Source: MDC MPs monkeys, baboons: Minister – NewsDay Zimbabwe August 1, 2019
CHAOS reigned supreme in Parliament yesterday after Agriculture, Lands and Rural Resettlement minister Perrance Shiri described MDC MPs as “baboons and monkeys” for seeking answers on the missing $3 billion agricultural funds, forcing the sitting of the National Assembly to be adjourned prematurely.
BY XOLISANI NCUBE
Initially, Shiri was responding to a question from Bindura North MP Kenneth Musanhi on the missing $3 billion distributed by Treasury to Command Agriculture, but his response attracted interest from opposition MPs, who wanted to understand where the money went.
“There is no missing $3 billion. It is unfortunate that when my officials from my ministry appeared before the committee (Public Accounts Committee), they could not explain how the money was used and give documents to back up the breakdown,” he said.
“Mr Speaker, the issue is that at the time the officials were in Parliament, the documents were with procurement, but now we have them. The money was used for paying farmers through the GMB [Grain Marketing Board]. It was used for the presidential input scheme, and it adds up to $3 billion.
“It was used for the financing of wheat farming, and it was used in a transparent manner. There is no missing money.”
His response attracted a question from Harare West MP Joanna Mamombe (MDC Alliance), who asked why the country was facing serious bread shortages when the authorities had used such huge amounts of money for wheat production.
Shiri responded, saying the money was used for various projects, including the purchase of grain by the GMB.
MDC chief whip Prosper Mutseyami then requested Shiri to issue a ministerial statement, detailing how the $3 billion was used. But Shiri said there was no need to do so, as he could explain it in the House without a ministerial statement.
Opposition MPs then pressed Shiri to explain in detail, to which he said: “I can’t be talking to monkeys and baboons,” a statement which triggered chaos.
MDC Alliance legislators demanded that the minister withdraw his statement.
“The minister has to withdraw that statement. I had asked him a clear question and he can’t say that,” Mamombe charged.
Shiri remained relaxed on his seat as the MPs tried to outdo each other, making noise, with Zanu PF legislators defending the minister, while the opposition were pushing for a retraction.
The chaos went on for more than 10 minutes as Mutseyami and David Musabayana, on behalf of Zanu PF, tried to engage acting Speaker William Mutomba.
The MPs started singing and dancing, with some Zanu PF MPs chanting “ED Pfee”, while MDC MPs chanted the MDC leader Nelson Chamisa‘s name.
“Chamisa! Chamisa! Chamisa!”, The MDC legislators sang, brandishing an open palm, while some Zanu PF MPs chanted “ED Pfee! ED Pfee!”, with others raising their fists.
The chaos could not be controlled after 10 minutes and the acting Speaker had to walk out of the House, leaving the MPs to outdo each other.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Tendai Biti, has been probing how Command Agriculture funds were used, amid allegations that they were abused.
About $3 billion reportedly disappeared through the system after it was allocated to the Command Agriculture programme between December 2017 and 2018. The matter came to light when PAC was receiving oral evidence from the Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement ministry officials on the ministry’s accounts audited in the Auditor-General Mildred Chiri’s 2017 and 2018 reports.
The report revealed that Treasury released $3 billion to the Agriculture and Lands ministry to finance Command Agriculture, but there were no supporting documents and that Parliament did not approve of the payment.
Lands ministry officials said they were not in control of the funds as the Command Agriculture were run by the Office of the President and Cabinet.
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COMMENTS
Bigboy Samson Chikerema alias Perrance Shiri is a very dangerous man. He tries to intimidate our MPs like he did when chasing real farmers from their land and during his Gukurahundi activities.
And all because our MPs were asking a very simple but important question that we all need answered…where did our money go?…not just pennies but US $ 3 Billion!!!
This huge amount was given to so called farmers who couldn’t grow enough wheat to bake a biscuit.
And he’s the same generous genius that wants to pay US $ 40 million to farmers as compensation for their farms being handed to Shiri’s so-called farmers. These experienced farmers grew enough wheat to feed the whole of Africa.
US $ 40 Million is 40 000 000 while US $ 3 Billion is 3 000 000 000 a difference of US $ 2 960 000 000. Perhaps if this US $ 3 Billion was given to the aggrieved farmers Zimbabwe would have been on the road to recovery by now…not the road to ruin we’re on.
“Open for business” – hee? In a country where army runs supreme and elegantly so – yes “open business” i believe; not even ‘open for…”. Where else have you seen member of parliament, not even a gvt minister for that matter, calling parliamentarian monkeys, baboons, etc and a speaker/chair being so powerless that s/he cant even utter even just “an insincere” word of reprimand? Disgusting!
scary amount of money to go missing. Shows the levels of corruption in the government
This fool is better off keeping quiet, as name calling comes about after you have no logical mature response, to questions asked or challenges faced.
Ronald Reagan called you useless semi literate thieving idiots monkeys when he was President…don’t you useless idiots watch the international news??? Unfortunately it makes a mockery of monkeys because they are nice caring loving animals whereas you lot are born thieves hellbent on destroying anything in Africa that was designed and built by the white man. I look at how advanced the UK, Europe and the USA is under white rule and I compare it to Africa and how you lot have destroyed it and in all honesty as far I care you can all rot in hell and if I had my way I wouldn’t give you a penny in Food Aid as the previous white farmer said proved they could Feed Africa!!!!!
You Dave have deviated from the subject and you behave like the very guy we are castigating, you have now gone to Racialism and I think you have such a myopic mind and I dare say you are now thinking like a pig! And yes your thoughts are that of a pig that is at home in Dung and mud!
3 billion could feed the country for a year …. what a bunch of morons … terrorists.
i suggest he looks in the mirror to see who the real baboon is
But the ZANUPF people are confirmed thieves – on 1 February 2019 I had USD 100 in my Zimbabwe bank account – today 3 August 2019 I have RTGS 100 in my bank account worth USD 1 ( one )
The Zim public are not fools comrades
By the way I quite like baboons and monkeys comrades