The Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee has issued defiant Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube with a final warning after failing to turn up and give oral evidence on issues to do with his portfolio.

Mthuli was summoned by the committee to explain why his ministry had stalled in disbursing US$5 million to the Zimbabwean embassy in the United States for renovations.

Pfungwa Kunaka the finance ministry principal director, who was seconded to attend the meeting by Mthuli Ncube got the ire of the parliamentarians who told him to inform Ncube that he had been issued with a final warning and would in future be charged with contempt if he did not take parliamentary business seriously.

Portfolio committee chairperson, Kindness Paradza dismissed the senior official demanding Mthuli Ncube to come in person.

“Go and tell your minister that he must take Parliament business seriously. Next time we will charge him,” Paradza told the senior finance ministry official.

Paradza, the Zanu PF MP for Makonde, also told Kunaka to inform Ncube to furnish the foreign affairs portfolio committee with detailed answers on why the finance ministry was failing to disburse US$5 million to the Zimbabwe Embassy in New York, US for repairs after it was extensively damaged in a fire.

“Go and inform your minister that he promised to disburse US$5 million to New York. To date, that money is still outstanding. We need that in writing,” Paradza said.