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Lloyd Gumbo Mr Speaker, Sir
The other day while having lunch at a local restaurant with colleagues, we overheard a fairly old-looking couple discussing the recent developments in Zanu-PF and Government that saw former Vice President Joice Mujuru and her faction falling by the wayside in the recent realignment that has dominated news headlines of late. From the surface one would have thought the couple to be some of those people who have no interest in the goings on in politics but alas the grey-haired couple spent the better part of their lunch time discussing politics than eating.

What really caught our attention was the intervention by the woman who quipped: “No one really cares about the sacking of the likes of Didymus Mutasa because they have been in Government for so many years yet could not deliver.

“If anything, there are still a lot of ministers who have served for too long a time who must also face the boot.”

Indeed, some comrades have been lucky to keep being appointed into the executive despite their shortcomings in ministries that they have served.

Ministers are appointed so that they can give policy guidance on Government’s agenda in their respective ministries.

While some ministers might want to argue that permanent secretaries are the ones responsible for ministries’ performance, the buck must stop with ministers with respect to the success or failure of ministries in executing their mandate.

In all fairness, some ministers have failed President Mugabe on a number of occasions despite his patience in affording them more time to justify their presence in the executive.

Most people will not forgive those ministers who at the height of the illegal sanctions-induced economic hardships in 2007 were fooled by that woman – Rotina Mavhunga – who claimed that she could conjure pure diesel out of a rock.

Due to their luck, some of those ministers have survived the chop with only Didymus Mutasa falling by the wayside seven years later.

The new Constitution stipulates that one can serve as President of Zimbabwe for a maximum of two terms, which is 10 years, starting in 2023.

The same provision is applicable for permanent secretaries.

Mr Speaker Sir, if the highest office in the land can have term limits, why not those who serve under that authority?

The reason term limits were put for presidents and permanent secretaries was to allow for diversity and promote good governance as well allowing new ideas and promoting democracy.

But how can that be achieved if the legislature and the rest of the executive are likely to remain in office even if the President and permanent secretaries leave?

Should we continue to have professional politicians who know nothing else except politics with most of them just soup-drinkers?

It only takes a year for an MP to make a mark both in the House and in their constituency.

Joseph Chinotimba, Justice Mayor Wadyajena, Temba Mliswa and Jonathan Samukange have already proved that they are worth their salt.

In all fairness, Mr Speaker Sir, power is highly intoxicating, as such let’s not expose our people by giving them free rein.

Failure to put term limits will result in people being tempted to keep seeking re-election even through dirty tactics like rigging even when they are past their sell by date.

What people should bear in mind is that politics, especially representation, should just be brief as a service to the country than for self-aggrandisement or an opportunity to build their castles while the majority wallow in poverty.

Mr Speaker Sir, the temptation that our parliamentarians face generally is that they put self-serving legislation as long as they know that they can be legislators or ministers for eternity.

It is a different ball game altogether if they know that they will only serve for about 10 years maximum. As such, they will put legislation that they will also enjoy even when outside mainstream politics.

It is, therefore, surprising that the supreme document which has been hailed for its upholding of the Bill of Rights and other progressive measures is silent on the term of office for our ministers and MPs.

No matter how we look at it, either from the side of delivery or from the side of being born with a golden spoon, there should be a cap on the years in which one can serve as a minister.

This continuous service in the golden cage has created untouchables and, consequently, sleeping sickness on the job.

It created an unusual arrogance, that “I will be retained” and somewhat gross negligence with the hope that one can get away with it.

Such is the flagrant abuse of long-term service in the ministerial portfolios that you find long-serving ministers do not care about their delivery any- more.

Who would think, Nicholas Goche would live outside the golden cabin, with the jaunts to Geneva and the hire of S-Class vehicles carefully funded by a cabal of communications giants worldwide.

It all adds up to one thing for our ministers and MPs, that they should be subjected to the same rules of the game as the Presidency and the permanent secretaries.

It is not surprising that most ministers almost briefcase their staff as they jaunt from one ministry to another.

Mr Speaker Sir, there should be a clear cap on how long and how often one can serve as a minister.

After serving for two terms, the minister, deputy minister or MP will have run his or her mile. The problem with ministers staying for too long in capacities from now going forward is the danger of them thinking that they own ministries, that they cannot be replaced, that it’s their birthright to be ministers.

Looking at it this way, no one doubts that quietly and loudly Mutasa was a shrewd politician who rather carelessly could ride roughshod over anyone if the public comments he made are anything to go by.

Olivia Muchena, one can tell, is someone who rather slept on the job to please whatever faction or function she had.

How could she blatantly leave the Belvedere Teachers’ College principals’ and the Hexco saga go unchecked?

Anyway, the jury is still out there but it was such small pieces of drama that let loose the factional fights unfold.

For Goche, why did every ministry he headed become a playground for controversy?

Issues to do with Champions Insurance saga and the hiring of expensive planes come to mind.

To cap it all, the proposal he made to disallow civil service from seeking recourse in the courts just goes to show how some politicians can sometimes push legislation that is self-serving.

Who doesn’t know how long people have to wait before disciplinary hearings are instituted in Government institutions? Many people actually die before their cases are heard?

To quote the popular saying after the retirement of former Clerk of Parliament, Austin Zvoma, “It was felt that the country has not run out of people to administer institutions,” said a member of the Parliamentary Standing Rules and Orders Committee. That should be the spirit, isn’t it?

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