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NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 10 OCTOBER 2024 VOL 51 NO 04

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Thursday, 10^th October, 2024

The National Assembly met at a Quarter-past Two o’clock p.m.

PRAYERS

(THE ACTING SPEAKER in the Chair)

*HON. NYABANI: Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of

interest pertains to the fires that we have been experiencing at the National Railways of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and at Mbare. This has resulted in people losing a lot of properties worth millions of dollars. For instance, Mbare is a place where people eke out their living in different businesses. We were supposed to take a leaf from what was happening in Glenview where it was a perennial problem. So, we are not learning any lessons until people lose their valuables.

I came here to express my sympathy on the plight of the people of Glenview and Mbare. I would like to say do we have any solution to that, but I empathise with them. In South Africa, people were being killed and after research, it was discovered that it was as a result of some members of the opposition who were instigating that. So, this is being done by the opposition - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – I did not name anyone Mr. Speaker Sir.

*THE ACTING SPEAKER (HON. MACHINGURA): Were you done Hon. Nyabani?

*HON. NYABANI: No, I am not yet done Hon. Speaker Sir.

*HON. KAPOIKILU: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. My point of order is that Hon. Nyabani - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] -

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Member, are you not dramatising and shooting your own horror movie? You may proceed Hon. Nyabani.

*HON. NYABANI: Mr. Speaker Sir, Parliament should understand that the Mayor of Harare or the party where the mayor belongs to - we know that there were outbreaks of fire in both Glenview and Mbare which affected people - [AN HON. MEMBER: Tamba nezvimwe Nyabani, tamba nezvimwe; vanhu vari kurwadziwa kuMbare uko iwe you are busy pointing fingers!] –

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Order! Order! Hon. Member, please stand up. When another Hon. Member is debating on the floor, you wait for your turn to be recognised. You stand up so that I recognise you. May you withdraw your statement so that Hon. Nyabani may continue?

*HON. MARIKANO: Good afternoon, Hon. Speaker Sir. I withdraw my statement.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you. You may proceed Hon. Nyabani.

*HON. NYABANI: So, Mr. Speaker Sir, Parliament should understand that the representative is the Mayor of Harare. There was a fire outbreak in Glenview. In Mbare there was an outbreak of fire which affected people. – [*HON. MARIKANO: Tamba nezvimwe Nyabani tamba nezvimwe vanhu vari kurwadziwa kuMbare and you are busy pointing fingers.]

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Can you stand up Hon. Member? When an Hon. Member is debating and you also want to be recognised, you stand so that we recognise you. May you withdraw your words so that Hon. Nyabani would continue?

*HON. MARIKANO: Good afternoon Hon. Speaker, I withdraw.

*HON. NYABANI: I am pained Hon. Speaker Sir.

*HON. MUSHORIWA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. I think a point of national interest is defined in our rules. It is wrong for Hon. Nyabani to criticise an Hon. Member of ZANU PF instead of engaging them behind the scenes.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: I thought I heard Hon. Nyabani talking about fire outbreaks that are affecting people and burning their properties around the country.

*HON. MUSHORIWA: Hon. Nyabani said that there are no representatives for example in Mbare. The Member of Parliament for Mbare is a ZANU PF Member of Parliament. The councillor of Mbare is a ZANU PF Councillor.

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: There is no point of order Hon. Member. Can you continue Hon. Nyabani.

*HON. NYABANI: I want to thank you for protecting me Hon. Speaker Sir. I stood here because I am pained. I am referring to NRZ in Bulawayo to Glenview and Mbare; there were fire outbreaks that we have experienced. The Mayors of Bulawayo and Harare have fire tenders that are bought by councils. That money is not council money but it is tax payer’s money. So, when there are outbreaks, we expect these fire tenders to assist those who would be affected by these fires. They must not just watch whilst the fire is burning. When this happened in Glenview and Bulawayo, I thought we had learnt a lesson of how to deal with fires. So, my desire is that this august House should take it that Mayor Mafume should explain that the fire outbreak in Glenview and Mbare …

*HON. MAJAYA: On a point of order!

*HON. SPEAKER: What is your point of order?

*HON. MAJAYA: We do not allude to people who are not in this august House and Mayor Mafume is not in this House, he cannot defend himself.

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Nyabani, do not mention names just talk about the fire.

*HON. NYABANI: I do not know who represents the areas. The Mayors should give an explanation why we find these fires destroying people’s livelihoods and their properties. Councils are failing to discharge their duties in terms putting out these fires. So, my request is that the Minister of Local Government should put a commission which is going to investigate the council to ascertain whether the council is discharging its duties with fortitude because people are losing their properties through fires. I thank you Hon. Speaker Sir.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: The Order which allows us to chase an Hon. Member who is not behaving is still there and we can do that. Hon. Nyabani, you brought quite a pertinent issue regarding destruction of properties and from your request that the Minister of Local Government should investigate those fires is a good suggestion and I believe that our clerks have noted that.

HON. MUNEMO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, mine is just similar to that of Hon. Nyabani. – [Inaudible interjections] - If you may indulge me to proceed?

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Engineer, we respect you. You are an Honourable Member and you are an adult. If you behave like that, you are just shouting from where you are, we cannot tolerate that. I am the Chair so, I will deal with the issues. I thank you.

HON. MUNEMO: It is just similar to that of Hon. Nyabani, it is okay.

HON. JAMES: Thank you Mr. Speaker. I wish to make a point of national interest to pay tribute to someone who, through sheer strength of her convictions, saved many lives during the COVID pandemic. Her foresight and research, although castigated at the time, has been vindicated in hindsight. I urge all Hon. Members here to view her interviews on YouTube, where she has thanked the Zimbabwean Government for its protection during the persecution directed at her

THE ACTING SPEAKER: Order Honourable, I cannot hear you from this end and I do not think other Hon. Members can hear you. You are not audible.

HON. JAMES: Would you like me to start again?

THE ACTING SPEAKER: Yes Honourable.

Mr. Speaker, it is important for our Health Ministry and medical fraternity to remain vigilant to the machinations of these international bodies seeking to manipulate our sovereignty through global management and control during potential disease outbreaks. Again, I ask all Hon. Members here today to join me in paying tribute to Dr. Jackie Stone, who died early this month here in Zimbabwe. I am sure there are many here who have benefited from her tenacity and knowledge, or know someone who responded positively to her treatment methods and care. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Jackie Stone, 1965-2024. May her soul rest in peace. I thank you.

HON. CHAKAKURA: Mr. Speaker Sir, Zimbabwe joins the World Mental Health Day, today the 10^th of October, 2024. I stand by the young women who suffer from mental health. World Mental Health Day serves as a vital reminder to focus on mental health issues, particularly among young women.

This demography often faces unique challenges that can impact their mental well-being including domestic violence, drug and substance abuse, lack of resources, unemployment, social media pressure, body image concerns, academic and career pressure and also inadequacies that are affecting our young women, resulting in mental health issues.

Ways in which we can support young women is through community and connection which is building supportive networks that can help young women share their experiences and reduce feelings of isolation. There is also education and awareness which is promoting mental health education and can empower young women to seek help and support others; policy advocacy in which encouraging policies that address mental health resources for young women who can lead to systemic change.

I urge this august House to look into issues affecting the youth and advise the executive as it is a crucial opportunity to highlight and address the mental health challenges faced by young women. By fostering and understanding support and resources, we can help empower this demography to prioritise their mental well-being. Let us join hands together and fight for a greater and a better Zimbabwe as we all know that a health mind is a productive mind. I thank you.

*HON. HAMAUSWA: My point of national interest is regarding the National Schools Feeding Programme. We learnt during public consultations that schools are receiving mealie-meal without any relish, which is resulting in parents being asked to contribute a dollar each so that they buy relish for their children.

Sometimes you find a bucket of beans which is then processed so that they have enough food. My request is that the responsible Ministry and the Minister of Social Welfare should look into the issue so that the programme becomes beneficial to children because we are told that they are getting mealie-meal and you cannot eat sadza alone without any relish. This is bad enough because some children are not going to school because of lack of food. So, Government is giving our pupils the opportunity to go back to school. I am also informed that there is USD15 million which is earmarked for buying relish but surprisingly, those children who can read newspapers that there is an allocation of USD15 million, some might be asking where the 15 million is whilst they are eating sadza without relish. Thank you.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: Thank you. The issue is quite important. The issue regarding this programme was raised during the answer and question segment. I wonder why you did not ask when the Minister was there so that you could get immediate feedback.

*HON. HAMAUSWA: My name was on the list but I did not get the opportunity to raise the question. This programme is a flagship of our Government programmes which shows the national outlook of the interventions that are made by Government but this programme might not achieve the intended or desired results. We need to bring our heads together so that we solve this issue because people would say that Government was distributing maize meal without relish. Our children are going to school, they are writing examinations and they go hungry whilst food is there at the GMB. The parents are asked to raise a dollar each and they do not have money.

The other issue that prompted me to stand up is that Government does not permit the contribution of dollars for moving grain from GMB depots. So, my suggestion is that this issue should be solved so that the image of Government is not tarnished because it is a very good programme. I thank you.

* THE ACTING SPEAKER: Please, may you refer to the Hansard, I believe that this issue was raised and the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education spoke about the issue.

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT

STATE OF PREPAREDNESS BY THE ZIMBABWE BASEBALL ASSOCIATION TO HOST THE LADIES BASEBALL SERIES

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF SPORTS, RECREATION, ARTS AND CULTURE (HON. JESAYA): Thank you so much Mr. Speaker Sir. Good afternoon. I rise to give a ministerial statement on Zimbabwe Baseball Association, state of preparedness to host the Ladies’ Baseball Series. The Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, guided by the National Development Strategy 1 and Vision 2030, has been on a drive to engage and re-engage a lit state and other key stakeholders in sport and recreation. This has resulted in Zimbabwe bidding and hosting major sporting events. For example, T10, T20 cricket series, rugby tournaments, athletics tournaments, handball tournaments and so on.

The Ministry highly considers the positive impact of sport in molding the image of the country through sport diplomacy. In the case of Zimbabwe Baseball Association, the Ministry has established that Zimbabwe Baseball Association is yet to finalise its registration with the Sports and Recreation Commission, a process that commenced sometime in 2015. This therefore means that Zimbabwe Baseball Association is not registered with the Sports and Recreation Commission despite being awarded the benefits of a registered National Sports Association and is not compliant with the Sports and Recreation Commission in respect of the following;

Registration documents including the constitution;
2020 Audited Financial Report;
2021 Audited Financial Report;
2022 Audited Financial Report;
2023 Audited Financial Report;
Annual Levy

These documents are essential to verify the financial integrity and

operational compliance of the Zimbabwe Baseball Association. Furthermore, the Ministry through the Sports and Recreation Commission, has convened several meetings with the Baseball 5 Commission regarding their application for clearance, which application did not meet set criteria to be cleared as the National Sports Association had not finalised its registration and was not compliant with the Sports and Recreation Commission.

The Ministry is aware that the Zimbabwe Baseball Association was awarded a temporary waiver to allow the Zimbabwe Under 18 team to participate at the World Qualifiers in South Africa from 8 - 13 August, 2024 and the waiver expired on the 31^st August, 2024. Zimbabwe Baseball Association has not informed the Sports and Recreation Commission on any hosting or bidding to host initiatives. The procedure for such initiatives is that National Sports Associations work in consultation with the Sports and Recreation Commission to obtain approval to host from the Ministry. Thereafter, the National Sports Association, together with the Sports and Recreation Commission, bid to host the event following the 2016 National Bidding and Hosting Policy.

Upon winning the bid, the National Sports Association established a local organising committee, which the Sports and Recreation Commission and Ministry are part of in the preparation for the event. This enables the Ministry to activate other arms of Government in support of this initiative.

Furthermore, the National Sports Association is supposed to request for any funding at the point of application to host as this funding, if approved, will be resourced by the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Sports.

The Sports and Recreation Commission has been working with Zimbabwe Baseball Association to rationalise their registration by assisting with the formulation of their constitution. Several meetings have been conducted with the Sports and Recreation Commission in this regard.

In all these interactions, the Zimbabwe Baseball Association has not communicated to the SRC on giving a bid towards any event and it has not communicated on whether it has won any bid.

Regrettably, this is the first instance in which both the Ministry and the Sports and Recreation Commission are made aware of the National Sports Association's intention to host such a prestigious event through Parliament, contrary to laid-down procedures.

The following are the hosting clearance procedures for all National Sports Associations in Zimbabwe. An association is expected to adhere to the national bidding and hosting policy, which entails applicants to bid to host the Ministry of Sports through the Sports and Recreation Commission. Zimbabwe Baseball Association has not done any of the above.

This process not only ensures compliance but also supports the development of sports in Zimbabwe by promoting transparency, accountability and effective management practices.

In addition to the above documentation, the Sports and Recreation Commission wishes to outline the procedure for obtaining hosting clearance for events. The following items are required: - a hosting rights confirmation letter; proof of funding for the event;

letter from a parent federation or a sponsor indicating hosting grant support and the amount; an updated competition budget and the budget should clearly outline the revenue streams, source of funding, and expenditure centres; the hosting plan; accommodation plan; financial management plan; drafting and implementation of service contracts; local organising committee structure, organogram and portfolios; time-framed event delivery technical plan; and motivational concept document showing the benefits linked to hosting the event. The Zimbabwe Baseball Association has not done any of the above.

The Ministry and Sports and Recreation Commission are currently working on the following 2025 bids by some National Sporting Associations: - Athletics Association to host the Southern Region Championships and Triathlon to host the Bonaqua Africa Triathlon Challenge, among others.

In conclusion, it is crucial that the National Sports Associations, including the Zimbabwe Baseball Association bid can apply to host guided by the policy in place through the Sports and Recreation Commission for approval by the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture.

We also want Hon. Members of Parliament to encourage the community to work with the Sports and Recreation Commission in regularising their operations and work within the laws of the country as we aim to leave no athlete behind in sports. I thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: I want to thank you for bringing the Ministerial Statement. It was requested for in this House, especially with regards to baseball.

HON. MUSHORIWA: First and foremost, Hon. Speaker, let me thank the Deputy Minister for bringing the Ministerial Statement. My question is that the Ministry of Sports and invariably the Sports and Recreation Commission, is supposed to be promoting sport in the country. I want the Hon. Minister to say that if an association has some leadership problems, should the members or the people in general, like in this case the baseball players, should they suffer primarily because the leadership of an association has failed its job?

I also want the Hon. Minister to then advise this august House to then say what measures has the Ministry taken to make sure that they remedy the challenge that is there because the people that will suffer are actually the ordinary person.

The second clarification that I need the Minister to do, is to then advise this august House that in terms of preparation for the budgets, does the Ministry and the Sports and Recreation Commission present or come up with bids for each association or discipline in terms of making sure that the fiscus assists those disciplines? I am deliberately saying disciplines and moving away from the association because I think it is the job of the Ministry and the Sports and Recreation Commission to promote sport in its various forms.

Lastly Mr. Speaker, the question of the audited financial statements which the Hon. Minister spoke to, I think is very good

but equally, Hon. Minister, are your Sports and Recreation Commission's audits up to date because you do not want to have a situation where your Sports and Recreation Commission accuse an association for not having their audits in place and yet are also on the same side of non-compliance?

*HON. HAMAUSWA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. I want to direct my question to the Deputy Minister, but I want to applaud the Deputy Minister first for bringing the statement. My point of clarity first pertains to un-audited financial statements.

The Minister spoke about the association and said that the association is not registered. So, I do not know why the Minister is expecting reports from an unregistered association. Is it not good for the Hon. Minister to assist the association to register so that the Ministry could look at the reports because they will be bringing reports since they will be registered? But now it seems as if they are working illegally because they are not registered.

When we requested for the Ministerial Statement, we noted that baseball came to Zimbabwe through the partnerships between the Government of Zimbabwe and the Japanese Government. The Zimbabwean players were trained so that they would operate on their own. We want to know the steps that are being taken by Government to maintain that good relationship through the assistance of the Baseball Association because the association came as a result of the good relationship between Zimbabwe and Japanese Governments.

The Sports and Recreation Commission cannot hide behind a finger saying that the association is not registered and the baseball players are being taxed US$4 per year by the Sports and Recreation Commission and having done that, the Sports and Recreation Commission is not really helping in that regard despite collecting money from the players.

Lastly, Hon. Minister, we need clarity on that. So the question is that as a nation, as Zimbabwe, are we able to host South Africa as we were anticipating or maybe it is no longer possible?

HON. JESAYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Members for the points of clarity that they have raised.

It is not the Government's wish to see the people that we are supposed to serve suffering and at the same time we would not want to encourage people to break protocols or certain procedures that we also put as measures, as Government as well. So in terms of the measures that we have put in place as a Government to ensure that these national sports associations are aware of the procedures that they need to take for registration, Sports and Recreation Commission does have the number of sport codes that we have here in Zimbabwe and they do speak with each of them. They have engagements that they do each and every quarter of the year where they train and they give them information on the benefits that are there for them to become registered and compliant with SRC.

The reason that we need these sports associations to be registered in Zimbabwe is for us to be able to track their progress and also assist as the Ministry when it comes to hosting. There are certain papers that also need the Government to put its support and endorsement and we cannot do that to a sporting code that is not registered in Zimbabwe.

There was a question that has been asked to say, is the Sports and Recreation Commission also audited? The answer is yes, they are audited by the Auditor General.

Then I am going to the question that has been asked by Hon. Hamauswa. Hon. Hamauswa asked why we are requesting for financial audited statements when we are saying this association is not registered with the Sports and Recreation Commission. If you go back to my ministerial statement that I read to the House, the Zimbabwe Baseball Association came whilst they were working on their registration in 2015. They did their papers and they were supposed to submit audited financial statements that were not going. That is why I was raising this because they skipped years because the process of registering started in 2015.

There was also a question regarding the introduction of the baseball sporting activity which came as a result of the relationship between Japan and Zimbabwe and indeed, we value those cordial relationships and through sporting activities, we use sport diplomacy but that does not allow us to violate laws because a sporting activity came from another country, but we want our sporting activities to be compliant so that we observe the law so that we protect our children who will be playing in those sporting activities because when they register, there are a lot of things that happen when they get hurt whilst playing. The association should be clear on such issues. These are issues of procedure and law.

Japan has a lot of sporting activities which they partner with Zimbabwe including judo. Judo is compliant. Judo is registered and as the Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, we assist these sport codes through the Sports and Recreation Commission. We entertain people's concerns. When they bring their concerns, we deal with them. We give a waiver to allow them to get out of these sports.

The other question was that we want to know whether we will be hosting South Africa. At the moment I cannot say yes or no because we have not been informed whether they want to host South Africa or not. I thank you Hon. Speaker.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

HON. KAMBUZUMA: I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 3 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 4 on today’s Order Paper has been disposed of.

HON. MUSHORIWA: Mr Speaker, I just wanted to say something.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: What is it that you want to say Hon. Mushoriwa?

HON. MUSHORIWA: Mr. Speaker, only last week the President of Zimbabwe came and sat in your Chair and urged this august House to dispose of the Bills that were not processed last time. Mr. Speaker Sir, we are now on the same trajectory that we did in the First Session and for us to be here on a Thursday on Government Business and failed to have any of the Ministers whose Bills are there, I think it does not augur well for this august House. I think Hon. Speaker, you need to raise this with the Executive. To simply say, if the President who is the Head of Cabinet, actually gave and told the Ministers who were full, for the first time in this august House that they need to pull up their socks, I think it is important that Mr. Speaker, you remind them that we, as Members of Parliament across the political divide, are ready to debate these Bills and we are being let down by the Executive. So, with those words, Mr. Speaker Sir, I will concur in the absence of the Hon. Minister, that we go to Order of the Day Number Four.

THE ACTING SPEAKER: Noted, Hon. Mushoriwa, and thank you.

MOTION

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS

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

Question again proposed.

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you, Hon. Speaker Sir. I want to thank the Hon. Member who moved the motion for debating the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Hon. Kambuzuma and her seconder. We appreciate the State of the Nation Address which was delivered by the President.

He was not just talking about things on his own but His Excellency presented his speech so that the august House would also debate on the State of the Nation Address. His Excellency spoke about peace. I support the State of the Nation Address because of the peace that we experience as Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe is indeed a peaceful nation. It is a united nation. We are here coming from different parties with different political persuasions, but we are one people. We are a nation and I believe His Excellency's State of the Nation Address encouraged us to unite.

In the past, there was no unity like what we are experiencing now. People would lift chairs, argue and fight like what happens in other countries like Uganda but here we are a peaceful nation. We are united even though there are others who might have divisive thoughts, but we are together. We are here in Parliament. There is no one who is being forced to come here, we come on our own volition.

The other thing is that the unity that was alluded to by the President, I remember some time back the President said let us go and do a ground-breaking exercise and we were given buses to come here. We drove up this mountain and His Excellency came for the ground breaking ceremony. Some Members did not come and this showed that there was no unity but today we find them seated here. They are seated here in this beautiful and peaceful place. We want to say that this beautiful Parliament is in existence, but there are some who are here who did not come for the ground breaking ceremony thinking that it was not going to happen but it happened… - [AN HON. MEMBER: Inaudible interjection.] - You did not come here.

*HON. MADZIVANYIKA: On a point of order Hon. Speaker. I would like to ask the Hon. Member to confine herself to the SONA. The ground breaking ceremony of Parliament is not part of SONA. The President said so. She must debate within SONA instead of digressing to the building. Thank you.

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Zemura, please do not digress from the President’s SONA. Thank you.

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. When we talk about unity, we do not just say unity, unity but we talk about relevant things which are aligned to unity. Hon. Speaker Sir, those who do not want us to demonstrate unity can go out like what you did when you did not come.

*THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Zemura, you are speaking well regarding the State of the Nation Address. Please, may you withdraw the words of chasing out other Hon. Members and stick to the State of the Nation Address.

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. When we think deeply of …

THE ACTING SPEAKER: Hon. Zemura, please withdraw the words that other Members should leave this House. Hon. Zemura, can you withdraw?

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Sir. They must not go out. Thank you, Hon. Speaker, I withdraw my words.

Hon. Speaker, the President, His Excellency, the Head of Government, Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa spoke like an adult and I will also speak as an adult. When we talk about what the President said, we are also talking about this Parliament which was constructed and built through His Excellency's contribution and guidance and people go out to take photos of this beautiful architecture.

*HON. HAMAUSWA: On a point of order, Madam Speaker Ma’am. Hon. Speaker Ma’am, I concur that this Parliament building is beautiful, but I thought the Hon. Member was going to talk about the mistakes that were done which might give this Parliament a wrong image. When you look at the pictures that we see appear here, Madam Speaker Ma’am, I would request that you look at the pictures, it seems what we see appears like pornographic material….

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. TSITSI ZHOU): Hon. Hamauswa, when you want to talk about SONA, please submit your name to your Chief Whip so that you debate SONA. May you continue Hon. Zemura?

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am. A good thing is just good, it cannot be spoiled. There are some who are outside who are not in this august House because they do not see the goodness of it. We were congested at the old Parliament building which was constructed during the Smith era. These are new projects; the Parliament of Zimbabwe, the VVIP pavilion at the Robert Mugabe International Airport, you would think that you are in New York. These are good projects. Even those who are in opposition should appreciate the beauty of such projects. Zimbabwe is different now. Zimbabwe is indeed developing….

HON. BONDA: On a point of order!

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: What is your point of order?

HON. BONDA: During the SONA, Madam Speaker, the President never segregated the opposition from the ruling party. Can the Hon. Member withdraw because this will divide the House? That is not what the President actually –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]-

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order! I will not hear the point of order if you are making noise, Hon. Zemura, may you continue with your debate?

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you, you do not know your problem…

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Members! Hon Zemura, may you continue without provoking other Members of this august House, may you continue with your contribution?

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for reprimanding me but without making me take back the words that I have said…

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Can we have order in the House? Order Hon. Zemura, may you continue without provoking Hon. Members in this august House, but if you continue in that trajectory, then I will have to stop you from continuing Hon. Member.

*HON. ZEMURA: Thank you, I will follow the rules of the House. His Excellency, the President spoke well. He spoke about education. He spoke about the provision of food in schools for our students because sometimes children will not be having lunch boxes. So, we want that mealie meal which is being distributed. As parents, we also assist maybe by contributing a dollar to allow them to buy the relish. This is not easy to give food aid then expect them to contribute, but we appreciate that the President spoke about BEAM which is going to continue being disbursed to those who are deserving.

The issue of food aid to those who require food was mentioned as well as the programme which clarifies that no one will be left behind or no one will lack food. His Excellency said that no one will die of hunger. When people are being told that they are not going to die of hunger, it means that we are going to receive food aid. As Members of this august House, let us make sure that food is distributed properly. We guide and rebuke when necessary, but we need to know that the President said that no one is going to suffer, no one is going to die of hunger.

As I am speaking, a lot of people are in the Pfumvudza programme. The President said that Pfumvudza would continue. Indeed, people are preparing for Pfumvudza, those who benefited from Pfumvudza last year had good harvest despite the poor rainfalls and people are surviving. We appreciate the President. We appreciate that Pfumvudza will continue and people will be receiving fertilisers and inputs. No one would be asked their surname and the political party they subscribe to. So, we thank the President and indeed, this is very good. Sometimes people do not appreciate, but we need to appreciate the good things.

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: You are left with five minutes Hon. Zemura.

*HON. ZEMURA: I was being interjected Hon. Speaker Ma’am. I appreciate the issue of the Road Rehabilitation Programme which was alluded to by His Excellency the President, for all provinces are benefiting from the programme. The roads which link us with the city were in a bad state but now these roads have been rehabilitated in such a manner that they are in a very good condition. There are some roads like Mutare to Plumtree Highway, you drive safely in a very good road. We also appreciate the beautiful airport even visitors who come here, for example, we had the SADC Summit recently where His Excellency, the President took over the chairmanship. The visitors who came here appreciated the beauty they saw. We took pictures, group photos where the flags were. Madam Speaker Ma’am, we appreciate the leadership of SADC who came to Zimbabwe.

We also thank and appreciate the issue of boreholes. We come from rural constituencies. We represent the rural populace and people have been drinking water from wells but now we have solar boreholes which were initiated by His Excellency the President, E.D. Mnangagwa. This is happening in different areas. There are rigs which are sinking boreholes. We need to work together like what His Excellency spoke about if there is need for diesel for rigs in villages, however sometimes some do not appreciate. It is a good thing for us to unite and work together so that people have access to water. We appreciate and in different areas where we come from, there are village gardens where people are cultivating vegetables and are eating good food. Thank you, Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to debate the SONA which was presented by Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa our President.

HON. S. NGWENYA: I would like to add my voice to the SONA debate by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Cde. E. D. Mnangangwa. I would like to commend His Excellency Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for anchoring his SONA speech by stressing the maintenance of peace and tranquility in our motherland Zimbabwe. This statement made me proud of my visionary leader and it actually reminded me of our national hero, who was a veteran nationalist, Cde John Landa Nkomo’s powerful mantra of peace begins with me, peace begins with you and peace begins with all of us.

Yes, His Excellency Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa maintained his philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind. He actually stressed this when he presented his SONA statement in this House. This is being witnessed countrywide, including my constituency Gokwe-Gumunyu were a lot has been done due to our visionary leader. For instance, there are clinics that are being built around the area that is bringing health facilities nearer to our people. This reminds me of health centres like Nyahurungwe, Nyamatsito and Zvanaka, just to name a few that have been built and are being used by our people. So, they are closer to our people. Our President E.D. Mnangagwa is walking the talk.

He also indicated that the year 2025, although he did not mention it here, it is good to mention it right now that he actually brought the 2025 Independence celebrations to our district, Gokwe North. I really appreciate the move by His Excellency because it actually puts that mantra of leaving no place behind. Very soon, in 2025, we will be celebrating, ‘all roads will be leading to Gokwe North’ for these celebrations and I am just using this opportunity to thank His Excellency for that, representing the people of Gokwe and Zimbabwe as a whole.

His Excellency, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa indicated that promises made by our revolutionary party are being fulfilled as evidenced by the introduction of Nhimbe/Ilima which is assisting in reconstructing roads in our respect areas or constituencies. This also reminds me of roads in my constituency that are earmarked to be reconstructed through this Ilima/Nhimbe programme, whereby the province brings together resources to help districts. This reminds me of roads, just to mention a few, the Nembudziya – Peterstore Road; Nembudziya – Musadzi Road; Nembudziya – Nyahurungwe and Choda and those leading to Mashame. These have been earmarked for reconstruction and I believe with His Excellency, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa, these roads will be attended to expeditiously as they are in a bad state.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, His Excellency Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa also touched on water harvesting and I am sure most of our dams and even those small ones like Musadzi, Mashame, Choda, Ronga and many others throughout the country, will be attended to and scooped accordingly, thereby increasing the holding capacity of our dams. By increasing that holding capacity, it actually benefits our communities and their domestic animals.

His Excellency, Dr, E. D. Mnangagwa also touched on the issue of drilling of boreholes. He indicated further the continuous drilling of boreholes targeting 35 000 homes and the setting up of village business units. I have witnessed these boreholes being sunk everywhere including in my district and also the business units are being developed all over. I have no doubt that very soon my constituency will have one or many boreholes being sunk. As of now, none have been sunk in my constituency and I still pray that very soon something will be done because the President cannot attend all the constituencies at the same time. I am sure very soon progress will be done and boreholes will be sunk in my constituencies as the President clearly indicated that there is no place that will be left behind.

So, I actually appreciate these projects being pursued by the Second Republic. Still on the same mantra of not leaving no one and any place behind, the issue of connectivity has improved throughout the country, through the able leadership of His Excellency, our President Dr. E. D Mnangagwa. Several places in rural constituencies have been connected though their other places still lagging behind and some of them just to mention a few, I have ward 18, 19, 20 and 22 in my constituency in Gokwe Gumunyu. I hope very soon this issue will be solved because I believe in my President, Cde E. D Mnangagwa.

Madam Speaker, His Excellency, Dr. E.D. Mnangangwa also touched on the El Nino induced drought, I would like to thank him for providing food for our families in the rural areas because they were hard-hit by this pandemic but as of now, I believe no one is starving as our Government is providing and taking good care of our people. They are providing the necessary grain to feed them.

However, I would like to call upon the Ministry of Social Welfare to reconsider or consider increasing the number of beneficiaries under this scheme as most of our populace’s grain reserves are now exhausted. Also, on the same programme, there was the introduction of the School Feeding Scheme and this is helping our children or the students at various schools. I understand the turn-out at schools is increasing due to this feeding scheme. I just pray that it continues as it is, so that our children go to school and learn whilst not starving.

As I conclude, I would like to touch on the legislative agenda as set out by His Excellency the President, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa. Firstly, I will just touch on two of them out of all those issues.

On Mines and Minerals Bill, I would like to thank His Excellency, Dr. E.D, Mnangagwa for bringing this Bill and I believe it was long outstanding. It will assist in solving disputes we are witnessing in the mining sector and this brings to mind the disputes in areas like Zenda, Mutukanyi, Kasonde, Ronga, and Mangorowe, just to name a few in my constituency. This Bill will bring in the cadastral system whereby it is computerised and we witness a few, if any disputes as we go along.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, this amendment also will regulate the prospecting and mining of minerals and registration of titles and other rights. This is a noble move and would like to thank His Excellency for noting those issues and bringing the Bill so that the Bill will be brought before this House. Madam Speaker Ma’am, His Excellency also talked about the Teaching Professions Council Bill. Under this Bill, the conditions of service and the code of conduct of our teachers will be taken care of. This is a very important Bill; it caters for our teachers, thereby bringing a positive impact on our children. It aims at uplifting the standard of teaching in the country and also ensure quality service delivery by both teachers and the Government.

Finally, on this note, I would like to thank Hon. Kambuzuma and Hon. Moyo for bringing or moving this important motion. I fully support it. Congratulations Zimbabwe and His Excellency, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa who is our SADC Chairman, for successfully hosting the SADC summit. I thank you.

*HON. CHITIMBE: Thank you Hon. Speaker Ma’am for giving me this opportunity. I want to start by thanking His Excellency, President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa for presenting the State of the Nation Address. His Excellency spoke about the sinking of boreholes which is a good thing because the water situation is a national issue.

Some boreholes were not working. I went to a certain place where the borehole was malfunctioning and it needed three women to pump water which was difficult for them. I believe that this challenge is going to come to an end.

The President spoke about the distribution of food and he said no one is going to be left behind but in other areas, there are votes where people determine whether this family is poor or not. Some would say that some have children in urban areas. I believe this is going to be looked into since the President said no one is going to be left behind because of the problem of water. The President said that no one will be left behind because of the challenge of drought that we experienced which affected everyone.

For SMEs, the issue of empowerment and the SMEs is good because this will remove the negative perception that is given to women.

The President also spoke about the enhancement of the Ministry of Health and Child Care and the provision of medication to hospitals. Women normally face challenges during their maternity period but I believe that this provision is going to come in handy.

The President also spoke about peace, he said that Zimbabwe would continue in the same peaceful manner because when people do not agree, it is pro-development. Even in this august House, we need to be united because when we differ, we stall progress. I thank you.

^^HON. NDOU: Thank you and greetings to you Madam Speaker. I would like to thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to say a few words regarding the SONA presented by His Excellency, Dr. E.D Mnangagwa. The President addressed this august House on the second of October 2024 at 1400hrs. Still on this issue, I would say congratulations to our President for being elected the Chairman of SADC. Let us clap hands for him.

Our President said a lot regarding the development of this country, our way of life, our country’s economy. He also spoke greatly with regards to the country’s defence indicating that we need to continue to be peaceful and we should uplift the tranquillity in the country.

The President also spoke highly with regards to our roads, for example, the Beitbridge - Harare Highway. We can all see his works. He also touched on the Beitbridge Border Post where I come from. Everyone who uses the Beitbridge Border Post to South Africa will agree with me that the development done in this border is amazing. It is even more than the development in other borders.

The refurbishment of the Beitbridge to Victoria Falls Road is in the pipeline and right now, they have put together companies that will work on that road including Bitumen. Right now, we realise that Bitumen has started working on that road. What I like about our President is that whatever he says, he ensures that it is put into action and he makes follow-ups to everything that he says.

To accompany this, I want to read something from Beitbridge West Constituency which I represent. This constituency that I represent, the President indicated that he requires that each and every village gets water. He spoke about this and ensured that it is put into practice.

Where I come from, that is Beitbridge West, through the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme, the President has ensured that this constituency gets 13 solarised boreholes and these areas include Tshiwonzeni, Ndambe, SDP Town. Malala, Mtshilashokwe Primary School, Jalukanga Primary School, Number 3 Limpopo Line, Masiyane, Malibeng Primary School, Tihelani Primary School, Tshobolani Village and Jopembe Primary School.

These areas now have water under the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme, 13 solarised boreholes. People are now able to do irrigation programmes. They are now able to do gardening. People are now able to get jobs from these projects and out of these 13 solarised boreholes, he has indicated that he will add on more.

Beitbridge is part of region 4 and 5. There is critical water shortage in this area, therefore this borehole drilling programme with this number of boreholes drilled in this area, means there is no other area that has the same number of boreholes drilled. So I am indeed grateful to his Excellency and this goes with his mantra to say no one and no place should be left behind. I continue to say well done President, well done.

From there, the President spoke about the challenges that are faced by people regarding farming. You will know that people from Beitbridge are well known for livestock production. We have boer goats, we have everything. We are livestock farmers. As farmers, the President said he will help with stockfeed so that our livestock are not affected by this El Nino induced drought. The greater contribution of our national herd comes from Beitbridge. This is why through this project; the President is ensuring that the national herd is not greatly affected by this drought.

Still on the issues that were highlighted by the President, I will continue to touch here and there. From the President’s speech, I want to touch on something which is very vital regarding mining in the Chitaudzo area. Mining activities done in Beitbridge are indeed a marvel. We have resources that have been put in place to mine 20km away from Beitbridge. Coal is being mined at Tuli Coal and this company has been joined by Palm and Xintai. Palm River in their plan, have indicated that they want to build an Energy Park and Xintai resources has brought in three other companies and this one does electricity and steel, then another one mines ferrochrome.

If I am to tell you what Xintai has done to the people of Beitbridge is that it has helped them to get more than 500 jobs. This is all because of the great works by our Excellency, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. This is the great work of His Excellency through engagement and re-engagement, which indicates that people need to come and invest in our country.

Together with the Palm River, there is a company called Shinshanga. This company has indicated that it will employ close to 2000 people, an indication that people from Beitbridge are going to benefit through job creation and enough income to care for their families. These companies will assist in ensuring that the Government ploughs back to the community. These companies have also promised to build schools. Shinsha indicated that it is going to build clinics around Beitbridge, increase the number of schools and develop road infrastructure. All this indicates that Beitbridge is open for business. It has benefited from His Excellency's mantra because it has never seen such development before. I continue to say well done Mr. President. You have ensured that Beitbridge is uplifted. It is also counted as one of the areas that contribute to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country. Therefore, I am grateful and say that Beitbridge is also part of those areas that are contributing greatly to the country's GDP. Furthermore, I will say that the country's President is doing great for this country. If only God could bless him in this task of being the Chairman of SADC. He should ensure that he continues to engage with other countries to continue uplifting the economy of this region.

In conclusion, this afternoon I would like to say that the President spoke about corruption in this country. He indicated that corruption is derailing developmental projects in the country. I concur with what he said and take examples from where I come from in Beitbridge. Corruption is killing us. For instance, where I come from, if Government gives people grazing land, to say people from Beitbridge, here is your grazing land, here is your farm. The people from this region said no, we will not take any of our livestock to this grazing area. They said no, we will not go to that area but because of corruption which is coming from land barons mainly, they are bringing their friends to stay in this grazing land. You can imagine if people were allocated a grazing area and someone comes by night to say I have been allocated the same land and those beneficiaries who are about 5,000 were disadvantaged by one person through corruption. The President indicated that he will not tolerate such, he will deal decisively with such actions. I say well done Mr. President.

Where I am coming from, I continue to say let us rally behind our President. He loves us. He has ensured that we have more mines in our area. Furthermore, he brought us water from Mzingwane, from an area called Bangare, Koro and Gabara. These areas are along Mzingwane. The President indicated that people will take water from the Mzingwane River and have that area become a greenbelt to do gardening and different irrigation programmes. So, I am grateful to the President. Let us continue to support our President, Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa. Let us pray for him and ensure that he succeeds. Thank you.

*HON. KASHAMBE: Thank you, Madam Speaker Ma’am. I would like to speak in my mother tongue because those we represent use that language.

I would like to debate and go deeper into the wise words presented by His Excellency and the motion tabled by Hon. Kambuzuma, seconded by another Hon. Member to allow us to debate on this motion. We are able to debate this because we are very free and independent in this country; nobody moves around in fear or moves around dodging bullets like what we see in other countries because we are secure in this country. This is exactly what His Excellency said in his opening remarks and because of that independence, President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. As we say congratulations for assuming the Chairmanship of SADC, he showed that he is a leader who wants his people to move in unison despite the differences in thinking, just like the differences we see in political parties represented in this House as he addressed us.

In his presentation, His Excellency spoke about how he came into power, his achievements, what is happening in this country as well as his promises to this country according to his Vision 2030. It is true that in this country there was one radio station that was only broadcasting in Harare. Right now, we have several radio stations in various areas in this country. There are community radio stations in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South and various areas in this country. That actually fulfills his wise words of saying nobody should be left behind under his leadership.

Still on the same matter, I would like to speak representing Seke Constituency. There are various people such as urban dwellers as well as farmers and there are also rural residents; we have all those categories. They are very happy with Government programmes initiated by President Mnangagwa. He mentioned those programmes in his State of the Nation Address, which include borehole drilling meant for nutritional gardens. Indeed, in Seke, we have those examples of such splendid work.

We hereby request the Ministers appointed to know that Government programmes are being received by the whole country and they should request more funding for those programmes because they have touched very important and critical areas of life in this country. Still in the same vein in Southern Africa, Zimbabwe was not spared in terms of drought induced by El Nino. The President has come up with solutions so that nobody starves in this country. We are receiving grain, wheat, maize as well as feeding for learners in schools and they are receiving various goods. In some areas they may not have received those but according to the Ministers, we heard that the grain has been delivered to the depot where they are stationed and they are only left with distributing them to the people. So, we urge them to speed up the process of distributing food to people because indeed people are starving. The purpose of the procurement should be fulfilled by delivering to the people.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, my words may not be enough if I leave out some of the words spelt out by His Excellency when he spoke about service delivery meant to give good life to people. The President used very strong words and he asked the local authorities to ensure that service is delivered and asked them to deliver clean water after collecting revenue from people. Garbage must be collected and the funds collected from rate payers must be used appropriately. We realised that some of the local authorities like Harare failed to explain and account for money such as hundreds of millions due to corruption. Corruption is very retrogressive. The President lamented that and has since instituted a Commission of Inquiry to look into that. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Hlatywayo, I called you to approach the Chair,. I asked you not to shout but you are continuing to shout and that shows that you are disrespecting the Chair. Please leave the House.

*HON. C. HLATYWAYO: My sincere apologies Madam Speaker.

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: You have gone further to give yourself time to speak. Please leave the House.

HON. MUSHORIWA: On a point of order Madam Speaker.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: What is your point of order Hon. Mushoriwa?

HON. MUSHORIWA: Madam Speaker, as an established practice in this august House, whenever a Member of Parliament transgresses, which in the view of the Chair requires the Hon. Member to move out of the august House, you remember then…

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order Hon. Mushoriwa, you were not in the House. Hon. Hlatywayo understands exactly what I am saying. I called him and we had a discussion on his behaviour in the House and I requested him not to continue and he has continued. Please take your seat Hon. Mushoriwa. Hon. Hlatywayo, can you leave the House. Hon. Kashambe please proceed.

Hon. Hlatywayo was escorted out of the House.

*HON. KASHAMBE: Thank you, Madam Speaker Ma’am, for protecting us from those who disturb us as we spell out the good work being done by His Excellency the President. Madam Speaker Ma’am, I am one of the Members of Parliament who was so lucky and represent a constituency that is close to urban areas in Seke. I represent some people who are here in Harare but spend their nights back in the rural areas, be it in Ruwa, Bromley, Chitungwiza, Ziko and Dema. The President lamented people who are illegally settling in peri-urban areas? This has brought a lot of cries because in some of the schools that were meant for 50 learners, they now accommodate 500 learners, which means one teacher who was teaching 50 learners now teaches times five, that is a problem. We also have areas like what the President alluded to on service delivery. Some of the places are now overpopulated and it has been going for a long time. There are legacy settlements such as Murisa around Goromonzi South, Lyndhurst in Epworth, Seke District which stretches up to Nyatsime.

We have been arguing for years, whether it is Mashonaland East or Harare but because of the ease of doing business, we cannot go any further without resolving that issue because the people who are in those areas spend sleepless nights. They are not sure whether they will be allowed to remain there or they will be asked to vacate after spending so many years or a long time. So as their representatives, I would like to highlight this issue to the Minister of Local Government, like what His Excellency said, ‘peace of mind emanates from the roof over your head’.

Let me end up by saying I am very happy with the vision of the President and his speech on radio stations or frequencies, when he said those who can come up with frequencies that are very effective and efficient, he agreed with some like the G5 that was laid by the Minister of ICT, which means as Zimbabweans, we are now able to receive on time frequencies and we are able to be connected to the rest of the world on time, be it in Binga or Matebeleland South.

We are saying the President is now delivering that development everywhere and this is in accordance with the devolution programme. Development is spread all over; in all provinces you find development. If you go to Matebeleland, be it in Manicaland, you find roads being refurbished. If you go to Mashonaland East where I come from, you will see roads being worked on as well. We also would like to thank the Hon. Minister who is in charge of roads who also comes from Mashonaland East for the good job being done. You also must congratulate your own because charity begins at home.

Finally, the President was not amused by something that we, as Parliamentarians must represent, that is legislation, the Bills. Indeed, it is a very sad story, we expected them to sail through and out of 40 Bills, only one was processed. So, as citizens, we really need to pull up our socks and work to the expectations of His Excellency. I thank you.

HON. KAPOIKILU: Thank you for this opportunity to make my contribution on the State of the Nation Address which was delivered by His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa. Firstly, I would like to thank the President and commend the President for his articulation on key issues of our nation. He really cast his net wide when he articulated on the issues that are touching various areas in Zimbabwe. He recognised the strides taken in various areas, I believe there are several critical issues that needed deeper attention and urgent action.

His Excellency the President expressed concern, firstly, on the devaluation of our currency. He really expressed concern on the loss of value of the ZiGo currency. However, on this issue, he left many of us in this country wanting, he left us thirsty when he turned to that issue and everyone was left wanting more. They felt that the President should have gone deeper on that issue.

Madam Speaker, the devaluation of the ZiGo currency resulted in devastating impact on the livelihoods of Zimbabweans. People are now wondering what it is that is really backing this ZiGo currency. People were made to believe that this ZiGo currency was backed with gold. The price of gold out there is increasing in price yet now the price of the ZiGo devalued sharply overnight.

HON. NYABANI: On a point of order. I wanted to tell the Hon. Member that it is not ZiGo but its ZiG currency.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER (HON. TSITSI ZHOU): Please be reminded Hon. Kapoikilu, its Zimbabwe Gold, ZiG in short. Thank you Hon. Nyabani.

HON. KAPOIKILU: Thank you for the correction. People were made to believe that this currency was backed by gold but the price of gold is going up yet the price of ZiG is going down. So, under normal circumstances, when the price of ZiG currency is backed by gold, it means when the price of gold goes up, automatically the value of the ZiG is supposed to go up. What we are seeing now is that the stretch of the ZiG currency is obviously proportional to that of gold and everyone is worried about that.

Now, the cost of goods and services have gone up due to inflation. This has eroded the purchasing power of citizens and this has undermined their quality of life. For many now, basic necessities have become unaffordable, savings are being wiped out leaving the public in a state of financial uncertainty.

Others are now worried about what will happen to those with outstanding invoices that are waiting for payment that are quoted before massive devaluation of currency Madam Speaker. Some of them are even worried about the allowances, particularly civil servants that are awaiting payment at the moment because those were packed before devaluation.

The value of the ZiG fell from 13 to about 25, which is about 90%, meaning this has halved the people's income. Technically, the people’s money has been halved. Others are worried whether they are going to be compensated, we know the President does not want anyone to be left behind.

The devaluation also affected the business community, both local and foreign investors. Foreign investors are now hesitant to commit to long–term ventures in an unsustainable currency environment. We need clear and urgent fiscal innervations that stabilise the ZiG currency, attract direct foreign investment, and restore confidence in our economic future. We were expecting the SONA to pay attention to detail as regards this issue. However, it seems the surface was scratched.

Madam Speaker, I will move on to another pressing concern, unemployment among the youth. It is not a secret Madam Speaker that the unemployment levels in Zimbabwe remains staggeringly high and our youth who are the future of our country are bearing the brunt of this crisis. There was insufficient detail in the SONA on how we plan to reduce youth unemployment. Young people are leaving school with qualifications but with no opportunities. The absence of a targeted well-coordinated youth employment strategy is a serious oversight. We need deliberate policies that focus on youth vocational training, entrepreneurship programmes and the creation of industries that can absorb the labour markets, thereby harnessing the immense potential that we possess.

Madam Speaker, let me move on to the energy development. The President, in his SONA, mentioned the need to develop the energy sector. He even spoke about the adoption of use of the renewable energy sources such as solar.

Madam Speaker, Zimbabwe is a blessed country, it has abundant sunshine and throughout the year, we have sunshine compared to other countries in Europe. We have vast tracts of land that are unused. We also have vast significant reserves of lithium in our country but we are seeing inadequate movement towards establishing solar farms or setting up industries for lithium battery manufacturing and solar panel production.

Solar farms that we have were done by private players, particularly in the mining communities. Our first attempt, to the best of my knowledge, for establishing a solar farm was the one in Gwanda which was later abandoned by one Wicknell Chivayo of Intratek after being paid USD5 million.

This sector presents a massive opportunity for employment, revenue generation and energy independence. We should be leading the charge in renewable energy across Africa. Let us fully exploit our resources by constructing solar farms that can power the nation sustainably and invest in lithium battery and solar panel manufacturing, positioning Zimbabwe as a renewable energy hub.

Madam Speaker, I will move to the issue of water. The President spoke well when he came to water. He spoke about drilling boreholes to ensure that everybody even in the marginalised communities gets water.

However, Madam Speaker, there is an issue, the SONA was silent on the critical issue of water shortage or water crisis in Bulawayo. The residents of Bulawayo have been suffering for years due to a lack of consistent water supply. Now the City has run dry. The SONA did not provide enough detail on the Government's plan to address this dire situation. Water is a basic human right and yet in Bulawayo, taps have run dry affecting home, businesses and industries. We need immediate and concrete solutions to the water crises.

The completion of the Gwayi-Shangani Dam is long overdue. I urge the Government to expedite this and other infrastructure projects to ensure that the people of Bulawayo and indeed even the whole nation, has access to reliable water sources.

We also need to invest in water harvesting technologies and infrastructure as the President said, that can withstand the growing challenges of climate change.

In short Madam Speaker, this is my humble submission. I will leave the rest to Hon. Colleagues to touch on other areas that I left out. I thank you.

*HON. NHARI: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity. I would like to also add my contribution to the State of the Nation Address motion brought by Hon. Kambuzuma, seconded by Hon. Moyo.

Madam President. The President spoke broadly about agriculture, particularly the Pfumvudza Programme which has helped a lot of people, especially in rural areas. Some people had cattle for drought power. They also did not have tractors but after the introduction of Pfumvudza, they are now able to harvest, get yields and are food secure. It has also improved their livelihoods.

The President also spoke about wheat and the increase in the projected yields. In Chirumanzu, we also contributed because we grew a lot of wheat, especially from the irrigation. The Holly Cross Dam was commissioned by the President recently. There is a lot of wheat that is grown. Some companies were also able to come to Chirumanzu after witnessing that success. Right now, we have oil processing companies which means out of Pfumvudza, we are also going to be growing sunflower. So, we will be selling to those companies and getting money out of it.

Madam President, His Excellency spoke about clinics, we now have clinics in Chirumanzu though we need more. They are assisting expectant mothers because they were traveling on buses some delivering on the way before they get to health facilities but right now they are able to access the clinics nearby as they walk alone. The clinics constructed by the President are also assisting with provision of medicines such as for BP, Diabetes, HIV and other chronic diseases.

Some of those people had serious challenges because they could not go for a long time without taking their medication and they needed money to travel to distant hospitals to collect their medication. Right now, they can simply walk but for those who cannot walk, they can be ferried on scotch-cart because it will be nearby.

The President also spoke about minerals. Madam Speaker, I really appreciate that after independence, in the Second Republic, we are now discovering a lot of minerals everywhere, be it on fields, we are also picking up gold, which means that suffering which was there is now fading away slowly. Although there is hunger, not many will suffer a lot but those who are able-bodied can now pick gold and they are also mining chrome for their survival.

On the same note, Madam Speaker, as Chirumanzu, we thank the President. We got a company that is in Chirumanzu called Manhize. That company has employed more than 5 000 men and women, boys and girls, which means that will reduce theft and crime because of that employment. That will also lead to the reduction of hunger, starvation because of that employment creation. It will complement the efforts made by His Excellency, of drought alleviation.

The President spoke about boreholes. We have quite a number. There are a few left behind but many of them have been drilled. In the past, women and girls used to travel long distances with buckets and we had those bush pumps, but now women are only going to solar-powered boreholes where they simply open taps that were only found in urban areas. Now, rural areas are a replica of the urban areas.

When it comes to roads, Madam Speaker, before I get to that, there are gardens that are also being constructed alongside the solar powered boreholes. That will provide nutrition to avoid Kwashiorkor and school-going children will also be able to pick tomatoes and other vegetables to complement the food being provided by His Excellency.

When it comes to roads, they have been maintained, only the blind cannot see. From Masvingo to Chirumanzu, we used to say we are travelling to Masvingo by tarred road but we are now saying it is Masvingo by carpet because of the quality of the road.

The Second Republic has done so well. Since its coming into power, there was a major shift and difference when it comes to a lot of things. I would like to applaud the President for what he said and he has fulfilled that, such as water, clinics and companies. What he promised when he assumed power, he is now fulfilling that. Those with eyes can see that His Excellency is working. I thank you Madam Speaker.

*HON. MANANZVA: Thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to this debate on the motion brought by Hon. Kambuzuma on the State of the Nation Address by His Excellency the President, Cde. E.D. Mnangagwa; words of wisdom, words that are constructive, prophetic words and very sweet words, holy words.

I would like to allude to some of the words spoken by the President. He said even if we were sanctioned, we are still getting our targets. According to the plans of this country, we are succeeding despite the sanctions. If you look at many countries that were sanctioned, some of them never developed and the aims of the sanctions were fulfilled such as in countries like Guatemala. They were sanctioned like us but as a country, we are happy that our country is going forward and there is a lot of development.

From my constituency Zvimba East, this is where we are. So, I am happy that you are here and you are under my constituency where this beautiful Parliament has been constructed. As you come, you drive through beautiful roads. So, I would like to applaud President Mnangagwa’s Government. Madam Speaker, this is the time for all of us to look forward to vision 2030 spelt by the President.

We may have some with opposing views, but let us look at the work done since the coming in of the Second Republic. A lot of work was done. The issue of those who have always been opposing even in the past, be it in the Bible, as God would talk to Moses, some would still oppose. Right now, President Mnangagwa would say by 2030 we have such targets but we will still have people who oppose. So, this is the time for all of us to unite towards the success of our country.

The President spoke about the issue of starvation and drought. We are now approaching the end of the year and this season, but we have not received any news on the death of anyone out of starvation, which means the country is working very hard. Madam Speaker, I would like to say the Government is doing a lot in this country. The new Parliament and the Cyber City is in my constituency and the roads also. There is a lot happening. A few days ago, some were saying this work is only being done for SADC preparations but again in my constituency, recently we commissioned Kirkman Road, Solomon Mujuru, that goes straight to State House. The road was commissioned by the Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development. We realise that indeed that was not meant for the SADC summit, but it is the vision of the President.

Madam Speaker Ma’am, the President said no place should be left behind. I would like to appreciate that from my constituency, we had people living in compounds left behind by former white farmers, like Chigomo near Mt. Hampden, Lumanda, Consortium, Vantage and Whitecliff but the Government promised that because of the President’s vision that no one should be left behind, all of them will be able to get places to stay and I would like to applaud President Mnangagwa’s Government.

I do not want to spend a lot of time. The President also spoke about very important words on unity and peace protecting our legacy. That is the duty of all of us to safeguard our inheritance, whether you are black or white, short or tall, it is all our duty to protect our country but if we have a habit of segregating, that means there will be no unity in the country. So, I would like to applaud the President for his words of uniting the people. As I take my seat, I would like to thank the Hon. Member who brought this motion on the State of the Nation Adress (SONA) by the President of this country. I thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am – [HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –

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

HON. MUSHORIWA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Tuesday, 15^th October, 2024.

On the motion of HON. KAMBUZUMA, seconded by HON. NDOU, the House adjourned at Ten Minutes to Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 15^th October, 2024.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 10 OCTOBER 2024 VOL 51 NO 04

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 10 OCTOBER 2024 VOL 51 NO 04

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