via Senate sits for 18 minutes – NewsDay Zimbabwe by Veneranda Langa October 23, 2013
SENATE yesterday adjourned after sitting for only 18 minutes when senators failed to contribute to debate on two motions on yesterday’s Order Paper.
The first motion on the presidential speech failed to attract debate while the other motion on the report of the 62nd session of the executive committee of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) was wound up by the mover Matabeleland North senator Thokozile Mathuthu and was adopted within a few minutes.
Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa then adjourned the House amidst some murmurs from a few MDC-T senators who felt business in the Senate was not being taken seriously.
Responding to the murmurs, President of the Senate Edna Madzongwe said the House had to adjourn since there was no business.
“Those who do not want to adjourn should make sure we have motions to debate in the House,” Madzongwe said.
Asked by NewsDay why they were failing to bring motions for debate in the House, some senators said they were still in the process of crafting them.
Meanwhile, Senate had overlooked the inclusion of representatives of people living with disabilities in thematic committees that were appointed last week.
Although they were subsequently allocated committees to work with yesterday, the two representatives, Annah Shiri and Nyamayabo Mashavakure said they were not happy by lack of recognition in the House.
“We have no ill feelings about it, but whenever one deals with a majority one finds that they tend to think of themselves. We simply did remind them that they had forgotten us and they rectified the situation and included us. We definitely will articulate our issues and make an impact on the committees we have been seconded to. It is important that people realise that society is made up of different things, personalities — some are disabled, others are girls or boys, and young or adults,” said Mashavakure.
Nyamayabo was seconded to the human rights thematic committee and the indigenisation thematic committee and Shiri will sit in the millennium development goals (MDG) and gender thematic committees.
COMMENTS
Hahaha !!!they cannot hold a debate. Kungoonza vanhu basins ruzivo rwezvavari kuita. Urania nyika . Ha ha ha ha seka zvako.
CONGRATS! GIVE THEM JOKERS NEW CARS!
A sheer waste of money and resources. What are we doing? The Senate has a history of just being a real “dog house” literally. They are admitting that they dont even know why they are there as well. Interestingly, their sitting allowances and boarding fees all far exceed the pay for 2000 teachers. This reminds me of the late sell out Chief Zephenia Charumbira, in the 80s, I was booked at the Ambassada Hotel. I was in the elevator and he jumped in as well. We started to talk and and he told me that he was so happy that he had just made it before they closed the senate member’s roll. I asked him what was in it for him to just make it. The Idiotic Chief Charumbira said that making it in time, entailed him to claim sitting allowance. The lunatic Charumbira was all smiles and then I asked him whether the people he represented knew that he was only concerned about his allownces and not carrying their voice on motions being debated. He suddenly looked stupid and started picking his nose. Nothing has changed and the Zephenia Charumbira syndrome still Rules! In our culture public office is another revenue stream not service to the people who honestly put us into office.
Too busy taking care of the 6 farms that have been grabbed!!!
And they still get full allowances.Cry my beloved country!!
What motion can they make when they never consult with the people they purpot to represent. Nxaaaa