Jacob Mudenda reads riot act

Jacob Mudenda, Speaker of the National Assembly, has threatened to punish Cabinet ministers and their deputies who are in the habit of absenting themselves from Parliament without good reason.

Mudenda said that Parliament's Standing Rules and Orders Committee (SROC) will meet today to deliberate on the matter.

He said ministers and their deputies were disregarding last year's warning against absconding question and answer sessions.

Ministers and their deputies are expected to answer questions from legislators on Wednesday in the National Assembly and Thursday in the Senate.

Matebeleland North Senator Thokozile Mathuthu lodged a bitter complaint against deputy ministers on Thursday, accusing the junior ministers of taking the Upper House for granted. She was supported by Chief Charumbira who said senators should write to the executive arm of government complaining about the ministers' no-show.

This comes after the junior ministers failed to turn up at the Senate on Thursday.

Mudenda last year said all members of the executive were fully accountable to Parliament and must fulfil their constitutionally-mandated roles in this respect.

He said the executive was demonstrating disdain for parliamentary oversight over the executive in a bid to avoid responsibility for their departments.

Meanwhile, Senators have blasted deputy ministers for bunking Senate debates.

Matabeleland North senator Sithokozile Mathuthu led the attack during a Senate session on Thursday, saying deputy ministers are taking the Upper House of Parliament for granted.

Fortune Charumbira, president of the Chiefs Council, said senators should write to the executive arm of government complaining about the deputy ministers.

Senate president Edna Madzongwe quashed the discussion.