Published by the government of Zimbabwe
12 November 2008
Harare — ZANU-PF Chief Whip Cde Joram Gumbo yesterday expressed concern over some MDC-T Members of the House of Assembly whom he said were being allowed to get away with falsehoods during debates in Parliament.
Cde Gumbo said misleading of Parliament by any person was in violation of the provisions of the Standing Orders.
His concern was in response to a contribution by St Mary's Member of House of Assembly Mr Marvellous Khumalo who, in his speech, had made reference to the effect that MDC-T leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai had won the March 29 harmonised presidential election.
Contributing to a motion on the President's speech that he delivered when he officially opened Parliament in July this year, Mr Khumalo, in his salutation, congratulated MPs for winning the elections together with Mr Tsvangirai.
This resulted in Cde Gumbo rising on a point of order, saying the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had clearly pronounced President Mugabe as having won presidential polls and not Mr Tsvangirai as Mr Khumalo claimed. He accused Mr Khumalo of trying to mislead the House and the nation.
Speaker of the House of Assembly Mr Lovemore Moyo, however, ruled against Cde Gumbo, saying there was nothing irregular in what Mr Khumalo had said.
Cde Gumbo had to rise more than an hour later just before the House adjourned and drew legislators to section five of Appendix B of the schedules of the Privileges, Immunities and Powers of Parliament Act as contained in the Standing Orders.
The section makes it an offence for any member to present to Parliament or a committee any false, untrue, fabricated or falsified document or thing with intent to deceive Parliament or committee.
"We take great exception at what is happening because some of what is being said in this House is not true and in violation of the Standing Orders," said Cde Gumbo.
During debate on the President Speech, legislators bemoaned the low cash withdrawal limit which they said was now being compounded by the fact that businesses were no longer accepting cheques.
Zengeza East Member of House of Assembly Mr Alexio Musundire (MDC-T) said several business enterprises had since ceased accepting cheques as a form of payment, thus seriously affecting ordinary persons.
Chikomba Central MP Mr Moses Jiri (MDC-T) said the cash withdrawal limit did not take into account people like rural teachers and the rural banking public who have to board buses to go to the nearest growth point or town to withdraw their money.
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Is it a falsehood to say that Tsvangirai won the March 29 election when, in reality, he probably did? Given the 5 weeks it took Mugabe to fudge the results, and the 55% vote to Tsvangirai as added up on the results published on the front of each polling both on the day of the election. Is it not a falsehood that the murderous Zanu PF stated that Tsvangirai only got 47% of the vote?