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SENATE HANSARD 10 JULY 2024 VOL 33 NO 63
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 10th July, 2024
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
BILL RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have to inform the Senate that I have received the Administration of Estates Amendment Bill [H.B. 3A, 2024] from the National Assembly.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I wish to remind Hon. Senators to switch off their cellphones or put them on silence.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President Sir, I move that Order of the Day, Number 1 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JUDICIAL SERVICE COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2023
Second Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion on the Report of the Judicial Service Commission for the year 2023.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE ELECTORAL COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2023
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion on the report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for the year 2023.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION FOR THE YEAR 2023
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion on the report of the Human Rights Commission for the year 2023.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. Speaker Sir, I move that Order of the Day Number 5 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION TO THE 80TH SESSION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND THE 45TH CONFERENCE OF APU HELD IN COTE D’IVOIRE
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion on the report of the delegation to the 80th Session of the Executive Committee and 45th Conference of the African Parliamentary Union (APU).
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NECHOMBO: Mr. President, I rise to conclude our report. I rise as my duty and privilege to conclude our report on the 45th Conference and 80th Session of the Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU).
As we conclude this report, I would like to highlight a significant milestone in the stream of historical time. This year 2024 marks the 48th anniversary of the adoption of the Abidjan Declaration, which is a foundational document for the APU established on the 13th of February 1976. The declaration emphasises the importance of promoting peace, democratic governance and strong human rights across the African continent.
Hon. Members, as we conclude, let us draw inspiration from the spirit of the Abidjan Declaration which embodies the essence of Africa. Let us commit to upholding the principles of peace and democratic governance as envisioned in the declaration. The declaration also champions the empowerment of women, a value we all hold so dearly. Guided by the Abidjan Declaration, alongside other relevant mechanisms, we must actively support our women’s participation in the African Continental Free Trade. That being important, but even more important, we should aim to achieve substantive and equitable participation of women in all socio-economic activities.
In closing, Mr. President, I extend my sincere gratitude to Hon. Sen. Chief Ngungumbane for his eloquent thought through support on this important subject matter. I also express my appreciation to all Hon. Members who thought through and debated on this subject matter.
With that Mr. President, and to that end, I move for the adoption of the report. I thank you – [Hear, hear.]-
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order! You are moving for the withdrawal of this motion, so, take note.
HON. SEN. CHIEF NECHOMBO: Thank you Mr. President for the correction. I move for the withdrawal.
Motion that this House takes note of the Report of the Delegation to the 80th Session of the Executive Committee and 45th Conference of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) held from 11th to 15th December 2023 in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, put and agreed to.
MOTION
ESTABLISHMENT OF HYDROCEPHALUS DEVICES IN GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE PHARMACIES
HON. SEN. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. President. First, I
would like to pass my sincere condolences to the Senate over the passing on of Hon. Senator Chabuka.
Hon. President, I would like to move my debate to a further date. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Member, you like to request - [HON. SEN. SIBANDA: To be stood over!] - that we stand over your motion to a later date?
HON. SEN. SIBANDA: Thank you.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REHABILITATION OF OPEN MINES BY ARTISANAL MINERS
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the need for
artisanal miners to rehabilitate open mines.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. MUZODA: Thank you Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to add my voice to the motion that was tabled by Hon. Senator Moyo on mines and mining activities. I thank Hon. Senator Moyo for moving the motion so that we could come up with interventions to ensure that as we engage in mining activities and make livelihoods out of it, we make it sustainable mining as this issue deals with artisanal mining.
In most instances, I hear a lot of bad things being said about artisanal mining, but there is nothing bad about it. They are people who are trying to earn a living legally to sustain their families. What we are not taking into consideration and is of paramount importance is the law. There is a law, but we are not abiding by the law – this is where the problem is. If the Government and all its representatives put their heads together and act in unison and look into mining activities and how the mining is being done regardless of whether one is an artisanal miner or not, when mining activities take place, excavated pits are left unattended and without being rehabilitated because the miners will have realised the mineral that they will be seeking. No one takes into consideration the environment activities and the people who live around the area because as we remove the mineral; there is need for sustainable reclamation of the pits. There should be strict adherence to the environmental laws that ensure that our mines and land are properly taken care of.
Going to the areas where mining activities are happening, we are blessed as a country. I reiterate the fact that we are blessed because we have a lot of mineral wealth and there should be the rule of law. If we abide by our laws, because of the abundance of minerals that we have, we will not even feel the current drought. My plea to the nation is that the mining laws that govern the mining of minerals should be adhered to. People that come to mine in our country are not rehabilitating their mining activities and the people around those areas are not getting anything meaningful.
I recall Hon. Sen. Gotora talking about the need for the rule of law or the laws that should govern the community and the miners so that they enhance community relations which will enable any miner whether local or from outside the country to relate well. These miners should be able to do meaningful development for that particular area in terms of corporate social responsibility.
If you mine in Mutoko and you do not rehabilitate the potholed roads, you will be doing injustice to our country. We are leaving these miners getting away with murder. They are going away with our minerals and the locals within the community remain poor. These miners do not even employ the locals. Instead, they bring their labour force. These miners laugh and mock the locals, not knowing that the land that they are actually mining was given to them by their ancestors.
It is my plea Mr. President that each area has its representative and when I talk about a representative, I will be referring to our traditional leadership. The chiefs should be given their due respect and power to administer the areas where they live so that those who want to be involved in mining must approach the traditional leaders. Yes, it is the correct procedure to go to the offices of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development but they must not ignore the local leadership, the chiefs who have jurisdiction over those areas.
Mr. President, let me reiterate the issue of artisanal miners and the areas they mine. These are dangerous places and very scary also. looking at the road leading to my communal home, a lot of mining activities are happening there. A person will be even apprehensive about driving along that road because one may not clearly understand the intentions of those artisanal miners. During the day, they will be people and at night those same people will behave like wild animals. I therefore ask that a law be enacted to protect the community where artisanal miners are operating. It is also my plea that there be pressure groups that look at how the girl child lives in an area where artisanal miners are operating.
Mr. President, if you go to Mazowe, Jumbo Mine area, at the moment there has been a cessation of mining activities, but in the past one would be ashamed to spend a day in that area or just to pass through seeing dirty and nasty activities happening there. I beseech the Government to do what is right. We want the Government to go and intervene specifically in the issue of community relations between the miners and the locals.
Coming back to those who are into commercial mining, these commercial miners should give us our dues from their mining activities. Mr. President, I have looked at several places where commercial mines are operating, but the people that are nearby have pathetic living conditions. It is not good that the country should lose its wealth under our watch by people whom we would have allowed.
In conclusion, my understanding of the motion of Hon. Sen. Moyo is that if this country is united and we fight corruption, our mines and those who are operating them will lead to the sustainable development of this economy. If you look at mining areas, once you have discovered gold, a war would have started, a war of documentation. Mr. President, I recall a certain home that is in Zimbabwe where old people have been staying for over 60 years, they found the gold mineral right on their doorstep. They were able to gather three kg of gold and next door there was a claim by someone who claimed to have owned the claim 10 years before they had registered that they were occupying the place. Such behaviour needs to be looked into because it is not good to take advantage of being powerful to the extent of oppressing other people who would have found minerals at their homesteads.
Let the law be very clear. There must be laws that are clear in terms of the guidelines on what should happen should one find a mineral at their homestead. Should they be interested in mining that area, what are the procedures that need to be taken?
As we speak Mr. President, this type of behaviour is bothering people and it is causing problems in the mining of the mineral. We want to go back to our culture and look at how we interact with one another. You cannot just come to one’s homestead for the past six years and start demanding things. Do you know what they would have done to protect the area? We need to go back to someone who has a field or a homestead that has got some minerals and come up with guidelines so that there would be no one who comes from Shurugwi, for instance going to Guruve and say they have seen the mine 10 years before.
Mr. President I want to thank you for the opportunity that you have given me to talk about sustainable mining in this rich country. If we were taking care of our minerals and there were no leakages, Zimbabwe would not be suffering as a country. Look at Botswana, they are being sustained by one mineral, diamond. Botswana has clear mining laws, let us come up with clear laws to guide us in terms of mining. I thank you.
HON. SEN. S. MOYO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
ELECTRICITY SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you very much Mr. President and good afternoon.
Power Generation
Mr. President, the country, through the Zimbabwe Power Company, is currently generating a daily average of 1300MW against a demand of an average of 1850MW.
Hwange Power Station stages 1 and 2 are producing 380MW from Units 1, 3, 4 and 6. Unit 2 is under statutory maintenance and is expected to return to service end of July, 2024. Unit 5 is undergoing a major overhaul which is expected to be completed in May 2025. Units 7 and 8 in Hwange are stable and generating a total of 614MW.
Coming to Kariba, Kariba Power Station remains constrained due to the low water levels. As a result, the Zambezi River Authority is implementing a tight water allocation schedule that has seen Zimbabwe and Zambia reducing their generation from that power station. Kariba Power Station is generating at an average of 292MW out of a dependable or an installed capacity of 1050MW due to low water levels.
Independent Power Producers (IPPs)
IPPs are producing an average of 50MW which is being fed into the grid while solar net metering is giving out 24MW.
We need to also take into account that there are many other solar plants in the country which are for captive power. Solar plants which are for dedicated use by individual developers.
Imports
Now coming to the power imports into the country, an average of 200MW have been secured from input arrangements with ESKOM, EDM and HCB to help cover the electricity shortfall.
Load shedding is being implemented in stages depending on the shortfall on a particular day as follows;
Stage 1: Supply shortfall is below 300MW and load shedding is mainly targeted at residential loads while prioritising productivity and security points.
Stage 2: Supply shortfall is between 300MW and 500MW and targets some industrial loads in addition to residential loads.
Stage 3: Although we have not gone to that, it refers to a situation where the supply deficit is above 500MW and the shedding is on all loads except only the security loads.
Due to the shortfall in internal generation, the country has been experiencing stage 1 load shedding until mid-June, 2024. Thereafter, there has been increased demand resulting in stage 2 load shedding. Furthermore, ZESA has ring-fenced 100MW for winter wheat to cater for food security.
Electricity Outlook
Demand in the winter season is expected to increase to an average of 1900MW which without significant intervention, would result in continued load curtailment. There are however several mitigation measures that are being implemented in order to narrow the supply demand gap.
Government is looking at increasing power supply sources through an enabling environment policy and regulation environment for support and procurement from Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Embedded Generation and the continued involvement of third parties in the reformed electricity supply industry such as the Intensive Energy User Group (IEUG), Utility Warehousing, Africa GreenCo, Negomo and others - these players procure power locally and regionally and supply direct customers, energy efficiency improvements and demand side management. Government will continue mobilising foreign currency to enable the utility to increase our electricity imports.
Prioritisation of Hwange Power Station.
The refurbishment of Hwange Power Station’s Unit 5 is a critical step in addressing Zimbabwe’s electricity shortfall in the short to medium term. Recent update indicates that the completion of refurbishment work on this unit will result in an additional 160MW to the national grid which is a significant boost considering the current deficit of 300MW. This enhancement in capacity is expected to have a positive impact on both economic and financial performance by mitigating production losses due to power shortages.
Furthermore, the allocation of resources to Hwange Units 1 to 4 and 6 in order to minimise plant down-time on failure will further alleviate the electricity shortages. With these developments, prioritising resources for the power station’s key production related issues is indeed a viable short-term solution.
The repowering of Units 1 to 6 in 48 to 60 months’ time in the short-term will eventually restore the station’s capacity to at least 840MW which should significantly curtail load shedding and stabilise the power supply for the country.
Demand Side Management
The Switch-off Switch initiative is a strategic approach within Demand Side Management (DSM) that encourages consumers to actively participate in energy conservation by turning off non-essential electrical devices. This not only contributes to immediate reductions in energy consumption but also promotes a culture of energy awareness and responsibility. ZESA Holdings has begun a public relations campaign to effectively communicate the benefits of energy conservation to the public fostering a collaborative effort to manage demand and contribute to a more sustainable energy system.
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
The integration of a BESS is indeed a critical step towards enhancing energy supply stability. BESS systems are designed to store electrical energy for later use, playing a pivotal role in balancing the supply and demand for electricity within the power grid. By storing excess energy generated during periods of law demand, BESS can provide back-up power during peak demand times, thus ensuring a stable energy supply and mitigating disruptions caused by load shedding.
It is essential that BESS are paired with a reliable source of charging supply such as solar or wind power to maximise their effectiveness. This approach not only ensures a continuous energy supply but also facilitates the integration of renewable energy sources into the grid contributing to a more sustainable energy ecosystem.
As we continue to regularly monitor the hydrological outlook on the Zambezi River the country expects and improved hydrological season for 2024 to 2025 due to the anticipated La Nina phenomenon.
We urge all consumers to be responsible in their daily power consumption and to work hand in glove with the Government to restore the energy challenge. I thank you Mr. President.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Minister. I will now allow Hon. Members who would like to seek some clarifications from that Ministerial Statement on the energy situation in the country, in particular looking at electricity supply.
HON. SEN. NCUBE: Thank you Mr. President and I want to thank the Minister for his Ministerial Statement. Minister, with regards to Hwange Unit 5, which is going to boost us with 160 megawatts, you have not given an indication when that is likely to come on line, that is number 1. Number 2 Hon. Minister, households are encouraged as much as possible, to install solar panels in order to alleviate people from power shortages. What happens when people install solar panels which are in excess of what they can use daily? Is it possible to have a friendly policy to enable those who have got excess? It does not matter how small the excess is, it can actually be fed into the grid. Have you worked on that Hon. Minister and what impact does that have? I thank you.
HON. SEN. C. MUTSVANGWA: With your permission Hon. President, I would like to very much thank the Hon. Minister for the Ministerial Statement which he has made on this issue, which is really key to the development prospects of the country. I think after water and air for the nation as a whole, energy is the absolute requirement for national progress. I would also want to put praise to our President as I make my question that his decision to not listen to those who were saying we use coal two or three years ago in Scotland, in Glen Eagles, has borne fruit. With what is happening with Kariba, imagine if the President has not gone for thermal power stations, we would be in total darkness and the situation just ascribed would be worse.
The Hon. Minister took a trip to one of the countries and was seeking investors in the power sector a few months ago and the trip was very successful. I would like to ask him; attention is being focused on the refurbishment of 1 to 4 Hwange. How much time does it require and what would be the cost? Is there, perhaps not a case whereby we just go for those who are prepared to invest in Hwange 9 and 10 because starting a new plant with new technology may be much easier than trying to refurbish antiquated technology, which came from 30 to 40 years ago. Advances in thermal power generation have been much more than what would be needed to refurbish the 1 to 4, which would be a cost-effective, speedy and much quicker solution to bring in a completely new investment in Hwange 9 and 10 as opposed to refurbishment.
I would like also to highlight at the recent irrigation conference, the tax exemption which was given to wheat farmers for solar panels. Why can we not extend that whole tax regime or tariff regime to the solar sector so that the storage batteries and solar panels you alluded to can be imported duty free? This would justify what my previous colleague has mentioned about that solar panels being used to access power can become possible through anybody and everybody who can buy solar panels, bring them into the country and provide non-distributed energy as well as connected energy. We should have a tax free regime for all the solar sector so that private money, be it big or small, can be harnessed to address this dire situation, collect revenue when you are in darkness, which then deters people from buying solar panels and makes them remain in darkness, it is not a wise policy. What we should say, we forego the revenue to the Ministry of Finance and we focus on everybody putting his energy into solar generation or wind generation, in particular, solar generation by encouraging a tax-free tariff free regime.
This is coming at a time when the price of solar panels in the last 10 months…
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order Hon. Senator C. Mutsvangwa!
HON. SEN. C. MUTSVANGWA: I am done, would then make it possible to reduce the load shedding which we are having. I thank you.
HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: Thank you very much Hon. President, let me start my contribution by thanking the Minister for respecting this Senate and coming through to give us in detail what the Ministry is doing to increase energy generation and hence enable economic activity, this is most appreciated. However, Mr. President, I wish to find clarification on the issue of IPPS, how the Ministry is facilitating easy licencing of those interested in independent producers who are invested in generating electricity of the country. I am aware that it is a very tortuous process to get a licence to produce electricity if you are an independent player. Perhaps we need to make sure that this process is user friendly so that we can attract more people into the IPP sector.
Secondly, I also wish to find clarity with respect to issues of solar net metering on solar energy generation and what the Ministry is doing to widely publicise this so that more people can hook on this and assist to jerk up the 24 megawatts that they are currently generating. I think there is huge potential on this low hanging fruit to double the energy that can be enjoyed from net metering.
+HON. SEN. S. MOYO: Thank you Hon. President, I will first want to thank Hon. Minister E. Moyo for the great job regarding provision of electricity in our country of which electricity is a major challenge in our country. I would like to thank him for giving us this statement.
I want clarity regarding the issue of 800 megawatts without giving us time frames as to how long it will take. Looking at companies, Mr. President, they operate for about two weeks without electricity and some of them have been closed. Hon. Minister, my interest is mainly on Hwange Power Station which is where we get most of our coal. Hwange, or the country as a whole is unable to get enough coal to assist us to get 800 megawatts. We realised that we have two contracts there which are getting coal. We are experiencing a situation whereby more coal is being exported out of the country.
Hon. Minister, how are you going to rectify this? I was of the thinking that you would invest more to this country so that it gets enough coal. Thank you.
HON. SEN. FANUEL: I also want to thank the Hon. Minister for his statement. I want to thank him specifically – I cannot talk about other districts, we have received the cars. When we had faults, the district had no cars. My question is, why is the Ministry not providing some big engines or generators to improvise when there is no electricity and everything else is down? School children are turned away from school, everything is down – especially businesses. It also affects the supply of water. If there is no water, the children do not attend school for almost a week. Why is the Ministry not improvising? I thank you. – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.]-
*HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA: Thank you Mr. President. I just wanted to say to the Hon. Minister that what we are doing is an endeavor to increase power generation. We have to deal with the demon called climate change. They say we should not use fossils, we have coal but we are now being asked to stop using coal. What is our position as regarding the disuse of coal? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you very much Mr. President and thank you Hon. Senators who raised questions.
Unit 5 will give us 160 megawatts and, I think, I mentioned in my presentation that the refurbishment of Unit 5 is going to be completed before the end of May 2025. So that is the timeline that we have so far. All things being equal, unless there are unforeseen glitches, we expect that that timeline is going to be met.
The second question was on households being encouraged to install solar. We very much encourage people to install solar. I did speak about net metering in the system. What it means is that if you are generating more than you use on your rooftop, if you then join the net metering by applying to ZESA to say I have got this rooftop, it is generating this kind of wattage. I would like the excess power to be fed into the grid - that is done. Unfortunately, it is not easy to know who has excess and who does not until someone applies.
We are trying to work very hard. I have been talking to ZESA stakeholders’ relations to encourage them to very much publicise this. We think that there is an excess of 100 megawatts that can be harvested from net metering efforts. So, that one is being done. Currently, we are able to get 24 megawatts out of net metering but we think the potential is much higher.
Question three, energy is very key, that was from Hon. Sen. Mutsvangwa. It is very important and we know we are being stopped from using coal here and there. However, we also applaud the bold decision against the headwinds that the President took to secure funding for Units 7 and 8 which are giving us a constant 614 megawatts on a daily basis without fail. The refurbishment of Units 1 to 4, in terms of the costs, I do not have the figures at hand but I know these things are very costly. When we are talking of power stations, we are talking of everything, the equipment there is very, very expensive. Usually it comes from original equipment manufacturers and that is manufactured on licence and the price is take or leave. So that becomes very difficult.
However, we are moving unit by unit. We have done some units but what we are doing is not repowering. What we are doing is refurbishment where we are trying to improve the efficiency of those units to produce slightly more. Repowering will imply that we take out all the equipment in there, remove all the technology and put new technology.
Correct what you said and observed that technologies are fast changing. It may be very difficult to calibrate new technologies on an existing infrastructure because the existing infrastructure was designed for old technologies. However, whilst we await the start and conclusion of negotiations regarding Units 9 and 10, we think, we would rather be refurbishing the existing units so that we increase on power supply. As soon as we have our Units 9 and 10 - by the way to build a power station might take us two to three years. In the interim, we would like to refurbish so as to increase the efficiency of those units but we take note that the current technology cannot fit into the old infrastructure.
Now on tax exemptions for solar equipment, that is already in place. Anybody who brings in solar panels, batteries, inverters or whatever it is that has to do with solar, it is tax free, you are exempt from taxation, so people are encouraged to import duty free.
Independent Power Producers (IPPs), we facilitate as a Ministry and encourage IPPs to come on board. IPPs provide a window of opportunity for people who are enterprising who would like to get into electricity supply as a business and we encourage people to move in there very fast.
The incentives that we have put in place include the issuance of Government project documentation agreements. In January when we were in Victoria Falls where we had an International Energy Summit, we were able to issue ten Government projects implementation agreements for solar projects for IPPs. So, we encourage people to come on board to get these.
Yes, the comment is also that it is a bit difficult for people who want to do solar to come into the sector. These have been made very easy. Those who find it very difficult can check even with my office because granted, you may find people who always enjoy making things very difficult. I would have said more but for the sake of the Hansard, I would not say much.
However, as Zimbabweans, sometimes we like examinations. When you come to an office, someone gives you an examination to pass. It may make it so difficult but then our thrust as a Ministry is to make it as easy as possible to get into the sector. On how we do it, we give you all the information that you require. We also direct you to say, for licencing, go to ZERA, ZERA has streamlined their system or processes so that it is easy.
The only difficulty that many people find, for solar projects, you normally need land. A lot of people are finding it difficult to secure land on which to erect their solar plants. Sometimes, they make agreements with people and when they are about to implement the project, those people change the goal post. This is what we have found in many cases. Sometimes, it is the issue of funding because for one megawatt of solar production, you need about one million. So, to secure funding for such projects, sometimes it becomes difficult. However, the Government project implementation agreement, we are de-risking those investments and we are encouraging people to use that facility.
Net metering, yes we have spoken about it and we are trying to publicise that programme so that many people can get on board.
On what Hon. Sen. Moyo asked on when our country is going to get enough energy, it is a moving target. However, our envisaged supply is that by the end of 2025, we should have an excess of 2500 megawatts and by 2030, we want to have an excess of 5000 megawatts. We think even if we might not fulfil the entire demand, we would have tried our best.
At the moment, some of the measures that we are putting in place are for those that are using more energy power like the ferro-chrome sector, they need to have their electricity projects so that they can use their power. This will assist us in freeing our power supply by ensuring that it is subsidised. So, by the end of next year, this has to stop.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Minister, may you stick to one language.
HON. E. MOYO: The challenge is that some of the issues do not have English terms, I will try.
Hon. Senator Moyo also indicated that most of our coal is exported and you end up failing to get enough coal to help empower generation. We have enough coal and it will take us centuries to lapse. At the moment, we have about 52 billion metric tonnes of coal in Hwange. So, we have enough coal. For those who are selling coal, they are doing so as a business but currently, we have enough coal to produce electricity.
The Hon. Senator was also pin-pointing the shortage of cars. We have schools that are buying their generators so that they can have electricity even when power is off. Talking of schools and the education sector, we have a programme of putting solar in schools, hospitals, and clinics. These also have an opportunity to ensure that when power is off then they can use electricity from generators and that from solar power.
On climate change, yes, it is being highlighted all over the world that we need to reduce the use of coal, which is why we have indicated that we will try using solar more to assist in electricity generation. I thank you.
MOTION
COMPENSATION TO PENSIONERS AND POLICYHOLDERS BY PENSION AND INSURANCE COMPANIES
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the reduced value of the Zimbabwean dollar.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. S. MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE 148th ASSEMBLY OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU) HELD IN GENEVA
Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and related meetings.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGES TO HON. SEN. CHIEF CHARUMBIRA ON ASSUMPTION OF THE PRESIDENCY OF PAP
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion that a congratulatory message be conveyed to Hon. Senator Chief Charumbira on his ascendancy to the Presidency of the Pan-African Parliament.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th June, 2024.
MOTION
ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC HEMODIALYSIS FACILITIES IN DISTRICTS
Twelfth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the treatment of chronic kidney disease in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
+HON. SEN. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank Hon. Zvidzai for bringing this very important motion to this House. This disease, cancer, is one of the most painful diseases, which sometimes you fail to find what can help you, like what happened to one of us. When you are already affected and infected by this disease, it needs a lot of support through medication and dialysis. For most of those people who go under dialysis, it becomes very expensive in terms of money.
Mr. President if we, as Government, can consider this disease as a chronic disease and put aside money that is mainly for such diseases, it would help us because we end up being mainly affected as Zimbabweans. So, I suggest that anyone who is infected by this disease should be assisted using the set aside fund.
We also realise that the time when this infected person is expected to rest, he or she is working hard to survive and to find something that he or she can help herself with, there should be a way that those infected by the disease can be assisted by the Government. The people that we represent are looking up to us so that we can help them in coming up with ways that will help us so that we do not become laughing stocks. The reason is you find that when we are sick, we are still coming to work because we do not have what can help us and our coming to work will be a way of raising financial support to pay our bills.
We are also failing to help our colleagues because of lack of financial support. We even end up failing to assist those who are close to us. I do not know how best we can get assistance so that the people who are infected by this kidney cancer can be easily helped through providing them with medication. Even if we know they will die, they should at least find medication to prolong their lifespan and that even when they are at work, we can surely say that at least they look well. That is the reason why they are at work. I thank you Mr. President for this opportunity.
HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: I move that the debate be now adjourned.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO ZUPCO AND PRIVATE TRANSPORT OPERATORS
Thirteenth Order read: Adjourn debate on motion on the inadequacy of public transport in the country.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES FOR TEENAGE MOTHERS
Fourteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the effects of teenage pregnancy.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE DELEGATION ON THE ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION TO RUSSIA
Fifteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the report of the Delegation on the Election Observation Mission to Russia on Russian Presidential Elections.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 11th July, 2024.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. GOTORA, the Senate adjourned at Seven Minutes to Four o’ clock p.m.