HON. MAMOMBE:  Good afternoon Madam Speaker and thank you for the exception. 

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Good afternoon Honourable.

HON. MAMOMBE:  Madam Speaker, I am rising on a point of privilege.  The 16 days of activism against gender based violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off today on the 25th November which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and it runs until the 10th December, which is the Human Rights Day.  Madam Speaker, statistics in Zimbabwe show that one in three women between the ages of 15 and 49 experience gender based violence.  The gender based violence undermines opportunities for women and denies them the ability to fully….

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  You are not connected Hon. Mamombe.  Hon. Mamombe, there is a motion already on the Order Paper about Gender Based Violence.  You can go straight to your issues.

HON. MAMOMBE:  I was saying that Parliament of Zimbabwe has not been spared, especially on female Hon. Members from the gender based violence.  As elected Members we are expected to reduce tolerance to gender based violence both in our communities as well as in the Hon. House.  Madam Speaker Maam, I would like to refer you to some of the cases that undermine and violate the rights of female MPs in the House, especially in this Ninth Parliament.  Madam Speaker Maam, I want to refer you the Hansard of 21st November 2018 where Hon. Karenyi, who is no longer with us today raised an issue of sexual harassment by one of the male MPs.

In the Hansard of 4th December 2019, Hon. Toffa brought to your attention another matter of sexual harassment by the same male Member of Parliament.  Again, the Chair noted the matter and promised to look into this.  Madam Speaker Maam, yourself being a female Hon. Member, I expect you to also act on these issues.  This Member of Parliament is the one from Mberengwa North Hon. Tafanana Zhou.  The abuse cannot be tolerated any further.  Madam Speaker, if you look at these two matters, my name as Joana Mamombe was cited as a victim of abuse in these two matters that I have told you about.

On the 29th October 2020, Hon. Zhou raised in this House that I should be recalled from Parliament due my mental illness.  This is perpetuated abuse on my being by this Hon. Member.  While the MP enjoys his status he forgets that he is a perpetrator of sexual harassment in his province and has a case before the Bulawayo High Court.  Madam Speaker Ma’am, my prayer today is that sexual harassment against female Hon. Members must stop.  Therefore, my prayer today is that a privileges committee be set up for the two matters, one that was raised by Hon. Karenyi in 2018 and the other one that was raised by Hon. Toffa in 2019.  Let there be a Committee on Privileges that will be set up.  I thank you Madam Speaker Ma’am – [HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.] –

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER:  Order, Hon. Members.  Hon. Biti, order please.  Hon. Mamombe, I have heard what you said.  I am going to look into it.  Thank you.

Hon. Chinotimba having stood up on a point of order.

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry Hon. Chinotimba, we are not allowing points of order on Wednesdays. You will raise your point of order tomorrow on Thursday – [HON. CHINOTIMBA: Madam Speaker, munoumu mapinda munhu anorwara, anopenga. Tomubvumidza kuti ngaataure-] – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – [AN HON. MEMBER: Ngaabude panze!] – – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjection.] – Order, Hon. Members! Order! – [HON. MLISWA: Inaudible interjections.] – Order, Hon. Members! – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Hon. Members, please take your seats or I will order you out of the House – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –

HON. BITI: Madam Speaker, Hon. Chinotimba must withdraw his offensive statement. It is abuse to gender. We are in the week of gender-based violence and he perpetrates gender based violence. We ask for your ruling to expel that bearded man from this House for abusing this young lady. Parliament must protect women. Women must feel secure in this august House, so this man Hon. Chinotimba must be expelled from this House. Thank you.

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER having recognised Hon. Masenda  – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] –

HON. T. MLISWA: Madam Speaker, ataura kuti anopenga. A medical report must be produced kuti munhu is not stable and without that he must withdraw. He cannot get away with it. The precedent we are setting is wrong. You said there are no points of order. You gave him a chance.

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Withdraw that statement Hon. Chinotimba…

HON. CHINOTIMBA: Anorwara you – [HON. T. MLISWA: Inaudible interjections.] – You are MDC. – [HON. MEMBERS: Withdraw your statement.] –

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Chinotimba, please withdraw your statement –

Hon. Tsunga and Hon. Kwaramba having walked in.

HON. T. MLISWA: Thank you Hon. Tsunga and Hon. Kwaramba for standing in for women.

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. Chinotimba, please withdraw your statement and sit down.

*HON. CHINOTIMBA: Madam Speaker, before I withdraw, I would like to say something – [HON. MEMBERS: Withdraw.] – Madam Speaker, let me withdraw. I am withdrawing my statement that Hon. Mamombe murwere.

THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Withdraw your statement Hon. Chinotimba – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections, hazvisi right murwere mune macard ake here?] –

HON. CHINOTIMBA: Madam Speaker, I withdraw, that Hon. Mamombe murwere – [AN HON. MEMBER: Haudaro chingoti I withdraw.] Ndozvaataura. – [HON. T. MLISWA: Haubati mukadzi mushe kumba uko.] –  Madam Speaker, I withdraw. Can Hon. T. Mliswa withdraw his statement also?

HON. T. MLISWA: I will not withdraw because it was in the newspaper, it is in the public that you are failing to give your wife conjugal rights – [HON. CHINOTIMBA: It is written in the Affidavit that Hon. Mamombe vanorwara zvakabuda mucourt.] – Enda unobata mukadzi zvakanaka kumba.

*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon. T. Mliswa, what you are doing is abusing me by the noise that you are making.

HON. T. MLISWA: I am sorry Madam Speaker.

*THE HON. DEPUTY SPEAKER: Hon Members, I want you to stretch your hands. If your hands touch another person, you are not one metre apart.

Hon. Members maintained social distancing.