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SENATE HANSARD 18 JUNE 2025 Vol. 34 No. 56
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 18th June, 2025
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p. m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE
HALF-DAY WORKSHOP TO UNPACK THE AGREEMENT ON AFRICAN CHARTER ON STATISTICS AND THE AGREEMENT ON OPERATIONALISATION OF SADC REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I wish to remind the Senate that Hon. Senators are invited to a half-day workshop to unpack the African Charter on Statistics and the Agreement on operationalisation of the SADC Regional Development Fund scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, 19th June, 2025, at 0800 hours in the Multi-Purpose Hall.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF PROVINCIAL AFFAIRS AND DEVOLUTION FOR HARARE METROPOLITAN PROVINCE (HON. SEN. TAWENGWA): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 3 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT ON THE 69th SESSION OF THE CONVENTION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN (CSW 69) HELD IN NEW YORK CITY
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the 6th Session of the Convention on the Status of Women (CSW 69) on the Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Outcomes of the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Madam President, for the opportunity to debate on the motion brought by Hon. Senator Mbohwa. It was a very good idea to evaluate the Beijing Declaration that took place in 1995 in order to see what was achieved out of it. It was realised that very few countries made sure that women and men’s rights were adhered to. Most countries are struggling to achieve that. I have noted that if something was done 30 years ago, we could have managed to achieve the results. What led to the failure of what was expected to be achieved was a lack of knowledge on Beijing Declaration? It was only talked about and people were told to go and implement it in their countries.
I remember back then, here in our country, there was so much talk about it and it led to divorces because women were asking their husbands to cook for them. There was a lack of proper explanation as to what equal rights mean between men and women. I think this is the most important thing that was supposed to be elucidated that when we talk of equal rights according to the Beijing Declaration, it does not mean that you should be arguing as husband and wife but should stay as normal. I think this must be corrected because the most important thing is education. People must be taught and should understand how to go about it. That way, we will be able to achieve the desired results.
Madam President, I would like to thank you for leading the delegation to New York and we are very proud of you. Your leadership clearly explains that in Zimbabwe, although it took us 30 years to fully implement it, it never stopped recognising women’s rights as well as taking care of gender equality issues. It is now advanced because it is now a combination of Parliamentary Gender Commission, Finance, Government and other private organisations. That shows that if people work in unity, expecting to achieve the same result, it will be fulfilled. I would like to thank our Parliament because at the moment the problem that we have is that we are continuously talking about women and girls all the time, yet we discover that there are a lot of problems that we discover because that is being caused by the fact that we are only talking about women and girls. Girls are falling pregnant, some of the boys are being married by very old women, yet now we are only talking about women and girls.
We should carry out education that talks about men and women from an early age, instead of just teaching women and girls only but also the perpetrators themselves, they will face the problem and there will be little progress because they will be doing that with little knowledge. I would like to applaud our Parliament because we have the HeForShe. All the men that you see here have knowledge because of the HeForShe programmes. When they leave this House to go to their constituencies, they will educate their boy child on gender equality. All of us here come from different areas in our respective constituencies, so it means further education for our children, and it also means our wishes according to the Beijing Declaration will be taken to another higher level.
There was talk of Artificial Intelligence, according to the report. I would like to thank Hon. Sen. Shiri, who spoke in detail about the advantages of Artificial Intelligence. I would like to add two points. If we go further with Artificial Intelligence, it will help us reduce HIV and AIDS because as a country we expect that we should stop variance of HIV and AIDS that may affect people, so it means where we have since achieved a 95%, we should maintain that and progress instead of going back because Artificial Intelligence will have helped us.
I also like to refer to what was alluded to in the report, on sexual reproductive health rights. That is where we have a problem. We used to talk in this House about our culture. We talked a lot about our language, and we said that sexual issues must be explained clearly in our local languages because maybe they will not be clear using foreign languages. I hereby request that this issue be pursued further so that our children will understand this and know how to protect themselves. If we do that, even the early pregnancies that we are crying about, we may actually win that battle because we start teaching our children at an early age about sexual issues. If you teach a child at an earlier age, they grow up with that knowledge because they do not easily forget things.
They will continue to refer back to what they were taught during their early childhood, that this is taboo, just like how we were being taught never to sit on the ground, on the road because you would develop boils. What it simply meant is you may be trampled upon by a car, instead of arguing that I can run away, but during that time, you would simply oblige because you don't want to have boils.
According to the report, there is talk of 50-50 gender parity and it is there in our Constitution, Section 80. What I realise is that even if it is there in the Constitution and is not operationalised through an Act of Parliament, progress cannot be realised. Our Constitution was passed in 2013, but the 50-50 issue is only on paper and there has not been any implementation. Our President tried to ensure that women get 60 seats through the PR system after realising that there is less progress, but the most important thing is in Section 80 of the Constitution. So, this is my humble request to the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs that he may ensure that an Act of Parliament is put in place to implement Section 80 of the Constitution, so that 50-50 may be implemented.
My other request is the ratification of the AU Convention. There is need for organising and planning the implementation. So, it is now up to the House and those who are responsible for the ratification, our Executive. May they kindly assist us so that such important issues may be fulfilled and that by the time you get to another Convention, you will be proud because you will be knowing that everything is on track since everything will be implemented accordingly?
Madam President, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Hon. Senator Mbohwa for giving us this report on what is happening in other countries. It is also good for us. We will also implement good things from other countries. That way, we will be able to fulfil the Beijing Declaration. Thank you Madam President, for giving me this opportunity.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: You have a lot of facts that you gave us Senator Tongogara, but maybe the House would like to know that we do not just debate. Ratification is done by the House but it should be brought in by the Minister concerned. If it does not come on time, we should ask instead of keeping quiet.
*HON. SEN. MUZODA: Thank you Madam President for giving me this opportunity to say a few words on the report brought by Hon. Senator Mbohwa in the House that talks about the report from the important Convention that took place in the United States of America addressing women’s issues.
Indeed, Madam President, for a long time we have been talking about women, that women must be given equal opportunity just like men, just like what happened when you travelled and met other countries. What bothers me is that every year we carry out these conferences, each country representing itself. What is stopping us to talk about that issue? We should be referring to progress achieved because when we attend those conferences, we want to come back here because those conferences do not address women's rights in Zimbabwe. It is us Zimbabweans who are supposed to address that. They are the ones that honour women and put them in higher offices. So, my request is that when we come from those conferences, once it is talked about, it must be fulfilled so that we know indeed, our women are benefiting from travelling every year. Madam President, what will give us equal opportunities is not going to Beijing only. It is just a city in China where many countries like United States or South Africa meet. It is all about our culture. How do we live back here, how does it look like because if we learn from what is being discussed in those conferences, it is good but let us then find out how women can get work or start businesses that are lucrative.
Madam President, some of these things were not there in the rural areas where we grew up. Why do I go to look at the rural areas? That is where governance starts. It starts at the local leadership all the way up to the chief. This issue is strengthened if you give them their due respect and explain to them clearly what you mean when you talk of 50-50, that women must get equal opportunities. All the meetings start from the bottom and that way they can go up. If all these issues start from the local traditional leadership, that way they will grow. If those issues do not start down there, it will become a thorny issue amongst us because some of the things that were talked about in that report such as artificial intelligence, are only found in cities like here in Harare but back in the rural areas where we come from, we are not talking about artificial intelligence. It is not there.
So, we should find a way to ensure that all those women in the urban areas who are talking about artificial intelligence converge. If there is a way to ensure that women from the rural areas are also taught so that everyone is at the same level and no one is left behind. As we are speaking right now, my grandmother could be in the garden while a woman who is in the urban areas is seated behind a computer - are they the same? Their issues will not be the same. It will be just like daughters-in-law who do not clique with other relatives. There are other places in the country that may avail advanced technology equipment. They should increase their production to ensure that rural and urban women can be at the same level when they meet.
As I said, we grew up in the rural areas. In the past, women did not have anything. If we look at women especially those who are married, those are some of the issues that are being addressed in conferences. When we grew up, the norm was that the father would be working in urban areas while the wife and children would be staying in the rural areas.
As we live, sometimes we may quarrel and it will lead to divorce. I heard someone yesterday referring to a token of divorce, where you say you gave a woman a dollar, that is not it. You are supposed to give that woman 10 cents. If you give that person a dollar, it means you still love them. You must give her a small denomination because that is the real culture.
We would persevere as we would see the love that our mother shows. I grew up with my mother. We would carry out piece jobs to the extent that we bought a cow. When the father comes back to the rural areas, he is shown the cow bought by the wife and the boys. Madam President, being a woman is not easy. When you are rejected, even the cow that you bought, you will leave without it.
It is different from the women who are talking of artificial intelligence in the urban areas. If you were to divorce, that stand can be sold but those in the rural areas are left with nothing. They will go back and start afresh in poverty. It is so painful to the children who will see the love from their mother. Madam President, that issue must be addressed. Of course, that woman who came to your homestead for marriage cannot carry the soil. There must be a token or something that shows that for the past 15 years, I have developed this family.
It is so sad that as I look at my mother buying a cow or an ox-drawn plough, the day she is rejected, she is supposed to leave everything. This creates hatred between the father and the children. This issue must be addressed. Instead of just talking about it or reporting it here in Parliament, let us take those issues and expose them. We do not want to beat around the bush because that issue is only known in this House. No one is talking about these issues in their provinces. You are the Members of Parliament, that is why we emphasise that it is not known, if only this issue could be publicised.
As parliamentarians, we are not taking the time to teach people because when we go out for committees, we just spend 30 minutes or two hours with people. Some of the people are slow to understand. When we go there, we only address at the district level. I would like to give an example of where you come from in Mutoko. It starts from Zhombe up to Nyamuzizi. We only call people at Cornerstore. We call them to listen to women's issues. There will not be enough communication and no transport will be provided. Why do we not put three centres in a district and teach women so that when those issues are spoken about, they are not left behind? How come during the Constitution-making process, we would go all the way down to the village to come up with the Constitution? Now that we want the implementation of the Constitution, we only address two people. Is that helpful to the country? This country is a blessed country with wealth…
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: Are those women who were chosen to be Members of Parliament prepared to address the people? Why are you not clapping your hands for somebody who is supporting you?
*HON. SEN. MUZODA: We have a problem with women. I would like to respond to the question that you pose. Women cannot work together. If they were able to work in unity, they could debate this motion up to 8 pm today. When women see you sitting there, they will not support you….
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: You are left with five minutes.
*HON. SEN. MUZODA: Yes, I am winding up Madam President. I have realised that the women do not want me to continue addressing their issue, which helps them to be independent. I thank you.
THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: It is good to see male Hon. Members supporting women's issues. I am very grateful.
HON. SEN. S. MOYO: Thank you very much, Madam President. The women have already started. They are saying, I must make sure that I do not talk too much about women. I stand here to support the Hon. Senator Mbohwa, who brought the report about the rights of women.
I rise today with a heavy heart, having studied the UN69 CSW report on women's rights. It paints a clear picture. Though we speak of equality, too many Zimbabwean women are left behind. Our Minister of Women Affairs get less than 1% of the National Budget, and our gender commissions struggle to fund even basic programmes. The Government of today has failed to give our women the money and the tools that they need. In Rwanda, every rural woman can save and borrow through village cooperatives called Sanko but in Zimbabwe, women have no study loans or savings plans. Without capital of their own, girls cannot finish school, start businesses, or stand tall in their communities.
Madam President, we preach digital skills and AI training, yet our schools lack computers and the internet for girls. In other countries like Namibia and Ghana, coding clubs and teams can teach young women to build Apps and solve problems. Here, our girls watch from the sidelines. We must set up coding clubs in every province and train female teachers so that our daughters can join the digital world.
The violence against women remains a daily threat. Our current shelters and police units are feared and underfunded. In South Africa and Botswana, one-stop centres for their medical care, legal aid, and counselling are all under one roof. Let us copy that model. Funding safe houses and training our police and judges to protect survivors is important, not to turn them away.
Madam President, when it comes to health, too many teenagers still risk early pregnancy and unsafe childbirth. Rwanda's community health workers bring family planning to every village, cutting maternal deaths and unmet needs. We must send our nurses and outreach teams into every district, give free contraception and teach young women how to protect their future.
Mentorship gives girls role models to follow. In Uganda and South Africa, young women pair with experienced leaders in business and politics. Here, our talented youth have no guide. Let us build a national mentorship network, linking every female Member of Parliament, judge, and businesswoman to a group of young girls.
The quota for Rwanda's Parliament is over 60% women, and Namibia has just reached 55% in National Assembly. Currently, our women hold 33% share in Parliament. It is a start, but it is not enough. We need to help our women make sure they are also reach where other countries are.
Madam President, every Minister must answer a simple question. What did you spend on a woman last year? We need a gender responsive budget, as in Rwanda and Uganda. So, every Finance Minister and department should show their spending on girls and women. No more hiding behind unclear promises. Failures of our Government are clear - underfunding ministers, a broken data system, empty clinics and classrooms without computers. We have seen across Africa what is possible. Today, I call on the Government to fund our gender missionaries, empower our women and girls with money and skills, protect them from violence, and give them leaders to look up to.
Let us move beyond promises. Let us put real money behind our women. Let us make Zimbabwe a place where every girl and woman can stay proud, safe and equal, to make sure that we copy what we learn from other countries. Thank you very much Madam President.
^^HON. SEN MOHADI: [Speech not recorded due to lack of Translation].
THE HON PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Senator Mohadi, you can debate tomorrow because of the translators.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Yes, Madam President, I will debate tomorrow when the House is prepared.
+HON. SEN. NDEBELE: I will also debate tomorrow because there is no translation.
*HON. SEN. GOTORA: Thank you Madam President. Listening to Senator Mbohwa's report, it is as if it is something new. Those are the issues that are supposed to be addressed for the progress of the country. What was given as a report, I cannot repeat but like what other Hon. Senators said earlier on, it must no longer be talk without implementation. I know that during those times when the Beijing Declaration was made, there was a lot of chaos and a lot of households were destroyed. Although it was like that, there were other men who were supporting what came out of Beijing. I know them and I am one of them. I used to attend rallies wrapping on a zambia, showing that we need to support equal opportunities for women because there is nothing wrong with that.
I know that before independence, especially where I come from in the rural areas, there was no female village head. Yes, I know that there was only one female chief in the whole of Mashonaland East. I know that in Rwanda there was an uproar with Chief Mabena after the death of Alfred Mabena. People resisted to be ruled by a woman. But in our country, let us speak about all the positive things that may have happened. In the country, female chiefs now have increased and we also have other traditional local leaders.
In Zimbabwe, from 1984, there was no female pilot. But by 1987 and 1988, we had seven female pilots, which means we are progressing. The speed which we are moving with should be commended indeed, that something has been done towards addressing the 50/50 leadership positions. Where the Hon. Madam President is seated, it was reserved for males only but now she is there and we cannot say anything negative. Even in the President of the Senate’s Panel, there are women there. But that does not mean there is nothing else that needs to be done for us to get to 50-50.
I know that the electoral system in this country was winner-take-all. The law was amended to include proportional representation to balance things out. I know that we are progressing bit by bit. I also know that political parties, at least those that I know of, adopted the Zebra system that when you are going towards elections, the first one becomes a male and the second one a woman. That is why you find that we have more women than men. It is because of the Zebra system and I have a register Madam President to support that. All I am trying to say is that those issues that need to be addressed, it is up to us now to rectify that by implementation.
I do not know whether we can come up with a Members' Bill in the Senate so that we can come up with the Act because the Minister is lagging. A Members' Bill is legal, so that we implement it for the progress's sake. When we went to school, we only had maybe four girls and 36 boys in a class. But now, it could be 50-50, or if not, more girls. This is because boys rush to look for money through gold panning.
Looking at the 50-50 issue, let us address that here. Let us come up with a Members' Bill that starts from this House to address that issue. Let us not wait for Hon. Ziyambi because there are a lot of things to do. If we come up with the Bill, there is no choice other than supporting the Bill.
I would like to finish off by saying, we have made progress and let us acknowledge that. Where there are outstanding issues, they must also be considered and addressed. Let us not be compared to other countries like Namibia with less than three million people or Botswana with less than two million people yet there are very few schools compared to our schools. I am saying let us come up with the Members' Bill here so that we can amend the law. Like what Honourable Senator Muzoda said, a lot of people did not want 50-50. Women are the ones who were objecting to 50-50. I am being honest. Yes, like what Senator Muzoda said, the problem is, women do not support each other. I saw it during COPAC. The women were the ones who were resisting. I do not know whether they were suspecting that they would lose their husbands or they would be taken away from them. I have the COPAC drafts. If you want we can table it here. Women were the ones who were resisting. So, I am saying let us come up with a Members' Bill in this House so that we address the 50-50 issue. That will ensure gender equality. It is part of our job as Members of Parliament and lawmakers. It is indeed part of our job. Yes, you can be guided by lawyers or legal experts but it can be presented by someone who is in this House. We do not want to get to an extent where we say women are the ones who are resisting. Sometimes the fact that you do not want may be seen through your body language, even without necessarily talking. I thank you.
*THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: It is part of our job as Members of Parliament, we are the lawmakers. It is indeed part of our job. Yes, you can be guided by lawyers or legal experts but it can be presented by someone who is in this House. We do not want to get to the extent where we say women are the ones who are resisting.
Sometimes the fact that you do not want may be seen through your body language even without necessarily talking. Other times, Members of Parliament may also say that Hon. Senator Gotora was saying something that is not correct but some of the body language shows that indeed we are not interested. This is because as women, I expect that we stand up, support that and ululate. There is no difference between what we do not want and what we want. The electorate are mainly women who vote for men.
As women, we should show what we want. This is because we would end up not having someone who will let us know if everything is going on well. Others do not attend workshops. What do you want now? What is it that you are choosing? Hon. Senator Ndebele, we have found a Ndebele translator. You can now debate.
+HON. SEN. NDEBELE: Thank you Madam President, for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the report that was tabled Hon. Senator Mbohwa. It was a very important meeting that we had. As I contribute, I am happy with the economic situation of the country, especially in the way we are handling women's issues, uplifting women in all ways.
The things that were being taught there and what we are doing in the country were in line with most of the things that we discussed. The leader of the delegation from the Parliament of Zimbabwe, who was leading the Hon. Members, you realise that all of us were excited and we loved the way things were being handled. We loved the debates and everything that was on the agenda. The Minister of Women's Affairs was also there. In her contributions, she was uplifting our country and the way we are handling women issues as a country.
We were so excited and we did it in our traditional way. We show that we are celebrating or are acknowledging what is being done. I think it is very important for us to be in line and also acknowledge the efforts that are being taken by the Government, especially in prioritising women. As women, we are given so many chances to be in leadership positions. Yes, we might not be fulfilling the Abuja Declaration but I am happy that at least women are put in leadership positions. It is our challenge however, as women, because most of the time when we are allowed to lead, some of us are not able to fulfill our duties.
One of the speakers who contributed before me indicated that sometimes it is us women who are pulling each other down. Sometimes, we are not reaching out to those who are not advantaged to have access to information on how they can lead as women.
The delegation that went there and also us as Hon. Members who are here, you will realise that it is an opportunity to lead. Therefore, there is a need to also groom other women on how they can lead. Why is it that as women most of the time we are the ones who are pulling each other down? We have been put in leadership positions as women so that we train others. Most of the time when women are put in leadership positions together with our male counterparts, men are able to train each other but women cannot. Even as I contribute now, not everyone is happy with what I am saying. There is no one who is actually supporting me but you will realise that it is actually men who are supporting the motion that I am debating.
Generally speaking, it is men who are actually trying to support women, yet we blame men for not support women, whilst it is the other way round. When we went to Binga for a public hearing, we choose remote areas such as Binga and it is women who complain that it is too remote. There are certain things that are being given to people for free, for example, we have coordinators in different districts who are under the Ministry of Women’s Affairs to move around doing outreach programmes. Now, when there are benefits for all women, women who are in leadership, you will notice that they will personalise such programmes and do not want others to benefit. When a report is tabled, as women, we should take what is being said here and share it with other women in rural areas so that they are also informed.
As women, if we see our fellow woman who is disadvantaged, do we stand up to help them or we actually make them a laughing stock. At the end of the day, we will then realise that it is men who are able to help women. Maybe we just need to take it up on the spiritual side and pray for it. Why should we be like Eve, who cheated on her man? Here we are as women, we are faced with the sin of Eve. It is our wish that if only we could follow our Constitution, Section 17 and 56, speaks about women’s rights. Also, the Government is supposed to have women occupying leadership positions. Education wise, you will realise that there are few women who are educated. It is therefore, our wish that Parliament should prioritise women who are in rural areas who are not competent enough to take up leadership positions. You will realise that it is those rural areas that are affected that do not have any radio stations that are covering them. It is therefore, our role as women in leadership to push for all areas to be covered by radio stations.
We have our girl children who are in rural areas, who do not know certain things. Most of the time you would realise that it is the boy child who is advantaged to get more information. Why are we having this, it is because most of the time, girls are always busy with household chores, whilst the boys are roaming around getting more information about many issues. The girl child does not have time to progress, even educationally to develop themselves. We are therefore, pleading that Parliament should educate women who are in Parliament on how to equip girl child in rural areas.
When we come to health issues, it is mainly women who are affected. On health issues or day-to-day living, it is mostly women who are affected. Everything that has to do with taking care of sick people at home or different household chores, all these are expected to be done by women. For example, at home, when a child is not feeling well or is admitted in the hospital, it is the woman who is supposed to take care of the child in the hospital. Our male counterparts will not be anywhere near. As you can see that most of the diseases, for example, cancer; it is on rare occasions to see a male affected by cancer. It is widely affecting women. You would realise that people from rural areas have little knowledge of what to do with cancer. My plea is that we empower women to educate each other.
Also, talking about rape, looking at women and girl child, especially in rural areas, even in urban areas, it is just the same. The issue of Gender Based Violence (GBV), is a long story that we have been talking about. You would realise that now cases of GBV are on the rise and in most cases, affecting women. Long back, it used to be men who were beating women but now it is women who are perpetrators of GBV. Why that is happening is because women have been victims for a long time; now they are retaliating. It is my plea that all the stakeholders who can take up such issues should take this matter seriously. Long back, we were saying we were trying to fight men who used to be perpetrators of GBV but now it is the other way round. We need to prioritise this issue.
There is also the issue to do with the economy of the country. We have funds which are disbursed to women through the Women’s Bank and it is my plea that the allocated funds be increased because there are so many things that women are supposed to do that need money. If you go to education, there is a woman; there is a girl child - you go to another Ministry, for example Ministry of Health, there is a woman; there is a girl child. If you go to hospitals, there are women who are delivering. Postmortem issues also affect women. It is my prayer therefore, that why can we not increase the budget allocated to women.
I will also touch on the issue that has to do with HIV/AIDS. It is a very important issue. You will realise that all the children who were born to HIV+ parents, were born with the HIV virus. It is another issue that we need to work on. There is a need to educate, especially children who have parents who are HIV positive. We need to educate them on how they can take care of themselves.
I want to thank Hon. Senator Wunganai, who spoke about the issues related to do with a widow – I saw something at my neighbour’s house; when they were divorcing, the husband mentioned that out of the property that they have, he wanted the livestock. On the house he just wanted the roof and the bricks. What is the meaning of that – at the end of the day, it means that he was going to bring down that house’. This is another way that we can see is actually affecting women. I thank you.
∞HON. SEN. FANUEL: Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I have a concern, we are not quiet, we want to debate motions in languages we are conversant with.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. SEN. KAMBIZI): Order, I think the interpreter is now there, you are not forced to debate in a language that you are not well versed with. I apologise for whatever happened earlier.
∞HON. SEN. FANUEL: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to debate. I am very happy that I am using my language. The motion by Hon. Senator Mbohwa is very important and very good. As we grow up, we heard about Beijing but it was as if it is about fighting each other but it is very good and indeed, we support it because it brings development to women. It also promotes women’s rights.
Yes, they have travelled to all those countries and that shows that we are together. We should not be afraid of anything. We should show ourselves as women. Madam President said, as women, we do not support each other but the current Zimbabwe, women are up and they are rising.
When we talk of equality as women, I think we are actually more advanced because we are the ones who face many problems. When we talk of hospitals, men will not talk about that because if we are talking of giving birth, we are the ones who use it. Men are not so much affected by cancer compared to women. That is why all the languages must be promoted. All programmes that come up must be taken all the way to rural areas in every area. People in the rural areas are looking up to us as the people they chose so they know that they are independent because this country, Zimbabwe is for all of us. No place and no one must be left behind, people must be free to speak in their own language.
If you go to Binga, all the programmes that are taken to Binga must be disseminated in their own language. If you go to Hwange, they speak Tonga, Nyanja, Nambya and Dombe. So, all programmes must be disseminated in people's languages. We would like to thank all the Hon. Senators that went, including Senator Mbohwa. They represented Zimbabwe and how we are supposed to behave. They were not representing themselves. We should really appreciate that.
Some of the people say women are afraid. No, it was out of respect not that we are cowards. If a man knocks at your door, you will be killed. If that person knocks with respect, I can receive him but in the past, men were very harsh. These days, a man can actually ask the wife to receive visitors at a homestead. So, I really wanted to emphasise that point, that as women, let us not look down upon ourselves.
If women are being accommodated, include those with disabilities and the youth. That is why you see the President travelling with the youth. Everyone is given an equal platform. As women, we are the ones who need a hospital or a school because we are the ones who give birth.
I really support this motion. Let us go ahead and speak about this motion and indeed, show that as women, we have been promoted, our rights are promoted. Let us introduce all the women in high-ranking offices, be it the Madam President of the Senate or a banker. Indeed, let us show that as women, we can achieve greater things because if we do not do that, men will come up and say, Senator Mbohwa is the one who is trying to wake you up. Let us just listen and not point fingers that this programme was brought by so and so. Let us not segregate each other. Let us teach everyone. This is not the time for politics; it is time for development. Let us educate all the women who are lagging behind.
These days, there is the Women's Bank, which is a bank reserved for women. You want to bring a man but it is for women. Why do you want to bring a man? You start telling other people - tell a fellow woman not anyone else. Go and tell other women what the requirements of the Women's Bank are.
I would like to say, I really appreciate this programme and let us proceed with it. Let us be supported with the funding for hospitals, which should be increased. I thank you.
HON. SEN. MBOHWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. SHIRI: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 19th June, 2025.
MOTION
DECLARATION OF A CULTURAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on the motion on the culture that promotes the preservation of traditional practices, thereby enhancing the dignity of the people.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KABONDO: Thank you Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to just add my little contribution to this motion. I want to start by saying, what is culture? Culture is what defines us. Culture is acknowledged as an essential tool to preserving traditional practices, enhancing the dignity and prosperity of a nation. However, when we look at what is happening right now, we are facing an existential threat culturally because of Western culture. We risk being extinct as a people. The reality of our situation is not that we are going to be extinct only but that we are being assimilated into foreign cultures. In my view, Mr. President, we are still under cultural imperialism. Maybe put simply, we are being colonised mentally so that we lose control of our heritage.
We were never a people who lived in congested areas settings but because of industrialisation outside our communities, we have now moved into cities which are a boiling pot of the erosion of our cultures. We were never prepared for such an impact of mental colonisation. That is why we are succumbing to the influence of what they call big data in the form of social media, the internet of things, where we are being exposed or our children are being introduced and exposed to a whole new life that we do not fully understand. In our culture, like one senator once expressed, there are some words that we are never free to say.
However, we realise that with the westernisation of our cultures and our migration to cities, because of the internet, we are being introduced to a whole new life that we do not fully understand, where sex matters not, it is something that people can talk about and do without any remorse. Where family values are something of the past, we are so much being sucked into western culture. That is why I want to pay tribute to what the First Lady is doing. I know it is very few of us who understand what it is that she is trying to do because we have been captured already in this Western culture. I want to talk about something. I am certain two-thirds of the Hon. Senators here have either watched a movie or read the novel entitled Roots by Alex Haley.
That is a very powerful movie with a character named Kunta Kinte. If you allow me, I can just narrate a little about it. Kunta Kinte was from Gambia. He originated from Gambia and he was captured into slavery during the slave trade. He had left his village to go and get a stick to make a cultural drum. He was captured and put into the ships and taken across the big waters. However, because he was African and he had a culture that had been instilled in him, when he got there, those black Americans who were already there saw him as a strange person. He refused to change his name. When he got there, he was given a name called Toby but he would refuse.
Every time they called him and said Toby, he would say Kunta Kinte and he was beaten because of that but he kept it in him. He then married a lady who was a cook because he wanted to leave something behind. When that woman conceived a daughter, he gave him the name of a river in the Gambia called Kizi so that he would not forget. When that girl was of age, the father would tell him his history and his culture, where he was coming from. Kunta eventually died. His wife and the child were sold to some other white farmer and life continued.
However, when that girl was raped by the master of a farm, she gave birth to some coloured guy whom they call Esaso Baru. She continued with what the father had told him and told that boy where the grandfather used to come from. He was a strange man who came from Africa and he was captured doing this and that. It was a history that was being carried through generations until slavery was over.
One of the sons, the one who wrote the book, Alex Haley, I think was of the fifth generation. His grandmother used to tell them this story when they were young until they grew up, then he took it to himself to say, I want to go and find out where my people used to come from and because of that story which was being told through generations, there were special names and ways that they still remembered.
Those were the ways, gateway to Gambia. He went there, looked for investigators and finally got to the village, Jufureh. That was the village, yes. When he got there, there was an old man. They have this culture of living encyclopaedia, where if you have a kid and they say that he is intelligent, he sits with an old man who relates how the tribe was born and who gave birth to whom. He got there and they called that man and said, there is a person who is here looking for A, B, C, D, and E. There were five interpreters to get to a person who could speak English. So, it took them two and a half hours to speak out their history, up to the time when that man was called Groto. He said, there was a boy called Kunta, the son of Kinte, who went out to look for a log to make a drum and he disappeared. We believe he was taken across the river. You see, this shows us the importance of preserving our culture and history. This book, Roots, is a wake-up call to Africans that made them come to realise what they can lose if they do not value their history and their past because if this African man, Kunta, had not done what he did, those other people would not have known where they come from. Alex Haley did that, a lot of Americans started trying to find out, going back to check on the registers where slaves were being sold, trying to trace back where they came from. So, culture is very important because it identifies us.
I have a worry about social media, Mr. President because we can never trust that. I personally can never accept it as a custodian of our values and cultures because it was never meant to be anyway. It is a tool for continued cultural imperialism and erosion. It is therefore imperative that as a people, as a country, we establish a national day dedicated to celebrating our rich cultural diversity, acknowledging its profound role in the national identity and heritage preservation. Such a day, Mr. President, would save to foster national pride and promote intercultural understanding and harness Zimbabwe's full potential in becoming a vibrant nation that can uniquely stand out.
This is an important tool for our children, Mr. President, because our children are so captured in the Western ways. It saddens me when I watch our children, black as they are like us but entertaining foreign minds in local bodies. That is how far we are lost. I thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you very much, Hon. Senator Kabondo. That was quite a mouthful.
*HON. SEN. ZINDI: Thank you, Mr. President. I would like to add a few words on this debate raised by Senator Chief Nechombo. I really respect the issue, especially for us as Zimbabweans because we look as if we are confused people. It is now difficult to tell where we stand in terms of our culture. There is nowhere where we can say when we meet with other countries, we can be distinguished as Zimbabweans.
I would like to talk about our culture and our traditional knowledge as well as preserving our areas, our trees and sacred places. That knowledge should be passed on within families and they should preserve sacred places. They would preserve their trees as well as their water sources. I would like to give an example on indigenous knowledge. As we were growing up, as we would go looking for firewood, there were certain trees that we were not allowed to cut or bring home. I have forgotten the names but if I see them, I can identify them, you cannot put them on fire or use them for warming. I know that some trees cannot be used as firewood. On the other side of those trees, you will discover that they have medicinal properties and are used as medicine. So, the indigenous knowledge system inculcates the preservation of those trees.
When it came to fetching water for use at home, there were ways that we were taught to keep water for drinking or keep it clean. As we went to fetch water, we were told that we are not supposed to dip our buckets or any of the traditional pots inside the well if it was put on fire or if it had charcoal. We were told that if you do that a big snake would come up and attack you or a mermaid would come, yet we never saw the mermaid. I do not know whether it is there or if anyone has ever seen it but this is what we were taught. So, in some way, this is a way of teaching people to be hygienic around potable water sources.
Let us look at the burial of chiefs. I know I will refer to where I come from. It was respected very much. I am sure Chief Mutasa can support me. I know that there is a mountain called Bingaguru where I come from, which is our totem, which also happens to be Chief Mutasa's totem, my son who is here. That is the burial site for the chiefs of the Mutasa clan. As we grew up, we were told that you are not allowed to go to the caves where the chiefs are buried. If you go near that place, you will see a lot of mysterious things or you will find yourself getting lost, only to get back to your senses in another area far away from there and you do not know how you got there.
I remember that sometime I went with my grandmother to cut logs for constructing the place that is used for keeping crops. I realised that we got lost and I did not even know how we got there. I saw that we had crossed the Zongo River. I saw a huge snake and my grandmother explained to me that we had advanced towards a sacred site that we were not supposed to go near, that is indigenous knowledge which is part of our culture as Zimbabweans. Any area has its traditional knowledge system as well as sacred places that are highly valued in those areas.
I remember yesterday, Hon. Senator Tongogara said if you sit on the road, you will have boils. According to our culture, if you sit at a junction, you will get boils on your body. According to our culture, witches who want to throw away unwanted rituals or items, dispose of them at the junction. Since our elders knew very well what happens in life when you sit in these places, they would educate us not to sit at junctions always. So, that would help us to collaborate with other knowledge acquired from somewhere else.
Mr. President Sir, I can go on and on. The chiefs who are here know what I am talking about. I would like to appeal to them that when they get to their courts, they must be honest. Let us promote our culture as Zimbabweans, especially with regard to indigenous knowledge. When they sit in their courts, they should dedicate some time to talk about the importance of culture so that we may recall and preserve our sacred places as well as trees.
You will realise that our forests have been destroyed right now. They never allowed that. I am sure even now they do not allow that. I remember we used to report to the local traditional leader. Then the leader would know the purpose of cutting down the trees. If you were to cut down a tree without permission, you would be charged or fined. I do not know whether it is still happening. This is why I made that appeal to our chiefs who are in this House to educate people when they sit in their courts. All the trucks that are caught transporting musasa and munhondo trees must be prosecuted. People are travelling from urban areas to cut down trees; they must be charged and prosecuted for destroying the forests. I would like to thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to add to this debate with regards to culture. Thank you.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Senator Zindi. You were so fluent in Shona and indeed, it was very relevant to the motion.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 19th June, 2025.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE JOINT PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC WORKS AND NATIONAL HOUSING AND THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE STATE OF WATER SUPPLY IN BULAWAYO
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Joint Portfolio Committee on Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. TSHABANGU: Thank you very much Mr. President. Exactly eight months, ten days, I rise to put my weight on a debate which is essential, which was delayed by eight months and was compiled on the 8th October, 2024. It is sad that issues of national interest, regardless of where you are coming from geographically, are debated eight months before. This is a concern for some of us who are rational and sensitive to issues of national interest.
Let me first appreciate Hon. Senator Chief Siansali, his team and the Committee of Local Government and Public Works for taking this opportunity to go and assess the water situation in Bulawayo. Also, to assess the progress towards the Gwayi-Shangani River and establish the Government efforts to address the perennial water supply situation in the southern region and make some recommendations. This is applaudable.
I grew up in Bulawayo. I am a proud son of Matabeleland. I was born at Mpilo Hospital, Ward C9 on the 20th October, 1976 at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday. Bulawayo was a city that embraces the cultural, the scientific growth, the business hub of this country. When we grew up, water was never a problem Mr. President.
We appreciate that Bulawayo has grown in terms of population. We appreciate that there has been migration and there has been intermarriage. Different cultures have been really experienced in Bulawayo. In actual fact, there has been a growth in terms of statistics.
What has been stagnant is the water supply. There has not been a growth in terms of improving our water supply in Bulawayo to match the rising population. The Ndebele people used to marry two, three, four wives. I think the Chiefs were upset to that effect in terms of increasing the population. Now, because of intermarriages Mr. President, we see multiple marriages in Bulawayo. The growth is quite significant. It really does not match because there has not been any dam construction since 1980 to date, to match the increase of the population. That is a fundamental gap which exists in Bulawayo.
It has been highlighted in the report that the pipes that exist were done by the Smith regime. Today, as we speak, Bulawayo has never embarked on a re-piping system. We have got a situation whereby we have got a burst pipe and then you put in the new pipe. That new pipe also increases the pressure and as it increases the pressure, the next morning you witness another pipe burst. So, there an is imbalanced proportional distribution of water caused by these replacements. At the same time, you have this loss of water during the day or during the night. There is need for the Government to come up with a programme to replace the entire piping system in Bulawayo in order to conserve the water that is already there.
Mr. President, Bulawayo needs about 165 megalitres per day as alluded to in the report but Bulawayo currently gets 120 megalitres a day and there is a shortfall of about 45 megalitres a day. Now, the question which I want to ventilate in the report is, how then do we get the balance of 45 megalitres so that Bulawayo can operate on a full throttle?
Challenges of water in Bulawayo, implications of water are highly highlighted in the report, so I am not going to dwell much on them. I am going to ventilate and synthesise how we should get the 45 megalitres which is outstanding. They spoke about the duplication of Mtshabezi Dam to Mzingwane. Mzingwane Dam contributes 21 megalitres. If we duplicate, that means we will have another 21 megalitres and that gives us 42 megalitres. We less 21 from 45.
Number five, we have Nyamandlovu Aquifer, which on full throttle contributes 18 megalitres per day but out of 40, we have got 23 functioning boreholes. That means we are less than nine megalitres per day. For us Mr. President, to move from 23 to 40, from 40 minus 23, the balance requires about 1.5 to 3 million US dollars to rehabilitate the boreholes in Bulawayo so that we get to 40 at full throttle. That is going to give us 18 megalitres. So, we are less with nine megalitres.
If we get an assistance of only three million, if all this money that is being misused here is used towards this cause, it would serve Bulawayo with nine megalitres. Our priorities Mr. President, are misguided. Again, we will say, 45 minus 9, we remain with 36 megalitres in Bulawayo for us to get to 1.6, for us to get to 165 megalitres.
Now Mr. President, with 36, one thing that was not highlighted by this report, Bulawayo business centre is sitting on tap water. The RBZ in Bulawayo gets their water underground. The High Court of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo is sitting on tap water. If you go to George Silundika and 9th Avenue, they are sitting on tap water. Mr. President, note that the Smith regime did not drill these pipelines. They are there. For those who often travel to Bulawayo, you will see water running along Leopold Takawira and Joshua Nkomo. It will be coming from RBZ. RBZ is not supplied by the City of Bulawayo but they have their water drilled from underground.
The survey, Mr. President, is that we can get 900 megalitres from that Bulawayo city centre, which can also supply the city. I make this contribution with an amendment that the Committee has to establish that water tap which the Bulawayo city centre was built so as to mitigate this measure Mr. President – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]-
In the long run, which is correct as alluded to by the Committee that the Zambezi which is 41% to its completion, Zambezi-Shangani water is going to give us 220 megalitres, which is a surplus to what Bulawayo requires. We also acknowledge the Government initiatives that if they can prioritise these mitigating measures so that people of Bulawayo can start to breathe and can start to live a normal life.
It is sad that 45 years after Independence it is sad to see pregnant women, old-aged women, going for days without water. It is sad, Mr. President, that youth, instead of going to school, spend time in queues fetching water. They are skipping going to school because their grandmother does not have water. They have to go and pump water from a borehole in this day and age in Bulawayo. The people of Bulawayo, in the high-density suburbs, survive on borehole water. They pump water like my grandmother in Inyathi in Bubi, in Tsholotsho. We cannot reduce a certain class of citizens to that level, Mr. President. I refuse and I stand here and declare that the people of Bulawayo deserve better. The people of Bulawayo are part of this glorious, lovely Zimbabwe, which is a unitary state.
[Time limit]
Mr. President, yes, we have omissions and commissions and what is missing in that report, which I take responsibility for, is that all these things cannot be achievable when the City of Bulawayo Administration does not interlink with the parent Ministry, which is the Ministry of Local Government. There is no link between the City of Bulawayo Management or the City of Bulawayo with the parent Ministry, which is Local Government. You cannot advance the services or efforts of bringing all these issues to the attention of the Central Government. So, it is missing in that report. We sit here and we are the majority in Bulawayo. We will be descending on Bulawayo to address that because some of these problems can be solved by engaging the parent ministry, which is Local Government. But it does not happen.
To date, the mayor of Bulawayo has not even visited the Minister of Local Government. He has never even seen the Minister of Local Government and how then do you operate? It cannot happen. It does not matter whether you are white or you are coloured but it cannot happen in this country. We have to ensure that the Mayor of Bulawayo engages the Minister of Local Government but there is a disconnect between the Mayor of Bulawayo and the Minister of Local Government. If that happens, how then does the Central Government know its role? It is missing in that document, which is a key political mistake and a key strategic point, which we will address in due course.
Madam. President, I am sorry Mr. President. I usually debate when the Madam President or Deputy President sits here. My apologies. In a nutshell, it is achievable. The Bulawayo situation - some of the issues, Mr. President, can be managed by ourselves by not pointing a finger to the Central Government. We can do these things and we can engage the Central Government through the parent ministry and ensure that the people of Bulawayo can have clean and safe water. I so submit.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Indeed, there is a water situation in Bulawayo.
HON. SEN. CHIEF SANSIALI: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN FANUEL: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 19th June, 2025.
On the motion of HON. SEN GOTORA, seconded by HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA, the House adjourned at Eleven Minutes to Five o’clock p.m.