Mnangagwa’s State of the Nation Address in full

The Pension and Provident Funds Bill, is designed to ensure compliance with International Standards.  The ultimate objective is to protect the policy holders and pensioners so that they fully enjoy their rights and benefits.

The Medical Aid Societies’ Bill will pave way for the establishment of the Medical Aid Society Regulatory Authority.  This Bill seeks to ensure that Medical Aid Societies operate within the law as healthcare insurers, rather than doubling up as health care providers.

The Prisons and Correctional Services Bill, Child Justice Bill and Mandatory Sentencing for Rape and Sexual Offences Bill must incorporate acceptable customary norms, human rights standards and international best practice.

Amendments to the Immigration Act will pave way for the establishment of a citizenship and immigration board as provided for in our Constitution.  Parliament will also be expected to consider the ratification of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by land, sea and air and the Protocol Against the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms, their parts and components and ammunition.

The Persons with Disabilities Bill seeks to entrench the protection of the constitutional rights of persons living with disabilities. The Private Voluntary Organisation Bill seeks to streamline and strengthen administrative procedures as well as improve the governance of the non-governmental organisation.

Mr. Speaker Sir, the ongoing democratic reforms must entrench constitutional rights and freedoms for all Zimbabweans, and therefore, the culture of fear and violence must be uprooted from our societies.

In line with this commitment to deepen our democracy, I have set up an Inter-Ministerial Taskforce to look into the political, electoral, legislative and administrative issues raised by the 2018 Election Observer Missions and indeed the Motlanthe Commission of Enquiry.

1. Speaker Sir, the law must be a universal instrument of development. As such, the slow pace in this august House, I repeat, the slow pace in this august House which has resulted in a low number of Bills passing through Parliament, cannot be allowed to continue. I thus challenge Hon. Members in their individual and collective capacities, to play their part in speeding up our parliamentary processes. Equally, reports of mismanagements of public finances which are exposed by the Office of the Auditor General, and brought before this Parliament, must never be condoned.

Corruption retards our development, frustrates our ease and cost of doing business reforms, and robs us of revenue.  Government will continue to strengthen institutions that help in the fight against corruption.  We must rid our society of this corruption cancer, to this there is no going back.  It is time to increase accountability and transparency.  We must work hard and smarter to serve our people, they deserve better.

Let us be mindful that the Zimbabwe we all want, with opportunities and hope, shall only be achieved through productivity, innovation, responsiveness, persistence, deliberate planning and disciplined focus.

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