Zimbabwe Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda on Thursday said that Harare West legislator Joanah Mamombe lied to Parliament that he had cleared her to raise a point of privilege in which she alleged that Mberengwa North Member of Parliament Tafanana Zhou was sexually harassing her by calling for her to be recalled because she was mentally ill.
There was heated debate on Wednesday after Mamombe raised the pointe with Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba saying they should not have allowed someone who was mad to speak.
Deputy Speaker Tsitsi Gezi was in the chair at the time.
Mudenda said Mamombe had told Gezi that he had cleared her to make the point of privilege.
“The House is very aware of the ruling made previously that there are no point of privileges to be raised on Wednesdays,” Mudenda said. “Hon. Mamombe approached me this morning in the presence of the Clerk of Parliament, un-solicitated and dully apologised for the misrepresentation. I hope that does not happen again.”
An unidentified woman legislator interjected “Akupenga for sure” to which Mudenda responded . “You have no right to be saying akupenga.”
Temba Mliswa added: “Especially coming from a woman.”
Mudenda told Mliswa: “We have one Chair. You have to respect her dignity in the circumstances in which she finds herself.”
Mamombe, who is facing criminal charges, has been declared mentally unfit to stand trial which led Zhou to say she must be recalled because the country’s constitution says anyone who is mentally disordered must vacate the seat.
In full:
MISREPRESENTATION BY HON. MAMOMBE
THE HON. SPEAKER: I wish to advise – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – can you stop talking at the back there, Hon. Members behind the cameras – look at me, you are the ones. I wish to advise the House that there was a misrepresentation yesterday, when Hon. Mamombe rose on a matter of privilege. She indicated to the Hon. Deputy Speaker that she had been cleared by me to make the point of privilege. The House is very aware of the ruling made previously that there are no point of privileges to be raised on Wednesdays. Hon. Mamombe approached me this morning in the presence of the Clerk of Parliament, un-solicitated and dully apologised for the misrepresentation. I hope that does not happen again – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – [AN HON. MEMBER: Akupenga for sure.] – Order, order! You have no right to be saying akupenga. – [HON. T. MLISWA: Especially coming from a woman.] – Order Hon. Mliswa, we have one Chair. You have to respect her dignity in the circumstances in which she finds herself.
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