Legislators chucked out of hotels

also not been paid their sitting allowances this year while supply of fuel to attend Parliament business has been erratic.
Yesterday Zanu-PF Members of the House of Assembly and Senate held a caucus to discuss their welfare, among other issues.

Sources said the caucus also discussed the issue of presenting motions in Parliament. This comes after concern was raised over lack of co-ordination when bringing issues to Parliament.
Zanu-PF chief whip in the House of Assembly Cde Joram Gumbo yesterday confirmed that legislators were facing accommodation problems.

“There is a proposed meeting of a joint caucus of all parties to deal with welfare issues and today we had our own caucus to brief the party on the issues that we are going to discuss (in the joint party caucus).
“There are several issues that are affecting MPs and the first one is about hotel accommodation for those without alternative accommodation in Harare.

“Most of them have been turned away at hotels due to non payment of bills and are also using their own resources to pay for fuel and other costs related to Parliament attendance,” said Cde Gumbo.
He said they have on some occasions gone for a month without getting fuel. Since they were elected into Parliament in 2008, Cde Gumbo said, parliamentarians had not been paid their travel and subsistence allowances.

“Those using alternative accommodation are supposed to be paid half of the total cost for hotel accommodation but this has also not been paid even though it cut costs for Parliament,” he said.

The MPs were paid US$15 000 each in December last year. Parliamentarians’ conditions of service are set by the Standing Rules and Orders Committee that is made up of the chief whips of all parties, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, Deputy Prime Ministers Arthur Mutambara and Thokozani Khupe, Finance Minister Tendai Biti and Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga.

On the proposed motion by Cde Paddy Zhanda for Parliament to probe corruption at the Reserve Bank, sources said he was whipped not to move the motion.
“We discussed the two major issues that occurred yesterday (Tuesday) in the House of Assembly that is on the violence in Mudzi and the RBZ motion,” said Cde Gumbo.
“The party agreed that in future there should be prior consultation on issues to do with motions so that the party takes a uniform position.

“Cde Zhanda was asked to present his evidence on the RBZ and it was decided that he does not pursue the motion.”
Cde Gumbo said it was normal that they discuss issues on the Order Paper.
“It is normal that we discuss issues on the order paper so that we have a co-ordinated and uniform debate in the House,” he said.