outlined what happened in the National Assembly and the Senate at their sittings last week plus business done in the National Assembly at its sitting on Tuesday 13th October \u2013 including the passage of the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill and its transmission to the Senate.<\/p>\n
This bulletin deals with the National Assembly\u2019s sittings on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th October \u2013 and with what is due to happen next week. We start with the Speaker\u2019s announcement that the Parliamentary Third Session will begin on Thursday 22nd October.<\/p>\n
The Opening of Third Session and President\u2019s SONA on Thursday 22nd October<\/p>\n
On Thursday 15th October the Speaker, citing section 140(1) and (4) of the Constitution, informed the House that President Mnangagwa will address a virtual joint sitting of the Senate and the National Assembly on Thursday, 22 October, 2020 at 12 o\u2019clock noon to mark the official opening of the Third Session of the Ninth Parliament and deliver the State of the Nation Address.<\/p>\n
No Bills dealt with on 14th and 15th October<\/p>\n
There was no further progress on any of the Bills awaiting the House\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n
Questions without Notice<\/p>\n
Answers to questions came from Ministers who were present in the National Assembly.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Agriculture explained the Government\u2019s Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy which would, he said, ensure that in the coming agricultural season a firm foundation would be laid for a food-secure Zimbabwe. He also informed the House that Agribank would be remodelled into a Land Bank which would not require title deeds to access a loan, but would consider business plans.<\/p>\n
The Minister for Primary and Secondary Education explained that his Ministry together with the Ministry of Public Service was doing its best to solve problems over teachers salaries and children\u2019s return to schools.<\/p>\n
The Minister of Environment answered questions on building on wetlands saying that part of the problem was that local councils continued to allocate stands on designated wetlands.<\/p>\n
The full allotted hour was spent on Questions without Notice and then the House sat until 6.49 pm and dealt with the following business<\/p>\n
Ministerial Statement on Sugar Cane Farmers<\/p>\n
The Minister of Industry and Commerce, Hon Kanhutu-Nzenza, delivered a Ministerial Statement in response to questions raised by the Portfolio Committee on issues faced by small sugar cane farmers in the Lowveld, in an environment where a multi-national competitor controls the sugar-mill they are legally [under the Sugar Production Control Act] obliged to use. MPs requested clarification on points they considered had not been dealt with satisfactorily in the statement. The Minister said that she had that very week sought Cabinet approval for the drafting of a Bill to repeal the now outdated pre-Independence Sugar Production Control Act.<\/p>\n
Motion on Awareness Training on the BEAM Programme<\/p>\n
Hon Josiah Sithole introduced his motion calling for awareness training on the BEAM programme, proper monitoring of the selection process to overcome irregularities, and an increase in funding by Government in the 2021 Budget, relating it to the Constitution\u2019s injunction to achieve universal basic education. His speech and that of the seconder of the motion, Hon Mutambisi, were followed by contributions from several MPs who agreed that the present situation was unsatisfactory<\/p>\n
Other Business Thursday 15th October<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s sitting was also a long one, lasting until 6.47 pm.<\/p>\n
Announcement of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament<\/p>\n
The Speaker announced that \u201cthe MDC-T Party\u201d had nominated Hon Thokozani Khupe as the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament.<\/p>\n
PLC Reports on Statutory Instruments for August and September 2020<\/p>\n
It was announced that the Parliamentary Legal Committee [PLC] had returned non-adverse reports on:<\/p>\n
All statutory instruments for August;
\nAll statutory instruments for September, except for SIs 224, 225 and 225A, which were still under consideration .
\nNote: The three SIs not reported on are the last three of September: SI 224 is the Warehouse Receipt (General) Regulations [the first ever regulations under a hitherto totally unused Act passed some years ago]; SI 225 is the Guruve Rural District Council (Environmental) By-laws; SI 225A is the fourth amendment to the COVID-19 National Lockdown Order.<\/p>\n
More International Agreements approved<\/p>\n
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade successfully moved resolutions approving the following international agreements in terms of section 327 of the Constitution:<\/p>\n
Convention on International Exhibitions
\nZimbabwe has hitherto participated in international exhibitions [world expos] under a now-expired reprieve extended to non-members.<\/p>\n
Agreement Establishing a Tripartite Free Trade Area among the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa [COMESA], the East African Community and SADC, which was signed on behalf of Zimbabwe on 10th June 2018.
\nMinisterial Statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade<\/p>\n
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade made a statement on the effectiveness of the Government Policy on Re-affirmation, Engagement and Re-engagement.<\/p>\n
Motion of thanks to the President<\/p>\n
As expected, the debate on this motion, first moved a year ago, was wound up with the customary expression of loyalty to Zimbabwe and respectful thanks to the President approved.<\/p>\n
Coming up in the National Assembly 20th [and 21st?] October<\/p>\n
Once again, only the National Assembly will be sitting.<\/p>\n
Motions on ZHRC Reports<\/p>\n
The Order Paper is headed by motions tabled by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs asking the House to take note the following reports by the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission [ZHRC]:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
outlined what happened in the National Assembly and the Senate at their sittings last week plus business done in the National Assembly at its sitting on Tuesday 13th October \u2013 including the passage of the Zimbabwe Media Commission Bill and its transmission to the Senate. This bulletin deals with the National Assembly\u2019s sittings on Wednesday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":29059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[1061,548],"class_list":{"0":"post-29055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-policy","9":"tag-national-assembly","10":"tag-parliament"},"yoast_head":"\n