The Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda has said the new Parliament Building in Mount Hampden is still in the hands of the Chinese government and has not yet been handed over to Zimbabwe.
This week, President Emmerson Mnangagwa delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) and officially opened the 5th Session of the 9th Parliament of Zimbabwe from the new building.
Finance and Economic Development Minister Mthuli Ncube also presented the 2023 National Budget from the same building on Thursday.
Independent MP, Temba Mliswa (Norton) recently criticised Parliament over its failure to take legislators on a tour of the new Parliament building before the presentation of SONA and the national budget.
However, Mudenda told legislators in the National Assembly, that they had to ask for special permission to use the building for SONA and budget presentation from the Chinese government.
He said Parliament could not secure space at Rainbow Towers Hotel’s Harare International Conference Centre (HICC) for SONA. Said Mudenda:
I also have to inform the House that the new Parliament building has not yet been officially handed over to the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
A special request was made to hold the Official Opening of the Fifth Session of the 9th Parliament and State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the new Building, which was deemed a suitable venue for the occasion and the Chinese acceded to the request.
Honourable Members will be taken for a familiarisation tour once the handover has been done and Honourable Members will be informed accordingly.
Mliswa also suggested that traditional leaders should be engaged to conduct rituals at the building before it is used.
