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SENATE HANSARD 17 MARCH 2016 25-37
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 17th March, 2016
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’ clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE in the Chair)
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
*HON. SEN. TIMVEOS: My question is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Chinamasa. Minister, may you please tell us about the US$15billion that the President said just disappeared in Chiadzwa. How did the money disappear since you are the Minister of Finance?
*THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHINAMASA): The Mines and Mining
Development, Hon. Chidhakwa answered that question yesterday and said he was going to try and see how this money disappeared. He will present a report upon conclusion of investigations. He promised to table a report to the august Senate on this matter.
The reason why we got involved in the Chiadzwa issue was because things were not moving well, that is why we took the steps that we took. Going forward, I would like to promise Hon. Senators that we do not expect what happened yesterday to recur. As you are aware, there is only one company run by the Government that is mining diamonds. They have already started and we are happy about what is being done. At the moment, we are at the stage where we receive reports on a daily basis. They inform us of how many carats they would have got on a daily basis.
I believe that what you have asked will never happen again because the matter has been rectified. As I have already said, it takes time for people to come to an agreement. There have been some disagreements and squabbles in as far as the mining of diamonds is concerned. It is not that the $15 billion is the amount but we still have to investigate to see how much it was and who took it. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Thank you Madam President. Minister of Finance and Economic Development, $15 billion is a lot of money that could have covered our national debt of $10 billion and the issue of sanctions could have ended. We could have been left with $5 billion that could have been used in this country. This occurred during the watch of the Executive…
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Order, Hon. Sen.
Komichi, I tried to be patient with you. You know the rules. Ask your question straight to the point; do not beat about the bush.
*HON. SEN. KOMICHI: Would you not believe it is honourable for the Executive to resign so that we can go for new elections?
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Hon. Chinamasa,
you do not have to respond to that. Hon. Members, you are Senators. You are members of an important House; let us demonstrate that our contributions are meant to build the nation. I would want to believe that the electorate we represent expects better things from us as Senators. I am urging you to make contributions that are expected by the constituencies that we represent as Hon. Senators.
*HON. SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President.
My question is directed to the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development. We are facing a drought this year. People were given farms and you once talked about quick fix rehabilitation programmes; how far have you gone with that project? We have completed the necessary forms and met the requirements. In the rural areas and resettlement, what stage are you at? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, MECHANISATION
AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. MADE): Madam
President, I would want to thank the poser of the question. It gives me a chance to explain to the Senators the importance of the programme. First and foremost, we are not waiting for the farmers to register themselves. In each province we have set up teams that will be working hand in glove with Ministers of State in the respective provinces so that we could start in the areas where there are water bodies. It could be in communal areas, A1 or A2 farming areas and even the old resettlements and the then called ‘purchase areas’. We are looking at where rehabilitation is required and the areas where we need to open up canals.
The big project on Tokwe-Mukorsi is now almost complete. This is of interest to those that come from Masvingo. ARDA will also be involved even where church institutions that have farms are concerned. The programme is going on quite well. Registration is in progress for us to go to the next stage where we will give implements.
We are going to give equipment for drawing water or engines and pipes for ensuring that people are able to irrigate. Already in place is the implementation of the Brazilian project. You witnessed on the television, that we visited some areas and we are now going for the second phase of the Brazilian project. There is another project where we are going to be assisted by the Indian Government to access some pipes for irrigation. China is also involved in assisting us in this regard.
I reiterate that where we are going to be working, nothing is going to be free regardless of whether it is A1, A2 or communal. Wherever we are going to be giving out machinery under the Brazilian project, we are going to be giving seed and fertilizers so that the farmers will become empowered and that they will be in a better position to repay the loans advanced to them.
I urge all of us when we go back to our provinces to encourage our farmers to register for these projects which are being spearheaded by the Ministers of State of respective provinces so that it cuts across the entire length and breadth of the country. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHISUNGA: My question goes to the
Minister of Finance and Economic Development. May he please explain to this House about the diamond mining company in Chiadzwa. Is it different from ZMDC which was mining for and on behalf of the Government? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHINAMASA): Thank you Madam
President. I thank the Hon. Member for the question. These are two separated companies, the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) will be there for diamond mining in Zimbabwe as a whole. It now has the sole right to mine diamonds on behalf of the Zimbabwean Government. It is wholly owned by Government. Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) is a company that is wholly owned by the Government but it now looks into the mining of gold, asbestos, tin and other minerals. That would be the prerogative of ZMDC.
Diamond mining is now confined to the ZCDC. I thank you.
HON. SEN. B. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam President. Could I ask the Minister of Defence what Government policy is with regards to creating positive relationships between the armed forces and the citizens? The people in Matabeleland tend to fear each time they see the Army as exemplified by the Army recently being spotted in Matobo causing a lot of …
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Order, order.
Can you pose policy a question?
HON. SEN. B. SIBANDA: Madam President, when I started I said what is the Government policy? I wanted to explain in not more than ten words exactly what happened. I still believe that I have got a genuine explanation. I was saying as exemplified by the recent incident when the Army was spotted around Matobo and it caused unnecessary concern among people.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE (HON. DR. SEKERAMAYI):
I want to thank the Hon. Senator for that question and advice him that the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, the Army and the Air Force are recruited from the people. During recruitment time, there will be people aspiring to be in the Defence Forces and the recruitment takes place in every province. There will be a recruitment programme in this province and that province so that the whole population is represented in the Defence Forces. I am sure there are young daughters and sons in Matobo who are as we speak in the Defence Forces. The mere presence of the Army should not unsettle people but if you have a situation where some people are doing something irregular and they fear to be seen doing what is illegal, they get perturbed. Any other law abiding citizen should always welcome the presence of the Defence Forces in any part of the country.
It is our wish that the relationship between the Defence Forces and the ordinary people should be as friendly as possible. There should be no reason for anybody to be afraid of the presence of the Army in any part of the country, in their village, town and so forth. Thank you Madam President.
*HON. SEN. CHABUKA: My question is directed to the
Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development. What steps have you taken to prevent the repeat of the GMB scenario where workers were demonstrating for non-payment of their wages?
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, MECHANISATION
AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT (DR. MADE): Thank you
Madam President. As a Minister, I may not foretell what a labour dispute between the workers and the parent Ministry might turn out to be. Specifically, you have pointed out the issue of the Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and I would want to say former GMB workers and their management had a disagreement. Litigation took place and the courts made a determination on the dispute. I believe that when the dispute was dealt with, there was an agreement between the employees and the GMB management. An agreement was deduced into writing. The issue has now been resolved. GMB was requested to increase the amount that they were paying to the workers. As Government, we supported this settlement whereby GMB would quickly pay the outstanding wages for the workers. The courts also ruled that the employees should not picket at the GMB premises. That is my response as the responsible authority in my capacity as Minister that we will be able to fulfill what we have promised so that we reach closure on this issue.
*HON. SEN. CHIMHINI: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic
Development. We hear that inflation has gone down, on the other hand the economy is not performing well. How do we then relate the lowering of inflation when the economy is going down?
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHINAMASA): I want to thank Hon. Sen.
Chimhini for the question. I would require the whole day to respond to the question. Briefly, I will give an explanation that yes, inflation has gone down, it is not good for us at this moment because it shows that people have no money. They have no disposable income and that has caused our inflation to go down to these levels. People have no money because of several reasons including sanctions. Last week you might have had that America imposed sanctions on the Zimbabwe fertilizer companies ZFC and Chemplex. It means that these are programmes that are meant to derail our agricultural projects. What it means is there will be no production. The reason why inflation is in the negative is because people have no money and there is no production.
Madam President, because of sanctions, there is no market for the goods that we are producing and that has led us to our current position. Some other reasons are that there is no money in the market. There are no US dollars in circulation because our exports are low. Our money supply is not good because we need to export so that our relatives outside then send money that comes into this country and we also have foreign direct investment. Currently the things that we are selling like minerals, the prices are depressed on the minerals market. Nickel, platinum and gold prices have gone down. So, we are now getting very few returns and as a result we will have a liquidity crunch that will lead to no production. In the end there will be no disposable income, which will then result in low inflation.
Madam President, I believe that I have done justice in giving a brief explanation. I will require an entire day with Hon. Sen. Chimhini for me to conclusively elucidate on the issue of this topic. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. BUKA: Thank you Madam President, my question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Dr. Gumbo. We have a lot of second hand tyres imported from other countries. What measures do you have in place as a Ministry to ensure that the tyres are adaptable to our weather conditions and that they are not going to be the cause of a lot of accidents in this country. I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. GUMBO): I want to thank Hon. Sen. Buka for the question. This is an important question but this is not confined to my Ministry. The question resides with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. My duty is to ensure that we construct roads so that you safely travel. The importation of motor vehicles and all the other ancillary issues belongs to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Madam President. My person is directed to the Minister of Finance and Economic
Development. Can the Minister explain what ZIMRA electronic devices are and their functions? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT (HON. CHINAMASA): I want to thank Hon. Sen.
Mohadi for the question. It is a very important question because it affords me an opportunity to advise the august House, measures that we are taking together with ZIMRA to enhance revenue collection and to stop leakages in the collection of revenue.
One of the measures that ZIMRA is taking is to install what are called electronic fiscal devises. These devises will be installed in businesses of major tax payers at the point of sell. So, the point of sale machine will be connected in real time to ZIMRA so that as transactions are being conducted, that information as to what items have been bought whether they attract tax or nor, whether they are to be exempted or not, what items have been bought which attract VAT. All that information in real time will be transmitted to ZIMRA. That information also with time is also transmitted to the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development and also to the Reserve Bank so that at any one time, ZIMRA is in a position to calculate on a daily basis what tax has been collected by tax payers throughout Zimbabwe.
So, the installations of these machines will start with the major tax payers for example OK, TM supermarkets, A. Mussa and so on. But as it unfolds, it should cover all tax payers over time. This is primarily to enhance revenue collection. Some of the measures that we are also taking to enhance revenue collection include especially at our key border, that is the Beitbridge border; is to introduce CCTV that monitors the activities of those who pass through that major entry point into Zimbabwe and also into the north of Africa.
This is also in order to minimise corruption, leakages and it will help that the officers are more transparent, that they do not do any monkey business during the course of their work. Other measures that we are also introducing will include tracking system. Trucks that contain goods allegedly destined for Zambia or for the northern countries which are being offloaded once they pass the border. We will also have a tracking system introduced at some point which will track those tracks to make sure that they cross the border, either Chirundu or Nyamapanda, et cetera.
Coming back to the question, I want to thank the Hon. Senator because this will be a measure if implemented successfully as we think it will, it will go a long way to enhance revenue collection. I thank you
Madam President.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: I wish to advise the House that we also have Hon. Mlambo, Deputy Minister of
Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services.
+HON. SEN. A. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. Hon. Minister, I would like to ask about the two or three roads that link Bulawayo, the Nkayi and Tsholotsho roads, when are they going to be completed or when are you going to start working on them after 36 years?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. GUMBO):
Thank you Madam President and thank you again to Senator Sibanda. The Nkayi-Tsholotsho road is a priority one for Matabeleland North province. It is on the list for those roads that we must attend to this year. We are doing all we can to organise and receive the necessary funds which we have not received, the funds allocated to us during the budget in December, 2015 and January this year. So I can assure you that some work is going to be done on that road.
It is a pity that because of the heavy down pour of rains that have come across the country, a lot of roads need attention, whether they are the roads that have already been budgeted for or those which had not been budget for. As I speak to you, the staff in my Ministry including myself, are going around the provinces to see what we can do and which roads we can attend to. We are aware that during the course of this year and even early next year, there will be a lot movement along our roads because of the drought that is upon us, we will be distributing a lot of food. As you are aware, the President declared this year as a disaster. It means that we shall be moving a lot of grain to all parts of the country.
The Nkayi-Tsholotsho road is a very important one, we have been talking about it and we are talking to the provincial engineer in that area. I was supposed to be going there this weekend to visit that same road that you are talking about but I will be doing that after Easter holidays because now I am going to Matabeleland South to try and see the state
of the roads across the country. It is a very important question but funds permitting, we should be able to work on it and complete it this year. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MARAVA: Thank you Madam President. My
question goes to the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development, Dr. Made. Hon. Minister, what is the criteria used when distributing farming equipment, especially tractors like the current ones from our friends, Brazil? What audit system do you apply to prevent double allocation to people who once received same?
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, MECHANISATION AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. MADE): I want
to thank the Hon. Senator for raising that question, very specific to the Brazilian equipment that is currently being distributed. The equipment from Brazil is not for individuals, so I want to thank you for asking that question so that I can clarify. The equipment from Brazil is for groups under either tillage or very specific irrigation projects. Luckily, I also answered a similar question yesterday in the National Assembly, where I gave very specifics. If it had been written, I would have had the opportunity to respond by giving the actual projects but from a policy point of view, on the Brazilian project, the equipment is not for individuals but for groups.
Already, Madam President, you have seen in the newspapers that the schemes that we are showing indicate group schemes, either irrigations or groups that come together for purposes of tillage. The equipment is not for free, those groups have to pay for commitment fees, so that they use that particular equipment. In terms of tractors, the equipment is hired out at a rate at which those groups pay for that particular equipment. In that case, in terms of double allocation, the chances are virtually zero because a group is recorded as a group.
Madam President, I just want to mention that in terms of the projects already affected by the Brazilian equipment, these are close to 176 groups across the country. We are now moving into the second phase then to the third phase, since it has three phases. The project so far is going on well, some of the results in those areas, in terms of serving our communities; already there are crops that have been very helpful to the food security. Thank you.
HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Minister of Defence. Hon. Minister, in our Constitution, Section 212, Functions of the Defence Forces; what is the cut off weight for a solder and what is the level of fitness that the soldier has to maintain. Seeing the pot bellies that we see in the soldiers, we are worried that this function they may not be able to perform this function.
I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE (HON. DR. SEKERAMAYI):
Madam President, the cut-off age for recruitment is 18-22 years of age. The boys and girls run to just check their physical fitness and on the basis of that, if they have got the right qualifications, they are then inducted into the defence forces. I am not sure how much weight they are supposed to gain per day or per week. To be very honest I am not very sure what the maximum size of the belly should be at any given time.
You will understand that some of them are there and they do rigorous work, some are now in offices and it is possible that those who are in offices may have slightly bigger tummies than when they were recruitment. I am not very sure what the standards are in the Senate, but you can also see that in the Senate they are some who are fairly small and some who maybe a little bigger than the others. What I just want to emphasize and to assure the nation is that we want members of the defence forces to be as physically fit as required by their duties. That detail I will check, but I do not think it is major issue. I thank you.
SENATOR CHIEF NYANGAZONKE: Thank you very much
Madam President, my question is directed to the Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development. We are still speculating and hoping that we are going to get better grazing pastures. Do we have enough stock feeds for the livestock farmers up to the end of the year? Thank you very much.
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, MECHANISATION
AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT: Madam President of the Senate, I would like to thank Senator Nyangazonke. The question of the livestock situation across the country is an issue of major concern, particularly the Southern provinces, south of Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Matabeleland South and some parts of the lowveld areas, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central. Currently, at the national level - we have teams that are out there to access the impact of the recent rains. Some areas have received quite some torrential rain but some of that rain, particularly in Matabeleland South, in one area has come with a little bit of destruction. As we all know, the Beitbridge area has been affected.
The major impact we are seeing in the late rains is the flowing of some streams and some reservoirs but however, we should not completely say we are safe at the moment, not at all. When we look at the period of germination of grass and its growth, we are already going towards the end of the summer. So, that means the pasture that might come up will really not be able to sustain our animals. So in the programme to import grain, we are importing both grain for human consumption and we have also allowed the stock feed manufacturers to also import grain so that we are able to augment the supply of feed.
We are also working on the water side to make sure that at least the water in those difficult areas is enough for stock. There is a major programme that we are going to undertake that will be dealing with desiltation of dams as well as deepening boreholes where it is possible Madam President. However, the biggest appeal which is a very difficult appeal is when the rains have come like this, obviously the farmers will be saying we will be able to save our livestock. So, we are still cautionary and advising the farmers wherever we can assist them with destocking, because we do not know how long this water is going to last us. Wherever it is possible, we should destock in order to build better capacity for the remaining stock.
However, in destocking one of the biggest problems is that there are those who are taking advantage and paying very poor amounts of money for the livestock. Lucky enough, it is one of the issues that we were discussing also this morning under the food and nutrition security matter, where we were considering the livestock strategy and policy. The late rains are saving us, we do hope and pray that they will continue but certainly there are other places where even if there are these rains, it might be a little bit late and some areas the rains are not sufficient enough.
The other strategy that we must look at is the question of the burning of pastures which is a perennial problem that we are facing. So, that one we will have to work on a concerted effort to also preserve the pastures. In some areas you might also have heard that in Matabeleland South, particularly Ngwizi area, we are going to be developing a programme where we are going to start now growing very deliberate pastures that we will harvest annually. I want to thank the Hon. Senator for the question.
SENATOR CHIEF GAMPU: Thank you Madam President, my
question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development. I would like to know if the Minister is aware of the ZESA poles in my area that have fallen down.
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER
DEVELOPMENT (DR. UNDENGE): Madam President, during this
time when we have torrential rains …
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Order, order
before you respond Hon. Minister. I will let the Hon. Minister respond but would like to encourage Hon. Senators to pose policy questions.
Thank you, you may continue Hon. Minister.
HON. DR. UNDENGE: Thank you Madam President, during this
period when we have torrential rains, some of the poles installed by ZESA are susceptible to falling down. As an institution, ZESA has depots throughout the country, there is no district where you go to and do not find ZESA present. I am sure if there are poles that have fallen down in his area, he did not mention the district or the area but I am sure if you report to your ZESA depot they will quickly attend to that problem.
I encourage Hon. Senators here present that if at all they notice a fault in their respective areas, let them report to the concerned depot in their districts and the problem will be attended to. That is the reason why we put depots in every district of the country to ensure that faults that occur are quickly corrected because we want the nation to be always supplied with power. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE HON.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE in terms of Standing Order No. 62.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITH NOTICE
ELECTRIFICATION OF BEITBRIDGE BORDER POST
- HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI asked the Minister of Local
Government, Public Works and National Housing to state when the Ministry will electrify Beitbridge Border Post to enable the scanning machines to work as expected.
THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC
WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING (HON. KASUKUWERE): I
would like to thank Hon. Sen. Chimbudzi for her question.
Madam President, may it please this august Senate to note that the Beitbridge Border post is electrified and ZIMRA has confirmed that all their scanners are working. They only had a problem in December, 2015 but the problem has since been rectified by ZESA. When ZIMRA was formed, it was authorized to do its own operations including construction. They only engage our Ministry when they feel they need technical advice. I thank you.
DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS IN PROVINCES WITHOUT
RESIDENT ARMY UNITS
- HON. SEN. MAVHUNGA asked the Minister of Defence to explain how provinces without resident army units can benefit from development projects undertaken by the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) when the country is at peace.
THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE (HON. DR. SEKERAMAYI):
Madam President, firstly allow me to express my sincere gratitude to
Hon. Sen. Mavhunga for this question which I hope will enlighten the majority of our Hon. Senators and their respective constituencies on this matter.
Administratively, every province is assigned to a Military Brigade that takes care of military issues in that area of operation as will be highlighted below. However, it is true that some of the Brigades are not resident or situated in the provinces as some Brigades cover two or more provinces. The following is the list of the various Military Brigades and their respective provinces of jurisdiction:-
Headquarters 1 Brigade covers Matabeleland North; Matabeleland South and Bulawayo provinces.
Headquarters 2 Brigade covers Harare; Mashonaland East; Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West provinces.
Headquarters 3 Brigade covers Manicaland Province.
Headquarters 4 Brigade covers Masvingo Province, and
Headquarters 5 Brigade covers the Midlands Province.
THE PROCEDURE FOR REQUESTING FOR MILITARY
ASSISTANCE
Madam President, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces have now become regular players in community assistance projects in various provinces of the country and have in the process proved to be a valuable asset in community development. There is however, a defined procedure of requesting for such assistance. I wish to take this opportunity to inform Hon. Senators who will in turn inform their various constituencies accordingly.
Communities or institutions requiring military assistance in their community projects should submit their requests through their respective provincial formations or Brigades for quick action. In this respect, it is also critical for the concerned communities and institutions to be aware that they have the responsibility of providing all the required material, financial and general labour resources for their projects while the Zimbabwe Defence Forces only provides skilled labour and technical advice. The need for communities and institutions to know the respective Brigades or formations covering them is therefore of paramount importance.
The Hon. Senator who asked about the relationship between the people and the defence forces should also be able to advice people in his constituency that if they need assistance from the defence forces, they should do so in writing. Preferably, the request should be made through him so that he, together with the defence forces, can go together to create a harmonious relationship between the defence forces and the people. I thank you.
WRITTEN SUBMISSION TO QUESTION WITH NOTICE
PLANS ON REVIVING AGRICULTURAL RURAL
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (ARDA) FARMS
- HON. SEN. CARTER asked the Minister of Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation Development to state the Ministry’s plan to revive Agricultural Rural Development Authority (ARDA) farms.
THE MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, MECHANISATION
AND IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT (HON. DR. MADE): Hon.
Senator, revival of ARDA farms is in progress and to date 14 out of 21 estates have been revived through strategic partnerships, contract farming arrangements and joint ventures.
Questions with Notice were interrupted by THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE in terms of Standing Order Number
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 133RD ASSEMBLY OF THE
INTERPARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU)
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Zimbabwe Delegation Report on the 133rd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. CHIEF SIANSALI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TAWENGWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 5th April, 2016.
MOTION
REHABILITATION OF WAR SHRINES AND RECOGNITION
OF DEPARTED WAR LIBERATORS
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion calling for rehabilitation and maintenance of War Shrines.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. TAWENGWA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
SENATOR MASUKU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 5th April, 2016.
MOTION
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO HIS EXCELLENCY THE
PRESIDENT AS CHAIRMAN OF AFRICAN UNION
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion to congratulate His
Excellency, the President Cde. R. G. Mugabe and the Government of
Zimbabwe on successfully leading the African Union (AU) and
Southern African Development Community (SADC) as Chairperson.
HON. SEN. TAWENGWA: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday 5th April, 2016.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE DELEGATION TO THE 38TH
PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY
FORUM
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Zimbabwe
Delegation Report on the 38th Plenary Assembly of the SADCParliamentary Forum.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. MAVHUNGA: Mr. President, I thank you for
granting me this opportunity to debate on the report that was brought to this House by our delegation to Namibia. The delegation was led by the Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Adv. Jacob Mudenda and the delegation included Hon. Senator Mohadi and Hon. Senator Mutsvangwa.
I am grateful for this particular Plenary Assembly which came up with seven resolutions that are before me. I will comment about the resolution which mostly deals with the issue of coming up with regulations or laws that will end child marriages as well as protect those that are in these marriages. As a country we are already steps ahead because of the landmark Constitutional judgment that outlawed marriages for children under the age of 18 years.
Marriages for children that are below 18 years are not good because the children fall victim to a lot of diseases. They would have gone into child bearing before they are strong enough. They may have problems in pushing out the child and that would disturb their organs. Cancer of the uterus is another risk that can result due to early child marriages.
This is a good law that will protect our children. Once a child has gone into early marriage, one can no longer pursue an educational career. Such marriages do not last a long time. Furthermore, they promote poverty. The child does not have knowledge and skills about looking after a family. According to our culture once one is married, you now become an in-law who runs the entire household, that cannot be done by a minor who has gone into this marriage contract. As I earlier on reiterated, we have gone steps ahead as is now enshrined in our Constitution. It says an adult is 18 years and above.
The same meeting also dealt with such issues about election observation. In that regard, it was proposed that the Observers should be in line with gender equality. In previous Governments, there was no gender equity. We could not even have National Identification cards and our salaries would go into our children’s bank accounts. We are grateful for the strides that SADC PF has made in gender equity projects. As a country, Zimbabwe is on the forefront as was witnessed by the Quota System. During this quota system period, women should be able to develop themselves and ensure that they run constituencies and stand on their own. My considered view is that we are doing well as women. In terms of debates we are doing quite well in this august House. Voters out there know that the good candidates to vote for are women.
Mr. President, it was also agreed that Parliaments should be encouraged to deal with the issues of SDGs. From the transformation that occurred from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to SDGs, a lot of people may not appreciate what is going on. We urge that there be public education to ensure that our people know what SDGs are all about and what they are set to achieve. We are grateful for that finding from such a meeting. We also hope that the wish of this forum to become a fully-fledged Parliament will be realised. With those words, I would want to thank the delegation that represented us.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 5th April, 2016
MOTION
TRADITIONAL CHIEFS MANDATE
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the role of traditional leaders.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MANYERUKE: I move that the debate do now
adjourn.
HON. SEN. MARAVA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 5th April, 2016.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
NON-ADVERSE REPORT RECEIVED FROM THE
PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE
THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have received a
Non -adverse report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee on the General Laws Amendment Bill, H.B 3.B, 2015.
On the motion of HON. SEN. TAWENGWA, seconded by HON.
SEN. MASUKU, the House adjourned at Four Minutes to Five o’clock
p.m. until Tuesday, 5th April, 2016.