6.0 ORAL Evidence Received From MDC-Alliance National Assembly Members
6.1 Evidence gathered from Honourable Members of National Assembly was substantially similar to evidence gathered from Honourable Members in the Senate. When it came to legal representation, a large number of Honourable Members waived their right and proceeded to testify. Mr. Muchadehama represented the minority that wished to have legal counsel.
6.2 Those that did not seek legal representation were not evasive but apologetic. Some assured the Committee that they would be the first ones to rise the next time the President comes to Parliament. They also provided unimpeachable evidence which was to the satisfaction of the Committee. For example, Hon. Dr Ruth Labode, among others, did not waste the Committee`s time as she acknowledged the allegations. She went further to state that, she may not have been around on some of the occasions but she remembered that on one or two occasions, she was certainly around. When asked to confirm if she had been around she would have acted in the same manner as her colleagues did, she responded in the affirmative citing the MDC-Alliance party stance as the reason that compelled Members to do so.
Some Honourable Members pretended to conveniently forget what had transpired regarding the five offences to the extent that whenever a question was raised, they deliberately pretended they could not remember. The committee determined that these Members suffered from periodic amnesia.
6.3 It is pertinent that this report informs Parliament that two Hon. Members behaved in a dishonourable fashion, and were extremely hostile to the Committee namely—
(a) Hon. Settlement Chikwinya, who verbally abused the Committee to be precise while waving his hands and pointing at Hon. Chirongoma he said, “iwe mdara iwe unondideedza ndiri shamwari yako here ini! Unondiziva here? Haaa! pfutseki wako mhani usade kundijairira mhani iwewe”. Prior to this Hon. Chikwinya and the late Hon. Dinha had stormed into the meeting while the Committee was in deliberation demanding to make their oral submissions immediately; and
(b) Hon. Job Sikhala, who when requested to take oath or affirm that his testimony was true and correct, he refused to do so citing the Constitution did not require him to do so. This prompted the Committee to resolve that there was no way he could testify without following the procedures. He went livid and hurled, “Why did you waste my time calling me here…Haaa, stupid mhani…’’ to the Committee before storming out.
The Committee resolved that as per section 16(4) of PIPPA the matter involving Hon Sikhala and Hon Chikwinya would be dealt with in recommendations made by the Committee.
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