adminThe committee was contemplating preferring contempt of Parliament charges against the minister.
Last week the committee’s chairman and Senator for Rushinga, Cde Damien Mumvuri, said the committee was considering laying the charges against Minister Mangoma.
He said the Senators were riled by the minister’s apparent arrogance towards their invitations.
The committee had invited the minister on four occasions since March to inquire on Zesa operations and allegations of corruption at the parastatal and power supply to winter wheat farmers.
“We are happy that you have come today but after repeated efforts . . . the purpose of the meeting is for you to explain why you didn’t come on the days we invited you,” Cde Mumvuri said.
The minister, however, said he would prefer to go into the details of the meeting instead.
“If that is the reason, then I will explain my disappointment now that I am here I thought we could go forward . . . if really that is the way you want us to go, I will look at it being degenerative.
“You never spoke to me, you never called me.
“It (contempt charges) would be good for the newspapers but not good for the nation, I have come here so that we can go forward and not play these games,” Minister Mangoma said.
This prompted a backlash from the legislators saying he could not tell them what to do since they were following parliamentary procedures.
“You cannot tell us what to do everyone has to come to the committees except the State President.
“I think you should listen to us and not bulldoze us and tell us what to do,” Cde Mumvuri said.
Murehwa Senator Cde Tendai Makunde, added that the minister could not railroad them and prevent them from following parliamentary procedures.
“You have to be patient and let us follow the procedures, we have letters written by your personal assistant giving us dates (when he would come) but were different from those we had proposed and still you did not come,” he said.
Midlands Chief Ntabeni then said it would have been proper for Minister Mangoma to apologise for his actions to allow progress.
According to parliamentary records Minister Mangoma was invited to attend meetings on March 28, May 9, June 11 and June 20, but snubbed the senators.
The minister, however, only acknowledged receiving one letter inviting him for June 11 meeting, which he could not attend as he was out of the country on Government business for re-engagement talks in Europe.
The committee later deliberated and resolved to investigate whether the other letters had reached the minister’s office before deciding on the next course of action to take.
Online Reporter