Speaker rejects RBZ Bill petition

Jacob Mudenda, the Speaker of the National Assemble, has refused to accept a petition by civil society organisations urging parliamentarians to reject the RBZ Debt Assumption Bill.

The petition, undersigned by the Zimbabwe Coalition on Debt and Development (Zimcodd) and its affiliate members including African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (Afrodad) and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, called for an official audit of the $1.3 billion debt to increase democratic accountability over the country's finances and help give Zimbabwe's citizens control over their economy.

The organisations had mandated MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese to move the motion in Parliament on their behalf in terms of section 149 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. Mudenda dismissed Gonese's attempt to present the petition as ill-advised.

Mudenda said in terms of Standing Order 176, the petition was supposed to indicate the persons petitioning the august House by appending signatures and listing their names on the petition.

The petition by the civil society organizations had only one signature for each of the organizations.