HON. WATSON:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  My question is directed to the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs.  I would like him to tell the House and the urban population particularly, how he feels their policy for the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to use large metal bars with spikes as lethal weapons rather than the control of traffic and the improvement of road safety.  Thank you.

THE DEPUTY MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS (HON. O. MGUNI): Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Thank you Hon. Member for the pertinent question that a lot of Zimbabweans would like to hear and get clarity on.  Spikes, boom-gates and walls are under the column of security barriers to control traffic or human beings. It is vital to control traffic or human beings.  It is vital for police or any security organ to use the spike to prevent vehicles from parking in that area or going through the road that the spike is laid on.  Therefore, you are controlling traffic.

However, the dispute that has come across Zimbabweans is that when do the police put the spikes on the road because some people say they throw it on the vehicles.  Some drivers will then run over the spike when they are disobeying the rules of being controlled.  I went to Bulawayo three days ago to see exactly whether the police throw or put spikes –[Laughter.]-  I saw the police laying the spike down and I saw the taxi driver running over the spike.  It is the Parliament that has to conscientise and educate the drivers to follow the rules because they are carrying people. You cannot run away from a ten dollar fine, run over the spike and sacrifice the lives of eighteen people.  We need to educate our drivers on spikes.  I thank you -[HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.]-

HON. WATSON:  Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I was in Bulawayo four days ago and witnessed-[HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.]-

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order, order!  Can you switch off the microphone at the back there?

HON. WATSON:  I was in Bulawayo four days ago and witnessed road traffic officers holding those very metal poles with spikes not in front of the vehicle but from behind a vehicle running to lance with that weapon.  It is not for traffic control.  If it is used correctly, it should be put on the road and not to hold it.  Can the Minister not clarify that point instead of making it the fault of drivers?  Thank you.

HON. MGUNI:  As I articulated, the dispute -[HON. MEMBERS:  Inaudible interjections.]-

HON. MUDZURI:  On a point of order…

 THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order, order!  Hon. Mudzuri, the Deputy Minister has not even opened his mouth to answer the question.  Why are you raising point of order before he answers?

HON. MUDZURI:  That is where my point of order is.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Procedurally, the Hon. Minister must answer first.  I must give him that opportunity.

HON. MGUNI:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  If a police officer was running behind the taxi with a spike throwing it, it is not allowed.  A spike is laid on the ground as I explained, as a security barrier but one cannot throw an object on a moving vehicle.  If that has happened, we need to discipline that officer because that is not allowed because it causes other damages like breaking the windows.

If there is a particular incident like that, the Hon. Member has the right to come to our offices and report that and action will be taken.

HON. MUDZURI:  My point of order is that I am shocked by the behaviour of most of the Members of Parliament here.  They get excited and try to clap hands over death traps which are being put on our people. I think we must be disciplined and let the Minister respond correctly as to what should be seen to be happening to our people.  It is not proper to  find somebody excited and clapping hands over something that has threatened our people’s life. It is not fair.

My point of order is that we must be disciplined as Members of Parliament and behave.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Hon. Mudzuri, it is up to the Chair to control that.

HON. HOLDER:  Hon. Speaker, I have a supplementary question to the answer that was given.  Can the Minister please explain to this House if the spikes that are being carried by the policemen are under the specifications which the Police Act conforms to?

HON. MGUNI: Mr. Speaker Sir, can he repeat the question.  I was in a discussion.

HON. HOLDER:  Are the spikes that the police are carrying according to the Police Act in terms of the specifications, length and the way they are laid?  Are they in conformity with that because a spike looks like a weapon?

HON. MGUNI:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  Yes, that is where I started when I was explaining to say that they are counted as one of the security barriers.  They are there.  The dispute is about how to use it and I explained that the police officer must lay the spike down.  Even a security guard is allowed to lay it in a no parking area so that you do not park your car on that area.  It is a warning sign.

HON. HOLDER:  That is what he was asked.  He never answered.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order, order!  I think the Hon. Deputy Minister has been very clear.

HON. MAONDERA:  My point of order is that Ministers must come here to answer questions.  Hon. Tshinga Dube is asleep there -[HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.]-  He is supposed to be here to answer questions.  War Veterans are suffering and that Minister is asleep.  What does that mean?

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Order, order, order, order!  Hon. Member, you are now out of decorum.

*HON. MUTSEYAMI: Mvura iyo mugeze kumeso.

THE HON. SPEAKER:  Hon. Mutseyami and your colleague there.   When someone closes his eyes – [Laughter.]- Order, order Hon. Mpariwa please, closing one’s eyes may not be sleeping.  So, I saw him as closing his eyes.  You cannot determine whether someone is sleeping because he has closed his eyes.

An Hon. Member having wanted to pose a supplementary question.

THE HON. SPEAKER: No more supplementary questions on that one.

*HON. MPARIWA: Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I wanted to direct my question to the Minister of Finance and Economic Development.  In his absence, I will direct it to the Leader of the House, the Vice President, Hon. Mnangagwa.  Now, that the date is 29^th March, towards the end of the month, there are very long queues at the banks.  People are now absconding from work trying to get money from the banks.

Since there is shortage of cash…