Matinenga blasts MPs

at demands by legislators who collectively want US$765 000 for the 90 days they participated in the constitution-making process. The legislators said the US$25 per day they received was below the approved US$75 per day for any parliamentary business.
The legislators are demanding an additional US$50 each, translating to US$4 500 differ­ence. About 170 legislators participated in the outreach programme. 
The parliamentary welfare committee is set to meet soon to discuss the matter and make a formal request to the ministry.
But Minister Matinenga yesterday said the legislators, who were under Copac, had no legitimate basis to make such demands.
“As far as I know there was a contractual relationship between Copac and the MPs who participated in the process.
“It was out of con­sent and any demand that is made should be made in terms of that contract,” said Minister Matinenga.
“I am yet to come across an MP who says, here is my contract, in terms of my contract, this is what I should have got.”
Minister Matinenga said the legislators knew what they were going to receive by signing the contracts.
“People cannot just wake up one morning to say I think I should have been paid so much. If there is an MP who is saying this is what I was promised, in terms of the contract but this is what I got, let him come forward,” he said.
He said the legislators should have opted out of the process if they were not happy with what was on offer.
The Parliamentary welfare committee, rep­resented by Cde Simba Mudarikwa, said Copac was a committee of parliament, hence could not receive money that was less than what was approved by Government.
He said Copac members were entitled to US$75 a day that applied to any parliamentary business.
The Clerk of Parliament, Mr Austin Zvoma, has since distanced the August House from Copac business, saying parliament administra­tion had nothing to do with the process.
This is not the first time that MPs have made demands for them to be paid hefty amounts.
The outreach almost failed to commence in 2010 after a joint caucus of legislators demanded an increase in allowances from US$25 per day to US$75.
Zimbabwean legislatures are on record as saying that they were the least paid in the region.
They argue that MPs from other countries are paid about US$300 per sitting, while others receive US$13 000 per month in salary.