HON. KHUPE: Hon. Mliswa, there are gold leakages as we speak right now. If we do not talk about these issues, who is going to talk about them? There are gold leakages Madam Speaker and this is the money which is supposed to be used to satisfy the needs of the people. . We have platinum and that is the money which is supposed to be used. We have methane gas in Lupane and we are told that this methane gas is the finest in the whole world. We are told that investors have come to try and invest in that methane gas but there are people who were given claims who are holding on to papers and they have not done anything since. When investors want to come and invest in this mineral, they are told there is somebody who is holding on to the paper.
As I said earlier on, our role is to challenge and proffer solutions. I would like to challenge the Minister of Mines right now to say Minister, can you please withdraw those papers from people who are not doing anything. Can you give claims to people who are going to do something because that methane gas is going to change our fortune as a country. That is the money which is going to be used to satisfy the needs of the people. I would like to challenge the Minister to say, within a few weeks we want see something happening in Lupane. We cannot allow money to remain underground, money which is supposed to satisfy the means of the people.
Madam Speaker, there is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives. It was under my office when I was Deputy Prime Minister and I would like to challenge the Minister of Mines to say as Zimbabwe, let us be looking at the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives. This institution is going to help us because once you are a member, there is going to be transparency in the issuance of mining licences. There is going to be transparency in the mining of our mineral resources so that we know how much gold, diamonds, platinum and other minerals have been mined and it is going to make sure that we know how much these minerals have been sold for. It is going to make sure that we know how the money from the proceeds has been used because these are God-given resources. They do not belong to one person but they belong to all the 14.6 million Zimbabweans.
This is the money which is supposed to be used to satisfy the needs of the people. That is my plea. As we speak right now, there is a mismatch between the cost of living and salaries and my plea to the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Labour is, please can you close that gap? Make sure that the cost of living matches salaries so that teachers, nurses and doctors perform their duties to the best of their knowledge and ability. Let us try and do this.
Madam Speaker, I believe in God, I believe in Jesus, I believe in the word and I believe in biblical issues. Zimbabwe turned 40 years this year and I would like to equate it with the Bible where the Israelites wondered in the desert for 40 years without food and water. They were going to the promised land where there was milk and honey. For me, I think this is it. Zimbabwe turned 40 years this year and this is it. I strongly believe that Zimbabwe is going to change and it is going to change for a better life for everyone because we have turned 40 years. We need to unite as a country for us to work together as a country and make sure that we push the development agenda so that everyone has a better life.
Continued next page
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This has not happened in a very long time, as far as I can remember, in zim politics. Very refreshing, mature, pregnant with hope for a better future. I hope gov will engage with the new trajectory as has been in polad but now in the august house. Feeling better