adminZvamaida Murwira
Senior Reporter
Parliament’s Portfolio committees yesterday held inaugural virtual meetings as part of measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Committee members took part in the meetings while seated in their offices and homes. Parliament resumed meetings last week but these were immediately adjourned to mid-February in line with the national lockdown Level 4 measures announced by the Government.
The administration of Parliament however, allowed committee meetings to meet virtually to minimise face to face interactions.
Some of the businesses that require to be done is interrogation of Bills, receiving quarterly budget reviews from Ministries among other issues.
In its notification, Parliament’s administration said meetings for portfolio committee will have to resume without physical interactions.
“You are advised that the business of committees resume on Monday, 8 February 2021. In compliance with the current Covid-19 lockdown regulations, all Committees meetings will be held using the zoom platform,” read the notice from the administration of Parliament.
“For now there will not be any face to face meetings for Portfolio and Thematic Committees,”
Most of the meetings lined up for this week are meant to review work-plans for legislators before deciding who to call to give evidence.
Witnesses, mostly from Government Ministries and departments are equally expected to be conducted virtually should one be asked to give evidence.
Yesterday the Budget and Finance committee held its meeting where it adopted its work plan.
Committee chairperson and Chikomba Central MP Cde Felix Mhona (Zanu-PF) said their meeting went well despite the fact that most legislators were still to get used to.
“Indeed we managed to have our committee meeting today. It went on well. Virtual meetings are obviously now the new normal and being the first session we had some glitches on connectivity for other Members. But we managed to resolve them to allow the meetings to continue while everyone was on board,” said Cde Mhona.
Other meetings have also been lined up today until the end of the week.
In its meeting last week, The National Assembly allowed only few legislators to attend the sitting while others followed it virtually.
Conducting of virtual meetings is part of broader measures by Parliament to contain the Covid-19 pandemic which has claimed the lives of more than one thousand people in the country.
Some legislators have also tested positive to Covid-19 since the advent of the pandemic in March last year.
In some instances last year, Parliament had to adjourn abruptly as legislators tested positive to Covid-19 as the pandemic took its toll on the country.
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