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Auxilia Katongomara, Chronicle Reporter 

PARLIAMENT has engaged the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation to avail interpreters to the August House to provide interpretation services for all the languages recognised in the Zimbabwe Constitution, the Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, has said.

Legislators conversing in other languages other than English, Shona and Ndebele have often complained that their input is not recorded in the Hansard due to lack of interpreters.

Adv Mudenda said all the 16 officially recognised languages must be treated equally.

He said Section 63 (a) of the Constitution provides that, “Every person has a right to use the language of their choice.”

Adv Mudenda said Parliament had since engaged Treasury to recruit more interpreters while engaging ZBC as it awaits a nod to employ.

“In view of the foregoing, it is thus regrettable that owing to resource constraints, Parliament is yet to employ interpreters to provide simultaneous interpretation for all the 16 officially recognised languages. 

In an effort to address the anomaly, Parliament has once again written to Treasury seeking concurrence to employ additional interpreters and the concurrence is still pending,” he said in Parliament on Wednesday.

Adv Mudenda said while they await a nod from Treasury, they had engaged ZBC.

“As a stop gap measure, Parliament has since engaged the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Authority (ZBC) to provide interpreters as and when required. 

“The discussions with ZBC are ongoing and the House will be advised of the availability of the said interpreters in due course,” he said.

Speaking in Parliament last month, Bulilima West legislator Cde Dingumuzi Phuthi raised a matter of privilege on why his contribution made in Kalanga was not captured in the Hansard. 

Regarding the contribution made by Cde Phuthi in Kalanga, Adv Mudenda said a corrigendum has been made to the hard copy of the Hansard, 5 March, 2019, Volume 45, Number 37 to include his contribution.

He added that the soft copy of the Hansard appearing on the Parliamentary website had already been corrected. 

Adv Mudenda assured legislators that all 16 languages would have interpreters in the near future.

“On behalf of the Presiding officers, I would like to extend my sincere apologies to all the Hon Members who have been deprived of their right to speak in the language of their choice, and promise that in the new Parliament this will be history. 

“All languages will have interpreters,” he said. – @AuxiliaK.