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Zimbabwe Parliament debate on Operation Murambatsvina (Cont'd) - Page 2
Extracted from Hansard Vol. 32, No. 9
Parliament of Zimbabwe
July 05, 2005

View list of 2005 Zimbabwe Parliamentarians

Jump to contributions by:
- MR. GONESE
- MR. MADZIMURE
- THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY (MR. MATONGA)
- MRS. MACHIRORI
- MS KHUPE
- THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING DEVELOPMENT ( MR. RUSERE)
- MRS. KHUMALO

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND PUBLICITY (MR MATONGA): I was shocked by the Hon. member for Kambuzuma as he spoke of democracy. Bob Geldolf is talking about rule of law. For your own information Mr. Speaker and this House, he drove his wife to commit suicide. The person like him cannot be looked upon and think that he can solve other people's problems. It is madness. It is only after the people made noises - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] - For anyone to use USA to comment about Zimbabwe or about our President it is madness. I am surprised that members of the Opposition support Britain. Britain wanted to deport about 200 of what they call MDC supporters. MDC never said anything about that.

The MDC President never said anything about that. This means that they are hypocrites - [HON. MEMBER: Mukadzi wako murungu] - I am proud of my wife. America says that we should allow UN to come and inspect — [HON. MEMBER: Mukadzi wako murungu] - the opposition should see what their masters are doing, they destroyed the Iraqian women and children. These are not the people who should complain about what is taking place in Zimbabwe. Zimbabweans who go to UK do not secure good jobs. Look at Musekiwa - is he not working in a mutually . . . — [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]

MR. SPEAKER: Order, do you want to debate further?

MRS. MACHIRORI: I rise to debate about the issue which has been debated, the issue of Operation Murambatsvina. Firstly, I would like to say that my colleagues on the opposition side, I thought that they will be happy that they have been helped. The City was dirty. When you walked in corridors, you would find the youth who are like some of you Hon. members here smoking dagga and raping women. Members of Parliament from the urban areas should appreciate the leadership and the Ministry of Local Government. If you praise things that are illegal, that means you are also illegal and you were illegally elected.

Members of the opposition oppose because they are from an opposition. If there is anything that the Government - are saying that since 1980 the Government has failed to do anything? - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections]

(An Hon. member having passed between the Chair and the Hon. member speaking)

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, order.

MRS. MACHIRORI: If you are to visit the City, you will appreciate that Harare is now clean. Let me tell you of an incident which happened one day when I was walking in town. I tripped over someone's tomatoes and I was asked to pay. So I appreciate that the town is now clean. If you are an Hon. member for Harare, you should thank the Government for this.

The problem is that some of you do not appreciate the cleanliness that has been brought to Harare. All you do is just to make noise. For your own information, I had an illegal structure which was also destroyed. So the issue at hand is not political. If you have solutions, why not give us something that we can work on - [HON. MEMBERS: Bring diesel.] - Where does this issue of diesel come in? May I have protection, Mr. Speaker?

THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Order, please.

MRS. MACHIRORI: Some members just come in here to sit and they are not doing any work. For your own information, it is the MDC councillors who brought this because when they were in power, that is when we started to see heaps of rubbish in the streets. So when we are talking about Murambatsvina, we are talking about bringing sanity to the towns. This operation is good for us.

MS KHUPE: Let me begin by saying the people of Zimbabwe have been stripped of their freedom and they are living in a situation characterised by poverty, hunger and are living in an environment that has no rule of law. When the Government embarked on this clean up operation, it has resulted in three people dying in my constituency. The Government of Zimbabwe realised that they have failed the people of Zimbabwe for the past 25 years and they are failing to account for their failures. This is why they have embarked on this programme so that they divert the attention of the people from the problems that are bedevilling the government. The people of Zimbabwe are now concentrating on problems affecting them in their individual capacities, guarding their properties and looking for alternative accommodation.

Now this Government is embarking a nation wide building programme. Is this right? This Government should learn to put their priorities right. Right now the people of Zimbabwe do not have food, hospitals do not have drugs and the Government decides to destroy the people's homes. As we speak right now, people are out in the open but they say they are building houses for the people. That does not make sense at all.

Yesterday, one of the reporters was on national television saying that it is good to destroy in order to build. What kind of thinking is that when the people are out in the open, when people are suffering from pneumonia through exposure? It is not fair. The people of Zimbabwe are crying. The people of Zimbabwe are mourning. But let me tell you this, their tears will not just go down in vain. I rest my case.

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF MINES AND MINING DEVELOPMENT (MR. RUSERE): In this august House, it was said that it is a House for indigenous people, so I will speak in Shona. The issue that I want to talk about is that just yesterday - it is good that we become mature instead of being immature. We decided that people should be given their land back. As such, people started constructing their houses everywhere and this resulted in statements to the effect that, look at what Mugabe is doing; people are just mushrooming everywhere. Such statement were issued that in Zimbabwe there is no rule of law. - [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections] - please, be quiet and listen when an Hon. member is speaking. People were building.

The rule of law should apply even in the towns and cities. The rule of law should visit the issue so that everything is done for good. We here as members of one unit that is why when there is anything to be done, we have to talk about it. I urge all of us to work with one spirit. Operation Murambatsvina is not targeting anyone but its targeting everybody. The operation should go ahead. Whether you are a ZANU PF or MDC, you should know that our city should be clean.

We as Members of Parliament should lead by example and everyone that whatever you might say does not help anything. When we come to building, there should be a single day so that we enjoy our heritage. We should agree so that the day when we leave this House, people will say when the hon. member was in Parliament, he was doing a good job not for them not to say he was busy talking in the House. Most of us who are debating on this issue, I urge you Hon. members in this House to come out with a single voice and that we should get one issue and come out with one thing.

If I look at the opposite side, I see the same blood and we remain united. The issues of Operation Murambatsvina should not be curbed. The Minister should go ahead and build those houses.

MRS. KHUMALO: I would like to thank you Hon. Chair. Most of things that I wanted to say have been covered. I will speak on behalf of female gender. In our traditional culture, we say when something is over done, those who rule us, their kingdom is about to end. I as a woman and mother it is painful to me as I see what is happening in the country. Women are the foundations of the country and they are the mothers of the nation and rear children but they are now suffering.

It is painful to me to know that expecting mothers are giving birth to their babies in the open as their houses and structures were destroyed. We, as mothers, as we sleep in comfort in our rooms, we learn that thousands are homeless. What are we saying all those children who are sleeping in the open and those families that sleep in the open? It is only the little children who have protection from adults but in this case, I am saying the youths are likely to get HIV /AIDS. I pray that we as mothers, regardless of party affiliation, should be united and work as one in harnessing this problem.

It is important that we look at things as we are saying that some issues should be looked at as they are. Why should we make so many citizens suffer whilst we look on? Let us represent the constituents who choose us to be hare.

THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS: I move that the debate do now adjourn.

Motion put and agreed to.

Debate to resume: Wednesday, 6th July 2005.

On the Motion of THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS, Parliament adjourned at Twenty-five minutes past Five o'clock p.m.

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