AN opposition legislator has demanded that President Emmerson Mnangagwa be summoned to Parliament to answer questions on various matters of national interest.
Dzivarasekwa legislator Edwin Mushoriwa said this in Parliament on Wednesday while calling on the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda to take action against ministers and their deputies for skipping parliamentary sessions.
“I think there has been a uniform pattern of ministers that have actually decided not to come on Wednesdays, speaking of the National Assembly,” Mushoriwa said.
“It is our request that the Speaker makes arrangements for the Head of State and President of Zimbabwe to come before this august House so that this august House and honourable members in this august House could actually pose questions to the President.”
In response, Mudenda blasted ministers for skipping parliamentary sessions.
Only a handful of Cabinet ministers turned up during the question-and-answer session this week.
Mudenda confirmed receiving apologies from nearly 30 ministers.
According to section 107(2) of the Constitution, vice-presidents, ministers and their deputies should attend Parliament and parliamentary committees.
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“I commiserate with you, but with a proviso, quoting the section of the Constitution in which it is requested that His Excellency the President comes to the House; that should not link up with the absence of members of the Executive,” Mudenda said.
He threatened to deal with absent ministers and their deputies.
“What you do is, as you rightly say, I will analyse the absenteeism with apology, of those ministers that, in fact, were not either in the country doing national assignments or outside the country doing national assignments, then deal with these individual members of the Cabinet accordingly,” he said.
“It is a matter that requires serious investigation in terms of analysing trends and dealing with those ministers who are consistently giving apologies without any cause at all.
“The clerk (of Parliament) should start the exercise immediately with the officials and we will deal with the matter accordingly.”
