Zimbabwe legislator says corruption has overtaken sanctions as talk of the day

Mr. Speaker, for us we cannot talk about the unemployment rate at this point in time because there is no employment.  May we understand from a figure’s point of view, the employment which was promised to the people, where has it gone?  This is where I support Hon. Khupe in saying we are in this House to tell each other the truth. We are in this House not to patronise anybody. We are in dialogue and we work with the President because he is the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.  In working with the President, we shall not shy away from equally being constructive in saying that the Manifesto that you promised the people of Zimbabwe is not coming to fruition – [HON. MEMBERS:  Hear, hear.] – that is not a crime.  That requires are to be able to say that and say all these issues that you say you give to the people, where are they today?

It takes us to be doing that and that is the reason why I applaud the stance taken by Hon. Khupe to say I will talk to him but when I talk to him it is about the nation, at the end of the day – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear .] –  I will be here to argue and I am glad that Hon. Members on this side you are now performing.  You are actually more effective than the majority who were there because there is now substance. We are now building the country by talking about real issues.

This is what we need, at the end of the day – not walking away when the Head of State is here and you are appearing before Privileges Committee, you are making your families suffer by not getting allowances for five months yet your own party is not compensating the five months you are not on duty, then you want to blame anybody.  Those games must stop and you must learn lessons by being in this House to represent the people on what you came for.  May we now behave like the Government in waiting where you are showing people that indeed we are a Government in waiting by critiquing what needs to be critiqued at the end of the day.

This SONA has come about the right time when the new spirit – when we have an Opposition Leader who wants to build this country by ensuring that the ruling party responds to its promises.  We have got to be very clear on that.  On the corruption issues, the ruling party has failed, what do we do? Unemployment it has failed, stabilising the economy has failed but we are prioritising the globalisation fund yet Constitutional provisions of the war veterans we have not done anything about it.  Again on disabled and health we have not done anything about these issues.

Mr. Speaker Sir, going to the global fund compensation, what was really intrigue, what was exciting about it when we have millions who must be given certain services which they have a right to.  For example health, education et cetera. We went on to please the world to be seen to be constitutional and come up with a 3.5 if I am not mistaken global fund to compensate the white farmers.  May I be honest, the white farmers have moved on, some of them have died and they are actually part of this country now in leasing some farms, in being part of the agricultural turnaround of this country.  So the priority is equally important.

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