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Last year, Prof Ncube, who is also Industry and Commerce Minister, said his party was advocating for the relocation of Parliament.
He said MDC had written to the Ministry of Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs seeking authority to have the motion examined after which it would be debated in Parliament.
In a telephone interview on Sunday, Minister Matinenga said: “I don’t remember receiving any motion from him (Prof Ncube) to have Parliament relocated. And whether Parliament is moved to Mutare or which ever city or town that is a political decision, which can not be made by any ministry alone.”
The MDC president has said they want Parliament relocated as part of devolution of power adding that the issue needed to be treated with a sense of urgency.
Minister Matinenga said if Prof Ncube wanted his decision to be considered, the MDC leader knew where to go since the issue was a political decision.
“This is a political decision and if he wants his request considered he knows where to go. The decision has to be made by Parliament and not by a single ministry,” he said.
Contacted for comment Prof Ncube said: “It is strange to hear that he has not received any form of communication in that regard. And on Tuesday when Cabinet sits, I will now have to personally hand over to him a copy of the motion that we wrote and we will wait and see his response. Probably you will have to wait and see what will be his response. It is also vague that his ministry is not responsible for handling such an issue when it is responsible for constitutional affairs.”
In a separate interview, MDC secretary-general Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga said they had not received any response from Minister Matinenga with regards to their motion.
She said MDC was proposing to have Parliament relocated to Bulawayo at a time when Government has indicated plans to construct another Parliament building in the capital.
“There has not been any response as yet. We do not know why it is taking long for him (Minister Matinenga) to respond. We will continue pushing this agenda even if the Government has indicated that it has no money to build a new parliament this year,” said Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga.
She also said the relocation of Parliament needs to be done in the spirit of devolution of power-an element spelt out in the MDC manifesto.
Meanwhile, the Governor and Resident Minister of Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Cain Mathema criticised the idea of relocating Parliament saying this was a deliberate ploy to divide Zimbabweans and win votes in Matabeleland through cheap politicking by the MDC.
Governor Mathema has said there was no country that has Parliament in a separate city from the capital city, except South Africa.
He said in South Africa it was done to avoid conflict between the Boers and the English adding that Zimbabwe did not have a similar situation as that country.
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter