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Nqobile Tshili, [email protected]

THE 10th Parliament needs to move with speed in implementing legislative reforms and aligning all the country’s laws to the Constitution, analysts have said.

On Tuesday, President Mnangagwa set the legislative agenda when he officially opened Zimbabwe’s 10th Parliament and delivered the State of the Nation Address.

The President presented 60 pieces of legislation that need to be attended to by the legislators who were recently elected.

In his speech, President Mnangagwa said Parliament should ensure that laws to be promulgated are an instrument to fast-track development. These are expected to speak to socio-economic issues and must be tailor made to respond to modern business trends.

Analysts have welcomed the new legislative agenda saying this should contribute to improved lives of ordinary citizens in line with developmental aspirations.

Legal expert Mr Wellington Magaya said Parliament should focus on the legislation that facilitates the attainment of the National Development Strategy and Vision 2030.

“In addition, it should promote the rights of individuals, especially the vulnerable members of society. It must also promote legislation that promotes the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe, laws that are investor friendly,” he said. 

“I know there is a lot that has been done in that regard but more needs to be done to ensure that our laws are predictable.

“If you ask me from that list of 60, I can pick out the Minerals Amendment Bill. I know the Government has said they want the mining sector to be a US$12 billion economy but you can’t do that with a legislation that was promulgated 15-20 years ago. 

“So, we need to properly amend the law so that the acquisition of mining titles, disposition and resolution of disputes is properly captured.”

He also made reference to the Public Finance Management Bill, Competition Amendment Act, and the Economic Empowerment Bill saying these relate to the economy and must be attended to as a matter of urgency.

“I will talk of inheritance laws, you will remember that in 2020 the Chief Justice (Luke Malaba) passed a judgment that it is okay for a man to disinherit his wife. No one has  paid attention to that. It has caused a lot of injustice to vulnerable women if a man dies and bequeaths all their estate to a small house,” said Mr Magaya.

“The wife and children will be left with nothing and the Supreme Court has said this is okay. So, legislation should come in to plug some of those laws.”

He said the amendments to the Family Planning Council, Health Professions, Legal Profession Amendment Bill are some of the statutes that need to be attended to as some of them are long overdue.

Mr Magaya said what is unfortunate is that to date the country is still speaking to aligning laws to the Constitution, which is now 10 years old.

“The constitution is no longer new and I think the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliament Affairs must put more effort to ensure that the laws are aligned to the constitution. There should also be a consultation and the laws that reflect the aspirations of the society,” he said.

Association of Business Zimbabwe (Abuz) chief executive officer Mr Victor Nyoni said considering that business is moving digitally, it was important that the President has set the agenda.

“What we are doing at the moment is consulting our members on what the President has already alluded to. As you know the issue of technology advancement is an important one as we link with the international aspect of business,” he said. 

“So, the laws to do with e-commerce are important for the Zimbabwean economy to advance.”

Mr Nyoni said areas that contribute significantly to economic growth such as agriculture need to digitize operations, adding that business players were pleased that Government is closing the consultation rift that caused problems with the private sector.

Political analyst Mr Teddy Ncube said while the Second Republic has made remarkable legislative reforms during its first tenure, more that needs to be done to achieve inclusive development during the 10th Parliamentary session.

“There is a lot of room for improvement by Parliamentarians. We need legislators who understand what they are doing in Parliament, who understand what they are supposed to be doing in Parliament and who they are serving,” he said. 

“As soon as Parliamentarians understand that, it will be easier for us to talk of successes in terms of the legislative agenda. 

“Yesterday, we saw something quite disappointing where some legislators did not turn up for the SONA, which is worrying and concerning not only to the public but scholars of public policy who understand the gravity of what happened yesterday. 

“MPs who boycotted Parliament yesterday do not understand that they are not just representing those who voted for their party but even those that did not vote for them,” said Mr Ncube.