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Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau—
JUSTICE, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday said there was nothing wrong with traditional leaders supporting the First Lady Grace Mugabe to lead the Zanu-PF’s Women’s League as they did in Mazowe on Tuesday. Minister Mnangagwa said that position did not in any way demonstrate partisanship on the part of traditional leaders, but that it was a mere show of allegiance to the “Queen”, whose husband is the Head of State and Government of the Republic.
He was responding to a question in the National Assembly from Kuwadzana MP Nelson Chamisa (MDC-T), who said what the traditional leaders, led by Chiefs Council president Fortune Charumbira, did exposed political partisanship.
Chamisa said the Constitution of Zimbabwe did not allow traditional leaders to be partisan and alleged that what they had done constituted a breach of the provisions of the Constitution, which prohibited them from aligning themselves to a political party.
But Min Mnangagwa differed.
“Where have you seen anywhere in the world a country with no leadership or those who govern it? This country has a King and a Queen. What you saw yesterday were chiefs with their Queen. The Queen wants to help her subjects, even you are a subject of the Queen,” said Min Mnangagwa.
In their support of the First Lady, Chief Charumbira said she was doing philanthropic work, which deserved recognition.
Responding to another question, Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa said the reining in of heads of parastatals who awarded themselves mega salaries could not be done overnight as the problem had gone on for too long.
Kambuzuma MP Willias Madzimure (MDC-T) had asked if the government was still committed to the implementation of rationalisation of salaries for bosses of parastatals and local authorities in the wake of reports that most of them were still earning high salaries against a government directive to reduce them.
“I am aware of the problem and I will be addressing it in my mid-term fiscal policy statement tomorrow (today). Between them they must contribute to the Gross Domestic Product,” said Min Chinamasa.
He dismissed reports of fresh farm invasions saying the claims emanated from white farmers who were resisting eviction from gazetted farms to pave way for newly resettled blacks.
Min Chinamasa also said China had pledged to fund the construction of a new parliament during the just ended trip to the Asian country by a Zimbabwean delegation led by President Mugabe.
He said a technical team would soon be dispatched from Beijing to do feasibility studies.
“I can confirm that the President of China committed himself to funding of a new parliament building on a grant basis,” said Min Chinamasa.
Health and Child Care Minister David Parirenyatwa said African Union health ministers had resolved that member countries should lift a ban imposed by some countries on the use of their airspace by countries affected by the deadly disease Ebola.
Minister Parirenyatwa said the meeting in Addis Ababa emphasised the need to screen and monitor for 21 days people who had visited those countries.
Bulawayo Metropolitan MP, Dr Ruth Labode (MDC-T), had requested for an update on Ebola.
Primary and Secondary Education Deputy Minister Paul Mavima, said it was not true that the banning of teachers’ incentives had contributed to the deterioration of education standards due to de-motivated educators.
He said such claims were mere speculation and not supported by facts, adding that the policy on incentives was flawed.
Buhera West MP Cde Oliver Mandipaka (Zanu-PF), had asked what government was doing on the matter of teachers’ incentives.
Online Reporter