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SENATE HANSARD 9 MAY 2013 VOL. 22 NO. 16
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 9th May, 2013
The Senate met at Half-past Two
o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(MADAM PRESIDENT in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY MADAM PRESIDENT
VOTE FOR A WOMAN CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
MADAM PRESIDENT: I wish to remind the Senate that the
Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU) is inviting all members of Parliament, both male and female to the launch of the ‘vote for a woman’ campaign and its publications. The launch will take place today at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Harare from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. We look forward to hon. male senators coming there to give support.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELL PHONES
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I also remind hon. senators to
switch off their cell phones or put them on silent.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
SENATOR MUMVURI: Thank you Madam President. We have
got an array of ministers here today but my question is directed to the
Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for National Healing, Senator Holland. I want to know the relationship between her ministry and the structure which is called JOMIC; how they are working together and how they are complementing each other. In some instances, JOMIC is causing more confusion than solving problems...
MADAM PRESIDENT: Order. Actually, the rule says pose a
question.
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S
OFFICE (SENATOR HOLLAND): Madam President, this is a sudden one because the Senator did not warn me.
MADAM PRESIDENT: They are questions without notice.
SENATOR HOLLAND: Yes I know but still he can whisper.
What I was going to say is that the Global Political Agreement put in place simultaneous transitional agencies and the entire purpose of these was for the country to prepare itself for free and fair elections. The big mistake we made Madam President, as politicians, was that we did not have a programme to go round the country starting in the Parliament itself to explain what the Global Political Agreement document was about. So, the question there reflects that anomaly, which is a result of what we did not do, which is to explain to the nation what the GPA was and what its intention was.
The simultaneous transitional organs, the COPAC process for example, which is what is gathering us here and getting us discussing these kinds of things as we wait to see how we move the COPAC process forward; is something very big to celebrate because it is something we as politicians have achieved with a lot of hard work where we have learnt a lot. JOMIC is one transitional agency and its job was very simple. It was to be the watchdog of every instance of violence that took place during the GPA period. The commissions which were set up also reflect the intention of that. We would like agencies that protect our democracy in every way and in a way where we are looking at issues from the same eye where we have discussed things and agreed.
The Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, in its first 18 months where we did the national grassroots based inclusive consultations with everybody, also came up with a very good body of data which gave us the four elements of the infrastructure for peace. What is the relationship between JOMIC and the Organ for National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration? The relationship is that we are setting up in the COPAC draft the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission genderised. Thanks to the President of the country, the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister who, in their wisdom, wanted everything genderised. So, we have come up with the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, which is on for ten years. We have a structure that is going to deal with Zimbabwe’s real grievances about the impact on them in a timeless frame of cyclic political violence.
I think the bad thing about where we are today is that, when we say that, people think about today. Cyclic political violence covers every historical era of our country. For hundreds of years, that was the culture of change of power, violence. As people who have agreed that we do not want violence, the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission; the intention is for people to really talk about these things in a very organised way. I think the challenge we have madam President in Zimbabwe is that we do not actually admire ourselves; in our brilliance, which we are. We look at other countries and think that other countries are more beautiful; they have more than us. I would give an example of what I mean about that.
When we went round the country, most people were saying let us look at South Africa, they have a Truth and Reconciliation Commission; we should have the same. We said, in South Africa, their infrastructure for peace has two men; Archbishop Thuthu and President Mandela. Ours has three people and it is genderised; no one appreciates that and it has got its results from talking to everybody where we have come up with an infrastructure for peace that comes from the Shona and Ndebele culture of kusvutisana fodya, ukukhumelana umulotha which is best of truth, justice and forgiveness.
We do not seem to understand that those are superior positive traditional values that the traditional leaders still practice today as they taught us in their wisdom when we were now consulting with them. So the relationship between the organ and JOMIC is that, when – I hope I am talking so confidently because the people who helped us; I do not see some of the people who were there but certainly I can see Cde Sekeramayi.
The agreement was that, after the Commissions are on, the JOMIC structures will come under the new Ministry of National Healing,
Reconciliation and Integration but under the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission. That was the agreement; when that is done, the work that would have been happening under the GPA will continue in that way. As I have said before, the people who were involved in
COPAC, the people who were involved in JOMIC and the people that are involved in the Commissions; we see those as the ground for recruitment for the people that are going to be members of the Commission because of the experiences that they gathered during the period they were doing their work.
I hope that answers your question that the JOMIC structures are coming under the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission, which was the agreement. What Zimbabweans need to learn and teach themselves is that what we really lack in our brilliances is coercion which comes from us; communicating what we are doing. We have a situation where in all our brilliances we do not talk to one another. Therefore, we always, I do not know where this comes from; I think it is a settler colonial heritage we have. We see the negatives of each other, never the positives. We do not see our beauty; we just see the bad part. Zimbabweans have some of the beautiful cultural expressions and these are incorporated in how we hope the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission works. Thank you Madam President.
*SENATOR CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: My question is, if
I really got you well, since you talked on the custom of staying together despite our differences, is this happening? I do not see it happening, I think it is continuing with our differences.
SENATOR HOLLAND (its repeating): I think we are graduates
of the traditional leaders’ school of wisdom and I see two of them sitting here. I think their colleagues are here because when we first met with them we were green hollows, I am talking about Hon. Nkomo and Hon. Sibanda, who were very clear about traditional leaders; I was not. What is happening now with the organ is that we are continuing the process of learning and we have three programmes with the traditional leaders. We have had the workshops with you and Chief Mtshane to work out the modalities of three different aspects of our relationship with the traditional leaders. We had it separately with the churches and civil society; separately with different ministries. With the traditional leaders we are trying to make a connection between our traditions as Zimbabweans, with the academics in the world and with the communities where we are all allocated.
The reason for doing this is, we want the infrastructure for peace to have the foundations that come from the best traditional practices in our country. In the workshops that we had, I was really quite shocked about the clarity of the academics on culture, if you remember? It was so brilliant and this programme is trying also to understand the positive traditional elements of national healing, reconciliation and integration as practiced by the different cultures in this country. When this was now discussed, we were really quite pleasantly surprised about how our languages in Zimbabwe reflect desire to always create harmony coercion ubunandi , ubuhle runako, zvinoita kuti vanhu kuti vafambidzane. At every time our greetings, our daily remembering we are together; we are doing that programme. We also want to understand the role of women in traditional peace building. We were very surprised, the Chiefs asked us to genderise that process but in fact when you look, much of what would be seen in a negative way to day started with positive intentions. It is up to us as Zimbabweans to rescue those things. Really, the third thing with the traditional leaders which we are doing is to understand in the end what the role of the traditional methods of national healing would be in relation to the Western way which is rich in retribution and the African way which is restorative. What do I mean? Pakusvutisana fodya ukukhunelana umlotha the intention is to really understand the root of the conflict and the reason for trying to understand that is to actually find the best ways of addressing that. The third stage, which is forgiveness, is that whilst people have agreed that they have resolved, it the person who wants to remember these things and make everybody feel bad is seen as the bad one. So the stages of truth, justice and forgiveness, Chief Charumbira, is what this process which we are engaged with you in is to really understand those process and really implement things which are best on the best practices of Shona, Ndebele, Tonga. All the different groups here, we want those things reflected and that the negative things as you have always pointed out; and Chief Mtshane Khumalo has always pointed out okubi kuyakhitshwa okuhle kuya phambili zvakanaka zvinenge zvichienderera mberi, zvisina kunaka tinenge tichibvisa. That programme may be seen as not moving on because as you know we have those agreements which were made, even before the death of Minister Sibanda, at that time, after the 18 months when we came up with the three year transitional, transformational strategic plan on which was based on the four elements, that when dear Chair did pass, we had already agreed on everything. The implementation, what I love about Zimbabwe is that we actually have the best. We wrote to Mr. Sibanda, Chief Secretary, to say now the Chair has gone, what do we do? We are still waiting, but we know that where they are trying to respond because we gave them the data of everything that we have agreed on. What we are going to get back, we know is going to be just brilliant. As we wait, the programmes of the organ are still moving forward and we are still talking in the name of the three political parties. I gave two speeches this morning to different groups, our speeches always start by saying on behalf of the organ’ our departed Chair, our colleague Mzila Ndlovu and we move on. I hope that answers you that the programmes are still going on as we were left with umlandu by our Chair of saying, Hambanini lisebenza, ingoitai muchifamba muchishanda because in the end, everybody will understand and we will move forward together. Thank you. *SENATOR FEMAI: Thank you Madam President. My question
is directed to the Minister of Lands, Hon. Murerwa. My question is, when the land redistribution exercise started, people grabbed land and applied for it later on. Some grabbed land ranging from 500 hectares to 2000 hectares to 5000 hectares. However, the land was inadequate for distribution to the whole populace. What are they going to do because even some of us do not have any land? -[HON. SENATORSS:
Laughter]- My question is that, what is the Minister going to do or what is in the pipeline so that every Zimbabwean would own at least a minimum of 500 hectares so that the land would be adequate. Even 200 hectares would be ideal rather than a situation where one has 1000 hectares when others do not have.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Hon. Senators, with all due respect, I
said do not address the issue, these are questions without notice. Pose your question to the Minister. If you start debating what is he going to respond to when you have already given an answer? These are questions without notice, so they will need time to put themselves in the perspective of what the question will be based on. Are you done, hon.
Senator Femai?
SENATOR FEMAI: Yes my question is – MADAM PRESIDENT: What is your question?
SENATOR FEMAI: My question is; what are they going to do in order to distribute land equally? Do they have plans for Zimbabwean people to have equal distribution of land? If it is 100 hectares, let it be
100…
MADAM PRESIDENT: There you are, suggesting an answer
again, I do not know what the Minister is going to say.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT (SENATOR. MURERWA): I would like to thank
hon. Senator Femai for his question. I share his concern that land is not going to be enough for distribution around the country and whatever is there should be shared equally among those who deserve it. I am pleased that our hon. colleagues from the other side fully support the Land Reform Programme. I just want to assure the hon. Senator that land is being allocated on a non-partisan basis. When it is available, those who apply will be considered on a non-partisan basis.
The issue is not so much on the hecterage that one is given, but the viability of the size of land that one gets. We do have a programme that designates land sizes depending on the geographical area. In
Matebeleland for example, where cattle is a major farming activity, the land size is large because of the need for grazing. In other areas, where there is high rainfall and the soils are rich, the land size is small to ensure that the land that is given is viable. The hon. senator is quite correct that we need to spread the land around to as many people as possible. As you know, in the Global Political Agreement, we had agreed on a land audit and we hoped that it would be undertaken. This was going to help in determining the land available, the number of people on the land and how those people could be assisted to ensure viability. However, we did not have the resources to undertake this land audit because of the economic situation we found ourselves in.
Inspite of this, we have now agreed with the Minister of Finance to make funds available so that we do what we call a ‘Land use Audit.’ The intention is that we go ward by ward to determine the size of land being used, who is on the land and how best we can help these farmers. However, the point you made is correct, that there are some people who have more land than they are able to use. We should be able to say that, if one was given 200 hectares where for the past five years, the farmer has only been able to use 20 hectares, that farmer is likely to grow and use a certain capacity. We therefore will leave the farmer with 40 hectares and give the rest to others. This is the way we intend to go about it. Thank you.
SENATOR. RUGARA: My question is on the land question.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Inyowani here, supplementary has to be
related to the initial one.
SENATOR RUGARA: Thank you very much Madam President.
I would like to ask the Minister whether there are plans to train the present and future farmers? Giving people land is not enough, it will be wise to train them and give them land. Do we have a programme in place that would cater for those two very important steps of acquiring land? Thank you.
SENATOR MURERWA: I think the question by the hon.
colleague is an important one. Clearly, land use is going to depend very much on the knowledge and skills that land holders have in order to make it productive. We do have a very comprehensive programme here, as you all know, of Agricultural Extension officers. This number has actually been increased in recent years and those who wish to have information and knowledge and training can get it. We are also training in agricultural training colleges a lot of young people who are going to be coming on board to provide this kind of training but we must also acknowledge the fact that it took the settler 90 years to learn to be productive on the land and we have only had 10 years and I think we will do well in time. I thank you Madam President.
SENATOR HUNGWE: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. Who and how is May Day organised and what is the role of the Minister vis a vis the role of the leaders of those movements? I thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL
WELFARE (SENATOR MUTSVANGWA): Thank you very much
Madam President. The question from Senator Hungwe is very interesting; who and how May Day is organised. As you are aware, May Day is a date set aside to celebrate what the workers go through, whether there are challenges or whether there are successes, and you are aware, also that it was just after independence that the new government at independence realised the need to have representatives for workers and realised the rights of workers; that the workers also have rights and as such, that is the time to celebrate what they would have achieved.
The workers have got rights to collective bargaining, to employment and a right to be represented and so the trade union came into place after independence. We are all aware that ZCTU is a trade union representing workers in this country. It was propped up by the government at independence to make sure that the workers are represented in their particular work places. There has been less and less numbers of workers because of what has happened in this country. There have been a lot of retrenchments because of industries which closed due to the illegal sanctions which have been imposed on Zimbabwe. As a result we have experienced a lot of retrenchments, which is a very sad story. There have been a number of trade unions who work together with the Ministry. There is a tripartite negotiating forum which involves the government, the trade union and the employers. In this country under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, we have two trade unions under our umbrella. We have ZCTU, which is headed by Nkiwane and there is also ZFTU, which is headed by Makwarimba. These are the organisations which organise these celebrations across the country. They invite ministers to their functions; they are the ones that invite both me and my Minister to these functions.
So, I hope I have answered that question. I thank you.
SENATOR CHITAKA: My question is directed to the Minister
of State Security Hon. Sekeramayi. Is our country adequately prepared to defend itself against cyber attacks and are our security organs properly resourced to fight this threat?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR STATE SECURITY
(SENATOR SEKERAMAYI): Madam President, our country, like all
the other countries, is facing the new challenge of cyber attacks. These attacks have occurred elsewhere and those countries have taken the necessary measures to deal with that. In our situation, we must be prepared, in terms of our scientists and in terms of resources, to put in place an elaborate system that is able, not only to understand cyber attacks but to be able, when the attacks are launched, to take measures to neutralise them and make sure that they do not do damage to our infrastructure. The process of the defence is not going to be an event but it is going to be a process and so that process is ongoing. Resources for now are a constraint, as we all know but policy measures are in place and once the recourse are adequate we will, definitely, make sure that
we are adequately equipped to be able to deal effectively in the national interest against cyber attacks. Thank you.
SENATOR CHIEF CHISUNGA: Thank you Madam President.
My question seems to have been overtaken by events but however, I will endeavour to pose it. It is directed to the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, in particular with regards to the case of chiefs. There has been a land outcry at every conference held by chiefs annually. I want to know if there are policy measures which have been put in place to redress that anomaly? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT (SENATOR MURERWA): I would like to thank
the hon. Senator Chief for his question. Chiefs are the custodians of land and I think they deserve to be considered on a priority basis and we have discussed this matter with governors and others, to ensure that in the areas where they are, they should give priorities to chiefs.
Unfortunately, chiefs are changing also quite frequently and there are new chiefs coming up and sometimes this is the challenge that we face, but we will endeavour to correct this one, Madam President.
SENATOR MAKUNDE: Thank you Madam President. My
question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Transport. It is about our national airline. I want to know which destinations we are now flying to and approximately how often? The second part of the question is how much prepared is the airline, now, to cope with the forthcoming event, the United Nations World Tourism Organisation? Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (SENATOR
KOMICHI): Thank you Madam President and also thank you Senator Makunde for asking such a good question.
MADAM PRESIDENT: May I remind the Deputy Minister that
you are in the Executive. You are not supposed to sit where you are sitting right now.
SENATOR KOMICHI: Thank you Madam, but for today may I
continue?
MADAM PRESIDENT: Pindurai henyu. I just wanted to remind you. I do not know why you moved from where you used to sit but as an Executive, you cannot be that much of a back bencher.
SENATOR KOMICHI: The airline is currently coming out of the doldrums. We know very well that we had times when we had no plane at all on our air space but currently, we have an airline that goes to Johannesburg on a daily basis and one airline which is serving the local route, that is Harare/ Bulawayo and Victoria Falls on a daily basis. It is true that the planes that we are using are too large for the trips that we are serving. We have a 737 and 767, they are too large for the job. They are very expensive but the Airline is trying its best to acquire smaller jets that will be able to service the smaller route and also one that will service the Johannesburg route. So, that the current huge airplane the 737 can be used for longer international routes such as China, London, Nigeria and many other international routes.
So, currently as an airline, we have two reliable aircrafts. We also have one an, airbus that is a 320 airbus, which is currently going through the CEE checks just the technical checks just to see if it is strong enough and it is a requirement for an aircraft to start flying. We do believe that before the end of June, we start witnessing a very reliable almost a new airbus 320 on our airspace. We have planned that this particular 320 airbus will be servicing the Johannesburg route because it is smaller compared to the 767 that will take international trips. So, that is our current position at the moment. We do believe that with economic improvement, we will be able to get more aircrafts. But we have also had some new airlines coming to Zimbabwe in early June we will be witnessing Air Egypt which will be landing here.
We also have the KLM and many others they are around 14 airlines that will be coming to Zimbabwe. So we do believe that, that will assist in meeting the load factor during the event that will take place in August. I think we will be able to meet the challenge. I thank you.
SENATOR KABAYANJIRI: Thank you Madam President, my
question would have been directed to Minister Made but I will direct it to Minister Murerwa. When we implement what the President always preaches that we want development of irrigation schemes especially in communal lands. I want to find out what the Minister of Lands is putting in place in terms of development of irrigation schemes to small scale farmers and in communal lands? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF LANDS AND RURAL
RESETTLEMENT (SENATOR MURWERWA): Madam President,
this is really a question to the Minister of Agriculture.
SENATOR MUCHIHWA: My question is directed to the
Minister of Labour and Social Welfare. I want to ask whether, when you receive your benefit is it sufficient for your bus fare? Furthermore, I want to ask if you are the one who is responsible for BEAM? How are you identifying the beneficiaries for the scheme?
THE MINISTER OF LABOUR AND SOCIAL WELFARE
(MS. MPARIWA): Thank you Madam President, I have carefully listened to the question. We are the mother Ministry of NSSA on policy, they have their own management. But we would want to say that if people put their money to a fund, we expect them to benefit after retirement. So, we look at what this money is being put to in the form of investment. There is an expectation that the fund is going to improve from a pay out six dollars or more. It is being reviewed.
We also have a feeling that workers can benefit so that they should not have benefits only sufficient for their bus fare. We also deal with the issue of BEAM scheme. We are quite hurt as a Ministry. We are the Ministry that cares for the poor, they are selected by the community and this committee also includes the head of the school. It is not done by an individual, they are identified in a particular area and they see to it that no one really looks after that child. At the moment, we are in arrears with regards to payment of the BEAM scheme. The last fees we paid was in 2012, we are inundated with complains. I have lost my voice because of talking.
My director is always at the Ministry of Finance. But there are no sufficient funds, moreso, at the moment we need to pay for examination fees because we have been looking after them throughout the years and we cannot dump them now. We have been urging schools to return them in the education system and that as soon as funds permit, we will pay our debts. We have development partners that are running with BEAM scheme for primary level. But the money is disbursed from finance. We are also behind in payment to our hospitals, one of the Amtec bio programmes. We have a serious problem. Hopefully, Government financial situation will improve. There are very few children on the BEAM scheme that are being sent away from school. Once they are sent away from school, they should approach our offices so that we can address and assist them wherever it is possible.
SENATOR MOHADI: Thank you Madam President, my question
goes to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure. The question is when will the construction or rehabilitation of the Beitbridge via Masvingo - Harare road take place. Thank you.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND
INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (SENATOR KOMICHI):
Thank you very much for your question Senator Mohadi. The ministry is working day and night to deal with our roads. We are quite sure that one of the most contributing factors of deaths and accidents in the country is due to our poor roads. The road that you have just mentioned, Beitbridge, Harare to Chirundu road is one of the worst roads we have ever had and so many accidents have been recorded along that road. One of the major accidents that we remember is the accident that took the life of Amai Tsvangirai, and as a ministry we are touched by that.
We have currently undertaken a feasibility study, and the study is complete. What we are doing at the moment is inviting tenders/competitors to do the job, which is the dualisation of that road from Beitbridge to Chirundu. The Minister has actually been on record saying that it needs about US$960 million dollars to do the dualisation, so the work is in progress and it will be carried out. The dates of when it will start to be constructed are not yet out, but the process of going towards that is being undertaken. The ministry has been very serious of these roads as you can see what we are also doing from the Plumtree/ Harare to Mutare Border Post, the dualisation is going on and the road is being expanded. I think we have dualised Harare to Norton, it is complete now and we are actually starting to dualise Norton to Kadoma very soon and at the moment we are dealing with the Harare to Ruwa of which dualisation is also in process.
We can actually promise and assure you that the Beitbridge to Harare road will be done very soon. I thank you.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you Madam President, my
question is directed to the Minister of State for State Security in the
President’s Office, Hon. Sekeremayi. Hon. Minister I think the Senate or the nation wants to know what steps if any, are you taking to control or regulate political utterances by security personnel? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR STATE SECURITY IN
THE PRESIDENT’S OFFICE (SENATOR SEKERAMAYI):
Madam President that is a generalized statement, I will be more comfortable with a specific reference. Thank you.
SENATOR MARAVA: Thank you Madam President, I may put
it this way, is it the Ministry’s policy to involve its personnel in political issues?
- SEKERAMAYI: The Defence and Security personnel are working to ensure that Zimbabwe and all the Zimbabweans live in peace day in and day out, that the economy of the country whether it is industry, commerce or agriculture, runs smoothly without any disturbances and that is their core business. Political statements are made by the politicians and security personnel are not making political statements.
SENATOR GAULE: Thank you very much Madam President,
my question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child-Welfare. I think we are all aware of the situation that is prevailing in our hospitals/health institutions throughout the country. Some institutions are under-staffed for example where I am coming from. I can give you an example, this other time I was in hospital in Tsholotsho and I talked to the administrator of the hospital and last time it was before these other general nurses were engaged by the ministry, there was a serious shortage of nurses as well as doctors. There was only one doctor manning the hospital, such a big hospital and such a big institution.
To my surprise the government introduced the training of Primary Care Nurses (PCN) and these people are roaming in the streets, the government is not making use of them and for that matter it was all resources that were wasted on training these nurses. As it is some of the nurses are still unemployed and I really do not know what is happening while our institutions are under-staffed. I thank you Madam President.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Hon. Member who are you directing
that question to?
SENATOR GAULE: To the Minister of Health and Child-
Welfare.
MADAM PRESIDENT: You are here. Okay, Hon. Minister
Madzorera.
THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND CHILDWELFARE
(MR. MADZORERA): Thank you Madam President, when I came there was no- more room so I came and sat here, thank you. The question that the hon. Senator is asking is very important. Of course, we must look back and see where we came from to situate the problem correctly. First of all let me answer the issue of primary care nurses which he asked about at the end. I am not aware that there is any primary care nurse who is roaming the streets. I think we trained primary care nurses when we needed them, we staffed all our primary care institutions and we employed all of those whom we trained.
They should not be any roaming in the streets. We stopped training primary care nurses I think two years ago or more because all our clinics are now well staff. I think you are referring to the Registered General Nurses (RGN), yes we have a few who were still in the streets after training, you will be aware that about two months ago we announced that we will be employing over two thousands RGN. The problem is not because the Ministry of Health and Child-Welfare does not want to employ nurses, we have vacancies we could employ another six thousand or eight thousand nurses, but I am sure every hon. Member is aware of the employment freeze which has something to do with the amount of money we have in Treasury.
As Treasury gets more money we will have more of these posts released, so we are as anxious as you are to employ every nurse who is unemployed. To situate the problem correctly the human resources problem has been improving over the last four years or so, right now the situation even at Tsholotsho hospital is vastly better than it was four years ago. We had districts that had no single doctor in the country, now every district has at least three doctors. I think the situation is now better, as our economy recovers we will be able to fill all the establishment which itself is not adequate because it was done in the 80s but at least if we fill that establishment the situation will be better. I thank you.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by MADAM PRESIDENT in terms of Standing Order No. 34.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF HONOURABLE VICE
PRESIDENT JOHN LANDA NKOMO
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the tragic and untimely death of Hon. Vice President John Landa Nkomo.
Question again proposed.
SENATOR S.K MOYO: Thank you Madam President. May I
take liberty to express my deepest gratitude to all hon. senators who contributed to this motion relative to the late Vice President, Cde John Landa Nkomo. Hon. Senators indeed spoke volumes of the sterling work done by our dear departed Vice President and it is not possible for me to reflect in detail such patriotic sentiments.
Madam President, I can confirm that the late Vice President’s family was touched by the accolades expressed with passion by hon. senators who spoke on this motion. As I have stated before Madam President, great leaders like the late Vice President, John Landa Nkomo do not die. They depart through the Lord’s calling for higher responsibility. He, indeed came, served and departed. His legacy of selfless service to humanity will remain a beacon for generations to come. Hon. senators in many ways testified to this fact.
Madam President, I am proud that some hon. senators and other dignitaries spent the 8th of March, 2013 in Tsholotsho with the mother of our late Vice President, gogo Madhuve. She was unable to come and bury her son at the National Heroes Acre because of age, she is 110 years old. It was indeed a very memorable and befitting visit in honour of our late Vice President to Tsholotsho and indeed where his umbilical cord lies.
I must say Madam President, the Nkomo family wishes to express their everlasting gratitude to all hon. senators who managed to get to Tsholotsho and spend the day with the old lady. Such outpouring gesture is indeed most appreciated. In this vain Madam President, I wish to inform this august Senate that on Sunday, 12th May, 2013, there will be a memorial service in honour of this late giant, indeed a colossus. The service will be held at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair grounds, hall number 4 in the city of Bulawayo; the city of kings and queens starting at 9:00 am. His Excellency, the President will be the guest of honour. All hon. senators are invited by the Nkomo family to join them on this special Memorial Day. It will not be, of course as we all know, a day of mourning but a day to celebrate the life of this great man departed from our midst in January this year.
Madam President, it is not my wish to belabour the messages which were conveyed by hon. senators to this august Senate and therefore, I intend to be brief in consonance with my height. It is now my honour and privilege to once again thank hon. senators for their diligent contributions on this very sad motion therefore take this opportunity once again to seek leave and beg to withdraw this motion. I thank you Madam President.
MADAM PRESIDENT: Please move for its adoption.
SENATOR CHIEF S.K MOYO: By the way, I should have done
that first. Yes, I propose of course that the motion be adopted.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
ADJOURNMENT OF THE SENATE
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND LEGAL AFFAIRS: I
move that the Senate do now adjourn to Tuesday next week. I would want to take the opportunity to advise colleague Senators that it is intended that on Tuesday, the Minister of Constitutional and
Parliamentary Affairs will introduce the Constitutional Amendment Bill.
Therefore, I want to urge all Senators to attend the Session on Tuesday.
Motion put and agreed to.
The Senate adjourned at Ten Minutes to Four O’clock p.m.