Foreign affairs minister absent from Senate for more than a year, senator complains

Amon Murwira

HARARE – A question directed to the foreign affairs ministry has gone unanswered for nearly a year, with a senator alleging that the responsible minister, Amon Murwira, has not appeared in the senate for more than 12 months.

Senator Kucaca Phulu raised the issue Thursday, a day before his question was due to mark a full year without an answer.

“Madam President, I raised this issue last week. Tomorrow is the 11th September; my question will be one-year-old,” Phulu said.

“The minister is not coming and these are important questions. I have not been assured whether parliament did write a letter asking the minister to come and answer this question and other questions related to his portfolio. This means he has not been in the House for more than one year.”

Murwira was not among more than 20 ministers and deputy ministers who tendered apologies for absence from Thursday’s senate sitting, according to the Hansard.

The sitting opened with the deputy president of the senate reading a lengthy list of apologies from government officials, including the country’s two vice presidents and ministers responsible for tourism, women affairs, mines, industry, lands and health.

After reading the list, the deputy president of the senate expressed concern about ministerial attendance.

“Some of these ministers, we never see them in the House. It is very sad.”

Phulu had raised the outstanding question during an earlier senate sitting, saying it was originally submitted in September 2025.

He complained then that neither the foreign affairs minister nor his deputy had appeared to answer it and appealed to parliament to intervene.

On Thursday, Phulu questioned whether parliament had formally written to Murwira asking him to appear before senators and answer the outstanding questions.

The temporary president of the senate Alice Dube acknowledged the complaint, pointing out that the leader of government business in the House – justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi – was present.

“Thank you Hon. Phulu. I think you said it last week. The Leader of Government Business is here today and I think he heard what you said. Thank you.”

Phulu did not restate the substance of the outstanding question during Thursday’s exchange.