Zimpapers Logo

Dr Esau Chiviya,

Zvamaida Murwira in Johannesburg, S. Africa
The Sadc Parliamentary Forum will continue to push member-states using various strategies to have the forum transformed into a regional parliament despite resistance by senior officials in some Government departments, a senior official has said.

The secretary-general for Sadc PF Dr Esau Chiviya said they had satisfied preconditions that had been set more than 10 years ago and the time was ripe for such a transformation.

The transformation, said Dr Chiviya, would not in any way encroach on the sovereignty of member countries nor affect the work of national parliaments.

Dr Chiviya said this here while addressing Members of Parliament from Sadc who are attending a joint session of the regional body’s standing committees.

Zimbabwe is being represented by Matabeleland Senator, Tambudzani Mohadi, Manicaland Senator Monica Mutsvangwa, Zaka MP Samson Mukanduri (all from Zanu-PF), Mutare Central MP Mr Innocent Gonese (MDC-T) and Bulawayo Metropolitan MP Ms Jasmine Toffa (MDC.)

He proposed several strategies that include lobbying with Cabinet of member states, engaging Sadc secretariat and introduction of motions to that effect.

“Once Cabinet takes a yes decision, then senior officials and ministers in the Council of Ministers would be bound by their country’s Cabinet decision.

“They cannot go against their Cabinet’s decision. This would also enable us to focus our lobbying efforts on those countries opposed to the transformation,” said Dr Chiviya.

Early this year, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi opposed the transformation while giving oral evidence before the portfolio committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by Makonde MP Cde Kindness Paradza (Zanu-PF).

Minister Mumbengegwi said besides financial implications involved, such a decision would mean that member countries would surrender some of their legislative powers to Sadc PF, something he said had not yet been done.

He said what was ideal was for Sadc PF to make modern laws which member countries could voluntarily tap on and include in their national laws.

But Dr Chiviya yesterday outlined how cost effectiveness would be achieved, some of which included retaining secretariat and headquarters in Windhoek, Namibia.

“Financing of the SADC regional Parliament would be based on the current model of equal contribution from Member Parliaments and money for its programme activities would be mobilised from co-operating partners as is the current practice,” said Dr Chiviya.

He said the president and vice president of Sadc PF would not be full time jobs although they would remain as presiding officers while additional skills would be drawn from member parliaments to minimise costs.

Dr Chiviya said the regional parliament was the missing link as Sadc already had an executive constituted by Sadc secretariat in Botswana and Sadc Tribunal in Namibia although it had been temporarily suspended.

He said lobbying efforts that they made with several heads of State and Governments that included President Mugabe had received support including national parliaments of the region.

Dr Chiviya said the establishment of a regional parliament was affirmed at Sadc PF’s inception by Heads of State and Government in Malawi in 1997.

Some of the preconditions that had been raised was the need to first consolidate Pan African Parliament and rationalisation of Africa’s regional economic blocks which he said was an ongoing process.