HON. MISIHAIRABWI-MUSHONGA: Mr. Speaker, Hon. Gonese referred to the fact that our Standing Rules actually do not provide for instances such as these. I want to disagree that in fact they do. Firstly, let me start by saying if you go to rule 16, in our Standing Rules and Orders, the Public Accounts and the Parliamentary Legal Committee are the two Committees, it is very peremptory, it actually says there must be. So there are two committees that are referred to in our Standing Rules and Orders as a must that should be there and one of that Committee is Public Accounts.
On Standing Order Number 20 (b), when it is talking about the role of Portfolio Committees – because like Hon. Gonese said, if you go to Section 310 (2) which specifically speaks about approval of Parliament, that is the only other clause that you find in the Constitution that actually speaks specifically about the need for Parliament to approve. In some of these appointments it is actually that Parliament will sit probably as Standing Rules and Orders and give specific names to the President, then the President can pick from those names.
However, for this particular one, it says the President, with the approval of Parliament. So, whilst there is no particular definition for approval and Hon. Gonese did go to 339 which you can then read to say, it therefore means that consultation has to be taken in. one understands that that approval is a serious one. Therefore, it is a serious approval; you then should go to Standing Rules, the one that I was referring to, Standing Rule 20(C) which gives responsibilities to portfolio Committees. If you allow me, Mr. Speaker Sir, it says, ‘monitor, investigate, inquire into and make recommendations relating to any aspect of the legislative programme, budget, policy or any other matter it may consider relevant to the Government department falling within the category of affairs assigned to them.’
So, this Mr. Speaker, I cannot find anything else, in fact, simply put the Auditor General is the secretary to our Committee. We cannot perform without an Auditor General and for the Minister to come here without even having consulted the Public Accounts Committee; we are making reference to this CV. If you go to 310 (2), it says the Auditor General must be a Zimbabwean citizen.
THE HON. SPEAKER: It appears now that you are debating the motion.
HON. MISIHAIRABWI-MUSHONGA: No, but the point of order is to say can we take his motion. Can he present his motion, given that he has not followed the due process?
THE HON SPEAKER: But you have not heard the Hon. Minister?
HON. MISIHARABWI-MUSHONGA: He was going on to explain why we should be considering this particular gentleman for approval and we are saying he is jumping the gun. We do not want to hear about this particular gentlemen until he goes through the relevant step as provided for in our Standing Rules and Orders. All we are asking him is for him to come to the Public Accounts Committee, explain, indicate so that when this motion then comes like any other motion, the Public Accounts Committee will then give a report as a response to his motion. As it is, he has not done what he is supposed to and that is the point we are raising. Thank you. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
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