Do ministers Chitando, Moyo and Masuka know there is a Senate, president asks?

Zimbabwe Senate President Mabel Chinomona yesterday said Mines Minister Winston Chitando, Local government Minister July Moyo and Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuku had never been to the Senate so she did not know whether they knew that Zimbabwe had a Senate or not.

She said this after only four deputy ministers turned up in the Senate at question time.

The Senate has question time on Thursdays while that for the National Assembly is on Wednesdays.

When advised that ministers were attending a cabinet meeting, Chinomona said this could not be used as an excuse as deputy ministers did not attend cabinet meetings.

Full proceeding:

THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: Today, we only have Hon. Edgar Moyo – Deputy Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Hon. Michael Madiro – Deputy Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Ruth Mavhungu-Maboyi – Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and Hon. David Musabayana – Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

I do not know what we can do because we have complained every week for us to have Cabinet Ministers in this House so that we are able to ask questions. It seems once they attend the National Assembly, they think that is all, they are done.

The Hon. President of Senate having been briefed

Someone is telling me that Cabinet Ministers are in Cabinet but we cannot excuse them because some of them have got deputy ministers who can attend.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS

THE HON. PRESIDENT OF SENATE: I have the following apologies from the  Hon. Vice President and Minister of Health and Child Care, Hon. C. D. G. Chiwenga; Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Hon. Kazembe Kazembe;  Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Hon. Felix Tapiwa Mhona; Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development, Hon. Prof. Amon Murwira; Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement, Hon. Dr. Anxious Jongwe Masuka; Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. Sekesai Irene Kanhutu-Nzenza, Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, Hon. Prof. Paul Mavima, Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Hon. July G. Moyo; Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon.Winston Chitando; Minister of State for Midlands Province, Hon. Larry Mavima and Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon. Rajeshkumar Modi.

I do not think it is important to send in an apology because some of them have never been in this House, like Hon. Chitando, Hon. July Moyo and Hon. Masuka. I do not know whether they know there is this Senate.

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