BUHERA South legislator Joseph Chinotimba yesterday caused a storm in Parliament after he described Harare West Legislator Joanah Mamombe as mentally ill. BY PRIMROSE HAISA Chinotimba made the remarks after Mamombe, during the question-and-answer session, asked the House what government was doing to stop gender-based violence against woman and girls between the age of 15 and 39. “Statistics in Zimbabwe show that women between 15 and 39 experience gender-based violence and it undermines the opportunities of women and denies the stability of women. So what should be done to avoid that?” asked Mamombe. But before leader of government business in Parliament, Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi responded, Chinotimba shouted: “Mamombe is mentally disturbed.” This did not go down well with other legislators, who accused Chinotimba of abusing Mamombe. MPs demanded that the Buhera South MP withdraws his statement because he was not qualified to certify Mamombe’s mental status. Chinotimba finally withdrew his statement after being ordered by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Tsitsi Gezi. l Follow Primrose on Twitter @HaisaPrimrose
