Zimbabwe Speaker asks Parliament to investigate ministers who consistently send apologies not to attend question time

Zimbabwe Speaker of Parliament has directed the Clerk of Parliament to make a proper analysis of those ministers who have been consistently tendering apologies not to attend question time because he does not believe that they will be on national duty.

He said this after 24 ministers and deputies including the two vice-presidents sent in their apologies. The attendance was worse than the previous week when 20 ministers and deputies sent apologies.

“My observation is that there are quite clear apologies that have been very consistent. My suspicion is that these ministers who tender apologies cannot be on national duty every week. It is impossible,” he said. 

“I am therefore directing the Clerk and his staff to make a proper analysis of those ministers who have been consistently tendering their apologies and appropriate action therefore must be taken sooner than later. That is the first observation. 

“The second observation is that when His Excellency addressed the cabinet in the 2025 Cabinet Session; he made a very telling statement in which he was appealing to all the ministers and their deputies to perform in terms of their constitutional mandates. 

“Such apologies do not seem to answer to that appeal and where you have deputy ministers again consistently absenting themselves with some apologies, that cannot be acceptable.

“In terms of Constitution provision Section 107(2), it is very clear.  Every Vice President, minister and deputy minister must attend Parliament and Parliamentary Committees in order to answer questions concerning matters for which he or she is collectively or individually responsible. 

“I think the public or we owe to the public performance. When the Hon. ministers answer to parliamentary processes, it is their time to shine on public policy in which they are telling the world what Government is doing, the challenges Government is facing and what Government is doing about those challenges and that creates public trust in the Government of the day.

“We cannot afford to miss that golden opportunity. We should not and above all, it is the taxpayer who shoulders the responsibilities for us to be in our offices and that must be respected as well,” Mudenda said.

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