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Cde Jacob Mudenda

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Speaker of the National Assembly Cde Jacob Mudenda on Tuesday met journalists accredited to cover Parliament as part of an enquiry following a complaint that security at the August House banned the use of cellphones and other gadgets in the Press gallery.Journalists were last Wednesday ordered to switch off their cellphones during commotion that characterised the question-and-answer session in which MDC-T legislators protested that there were few Cabinet ministers to field questions from backbenchers. The commotion lasted over 30 minutes, resulting in Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Cde Marble Chinomona suspending business to allow leaders of political parties to discuss the issue.

It was during that commotion that security at Parliament issued a blanket ban on all journalists in the Press gallery against any use of cellphones, recorders and cameras.

This prompted MDC-T Mabvuku-Tafara representative, Mr James Maridadi, to raise a point of order the following day seeking clarification on who gave the order and using which parliamentary standing order.

In Tuesday’s meeting, Cde Mudenda listened to journalists as they narrated what happened.