered the worst life of wildlife human conflict, I propose that ratification of this Bill must not only look at the compensation aspect, but also promote the beneficiation of the surrounding communities.

          This includes community empowerment programmes through wildlife and tourism. I would like to pass my sincere gratitude to His Excellency, the President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa who has already fast-tracked the construction of the fence along Gonarezhou which is now complete and commissioned.

          In conclusion, I would like to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa for his SONA that is very visionary and promise a lot of hope to the people of Zimbabwe as we move forward as a united nation. Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo. Thank you.

          +HON. B. NDLOVU: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am.  On behalf of the Vungu people, I want to congratulate His Excellency President, E. D. Mnangagwa for winning the elections on 23^rd August, 2023, which is testified by other SADC countries through the overwhelming win.  Let me also congratulate the Speaker of Parliament and the Deputy Speaker.  I want also to congratulate Members of the 10^th Parliament for being elected in different constituencies. 

          I would like to add my voice to the State of the Nation Address (SONA), to the words that were said by His Excellency when opening the 1^st Session of the 10^th Parliament.  The President spoke about the task that we have as Members of this august House.  He said that we must not relax and sit on our laurels, but we need to complete the different Bills that were left hanging in the Ninth Parliament, which means that we have quite a big task of promulgating laws.  The President also said that his leadership worked hard as the Second Republic in transforming the economy of Zimbabwe, working under harsh economic conditions, especially this era of sanctions.

          The President also said that there are signs that there is growth of the economy through the mining sector.  Looking at 2017, there was an economic growth which was around USD2 billion, now we are at USD12 billion, which is being generated from mining.  This is a sign that the economy is growing.  He also said that there is food security in the country, which means that Zimbabwe is developmental.  We are not retrogressive, but progressive.  His Excellency also spoke about the progress that we find in agriculture.  He spoke about the plans that are being made in securing food and people’s livelihood through irrigation projects.  There is horticulture, Pfumvudza/Intwasa Programme happening in different communities and this is meant to benefit every Zimbabwean.  No one is being left behind and people are being provided with resources.  This is evident in that there is food security in Zimbabwe, no one is suffering and no one is dying of hunger.

          On the same note, the President, Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa, spoke about the empowerment of every district, where in every district boreholes are being sunk.  We are talking about 35 000 boreholes in rural areas, which are peripheral areas where people have been viewed as being left behind, but this is transforming people’s lives, regardless of whether they are women or men.  His Excellency also said that regarding devolution funds, he is going to increase the devolution funds so that the fund is used for road rehabilitation, building schools, clinics and health centres.  He also said that the devolution fund is going to benefit schools to enhance the quality of education of our children. 

          Indeed, when looking at my constituency, the Vungu Constituency, there is Mpala Clinic which is in Ward 1.  When you go to Ward 1, you will be surprised that this does not look like a rural clinic.  I am saying this because what His Excellency is talking about is quite magnificent, it is happening.

I am going to look a Redcliff, Silobela, Gweru and Vumba; three constituencies.  This road is a road which is quite amazing because of the development that we see.  There is just a small portion of the road which is going to be completed very soon.  This testifies to the President’s assertion that no one will be left behind. 

Let me end by saying that His Excellency the President is a visionary; people’s person and has a vision to develop our country. With these few words, I want to thank you Hon. Speaker.

*HON. T. MURWIRA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion which was raised by Hon. Nguluvhe, seconded by Hon. Tsitsi Zhou.  I would like to start by congratulating His Excellency the President for winning resoundingly the 23^rd August, 2023, Harmonised Elections – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] -  I would also like to congratulate you Madam Speaker for being re-elected to lead this august House.  I would also like to congratulate all Members of Parliament who also won these elections resoundingly.  It was not easy for us to win these elections, but it was because of our President’s developmental projects found in our

constituencies in different districts. Our people are farming and earning their livelihoods from Pfumvudza/Intwasa. The President spoke about other crops which we find in areas like Beatrice and Chikomba and indeed, in my constituency there is wheat which is benefitting the nation. We are even exporting wheat. In the past, we would queue for bread but now people can easily purchase bread. We appreciate His Excellency’s good work.

          Let me also talk about the fact that His Excellency facilitated that we get inputs for our gardening projects. For example, in Seke where I come from, there is a lot of gardening happening. This means that people have enough food to cater for their balanced diet and we have no cases of kwashiorkor.

          He also spoke about the sinking of boreholes. I come from Seke – Chikomba and in my constituency, we have got a number of boreholes. I believe that we will continue getting boreholes which will result in people participating in irrigation projects in their gardens. As women, we survive from that, and women are found fetching water and washing clothes. Distance is not a factor but I thank His Excellency because he provides and cares on what happens regarding the projects that are being run by women.

          Let me end by saying that there are some schools and even clinics which were not completed. Some were constructed with maternity wards, which means there is no woman who is going to give birth at home or on their way to the clinic. We have facilities for those who are expecting. So, problems of the past are not going to be happening. Let me request those who assist us that clinics and schools which were not completed, should be completed.

          His Excellency also spoke about devolution funds which he promised to increase so that the fund is used to complete clinics, schools and other projects which were not completed. I come from the 52 km peg and there is an incident which happened where some children died on their way to school. I want to request that we get a school nearby so that we do not have children walking long distances. In Seke, we are seeing a lot of road rehabilitation along our roads but we have a challenge of the tollgate where you find people crossing the tollgate four or five times paying the tollgate. I want to request that the responsible authority look at the issue of the tollgate. Thank you for affording me the opportunity to contribute.

          HON. TOGAREPI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

          HON. TSITSI ZHOU: I second.

          Motion put and agreed to.

          Debate to resume: Wednesday, 8^th November, 2023.

On the motion of HON. TOGAREPI seconded by HON. TSITSI ZHOU, the House adjourned at Eleven Minutes to Five o’clock p.m.