[featured_image]
Download
Download is available until [expire_date]
  • Version
  • Download 59
  • File Size 215 KB
  • File Count 1
  • Create Date May 13, 2013
  • Last Updated November 13, 2021

SENATE HANSARD 7 MAY 2013 VOL. 22 NO. 14

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Tuesday, 7th May, 2013.

The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.

PRAYERS

(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)

ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT

NON-ADVERSE REPORT RECEIVED FROM THE

PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE

         MADAM PRESIDENT:  I have to inform the Senate that I have received a non-adverse report from the Parliamentary Legal Committee on all the Statutory Instruments published in the Government Gazette during the month of April 2013.

SWITCHING OFF OF CELL PHONES

  MADAM PRESIDENT:  May I remind hon. senators to switch

off your cell phones or put them on silent.

MOTION

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH:  DEBATE ON ADDRESS

First Order read:  Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.

Question again proposed.

          *SENATOR MANDABA:  I want to add my voice to the speech

that was given by His Excellency, the President.  I am grateful for the issue of indigenisation that was mentioned.  I observed that where there have been community share schemes; there has been evidence of development like the construction of clinics.  However, there are certain areas like Masvingo where I come from; we have not seen this development.  They are yet to receive funding from the community share scheme.

We would want to thank His Excellency, the President for the job well done in that we want uniformity in terms of the community share scheme so that everyone across the country will be happy.  The present scheme was giving fertiliser and other inputs.  It was unfortunate that there was drought in Masvingo and as a result people are in dire need of relief.  We are hopeful that maize is going to be sourced to alleviate this drought so that people will not starve.

Our major dam which is Kyle Dam is 70% full and we are informed that 7% is the only amount of water which is usable.  This means that we do not have enough water in our dams.  We urge the relevant ministries to look into these issues so that people do not starve especially when we are now going into the harmonised elections.  People should go and exercise their vote whilst they are not being affected by the drought.  I thank you.

*SENATOR MUCHIHWA:  Thank you Madam President, I

would want to comment briefly on the Presidential Speech –[HON.

SENATORS:  Inaudible interjections]- Have I spoken before.

MADAM PRESIDENT:  Yes, at least you relieved me because

you realised you have spoken.

*SENATOR MUCHIHWA:  It has been long, we have forgotten,

therefore you should have let me continue.

+SENATOR MLOTSHWA: I have not spoken before on the

Presidential Speech; even if you refer to records they will reveal what I am saying.

Thank you Madam President, I stood so that I also add my voice to the speech that was delivered by His Excellency in Parliament.  I want to associate myself to the section where he spoke on agriculture and that on drought, especially us who come from Region 5, we realise that there is serious drought.

We have seen the plans that Government has for the people in that region especially due to the fact that this drought is due to lack of rain not that people did not plough.  We realise that so many people have managed to plough but, because of lack of rains everything that they had ploughed was destroyed.  Therefore, we do not even know how people are going to feed themselves.

He also said that, even though there is drought, there are programmes that are implemented to help people who are faced with drought.  We have not really seen it especially in Matopo where I come from and also my neighbour constituency Plumtree-Mangwe.  We realise that the food under the DAs; who are chairpersons of the Drought Relief Programmes in order to secure food for their districts, programmes are not implemented well, especially those which deal with feeding people, they are linked to political parties.

His Excellency’s speech clearly outlined that people will be feeding from this scheme.  We realised that if it is said President’s donation, it is a food programme that covers everyone in Zimbabwe not a specific party.  If you go to rural areas, people are asked to carry party cards so that they can have access to the food that is being distributed.   We feel that this food which is distributed under the DAs is supposed to be a programme that is well managed.

Since we  have also experienced hail storms that destroyed homesteads and animals, especially in my area you will realise that so many of our livestock was affected by hail storm.  In as much as Ministry of Agriculture is trying by all means to put programmes that can help, still it is not enough.  Now that the hail storm again has started, I am asking myself what programmes are there that the Government is planning to implement that can help the people who are faced with drought.  As I have said that the Drought Relief programmes are not really clear on how they are implemented – I hope the Government will have plans for such areas and be able to help everyone.

On education, the President touched on so many things – I am trying to find a proper term for this.  There was a programme that I saw which was talking of the girl child who is unfortunate or a school dropout.  We realise that they are not talking of boys but girls only.  I have realised that those boys who drop from school are left out and I feel that Government should try to balance the issue of gender not only to a girl child.  Most of these boys’ school drop-outs are not assisted and are the same people who will become robbers in most cases for they have nothing to do; in our fields there is nothing that they can do or even try to harvest.  Therefore, they end up thinking of being naughty since they would not be having anything to do.  This is all I have to say for today.

Thank you Madam President.

*SENATOR KABAYANJIRI: Thank you Madam President.  I

rise to speak on the Presidential speech.  I was mostly touched by the contributions of the hon. members about the Presidential speech.  As peoples’ representatives, we heard what he said.  As we leave our different constituencies, our people understood and they understand very well what His Excellency will be saying.

If you were to allow me Madam President, to talk about what people say whenever His Excellency will have given his speech; what are their feelings or response?  Madam President I should not be ashamed to say what they say.  It is an honour to have a leader of his stature.  You will recall that the President’s speech mainly concentrated on the bread and butter issues of the people in the communal lands.  He was talking about irrigation, not merely Tokwe-Mkorsi and major dams but he made reference to smaller dams which can support the majority of the people in communal lands and commercial farms.  This is the type of intelligence that one can discern from a leader who has the interest of his people at heart.  I am not ashamed, especially when we talk about the issue of the Referendum.  When His Excellency addresses people, he urges peace in this land.  I would like to thank hon. members in this Senate who reiterated the same words of peace.  It shows that all of us are in agreement that we have a leader who is principled and have his people at heart. Madam President, we should put our act together, we should bury our differences, despite our political differences, we should have leaders who are upright and leaders who are doing well.  His

Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel

Mugabe should have more years added to his life.  Thank you Madam President.

SENATOR MARAVA: I would also want to zero in on the

President’s call for peace and security in the country.  Madam President, I would like to thank His Excellency for his call for peace and nonviolent conditions in the country.  The whole nation is very happy, especially when the President speaks of zero-tolerance to violence.  He is supported by everybody.  We come from districts where the villagers are all happy when they hear the President speaking of peace and nontolerance to political violence.  They are all happy especially now when we are on the road towards elections.  Those words by our national President are a pride to every citizen and we would like to thank him very much for that.  The only thing that is probably left now is to see to it that all national organisations or organs are dancing to the tune that the President is calling.

Madam President, if I may quote the President’s actual words recently, he addressed the nation and said “faka them – namely violent people – faka them emajeleni. [AN HON. MEMBER: Amajeli] – emajeleni,emajeli whatever! Remember I do not understand Ndebele.  He said faka them emajeli, that is what he said, did you hear that?  That was a celebrated speech by every citizen in this country because the majority of people want peace, in fact, they need it.  Even the violent person also needs peace.  Madam President, if we could, as Zimbabweans just tow what the President has asked us to do, we would be a very happy family and happy country.  I am only asking that everybody tries to listen and adhere to the President’s speech.  Thank you.

*SENATOR CHIEF NTABENI: Thank you Madam President

for giving me this opportunity.  I thank His Excellency for what he did.  Wherever the President goes, he has the people at heart even when he addresses a meeting, he talks of peace.  If there is no peace there is no progress.  What makes us happy is that the President want people to eat, even his enemies, he wants them to receive food. That is no mean feat, we thank him for that.

Madam President, my most important message is that the President has a lot of people to care for and the food that is being distributed is little.  There should be additional quantities for distribution.  This year, especially in the entire Midlands Province, we are going to bury people because we are receiving little food for consumption.  We pray for additional quantities of food to be distributed because a lot of people in Midlands do not have food.  I have heard that in Matabeleland, cattle are dying, the same applies to Midlands.  We do not have sufficient water supplies for people to drink.  We would like to send a word to His Excellency the President, that there are too many people and the little rice that was given was not enough.  There was only 2 kilograms given per family, which is inadequate.  However, we are grateful for the little that we got because it is in our culture to do that.  With those few words, I thank you.

+SENATOR A. SIBANDA: I thank you Madam President for

giving me the opportunity to add my voice on the speech by His Excellency, the President, R. G. Mugabe.  As an elder person in the nation, who is leading his people, it is very wise to see the President advising his children.  He emphasised that we have to keep on improving our nation especially on peace and education.  A peaceful nation is blessed by God and when we pray, God will listen to us and what we ask from God, He will always listen.  My wish is that, since the

President has spoken of the need for peace in the country -  in my opinion, it is more like when the head of the family has spoken to his kids, he would have drawn a red line and no one can dispute the words.  I therefore feel that we need to respect our core values like other nations do.

We are a nation that does not discriminate each other.  We realise that other people have already started discriminating each other on the basis of political party affiliation.  However, when the father of the family has spoken, especially on peace, then there are rumours that people have started acting against that call; it is a sign that they are disrespecting the President.  I wish people could follow what the President has said.  For a nation without laws or without values is not a blessed nation.  Many things may come to us, especially drought, but once we obey what has been said we realize that we will be a blessed nation.  If we go back to what used to happen, children used to obey their parents and therefore elderly people should also obey their children.  Nowadays the elderly people are the ones who are raping their children and I know in our country there are so many people, most of us Christians, we should try to work hand in hand with the president and assist each other so that whatever has been said should not end here at Parliament but that when we speak, even other nations can listen to what we say.   

Zimbabwe is a big nation, but most of the time we ask for small nations to come and intervene, especially when there is disagreement, while Zimbabwe as a nation was supposed to be the nation that is leading other countries.  Our nation is the nation that has a big President who can lead all the African nations and I know that there are few Presidents from the African continent who can be like him.  Once he has spoken that there is need for peace to prevail within the nation, we should listen to him and not go against him.  Once we go against his word, when we go outside our country people will laugh at us.  I wish that God could guide us.  Even during the referendum, God was with us because there was no violence or any act of misconduct that was recorded.  Madam President, I thank you with the words that I have spoken.  I also thank you for the words that you have said.

SENATOR CHIEF MTSHANE:  Thank you Madam President.

I stand up to wind up the debate on the Presidential Address on the occasion of the Official Opening of the Fifth Session of the Seventh Parliament of Zimbabwe.

First of all Madam President, I would like to thank all the hon. senators who contributed in this august House on the motion that I raised on the speech by His Excellency President R. G. Mugabe, on the 27th of November, 2012.  I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude on the overwhelming response to this motion my hon. senators from all political parties represented in this House.  Madam President, most of the members were concerned about the lack of support towards agriculture as the mainstay in our economy.  I would like to mention the members who contributed towards that concern.  They are Hon. Senator Mumvuri, Senator Manyeruke.  Pardon me because I have to refer to my notes because it is almost six months since the members discussed this motion, so it is not easy for me to remember everything that was said six months ago.

There was also present, Senator J. Dube, Senator Dete and Senator

Makunde.  They all lamented the lack of support towards agriculture.  Senator Chief Chiduku and Senator Muchihwa pointed out the serious challenges facing the chiefs in the communal areas, particularly on lack of food that is supposed to be distributed to the communities.  Senator Chimbudzi expressed her gratitude towards the State being granted an opportunity to host the prestigious United Nations Conference that will be held in Victoria Falls on World Tourism Day.

Senator Makamure urged the President to intervene in the issue of the fourth arm of the State that is the media fraternity, in enabling the professional reporting of news.  Madam president, Senator Chabuka thanked His Excellency… –(Laughter)-

MADAM PRESIDENT:  Order, order.

SENATOR CHIEF MTSHANE:  I am sorry if I did not

pronounce the name well.  Senator Chabuka thanked His Excellency for preaching the gospel of peace, which has also been mentioned by several members of the hon. senators this afternoon…

*MADAM PRESIDENT:  Hon. senators who are laughing, if we were to give you Ndebele names would you be able to pronounce them?

So let us respect that at least he is trying.  You may continue hon. Chief.

SENATOR CHIEF MTSHANE: He talked about the gospel of

peace and quite a number of Senators this afternoon have also talked about this gospel, that the President talked about on peace, particularly towards harmonised elections.  I think this is important for us so that we can achieve our mission on harmonised elections.

Senator Mtingwende talked about depressed cotton prices, particularly in the area she comes from, that the prices of cotton were depressed and as a result most farmers may not continue ploughing cotton this season.  Senator Ncube lamented the revamp of the

President’s curriculum so that it can cater for what we used to call skills training during the regime so that this can be brought back because it is not all students who are bright but that other students could excel well in skills training. Senator Chisunga, also talked about peace and particularly peace in this august Senate that the peace should start in this august Senate and cascade to lower tiers. Senator Mbambo talked about empowerment of our communities in Zimbabwe particularly under the indigenisation and Empowerment Act and said this is not unique in

Zimbabwe and during the regime there was empowerment at that time.

In a nutshell Madam President, almost all Senators talked about lack of funding towards agriculture. Unless and until we subsidise agriculture, the bread basket for Zimbabwe, we will be day dreaming. Indigenisation and empowerment of the communities was also echoed by most senators. It is only reasonable to intensify that in order to achieve meaningful development for our poor communities. Section 14 under Chapter 2 of the Final Draft contributing to Zimbabwe which was applauded by the majority vote in the last referendum talks of empowerment and employment creation and I want to quote what that

Section 14 says, “State and all institutions and urgencies of Government at every level must endeavour to facilitate and take measures to empower through appropriate transparent fair and just affirmative action all marginalised persons groups and communities in Zimbabwe”.

It goes on to say, “at all times, the State and all Institutions and urgencies of Government at every level must ensure that appropriate and adequate measures are undertaken to create employment for all

Zimbabweans, especially women and youth”. Madam President, we endeavour to create as much of employment as we can in this country. I want to refer to one industry in Zimbabwe and that is ZISCO Steel. Where a company comes into partnership with Government, I cannot remember how many years I think it is over a year now. It came up into a partnership with a company in Mauritius to restart ZISCO Steel and ZISCO Steel was employing hundreds of people. I am not sure how many they are including their families? I am just referring to employees they were just in hundreds. But to date Madam President nothing has been done. And we are wondering who is seating on the fence for that company to start after having come to a partnership with another company because those companies; or that company will not wait for Zimbabwe they will move to another country and as a result we shall lose. So, I think we should take up those opportunities as and when they come and utillise them immediately if not yesterday. We can only chew that section of the Draft if we create employment, a good example I have already given of ZISCO.

Madam President, in conclusion, I would like to commend all the hon. members for displaying  high levels of political maturity during debate on this motion. I would also like to take this opportunity to urge all of us to continue working together regardless of our political affiliation or inclinations towards rebuilding of Zimbabwe.

Madam President, having said that, I move that the motion be now

put.

Motion that a respectful address be presented to the President of

Zimbabwe as follows:

May it please you, Mr. President:

We, the Members of the Senate desire to express our loyalty to Zimbabwe and beg leave to offer our respectful thanks for the Speech which you have been pleased to address to Parliament, - Put and agreed

to.

MOTION

CONDOLENCE ON THE DEATH OF THE HONOURABLE

VICE PRESIDENT JOHN LANDA NKOMO

Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Tragic and

Untimely Death of Hon. Vice President John Landa Nkomo.

Question again proposed.

SENATOR KATYAMAENZA: Thank you Madam President, I

would want to add a few words on the tragic death of the late Vice President John Landa Nkomo and his contribution to this nation. I will not say much, a lot has been said already. First and foremost, he was such a hero who freed us from the grip of colonialists. He was a uniter, he wanted the truth. We were ZANU and ZAPU we were trying to look for a way to liberate our selves. He explained to us that we should put our heads together to fight the colonialist so that we can enjoy our independence. Among the people who were with him were those who wanted to bring down the struggle they were traitors. As Zimbabweans we should do that so that we can continue to enjoy the heritage of our nation which was once colonised by the British.  Mr. Nkomo was a peace loving man, he did his work whole heartedly and he showed us that he would be a good ruler for Zimbabwe.  I say may the soul of the Late Vice President J. Nkomo rest in peace, we shall also follow his path.  According to our culture we believe that when a person dies, he will become a spirit medium (mudzimu). I pray that his soul will possess a great son of the soil that will do the same as him and I also pray that the same spirit will lead us as ZANU PF.  I thank you Madam President.

*SENATOR MUCHENJE:  Thank you Mr. President for giving

me this opportunity to debate.  I want to say a few words on the tragic loss of the Late Vice President. The entire nation mourned him and I believe that all the people knew him because of his good works.  I

started working with the Late Vice President Nkomo in 1987, when we had the Unity Agreement.  He came to work in Mashonaland West though the Unit Agreement originated from Matabeleland.  I asked him whether he understood the Shona language and he told me that as son of the soil, the soil has no boundary and that if you are a nationalist, you must speak several languages.  He said that he knew a lot of languages.

He continued to say that all those in the party and all those who wish to emulate him should be able to speak many languages and that helped me a lot.  When we visited the Tongas, Ndebeles, Shonas and other tribes, he would speak in all those languages because he loved all the people.  I was happy when he was working with the Ministry of Lands in the land redistribution exercise; I want to say that during that time a lot of women managed to get land.  He gave first preference to women because he wanted to empower them.  He believed that women are hard workers, I am a beneficiary of that scheme because he treated women as equal.  During the time of the Unity Agreement, we were not united but he was able to bring the parties together throughout his life time up until the time of his death.

He did not look at the age of the person when he was helping people, neither was he partisan, he helped people of all walks of life.  He was not selfish and if there was anything to share, he shared it with people.  I would want to say that on behalf of my province, some of us managed to go and bury him but there are those who did not because of various reasons, but I say all the people are mourning with the Nkomo family.  He was not a member of a party but a nationalist and I say that may his soul rest in peace.  I want to send my condolences to Gogo Nkomo, may she find strength to live after the sad loss of his son.  I thank you.

         THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL

RESETTLEMENT:  I move that the debate do now adjourn.

THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT:  No, there is a Senator who wants

to contribute.

*SENATOR CHIEF NEMBIRE:   Thank you Mr. President, I

would want to believe that I am the last person.  I want to say good things that were done by the Late Vice President.  He worked in the Ministry of Local Government and worked with the Chiefs, he worked very hard to make sure that the Chiefs’ lives were improved.  He came up with the Traditional Leaders Act and he built a school in his communal lands.  The rich and the poor attend that same school and we want to commend him for that work.  He participated in reconciliation and national healing where he spread the gospel of peace.  There is a place in Panorapa Agricultural Centre called Mutungagore, he came there and assisted that centre which is responsible for tobacco research.  He came to Mashonaland Central all the way from Matabeleland and he assisted in raising equipment for tobacco farming.

He told us that people must forgive each other and that people should not fight each other.  With those few words, I say may the soul of Vice President Nkomo rest in peace.

+SENATOR K. DUBE:  I thank you Madam President.  Vice President Nkomo was my nephew born by a madhuve.  I remember him so much especially on the tragedy that once happened when I was still a teacher.  The two vice presidents John Nkomo and Joshua Nkomo were my nephews.  There was a tragedy in 1987 where some teachers from the same school died in a bus accident.

In our region in Umzingwane, it was a good thing that after such a tragedy, the late father Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and John Nkomo came to pass their condolence messages.  They even came to the school that we were teaching.  In our origins as the Ndebele or Shona people, we realise that someone who is dead is supposed to be remembered.  Even from the Bible, it says that those who are dead are not dead forever.  We believe that their spirit is with us and they are seeing everything that we are doing.  We know that the Bible says they wake up in another state.

In the African culture we realise that they do memorial services and this weekend on Sunday, it has been said that people will be celebrating the life of the late John Nkomo.  We see everything that is happening in other nations and also do that in remembrance of the late by naming streets after their names.  I am therefore asking for my nephews to be remembered.  I am saddened by what was supposed to be done in remembrance of the late Joshua Nkomo.  We wanted to put his statue in Bulawayo; it was not clear and up to now it is not clear what exactly is happening.  The late John Nkomo and the late Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo are heroes.  In short, I would like to say may the late John Nkomo rest in peace.  I thank you.

THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL

RESETTLEMENT:  I move that the debate do now adjourn.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume:  Wednesday, 8th May, 2013.

On the motion of THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL RESETTLEMENT, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Five Minutes to

Four O’clock p.m.  

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment