BILL WATCH
PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEES SERIES 1/2023
[28th January 2023]
Open Committee Meetings : Monday 30th January to Thursday 2nd February
The committee meetings listed below will be open to members of the public as observers only during the coming week. A note on what other committees will be doing – in their closed meetings – appears at the end of this bulletin.
No virtual meetings
All committee meetings will be physical meetings only. As announced in both Houses in December, virtual committee meetings and virtual sittings of the Senate and National Assembly are no longer being conducted, by decision of the Committee on Standing Rules and Orders..
All meetings to be in “old” Parliament building in Central Harare
Parliament is still operating in and from the “old” Parliament Building between Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and Nelson Mandela Avenue in the Harare central business district. If attending a committee meeting, please use the Kwame Nkrumah Avenue entrance and remember that ID will be required for admission to the building. The move to the new premises in Mount Hampden has not yet taken place.
[The use of the splendid new National Assembly Chamber for the President’s State of the National Address [SONA] and opening of the Fifth Session [on 23rd November] and the 2023 Budget presentation [on 24th November] was by special arrangement before the official handover of the new premises by the contractors. Pending the permanent move to Mount Hampden, the “old” premises will continue to be used. An announcement of the move will be made in due course.]
Monday 30th January at 2 pm
Portfolio Committee: Transport and Infrastructural Development
Oral evidence from the management of National Railways of Zimbabwe [NRZ] on progress made towards the resuscitation of the entity.
Venue: National Assembly Chamber.
Portfolio Committee: Budget, Finance and Economic Development
Oral evidence from the management of Zimbabwe Iron and Steel Company [ZISCO STEEL] and First Mutual Life on payment of ZISCO STEEL pensioners.
Venue: Senate Chamber.
Tuesday 31st January at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: Local Government
Oral evidence from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works on the allocation, disbursement utilisation of the Disaster Management Fund.
Venue: Government Caucus Room.
Thursday 2nd February at 10 am
Portfolio Committee: information, Media and Broadcasting Services
Oral evidence from the ZBC Workers’ Committee on the working conditions for ZBC employees.
Venue: Committee Room No. 4.
Portfolio Committee: Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs
Oral evidence on three petitions:
1. Oral evidence from Claud Kahano on the petition regarding enactment of a law that empowers the electorate to recall incompetent and non-performing elected officials.
2. Oral evidence from the Institute for Young Women’s Development on its petition regarding nomination fees and access to the voters roll and electoral maps fees for election candidates (SI 144 and SI 145 of 2022). Both statutory instruments are available on the Veritas website: SI 144 [link] and SI 145 [link].
3. Oral evidence from Madla Tshuma on his petition regarding the need to include journalist among persons who qualify for postal voting ahead of the 2023 harmonized elections.
Venue: National Assembly Chamber.
Thursday 2nd February at 11.15 am
Portfolio Committee: Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation
Oral evidence from the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation on progress made towards:
1. the drafting of the National Youth Bill; and
2. the appointment of the remaining members of the Zimbabwe Youth Council Board.
Venue: Committee Room No. 2.
What Other Committees Will be Doing in Closed Session
Portfolio Committee: Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare
This committee, however, will be considering their draft report on their benchmark visit to social protection programmes..
Joint Committee on Health and Child Care and HIV and AIDS
This joint committee is due to consider and adopt its Report on the Medical Services Bill.
