Mnangagwa, Chamisa clash

Xolisani Ncube
A parliamentary debate on corruption in state enterprises Wednesday turned into a political hotbed between the ruling Zanu-PF and MDC-T  as both parties laid blame on each other.

Leader of government business in the National Assembly Justice minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and MDC-T lawmaker Nelson Chamisa squared off in parliament with the minister accusing MDC-T  leader Morgan Tsvangirai of being corrupt.

Responding to a question from Magwegwe MP Anele Ndebele who had asked what government policy was  in dealing with corruption and also if the "head of government was not rotten", Mnangagwa said it was the leader of the opposition who was rotten hence "the party believes the rot starts from the head".

"I have been following debates from the MDC-T and their love for the word 'rotten from the head', Mr  Speaker sir, this now explains that the MDC-T is rotten from the head. We have evidence of that," Mnangagwa said.

But this did not go down well with Chamisa who protested saying Mnangagwa should confine his response to the government of the day and not involve the opposition.

"I am not going to sit down until he retracts his statement, he is out of order Mr Speaker Sir," Chamisa said.

"This is a very serious  matter and we cannot afford the kind of tomfoolery we are seeing being  exhibited by the party government," Chamisa said before being asked by the speaker, Jacob Mudenda to withdraw the word 'tomfoolery'.

Despite the protestation by the Kuwadzana MP and other members of the opposition, Mnangagwa did not back down on his position and instead further accused the opposition of having a "rotten leadership which is not the case with Zanu-PF".

"We in Zanu-PF are clear, I shall repeat, the opposition have shown that it is in their party where the head starts to rot. I want to inform this Honorable  Member that I will repeat. I now know that they have this experience because it is existent in their party. This is not the case with us, I shall make no apologies to that, the opposition have shown us that rotting starts with their head (sic)," Mnangagwa said.

'We, in Zanu-PF are very clear  about these issues,' he said.

An attempt by Binga MP Prince Sibanda to block Mnangagwa from mentioning the MDC-T in his address failed to help as the minister adamantly said:  "Mr Speaker Sir, I will repeat what members of the opposition have mentioned. I will repeat. They should  not be of the view that they have the democratic right to despise others  without us also replying to their aspersions,"  he said.

Prior to the heated talk on corruption, Mnangagwa clashed with Chamisa after the vocal MDC-T  lawmaker was described as a "young man" before the speaker Jacob Mudenda demanded  the minister withdraws his statement.

Mudenda came twice to Chamisa's rescue from Mnangagwa after he was at one point described as  "the leader of the opposition in parliament" before Thokozani Khupe protested.

"I am glad that I now know that Honourable Chamisa is nobody in his party, I thought because of his activities here and there, he was the leader, and as such, I shall withdraw my statement," Mnangagwa said.

Parliament has been seized with the debate on corruption that has crippled service delivery in most state enterprises.

A motion has been moved to set up an ad hoc committee to deal with graft and according to the speaker, government, through the minister of Finance, shall be asked to respond and make a commitment to deal with corruption.