Zimbabwe President Attends Parliament Sitting Unannounced

Online Reporter 

Herald  

July 10, 2025

Farirai Machivenyika

Senior Reporter

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa yesterday made an unannounced attendance at Parliament during the National Assembly’s Question and Answer session.

The President usually attends Parliament’s sittings at official engagements, such as when he delivers the State of the Nation Address and the official opening of Parliament.

However, yesterday he made a surprise attendance of the National Assembly sitting.

Posting on his official X handle last night, President Mnangagwa said: “Today, I joined proceedings in the National Assembly to follow the Wednesday Question and Answer session. I found the deliberations insightful and affirming of our democratic processes.”

The Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, told the House that there was nothing amiss in the President’s attendance.

“Thank you very much for indulging us, Your Excellency, the President, Dr ED Mnangagwa. Members of the House, in terms of our Constitution, His Excellency the President is part of the legislature.

“So, it is within his rights to come in and sit and follow proceedings accordingly, and he has done that today (yesterday).

“There is also another reason why he was around today (yesterday). He was looking at certain aspects of our Parliament building vis-à-vis future developments, so he decided to come in and we welcomed him,” said Advocate Mudenda.

The President is part of the legislature due to the authority vested in his office to assent to or decline to sign Bills into law.

Yesterday’s unannounced attendance follows similar visits to Parirenyatwa and Sally Mugabe hospitals recently, where he interacted with patients and staff to hear first-hand the challenges they are facing.

The unannounced visits have been praised for allowing the President to appreciate the situation as it is, considering that top officials have no time to spruce up their environments.

It has been argued by analysts in the past that dusting up environments and patching potholes each time the President is visiting prevents opportunities for Government support, as a good impression would have been staged.