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They said MPs seem to be more interested in personal satisfaction than serving the voters who elected them into office.
Their demands date back to 2009 when they were each given $30 000 to buy vehicles for which they did not sign any contracts with Treasury.
In 2010 they demanded new cars arguing that their work involves a lot of travelling. They have also demanded higher pay, which is comparable with their counterparts in countries like Kenya, South Africa. Recently they launched another demand, this one for $10 000 each for using their cars for the Copac outreach programme. From Copac again, they are demanding a cumulative $8 million for participating in the outreach.
In addition to that they are seeking a $8,5 million vehicle loan facility with each of them seeking $30 000 to import vehicles duty free. They want banks to assist them acquire new vehicles to replace the ones they claim are either accident-damaged or unroadworthy.
If the deal sails through, some legislators will end up having three vehicles after receiving cars from the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe and those bought by Treasury. Their term of office ends next year while banks are offering 24 months loans.
Bulawayo residents said the action by parliamentarians is preposterous because some problems they voted them into office to solve are still pending, since 2008. They attacked their representatives in the august House of demanding high salaries, yet everyone else is suffering.
Njabulo Ndlovu (42) from Nkulumane 12 said the MPs demands were selfish.
He said: “MPs are making outrageous demands. If their demands matched service delivery we would not be complaining. They give us nothing and they demand everything. After all they are not representing us,” said Mr Ndlovu.
He said residents needed to engage all political parties to discuss the issue because legislators’ behaviour was “getting out of hand”.
Another Bulawayo resident who preferred anonymity said legislators had failed to play their part in developing their constituencies and had turned parliament into a cash cow.
“On the face of it, it appears that constituents are represented by people who went to parliament for jobs and to receive Isuzu twin cabs as opposed to being ambassadors of the people.
“Current leaders do not have people’s interest at heart and they have joined politics which has suddenly become a fertile platform for them to fatten their bellies and line their pockets.
“It is anomalous or unhealthy for a Government to splash more resources purchasing top of the range vehicles for MPs when the same resources can be channelled towards service delivery,” said the Bulawayo resident.
Another resident Miss Sibonginkosi Dube added that she was deeply dissatisfied about what MPs are doing.
“When we ask them about lack of developmental projects in the country they say that it is because the country has no money, so where is this money which they are clamouring for going to come from?” said Miss Dube of Makokoba.
Minister Tendai Biti recently said civil servants might not get their bonuses because of lack of money.
Also the Government is failing to pay fees for students on cadetship due to low revenues collected from diamonds.
With all these challenges that the Government is facing, parliamentarians do not seem to realise that everyone in the country is affected by the economic challenges.
Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions secretary general (ZCTU) Mr Japhet Moyo wonders if MPs were representing people of Zimbabwe or other countries because their demands were not reasonable.
“People are suffering, there is no water and civil servants salaries are below the poverty datum line but MPs are going to parliament to demand money.
“MPs should be the voice of the voiceless. We have not heard them complaining about the poor salaries given to civil servants”, said Mr Moyo.
A majority of students who are on cadetship are facing challenges. The Government has not paid for their education and now owes state universities and colleges $100 million. The learning institutions are refusing to let the students in class or to access their results due to the Government’s failure to pay up.
Copac co-chairperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora denounced MPs’ demands as awkward and not proven.
He said: “We do not owe them anything, their demands are not sensible. All the parties who participated in the outreach process were fully paid and the outstanding allowances they claim to be owed are not proven”.
The Minister of Parliamentary and Constitutional Affairs Advocate Eric Matinenga also said Copac did not owe MPs anything.
“Copac is not liable, those MPs worked on the basis of the contract. Copac does not owe them anything,” he said.
Asked about the issue of MPs demanding better salaries, he said: “No one is getting good salaries, any employee has the right to demand better salaries but I am an MP I understand that the country has no money.”
Online Reporter