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SENATE HANSARD 04 MAY 2021 VOL 30 NO 38
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 4th May, 2021
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. DR. SHAVA): I move that Orders of the Day, Nos. 1 to 8 be stood over until Order of the Day No. 9 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT ON THE PARLIAMENTARY LEADERSHIP FOR THE 2030 AGENDA WEBINAR SERIES: COVID-19 RESPONSE - LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Parliamentary Leadership for the 2030 Agenda Webinar Series - COVID–19 Response
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 5th May, 2021.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON YOUTH, SPORT, ARTS AND RECREATION AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON INDIGENISATION AND EMPOWERMENT ON THE STATE OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING CENTRES, THE EMPOWER BANK AND SPORTING FACILITIES
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Joint Portfolio Committee on Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and the Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MBOHWA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 5th April, 2021.
MOTION
MAINTENANCE OF THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE COUNTRY
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the road rehabilitation programme countrywide.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. ENG. MUDZURI: Thank you Mr. President, I want to appreciate the motion by Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi to bring this motion to this august Senate and appreciate that the President had declared a state of emergency on the state of the roads. However, I want to state that it is important that the President has taken it up to declare the state of emergency but we must accept that the state of the roads which we are in is out of serious poor maintenance. There is no way you can expect our roads to be good when we do not maintain them. We need really to maintain roads from the day they are made. I am actually looking at some of the roads that have been done in terms of the present day emergency.
If you look at the road being done around Sunningdale, it is being done, I am not sure whether there is adequate supervision. There is not even a single sign to show details where people should be going around and getting into Sunningdale. You hardly see the normal etiquette of road makings. The normal etiquette of road making is that there are reasonable detours and there must also be provisions for the watering of roads, especially where there is too much dust. There is also need to have road markings on certain days like holidays.
Honestly, yes we might not have money, but we must do things properly. There is a tendency amongst us, maybe not to consume ourselves in our infrastructure. The whole economy is based on the state of our roads, airways, seaways and lake ways. We cannot transport anything without those roads. Today, the Ministry of Transport, I have been in the Committee of Transport for two terms now, things have just been going down slowly, including Air Zimbabwe. We all have to realise that the roads once they are bad do not just cause road accidents and damage cars, but they kill the people and kill the economy. All what we are talking about the ease of doing business will never be achieved. We will never achieve anything without good infrastructure and people tend to avoid our country when the roads are not good.
However, I am looking at a situation where the President declares how much he is likely to put on the roads. Declaring a state of emergency is good, but we want to know how much is being put to the maintenance of roads. We also appeal to the Government to recruit so many engineers around and help you in quality assurance and probably train them in making roads. They might be casuals until this programme is over but I suggest that it is important that all the civil engineers sitting around who have completed their degrees could be of help because they are literally doing nothing and they might also get some experience with the minimal reasonable payments. It will help our nation to do all the roads. We also need to hire the local contractors; we need to help our contractors in terms of getting some work, especially after this COVID-19 pandemic. If we could have some contractors and probably Government just supplies materials and the contractors supply labour and equipment - probably which we might be short of. We think we might be getting somewhere. I am just coming in the line of putting suggestions in this area where we want to rehabilitate our roads.
There must also be a time frame, to say this emergency starts in June and ends probably in December. If it remains hanging, we might not finish that programme and never start. When we know when it starts and when it ends, then we will also have that supervisory role as Parliament to ensure that work is achieved. I just pray that we get the resources because they are now 3 states of emergency. There is one which is the pandemic, the second one is the floods disaster and this is the third one - the road disaster. So they are three disasters so far; we do not know the fourth one which might come. With all those disasters, I do not know how much should be coming. When disasters are called for, then we should listen and help them. I do not know how much help we are likely to get but we really need to put our efforts on improving our roads, engineering and maintenance of the roads and putting them to the correct standard. With this debate, I appeal to you Mr. President as the President of the Senate, to ensure that our supervisory role is enhanced. I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 5th May, 2021.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I move that we revert to Order of the Day, Number 3 on today’s Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
THIRD READING
CONSTITUTION OF ZIMBABWE AMENDMENT (NO. 2) BILL [H. B. 23A, 2019]
Third Order read: Third Reading: Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill [H. B. 23A, 2019].
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President Sir. I move that the Constitution of Zimbabwe, Amendment (No. 2) Bill, be now read the third time.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Section 328 (5) of the Constitution, provides that a Constitutional Bill must be passed at its last reading in the National Assembly and the Senate by an affirmative vote of two thirds of the Membership of each House. In order to comply with the provisions of Section 328 (5), it is necessary that the number of affirmative votes cast by Members be recorded. I therefore direct that the bells be now rung after which the votes of the Hon. Members will be counted.
[Bells rung]
[House divided.]
AYES 65: Hon. Sen. Chief Charumbira Z.F., Hon. Sen. Chidawu M. O., Hon. Sen. Chifamba Jane., Hon. Sen. Chief Chikwaka B. W.M., Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi A., Hon. Sen. Chimutengwende C.C.C., Hon. Sen. Chirongoma J. M., Hon. Sen. Chisorochengwe T., Hon. Sen. Chief Chitanga C. F., Hon. Sen. Chief Chundu Mbasera A., Hon. Sen. Denga P., Hon. Sen. Dube A., Hon. Sen. Dube M. R., Hon. Sen. Femai M., Hon. Sen. Gumpo S., Hon. Sen. Gweshe K., Hon. Sen. Hungwe J. D., Hon. Sen. Hungwe S. O., Hon. Sen. Kambizi E., Hon. Sen. Khupe W., Hon. Sen. Mabika D., , Hon. Sen. Chief Makumbe G. C. S., Hon. Sen. Malinga J. T., Hon. Sen. Maluleke M. O., Hon. Sen. Chief Mapungwana A., Hon. Sen. Chief Masendu D. S., Hon. Sen. Mathema C. N. G., Hon. Sen. Chief Mathupula Khumalo M., Hon. Sen. Mathuthu T., Hon. Sen. Matiirira A., Hon. Sen. Matuke L., , Hon. Sen. Mavhunga M., Hon. Sen. Mavima L. D., Hon. Sen. Mbohwa M., Hon. Sen. Mkhwebu A., Hon. Sen., Hon. Sen. Mohadi T. B., Hon. Sen. Moyo G., Hon. Moyo S.K., , Hon. Sen., Hon. Sen. Mpofu S., Hon. Sen. Chief Mtshane Khumalo L., , Hon. Sen. Munzverengwi A., Hon. Sen. Mupfumira P., Hon. Sen. Muronzi M., Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa M., Hon. Sen. Muzenda T. V, Hon. Sen. Ndlovu M. D., Hon. Sen. Chief Nechombo Chikukwa L., Hon. Sen. Chief Nembire Nyabvunzi C., Hon. Sen. Chief Ngezi Pasipamire P., Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane Mkhwananzi Z. N., Hon. Sen. Chief Nhema Bwawanda R., Hon. Sen. Chief Ntabeni M., Hon.Chief Nyangazonke Ndiweni V., Hon. Sen. Nyathi R., Hon. Sen. Parirenyatwa D.P., Hon. Sen. Sekeramayi T. S., Hon. Sen. Shava F. M, Hon. Sen. Shumba C., Hon. Sen. Chief Siansali Nkatazo S., , Hon. Sen. Timire R., Hon. Sen. Tongogara A. K., Hon. Sen. Tsomondo B.
Tellers: Hon. T.V. Muzenda
NOES 10: Hon. Sen. Chinake V., Hon. Sen. Mpofu B., Hon. Sen. Komichi M., Hon. Sen. Mavetera T., Hon. Sen. Moyo T., Hon. Sen. Eng. Mudzuri E., Hon. Sen. Mwonzora T. Douglas., Hon. Sen. Ndlovu C., Hon. Sen. Phugeni K. and Hon. Sen. Rwambiwa E.
Tellers Hon. Sen. Mavetera and Hon. Sen. T. Mathuthu
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: The result of the count is that 65 Hon. Senators have voted in favour of the Third Reading of the Bill and 10 have voted against the Bill. The number of the affirmative votes recorded is not less than 2 thirds of the membership of the Senate. I therefore, declare the final votes in the Senate on the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 2) Bill of 2021, [H. B. 23A, 2019], to have been in accordance with the provisions of Section 328 (5) of the Constitution.
Bill read a third time.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Hon. President. I want to thank the Hon. Senators for this historic occasion. Historic in the sense that we debated, we came together and voted for a national cause. Historic in that we also were not fixated by the fact that we did a good job in 2013 but we also noticed some errors in that particular Constitution that did not allow us to come up with appropriate legislation in terms of our devolution agenda.
I want to thank Hon. Senators, it now paves the way for us to properly come up with legislation that will give effect to our devolution agenda and this is most welcome. It will ensure that our developmental strategy, our vision 2030 as enunciated by our President, will be realised across the regions.
I am also very elated in that we now can plan for the 2023 elections knowing pretty sure that we have the women’s quota and the youth’s quota – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – Mr. President, we have a year and a half to go to the elections and we needed finality in this regard. I am very happy that we can now prepare both as political parties and as Government towards those elections.
I want to congratulate everyone who came to vote and appreciate the effort that has been put by all the Hon. Senators in this regard. I thank you.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. ZIYAMBI), the House adjourned at Half past Three o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 18th May, 2021.