Q & A
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: My question is directed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and in his absence, I will direct it to the leader of the House, Honourable Vice President Mnangagwa. United States of America is on record that if there is violence here in Zimbabwe, they call our Ambassador and ask for clarification on what is happening or even threaten him with expulsion. Today, America’s political opponents such as Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Ben Sanders and others are fighting each other. We want to know that as a country, have we summoned the Ambassador of United States to come and explain what is happening in his country because they claim to be the pioneers of human rights. I thank you.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Honourable Chinotimba, to whom are you directing your question?
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: I directed my question to the Leader of the House because the Minister of Foreign Affairs is not here. Honourable S. K. Moyo who is the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs is not in the House. So I saw it befitting that I should ask the Honourable Vice President Mnangagwa because he is the Leader of the House. I can see that the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs is here. I did not want to ask him.
THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. MNANGAGWA): The Honourable Member posed a question to Honourable Mumbengegwi who is not here today. He is attending a SADC Council of Ministers meeting in Botswana. The Acting Minister, Honourable S. K. Moyo is not in the House at the moment. Let me say that this is a very deep question. The Deputy Minister is here and I have asked the Deputy Minister to answer and he has agreed. I approached the Chair and he saw it befitting that the Deputy Minister should answer this question….
*HON. MURAI: On a point of order. What is happening is now disheartening because in this country, we have Deputy Ministers and if they are not able to answer questions, we do not know what it means. If the Vice President wants to answer on behalf of the Deputy Minister, it may seem like the question was stage-managed. We are not happy Mr. Speaker Sir.
THE HON. SPEAKER: Two weeks ago, there was a complaint that Honourable Deputy Ministers sometimes do not have the capacity to answer questions. Order, order! This issue arose, and we can check the records, when the Hon. Vice President as Leader of Government Business in Parliament was not yet in, and the suggestion was that, if he had been in the House, the Hon. Vice President would have tackled the question. Now that he is in, he has got the full powers and responsibility to answer the question.
*THE VICE PRESIDENT AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS (HON. MNANGAGWA): Thank you Mr. Speaker. Those who do not want to hear can keep on talking but those who need help on Government issues, you should get the opportunity to listen. The question that has been asked by Hon. Chinotimba, he said to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, how should we tackle this because the Americans, whatever happens in other countries, they would call the Ambassadors of those countries to give full reports. Now, that it is happening in their country where Trump and Anderson, that is what he was referring to. Now that they were involved in violence, are we going to call the American Ambassador and find a clarification?
What we should look at is our law which is according to SADC and AU Protocols that we do not interfere with internal affairs of other nations. The Americans think that they are the world police. That is the reason why when we are doing our things, we do not allow them to come here because they want to interfere in our affairs. We do not interfere in their issues because that is their business. That is how things are. Thank you.
*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Hon Vice President, we have heard what you said but as a nation, are we going to condemn the Americans so that they know that we are not happy with what is happening although we are not interfering with what they are doing? I know that those on the left side of the Speaker are – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – As a country, what are we going to do about it so that, especially their friends on your left, know that even those who support them are the biggest culprits?
* HON. MNANGAGWA: Those who want to play can play but we continue doing what we are supposed to do in this august House. I think the Hon. Member did not read the response that was given by the Minister of Information, Hon. Mushohwe that as a country, we were surprised and we gave our comment. I think you should go and read what Hon. Mushohwe said.
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