Senator Questions Murwira's Year-Long Senate Absence

By Staff Reporter | Harare

A Zimbabwean senator has questioned the prolonged absence of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Professor Amon Murwira from the Senate, saying a question directed to his ministry has remained unanswered for almost a year.

Senator Kucaca Phulu raised the issue during Thursday's Senate sitting, saying the question was due to reach its one-year anniversary the following day. “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.”

Phulu's remarks centred on the unanswered question and the difficulty senators have faced in obtaining a response from the minister responsible for foreign affairs. The senator also questioned whether Parliament had formally written to Murwira requesting him to appear before the Senate.

Murwira absent again

Murwira was not listed among the ministers and deputy ministers who tendered apologies for absence at Thursday's sitting, according to the Senate proceedings. The sitting opened with the Deputy President of the Senate reading a lengthy list of apologies from Government officials, including Vice Presidents and ministers responsible for several portfolios. After the list was read, the Deputy President of the Senate expressed concern over ministerial attendance.

“Some of these ministers, we never see them in the House. It is very sad,” she said. The issue of ministerial attendance has previously featured in Senate proceedings, where lawmakers have complained that questions directed to absent ministers can remain unanswered for extended periods.

Official parliamentary records also show Murwira among ministers who have sent apologies for absence from earlier Senate sittings. For example, the May 14, 2026 Senate Hansard lists Professor Murwira, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, among ministers who had tendered apologies for that sitting. He was similarly listed among ministers who had tendered apologies for the April 9, 2026 Senate sitting.

Question remains unanswered

Phulu had previously raised the matter during an earlier Senate sitting, saying his question had originally been submitted in September 2025. He complained that neither Murwira nor his deputy had appeared to provide an answer and called on Parliament to intervene. The senator returned to the issue on Thursday, seeking clarification on whether Parliament had formally communicated with the minister over the outstanding question.

The Acting President of the Senate, Alice Dube, acknowledged the concern and pointed out that Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, who is the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, 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,” Dube said. Phulu did not repeat the substance of the question during Thursday's exchange. The matter was therefore left without a substantive ministerial response.

Questions without answers

The episode has again highlighted the role of parliamentary questions as an accountability mechanism through which legislators seek information from Government ministers. Under Parliament's procedures, ministers are expected to respond to questions concerning their portfolios, although their absence can result in questions being deferred.

Parliament's official website publishes Senate Hansards documenting proceedings, including ministerial apologies and oral questions. The Hansard Department says its mandate is to produce accurate reports of parliamentary proceedings and make them available through Parliament's website. The latest Senate proceedings were published as the Senate Hansard of September 10, 2026, Volume 35 No. 68.

Phulu's complaint now places the outstanding Foreign Affairs question back in the spotlight, with the senator seeking clarity on whether formal steps have been taken to secure a response. For now, however, the question remains unanswered. The controversy also raises broader concerns about ministerial attendance and Parliament's ability to effectively scrutinise Government when ministers responsible for particular portfolios are repeatedly unavailable to answer questions from legislators.

 Amon Murwira Senate absence