Legislators from both Zanu PF and the MDC have expressed anger at the government’s decision to suspend the purchase of new vehicles for them — with the money budgeted for that now earmarked to fight the deadly cholera outbreak which has claimed dozens of lives and left thousands of people requiring treatment.

This comes after President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration recently declared the cholera epidemic a national emergency, as it struggles to raise about $60 million needed to contain the highly infectious disease — which by end of this week had killed at least 32 people.

MPs from both the ruling party and the opposition who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said government’s decision to suspend the purchasing of the vehicles and channel that money to fighting cholera was a “travesty” of justice as they were entitled to all their benefits.

Outspoken and independent legislator for Norton Temba Mliswa led the chorus of disapproval over the decision saying it was wrong for the government to suspend the MPs’ entitlements simply because there was a disease outbreak.

“You cannot suspend people’s salaries because there is a cholera outbreak. The problem is that councils are mismanaged. This is an issue of mismanagement.

“The issue is also about land barons taking over and there is no master plan anymore. The city (of Harare) has lost order. Town councils are so corrupt and at times people are building on wetlands using septic tanks that will get into water sources … and all this has nothing to do with people’s benefits,” Mliswa said.

“There are new MPs who don’t have what we have. You cannot say we are building a nation by destroying the other arm. I have told them (the government) to source cars locally but they have not listened. What is not in doubt is that Parliament is under-funded already. What we need are reserves for such emergencies,” he added.

Although Mliswa is fighting for his colleagues, he is renowned for having consistently refused to accept a parliamentary vehicle ever since he became an MP.

“Whilst it may seem a good move to suspend MPs & Ministers vehicles, in general, parliamentarians are underpaid and for as long as this remains the status quo, the checks and balances in terms of oversight will be compromised. Kenyan parliamentarians are paid plus or minus $10k a month. I’m the last person to be extravagant. I’ve never taken a car and believe that government should use locally assembled cars.

“Besides meagre salaries & fuel & accommodation allowances, local MPs don’t get much else in the way of benefits.

“Yes, I’m very well aware that the economy is struggling & I’m in no way saying that MPs must be over-catered for whilst the majority is struggling, but I’m saying there are other areas that will make a bigger impact if targeted,” Mliswa said further on microblogging site Twitter.

Before the cholera epidemic hit the country, the government had set aside $20 million for the purchase of vehicles for MPs and Senators.

“We have had to suspend certain things to make sure that we deal with this endemic immediately. That is exactly what we have done,” new Finance minister Mthuli Ncube told journalists early this week as he mobilised funds to channel towards fighting the disease.

Cholera — a treatable, poor man’s disease which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea and which is lethal if not attended to promptly — has struck Zimbabwe for the fourth time in 15 years.

DailyNews