Exercise your legislative authority, says Mudenda

Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Manicaland Bureau
PARLIAMENT has noted that Manicaland Province failed to exercise its legislative authority by not submitting a petition on the looting of diamonds that occurred in Chiadzwa over the past decade. Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting with civic society and media practitioners last week, speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, said every Zimbabwean had a right to petition Parliament to amend a law they were not happy with.

He said Section 149 of the Constitution states that: “Every citizen and permanent resident of Zimbabwe has a right to petition Parliament to consider any matter within its authority including the enactment, amendment, or repeal of legislation.”

“We have had an average of two petitions per week, which is good because it means the people are speaking; they want to refine the functions of the law because they hold the legislative authority,” Adv Mudenda said.
“But we have not received any petition from Manicaland.

“The diamond companies came here and looted the diamonds until there were no more diamonds on the surface. And you were quiet.”

Adv Mudenda said the companies were supposed to build roads, houses, and hospitals to benefit the local communities — work which was now being done by the new Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company.

He said the people of Manicaland failed to exercise their legislative role when they did not challenge the diamond companies’ operations.

“Section 13 line 14 of the Constitution is very clear on national development when it says — ‘the local community must benefit from the natural resources found in their areas.’
“So if you do not speak out, you will always suffer,” said Adv Mudenda.

The Marange community has always accused mining companies that were operating in the Chiadzwa diamond fields of failing to plough back into the community through infrastructure development and employment creation.

The residents were left poorer and bitter because, not only did they not realise any benefit from the resource, but their land was left in a state of degradation and most people were displaced and relocated to areas where there is not enough arable land for them to eke a living from farming.