BULAWAYO — Senators last week admitted their roles were not clearly spelt out and consequently were not adding real value to the Upper House re-introduced five years ago. The senators who were attending a workshop on the new constitution-making process organised by the Zimbabwe Institute said they were duplicating the work of MPs.

“I believe re-introducing the senate where we all sit was a hurried act without sufficient reason to inform that decision,” said Obert Gutu, the Senator for Chisipite (MDC-T)

“Since 2005, we have been sitting in the Senate and the question is whether we have been adding value to the whole system of parliament, which I believe, we have not,” Gutu said.

He said senators needed to be educated on their roles adding that things at the moment were “misty, ambiguous, and unclear”.

“There is need for the constitution-making process to clearly define what our role is so that we can effectively exercise that role as enshrined in the constitution,” Gutu said.

Senate comprises 93 members, 60 of whom are directly elected and the rest are reserved for chiefs, provincial governors and political-party appointees.

But last week the senators felt that this has been a waste of resources.

James Makore, Senator for Chitungwiza (MDC-T), said: “This Senate should not have been there in the first place.

“The people who brought it did not and have not demarcated the roles, responsibilities and the powers of the Upper House.

“We are simply there to duplicate the work of the Lower House. Our powers are not clearly laid out.

“In the face of many people, we are simply there to rubber-stamp what the Lower House would have said,” Makore said.

Zanu PF dominates the Senate while in the House of Assembly the pendulum has been swinging between MDC-T and President Robert Mugabe’s party following the death of some MPs.

Zanu PF’s Oriah Kabayanjiri said the House was “toothless even governors and ministers did not see value in attending hearings conducted by the Senate.”

However, Austin Zvoma, the Clerk of Parliament, maintained that the roles of the different chambers in the House of Assembly were clearly defined.

He said Senate’s role was to scrutinise legislation passed by the Lower House before it was sent to the President for his assent.

By The Standard