The Southern African Parliamentary Support Trust regularly publishes  information on the proceedings in Zimbabwe’s Parliament. Here’s their latest bulletin:

Introduction

The Question and Answer session was the only business that the House of Assembly transacted yesterday, on Wednesday16 February 2011, before it adjourned to Tuesday 22 February 2011.

Question without Notice
The segment on question without notice is confined to policy issues, where backbenchers quiz Ministers on policies under their purview.

Selling of the National Flag
Hon. Felix Magalela Sibanda (MDC-T Magwegwe Constituency) asked the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs the legal implications of selling the National Flag on the streets and the proceeds thereof. Hon. Chinamasa said in terms of National Flag Act, there was nothing wrong with such enterprise as long as the manufacturers of those flags do not distort the features on the flag. He further stated that the proceeds go to the people involved in the enterprise.

Suspension of Public Assistance to Vulnerable Groups
Hon. Dorothy Mangami (ZANU PF Gokwe Constituency) raised a question regarding the suspension of the stipend paid by the department of social welfare to vulnerable members of society and also queried the amount paid out which she considered to be very little. In response, the Minister of Labour and Social Services, Hon. Paurina Mpariwa confirmed that her ministry had not been able to honour the pay-outs between May and December 2010 due to lack of financial resources. The public assistance scheme is pegged at $20 per head per registered household. She further informed the House that the ministry had received resources from Treasury and had thus resuscitated the programme.

Delays in Appointing the Anti-Corruption Commission
Hon. Willas Madzimure (MDC-T Kambuzuma Constituency), asked the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs why the Anti-Corruption Commission still hasn’t been appointed. Hon. Chinamasa said the delay regarding the appointment of the Commission was mainly due to the wide ranging nature of consultations. He pointed out that the appointment procedures for the Anti-Corruption Commission were different from the other commissions which were appointed last year through a parliamentary process. In addition, the Minister of Justice said commissioners of the Anti-corruption Commission were full time office bearers and that is why the process had taken too long as government wanted to make sure that they appointed the right people.

Delays in Ratifying Convention Against Torture (CAT)
Hon Harrison Mudzuri (MDC-T Zaka Central Constituency) quizzed the Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Hon. Patrick Chinamasa why Zimbabwe still hasn’t ratified the Convention against Torture (CAT). Hon. Chinamasa said he made an undertaking to the UN that he wanted to conduct workshops on the issue before the Convention was brought to parliament for ratification. He said, however, his ministry was too busy on other issues to conduct the workshops.

Legalization of marijuana
Hon. Simbaneuta Mudarikwa (ZANU PF Uzumba Constituency) had the House in stitches when he asked the Minister of Agriculture Mechanization and Irrigation Development if government could extend the policy on Export Processing Zones (EPZs) to the growing of marijuana (mbanje) for medicinal purposes. Hon. Joseph Made said marijuana was prohibited in the country.

Presidential Agricultural Input Scheme
The Minister of Agriculture Mechanization and Irrigation Development was non-committal in his response to a question by Hon. Settlement Chikwinya (MDC-T Mbizo Constituency) regarding the source of funding for the Presidential Agricultural Input Scheme and what he termed the politicization of the scheme. Hon. Made said he did not was to comment on the issue because the Presidential Well Wishers Input Scheme did not fall under his purview. The Minister further said he was not aware of politicisation of the scheme and challenged Hon. Chikwinya to bring forward evidence of his allegation.

Lines of Credit to the Industry
The Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon Michael Bimha was asked by Hon. Willas Madzimure (MDC-T Kambuzuma Constituency), to brief the House regarding the lines of credit which were promised to the industry by government. The Deputy Minister said the function regarding the financing of the industry has since been transferred to the ministry of Finance. The ministry of Industry was now merely responsible for receiving requests from the industry for onward transmission to the Ministry Finance.

Invasion of manufacturing and retailing industries
Hon Blessing Chebundo (MDC-T Kwekwe Central Constituency) asked the Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon Michael Bimha to state measures his ministry had taken to safeguard the invasion of manufacturing and retailing industries such as what happened at the Gulf Business Complex in Harare in recent weeks. In his response Hon. Bimha said the role of his ministry was to create a conducive environment for industry and commerce to operate in terms of policy formulation as well as regulations. Thus where the industry was threatened in any way, his ministry appealed to the relevant ministry that administers law and order to institute appropriate measures.

Freezing of Civil Service Posts
Hon. Clifford Sibanda (ZANU PF Bubi Constituency) asked the Minister of Public Service Hon. Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro what would happen to nurses and teachers who recently graduated from training colleges given that government has frozen posts in the civil service. Prof. Mukonoweshuro said that while there was a general freeze in recruitment across the board within the Public Service, there was a special dispensation whereby the Public Service is looking at specific specialised categories, especially in the technical fields like education and health. The responsible ministries that have vacancies were expected to make an application to the Public Service Commission for a waiver allowing them to fill vacant posts.

Ghost Workers in Civil Service
Hon. Amos Chibaya (MDC-T Mkoba Constiuency) asked the Minister of Public Service Hon. Professor Elphas Mukonoweshuro why he had not stopped the payment of ghost workers in the civil service. In his response, the Minister said Cabinet was still considering the Payroll and Skills Audit Report and thus he was not in a position to take action on the matter. He undertook to make a ministerial statement in parliament once Cabinet had finished studying the report.

Botswana’s Plans on Upper Zambezi Waters
Hon. Paul Mazikana (ZANU PF Mbire Constituency) asked the Minister of Water Resources Development and Management, Hon. Samuel Sipepa Nkomo Zimabawe’s position regarding Botswana’a intentions to draw water from upper Zambezi and if that was not going to affect tourism activities in Victoria Falls. The Minister said his ministry was actively looking into the issue. He further informed the House that Zimbabwe and Botswana were about to conclude a joint water commission which would among other things address the concerns raised by Hon. Mazikana. In addition he said Zimbabwe and Zambia were opposed to Botswana’s programme as it would certainly affect tourism activities in Victoria Falls.

Traffic Spot Fines and Impounding of Vehicles by Police
Hon. Siyabonga Ncube (MDC Insiza Constituency) asked the co-Minister of Home Affairs, Hon. Teresa Makone if it was government policy for traffic police to inst on spot fines for traffic offences instead of issuing tickets that could be paid later. In addition Hon. Ncube wanted to find out if it was proper for the police to impound one’s vehicle for failure to pay a spot fine. In her response the Minister appeared to confirm that traffic police had the right to charge spot fines as long as they issued receipts. However, if the aggrieved did not admit committing the traffic offence, they had a right to refuse to pay a spot fine and insist on going to court. Regarding the impounding of vehicles for failure to pay spot fines, the Minister said traffic police had no right to do so.

Progress on People who looted the Gulf Business Complex
Hon. Collen Gwiyo (MDC-T Zengeza West Constituency) sought progress from the co-Minister of Home Affairs Teresa Makone regarding the people who looted shops at the Gulf Business Complex and whether or not the government of Zimbabwe would apologize to the affected Chinese and Nigerian business people. The Minister said the prosecution process has been instituted against those who have been identified. However, as regards a government apology, Hon. Makone said they had not considered that.

Empowerment Policy for Vulnerable Groups
Hon. Annastancia Ndhlovu (ZANU PF Shurugwi South Constituency) asked the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment Hon. Saviour Kasukuwere if his ministry had a deliberate policy that include vulnerable groups such as youth, women and the disabled in the various economic empowerment initiatives that the country was currently undertaking to which the minister answered in the affirmative.

Re-emergence of the National Youth Service Programme
Hon Anadi Sululu (MDC-T Silobela Constituency) asked the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenization and Empowerment Hon. Saviour Kasukuwere if the re-emergence of the National Youth Service Programme had been sanctioned by Cabinet. The Minister stated that the programme was actually agreed upon by the principals in the Global Political Agreement (GPA). He appealed to MPs to desist from “stigmatizing the youth who undergo training under this programme as militias”.

Adjournment of the House
The House adjourned to Tuesday 22 February 2011, ostensibly to allow women parliamentarians to attend a Conflict Resolution and Peace Building Workshop to be held in Masvingo (Great Zimbabwe Hotel) from 18 – 20 February 2011.

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I arrived in South Africa today and was bemused to find that my South African driver and a fellow passenger from Ghana are more passionate about ‘the Zimbabwe issue’ than I’ve heard any Zimbabwean in Zimbabwe be.

“Mugabe must go!” proclaimed the driver.

“Only Tsvangirai can save Zimbabwe now!” chimed in the Ghanaian.

I started to give my opinion, that Tsvangirai is not the great Bantu hope and in some ways Mugabe has a point. I was shushed. What could I possibly know?

The only one of these two to have visited Zimbabwe was the driver, in the early eighties ‘when things were still good’. They both knew better. After all, they were both better informed of the goings on in my country than I. They both agreed with each other, smoothly leaving me, the only person in the car who has lived, worked and survived gore riya renzara under the Mugabe regime well out of the conversation.

We proclaim to ourselves that the Diasporans need to come home to get in on the ground floor in re-building Zimbabwe, but perhaps we’ve gotten it wrong. Increasingly I’m finding that important conversations about Zimbabwe, are taking place outside of Zimbabwe. Where does that leave those of us who live and work in Zimbabwe?

I hmm-ed where appropriate, but for the most part, I was silent in that car this morning, as are Zimbabweans when our country and its future are being discussed. Investment conferences, vigils and even talks regarding the existence of sanctions which may or may not be causing additional suffering are discussed without the people they are supposed to be helping. There is zero consultation and the only opinions that seem to matter are those that are self serving at our expense.  If Zimbabwe is to have a revolution it is that Zimbabweans should learn to speak for themselves. Mwana asingacheme anofira mumbereko.

After Mubarak’s resignation was announced on Friday, we sent out this text message to our subscribers:

Kubatana! People power brings down 30 year dictatorship in Egypt. Mubarak has resigned. Cairo is celebrating.

Below are some of the replies – which give a sense of how similar many Zimbabweans view the two countries’ situations to be:

• There were 10 dictators hanging on the wall & if 2 dictators should accidentally fall there’ll be 8 dictators hanging on the wall and if 1 dictator should accidentally fall there’ll be 7 ….And so on!
• Happy, hapy, hapy new Egypt!! Mubarak is gone. Unitd, ple cn do it. Who’s nxt? Free Africa’s cmng
• Thank God! hope the same wl happen in Zim!
• SO THAT MUST TAKE PLACE IN MOST STATES WITH SAME RULERS.THANK YOU.
  WE LIKE THAT
• Yhus good and it proves that people power is heavier than indvidual power
• Ko isiwo todii?
• Lets pray Zimbabwens can do the same.
• Where next?
• Aluta continua!
• SAME SHOULD HAPPEN MAP OUT STRATEGY
• Congratulations
• MAKOROKOTO EGYPT. THE PEOPLE  HAS GOT POWER, THE POWER IS WITHIN THE PEOPLE… secrifice and determination breed success.
• Go egypt go
• People’s power counts. The emancipation in Egypt is for us all. God is for us all.
• We are also celebrating.
• Thanks for the news.African dictators should go
• I saw it coming! A lesson 4 other leaders.
• Great!This shld b a new beginning 4 Egyptians and there shld b zero tolerance 2 US/Israeli interference in the next political dispensation
• Thanx dictorship must end in zimba
• Lets be vigilant and celebrate
• The voice of the pple is the voice of God. Long live Egypt. Long live Zim
• IN EVERY WAR THERE HAS TO BE BLOODSHED  THE INNOCENT OR THE GUILTY ! BUT THE INNOCENT WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL, BY  GOD’S GRACE. FORWARD WITH REFORMATION AND REVOLUTION. CHANGE WE WANT AND IT WILL BE.
• Strong will, courage and determination is all it takes to change the world.
• Thats something to smile about.hope the same will happen in zw
• What a relief. Surely where there is a will there is a way. In the name of the almighty GOD let us wait for the next one in line to follow suit.
• Praise God Next Is . . .
• We Zimbabweans should follow what has been done in Egypt.

Trotsky once remarked that if poverty was the cause of revolutions, there would be revolutions all the time because most people in the world were poor. What is needed to turn a million people’s grumbling discontent into a crowd on the streets is a spark to electrify them. Read more from the BBC on recurring patterns in revolutions

I saw a boy the other day right in the middle of the city centre just sitting by the pavement and wondered what the heck he was doing there when he was obviously supposed to be in class. You see the young lad was wearing a school uniform and I paused and asked him what his story was. He told me he was a grade four pupil in one of what was once Bulawayo’s elite schools. “I was told to go home.” “Why,” I asked. “I have not paid school fees,” he told me. Obviously it brought me back to the gulf that glaringly exists between policymakers and policy implementers in this country especially after the coming of the GNU. Where do we situate a grade four pupil who is loitering in the city centre because his parents are broke and pronouncements by the Minister Education that every child has a right to education and therefore must not be expelled because the parents are poor? Of course there is nothing new in this enquiry, but the fact that these pupils seen in the city centre are usually dismissed by many strangers as  playing truant, it does provide a disturbing trend when one thinks that next time you see child in uniform right in the CBD, it is not because they decided to bunk, skip classes, but it could be because they have been told they have no place among paying students, yet it is already known that parents are failing to pay for everything including feeding their children. When is it all going to end so that these so-called future leaders in Zimbabwe are made to inherit the wind? Who needs daft future leaders when we already have our plateful?

I had exactly the same response as Penelope Chester when I read Ethan Zuckerman’s blog about the events in Gabon. I immediately Googled Gabon and found that the top stories were about football, not the political crisis in that country.

What makes the events in Egypt more compelling for media houses and news agencies around the world? Read both Penelope and Ethan to learn more about the situation in Gabon.

Ethan reminds us:

We are challenged to witness people’s struggles, whether or not they take place in countries we already know and fear. We are challenged to ensure that authoritarian regimes don’t crush dissent because they know no one is watching. Increasingly, we have the tools to pay attention to revolutionary change anywhere in the world – now we just have to live up to our responsibilities.