There was drama in Parliament a week ago when the Member of Parliament for Kwekwe central Masango Matambanadzo said some of the legislators who were causing a row in the House of Assembly were the same people that urinated in plates and pots at university.
Matambanadzo, who claims to have been educated only to Grade Two, said the legislators were misdirecting their education because they were supporting targetted sanctions which were hurting people.
When several Movement for Democratic Change legislators including Thamsanqa Mahlangu objected to Matambanadzo’s statement which was an insult, Matambanadzo said he had not said wetera, but hotera (hotel).
When legislators continued to interrupt his debate, Matambanadzo concluded his debate by saying he believed the legislators had problems with listening to a Grade Two.
Here is the debate from Hansard:
MR. MATAMBANADZO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I also want to add my voice on this motion that concerns power outages. The lack of electricity by ZESA affects everyone. As I stand here, when I look at the vision of our President, Cde. Robert Mugabe, he is saying this country, despite our hardships; we shall run it through mining.
But for us to run it through the mining sector when there are power outages like this, it is difficult. We cannot achieve the production levels of gold that we require since gold is the mainstay of Zimbabwe.
Why was the President mentioning gold? The mainstay of Zambia is copper and DRC’s mainstay is diamond. The trophies that are awarded to those that will have excelled in sport in Zambia, they are awarded copper and Zimbabwe awards diamonds. I believe that our colleagues, mainly those in the opposition, assume that they are educated.
Yes, in my constituency, they were laughing at me saying that I am not educated. I am surprised that they are misdirecting their education because they are failing to understand that the sanctions have crippled ZESA. What education is this?
How can you be doctors that will listen to English, the English that destroys your person? It means you do not reason. The previous disabled member reasons better than you with doctorates. You have doctorates that are doing nothing.
If you say you are knowledgeable and when I look at you, and you pride yourselves of having the degrees and the doctorates that you have within the opposition, for you to be able to lie and be able to be elected as MPs, you should cause the removal of targeted sanctions that are affecting electricity. This is English, targeted sanctions. What are they targeting at? They are targeting at electricity outages that you are complaining of and you claim to be educated.
When I look at your ages, you are the type of people that received free education as beneficiaries of the President’s programme. When I look at your ages and during your time, you are the ones, when I was reading these books and even saw the news that there were some children who were urinating in their plates and pots at university, you are the same hon. members who are causing a row in this august House.
It is quite bad.
MR. MAHLANGU: On a point of order Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, hon. members. What is your point of order Mr. Mahlangu?
MR. MAHLANGU: My point of order is that the hon. Member is speaking unparliamentary language by saying wetera. In Shona, it is an insult. How can that be recorded in the Hansard?
MR. SPEAKER: Hon. Mahlangu, what do you understand by that expression? Can you elaborate?
MR. MAHLANGU: It means ‘to urinate’ Mr. Speaker Sir. In Ndebele, ukuzicamela
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order. If the hon. member stated as indicated, could you please withdraw that statement?
MR. MATAMBANADZO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. This is English, I said hotel.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order.
MR. MARIDADI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am glad that hon. members would want to debate this issue. I think the way the debate is being directed, we are trivializing a very important issue and if we continue debating along these lines Mr. Speaker, this Parliament will go down in history as the worst Parliament….
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order. Can you conclude your intervention?
MR. MARIDADI: Mr. Speaker, it is a serious motion and debate which I think should elicit serious debate from members. I think Mr.Speaker that we must redirect our debate and debate this motion with the seriousness that it deserves. Thank you Mr. Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order. I thought that Hon. Maridadi was going to seek clarification on the hotel or whatever it was called. As to the level of debate, I think it is the prerogative of the Chair to determine otherwise. I would urge Hon. Matambanadzo to give some seriousness, motaura chaizvo zvinonzwikwa zvakanaka. Taurai.
MR. MATAMBANADZO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I was saying, I was requesting hon. members of ZANU PF that this is a challenge of the power outages which are happening in the country. Let us work together in unison in the face of this challenge and defeat our enemies.
MR. MAHLANGU: On a point of order Mr. Speaker Sir. My earlier point of order has not been addressed. The hon. member said, hanzi mahonourables ari pano apa aiwetera mumauniversities. Kuwetera means that aiwetera. It is an insult. Mr. Speaker Sir, this thing is going to appear in the Hansard and we cannot go ahead with such an insult. No, no, no, no .
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order, order. My ruling is that I will ask the recording to be done, then, we will interrogate what was recorded and I will make a statement tomorrow.
MR. MATAMBANADZO: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I am saying to hon. members of ZANU PF, this is a challenge that we are facing in this country, these power outages. I say to you, let us put our heads together so that we emerge victorious, so that we can subdue these enemies who have imposed targeted sanctions on us.
These sanctions have led to power outages and insufficient electricity. We come from different constituencies which have different big companies which are operating. Others are coming to open up operations, especially companies. You must stand firm and protect the interests of our investors from the Look East Policy – China, Russia and other countries.
Those companies that are coming to invest in your constituencies accept them with the money that they are bringing. Also, represent them as Government so that they can open up their operations and you will request them to open up their companies that can generate a lot of electricity in this country. That is the problem that I face and this is the task that I have in my constituency. I have companies like ZIMASCO.
ZIMASCO is running. I spoke to them and I am assisting them so that they can come up with a place where they can generate a lot of electricity. Furthermore, I am happy that Essar which has taken over the running of ZISCO was disturbed during the time of the Inclusive Government to such an extent that at the present moment we should be having electricity that we should be exporting to other countries. That was as a result of the fact that some of our colleagues, because of the way they behave, we got targeted sanctions when they won.
After they had been supported by people who had imposed the sanctions on us, they were given conditions. They were told that whether you have won either as a councillor, members of parliament, senator, mayor or minister, we want you to show us that you are happy that you have attained your position because of the same sanctions that we have imposed and they were in turn asked to then impose local sanctions.
That is why there is insufficient electricity. We had high rates of electricity bills and some consumers went for some months without paying these high bills and this led to the attachment of properties to settle the ZESA debts. Mr. Speaker Sir, I request that hon. members of ZANU PF should be aware of the fact that our colleagues are following an agenda set up by our enemies. I will give an example that as we went to the Budget Seminar in Victoria Falls, our colleagues also held a caucus with the West where they were taught mafia thinking. These are not their original ideas but they are a reflection of their masters’ voice.
MR. CHIKWINYA: On a point of order Mr. Speaker. I seek clarity from the hon. member on the floor to explain to us the concept of mafia thinking which he has just referred to?
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order can you please switch off your microphone please. Hon Chikwinya, what is your understanding before I can rule.
MR. CHIKWINYA: Thank you Mr. Speaker, I am actually failing to comprehend and follow the debate. The hon. member alleges that members of this side of the House ….he says we go for workshops where we are indoctrinated with the concept of mafia in thinking, so I want to understand the concept of mafia in thinking.
MR SPEAKER: Hon member, can we seek your indulgence to explain exactly what you mean so that we can follow.
MR MATAMBANADZO: I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. I believe that, if you want to understand what I am saying, please be quiet and listen. I said these are not the ideas of those who are supporting those sanctions; listen so that I can debate. Those who are supporting targeted sanctions on ZESA – I am not going to stop on the users only, I am also going to involve hon. members from ZANU PF. We should teach those mafias that are teaching these ones to behave in this manner
MR SPEAKER: Order, order, I think if some other members do not quite understand what he is saying, let us wait for him to finish and then perhaps in your own contributions, you can try to attack him. Can you wind up please?
MR MUTSEYAMI: I thank you Mr. Speaker Sir. The hon.member clearly stated that members of the opposition, go for workshops with the whites whereby they get an understanding ….
MR. SPEAKER: Order, order. Yes, please what is your query?
MR. MUTSEYAMI: My query is, since he has done the presentation, I think it is so important that he substantiates facts because this is an honourable House of Parliament, whereby he stated that we go for workshops with the whites. If he can extend further ….
MR. SPEAKER: Let him finish.
MR. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir, I have to talk when there is a bit of silence so that you can hear me …we are not in a cocktail.
MR. SPEAKER: Order, Order. Hon. Chinotimba, order please.
MR. MUTSEYAMI: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir,…..
MR. SPEAKER: Can you wind up please.
MR MUTSEYAMI: It is so important that I wind up as long as the issue has been cleared. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is just a matter for the hon. member to clarify facts and substantiate his issues of presentation whereby he said we go for workshops with the whites, – whereby we are given the intellect of the mafia style intelligence….
MR. HLONGWANE: Thank you Mr. Speaker. It is unprecedented in the culture of Parliament, that members can seek clarification on an individual member who is debating his diction. If members do not understand what a member is saying they seek clarity. I think the obligation lies with members who do not understand what the member is saying to acquaint themselves with the dictionary on the issues that he is raising.
The second matter Mr. Speaker, I do not see where offence is, in saying that members of the other side attend workshops with whites. There is Hon. Edward Cross, Hon. Watson – if they attend workshop together, I do not understand why that is offensive. Thank you.
MR. SPEAKER: Sorry, I will not allow a circus in this matter and I will allow the member who was holding the floor to carry on with his speech and wind up.
MR. MATAMBANADZO: Thank you Mr. Speaker, I believe they have had problems with Grade 2, so I end here.
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