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SENATE HANSARD 14 MAY 2025 Vol. 34 No. 47
PARLIAMENT OF ZIMBABWE
Wednesday, 14th May, 2025
The Senate met at Half-past Two o’clock p.m.
PRAYERS
(THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE in the Chair)
ANNOUNCEMENTS BY THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE
BILL RECEIVED FROM THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I would like to inform the Senate that I have received the Persons with Disabilities Bill [H. B. 2A, 2023] from the National Assembly.
HALF-DAY WORKSHOP TO UNPACK THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT CONVENTION
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE: I would like to inform the Senate that all Hon. Members are invited to a half-day workshop to unpack the International Labour Organisation Violence and Harassment Convention. The workshop is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, 15 May 2025 at 0800 hours in the Multi-Purpose Hall.
DIPLOMATIC TRAINING WORKSHOP
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE:
I also have to inform Senators that the Diplomatic Training Workshop which was scheduled for the 15th to 19th May 2025 at Kadoma Hotel and Conference Centre has been postponed indefinitely. Participants will be advised of the new dates and venue once confirmed.
SWITCHING OFF OF CELLPHONES
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE:
I would like to remind the Hon. Senators to put your gadgets on silence or better still switch them off.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. S. CHIKOMO): I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 to 15 be stood over until Order of the Day Number 16 has been disposed of.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
APPROVAL FOR RATIFICATION OF THE PROMOTION AND RECIPROCAL PROTECTION OF INVESTMENTS BETWEEN THE REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE AND THE REPUBLIC OF BELARUS
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. S. CHIKOMO): A pleasant afternoon Mr President. Memorandum of the ratification of the agreement between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Republic of Belarus on the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments. Section 327 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe provides that an International Treaty that has been concluded or executed by the President or under the President’s authority-
Sub Section 2 (a) and (b):
- does not bind Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament and
- does not form part of the law of Zimbabwe unless it has been incorporated into law through an Act of Parliament.
Sub Section 3 (a) and (b)
An agreement which is not an International Treaty but which:
(a) has been concluded or executed by the President or under the President’s authority with one or more foreign organisations or entities and
(b) imposes fiscal obligations on Zimbabwe does not bind Zimbabwe until it has been approved by Parliament.
The agreement between the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Republic of Belarus on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investment seeks to create favourable conditions that are fair and equitable, which will enhance the mutual flow of capital by intensifying cooperation between private enterprises in both contracting parties with a view to stimulating the productive use of resources.
The agreement was signed on the 1st of February 2023.
Article 1 provides the definition for the purpose of the agreement. Article 2 provides for the scope of application which states that the agreement applies to investment made in Zimbabwe and Belarus and only made by nationals of those countries.
Article 3 provides that the contracting parties shall promote the development of economic cooperation between their nationals through the encouragement of investment made by those nationals in the territory of either contracting party as well as provides for the admission within the framework of the contracting parties, laws and regulations on the participation of the nationals through investment in the establishment and cooperation of the productive activities in each territory which contribute towards the improvement of the standard of living of their people and prosperity of their country.
Article 4 states that the host contracting party shall accord investment by investors of the other contracting party, protection and security no less favourable than it accords to investment of its own investors.
Article 5 provides for fair and equitable treatment to investment of nationals of both contracting party and neither contracting party shall impair by unjustified or discriminatory measures, the operation, management, maintenance, use, enjoyment or disposal thereof by those nationals. Furthermore, this article accords an investment of investors of each contracting party, full protection and security and of course either its nationals or to nationalise any third state except in cases that the respective laws and special treaties provide otherwise.
Article 6, provides for fair and critical treatment of nationals from the host State. Article 7, states that each host contracting party shall accord investors and their investment treatment no less favourable than it accords in large circumstances to investors and their investment from any third country with respect to the establishment, acquisition, expansion, management, operation and disposition of investment in its territory. Article 8, places a common obligation against corruption and enjoins investors to not partake in corrupt activities.
Article 9, requires foreign investors to comply with domestic laws in the host contracting party. Article 10, calls upon investors to provide information to the host contracting party for the purpose of decision-making as well as statistical information. Article 11, requires investors to maintain an environmental management system consistent with recognised International Environmental Management Standards and good business practice. Article 12, provides for other commitments.
Therefore, if either contracting party's legislation or obligation under an international agreement existing at present or to be established contains rules, whether general or specific, entitling investment by investors of the other contracting parties, to treatment more favourable than is provided for by this agreement. Such rules shall apply to the extent that they are more favourable. Article 13, provides for exceptions. Certain provisions of their agreement may be suspended subject to the limited ground which includes national security.
Article 14 states that investors whose investments suffer loss in the territory of the host contracting party owing to war or other armed conflict, revolution, national emergency, revolts, insurrection or riot shall be accorded treatment as regards restitutions, indemnification, compensation or other settlements not less favourable than that which the host contracting party accords to its own investors or to investors of any third party.
Article 15 states that investment of investors of either contracting party shall not be nationalised, expropriated or subjected to measures having effect equivalent to nationalisation of expropriation. Article 16, states that each contracting party shall, with respect to investment, permit investors of the other contracting party upon the fulfilment of all their tax obligation.
Article 17, states that a contracting party or its designated agency having made payment to an investor, based on a guarantee issued for non-commercial risk in relation to an investment in the territory of the other contracting party shall be, by virtue of subrogation, be entitled to exercise the rights of the investor to the same extent as the original investor. Articles 18, 19 and 20, prescribe the process of dispute settlement between parties and between investors. It states that when a dispute arises, it shall be settled amicably through consultation or negotiation.
In the event that negotiations fail, the parties shall constitute an arbitral tribunal to settle the disputes. According to Article 21, each party shall, subject to its laws and regulations relating to the entry and sojourn of non-citizens, permit natural persons of the other contracting party and other persons appointed or employed by investors of the other contracting party, to enter and remain in its territory for the purpose of engaging in activities connected with investments. Article 22 provides for amendments.
Article 23, states that the contracting parties shall consult at the request of either contracting party on any matter concerning the interpretation, application or implementation of this agreement. Article 24 and 25, provide for the entry into force, duration and termination of this agreement. Entry into force begins on the date of receipt of notification by either contracting party to the other that its constitutional and legal requirements have been fulfilled.
This agreement shall remain in force for 15 years and shall be automatically extended for another five years, unless either contracting party notifies of the intentions to terminate the agreement in writing well before the said expiration. Article 26, is a confidentiality clause, while Article 27 states that all correspondence pursuant to the agreement shall be done through diplomatic channels. Mr. President, it is desirable that the Republic of Zimbabwe ratify the aforesaid agreement.
HON. SEN. CHAPFUDZA: Thank you again Mr. President for giving me this time to apply my mind to the motion that has been brought by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. I would like to thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs for going out and outsourcing investments for the country. Here, we have an agreement that has been entered into by the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Republic of Belarus on the promotion and reciprocal protection of investment, which is quite good in seeing it. Maybe, you can school me or educate me on this if I go wayward.
The motion that our Hon. Minister is reading from, as for me, I am hearing it for the first time. I have checked throughout the parliamentary groups where we find documents for us apply our minds to the motion, so that when we want to ratify and domesticate, we do it with understanding because when we go back to our constituencies, they will ask us these things.
When we were ratifying this and this, do we have the details, did you have the understanding of what we will do? We know that after domesticating it and ratifying it, it will become a law. There will be an agreement that will be binding. For now, it is not binding because we have not yet ratified it. I was thinking if it is not given to us in time for us to apply our minds, I think there is a need that we get those documents in time so that we apply our minds when we ratify and domesticate, we will be doing it with the true understanding of what really the agreement was. Thank you, Mr. President, that is my submission.
HON. SEN. PHULU: I have a point of order. The point of order being that I have gone through the platform where we receive messages and the agreement is not yet there. My request is that if the Minister does not wind up this debate today, to allow us to receive the document first so that we can make a meaningful debate. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I am being advised Hon. Senator Phulu, that this treaty was unpacked for the Members sometime in April. The Clerk has gone to fetch the exact date and I am told it was unpacked in the Multi-Purpose Hall.
HON. SEN. PHULU: Indeed, thank you very much Mr. President. If you want to set the motion, it has been on the Order Paper for two days. So, as of the time that it is placed on the Order Paper, it should be available to Members officially because there may be Members who did not attend that particular event to get it. Certainly, in terms of the procedure, the report should be laid before the House and for it to be laid before the House, it then has to be put in our pigeonholes as it were.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Our electronic pigeonholes.
HON. SEN. PHULU: Our electronic pigeonholes, yes.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senator, I am told that this item was on the Order Paper when we adjourned. So, if it was on the Order Paper, it means it was brought to your attention.
HON. SEN. PHULU: Thank you Mr. President. The Order Paper says the two days have lapsed and I do not know how they managed to do that – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]-
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Hon. Senator Phulu, we adjourned and we only - can you switch off your mic? We only resumed yesterday. So, two days could not have elapsed.
HON. SEN. PHULU: Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: Thank you Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to say a few remarks on the motion brought to the House by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade on the agreements between our nation, Zimbabwe and Belarus. Mr. President, for me, I want to state that Belarus is a very good friend to Zimbabwe. You can see that we, as Zimbabwe, are an agriculture-driven economy and Belarus already, if you can see, has given us farming implements. We received tractors, combined harvesters, which means and shows that Belarus is a very good friend to Zimbabwe.
On the transport system, we have already received some buses to ease the shortage of transport in our country. I now want to support this treaty that Zimbabwe should receive Belarus' investments and also protect them and make sure they do their business freely in our country because Belarus has shown that it can work well with our country as it is not just coming here to take our resources but is also bringing us resources for us to do our farming properly. We know we are in the climate change era where the rains are not coming well and we need new technology which can be used to enhance our farming.
The agreements between Zimbabwe and Belarus, I support what our Government has done to enter into this treaty with Belarus. However, these investors should also observe the rules of our nation, Zimbabwe, when they are conducting business in their investments. They need to observe rules related to do with employment and the environment so that they leave our areas, our environment in a proper way and also make sure they employ Zimbabweans in their companies and not bring foreigners to do some menial jobs which can be done by people in Zimbabwe.
We also need investment in our country but we are also supposed to protect our population from ill-treatment because we find some investors who come to our country sometimes ill-treat the people they employ. As Parliament, we need to make sure that the laws which we make here are being followed by those foreign investors who come to invest in our nation. I just stood up here to support this treaty that as a nation, we should ratify the treaty between Zimbabwe and Belarus because Belarus has shown that it is a good friend to our nation by what they are already doing, assisting us in our farming sector. Thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MOHADI: Thank you Mr. President, for giving me this opportunity to add a few words to this agreement between Zimbabwe and Belarus. Allow me to thank the Hon. Minister who brought this motion into the august House. Thank you to the Minister who brought this friend to us by bringing a country that wants to work with us. Belarus, to us as Zimbabweans, is a good friend indeed. A country that we require because we take pride in it. Those who are engaged in agriculture, all know that we have challenges in our country. We did not have enough combine harvesters and the first thing that they looked into was to assist us with combine harvesters. Even though they would sell some of the equipment, we are grateful because we did not have those things. We are now able to grow wheat and harvest it on time. We now have good production when it comes to wheat because wheat production for last year surpassed what we anticipated and this is great. This is a good partnership. If you realise that there is a good friend who removes you from the challenges that you will be experiencing, you need to clap hands for them. What we continue to ask for is for continued partnership between Zimbabwe and Belarus. They also need to get protection to ensure that they do their work without any challenges.
The other issue that I would like to look into is the issue of corruption. Let us ensure that in this partnership there is understanding and we honour what has been agreed upon for these two countries to progress. The other important issue looking at Belarus is that they are well advanced in technology. We are hopeful that they will bring their technology to our country and teach our children bit by bit to ensure that we continue to progress in our farming activities because Zimbabwe is a country that is more focused on farming. Therefore, Belarus has given us farming equipment to ensure that when we engage in agriculture we get good yields. The other issue is that Belarus is coming to invest in our country, we should enable it to get something from us.
Lastly, Mr. President, if Belarus is coming to our country, they need to ensure that they follow our laws and they do not need to bring some things that we already have or they should not bring workforce from their country because we have people who can provide the manpower here. Therefore, with these few words, I support this motion brought into this august House by the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: Thank you Hon. President for giving me this opportunity to deliberate on this motion. I want to start by thanking the Government, which is led by His Excellency, President Cde. E. D. Mnangagwa for his visionary leadership, which takes note of the fact that as a nation we are behind in terms of development. So the Belarus-Zimbabwe investment is quite important because it is going to help us as a nation to attain what we desire as a nation. After all Mr. President, we copy good ideas from those who have excelled. So I want to say that I support this treaty from my point of view and from what the Honourable Minister was saying. This is a treaty that is going to remove us from poverty so that we can uplift our nation to the great heights that we aspire to.
The other thing that I have noted Mr. President, is that Clause 11 is supposed to provide information because when looking at these issues, when they are not properly written, this is where we normally lose it. This is where you find people end up signing what they do not understand or what is not clear. So I am happy with Clause 11 because when we ratify in this august House, we are going to ratify on a point of knowledge after having gone through the document and after understanding the treaty so that I will be able to determine whether the treaty aligns with our aspirations as a nation.
The issue of compliance was also raised, which means that after ratification, you would find that some would not be adhering to what has been agreed on. So we need to look into these issues so that they are done properly so that everything will be done efficiently.
Clause 12, which alludes to environmental issues is quite pertinent. As a nation, we face a challenge from foreign companies that come to prospect, which come to explore and extract minerals. They leave open pits. Our nation is sometimes left exposed to open pits where vulnerable people fall into those pits. Our livestock and wildlife are also exposed to these pits. When the rain comes, you will find that our soil is washed away. We end up facing different challenges as a result of land degradation. As you are aware, Zimbabwe is an agro-based economy and we rely on agriculture. If we do not take this issue seriously, our dams will be silted and everything that we do will be affected Mr. President.
The previous speakers spoke about agricultural equipment. We appreciate the tractors that we got. I was just thinking that there should be kits and spares for servicing our tractors because we have qualified people who can do that. What we do not have are the spares for tractors. We need kits for assembling tractors and this would make the purchasing price less than what it is right now. So Mr. President, having done that as a nation, we will be able to procure our tractors at an affordable price, which means every farmer can then have a tractor because this is a good initiative.
We need the tractors to be assembled locally Mr. President. The good that is done by investors who come to Zimbabwe, which is alluded to in Clause 15, we do not have to nationalise what has been brought by foreign companies and investors, but we need to appreciate the good that they do because they help us as a nation to be industrialised. After attaining that as a nation, even the generations to come would appreciate the good that we would have left for them.
Mr. President, I want to support this treaty because, like I said earlier, that if it is written properly, it will remove us from poverty and we will be counted amongst successful countries the world over. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. MUNZVERENGWI: I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to add my voice to this motion that was moved by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Mr. President, let me start by saying that His Excellency, President Dr. E.D. Mnangagwa said that he is going to push the engagement and re-engagement agenda and these are the fruits of engagement and re-engagement that we are seeing through the different countries which are expressing their interest to work with us as a nation. So, I support the motion that was brought by the Minister to this House, especially since it talks about the goodness of the treaties and the protocols that we are accepting and that we are dealing with, focusing on investors who are interested in investing in Zimbabwe. Mr. President, the previous speakers spoke about the essence of agriculture and the fact that when you do not have proper equipment and implements, it is quite difficult to have a bounty harvest.
Now His Excellency, the President is opening silos for farmers to keep their produce. When we look at the mechanisation programme, Belarus is bringing tractors into the country and when you go through the different provinces, you will come across these tractors. What it means is that this is bettering our people's lives and the production of crops in Zimbabwe is not about tractors only, but tractors with different accessories like ploughs, combine harvesters and equipment for cutting trees and even for stock feeds for our livestock.
Mr. President, I stood up to say that it is not about agriculture, but Belarus is playing quite a significant role. We have a lot of investors who are coming here; some are exploring minerals and extracting minerals, different minerals that we did not even know existed, which means our children are going to be employed in different areas and rural areas. There will be extraction of minerals and value addition of minerals, which means more jobs for the children of Zimbabwe. Mr. President, after listening to the Hon. Minister speaking, I want to thank those who wrote the motion because it is quite comprehensive and it was done in such a way that it protects even the agreements that will be done between investors and the local people so that the rights of investors and the rights of our people are protected.
I stood up Mr. President to say that this makes it very clear to investors who will be coming to Zimbabwe because they will know that there are laws that must be followed because they will be on record. I want to thank the Hon. Minister for such clarity because this shows transparency and for those who are outside the country, the foreign investors who will be coming and who will be bringing buses, tractors, mining equipment and the different projects, then it means that they will understand how we operate as a nation. I thank you.
*HON. SEN. PHULU: I would like to contribute to this debate Mr. President, from the point of view that bringing these agreements in terms of the Constitution of Zimbabwe contributes to the significant milestone that we reached when we made that provision in our Constitution to ensure that agreements which are made by the Executive with foreign states are brought to the attention of Parliament. Certainly, it helps Parliament to be able to appreciate what sort of transactions are being made between the State and different departments or ministries within the Executive. It gives us an appreciation of how the programme for development and the programme to foster stronger relationships and partnerships is taking place.
This allows us, as we go on down the line, once these actions are taken, whether we want them to account for how revenue generated from these investments are made and so forth, we would be able to debate with a stronger appreciation of the work that is being done. So, I would like to thank the Hon. Minister for taking the steps to bring this agreement and very quickly, I think she has broken a record, two days to be here to have it debated. We have seen some of them remaining on the Order Paper for an elongated period of time and then being ambushed at the end when we are ask to debate. So, I would like to thank her very much for that.
The bringing of the BIPPA, the Zimbabwe-Belarus Bilateral Investment Protection Agreement to this esteemed House is a testament, therefore, to our commitment to transparency, accountability and strategic economic growth, Mr. President. So, it is an exhibition of how our Constitution is working. As enshrined in our Constitution, it is our duty to scrutinise and approve these international agreements that have a direct bearing on our sovereignty, economic policies and the well-being of our people. The inclusion of this BIPPA on our legislative agenda underscores this importance as I have already said.
I would like to highlight therefore some critical clauses within this agreement that merit our attention and which we looked at as we reviewed this BIPPA. For example, the provisions on investment protection are strong. Investment protection is necessary so that as we invest in Belarus, the intention is that we also invest in Belarus; it is not one way. Our investments there are protected but as they invest here as well, it is vital to have this clause to secure an environment for these agreements which attracts foreign direct investment but also ensures that our investments are protected. There is reciprocal growth.
Secondly, the clause relating to dispute resolution mechanisms are appreciated and are crucial. We will all know what should happen should disputes arise. I know that there have been strenuous efforts made to resolve some disputes in the past. An example is the Land Reform Programme where the Government has now entered into agreements with some of its people being partners in order to compensate them. To avoid that protracted fight and uncertainty, these kinds of provisions will help so that the process is clear to everybody thereby safeguarding our national interest and maintaining investor confidence.
Mr. President, thirdly, the agreement emphasises sustainable development. We cannot underline this any further. Sustainable development should run across each and every Act of Parliament and agreement of treaty that we do. I would just like to mention that that box is ticked. In summary, the BIPPA provides legal safeguards to protect Zimbabwe from illegal currency transfers as well and fair treatment, fostering a secure environment for foreign investment. This in turn can lead, as we mentioned, to economic growth, job creation, technology transfer and sustainable development, ultimately strengthening Zimbabwe's economic resilience and global integration. Hon. Members, Dr. L. Mandara from the University of Zimbabwe has rightly emphasised in our workshop that Parliament's oversight function is pivotal to such agreements. Certainly, we have the constitutional authority and responsibility to scrutinise these agreements and ensure that they contribute meaningfully. Let us approach this process with diligence, discernment and a shared commitment to ensuring our engagement with Belarus through BIPPA benefits Zimbabweans now and into the future.
I would like to thank you Mr. President. I would like to thank the Honourable Minister for bringing this agreement. It is largely procedural to do so. She is complying with the technical process. Yes, there is nothing that is objectionable to the treaty and I would like to urge the House to adopt this treaty and make sure that it passes through and applies as soon as possible in our nation to bring us its benefits. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: Thank you Hon. President for giving me this opportunity to add a few words. Truly, most of us did not read this agreement, so it will be difficult for us to debate on it because we did not read it. Unfortunately, we need to be done with it as soon as possible but I would like to thank the Minister for bringing it here so that we focus on the things that are developmental to us as a country, Zimbabwe. It is difficult for me to then analyse this after a lawyer has spoken. After the presentation by the lawyer, for me to come and say this is not correct is difficult. I am in trouble, for you have started with Advocate Phulu, if only you had started by recognising me. Analysing this agreement, I do not know if we have something that we are benefiting yet they are coming here to mine. In mining, it is said they are creating jobs for us. Nevertheless, I do not know if they would come and help us with technical expertise not to come and mine. Right now, our country is experiencing quite a number of people coming in to say they are coming to invest yet in the long run Zimbabweans are not getting anything. We are only getting the few things that would be remaining at the end of the whole process. If this is benefiting our children in job creation, we can also create jobs on our own.
All they need from them is the expertise and their machinery, not for them to come and help in mining because we are able to do the mining on our own. President of the Senate, it is difficult for me to keep speaking of the negatives, because most of my colleagues have said this is good. Yes, we are not a country that is encountering difficulties that much. We cannot keep on saying we are asking for help. I will focus on maybe South Africa. If you are to bring a BMW, you bring it in pieces and we assemble it. If Belarus would do the same for us, it would be good. If they are bringing tractors, they need to bring them in pieces and then we assemble them in Zimbabwe. If it is to come here after it has been assembled, then we are not learning anything. We are not gaining anything. We are only getting tractors for us to engage in farming. But we need Zimbabweans to learn how to assemble these tractors and things like that. It is good, yes, to be offered things but it is not good in most cases. In Zimbabwe, since our children are engaged in different professional skills, they need to know how to assemble these and Belarus can then come in and assist in the assembling of those. Yes, we will sin because it is above me, but in my own view, I am not going to allow it if it were me. I will ask them to bring their expertise. It is true, yes, Senators and the President of the Senate, with their expertise, they need to help us so that as Africa, maybe in one of the days as Zimbabwe, we also get to have such expertise. Let us focus on Rwanda. We are seeing it on social media. I have realised that they are now assembling cars in their country. There are phones in that country, and as Zimbabwe, we need to lead in these things because we continue to take pride in saying we are the most educated country, but let it not be on paper. We need to also come up with skills. With these few words, I thank you.
HON. SEN. ZINDI: Thank you Deputy President, for giving me this opportunity to equally support – [HON. SENATORS: Inaudible interjections.] - I beg your pardon Mr. President. Did I miss something?
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: You called me a Deputy President, when I am sitting here, I am the President – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] – You can continue.
HON. SEN. ZINDI: That is the correction I wanted Mr. President because I had already heard from corners that something was amiss. Thank you President. As I said earlier on, I also rise to support the motion being debated in the House. I would not want to say much, it might sound like I am repeating but I always want to say that repetition leads to emphasis and that it should be done that way.
What I mean is, when I walked in, Senator Tongogara was contributing and she was speaking on the part of having an after-sales service. What do I mean by that? She was making reference to some kits and other speakers have also referred to technological transfer other than just receiving fully assembled equipment. My observation has been that, while we go into these agreements, we tend to forget about the after-sales service, particularly on the parts for that equipment to continue to be in use. That is a very important point which I would like to emphasise that it should be taken note of.
Secondly, we need to cast our net wider other than just equipment for ploughing, perhaps disking and so on because agriculture is quite a large sector. Dairy, we need to see such equipment being included such as - if I may give an example, bailers, rollers, milking machines, tasting machines. Not only that, we are also talking of value addition and that is in the agricultural sector which can actually be done on the farm by the farmer who is into dairy. Perhaps he or she decides to value-add the milk into cheese, yoghurt and things like that. Hence, my call to say we need to cast our net wider and cover as much broad as we can possibly do.
Sometimes, it is also important to also find out from farmers when we enter into this kind of agreement because it is the farmer, him or herself, who knows exactly the kind of equipment that would be useful on his or her farm in order to be productive and also to produce yields that we can say, yes, Zimbabwe is now producing. Consultation is very important, particularly with the end user of that equipment.
Technological transfer to such equipment will also lead to industrialisation that His Excellency has been yearning for and is calling for other than just receiving fully assembled equipment. With these few words, I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: Thank you very much Mr. President. The Honourable Members who spoke to me spoke about everything that is supposed to be talked about as regards this agreement. The agreement is protecting the environment. It is also protecting the investment. It protects nationals against corruption in either country. It is also guaranteeing that national laws be followed. It is also talking about technological transfers, which means in my view, if you go to the Ministry of Agriculture, center or the border, they are already assembling tractors from Belarus which came here by way of CKDs. So, as far as I am concerned, that is covered.
I have one small problem Mr. President. The problem I have is that the majority of the treaties are between country and country. This is leaving our communities a bit vulnerable in the sense that in this country, there is not yet a corporate social responsibility law which protects our people from mistreatment by the investors because it is not the State that is coming to invest here. They are individuals that are coming from that country to come and invest here.
Likewise, on the other side, it is not Zimbabwe that is going to invest in Belarus but our Zimbabweans that are going there. So, I do not know whether there is room for us to add the issue of corporate social responsibility because in different countries whose agreements have been signed by this country, their nationals are coming here but they are leaving nothing for the communities. They may bring money to the State but where they are doing - let me give an example of mining, they are just leaving open pits and there is nothing to show in those communities of what will have been invested by the investor.
The roads are being damaged. People in some of those areas do not have clinics or schools but the resources are being taken away from those communities by the nationals of the countries whose treaties we will have ratified here. My worry is, do we have room to incorporate the issue of corporate social responsibility as a guarantee to make sure that our communities are protected? Thank you Mr. President.
*HON. SEN. BVUMO: Thank you Hon. President for giving me this opportunity to add a few words. Despite the fact that I did not have the opportunity to go through the document pertaining to the agreement that we are talking about in this august House, what prompted me to stand up is because of what is obtaining globally in terms of global networks, relationships between countries.
Mr. President, for those who remember, we had a challenge regarding the stop order from America which culminated in a negative impact on our health department. It is important to have good relationships with different countries, the world over. If we focus on one region of the world, then it is not progressive.
We are talking about the relationship between Zimbabwe and Belarus. In the past few days, His Excellency, the President was in Russia where he had an official visit . He then left Russia for Belarus. The relationship between Belarus and Russia, we note that they have a good relationship, which might have influenced us as a nation to be inclined to work with the countries because of the advantages that we see and the relationship that we have with Belarus and how we benefit from the relationship.
The other issue is the fact that when we look at Belarus and Zimbabwe, these might be white people but 70% of their economy is mostly rural setup. Their economy is agro-based. It is mostly from rural areas. This is similar to Zimbabwe and it makes it easy for us to have a good relationship with them. Looking at these agreements, it is a good thing indeed, but if it is a child who is being breastfed, it is important for that child to be weaned at a certain stage. The relationship with Belarus and noting the good results, when you look at women, in 2019, we had women who went to Belarus and they had a number of meetings in the textile industry.
It is not about the agriculture industry, but it spans different sectors of the economy. After benefitting from such relationships, we must not just be at the receiving end. We need to be empowered with knowledge. The coming in of tractors, combine harvesters and other equipment should empower our people so that our young people will be able to assemble these different types of machinery. This must result in Zimbabwe having its own plant for assembling such equipment.
It is my desire that when they come back again, we have a challenge that our populace might not be benefitting by getting jobs through the coming in of investors, it is unfortunate to say that the coming in of investors, sometimes reflects on a situation where investors bring their own stuff, from tissues and different materials. They bring their materials here. This is a loophole which I desire to see addressed. I want to add on by saying that there is the issue of our environment, it was alluded to earlier.
Most of the times, we are left to bear the brand because we might not have assessed the impact upon our roads. Sometimes you find big potholes on our roads, despite the fact that we will be having investors plying such roads and operating in such areas. When we have investors coming in, then we must also benefit. Our minerals must not just benefit investors, they must also benefit the communities.
I want to thank the Hon. Minister who brought this agreement to this august House. Indeed, with what is happening in other countries, it is important to build relationships with countries that come and work with us as Zimbabwe, countries that are not selfish because sometimes you would find that at times you have investors who are selfish because they pursue their own interests. With Belarus, I believe that we have a good relationship that is going to benefit our nation and our people. It is going to transform our people’s livelihoods in our agricultural sector, our infrastructure and it is going to give us food security. So, I just wanted to add these few words pertaining to the agreement that was read by the Hon. Minister. I thank you.
*THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: thank you Hon. Senator Bvumo. I hope we are not just repeating the same things that have been said. I hope we are going to avoid tedious repetition.
*HON. SEN. HUNGWE: I want to thank you Hon. President. I will not repeat what has been said, but something came to mind whilst I was seated. I want to thank the Hon. Minister for this motion. I just thought of something, indeed, those who come and relationships are quite important. The President normally talks about social capital and building lasting relationships where sometimes, in our communities we have people who stand for us. I want to know that when investors come, whether they come with different things that were mentioned, I want to say that for any nation to be progressive, there is a need for money. Are these investors paying taxes to Government? We need to look at these issues. There were issues like the coming in of investors who spent five years without paying taxes. Some ended up changing names so that they do not pay taxes to Government. I just stood up to say that the issue of paying taxis to Government should be looked into. The Hon. Ministers should look at these things. We see investors coming, but we want investors to pay their taxes so that our nation can progress. I thank you.
HON. SEN. ZHOU: Thank you Mr. President, for allowing me to say a few things. I also want to thank the Hon. Minister for bringing this agreement to this House. Mine is just a short one, of course, recognising the important work that is being done by His Excellency and the team from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in terms of re-engagement and engagement and following the principle of a friend to all and an enemy to none as a country.
Now, listening to the summation given by the Hon. Minister on all the items on the agreement, I had a feeling that there could be more forward linkages than backward linkages to the country. This is why many speakers have been talking about the lack of those backward linkages. I mean the other country in the contract is going to be benefitting than the host country and that should be clear in terms of realities – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]-
It should also be clear in terms of the spirit of community share ownership of whatever is going to be done. I feel that is missing in this agreement. I know when people are negotiating and the drafters take long and I am sure some of these things could have fallen to the side during the process of negotiating this agreement. I hope that our team will remain focused on making sure that at least after 20 years, when we look back, we should see the backward linkages to this country coming out of this agreement. Mr. President, I submit. Thank you.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you Hon. Senator I. Zhou. Can somebody switch off the mic on his behalf? I recognise the Hon. Minister to give a response to the issues that have been raised.
THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE (HON. CHIKOMO): Thank you Mr. President. First and foremost, I would like to thank the Hon. Senators who gave their invaluable comments, very insightful comments and their willingness to help rectify the Memorandum we are sitting on today. I would also like to commend you; I heard the concerns regarding the paper being available in a very short space of time. I would like to thank the Hon. Senators for giving a thorough discussion on this matter.
I am delighted that we have put our hands together with one vision of wanting to see how far we can go with this type of Memorandum of Understanding. To take you back, this Memorandum of Understanding is very important because the purpose of this agreement is to facilitate investment flow. It is to facilitate and provide legal security. The investment flow is very crucial, especially for the development of our country and different sectors that seek investment, including technology, including from the energy side, the infrastructure. When we look at the expertise that Belarus has, we see that it is important to consider the BIPPA. I wish to notify the august House that this is fundamentally guided by our Constitution, where we seek to address matters that help us as a country to get better, to reach that Upper Middle-Income Class by 2030, to factor in industrialisation and value addition.
It is very key for us to note that as we speak of us being a friend to all and an enemy to none, as we speak of Zimbabwe being open for business, it is very key to consider such a memorandum between Zimbabwe and Belarus. I would also want to highlight that it would be very remiss of me not to point out the immense benefits that Zimbabwe gets when we sign this BIPPA documentation. First and foremost, we will be guaranteed that there will be increased investor confidence. One of the main goals of this particular memorandum is to create a more secure and predictable, environmentally friendly atmosphere for our international countries that want to trade with us. We would also look into the technological transfer and the knowledge exchange.
One of the Hon. Senators mentioned that we brag a lot about being the most educated, we brag a lot about being a country that has a lot of knowledge, hence, it would not be important to consider teaching our own Zimbabweans how to do business. In the same vein, it is also important to accept and understand certain expertise that another country has over us. Hence, it is very key to look at the comparative analysis of what Zimbabwe can gain from this particular documentation.
I would also want to highlight that this particular engagement will help us, especially in creating jobs for our Zimbabweans through foreign investment. Foreign investment from Belarus companies, particularly in industries like agriculture, mining, infrastructure and manufacturing can lead to significant job creation in Zimbabwe.
Also, like I said earlier, infrastructure development, Belarus can provide capital and expertise for the development of infrastructure in Zimbabwe and also strengthen our bilateral ties. The BIPPA helps to strengthen the economic and diplomatic relations between Zimbabwe and Belarus and this will help enhance the relations that lead to mutual trust and cooperation, of course, also expanding our trade relations. I would also want to comment on one of the comments from our Hon. Senator, through you Mr. President, that through engaging the Belarusians, looking at the expertise they have, we have to, of course, make sure that we get highly mechanised and robust machinery. Of course, looking at the comparative advantage, we see how best we can get the technological transfer and technological expertise that Belarus has.
I would also want to address the other questions regarding reciprocity, that it is a give and take, a win-win situation where one country does not suffer more than the other or wins more than the other. This is why we are the ones giving out this Memorandum of Understanding, which means that we will have our codes of conduct within this particular documentation.
The issue of compliance, tax compliance, compliance on domestic law, compliance on even corruption, even on the environment, it is very key that Article 9 and Article 8 of what I read earlier, clearly indicate that there is compliance with domestic law. This refers to the need for the investor to follow the laws and regulations that are in place within this country. Domestic law typically refers to the national legal framework, including both the public law such as the constitutional law, the criminal law and administrative law and also the private law, which seeks to look into the civil law, the contract law and the property law that governs how business and investment activities are carried out within our country.
I would like to reaffirm the need for us to also consider that within the clause and within the compliance articles that I have read out, it is very clear that we are very serious that we have the other country and we want the other country to make sure that they stick to compliance. Mr. President, allow me to also mention that this particular memorandum assists us especially on matters of sustainable development. As we speak of value addition, it is very key to realise that to reach 2030, to reach that vision, it is incumbent for us to make sure that we focus on this matter seriously and it is important to also focus on this relation seeing how best we can benefit from it.
Allow me to also mention that Mr. Speaker Sir, from the green investment, what are we looking into from the Belarusian? Allow me to state Mr. President, that the purpose of this agreement, two very key things is to facilitate the investment flow and to provide legal security. I want to thank all the Hon. Senators who gave their important views on how best we can also consider corporate social responsibility, CSR, which is very key in seeing that as they come and invest, we also benefit from that investment.
Allow me to state that Belarus also supports Zimbabwe on joining the Security Council. So there are other factors we also have to factor out as we get to sign this. Is it a true friend to us? One of the Hon. Senators mentioned that we need someone dear to us who comes with a fair deal to us, who does not come to drain us more than they give us what we desire. I would also want to enlighten the august House that we need to understand who Zimbabwe is, especially in international relations and on our macroeconomics. So when you look at the graphics to see what we are to offer, it is not that they are coming to just dig our mines and get our gold. I want us to look at the bigger picture where we see this in the long run. We have to scale ourselves as a country. What best can we benefit from Belarus? What can we trade off? When we have this documentation which is guided by principles, by the law, we will not go amiss. I would like to reassure the august House that this particular documentation considers investment protection. It enhances our investment promotion, helps us to promote our production and exports and also helps knowledge transfer and innovation. So it is not only one-sided.
As I conclude Mr. President, allow me to state that we really want to appreciate all the insights that have been given and to also mention that this particular documentation aligns with Zimbabwe's objectives, being a friend to all and an enemy to none. I thank you.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that all Orders of the Day on today’s Order Paper be stood over until Order of the Day Number 11 has been disposed of.
HON. SEN GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS ON THE STATE OF DRUG AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
Eleventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals on the state of drug and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation centres.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. PHULU: All the formalities having been complied with, I move for leave to wind up the Order on behalf of the Hon. Senator Chief Siansali.
THE HON. DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Go ahead.
HON. SEN. PHULU: Thank you Mr. President. With regards to the motion to adopt the Report of the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, I would like to thank Hon. Members for your valuable contributions and vigorous debates on this important motion. Your insights and concerns have highlighted critical issues facing our drug and substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation centres.
Regrettably Mr. President, the Minister of Health was unable to attend any session and therefore, was not able to address the pertinent points raised. We trust the Minister will consider the observations made and provide a comprehensive response at the earliest opportunity. Thank you once again Hon. Members for your dedication to this vital matter.
Mr. President, I move that this Hon. House adopts the report presented by the Thematic Committee on Sustainable Development Goals regarding the conditions and effectiveness of drug and treatment abuse and rehabilitation centres as presented by the Hon. Senator Chief Siansali.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. President, I move that Orders of the Day, Numbers 1 and 2 be stood over until the rest of the Orders of the Day have been disposed of.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second Mr. President.
Motion put and agreed to.
MOTION
CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF FORMER DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE HON. CHEN CHENHAMO CHAKEZHA CHIMUTENGWENDE
Third Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the sudden death of the former Deputy President of the Senate Hon. Chen Chenhamo Chakezha Chimutengwende.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. TONGOGARA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday 15th May, 2025.
MOTION
CONGRATULARY MESSAGE TO HON. KIRSTY COVENTRY ON APPOINTMENT TO IOC PRESIDENCY
Fourth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the congratulatory message to the former Hon. Minister Kirsty Coventry on her election to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Presidency in Greece.
Question again proposed.
+HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: As fellow Zimbabweans, if we do not congratulate the former Minister of Sport, Hon. Kirsty Coventry that would not be good because we used to get medals and now we go for Olympics and we do not get any medals but during her time, Kirsty Coventry used to bring us medals and we were known as a country that also participated in the Olympics. She would raise the flag high.
Mr. President, there is something that we do not recognise as Zimbabweans but brand Zimbabwe ours. Kirsty Coventry is doing a good job because there are some people who are tarnishing the brand Zimbabwe on social media. However, because of her, we are getting good comments and since she is representing us, we should also stand up and talk about what she is doing for the country. We as Zimbabweans should talk about the good things that are being done. My mother used to tell us that we should always speak about what happens in our family.
So, I would like to thank Hon. Kirsty Coventry for doing well and thank her for what she is doing. We seem not to appreciate someone for doing well; small or big. Our country has now been put forward because of her. They will say we had a leader here who came from Zimbabwe called Kirsty Coventry. I thought I should also stand up and thank Kirsty Coventry for what she has done for our country. I thank you.
+HON. SEN. PHULU: I would also like to congratulate our fellow Zimbabwean for having achieved such a great post and also thank her for representing Zimbabwe and the leadership that she has taken, especially when she used to be a swimmer. We noticed that was so competitive here in Zimbabwe until she went to the Olympics. When she first went to the Olympics, it was really surprising and when she got those awards, she was doing it for others as well. She participated in the Olympics with other athletes of other sporting disciplines. We used to listen to the radios and we would watch her on television. Zimbabwe used to send a delegation to go and represent us at the Olympics. Maybe 15 Zimbabweans would go. They would also go and represent us after China and United States and so forth. The post that she is holding now, we really should applaud her for that. When it comes to such issues, we should not look at which political party she represents. We should look at her as a Zimbabwean who has done very well. When you check onthe internet, people write badly about Zimbabweans. It is different when it comes to Kirsty Coventry. I see her as a great achiever. There are other organisations like FIFA and other organisations. Nevertheless, Zimbabwe has been given these responsibilities. She is representing us as Zimbabweans.
We should support her for raising our Zimbabwean flag and they will be singing our national anthem. In short, I want to say that Kirsty Coventry is one of the people who has listened to what our national anthem says that we should to raise our national flag. She listened to it and look what she has done? We would like to thank her parents, all the schools she attended, Zimbabweans and even the Government. I have no doubt Mr. President that Zimbabwe assisted in her campaign. I am sure she campaigned for this post. We should thank Zimbabwe and Kirsty Coventry and maybe we should start calling her Mandlovu.
HON. SEN. CHAKABUDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHITSAMBA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 15th May 2025.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON CULTURE AND HERITAGE ON THE TRADITIONAL COURT SYSTEMS IN ZIMBABWE
Fifth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Culture and Heritage on the Traditional Court Systems in Zimbabwe.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 15th May, 2025.
MOTION
CONSTRUCTION OF DAMS AND WATER STORAGE FACILITIES
Sixth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on climate change mitigation.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MAVENYENGWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 15th May, 2025.
MOTION
LEGALISATION OF TERMINATION OF PREGNANCY
Seventh Order read: Adjourned debate on motion to access safe legal abortion services.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. KABONDO: Thank you Mr. President for giving me this opportunity to air out my views on this. I want to start off by saying we are in a Christian state and I want to take this Christian community which is our state like a home. It has rules and regulations in which it abides to. Every country has a constitution and every religion. Christianity has its own rules and regulations which are the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses on the tablet of stone. That is our Constitution as a Christian nation. We have to live by that and try our best to follow that. The sixth commandment on that tablet of stone says ‘thou shall not kill’. If we are living what we claim we are, then it is time that we stopped a little and thought about this. Aborting is as good as killing.
I have a problem Mr. President with us. Maybe it is because we have forgotten Christ died a long time ago and we have lost fear of the Lord. Now what we fear is people more than God. Really, if we feared God, we would hearken to what He says about how we should live and what we should do and what not to do. My religion does not allow me that. I know a lot of people who have their religions that fall under Christianity will agree with me. I know there are a lot of circumstances that surround the reason why this motion was brought here for us to consider. Nevertheless, I always say God creates situations to bless other people. There are a lot of people who would do anything to get children. If one feels they cannot keep that kid because they have been raped or something, really you can give that child up for adoption and someone will be very happy to have that child. We have people who get old without any children. So for us to say we want people to abort, how do we look at each other in the eye and call ourselves a Christian State if we are going to do that? Just a few weeks ago, if not a month or so, we passed the law that we are abolishing the death penalty. The reason why we did that is because it did not fit well with us.
We knew our conscience was telling us what we believed was wrong. What is it then that has changed overnight that we want back again but in the form of killing small children who are innocent, who cannot even defend themselves? I thank you Mr. President, that is all that I wanted to say – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] –
HON. SEN. CHINYANGA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 15th May, 2025.
MOTION
REPORT OF THE THEMATIC COMMITTEE ON CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE ENQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HUMAN-WILDLIFE CONFLICT
Eighth Order read. Adjourned debate on motion on the Report of the Thematic Committee on Climate Change on the inquiry into the impact of climate change on human-wildlife conflict.
Question again proposed.
*HON. SEN. KATUMBA: Thank you Mr. President, I rise to add my voice onto the report that was moved by our Chairperson, Hon. Senator Mupfumira in terms of human-wildlife conflict. The report is a true reflection of what we came across as a Committee in terms of what we experienced. In terms of the conflict between the humans and wildlife, it is a common cause that is an everyday occurrence. When we were moving around the country, people that live within or near the conservancies were indicating that they would want to also view game but there is a danger that wild animals can kill people.
As a result of climate change, where we draw water from, the animals also visit the same watering holes. This is where we meet and this is where our conflict starts. In the forest, where we would want to get firewood, we also encounter these wild animals because it is the habitat and this leads to conflict. The result of this encounter is that human lives may be lost.
I am adding my weight to the report and supporting it. It was tabled in its entirety. There were no additions, no subtractions but in the past Mr. President, wild animals were in protected settlements. They were confined by a fence. It was so as to eliminate this human-wildlife conflict because when the two encounter each other, there will be conflict. Mr. President, because of the point that we are poor, some will go and remove the wire that protects the game park and erect it in their gardens. This will then lead to human-animal conflict and it becomes a problem when the animals encounters meet with school children on their way to schools. Some of these wild animals are confined in areas that are nearby and would use those paths every day either going to school as children or as parents drawing water. Wild animals should be confined to fences. As a result, this will protect human life so that the human-wildlife conflict may be minimised. I thank you Mr. President.
HON. SEN. MUZENDA: Mr. Speaker, I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 15th May, 2025.
MOTION
OVERHAUL OF DILAPIDATED STADIA
Ninth Order read: Adjourned debate on motion on the deplorable sports infrastructure in the country.
Question again proposed.
HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: Thank you Mr. President. Thank you again Mr. President for affording me this opportunity to stand up and debate the motion brought to this House by my Leader, Hon. Senator Tshabangu, seconded by Hon. Senator Phulu. I rise today Mr. President, not just as a Senator but as a Senator from a rural constituency. I rise for the voiceless, for our youths, our athletes and our communities who are yearning for the opportunity to engage in sports at every level. I really wish to thank Hon. Senator Tshabangu and Hon. Senator Phulu for bringing this important motion to this House, highlighting the critical issues of our sports infrastructure in the country.
It is deeply saddening and disturbing that despite our efforts, our sports facilities are in such a deplorable state. This is not just about empty stadiums and poor facilities, it is about the future of our children and the dreams they hold when national teams play their home matches in foreign lands. We are not only losing revenue but we are losing our national pride. We are robbing our children of a chance to see their heroes play at home, turf and to witness the thrill of victory and to feel the collective joy of our communities coming together to support our teams – [HON. SENATORS: Hear, hear.] - Mr. President, however, I stand today to speak on a matter that has often been overlooked, the urgent need to prioritise rural areas in the development of sports infrastructure.
We must change our outdated mindset that equates development solely with urbanisation. Rural communities are breaming with talent and passion for sports, yet they are deprived the resources and the facilities that their urban counterparts take for granted.
Mr. President, the mantra of the Second Republic is that no one should be left behind. The sentiment rings hollow, if we fail to acknowledge the vast disparities between urban and rural sports development. It is not enough to mere refurbishing existing facilities. We need to build new multi-purpose stadiums that cater to various sports disciplines. Importantly, we cannot ignore women sports. They have been left behind for far too long. Women represent a significant portion of our sporting community.
They deserve equal access to facilities that enable them to excel. As we urge the Minister of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture to conduct an overhaul of our stadiums, let us also remind them that these developments must embrace inclusivity. Future stadiums must be designed to host a variety of sports, accommodating both males and females, as well as different sporting cords. This way, we create spaces that are not only representative of our diverse nation, but also cultivate the talents of all our citizens regardless of gender and geographical location.
Moreover, I call upon us to forge partnerships with organisations like the Confederation of African Football. We must advocate for a collaborative approach that recognises the potential in our rural regions. We must also engage in dialogue, developing strategies to bring our matches back home is crucial.
In conclusion, as we revitalise sports infrastructure, will require a paradigm shift, not only in policy but in mindset. It will demand that we commit ourselves to uplifting all communities, fostering an environment where every athlete regardless of where they come from can thrive. Let us work together to ensure that no one is left behind in our quest for sports excellency. We owe it to our youths, our athletes and the future of our nation. Thank you.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: Thank you Mr. President. When Hon. Senator Tshabangu brought this motion on the table, my heart pumped faster than normal because I grew up in an era when sports facilities were in abundance and very well maintained, but none of those sporting facilities were government-maintained or Government-created. All the sports facilities that I grew up using were by clubs. The problem today is that we do not join clubs. Therefore, our clubs do not have money to create infrastructure.
If we have membership in clubs, the people we elect to lead those clubs come in to loot. They do not come in to reinvest. In my youth, there were only two rural sporting facilities. The first one was in Murehwa, which was built by Father Davis, a British Catholic Priest. He later on built another one at Chishawasha, another rural area. The second major one was Mhangura Stadium, which was built through corporate social responsibility by Mhangura MTD, the copper miners in this country.
Later on, after independence, Jonathan Moyo tried to build a sports stadium in Tsholotsho. I am not sure if ever it was completed. The last time I was in Tsholotsho, it had not been completed. In a town like Harare, we had private sports clubs like Callies Football Club, who built the Kelly’s Stadium where the Showground is. We had Arcadia Sports infrastructure where there was a tennis, swimming pool, soccer stadium and so on. What I know is that the current leadership of sports in the country is not there to invest but they are there to make money.
Hon. Senator Chief spoke about the stadium in Durban. It has got a new name now. It is called Moses Mabhida Stadium. It is not a State stadium, it is a local authority sports stadium. In Zimbabwe, our local authorities, the rural ones, have 65 powers from which they can generate money to give services to communities under their jurisdiction. In the urban areas, the urban local authorities have 45 powers from which they can get money to give service to the people.
Hon. Senator Phulu spoke highly about ukubhukutsha. When I was in Standard one, I was already swimming in a swimming pool called C. S. Davis Swimming Pool in Highfield. Where was the money coming from ? It was coming from an account of local authorities, which is called Estate account. What Estate account means is the moment you sell a piece of land, that money is not used for anything else, but it is used for infrastructural development by law. What is happening today is that local authorities sell land and use that money to go for workshops in Kariba, Victoria Falls, et cetera.
Later on, I also swam in a swimming pool in Mbare National which was called George Hartley Swimming Pool, just outside Stodart Hall. Again, that swimming pool was built using money from the Estate account. The Estate account is not meant for anything else other than for infrastructural development. Today we see our local authorities not doing anything but spend money doing things that has nothing to do with service delivery.
We then turn back and start blaming Government when Government gives you the power to get money you must use it to make sure that you create social facilities for the community under your jurisdiction. I am saying when we elect people to go into local authorities, we need to look at the capabilities of the people we are electing. Unfortunately, at independence, the people in Mpopoma and Magwegwe were not in Bulawayo. They were outside Bulawayo.
The people in Highfield were not in Salisbury. They were living outside Salisbury, worse places like Mabvuku and Tafara. The people who were living in Highfield or Magwegwe were outside the main cities because whites did not want to share with us their infrastructure. At independence, we said no, we must go for what is called one city concept. We are all in the same town.
Therefore, money coming from Hillside in Bulawayo must go and be spent in Magwegwe or in Mpopoma. Money from Highlands must go and be spent in Mufakose and so on. The people who were creating infrastructure stopped putting the infrastructure together for the benefit of us all. What I am trying here in essence is that we need to be responsible. The whole of the United Kingdom has one State Stadium which is Wembley Stadium. It is one and not two. Go to any country, the majority of sports infrastructure that we see in those countries is not built by the State but by clubs or by local authorities because by extension, local authorities were given powers to do that in terms of the Acts. Therefore, what we must look at is a situation where we join clubs that generate revenue from our membership fees and build an infrastructure.
When Nicholas Mabhodoko was Mayor of Bulawayo, he offered a piece of land to the Highlanders Football Club for them to build a club. Highlanders Football Club is the oldest soccer club in the country. It has been almost 100 years now. What have they got? Nothing, but it was amazing to see how many people went to watch Highlanders play in whatever stadium, whether it was in Kwekwe or wherever. The money generated, you know we used to go to soccer stadiums where gates were closed before the start of the match. Where did the money go? Into greedy people's pockets and now all the sporting facilities are either none existent or poorly maintained. We must therefore, Mr. President, change our attitude and stop thinking that everything must be done by the State. We must be responsible citizens. The clubs must be responsible. That is why at the moment, clubs like Dynamos and Highlanders no longer have under-14 teams. Whenever they generate money, it is straightaway thrown into individual people's pockets.
I am sorry to say that recently one of the Highlanders officials had to leave his post, and I am sure he was arrested after embezzling sports funds. I would probably want us to have a system where we enforce the laws that we have in the country because the President, His Excellency Dr. Mnangagwa, two years ago called for the local authorities to go and make sure that they deliver services to the people without any compromise. Every local authority was directed to come up with a local plan which was meant to make sure that communities indicate to the local authorities what it is that they want in their area of jurisdiction. The problem here is, the President has said something. The plans were given to the Minister of Local Government. The Minister of Local Government took those plans to the President and the President said, well done, all the 92 local authorities have produced the plans, except of course Bulawayo and Harare. The rest produced the master plan.
What mechanism do we have to make sure that the money raised by these local authorities goes for the right purpose, because for instance, we complain about no water to water our stadium and yet the water account in every local authority is ring-fenced? You do not use the money for anything other than water-related activities but at the moment, it is easy to enforce water payment bills. People collect money from users and the money goes for allowances, trips, buying cars and you name it. We need to come up with a monitoring mechanism to make sure that the laws are properly adhered to by whoever we give responsibility to use a certain piece of legislation.
The people, like in the rural areas, this is why I spoke about Corporate Social Responsibility. Mhangura MTD did Corporate Social Responsibility in Mhangura in 1962. Why can the companies that are mining in the rural areas go to Mutasa and see the destruction done by miners? What are they leaving? Nothing. Go to UMP and see. There are holes as big as this Chamber where people are just removing granite. What are they leaving in those areas? Go to Zvishavane, Hurungwe and anywhere in the country. People are mining, and what are they leaving? The laws are there but someone somewhere is just sitting doing nothing. Perhaps they are being bribed by these investors. I do not know.
The truth of the matter is, if you go to Gwanda for instance, for those people who make cement, how many years have they been making cement in Gwanda? What have they left in Gwanda? Both in town and in the rural area, nothing I am saying Mr. President, we need to come up with systems that make sure that the laws that we put in place live for their purpose. At the moment, everybody does what they want and at the end of the day, we then go to a situation my colleagues spoke about, where there are no tennis courts for the kids where they can go and practice tennis, no swimming baths, no soccer stadiums, no cricket grounds, no rugby grounds and no tracks on which to run. We used to run around in beautiful tracks…
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE (HON. KAMBIZI): You are left with five minutes.
HON. SEN. GOTORA: I was just about to finish Mr. President. I just wanted to give an example of where there was an athletic field in Highfields, where kids were supposed to just go and play running without teachers, without anyone. At the moment, the tracks are full of nothing but wind.
I thank you for giving me the opportunity and I also want to thank Hon. Senator Tshabangu for bringing this very important topic for discussion. My last words are, we need to make sure that the laws that we put in place are properly used, not abused. Thank you Mr. President. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear]-
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Thank you very much Hon. Senator Gotora. That was quite a mouthful.
HON. SEN. MLOTSHWA: I move that the debate do now adjourn.
HON. SEN. CHAPFUDZA: I second.
Motion put and agreed to.
Debate to resume: Thursday, 15th May, 2025.
THE TEMPORARY PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I would like to commend the House for being disciplined today and I want to thank you all for remaining in the House until the time of adjournment. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – Honestly, we need to applaud where things have been done properly. I have heard that, for your information, it was said the Senate has nothing to do, they adjourn for three or so weeks because they usually adjourn at 4:00 p.m. It is reasonable for us to adjourn at 5:00 p.m. as opposed to 3:30 p.m.
On the motion of HON. SEN. MUZENDA, seconded by HON. SEN. GOTORA, the Senate adjourned at One Minute past Five o’clock p.m.