PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 21st October, 2021
The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two O’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. SPEAKER in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER
PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR
THE HON. SPEAKER: I wish to remind the House that the departure time for the charter flight to Victoria Falls is 1400 hours on Friday, 22nd October, 2021. Hon. Members will be picked up from Parliament and respective hotels at 1200 noon. The return charter flight will leave Victoria Falls on Tuesday, 26th October at 0700 hours in the morning and not 0900 hours as was announced on Tuesday.
In order to comply with COVID-19 regulations and to ensure the safety and health of participants, Hon. Members are required to have a COVID-19 test undertaken within 48 hours of the commencement of the conference. COVID-19 testing facilities are available in the Parliament courtyard. Hon. Members travelling by road who fail to get tested in Harare will be tested at the Elephant Hills Hotel upon arrival. Hon. Members travelling by air should be tested in Harare as the COVID-19 test results will be required on boarding the flight. Hon. Members are therefore, required to bring their national identification cards and COVID-19 test results for boarding formalities.
Details of the logistical arrangements for the Pre-Budget Seminar have been circulated through the Hon. Members’ emails. Please open your emails to get the programme.
I want to reiterate that consistent with the announcement made on Tuesday and the information circular, I wish to remind Hon. Members from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands and Masvingo Provinces that they will drive to Victoria Falls while those from Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Mashonaland East and Mashonaland Central Provinces will fly to Victoria Falls for the pre-budget seminar.
Hon. Members who would opt to drive will be given their fuel at the administration rate.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
First Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
HON. SHAMU: Mr. Speaker Sir, I seek your indulgence. I am not as yet ready to participate. I did inform the Deputy Chief Whip. I am still preparing my presentation.
Hon. Mliswa having asked to use Hon. Mpariwa’s gadget.
THE HON. SPEAKER: The other day you were asking someone where his gadget was…
HON. T. MLISWA: I had not prepared it and I knew you were watching me. I could see it was coming.
Mr. Speaker Sir, if you read yesterday’s Hansard, I did bring this issue up that the debate must end at a certain time. There should be a timeframe. This exposes that the Chief Whips are not doing their work. The last time we had it, it went on for too long. I had even proposed that when we are back in Parliament, it must be debated on a Tuesday and end on a Thursday. As you can see, they are not ready. The Ministers must also answer and we must continue with the other business of the day. It is quite sad that the Chief Whips have not been able to do their job because Hon. Shamu is usually an organised person. It only shows that they had not even spoken to him. A name just came up to mind.
May we, as Parliament and Chief Whips, align ourselves on this debate with the people who are going to debate so that we do not waste time. Therefore Mr. Speaker, can there be a timeframe? We are wasting time. Today, a lot of people could have debated this and more progress could have been made. I seek your indulgence in terms of the timeframe, how long should it go on for?
THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Hon. Mliswa. In terms of Standing Orders, the debate should be concluded within 21 sitting days.
Hon. Mudarikwa having called for a point of order.
THE HON. SPEAKER: I am speaking, you must listen.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Sorry Mr. Speaker Sir. I am now listening attentively.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, you must listen attentively, otherwise you should not have raised a point of order if you were listening. It is correct that the Chief Whips must line up the Ministers so that they can respond beginning next week after the Pre-Budget Seminar. Are we together Whips? Line them up so that we finish the expiry of 21 days and not the 51 days that happened during the Third Session of the Ninth Parliament. It was in violation of our Standing Orders. If it were not, because we were dealing with the Presidential Speech, we were going to struck off that motion accordingly. You can now have your point of order.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My name is Simbaneuta Mudarikwa. I am ready to debate on SONA Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Yes, I call upon you to debate accordingly Hon. Mudarikwa.
(v)HON. MUDARIKWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Allow me to convey to you fraternal greetings from the heroic people of Uzumba Constituency. I want to thank His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Commander-in-Chief of Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Cde. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa for the SONA Address. The Address comes at a time when the Second Republic has delivered good results in every sector of the economy.
Mr. Speaker Sir, the road infrastructure speaks for itself. We are now moving towards international standards. I was at the R. G. Mugabe Airport when I was coming from South Africa and it is almost complete. That is the pride of our revolution. That is the pride of ‘restore legacy’.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on dams and irrigation schemes, we have Machekeranwa Dam in our Mashonaland East Province and it has water now. Even if we experience drought, people can irrigate thousands of hectares. This has been achieved within a short space of time, within three years. We want to thank His Excellency for the job well done.
Mr. Speaker Sir, on education, most of our primary and secondary schools now have full complement of qualified teachers. The only challenge is of accommodation, but we have achieved something. Imagine we have qualified teachers ready to teach from Zambezi to Limpopo. It is a big achievement by the Second Republic. Salaries for civil servants are being eroded by inflation but this should be addressed as the economy improves.
Mr. Speaker Sir, I want to thank His Excellency, Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa on the health area. COVID-19 was defeated by health professionals under the able-leadership of Vice President Cde. Chiwenga, the Minister of Health. I want again to thank His Excellency for availing vaccines in their large numbers. It is now our duty Hon. Members, to encourage our people to get vaccinated because vaccines are here in Zimbabwe. Quoting from His Excellency’s word, he said, ‘everybody endai munodyungwa, dyungwai’. We hope we will continue encouraging our people to be vaccinated.
Mr. Speaker, on agriculture, for the first time, we have food surplus. This has been achieved at every household level through Pfumvudza/Intwasa. Within one year, a programme is introduced and is accepted by everybody at every corner and there is production. That is achievement number one by His Excellency Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa and for the nation of Zimbabwe. If you are able to produce your own, then you are not a professional beggar. You are a dignified person. When you are self-sufficient in food requirement, you must be proud and we are proud of the able leadership of Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa.
Mr. Speaker Sir, this month we are moving towards the anti-sanctions and I want to dwell more and explain to the people of Zimbabwe for them to understand the issue of illegal sanctions. I was assisted on my research by my two daughters who hold Masters Degree in Human Rights Law and the other one holds Masters Degree in Labour Law. They have assisted me to explain what the legality of the sanctions is. These sanctions were issued outside the United Nations Charter as proclaimed in 1945. It was one or two countries against Zimbabwe and that is illegal. It is outside United Nations Charter of 1945. This is also outside the Universal Declaration of Human Rights unanimously adopted by the General Assembly on the 10th of December in 1948 which we celebrate as Human Rights Day. We have a situation where sanctions were issued in violation of the United Nations statutes. It is our duty as Zimbabweans to continue explaining to the people to understand that this is illegal. This is a crime against humanity. Sanctions must go. There are other several covenants which came into effect through the General Assembly. There is International Convention on Civil Rights which was done in 1966 – [Technical breakdown] – that must be within the framework of an international agreement. There is an International Convention on Civil Rights which was put in force in 1976. International Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination which was adopted in 1965 and put into force in 1969. I am explaining all this so that people understand that sanctions are totally illegal and they are harming our people. They are meant to destroy the economy of Zimbabwe so that there is an uprising. Politics create discontent and there will be total disorder.
Mr. Speaker Sir, in 2006, there was International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. All these issues again are part of the national and international human rights for the people of Zimbabwe. We are in a situation that we are because we are being punished for having taken the land. Land in Zimbabwe was taken illegally and it was the duty of the people of Zimbabwe to reclaim their land. The problems you see in Israel is all based on land. We have achieved that and we must salute our President Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa for the stance to say the land issue is not reversible. We move to an issue which is very critical. Those countries now imposing sanctions on Zimbabwe outside the United Nations (UN), what it basically means is they are now disrespecting international, regional instruments which give us authority to dwell where we are. How do we then relate to this? It is important that the people of Zimbabwe stand up, support His Excellency to make sure that we also work hard and be able to defeat the sanctions. The countries that imposed sanctions on Zimbabwe have violated the UN Charter and this must be carried out and be engaged when they go to any international fora and express that a crime was committed against the innocent people of Zimbabwe, that is a violation of human rights.
I also want to thank you Mr. Speaker for allowing me to contribute as a farmer, lawyer, I know you are a professional lawyer but I am getting these facts which are quite interesting. The other thing which was mentioned by His Excellency, is the number of Bills to come through the august House. This element is very critical. I appeal that most of these Bills must be forwarded to different Committees in time so that Committees hire experts that will assist them to go through some of these Bills so that we make laws for the better governance of men.
Coming back to Uzumba Constituency, I want to thank His Excellency in that Uzumba Constituency is the only constituency in Zimbabwe where we have 27 primary schools and 28 secondary schools. It is a policy that every primary school must have a secondary school. We also have a vocational training centre at Nhakiwa. The vocational training centre is training our youth skills in motor mechanics, building, garment manufacturing and other related subjects for the betterment of society. It is important that we must have skilled youths, even when you go to cut down trees, you always sharpen your axe. Vocational training centres are basically there to improve on the skills of our youths so that they can be ready to move into Vision 2030. Vision 2030 is an exciting development which is there for our people. We are moving from our ordinary way of living. Our way of life is also going to change. You know there will be electricity all over because they will be using skills in power technology, where we connect to solar. Household incomes would have gone up. All these achievements are there and these achievements are basically trending from when our Revolutionary Party was created. It was created to better the lives of the people of Zimbabwe.
Allow me Mr. Speaker Sir, in conclusion to encourage Hon. Members to contribute on this motion and also listen attentively, when I am debating because I have experience of being a legislator, part of the Executive and deployed back to the legislature, and continue to contribute. I thank you Mr. Speaker and I salute His Excellency for a job well done.
(v)* HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to commend the State of the Nation Address which was presented by His Excellency President E. D Mnangagwa. I would like to appreciate and clarify issues because most people pretend that they do not see. We want to demonstrate to many countries that Zimbabwe is a successful country during COVID-19. We want to thank the Minister of Health and our President who procured medication so that there are vaccinations in Zimbabwe. Truly in other countries, many people passed away but in Zimbabwe, because of the hard work that was done by His Excellency E. D. Mnangagwa, we see that people are recovering. We have discovered that some who went to hospitals recovered. So we want to thank His Excellency who spoke about health issues in Zimbabwe.
The President also spoke about the agricultural sector. He pointed out that even urban areas are participating in agricultural activities. Young people were not involved in agriculture in the past, but nowadays we see young people participating in Command Agriculture. Some are harvesting high yields. Even old people are involved in the Pfumvudza Programme. This has ensured food security. We appreciate that because this demonstrates that the President is leading with wisdom. He is leading through God’s guidance because this shows that he gets revelation about what should be done in the country.
We used to face challenges in rural areas when our husbands were going to urban centres seeking gainful employment but nowadays, every household is receiving fertiliser and other inputs, like beans, maize and other grains. So we appreciate the President’s initiative because the GMB depots in all districts are receiving grain. We have seen trucks moving around. This shows that farmers had enough food to eat and they also had surplus to sell.
I am grateful because during the last rain season, we received normal rainfall and our dams were full. If you move around the farms, you see centre pivots, which shows that our country is developing. Long back, we only saw these centre pivots in commercial farms which were owned by the whites. Nowadays, some A1 and A2 farms have centre pivots. We want to thank the President for his vision. A country cannot develop when its citizens beg for food hand-outs. We do not want to beg for food aid from the department of Social Welfare but we want to be empowered. We want to be given inputs and livestock so that we work hard and grow our economy. After farming, the Government should see bumper harvests. We have places like Lupane, which is dry but they planted wheat. There is no shortage of bread there.
We want to thank President E.D. Mnangagwa for irrigation programmes in Matabeleland North and South where farming activities are happening. We also want our people to have food security. We see trucks delivering bread daily. This is a good job which was initiated by our President.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Hon. Zemura, you are not connected now.
(v)*HON. ZEMURA: We want to appreciate the irrigation programme and this should be emulated in other areas around the country where we find dams. There should be irrigation programmes throughout the country in rural areas so that farmers are not found to be seated but they should be busy farming. Even small projects like market gardening where people plant vegetables in irrigation programmes, this should be replicated in all districts around the country so that we can harvest throughout the year. Looking at the agricultural sector, we appreciate the Government’s initiative which was introduced by the President where people were given livestock and because of that, we end up seeing our sons in law paying bride price of cows. Cows are important because they emancipate people and they improve people’s livelihoods through income generation.
From agriculture, I would like to look at road rehabilitation. This is quite commendable. I want to thank His Excellency for the road refurbishment programme, where even some new roads are being constructed, for example linking places like Mozambique, Botswana and other countries with Zimbabwe. Because of the Second Republic, we appreciate such initiatives which will be taken even to the rural areas. Good road infrastructure is good for development. We also appreciate the procurement of new buses which were procured by the President. I pray that Zimbabwe should succeed and the President should see the plight of Zimbabweans. Thank you Hon. Speaker.
*HON. DZUMA: Let me start by thanking you Hon. Speaker Ma’am for giving me this opportunity to commend the State of the Nation Address which was presented by President E.D. Mnangagwa. We thank God for giving us a leader with a vision and who cares for his people in Zimbabwe. World-over, people are seeing the good leadership through His Excellency, E.D. Mnangagwa. In the past, before the Second Republic, inputs took a long time to be distributed to people but now we see that different GMB depots have inputs. What is delaying is the local agricultural extension officers because GMB does not just distribute inputs but they need the database from agricultural extension officers.
I would like to thank President E. D. Mnangagwa for the good job that he is doing in Zimbabwe, which includes dam projects which have a benefit to our livestock and even for the appreciation of our traditional leaders. We find His Excellency humbling himself before our chiefs. That is why we see that there is good rainfall in Zimbabwe because of his humility. He understands that traditional leaders are important and he did that through the removal of the term ‘kraal head’ and replacing it with village head.
There were no growth points in rural areas. Such things were taboo, especially in our area we knew Enkeldoorn, which is called Chivhu now, then you would come to Harare. Now, you discover that we have growth points like Murambinda which deserves town status and very soon we will be having a Mayor.
There is a dam project at Marovanyati. Electricity can be generated through the dam project of Marovanyati. The Ministry of Energy can generate electricity from that dam. We want you to know that the President, in the ten provinces around the country in Zimbabwe, especially where I come from in Manicaland, he has been to all constituencies, even Buhera West where I am based, he has been there three times. In other constituencies, he is always there. When we drive to Victoria Falls…
HON. T. MLISWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker. This Parliament is a Parliament of records and Hon. Dzuma is saying the President went to all the constituencies in Manicaland, especially in Buhera, that he is always there. This is a Parliament of record and I do not think that he is really true that he went to all the constituencies in Manicaland. He must find a way of saying the President is working hard and he is trying to visit all the constituencies but for him to say the constituencies in Manicaland in particular, he is always there – no.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MAVETERA): It can be a literal meaning, which means it is not really physical at times that someone goes to a place. You can go there directly or indirectly. So, I am sure he is correct when he says so.
HON. T. MLISWA: All the constituencies in Manicaland and those were his words, meaning the 22 constituencies!
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, it can be directly or indirectly.
HON. T. MLISWA: I am saying so because it will create problems for people who read because others will ask why the President did not go to Masvingo, Mashonaland West, et cetera. That is why I am trying to say that this is a Parliament of records and people will read this. I think the President is said to be getting to other provinces. I am trying to protect the President because if you say all the provinces in Manicaland, I do not know.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: I still maintain that it can be directly or indirectly. He could have gone to every constituency here in Zimbabwe directly or indirectly. So, it just depends on how you are going to take it. Thank you.
*HON. DZUMA: When a leader goes to provinces, we find representatives going to different constituencies. If representatives go when the leader comes, it means that he has visited those areas even when it is only their representatives. We are very happy with the appointments that we see. It seems as if everyone is correctly placed because they are doing a good job and when we look at how they are performing, it seems as if no one wants to be left behind.
Looking at transport, housing, education and different portfolios, if they are moving around the country, then they are working very hard. They are doing that on behalf of the President. This means that they have a vision and they know what they are doing. I believe they were properly trained and the good thing is that they are not afraid to discharge their duties. This is the President’s vision – you hear that the President is a servant leader. He demonstrates that he is a humble servant of the people and because of the good deeds of the President, a Member of Parliament should discharge his duties with fortitude. If he does not do that, he might not come back to this august House whilst the President comes back.
When you drive from Harare, Chivhu, Masvingo and Beitbridge, you cannot use gears which can lead to the knocking of a car, but you use the travelling gear because of the development that is there. Even through National Development Strategy 1 which is a blue print. I desired to take fish from our area because of the harvest that we see in our local dam but because I do not have a fishery licence, I could not do that. This is a good thing that is happening through His Excellency the President. Even when looking at COVID-19, Zimbabwe is viewed the world-over as performing well in vaccinations compared to other bordering countries.
We do not have a problem in Zimbabwe regarding COVID-19 and this is evident, looking at the progress that we see in eradicating COVID-19. Of course, there are some who succumbed, which is unfortunate. The low figures of infections are all because of the President’s approach and Zimbabwe has good livelihoods and healthcare. Even Vision 2030 is on the right course and we desire that through such good work, God should give His Excellency long life because such a leader who has a vision like His Excellency has, it is a challenge that there might not be anyone else who can do such a good job.
So, we see his good work and we respect what he does. This means that we have a good future. He is doing a good job. I will not continue speaking and as a former soldier, we are very precise. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to commend the State of the Nation Address which was presented by His Excellency, President E. D. Mnangagwa.
*HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Let me start by thanking Hon. Mutambisi who moved the motion on the State of the Nation Address which was presented by His Excellency President E. D. Mnangagwa. Let me also thank the Chair for affording me this opportunity because it is rare that after such presentations, you get an opportunity to contribute to such a debate.
I would like to start by thanking and appreciating the good work being done. In this regard I am looking at frontline workers who work day and night in hospitals, houses and even in this august House through vaccinations and by way of discharging different health care facilities. Madam Speaker, at one point if someone was diagnosed of COVID-19, this was viewed as a death sentence, but our frontline workers worked very hard. When you see people appreciating, it means that we are together.
Madam Speaker, COVID-19 is a crucial issue. It is important that people should continuously be reminded to go and get tested. At times you find people panicking and some go to get tested when it is too late, when they feel that there is no other option. It is important that this is done because if you know your status, you can then self-isolate or quarantine so that you protect your loved ones.
Let me also look at the issue regarding livelihoods for those who have retired. I am talking about the issue of NSSA which is administering pensions for those who are no longer working. We have been saying that pensioners are suffering because they are not having adequate pensions. In our Public Service and Labour Committee, we have been receiving letters of people who were expecting to get better income from their pensions because some were not properly covered. So, we anticipate that this money should be a revolving fund which must benefit all the people who are expected to benefit from it. It should be money with value. This should be done in a transparent manner. I believe that this is a good thing, this gives hope to pensioners who were contributing.
Let me also turn to women empowerment, for instance the Women’s Bank. We know that the bank had its expectations. Some people have even been arguing that the bank should be closed, but we believe that the bank must look at disabled women. If there is a disabled woman in a household or in society, he or she should be viewed just like any other person so that he or she benefits like anyone else. It is important for women to know that there is a bank which is there to emancipate women. It is important also that the Women’s Bank should be there for women and women should have trust and confidence in that bank. The bank should produce positive results.
The President also mentioned that there are young people who abuse drugs like musombodia, mbanje and other illicit drugs. When you go outside this building – for example along Forth Street, you will find young people abusing drugs. At times you might think that these are soft drinks like Coca cola and Fanta, yet these are illicit drugs which have detrimental effects upon their lives. It is important that young people are gainfully employed so that they can generate revenue for their families and their livelihoods. These are young people who are energetic and can be economically active. It is important to have a programme which rehabilitates young people and creates employment for young people.
I would also like to say that the President spoke about the veterans of the liberation struggling. Some of us came back but some died before Independence. It is important that people understand that women and men participated in the liberation war. We need to continue talking about such things. May those who passed away rest in peace. The other issue is that there is a proposal for the liberation struggle board to be put in place. My desire is that we know that we have laws but this board should have gender balance. There must be both men and women. Even when people went to war, both men and women were involved. My desire is that our war veterans should be found sitting on that board and it should be gender balanced.
Let me also talk about devolution. I would like to thank His. Excellency who spoke about that issue and suggested that there should be a provincial council. I was very happy on hearing the President talking about devolution because this is constitutional. The Constitution is now being aligned to what is anticipated in different provinces. Because of that, I appreciate the State of the Nation Address.
I would like to thank His Excellency who spoke about the Labour Amendment Bill. This is my favourite subject Madam. This Bill should be amended, particularly on dispute settlement. We have noticed that when there are disagreements, at times people engage in demonstrations and job action, but the law says that people should be able to engage each other and discuss industrial issues at the workplace. I am happy that when this Bill comes to this august House, we should participate on the amendments so that we mend relationships between employers and employees.
The President also spoke about the Yellow Conventions. I am happy because he said that many of these conventions are going to be discussed, for instance the one regarding the disabled. I am happy because this is a crucial issue which will be touched on. When we sign, this should be implemented. Because of that, we will be looking at the law so that it is applied, playing our watchdog role. I am happy that when we work on the Labour Amendment Bill, then we should be seen to be at par with other countries. I am happy that the Government of Zimbabwe has signed a lot of ratifications and these should be domesticated like what the President said so that this would be implemented.
My last point is that the Bill that was mentioned by His Excellency is a Bill which affects the welfare and the livelihood of the disabled. The question is; is this what we are doing for the disabled? I am happy that the President said that the Act was promulgated in 1992 but we need to amend it so that it is in tandem with what is happening at the moment, because when you stand outside this building, you see the disabled coming into this building on wheel chairs but at times we push the wheelchair to only the front entrance which is conducive. We need to align whatever is happening to the current situation.
Even on the allocation of land, the question is; are we giving land to the disabled so that they have improved livelihoods? The President spoke about such; do we have systems in place which support the disabled? Do we also consider the disabled even on the Pfumvudza project? Do we look at their ability to participate in that project? I believe that every Government programme should encompass all people, whether they are disabled or not. Even when I qualify in a project, I have to stand aside and look at the situation considering others.
I am pained because our society desires and it should review the way that we view the disabled. I cannot continue debating on this but I believe that I have touched on the most important things. His Excellency has demonstrated his commitment to the disabled and through the State of the Nation Address, he has shown the way. I thank you.
(v)HON. SAIZI: I would like to contribute on the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency the President of Zimbabwe. I would also like to add my voice to what has already been said. It was a very difficult period where we lost a lot of cattle but people managed to get down on their feet because of this programme. The country got food assistance. We thank His Excellency because he noticed that we now have a problem amongst our domestic animals and he moved in to assist. This programme that brought about vaccines really assisted us. We anticipate to see progress on the project that was initiated by the President, together with those from the Veterinary Department. It is our wish that both of us see to it that the cattle are safeguarded.
We also want to thank His Excellency as people from Muzarabani for the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme. The bad roads in our areas were rehabilitated. Some roads are now tarred but not yet completed. We anticipate seeing them completed. All programmes that were started by the Government are now finished at the end of it all. Previously, we had problems with completion of some of these projects, but now we are seeing quite a big difference. We are seeing progress. We want to be thankful to the President because he really helped the nation.
Coming to the issue of the economy in this country, the foreign currency auction system that he brought about made our economy to be stable. The President is working hard but we have people who are involved in dubious activities, pulling all the progress down. We kindly ask law enforcement agencies and all those in authority, to come together and we work hard so that we bring to book all those who are involved in these unscrupulous business activities. These people should be imprisoned and they deserve to stay in prison because they are disrupting a good initiative.
Coming to the COVID issue, I think he has also done well in this regard. What is only needed is for us Parliamentarians and the rest of the citizens to make sure that we are vaccinated. If we have done that, we have done well. It shows that the way it is being done by His Excellency and those in the health sector is very great. May the Lord lead and protect us so that they continue to do good works.
(v)+HON. O. SIBANDA: Thank you Madam Speaker. Firstly, I would like to thank the President for his presentation during SONA which was presented by Hon. Mutambisi, seconded by Hon. Torerai Moyo. The President presented very well, that we should unite so that there is peace and the country prospers. The President emphasised very well that where there is no peace and unity, the country will not succeed. Madam Speaker, the President said very well that where there is peace, there are so many good things that will happen in the country. Even the good Lord will be watching over us.
When we are talking about the prosperity of the country, the President will be touching on agriculture as he introduced Pfumvudza/Intwasa in that regard. If we look at our outputs in the farms, you will realise that there was a lot of produce which was delivered to GMB. I would like to congratulate the President on that. Right now, people are receiving Presidential inputs and the President is strictly emphasising that we should not deny people these inputs. If we look at my constituency Vungu in Gweru, this programme of Pfumvudza/Intwasa is doing very well.
I would also like to touch on the roads. There is a programme which was introduced by the President called the ERP. When we look at Gweru/Vungu, the roads were rehabilitated very well. We now have tarred roads. There is a are resealing programme for the road which comes from Mozambique up to Zambia and passing through Gweru. I would like to thank the President for that. The bridges have been constructed and I thank the President for that.
I would like to touch on education. The President said our children should go to school during the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to thank the President for the job well done. The challenge that we are facing is that there are students in rural schools and satellite schools in resettlement areas who are going to write examinations in November. This becomes a challenge in the outcome of the results. The pass rate percentage will be zero because they do not have the exposure to technology like urban school children.
I will then touch on the health sector. I would like to thank the President on what he did for the country to be united. The President really did a good job during this era of COVID-19. There were some measures of COVID-19 regulations which were set and this indeed prevented so many people from losing their lives. The vaccination programme in my constituency, Vungu, has found so many people getting their jabs. I would like to thank the soldiers who assisted during the mobile vaccination period and I would like to thank the President for deploying the security forces in Vungu Constituency. They are just a few who were not vaccinated.
I will now touch on the finance sector. The President, through the Ministry of Finance, said that there should be forex auction floors. This showed the prosperity of our country. It is unfortunate that there are so many fraudsters who are opening their markets. I would like to support the President that these people should be arrested. When I look at my constituency Vungu, you will find that some people are charging something that cost a dollar at the cost of $220 bond or ecocash. These people should be arrested. Looking at the police force, they do not have transport for them to conduct their duties. At Vungu Constituency, we do not even have a police station. We do not have even cells to keep prisoners. The police officers are really assisting us during this time, especially when there is violence. Some people are committing suicide and we do not know why they are killing themselves. I would want to assist members of the public that when they face any challenges, they should visit the police stations. There are some departments which deal with different matters and even village heads can also assist and we should not take the law into our own hands. The President is emphasising that the irrigation schemes should operate and we would like the irrigation schemes at Vungu to work during the Pfumvudza/Intwasa. I would like to thank the President for that programme.
There are some people who always visit our country who call themselves rapporteurs and at the same time there are some people in Zimbabwe who want to show visitors a wrong picture of the country, as if the country is in a dire situation. I am speaking of people like the Chamisas. It is very important that they should join POLAD other than to cause disharmony in the country. I would like to thank the President for what he has done and I wish him long life. I thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. MUTAMBISI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. MPARIWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 2nd November, 2021.
On the motion of HON. MUTAMBISI, seconded by HON. MPARIWA, the House adjourned at Fourteen Minutes to Four O’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 2nd November, 2021.