Senators yesterday grilled Transport and Infrastructure Development minister Obert Mpofu over government failure to rehabilitate the Harare-Beitbridge Road which records many deadly accidents due to its poor state.
BY VENERANDA LANGA
Mpofu said rehabilitation of the road had been hampered by a pending court case, where ZimHighways had taken government to court over the issue.
“I cannot give further information on the road because the matter is subjudice,” Mpofu said.
But Beitbridge Senator Tambudzani Mohadi (Zanu PF) said in the interim government must do something to at least patch potholes to avoid further loss of lives.
“We have been trying to seal some potholes, but that is not sustainable because if you put a new patch on an old road it will work against the old patch,” Mpofu said.
Deputy Mines minister Fred Moyo was also grilled by Masvingo Senator Misheck Marava over the alleged supply of defective equipment to Hwange Colliery by an Indian company. Marava asked Moyo if the Hwange Colliery contract with the Indians had clauses to deal with issues of business lost during equipment breakdowns.
“I cannot confirm whether we have clauses on production loss. The clause that I can confirm was in place was the on the warranty and I can confirm that the faulty hydraulic elements have been removed and new ones will be placed,” Moyo said.
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“Normally, as a ministry we do not see the details of contracts of private companies, but we have ministry officials who sit on the board who can avail the information to us.”
In the National Assembly there was heated debate on a motion on the deteriorating social and economic conditions in the country.
MDC legislator Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga spoke on how women have been reduced to buying second-hand underwear due to the failing economy.
Misihairabwi-Mushonga also questioned the appointment of a Shona Vice-Chancellor for Lupane University in Matabeleland North.
“Last time I spoke about tribalism in appointment of boards, but I am surprised that a person from Mashonaland has been appointed the Lupane State University Vice-Chancellor,” she said.
She claimed President Robert Mugabe was tolerant to debate on different issues and accused certain Zanu PF officials of blocking him from attending Parliament to discuss economic issues.
“I do not know who is protecting the President from coming to Parliament so that he hears the pain that we have. Let him come and address Parliament so that we have dialogue with him and discuss the economy because the people he thinks can do his job in Parliament are busy gossiping, lying about each other.”
