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Minister Chinamasa was supposed to appear before the committee yesterday but was attending to some other business, prompting the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy to defer the enquiry to next year.

However, committee chairperson and Guruve South Member of House of Assembly, Cde Edward Chindori-Chininga warned that Parliament would invoke the necessary legal instruments should the Minister repeatedly fail to turn up.

Minister Chinamasa had been invited to give evidence before the committee on the challenges facing the mine that had been placed under the control of an administrator, Mr Afaras Gwaradzimba in terms of the Reconstruction of State Indebted and Insolvency Companies Act.

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Addressing journalists after the minister failed to show up, Cde Chindori-Chininga said his committee was aware that the Minister had been out of the country for a long time and only returned on Tuesday.

The Minister was also due to attend Zanu-PF Politburo and Central Committee meetings held yesterday.

Cde Chindori-Chininga said their enquiry had showed that Minister Chinamasa had sought audience from the Speaker of House of Assembly, Mr Lovemore Moyo seeking a postponement but was referred to the Clerk of Parliament, Mr Austin Zvoma.

“The Minister did not submit anything in writing either to the Speaker or the Acting Clerk Mr (Kennedy) Chokuda, so there is nothing formal but we got confirmation from both the Speaker and the Acting Clerk that they met the Minister,” said Cde Chindori-Chininga.

He said the committee had resolved to write another letter to the Minister inviting him to give evidence on January 10 2011.

“The committee will always follow procedure, if he fails to appear on three requests we will use the necessary rules of Parliament,” said Cde Chindori-Chininga.

“It is not the intention of the committee to be confrontational, we are not accusing him of anything but we only want to hear his side of the story.

“The decision on who is wrong or right will only come after we hear both sides.”

He said the committee wanted to know whether or not the Minister complied with the law in dealing with SMM.

“We also want to know why the company has failed dismally, people are out of work, we are importing asbestos when we have SMM, so it is an economic issue,” he said.

Mr Gwaradzimba and SMM shareholder Mr Mutumwa Mawere have since given evidence before the committee.

In his evidence, Mr Mawere had accused Minister Chinamasa of harbouring ulterior political motives in taking over his companies.

He said there was no legitimate basis for Government to take over his companies.-The Herald