Honourable Dought Ndiweni (Hurungwe Central): Thank you Madam Speaker for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this petition which was brought in by Hon. Saizi, seconded by Hon. Dr Labode. We are an African country and being an African country, we have our norms, culture, and beliefs.
I was saying we are an African country, and we have our own customs and beliefs. It is not everything that the western world sees as right that we should take down our throat. Madam Speaker, let me just give a typical example. How many thieves are throwing in jail in this country? Do we have to throw away laws like we are throwing away thieves into jail because we have 7 000 thieves then we have to change the law and say stealing is now legal. Do we have to do that?
I am agreeable that children who have no guardians or parents, we should make a provision for those exceptional children so that institutions, be it children’s home, hospital or school, if there are people who can help them and take them as their guardians so that they teach SRHR, not to open floodgates.
Hired supporters
Let me go back to the trip that we made throughout the country Madam Speaker. People were against this petition, 90% of the people were against this petition. The only people that were supporting this petition were hired people who followed us from centre to centre. And we raised these issues with the Committee. We saw them and I have got pictures of people that were been given money. These were the people that were going from centre to centre supporting.
In Karoi for example, people were so hurt. Because the people that were supportive of that petition were people that do not come from Hurungwe. We said no, we came to Hurungwe so that we hear views of the people from Hurungwe. If we go to Chinhoyi, we go hear views from the people of Chinhoyi. There was almost pandemonium in Karoi and Chinhoyi. Because people realised that the people that were supportive of this petition were hired to support the petition.
Lets analyse and not force things
We should always analyse some of these things Madam Speaker. And we should not just force them down our throats as if we do not think. We have our culture. Let us maintain the law as it is. Let us twitch it where it is possible because if we realise, we have kids that have no access to health services and have no guardians, and that was the only bone of contention that there are kids that have no guardians and have no access to health services.
So let us look at that particular group of children and have them have access to health services and not open the floodgates and say all children. If they are going to access health services at the age of 12, what stops that kid when they are at the clinic to ask for oral contraceptives because now, they are independent to do that? Where is the guardian?
If all the people that are supportive of this petition, if we had changed the laws when they were young, they will be dead by now because they have been protected by these laws. These laws have helped us for us to become Members of Parliament and adults; it is because of these laws that were protective of adolescence exposure.
Children cannot make health decisions
A child who is not mature cannot make a decision on healthcare and say I can make my own decision without a guardian or parent. I personally and the majority of the people of Zimbabwe were against this. So, I am surprised why people are saying this was supported. Wherever we went, 90% were against the petition. Where is this support coming from? Let us be careful and let us not be used.
Some people are coming with money to try and change our laws. In the western world at the moment, there are children that are having babies at 14, but have support structures. They want our children to also have babies at 14 – where do we get the support structures. This is just a minority of children that are digressing from the norm.
Let us find ways and means of correcting the tiny minority rather than changing the law to suit a tiny minority. I have given you an example Madam Speaker that you cannot change a law and say stealing is now legal because we are having so many people stealing, murder is now legal because we are having so many people murdering and we have to accommodate them. What kind of society will that be? Culturally, we are a Christian nation, for goodness sake.
Zimbabwe is a Christian nation
Our Constitution says Zimbabwe is a Christian nation. Where will our Christianity be if we adopt such diabolical laws that are going to allow our children to have access to contraceptives or condoms and as a parent I sit back and say, oh that is their right? These rights are going to lead us into hell and doom. Let us maintain the law and see where we can adjust the laws. Yes, we have a problem, but we adjust the law and not throw away our values that we had, and these protected our society. Suddenly we say this is done in other countries, let us adopt it here; I am totally against it, and I am speaking for 90% of the population in Zimbabwe – they are totally against this petition. I thank you Madam Speaker for allowing me to voice my opposition to this petition.
Honourable Ndiweni: People who supported giving youths contraceptives were hired
Honourable Ndiweni: People who supported giving youths contraceptives were hired
