Ministers are ignorant, says Gr 2 dropout MP

via Ministers are ignorant, says Gr 2 dropout MP – The Standard March 6, 2016

KWEKWE Central MP Masango Matambanadzo, popularly known as “Blackman”, says government ministers are “arrogant”, and urged them to undergo training on how to effectively run the country.

BY VENERANDA LANGA

Matambanadzo said this in the National Assembly on Thursday while contributing to debate on a motion on the report of the Zimbabwean delegation to the Pan-African Parliament where he even bragged that he could become a better minister, if given a chance.

Blackman said although he was a Grade Two dropout, he had good knowledge of gold and mineral issues and taught some chairpersons of Parliamentary Committees about mining.

In an apparent attack on Mines and Mining Development minister Walter Chidhakwa, Matambanadzo said a minister once gave him a cold shoulder when he wanted to take part in a meeting in Kwekwe to discuss the takeover of Zimasco.

“I got some investors and took them to the Mines ministry because they wanted to take over Zimasco. Deputy minister Fred Moyo told me that they were visiting my constituency with the investors to do the launch,” he said.

“I drove to the plant using my fuel despite not getting coupons from Parliament and because I was not speeding since my car needed servicing, I got there when they had already started the meeting.”

Matambanadzo said he was shocked when Chidhakwa’s aide closed the door on him, saying the minister had instructed that he should not be allowed into the meeting as it was a government gathering.

“I was chased away and I asked if I was not part of the Zanu PF government now.

“When people are MPs, they are humble, but once chosen ministers, they change, and I think we should have workshops with ministers to stop disregarding MPs because we even beat them during primary elections,” he said.

“The workshops should be directed at ministers because they should know that for them to get those posts, it is because they were MPs, and they should know that we are even ready to take over their posts because we have the requisite qualifications.”

Matambanadzo then mocked chairpersons of committees. He said an MP could be chosen to chair the Mines committee, yet he or she was a holder of a catering degree.

He said institutions and the country were being run like family businesses, before Zanu PF MPs asked him to stop debating.