A LEGISLATOR with Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-t party has claimed several members of Zimbabwe’s house of parliament were technophobes who were computer illiterate and could not use the internet.

Kambuzuma MP Willias Madzimura said this while contributing to debate on a US$45 million loan secured from a China bank to fund state-run mobile network, NetOne’s 2G and 3G national roll-out.

Madzimure said most of the MPs did not even have e-mail addresses.

“We have got several MPs, some of whom have no e-mail addresses,” said Madzimure. “They have never used that technology (Internet) and they have never done any business using the technology.”

Madzimure’s remarks mirrored comments by Finance Minister Tendai Biti last month about the level of technophobia in government.

Biti said then that some ministers did not even know what a mouse (referring to computer part) was and almost ran away when he made reference to it, thinking that he meant the small rodent

Madzimure commended the government for supporting NetOne saying this would make life easier nervous Zanu PF MPs who were reluctant to use the services of country’s leading mobile phone firm Econet Wireless.

“I am of the opinion that the fact that it is going to be NetOne, those people (MPs) who are allergic to Econet because they think it belongs to the opposition will join in and use the technology,” he said.

Meanwhile Biti said the China loan would largely finance the importation of telecommunications equipment as Zimbabwe was lagging behind in communications technology.

“It is very critical that Zimbabwe rolls out this 3G network. We are lagging behind, and I said in my Mid-Term (Fiscal Policy) statement that technology-wise this country is 23 years behind,” he said.