Norton Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa, (Independent) has called for a ban on the carrying of machetes to end brutal killings perpetrated by machete gangs, also known as MaShurugwi.
Addressing fellow parliamentarians on Thursday, Mliswa asked why the government is quick to issue Statutory Instruments on monetary issues while it drags its feet on banning machetes. He said:
His Excellency has been very clear that people are being killed and there is no action being taken.
Government is quick to issue Statutory Instruments (SIs) on monetary issues but when life is being lost, nothing is done. Why do we not ban that?
According to the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), at least 105 people died in a space of two months due to machete violence in areas where artisanal mining is rampant.
Mliswa bemoaned attacks on innocent people in his constituency by the marauding machete gangs.