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SENATE HANSARD 8 NOVEMBER 2023 VOL 33 NO 11
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 8th November, 2023.
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. KAMBIZI): May I remind Hon. Senators to switch off their cellphones or put them on silent.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
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. A. SEN. DUBE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this report. Allow me to start by commending the able leadership of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for recognising that corruption is a cancer that has slowed down the progress of our country. Further, I must commend ZACC under the leadership of a capable woman, Commissioner Matandamoyo for taking the challenge of curing our society from this cancer.
Mr. President, the 2022 Annual Report tabled before the House allows us to get insight into how the Commission has intervened to address this issue. While some issues were of concern, the general outlook was positive. I will draw your attention to three key issues and conclude by putting forward possible recommendations that can be adopted.
Mr. President, firstly, we commend the Commission for achieving a significant 38% decrease in reported corruption cases – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order, order! An Hon. Sen. is debating yet other Hon. Senators are busy talking. May we respect the rules of the House.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: This notable reduction can be attributed to the robust anti-corruption measures that have been implemented by the Commission. It reflects the Commission’s commitment to combating corruption and its effectiveness in preventing and investing in corrupt practices.
Secondly, Mr. President, one observation of concern in the 2022 Annual Report was the concentration of complaints in Harare where 70% of the total 684 complaints were reported. This imbalance suggests that Harare as the capital city has more incidents of corruption. It is thus essential for the Commission to strengthen the implementation of its interventions to combat corruption at a national level effectively.
Mr. President, thirdly, the breakdown of the 684 complaints is also a cause of concern on these complaints; 48,5% were related to the abuse of office, 36,1% involved fraud cases and 68,4% implicated public officials. These statistics indicate that corruption remains a significant problem within the public sector and that abuse of office and fraud are prevalent issues.
To that end, Mr. President, it is my humble opinion that the following recommendations be adopted. There is need to strengthen training and capacity building programmes for public officials to create awareness about the consequences of corrupt practices, improve accountability and strengthen their understanding of anti-corruption laws and measures.
Secondly, there is also need to promote transparency within Government institutions and increase accountability for public officials. This can be achieved through the implementation of robust anti-corruption policies and whistle blower protection measures.
Mr. President, the Commission should foster greater collaboration with other stakeholders including civil society organisations to mobilise public support in the fight against corruption. Such partnerships can provide valuable expertise to address corruption effectively. The corruption should invest in strengthening its investigative capacity, enabling it to address cases more efficiently and expeditiously. Adequate resources and modern technology should be provided to enhance the Commission’s capability.
Mr. President, the Commission must be adequately funded to promote public awareness, and campaigns about the negative impacts of corruption and the importance of reporting corruption. An informed and engaged public can play a crucial role in the fight against corruption. I thank you.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE (speaking)…. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MAONDERA: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to debate on the matter pertaining to corruption. The Commission did a wonderful job indeed because they managed to discharge their duties using limited resources. Going forward, there is need for Government to direct more resources towards the Commission so that it can effectively discharge its duties. The other point is that the former chairperson of ZACC, Hon Justice Matanda Moyo, was re-assigned, so I propose that her position be filled as a matter of urgency so that the duties of the chairperson are carried out by a substantive office holder.
We also need a report from ZACC so that we know what is happening. The other request that I have Mr. President is that ZACC should partner with other security agencies so that there is need for collaboration. We do not want loopholes in the system where you find that when someone participates in corrupt activities evade arrest because of technicalities. So, there is need for collaboration between state security agencies and those who are experienced. I thank you.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: First of all, I would want to congratulate Hon. Senators who are sitting in this very important august House, which is a very important legislative organ of our country. I would also want to draw our attention that the job that is before us is not personal, but for the benefit of Zimbabwe. Therefore, I would like to thank and appreciate the report given by ZACC so far.
The first point that I would want to thank ZACC for is the issue of the decentralisation of their offices from Harare and Bulawayo to provinces. I would further request that they decentralise further down to districts because the majority of our people live out there in the districts. The majority of our people who get corrupted are people who are uninitiated because they live out there in the outskirts of the country.
Secondly, I would want to applaud ZACC for their training exercises they are conducting. I noticed and realised that they were conducting training sessions with the International Investigation Commission which is almost like Interpol in the world in terms of corruption detection and control. I would want to applaud them for that. I would also want to applaud ZACC for their creation of anti-corruption committees in local authorities as well as in state enterprises. However, I would want ZACC to create a situation where they will be able to continue monitoring the work and the effectiveness of those committees so that they do not just end up being committees by name.
I would also want to thank ZACC for their collaboration in terms of the work they are doing with the Attorney General because we also know that the Attorney General ends up getting involved in the issues of corruption. I would also want to encourage ZACC to quickly bring the Bill that protects the whistle blowers because the ordinary person feels that they need to be protected for them to be able to report corruption.
Finally, I would also want to implore ZACC and the rest of the judiciary system to make sure that those people with ill gotten wealth are punished or their equipment, motor vehicles and houses forfeited to the state so that those who are tempted to participate in corrupt activities will be afraid of losing whatever they will have amassed. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MATAMISA: Thank you Mr. President for honouring me by giving me this opportunity to speak for the first time in the Senate. This is a very interesting motion that has been brought to this House by the Hon. Senator. Let me add my voice and say, yes, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has got a very important component in helping combat corruption in this country. I really applaud that. However, Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission seems to be stifled by those in power, those yielding a lot of powers are fighting the result that should be coming out of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission efforts.
Mr. President Sir, it does not mean anything to put laws; offices to start with are manned by those who were erroneously selected, not all of them should be there. Interested persons should not be in the Anti-Corruption Commission, I am referring to politics. It creates a lot of problems; people will not know whether the Commission will be able to truly represent the needs of the nation or the needs of those in high positions.
The second issue I have is when you talk of public servants in the offices of Anti-Corruption or any other offices, I really feel sorry for public servants because these are the people who are being down-trodden by the powerful ones. They are lured into corruption by the powerful people, for example, our Ministers who are looting the proceeds of the nation. They are doing everything, they are abusing the public servants in their offices who are not well paid. From those meagre salaries they are getting once they are given a little bribe, they have to follow suite to do as the Minister wishes or whoever is looting the national resources whilst we are seeing, I am sorry Mr. President. It is as if I am debating against the wishes of others, but I stand here for the Zimbabweans. I am not standing in for myself or for those who are well fed, those who have large pockets that can never be filled; they take the wealth of this whole nation.
Mr. President Sir, for the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to be effective, let the laws of the nation be followed if the laws are not being followed or followed partially and it is well known that there is selection of the application of the law. When it is being applied, it is who you are, where you come from and your affiliation, so we are going nowhere. In every part of the society, there are leaders, so how do we expect the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission to perform when it is composed of our sons and daughters, Ministers and people from the ruling party? Do you think they will be able to arrest those people who are corrupt? How can I arrest my father or mother? It is unheard of? I am really concerned as a citizen, as someone who is representing the voiceless. I am really concerned, I am sorry I have to say it as it is because I am here to represent the people.
Mr. President Sir, let me say that I can speak the whole day…
HON. SEN. SIPANI-HUNGWE: On a point of order Mr. President Sir. I think if we are here, we do not talk about parties, let us respect each other because if you provoke, I do not think it will be well with some of us. We will not allow that. We do not talk of speculations. The Hon. Senator is saying there are giants, referring to Ministers, big fish, ruling party, no! I think Mr. President, let us stick to our motion and debate peacefully. I do not know how to express this because if provoked, we will not allow that. As Senators, we are all elders here. Let us respect each other and our political parties – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] –
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Before the Hon. Senator resumes her debate, it is important that I point out that the selection for members of the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption comes through Parliament. Members of Parliament, regardless of where you come from, you have a say over the selection. If the selection was not done properly, it means the Lower House and this House also failed. Let us stick to our motion. May the Hon. Member continue.
HON. SEN. MATAMBISA: Thank you Mr. President and I want to thank the Hon. Senator for airing her views. Yes, this is Parliament and it is your right to interject if there is anything you feel is going the wrong way. What I have to say is that as Senators, we are here to correct what the young ones leave out. We are here to polish up the work - we call a spade a spade. We have to correct the mistakes that were done before and move forward in the correct direction. When I talked of political parties, I also belong to a political party.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order Hon. Member, go to the debate, you have three minutes left.
HON. SEN. MATAMISA: On the successes of Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption, yes, it is doing its work. We have had just a few who have been sought after so that they get evidence on cases that have been done. My problem is that once the Commission has done its work, I am yet to see a person who was convicted or arrested, they are many, but we are not getting any tangible results. They are getting a budget, but they are not working. I am protected by the Chair. Thank you, I rest my case
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order, I wanted to protect you, but I also wanted to educate you on how we debate in here, you stick to one language. If you are using English, you use English throughout and the same applies to all other languages.
HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: I wish to thank you Mr. President Sir for giving me this opportunity to contribute this most important subject in the development of our nation. You might be aware as others Members are here that on the Transparency International Index of Corruption, Zimbabwe sits on No. 157 out of 180 countries. This does not speak well for us as Zimbabwe. It does not speak well about the efficacy of our institutions in the fight against corruption. The colorary of which is fighting for development.
Mr. President, if you look at the Public Sector in this country, you generally see that there are grades of corruption and the small fish around corruption is what is caught around corruption is what is caught, backed and cooked but the real cases of corruption around procurement for the public sector is huge and it involves what the previous speaker referred to. It talks to people in high offices. These are the people that when they engage in corruption, they affect the country in a major way.
Mr. President Sir, I suppose that for the good of the country we should all join forces from wherever station we are to fight the scourge of corruption because it is real that corruption is strangling our economy. Mr. President, we have got huge opportunities in this country particularly with regards to the mining sector. We have got the largest iron ore deposit in the world. I think Manhize is about 30 billion tonnes of iron ore and quality investors look at the corruption index and they decide whether their investment will be safe if it travels towards Zimbabwe.
We have got platinum in this country but we fail to get quality investors because of the perception that Zimbabwe is very corrupt. The perception that if you go in with ex-amount of money to invest, you need premium. So that premium funds corruption so that your bids and attempts at investing in a particular sector is accepted. It is important that all our institutions, the police, the law makers, we all have to understand that should we move Zimbabwe in the direction of where the President’s mantra indicates that we will be a higher income society by 2030, and if we do not fight corruption, this will be a futile expedition.
Development will certainly be affected and we will fail to reach our aspiration because of corruption. Let us fight it without fear and favour. Let us fight corruption across the political divide and let us not protect our own where they might have been corrupted.
Mr. President, with this submission. I hope that this Senate will join forces together and I think if we reason together and fight corruption to its conclusive end, Zimbabwe will be able to benefit from its endowments without hindrance. I thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Let me remind Hon. Senators that as you may want to move out of this room, you may use these other side doors so that you do not cross the path of the one who is speaking and the President. When you stand up, you just check if you are not crossing over and then you use the other routes.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Thank you Mr. President. I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 9th November, 2023.
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, 9th November, 2023.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. GUMPO: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to add a few words to the President’s Speech. His Excellency the President opened his address and expressed his pleasure that harmonised elections were successfully conducted under a very peaceful environment and congratulate the people of Zimbabwe for carrying out very credible elections that was emulated throughout the world to the disappointment of the detractors who had hoped for the failure of the elections.
This was a clear message that Zimbabwe is a mature country. His Excellency congratulated levels of Members of Parliament and those of local authorities that were elected by the people for a term of office. His Excellency also wished everyone a good term of office as a service to the people and advised members to guard against corruption and bad practices. Some of the key issues covered in his speech were as follows; many boreholes that had been identified had already been drilled. His Excellency announced that the mining sector has achieved a target of USD12 billion and likely to go higher during the current term. He also announced that devolution will continue to be a priority during the current term. The industrialisation of the economy will take centre stage in order to empower the population and also help SMEs who continue to demonstrate their capacity as they are already a force to reckon with as they continue to lead in most of our industries, especially commercial and manufacturing. They have proved that with the assistance of Government, they can be leaders in their own right.
Tourism and stakeholders deserve to be praised as they increase the earnings by 62% during the term. His Excellency the President, reminded all Members of Parliament during his presentation on the need to complete all outstanding matters on legislative agenda during the current year as well as carrying on with creating new laws that will help the country to move forward in order to serve the interests of the people and the country as a whole by creating enabling laws to suit the country’s development agenda.
The President emphasised that the country should embark on an extensive programme of infrastructure development that include the total road network, the power development, and then the industrial infrastructure development. He also mentioned that agriculture is key to food sufficiency and industrial promotion. He said all the key elements are a means to create employment for the growing population, especially the youth who are the future of the country.
The Mining Act featured prominently in the President’s Speech as it emphasised on value addition for all the mining products before they can be exported. Many developing countries have failed in their efforts because of exporting raw materials. The President said the country cannot afford to make the same mistakes that were made by our sister countries. This is why Zimbabwe decided to repeal the Mining Act, in order to correct the anomaly on this important industry.
His Excellency the President, touched on health and social services for the people, which will include affordable housing for the general population. That includes affordable medical schemes and facilities and a national health insurance for the population. He rounded up his speech by emphasising on the issues that need to be tackled during the term, such as the SMEs Act that will need to be re-visited; the Broadcasting Bill and the need to have more radio stations and the improvement of network throughout the country.
He said the War Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act needs to be revised. His Excellency emphasised on the peace and harmony in the country. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. CHINYANGA: Thank you Mr. President. I rise to make my contribution to the motion on the State of the Nation Address (SONA), in which I will focus on the following four areas. First is the dam construction programme which is being undertaken by the Second Republic. Secondly, the welfare of war veterans and collaborators, thirdly, the women micro-finance bank and women economic empowerment and fourthly, the role of the youth in protecting the national heritage. It is my considered view that these are critical areas that underpin progress towards Vision 2030.
Let me begin by highlighting that the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, His Excellency the President, E. D. Mnangagwa in his SONA, said that the Second Republic has begun the drilling of 35 000 boreholes and establishing village agro-business units. The august House is aware that Section 488 of the National Development Strategy (NDS1):2021-2025 stipulates that construction works and ongoing dam projects will be accelerated. This august House is also aware that the Government is constructing 12 high impact dams throughout the country, of which some are already completed and this includes those in Mashonaland East such as Kunzvi Dam, Machekeranwa Dam and Chivhu Dam.
This development is indeed welcome and these dams are set to effect significant change to citizens’ livelihoods for the better of the province. Regarding Kunzvi Dam located North-East of Harare, it is a USD109 million dam situated on the opposite side of Morton Jeffrey Water Works and Lake Chivero. This position is strategic as it is poised to supply clean uncontaminated water to Greater Harare. The Second Republic should be applauded for registering huge progress on this project which has been on the drawing board for a long time. Its completion will not resolve Harare water problems only, but will also trigger projects related to agriculture, fisheries, water and rural development.
The dam will further help ease problems of water shortages being currently experienced by residents in Chitungwiza, Ruwa and Norton. The project has been on the drawing board from as far back as the 1990s. Currently, Harare is supposed to provide water to approximately 2.5 million residents and an additional two million residents from neighbouring towns requiring 1 200 mega litres a day. The four reservoirs, Harare Dam, Seke Dam, Lake Chivero and Lake Manyame, located on the Manyame River greatly suffer from pollution. Completion of Kunzvi Dam must put finality to these challenges.
Coming to the Chivhu Dam, I would like to thank the Second Republic for this project. It is a game changer as it supplies water to the expanded Chivhu town. The dam with a capacity of 26 million m3 has huge potential of providing irrigation water for surrounding communities and has potential to irrigate up to 120 hectares. Local communities, farmers and horticulture producers in Mashonaland East are urged to make use of this new dam to scale up their agricultural production.
Section 301 of NDS1:2021-2025, stipulates that Government prioritise implementation of the Zimbabwe Horticulture Recovery and Growth (HRGP). HRGP pairs with Transformative Horticulture, Subsector under the Presidential Horticulture Scheme, covering 1.8 million rural households. This sector, with adequate water supply has potential to uplift the living standards of rural communities. In terms of water supply to urban dwellers, I would like at this juncture, to also applaud the Second Republic for the realisation of the plight of Chivhu town community by building a modern and bigger 450m3 per hour water treatment plant. This is now operational and delivering water to Chivhu town.
Mr. President, allow me to refer to another life-changing project, the Muchekeranwa, formerly Causeway Dam with a capacity of 75 million cubic metres. The dam has the potential to irrigate 20 250 hectares of land and supply water to the town of Marondera and surrounding farms, Marondera University of Agriculture, Science, and Technology for both domestic and industrial purposes. Other areas that are supposed to benefit from the dam are Svosve in Mashonaland East and Chiduku in Manicaland.
Mr. President, before I present to you what was said by His Excellency, in his SONA, about war veterans, I would like to thank His Excellency for giving liberation fighters their own Ministry led by senior War Veteran Ambassador, Hon. Sen. Christopher Mutsvangwa, speaking continuously on Section 84 of the Constitution on the rights of the war veterans and the liberation struggle. The following group of persons include: - those who fought in the war of liberation; those who assisted the fighters in the war of liberation and those who were imprisoned, detained, or restricted for political reasons.
In his address, SONA, His Excellency echoed the need for the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Act to be amended to include Botswana as one of the countries that were key as a transit point and home to our liberation fighters. This is a good development.
In addition, the Veterans of the Liberation Struggle Bill will enhance the provision of pensions and other services for war veterans deserving non-combatants and war collaborators. Health care delivery, counselling services, housing support, access to farming, land provision of residential stands and housing, land ownership, security of tenure, big commercial mining, and agricultural projects conducted by professionals from colleges of high-scale commercial bases. All will improve their welfare.
On the same note, the creation of investment vehicles such as the Veterans Investment Cooperation and the Veterans of Liberation Fund adds impetus to the full-scale inclusion of war veterans in the economy.
I have to add that the establishment of a stand-alone Ministry for War Veterans, the Ministry of War Veterans Liberation Struggle Affairs presents an invaluable opportunity for accomplishing this mission.
Mr. President, with regard to women's participation in the financial sector, it is of concern to note that women's empowerment and inclusion are still lower as compared to their male counterparts. The Zimbabwe Women Micro Finance Bank was created to address women's access to finance. Its establishment was long overdue. The idea of the Women's Bank was started in 1982 by the then Ministry of Community Development and Women’s Affairs. The bank is a milestone achievement, however, there are challenges that if not addressed can jeopardize the fraction of this noble purpose.
Improving women’s livelihood, inadequate collateral security requirements are too stringent for most ordinary women especially those from rural communities who have no property or title deeds. The interest rates are rather too high and the repayment period is too short. Women Micro Finance Bank has to be adequately capitalised, decentralised, and tailor-made loans for ordinary women are necessary to broaden the services provision. We will continue talking about it until we are heard as women.
Mr. President, as I conclude, I would like to highlight that this House will realise across the world, that young people are to preserve and promote the heritage, traditions, culture, and history of their nations. The ecology and bio-diversity underpinned the very essence of national sovereignty, inheritance, birthright, and legacy. I have in particular, to emphasize that our youth should be alerted that people disposed of their land are doomed. It is the land that provides space to grow crops, livestock, and food. It also provides sources of water and other raw materials for industrial purposes as we consolidate heritage-based teaching. Learning programmes under Education 5.0, we should be weeding out all dirt of coloniality in our knowledge systems. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. A. DUBE: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 9th November, 2023.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA seconded by HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA, the Senate adjourned at Twenty Eight Minutes past Four o’clock p.m.