MPs demand stands from Harare City Council

ABOUT 400 Members of Parliament want Harare City Council to allocate them residential stands in leafy suburbs at heavily subsidised prices in what they say will go a long way in saving the fiscus hotel bills.

The legislators also say owning residential stands in the capital was part of self development for them as most of them remained poor despite serving the country.

The request by legislators is one of the several they have been demanding from authorities as their term of office nears completion this year.

Zimbabwe is preparing for harmonised elections this year and history has shown that a number of sitting MPs fall by the wayside during polls.

The legislators' demands have been viewed as a way of preparing themselves for life after Parliament as most of them are not assured of re-election.

In the past, they have demanded second vehicles, arguing that those they got under the vehicle loan scheme were no longer efficient as they had used them during the constitution outreach programme.

They have also been demanding that they earn more than $3 000 per month to match their counterparts in the Sadc region.

Some of the legislators are facing allegations of abusing the Constituency Development Fund.

Parliament welfare committee vice chairperson and Murewa West MP Mr Ward Nezi (MDC-T), said legislators were proposing that the money they were owed by Government in sitting allowances be used to build houses once they were given the stands.

"We are not saying we should get these stands for free, we will buy. What we want are favourable conditions that take into account our low salaries," said Mr Nezi.

He said providing legislators with residential stands would also cut costs to the fiscus in hotel bills as most of those with constituencies outside Harare were booked in hotels.

"Remember we are owed a lot of money by Government in sitting allowances, so we would use that money to build our houses and when we have houses that will save money in hotel bills," he said.

The legislators were prepared to take up stands in "respectable" suburbs.

However, Parliament has bought a hotel near parliament building to ease legislators' accommodation challenges.

Mr Nezi said it would be embarrassing for legislators to be reduced to destitution when they leave office as they would have nowhere to put their heads.

"Would it be proper to see Honourable MPs selling cigarettes or tomatoes when they leave office? What I can tell you is that most MPs are struggling. It's very pathetic, they even fail to get money to buy diesel, they always drive with their eyes on the fuel gauge. But of course some have done very well," he said.

Mr Nezi said he had approached Harare City Council and they were still waiting to get notification of a day for a meeting with Mayor Muchadeyi Masunda.

Mr Masunda could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Another member of the welfare committee, Uzumba MP, Cde Simba Mudarikwa (Zanu-PF), said there was a need for legislators to develop not only politically but socially and economically.

"The motivation behind this desire to acquire stands is that we have to develop socially and economically, that is the whole concept," said Cde Mudarikwa.

"The level of association of MPs has to develop as well."

The legislators were paid $15 000 each in December for outstanding sitting allowances.

There are 370 legislators including Ministers, Governors and Chiefs.