Mliswa urges grabbing of 40 seats from female bench warmers in parliament

By Robert Tapfumaneyi

OUTSPOKEN Norton MP, Temba Mliswa has urged the cropping of the number of seats allocated to female MPs, who come to parliament “to sit and do nothing”, and give them to people with disability.

The current constitution has a 10 year clause that allocates 60 seats to women under the proportional representation system.

However, Mliswa feels most beneficiaries of the quota system have failed to make good use of the privilege and should, thus, surrender some of the seats to people with disability and the youth.

“The Constitution must also cater for people with disability to also have seats,” Mliswa told NewZimbabwe.com weekend.

“If you say 60 women are allocated these seats for free, lets remove 20 seats and allocate them to people living with disability.

“These 60 women in parliament are doing absolutely nothing in Parliament. Take those seats and allocate 20 to youths and then allocate 20 to women. I am always on record saying this.

“If we do this, the marginalised groups are taken care off.

“But we are not doing that because the 60 women in parliament are not doing anything. So take those seats and let’s give these seats to people living with disability.”

Mliswa also said the government and politicians have not been fair to people with disability.

“Let me apologise on behalf of all Zimbabweans. We have been insensitive, totally insensitive,” he said.

“We should have a minister in charge of disability, because even if you appoint me as their minister when I don’t live with disability, I will never understand issues that affect them.

“And the only way you can change that if for them to have their own minister.

“The people with disability are 15% of the population. Why can’t they have their minister and when they have issues, they approach their own ministry.”