via MPs want to accompany Mugabe on foreign trips – DailyNews Live by Chengetai Zvauya 20 NOVEMBER 2013
Members of Parliament want to join President Robert Mugabe’s entourage in all his foreign junkets.
Kindness Paradza, Zanu PF MP for Makonde, tabled the proposal during a hearing by the parliamentary portfolio committee on Foreign Affairs yesterday.
Paradza, a former newspaper publisher and farmer, asked Joey Bimha, permanent secretary in the ministry of Foreign Affairs, to include lawmakers from the Foreign Affairs committee on the list of delegates on all foreign trips undertaken by Mugabe.
“Since we overshadow the ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have not seen members of this committee accompanying the president on foreign trips to international summits, yet it is one of our oversight role to do so,” Paradza said.
“We want also to be involved in re-engagement with the foreign governments.”
Bimha said the delegation that travels with Mugabe was compiled by the President’s office.
“We only facilitate with technical expertise on the delegation, but however as a ministry, we are ready to engage on that issue and forward your request to his office,” Bimha said.
Bimha said legislators were free to get involved in the re-engagement processes aimed at fighting Western sanctions.
Lawmakers also asked Bimha to help them acquire diplomatic passports so that they can have easy travel while on Parliament business.
Bimha said his ministry only facilitates the acquisition of diplomatic passports but the list originates from the president’s office.
“We are not responsible for issuing out diplomatic passports, but we only act as facilitators for one to have his diplomatic passport,” Bimha said. “This was the case for (Zimbabwean Olympic medalist) Kirsty Coventry whose name was forwarded to us from the president’s office so that we help her to get her diplomatic passport. I am going to communicate your request to the relevant office so that it can be attended to.”
Enock Porosingazi, Zanu PF MP for Chipinge South and chairperson of the committee, said the legislators were keen to learn more about diplomatic duties and called for a workshop for legislators on international relations.
Bimha said that his ministry was facing financial challenges. He, however, added that his ministry was able to pay salaries for diplomats serving in Zimbabwe’s foreign missions.
The legislators were informed that 15 ambassadors were going to be recalled in December as they have finished their four-year tour of duty.
Some will be redeployed to other countries, he said.
Zimbabwe has 45 foreign missions.
COMMENTS
Why not take along the entire ZANU-PF Politburo and squander what little is left of FOREX, you idiots!
What do you want to learn outside when you can go it alone.This is utter rubbish.Instead of focussing on the starving poor villagers you are dreaming of 5 star hotels in Europe.No accountability at all.Africa still has a problem of public officials who only think of lining their pockets while still in power.Its real sickening.Which airline are you going to use? If you use Air Zim, next you are going to say Air Zim is bankrupt.ZANU PF be sober.I urge all ZANU PF supports to log on to you tube and check Eddison Zvobgo, Edgar Tekere , Josiah Tongogara and Mugabe’s views on the new Zimbwabwe while they were in Mozambique in 1978.Just log on and you will see the hypocricy of ZANU PF. you tube,Eddison Zvobgo,Edgar Tekere in Mozambique
We know what the dream was for a new Zimbabwe but that has been hijacked by thugs or rather sell outs. We should bring bäck the TYRE for these . SHAME ON THEM FOREVER.
So the MPs want to catch up on some sleep as well now…
Saka basa re foreign affairs ndereyi in the host country if the government moves with an enotourage of 90+. Vanhu ava do not have an idea of what deliverables are and how to structure efficient systems that give the best benefit to the nation. All they are really good at is structuring election victory systems, everything else they utterly clueless. As we speak they do not have an idea of what needs to be done with the economy “wider consultation” my foot. I thought they had all the answers in their manifesto so why not use it to strategise for the economy (by the way I had forgotten the economy is not elections). Given real managers, their manifesto can be used to come up with strategies. As can be seen with anything they do jambanja first, unfortunately the economy has no jambanja. The new murambtsvina exercise they are doing is do divert attention from their failure to announce the budget. Even diesel on the rocks was another diversion tactic, I do not think for a moment they believed it. If they did these guys, for fact, are real goons.
One word came to mind- circus! What an absolute joke this is–with more pressing issues at hand in this country, MPs are more concerned about hitching rides to go overseas and placing more pressure on taxpayer’s money!? Utterly disgusting to say the least!
EXACTLY BRO, CIRCUS.
whats there abroad you want paradza the pple of makonde are yet to see why you elected
Thieves! Logic would say that you suggest that the delagation should be trimmed drastically to less than 5 people.
a very sad commentary on the quality of our lawmakers….. what is it about us Africans that make us so blind to what we can achieve here without all these overseas trinkets. to paraphrase shame on us, shame, shame
In the past we sold ourselves for a blanket to the Colonisers. Today we are trying very hard to be like them and these MPs are doing just that again.
Holidays paid for by Zimbabweans for the acolytes. And luxury cars/ farms / homes in Borrowdale / electricity bills / rates / water bills / on and on……..