A HEATED debate erupted in the National Assembly on Thursday as legislators expressed frustration over the high absenteeism of Cabinet ministers during question and answer sessions.
Only a handful of Cabinet ministers turned up during the session this week.
Acting Speaker of the National Assembly, Raymore Machingura confirmed receiving apologies from more than 15 Cabinet ministers, including Finance minister Mthuli Ncube and Energy minister Edgar Moyo.
Dzivarasekwa legislator Edwin Mushoriwa raised a point of order, noting that 80% of ministers were absent, despite Wednesday being designated for questioning the Executive.
He argued that this absence brings contempt to the House and prevents scrutiny of the government.
“Our Standing Orders state that Wednesday is for question-and-answer sessions. Mr Speaker Sir, judging from the list that you just announced, it shows that 80% of the ministers have decided to absent themselves from this august House,” Mushoriwa fumed.
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“I am also sure Mr Speaker that such failure by ministers, and some of them have done it on regular basis, absenting themselves from Parliament every Wednesday, (means they are) refusing scrutiny from Members of Parliament.
“All members here represent the people of Zimbabwe, so they want to hear us questioning the Executive. So, if we have only two Cabinet ministers and a few deputy ministers, I think, it is bringing contempt to this august House.”
Added Mushoriwa: “We are saying that the absence of the majority of ministers makes a mockery of Wednesday’s question and answer sessions. For members of the Executive to continuously give apologies week in and week out, it just destroys the foundation upon which Wednesday was made for.
“So, I was going to then request that given the fact that today, basically we have very few ministers present, let today’s question-and-answer session be stopped because the ministers are not here."
But Zanu PF chief whip Pupurai Togarepi stood in the corner of the ministers saying the Standing Orders allow ministers to give excuses for their absence.
“While I recognise what my other colleague has raised in terms of requesting ministers to come and attend the question-and-answer session, there is nowhere in the Standing Orders that says ministers must (come), even if they have excuses. It is allowed for them to raise excuses that you read. So, ministers, both individually and severally, because they sit in the same Cabinet, there is nothing that happens in any ministry that the other ministers do not know.”
Machingura acknowledged Mushoriwa’s point, but ruled that stopping the session was out of order.
According to section 107(2) of the Constitution, vice-presidents, ministers and their deputies should attend Parliament and parliamentary committees.