Nyambuya Defends Parliament’s Role in National Stability as Land Handouts to MPs Spark Outcry
Harare – 10 April 2025
By A Correspondent | ZimEye | As the Zimbabwean government faces backlash over its allocation of free residential stands to Members of Parliament, a senior parliamentary official has moved to defend the institution’s role in maintaining national stability. Speaking at the Zimbabwe Defence University, Deputy President of the Senate, Hon. Lt. Gen. (Rtd) M.R. Nyambuya emphasized the critical importance of parliamentary involvement in safeguarding the country’s security and democratic processes.
“Parliament has a vital oversight role and a responsibility to contribute meaningfully to national security and stability,” Nyambuya told military officers and faculty during a presentation. His remarks come at a time when public trust in Parliament is under severe strain, following the Ministry of Local Government’s confirmation that residential stands are being distributed to MPs as non-monetary benefits.
According to a press statement from the Ministry dated 10 April, 70 stands were allocated just this week in Mabelreign, Goromonzi, and Zvimba — part of a broader program benefitting MPs from the 8th to 10th Parliaments. While government insists this is a constitutional welfare initiative, critics see it as a direct response to impeachment efforts spearheaded by anti-corruption activist Blessed Geza.
The timing of these handouts has raised eyebrows, with observers pointing to the proximity of the disbursements to Geza’s 31 March protest and impeachment motion. The perception is that the ruling elite is using state resources to buy political loyalty and stave off accountability.
Prominent MPs have broken ranks with the establishment narrative. Harare West MP Joana Mamombe voiced her outrage on social media, stating:
“This is heartbreaking! Our precious greenways in #HarareWest are being carved up to allocate MP stands — without any community consultation or consent. These green spaces sustain us in the community… This is unjust and wrong!”
Amid the growing controversy, Nyambuya’s remarks appear to be a subtle yet strategic attempt to reframe Parliament’s position not as a complicit beneficiary of state largesse, but as a guardian of national interest — even as the very institution is accused of undermining that principle by accepting land on questionable grounds.
With Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda already facing international scrutiny for war crimes allegations, the spotlight on Parliament has never been more intense. Whether Nyambuya’s appeal to national duty will reassure the public remains to be seen, as the Geza Movement continues to rally for broader accountability and constitutional order.