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SENATE HANSARD 17 DECEMBER 2024 VOL 34 NO 19

PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE

Tuesday, 17^th December, 2024

The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.

PRAYERS

(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

         THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HARARE METROPOLITAN (HON. SEN. TAWENGWA): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 and 3 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 2 has been disposed of.

         HON. SEN. MBOHWA: I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, SALE AND CONSUMPTION OF DANGEROUS ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

HON. SEN. CHAKABUDA:   I move the motion standing in my name that this House; NOTING with concern the production of cheap illicit alcoholic beverages under unhygienic conditions to the detriment of public health;

         DISTURBED by the addictive effects of such products which are major drivers of broken-down marriages, family union and criminal activities among our societies;

MINDFUL that the country has adequate legislative mechanisms to curb and control the use of these addictive beverages but sadly fall short when it comes to enforcing requisite laws;

         NOW, THEREFORE, this House; 

(a)     condemns the production distribution, sale and consumption of these dangerous alcoholic beverages by our citizens; and  (b)         implores the Ministries of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to stringently enforce all legislation applicable to containing the use of illicit beverages.

HON. SEN. CHITSAMBA:  I second.

HON. SEN. CHAKABUDA:   Thank you Madam President. I rise to debate on the motion on curbing the production and distribution of illicit alcoholic beverages.

         Zimbabwe is a country that was known globally for producing citizens with a moral fibre that was second to none.  Zimbabweans were known worldwide for their well-groomed nature, honesty, culture of hard work and innovation and this had to do with the society that we created after the struggle for our Independence.  We created a diverse society that was characterised by respect, empathy, solidarity, belonging and potential.  Our education system produced citizens who excelled at home and abroad.

         This state of affairs has deteriorated over the years, we have lost all that characterised our society, respect, empathy, solidarity, belonging and potential.  The products of our society have become despicable and redundant at a tender age.

         The products of our society have become addicts of cheap, illicit and addictive alcoholic beverages that are often brewed in informal settings which are not under any regulation.

Cheap illicit alcoholic beverages have become a menace to our society threatening development in every facet of life.  If left unchecked, it has serious potential to negatively impact on the economic and social growth of this country.  I will try to elaborate more by giving a holistic picture:

1. Production and Distribution

Most of these dangerous illicit alcoholic beverages are being produced in backyard makeshift breweries that have not gone through any form of inspection or licencing procedure.  In other words, they are illegal and usually unhygienic.  Surprisingly, some of these beverages are actually imported into the country from neighbouring countries and this is done illegally.

What is of concern is that the distribution, sale and consumption of these illicit alcoholic beverages is however done openly.  One would be tempted to think that the entire process from manufacturing and distribution was legal.  It is mind boggling that a product of illegal processes can be available and consumed so freely in the society.  The illicit alcoholic beverages are distributed and sold freely in licenced retail liquor outlets without any repercussions to the seller and the consumer.  Maybe the consumer will face the repercussions of a destroyed life but for the seller, the only repercussion is the enjoyment of untaxed profits.  Further concerning is that the retailers will sell to anyone including children – it is quite shameful.

Because the illicit alcohol trade is not regulated, it has negative economic impacts due to:

• Losses in tax revenue
• Contribution to poverty and inequality
• Unfair competition for legitimate breweries.

2. Health Risks

These illicit alcoholic drinks are brewed under extremely unhygienic conditions and they usually contain methanol, ethanol and other toxic substances which can cause serious health complications such as blindness, organ damage and failure which usually leads to death.

The health risks are far reaching in terms of impact because they do not only burden the person directly affected by the illness, but impacts on the family members who will have to take care of the ill person financially and emotionally.  These health risks also put an unnecessary load on the country’s health delivery system as it is burdened by otherwise avoidable health issues.

3. Social risks

The consumption of these illicit drinks has been directly linked to many social problems that are usually a result of perpetual intoxication, domestic violence, child neglect, crime, family breakdowns, unemployment, and community conflicts.

4. The economic risks through loss of productive human capital.

 Besides the economic risks relating to loss of tax revenue and unfair completion for legitimate breweries, there is also the huge risk of loss of productive human capital.  This risk is profound because it affects us now and in any future economic recovery plan that we may have.

The consumption of illicit breweries can lead to addiction and dependence on illicit alcoholic brews can lead to reduced productivity, absenteeism and impaired judgment which causes accidents, injuries and even deaths at workplaces.

Health problems, lead to reduced productivity and increased healthcare costs. Social problems, usually lead to reduced productivity.

Loss of skilled manpower due to addiction and health issues.

Zimbabwe through its Constitution and various legislation has made efforts to curb the manufacturing, distribution, sale and consumption of these illicit alcoholic beverages, however more needs to be done as it is clear that the production, distribution and consumption of these dangerous alcoholic drinks is on a unprecedented surge and there seems to be no sustainable solution in the horizon.

         I therefore propose:

• Effective enforcement of laws and regulations to curb this surge in the availability of illicit alcoholic beverages.
• Addressing the social and economic issues that drive the demand for illicit alcoholic beverages.
• Formation and strengthening of synergies, collaboration and coordination of all players involved in the fight to curb the effects of these alcoholic beverages. Churches, NGOs, Government, and Community groups must come together for a comprehensive response. Research and proper Data collection are necessary for an evidence-based intervention and a better understanding of the underlying issues.

         By addressing the issue of illicit alcoholic beverages, Zimbabwe can mitigate these negative economic impacts and promote a healthier, more productive and sober workforce.  The prevalence of many social problems will also be greatly reduced, thereby fostering a respectful, empathetic and potentially filled Zimbabwe citizen.  I thank you

         +HON. SEN. MLILO: Thank you Madam President of the Senate for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion that has been brought to us by Hon. Senator Chakabuda. As we are speaking right now, we are referring to illegal beverages like beer which is being sold in each corner of the country.  Young children are busily engaged in drinking illegal beer and they are drinking this illegal liquor and getting drunk.  We are asking for Government to intervene.

         I once visited Ingutsheni Hospital. When I got there I found that there were a lot of children who were admitted there. Some have now lost their minds and some are behaving wildly.  When it comes to this illicit liquor that is being sold illegally everywhere, we are asking the Government to intervene and also put a close eye on the people that are brewing these beverages and make sure that they are closed because it has destroyed these young children.

If you look closer, you will find that children are in the cemeteries.  You will find that a lot of them are perishing and this is being caused by these illegal drugs and this illicit liquor that is being sold and destroying the children's lungs. We are asking the Government to intervene. If these people are found, they should be arrested and brought to book. The children are supposed to be the bearers of our future but now they are the ones that are perishing and leaving us behind. We do not know who is going to take care of us.

         If you go into these residential areas, you will find that most of the parents are the ones that are surviving and the children who are the grandchildren are the ones who have perished. Some of them are now into deviant behaviour. They are now practicing strange things like house parties and drinking beer in their parents’ houses who are living abroad. They are even smoking drugs and no longer attending school, we are asking the Government to intervene in this issue of liquor that is being sold illegally. Thank you, Madam President.

         HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: Thank you Madam President for allowing me an opportunity to contribute briefly to this motion as presented by Hon. Senator Chakabuda. I raise this because I think your House considers issues of health very important. This is why this year Madam President, your House has moved more than six motions emphasising issues of health. Each time there is on the table, something to do with health, we should all feel that we should contribute to it so that the Executive can hear us so that when it comes to budget time like we are at the moment, we can allocate sufficient resources to deal with issues to do with health.

         A healthy nation is a productive nation. A nation where people are swallowed with illnesses captured by inability due to illness is not productive. This is why Madam President, I find joy in Hon. Senator Chakabuda in debating this motion and I am sure other colleagues will join forth to just keep emphasising this point that I am trying to raise. When I was reading my degree in chemistry at that time, I think my brother Ncube was also doing something on civil engineering, so I think we are together concerning this particular motion.

         It is a very scientific motion. They say the technology called brewing or fermentation, which leads to the production of ethanol and other intoxicating alcoholic material is a much older technology than the technology of making soap which is called saponification. Fermentation is an earlier technology because human nature on its own desires intoxication ahead of cleanliness. This is why abuse of alcoholic stuff, pursuit to intoxication is a very pervasive yet very wide covering process. Every village has got people that every morning ngoto, the next village it is the same and yet you never really widely see people doing a nhimbe of going to deal with issues of hygiene and cleanliness.

          Fermentation is a stubborn and very difficult creature for us to deal with on account of it being an earlier technology than saponification. Why do people desire intoxication, is it all wrong to drink and I pose that it is not. I am a ZION, and so I am just talking about the people of Zimbabwe. Personally, I do not imbibe that much. People desire intoxication because it makes them joyful. If you drink, you get happy. It is also a social lubricant in that as you drink, you kill issues of anxiety, social rejection and all those things.

         For that reason, it is not all too bad because it helps people to fit socially. It lubricates society, reduces stress and thus when it is done in moderation, we do not condemn brewing as it were.  However, illicit brewing which also has existed for time immemorial is a reality of our society. The fortunate thing is that as we were growing up, the quantities were not much. In a village you get a cup or two of nipper, they used to call it kachasu, skindon and all those things. It was not as to disturb the ecosystem of our societies.

         As ethanol is produced at large scales, it introduces the problems of easier availability of these illicit drinks, illicit alcohol and illicit ethanol. The mover said, the danger lies in the purification. Today, when you look at tumbwa, musombodia, gunshot, all those are just a dilution of industrial methylated spirits which is produced at Triangle as well as at Green Fuel.

         These are industrial and they do not remove the other components like she said ethanol. If you sniff a little bit of ethanol, you go to sleep. If you sniff a little bit of a second-grade action of chemicals on ethanol which are called aldehydes; that kills you completely. The difficulty that we have is that the industrial producers of these materials are availing them to the communities for consumption rather than for use in industrial processes. That is where the challenge is and this is what we need to deal with. How do we deal with that?

         I remember when we used to work in the laboratories and we needed to use anhydrous ethanol, you could never take it alone. You would need three to four people to go and decant what you wanted to use so that alcohol did not find its way to be consumed by the people. On a smaller scale, that happened as we grew up, we never really had the problems that we face today. The social economic impact on abuse of these illicit brews is major and we need to deal with this.

The starting point is to understand how deep the problem is. What faction of our communities are affected? How many youths are dependent on these illicit drinks? How many poor women are dependent on this? We need that and there is no statistic around the depth of abuse of these materials. Madam President, what you cannot measure you cannot manage. It is a simple management principal. If you want start managing something you must be able to measure it.

         We must able to measure how deep this problem is. ZimStat should be able to go out in the villages and in the townships, in the valleys and up the mountains to determine how severe the problem is. Thereafter, we can then proffer solutions. We cannot keep guessing, we cannot arm wave a problem of this magnitude. As the mover suggests, let us go statistical, let us activate ZimStat so that we begin to know  the intense of the problem  so that we deploy resources appropriately to deal with this epicenter of the problem.  One of the problems is obviously Triangle Limited. The other problem is Green Fuel. How do they trace their product up to the end user?  

         Secondly, law enforcement which can also deploy and activate its resources more if they have the statistics, but indeed law enforcement has got a very key role. Last month, I was at a funeral in my home area in Bikita and I saw a mess and I would say more than 60% of the youth who were there were thoroughly hit drunk by these 50 cent bottle drinks and they were drunk. It has 55% ethanol content and 34% methanol and it is just consigning these youth nowhere else except to the grave.

         I also understand that our police force may not be able to cover every piece of grass in this land but we have got other mechanisms which I think should be activated. We have got pervasive presence of traditional leadership in this country. We have got headmen.  I believe more than 20 000 of them and so every square inch of our land has got some Government presence of some sort. Traditional leadership has got a key role to play.

         I know the people of Zimbabwe respect traditional leaders. Kungosimuka kuti muno munyika mangu kana ukanwa musombodia, ndokudzinga muno kana kuti vakomana vanodealer newe. You bring a goat or a sheep and the people listen. Even before the threats, people listen to their leadership and I challenge our traditional leaders to put in mechanisms to make sure that their villages are clean of these illicit brews. The presence is clear at the shopping centres and you find  shops and bars selling these drinks in the open. The illicit has been converted into formal and acceptable because no one is saying to the store keepers this cannot be allowed because it is damaging our communities and damaging our society.

         With these few contributions Madam President, I honestly hope that if our traditional leadership could employ one or two tactics, this Christmas might smell better. It might smell of whisky, seven days, chibuku and all these are not as poisonous as these alien little drinks that we are beginning to see in every home and every township. Thank you.

HON. SEN. GOTORA: Thank you Madam President of the Senate. The issue which is being discussed is a very painful one to me because when I grew up, I saw a lot of my cousins who ended up being useless people without anything. Some of my cousins died, some destroyed their marriages because of these illegal drugs. In the past, we used to call these illicit brews tototo, kachasu and nippa. I do not have any problems with our traditional brewed beer or chibuku because to me, it is food. I also do not have problems with whiskey because all these beverages are being manufactured following all the health standards and any other standards which are needed.

I have got problems with these illicit drugs which are being brewed these days. There are many challenges which are rising because of taking these drinks. Firstly, it is the health of the person who is taking these beers. Their health deteriorates and they start to accuse different people like the uncles that they are the ones who are responsible for their sickness. In the end, people end up using their resources to make sure that the affected person is being treated whilst the affected person has caused it upon themselves.

The previous speakers tried to address it in a social scientific picture but as an individual, I want to simplify this issue traditionally and also mention how it affects people. When the health of a person is affected and the person is not feeling well, the first thing is that they are no longer capable of taking care of themselves, they are no longer productive in terms of working for themselves and to support themselves and the family. A person who can drink  traditional beer can go to his farm and work doing weeding for 7 days or many but with these illicit beers which are being brewed in the backyards, they are affecting the production of the family and many other things.

Thirdly, the person who drinks the illicit beer behaves like an animal, loses his manners and even when he is wearing trousers they will be messed whilst in their mind they do not see the problem. Their behaviour is not proper, they end up behaving like wild animals without manners. As for women who take these drugs, I do not want to use the term that she will be behaving like a dog because I will be shaming someone.

Over all, I am saying that the way that person behaves after drinking the illicit beer is not good. I had forgotten another illicit beer called mangisi. When you drink that beer, you end up being useless. The other problem which is being caused by illicit beers is that it does not only destroy your immediate family but the whole clan. You will not have any capacity to respect anyone, no dignity when you are communicating with others, lack of respect to your in-laws. If you drink properly brewed beers like chibuku, you can be able to fulfill your duties because the beer is manufactured under laid down standards. When you drink illicit beers you will no longer have the discipline and your behaviour will be uncalled for.

These illicit beers increase poverty because they do not give the victims the opportunity to plan. Some of the victims can sleep for two weeks after taking that beer. It really causes a lot of problems like committing crimes, stealing of properties in order to buys these beers but if you take whiskey and other beers which have been brewed professionally, you can behave properly.

So, what can we do? Myself, as a child of a chief, I know that our grandfather used to send his subjects to a homestead where the illicit beer called kachasu is being brewed to destroy all the apparatus that produce these illicit beers. This reduces the production of kachasu because the subjects who are sent are told to destroy the apparatus. Also, the leader of that village will be removed because he or she would have failed to lead properly. The business community like bottle stores and supermarkets there were given licences by local authorities to make sure that they do their jobs properly. The person who sells illicit beers was not recommended to be licenced.  The business persons were forced to comply. The police officers will come but the health worker would do their jobs properly. This really helped in working together with the police.

The previous speakers made sure that we must work together with the police force to reduce the brewing of these illicit beers. As a society we must make sure that we work together to stop the brewing of these illicit beers.  We cannot expect the police to move door to door searching for these unscrupulous drug dealers.  Even at our border posts, we also have to work as a nation to curb these illegal beers from being imported into our country.

 In areas like Chikwalakwala and Vombozi, illegal substances are being found. Most of these illicit beers are coming from Mozambique.  However, I am sorry for having mentioned names of countries but that is where these illicit beers are coming from. 

There are other big businesses like Greenfuel, whereby most of the ethanol that is being produced is now being sold in drums and people are now using the ethanol to brew illicit substances in areas like Macheke.  It is very pertinent for us to work together with the business community, village heads, traditional leaders and business persons to end the brewing and selling of illicit beer.  If we leave everything in the hands of the police officers, we will not win because we do not have police officers in every village. 

So, I want to support the Hon. Senator who brought in the motion. Hon. Senator Chakabuda managed to look into the issue and maybe the challenges she has seen in her constituency are the same as what I am facing in my constituency hence I am encouraging everyone, including us as Members of the august House to work together and come up with a solution to end the brewing and selling of illicit beers and substances so that we do not leave everything in the hands of police officers.  Let us be united as a country to fight this menace.  I thank you.

         +HON. SEN. NYATHI: Thank you Madam President for the opportunity that you have given me to add my voice.  I would want to extend my appreciation to Hon. Senator Chakabuda who brought this motion to this House.  This motion is a motion that touches every corner of this world.  If you are talking about drugs, it is about people who have lost their future and lives in these illicit substances.

         What pains me most is that if you pay a closer look at prisons, they are filled with people who are accused of rape, some of them would have been under the influence of such drugs.  The issue of murder also, is perpetuated by issues of these drugs and illegal substances.

 This thing of illicit drugs has now become a pandemic because it is all over the country.  I do not know how best we can handle this issue but what I can say is that I wish we could establish an Act that every person, be a police officer in his place so that people who are selling illegal drugs are arrested.

Men and children who are found under the influence of these illicit substances are supposed to be rehabilitated and taken back to schools and other community initiatives.  Our country has lost its shape because of illegal substances.  If you go into the CBD currently, you will find someone lying down like a dead man and you wonder what kind of life they are leaving.

         Madam President, this motion is very painful because it needs all attempts in our lives to fight this.  If we say the husband and the wife are both drinking, this set up is very common in our communities.  However, you will find that the offspring will just be roaming around the streets.  We need to have a law that intervenes and also understands that if both parents drink, the children will suffer.

         Right now, other families are busy with farming and these other families partaking in illicit drugs are busy drinking.  Even if they are to register with Social Welfare for food aid, they are the ones who come first yet they do not want to farm for their livelihoods. 

         I encourage that there be unity across the country and make sure that people who are responsible for selling such illegal beverages are arrested.  When we were growing up, people used to brew seven days, people would drink and there were no problems but now when people drink these illegal substances, they fail to do anything. They will be weak and sleepy like zombies.  I thank you.

         +HON. SEN. S. MOYO: Thank you for giving me this opportunity.  We are debating a motion that is touching and was brought to this august House by Hon. Senator Chakabuda.  Firstly, we knew that in our hey-days, our elders had their beer which they used to take.  I am from Matabeleland South and being a Kalanga, there is a beer that they used to call Ndale.  This beer was brewed by our elders.  It was meant for celebrations and people would dance and enjoy themselves to the extent that if there was anyone who had come for the holidays, they would enjoy it.  People used to store their millet and sorghum to brew their beer. 

         However, things have changed drastically.  People are now brewing various types of these beverages and some illegal substances are being added as ingredients to this beer.

         As a black person, sometimes I am amazed if I hear that there are celebrations. People do not dismiss until they finish all the alcohol.  If they fail, they will even carry that beer and go away with it.  On the other hand, there are people like us who have never tasted beer but have used beer as a relish in ancient days when people used to brew beer in the homesteads.

         So, I am still just discussing beer in general before I talk of the behaviour that is influenced by alcohol. If someone buys these soft drinks, people just consume these drinks and then at the end they revert to beer. This just shows that beer is really liked by a lot of people.  I heard people saying that there is a song people used to sing that, my beer, you are really delicious, please take me home, take me up so that I can go home. When people were drunk, they would sing on their way home. When a man is drunk, when he leaves for his homestead, he would sing a lot so that the children would hear that the father is coming home.

This would even cover for a lot and would also make sure that if the woman was engaging in extra-marital affairs, the man would run away before the husband comes home. If you take a closer look, the introduction of the whites when they continued to brew alcohol, you will find and understand that this kind of beer was made for us blacks.

I have never seen a white man who gets drunk and rolls on the ground.  In the places that we are employed, I feel that there is an issue that we want to take a closer look at, especially people that are employed in mines. You cannot be admitted into a mine or get into a mine before you are checked for alcohol.

They take you through a breathalyser or test your blood to make sure that you do not have any alcohol content in your blood. This testing for alcohol helps because this prevents accidents that could happen.  I understand that when someone is drunk, his mind will not be in a good state, especially people who work in the underground mines. You will not be allowed or entertained by other entities when you are drunk.  If we could employ this in every area, that could help.

There is another issue that I want to mention which is really important.  In the past, we used to have chiefs and parents but what we are witnessing currently, we did not witness it. This is a clear indication that we are not doing our things properly.  We can debate as much as we can about illegal alcohol and other drug substances but if we do not have a law that discourages the use of such substances, we are just playing.

In the year 2008, during the season of drought, most of the elders that consumed alcohol, in the absence of alcohol ended up buying soft drinks and diluting with methylated spirit, which is very dangerous. Spirit destroys our lungs and it can make you get drunk.  A lot of people perished due to consuming methylated spirit.

If we want to tell each other the truth, this was caused by the issue of drought.  Every drug that we have in this country, if you take a closer look, people really drink but if you look closely, you will understand that these drugs are being influenced by hunger.

When everything is fine, people tell you that I want to drink Hunters and opaque beer like Super (Chibuku) because they have the resources that are enough to purchase these things.   Currently, there are a lot of drugs that we have.  I witnessed something that we did not know when we were growing up. There is something that is called ‘Njengu’, which is very common in the rural areas and is destroying our children.  Even the Government is seeing this happening.  The children are the ones that are perishing and lacking because they do not have enough blood. They are suffering from anemia and their homes are being destroyed.  The children also do not even have jobs due to these illegal drugs…

THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:  I am being advised that the institution has been running on generator since morning and now the generator is out of fuel.

Business was suspended at 1525 hours due to loss of electricity and resumed at 1530hrs.

+HON.  SEN. S. MOYO: Thank you Hon. President of the Senate for giving me the opportunity to narrate my opinion pertaining to the issue of illegal substances that have taken our country by storm.  These are different from what we used to have in our hay days.  I have noticed that most of the Hon. Members have been bemoaning that our police officers and chiefs should ensure that these perpetrators are arrested.  Everyone should understand what their children are doing because charity begins at home.  If you train a child not to consume alcohol until they reach the legal age that is allowed to consume alcohol, they understand and follow what they are taught.  We are amased that children as little as 13years are the ones taking alcohol and these other illegal drugs.  I cannot even talk of police officers because people nowadays do not respect them or the authority that they represent.  We used to respect the officers and the uniforms that they adorn but currently even police officers will be drunk from these illegal drugs.  This shows that we have a big problem in this country and the laws are no longer being enforced. 

What is the reason behind this?  We have to question ourselves as Hon. Members.  Firstly, poverty is the cause of all these problems.  Secondly, people do not have jobs and as a man thinking of my wife and children, I am always under pressure that my family will ask what I will have brought for them.  In our home setup the women will deny us our conjugal rights because they will be hungry.  It is commonly known that where there is hunger there is no peace.  We implore Government to ensure that they create employment and people are employed so that they are not idle and end up doing drugs. With drugs, they end up unable to perform their duties or do any job.  The other question is on why the law permits people with money to import and sell illicit drugs if it is known that people get destroyed by such drugs as njengu.  May we have a policy that will completely abolish such substances?  Even in the Bible there is a verse where Apostle Paul said, if you drink a bit of wine, it can heal some ailments you may have but if people drink alcohol and methylated spirit, this is not what was mentioned in the Bible.  Firstly, people that are supposed to be arrested are the Hon. Members with businesses without licences but their shops are selling njengu.  We even know the names of the people for instance the Deputy Minister of Industry had his shop closed for selling alcohol illegally brought into the country.  I even know some shop owners who do that.  We do not even know where this alcohol is coming from.  Even ZIMRA has no idea where it is coming from.  It is our children who are being destroyed by this alcohol.  It costs a dollar for two; the same price for green mealies.  People are perishing from this cheap alcohol.  I was asking if we could have a law which stipulates the legal age at which people can start drinking alcohol and also have a policy that no-one is allowed to sell alcohol without the requisite licences.  Most people that sell liquor do not have the requisite documents.  We need laws that work and are enforced on would be offenders.  I thank you.

*HON. SEN. MUZODA:  Thank you Hon. President of the Senate for affording me this opportunity to add my voice on the motion raised by Hon. Senator Chakabuda on drugs and substance abuse.  According to my definition, I think drug and substance abuse means that these things are being taken illegally and being produced illegally.  When it comes to beer, it is something which we used to brew but right now what we are discussing is the illegal alcohol and drugs that are being manufactured by people who are supposed to be helping us to curb the issue of drug and substance abuse and ensure that these do not reach the people.  However, I do not understand why those who are brewing this type of alcohol and drugs are allowed or continuing to brew and sell to people whilst they do not face the full wrath of the law.  It is very painful and is not acceptable in our society or amongst our families because most of the families and societies are being affected.   I am saying that it is a disease because I do not see anyone who is not taking these drugs being affected but those who are taking these drugs and substances are the ones who are affected in terms of health.  Those who are taking these illegal substances, to say the truth, there is no life which is being shaped when we are brewing these illicit beers because these people who are brewing are focusing on destroying our future.  Let us not continue to say these substances are coming from other countries.  Yes, at the beginning, these illicit drugs and beers were coming from neighbouring countries but right now they are now being manufactured in this country.  If we continue to say that these substances are being imported whilst they are being manufactured in this country, we continue with the menace without coming up with a solution. 

When we grew up, we used to know that beer was brewed and even today in the rural areas where we come from, the seven days beer is being brewed like what the previous speaker has already mentioned that announcements were being made that beer is being brewed at this place and so forth.  We never saw the beer affecting the health of people who used to drink the seven days beer.  As young boys, we were woken up in the morning by someone who had drunk beer the previous night but that same person who used to drink beer for 50 years, if he is given the illicit beers brewed nowadays, he will wake up after two days.

         The behaviour which is being exhibited by our children who abuse substances and drugs or taking illicit beers – as Government, we have let down starting from where they dropped their trousers to the knee level until today, they are now drinking mutoriro and failing to respect their parents. 

         I do not have more words to say since most of the things concerning this motion have already been mentioned but I am pleading with you – I heard the previous speaker saying that the issues of chiefs or other traditional leaders must help us in curbing this menace in their respective areas.   I heard other Hon. Members who spoke before me saying that they have notified the police and have done one or two things but I saw that this issue of substance and drug abuse is now above police officers because now the police officers are the ones who are taking drugs more than the people who they are supposed to protect and make sure that they do not take drugs.  Those police officers are no longer able to function without taking the drugs.

         *HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA:  On a point of order Hon. President. We cannot say that the police officers of this country are drunkards whilst we are seeing them working tirelessly to protect us from crime.  Also, they are not able to defend their position in this House.  We have not seen police officers performing their duties whilst they are drunk.

         THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:   I did not take it as a derogatory statement as such.  I took it as a generalised statement which would apply to the bad apples within the police force.  I think everybody knows that we have got one of the best security forces in this country.  I am sure he did not mean it in that negative perspective.  You may proceed Hon. Sen. Wunganayi.  

         *HON. SEN. MUZODA:  Thank you Mr. President for protecting me from our Hon. former police – [Laughter.] - 

         THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:  Please withdraw that Hon. Member.

         *HON. SEN. MUZODA:  I withdraw Hon. President. I know what I was saying Hon. President.  I do not want to repeat it because you have already clarified.  What I was trying to say and explain on the issue of drugs and substance abuse …

THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:    Order Hon. Member. If there is something wrong, I will deal with it.  Address the Chair.

*HON. SEN. MUZODA:  It is alright Mr. President.  I would like to highlight some of the bad things or disadvantages of drug and substance abuse.  There is nothing positive which is coming from drug and substance abuse.  If we look at our children, we might think that they have spent the whole day looking for jobs throughout the country or in town but when they come home in the evening, it will be another issue that is totally different.  I wish we had people who are looking and making sure that our laws are being followed to make sure that what is happening in the country stops and does not continue to happen.  If these people are drunk, they do not have ubuntu, they will be doing anything.

Drug and substance abuse does not affect the youth only, it affects everyone.  I do not know the reason which makes everyone enjoy being drunk throughout the day.  I do not understand if it is poverty or lack of jobs.  It is now a disease which is affecting the whole country.  I thank you for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the issue of drug and substance abuse.  I know that we are in a respected august House. I want to plead with you; may we desist from the issue of diverting debate and speaking issues directed to someone. I thank you.

THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: There is no need for you to conclude your debate with that statement.  I have already advised you that the rules of this House are that you address the Chair.  In this House as is applicable elsewhere, people may interject, make statements for as long as I do not hear – if I hear anything which is negative and which is not in line with the decorum of the House, I will deal with it like I did.  I will deal with it.  There is no need for you to make a statement like you made. 

I do not in anyway condone anybody who does not debate in line with the decorum of the Senate. 

         ^∞HON. SEN. MUMPANDE: Thank you Mr. President of the Senate for giving me the floor to contribute to the motion which was brought to the House by Hon. Senator Chakabuda.  I was looking back Mr. President, from 1980 there was no such illicit beer. This beer has destroyed this country and the lives of our children. A great number now abscond school. You will find that your child will go and search for piece jobs so that they have money to purchase this kind of illicit beer njengu. Children no longer consider their future seriously and they do not even think of taking care of their parents.  I request that the police officers conduct routine inspections of bottle stores and confiscate such kinds of beer.  If they do that, this country will develop.

Mr. President of the Senate, we are all aware that these bottle stores sell beer at night.  As I am speaking, four people passed away in our area because of intoxication and not eating. This kind of beer has destroyed our country.  I thank you.

THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Senator Mumpande.

 Can you please sort out the issue of translation?  I did not hear a thing and many other Senators also missed out.  It is not fair for us to lose an important debate as a result of incompetence being perpetrated by some people.

^∞HON. SEN. FANUEL: Thank you Mr. President of the Senate for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on the issue of illicit drugs that have taken the lives of so many people. We thank the Hon. Senator Chakabuda who brought this motion.  It is not only destroying the lives of the people but the nation at large.

As Hon. Members, we are here to protect our children so that they do not indulge in taking dangerous illicit beer. If I remember, long back there was a lotion called Ambi and Beauton, but there is no such thing nowadays that is being sold. Currently, our children are being intoxicated and they are passing away every day.  They are taking illicit drugs.  This time His Excellency, the President cautioned and said that we should apprehend them and send them to prison.

The Hon. Senator said that some people are taking illicit beers like the seven days beer.  The Police and the Neighbourhood Watch should apprehend those people who produce illicit beer. Right now, we want to know who is failing to apprehend those people. May there be evidence that is produced and whistleblowers for children who are being given such kind of beer so that there may be a follow-up because every day we mourn for our children who are passing away.  Our children will not be going to school at present but will be just drinking beer. These children cause so much pain to their parents and even to us women who would have taken the burden of carrying the child for nine months and right now we are losing our children to beer.  If you ask parents, you would hear that the children are taking illicit beer.  We should not be happy about this and we should not condone that kind of behaviour. Some time ago when there was COVID-19, some people did not take illicit beer because they knew that they were going to pass away if they took beer.

Mr. President of the Senate, everybody passes away and if somebody drinks that beer, they pass away. How are we going to develop as a country if we are going to sell illicit beer to so many people? Some other people are doing barter trade, exchanging fertiliser with illicit beer. It is so painful and some other countries are taking us as a laughing stock because of these illicit beer, njengu. When I was passing through Bulawayo, they were selling dollar for four illicit beers. If this beer is readily available, it should be sold at $5 and they should be taxed.  If it costs $5, some other people will not buy such beer.  Maybe there are licences of such bottle stores and beerhalls.

 Police officers should do routine checks in beerhalls to check if those people are selling illicit beers and if they do not have licences, they should apprehend them. Why would a person be given a Government licence and sell illicit beer?  It is so painful Mr. President of Senate. Our health system has changed, some will be diabetic, some with high blood pressure and other people are taking ARVs.  People should take tablets daily on time.  Many people are passing out because of not taking pills. ARVs are free in medical hospitals but some go for three days without taking such tablets. Some people are now dropping their pants and they are not dressing properly.  We do not condone such behaviour.  We do not like such people in Zimbabwe. After work, some people would want to look for such beer called njengu.  People should go for classic beer. It is not many people who will be respectable if they take such kind of illicit beer. We are the ones Hon. Members who should reprimand those people not to take such illicit beer. Hon. Members should maybe buy classic beer for those people. I want you to support this motion from Hon. Senator Chakabuda who expressed her concern towards us women who are in so much pain over our children.  There should be so much tax on such kinds of goods if they are being sold. If there is a funeral, such men will go and take that illicit beer and as women, we will be in so much pain crying. That is what I wanted to say. Thank you.

         +HON. SEN. NDEBELE: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to add my voice on this motion which was brought by Hon. Senator Chakabuda. This is an important motion which opens our minds on what we should do over this illicit beer. We are facing so much difficulty where we come from. These dangerous drugs are being sold more than sugar. People are using them more than our staple food which is sadza in this country. It has been mentioned a lot by various Hon. Members that have contributed before me.  I am also just adding because it is something that is pertinent and touching. What is really touching is what was mentioned by other Hon. Members as to what makes the law fail to apprehend the one who brews this illicit substance before they reach to the consumers.

         The one who is responsible for the production is being left out and continue the production because the substance that he/she is brewing is being delivered countrywide. It passes through the tollgates, roadblocks until it reaches the rural areas when it is not brewed in the rural areas as the previous speaker has alluded to. I understand that this beer is being brewed here in Harare and the person has enough resources because he has the capacity to deliver countrywide. What makes this person impossible to arrest? The issue of licences has also been mentioned. Are these licences really easy to get so much that anyone would get them?

         Under the Ministry of Local Government, we are told that our elders are not allowed to travel long distances to get to the shops to buy even salt. They even opened tuck-shops where there used to be general dealers and beer halls. These tuck-shops, currently the measurement is just about 2 x 5 metres. It is just a small area but it has caused a lot of people to perish. It is now a hub where people are selling illicit substances that are causing the perishing of people.  People do not even need licences for them to sell these illicit beers. You do not even understand what the shop is dealing with or is it a shop that is supposed to assist older people or it is now a bar or beer hall? Where do we have these licences that permit tuck-shops to sell alcohol?

         We do not have any enforcements which reinforce that it is not supposed to sell such substances. There are licences which stipulate that a certain shop or licence is supposed to be selling such products but every shop is just a night club. A tuck-shop is now a night club and a flea market is now a night club. Even if you go behind the houses, we have got gochi gochi taking place and there are just night clubs and shebeens. They are operating 24 hours and they are selling this substance that is called njengu. They even give it the name njengu.  

         I feel like the term njengu just means just a weird jump which shows an untamed behaviour. You just see that someone collapses and does not have any way to balance when someone purchases this and he falls down without any attempt to avoid this. This thing has killed a lot of people. This njengu and this other Number 9 have got various names that they are referred to. I usually go to TM and OK and you will also get a bigger njengu that is written Number 9. After getting this, even if the President’s motorcade is passing by, they will have to be stopped by the security personnel because they do not even pay respect to anything and this is caused by this illegal substance. This is being traced back to these illegal substances. We also go to the issue that many fathers drink this illegal substance called njengu. This njengu destroys the energy of the body. Males become impotent and they fail to satisfy their wives. As the previous speaker said that it may makes someone to be weak for more than two days.  The person can urinate on himself and also defecate upon himself because this njengu will not allow him to wake up. There are no males who will be sexually active after they are affected by this njengu. We then come here and say the divorce cases are on the rise, it is because the males are busy with drug and substance abuse. They are failing to satisfy their spouses. Failure to satisfy their spouses will end up making the wives to be involved other extra marital affairs.

         Some of the young males who are still sexually active sometimes abuse women. After taking this njengu, they will be active the following day making a lot of noise after raping the females. We are trying to bring to the fore the issues of abuse that are related to this njengu. Going back to the issues of tuck-shops which are open for 24/7. There was once a debate on the issue of the police officer’s effectiveness. Where are the police officers when they no longer know how to differentiate between a bottle store, tuck-shop and a beerhall because all these are now operating same hours? There is no shop that closes. Even the police officers who will be on duty sometimes take a sip of this njengu that we are referring to.

         I can say a lot but what we are looking into is the issue of illegal substances that are being referred to these children that spend the day drinking. They will be seated three to six of them at a drainage just enjoying their njengu. One question to ask is:  where are they taking these empty bottles after drinking this illegal substance? They take pepsi and dilute this huge bottle purchased from the liquor store. They just leave the bottle there and the place becomes a base for drinking.  Right now, the rainy season is upon us and soon we will be having Cyclone Chido, all the drains will be blocked. Most of these drainage systems are blocked by these plastic containers left by teenagers on the bridges.

Recently we used to see people cleaning and picking up litter and every Friday most local authorities would also clean. Where we see these blockages, it is usually these plastic containers that would have blocked drainage caused by the littering of these plastic containers. When you approach Crossroads Centre you witness a lot of these njengu empties showing that you have reached an area where consumption of njengu is very high. The consumption of njengu has put the lives of women and youth at risk.

There is this other njengu called “power” and you may find it in hidden in vehicles of some Hon. Members. This is another issue that our debate should focus on because it is now destroying the males. Most men say that they do not have sexual appetite so they take these sexual enhancement things like “power” so that they can satisfy their women.

Thank you Mr. President for the motion which was brought in by Senator Chakabuda. We should take this motion with the seriousness it deserves. I have said a lot pertaining the use and abuse of illegal alcohol and other drugs. I appeal to the male folk not to make us suffer and starve us of our sexual rights due to the consumption of njengu.

HON. SEN. CHAKABUDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. GWATURE: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December 2024.

MOTION

LEAVE TO MOVE SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS NO. 32 (6), 52, 65, 67 AND 137

THE MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY, SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON. SEN. M. MUTSVANGWA): I seek the leave of the House to move that the provisions of Standing Orders No. 32 (6), 52, 65, 67 and 137 regarding the reporting period of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, the automatic adjournment of the House at Five Minutes to Seven o’clock and at Twenty Five Minutes past One o’clock on a Friday, Private Members Motions taking precedent on Thursday’s after Question Time and that Question Time shall be on Thursday and stages of Bills respectively be suspended with effect from today until all business relating to the Budget and all other Government Business has been disposed of.

The reasons being that the House would like to dispose of all money Bills and Civil Aviation Bill before the end of the year.

Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

SUSPENSION OF STANDING ORDERS NO. 32 (6), 52, 65, 67 and 137

THE MINISTER OF WOMEN’S AFFAIRS, COMMUNITY SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES DEVELOPMENT (HON. SEN. M. MUTSVANGWA): I move that provisions of Standing Orders Numbers 32 (6), 52, 65, 67 and 137 relating to the reporting of the Parliamentary Legal Committee, the automatic adjournment of the House at Five minutes to Seven o’clock p.m. and Twenty-Five minutes past 1300 hours on a Friday, Private Members’ motions taking precedence on Thursdays after Question Time and that Question Time shall be on Thursday and stages of Bills respectively be suspended with effect from today until all business relating to the budget and all other Government business has been disposed of. 

Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS

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

Question again proposed.

HON. SEN. NYATHI: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Presidential Speech.  Firstly, allow me to congratulate His Excellency, President E.D. Mnangagwa on assuming the SADC Chairmanship, amhlophe/makorokoto.

The President of Zimbabwe highlighted the devastating impact of the El Nino-induced drought on the country.  The drought has affected almost everyone including those living in dry regions like Matabeleland South.  The drought effect is far-reaching impacting not only humans but also wild and domestic animals. 

Mr. President, the situation is dire with an estimated six million people expected to face food security during the 2024-2025 rainy season.  Fortunately, the Government has launched a Food Deficit Mitigation Programme to distribute grains to rural communities through the Department of Social Welfare. 

The initiative aims to alleviate the suffering of those affected by drought.  The President of Zimbabwe, Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa further hinted and assured the citizens of Zimbabwe that they would not go without food. 

Mr. President, the President’s recent address highlighted the importance of supporting small farmers in rural areas through the Intwasa Presidential Climate Proof Agricultural Production Scheme.  The initiative focused on distributing essential inputs and promoting the water harvesting process to ensure a successful 2024/2025 summer cropping season.

Mr. President, the President's inputs have made a significant impact benefiting small-scale farmers across the country.  Additionally, the Wheat Presidential programme has brought relief to the masses in both the northern and Southern regions of Zimbabwe.

         The President’s efforts to prioritise the needs of the people, particularly in collaboration with the Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), are commendable.  It is essential for leaders to follow this example, putting the interests of the masses above their own.

Overally, the President’s initiatives aim to promote food security, support rural development and alleviate poverty in Zimbabwe.

Mr. President Sir, His Excellency further stressed on supporting the transformation of the media landscape through broad measures to preserve our culture and nurture a positive country’s image, true to the mantra of leaving no one and no place behind.  The television and radio stations in Bulawayo, Mbembesi, Ntepe, Manama in Matabeleland North and South are being modernised.  Investment by more locals and international players in our telecommunications industry are welcome towards better quality of digital telecommunications services.  This in turn will facilitate better dissemination of information.  With these words, I thank you Mr. President. 

         *HON. SEN. HUNGWE:  Thank you Mr. President for the time that you have given me to add a few words appreciating the good job that is being done by our President.  In his State of the Nation Address, His Excellency, the President encouraged us as Parliament to do away with the outstanding Bills.

         I also want to congratulate His Excellency, the President for being nominated and elevated to the SADC Chairmanship.  We are also witnessing the great works that he has done.  We also heard that he was recently in Botswana in the SADC offices.  Furthermore, we applaud such good initiatives.  His Excellency, the President mentioned a lot of things and my fellow Hon. Members have alluded to most of them.

         I want to buttress on the issue of drug and substance abuse.  His Excellency, the President reiterated that if only the Lord God may remember our country and make sure that our children and youths abstain from drug and substance abuse.  Some say that it is alcohol but the consumption of alcohol has been happening since long back.  We witnessed that this came from the West, they are the ones who brought these types of alcohol.  They are the ones who initiated our children into drug abuse.  May God Almighty have mercy on Zimbabwe and may our children abstain from drug and substance abuse. – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – We are nearing the end of our lives and our children are our prosperity.  No country can be led by someone who is always under the influence of drugs and substance abuse or would leadership come from someone who drinks juice from pampers?  May God Almighty have mercy on our country because we surrender all to Him.

         His Excellency, the President also mentioned that the country is facing drought.  We witnessed respective Government departments responding to his call to drought relief through food aid in all provinces.  Although some individuals are now engaging in corrupt activities and failing to distribute the food fairly, the President aptly stated that no one is supposed to die of hunger and he walked the talk through the Pfumvudza/Intwasa initiative.  I am not sure if there is anyone who died of hunger but I am yet to see or hear of anyone who died of hunger.

         Through the Pfumbvudza/Intwasa initiative, we are witnessing that people are receiving farming inputs in both rural and urban areas.  They encourage us to work hard and farm for the betterment of our children’s livelihoods.  People are receiving inputs in the form of seed and fertilisers.  I heard that yesterday in Dzivarasekwa, people received food and farming inputs.  This also allows those in the urban areas who practice farming in small areas to benefit from the initiative.

         He also touched on the issue of roads.  I am sure that even us in this House can appreciate and mention that roads have been and are still being revamped.  Some people are saying the programme seems to have stopped but the issue is that the budget that is yet to be passed is stalling progress.  After the budget is passed, we will witness that progress will continue in the upgrading of our roads.  Our leader is a good leader and is very capable.

         I also wish to add that His Excellency, the President is not someone who begrudges anyone.  He is someone who loves unconditionally – this is what I witnessed about our leader, the President of Zimbabwe.  I ask for God Almighty to give him the wisdom that he gave to Solomon so that our country continues to prosper.  With these few words, I thank you President of the Senate. 

  HON. SEN. MALULEKE:  Thank you for affording me the opportunity to rise and support the motion before this august House and expressing my heartfelt appreciation for His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe for his insightful visionary 2024 State of the Nation Address.  The President’s address expressed a comprehensive roadmap for inclusive socio-economic development with special emphasis on transformative initiatives that empower women across the country.  It is therefore fitting that this Senate acknowledges these efforts as they are critical in ensuring the nation’s progress is both inclusive and sustainable.

          The establishment of 35000 village business units supported by the Presidential Borehole Drilling Programme is an initiative of profound significance to women, particularly in rural areas.  These projects address critical needs such as access to clean water and improved food and nutrition security.  By enabling women to participate in agricultural activities and small-scale businesses, these projects are a direct step towards their economic empowerment and resilience. 

          His Excellency, the President continues to champion the cause of women entrepreneurs through enhanced access to markets, both local and international as well as targeted support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), women are finding new avenues for economic growth.  This is a tangible expression of the “leaving no one and no place behind” mantra.  Moreover, women’s contributions to the agricultural sector were highlighted through recommendations for farmers achieving record-breaking wheat harvests.  Programmes such as pfumvudza/intwasa not only equip women with the means to sustain their households but also affirm their role as key players in ensuring national food security.  Additionally, the re-oriented Youth Service Programme has witnessed active participation by young women in community development projects, including the construction of clinics, schools and boreholes.  These efforts not only nurture leadership qualities but also contribute to breaking gender stereotypes.

          The achievements highlighted in the SONA reaffirm that the empowerment of women is not merely a goal but a cornerstone of national development. However, there remains much to be done to deepen these gains.  I urge this Senate to:

• Support legislation and policies that prioritise women’s access to resources and opportunities.
• Advocate for the acceleration of women-focused projects in underdeveloped regions.
• Encourage greater participation of women in decision making processes at all levels.

          In conclusion, let this Senate unite in commending His Excellency, the President for the deliberate and impactful measures taken to uplift the women of Zimbabwe.  By supporting this motion, we re-affirm our collective commitment to ensuring that the future of Zimbabwe is one of equality, opportunity and shared prosperity for all.  I thank you.

          HON. SEN. KADUNGURE:  I rise to debate the State of the Nation Address delivered by His Excellency, the President of the republic of Zimbabwe, Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa in October 2024.  In his address the President recognised that the pace of the modernisation and industrialisation of our nation depends on, among other things, women and micro, small and medium enterprises accessing local, regional as well as international markets.  True, women entrepreneurs bring unique perspectives and innovations to the marketplace.  By accessing regional and international markets, they can expand their businesses, increase productivity and contribute significantly to economic growth.  However, it is important, first and foremost to note that women led MSEMs in Zimbabwe still face significant barriers to accessing regional and international markets.  Amongst them, limited access to finance, inadequate marketing skills and unfriendly regulatory environment.  Let me hasten to emphasise that despite these challenges, there is a huge potential and opportunities for Parliamentarians to realise the fruition of His Excellency’s State of the Nation Address concerning the issue of women accessing markets beyond borders.  We are equipped with a comprehensive set of tools and frameworks that can significantly enhance our efforts.  These include the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the SADC Protocol on Trade.  Additionally, as Parliamentarians, we should also leverage on the policy framework on trade in Zimbabwe which is comprehensive and designed to support the growth of businesses, attract investment and enhance the country’s trade competitiveness.  Absolutely, the MSME Policy and Strategy Framework 2020-2024 and the Zimbabwe Industrial Reconstruction and Growth Plan (ZIRGP) are also pertinent.

          I would like to urge Hon. Members of this House to take concrete action to promote trade and women access to regional and international markets.  We need to advocate for and help formulate specific policies that promote trade and export activities that women have comparative advantages in the region.  This includes reducing trade barriers, simplifying export procedures and providing incentives for businesses that export goods and services.  It is also part of our mandate to ensure that sufficient funds are allocated in the national budget for trade promotion activities such as funding for trade fairs, export promotion programmes and infrastructure development that supports trade activities.  Furthermore, financial support mechanisms such as grants, low interest loans and credit facilities tailored to the needs of businesses looking to expand into new markets can be game-changing in accessing markets internationally.  Additionally, by participating in trade missions and fairs, Parliamentarians can promote products and businesses regionally.  They can also use these platforms to attract foreign investment and partnerships.  I urge fellow Parliamentarians to enhance their efforts in creating linkages between MSMEs and larger enterprises both domestically and internationally through business matchmaking events, networking sessions and trade delegation.

          Let me conclude by mentioning that achieving Vision 2030 requires a concerted effort to empower women entrepreneurs and enhance their access to regional and international markets.  By investing in capacity building, financial inclusion and trade facilitation, we can create an enabling environment for women to thrive.  I thank you.

         HON. SEN. GOTORA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

         HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

         Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

         HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI:  I move that Order of the Day, Number 5 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day on the Order Paper have been disposed of. 

         HON. SEN. MOYO:  I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

RECOGNITION FOR UNPAID CARE AND DOMESTIC WORK

Sixth order read: Adjourned debate on motion on domestic and unpaid care work.

Question again proposed.

HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

REPORT OF THE 149^TH ASSEMBLY OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU) MEETINGS HELD IN GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

         Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the 149th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and Related Meetings.

         Question again proposed.

HON. SEN TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

         HON. SEN. MLILO: I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

         Debate to resume: Wednesday 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

CHILD MORTALITY RATE DUE TO MEASLES

         Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the immunisation of children against measles.

         Question again proposed.

HON. SEN. MLILO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

         HON. SEN. R. NDLOVU: I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

         Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON HIV AND AIDS ON THE ART ROLL-OUT PROGRAMME AND IMPACT OF DRUG AND SUBSTANCE IN PREVENTION, TREATMENT, CURE AND SPREAD OF HIV AND AIDS

Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on HIV and AIDS on the ART roll-out programme and the impact of drug and substance abuse.

Question again proposed.

HON. SEN TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

         HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

         Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO PROSECUTOR-GENERAL FOR UPHOLDING THE DIGNITY OF THE GENERAL NOTICE 870 OF 2024

         Tenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the transparency of the operations of the Prosecutor General’s office.

         Question again proposed.

         HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to debate a motion moved in this House by our esteemed colleague Hon. Senator Phulu in support of the Prosecutor General. I rise today in firm support of the motion presented by my esteemed colleague to congratulate the Prosecutor General for the significant step taken to update the prosecutorial guidelines that govern her office. This action represents a pivotal move towards enhancing the integrity and the efficacy of our judicial system.

         However, we must acknowledge a cruel reality. These sidelines will remain but empty words, mere ink on paper unless we witness a substantive transformation in the execution of prosecutions across Zimbabwe. It is imperative that we not only ensure the existence of these guidelines but promote a widespread public awareness of them. The citizens of Zimbabwe must fully understand these minimum standards and possess the authority to question any deviation. Transparency is the cornerstone of accountability, without it we foster an environment ripe for injustice and continued suffering.

         Madam President, let us now confront the reality of selective prosecutions that flag our legal system. Selective prosecution occurs when authorities wield the law with bias favouring certain individuals without neglecting to pursue charges against others aimed on political affiliations, socio-economic status or social influence. In Zimbabwe, the troubling trends manifest in the systematic targeting of political dissidents, leaving pressing human rights abuses unaddressed in our communities. Reputable organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have documented how our justice system have shifted towards political persecution rather than delivering actual justice for the people.

         This not only erodes public trust in our institutions but perpetuates a culture of fear, silence and oppression across our society. Today, I must emphasise the need to address the prosecution of sex offenders, particularly the trauma that rape brings on younger children and inflict on our communities. The handling of these cases has raised grave concerns that cannot be overlooked any longer. In Zimbabwe, we have a significant incident of Gender-Based Violence. The reality is that too many cases of sexual violence go unreported or are inadequately prosecuted, it is devastating to acknowledge the data that indicates one in three women in Zimbabwe has reported experiencing physical violence in their life time.

         With a staggering 34% of women affected by sexual violence, according to the Zimbabwe Gender-Based Violence Indicators Study of 2011, despite the harrowing statistics, we face an alarming low prosecuting rate of sex offenders. Many cases fail to progress even to trial due to the combination of insufficient resources, poor evidence collection and inadequate legal framework that often places the owners of proof on the victim rather than on the accused, victim intimidation where through societal stigma and fear of retribution remains a significant barrier in accessing justice.

         Furthermore, the selective nature of prosecutions compounds the issue. We have seen how political affiliations can influence which cases receive attention and which cases are brushed aside. The selective approach seems to favour powerful individuals undermining the State duty to protect the vulnerable, especially our children. A pivotal factor in addressing these grave issues is the urgent need for prosecutorial independence. We must unequivocally safeguard the integrity of our judiciary, yet numerous reports indicate the prosecutorial independence in Zimbabwe is frequently compromised by external pressures, be they political interference or systematic corruption within the judiciary system highlighted by the International Commission of Jurists. Many prosecutors are coerced into deciding who to charge based on political landscapes rather than evidence.

         This betrayal of justice is the worry of every citizen seeking fairness and protection under our laws. We must champion reforms under the independence of our judicial processes. It is critical to advocate for transparent appointment practices for prosecutors, enhance resources for thorough investigations and sustained training for law enforcement officials on the complexities of handling sexual violence cases.

 In conclusion, the issues of selective prosecution and inadequate prosecution of sexual offenders are significant urgent problems within our justice system. The existing lack of prosecutorial independence not only hampers efforts to confront these challenges but also fosters a culture of impunity for Gender-Based Violence, particularly against women and children. I thank you. 

HON. SEN. PHULU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. MLOTSWA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024

MOTION

PENALTIES TO DETER CRIMES RELATED TO SILTATION AND DEFORESTATION

         Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the rate of deforestation, veld fires and siltation of water bodies.

         Question again proposed.

         HON. SEN. GUMBO: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

         HON. SEN. R. NDLOVU: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS ON THE RIGHTS OF THE ELDERLY

         Twelfth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Human Rights on the Rights of the Elderly.

         Question again proposed.

         HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

         HON. SEN. NYATHI: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MINISTERIAL TASKFORCE TO CURB CASES OF CHILD ABUSE

         Thirteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on children in conflict with the law due to drug abuse.

         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: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

ENHANCEMENT OF URGENT REFORMS AIMED AT ENSURING EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES

         Fourteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the marginalisation of women in the mining sector.

Question again proposed.

HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. CHAPFUDZA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

PROTECTION OF GENDER RIGHTS AND PENALTIES TO OFFENDERS FLOUTING GENDER LAWS

         Fifteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the protection of gender rights.

         Question again proposed.

HON. SEN. NDEBELE: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. CHAPFUDZA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

EQUIPPING OF TRADITIONAL LEADERS TO ENSURE COMMUNITIES PRACTICE, PRESERVE AND RESPECT CULTURAL PRACTICE.

Sixteenth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the erosion of our cultural and traditional values by western influence.

Question again proposed.

HON. SEN. CHAPFUDZA: I rise to debate on the motion which was brought here by Hon. Senator Muzoda on the issue of the erosion of our culture. The motion is so broad and I partly agree with what is in the motion and I also partly disagree with what is in the motion. When you are looking at this motion, this is a multi-faceted subject that when you are looking at it, it dates back before colonisation when we had our own culture.

After colonisation, our culture was diluted. I can compare it to say we are now coloureds in terms of culture. There are some of the things which were brought in by the colonisers which we cannot revert and say, we are following our culture. There are examples of these things, like the way we were doing our marriages. The issue of musenga bere, today because of the dilution, it is now taken to be rape case. You cannot go back and say you are practicing musenga bere as a way of marriage.

We used to take hunting as a way of living. Hunting was practiced in the bush but now all the places where we used to do hunting are protected. There are laws that are protecting those animals. When we are looking at this issue of culture, the colonisers came with another culture and they fitted that culture into our own culture.

On the issue of moral decadence, that thing is happening to all other cultures that exist here on earth. People can go wayward in terms of morals. I support that our youth and old people are going wayward in terms of having good morals. I support the issue that we should revert to having good morals in our societies.

When we look at colonisation, there are other good things that they brought with it. We know that colonisation is the one that brought the issue of modernisation and globalisation which we cannot live without. My support to the motion is, let us look very closely to the issues that benefit us and follow that. We need to look to the issues of immorality or moral decadence to our youth.

When I first heard about the issue of erosion when I was growing, I only knew of soil erosion. Pardon me, in my debate if you could hear me say the soil erosion of culture. There is the erosion of culture. I want to give an example looking at soil erosion itself. When rain comes, it brings a lot of good things but after it has passed, you will see that there is soil erosion. Same applies to the coming of colonisation, it has brought a lot of good things but after that, we are seeing that our culture has already been eroded.

We used to have chiefs and kings as the custodians of our culture but when colonisation came, they brought in their own administrators who were now disturbing the functions of our kings and chiefs to the extent that we could no longer identify what is really ours and what we should leave in terms of culture. The dismantling of the traditional structures came through education which they brought in. It was so Eurocentric that it only supported the European culture and it distorted our African culture.

I do not want to go any further but I would like to say, for us to understand our culture, there is need for decolonisation of our mindset. We have been colonised in our mindset such that we cannot really understand that which we should do in order to go back to our culture. I thank you.

HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. GWATURE: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024.

MOTION

BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE

         HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I move that we revert to Order of the Day Number 5 on today’s Order Paper.

         HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I second.

         Motion put and agreed to.

MOTION

REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON INDIGENSATION AND EMPOWERMENT ON THE STATUS OF COMMUNITY SHARE OWNERSHIP TRUSTS

Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on Motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Indigenisation and Empowerment on the status of community share ownership trusts under the existing indigenisation and empowerment policy.

HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 18^th December, 2024

THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. A. DUBE):  Hon. Senators, we are waiting for the National Assembly if there is something ready for us.

Since we had earlier suspended some provisions of the Standing Orders, we are waiting for them.

The Business of the Senate was temporarily suspended at 1732hours and resumed at 1745hrs.

THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. DUBE):   Order Hon. Senators.  I think you are tired but tomorrow it will be worse.  Let us thank God that there is nothing for today – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – But tomorrow, we will sit until late.  You must come prepared for tomorrow; we will sleep here.

         On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. FANUEL, the Senate adjourned at a Quarter to Six o’clock p.m.