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

HON. MAJOME:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir for your guidance but I am talking about the hearings on the second Bill.  I am saying this because it is not possible to include everything in the report.  During the hearings of this second Bill that has improved so much and I thank the Hon. Vice President for working on – in these particular hearings in Mashonaland Central, Bindura in particular, a survivor of very brutal  violence whose name is Hilton Chironga was actually prevented from speaking at that hearing.  He was brave enough to come to express his views but he was grabbed by the belt and was forced to sit down by the Deputy Mayor of Bindura together with other councillors –[HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.]-  She identified herself as such in the public hearings.

Mr. Speaker Sir, this kind of conduct shows how much we need hearing.  The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission Bill will teach us to be tolerant…

*HON. ZHOU: On a point of order, the Hon. Member is lying.  I am one of the Committee Members and this did not happen.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Hon. Majome, the danger is that you had a recorded report and you cannot now go outside that report.  This is where your fellow Committee Members might disagree with what you are trying to say now.  Can you proceed?

HON. MAJOME:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir but I would wish that you remind the Hon. Member to speak the truth because there are video recordings for these particular hearings.  He must also …

THE HON. SPEAKER:  The issue Hon. Member was not captured in your report.  That is the issue.  It becomes extraneous.

HON. MAJOME:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I will proceed to indicate that the state of intolerance that we have in this country shows that we need peace and reconciliation and we need to…

*HON. CHINOTIMBA:  On a point of order, we would like to listen to what the Hon. Member is saying but the Hon. Members on the left side are making noise and accusing us of murder as if they never murdered anyone.  If it is a matter of calling each other murderers, then the Bill will not pass.  We cannot allow people who say a lot of false statements.  They are giving false information as well as the person who is debating.  A lot of heckling is happening on the left side; especially the woman with a wig and who calls herself a doctor.  It is very dangerous for an Hon. Member to behave like this.

Mr. Speaker, war veterans died for the liberation of this country.  The Sitholes died and were buried inhumanly.  If they say such statements, no peace will happen – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-

THE HON. SPEAKER: Order, order.  Is it not shameful that we are dealing with a Bill that is seeking peace and we are not behaving in a peaceful manner?  Can the heckling please stop and allow the debate to proceed quietly?

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