• Version
• Download 0
• File Size 370.50 KB
• File Count 1
• Create Date October 9, 2024
• Last Updated March 12, 2025

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 09 OCTOBER 2024 VOL 51 NO 03

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Wednesday, 9^th October, 2024

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

2025 PRE-BUDGET SEMINAR

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  I have to inform the House that the 2025 Pre-Budget Seminar will be held in Bulawayo from 5^th to 10^th November, 2024.  All Hon. Members are kindly requested to confirm their attendance with the Public Relations Department Officers who will be stationed in Special Committee Room No. 1, Ground Floor starting at 1430 hours until the adjournment of the House from today, Wednesday 9^th October, 2024 to Thursday, 17^th October, 2024.

         Accommodation for the Hon. Members will be available at the following hotels: - Bulawayo Holiday Inn, Rainbow Hotel and Cresta Churchill.  For information, Hon. Members can contact the Public Relations Department.      

MOTION

RESTORATION OF ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY [BILL H.B. 5, 2023], PERSONS WITH DISABILITY [H. B. 2, 2023] AND PARKS AND WILDLIFE AMENDMENT BILL [H. B. 1, 2024]

  THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Mr. Speaker, I move that the following Bills which were superseded by the end of the First Session of the Tenth Parliament be restored on the Order Paper in terms of standing Order 171 at the stages that they had reached:

1. Abolition of Death Penalty Bill [H. B. 5, 2023]
2. Persons with Disability Bill [H. B. 2, 2023] and
3. Parks and Wildlife Amendment Bill [H. B. 1, 2024]

         Motion put and agreed to.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. SPEAKER

APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  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, on leave; Hon. B. Rwodzi, Minister of Tourism and Hospitality Industry; Hon. D. Garwe, Minister of Local Government and Public Works; Hon. F. Shava, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade; Hon. K. Kazembe, Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Hon. C. Sanyatwe, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage; Hon. J. Muswere, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services; Hon. T. Mavetera, Minister of Information, Communication and Technology, Postal and Courier Services; Hon. W. Chitando, Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. P. Kambamura, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development; Hon. Prof. Dr. A. Murwirwa, Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development; Hon. S. Sibanda, Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education; Hon. J.G. Moyo, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. Dinha, Deputy Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare; Hon. Modi, Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce; Hon. Dr. A. J. Masuku, Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development and Hon. D. Marapira, Deputy Minister of Lands and Agriculture Fisheries, Water and Rural Development.

         Quite a number of these Ministers are at the national function in Bulawayo.

ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

         HON. MASHAVAVE: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs. We are witnessing too many car- jacking and armed robberies across the country. Loose fire arms are on the high. What is the position of the Ministry pertaining to that? I thank you.

         THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. Hon. Speaker Sir, it is very worrisome when incidences of lawlessness especially of this nature where carjacking happens in the country. The law enforcement agency is seized with this and in fact we believe that something must be done urgently to ensure that even on our roads, the carnage that is happening, only yesterday, the Minister of Transport was actually detailing out that the majority of accidents are due to negligence and the manner in which our people are misbehaving on the roads and the response is too broad. 

One is that all law-abiding citizens must condemn behaviour which points to lawlessness and help the law enforcement agency to ensure that they can control that. The second point is that as law enforcement agency, we are going to up our game to ensure that we now deal with this menace, which we believe is actually a national security issue, to ensure that we nip it in the bud and deal with it. The finer details Mr. Speaker Sir, will remain with the security agency because they cannot disclose the methods that they want to use to ensure that we are all able to drive on our highways peacefully. We are all able to sleep at home peacefully without fearing anyone breaking into our homes or breaking into our cars. I so submit, Mr. Speaker Sir. Thank you.

         *HON. ZIKI: Thank you, Hon. Speaker Sir. My question is that where I come from in Hurungwe, people are facing hunger but I believe that this is what is happening in most areas. The hunger comes as a result of the fact that the transporters have not been paid. We are approaching the second pfumvudza and the first one has not been paid for. The transportation that they have been doing, they paid 30% of that. Now we are facing hunger whilst our depots have food but people do not have access to food. My question is, what should we do? There are transporters who say that they can charge USD1 per person but they are not allowed, so now people are suffering of hunger whilst there is food in depots. Are we going to allow people to pay that USD1 per head so that they can be given that food aid? I thank you.

         *THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you.  I want to thank Hon. Ziki for that question on people of Hurungwe who are facing hunger.  Then he also spoke about Presidential inputs.  Let me say that this question was asked and the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare was in this House.  I remember that particular day, he said that indeed, we had a challenge regarding transportation of maize from one point to the other so that it reaches the targeted recipients. 

We were told that sometimes bricks were carried to Matebeleland, so now we work with WFP so that their trucks will be able to carry this grain to its intended recipients. 

Indeed, we cannot be 100% from the start of the distribution process so that everyone has access but what I can say is that from what we have heard by the responsible authority in Cabinet, it is now different from the inception of the programme.  There was a challenge but now there is an improvement in the distribution of food.  So, we cannot urge people to look for their own transport because we will be creating a form of corruption where you would find that people in rural areas will be taken advantage of.  When there is a challenge and if there is a particular area where people do not have access, please communicate so that we know.  This is important because if that is done, then we would correct the anomalies.  I thank you.

*HON. ZIKI: I was speaking to policy issues.  The policy does not allow people to collect or to pool resources, paying a dollar each but now the issue is that people are suffering.  I was asking what could be done so that the policy allows people to pool resources for transportation so that they have access to grain. The community has their money, they are prepared to collect their dollar so that the grain is transported and GMB is saying that Government policy does not allow that.  I thank you.

HON. Z. ZIYAMBI:  I believe that Hon. Ziki, if the Hon. Member was listening, I said Government does not allow people to collect money from communities for transportation.  What they can do is that when they see that people are not receiving grain, I mentioned that Government is working with WFP and other partners who transport grain to communities.  So, they must inform the DDC office and the councillors so that information is escalated to the relevant authorities, but we cannot allow people to collect a dollar per household because that is not Government policy and Government does not allow that.

*HON. KANGAUSARU:  My supplementary question is, is it allowed to provide transport for food and seed to people in our constituency because in Hurungwe people are desperate?  They do not have food, seed and inputs for the good season ahead of us.  Hurungwe is a breadbasket of Zimbabwe.  Can we not give seed to our people in time?  We know that this season will be much better, we are expecting good rains.  As Members of Parliament, can we be allowed to transport food and agricultural inputs so that people can have food and seed for this farming season?  I thank you.

*THE HON. SPEAKER:  That is a different question.  The first question is about drought relief but talking about seeds and inputs is different.  You can ask that question later.

HON. J. TSHUMA:  My supplementary question pertaining to the issue of food is in the urban areas.  We know that Government did a good thing to say that they will give people money to buy mealie-meal and other stuff but up to now, my concern is that the money has not yet started to be received by the recipients.  What is Government doing to expedite that so that these monies are received and that people can be able to go and buy that mealie-meal?  Today, I saw a message saying that people must come to some hall to receive NetOne lines but this is something that has been talked about for almost three to four months.  What is Government’s position to try and expedite this process?  I thank you.

HON. Z. ZIYAMBI:  Mr. Speaker Sir, Hon. Tshuma has articulated the Government policy that in urban areas, cash transfers will be done.  Hon. Tshuma now requires information as to specifics and logistical issues on how the monies are going to be disbursed.  I kindly request that if he can put that in writing so that he can be responded to because it is now outside the realm of policy.  It is now an operational question.  I thank you.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  My understanding was that, it is the delay of the disbursement so that the people can buy food to feed themselves.  If I understood him well.

HON. Z. ZIYAMBI:  Yes, you are very correct.  A delay is not a policy issue.  The policy is that we are going to give cash to those that are in urban areas and that is the position that we understand in Cabinet that in urban areas, there is cash transfer.  That is why I said my understanding, it has already started but Hon. Tshuma is indicating that it has not started.  I am not in a position to argue with that position because the position that I have is; in urban areas, there is cash transfer and Hon. Tshuma is saying no, it has not started.  They are actually registering people now and then that becomes very specific because the general position that we have propagated is, in urban areas, this is what we are doing.  I submit.

         THE HON. SPEAKER: Thank you very much Leader of Government Business. Hon. Tshuma, why not write your question so that you can be attended to accordingly?

HON. J. TSHUMA: I stand guided Mr. Speaker, I will certainly do that.

*HON. C. HLATYWAYO: Thank you, Hon. Speaker Sir. The issue of hunger is not being taken seriously. It was declared a national disaster, meaning that all Government departments should respond with speed so that people do not suffer. What was asked by the Hon. Member from Hurungwe is that transporters were not paid.  So,

it is not happening, they are not carrying and transporting grain because they have not been paid.

So, the Hon. Minister did not respond adequately because he did not address the question. The question is, would people receive grain when the trucks or the transport is not paid for? The Minister did not respond to the question that was asked. The question refers to payment for transportation so that people receive food aid or their grain in time. I thank you.

HON. Z. ZIYAMBI: Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir. When we are responding to Questions without Notice, we state Government policy. You will not have operational issues at your fingertips. The issue of non-payment of transporters speaks to a policy that is already there, that the Government has committed to transport grain from one point to the other but when transporters are not paid, then it becomes a specific issue that needs interrogation why they have not been paid. It would be expecting too much of me to be able to answer specifically why social welfare is not paid and why agriculture has not done this but on a policy level, I should be able to articulate.

         I do not know how he interprets answering a question indicating the policy position that we want the grain to be transported in this manner; that can be translated to indicate that the Government is not taking the Drought Mitigation Programme seriously. I think the Hon. Member went overboard in that regard.

However, in terms of articulating what we are doing, that is exactly what we did. I acknowledge that we noticed that there were bottlenecks in terms of the transportation of grain. Admittedly, it had improved in the second quarter. When we distributed grain for the first three months, we noticed a lot of bottlenecks. Even the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, when he came here, explained that grain that was going to Mashonaland East for instance, Goromonzi specifically, was coming from Aspindale.  Aspindale became very busy to the extent that Goromonzi was severely affected because of the queues that were at Aspindale and we decided to change ensuring that grain comes from other areas so that the mitigation programme happens.

         So, nobody is taking this in a manner that can be said lackadaisically or not serious. The Government is more serious than the opposition in terms of ensuring that no one starves. I submit.

THE HON. SPEAKER: Order! What I seem to glean from the Leader of Government Business is that Hon. Members, in your constituencies, if there are specific problems with grain delivery for drought relief, you do not have to wait for Wednesday. That is an operational issue.  You have to approach the officers on the ground. If the officers are on the ground as Hon. Members, you have a right to contact the Minister responsible, Hon. July Moyo. So do not wait for Wednesday to ask operational questions. Take it up immediately with the responsible authorities and you will get answers. If you do not get answers, then put them down in writing so that the Minister can respond in detail and in writing as well.

         HON. S. TSHUMA: On a point of clarity!

THE HON. SPEAKER: Point of clarity is another way of asking a supplementary question diplomatically. I will not allow it. Thank you.

HON. SHIRIYEDENGA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Finance. Recently, the CEO of Mutapa Investment Fund announced that a comprehensive diagnostic assessment was completed in June, which concluded that the fund has $16 billion worth of assets under its portfolio. In the circumstances, can the Hon. Minister, therefore, advise this House as to when the valuation report will be brought before Parliament for scrutiny?

Also, explain the valuation methodology stating values per each enterprise under the Mutapa Investment Fund. Thank you.

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION (HON. D. K. MNANGAGWA): Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Hon. Member. I think what the Hon. Member is asking for, Mr. Speaker, is a comprehensive audit report of the whole Mutapa Fund, which consists of all the entities. What we had was a preliminary valuation. I am sure that once it is complete, it will be shared with Parliament, with the Ministry of Finance and we will be able to present it to this House. That comprehensive valuation report is not yet ready. What we have is a preliminary one. Once it is ready, we will share it.

HON. JAMES: Supplementary!

THE HON. SPEAKER: Is there a supplementary that should arise when the Hon. Deputy Minister has agreed with the first questioner that the Hon. Member's request is going to be complied with?

HON. JAMES: Mr. Speaker Sir, I am simply asking for a timeline.

THE HON. SPEAKER: Timeline –[Laughter] - Any idea of a timeline, Hon. Minister?

HON. D. K MNANGAGWA: When it is ready, Mr. Speaker.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  I am sure the Hon. Deputy Minister is alive to the implications of the question.

HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Mr Speaker Sir.  My question is directed to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.  There were people who were conducting the registration of people who were not in the voters' roll and this was done on the 25^th of July, 2023.  Up to now, they have not received their money.  Will they get the money or not?

THE HON. SPEAKER:  May I help the Leader of Government Business here?  This is a specific question.  If you could kindly put it in writing so that it is responded to next week because it requires some research on behalf of the Minister concerned to find out exactly what has happened. 

Will you oblige, Hon. Member, to put your question in writing so that the Hon. Minister can come up with a detailed schedule of those who were paid and those who were not paid for the exercise? And this is where, which constituency?  

HON. ZEMURA:  Murewa district. I will put it in writing.

HON. C. MOYO:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  My question is directed to the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage.  In view of the USD 4.4 million heist in Bulawayo, what measures is Government taking to ensure that there is no repeat of such disturbing instances in the future?  I thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Hon. Member, I think you must have come late.  That question was asked before and the answer was given accordingly.  

HON. C. MOYO:  Thank you, Hon. Speaker.  It was to do with car hijackers, not specifically the robbery in Bulawayo and in addition, Hon. Speaker, yesterday you said if I can ask the Hon. Minister today. I seek your indulgence, Hon. Speaker.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  The heist?

HON. C. MOYO:  Yes, the 4.4 million.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Two weeks ago, is it the one you are talking about?

HON. C. MOYO:  Last week, Hon. Speaker.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Yes, the Hon. Leader of Government Business has answered that.

HON. C. MOYO:  But it was something to do with car jackers.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  I thought you said now it is about the 4 million.

HON. C. MOYO:  Yes, Honourable Speaker.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  That was answered.

HON. C. MOYO:  The 4.4 million was not answered, Hon. Speaker.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Come before prayers, please. You came late, Hon. Member.

*HON. MAKUMBE:  Thank you, Hon. Speaker.  I want to direct my question to the Minister of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture.  I want to ask Government plans regarding the refurbishment of the different stadiums around the country.

*THE HON. SPEAKER:  Football stadiums?

*HON. MAKUMBE:  Yes, I am talking about stadiums or stadia.

*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORTS, RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE (HON. JESAYA):  Thank you, Hon. Speaker.  Government values our sporting facilities, not only for soccer but for all the different sport codes we have in the country. Government is working on that so that at the end of the day, we would be able to host soccer matches at the National Sports Stadium.  There are a number of issues that were highlighted by CAF that need attention so that we use the National Sports Stadium such as water reticulation and bucket seats.  These are issues that we are working on.  We are waiting for bucket seats, which were paid for, and they are enroute to Harare.  As I am speaking, other issues of concern such as water reticulation rehabilitation is work in progress.

Coming to the effort made by Government on other sporting facilities in different parts of the country.  Government, through our Ministry, the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, has legacy projects. These are projects such as fields developed where national events are held such as our Independence Day celebrations, where we also host soccer matches.

Government is also working with associations like ZIFA and other private sporting clubs which are engaging the Ministry so that we refurbish our sporting facilities.  Furthermore, we are also working with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, urban councils and rural councils. They are encouraged to reserve areas for leisure and sporting facilities when they plan.  Allow me to assure this august House that the Government values the refurbishment of our sporting facilities and stadia.  I thank you.

*HON. SHAMU:  Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member who raised the question.  Instead of Government carrying the burden of refurbishment of football ground, why does Government and local authorities lease them to football clubs who can mobilise funds for refurbishment of such sporting facilities?

This is the norm in other countries; teams such as Manchester United in the UK have long leases for football grounds they use. I thank you.

         *THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORTS, RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE (HON. JESAYA):  Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.  I want to thank Hon. Shamu for the supplementary question.  The Government, through the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, is allowed to give permission to clubs to lease.  As I am speaking, there are some which are doing that with the Harare City Council and other provinces around the country. They are allowed to refurbish these stadiums that are not in good condition.  They are also allowed to engage the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture through the Sports and Recreation Commission which is responsible for sporting activities in Zimbabwe.

         Looking at the issue of giving clubs permission to lease such stadia, as a Government department, we are engaging leaders of local authorities, our mayors, so that we have a relationship in terms of ensuring that we have good standards in our stadiums so that when clubs host, they do it on good stadiums.  I thank you.

         *HON. HAMAUSWA:  Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir and I want to thank the Hon. Minister. I believe that when she spoke, she said that clubs are allowed to refurbish stadiums.  My question is, is there a specific Government programme which is responsible for ensuring that in leasing these grounds, clubs will not say that we invested $5 million, so we are taking over the grounds, they are ours.  Is there a law to make sure that does not happen?

         *HON. JESAYA:  Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.  I want to thank Hon. Hamauswa for that pertinent question.  When these clubs want to have leases for these stadiums, they are given Lease Agreements where they sign depending on whether it is under the local authority or whoever owns the stadium. 

         So, the Lease Agreement is going to stipulate the conditions and the club will sign what is in tandem with their monies and the conditions that they require.  I thank you.

         Hon. Bajila and Hon. Chigumbu having simultaneously stood up to pose supplementary questions.

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  I have heard you.  Please, do not pronounce yourselves as if I am very deaf and do not have eyes, please.  Yes, Honourable?

         HON. CHIGUMBU: Yes.

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  Chigumbu, please proceed.

         *HON. CHIGUMBU:  I want to direct my question to the Deputy Minister …

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  Who is who now?  I thought I recognised the Hon. Member on that side. – [HON. BAJILA: Yes, Mr. Speaker.  Thank you so much…] – Why did you sit down?

         HON. BAJILA:  You recognised me, but proceeded to say Chigumbu, I am Bajila.

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  Your name?

         HON. BAJILA:  Bajila! – [HON. CHIGUMBU: I am Chigumbu Mr. Speaker Sir!] –

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  Aaah that was an ambush.  Hon. Bajila!  - [Laughter.] -

         HON. BAJILA:  Thank you so much Mr. Speaker.  My supplementary question to the Deputy Minister is that in her founding response, she indicated that the bucket seats are on their way from somewhere.  I want to find out …

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order!  You do not say she indicated.  The Hon. Minister! Please follow the Standing Orders.

         HON. BAJILA:  Thank you so much for the guidance Mr. Speaker.  In her founding response, the Hon. Deputy Minister indicated that the bucket seats for these stadiums are coming into Zimbabwe from somewhere.  I want to find out from her if the Ministry has contemplated buying these bucket seats from local manufacturers so that as we build our stadiums, we create local employment and strengthen our economy?  Thank you.

         HON. JESAYA:  Thank you so much Hon. Bajila.  I would like to believe that the Ministry’s department of Procurement considered procuring these bucket seats locally.  I am not too sure why we ended up procuring these from China but at the moment, I understand that this procurement was done through a PPP.  There is a public-private-partner with the Ministry who paid for these bucket seats.

         So, Hon. Speaker Sir, I am not so sure why we ended up procuring these from China.  I would like to believe that the Procurement Department did its analysis, and we ended up settling for those.  Thank you.

         ^∞HON. MUCHIMBA: We understand there is construction happening at the National Sports Stadium.  When can we expect to use the stadium?

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  Hon. Minister, you got the interpretation?

         HON.  JESAYA:  Unfortunately, my translator was not working.  If there is anybody who would want to assist me with the interpretation, please.

         THE HON. SPEAKER:  The Hon. Member wanted to know how soon you can complete the refurbishment of the National Sports Stadium so that our teams can play there instead of going out of the country.

         HON. JESAYA:  Thank you so much Mr. Speaker Sir.  In terms of the timelines, I would not want to mislead this House.  Our wish as a Ministry is to ensure that all these refurbishment processes need to be done to ensure that our teams are able to host international matches next year.  I really cannot give definitive timelines because of some circumstances that may be beyond our control.  Thank you.

         HON. GUMBO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Finance. The Government policy prohibiting a market-based exchange rate has put a lot of pressure on the retail industry. This has seen quite a number of …

         THE HON. SPEAKER: Can you repeat your question please so that it is clearer?

         HON. GUMBO: Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir. I said the Government policy which prohibits the use of a market determined, free market determined exchange rate has put a lot of pressure on the retail industry and this pressure emanates Hon. Speaker Sir, from the discrepancies between the prices that are charged by suppliers to our retailers and the prices that our retailers are mandated to sell to the public. In light of that, a lot of shops shelves are going empty. A lot of key and essential products are now being found on the black market and the effect is very heavy on the consumers. Why or what is Government policy in allowing retailers to price their goods in US dollars at a discounted rate, as opposed to them being bound to utilise the interbank rate, the prevailing rate of the day as imposed by Government in their pricing system? What is Government’s policy in terms of addressing those discrepancies and ensuring that the pricing structure and pricing system within our shops allows for goods to remain in the retail shops as opposed to the black market when the prices becomes exorbitant in US dollars?

         THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION (HON. D. K. MNANGAGWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Let me start by clarifying what Government policy is as opposed to what the existential reality the Hon. Member may be pointing out. He mentions that there is a Government policy that prohibits free market exchange rate. I would believe that the Governor, in his Monetary Policy Statement and subsequent reviews and circular that came out, I think two weeks ago, postulates that indeed we are following a free market exchange rate which is what led to some devaluation two weeks ago. The debate on whether the free-market exchange rate is really a free-market exchange rate, can be a subject for another discussion. But in terms of Government policy Mr. Speaker Sir, we are following a free-market exchange rate.

Hon. Speaker Sir, now the problem that is emanating as alluded to by the Hon. Member, is that there is a growing discrepancy between the interbank or the official market exchange rate and the parallel exchange rate which then puts pressure on the retailers. I would say Government is probably the biggest loser when there is a discrepancy between the exchange rate. The market usually believes that it is only private business people who lose out but Government is the biggest loser. Whenever there is a gap in the exchange rate, it means that the tax collector is collecting revenues at an official exchange rate and paying for services at a parallel market rate while also paying its workers at the official lower rate while the civil servants have to go out into the market where there is a distortion.

         Mr. Speaker Sir, this issue of distortion puts pressure, not just on retailers but in general on the economy. This is emanating from what I want to term, a flawed and fractured social contract that was meant to exist between business and Government during the subsistence of the structured currency.  Mr. Speaker Sir, at the formulation of the social contract, the Governor made some postulations that if a retailer, if an importer was to present a bona fide invoice, this invoice would be honoured by the requisite foreign currency because indeed, there are reserves that are commensurate with the amount of ZiG in circulation.  Where this social contract became flawed is when we had speculators who had bona fide ZiG invoices but actually had their own USD versus importers who had ZiG and no USD.  This has put pressure on the USD market.  It reaches a point Mr. Speaker, where the Governor of the Reserve Bank, the monetary authorities, have to philosophically or principally decide - does one liquidate the gold reserves to satisfy the urge of some of these speculators or do you consider reaching a point where you devalue and become more reflective of what is obtaining in the overall market?  I would think that the Governor’s statement and actions two weeks ago, spoke to the latter chosen trajectory that we have taken.  I will say this was not the alfa and omega of the solutions that are there.  As I have mentioned Mr. Speaker, these distortions, this discrepancy not only affects the market or industry but it also affects Government at large, which is the biggest spender in the country.  So, we are indeed motivated to make sure that this gap is closed and hence forth protect the integrity of our currency.  So, these anomalies are being noted. 

As for empty shelves, I will tend to disagree with the Hon. Member.  Industry has done some surveys and while there are some limitations from some retailers and wholesalers as to the quantum and the quantities of some of the goods that you can take, there has been no emptying of shelves.  There has been an increase of goods moving into the informal economy, again due to the distortions in the exchange rates but these are issues that are being dealt with and you will find some measures coming into place to make sure that we deal with this ill.  I thank you.

         HON. GUMBO: My supplementary is, economics is a practical reality and whilst we accept that fundis can go to college, school and learn theories, economics at the level of governance must be practiced and it must be practical.  It is a reality that over 60% of the goods we find on our shelves in Zimbabwe are imported goods.  That is a reality and to import, retailers require foreign currency and the biggest retainer of foreign currency in this country is the Government. The same Government which has come to the people of Zimbabwe and imposed, not a market based – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- Mr. Speaker, can you protect me.

         THE HON. SPEAKER: I can only protect you by asking you to ask your question.

         HON. GUMBO: Indeed Mr. Speaker, you are protecting those I must be protected from.  So, Government being the biggest retainer…

         THE HON. SPEAKER: Ask a supplementary question, proceed with your supplementary question.

         HON. GUMBO:  When a question is being asked in context, these are real economic issues. Now, that Government is the biggest retainer of foreign currency, let us not lie that we have market determined exchange rates because the question was in trying to cure the challenges between the imposed exchange rate and the problem retailers are facing. Why does Government not allow for retailers to offer discounted USD or forex prices in their shops that motivates consumers to buy in USD and capacitates these retailers to import goods and products using foreign currency which is within the consumers?  You did not answer that.

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION (HON. D. K. MNANGAGWA): Indeed, Economics are a very practical subject. I am not an Economics student, but there is no economic theory for multi-currency. That is the reality Mr. Speaker and if I can highlight the easiest thing for Government to do will be to dollarise but that will be the worst thing that we can do for our country. It is the easiest thing, but it is the worst thing that we can do – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – What will happen overtime, over years is that Zimbabwe will de-industrialise some of the progress that we will be making as a country, we will see those dividends dissipate.

Our children will have no jobs in the future. We will become a supermarket of other nations. We will attract the worst elements. These are the effects of dollarisation. I agree it is the easiest thing to do, but it is the worst thing to do for the country. What you are seeing is a competition between the ZiG and the USD within our economy on a sliding scale, which we want to reach full de-dollarisation by a certain period. It will not be easy or smooth. There will be need for restructuring but if we allow a system of parallel market dictates which is led predominantly by speculators, it is the final consumer and the people who will be at a loss in all this.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the problems we face are a cocktail of three groups of people, I would say. You have retailers who are sticklers for the law and will follow whatever policy is there.  You have some who lag behind and then you have a large group who are just greedy.  Regardless of how good law as a policy is, they will find ways to arbitrate that and it is easy under the current system that we have, allowing a discount based system will defeat the purpose of our de-dollarisation agenda.  I think His Excellency has been very clear, we are on the roadmap to mono-currency.  We are on the roadmap to have as a sovereign nation, our own currency. 

So, all these measures that are being put into place are meant to protect our local currency.  Again, it will not be perfect, not be smooth, albeit it might have some mistakes, but we learn from those and continue to try and do the right thing.  I thank you.

HON. MUSHORIWA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  My supplementary question to the Hon. Minister; he said in his response that the Government had to make a decision of whether to devalue the dollar like the RBZ then deed or sell the gold that we have in stock.  Has it now become then for the policy of the Government that it will pursue the so called speculators in respect to the rate and that we are abandoning our initial stance that we have got a structured currency, which is backed by gold whose price on the international market is actually going up.  So, could the Hon. Minister help us to understand in which direction are we going as a country?

HON. D. K. MNANGAGWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. Government policy on monetary issues will be guided by the monetary policy.  As it stands, the monetary policy, as annunciated by the Governor, is still Government policy.  When there is a change, there will be a new monetary policy statement that comes if there is a change.  I would not be able to pronounce any policy that is contrary to the monetary policy that already exists. I would think that the Hon. Member is fully alive to the monetary policy and I am not sure which other policy he refers to as new Government policy. The policy exists, it is written and it is there.

HON. MADZIVANYIKA: I thank the Minister for the response and my supplementary question comes as a follow up to the response by the Minister to the effect that it appears there is a social contract between business and Government. My supplementary question is on the 5^th April, 2024 when the monetary policy was introduced, there was a mention that the local currency is going to be allowed to be floating freely. However, Government, on the 27^th September, made a decision through the Monetary Policy Committee to the fact that we are now devaluing our currency. Does that not sound inconsistent with the Monetary Policy pronouncement of the 5^th of April in the first place to the fact that our foreign currency to the exchange rate will be determined by the market force or demand and supply? Is the flawed social contract not caused by Government’s inconsistency to its policy pronouncements?

HON. D. K. MNANGAGWA: I am not sure where the inconsistency is. Prior to the 27^th September, Government or the monetary authorities had a rate at which they were intervening on the interbank exchange rate at a value that they believed to be what is prevailing and that is the rate that businesses, industries and I would say, some dishonest players as well, were getting foreign currency.

By the 27^th September, new realities were obtaining and the market was signaling a different rate. The Governor came in and intervened at what he believed to be the market rate at the time which was at ZiG25. On a willing buyer willing seller, the willing seller puts his foreign currency at the rate he believes his foreign currency to be worth. The willing buyer will also put an offer. When the RBZ comes in and makes an offer or puts in foreign currency, they are doing it as a willing seller. This is where the flawed social contract is.

You have a multitude of willing buyers, not too many willing sellers to be able to determine what that market rate is. We cannot determine a national official rate by what is obtaining in the streets. It will be counter to functional economy. So, the moment we have a willing buyer willing seller, that is functional, which are the few areas that are being worked on right now, we will have a market rate that is truly non-speculative and can be used by industry, government and people in general. Thank you.

HON. NJANJI: My question is directed to the Minister of Mines. What is Government policy on value addition of minerals like lithium and chrome before we export them?

THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. Z. ZIYAMBI): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Hon. Member for the question. Mr. Speaker, the aspiration of any government, the world-over, is to ensure that we beneficiate and we add value to our minerals, to ensure that we also create jobs along the way. But this is an aspirational position and the policy is very clear that going forward, we need to beneficiate our minerals so that we do not lose out and this is the position that we have taken.

HON. NGWENYA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker and good afternoon. My question is directed to the Minister of Energy and Power Development.

I would like to know what is the position concerning the places that have poles and transformers installed, but it has taken years without the installation of electricity in the surrounding areas like schools and business centres?

THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you, Hon. Member. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, Sir. I think the question refers to a lag between installed power lines and then connections to institutions. To me, it sounds very specific so that we know exactly where that is happening because it is quite irregular that we have transformers installed, lines erected, and then no connection is done. So, we would like to know what is happening so that we may attend to those issues.

HON. M. C. SIBANDA: Thank you, Hon. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Public Service, Labour, and Social Welfare. Debt has severely impacted the livelihoods of our civil servants, particularly the teachers in rural areas. In 2021, the Government introduced a Government Employee Mutual Service, which is GEMS, to try and alleviate the condition of these employees. My question now is to say, may the Hon. Minister update this House on how far the GEMS programme has gone in cushioning the civil servants, particularly the teachers?

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MACHINGURA): Is the Minister responsible in the House? If not, we now have Hon. Minister Mhona as the Leader of Government Business.

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Hon. Speaker, let me thank the Hon. Member, my brother, for that very important question, which I think if I dwell into it, I will be misleading the House.  However, with his indulgence, I will humbly ask the Hon. Member if I can relay the question to the relevant Minister. Thank you.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. M. C. Sibanda, the Minister seeks your indulgence to get more details by referring the question to the relevant Minister.

*HON. MANANZVA: My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement. Yesterday, we heard the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services announcing a new policy on documentation concerning farms. What is the new policy about the documents regarding farm ownership? Thank you.

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would also like to thank the Hon. Member Mananzva for the pertinent question on the new document released that speaks to the new tenure. He said those with a 99-year lease, those with permits and offer letters, explain what it means going forward. If the Hon. Member manages to analyse it, it says the President has set two committees. The first one will be led by Hon. Minister O. Muchinguri-Kashiri. The other one will be a technical committee that will address all the issues and then announce to the public their findings.

So, if we were to respond right now, we may impede the work of the committees. May the Hon. Member allow the committees to research and bring what they have found. I thank you.

*HON. KASHAMBE:  I thank the Hon. Minister for the very plausible response, but looking at the GMB depots where the inputs are supposed to be delivered to, that is where the drought relief grain is also being delivered to.  So, we are facing the challenges of transporting the grain from there to the wards and to the people.

Now, talking about the delivery of the inputs again, what are the plans to ensure that we are not going to face the same problem of getting the inputs stuck at the GMB depots before they are delivered to the people?

*THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA):  Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.  I would also like to thank the Hon. Kashambe for raising an important question. Yes, people may face transport problems but right now we are saying Government will pay for the transport from where the grain is carried to, until the destination or to the last point where the beneficiaries are. So, the transport will be paid for to the districts and I believe from what he said, yes, it is a combination of drought relief as well as the issue of input delivery.  We believe it will be delivered to the people.  I thank you.

*HON. KANGAUSARU:  My question is, since we are facing transport problems in delivering drought relief like what the Hon. Member alluded to, can we then not be allowed to take those inputs direct to the people instead of delivering them first to GMB so that we reduce the transport costs to the people?

*HON. MHONA:  Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.  Indeed, Mr. Speaker said it is a testimony of what may assist.  So, I will get those words and indeed, I will take the message to the Hon. Minister.   So, if that is acceptable, the Hon. Minister will announce in this House.  I thank you.

*HON. MAPIKI:  Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to applaud the Hon. Minister for the good response.  This year, a lot of cattle died.  The other thing is we are looking at the state of DDF that helps with the tillage programme. What is Government policy with regards to helping people in terms of providing tillage considering that DDF does not have the capacity at the moment to provide tillage services to the people?  

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. MACHINGURA):  Hon. Mapiki, your question is a bit different, but I will allow the Hon.  Minister to respond.

*HON. MHONA:  Thank you, Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank Hon. Mapiki for the question.  It is true that the Government has the people at heart.  That is why we have a lot of departments and branches such as AFC with mechanisation facilities where some people can have access to tillage equipment at affordable prices.  So, I believe some of the people, especially the A2 farmers, have the opportunity or can access loan facilities to get equipment.   I believe, just like what Hon. Mapiki alluded to, if there is a new policy that will be announced, he referred to DDF, which is now RIDA, indeed the Hon. Minister will announce to this House. If there is any new facility that has been opened up, it can be accessed by the villagers.  I thank you.

HON. S. SITHOLE:  My question to the Minister is, is there any circular sent to the districts, GMBs and DDCs which says that there is no beneficiary that is supposed to pay for transport? I thank you.

HON. MHONA:  I concur with him.  Indeed, there is no one who is supposed to pay for additional transportation costs like what I have alluded to that the Government pays for the inputs together with the transportation costs. So, this is under normal circumstances, but the questions that were actually coming from this august House was to do with issues to do with delays in terms of deliveries.  The policy of Government is that everything will be factored in, the cost of the inputs and the transportation costs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.

HON. S. SITHOLE:  I said is there any circular sent to the DDCs and the GMB managers in the districts?  Why I am asking this question is because in the districts, they negotiate with the beneficiaries to pay for the transport. Has any circular been sent to them?  I thank you

HON. MHONA:  Thank you Hon. Speaker. My apologies maybe for not addressing it directly as asked.  Once a policy has been pronounced, then that becomes administrative and operational to issue out circulars.  So, the assumption is if there is a policy, I am sure the relevant Ministry will do likewise, to issue out circulars, but I cannot affirm at this juncture to say circulars were issued.  Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  I hope you will also relay it to the relevant Ministry.

*HON. C. HLATYWAYO:   Thank you, Mr. Speaker.  Every year we get the problem that facilities provided by Government, especially food aid, are stolen on the ground.  Reports are provided and people send those reports but no arrests are made.  Right now, we are facing the distribution of seed but those very people who steal are at the forefront and abuse those facilities saying that those facilities are provided by their President because it is called the Presidential Input Scheme. 

So, what are the plans to ensure that there is no looting of those inputs and discrimination on political affiliation?  Those are the problems that we face on the ground.  

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  The original question was on the delays. Your question now is what are you doing with people who are looting or stealing inputs as well as discriminating on political lines? Please put that as a new question.

^*HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker. According to the Hon. Minister’s response, he said those who can afford to buy can do so or get loans. My question is, what is Government plan…

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Excuse me, to buy what?

*HON. HAMAUSWA: Seeds.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: No, he did not talk about buying seeds.

*HON. HAMAUSWA: No, he did, he is here, let him speak for himself.

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, he is around but he did not talk about buying seeds. He is around and I am the Chairperson.

*HON. HAMAUSWA: May I please rephrase my question.

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Hamauswa, if your question is to do with buying seeds, the Hon. Minister did not talk about that. Please sit down.

^*HON. S. TSHUMA: I would like to clearly understand from the Hon. Minister with regards to cotton seed. What are they doing with the cotton farmers as they are taking seed to the depots? What else are they doing to motivate the farmers who have not been paid from the previous season for them to continue growing cotton or end up losing those farms because some of the farmers depend on growing cotton? Growing of cotton has been reduced because they were not treated well. Are there any plans for motivating cotton farmers?

^*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Your question is very good but is different from the initial one. It is about the delay of the delivery of free inputs to the people. That is a new question Hon. Tshuma. Please, you are allowed to ask that question again.

HON. BAJILA: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement. I want to find out how far Government has gone with the Land Audit programme that is under way?

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Let me thank again my good brother Hon. Bajila for that very important question but with your indulgence, if you would allow me since it is a very specific question so that the Minister would bring a report to this august House pertaining to the status quo of the Land Commission.

          

         HON. MASVISVI:   Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  My question is directed to the Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement.  Hon. Speaker Sir, our cotton production output levels have declined tremendously.  My question then is, who, for this season, has the responsibility to distribute the Presidential Cotton Inputs to the farmers between GMB and COTTCO?

         THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Honourable, sorry, can you come again on the last part of your question?

         HON. MASVISVI: Let me repeat it again.  Who, for this season, is responsible for distributing the Presidential Cotton Inputs to the farmers between Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and COTTCO?

         THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir, let me thank Hon. Masvisvi for the important question.  The august House needs to know that this is a marriage between Government and COTTCO where they are working together in terms of distribution of inputs, where GMB, in collaboration with COTTCO, has been distributing but if there are any challenges, maybe emanating from this kind of arrangement, I will be very happy to hear in detail from the Hon. Member.  I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.

         HON. MASVISVI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I also want to thank the response from the Leader of the House.  My supplementary is; when is the distribution of inputs starting as we know the planting month that produces better yields is imminent? 

         THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Hon. Masvisvi, your question was, who is responsible for delivering the inputs? Is it not? The Minister outlined the relationship between COTTCO, GMB and Government.  Please, repeat your question. 

         HON. MASVISVI: Now my supplementary is, when is the distribution of inputs starting as we know the planting month which produces better yields is imminent?  

         THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:   I know it is a little bit specific but I will ask the Hon. Minister – maybe he has got some information. 

         HON. MHONA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Let me also thank the Hon. Member for that important question, that as we speak, registers are being compiled and in terms of timeline, it is as soon as possible.  I thank you – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-

         ^*HON. HAMAUSWA:  Mr. Speaker Sir, if you analyse the responses from the Hon. Ministers, there is a lot of hiding behind registration of people.  When we spoke about drought relief, they told us about registering people, now it is inputs, they are talking of registering people.  The year is coming to an end whilst people are starving and not getting inputs. We want a better response and give us timelines – at least our people should be happy and get to know and understand that indeed their Government has people at heart.

         THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Hon. Hamauswa, on your point of order, I think you noticed I was hesitant to have the Hon. Minister answer that question. I thought it was a little bit specific. He might not have the dates when it is going to happen. He has given his answer and I think he will also relay to the relevant Minister that the House needs to know those dates.

         ^*HON. S. TSHUMA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I got a very good response from the Hon. Minister that they are looking into it. Indeed, we believe in the Government led by His Excellency, President Mnangagwa that the cotton seed will be delivered to the people because everyone knows that this is the season where cotton begins to be planted.  So, my question is, as a Ministry, what are they doing to ensure that they motivate the cotton famers since some of them had given up because they were not treated well in the previous season?  I thank you. 

         *THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA):  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would like to thank Hon. Tshuma for the question.  What Government is doing is all those who are owed monies must be paid immediately to ensure that the farmer will go back to farming.  Like I said, COTTCO is a private company but we end up mixing issues as if it is Government that has reneged.  Right now, if there are farmers who are still owed, I will deliver the message to the Minister as well as the Hon. Minister of Finance so that they are paid immediately.  I thank you. 

         *HON. NGWENYA: Thank you Hon. Minister, we applaud the work being done by the Ministry but the problem that we want to understand is - the Hon. Minister indicated that COTTCO is a private company but when it comes to delivering inputs, you say they work with GMB.  We want clarification, is COTTCO a parastatal or a private company? 

         *THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Hon. Minister, you are being asked to clarify whether it is a private company or they work hand in hand.  The Hon. Member wants to understand that.

         *HON. MHONA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  If the House took it as that, as what it means, I am sorry but when you are talking about private companies working together with Government, it is possible but I do not want to confuse this House.  The Hon. Minister can come and clarify how Government and COTTCO operate in detail.  I thank you. 

         *HON. C. HLATYWAYO: Thank you Mr. Speaker.  This issue of cotton is a very big issue because some families rely on that.  What I have realised is that the cotton industry has gone down.  What can the Hon. Minister promise this august House since he has talked about registering farmers who will be getting inputs? We need that assurance for the farmers to proceed and grow cotton as well as the companies that are involved in that.  This will enable farmers to have confidence that cotton industry will go back to what it used to be before it went down like what is happening now. 

         *HON. MHONA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker.  I also want to thank Hon. Hlatywayo.  I do not want to say things have been destroyed like what he said but the Hon. Minister of Agriculture may have a vision that he will be pursuing.  I believe if you can allow - it looks like most of the questions coming are from Gokwe, it means this is a very important crop.  We have the Hon. Member from Manicaland who also raised the question.  I appeal that the Hon. Minister comes with a Ministerial Statement on cotton, I thank you.

         *HON. SAGANDIRA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I would like to find out from the Hon. Minister what Government policy is with regards to distribution of such inputs such as cotton seed, not only at GMB but also by other private shops like Farm and City because cotton seed is not available in other shops, except in very limited places.  Those who may want to buy elsewhere do not get it.   I thank you. 

         *HON. MHONA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I would also like to thank the Hon. Member for that question and I will also ask that the question be included in the Ministerial Statement that I referred to.

         HON. KANGAUSARU:  Thank you very much Hon. Speaker Sir.  My question is directed to the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education.  What steps is the Ministry taking to address the challenges of overcrowding in classes, financing, funding and inadequate learning material in schools?  I thank you. 

         THE MINISTER OF PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION (HON. T. MOYO):  Thank you Mr. Speaker. I wish to thank Hon. Kangausaru. He has raised a very important question, however, it is loaded.  He has asked the overcrowding that exists in some of the classrooms and the measures we are taking to address that.  He has also spoken about financing models. So, I will try to respond to both questions.  Regarding overcrowding in classrooms, I am sure he is talking about the teacher-pupil ratio. The recommended teacher-pupil ratio Hon. Speaker at infant level is 1:20, at junior level from Grade 3 to Grade 7, 1:30, Form 1 to Form 4 it is 1:30, Form 5 and 6, 1:20. 

         The Ministry has taken great strides in addressing the high teacher- pupil ratio that exists in most of our schools. The solution that has been made is through recruitment and the Government has embarked on massive recruitments, especially in 2024.  We decentralised the recruitment exercise to provinces and districts.  This year alone, we have managed to recruit more than 6 000 teachers as a way of reducing the teacher-pupil ratio.  The more we employ means that the teacher-pupil ratio will also be reduced so that it will be commensurate with the expectations of the Ministry. 

         Now on financing models, in the most disadvantaged districts, the Government has given especially for primary schools grant aid of tuition where in primary schools’ students are not supposed to pay tuition.  In secondary schools, students from marginalised families and impoverished families have benefited through Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM). However, in the majority of cases, parents pay their own fees.  Government especially our President, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa wishes to provide free education for all but that depends on the availability of funds.  If the national cake improves, that will be provided but at the moment, parents pay school fees and levies for their own children.  The Government only comes in to assist the most disadvantaged through those safety nets, as alluded to earlier on.  I thank you.

HON. KANGAUSARU:  Thank you Hon. Speaker for such a comprehensive response from the Hon. Minister.  My supplementary question is whether there are any plans to increase funding or resources in schools in high density areas or in the rural areas, especially in Hurungwe.  I thank you.

HON. T. MOYO:  I thought I addressed that question.  If the national cake improves, funding will be provided.

HON. TSVANGIRAI:  Thank you Mr. Speaker.  The Minister touched a bit on the Government programme called BEAM.  Government last paid schools last year for 2022, if not mistaken.  We are in 2024 but they have not paid.  When are they going to pay the BEAM funds?

HON. T. MOYO:  Mr. Speaker Sir, BEAM funds are allocated by the Minister of Finance to the Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.  It is the Ministry of Public Service that does the disbursements.  So, I would not be able to answer that question.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Acting leader of Government Business, do you have an answer on behalf of the Minister of Public Service?

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA):  Thank you Hon. Speaker.  I think I will relay and get the affirmative position.

 Questions Without Notice were interrupted by THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER in terms of Standing Order No. 68.

  HON. GANYIWA:  On a point of order, I move that the time for Questions Without Notice be extended by 30 minutes to allow Hon. Members to ask more questions.

HON. NYABANI:  I second.

  Motion put and agreed to.

HON. JAMES:  My supplementary question is to the Minister of Education.  Can the Minister give us the policy regarding the repairs and maintenance to rural schools?  I have seen some schools where the ants have gone into the timber works and there are no roofs.  Who is responsible for the repairs and maintenance of these schools?  I thank you.

HON. T. MOYO:  May I thank the Hon. Member for the question.  He asked a broad question but we would expect that the School Development Committees are responsible for the maintenance of the schools, be it repairs, renovations or otherwise.  We also give assistance to schools in rural areas through improvement grants.  These are funds from Global Partnership in Education.  We have a number of complimentary funding where we allocate US$5 000 per school that might require assistance.  For 2024, we were targeting those schools that are on the verge of being registered.  They were being given priority.  We also have the School Improvement Grant which is around US$2 000 to US$3 000 to complete or renovate some of the infrastructural projects that might exist in schools.  Generally, we have different sources of finance to maintain schools.  Some schools might come up with some levies for renovations or maintenance.  That is allowed and they can apply as a school.  Approval is given at provincial office but the final decision lies with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.  I thank you.

HON. GANYIWA:  My question is directed to the Minister of Transport.  When I was coming to Parliament, I saw a lot of Hon. Members’ vehicles including other motorists with a trade mark of cracked windscreens which are caused by quarry stones that are splashed around the good roads that we are travelling on.  Is there any policy that regulates the transportation of quarry stones from and to the destination? Are the transporters compelled to cover their trucks when they are transporting these stones?  I thank you.

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA):  Thank you Hon Speaker Sir.  Thank you Hon. Ganyiwa for that very emotional and worrisome question where I also humbly appeal to the people of Zimbabwe that as much as we rehabilitate our infrastructure but the mandate and domain to safe-guard that infrastructure is upon us as the citizens.  It is quite disturbing as at times on a newly rehabilitated road, you see some scratch marks made by someone moving on a flat tyre without due care and permanently damaging the roads.  Similarly, the question he has raised pertaining to loose quarry stones, we have now directed under the guidance of the President that those companies, be it mining bricks or quarry stones should be held accountable to the citizenry if they damage our roads.  We will take them to charge so that they repair the road.  In this particular scenario as raised by the Hon. Member, that is pure negligence because they are supposed to carry designated transportation with boards in terms of trucks so that they do not just throw stones along roads.  So, I think we will start by engaging the various companies but I have seen that not only loose stones but even if you see cement and mortar that is being poured on our roads, then it becomes permanent after a few minutes is also a disturbing factor that we are witnessing.  So, I do concur with the Hon. Member but it is not up to the Minister alone.  We should also safeguard as legislators so that we ensure that those who are violating road regulations be on the look-out.  Let us be the watchdog of our infrastructure as Zimbabweans.  I thank you.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Minister, Hon. Ganyiwa was asking about loose concrete stones that when they are being ferried, just fall on the tar. As you drive, some loose stones may be thrown towards your windscreen by tyres of a car in front of you, resulting in windscreen cracks. That was the import of his question.

HON. MHONA: With your guidance Hon. Speaker Sir, yes, I actually understood that question very well but I was saying the policy and common senses, you cannot carry on an open truck. You need boards so that you put the contents right in those trailers with boards so that you do not mess the roads. I was elaborating that beyond that, just dropping loose stones, you would also need to make sure that you safeguard the contents so that you do not mess our roads. With your indulgence, if you want clarity, I am amenable to that.

HON. GANYIWA: Yes, I have got a supplementary question. What is Government policy regarding trucks that pass through VID mounted roadblocks without the proper fitness to these stones? Is it Government policy that these VID officials should only issue a ticket to such trucks or they should impound such trucks?

HON. MHONA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.  Let me also thank Hon. Ganyiwa. I think that is dereliction of duty. If you are manning a roadblock, whether you are a police officer or VID officer, if you know that the weight has been exceeded or it is not the designated transportation system, you are supposed to issue a ticket or you are supposed to impound the vehicle. That is the normal way of doing business that you impound a vehicle if it is not compliant.

So, at times you see that is what we have been saying in terms of corrupt tendencies by our officials that we are discouraging as a nation. Where you are supposed to impound the vehicle, it must be impounded and be parked at our yards. We have got depot yards where such trucks will only be released upon paying the necessary fines. Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

*HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. What is Government policy on urban roads in Harare, for example, Bulawayo Road so that we do not have congestion, especially at peak hours?

         THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I would also want to thank Hon. Hamauswa. I thought he would start by thanking us on the roads that were rehabilitated. However, it is true that we now have many vehicles plying our roads and some of these roads need to be rehabilitated. On Monday, we opened one of the roads now called Solomon Mujuru, which many people know it to be called Kirkman Road.

To respond to his question, he spoke about decongesting Bulawayo road. So, for those who will be going into the CBD, there will be no need for them to go to Kuwadzana or Warren Park or Bulawayo Road, but they can now use Solomon Mujuru which goes straight into Tongogara at the same road that emanates from Bulawayo Road. It is meant to decongest, but what will help us a lot is that we will create a lot of interchanges whereby you will see those vehicles travelling long distances, they will be on an upper road, like those travelling from Mbudzi and those going to Bulawayo will be on the upper section of the road. That is meant to decongest our roads into the CBD. I thank you.  

         *HON. HAMAUSWA: I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for that response. Yes indeed, may he forgive us for not thanking his Ministry for a job well done. I wish most of those ministries would work like that. Most of our roads like in Cold Comfort have been repaired and many other roads in Warren Park. My question still stands, what is Government policy where there is good work that had been done such as the African Museum of Liberators, some of the roads are closed and it causes congestion. Cars from Westlea are now required to go through the roundabout, which is now too small and are not allowed anymore to go past the African Museum. What arrangement is there to ensure that vehicles are not stopped from using such roads like the area around the museum? However, if you go there, you will realise that it is written Liberation City, but Warren Park people are not liberated at all because they are not allowed to go to that place.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: The original question was about congestion and narrow roads. Please, do not add other spices onto the question.

         *THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA):  Thank you, Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank Hon. Hamauswa.  The road that he spoke about is called Eleven, from Solomon Mujuru to Bulawayo Road via Westlea.  Indeed, that road does not go via the museum, we will research on it.  Like what he said, it causes a lot of congestion at the Warren Park roundabout.  So, we will go with our engineers to ensure that we find a way of alleviating that congestion.  I thank you.

         ^<HON. C. HLATYWAYO: The response by Hon. Minister Mhona shows that he is indeed very astute in his job.  My question reverts to the original question, how are they resolving the issue of congestion?  From his response, I think, the programme is going to be a long-term solution just like what is happening at Mbudzi, although there is a solution to the problem like at Mbudzi but it takes a long time to solve the problem. 

         What is the quick solution, like what we have seen in other countries?  Congestion is sometimes caused by poor public systems.  What is the plan in terms of ensuring that we get good public transport systems?  What is Government’s plan to ensure that there is efficient public transport system?

         *HON. MHONA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker and I would also like to thank the Hon. Member, Hon. Hlatywayo. Yes, it is a very important question that he raises. As Government and Public Works that works with the local authorities, they oversee urban transport systems to provide efficient transport.

Right now, we have plans to ensure that we get bigger buses to provide transport to the people. So, our long-term plan is to provide trams that are like small trains. We have the railway lines, so that will provide transport to people in Mabvuku, Norton and Chitungwiza.

This will be easy for people who may want to leave their vehicles and use those public transport systems. So, that plan is not a very long-term plan. It will be used very soon.

         From Mbudzi, there will be four lanes and those lanes will go with another section going up, just like what you are seeing up here, there will be a linking road. We have a contractor going onto the ground right now, but if there are any other ideas, they are welcome.

The other problem is the recklessness by our drivers who use oncoming transport lanes. So, we are not stopping on long-term plans, but we are also talking about providing transport for bigger buses. This is why duty was removed on buses so that we may transport people efficiently and remove these small cars from the roads.  Thank you.

*HON. SAGANDIRA:  Thank you. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development for a job well done with regard to Mutare via Rusape, where I stay, it is now a four-way road from Bromley.

When we travel from Mutare to Rusape, but when we get to 11 months at Masasa, there is a narrow bridge. It blocks the four-way and blocks the efficient, smooth movement of vehicles. What is Government policy with regard to ensuring that the road is expanded, just like what has happened at Bromley, so that we may be able to be punctual and get to work by nine o'clock to work on committees that we are supposed to attend?

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Have you ever heard of that road, Hon. Minister? I thought there are dual lanes on either side.  It is not as narrow as the question portrays.  I do not know what you think Hon. Minister.

*HON. MHONA:  Thank you Hon. Speaker and I would like to thank Hon. Sagandira.  It is true, that name emanates out of sorrow because someone died and disappeared for 11 months.  The person was only retrieved after 11 months. Yes, the road has four lanes passing on that bridge, but the problem is, it passes during peak hours, and there is congestion from people travelling from Mabvuku, Marondera, as well as Rusape and they meet at the same area.

So, after the Masasa roundabout, is where there is a lot of congestion. That is where we will expand and where we are talking of that mini-interchange. The locals will only use the lower-bottom section of the road but those travelling long distances will be on the upper section of the road.  For example, between 0600 hours and 0800hours, we use all the lanes heading to town, but going home, we also do the same.  We need to work with the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and the police, so that the temporary measure of ensuring improved flow of traffic is not disturbed as we come up with better solutions. Thank you.

*HON. MALINGANISO:  Thank you Mr. Speaker.  My question is directed to the Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion. Various Government departments have people who are supposed to get vehicles as Conditions of Service and the vehicles are hired in place, you then realise that the Government is supposed to pay for the hiring of those vehicles and it becomes more expensive than just buying. What is the Government doing to ensure that they do not lose money through that exercise? Thank you.

*THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FINANCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT PROMOTION (HON. D. K. MNANGAGWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker.  I would also like to thank the Hon. Member for bringing up that important question.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the issue of Conditions of Service is a very important one to Government as well as to its employees because that motivates the employees as they conduct their duties because they are provided with all the basics. What happens is when a car is hired instead of buying that vehicle, there will not be enough money to purchase that car but there will be limited funds that are good enough to hire the vehicle.  As you go with time, you will then discover that the money to hire becomes too expensive but the problem at the moment are funds. They do not permit to provide vehicles for everyone to meet the conditions of service.  We intend to work with other departments like CMED and banks to come up with facilities so that we stop this hiring.  Right now, I cannot lie that there is policy that seeks to solve that.  So, indeed we have that problem but we are looking into how we can solve it better. I think that is where we are on that issue.

         *HON. MANGONDO: Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is directed to the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. I would like to applaud great work being done by Government, especially on construction of local roads here in Harare that were very bad, including here at Parliament where we have new roads.  On roads to Kariba and Beitbridge, the construction is ongoing.

 My question is about rural roads.  We are now approaching the rain season before the roads are repaired.  What is Government’s plan to ensure that the roads are repaired so that they may be usable during the rainy season and considering the problem that we have of equipment that is used to repair the roads?  The problem that we have in Mashonaland East is that the Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (RIDA) grader broke down in UMP. The Roads Department grader broke down in Murewa and it was not operating for three months. Two graders that were purchased by ZINARA also broke down.  What is Government’s plan to ensure that these roads are repaired and we may be able to use those roads during the rainy season? I thank you.

         *THE. HON. MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you Mr. Speaker, I also would like to thank Hon. Noah Mangondo.  The Hon. Member raised a very important question that will enable us to clarify to this House.  There are four sections that are involved in the road maintenance, road department in the Ministry, rural district councils and local authorities in the urban areas as well as RIDA which was called DDF. Most of the rural areas are covered by the rural district councils as well as RIDA but because the roads were declared as state of disaster, the emergency rehabilitation road that you see enables Government to intervene regardless of which department is responsible.  So, for those who paid attention when I spoke. In the past in rural areas, the road authority must purchase two equipment that they consider very important.  We will purchase using ZINARA, we are not going to repeat the same mistake that was done by ZINARA when they purchased small graders. We will now purchase appropriate equipment if it is an excavator or tipper, we will purchase that. When we go back, we need to sit down with the Rural District Council as well as RIDA so that we come up with an agreement on the appropriate equipment to purchase. Most of them are breaking down because they have been operating for a long time, so we want to purchase new equipment. As ZINARA, we have since amassed the funds for the rural district authorities. We have the budget for too important equipment. The rural authority has four districts, like where we come from, those who have graders or tippers can collaborate and work together with them and assist them. We will not wait for a time when we say so and so come and repair that road. We are saying we should take ownership as a province, as owners of the province and as residents of the province. ZINARA will assist with fuel for the equipment that will be used. I thank you.

         *HON. MANGONDO: Thank you Mr. Speaker and I also like to thank the Hon. Minister for the response. What are the plans to repair and grade the roads before the rains come because they will be impassable? Right now, they are difficult to use. In addition, we cannot work in collaboration because the equipment is not there. The roads equipment has broken down. The RDC and RIDA equipment also broke down, what are the plans to repair the roads before it rains?

         *HON. MHONA: Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you Hon. Mangondo. If we stand up in this House and cry that such and such equipment has broken down, we will all stand still and there will not be any progress. Then on the damage of the equipment that he is talking about, I do not think it is the same. We need to understand the specific breakdown, that will assist us. We need to know and understand what exactly is required for the equipment. But if we only count on the broken-down equipment, we may not come up with any solution for progress. We need to understand whether they cannot be repaired or if there are some that cannot be repaired. I thank you.

         *HON. MAPIKI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I also would like to thank the Hon. Minister for saying that they are providing funds to RIDA and local authorities, the rural district councils. We have realised that every year you give fuel to RIDA and to the rural district councils. When you ask them to bring the returns, they will not have used that equipment on the roads but they misinform you and tell you that they used the fuel. Yet on the ground, they would not have used that fuel in reality. As Government, what measures do you have in place to ensure that the fuel is not diverted to pay wages instead of the work that is supposed to be done?

HON. MHONA:  Thank you Hon. Mapiki.  That is a very important issue that he raises.  I would like to inform this august House that the areas we represent, there is what we call full council.  That is where all those issues are discussed, be it local authorities or rural district councils.  That is where accountability issues are addressed.

Indeed, if they are lying when they equate the diesel that we have given them, that is where we expect you as Hon. Members to tell us because you are supposed to attend those meetings.  So, you need to inform us to stop that corruption.  If there are some local authorities that are lying like that and being so retrogressive, you need to inform us.  I thank you.

         *HON. KARIMATSENGA-NYAMUPINGA:  My supplementary is that some of the roads that we use, we realised that they cover areas with boulders and stones since they will not have been paid by Government.  Sometimes they go out for six months because they have not been paid.  There is a place that I saw when I went to Bindura via Domboshava.  People are using side roads yet there are stones on the roads.  What is Government policy?

         THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  That is a new question Hon. Nyamupinga.  It is different from the original question of what is Government plans in regard to rural roads that need to be repaired before the rains come?

         *HON. JONGA:  When we attended the full council meeting, we were given a report that the fuel money that they were given was calculated using the previous rate.  I want to find out from the Hon. Minister, is Government going to top up the difference because it is now a different rate? 

         *THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  What is your question?  Are you saying they were given using the previous rate?

         *HON. JONGA:  I am saying, after they received the money, the rate changed the following day before they purchased the fuel.

         *HON. MHONA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker.  I would like to thank Hon. Jonga for that important question.  It is true, when they are going to buy and if they were going to buy 20 000 litres, then they would be able to buy 10 000 litres.  So, that is the acquittal that we are talking about. 

         We expect that explanation. We know that there will be no funds or embezzlement.  According to the acquittal, we just want to know the amount of fuel purchased.  So, going forward, we will assist each other with the local authorities, so we may have to give them coupons instead of money so that they have no challenges accessing fuel.  We will be solving the challenge that sometimes they are not able to buy fuel anywhere with the money that will be in their accounts. So if we give them their fuel disbursements as coupons, we will have solved the problem. I thank you.

         *HON. NGWENYA:  My supplementary question is that there was once a maintenance unit that used to assist us in the rural roads.  Where are we with revival of that unit in the rural areas that is supposed to maintain the roads?

         *HON. MHONA:  I would like to thank Hon. Ngwenya for the question. It is true.  We are running with the plans of reviving the maintenance units in all the provinces.  As we speak, in the department of Roads, we are reviving those maintenance units.  Sometimes you would see billboards written Minister of Transport.  We are trying to retool them. 

Right now, we are buying tractors to ensure that we are able to cut grass on the sides of the roads.  We are also buying trucks that are meant to carry stones for the maintenance of the roads.  We want to ensure that the roads are maintained quickly using the workers in the Ministry of Transport.  So, we want to revive those units.  You realise that a lot of those areas where that work had stopped, will start working now because they will be going into those areas.  I thank you.

         *HON. NYABANI: Mr. Speaker, from Hon. Nyamupinga’s question, the placing of stones on roads, I want to find out whether Domboshava is now a town or is still under rural areas.

*HON. MHONA:  I will not be able to respond on the question of whether Domboshava is now an urban area or is still a rural area.  All I can respond to is about the renovation of Domboshava Road.  It is about addressing the issue of the stones that have been put.  Sometimes when we talk about setting aside funds for working on those roads, that is not the Minister’s problem, we are the owners of the country. I expect questions like - we started repairing the Domboshava Road, why have we not started using that road? 

So, as we are approaching the budget process, ensure that those budget areas are approved because I will simply respond by telling you that there are no allocated funds, please give me more funds.  Ensure that on the budget allocations, we get adequate funds.  Sometimes the stones are placed there, not because it is deliberate but we have run out of funds for working on that road.  We want to ensure that those roads are worked on to the fullest.  I thank you.

*HON. S. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Mr. Speaker.  In the rural areas, some bridges were swept away a long time ago. We are now approaching the rain season. What is Government's plan to ensure that those bridges that were swept away a long time ago are repaired so that school pupils will be able to access schools? There are a lot of areas where pupils cannot go to school during the rainy season, for example, Nyare Bridge along Alaska - Copper Queen Road.

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA): Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.   I would also like to thank Hon. Ziyambi for that question. According to what I alluded to earlier on, regarding the roads or bridges in various areas, our Ministry does not have adequate funds to cover all the places according to the expectations of the people because we have limited funds. Those same funds may be used to address other disasters, for example, drought this year.

As a Ministry, we have not stopped, we go and sometimes work with the private sector and we seek assistance to ensure that the Government may complete some projects. I believe some of the roads were swept away by cyclones in some areas. I can assure you that we know all those areas and you will be seeing us coming. So, once again, I appeal to you as we approach the 2025 budgets, help us to remember such areas.

HON. KARIMATSENGA-NYAMUPINGA: Hon. Speaker, you have overruled me and the question was repeated by Hon. Nyabani and you made that question to be answered. I just felt that as a woman, my question was thrown away.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Nyamupinga, if you felt that way, my apology. The question was about roads in the rural areas that were not being used. I thought the question from Hon. Nyabani was that the stones that are placed in the middle of the roads are the ones that are making the detours to be damaged. I thank you.

HON. CHIGUMBU: On a point of privilege. I think when we are discussing issues in this House, we must be serious. Yesterday, when we were discussing the SONA presentation that was made by the President, Hon. Members on your right were saying all our roads are now tsepete tsepete but these are the very same Members who are now saying we have got bad roads. I just want you to take note, Hon. Speaker, that these people are now saying our roads are bad but just yesterday they were saying all the roads are tsepete tsepete. I think we must be serious as Members of Parliament when discussing issues that affect our people. Thank you, Mr Speaker Sir.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, how does that translate to a point of privilege? You may have your point, but it is certainly not a point of privilege.

 HON. CHIGUMBU: I am sorry, I could have failed to maybe use the proper term to put across my point but what I just wanted to raise is let us be truthful here as we debate issues.  If there are issues that are affecting our people, let us be just truthful in our debates.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Member, I hear you, but it certainly cannot be recorded under a point of privilege.

HON. S. SITHOLE: On a point of order. What is the worst that could happen to this House if Hon. Nyamupinga's question is answered?

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Yes, her question has been answered. Hon. Nyamupinga’s question has been answered. She raised a concern, a point of privilege which I have answered and I think we are on the same page.

HON. J. TSHUMA: Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker Sir. I had gone out of the House a bit, so I do not know if maybe what I am going to raise was raised while I was outside, but I thought of riding on the momentum of Hon. Nyamupinga and others who have been asking about the state of the roads, especially in the rural areas.

 I want to come back again and say our Hon. Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development is one of the most abled and best ministers that I have ever come across.  He implements a lot of things that are supposed to be implemented and I want to say well done for that Hon. Minister.

However, we have spoken about Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road, Bulawayo-Kezi Road, Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, and Beitbridge-Victoria Falls Road. Hon. Minister, please can you come to the ball? We need those roads to be done like yesterday because these are the kind of sentiments – [HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjections.] -just hold on. You spoke about your roads in rural areas, let me speak about my roads in Matabeleland. Why do you want to suppress me when I speak about my roads in Matabeleland? Are you trying to be regional or something?

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members, let the Member be heard in silence. Hon. Tshuma, please ask your question. Even if it becomes a new question, you were the next person here who was going to ask a question. Can you please proceed?

HON. J. TSHUMA: I was asking you a new question, to say, Hon.  Minister, when are you coming to Bulawayo to finish these roads, Bulawayo-Nkayi Road, Bulawayo-Tsholotsho Road, Bulawayo-Kezi Road and the Beitbridge-Victoria Falls Road, because they are in a deplorable state?  You have heard about the accidents that are happening on the Bulawayo -Victoria Falls Road. When are you coming there finally?

THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT (HON. MHONA):  Let me thank my brother Hon. Tshuma for that very important question. At least it will allow me to articulate the status quo about the roads that he has alluded to.

Hon. Speaker, two weeks ago, before Cabinet, I presented a paper relating to a contractor who is going to work on the roads and I will mention some of these roads. That is Beitbridge, Bulawayo Victoria Falls, which is the 750-kilometer road, and Bitumen World is going to be rehabilitating that entire stretch. Now he is busy mobilising to attend to very damaged sections. If you are talking of Lupane-Hwange and Hwange-Victoria Falls sections, some of these sections are badly damaged, so will you see the contractor attending to the bad sections?

Also to decongest the same roads, we have another contractor who will be working from Kwekwe, Nkayi-Lupane, it is another PPP arrangement again that we are also having, and that road is over 241 kilometres, and not only that section, but it is now going to attend to the very emotional one, which has been on the cards for some time, the Bulawayo-Nkayi, which is about 159 kilometres to do the entire road.

The 54 kilometres have been done, but there is the remaining 90 that we are currently working on now, but now we have got a contractor who is going to be working on it.  So, we will be left with Bulawayo-Tsholotsho and Bulawayo-Kezi, but now we are going to be doing that from the in-house Department of Roads through other contractors.  I assure this august House and to say to the people of Matabeleland, yes, it is not like we had neglected the roads, we were coming and I am happy that we now have a solution to some of these problematic roads.  Some of these roads will lead to our iconic leaders, Umdala Wethu, Joshua Nkomo, and the Kezi Road. So, we are attending to that road as well with speed.

 So, to say to the people of Zimbabwe, we might not come to every corner to rehabilitate simultaneously, but we know on our radar, on our dashboards, that we are going to be attending to a number of these roads, but I want to assure you that on some of our trunk roads, our connecting roads, we are going to be moving.

So, to answer my good brother, Joseph, in terms of when the contractor is going to start, the contractor is busy mobilising, so now it is no longer ‘we are coming’, we are there already busy mobilising.

MOTION

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH:  DEBATE ON ADDRESS

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

         Question again proposed.

HON. BAJILA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, for granting me this opportunity to add my voice.  Mr. Speaker Sir, I wish to add my voice on four things that appeared on the State of the Nation Address.  Perhaps, I should start by thanking the President for coming to this House to present the legislative agenda for the Second Session of the 10^th Parliament of Zimbabwe.

 One thing I found to be of note, is the Cash for Cereal Programme that Government is bringing in terms of the Food Deficit Mitigation Programme.  Mr. Speaker Sir, this is a very noble idea because the people of Zimbabwe in urban and rural areas have been affected by the El Nino drought.  However, the Cash for Cereal Programme seems to be run in a manner that is dragging feet.  We are not seeing enough of speed in terms of the registration of the participants and there is not much public communication from the side of Government with the intended beneficiaries.

Schedules keep coming and keep being edited and resent again and again. Zimbabwe is now becoming a country of registrations and queues. Now and again, people are being registered for this and for that and the processes seem to be endless.  This Cash for Cereal Programme needs to be expedited because the people in urban areas are affected by the El Nino induced drought in as much as the rural people are affected.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I move to the School Feeding Programme which the President mentioned in the State of the Nation Address. There needs to be clarity on the School Feeding Programme, on whether it is Government that is going to bring food, mealie meal, relish, the entire food ingredients to schools, or it is the schools themselves that need to source, whether they are sourcing from parents or they are sourcing from well-wishers.

The challenge, Mr. Speaker Sir, with leaving this in the hands of schools themselves is that schools are suffering in terms of access to money.  The first challenge that schools are facing is the non-payment of BEAM by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare.  At the present moment, schools have only gone up to 2022.

This money that must come from Government as BEAM is the one that schools rely on for much of the issues that require cash.  So if the school nutrition programme also has to rely on schools, it has a problem because schools will be unable to fund the nutrition needs of learners.  At the end of the day, hunger will continue.

In some schools, up to 80% of learners are registered under BEAM and if Government has not paid BEAM, it means that schools are unable to fund much of their programmes, including this schools nutrition programme.  Therefore, for the School Feeding Programme to succeed, there must be a fund, there must be resources from Government.  It might be Government providing mealie meal, it might be Government providing other forms of resources to schools for this nutrition programme to succeed because learners must find themselves at an equal footing regardless of whether they come from poor or rich families.  Mr. Speaker Sir, it is very important for this clarity to be brought forth as we move forward with the School Feeding Programme.

Mr. Speaker Sir, sometime in June this year, I asked the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development a question on the development of certain roads in the country with respect to roads in Matabeleland South Province.  The Deputy Minister, Hon. Sacco’s response was that Matabeleland South Province currently has two graders, one of which was going through servicing at Kezi, a depot of RIDA.  The only one that was left functional was deployed to Bulilima District and working there.

My point, Mr. Speaker Sir, is that in the State of the Nation Address, the President spoke about roads infrastructure programmes and intimated that Government is looking forward to introducing Nhimbe/Ilima Programme. Now, Mr. Speaker Sir, my understanding of Ilima is that we have got these few resources from this site.  Specifically in the context of Matabeleland South Province, Ilima would mean that we have graders from Beitbridge District, Insiza and Bulilima, all coming together to Umzingwane District.  In that way, you will have a successful Ilima.

However, in terms of what the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development gave us here, all these districts do not have a grader.  There is only one grader that is being used by several districts. Ilima can only succeed if each of these districts have their own grader and they go to support one district for a specific road rehabilitation programme. Therefore, this cannot be Ilima, this cannot be Nhimbe because Ilima is when a lot of resources come to one project than a lot of projects being serviced by one resource.

We therefore need to ask the Government to be serious about resourcing RIDA and infrastructure development departments, even at rural district council level, even at urban municipality level, so that the concept of Ilima/Nhimbe which we grew up experiencing and know that it can succeed, this concept can only succeed if these resources are there.  Unfortunately, the evidence that has been brought here by Ministers of Government themselves, is that the graders are not there.  In Matabeleland South, in terms of records in this House, there is one grader for seven districts.

Mr. Speaker, I proceed to another issue that the President brought in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) which is around the Community Radio Stations. This is a very noble move as we seek to enhance media pluralism in the country. I will call upon the Minister to ensure the processes that they have committed to. The issue of licensing; more community radio stations are expedited so that we move towards true media pluralism in the country and we ensure that these radio stations are really community based. Also, I would like to use this opportunity to debate the SONA and call upon the Executive to begin establishing a framework for the registration for establishment of religious radio stations in the country in the sense that the religious sector needs to communicate, we rely on the religious sector for a lot of a spiritual means.

At the present moment we have spectrums for commercial radio stations and for community radio stations. There is no specific spectrum, no specific framework for religious radio stations. We may need to ensure that as we seek to implement the issues that were mentioned in the SONA, the issue of religious radio stations comes into play.

Mr. Speaker, I move to the legislative agenda that the President presented in the SONA. One missing element with respect to the legislative agenda is that we did not get an update on the Bills that the President presented when he officially opened the First Session of the Tenth Parliament. How many Bills did the President promise the nation, how many of them got into this House, how many of them were passed? To the best of my knowledge, only one Bill that the President, when he officially opened the First Session actually passed during the First Session - we need to ask ourselves as this House. Out of more than forty Bills that the President presented when he officially opened the First Session, why did we only pass one?

 Questions need to go the Executive. Is the Executive bringing Bills here?  When the President officially opened the first session, he was clear about the Youth Bill, it is still not here.  We do not have it.  The State of the Nation Address (SONA) did not respond to why we do not have the Youth Bill now. 

         The President spoke about the Provincial Councils Bill when he officially opened the First Session of the Tenth Parliament. To date, we do not have the Provincial Councils Bill in this House and this official opening of the Second Session does not speak to the reasons why the Bills that were promised when we got into the first session did not come here and only one managed to come here.  There is quite a number of very important Bills that the President promised which have not come here.  Some are still on the way; some are at various stages of debate but the record must be set that only one of the Bills that the President promised to bring to this House was passed during the first session.

         We need to ask ourselves these questions as we get into the Second Session; how many Bills are going to pass?  Mostly importantly, the question must go to the executive, because the Executive must bring those Bills here so that the House looks into them.

         Finally, Mr. Speaker, as we get into the Second Session which the President officially opened with the State of the Nation Address, There is a chorus that we must seek to cure, which we get from the Executive, as we seek to implement the issues, some of which are included in the SONA.  The chorus is one word, the chorus is ‘disbursement’.  Ask Hon. Ministers questions after questions about everything that is developmental, that is a Government programme, whether you look at vision 2030, you look at NDS1, we are getting into NDS2, all the time it is a question of; ‘this disbursement has not happened, that disbursement has not happened’ and it gives us problems.  We need to say; if you want to get issues that are developmental, we want to get issues that are included in the SONA, we need to find means of getting the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to disburse funds.

People are suffering.  BEAM has not been disbursed.  These roads need to be rehabilitated.  The Minister will come and present a plan, we are waiting for disbursement.  It is always, disbursement this, disbursement that.  The State of the Nation Address in my view needed to speak to the issues that derail the progress of development in Government programmes.  The biggest elephant in our room is the issue disbursement. 

Mr. Speaker, as a I close, I call upon the Executive to heed the call and get moving with respect to bringing these Bills to this House and specifically the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion with respect to ensuring that disbursements are done to Government programmes, including Constituency Developments Funds (CDF), which need to be disbursed early into the year so that we do not do things hurriedly because as we get to the end of the year, we are now trying to push through procurement procedures, which sometimes may take us long until the year lapses without utilising the monies.  At the end of the day, it looks like we are sabotaging the people of Zimbabwe. If the disbursement hubs come in such a time towards the end the year and the procurement procedures are such that you are unable to do all the procurement requirements before the year ends, if things happen that way, it amounts to sabotaging the people of Zimbabwe.  I thank you, Mr. Speaker – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - 

HON. NJANJI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  It is my honour to stand before you this afternoon to present my speech and commentary of a critical appraisal of the recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) that was delivered during the opening of the Second Session of the Tenth Parliament by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.

I would like to begin by appreciating the state of affairs surrounding our economic environment in which the address was made.  It is no doubt that we are faced with economic challenges mainly owing to climatic conditions which saw our country hardly hit the by El Nino drought season.  With agriculture being the mainstay of our economy, the drought has indeed negatively impacted on our food security.  Even those agriculture hubs like our constituency of Mazowe Central famed for good climate and yearly bumper harvests, has not been spared from the drought.

However, I would like to appreciate the strides being taken by the Second Republic in mitigating the effects of this El Nino induced drought.   As highlighted by the President Dr. Mnangagwa in the SONA, all efforts are being taken to make sure no one dies of hunger. Mr. Speaker Sir, in Mazowe Central where I am a legislator, I confirm that such food mitigation measures are taking place. Our people in various households, villages are indeed benefiting from food relief exercise. In that regard, I do commend the Second Republic’s commitment to fighting the adverse effects of drought. 

         Mr. Speaker Sir, the President, in the State of the Nation Address, was on point in highlighting the successes made. He went further in dealing with food security issues.  The glad tidings of bumper wheat harvest is indeed a milestone achievement in resuscitating the economy and saving citizens from hunger.  Mr. Speaker Sir, I found the State of the Nation Address of critical importance in its focus towards food security issues, which is really at the core of every Zimbabwean. 

Mr. Speaker Sir, let me also touch on the agenda placed before this 10^th Parliament of Zimbabwe, the business to quicken the enactment of all outstanding Bills from the previous Session.  As an Hon. Member of Parliament who represent a rural constituency, Mazowe, I feel that I have to celebrate the achievements being realised in the transformation of the country’s education sector as well as measures being taken towards the economic empowerment of women and youth.  I come from a constituency where I am looking for means and ways of improving our education as we implement the Heritage-Based Education 5.0.  The State of the Nation address noted successful strides in the discipline of education which I am proud to applaud. 

Mr. Speaker Sir, many are the things that I cannot celebrate from the recent State of Nation Address.  However, for the sake of this presentation, I would prefer to end here and at the same time, making this clarion call to each and every one of us to remember that nyika inovakwa nevene vayo.  Let us unite and work hard towards the success of our beloved nation of the Republic of Zimbabwe.  I submit.  Thank you.    

HON. KAMBUZUMA:  I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. C. MOYO:  I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Thursday, 10^th October, 2024.

On the motion of HON. KAMBUZUMA, seconded by HON. C. MOYO, the House adjourned at Twenty Minutes to Six o’clock p.m.