You don’t vote when you are dead, let’s vaccinate people first- Zimbabwe minister

The current state which we have about ZEC is a sorry state. Inasmuch as I believe that this country is under COVID, there are a number of things that have happened in this country which are actually worse than holding an election in terms of the spread of COVID. We have had quite a number of church gatherings, some apostolic sects having more than 10 000 people gathered at a shrine. You and I know, because we are creatures of politics; you know that when people go for voting, they do so in a single line and the question of social distancing can actually be enforced because our law enforcement agents normally mann these polling stations and they will be in a position to say people need to exercise the COVID protocols. If we continue to have a situation where we have got a dysfunctional ZEC, then I believe that we are destroying this country.

Right now we are here passing laws, budgets and other things, but we also need to be cognisant – what about the people of Kuwadzana who do not have a voice in Parliament? What about the people in Highfield, in Mkoba, they also need to have their voice.  They need to have a channel upon which they can throw in some of their recommendations and some of the things that they want Parliament to do and to change.  We are all Zimbabweans from one end to the other.  From Zambezi to Limpopo, every voice needs to be represented in this august House and every voice also needs to be represented in our local Government.  Let us deal with them.  Let us untie ZEC so that it is actually worthy …

HON. ZIYAMBI: On a point of order. Thank you Madam Speaker.  My point of order pertains to what he is debating about.  There was a state of public health emergency that was declared and a Statutory Instrument to deal with that.  The Hon. Member would have debated that at that particular time. He must zero in on the ZEC Report as to the laws that are in place in the august House and seek an opportunity to debate and not to vote those to take effect.  So I think if the Hon. Member can direct himself to the contents of the report, we will make progress.  If he is dissatisfied with any law that is in place, this is the right forum. You are supposed to have raised it at that particular juncture.  I thank you.

HON. MUSHORIWA: I think the Minister is actually misdirected.  The issues that I am actually raising are contained in the same…

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Hon. Mushoriwa, you must stick to the report.

HON. MUSHORIWA: Precisely Madam Speaker, the things that I am raising are the issues that were raised by them and they are contained in the ZEC Report, unless the Hon. Minister is actually trying to say we cannot debate the issue because they were supposed to be debated on another fora.  The truth of the matter is that what I said and have been debating is contained within the ZEC Report of 2020 and the Hon. Minister, if he is in doubt, can actually check.  Having said that, I think I have made my point and my contribution pertaining to the ZEC Report. I believe what I have said carries weight and can help ZEC as we go forward.  We do not want a repeat, come 2021 to then get the same report that we have actually heard in 2020.  I thank you.

HON. ZIYAMBI: Thank you Madam Speaker.  Suffice to say that what he was labouring under is not in the report.  We made a resolution as a country that we need to fight COVID-19 and our main thrust is, let us reach herd immunity as early as possible.  So, what we have tried to do as a country is to mobilise our resources to procuring vaccines to make sure that Zimbabweans are safe.  You do not vote when you are dead.  You do not exercise your democratic rights when you are dead.  What we are trying to do is, we have a state of public works emergency.  We have this thrust; we must ensure that Zimbabweans are protected.  Other countries are actually applauding the efforts that we are making.  Australia, South Africa and Botswana actually acknowledge that Zimbabwe is going in the right direction.

I was hoping that Hon. Mushoriwa was going to applaud His Excellency for the way he has led the country during the COVID period.  I believe that all things being equal, once we have raised herd immunity, we are going to vote.  So for now, we stick to the laws that are there.  Having said that, I notice that there is no debate, I move that this report be removed from the Order Paper.  I thank you.

Motion; with leave, withdrawn.

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