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SENATE HANSARD 7 FEBRUARY 2024 VOL 33 NO 23
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 7th February, 2024
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR THE 2023 HARMONISED ELECTIONS
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL
AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. MAZUNGUNYE): I rise to move the motion that this House takes note of the Report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for the 2023 Harmonised Elections, presented to this House of Parliament in terms of Section 241 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which report I believe has been circulated for the House and I will not labour the House to delve into the merits. I present the report for debate. I so submit.
HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I think most of us have not yet seen the report, so it is difficult to debate. Thank you.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Was this report circulated in the pigeon holes? I am advised this was circulated online last year, so I request that it be circulated again so that Members can be able to debate.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 8th February, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2022
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion on the Report of the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission for the Year 2022.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. S. MOYO: Thank you very much Madam President. I want to thank the Hon. Senator who brought in this motion for debate. ZACC is all talk and no action. Its primary function is to combat corruption in the private and public sectors. It makes recommendations to the Government and the private sector about increasing accountability and promoting integrity. It found some corrupt individuals, however no justice has been served due to the constant catch and release game where these individuals are recycled into positions of power and key positions. Corruption is something we complain about and whose negative impact we recognise, which even the corrupt know is a bad thing and a cancer to Zimbabwe. I say it is in the nature of man to hang the small thief and elect the great ones into office and commissions.
We live in a country where we praise and celebrate the corrupt. We live in a country where the leaders who preside over the health sector have no faith in the health sector. When they and their families are sick, they run away to seek treatment in Germany, France, China, UK and India. We have political leaders who have no faith in the education sector, they tell us of free universal primary education, but they can never dare take their children to those schools.
Some of the leaders in public service will never rest until they have homes in different capitals in the world, which they will never live in, they have cars which they will never drive, beds of gold which they will never sleep in because they have no sleep anyway. They buy food which they cannot eat because they have long lost their appetites. These are sad times.
The ZACC is not fighting corruption. It wants to appear to be fighting corruption. The history of anti-corruption commissions in Africa is the same, the moral rate in office is very short. ZACC continues to be led by corrupt officials. It seems in Zimbabwe, if you serve a full term, it is because you have refused to fight corruption. I think we are all aware that the children of darkness who are the leaders of corruption have one advantage over the children of light. They are well organised, are prepared to kill and do anything on earth to retain and protect their ill-gotten wealth. Nothing has happened to those found corrupt by the Commission, no one has faced justice for their actions.
Allow me to refer you to the Book of Matthew where we read about John the Baptist who was always telling King Herod the truth not to sleep with his brother’s sister to the irritation of the King. You should remember there was a dance – there was a lady called Salomi who asked for John the Baptist’s head. The point I am trying to put across is that we are like John the Baptist; telling the Herods of today that they are corrupt. We know there are Salomis looking for our heads. We constantly do not learn from the mistakes, therefore we continue to recycle hyenas to take care of the goats.
We need to ask fundamental questions because in a debate of dwarfs, what is the value of one dwarf saying I am taller than the other dwarfs, you are still a dwarf.
We need ZACC to live its mission statement and bring justice. We do not enjoy complaining about the ills we have observed. This is an occasion to complain about our irritation. It is all meant for us to warn each other about the dangers of corruption. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 8th February, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL PROSECUTING AUTHORITY FOR THE YEAR 2022
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the National Prosecuting Authority for the Year 2022.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday 8th February, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 53RD PLENARY ASSEMBLY SESSION OF THE SADC-PARLIAMENTARY FORUM HELD IN MAURITIUS
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on Report of the Delegation to the 53rd Plenary Assembly Session of the SADC-Parliamentary Forum held in Mauritius.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: Thank you Madam President of the Senate. I also want to add my voice to the motion raised by Hon. Sen. Mbohwa, seconded by Hon. Sen. Mohadi, on the SADC Parliamentary Forum meeting held in Mauritius. As SADC, we see that the unity of our countries aims at ensuring that there is peace and tranquility within our countries. As SADC countries, we also aim to safeguard our sovereign wealth, but we always face challenges because as much as we plan to succeed, there are issues of drug and substance abuse which mostly affects our youths who we look forward to be the leaders of tomorrow. So, all the SADC countries should work together as a team to fight this scourge which has caused our youths not to care about working or building our nations. As SADC, we should all know what each country is planning to do to fight this scourge.
SADC countries are also facing natural disasters such as Cholera which has been wreaking havoc in all the countries. So, we should plan together to fight and curb such diseases so that our people maintain the cleanliness that is needed to control this disease as advised by those in the health sector. As SADC, we should help each other fight pandemics such as cyclones which devastated our country and resulted in loss of lives in Chimanimani and Chipinge, which were the worst affected areas. We should be looking at ways to stop such challenges and prepare for such instances so that our people remain safe. There is also the issue of our economies. If you look at Zimbabwe, it was hit by illegal sanctions by the countries in the West because we took back our land from the few that had it so that we could all share the country’s wealth. Now, we are being punished for doing that through sanctions. We also blame our own people who have gone ahead and lobbied for the sanctions to stay yet the sanctions affect them and their families. We see some of them holding meetings with western countries to ensure that sanctions remain. However, they have ambitions to rule the same country and you wonder how they want to rule a country that will have nothing because everything would have deteriorated. So, I am saying that as SADC countries, we should work together as a team. We know of some elements who are sent by those in the West to change the current regimes that fought the liberation war so that if they rule, then they can reverse the gains of the liberation struggle. So as SADC, especially the revolutionary parties, we should unite and continue to ensure that those who fought the war continue to rule as they know how their countries were liberated and their vision for the countries. We cannot trust those who get money from the western countries to destabilise our countries, yet they will be preaching democracy and peace, but simply seeking to enrich themselves. We have even heard that those monies have disappeared. As SADC, we do not condone such behaviour, but we want majority rule which ensures that the black person prospers and enjoys the gains of the struggle.
I want to thank our team which represented us in Mauritius for a very good report. As Parliament, we should encourage SADC to plan for the empowerment, prosperity and self-rule of the black person. We should even pray for our country and not allow our countries to be ruled by the whites. With these few words, I want to thank you Mr. President of the Senate.
HON. SEN. MBOHWA: Mr. President Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 8th February, 2024.
MOTION
PROGRAMMES TO CURB DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE BY YOUTHS
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report on programmes to curb drug and substance abuse by youths.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUPFUMIRA: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I want to thank Sen. Dube for this very important motion. Before I delve into the substance of my discussion, I would like to start by defining what drug abuse is about. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), drug substance abuse refers to the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. It is now taken as a pandemic. A pandemic is a disease outbreak that spreads across countries, continents and it affects more people and takes more lives than an epidemic. The WHO declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic when it became clear that the illness was severe and that it was spreading quickly over a wide area.
The effects of drug abuse depend on the type of the drug, any other substances that a person is using in their health history. Drugs are chemical compounds that affect the mind and the body. The exact effects vary among individuals and also depend on the drugs dosage and delivery method. Drug is any psychoactive substances that when taken into any living organism, may modify its perception, mood, cognition, behaviour or motor function. The WHO defines it as the excessive use of a drug in a way that is inconsistent with medical practice. The Ministry of Health and Child Care defines it as an inappropriate and excessive use of substance for other purposes than prescribed. The types of drugs and substances include musombodhiya, cannabis, mbanje, marijuana, dagga, cocaine, crystal meth, mutoriro, guka, dombo, heroine, scancky, kachasu, broncleer, codeine, diapers, medical drugs for example, nurolon, cough mixtures, histalix, therapheu, opioids and many others, glue, coffee, tea, thinners fire extinguisher fluids, gasoline. There are many more other definitions of drugs.
There are many more causes of drug and substance abuse. There are many environmental issues which affect this phenomenon. Divorces result in neglected children often abused at home. Bereavement, orphaned children with no one to look out for them end up turning to peer relationships where they succumb to peer pressure. School drop-outs, because of the socio-economic challenges like poverty and unemployment, a lot of youths are dropping out of school. This also contributes to idle minds, ending up doing drugs.
Child headed families, with a lot of parents leaving the children behind as they go overseas, they find safety nets in the diaspora and a lot of children are left alone with no one elderly or mature to directly supervise, leading to a lot of mischief which eventually leads to drug abuse. Most homes now lack parental involvement. The very important one is the breakdown of our moral family social fabric. Communities are no longer collectively responsible for children. Some of us who are senior in age, when we were growing up, we never stayed in our homes alone. There was the extended family system which enabled us to look after each other. We were each other’s keeper. Most normal families, whether in the rural or urban areas, stayed with the extended family.
Everybody was either a mother, father, brother or a sister. We did not have daddy, mama, auntie – you would call an aunty somebody who is distant; but vaive vatete, amai, baba. Because we do not have the extended family anymore, this is leading to the disaster which we are talking about. As individuals, communities, including the churches, we have a role to play if we are to manage and get rid of the drug abuse. I sometimes wonder when people are debating this topic, we are quick to point out at the culprits, the people, the offenders without realising what has caused this and what we can do as communities, to curb this menace.
The breakdown of communities, even when we were growing up in the communities, a child was a child for the community and not for one person. We knew that if you did any mischief in the area, any senior person whom we then called father or mother would discipline us. If disciplined, if you dare to mention at home that I have been disciplined, you will get the double discipline at home – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Now, we have a situation where when a child is disciplined or corrected, the parents are the first ones to say, you cannot do that to my child. As a result, there is no respect. We cannot care for the children in our communities. The traditional chiefs have a key role to play to make sure that we are one family. That is what we were.
You find a situation now, when even in public transport, young children or little boys and girls will not offer you a seat. They say it is their seat because they paid for it in a kombi. There is absolutely no respect because as parents, we protect our children. Sometimes, other families, parents might even try to advise you to watch out for something which is happening to your children but you are quick to defend and yet a lot is happening right under our noses. We do not know our children. We do not sit down with our children to talk to them. Even in the families when we get home, everyone is on his or her gadget, the children are on their gadgets and not too sure what they are watching and learning. I am saying, oh, I have come from Senate and I am tired or whatever. We have grandchildren and we need time with them, to talk to them and tell them our family history. I do not know what can be done to get rid of this menace of gadgets and we are not sure what the children are seeing because they are becoming adults at a very tender age. Father and mother will be busy watching Showmax and we do not know what the child is watching. We are not supervising and sitting down to talk. We have to have some systems of disciplining where we are saying today, no gadgets let us talk. In the evening, let us sit around and talk to the children, telling them about our culture, even trying to find out who their friends are and what they are being taught at school. We have no time for that, we are the biggest culprits as families and parents because the children are too independent. Even at my age, my parents will just say shut up and you do that. You do not even ask why. Nowadays, children want to ask why. This modern situation we are in, we really have to do something, otherwise we are killing our children and generations. From now, we will get back to a real poverty situation and this menace of drugs will never end.
We also have a situation where our children and ourselves as adults, because of peer pressure and bullying at schools or community, some children might even be forced to take drugs which they do not want because the bullies in the group will just say you have to take this substance because this is what we do and it is something fashionable. We need to look at the way we are living.
There are mental health conditions caused such as depression. There is a lot of depression, post-traumatic stress disorders and anxiety are also factors that contribute to substance abuse and addiction. When you are depressed or anxious, you may think of taking a bit of this hoping that the situation will go away, it will not go away. You might sleep, but when you wake up, the situation is still the same. There is need for a lot of psycho-social support among ourselves, not to be selfish, but looking after other people’s interests and needs.
People use drugs and alcohol to cope, but certain substances actually increase that depression and anxiety. People who have chronic pain conditions can also get addicted to opioids. Individuals usually get prescribed medication after an illness, injury or surgery or even bereavement to manage anxiety or pain so that you get recovery. One problem with pain killers is that some people develop an addiction to the painkillers. You cannot sleep or do anything without taking them and that is addiction. We need to be careful when we are prescribed certain pain killers not to continue taking them because you just get used and in the end, they have no effect on the intended purpose.
The longer someone is on a certain pain killer, the harder it becomes to get off it. The factors that contribute to substance abuse are hard to overcome. With proper mindset, anyone who suffers from substance abuse and addiction can overcome some of these obstacles. Some of the symptoms include engaging in activities such as gambling, eating and sex because they are deemed to be pleasurable in a compulsive and out of order manner so that it interferes with life responsibilities, work relationships and health. If you develop addiction, the body must have a substance, for example, a drug, alcohol, a cigarette to avoid physical and psychological withdrawal systems. The search for a drug dominates an individual’s life and others as well and creates conflict with others. You find that somebody does not even work and does not have any money, but you find them smoking. We are saying you cannot afford it because the person is addicted and finds pleasure in that smoking or whatever it is.
The craving for the drug eventually develops tolerance which forces the person to consume even larger doses of the substance to get the same effect. Some of the remedies include counselling from professionals when undergoing stress to find the necessary help needed to avoid the risk of ending up using drugs for consolation. Avoiding friends, especially for the younger people who use drugs, avoiding temptations and not attending parties. We just wonder what will be happening, even at some parties hosted at schools. We also need to acknowledge that there is a gap that needs to be filled by professional counsellors in communities. There is need for people of goodwill and other stakeholders to come in and save the future generation. It is everyone’s responsibility to fight against this pandemic.
We need to encourage community workshops, where people talk about these issues openly with experts who assist in making sure that we curb this. This subject of drug and substance abuse should be in our curriculum so that the children know because some children are in boarding schools and some things happen there so that they know that this is dangerous and not to be taken.
There are some challenges such as shortage of resources, lack of support from relatives, suffering neglect and abuse, lack of adequate health personnel and social workers and lack of medication. Good rehabilitation facilities are very expensive and not affordable to the ordinary person. As Government, we have to come up with institutions which assist people with rehabilitation. The private centres are there, but they are very expensive. How many of us can afford US$1500 per month? Those with money can do it, but for the ordinary person it is not possible.
The Ministries of Health, Youth and Women and Local Government should step up and come up with strategies and plans to curb drug and substance abuse. In particular, setting up of more vocational training centres in towns and villages. When we were growing up, there were clubs in town and cities where the youth had sporting activities. They were trained in so many things. There were women’s clubs where women were taught baking, knitting and crocheting, but now we do not even know that. We need to rehabilitate and resource those social centres so that we curb some of the abuse, because people do not know what to do and yet, there is a lot which can be done. There is need to advocate for free education to give the young people of our nation a chance in this life.
School dropouts due to economic challenges can contribute significantly to drug abuse. Social welfare should include programmes to the pensioners and informal sector and provide free health schemes. Ministry of Social Welfare should be adequately resourced to provide social services in both urban and rural areas. Community leaders must be capacitated where they will sit down as dare in the community and discuss on topical issues and advise the young people in particular so that we curb this. Sporting facilities should be a must in all the areas because sports keeps the children away from some of these attributes which we are talking about.
It is an emotional topic and I just felt I should say some issues and some definitions so that we know what we are talking about. We cannot just say drug abuse or substance abuse when we do not know what we are talking about. Most importantly, the drug dealers must be punished and given deterrent sentences because they are not the children who bring the drugs, but it is the older people who bring the drugs. These people must be given deterrent sentences as punishment so that they do not bring the drugs which have destroyed our children. I thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Sen. Mupfumira. That was quite a mouthful and it was academic, educative and well researched. Once again thank you very much.
*HON. SEN. NGWENA: I just want to add on to what Hon. Sen. Mupfumira said because we are not supposed to repeat what has already been said. I want to add my voice on drug abuse issue. Let us join hands to fight drug abuse together because we have challenges with the police when it comes to curbing drug abuse. Police are not prosecuting the people who are peddling in drugs and would rather collect bribes from the drug dealers, which is promoting drug abuse.
Even before they engage in these operations, word would have gone round to the drug peddlers already and they are given money and hide the drugs. Tomorrow you find them continuing with their business. So, what I am saying is, we should fight this drug abuse and strong measures put in place in the police force in dealing with the drugs so that our children will not be affected.
HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: According to a report by the Zimbabwe National Drugs Council, rural youths in Zimbabwe are indeed affected by drug and substance abuse with common substances including alcohol, marijuana, and some more harmful substances like Bronclear and glue.
Factors contributing to this issue include poverty, unemployment, lack of recreational facilities and peer pressure. Addressing this requires a comprehensive approach considering education, community engagement, and support services.
Zimbabwe launched a five-year National Drug Master Plan that spans from 2020 to 2025. This comprehensive plan was aimed at addressing a range of drug-related issues within the country. The key objectives of the plan include:
- Supply Control: Focusing on measures to regulate the availability and distribution of drugs.
- Demand Reduction: Implementing strategies to reduce drug abuse and addiction.
- Control of Illicit Substances: Ensuring compliance with International Drug Control Conventions.
Substances commonly abused in Zimbabwe include alcohol, both licenced and unlicenced brews, tobacco, cannabis and non-medical use of controlled medicines such as codeine-containing cough medicines and benzodiazepines. Approximately, 60% of patients admitted to mental health institutions suffer due to drug-related problems. The socio-economic challenges faced by Zimbabwe have contributed to an increase in cases of depression, trauma, and stress, leading to higher rates of drug use.
The National Drug Master Plan emphasises prevention, education, and strengthening responses to drug-related issues. It also aims at protecting the youth who are the future of the nation. This is 2024, one year away from the end of this Master Plan and we are here still discussing how to curb drug abuse in the country. What has been the results of these previous programmes? How much of an impact has it made, particularly in the rural areas where it is even harder to reach the youths due to communication barriers, distance and access to knowledge and immediate help?
What is the size of the problem in terms of drug and substance abusers? The Zimbabwe authorities did not publish any figures ahead of the crackdown launched in the capital Harare on February 3, but drug rehabilitation centers are full and unable to cope with rising demand to accommodate new patients. The centres are estimated to be holding or treating about 5,000 people at any time, with tens of thousands of others either not coming forward for or getting any assistance.
Zimbabwe only has a dozen plus “big” institutions providing drug and substance abuse rehabilitation services, largely a reflection of how recent the crisis is for the country. With the rising problem, some private medical and voluntary organisations are now also offering services, but the number of these new service providers is hard to pin down.
What about the smugglers and dealers? The latest police campaign against abusers, smugglers and traffickers shows that drugs are being pushed across the country, but mostly in urban districts in both small-scale and industrial quantities by petty traders and organised criminal syndicates. There are big names and big players in this and they could be very influential. What are we doing to cut them from this trade? Maybe it is better to curb from source.
Where are the drugs coming from? The drugs are being smuggled into the country from abroad, but mostly through Zimbabwe’s land borders with Mozambique and South Africa which are also facing drug trafficking problems. Authorities say some small amounts of illicit drugs, concoctions and alcohol are also manufactured in townships in Zimbabwe’s major towns like Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare.
Who is mostly doing drugs? According to a World Health Organisation (WHO) 2019 Report, Zimbabwe has the highest rate of 15 to 19-year-olds engaging in heavy “episodic drinking” in Africa, with 70.7 percent of males and 55.5 percent of females participating. Unfortunately, this age group is also heavily involved in drug dealing and use.
A lack of educational opportunities, combined with other factors such as a lack of motivation, absent adult role models and few recreational activities, compound to create feelings of hopelessness and despair in young people. These feelings can influence drug use and other risky behaviours. Parents who leave the country to go abroad or across the borders leave their children emakhaya with elderly people who are not actively hands on in terms of their upbringing.
The economy is bad, people relocate to the villages and rural areas, there is not much to keep the youth busy and off the edge to try substances. All of these factors in addition to poverty, unemployment and a lack of basic resources such as health facilities, libraries, available drinking water and internet access, compound to limit opportunities for rural youth.
Let us hear how we have been doing as a country, how much we have covered. Can we tailor-make solutions to specific requirements as youths in different areas which have different needs? The type of drugs in the cities are different from what is in the rural communities. The background influence comes different as well, so we cannot use a blanket cover and base this on little research and engagement in accessible areas.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PROVINCIAL AFFAIRS (HON. SEN. MUNZVERENGWI): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 8th February, 2024.
MOTION
GBV AWARENESS PROGRAMME TO PROMOTE POSITIVE SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the commemorations to mark sixteen days of activism against Gender-Based Violence.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Madam President for giving me the opportunity to debate. Compliments of the new season. We thank the Almighty for keeping us alive. I would also want to thank Hon. Mbohwa who brought this motion to this House. This is a very important motion to us as a country. This motion is always brought into this House every year. I have realised that it only comes as 16 days of activism. If I was the one in charge…
Power outage.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I was saying 16 days of activism is talked about every year and we march to commemorate. As I see it, Gender-Based Violence is always there from January to December. Since this is a world-wide problem, we should find a way of living in peace. We should find a way to commemorate this day because Gender-Based Violence is here from January to December. Gender-Based Violence emanates from our culture. In the context of our culture, there is the issue of kumutsamapfihwa – this happens when an aunt passes on, her brother’s child is given to her husband as a wife. This is a form of Gender-Based Violence because this girl is still a child, but she is forced to go and be a wife to an elderly man.
There is also the issue of religion and churches which I think needs to be looked into seriously. We are all aware of what is taking place in different churches. Some claim to have God given dreams of girls being their wives and this little child will be the sixth wife. We need to find a solution to such issues so that the girl child is not abused. Poverty is the root of a lot of things. If there is no food in the house, there is no peace in that house. Husbands and wives always fight. That is why in the old days, poor families would betroth their girl children to rich families so that the family could get food to eat. That is Gender-Based Violence of another form. I would like to thank our Government for introducing Pfumvudza. If you go to the rural areas, people can now sustain their families and they are very thankful to the President for Pfumvudza and the presidential inputs that are given to them. They even have excess food which they sell and get cash. This has brought peace in families as everyone has food to eat and this has lessened violence as people are busy and self-sustained.
Madam President, long ago when we were growing up in the rural areas, we used to have peace because we were under a chief. They knew how many people they had under them and what their needs were. If ever there were misunderstandings, the Chief would make sure he instilled peace so that people could live happily together. Nowadays, things have changed because chiefs are no longer being given their positions. They do not hold the same high self-esteem that they used to have, of knowing that they were in charge of their people. So, what can assist to restore what used to be is to teach the people so that they know. People perish because of lack of knowledge.
My wish would be to see Gender-Based Violence lessons incorporated in the school curricula from grade one, so that our children learn about Gender-Based Violence from an early age. Currently, when people hear of Gender-Based Violence, everyone tends to think it is only men that hit women, but these days things have changed. Men are also being hit by women and they are ashamed of reporting as they will be laughed at for being hit by a woman and taunted for not being real men. So, if the syllabus incorporates Gender-Based Violence and children are taught from an early age not to abuse each other, they will not fight later on in life because they will be knowledgeable. If we do that, we can eradicate Gender-Based Violence. I think our major problem at the moment is that we only recognise Gender-Based Violence for only 16 days in a year. So, after the 16 days, they start abusing each other again as the days of gender activism will have elapsed. I thank you Hon. President of the Senate.
HON. SEN MBOHWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday 8th February, 2024.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KAMBIZI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 8th February, 2024.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR MASHONALAND EAST PROVINCE (HON. SEN. MUNZVERENGWI), the House adjourned at Nine minutes to Four o’clock p.m.