In Parliament This Week

Introduction

The Minister of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion presented his mid-term fiscal policy review statement in the National Assembly on the 30th July, and tabled the following documents, all of which can be accessed on the Veritas website by following the links:

• The 2026 Mid-term Budget and Economic Review [link]
• The Annual Public Debt Bulletin for 2025 [link]
• The 2026 Citizens’ Mid-Term Budget [link]
• The 2027 Budget Strategy Paper [link]
• The Minister’s presentation (showing slides he presented) [link].

A recording of the Minister’s speech, can be accessed by following this link [link].

After the Minister’s speech the Assembly adjourned until the 18th August.

In this bulletin we shall set out the business the Assembly is expected to deal with after it resumes on the 18th.  The Senate will not be sitting, having adjourned until the 1st September.

Please bear the following points in mind:

• When the National Assembly adjourns, all outstanding business is set down on its order paper (i.e. its agenda) for the next appropriate sitting day.  There is usually too much to be covered in one day so whatever is not dealt with is postponed to the next appropriate day.
• The Assembly can change the order in which it considers business.

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Tuesday 18th August

Debate on the Mid-Term Budget and Economic Review Statement

This debate is likely to take up all the Assembly’s time, but we list the other business on the Order Paper in case it is dealt with.

Bills to be dealt with:

The Assembly is expected to deal with the following Bills:

• Police Amendment Bill [link]

This Bill is due to begin its Second Reading

• Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Amendment Bill [link]

The Second Reading of this Bill is due to continue

• State Service (Pensions) Bill [link]

Consideration of the Parliamentary Legal Committee’s adverse report on this Bill [link] will continue.

• Mines and Minerals Bill [link]

The Assembly is also due to continue its consideration of the PLC’s adverse report on this Bill.

• Public Service Amendment Bill [link]

Consideration of the PLC’s adverse report on this Bill will also continue.

International agreements to be approved

The following agreements are due to be approved:

• Accession to the New Development Bank and Articles of Agreement
• Establishment agreement of the International Mangrove Centre
• UN Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction

Reports of constitutional and statutory bodies:

The Assembly will deal with the following reports:

• 2025 annual report of the Attorney-General’s Office
• 2025 annual report of the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission
• 2025 annual report of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission
• 2025 annual report of the Judicial Service Commission
• 2025 annual report of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission
• Reports by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on by-elections held in October 2025.

Petitions received:

The Assembly will consider reports on the following petitions:

• Petition on governance and accountability issues at Chipinge Town Council
• Petition on legislation for the profession of regional and urban planning
• Petition on dual administration in Hwange
• Petition calling for review of laws relating to senior citizens and pensioners
• Petition on measures to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases
• Petition on the inclusion of women in traditional courts

Reports of parliamentary committees:

The Assembly will deal with reports on the following topics:

• 2025 third and fourth quarter Budget Performance Reports of the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development
• 2025 fourth quarter Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
• 2025 third and fourth quarter Budget Performance Reports of the Ministries of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Skills Audit and the Public Service Commission
• Ministries, state-owned enterprises, parastatals and local authorities not submitting their financial statements to the Auditor-General
• 2025 third quarter budget performance report of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce
• The fertilizer value chain
• The sugar value chain
• 2025 fourth quarter Budget Performance Report for the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion and the Ministry’s consolidated 2025 budget performance
• 2025 third quarter Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry
• Rights of persons with disabilities
• The state of sporting facilities across the country
• 2025 third and fourth quarter Budget Performance Reports on the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development
• 2025 third quarter Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of Youth Empowerment, Development and Vocational Training
• 2025 fourth quarter Budget Performance Report of the Ministry of Veterans of the Liberation Struggle
• 2025 first and second quarter Budget Performance Reports of the Ministries of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare and Skills Audit and the Public Service Commission
• Adoption of Kore Kore as an official language
• 2025 first and second quarter Budget Performance Reports of the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services
• 2023 financial statements of the Grain Marketing Board
• 2023 financial statements of the National Handling Services
• 2020 financial statements of Air Zimbabwe

Motions on the National Assembly order paper:

Motions set to be debated by the Assembly will cover the following topics:

• Reintegration and employment of ex-convicts
• Protective gear for CID officers and compensation for officers who are killed while on duty
• Encouraging the establishment of new telecoms service providers
• The award of honorary degrees by non-academic bodies
• Recognition of unpaid domestic and care work

Wednesday 19th August

Note:  On Wednesdays, questions and other private members’ business normally have precedence over government business in the National Assembly.

Questions set down for answer:

• Ministers will be called on to answer questions in the National Assembly on the following issues amongst others:
• Clearance of arrear payments under the Basic Education Assistance Module (BEAM)
• Relocation of the staff of the Matabeleland North provincial government to Lupane from Bulawayo
• Abuse and politicisation of government food aid
• Protection of rape victims from being identified in the media
• Votes for Zimbabweans in the Diaspora
• Compensation for victims of political violence since 1980
• Measures to ensure meaningful public consultation on constitutional amendments, and to safeguard the independence of constitutional commissions
• Private sector funding for youth innovation hubs
• Policies to address marginalisation of rural youths
• Policies to address emigration of educated youths
• Water supply for Chitungwiza
• Measures to ensure that retailers and industries remain in business
• Measures to prevent tourism degrading the environment in the Zambezi Valley, and to prevent poaching in the Valley
• The dispossessed farmers who have been compensated and the amounts paid to them
• The legality of the Ministry of Finance making payments directly to suppliers of goods and services
• Oversight mechanisms applicable to the Mutapa Investment Fund
• Measures to ensure that all State procurements are done lawfully
• Measures to prevent service providers, e.g. local authorities, from using currency exchange rates other than the official rates
• The protection of citizens, particularly low income earners, from hardship caused by the IMF staff-monitored programme
• Ring-fencing of government social safety nets
• Government policy on people keeping large sums in cash
• Management of public debt to ensure transparency and accountability and prevent over-burdening of future generations
• Equitable distribution of national resources to marginalised regions
• Compensation for individuals whose pensions and investments were eroded by hyperinflation
• Revenue generated from sugar tax since 2024 and how it was disbursed
• Vehicle access toll fees at Beitbridge border post
• Construction and maintenance of roads, dams and other infrastructure
• The average cost of constructing one kilometre of trunk road
• Motor vehicle exemption tax
• The establishment of schools in high-density urban areas for children with special needs
• Statistics of girls dropping out of schools due to pregnancy
• Government policy on CAMPFIRE
• When the national soccer team will use local stadiums for international and regional matches
• Beneficiaries of the agricultural inputs distribution programme
• Support for small-scale farmers to access export markets
• Identities of title-deed holders whose farms will be returned to them
• Measures to address the decline in soil fertility
• Measures for the welfare and empowerment of war veterans
• Details of the contract entered into by the Government for the production of passports
• Government policy regarding harassment of Zimbabweans in South Africa.

Thursday 20th August

The Assembly will continue with business left over from Tuesday and Wednesday.

Bills Being Considered by the Parliamentary Legal Committee

The PLC is considering the following Bills:

• National Drug, Substance Abuse Control and Enforcement Agency Bill [link]
• Whistle Blowers and Witness Protection Bill [link]
• Deposit Protection Corporation Amendment Bill [link]
• Postal and Telecommunications Amendment Bill [link]

Veritas makes every effort to ensure reliable information, but cannot take legal responsibility for information supplied.