BILL WATCH 38/2024

[28th October 2024]

Coming Up in Parliament This Week

The National Assembly and the Senate last sat on Thursday 17th October and then adjourned for a week.  Both will be sitting again this week.  In this bulletin we shall outline what business they will be dealing with, but please bear the following points in mind:

·When the National Assembly and the Senate adjourn at the end of a week, they set down all outstanding business for the next appropriate sitting day.  There is usually too much to be covered in one day, so whatever is not dealt with is postponed to the next appropriate day.

·Both Houses of Parliament can change the order in which they consider business.

·Government business takes precedence on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays in the National Assembly and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Senate.  Private Members’ business takes precedence on Wednesdays in the National Assembly and on Thursdays in the Senate.

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Tuesday 29th October

Bills to be dealt with by the National Assembly

There are two Bills that may be dealt with this week:

·Persons with Disabilities Bill [link]

The Second Reading of this Bill is due to continue.

·Parks and Wild Life Amendment Bill [link]

The Second Reading of this Bill is also due to continue.

Motions on the National Assembly order paper

Among the motions set to be debated by the Assembly are the following:

·Reply to the President’s speech

·To combat piracy of intellectual property rights and to set up a compensation fund for people whose rights have been pirated [motion to be restored on the Order Paper after it lapsed at the end of the last session]

·To urge the Government to start and intensify cancer awareness programmes and to provide modern cancer equipment at Parirenyatwa and Mpilo hospitals [motion also to be restored on the Order Paper]

·To urge the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the Women’s Micro Finance Bank fulfils its mandate and to take measures to allow women to meet collateral requirements

·To urge the Registrar-General’s Office to conduct a mobile registration exercise to provide citizens with primary documents

·To consider the report of the Public Accounts Committee [PAC] on the financial statements of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration

·To consider a report by the portfolio committee on ICT, Postal and Courier Services on mobile and internet connectivity

·To consider the PAC’s report on the failure by some local authorities to submit their accounts to the Auditor-General.

Petitions to be considered

·Earlier in the year the House was asked to consider a report by the Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs, Security Services and War Veterans’ Affairs, on a petition seeking reburial of liberation war heroes.  The motion lapsed at the end of the last session and the House is being asked to restore it to the Order Paper.

·A petition seeking to establish a Nurse Aids Council.

Wednesday 30th October

Questions set down for answer

Among questions set down for Ministers to answer on Wednesday 30th October are questions on the following issues:

·Community share ownership trusts in the Hwange area

·Reopening of the Cold Storage Commission and payments to its former employees

·Maternal and neo-natal deaths during 2024

·Production of annual demographic health surveys since 2015

·Preparations for the deportations of Zimbabweans from South Africa

·Tenders for refurbishment of power infrastructure from 2017 to date

·Repair of environmental damage caused by open-cast mining

·Feeding of livestock of A2 farmers in drought-stricken areas

·Details of commercial farms purchased by the Government since 2000

·Army personnel who engage in political activities

Parliamentary Legal Committee

The Committee is considering amendments made to the Death Penalty Abolition Bill.

THE SENATE

Tuesday 29th October

Motions to be dealt with by the Senate

The Senate is expected to debate motions on the following topics:

·Reply to the President’s speech

·Calling on traditional leaders to engage in cultural practices and conduct ancestral appeasement ceremonies

Thursday 31st October

Questions set down for answer

·Among questions for Ministers to answer on Thursday are questions on the following issues:

·Remuneration of teachers in government and private schools

·Labour practices by foreign-owned companies