Desist from asking for donations, MPs warned

Bulawayo Bureau

GOVERNMENT says MPs must desist from asking for donations to develop their constituencies from donors and foreign embassies. Vice President Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, the leader of Government business in Parliament, told legislators that all issues must be brought to Parliament.The VP said this while responding to zanu-pf legislator Cde Christopher Chitindi (Muzarabani South) last week, who had asked whether it was lawful for legislators to ask non-governmental organisations for donations.

VP Mnangagwa said legislators were voted into Parliament to represent people and not solicit for donations.

“The Member of Parliament was elected in a constituency to bring the constituents’ problems to Parliament and not for them to ask for donations. Whatever problems that you have, you should take them to Parliament,” said the VP.

“The idea of a request from Chipinge to another ambassador of a certain country, we say no to that.”

President Mugabe has on several occasions criticised Western-sponsored NGO’s for their open campaigns to subvert African economies in pursuit of regime change. Recently, he told graduates at the National Defence College, where he was guest of honour that NGOs had become the West’s weapon to subvert African economies.

President Mugabe said when he was African Union chairman, he visited several African countries where he was appraised of the phenomenal proliferation of NGOs with sinister motives.

“There is a vicious and comprehensive national drive as well as regional and continental vicious campaign to subvert our economies, economies of Africa through a proliferation of what I call NGOs,” said President Mugabe.

“In Africa, this is all over. There is no country without NGOs supported from outside.”

In another matter in Parliament, VP Mnangagwa said the Constituency Development Bill was now awaiting Cabinet approval.

“The draft Bill is through, it is now waiting to go through the Cabinet Committee on Legislation. Fortunately, the current Budget has an allocation of $10 million towards CDF. Once the Bill has been passed by the Cabinet Committee on Legislation, it will be gazetted and then it will come to the august House,” VP Mnangagwa said.