Bills that united, divided legislators in the House

• Published date: 02 January 2017
• Publication title: The Herald

President Mugabe during the official opening of the Fourth Session of the Eighth Parliament in November last year

Zvamaida MurwiraSenior Reporterand

At least six Bills sailed through Parliament while 14 others were still under consideration as the curtain came down on the 2016 Parliament sittings.

The Special Economic Zones Act, Local Government Act, Gwanda State University, Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences Act, Public Finance Management Act and Public Accountants and Auditors Act sailed through Parliament in 2016 and all are now law after President Mugabe assented to them.span an

Of the six, it is the Special Economic Zones Act that many might remember because it was the first law during the life of the Eighth Parliament that was initially rejected by President Mugabe when Parliament passed it.

In rejecting the Bill, President Mugabe cited Section 56 of the Special Economic Zones Bill which he said was not consistent with Section 65 of the Constitution as it sought to suspend operations of the labour laws in the zones.

The National Assembly eventually convened and accommodated the reservations President Mugabe had made before sending back to the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces for his assent.

The Local Government Act seeks to amend the Urban Councils Act and Rural District Councils Act by providing for procedures to be used when suspending a mayor or councillor of a local authority through appointment of an independent tribunal in dealing with city fathers' misdemeanors.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Saviour Kasukuwere indicated last week that he will invoke that law in respect of Gweru city councillors led by Mayor Hamutendi Kombayi.

This was after Minister Kasukuwere withdrew his appeal in the Supreme Court after he lost his bid to expel them.

Minister Kasukuwere said this while responding to a question from Mkoba MP Mr Amos Chibaya (MDC-T) on why he was not reinstating the Gweru city councillors who won their case at the High Court.

The Act sailed through amid protests from MDC-T MPs who felt that the law was meant to fix Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni who at that time was on suspension.

The opposition lawmakers would walk out and leave the Chamber without the mandatory 70 MPs that constitute a quorum in their bid to derail the law.

The Gwanda State University Act and Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences Act are meant to establish two more...