Chamisa says you don’t need Mugabe to tell you the state of the nation- you can see for yourself

HON. CHAMISA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for that intervention.  I was just indicating that it needs no rocket scientist to tell you that the state of the nation is such a sorry state of circumstances.  You need to go and ask your war veterans; our war veterans, how they have not been able to secure funding for their own children.   There is no country that can ever survive without looking after its own veterans.

The United States of America looks after their war veterans.  The United Kingdom looks after their war veterans but us as a country…  

*HON. MATANGIRA: Mr. Speaker Sir, we are debating about the President’s State of the Nation Address.  My point of order is that we should not delve into issues that you were actively involved in by saying that the war veterans are unable to send their children to school.  Which war veterans failed to send their children to school? – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –

*THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order please.  Hon. Members, if the Chair makes a ruling, let us respect the ruling.  If anyone has concerns over the debate that is going on, you are free to debate later on, not to continue giving point of orders.

HON. CHAMISA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Once again, I want to thank you and also thanking Hon. Matangira for the realisation that indeed, we must all together as political parties; as Members of Parliament work to achieve the common goal for which our liberation struggle was waged.  We want to make sure that our war veterans have a fair life.  We want to make sure that our war veterans have got pride of place in terms of our remuneration we are giving them.

The state of the nation is such that we have not looked at the total number of war veterans.  Up to now, we are still auditing to find who is a genuine war veteran and who is not.  I think that state of the nation is indicative of how we have neglected our war veterans.  We should know our war veterans in every community, countryside and in every province.  Our war veterans are supposed to be spillers and symbols of significance and of our importance as a nation.

This is where I must say Mr. Speaker Sir; the state of the nation is so sorry that the revolution is now devouring its own fathers.  Not only that, we have even gone to the extent of having war veterans when they are demonstrating, we teargas them.  We throw canisters on them; real war veterans who fought for the liberation of this country – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] – It is a serious issue Mr. Speaker Sir because it tells you the state of the nation.  When the fathers of the revolution begin to cry, what will happen to the children and the sons of the revolution?  Those who did not participate in the revolution, if they are seeing the fathers cry, it tells you that we have begun to squander and destroy the tree of the revolution.  This is the state of the nation.

The state of nation; is when you begin to see even the state of our roads – go to our road users.  Ask them how many accidents have been caused on account of the nature and state of our roads.  That is the state of the nation.  The state of nation is going to be told by people in Tsholotsho and Lupane, who have had problems of floods; this is the state of the nation and we have not been able to help them as a country.  The state of the nation Mr. Speaker Sir, is being told by factories that are not operating in Bulawayo; intuthu ziyathunqa is not there.  The factories are not operating because the state of the nation is such that we have not paid attention to things that matter – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –

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