Mudenda to write Mugabe to rein in his ministers but opposition says this is not enough

Full debate

APOLOGIES RECEIVED FROM MINISTERS AND ABSENCE OF MINISTERS

THE HON. SPEAKER:  I have received the following apologies from Hon. Ministers; Hon. Prof. Moyo, Hon. Dr. Mpofu and Hon. Dr. Musiiwa. I have asked the Government Chief Whip to invite the Acting Leader of Government Business to explain the absence of Ministers. 

HON. MARIDADI:  On a point of order Mr. Speaker.  It is now 11 minutes into this sitting and business of Parliament has not started.  You said you had sent the Government Chief Whip to try and extract an explanation from the Acting Leader of the House to explain the absence of Ministers.  Mr. Speaker, I think this is becoming a sick joke that every Wednesday, points of order have to be raised by MPs enquiring why Ministers are not available to come to Parliament.  The Constitution is so clear on what is expected of Ministers.  Section 107 (2) of the Constitution says; “every Vice President, Minister and Deputy Minister must attend Parliament and Parliamentary Committees in order to answer questions concerning matters for which he or she is collectively or individually responsible”  I then go on to Section 2 (2) of the Constitution which talks about the supremacy of the Constitution and says; “the obligations imposed by this Constitution are binding on every person, natural or juristic including the State, all Executive, Legislative, Judicial Institutions and Agencies of Government at every level and must be fulfilled by them.

 It is now almost 15 minutes and we should have started business of this Parliament but 15 minutes later, we see Ministers waltzing into Parliament as they like.  Mr. Speaker, why do we not suspend Questions Without Notice segment  and go onto other business and ignore Ministers completely until such time as we feel they are taking this House seriously, only then can we start to engage them.  As it is, Ministers have disengaged Parliament, so I think we must respond in kind.  We must also disengage and continue with other business of Parliament until Ministers are serious and then we can start to engage them.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order Hon. Tshuma, please take your seat quietly.  This is a serious point of order.  I have asked the officials to register the Ministers who came and when they came in.  I shall also be writing to His Excellence, the President R. G. Mugabe on the issue and the violation of the Constitution by the Hon. Ministers.  I think that is the stage we have reached now and we cannot proceed accordingly.  The Hon. Ministers, as representatives of the Executive should be in the front line of respecting the Constitution.  Hon. Maridadi said we should waiver the question time and proceed –

I am sorry, I was going to talk about Hon. Chinamasa because he is the Acting Leader of Government Business and I am told he was supposed to go to Senate and proceed with the Finance Bill.  Let me hear what the Hon. Minister has to say. – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Order! Order. As the Hon. Minister Chinamasa was coming in, he had come to excuse himself because he is dealing with the Finance Bill in the Senate.  He tells me that Hon. Ministers were enjoined to make sure that they are present today by the Hon. Vice President Mnangagwa.  So, there is some element of defiance there definitely – [HON. MEMBERS:  Reshuffle, reshuffle.] –

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