Zimbabwe, coronavirus and by-elections, is government hiding behind a finger?

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Please order Hon. Members, may the Hon. Minister be heard in silence please!

HON. ZIYAMBI:  The first part of Hon. Chikwinya’s question was, why do you make reference to WHO Guidelines in S.Is.  It is perfectly okay to cite the opinion of WHO as a body that has authority in terms of health matters but I said it is persuasive in that we look at our local conditions and say, against this advice and our local conditions,  what is it that is applicable to us?  We do not take everything that they say as if it is from the Bible.

The second issue was on the conduct of Zimbabwean citizens.  There are two issues Madam Speaker – legislating and enforcing.  Perhaps what he needs is to ask the Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage and the relevant organs that deal with enforcement, why they are allowing the flouting of regulations under COVID-19.  I thank you.

HON. SIKHALA:  On a point of clarity Madam Speaker, there is a very crucial part of the question by Hon. Chikwinya that the Hon. Minister did not answer.

His question was; primary elections are being held across the political divide and in holding those primary elections they are not distinct from by elections that could be held in this country.  Why are primary elections being allowed to take place but when it comes to by elections, the Government changes goal posts?  That is the question and we want an answer to that question Madam Speaker.

HON. ZIYAMBI:  Thank you Madam Speaker, Hon. Sikhala was not listening.. – [HON. SIKHALA:  I was!] –

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Please may you listen now Hon. Sikhala?

HON. ZIYAMBI:  Allow me to respond – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –  Madam Speaker, there are two processes.  We put in legislation here and we do not enforce it.

Primary elections are governed by any other law that is there to control COVID-19.  I am not aware of whatever was happening, whether there were primary elections or not – I do not know – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –  What I know is that we came up with legislation to ensure that we continue surviving because the dead do not vote.  So we said to ourselves, in terms of our capabilities and the nature of the pandemic we are going to suspend the right to vote until the pandemic is over.

The issue of enforcement that Hon. Sikhala is talking about is a separate matter from the legislative process.  I thank you.

HON. MADZIMURE: Madam Speaker, re-engagement, as the Government would want us to believe, is based on upholding democracy and constitutionalism. It is very clear that all the regulations have been relaxed. We now have people travelling from here to Bulawayo in a 75-seater bus. The regulations that the Government of Zimbabwe follows are like scientifically proven and it is a fact that elections can be held because we are already doing that. The Minister is the Chairperson of Mashonaland West and they have held primary elections in every ward that is vacant. In Kadoma, they have done so. Can the Minister have other reasons other than citing Covid-19 as a reason? If you look at the statistics, the science, you are not even testing. Masvingo, for the last two weeks was zero testing. Where are you finding that science that informs you not to hold by-elections when you are not even testing people?

HON. ZIYAMBI: I want to thank Hon. Madzimure but he has raised several unrelated issues. The question of testing, surely if it is not being done, I think the Minister of Health can deal with that. Secondly, we have not said the pandemic is over. The state of public health emergency that was declared is still there. Our position is that we cannot endanger our people. The dead do not vote and we are not in a rush to ensure that our people die and we have several regulations that are still in place. We are still monitoring the pandemic. At such a time that the declaration is removed, that is when we will start talking about the exercise of that right. It was simply suspended according to our laws and perfectly constitutional. I just urge the Hon. Member to be patient before he endangers the life of the majority of our people.

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