Next Week in Parliament
(Parliament will Not be Sitting This Week)
Parliament will not be sitting this coming week, both Houses having adjourned until the 2nd September. In this Bill Watch we shall outline the business they are expected to deal with when they resume, but please bear the following points in mind:
- When the National Assembly and the Senate adjourn, they set down all outstanding business on their Order Papers (i.e. their agendas) for the next appropriate sitting day. There is usually too much to be covered in one day so whatever is not dealt with is postponed to the next appropriate day.
- Both Houses of Parliament can change the order in which they consider business.
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
Tuesday 2nd September
Bills to be dealt with
The Assembly is expected to deal with the following Bills:
- Occupational Safety and Health Bill [link]
The responsible Minister will give notice of presentation of this Bill. Immediately it has been presented and given its first reading (a formality) it will be referred to the Parliamentary Legal Committee for assessment of its constitutionality.
- Medical Services Amendment Bill [link]
The Second Reading of this Bill is due to continue.
- Zimbabwe School Examinations Council Amendment Bill [link]
The Second Reading of this Bill is due to begin.
- Pipelines Amendment Bill [link]
This Bill is also due to begin its Second Reading.
Reports of constitutional commissions to be considered
The Assembly will be asked to consider:
- Reports of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on by-elections held in October 2024 and January 2025 to fill vacancies in local authorities
- 2024 report of the Judicial Service Commission
- 2024 report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
- 2024 report of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission
- 2024 report of the National Prosecuting Authority.
- 2024 report of the Attorney-General’s Office
International agreement to be approved
The Assembly will be asked to approve:
- The SADC Protocol on the Inter-State Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners [link]
- Treaty on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters with China
- The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction [link].
Reports on petitions received
- A petition on the status of the Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection Bill
Reports of parliamentary committees
The Assembly will be asked to consider committee reports on the following issues:
- The 2024 third quarter Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of ICT, Postal and Courier Services
- The audited accounts of the Zimbabwe National Road Administration for 2023
- The 2024 third and fourth quarter budget performance report of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises
- The accounts of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development for 2022
- The 2024 budget performance report of the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wild Life
- The audited accounts of Bulawayo City Council for 2019 and 2020
- Large-scale irrigation schemes
- The 2024 quarterly budget performance report of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development
- The status of border posts in relation to border security
- The state of centres for the treatment and rehabilitation of victims of drug and substance abuse
- The audited accounts of Gweru City Council for 2020 [link]
- The state of the water supply in Bulawayo [link]
Motions on the National Assembly order paper
Motions set to be debated by the Assembly will include the following topics:
- Declaration of the public health situation to be a national emergency
- Introduction of quotas for employment of youths in the public service
- Tax relief for businesses that invest in or sponsor arts, sport and culture
- Introducing a two-term school year for Zimbabwe’s schools
- Increasing spending and reducing regulations to encourage technological innovation
- Regularising informal settlements in urban areas
- Compensation for victims of road accidents
- Measures to combat deforestation
- Promotion of traditional culture and practices
- Policies to protect the inheritance rights of widows
- Measures to support the health and welfare of students at institutions of higher education
- Extending the prohibition against smoking tobacco in public places
- Controlling dangerous dogs and increasing protection against rabies
- Increased resources to treat mental disorders, particularly drug-related conditions
- Abolition of bank charges for balance enquiries
- Preventing child marriages and protecting girls from exploitation
- Dealing with tuberculosis and silicosis among miners
- Fires in communal areas
- Ensuring that local authorities fill vacant posts with substantive appointments rather than acting appointments
- Management and protection of wetlands
- Remodelling of community information centres
- Reply to the President’s speech.
Wednesday 3rd September
Note: On Wednesdays, questions and other private members’ business have precedence over government business.
Questions set down for answer
Among questions set down for Ministers to answer in the National Assembly on Wednesday are questions on the following issues:
- Government policy on menstrual leave
- Taxing of persons over the age of 65
- Employment of qualified teachers
- Review of teachers’ salaries
- Revenues from the fast foods tax up to June 2025
- Collection and distribution of corporate social responsibility levies on lithium and quarried stone
- Procurement of essential medical supplies through the government’s e-GP system
- Revenues from the wealth tax up to June 2025
- Title deeds for beneficiaries of fast-track land reform
- Review of law regarding sinking of boreholes and water harvesting
- Beef exports to east Asia
- Measures to support businesses affected by current economic environment
- Compensation for victims of political violence since 1980
- Implementing recommendations of the SADC election observer mission from 2018 and 2023
- The Geo Pomona Waste Project
- Construction of filling stations in residential areas
- Government policy on breeding and keeping dangerous dog breeds
- Statistics on prosecutions of drug dealers
- How the government balances its commitment to democracy and human rights with trade relations with autocratic regimes
- Repatriation of Zimbabweans in foreign immigration holding centres
- The number of mental health practitioners employed by government
- The effectiveness of “sin taxes” in improving national health
- The cost of maternal health services, and whether bribes are demanded for those services
- Time allocated for party political broadcasts before elections
- Payment of school fees and the consequences of non-payment
- Construction and maintenance of roads, dams and other infrastructure.
Thursday 4th September
The Assembly will continue with business stood over from Tuesday.
THE SENATE
Tuesday 2nd September
Reports of Constitutional Commissions to be considered
The Senate will be asked to consider the reports of the following constitutional Commissions:
- The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s report for 2024
- Reports of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on by-elections held in October and November 2024 and January 2025 to fill vacancies in local authorities
International agreements to be approved
The Senate will be asked to approve:
- The SADC Protocol on the Inter-State Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners [link]
- The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction [link].
Thematic Committee reports to be considered
The Senate will be asked to adopt reports on:
- Universal access to primary and secondary education
- Sustainable development goals
- State of the water supply in Bulawayo [link]
Motions to be dealt with by the Senate
The Senate is expected to debate motions on the following topics:
- Reply to the President’s speech
- Respect for and promotion of indigenous culture, customs and heritage, and declaration of cultural public holiday
Wednesday 20th August
The Senate will continue business stood over from Tuesday
Thursday 21st August
Questions set down for answer
Among questions for Ministers to answer in the Senate on Thursday are questions on the following issues:
- Exemption of senior citizens from paying rates and levies to urban and rural local authorities
- Exemption of war veterans from paying parking fees
- Revenue from agricultural export licences and how it was utilised in 2025
- Land audit to identify under-utilised land for reallocation
- Government policy on Palestine and the conflict between Israel and Iran
Bills Being Considered by the Parliamentary Legal Committee
The PLC is considering the following Bills: