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SENATE HANSARD 27 NOVEMBER 2024 VOL 34 NO 15
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 27th November, 2024
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
NON-ADVERSE REPORTS RECEIVED FROM THE PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Good afternoon Hon. Senators. I wish to inform the House that I have received Non-Adverse reports from the Parliamentary Legal Committee on the following Statutory Instruments gazetted in the month of September. They are as follows; Statutory Instruments Numbers 151 to162.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senators, you are reminded once again to put your gadgets on silence or better switch them off so that the business of the House is not disturbed.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF VETERANS OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE AFFAIRS (HON. SEN. H. MOYO): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 4 on today’s Order Paper be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
PRESIDENTIAL SPEECH: DEBATE ON ADDRESS
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion in reply to the Presidential Speech.
Question again proposed.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF VETERANS OF THE LIBERATION STRUGGLE AFFAIRS (HON. SEN. H. MOYO): I move that the debate do now adjourn.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 28th November, 2024.
MOTION
CHILD MORTALITY RATE DUE TO MEASLES
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the immunisation of children against measles.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KABONDO: Thank you Mr. President. I want to thank you for affording me the opportunity to speak out on this immunisation issue, which to me is very important because it concerns the children. I stand here as a mother today, who knows and tries to speak out for the children because they cannot speak out for themselves. Also, as a mother who knows the pain of losing a child through illnesses.
Mr. President, measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It can spread easily when an infected person is breathing out, coughs or sneezes. It can cause rare complications that can even cause death. It can affect anyone but mostly it affects children and vaccination is the best way to fight this disease. Children need to be vaccinated. This vaccination has proven to be safe and it helps the body to fight this virus. Children need; I emphasise, need to be vaccinated to be safe. They need us to speak for them because they cannot speak for themselves. The reason why I am saying this is because we have some religions that do not believe in getting children vaccinated. The children are so young and innocent, they cannot even speak for themselves. So, I feel that us here in this august House need to stand in the place of the children and fight for them.
We are all God’s creation and he is the one who gives us the knowledge in treating ailments. I believe we can never see God physically but we see him in the works of the mankind. Doctors are some of those people. I believe that it is God who put them in that position so that they can protect us health-wise and also protect these innocent children. So, as adults, let us stand up and speak for the children. As a Government, let us do something. This has been going on since time immemorial, people of such religions lock their gates when an exercise comes by so that their kids are exempted from being vaccinated.
Right now, we have the polio programme that is starting on Monday. Believe you me, if you go to these people’s houses, their gates will be locked. We know of these things but we are not doing anything. We need to protect these children. Children’s rights are human rights also. So, they need us as their mothers, fathers, grandfathers and grandmothers to stand up for them. If nothing at all, let this fight for the kids to be vaccinated be the only thing that might make us worthy to go to heaven. Thank you.
*HON. SEN. ZHOU: Thank you Mr. President for according me this opportunity to add my voice to this motion which has been moved by Hon. Senator Mlilo. I think many of you do not know how I became blind. Some have the courage to ask me but others do not. When I was 7 years old, I was affected by measles. It affected many children where I come from in Mberengwa. My parents sought treatment using traditional herbs, using a herb called soso. They used that to clean my eyes. When they realised that it had failed to treat the ailment, they took me to Musume Hospital. I heard the doctors telling them that you were late to bring him to the hospital. He also said I could have lost my life together with my eyes. I was lucky that I only lost my eye sight. What I want to educate ourselves on, starting here at Parliament and going to our constituencies, you find that a lot of people do not know that there are certain diseases which cannot be treated traditionally, like measles. Measles requires immunisation for it to be cured. One can die; one can get blind if people prefer traditional medicines instead of hospitals.
I think we need to educate each other and our people so that they have faith in our hospitals, although they have to pay for the services. However, when it comes to measles, children do not pay. We should come up with ways in our community structures, starting with our chiefs, councillors and churches that if there is an outbreak of measles in our areas, we should quickly make sure that people have been immunised instead of delaying because it could lead to people being blind or losing lives. It is a disease that can be cured. The Ministry of Health should also go into the communities and do awareness campaigns so that people are aware of all the six diseases that kill children. That is what I have to add as a witness that I came across this disease that made me blind. I used to be very angry but now I am not regretting but I do not want some people to get blind because of a disease that can be cured.
HON. SEN. TSHABANGU: Thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to speak and rise on the matter of privilege, which is granted in our Standing Rules and Orders. Mr. President, I want to extent my gratitude to this Parliament of Zimbabwe, which is headed by Adv. Jacob Mudenda, deputised by our President Hon. Chinomona and also yourself. I also want to extent the same gratitude to the Head of State and his Deputy. I will chronicle my gratitude in that order.
I am a delegate of IPU. On 10th October 2024, I went to Geneva, representing this Parliament; representing the people of Zimbabwe. On arrival in Geneva on 11th October 2024, I fell ill. I was taken to Geneva medical centre, just like a clinic, that is the procedure, you go to the clinic and then you are transferred to a bigger hospital. I was even helped by our colleagues around four o’clock Geneva time but I was taken around seven o’clock in the evening because I felt my body could not take me any longer. I felt dizzy, I was taken to a medical centre. I was given some medical attention on arrival and I was put on the ICU ambulance. On arrival at the main hospital, I was in ICU for about a week. This Parliament was there even if they were attending the most important meeting which is IPU, the Speaker of Parliament and his delegation would leave the session and pay some courtesy, giving me comfort and assuring me that I would be well.
I remained there Mr. President and I never attended any session of the IPU. I was there in a foreign land and when the IPU ended, I was left in a foreign land alone for another week in the hospital. This Parliament and colleagues kept contacting me, checking on me and giving me strength. They were part of my family and the most important thing that happened in that hospital first Mr. President, was a call from the Deputy President of this country Mr. Chiwenga who called me lying in that hospital and assured me that this Government was going to do everything that they can so that I came back home. The following day the Head of State called me and assured me that it shall be well - [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -
I am bringing this to this Parliament to extend my gratitude that yes, I am a member and the leader of the opposition in Parliament and I went out not representing the opposition but I went out representing the country. The Head of State and his Deputy and the Speaker of Parliament showed that if I am a Zimbabwean, I deserve the same care as anybody else, whether you are ZANU PF or CCC but we are Zimbabweans. - [HON MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] - I never got that support, it is that moral financial support. My bills were paid on time, I was taken care of by this Government and Parliament and I am so grateful to this Parliament. It could have been worse Mr. President, imagine staying in a foreign-developed hospital in intensive care for a week, it means my situation was so bad and dire.
I extend that we have Members of Parliament across the political divide who kept on giving me sympathy and support and I am so grateful Mr. President. I have no words and I wish to say if this can be extended to any one of us who may be a victim of such kind of an illness, that this Government shows what they showed to me. It showed a trajectory that this country can move to greater heights because they took care of their Members of Parliament. They take care of their people. I am so proud to be a Zimbabwean, to be a Member of this Parliament and I am so proud to be here today alive and giving this extension gratitude to this Parliament and the Head of State, President E.D. Mnangagwa and his Deputy. Thank you Mr. President.
+HON. SEN. L. SIBANDA: Thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank the mover of this motion Hon. Senator Mlilo. Most of what I would have loved to say has already been said by Hon. Senator Zhou about the importance of getting treatment for measles. It is one of those diseases that affect children. Children can be vaccinated against that disease. As we were all growing, we were immunised against measles from the age of six years and below. What is important is that now mostly we are looking at what we think is civilisation or uncivilised. At times as parents, we forget that we should immunise our children the proper way.
When we go to certain churches, people tend to digress from getting proper treatment for their children, especially vaccines. Children are given vaccines from birth, maybe up to 10 years. If we check their health cards, there are sections where children have to get vaccines and measles is also one of those. Sometime back as already alluded by Hon. Senator Zhou, when a child is affected by measles, they used African herbs but now things have changed, there is climate change. We no longer have some of those trees we used to have as herbs. We know that people used to be treated using herbs but now, we are more civilised people who go to the clinics and get vaccines. If you look at the birth record, it shows how children should be treated. The new mothers should be taught that their children should be vaccinated against measles. We know that for some time, measles was no longer a problem but now things have changed. Nowadays, elderly people suffer from measles. We thank the mover of this motion because this has jogged us to think about measles.
As a nation, I think we are civilised. There should not be any child dying from measles because we have already said that this can be treated. This is a dangerous disease for children. This is an airborne disease to those who have not suffered from this disease. People should be vaccinated so that they do not suffer from this disease. A lot has already been said Mr. President, I will not talk much about this but as leaders in our communities, we encourage people to take their children for vaccination. We are developing and civilised. People should seek treatment. People should not give birth at home but should go to clinics. I would like to thank Hon. Senator Mlilo for this motion. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: Thank you very much Mr. President. I will also take this opportunity to talk about the disease of measles. This is a disease that has always been there and people used to be treated the traditional way. Sometime back, children never used to die from measles because people knew how to treat that disease. If a child has a high temperature and if a child has a rash on the face, they would say people should abstain from having sexual intercourse. They would also explain how children should be treated during that time. So, children never used to die. We used to follow our traditional ways of treating people but now that we no longer follow our traditional ways, we have to follow both our traditional ways and the modern way.
I would like to thank the mover of this motion. What I will do Mr. President, is that we want people to listen to the rules and laws. It is not just measles but children also suffer from fontanel. People never used to go to the hospital for that because they knew how to treat it but now after birth, a child has to be taken to the hospital for treatment because even the hospital cards indicate that from this stage to that stage, a child should be vaccinated against this and that disease.
As has already been said by one of the Hon. Senators here, it is incumbent upon us to see that children are treated. Even those who go to churches that prevent children from being treated must encourage them to take children to the hospitals for treatment. It is not just for people to keep on giving children water or holy water for children to drink – [HON. SEN. CHIEF MUTASA: Inaudible interjection.] -
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Order! Hon. Sen. Chief Mutasa, do not do that again. Proceed Hon. Senator Ndlovu.
+HON. SEN. RITTA NLOVU: Thank you Mr. President. I was saying there are some Christians who do not believe that children should be taken for treatment to hospitals because they believe that the children can be treated by their churches. However, there should be laws that penalise these adults who refuse to take children for vaccinations against diseases. I urge the Government to prosecute those parents who do not want to take children for treatment.
As leaders, it is incumbent upon us to see to it that these children get the vaccines. At times I wonder because announcements are made that children should be taken to clinics on such days but you find that they do not take them. There are health workers who move from door to door making sure that children have been taken for vaccinations but this is not fair because they want the health workers to be coming after them to see to it that they take children for vaccinations. This Government is trying a lot to see to it that children are vaccinated. So, I think now the Government should take sterner measures against those parents who are not taking their children for vaccinations because if you are a parent, it means you want that child; you had the child because you wanted it. So, you must take the child for vaccinations. Some of these children used to be raised by grandparents but now these young children are having their children. At times they do not even know that if you see some rash on the child, this is what it means. They should be encouraged to take their children to clinics. Some parents are not taking these awareness programmes seriously.
Yes, a child can still suffer from the disease even after getting the vaccination but the illness would not be that severe. Even adults, if you had not suffered from measles when you were still young, you can still suffer from measles but now you can still go to the hospital and get treatment. So, even the grannies know and they are being encouraged that they should take their children for vaccinations.
*HON. SEN. GWATURE: Thank you. I want to thank Hon. Senator Mlilo for this pertinent motion, especially to us the women. Let me first thank our Government because our clinics always have stocks of drugs for vaccination against measles. AIDS came and a lot of people died, COVID and typhoid, to mention but a few but I have not heard of cases where children do not get vaccinations like what Senator Zhou referred to when he became blind because he was taken to hospital late.
However, these days, our health workers encourage parents that when a child is born, they are vaccinated from several diseases and there are stages which a parent should follow. I also want to thank our midwives who are doing a very good job in our country because when they receive these babies, they encourage parents to take the babies to clinics so that they will be vaccinated. They are not resorting to traditional health but are teaching parents that for a child to grow healthy, they should be vaccinated against diseases. What makes our country to be a country is because of these children.
When someone is childless, they spend a lot of money and time looking for babies and for some, we have false prophets who tell people that if they want to conceive, they should first be intimate with them. This is done because people want to conceive because children are very important and they have to be vaccinated.
I also want to thank Hon. Sen. Mlilo for tabling this motion that when we get into the communities, we should teach people, especially the churches who do not have faith in vaccinations. I also want to thank our Government when they said children should also be vaccinated in schools, they are getting all the vaccinations at schools and we should uphold it. If children are being vaccinated, we should send our children to school. You find some irresponsible parents not sending their children to school because they do not want them to be vaccinated. We should continue conscientising each other as Zimbabweans. I thank you, Mr. President.
*THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you, Senator Gwature for your words.
ᶺᶺHON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President for this time that you have given me to add my words to the motion. I also want to thank Hon. Senator Mlilo for tabling this motion. We are talking about measles, which have been present before but our elders knew how to treat it. Currently, there are a lot of things that take place and children end up dying due to lack of vaccinations.
There is a national awareness calling for vaccination by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. People now ignore these important vaccination programmes and this makes our children to grow up in poor health and even when they go to schools, they face challenges. Some of them end up living with disabilities and they will now be prone to other diseases that affect them as they grow up. Hence, as parents, we are supposed to follow the programmes that we are given by the health practitioners.
Children are supposed to be vaccinated from an early age until they reach the age of 10 years. These children have the right to go to school. They have the right to a good life. When these children are infected with either polio or other diseases, the parents end up not taking proper care of them because they just end up roaming around not understanding what would have happened to the children. As I said earlier, I will not say much because I am talking about the issue of children.
The President of the Senate allowed me to say that let us continue to follow the programmes that we are given by the health practitioners so that we prevent our children from being affected by diseases because these children are still too young for them to be affected by such diseases. If these children are not protected from diseases, we are traumatising them by exposing them to diseases and other infections. These are things that can be prevented and be cured but because we delay taking them to hospitals and to health practitioners, they end up being crippled and affected. I thank Hon. Senator Mlilo for bringing this motion to this House. Thank you for this opportunity. Let it be a good afternoon to you all. Thank you.
HON. SEN. MLILO: Thank you Mr. President. I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. C. NDLOVU: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 28th November 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.
HON. SEN. MOYO: Mr. President Sir, upon looking at the report, there is a critical link between the ARV Therapy (Antiretroviral Therapy) roll-out programme and the significant challenges posed by drug and substance abuse in the context of preventing, treating and ultimately curing HIV and AIDs, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and heart-lung diseases.
The ART rollout programme has had little success but there needs to be more improvement in managing HIV at both the individual and public health levels especially in the rural communities. The access to ART has to improve, so viral loads are reduced thereby improving quality of life and preventing transmission. However, the impact of drug and substance abuse cannot be ignored, it poses a dual challenge that undermines these efforts. Other than Mangwe, there are more areas affected in Matabeleland South which need help.
Firstly, substance abuse not only increases the risk of engaging in high risk behaviours such as unprotected sex but also complicated the discipline to ART regiments. When individuals misuse substances, their health and body function can be compromised and leads to missed doses and irregular follow-up appointments. This results in the ART not being effective and contributes to drug resistance, creating a cycle that speeds up the spread of HIV in our provinces. More-over, the relationship between drug abuse and mental health issues makes the problem worse. Njengu does not make the situation better. Individuals who engage in alcohol and substance use often experience depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders, making it even more difficult for them to seek treatment for HIV and STIs. Pride and abantu bazothini syndrome makes it worse. I call on the relevant Ministries of Health, Public Service, Finance and Youth to prioritise harm reduction strategies and integrated care that addresses substance abuse. We will improve ART and improve health outcomes. In addition, the intersection of HIV and heart-lung diseases cannot be overlooked. Many ARV medications can cause heart problems and individuals who abuse substances often face increased heart-lung risks. Therefore, addressing drug abuse is not only vital in the fight against HIV and AIDS but also critical in preventing the onset of related health issues such as heart-lung disease.
In conclusion, while the ART rollout programme provides a vital framework for combating HIV and AIDSs, we must address the stubborn issue of drug and substance abuse. This approach will not only strengthen our response to HIV but will also contribute to broader public health goals, thereby creating a healthier future for the citizens of Zimbabwe. I thank you.
HON. SEN. CHAKABUDA: Access to healthcare services is a constitutional right in Zimbabwe, Section 76 (1). This constitutional provision mandates the Government to ensure accessibility of healthcare services to people living with HIV and AIDS. In doing so, the Government is on course to implementing Sustainable Development Goal 3.3, which aims at ending the pandemic of AIDS by 2030. Inasmuch as Government is making remarkable effort in terms of prevention, treatment and awareness of HIV and AIDS, there are many setbacks encountered and drug and substance abuse is one of the major setbacks.
The work being done by the Ministry of Health, NAC and other development partners is very commendable especially in reaching out to marginalised communities. The programmes that are being carried out in the communities must be commended and supported as they are playing a significant role in terms of mitigating the effects and impacts of HIV and AIDS in our communities. However, considering the high number of girls that drop out of school due to pregnancy annually, it is evident that these adolescent girls are highly sexually active and therefore at high risk of contracting HIV and AIDS and other STIs. The Ministry of Health, NAC and other Development Partners must start designing programmes that deliberately target this vulnerable group. This is a group that is also vulnerable to the scourge of drug and substance abuse. It is very pleasing to note that data and statistics on HIV and AIDSs trends are readily available and accurate as they are continuously updated in the various community healthcare service providers. Drug and substance abuse is a scourge that needs the attention that it deserves as it is hampering national development in many facets and it is impacting negatively on the efforts by the Government to achieve set targets in terms of prevention, cure and awareness of HIV and AIDSs.
It is worrying however to note that there are no drug and substance abuse rehabilitation centres in the country and these individuals are having to seek treatment in mental health institutions. This means that they do not have access to proper professional drug rehabilitation services from trained personnel as they are grouped together with mental health patients.
In conclusion, we need to have facilities and programmes to assist in rehabilitating drug and substance abusers in order to enhance our HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and awareness. I thank you.
MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
POWER SUPPLY SITUATION
THE MINISTER OF ENERGY AND POWER DEVELOPMENT (HON. E. MOYO): Thank you Hon. President for allowing me to make this statement. I would have loved to have made it tomorrow but since there is going to be Budget presentation, I thought I should ask for permission to do it today. The statement is about the power supply situation in the county as it obtains.
Zimbabwe Power Company is currently generating a daily average of 1232 MW against a demand of an average of 1735 MW. The balance between what we are generating and what we are consuming is coming from imports and the balance out of the imports is then shedded – that is what we load shed.
Hwange Power Station stages 1 and 2 is producing 475 MW from units 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6. Unit 5 is currently undergoing a major overhaul which is expected to be completed in August 2026. Once complete, it is expected to add 160MW into the national grid. On Hwange unit 7 and 8, both units are in service injecting a total of 614MW into the grid. Unit 7 is scheduled to undergo Class C maintenance in January 2025.
Kariba Power Station remains constrained due to the low water levels. Following the directive from the Zambezi River Authority for Zimbabwe and Zambia to reduce generation, the power station is generating an average of 104MW out of a dependable capacity of 1050MW. It must be noted though that output from our power stations especially the old Hwange Power plant vary depending on the current performance of the plant.
The 2025 rainfall season is projected at a normal to above with water allocation for generation set at 27 billion cubic metres (BCM) shared equally between Zimbabwe and Zambia up from 16 BCM in 2024. The production plan from the 13.5 BCM is set to generate 3 043 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity. This represents a 68.75% increase in water allocation for power generation in 2025 as compared to 2024. This will significantly increase power availability.
There is a disturbance which occurred on 24 November 2024, which we have coined ‘grid disturbance’. There was a nationwide black-out which occurred in Zimbabwe at 20:15 resulting in the loss of all internal generators and interconnectors with South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia. Zimbabwe lost 1115 MW of load and Zambia was also affected. A restorative process was initiated involving a three-pronged approach using Kariba, Mozambique and South Africa as power sources. Power was gradually restored with limited loads connected across the country by 0301hours on 25 November 2024.
However, the power system has not yet fully recovered. Efforts are being made to restore the remaining affected units at Hwange. The root cause that triggered the black-out is however still under investigation.
On Independent Power Producers (IPPs), these are producing more than 200MW, while solar net metering capacity is 24MW. These figures exclude household installations, some smaller solar PV installations and industrial own use installed capacity.
On imports – an average firm supply of 200 MW has been secured through import agreements with ESKOM, EDM and HCB to help address the electricity shortfall.
On outlook – the forecast demand is 1735MW which would without significant interventions result in continued load curtailment. There are however several mitigation measures that will be implemented in order to narrow the supply/demand gap.
There is need to increase power supply sources through support and procurement from IPPS and the continued involvement of third parties in the reformed electricity supply industry like Intensive Energy User Group (IEUG), Utility Warehousing, Africa Green Co, Negomo and so on. These players procure power locally and regionally and supply direct to customers and energy efficiency improvements.
These are projects being developed to increase power supply capacity as well as providing support for Hwange Power Station Units 1 to 8. These projects include:
Hwange Power Station - the refurbishment of Hwange Power Station’s unit 5 will add 160MW to Zimbabwe’s national grid, helping to address the current electricity shortfall of 300MW. This capacity increase is expected to positively impact the economy by reducing production losses caused by power shortages.
Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Project – the project is being developed together with Zambia through Zambezi River Authority (ZRA). The project development activities are ongoing. Power plant will have a capacity of 1200MW on the Zimbabwean side after completion.
Devils Gorge Hydro Project – the Project is also being developed together with Zambia through ZRA. The project development activities commenced this year with a prefeasibility currently ongoing. Power plant will have a capacity of about 600MW on the Zimbabwean side after completion.
Furthermore, the allocation of resources to unit 1 to 4 and 6 in order to minimize plant down time on failure, will further alleviate the electricity shortages. With these developments, prioritising resources for the power station’s key production related issues is indeed a viable short-term solution.
The repowering of units 1 to 6 in 48 to 60 months in short term, will eventually restore the station’s capacity to at least 840MW, which should significantly curtail load shedding and stabilise the power supply for the country.
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – the integration of a battery energy storage system (BESS) is indeed a critical step towards enhancing energy supply stability. BESS systems are designed to store electrical energy for later use, playing a pivotal role in balancing the supply and demand of electricity within the power grid.
Table 1 IPP (Thermal)
|
PROJECT |
DESCRIPTION |
STATUS |
|
Dinson Steel Company (DISCO) |
Phase 1 Dinson Steel Company completed a 50MW Thermal Power Plant (2024) Phase 2 – 20MW waste heat recovery is under construction to be completed in June 2025 |
Phase 1 – 100% (now awaiting official commissioning)
Phase 2 under construction |
|
TITAN Power |
Phase 1 – Preparing for the ground breaking ceremony for the 720MW Thermal Power Plant at Hwange Phase 2 – 200MW Solar PV following the signing of an MOU between ZESA and Titan Power during the FOCAC Summit in China |
Phase 1- The plant is now being shipped from China |
|
ZHONGXIN HELI |
Phase 1 – 100MW Thermal Power Plant Beitbridge |
Phase 1 - To be completed in 2025 |
Nuclear Energy Prospects
After the Inter-Governmental Agreement with ROSATOM of the Russian Federation, a working group on the development of a Nuclear Power Plant Project was formed. The group held its first meeting on 16 October 2024. Additionally, the Ministry is working with IAEA on capacity building on nuclear infrastructure development. The Ministry is expecting an IAEA delegation during Q1 of 2025 to meet with key stakeholders including His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Cde Dr. E. D. Mnangagwa as part of the nuclear energy prospective agenda.
Also, to that end, the first group of 30 students are already currently undergoing training on nuclear physics abroad. This is part of a continuous programme to capacitate locals. Another 30 students are also expected to travel to different countries that specialise in nuclear science early next year.
Rural Electrification Fund (REF) Performance – a total of 264 rural institutions connected to the grid in September 2024 against a target of 384.
Renewable Energy Projects in Zimbabwe
Table 2 Projects completed in 2024
|
NAME OF PROJECT |
CAPACITY |
PROJECT SCOPE |
STATUS |
|
Centragrid Nyabira Mashonaland West Province |
25MW |
Expanding from 2MW already being fed into the grid and now expanding to 25MW |
Completed October 2024. Awaiting commissioning |
|
Bikita Minerals Solar Project |
12MW and battery storage |
|
Completed 2024 |
|
Zimplats Phase 1 |
25MW |
|
Completed 2024 |
|
CAWEP Project Hakwata Manicaland Province |
9m3 x 150 biogas digesters constructed |
90 biogas digesters were constructed in Hakwata Chipinge, 30 digesters constructed in Buhera Manicaland and 30 in Binga Matabeleland North |
Commissioned in September 2024 |
|
Chipinge Mancialand |
200kW solar system in Chipinge |
200kW solar system for community, clinic and business centre |
Commissioned on 3 October 2024 |
Table 3: Projects under Construction
|
NAME OF PROJECT |
CAPACITY |
PROJECT SCOPE/ DESCRIPTION |
STATUS |
|
Solgas Matabeleland North |
10MW |
Expanding from 5MW to 15MW |
Under construction |
|
Guruve Solar Power Plant Mashonaland Central Province |
5MW |
Currently feeding 2.5MW into the grid and currently expanding to 5MW |
Under construction and commissioning of 5MW expected end of year |
|
Great Zimbabwe Hydro Power Plant Masvingo Province |
5MW |
To supply power to the national grid |
Overall project completion is at 90% |
|
Zimplats solar project Selous Mashonaland West Province |
35MW |
|
Under construction. To be completed in 2024 |
|
Dete Solar PV Project by UNDP Energy Officer Project Mashonaland West |
120kW |
Project to benefit community and business centre |
Construction of the Dete Solar Plant mounting structures is now complete. Panels are now installed |
|
Glen View Solar Project Harare |
6kW system per household |
Net Metering Rooftop Solar Project |
50 households have been completed so far out of a target of 325 households |
|
PPC Zimbabwe |
30MW |
|
Under construction |
|
Richaw Solar Power Plant Gwanda Matabeleland South |
3.5 MW |
|
Under construction |
Table 4: Policy and Strategy
|
NAME |
STATUS |
|
Energy Efficiency Policy |
Approved by Cabinet on 22 October 2024 |
|
National Clean Cooking Strategy |
Project warp-up Editing proofing reading in progress |
Table 5 Net Metering
|
NAME OF PROJECT |
CAPACITY |
PROJECT SCOPE/DESCRIPTION |
STATUS |
|
Net Metering Projects |
More than 20MW feeding to grid |
|
More than 300 institution and households connected |
Table 6 Projects given Government Implementation Agreement (GIA) and are now awaiting financial closure
|
NAME OF PROJECT |
CAPACITY |
|
De Green Rhino Mashonaland East Province |
50MW |
|
Guruve Solar Par |
5.5MW |
|
Murombedzi Solar |
10.5MW |
|
Par Value Energy |
50MW |
|
New Glovers Solar1 |
10MW |
We are also working on solar for farmers to reduce the load on farmers so that they have their own captive power. We are also working with other agencies like RIDA to provide home solar systems so that our rural people have access to energy by 2030.
HON. SEN. C. MUTSVANGWA: I want to thank the Hon. Minister for a very comprehensive report on the current situation on power generation in Zimbabwe, particularly for the explanation which has been given for the black outs in the last two days. It is clear that there are advantages of being connected to our neighbours as a regional grid so that we can trade power from the Southern African Power Pool here in Harare. But it also comes with attendant dangers that there could be such black outs which may come from improper management of the inter-connected grid. I hope that the Minister and his colleagues in the region will rise to the occasion so that this eventuality can be minimised, even totally avoided.
I also want to pose a question and it is connected with atomic energy. I am very happy that the House has advised that we are getting into the atomic energy era and you have engaged our Russian friends who are pioneers in this nuclear energy and that we are working with the International Atomic Agency and that they will be visiting Zimbabwe. I want to perhaps make a recommendation that our neighbour South Africa, through its Koeberg Nuclear Station in Cape Town, has for ages now been employing the use of nuclear energy in its grid. Western Cape actually relies mostly on that Koeberg nuclear energy.
There are developments in mini nuclear reactors which emanate from the usage of nuclear reactors and submarines and even in some aircraft. This technology is becoming available for general civilian use as opposed to probably have use in the military field. One of the big players is actually a South African company which is involved in this nuclear energy, which is becoming a future trend. Maybe it is also time that we look at cooperating with our neighbour so that we also become part of their long experience of nuclear energy. To compliment what we may be doing with our long time and all-weather friends, the Russians, in which case we may also need to sign a nuclear co-operation agreement with our neighbour. This is because clearly the trend is that South Africa and Zimbabwe were joined at the hip on the issue of nuclear energy together with Mozambique and we can take advantage of this.
Finally, I just want to ask for clarity. You talked of another hydro-electric power station besides Batoka on the Zambezi River. I did not quite get the name. We will be happy if we will be helped with the location. I want to thank you.
HON. SEN. RITTA NDLOVU: Thank you Madam President. I would like to thank the Hon. Minister. The report on energy was long overdue. So, today we are happy just because you came and gave us a briefing on electricity. Allow me to also pose a question Hon. Minister. I am surprised because we get electricity at eleven in the evening. The electricity is there for only two hours and then at 2 a.m. there would be no electricity.
Some days, electricity goes at 2 a.m. and then comes the following day on Friday morning. People are asking what is really happening and they are saying that they would rather not have electricity given the hours the electricity returns. Electricity comes back when we are sleeping and then goes when we are asleep. We would rather stay without electricity and we need an explanation on why that is happening. Thank you Madam President.
HON. SEN. TSHABANGU: Thank you very much Madam President. My question to the Minister is that, I am interested in the Batoka Project which is anticipated to produce about 1200 megawatts. You did not indicate the anticipated time or period of completion, if you can enlighten us on that one.
I did not hear much about the wind energy in your report that this Government is not really going to consider the wind as a renewable energy, even biomass as well. The other question is that we have got so many rivers that have a potential to produce hydro thermal power. In our tour as the Committee, we discovered that there were so many technical faults, small hitches that really hinder the progress for us to produce some power in those rivers. Are we really not utilising these rivers flow so that we can generate some significant amount of energy that can be transmitted to the national grid to alleviate the changes and problems that we are actually facing? Thank you.
HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: Thank you Madam President. Let me express my appreciation to the Minister for taking his time to come to this House to give that important statement. I think as a House, we feel that warmth that arise in this House; it is very rare there. We really do appreciate. I have got a few things that I need clarification on. Firstly, the statistics of the energy that we are generating, perhaps I missed it. You said we generate 1232 megawatts against consumption need of 1 735 megawatts. If I heard you correctly, that represents 71% performance. The story out there with respect to the black-outs and outages does not seem to tally with 71% generation capacity. People go for days without energy. Companies do the same and they suffer. Productivity is suffering hugely. So, I just wanted to find the clarity whether I got the numbers correct.
The second thing that I need clarity on is around the sharing of the scarce resource with important institutions particularly water treatment plants in our 32 urban-local authorities and in other water treatment plants that are run by ZINWA. Is there a policy to deliberately make sure that these important plants always get energy? Sometimes the water treatment plant is suffering outage for more than three days and the consequence is something that I cannot emphasise. A city of so many thousand people without drop of water for three days is a disaster Hon. Minister.
I would also like to join Hon. Senator Mutsvangwa in celebrating the idea of taping into nuclear energy and clean energy sustainable. I want clarity to whether there are love letters between your Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Environment. I see a concerted effort to generate power from coal but I see a lot of work happening, COP29 et cetera to reduce our carbon footprint in this country. Are you talking to each other as Ministers and if so, is there harmony? If there is harmony, we can celebrate. Thank you so much.
HON. E. MOYO: Thank you very much Madam President. I will try and talk to the issues in the order they came. Yes, there are advantages of grid interconnections but there are also disadvantages and that is accepted. I think those of us who used to play ski used to be the head and tail there. So, everything is head and tail.
Sometimes when we are short of power, the interconnections will help us but if there is fault, we all get affected. This is what happened. We are investigating but then our model of simulation in the case that in one of the regional powers which we may not name for electrical reasons, there must have been loss of generation and there was a very strong reversal of energy flow sucking out all the energy in the country. Fortunately, our engineers were able to rise to the task within about 5 hours. We need to develop our grid system to the extent that we insulate ourselves against the effects of such collateral eventualities. That point is taken.
On nuclear energy and South Africa, it is also noted that we need co-operation. Now, the small modular reactors commonly known as SMRs, which are now being commonly used for peaceful uses of nuclear are the way we want to go. We have engaged international partners particularly Rosatom and also the International Atomic Energy Agency. They have welcomed us and we are already working together. However, I must stress that this technology is very expensive and it takes a lot of time, hence our choice to work with a power like Russia who can easily hold our hand and perhaps help us cross the river.
However, the co-operation agreement with South Africa is also a very importation suggestion. Now, there was the Devil’s Gorge – I spoke about Batoka. Batoka is closer to the Victoria Falls and downstream towards Kariba Dam is the Devil’s Gorge. That name of course is a controversial name and we are going to change it. When we asked why they say ‘devil’s gorge’, when we want to generate electricity which is a good thing, the locals indicated that they were working on trying to change the name. The history of it is that a lot of people were dying when they got there. When they went fishing, many of them would not come back.
The idea is that first up river, we generate electricity at Batoka. Then downstream, we also generate electricity at the Devil’s Gorge. Then further down, we then generate electricity at the Kariba Dam. We want to use that water resource at three points for generating power. In times of difficulty like drought, we could generate power at Batoka and generate power at the Devil’s Gorge and then not generate power at Kariba so that we reserve water in the dam. This is the idea, then during our lean times, we then generate at Kariba.
Electricity comes at 11p.m. and goes out at 2 a.m, I want to marry this with another question which came much later. What really is happening is that whilst we have this electricity, we also have an obligation to avoid load shedding in critical and sensitive loads. In the past, you remember hospitals would cry that we are being load shed and patients were suffering and so forth. So, a decision was taken that such establishments should not be load shed. Unfortunately, we do not have dedicated lines for those sensitive loads. Those loads are sharing with the wider community. Let me give an example of Bulawayo, Mpilo Hospital; Mpilo Hospital is on all the time except when there is a fault. That line is shared with Barbourfields, Mzilikazi and other nearby establishments, meaning that the load which is supposed to go only to Mpilo is then expanded and given to many others in the vicinity because there is no dedicated line.
So, we are working on - funds allowing, having dedicated lines for those establishments. They are many of them in the country, meaning that instead of just benefiting the targeted institutions, we are now benefiting the communities around the institution, hence the cry that we are not receiving equity in terms of load shedding. What that means therefore, is that the bulk of electricity that we have is then dedicated to those areas and then very little remains for everybody then to share. Then, there comes the problem of intense load shedding in those areas where there are no dedicated lines.
The other thing is, a few weeks ago, Unit 8 was lost due to a high profile tube leak that took about three weeks to fix. The temperatures there are very high and it takes quite some days to cool the system down and then have access to those tubes. It was a very internal tube right inside. So, it then created loss of over 300 megawatts. That is when we then saw the biggest intensity. Coupled with that, was then the issue of units 1 to 6 which are old and which are prone to frequent breakdowns and this is causing the intensity that we are experiencing.
Most importantly, is our loss of Kariba where we are now generating 100 megawatts out of an installed capacity of 1 050 megawatts. That is a big loss which then intensifies the load shedding schedule that we are experiencing.
On timeframe in terms of the completion of Batoka, energy projects are long term investment projects. Currently, we are doing the updating of the feasibility study. After that, there is going to be the procurement of the contractors to build that facility. It might take us, according to our schedule, the actual construction might start in 2026 and might be completed around 2030 to 2032 depending on a number of variables. The timeline where we are saying this must be fully competed is around 2032 but the construction is going to start in 2026. As soon as we start, we may begin, generator by generator, the issue of generation.
Wind energy, we have not ignored the issue of wind energy. Actually, we are doing a lot around wind energy. Currently, what we are doing is to do what is called wind intensity profiles. So, some masts are set all over the country at designated points and those masts must stand there for a minimum period of 18 months so that the wind intensity profile is established so that the feasibility study is then carried out on the basis of that data. It then becomes easy therefore, for any contractor to come knowing exactly what is the resource in terms of wind is like at that particular place.
Rivers can produce hydro, yes, agreed and indeed some of them are doing so. Currently, we are only about four megawatts from a small hydro plant which is located in Manicaland. Government has taken a position that every dam that is going to be constructed in the country must also provide generation of electricity. So, a river on its own will not generate as this depends really on how it flows, the gravity and many other factors. That is why then the dams are constructed, which will give enough gravity for the turbine movements.
There is also a question on energy being generated; correct, it is 132 but I want to emphasise that these figures are not static. They change on a daily basis if not on an hourly basis depending on a number of variables. So, the demand focus, correct, currently it is on 1 735 and that also changes depending on a number of factors.
Water treatment plants, the policy of Government is that these are exempted from load shedding but however, there is a trend we have observed from some local authorities, where they know that they are not going to be load shed, then they do not pay for power.
I want to take this opportunity to say one of our greatest undoing is that people are not paying for power in all cases but they are paying for the cellphones. They are juicing in order to phone but they want power when they have not paid for it. This has resulted in a policy position that has been taken where we are saying we are going to install pre-payment meters for almost everybody except identified loads. We do exempt them but in one or two occasions where we realise it is deliberate neglect of responsibility, we will then shut them a bit and then get them running to pay. In many cases, when we do that, they come and pay, not all the money will be paid but something will be paid to keep the organisation because we need money to pay for imports, to pay for maintenance costs and to pay for all the running costs so that is why it is very important. Three days of no power mostly, if that is the case where you have water points or fewer points, it is most likely to be a fault. If not, please you can get in touch with me and then we can check what is happening because the Government policy is that we need to exempt such areas to avoid diseases.
Then the last question was about our movement towards coal. I am tempted to say things that I normally would not want to say. Our base load is largely coal, whether it is raining, it is cloudy it is whatever, coal will give us electricity if all the equipment is functioning well. Nuclear whether it is raining or whatever will give us a baseload but the others that we are trying now to embrace and move to also have their problems. Even if you have battery storage systems and it decides to rain or to be cloudy for a week or two, you will drain all the energy. The intermittent nature of some of these renewables requires that we strengthen our baseload. Yes, we talked to the Ministry of Environment and we are together, we are slowing down on coal side but then we cannot drop and abandon, otherwise the country would run dark in an hour. These are some of the things that we are doing. We appreciate the push towards renewable energy but not forgetting also our God given resource, coal which must also help us. After all, many of these countries that are enjoying prosperity developed out of coal. I thank you.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. A. DUBE): Honourable Minister, thank you for your clarity. We thank you very much for your Ministerial Statement which was clear and amazing. Thank you very much Hon. Minister Moyo.
MOTION
CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE TO THE PROSECUTOR-GENERAL FOR UPHOLDING THE DIGNITY OF THE GENERAL NOTICE 870 OF 2024
Eighth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the transparency of the operations of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Question again proposed
HON. SEN. MATIBIRI: Thank you Madam President for allowing me this opportunity to debate this very important motion which was brought to this House by Hon. Senator Advocate Phulu and seconded by Hon. Senator S. Moyo. The motion implores this House to appreciate the actions taken by the Office of the Prosecutor General through the publication of the Prosecutorial Guidelines which define how her office operates. These guidelines were done through a Government Gazzette 870 of 2024.
We are through this motion, invited to appreciate and indeed we do the actions taken by the Prosecutor General in laying there the operations of their office. A transparent justice delivery system is critical to the development of any nation Zimbabwe included. We are therefore, indeed with the mover of this motion appreciating that it is important because it creates predictability. You know that if you are arrested for any offence, you know what you are going to go through and predictability in the delivery of justice is an important aspect of not only our democracy but our economic development. Madam President, we appreciate it because we believe that a better Zimbabwe can only be built based on a transparent justice system. We appreciate this because we believe further that the image of our country at home and abroad will greatly be improved if our justice delivery system is perceived to be just, equitable and transparent.
A few weeks ago in this august House Madam President, when the Minister of Justice was asked a question in terms of the performance of our local currency, he flagged confidence as an important aspect of the performance of any currency. Confidence is equally important in the performance of our justice delivery system. If people do not have confidence in the justice delivery system of their country, they will not contribute meaningfully. It is a threat to the security and peace of such an issue. We need to be confident in the justice delivery system.
We believe further Madam President that the attainment of Vision 2030, which is a common pronouncement in this country where we are seeking to make Zimbabwe an Upper Middle Income Society by 2030, can only be achieved based on a just and transparent justice delivery system. From those three angles Madam President, we are proud that the Prosecutor General has taken the first step in laying out how their justice is delivered through her office. It is one thing Madam President to put these Prosecutorial Guidelines on paper and is a different thing to practice what is contained in those Prosecutorial Guidelines.
The history of this country Madam President, is flout with the abuse of the justice delivery system to further the interest of those who have power. Only yesterday, we heard that the death of luminaries of the first Chimurenga, Ambuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi were through a prostituted justice delivery system and that is not the only example Madam President. Throughout the liberation struggle, luminaries of this country have gone through torrid times through a skewed justice delivery system. It is our duty we believe Madam President from standing from this side, to provide an alternative view of how we can make this country better. I think in that view I am inspired by the pronouncements made by one of the luminaries of the liberation struggle, Josiah Magama Tongogara. He wished to see a society in which people lived equally whether black or white and he also wished to see a society in which everybody was treated equally before the law of the country – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] -
Our vision is to complete the unfinished business of the liberation struggle. When we make this pronouncement, we believe it is our patriotic duty to bring it to the attention of this House. Not that we oppose for the sake of opposing but we are pointing out to provide alternative views that will take our nation forward. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]- Madam President, we raise concern at the perception of the Office of the Prosecutor General. Citizens of this country whom I will not mention have been prosecuted using lawsthat have ceased to exist in our statutes. Imagine a citizen spending almost two years in prison only to be told that the particular law that got you in here is no longer in force. What perception does that create of our justice delivery system? What remedies would then exist for such a person whose rights and dignity have been heavily compromised due to the existence of a law that is no longer there?
Madam President, we read media reports of the Office of the Prosecutor General prosecuting those with less power and allowing those big fish to go. Such perceptions are not good for our country both in the short and the long term, whether they are right or wrong, but it is the perception.
So, we implore the Office of the Prosecutor General that in publishing her prosecutorial guidelines, she must also deal with her image because it is good for the country. I so submit Madam President and thank you.
*HON. SEN. KATUMBA: Thank you Madam President, I would like to applaud Hon. Senator Phulu for the motion that he moved. I would like to thank such a splendid job which is being done by all the people who learned to deal with their job.
Madam President, I foresee that such a job needs fairness and justice in society because it is very important for the whole nation to move forward. It is very important Madam President, for people to work and follow the guidelines just like what was being said by the previous speaker. It is a type of assignment that needs people to look into those critical roles to ensure that justice is served to all citizens.
Madam President, I as a woman, feel touched if justice is not prevailing, mostly when you look into women's gender and also those people with disabilities. If we are talking of justice, let it be justice. We expect and acknowledge that if it is a crime, yes, people do commit those crimes but the law does not look to see which clan you are coming from. So, justice is for all citizens in Zimbabwe. For example, if we look into the 78 people who were imprisoned and taken into remand prisons, it took four to five months without concluding justice. Amongst them, some women are breadwinners and they are kept there for a long time without being cleared.
If we look into our country, things to do with justice, even those things to do with the bail payment, the system looks to say you are from which family and tribe to be given justice. I am simply saying prosecutor generals are very important to us. Let them get chances to do their job independently so that they will not work in fear, to say if I treat this person this way, what will happen next?
With these few words Madam President, I wish to see justice prevail for all Zimbabweans.
HON. SEN. PHULU: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. S. MOYO: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 28th November, 2024.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SODA): Thank you Madam President. I move that the Senate reverts to Order of the Day Number 1 on today’s Order Paper. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
APPROVAL FOR RATIFICATION OF THE AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING THE SHELTER AFRIQUE DEVELOPMENT BANK
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SODA): I move the motion standing in my name that;
WHEREAS subsection (2) of Section 327 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that any Convention, Treaty, or Agreement acceded to, concluded, or executed by or under the authority of the President with one or more foreign states or governments or international organisations shall be subject to approval by Parliament;
WHEREAS the founding Member countries of the Company for Habitat and Housing in Africa (Shelter-Afrique) agreed to establish Shelter Afrique according to a Memorandum of Understanding on the “Establishment of an African Housing Development and Finance Institution” in 1981. Following that, in 1982 the founding Member countries of Shelter Afrique adopted the “Constituent Charter of Shelter Afrique”, which established Shelter Afrique and provided that the organisation would be governed by its statutes, which were also adopted in 1982. The Members called for a review and amendment of the Statutes and as a result, they seek to amend, restate, and consolidate the Existing Constitutive Documents (the Statutes, the Memorandum of Understanding, the Convention and the Constituent Charter), to reposition Shelter Afrique to reflect its original vision and intention of its founding Member countries and to change Shelter Afrique’s name from the “Company for Habitat and Housing in Africa” to “Shelter Afrique Development Bank”, including refining its purpose and functions as an African development finance institution devoted to addressing evolving needs for housing in Africa.
AND WHEREAS the terms of the Agreement Establishing the Shelter Afrique Development Bank dated October 5, 2023, requires that all Member Countries ratify the Agreement Establishing Shelter Afrique Development Bank as amended in 2023;
NOW, THEREFORE, in terms of subsection (2) of Section 327 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, this House resolves that the aforesaid Agreement be and is hereby approved for ratification. I move Madam President.
HON. SEN. PHULU: Thank you Madam President. We would like to thank the Hon. Minister for bringing this agreement to the House for debate.
Madam President, looking at what has been presented, I do not see anything that is prejudicial to the people of Zimbabwe and indeed, it demonstrates a Government that is at work trying to co-operate with international partners in order to get the best out of that co-operation and partnership. We obviously do appreciate the fact that in terms of our Constitution now, all these agreements that are signed, as a matter of course, are brought before Parliament so that Parliament can examine and see whether these laws do not offend our own domestic laws and do not prejudice us as Zimbabweans.
So, in this case, there is really nothing to object and certainly I would support that the House do adopt the motion as presented by the Hon. Minister. One would like to know, of course, that we are a country which faces a crisis in terms of housing and shelter and as we move towards 2030, Vision 2030, it would be interesting if the Hon. Minister, in his response, could shed light on how we can actually and meaningfully benefit from this bank and from the fact that it is being turned into a bank. What are our prospects of getting loans that will directly help people in our constituencies? However, the long and short of it, I do support and applaud the Hon. Minister for bringing forth this instrument.
HON. SEN. ZVIDZAI: Thank you Madam President. I also wish to thank the Hon. Minister for bringing up this in this House. I have got just one or two points of clarity that I need to seek.
Clearly, when you transition from one organisation into a transformed one, you are seeking for perhaps better performance and the Hon. Minister said that a lot of member countries have agreed to transform Shelter Afrique into a bank. Firstly, how useful has been Shelter Afrique? What real tangible benefits have we enjoyed from Shelter Afrique? What more do we anticipate to get through the conversion of the same into a bank? If it is allowed, could we have examples of one or two countries that have acceded to the transformation of Shelter Afrique into a bank? Thank you.
THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SODA): Thank you very much Madam President and allow me to also thank the Hon. Members who have debated on the motion.
Madam President, I will give a background to the matter that I brought for debate in this House. Zimbabwe holds a shareholding of 1.28% and in terms of classification, we have three categories. We have Class A, Class B and Class C member countries, of which there are 45 member countries in Africa. We are under the category of Class A. Then we also have Class B, which is the African Development Bank, Africa Reinsurance and the African Solidarity Fund is in category B and none member states.
So far, the 1.28 percentage shareholding that we have in Shelter Afrique has allowed us as a nation to access funding for housing developments through our financial institutions such as CABS, CBZ, FBC Building Society, ZB Bank, Bank ABC to a tune of $65 million, which we have so far accessed through these institutions. As we speak, the Urban Development Corporation, POSB, National Building Society and West Properties have submitted their applications for $40 million, which they may access once the approvals have been finalised. So, with the change from being a mere company to a bank, we also intend to improve or to increase on our shareholding as Zimbabwe from 1.28% to a shareholding of about 5%, taking cognisance of the benefits that have so far accrued as a result of our 1.28%.
We think we can get more as a result of the increase in our shareholding. Another agreement which was there in 1982 when this agreement was settled for, the headquarters for Shelter Afrique was supposed to be domiciled in Kenya and nowhere else and that was the agreement. But with the proposals that we are coming up with and also what was agreed last year in October is that there can now be a variation and to that as Zimbabwe, we are intending to create a regional office for Shelter Afrique in Zimbabwe once this has been acceded to. Those are some of the benefits because we think that if we can be the regional hub for Shelter Afrique, a lot more benefits will accrue to our country than what we are currently obtaining. Also, the change of name from being a mere company to a bank indicates that there is going to be some improvement in corporate governance where Shelter Afrique will be expected to operate along the requirements of financial institutions. That also gives safety and security to the depositors and shareholders in the institution as opposed to the current set-up where it was constituted as a company.
So, I think I have responded to the issues of the benefits that we have so far obtained through our membership to Shelter Afrique. Some other countries like Kenya have already ratified this Agreement and we would also want to be among the countries that will ratify the Agreement so that we operate on permissible lines of corporate governance and also that we will be able to establish a regional office in Zimbabwe. Much more benefits will continue to accrue as a result of our membership to shelter Afrique Bank. I thank you Madam President.
Motion put and agreed to.
On the motion of THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL HOUSING AND SOCIAL AMENITIES (HON. SODA), the Senate adjourned at a Quarter to Five o’clock p.m. until Tuesday, 10th December, 2024.