Opposition legislator and former Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri yesterday said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should talk to his ministers to take the Senate seriously because he had never seen Local Government Minister July Moyo and Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka in the Senate.
He said this after the acting president of the Senate Chief Ngunmgumbane read a long list of ministers who were not able to attend yesterday’s sitting with only Transport Minister Felix Mhona in the upper House.
Thursday is question time in the Senate.
The issue was first raised by Morgen Komichi who complained that the ministers’ absence was a betrayal of the people that they represented because the minister and his or her deputy could not be both absent.
“This is betrayal of the people’s expectations. This is making this House useless and when people are shouting at us back home, they are correct. We are failing to represent them because we are being undercut by the absence of the Ministers,” Komich said.
Mudzuri asked whether there was something going on in the country that had taken away all the ministers?
“I just want the answer on record if there is something happening in the country that has taken all these people away. It is time for people to go for the Christmas holidays but there are so many questions we want to ask,” he said.
“There are also many ministers who have never been in this House and we want to take stock. I can mention those who have never been in the House. I have not seen the Minister of Local Government or Minister of Agriculture. If they were appointed and the President is serious, he must talk to these people so that at least they come to this Upper House so we can discuss serious business on what is happening in the country.”
Full contributions:
HON. SEN. KOMICHI: I would like to complement you Mr. President. This is one of the evidence why people outside shout at us as Hon. Members of Parliament. The people that we represent sent us to Parliament to represent them on their issues. Today being a Thursday is one of the most important days that we as Members of Parliament should be able to express what our people are saying back home but when we look at the bench, it is almost empty. Thank you to the few Ministers that have come but the majority betrayed us. Whilst we appreciate that they have sent apologies, we do not appreciate their absence because they cannot be absent, both the substantive Minister and the deputy. This is betrayal of the people’s expectations. This is making this House useless and when people are shouting at us back home, they are correct. We are failing to represent them because we are being undercut by the absence of the Ministers. It had improved a few months ago but it has started again. This is a wrong thing and it must not happen. People expect us to do the job. They expect us to represent them. Who then do we talk to, if the Ministers are not able to come? This is a serious offence and the Ministers are betraying us. Thank you Hon. President.
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