- Version
- Download 34
- File Size 284 KB
- File Count 1
- Create Date November 16, 2017
- Last Updated November 16, 2021
SENATE HANSARD 29 NOVEMBER 2017 27-16
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday 29th November 2017
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE
SENATE
CIRCULATION OF CDF, OFFICER’S INSTRUCTIONS AND
OPERATIONAL MODALITIES COPIES
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: I wish to inform
the Senate that copies of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), the accounting officer’s instructions and the operational modalities have been circulated through Senators pigeon holes for your information.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MAKONE: Madam President, I move that Order of
the Day, Number 1 be stood over, until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed.
HON. SEN. SHOKO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON
GENDER AND DEVELOPMENT ON ACCESS TO SAFE AND
CLEAN WATER IN RURAL AREAS
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the First Report of the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development on access to safe and clean water in rural areas.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. MACHINGAIFA: Thank Madam President and
how are you.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: I am fine, thank
you and how are you.
*HON. SEN. MACHINGAIFA: Thank you for giving me this opportunity to make my contribution on this motion. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Makore and the whole Committee. We are very grateful to the Committee which moved around the country and all the Hon.
Senators who have debated before me. We are grateful to the Committee which moved around looking at problems faced by people in accessing water.
Madam President, this is a very important motion. Water is not readily available in many places. Our wish is that in rural areas, especially health technicians, they will be sitting in offices without carrying out their duties of monitoring water situation in their areas. They should be busy moving around looking at the problems faced by people. When we look at water problems, the main sufferers are women simply because at times they travel long distances to get water. As a result, some people will end up drinking unhygienic water.
I have noticed that people are refusing to give people water because the water will be dirty; it is not that they do now want to give a passerby water. You get surprise at whether they would have any water to drink. When they have this water which is unhygienic and they want you to help them that is when they give you that water so that you will be in a position to assess their situation and look for ways of helping them.
I remember there was a time when we were in Chinhoi and the former Governor was saying, when we talk of borehole water, we may say people have clean water but we can only beat our chest and be proud of ourselves as a nation, if all the people can access water coming from piped systems. Such water is not easily contaminated. It is high time whereby these technicians should impart knowledge on the digging of the blair toilets. Some people have no idea as to how the underground systems of water operate. The toilet system may be put on the upper end while the water will be on the lower side. We must have piped water especially in Mahororo area of Magunje.
When we were growing up, we used to know that in our parks in the cities, there were some pipes which were clearly labeled that it was not drinking water coming from that pipe, it was sewage water which was supposed to be used for watering the gardens. We also used to have water for cleaning but because of the vandalism which is in-built in human beings, we have removed those labels. As a result, people are now drinking water from the sewage because there are no labels. Now, it is our priority as a nation that people should access water especially in rural areas; people should access clean, hygienic and sanitary systems in their localities. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. MARAVA: Thank you Madam President. I feel
obliged to make a contribution on this motion on water and sanitation. What compels me to make a contribution on this motion is that we are talking of life; water is life. People should access clean water for both drinking and any other business. When we look at the people in rural areas, they are the people we call the voiceless. As Members of
Parliament, in our portfolios as representatives, we are supposed to talk about the problems they are facing. That is why we have the traditional leaders in those areas. Therefore, we need to persuade the traditional leaders to talk about the problems faced by people in accessing safe water because the water which is used by the residents in the rural areas is the same water source which is used by the traditional leaders.
When water borne diseases attack, they start attacking that individual who is more vulnerable. When a mother is pregnant, the unborn child is most affected. That is why as a Government we should take it as a priority to take preventive measures against water borne diseases by supplying clean and hygienic water in rural areas. At the moment, getting treatment is very expensive. If people get clean and safe water diseases will be less and we will cut expenses. I am pleading with these local authorities to consider prioritising provision of safe and clean water to people.
We have also noticed that the boreholes which were sunk in rural areas, some of them have broken down. Therefore we cannot talk of increasing them at this point. There is need to invest more money in installing water systems in the rural areas. The Committee led by Hon.
Sen. Mumvuri is very essential especially in the access of water.
Remember, there is this adage – ‘water is life’ and if we do not have
water we have more diseases.
There is an Hon. Member who made a contribution on this motion that there are many people in Zimbabwe who are getting water from the rivers. They dig wells on the river beds. This water is flowing underground streams and upstream somebody will be using some chemicals from soap yet there is no thorough filtration of this water. So, whoever drinks that water will be drinking dirty water.
We have realised that most of the people in our country live in the rural areas, not only that we all come from rural areas. As Hon. Members, we should go and talk to the District Administrators or local leaders so that they invest more money and manpower in getting people access safe and clean water in rural areas. This issue should not be put aside because we have some other motions which are being raised. We are the authorities; we are the representatives of the people; we are the people who live within those communities which are suffering from water borne diseases. During our campaigns, we told people that we were going to stand by them in terms of their problems.
My wish is that each and every one of us, when we go to our areas should check whether we buy water to drink, shunning our own water sources which our people drink. As Hon. Members, we can afford to buy water but what about the people who elected us, can they afford that? The normal thing will be to drink from the same well where the electorate drinks so that we see that we are one and the same people. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIMBUDZI: Thank you Madam President. I would like to add my voice on this very important motion on accessing clean water and sanitation. I would like to thank the mover and seconder of this motion. I would also like to thank the Chairman, Hon. Sen. Makore and your Committee for moving around the country holding public hearings on the importance of supplying clean water to the population of Zimbabwe.
When we look at what was happening in the resettlement areas where most of the people have moved from the high density areas to these resettlement areas, we realise that people were drinking water from the dams while the white person who owned that farm would access clean water. Workers were drinking from dams where pigs and other animals also drink, even passing in that water. To date, we still have the same situation whereby people still drink water from dams, sharing the dam with wild and domestic animals.
We know that Government introduced a water and sanitation programme which aimed at making people access clean and hygienic water. In my constituency especially on the border with Mozambique, there is no river which flows throughout the year. So, we had introduced a programme of de-siltation of rivers but you will realise that water is only retained during the rainy season. In winter, there is no water. Government had introduced a programme whereby pipes were laid underground to draw water but that did not move well. Unfortunately, by nature human beings are vandals so they vandalised the equipment and people can no longer access water using those pipes. So, I think it is up to us as Hon. Members to teach our own people and inculcate a culture of maintenance and retention of what we all use even if it is public property. When that equipment is destroyed, the cost of repairing or installing new equipment is very expensive and we cannot afford it.
People need to be educated and have the value of communal ownership inculcated in them. We realise that people who face the most challenges are the women who have to fetch water from long distances.
At times I am worried about the men folk for not being gender sensitive. When they want to construct houses they do so in areas which are on top of mountains and yet the woman is the one who carries water from the valley up the mountain. So, how can someone build a house on top of Mavuradonha and then get water from the valley? Let us teach our people that water is very essential. Water is an element which we cannot do without. It has to do with our welfare. Water prevents water borne diseases, especially if you access it from the dams.
I moved around in my constituency and went to a dam where people had water pipes installed. When I opened that tap the water which came out was green, showing that there was some fungus in that water and it was being pumped straight from the dam to the people’s homes. So, in this new Zimbabwe let us take care of our people and ensure that they access clean water, because under the prevailing conditions people are drinking dirty water which has fungus and algae will cause diseases.
Thank you Hon. Makore and your committee for moving around. We also noticed that our councillors and councils do not have the capacity of completing any water projects which they will have launched. If you visit some other growth points and townships, there is no clean water and yet there is a local authority which is operating within that area. So, what we need to look at is to empower our local authorities through supervision and follow up, especially in the area of water provision. Growth points have high population and they need to have clean water. We also have people who will be travelling in buses and when they get down to get water at a growth point, there is nothing. That is why there is need for us to play an oversight role on the local authorities, mayors, councillors and the Chief Executive Officers.
We know water is essential and when we look at our wild animals they also need water but when looking at the current situation, the people share water with wild animals. At times even pigs, donkeys and cattle also use the same water holes but you know what the pigs do, they also pass urine and dung where they will be drinking. If we had more money, as MPs we should be funded to visit some other countries and see how they are supplying water to the people. After the study tour we may try and indigenise that idea and localise it so that we have clean water and better sanitation. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MALULEKE: I also stand up to add my voice to this very important motion, especially with regards to us women. Water coming out in most areas is dirty and has not been treated. I support the Hon. Member who said that Parliament needs to be well funded so that
MPs can go on study tours in other countries. We notice that even from last year the climatic conditions changed and we experienced heat waves. When we look at Chiredzi, in areas like Gezani to Malipati you will realise that women face a lot of problems. People drink water from the same places with wild animals and domestic animals. A pregnant woman with a baby on her back and two other toddlers will be tailing the mother to go and fetch water. That is why we are saying put more money on sanitation and water so that we ease the burden of the women folk.
Hon. Muchinguri advised MPs to look at the progress which has been done by the district administrator’s office or the councils with the main idea of looking at areas where boreholes could be sunk. I personally held meetings with the councillors and also with the DDF. We know there is no progress there because from discussions with them it shows there is nothing they can do. I spent the whole day moving from one office to another but to no avail. The last office I went in to get information on boreholes was the DA’s office. I asked him whether he was still employed or serving his notice and his response was that is how we operate. When I asked him whether I should give Hon. Muchinguri his response he asked me to wait so he could go and find more information from his officers and that was the last I saw of him until I gave up waiting for him. I even went into the CEO’s office to get information on the boreholes and water situation, but there was no documented evidence on the water situation and supply in the area. The CEO said it was the function of DDF and there was a lady who was in charge but nothing to take to the Minister. However, I am glad that the DA has been moved and maybe there is going to be a change in the way they do business.
There are people who are accessing their own water but it is expensive to go it alone. At times you may dig up to 60metres and still fail to get water. There was a time when I asked some people to come and dig boreholes in my area and they had charged me $3000 to drill a borehole. They said we are going to charge you up to $5000 because we get water at a deeper level than that. Now, do we plead with the Lord to be merciful on us because in our constituency which is in the Lowveld, our water is also very low, we cannot easily access it?
When you come to our areas, our animals are so healthy that you think there is water. What happens is, our women are so energetic. They will be pumping water in the boreholes for these cattle. You may find that a farmer has up to 600 cattle and the women will be doing the pumping of the water because men will be somewhere; maybe working in urban areas or mines. We have to keep on working because it is our country and we are proud of it, but we need to have easy access to clean water and sanitation.
*HON. SEN. CHIFAMBA: Thank you Madam President. I
would like to thank Hon. Sen. Makore for bringing in this report, together with the committee members looking at the challenges people are facing in the rural areas when it comes to accessing clean water. Let me go back to the girl child. In the morning she has to fetch water first, bath and go to school. After school, she has to come back because she is living with her grandmother. She has to come back from school and
also will go and fetch water because she has to prepare the meals. Even pregnant women are travelling a lot of kilometers to fetch water to prepare meals for the whole family, all who are looking up to her.
The boreholes that were drilled are not functioning. For example, at St Johns Manhinga School; children live behind the mountains, so they have to climb the mountains to fetch water. So, they will leave their tins there, then from school they will have to carry the tins up the mountains as well and mainly it is the girl child who does that. Boys normally do not carry the buckets. If you have a sick person at home, it is very difficult. Maybe it is the father and it means it is me who should go and fetch water for him to bath and also to prepare meals. It is very difficult for women.
I think we are now being given the $50 000 and I think we should go and drill boreholes for the people in the rural areas. That should be the first priority for people to get boreholes, because people are really having a lot of challenges. It is very difficult, moreso if you have a person who is not feeling well, because you are the woman who is supposed to go to the fields and also prepare meals. Men cannot fetch water for women to bath. Even if a child is sick at home, the challenge is faced by the woman. You know that if our children get sick wherever they are, they are brought to the rural areas. If you do not have water, you find that the challenge is just too huge. I want to thank the Lord. I know a lot of Senators have debated a lot on this and I know that the $50 000 is going to be channeled to this. I thank you.
HON. SEN. D.T. KHUMALO: Thank you Madam President for
letting me put a few words into this motion. I am one of the members of this committee which has produced this nice report. When we were travelling in the rural areas, we were shown some of the boreholes which were there which were not working. It meant that women are going to travel the distance. They were already far from their homes, now the nearest borehole is broken. They were saying they travel between five to ten kilometers looking for water. You can imagine how much of that water is going to last within the home, because it will just be a bucket. It is not a scotch cart; they are going to be carrying the water on their heads.
We know the importance of water; water is life. I understand that if there is poor water supply within an area, sometimes there are diseases such as diarrhea. Diarrhea, among children is a very serious disease. I looked at the report from the Multiple Cluster Survey which showed that about 30% of children were dying because of diarrhea. They were saying that also 3.3% of the children were wasted. Wasting is malnutrition which comes quickly because of something which has happened to the children. It is different from stunting, because for stunting you will say maybe there has not been any food, it has lasted for a long time but wasting shows that there is a serious thing which has happened within the environment where these children are. As Members of Parliament, as well as being members, we have our chiefs here. We have to work together to ensure that the water is available because once it is available, it reduces the diseases which are among the communities and the most sensitive are the children and the pregnant woman who is going to look for water.
This survey says 30% of the children were found to be of low birth weight. Why - because the mother has no time to sit down after she has eaten so that the child can grow. Therefore, as chiefs and Members of Parliament, we have to advocate for the availability of water within the rural areas. When we look at this survey, it gives the drop outs of girls from schools. If this girl is going to be late every time because she has to go and look for water before going to school, at the end she is just going to say let me sit down so that I can carry this water and not go to school. Let us work together and ensure that water is available within the rural areas so that our girl child can be advantaged as well, go to school and reach a level where she has chosen, not because of the water which is eight or ten kilometers away. She will be tired and if she goes to school, she comes back home and she runs to fetch some water and cook. Together, I think we can achieve a lot to help the children.
Our Constitution says water is a right. Now, if it is eight or ten kilometers away, it is no more a right. These women who are suffering looking for water have no rights. Their rights have been violated by lack of water. Can we work together not to violate the women’s rights by making the water unavailable and therefore, they will not have time to cook for us men and the aged like us because they will be busy looking for water. At the end, we will be sick and these young women will stop going to school. They cannot even advance themselves even if they get married are settled and still want to go to school. How can they advance themselves when they are going to be walking 10 km away? Even if there is electricity at the schools which are near them, they cannot read because they will be going to school to look for water which is far away.
Therefore, women will be less educated than men, which is not right. Can we have equal opportunities so that the girls/women can also advance themselves like men?
Madam President, I think I have said enough. I hope we all see that we have to improve on the nutritional status of the children so that they are not wasted or stunted because water is available. Mothers can wash their hands to prevent diarhoea which is going to waste the children. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MAKONE: Thank you Madam President. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Makore and his Committee for bringing to us this report as a result of their visits to the rural areas on this very important topic. Madam President, I do not have too many words to say. I just have two issues that I just wanted to bring to the attention of the House.
Let us say the provision of water was customarily the duty of men, would we be talking about this issue today? They would have made sure that water is easily available and is right inside the yard. They would have done that a long time ago and all you had to do was to take your bucket, go outside, get the water and go back inside. But, because it is the duty of women to make sure that there is water for cooking, washing and looking after the domestic animals, they will not do anything. So, let us not think that this is something which is insurmountable. This is something which is very easily done and which could be done, all that is needed is the will to do it. The will to do it is what is missing.
The second thing which I was going to raise Madam President, is about the Constitution. Our Constitution says that there shall be devolution. If we had since 2013 started implementing the Constitution, by now we would have provincial councils running their own affairs and all the things that worry them there. The topic we are discussing now is not a national thing but is a local one that should be looked after by people responsible at that level. Because we are not implementing our own Constitution, we are still bothering about elementary things which are none of our business.
Madam President, it is my hope that the new dispensation that we have will ensure that the Constitution is implemented as is – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - so that the new President can be given accolades for things that can happen in a short time. One of them is just saying to people, ‘guys we do not have money for salaries but this is what the Constitution says. You have nominated people who are already at ZEC, because we are not going to look for people – they are already there by name, go and do what you have to do at the local level’. The problem that Senator Maluleke was raising of DAs who do not do their jobs, who are missing and just disappear will go away overnight because they will have local supervision of a local parliament at the provincial level and things will start happening. We cannot micro-manage this Government from a Senate in Harare, it is not possible. Let us do what the people said they wanted done in 2013 – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Thank you Madam President.
*HON. SEN. MASHAVAKURE: I am also grateful to the Hon. Member who introduced this motion and the one who seconded it. This is a very important motion and I know all the Hon. Members in this august House are listening to my contribution. The most important aspect of our discussion is that we need to plan our projects because in most cases, we observe that whenever we want to implement a project we do not make thorough planning. When we look at countries which have scarce water such as the Middle East, they have done detailed planning to enable them to access clean water. We need to also change our culture. We have an organisation called the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) and I would have expected this organisation to make a detailed and well researched plan so that people can access clean water.
I once attended some Committees in the Senate and some of the people we talked to especially on issues to do with farming told us that ZINWA was bad at giving people water but excellent in levying the farmers so that they could collect more money. The farmers were saying, even if you are asked to pay some cash upfront for ZINWA to come and repair your water equipment, they will not come and as a result, irrigation suffers. We expect ZINWA to work hard so that people can access water. Even in towns, people should access clean and hygienic water.
When we talk of planning, we should also talk about the removal of duplication of roles and I will refer to what has been said by somebody. Someone said in rural areas we have the CEO of the council, the head of the District Development Fund (DDF) and also head of the
DA’s office but because of the duplication of assignments, nobody among these people takes ownership of the problem of water in the rural areas and that is why there is this adage. What belongs to everybody belongs to nobody because at the planning stage, the CEO of the council will say the DA will carry out remedial measures while the DA will also say DDF has the responsibility to supply water.
Instead of having people crossing each other’s parts with no progress, we need to look at the duplication of services and also avoid having many people attending to one problem. We need to assign such programmes to an individual, organisation or authority and Government to channel monies to that selected body and not give piece-meals to the many organisations.
I am saying, even if we have these three authorities running the water programme, they need to co-ordinate; they need to put their heads together. They should not look at themselves as individual entities that will be responsible of carrying out maintenance programmes and installations in a particular area, but if they work hand in hand and share information, facilities and utilities, there is going to be a supply of water to the people. That is why I am calling for unity in action between the district administrator’s office, the Chief Executive Officer’s office and the DDF. If we do that, we will avoid duplication of services.
We also have other organisations which come - these nongovernmental organisations and also embassies. They come into the areas with the intention of installing water bodies in those areas and there can be enough benefit to the intended beneficiaries if the three authorities work together.
We also have the other problem which has just crept in, that of artisanal miners. What they do is, they go and dig for alluvial gold in the rivers and because of what they do; they use chemicals such as mercury and as a result, the water bodies are polluted. The water bodies suffer from siltation because they dig wherever they think there should be gold which they take to Fidelity. That is why I am calling for unity in action between the three authorities responsible for the welfare of people regarding the water and also the mining because these miners dig for gold near rivers. The mining problems lead to the siltation of the rivers creating problems for the common people.
We may think that the water problem is only in rural areas, but we have noticed that even in urban areas we have councillors who are now sinking boreholes in those areas, but unfortunately when they look for sites to sink these wells, at times they do not look at the distance from the sewage pipes because what they have said is the recommended distance between a sewage pipe or a sewer pond and the drinking water body is 30 metres. However, there is a problem with such distances because of the underground streams.
We are calling for piped water systems in rural areas and yet in urban areas people are not accessing this piped water. At times even if they are accessing the piped water, it is dirty, rusty, full of algae and fungi and we are saying, if we are working together as a team, we will be able to attract investors who will want to work and help people with the supply of water in rural areas and in the cities. There should be unity in action. I thank you.
HON. SEN. TIMVEOS: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity. I want to thank Hon. Sen. Makore for bringing this report in Parliament. Like what others have said, water is a constitutional right and everyone should have clean water. It is up to the Government to make sure that its people have clean water. So, I am happy that this Committee went around.
As a Senator for Midlands, I went around in the Midlands in Mberengwa, Zvishavane rural and Chiundura. There is definitely need for boreholes. The boreholes are few and placed far away such that our people are really suffering. Like you heard every Hon. Member say, it all rests on a woman; it all rests on a girl. It is while they are looking for water that all the rape cases happen. They go to fetch water and on coming back, somebody is waiting for them. So, we really have to be considerate. This water issue is really critical. We need more boreholes in rural areas and Government has to see to it.
I am thinking that in the last Parliament that we had, we were talking of boreholes and it was as if there was a company that was actually meant to go around sinking these boreholes. I did not see it in the Midlands, so I wonder where they went to because I remember we got telephone numbers to say please phone them as Hon. Members. They promised they would come but they never came. I wonder where they went to sink boreholes.
So, the Committee and Hon. Makore, you really did a lot of work. Like others have alluded to, it is not only in the rural areas. I was speaking to quite a few people from De Beer in Zvishavane, who were saying, ‘we feel as if the Government threw us somewhere and forgot us because of how we are suffering’. There are no roads, water or clinics. There is nothing there. So, the new administration really has to look at this - 37 years down the line we have to, all of us. It is not only the incoming President who has to really look at what has gone wrong in this country. It is also us here in Parliament. It is time we looked at each other as Zimbabweans – not as MDC, not as ZANU-PF, but as Zimbabweans.
We have to make sure that we have corrected every mistake that was made because the truth of the matter is that when the boss is sleeping, definitely the children will play. So, now we hopefully have a new boss who has promised to work. Let us do the right thing and let us agree that we have a problem. When I say we have a problem, I am not saying this part has a problem. I am saying in Zimbabwe we have a problem 37 years down the line and it has to be fixed. So, let us look at it like that and then we fix these problems.
The other thing is corruption and I am hoping that the new administration is going to look at that. Like I said earlier on, there are people and I am sure these people were paid to sink these boreholes but they did not go anywhere. Maybe they went to a few or to one or two provinces, but already the money is in the bank. You see where I am coming from. The money has not benefited the people but already it has gone into your account. So, we really have to look at changing things here in Zimbabwe. We are here in Parliament to do things that benefit our people that we represent. We are here for the people and not for ourselves.
So, when I talk, I am talking as a Zimbabwean and as a Senator for Midlands; I am talking about the problems that I have seen there because that is where I have jurisdiction. So, please let us look at the problems as they are. Two days ago, I went to get my son a passport. The passport was to come out in two days because my son is going out of the country for basketball. When I was going to collect it, some boys approached me and said Mom, if you want it fast, just give me a bit of money and I will get it fast. Where is it happening? Corruption is everywhere. Hon. Sen. Maluleke said it. You go to the D. A. and he is nowhere to be seen. So, who is answering to whom?
I once went to the other resettlement area and people are stealing land and double dipping. Others have no numbers and others do not have the numbers. Others pay $15 and others do not pay. Who do they answer to and they just say it is there in the province – [HON. SEN.
CHIPANGA: Inaudible interjections] –
Hon. Sen. Chipanga, I am protected and I am talking about water that we do not have. I am talking about boreholes that we do not have. If you really look at this, you will see corruption and I have a right to say that. It is time that we should fix the country, 37 years down the line. The current President has promised to fix this country and we have to help him. Saka hamheno zvandataura zviri out of order?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDNT OF THE SENATE: Order,
can we give the Senator time to speak to the motion.
HON. SEN. TIMVEOS: Thank you Hon. President. So, as a country, let us look at the problems as they are and when that problem arises, do not look at yourself and say she is talking about me. I am not talking about you, but I am talking about things that benefit the people of Zimbabwe. I thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. MAKWARIMBA: Thank you President for
according me this opportunity. I want to thank the Chairman Sen.
Makore with his Committee after their tour when they discovered this challenge of water in the growth points and rural areas. What they saw is the truth, but the challenge is that we can talk and if we think that councils can solve this problem, I do not think so. This is because these councils are surviving on $2 which they are getting from the poor people in the rural areas. For them to use that $5 for people to get piped water, I do not see it happening.
What we should be talking about is that there are other Ministries that we see. If the Government put those councils in place and they want them to give services, they should protect them so that they should collect money so that they will be able to do their work well. What we see is that Ministries are taking money from the councils and they take it to the Headquarters. I can give an example of the Ministry of Lands. They take money from resettlement areas and bring the money here but it does not go back. It will be squandered here in Harare. People are saying that for councils to do such things, where do they get their resources?
I can talk about liquor licences. They were taken by ZINARA and they were centralised and councils do not have anything. How do we expect them to perform their duties when the Government is not protecting them? Mr. President, we should review some of our policies which say that money should be taken. I want to ask, the money that is taken from lands, who has seen where it has worked? But we are going back to the same people to whom they should provide the service and we are saying they do not know what they are doing and that they are not competent.
I think we should look at our policies. I have heard some people referring to provincial councils. Even if they are in place and if they do not have the budget, what can they do? We should look at our institutions that we establish. Do they have budgets which support the activities that they, have rather than us coming here and say councils are not performing? We do not even know where they get their money from, except from the dollar collected from the poor.
I think we should look closely because some Ministers were just taking money for themselves and they were just there to enrich themselves. They were just looking at places where they can grab land. They want to just go and get money from people in the resettlements. I think we should be serious. We should not look at symptoms, but let us look at the root problems so that we could be able to solve these challenges. Thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. CHIMHINI: Thank you Mr. President. I want to add a few voices on the motion which was raised by Hon. Sen. Makore on behalf of his Committee. Firstly, the councils that we are referring to collect development levy as Sen. Makwarimba articulated and the money that is collected is very little. With that little money, are we not able to make people get clean water? This means our priorities are not right. If we talk about water, I think we should live by our priorities. I
know that we came up with Development levy, Aids levy and Rural Electrification and all those are levies which are being paid by people because it was discovered that there is need.
My question is why did we not have water levy so that we could get clean water? This means that there is something that we can do for us to get clean water, but what I see here is that our priorities are not right because if we are a Government who knows that we have people in the rural areas who need clean water, there is something that we should do. The challenge that we have as Zimbabweans is that we wait for donors that PLAN, USAID and CONCERN will come, but us as Zimbabweans, what have we done as the Government of Zimbabwe for people to get access to clean water?
I do not want to talk about corruption. What is important is that as Government, it is our responsibility and duty to see to it that people get access to clean water and not to wait for donors from other countries. I also want to say that in ZIM ASSET where others referred to, they talk about infrastructure development. It is a cluster that they have. I ask that after five years, did they not see that in that cluster we need clean water, which means that we did not put that as a priority.
So, this motion is encouraging us to look for ways that people get access to clean water. There is no way we can come up with a growth point where people do not get access to clean water or proper ablution blocks, which means that we are doing our things without proper planning. Mr. President, I see that if we put our heads together we will be able to give people clean water. I thank you.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE SEVENTH RETREAT OF THE ASSOCIATION
OF SENATES, SHOORA AND EQUIVALENT COUNCILS IN
AFRICA AND THE ARAB WORLD
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Seventh Report of the Association of Senates, Shoora and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA).
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MAKORE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. TIMVEOS: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 30th November, 2017.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE DELEGATION
TO THE EIGHTH RETREAT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF
SENATES, SHOORA AND EQUIVALENT COUNCILS IN AFRICA
AND THE ARAB WORLD
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the Parliament of Zimbabwe Delegation to the Eighth Retreat of the Association of Senates, Shoora and Equivalent Councils in Africa and the Arab World (ASSECAA).
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. MAWIRE: Thank you Mr. President. I rise to add a few words on this motion on the retreat we made to Addis Ababa from 20th to 21st May, 2017. The delegation was headed by the Hon.
President of the Senate. We met councils from different countries in the SADC region. We started our programme well although there were three countries which failed to attend but this did not affect the programme.
The theme of this retreat was to look into the future generation’s well-being with regards to the problems they are facing; issues like technology, unemployment, development of the youngsters; how they were going to stand for themselves. All countries were focusing on the future of the next generations, how they were preparing the future leaders in terms of inheritance and wealth. All countries were in agreement that there is need for us to protect and safeguard national wealth for generations to come. Leaders of delegations had reports of how they were safeguarding wealth for generations to come in their countries.
We were very proud of our leader Hon. Madzongwe because when she presented her report which was well researched and detailed, delegates were all attentive; only thunderous applause could be heard. Some were presenting but their reports were not clear as to how they were setting the programmes for the future generations. I would like to thank our leader of the delegation because the report touched the hearts of many and we urge all those who will go next time to raise our flag higher as we did. Thank you.
HON. SEN. MASUKU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MARAVA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 30th November, 2017.
MOTION
FIRST REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON
INDIGENISATION AND EMPOWERMENT ON THE
CIRCUMSTANCES SURROUNDING THE NON-
ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITY SHARE OWNERSHIP IN
MUDZI AND MUTOKO DISTRICTS
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the First Report of the Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment on the Circumstances Surrounding the Non- Establishment of Community Share Ownership in Mudzi and Mutoko Districts.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN MASUKU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 30th November, 2017.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MASUKU, seconded by HON.
SEN. MARAVA, the Senate adjourned at Ten Minutes to Four o’clock p.m.