Parliament's Matebeleland hearings flop

PUBLIC hearings on two proposed laws that were supposed to be conducted in Gwanda on Tuesday were suspended after people failed to turn up while in Bulawayo there was a low turn-out.

The Parliamentary Portfolio on Mines was in Bulawayo earlier in the day before it travelled to Gwanda for public hearings on the Mineral Exploration and Marketing Corporation and Pan African University of Science and Technology Bills.

The Matabeleland South hearing was slated for Gwanda District Club but only a handful of people attended forcing the portfolio committee led by Daniel Shumba to suspend the hearings.

Shumba told The Chronicle that information had not been effectively disseminated to the public about the hearings dates.

"We've now allowed them to directly send their views to Parliament. We also explained to them about the Bills and we're happy.

"The information had been disseminated through local MPs, radio, newspapers and television. So the public was aware of the hearings but maybe not about the specific dates." said Shumba.

"We've tasked the Ministry of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services in Gwanda and the District Administrator to distribute the Bills so that the public may read them and submit their views directly to Parliament by Tuesday next week."

In Bulawayo, the hearing, which was held at the Small City Hall, lasted less than two hours and was attended by about a dozen residents.
Shumba said the two Bills were too technical, which made it difficult for residents to understand them. He urged residents to send their contributions directly to parliament.

Legislators in the committee acknowledged that the hearings were not adequately advertised, resulting in low turnouts.