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Dr Chombo

Zvamaida Murwira Harare Bureau
THE construction of a new Parliament Building in Mount Hampden, just outside Harare, blended by the setting up of a modern city in the area will spawn major economic activities that will boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product, a Cabinet Minister has said.Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatious Chombo said he was determined to ensure the fruition of what was agreed between President Mugabe and his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping when the two leaders met in Beijing in August.

Minister Chombo was speaking at a dinner on Wednesday his ministry hosted for visiting Chinese engineers carrying out a feasibility study for the new Parliament Building.

The feasibility study followed President Xi’s offer of a grant to construct a new Parliament Building for Zimbabwe.

“It gives us an opportunity to build a modern city, a 21st Century one, around Parliament Building,” said Minister Chombo. “It’ll be a city to blend with the new Parliament Building. We’re friends from way back and it’s the intention of our two leaders that the assistance that we’re looking for towards the construction of Parliament Building can be realised.”

Minister Chombo said the Parliament Building that was built more than 100 years ago was inherited from Britain.

“Now we want to build a Parliament which does not belong to anyone, but to Zimbabweans,” he said. “But more importantly, over the years, the number of parliamentarians has increased three or four-fold, more than what the Parliament Building can carry.”

The new Parliament Building with an increased carrying capacity of more than 500 legislators for the Lower House would go a long way in easing space shortage after the increased number of legislators from around 120 to 270.

Speaking at the same occasion, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Christopher Mutsvangwa said Zimbabwe made a correct decision in marrying its new Parliament Building with a special economic zone.

“A city is primarily where there’s industrial production,” he said. “The idea of marrying Parliament Building with a special economic zone makes sense, especially under Zim-Asset. This is a good opportunity for China to come and help, the first to help Zimbabwe to build the first modern city since independence. All the cities we have are inherited.”

Cde Mutsvangwa said that China’s National Development and Reform Commission was coming to Zimbabwe to set up an office in Harare and help Zimbabwe to be an economic hub just as what Beijing has done as part of an agreement signed by the two countries.

The NDRC’s functions are to study and formulate policies for economic and social development, maintain the balance of economic development, and to guide the restructuring of China’s economic system.

Head of the Chinese delegation Zi Jun Zhang said their work would be guided by Zimbabwean culture and aspirations.

“The design reflects the culture of Zimbabwe,” he said. “We’ll be guided by Zimbabwe’s culture.”

The Chinese technical team will spend the next three weeks studying costs and other ancillary issues and would compile a report that they would submit to their government.