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indefinitely portfolio committee business from this Friday.
The Seventh Parliament’s life comes to an end on Saturday next week, with officials saying more than 90 percent of the committees were being aborted after failing to meet the quorum.
Chief whips from Zanu-PF (Cde Joram Gumbo), MDC-T (Mr Innocent Gonese) and MDC (Mr Siyabonga Ncube) agreed on the need to suspend committee business as a result of poor attendance.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly Ms Nomalanga Khumalo made the announcement, citing poor attendance as legislators were busy preparing for primary elections in their parties.
Some MDC-T MPs led by Glen View North legislator Mr Fani Munengami and Mr Festus Dumbu of Zaka West started protesting, claiming that the decision was meant to cater for Zanu-PF legislators who were now preparing for their primaries.
“We ran our primaries, but did not disrupt parliamentary business, so why should we disrupt parliamentary business to accommodate Zanu-PF?” protested Mr Dumbu.
Mr Munengami added: “We are not going to allow that. Committees should go ahead.”
This forced Ms Khumalo to summon chief whips from the three parties for consultations.
After the consultations, Ms Khumalo blasted MDC-T legislators, saying they were protesting against a decision that their party chief whip had approved.
However, this did not stop the MDC-T legislators from protesting, resulting in Ms Khumalo threatening them with expulsion.
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MDC-T legislators on the right shout at Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Eric Matinenga and party deputy chief whip Ms Dorcas Sibanda for allowing the indefinite suspension of portfolio committees business.
Mr Dumbu and Mr Munengami accused Mr Gonese of selling out by allowing suspension of committee business.
Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma told The Herald that there was no more business for committees.
“What will they be investigating and when do they intend to report those finding back when the life of Parliament is coming to an end?” queried Mr Zvoma.
“We cannot continue to have these meetings wasting public funds on allowances and fuel coupons.
“They should go and campaign and when they come back then they can attend the meetings.”
There are indications that the MDC-T legislators, some of whom have already lost the party’s primary elections, could be interested in continuing with holding the committee meetings even if there was no business so that they could receive the fuel coupons and US$75 sitting allowances for both committees and parliamentary sittings.
Online Reporter