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SENATE HANSARD 29 SEPTEMBER 2020 VOL 29 NO 53
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Tuesday, 29th September, 2020
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 and 2 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PEACE AND RECONCILIATION COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2018 AND YEAR 2019
Third and Fourth Orders read: Adjourned debate on motion that this House takes note of the Annual Report of the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission for the years ending 2018 and 2019.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Madam President, I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity and also thank our Vice President, Hon. K. Mohadi. It is pleasing to see our Vice President rising on his own and coming to the sittings of the Senate to present a Report on Peace and Reconciliation Commission. We know that the President always speaks of peace wherever he is, meaning that peace is key and is important. We all know that in the past, many things transpired which have continuously been raised including Gukurahundi which disturbed our country’s peace.
Therefore what happened and through peace and reconciliation; and since the report has been presented, we are looking at ways to try and unite the people of Zimbabwe. People wrong each other, people depend on each other, they disagree but unity and peace is the key to building the country. I am pleased with this report which came and everyone started supporting this report because it makes our country move forward and we should try and forget about the bad things which happened in the past so that our country prospers in every prospect. If we do that, our country will move forward and we know how we will resolve these issues as Zimbabweans.
+HON. SEN. M. NDHLOVU: I would want to thank you for this opportunity that I have been given. I would like to thank the Vice President for moving this motion on peace and reconciliation. This is a pertinent issue and people were at loggerheads because of this issue of Gukurahundi. Actually in the Southern parts of Matebeleland, each time we would come here, we would talk of Gukurahundi but we are here today we are impressed that our elders have presented this matter. I believe our people have said that we should reconcile. We should forgive each other.
I would like to thank the Vice President for coming in person and. Our leaders want to reconcile and therefore people should reconcile. If there is anything, people should discuss and move on. This is an issue which happened long ago. Therefore, I would like to thank the Vice President of the country for bringing the report on peace and reconciliation.
*HON. SEN. SHUMBA: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to support the report which was presented by the Vice President. I was hesitant to debate because last week I was not in the House but I have since realised that the Vice President came with a very good report, that people must unite and work together to have peace in our country Zimbabwe which is the very important thing.
We must stop unnecessary squabbles and killings. These issues which are continually being raised, issues to do with Gukurahundi, we are pleased that the President on his own went to meet the people who faced these challenges which is a good thing. All those people who met the President are happy that they met a leader who encouraged them to be united. What has happened is now a story – let us be united. If our leader sees it fit that our country must move forward with peace, as human beings we must stand together with the President and be united so that there is peace. Peace begins with me, peace begins with you and peace begins with everyone. Everyone must be united and support the peace in the country. We must shun unnecessary fights and demonstrations.
I want to thank the Vice President for presenting a very good report. Lastly, as was said by the late Vice President John Nkomo before he departed, he said ‘peace begins with me, peace begins with you and peace begins with all of us.’ We must follow this principle as well as what is being said by the Government. I thank you.
^HON. SEN. MALULEKE: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to debate on the report presented by the Vice President Cde Mohadi. He came with a very important issue which united us as Zimbabweans. We must work for one common purpose and refrain from fighting other people and organisations. If we fight and kill each other, we cannot achieve anything but death only. As leaders, we must start by uniting so that whatever was said by the Vice President, we follow that, come up with one thing and we become united.
We must show by example that we are leaders. We must not follow bad things that happened in the past. We must be united and work for our country Zimbabwe and forgive each other. We must work together, be relatives and protect our country. Some of the liberation fighters wanted to see a free country but they could not. We must be united like what the Vice President said. If we are united our country moves forward very well. If we forgive each other our things move on very well. We must not hurt each other. With these few words, I thank you Madam President.
*HON. SEN. RAMBANEPASI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity. I was also pleased by the message that was brought by Vice President Cde Mohadi, that in a country there is no way you can have two bulls in a kraal. There is only one bull that has to be listened to. So if we happen to listen to that one bull there will be unity in the country and there will be development. We will have love. All that happened before did not just happen but there was a reason why it took place. This has now resulted in a good cause. Look at this country; I am not undermining those who were there before.
If you look at the freedom of speech that is in this country, when I got married in the early 80s there was no freedom of speech but because of our President E. D. Mnangagwa, he is a unifier and does not look at the flaws of each and every person. He is there to unite the country. We want to thank the President for the peace that prevails in Zimbabwe, that is led by our President Mnangagwa. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I want to thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to the debate that is before this House on national healing, peace and reconciliation that was brought in by the Vice President Cde Mohadi. It is indeed a privilege to have a Vice President who comes to inform us on such a matter. As a nation, it is important to have peace and unity of purpose. Peace and reconciliation was initiated by parties that were there before us. In 1987, people came together and united. They decided to reconcile and the country developed. So to live in a peaceful nation is very important and has positive results. We want to thank His Excellency, the President Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa who decided to take it upon himself to go and address the issue of Gukurahundi. This issue happened during the first Republic but because our President is a peace loving person, he went to engage the leaders of Matabeleland where they deliberated on the matter until they reached the conclusion. This was a welcome development to the whole nation.
This has brought the animosity to an end, everything has to come to an end. Our mouths Mr. President, are the ones that can lead us to peace and reconciliation, even the wars that we fought, it was through the negotiations that we had. I also want Mr. President to applaud our President on the issue of the peace that prevails in the nation. We all welcome the peaceful environment that we enjoy. Yes, we have our colleagues, especially the white men who do not even accept that the nation is no longer under the white minority rule, and want to maintain the behaviour that they had during the Rhodesian period. We want peace in the country and we want to applaud and celebrate the peace that we enjoy.
Mr. President, we want to applaud the Senate, we always have debate in this Senate as a united front and with unity of purpose. I want to urge Hon. Senators that we should remain united. If there is a challenge, we are the elderly with wisdom and we should discuss and agree.
Lastly, Mr. President, I want to thank our President, His Excellency Cde. Mnangagwa, we will try by all means to take this message to all areas where we go as political parties and to our chiefs because they are the custodians of our culture and have a lot of authority in the communal areas. Once they speak, people will listen to them. So we want to put them at the forefront so that peace continues to prevail in Zimbabwe. I want to thank you Mr. President for the chance that you have given me to add to the debate.
*HON. SEN. MATIIRIRA: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to support the motion with just a few words. I want to thank Hon. Vice President Mohadi for bringing this motion and it is a very good and important motion that promotes peace, unity and forgiveness, which is very important for the people in Zimbabwe. Mr. President, this is a very important motion. As Zimbabwe, if there is no unity, forgiveness and peace in the country, there will be no development, so we want to thank him for that. As a country we are faced with COVID-19 but because of peace, unity and forgiveness, we managed to control this pandemic.
Mr. President, peace and reconciliation is important. I want to reiterate what the Hon. Sen. said, reconciliation did not begin in this republic but it started long ago. People hate and wrong each other but forgiveness is what is required for people to be united. I want to thank our President, Cde Mnangagwa, he humbled himself and made his way to Bulawayo to go and engage and address the issue of Gukurahundi, an issue that was threatening the peace of the nation and yet we are all Zimbabweans. Whoever stood up was talking of Gukurahundi but he saw it fit as the leader of Zimbabwe to go and engage the afflicted and inform them that yes, a lot of wrong was done and it was not right but we need to forgive each other and move on as a nation. So I want to thank him for this motion. I decided with these few words that I should support the motion and thank the Vice President for bringing it in this Senate. We all know that the Senate is the upper House and people look upon the Senate to come up with words of wisdom for the country to develop well. Where there is no peace and forgiveness, the country cannot develop. With these few words, I thank you Mr. President.
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform all Hon. Senators to switch off their cell phones or to put them on silent.
*HON. SEN. FEMAI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me an opportunity to add my voice concerning the motion that was brought in by the Hon. Vice President. Mostly in a family or home, if there is chaos - where I come from, they say that the evil one can easily do whatever he wants but because of the peace and reconciliation report, I realised that there is no more misunderstanding and chaos. Most people see it as addressing the Matabeleland area where the issues being talked about happened.
Let us not only focus on that area but let us also look at Mashonaland East and West, Manicaland and Masvingo. If we look at what happed in those areas, all that is now a thing of the past. We need to bury the hatchet and work together. If we are to consider today, Jesus died in Israel but we are worshiping him here in Zimbabwe. Let us not say that the subject of peace and reconciliation relates to Bulawayo only. We also need to accept the fact that we also did wrong and we need to forgive and be united. Those in Harare should also unite with everyone right up to Chipinge. No one should engage in such activities that have resulted in dialogue for peace and reconciliation that the President had to attend to.
I want to appreciate the move that was taken by the His Excellency the President and that it will also promote peace in Zimbabwe, even those that are planning for people to live in peace, it will be easier for them because there will be peace in the country. There is no one who can be on the run and also planning. No one can be beaten and on the other hand doing some planning. If there is peace, the person who plans for people to live peacefully will do the planning peacefully. So, I want to thank what was done and hope that this will prevail and he needs to add on to this initiative to ensure that there is peace in the nation and there is no chaos. I want to thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. RAMBANEPASI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday 30th September, 2020.
MOTION
THIRD REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS ON DOMESTICATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I move the motion standing in my name;
That this House takes note of the Third Report of the Thematic Committee on Human Rights on Domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: I second.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you very much Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to present the Thematic Committee Report on Human Rights which received a petition from people living with disabilities. You are aware Mr. President that the domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was received and signed for in Zimbabwe on the 23rd of September, 2013. However, to date, nothing has happened.
The petition received from the Institute for Community Development Zimbabwe on the domestication of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD) had concerns that, firstly, the finalisation of the Persons with Disabilities Policy seems to be taking forever. Mr. President Sir, you are aware that people living with disabilities have a population of 1.4 million, which is 10%, that is huge especially for us politicians. If all those people were to choose who they want to be in power, they would make a big difference.
The issues discussed by the petitioners whom we met were that;
- It looks like there is no urgent commitment of disability inclusion in the country;
- There was also concern that there is no proper legal framework and that there was just no serious approach to issues of disability and rights in the Zimbabwe legal system.
The Disabled Persons Act is behind the UN Convention, it has now already passed the 13th of September and it is now seven years, surely something has to be done. Therefore, the petitioners were besieging especially Parliament including us to inquire when this finalisation and alignment is going to be done. So, we have another policy to look at urgently before maybe we even close this Session.
There were also concerns about the weakness of the Mental Health Act, which also needs to be looked at. People living with disabilities wanted representation, they feared that they are not represented properly in Parliament and want at least one person per province, so, 10 provinces and 10 persons. There were also concerns from the petitioners that there is no reliable statistics on the prevalence of disability in the country. One wonders with this COVID 19 we are having, what is happening to that 10% of our society. They particularly emphasised that issues to do with physical impairment, mental, speech functionality, hearing, albinism, autism, epilepsy and other multiple disabilities should be looked into.
The main issues again, which they were not happy with was access to education, special schools for persons with disabilities – I am not sure President Sir, with the recent Education Act, whether this is recommended because I know that in the past, it was suggested that it is better to mix with those ‘so called able bodied,’ but I am not sure whether it will be a good thing to just have special schools for people living with various disabilities. There was also concern about access to employment, most importantly, access to health.
Mr. President, allow me with your permission, I now want to read what their recommendations were because I think it is important that the Senate will appreciate those;
Firstly, the Executive needs to urgently domesticate the UNCRPD in order to have local specialty by December, 2020. The day after tomorrow it will be October and there are only three months, a huge task Hon. Senators and Mr. President Sir.
The Minister of Labour and Social Welfare should craft a new National Policy on Disability that assumes the human rights approach again, by December, 2020.
Parliament should amend the Constitution to increase the number of legislators representing persons with disabilities, at least one per province by the end of December, 2021. At least that one gives Parliament some leeway.
The Executive should introduce affirmative action programmes in favour of the persons with disabilities beginning January, 2020. Section 56(6) of the Constitution provides for affirmative action since it is common cause that persons with disabilities are a group of people who have suffered historical marginalisation due to discriminatory practices and tendencies.
The Executive should mainstream disability in the education curriculum by August 2022.
The Executive should ensure self-representation of persons with disability in all Statutory Boards and Commissions by July 2021.
The Executive should create conditions for the development of sign language and incorporate it in the education curriculum by July 2022.
The Office of the President and Cabinet should ensure that the Office of the Special Advisor to the President and Cabinet is resourced well as a national coordinating mechanism to oversee total inclusion of disability in all ministries and Government Departments by December 2020.
The Government should provide funding to enable Zimbabwe Elections Commission to provide voting materials in accessible format by 2023.
The Ministry of Finance and Economic Development should fund the National Disability adequately to operate effectively by December 2020.
Mr. President, this is the report from the Human Rights Thematic Committee which should be considered seriously because it affects 10% of our population. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I would like to make a comment. I think all Hon. Senators are aware that we are going through what we now call the new normal. The new normal is that we have got to observe social distancing. Some people call it physical distance. You are alright. Social distancing implies that not all Hon. Senators can come into this Chamber. Some Hon. Senators will have to follow the proceedings whilst they are within the precincts of Parliament whilst they are somewhere out, even in their hotel rooms.
To enable those Senators in their hotel rooms and elsewhere to follow the proceedings, Hon. Senators are encouraged and it is mandatory for you if you are going to speak, to bring your gadget or tablet so that you speak and those who are outside can follow what you are saying. Do not be shy to bring your tablet. We have got staff in this Chamber who will assist you to log on so that you go on line. This is the new era of technology. Let us move with technology. Let us not be shy.
If you are going to speak, you must bring your gadget with you and you speak into your gadget so that everybody else – those who are in here and those who are outside can follow the proceedings. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 30th September, 2020.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Order of the Day, Number 6 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 7 is disposed of.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 30th September, 2020.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Seventh Order Read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 30th September, 2020.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) AND GENDER DEVELOPMENT ON THE ENQUIRY INTO PEOPLE’S ACCESS TO CLEAN, SAFE AND PORTABLE WATER
Eighth Order Read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Human Rights, Sustainable Development Goals and Gender Development on the Inquiry into people’s access to clean, safe and portable water.
Question again proposed.
+HON. SEN. CHIEF MTSHANE-KHUMALO: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the report presented by Hon. Sen. Khupe on the availability and accessibility of portable water to the people. I am one of the people who went to Masvingo. We saw people from ZINWA and they said they had problems with the quantity of water. That problem is affecting Masvingo Town because they go for four to five hours without electricity to pump the water. Their pumps are now antiquated. They do not pump enough water for the people of Masvingo and that has caused the local authority to drill some boreholes so that people can fetch water. The problem of these boreholes is that people will queue and sleep there so that they can access potable water for their homes. There is a problem again; we know it is women who fetch water and as a result of trying to wait for the water, they have to go during the night and unfortunately end up being raped.
The municipality of Masvingo and the Ministry of Local Government are not coordinating well. The Ministry of Local Government set up a location at the western side of Mucheke Township without liaising with the town of Masvingo. It is clear that the township does not have access to water. The people there use the bush toilet system and if they have the toilets, there is no water.
We also went to Mwenezi and the council there had no water particularly in their clinics and residential areas. We were told that there is no water at the clinic’s maternity wards. We have realised that there is a serious problem. They told us that there is Mutirikwi Dam close by and if they have resources they should buy pumps to pump water from Mutirikwi. They are trying something with ZINWA and the local authority so that they can embark on those programmes for people to have access to potable water. Mr. President, I only wanted to add a few words on this motion on what I witnessed when I went out on a visit with the Committee. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. TIMIRE: I am also part of the Committee that went out to find out about the supply of water to residents. When I was walking, something came into my mind. Since we have a problem of water in many areas, how are the disabled accessing water considering the distances being travelled? I have realised that the disabled persons face many challenges when it comes to water. Yesterday I received a phone call from a teacher saying she was disabled, walked with crutches and schools have since opened. They fetch water from distance places... she did not know how she was going to stay at the school when talk about the issue of accessing water. How are the disabled women going to survive? When we got to other areas, we could see water being fetched from trenches. For me to kneel with crutches, it is difficult to fetch the water.
She said, ‘when I go to deliver at the clinic and I am told to bring the water, I have crutches plus ta bucket of water and it is very difficult. Even to push my wheelchair whilst I am carrying the bucket of water is something unbearable.’ I looked at the whole issue and saw that they needed urgent attention. There are also other people who cannot use the manual borehole but can use solar ones. So there is need for solar boreholes that use taps. We see that many schools and clinics really need tap water. Not focusing on the disabled only, the fact that the woman went to fetch water from a distance of about 20km to bring only one 20l bucket the whole day, how is her family going to survive? It is something which is difficult in life. Water, is something difficult to survive without. I want to give myself as an example. I was involved in a car accident and my spinal cord was injured. The doctor said I must drink at least four litres of water per day. Imagine I came from the borehole with a 20l bucket and as a mother, I drink four litres; my child drinks one litre and I have five children. Is the water going to be enough? As for me, water is life. If I do not drink water, my kidneys stop functioning. When I go to sleep in the night and do not drink enough water, I will be taken to the Intensive Care.
When we were looking around, I was looking at water and knowing that this is my life. Water is very important and everyone must have access to adequate water. If I give birth as a woman and do not get water, it will not be well. We need water to bath and for my delivery. If all this is not done, it means even at the hospital no hygiene is practice many diseases will erupt. It is important that I drink water from the same well with the animals. When I go to fetch water, I cannot scare away wild animals in order to fetch water. So wherever I am, I must have someone to assist me scare away the animals so that I get water. It becomes difficult and expensive for me because I must have another person to help me.
Mr. President, there are many problems faced by disabled people, which means that disabled person who earns the same salary as the teachers is forced to pay another person who is going to carry out the duties. It is not only the water which comes with other challenges in the disabled person’s life. Thank you.
HON. SEN. KHUPE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHIRONGOMA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 30th September, 2020.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 46TH PLENARY ASSEMBLY SESSION OF THE SADC PARLIAMENTARY FORUM HELD IN NAMIBIA
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 46th Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum held from 10th to 17th December 2019 at Swakopmund, Namibia.
Question again proposed.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND CENTRAL PROVINCE (HON. SEN. MAVHUNGA): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 30th September, 2020.
MOTION
DISCHARGE OF CHILDREN UNDER CHILD CARE FACILITIES
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need to alleviate the challenges associated with the early discharge of youths from child care facilities.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: I thank you Mr. President for the opportunity you have given me to add a few words on the motion raised by Senator Tongogara about the children who stay in child care facilities because those children have not found places to stay in and are taken care of at one place. Looking at the motion, I see some incidents where these children are being taken care of and released from these facilities. There is no consideration done of where these children will stay. They are just released because they have reached 18 years and it becomes a problem as the children become street children.
Upon release, some of the children go into the streets where they face many challenges such as smoking glue and sleeping on the streets. Some children are just released not knowing where their relatives are and do not know where to start from. If they are girls, some of them go to indecent places to look for help. This is a big problem especially for the girls as most of them will end up being impregnated. When they are pregnant, they do not know what to do. Some are old men who just hire them for a short quick time. They then try to abort and might end up dying in the process or get sexually transmitted diseases and just die from those diseases without getting help. Some of them contract HIV/AIDS and fear to go to hospitals to get help since they are eighteen years, and if they were at home they would still be under parents’ guardianship.
We are appealing to Government to help these children at the facilities that they are being taken care of, for their talents to be recognised. Some of the children have so many talents like singing, football, carpentry, building or some other handy jobs. We appeal to the Government to intervene at these facilities that take care of the children. Those who teach handy jobs should pick those children who have talents and teach them so that when they leave these places they have something tangible to do and somewhere to start from. We take the example of a woman who has been divorced and has no parents; you see that woman will end up in the streets not knowing where to go. So these children must be protected so that they do not venture into bad deeds. They should be helped engage in various skills in the facilities they are being taken care of.
Children at these facilities are not doing any work. I think maybe because of the law which is in place the children are allowed to just sit, eat and do nothing but as parents, if a kid does nothing, not even sweeping the house or some chores like gardening, it means that child is going to move from that area not knowing anything. Even when she gets married, she will not know how to do basic house chores because not every child will end up in the streets. Some will get married and fail to do the house chores because during childhood they were just left idle.
If it was the law which was put in place for these children when they go to the care facilities and do nothing, this must be looked into. Even if I have a child in the house I do not just look at them but I tell them to do all the chores.
We want these children to receive help whilst they are still at their care facilities. Some get to these facilities when they have a few months to reach the age of 18. If they are taught some chores, it helps when a child is released from this facility, they are going to be a good mother or father. I thank you.
^HON. SEN. MALULEKE: Thank you for giving me this short opportunity to debate on the protection of the children. In Masvingo Province, we have many child care facilities where we take care of the kids. We have Chingele and Chambota. There are children at Chingele and I normally visit that place. Government, through the Department of Social Welfare helps a lot. These children go to school; they farm gardens, they do poultry. These things help them a lot. I would like to thank the Government led by the President E. D. Mnangagwa which always remember us, although we are at the border area of the country.
There are many children at Chambota. I went there with the First Lady who opened the place. These children go to school. They learn farming, poultry and herd cattle. I even placed a hatchery there and I am still to give them the chickens. I have not sent the chickens because I was held back by the covid-19 pandemic. The Government is helping a lot and it is uniting the kids. There are some children who were saying they were sleeping in toilets, on the road and in bushes. Right now they are sleeping on beds and doing handy jobs and it is helping them a lot.
When we raise these motions, it helps us because these things at our area are still there. We thank the First Lady for helping us to take care of these children. It does not mean that when I see other kids, we must encourage those to go to Chambota so that they can learn a lot of things. If they reach 18 years they will be released from these facilities knowing some things which they have learned from this area. Those children who are interested in school must learn until they finish school. They must learn different courses and they are not different from the kids we have in our homes.
I would also want to thank the First Lady because in Chiredzi town we have another children’s home. She taught us a lot of things and encouraged the kids to learn handy jobs and also to go to school. Even in Chambota and Chingele where there are few kids, we start from zero grade until secondary. The school fees are paid by social welfare. Our Government helps a lot. If they do all these things in all areas in Zimbabwe, we as leaders must encourage these kids to go to such areas so that they can go and learn and stay away from diseases and bad behaviour. I thank the First Lady and our Government for the job they are doing in Masvingo.
+HON. SEN. A. DUBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the motion brought by Hon. Sen. Tongogara. This is a very important motion, especially to us Senators because most people who are disabled are kept in homes whereby we see that sometimes their livelihoods do not add up properly in the end. The law should not allow these people to be spoiled. These children should get vocational training so that by the time they leave children’s homes they will be able to have careers.
The other thing is that when these children grow up without being able to perform any duties on their own, it becomes difficult for them. When they leave those homes they go back to destitution because they grow up not knowing how to work or do certain duties, especially when they get to 18 years and above. That is when it becomes difficult for them. For girls they end up engaging into prostitution because they do not know any other way of survival. They are not taught any survival skills so much that they engage into prostitution and that leads to early death to them or sometimes they contract diseases. Sometimes they go into early marriages whereby they waste their lives. If the children are trained and taught before 18 years, their future may be brightened by those skills they acquire. For the boys they end up abusing drugs. We see them in groups in many areas and it is very painful. They end up joining gangsters and that destroys their lives. Sometimes they end up in jail or die in prison.
This motion is very important. If it was possible, when these children are released from children’s homes, it should be known where they are going and what type of life they will be living. By the time they get to 18 years, they should be taken to vocational training centres where they can learn skills that they can use for life so that at least they may find something to do to lighten the burden of life. It becomes very difficult to live and some of them end up committing suicide, I think this is a very important motion for such a child who is only 18, they will still be young and such children needs parents nearby. What more those who are orphans, some of the children are not brought up well and some of them end up becoming criminals. I think this motion is very important, we should handle it very well as Senate so that we come up with resolutions whereby children from children’s homes will have better lives instead of just living it there from the beginning but in the end nobody cares about their lives. I thank you for giving me this opportunity.
HON. SEN. TONGAGARA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MATHUTHU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday, 29th September, 2020.
MOTION
ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on the repeal of the death sentence and the provision in the Criminal Law and Codification Act [Chapter 9:23], and other statutes.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. DR. MAVETERA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Wednesday 30th September, 2020.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND EAST PROVINCE (HON. MUNZVERENGWI), the Senate adjourned at Five Minutes to Five o’clock p.m.