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SENATE HANSARD 10 OCTOBER 2024 VOL 34 NO 04
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Thursday, 10th October, 2024
The Senate met at Half–past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. KAMBIZI): Hon. Senators are reminded to put their gadgets on silence but it is even better if they are switched off.
APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Today being a Thursday, we have Questions Without Notice and as usual, the attendance is disappointing. I am quite hopeful that some of the Ministers will join us as we proceed.
I have received the following apologies from the Executive: Hon. Gen. Rtd. Dr. C. G.D.N. Chiwenga, Vice President; Hon. Rtd. Col. K. C. D. Mohadi, Vice President; Hon. K. Coventry, Minister of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture; Hon. B. Rwodzi, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry; Hon. K. Kazembe, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Hon. C. Sanyatwe, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Hon. W. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. P. Kambamura, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. Prof. Dr. A. Murwira, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Hon. S. Sibanda, Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Hon. J.G. Moyo, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. Dinha, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. M. M. Ndlovu, Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. R. Modi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. D. Marapira, Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement. Hon. Dr. A. J. Masuku, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement; Hon. Dr. Mombeshora, Minister of Health and Child Care.
In the House, we have two Ministers, who are, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Mhona and Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Ziyambi. We have those two Ministers and I hope other Ministers will be trickling in as we go.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
+HON. SEN. NYATHI: My question is directed to the Minister of Lands and Agriculture. What measures has Government put in place regarding distribution of inputs from the Presidential Inputs Scheme now that we are in mid-October and anytime from now, rains can come.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President Sir. If I got the question correctly, the Hon. Member is asking about when the inputs are going to be available?
Mr. President Sir, Government has already initiated the processes to ensure that the inputs will be distributed in time. We actually are also in receipt of the weather forecast that tells us the season pattern and everything in place. Treasury is seized with the issue of insurance that we balance out as we all know we are just coming out of an El Nino induced drought and we are now getting into a season of which the forecast is that it is going to be a normal season, so to speak. So, Treasury is seized with that and very soon you will hear announcements by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Settlement on the modalities of how the process is going to take place. I thank you.
HON. SEN. GWATURE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. When is the road from Harare to Mt. Darwin going to be rehabilitated considering its importance to the farming and mining communities? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. President Sir. Let me also thank Hon. Senator Gwature. She talked about Mt. Darwin from Harare but if you are going to Mt. Darwin, you need to start from the great City and I am sure it is part of the road that actually leads to Bindura. We have already started and we are now just past the round about and we will go into Bindura, from Bindura then we widen the road straight to Mt. Darwin, unless if she has got a particular section that she wants to hear. Of interest in Mt. Darwin, there is a missing link to Mukumbura – a road known as Ndodahondo which is about 26 kilometers to get into Mukumbura Border Post, which is very topical and emotional when we talk of Mt. Darwin. I want to assure the Hon. Senator that we are working closely with the contractor who is going to work on that entire stretch. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President. I wanted to direct my question to the Minister of Health and Child Care, unfortunately he is not around, thus I will direct my question to the Leader of Government Business.
Hon. Minister, my question is about the visiting hours in hospitals. We used to have three visiting hours per day before COVID, during the period of COVID, we then went to only one visiting hour per day. After COVID, the hospitals are still maintaining one visit per day. My question is, when are we going to revert to the three visiting hours per day? Maybe in some other hospitals they are maintaining the three visiting hours, but in Bulawayo, we only have one visiting hour per day. I thank you.
HON. Z. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for raising that. Actually, I am going to forward that question to the Hon. Minister to say that there is an issue about visiting times that arose during question time so that they can interrogate and find out the actual issues that obtain currently to maintain that position. I thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon, Minister. I think it is only proper that it is done so that the actual Hon. Minister can interrogate and bring a conclusive response to that.
*HON. SEN. MALULEKE: Thank you Hon. President for the opportunity. My question is directed to the Minister of Transport. We have heard that this year we are going to have normal to above normal rains. How far are you with the construction of the Chilonga Bridge and the road which is also bad?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRACTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. President and Hon. Sen Maluleke. It is true, this issue of people perishing due to mermaids need us to work together and find a solution. As the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, we can only respond regarding the issue of the bridge construction. It has been long since the issue of Chilonga Bridge was being discussed. The challenge we have regards this bridge is that; the type of soil in that area requires expertise in the erection of the foundation of this bridge. Efforts have been made to construct the bridge, but the pillars of the foundation could not sustain the weight of the bridge. The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development has identified an area where they are assessing to see if it is fit to erect strong pillars of the bridge. When we finish our assessment, we will come and inform this House that we are now continuing with the construction of Chilonga Bridge.
I would like to apologise to Chiredzi community – they have been looking forward to the completion of that bridge for too long. It is not that we are not willing to fix it but we are having challenges. We need to do the assessments first to make sure that we construct a safe and stronger bridge. I thank you.
*THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Minister for clarifying that issue. I am happy that the Hon. Senator who spoke about the issue of mermaids now understood that there are no mermaids to talk about – there are construction challenges that need to be rectified.
*HON. SEN. NGWENA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary education. What measures have you put in place to facilitate quick disbursement of the BEAM funds since some schools have not received these funds for quite a long time? I thank you.
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. GATA): I thank you Mr. President Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Senator who asked a question. BEAM is an aid that assists a lot in schools. If these funds are not disbursed to school in time, schools will not function well. Government, working together with the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has put in place a committee that comprises of the Deputy Ministers of Primary and Secondary Education, Deputy Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and the Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and all the others whom whey work with from various ministries. This committee was put in place to ensure that BEAM funds are disbursed well on time. All these previous times, BEAM funds were not being disbursed on time. I believe if there is a specific school identified that has not yet received the BEAM funds, we do a follow up. I know there are some schools which have not yet received these funds, but some monies have been disbursed by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investments Promotion.
As the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, we will be making a follow up together with our colleagues; we work as the whole Government approach. We follow up with the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, we follow up to the Treasury. But I assure you that the BEAM issue is being addressed and there are efforts being made to ensure that all funds are paid. Some schools have been paid, though we cannot pay all schools at the same time, but measures have been put in place to clear the back log on BEAM funds. I thank you.
HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: Thank you Mr. President. The Hon. Minister mentioned that they have paid some of the schools the BEAM money but we went to some of the schools and they were saying they are yet to get the BEAM money. They have been paid up to 2022, we do not know whether you have paid the outstanding amounts up to 2024 or not. Can we have clarification on this one so that we know whether you have paid to date to those schools which you are saying you have paid?
HON. GATA: Thank you Mr. President Sir. I would like to thank the Hon. Senator for the supplementary question. Like I indicated, BEAM has been disbursed in some of the schools and they have received it. If you do have any particular school that you would like us to make a follow-up, you can give us the name of the school. We can probably give you an assurance of when we can disburse after liaising with our counterparts, the Public Service and Treasury. I would appreciate if you can tell us the specific schools that you visited that still have to get BEAM. I acknowledge that there have been some delays in disbursements of BEAM but we are working on it. It might give you comfort to know that those who have not received the BEAM money, we are making efforts that when they are disbursed, they are disbursed at the prevailing rate of the day. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. GWATURE: My supplementary question is, is it Government policy that if you want to be enrolled for BEAM, first you have to pay first term school fees then you are enrolled to the BEAM plan?
*HON. GATA: As Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, BEAM has its own Committee. In such cases, if it is brought to the attention of the Ministry, the child will get help and the money will be paid and it will be backdated.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF NHEMA: My question is sort of a supplementary and I need clarification. On the issue of BEAM, are you aware that schools are running using that money? Do ministries know that even the monies for BEAM are used to run schools on a daily basis? If disbursements are delayed, sports activities will not be done at schools. Why do ministries want to lag behind?
*HON. GATA: I want to thank the Hon. Chief for the question. I had already indicated that BEAM funds are used on a day to day basis. Government understands this issue and that is why we have put a Committee of three ministries to look at the matter. These are Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Public Service and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education. We submit the list to the Ministry of Finance requesting for the disbursements of the funds. As a Ministry, we know very well that schools do not function properly without the monies. It is our hope and wish that we get that money like yesterday and that is why we now have a tripartite system. So, it is true that BEAM caters for the daily running of the school but of course, there are late disbursements. It is work in progress and all such matters will be ironed out.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Minister. Also, in the House, we have been joined by Hon. M. Ncube, Deputy Minister for National Housing and Social Amenities. If you have questions directed to the Ministry and the other Ministers already in the House, you can go ahead.
HON. SEN. KUNAKA: My supplementary question is directed to the Minister of Education pertaining to BEAM. It seems BEAM only pays for a child’s education but excludes examination fees. Most of the children being assisted through BEAM end up not writing examinations for lack of examination fees. For a child to be evaluated as having attained a certain stage in the education process, they need to take the examinations. So, if the child goes to school but fails to write exams, I do not know what it means. I would therefore want to know what plans the Ministry has in place for children on BEAM to have examination fees paid for them.
HON. GATA: Thank you Hon. Sen for the question. Any child who is assisted by BEAM will learn and write examinations because BEAM pays for education as well as examination fees. So, no child on BEAM will fail to write examinations. If you have a specific place where children on BEAM were not allowed to write examinations, I would implore you to give it to us in writing so that we can follow up on the issue. I thank you.
HON. SEN. KUNAKA: My question is directed to the Leader of Government Business. Government’s essential services are paid in US dollars, specifically fuel and other essential services. We do not have fuel paid in local currency but Government made a currency that it does
not want to use on essentials. This has caused people to buy foreign currency from money changers. Police in turn arrest these money changers tightening procurement of foreign currency. What is Government planning, through the Ministry of Finance, to address this challenge? Will it not be wiser to outlaw the ZiG and use currencies accepted in essential services? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President and thank you Hon. Senator for the question. Firstly, I want to correct that the most widely used currency in Zimbabwe is not ZiG but the US dollar. There is no pressure from little players to go and buy US dollars and cause the inflationary pressure on the ZiG. The ZiG that was printed - we know the amount of ZiG that is in circulation and that is not causing pressure from little players in the market. Secondly, we are not going to re-dollarise. The most dangerous thing that we can do to ourselves is to re-dollarise. But we are working on a roadmap to a mono currency, that is our own currency. We do not want to go back and say, let us adopt another country’s currency as our sole currency because that would create a lot of problems for us. What we are going to do is come up with a plan to ensure that we support our own currency just like what the Governor did a couple of weeks ago. We had a policy of willing-buyer/willing-seller but what has been happening is that we were the only willing-seller and we were selling our currency at 14 and then realised that a lot of people were now abusing the system, hence the RBZ Governor ended up increasing interests rates because matsotsi were going to borrow money then go and buy foreign currency and dispose it. So, the RBZ increased interest rates so that it becomes expensive to borrow. They also increased the amounts banks must deposit with the RBZ. All these measures were put in place to ensure that we slow down what was happening. Actually, when the RBZ went into the market and said we have about US$16 million but we want a rate of 25, the market could not take all the money. That week, only about US$10 million was used and US$6 million remained. The following week, banks were now offering the RBZ US dollars. It was now the reverse of what was happening. So, what is needed is for the RBZ and monitoring authorities to come up with a roadmap where we will increase the circulation of our own currency and decrease the usage of the US dollar. We, however, need to increase the confidence within the generality of our people so that they have confidence to use our currency and also curb those who want to abuse the process to make quick gains. I thank you.
^^HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President…
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order! It looks like there is no translation and I wonder if the Minister will be able to understand it. Can you try another language if you can Hon. Sen. Mohadi?
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President. My question goes to the Minister of Transport, but before I put my question, I would like to thank him for the work that he is doing as most of our roads are now accessible. My question is on the Beitbridge/Masvingo Road. We have detours that were left sometime back and they have stopped working on them. What plans do you have in order to resume working on those roads because those detours are now very bad? I thank you.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. President Sir and let me also thank Hon. Senator Mohadi for that important question. I want to concur with her that we have some sections that are yet to be done. If you relate to that particular road where at times we are crossing a railway line or passing through a river and need to pitch up a bridge, what has been stalling is the section at Ngundu. I am sure that is where the road has been affected for some time, where we are passing a mountainous area and had to blast through that particular section.
To answer her question, I would say we had actually stalled on that particular stretch where we were working on some of the designs, but if you would see in Masvingo now, we are crossing Mucheke River. We have started working on it and if you would come closer to Skyline here in Harare, we are working on the bridge. My team is there already. If you look at Fairfield which is close to Mvuma, we are to start putting the road over rail which is about one kilometer. I can assure the Hon. Senator that where we had stalled, we are resuming the works and we will do that with speed so that before the end of the year, you will see tremendous progress along that road. Thank you.
HON. SEN. KABONDO: Thank you Mr. President. My question goes to the Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. I take note that the Hon. Minister spoke of the fixation of the Beitbridge/ Bulawayo Road and Bulawayo/Victoria Falls Road. I realise that we forgot to mention the Binga Road, given its potential to support the fishing from the Zambezi. This is because fishing is the mainstay for Binga people and also given that we now have a beach in Binga which attracts tourists. I wanted to find out from the Hon. Minister through you, if there are any plans of looking into that road anytime soon so that Binga people are not left behind.
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. President and let me thank the Hon. Member for that important question. I am sure it will give me a chance to elaborate to the people of Zimbabwe that yes, she has talked about the Beitbridge/Bulawayo/Victoria Road which two weeks ago, we had to address the nation that we are starting with a contractor who is going to work on the 750 km stretch. On that same note, we mentioned about PPPs arrangement that we have also cemented in terms of the Minister and that partner where we are going to be starting at Karoi.
The road will start at Karoi into Binga/Siyakobvu Road and from there into Cross Dete. You find that it will alleviate and also shorten the distance to Victoria Falls and also to address the concerns as raised by the Hon. Senator. Concurrently, we will be working on that road, not only that, we also talked about the Kwekwe/Nkayi/Lupane Road and the Binga/Bulawayo/Nkayi Road simultaneously. These are the major roads feeding into Victoria Falls Road.
I want to assure Hon. Senators that it resonates very well with our great leader Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa that no place and no one is going to be left behind. We take cognisance of the activities being undertaken at Binga and in particular, Siyakobvu and along the Zambezi River. We are going to be introducing a ferryboat along the Zambezi River. I want to assure the Hon. Senator that she must go back home and also pass on the message that we are working on the 300 km road from Karoi and from Karoi, Binga to Cross Dete. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIREYA: My question goes to the Minister of Transport. We have many vehicles which are plying our roads in this country and my question is, what is Government policy on reducing vehicles that go into the CBD during peak hours?
*THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Hon. President and I want to thank Hon. Senator Chief Chireya for the question. Our President Hon. E. D. Mnangagwa’s vision is that by 2030, we will be having a middle-class economy. If people have cars, it means our people are becoming rich and as chiefs, I think they will be happy to see their people prospering. I think we should have more commuter omnibuses to ferry many people into the CBD so that those with their own vehicles can then use them during weekends. This will help us in reducing many vehicles in our roads. We are working with the Ministry of Local Government on urban transportation system to see how best we can limit the flow of vehicles into the CBD and have buses to ferry many people. We can also open up some roads which are wide so that travelling becomes much easier. Thank you.
HON. SEN. SIBANDA: My question goes to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works and in his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of Government Business. There has been a reduction on the call allowances for technicians at public hospitals. Seeing that these days power-cuts, water and sewer bursts are the order of the day, it becomes a problem for the hospitals to start looking for technicians at their residences and most of them stay about 12km away from the hospitals. It becomes a problem for the hospital to look for transport to go and look for the technicians if there is a problem at the hospital.
Noting that most machines like incubators and life support machines at the hospital cannot function without power, if only the technicians could be paid their allowances and are found around the hospital premises, it is much easier for the hospital to operate. What measures can the Ministry do to repay the allowances to the technicians so that we have a smooth running of the hospital?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): I want to thank the Senator for that question. This is purely an administrative issue that needs to be looked at to find out what caused that and what are the remedies so that the technicians that are supposed to be on call giving cover for emergencies can be found at the appropriate time. I will find out from the Minister of Health so that they can address your concerns with a view of addressing that. I thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: It would be much better even if you put it in writing so that the responsible Minister can actually get the proper figures and bring them to this House.
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHIKWAKA: My question is directed to the Leader of the House. What measures are in place to eradicate chronic diseases that are caused by use of chemicals in farming or the processing of foodstuffs? If you look back, before the advent of these chemicals, people used to live longer but nowadays the life expectancy has been reduced significantly due to the use of these chemicals, either at work places or in the processing of foodstuffs that we consume.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): I want to thank the Hon. Senator for that pertinent question. There are measures in place already which regulate the use of such chemicals but let me hasten to say that the responsible Minister will bring the Occupational Health and Safety Bill which will look at all work places including those in agriculture where there are hazardous chemicals that are used. If the Bill sails through, it will regulate the use of chemicals, be it at workplaces or in the processing of foodstuffs. Those found on the wrong side of the law will be prosecuted. Basically, the Bill covers all types of work places, whether it is those that use their hands or maybe those that are exposed to hazardous chemicals with a view to promoting safe work places.
*HON. SEN. BIMHA: My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. What policy does your Ministry have in promoting and identifying talent at a tender age, whether it is sports or in arts? Is there a policy to identify talent in young children at primary school level so that such talent may be developed to a professional level?
*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. GATA): Thank you Hon. Senator Bimha for that question. In the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, we have what we call profiling which starts when a child is in ECD - that is ECD A and B. This is done in schools to get to discover the child’s talent. At grade three level, it will have been realised whether the child is talented in sport or in innovation. So, we have that programme that helps in identifying a child’s talent.
In the previous days, children were asked to do the same things, but now we can see that our children can earn a living through sports. This was proved during the Olympics. We have children who went to represent Zimbabwe at the Olympics up to the finals. This is what we are doing under the heritage-based curriculum. The results might take time because we have just started the heritage-based education. In the future, you will be seeing children doing what they are talented in. I thank you.
HON. SEN: CHITSAMBA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare. Presently, civil servants are receiving salaries which are not enough to sustain their living. What is the Government doing towards this to upgrade their living conditions?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President. There is a forum where civil service negotiates for their salary increase and that process is ongoing. Government, through the Minister of Finance, has already given a commitment that because of the changes in the monetary policy and the exchange rate that happened, there is going to be changes to salaries for civil servants this coming month. So it is a matter that Government is giving consideration and it is going to be effected. I thank you.
THE ACTING PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Minister. Obviously, you would not come up with figures because something is happening behind the scenes.
*HON. SEN. KATUMBA: Thank you Mr. President. My question is directed to the Minister of Industry and Commerce but unfortunately, he is not around. So, I am directing it to the Leader of the House. We have an incident which happened at Mbare musika which destroyed properties of people in indigenisation. Why does Fire Brigade fail to have water when there is fire? I thank you.
*THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. President. I have heard the question why the Fire Brigade failed to get water and I have to carry this question to the City of Harare on why they did not have water because Government policy says that there must be fire tenders ready when there is a fire outbreak. If there is a fire tender failing to do its job, we have to investigate why the people who have to do that are failing to do so. At the moment, I am not aware of what happened or why they did not have adequate equipment to deal with the fire.
HON. SEN. MUNEMO: Thank you Madam President. My question is directed to the Minister of Health and Child Care but in his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House. What is the Government’s plan of action to manage, control and treat cancer, taking into account that the nation’s Cancer Prevention and Control Strategy for Zimbabwe 2014 to 2018 expired?
THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Madam President. Last year around this time, the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, in his budget speech, gave a comprehensive presentation on what Government was doing and even proposed that we adopt a sugar tax. That was a forum for all of us to interrogate and come up with a comprehensive plan if we believed that the measures that were put in place were inadequate.
I remember in the current budget, the Hon. Minister actually introduced a novel tax which he termed a sugar tax, to collect funds to ensure that we fight the scourge of cancer and treat it. A couple of weeks ago, again the Minister of Finance in the august House, indicated that we have collected a sizeable amount of money which he said was now at the disposal of the Ministry of Health and Child Care, to procure cancer machines. So, I think from a policy perspective, Government has laid down a framework to say this is what we want to do. At the operational level now, you can then ask specific questions to the Minister of Health to say that you have these levies, account for what you are doing to ensure that our population benefits and we are able to treat cancer. I so submit.
Questions Without Notice were interrupted by the TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in terms of Standing Order Number 67.
+HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: Madam President, I move that Questions Without Notice time be extended.
*HON. SEN. KUNAKA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
+HON. SEN. RITTA. NDLOVU: Thank you Madam President. My question is on the issue of commuter omnibuses. From the look of things, they do not have designated places for picking up and dropping passengers here in Harare but in some towns, there are designated places because right now, there is chaos in some of the cities. What are Government plans or laws to make sure they use designated places?
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Hon. Madam President and let me also thank Hon. Sen. Ndlovu for that very important question. If I got it very well, I think she is talking of designated points for commuter omnibuses. I do concur that there is chaos but urban transportation, like I indicated earlier on, falls under the purview of the Ministry of Local Government and especially under cities authorities where they are supposed to designate proper picking and dropping points. We are seeing that rampant abuse of the system, especially in great cities where we are talking of Harare mainly, but I also want to think in Bulawayo, there is order when it comes to commuter omnibuses. If you remember very well, in Harare, there was a designated pick and drop point outside great City at Rowen Martin but instead of sticking to that designated area, commuter operators were plying within the cities. There is an element of lawlessness by some of our commuter omnibuses. We are again working closely with Home Affairs together with City police so that there is enforcement. We really work closely with my counterparts so that we enforce discipline within the great cities.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. A. DUBE): I think the time has now expired.
MOTION
EQUIPPING OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS TO ENSURE COMMUNITIES PRACTICE, PRESERVE AND RESPECT CULTURAL PRACTICES
HON. SEN. MUZODA: I move the motion standing in my name that this House—
DISTURBED by the rate of demoralisation of our culture by western influence resulting in moral decadence of our society;
APPLAUDING the role played by our traditional leadership in various communities in preserving our cultural heritage;
CONCERNED that some sections of our population and religious groups are the catalysts in demonising our cultural values as being backward and devoid of civilisation:
NOW, THEREFORE, calls upon Government—
- to ensure that traditional leaders countrywide are adequately equipped to ensure that their communities practice, preserve and respect cultural practices; and
- to implore traditional leaders to conduct traditional and ancestral appeasement ceremonies among various communities without fail.
HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: I second.
*HON. SEN. MUZODA: Thank you Madam President. I want to focus on our culture, looking at our culture which was there since long back but now lagging behind. Madam President, because of new ways of worshiping which we are following today and other ways of living which are outside our cultural way of living, we are having problems. Looking at the way in which we used to live and our ways of worshiping respecting our God, at times I hear some people saying although we are worshiping the same God, the way of worship differs with different cultures.
Madam Speaker, in other countries, for example, when we look at the way we worship following our cultures - if you look at a country called Afghanistan, even in the midst of a war, they do not return fire before they worship their god. This shows that there is a god which they believe in. They do have their culture that they follow religiously which helps them in their lives. I want to talk about our culture. Our culture is being eroded or affected by some other things being imported from other countries. These countries have got their own ways of worshipping which are different from us. In our African culture we were taught that whenever we were leaving home going to work or to hunt, you have to tell the ancestral spirits where you were going and what you were going to do so that all your paths would be cleared and if you had gone hunting, you could bring an antelope back home. If I take an example of this year of drought, long back as we were growing, it was unheard of, that the whole country could be affected by drought and not a single bucket of maize could be harvested anywhere while our svikiros, vadzimu and traditional leaders were there. They would call all the traditional leaders, masvikiro ne mhondoro and go under a muchakata tree with millet to ask from the country’s ancestral spirits for the rain to come down so that people would not starve. These are some of the things that make us people of Zimbabwe regress because we are no longer following our culture but following other things that are different from our culture.
So, Madam President, it is my plea that even in this House, if no-one has ever encountered the medium spirits that converse with our ancestral spirits, it means even what we long for, we will not achieve. We will scold each other here because these mountains that we have built our structures on were occupied by some well-known people. There were medium spirits and that is where our life, culture and leaders are anchored. We knew and continue to know that we have our own way of calling our own god here in Zimbabwe. The first thing that we were taught as we were growing up was that your first god is your father, mother and your tribe. That is where all the people’s blessings came from and the prosperity of our country. I said if the traditional leaders and other spiritual leaders do not come into this House, we will scold each other. Thievery will continue because we will not be working together with those who allow this country to prosper and have peace as well as being looked upon favourably by other countries. For people to be united and not point fingers at each other, it takes the spirit of dzimbabwe to do that.
Zimbabwe is a country endowed with everything but if we do not honour those in charge of looking after our minerals and our ubuntu, we will not prosper. If we install a chief, it does not auger well if he is removed from that position. We will not prosper as a nation. Currently, our traditional leaders are no longer respected. They are just chiefs in name without any respect from their people. They no longer have power and authority; no-one listens to them and no-one follows our culture. No-one knows that if a chief calls you to their court, they should adhere to the time and dates they are given. They will take about three weeks to get there because there is no longer respect for our culture. The important plea that I have to those who lead us is to go back to our culture, revere our ancestral spirits and respect the traditional leaders who keep and protect our cultural values and norms. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to air my views. Nowadays, people no longer respect our culture; we are now busy with Christianity and in doing so, we do not even pray with honesty. This means nothing will work in our favour because we have lost our cultural values. We are now living in a borrowed culture which we do not understand at all yet we have our own values which we must live by.
You will notice that back then, if a tree is struck by lightning, the tree would be cut down and burnt. These days if a tree is struck by lightning, it remains there and people do not mind. When there were no rains, people would collectively go out and cut down trees that would have been struck by lightning and also bring down any bad rituals that may have been placed on trees. They would then do the proper rituals that are supposed to be done for the rains to come. We have passed so many years without enough rainfall – yes, they say it is the effect of climate change but on the other hand, we also lost our cultural norms where people would go for rain-making ceremonies and the rains would fall instantly. Nowadays, even if we do the rain-making ceremony – because we have lost our cultural norms, the rain will never fall. Chiefs used to be respected but nowadays they are no longer respected, even all of us here no longer respect chiefs amongst us; they are now our friends. Back then you could not be friends with the chief. Whenever you visit the chief, it is either you go there as an accused or you are going there to be reprimanded for you to live in harmony in the community.
Our children in the rural areas have also lost their cultural values, they no longer respect our chiefs, they do not dress decently. I will not talk of those living in the urban areas because we all know they have no respect for our values. It was taboo for women to wear trousers in the rural areas. I could not move around with elders wearing trousers. We request the Government to restore genuine power to the chiefs so that we protect our cultural norms. In other countries like South Africa, they respect their cultural values, they still practice their culture though they are from different tribes. The Zulu, Pedi, and other South African tribes would respect and practice their culture. The reason why some countries are well developed is because they observe and respect their cultural values and they respect their traditional leaders. On the contrary, in our country we no longer have respect, we have undressed them.
Countries like India, though we have never visited them, always follow their culture. Our country is rich and if only we respected our culture, we would not be where we are today as a country. We have places where we can go and ask for rains but this is no longer happening. A representative would go to Njelele to ask for rainfall, that person would be respected and he would be chosen wisely. The person would be an elderly person who no longer has their menses to do the cultural rituals.
I request us to respect our culture. Some of the elderly people like me are still trying to follow our culture but our children and grandchildren, it is very difficult to make them observe their culture. In the near future, when all the elderly die, I wonder how these children will be surviving. They will no longer have a culture to live on. I wish the powers of the chiefs could be restored so that we live within our culture and observe our culture for our nation to move forward. Even back then, the culture was always in place. God was there and I urge people to pray to God because there are some people who believe in Christianity and some follow the African traditional religion.
HON. SEN. MUZODA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. RITTA. NDLOVU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 15th October, 2024.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. RICHARD NDLOVU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. NYATHI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Tuesday, 15th October, 2024.
On the motion of HON. RICHARD NDLOVU, seconded by HON. SEN. NYATHI, the House adjourned at Eight Minutes past Four o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 15th October, 2024.