THE season of madness is upon us.
Kuwadzana East lawmaker Charlton Hwende has set the ball rolling with a list of demands for legislators: a salary increment and US$150 000 housing loan for each member.
“We received housing loans worth US$40 000, but because of inflation and compared to what those in the Executive received, we also want you [Finance minister Mthuli Ncube] to budget a minimum of US$150 000 as a loan that will ensure an MP gets a house,” the lawmaker said at a pre-budget seminar in Bulawayo last week.
The lawmakers know they have the keys as they must pass the 2026 National Budget when it comes to the House later next month.
It is the trick they have used and perfected over the years to extract something from the Treasury using their veto power.
In 2023, Ncube was forced to increase the budget allocation for Parliament after legislators threatened not to pass the national budget.
In their list, the lawmakers demanded top-of-the-range Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles, hotel stays for their spouses, huge perks, additional benefits, as well as payment of salaries for their workers.
It is the season of madness where lawmakers speak with one voice.
- News in depth: Fears of violent 2023 polls grow as ED fails to deliver on promises
- Chamisa party defiant after ban
- Letter to my people: Mthuli Ncube experiment has failed
- News in depth: Slain Moreblessing Ali’s family fears cover-up as children are forced into hiding
Keep Reading
The eating season unites lawmakers from across the political divide: there is no Zanu PF, CCC (Sengezo Tshabangu faction), CCC (Welshman Ncube faction) or CCC (Jameson Timba faction).
Their common denominator is the need to extract something, since it’s their time to eat.
In the last Parliament, lawmakers were controversially given a
US$40 000 “loan” each.
The MPs say the Executive has mouth-watering perks. If the Executive is pampering itself, it is the duty of the Legislature to halt that trend.
It appears they are fighting for a seat on the gravy train.
Zimbabwe needs real lawmakers, not this breed of predators who think with their stomachs.
How can the Legislature hold the Executive accountable when it forces the latter to bend the rules? The lawmakers have lost their mojo, allowing the Executive to ride roughshod over the electorate.
They have failed to hold to account Cabinet ministers who bunk Parliament business, including the question and answer session or senior government officials who refuse to appear before parliamentary portfolio committees.
Some MPs cannot contribute anything meaningful other than heckling opponents or singing party songs. Others have become occasional visitors; they go to Parliament to mark the register and keep quiet.
It will be a tragedy if Ncube accedes to the demands. However, his hands are tied as the MPs could come in handy in a bigger assignment ahead. His party, Zanu PF, is pushing for the extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure by two years to 2030.
Mnangagwa’s constitutionally-mandated two terms end in 2028, and his party has resolved to give him a two-year extension as a bonus due to the “tremendous work” he has done in reviving the economy.
Once the debate moves into Parliament, lawmakers are expected to rubber-stamp it.
Zimbabwe is yearning for real lawmakers who articulate issues that affect the electorate. They want MPs who grill ministers or senior government officials. It appears those are not yet born if the recent demands by lawmakers are anything to go by.
