Said Binga Nortb legislator Prince Dubeko Sibanda during parliament (wednesday):

“Let me just share with you…. the humiliation that I faced when I arrived in Harare the day before yesterday to come and attend to the sessions of Parliament.  On arrival, I went to almost four local hotels and I will not mention them.  

I went to the first hotel and asked whether they had accommodation and because they thought that I am just a private citizen who can be able to meet their expenses on their own, they told me that accommodation was available.  The moment that I indicated that I am a Member of Parliament and that I wanted accommodation on Parliament’s bill, Hon. Speaker, I was told to wait a little bit.  

The person who was attending to me at the front office went to consult someone and came back in five minutes and told me, ‘I am sorry Sir, the accommodation is full.’  I left that hotel and went to another one and when I said that I was a Parliamentarian I was told that the quota for Parliament was full, we cannot take any more Parliamentarians.  I went to the other hotel until I was accommodated finally at the sixth one.  That was close to 1a.m after midnight.

 Hon. Speaker, when I was being turned away from hotels, there were guests and visitors who were coming even from outside the country, foreign guests and they were hearing that a Member of Parliament was being turned away from a Zimbabwean hotel because of nonpayment of hotel bills by the Government.  That is the kind of humiliation that Hon. Gumbwanda left us with.  

At times I wonder whether it is worth to carry the so called title of being an Hon. Member, it is quite dishonourable.  In terms of the law, Parliament is the one that allocates national resources.  

Theoretically, Parliament is supposed to allocate resources to the three arms of Government.  However, Hon. Speaker, if you look at the way that the three arms of Government are treated, you will see that there is discrimination.  Parliament is treated as if it is the poorer cousin of the three arms of Government, regardless of the fact that it is empowered at law to distribute the resources of the nation.

Hon. Speaker, if you look at the Judiciary, the good part of it is that it is resident just next door to us – we are aware that the remuneration that judges get is way beyond what a Member of Parliament can ever dream of getting.  Let me say, for the avoidance of doubt, the salaries that these gentlemen and ladies are earning today as I speak, is far less than US$200.  

Above all duties that are stated in the Constitution, I am expected to discharge other duties of being a representative in a constituency.  Hon. Speaker, the conditions under which Members of Parliament find themselves are deplorable, to say the least.

Hon. Speaker, it is not a matter of choice, about where I should stay when I am supposed to attend Parliament.  This is what is supposed to happen, that is what the Government has said, that any Member of Parliament who stays outside Harare, once they are in Harare, they are supposed to be accommodated in a hotel at Government expense, that is not our decision, it is Government policy.  

That is an existing policy, but the humiliation that we face before we get the accommodation – at times we are supposed to start begging managers at local hotels for us to be accommodated.  I do not think that is proper Hon. Speaker.

 When it comes to tools of trade; at times when Members of Parliament ask for vehicles, it appears as if they are asking for luxury.  Hon. Speaker, I travel 2 500 kms to and from Binga to Harare every week.  What that means is that, every week my vehicle is cloking a mileage of 2500 kms.  Every one of us here is aware of the nature of roads that we have in the rural constituencies, for example and you expect one Ford Ranger vehicle that is purchased by an Hon. Member through whatever scheme, to last for five years when that same vehicle accumulates about 10 000 in a space of four weeks.  

What it means is that, that vehicle, in a year, it would have gone beyond 130 000 kilometres.  Therefore, in five years, you are talking of a vehicle that would have cloked about 600 to 700 thousand kilometres.  Tell me what type of a vehicle can endure that kind of a mileage Hon. Speaker – [HON. MLISWA: Land Cruiser 200series] – [Laughter]

Hon. Speaker, most of my colleagues, including myself from the previous Parliament no longer have vehicles, especially those based in rural areas – because the vehicles cannot endure the terrain and bad roads that we have, including the distances that we travel.

Currently, most Members of Parliament in their constituencies are foot soldiers.  In fact, on a sad note, I hear that one of the things that speeded up Hon. Gumbwanda’s demise was that at one time, he rode in an open vehicle at the back facing the savages of weather from Harare all the way to Zaka.  Then you expect that person to be called Honourable who rides in an open truck.  Hon. Speaker, you expect everyone else to respect with dignity the institution of Parliament when the Members who sit in that Parliament are not accorded that respect by the same Government of that Parliament. 

Hon. Speaker, it is very sad that our colleague Hon. Gumbwanda had to go at a time when as Parliament, we are still being treated like the poorer cousins, especially by the Executive.  Look at this Hon. Speaker, as I indicated in terms of the law, it is the duty of Parliament to allocate resources of this nation.  Last year, Parliament sat down and allocated in terms of the budget; my understanding of a budget is that it becomes a law. 

Last year, this Parliament passed a budget and budgeted for a number of things that were supposed to be done for this House but nothing so far has been disbursed to this House.  The reason is because the Executive and at times, even the person who will be the Minister of Finance and Economic Development thinks that they are superior than this institution.  They look down upon this institution and as a result, what kind of oversight are you going to offer to a Minister of Finance who does not respect you? 

Last year we had a budget that Hon. Members would get vehicles that were worth US$80 000, Land Cruiser V8 to be specific.  The reason why those vehicles were chosen is not about their comfort, but their durability and robustness in the type of terrain that we have.  However, Hon. Speaker, without consultation, the Executive took a decision and vehicles were chosen, it is not about their comfort.

The reasons why those vehicles were chosen is because of their durability and robustness in the type of terrains that we have. But, without consultation  the Executive took a decision on their own, we are informed through Caucuses that Members of Parliament instead of getting those vehicles they should only get vehicles that are worth US$50 000.00, but who decides on behalf of Parliament when Parliament is supposed to be an independent arm of Government that decides on its own?

 The question that I am asking Hon. Speaker is why we have allowed ourselves as an institution to be treated in this manner by the Executive. I might ask you Hon. Speaker as the leadership of Parliament on why you are allowing the Executive to ill-treat this institution. Do you not see Hon. Speaker that with that kind of ill-treatment that we are getting, it means that our oversight role is being compromised by those decisions that are being taken by the Executive?”