Chinamasa In The Dark About Hwange Women, Does He even Read Newspapers?
10 May 2018
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Minister Patrick Chinamasa

By Paul Nyathi|Finance and Economic Development Minister Patrick Chinamasa claims that he has no knowledge of the women in Hwange who have been demonstrating for 101 days.

Responding to a question in parliament by MDC proportional representation member Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga, on why government has been quiet about the issue, Chinamasa said that the issue was not the responsibility of his Ministry and he knew nothing about the women.

“I think the question is misdirected to me.  The responsibility for the Hwange Colliery is the responsibility of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.  I am not even privy to the events that are being referred to,” said Chinamasa responding to the question.

Irked by Chinamasa’s response to the question, MDC-T parliamentarian James Maridadi accused the government of gross incompetence if the Minister of Finance who sits in the weekly cabinet is not aware of the matter.

“This problem has been there for 101 days.  That is more than three months and if Hon. Chinamasa, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning who sits in Cabinet every Tuesday professes ignorance, Mr. Speaker, that is dereliction of duty on the part of Government.  We need a response on this question.  We cannot have a Government that abdicates its responsibility,” he said.

Hundreds of people marched the streets of Harare on Thursday protesting governments’ silence on the issue.

Labour minister Petronella Kagonye told Parliament that the issue of wives of Hwange Colliery Company Limited employees picketing outside company premises was being fuelled by a political party, but she did not disclose the name of the party.

The women in Hwange have been camped at the company offices at the mine for 101 days demonstrating over non payment of salaries to their husbands by the mining company for the last five years.