This Week in Parliament
Both Houses of Parliament will be sitting this coming week, and in this Bill Watch we shall outline the business they are expected to deal with. Please however 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 9th September
Bills to be dealt with
The Assembly is expected to deal with the following Bills:
- 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.
- Insurance and Pensions Commission Amendment Bill [link]
This Bill, too, is due to begin its Second Reading.
- State Service (Pensions) Bill [link]
The House is due to consider the Parliamentary Legal Committee’s adverse report on this Bill.
Reports of constitutional commissions to be considered
The Assembly will be asked to consider:
- 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].
- Convention establishing the International Organisation for Mediation [link].
Reports on petitions received
- A petition for a Lippert Concession Decolonisation Restorative Justice and Reparations Bill
- A petition on security of tenure and title deeds for urban poor
- 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 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
- Responsible mining by artisanal and small-scale miners
- The 2024 Budget Performance Reports of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development
- The state of prisons in Zimbabwe
- The state of digital information centres in Zimbabwe
- Constraints and challenges affecting Zimsec
- The 2024 Budget Performance Reports of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
- The 2025 first quarter Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife
- Innovation hubs and industrial parks in universities and polytechnics
- The 2024 quarterly budget performance reports of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development
- The 2024 third and fourth 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 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
Motions on the National Assembly order paper
Motions set to be debated by the Assembly will include the following topics:
- Introduction of quotas for employment of youths in the public service
- 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
- Policies to protect the inheritance rights of widows
- Measures to support the health and welfare of students at institutions of higher education
- Birth certificates and IDs for Zimbabweans living in South Africa
- Enforcing weight restrictions on public transport vehicles
- Youth quotas in provincial councils, local authorities and public boards
- Declaration of the public health situation to be a national emergency
- Tax relief for businesses that invest in or sponsor arts, sport and culture
- Measures to combat deforestation
- Promotion of traditional culture and practices
- 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 10th 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
- Revenues from the fast foods tax up to June 2025
- Collection and distribution of corporate social responsibility levies on lithium and quarried stone
- Settling of bills owed by government to Gweru City Council
- Procurement of essential medical supplies through the government’s e-GP system
- Revenues from the wealth tax up to June 2025
- 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
- Compliance with court orders by companies, institutions and communities
- 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
- Abolition of visa requirements for visiting African countries
- 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
- Exemption of deaf people from paying for car radio licences
- Housing and capacitation of school teachers
- Payment of school fees and the consequences of non-payment
- Fees payable by university students
- Construction and maintenance of roads, dams and other infrastructure.
Thursday 11th September
The Assembly will continue with business stood over from Tuesday.
THE SENATE
Tuesday 9th September
Bill to be dealt with
The Senate will deal with the following Bill:
- Parks and Wild Life Amendment Bill [link]
This Bill will undergo its Second Reading.
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:
- Establishment of DISCO Steel Mill
- Protection of wetlands, particularly in Harare
- Measures to reduce traffic accidents.
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
- Land audit to identify under-utilised land for reallocation
Bills Being Considered by the Parliamentary Legal Committee
The PLC is considering the following Bills: