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Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
The three bidders for the $2 billion dualisation project for Beitbridge–Harare and Harare-Chirundu highways have been submitted to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his consideration before announcement of the winner. VP Mnangagwa is responsible for the infrastructure development cluster under the Government’s economic blueprint, Zim-Asset.Transport and Infrastructure Development Deputy Minister Engineer Michael Madanha told the Senate yesterday that there was need to agree on terms with the winning bidder on how it would recover its investment, considering that Government had limited fiscal space.

He was responding to a question from Mashonaland East traditional leader, Chief Musarurwa who wanted an update on the dualisation of the roads which he said had claimed several lives due to traffic accidents. “VP Mnangagwa is responsible for the infrastructure development cluster,” said Deputy Minister Madanha. “We have submitted the names after we reduced them from 12 to three bidders. Once his office is through, necessary announcements will be made.”

Eng Madanha said Government was considering a Build, Operate and Transfer method as a way of ensuring that the winning firm recovered its money.

Responding to another question, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda said there was need to capacitate cotton growers because the take over by Government of Cotton Company of Zimbabwe would not necessarily end challenges in the industry.

He said several factors such as mass production of cotton in the United States and China which competed for the same market with Zimbabwean farmers, saw a slump in the international price, thereby affecting local farmers. Deputy Minister Zhanda said the mass production of cotton in the US was spawned by subsidies given to farmers by the government, something that local farmers did not enjoy.

“Cotton farmers should be capacitated, like availability of inputs on time,” said Deputy Minister Zhanda. During the sitting, Matabeleland South Senator Angeline Masuku (Zanu-PF) protested against Senate stand-in president Cde Charles Tawengwa after she had been asked to put her question in English given that Deputy Minister Madanha did not understand Ndebele.

“Mr President I will do that under protest,” she said. “This is a Zimbabwean Parliament and for us to come here and promote foreign languages (English) and yet we are voted in by Zimbabweans is not right. “These ministers cannot fail to communicate in Zimbabwean languages. I will request that our ministers make an effort to be truly Zimbabwean.”

Senators also rapped Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Deputy Minister Christopher Chingosho after they were not satisfied with his explanation on what Government was doing to fight land barons. Mashonaland West Senator Byton Musaka (zanu-pf) castigated Deputy Minister Chingosho for providing a “wishy-washy” response.

Deputy Minister Chingosho had said Government would not compensate those people who lost their money to land barons because they would have constructed structures in peri-urban areas. He blamed local authorities for not doing enough to curb the scourge of land barons.