Gukurahundi rears its ugly head again as Parliament discusses Mphoko’s Peace and Reconciliation bill- Part Five

HON. HOLDER:  On a point of order Madam Speaker.

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  I will not take any point of order from now – [HON. HOLDER: Point of order.] – I am not going to take your point of order.

HON. CROSS:  Thank you Madam Speaker, the point that I am making on the second principle for the United Nations is that it may be necessary under these circumstances to involve our traditional leaders in this process of seeking justice for our communities. 

The third principle is the right to compensation.  Madam Speaker, we know that during these periods which the President called ‘moments of madness’, people suffered physical losses and we need to ensure that there are some mechanisms available for compensation.

The fourth principle laid down by the United Nations is the right to understand that this will never happen again.  These kinds of incidents and maladministration will not happen again.  The fifth item is the right to written record.  This Bill, in my view falls, short of these five principles.

In addition to that, I would like to raise the question of the Second Schedule for the benefit of the Vice President.  In the Second Schedule of the Bill, there are provisions under sections 10, 11, 12, 13 and 16 which provide for the Commission to provide loans to members of the Commission for houses –  [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER:  Order Hon. Members. I want to hear Hon. Cross; I cannot hear anything from here.  Please, can you maintain order in the House?

HON. CROSS:  In the sections in the Second Schedule, these provisions – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Hon. Members from the back.  Sergeant–at-Arms, can you please escort Hon. Pedzisai and Hon. Holder from the back outside the House – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear] –

Hon. Pedzisai and Hon. Holder were escorted out of the House by the Sergeant-at-Arms

HON. CROSS:  Thank you Madam Speaker, I have a couple of other things to say.  So, these sections provide for the Commission to have the right to provide loans to members of staff and the commissioners themselves to purchase houses.  In a Commission which is only going to last for ten years, I do not think this is really warranted.  I think this is a provision that actually should be excluded from the Bill in its final form.

The final point I am going to make is that in this Bill, the President is given the responsibility of fixing salaries of the Commissioners.  I would like to suggest that this should be assigned to Parliament.  I do not think that the President should have responsibility for these nuts and bolts of these problems.  He should be relieved of that responsibility and it should be given to Parliament, where I think we would be able to do an adequate job.  Thank you Madam Speaker.

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