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NewsDay

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Mugabe spokesman under fire

News
MDC-T MPs yesterday criticised President Robert Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba over his statements that Parliament had no mandate to discuss the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ). Charamba was reacting to a motion passed by the House a fortnight ago calling for the reconstitution of the BAZ board, which is accused of bias. Shepherd Mushonga of […]

MDC-T MPs yesterday criticised President Robert Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba over his statements that Parliament had no mandate to discuss the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ).

Charamba was reacting to a motion passed by the House a fortnight ago calling for the reconstitution of the BAZ board, which is accused of bias.

Shepherd Mushonga of Mazowe Central who is also Chairman of the Parliamentary Legal Committee said Charamba was a mere government employee who had no mandate to be directing the way the legislature should work.

“Parliament has no limits and can enquire on anything that is happening in this country as the legislature has a supervisory role over the executive,” Mushonga said.

“That is why our tentacles as Parliament go as far as investigating Marange diamond mining — that is why we said we wanted them nationalised, and that is why we are calling for Shabanie Mashaba Mines to be returned to its owners.”

Mbizo MP Settlement Chikwinya, who moved the motion, said Charamba’s statements were unfortunate.

“The biggest problem of the inclusive government is that we have problems with bureaucrats in the form of permanent secretaries and principal directors of ministries who are ill advising ministers to the extent that the inclusive government is now hamstrung,” he said.

“The defiance we see being exhibited by ministers is not of their own making but the problem is their advisers in the form of permanent secretaries.

Actually they should have been eliminated at the time of giving birth to the inclusive government.”