Drama in Zimbabwe Parliament as female MP’s pants are torn, women police officers’ breasts are fondled and opposition walks out- Full report

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Order!  Can we have order please?  Order in the House.  Order!  If you do not want to have order, you can as well go out – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] –

Order, order! Can we have order please? Order, order!   Hon. Members, can we have order in the House.  Hon. Chamisa, I am talking to Hon. Members to have order in the House.  Can you please take your seat?  According to Standing Order Number 110…

HON. MARIDADI:  Tirikumboda kutaurawo mhani. Standing Order yekuita sei? – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] –

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Order!  Can we have order please?  According to Standing Order Number 110 any member who disregards the authority of the Chair or persistently and willfully disrupts the business of the House commits an offence for which he or she may be suspended from the service of the House – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] –

HON. CHAMISA:  On a point of order Madam Speaker.  I wish to state and place on record, Hon. Madam Speaker, that we are very clear in terms of the rules and statutes that govern this Parliament and I am very cognisant and alive to the order or Standing Rule that you have quoted and cited which is Standing Order No. 110 in terms of temporary suspension from the House. What is very clear is that the rules of Parliament, as perfectly understood, do not give any authority to the invasion of a police force or details into the Chamber –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]- You are aware that I was part of those who drafted the Standing Rules and Orders and you are aware that we have had extensive discussions on the laws that govern this Parliament.

If you have regard to the Constitution, Madam Speaker, it is very clear. We have the separation of powers – the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Now, within the precincts of Parliament we have authorities and authority within this Parliament and within the precincts of Parliament, police officers cannot come in to interfere with Members of Parliament.

I challenged you Madam Speaker, to say show us in terms of the rules where police officers can be summoned into the Chamber. There is no law to support that. I asked legal gurus and pundits to say where is this in terms of the law. It is not part of the law. Our biggest problem is that some of the police officers who came in here, in full view of the public actually harassed some female Members of Parliament – [AN HON. MEMBER: Ndabatwa mazamu]-  Sexual harassment by our own officers –[HON. ZWIZWAI: Zvaiita Trump zviya zviya]- Sexual harassment is a very serious offence in terms of the laws of the country. I know it is very easy when you are not a victim of certain misapplication of laws. You will not appreciate it.

We want to understand and underscore that what we have seen in terms of Section 148, we are supposed to have Members of Parliament being respected for what they do, what they say, who they are and part of the dress code is a speech which cannot be cured by issues of bringing in the police. Madam Speaker, until we have had an explanation from your Chair or Government why police officers have been brought into this Chamber, we are unlikely to cooperate with your Chair for now –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]- because we have laws and rules that govern this Parliament. We need an explanation on why police officers have been brought in here violently to abuse and use police brutality mechanisms against Members of Parliament when we know that we have criminals who are out there including Ministers who are supposed to be arrested. We want to understand –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-May you furnish us with an explanation why it has happened? –[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-

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