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Bulawayo bureau
Members of Parliament who speak minority languages such as Nambya have urged Parliament to introduce interpreters so that they also can contribute to parliamentary debates in their mother tongue.

Binga North MP Prince Dubeko Sibanda (MDC-T), said the absence of interpreters makes them feel alienated as other MPs debate freely using either Shona or Ndebele.

Speaking in Parliament recently, Sibanda said according to National Assembly Standing Order Number 205 in Parliament’s Standing Order and Rules, MPs are free to communicate using any of the country’s official languages, but due to the absence of interpreters, only English, Shona and Ndebele were being used in the legislative assembly.

“I am sure with others who speak Venda, Kalanga, Sotho and Xhosa and so on, we look like we are aliens in this House.

“We have been made to feel like we are immigrants in a country of our own forefathers,” said Mr Sibanda.

He said the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cde Jacob Mudenda, whose mother tongue is Tonga, should ensure that Parliament has interpreters so that the so-called minority languages are also used.

“The Speaker is obligated in terms of the Standing Order to facilitate the presence of an interpreter to ensure that those languages can be spoken in the House,” he said.

Mr Sibanda said doing so will be in line with the country’s Constitution, which recognises 16 official languages namely Chewa, Chibarwe, English, Kalanga, Khoisan, Nambya, Ndau, Ndebele, Shaangan, Shona, Sign language, Sotho, Tonga, Tswana, Venda and Xhosa.