Bill Watch
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe officially opened Parliament on Tuesday 26 August 2008. During his delivery of the official speech Mugabe proposed new legislation.
The following Bills were listed for introduction during the session of Parliament, which begins sitting in October.
(a) Public Finance Management Bill,
(b) Audit Bill,
(c) Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill,
(d) Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Amendment Bill,
(e) Small and Medium Enterprises Amendment Bill,
(f) Older Persons Bill, Energy Laws Amendment Bill,
(g) Zimbabwe Qualifications Authority Bill,
(h) Education Amendment Bill,
(i) Zimbabwe Construction Industry Council Bill.
Parly Update
- Financial and water crisis forces adjournment of parliament
- Parliament broke off for a month on Tuesday 11 November 2008 after running out of financial resources to sustain its operations as delays in setting up an inclusive government continues to paralyse national institutions.
- Parliamentarians told Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) that the authorities at parliament had informed them that the administration had run out of resources to pay for their accommodation and allowances during sessions while the water crisis at parliament building had also contributed to the suspension of business until Tuesday 16 December 2008.
- The decision to suspend parliament until December delays the debate on three critical motions, which according to the House of Assembly Order Paper were scheduled for debate during this month.
- The three motions all sponsored by Movement for Democratic Change (MDC)legislators include a motion on the current food crisis, the worsening economic hardships and a motion pressing for the investigation of post election violence that engulfed the country after the joint March presidential and parliamentary elections and the June sham presidential election.
- The disruption of business in parliament further delays a proposed constitutional amendment that will legalise the power sharing arrangement signed on 15 September 2008 between ZANU PF leader Robert Mugabe and the two MDC leaders, Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara.
- The setting up of an all-inclusive government has been in the works since September, when the three political party leaders signed a historic power-sharing pact to end the country’s nagging political and economic crisis.
- The suspension of business in parliament and the absence of a functional government will also delay the formulation and announcement of the 2009 national budget, which traditionally is announced in November of every year.
- The adjournment is the second one inside one month, after the house broke off again late last month after just sitting for some days.
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LEGAL WATCH 
