TAKUDZWA HILLARY CHIWANZA
HARARE—In an intriguing turn of events as the Zimbabwe parliamentary recalls drama unfolds, a man boldly claiming to the interim secretary general of the ruling party Zanu PF has written to parliament ordering recalls on 70 party Members of Parliament (MPs).
Among the recalled Zanu PF legislators is President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa and other allies.
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| The ruling party faces a leadership crisis as a self-proclaimed interim secretary general orders the expulsion of dozens of loyalists from parliament. [Image: ZimLive.com] |
In an unexpected letter authored and sent to national assembly speaker Jacob Mudenda, Tafadzwa Manyika said the MPs have ceased to be party members and therefore necessitating their recall.
“Kindly be advised that the following Members of the National Assembly were elected under Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) political party, and have ceased to be members of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front.
“Kindly proceed in terms of the relevant provisions of the Constitution of Zimbabwe relating to members who have ceased to be members of a political party which they were elected under,” read the controversial letter, accompanied by a lengthy list of the targeted Zanu PF legislators.
Among the targeted MPs in the brazen recall letter are David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa, the president’s son and Deputy Finance Minister; Owen Ncube, a key ally to the president; Tourism Minister Barbra Rwodzi; and Tongai Mnangagwa, nephew to the Zimbabwean leader.
Other notable figures include July Moyo (Redcliff), Vangelis Peter Haritatos (Muzvezve), Farai Jere (Murehwa West), Winston Chitando (Gutu Central), Tongai Mafidi Mnangagwa (Hunyani), Jenfan Muswere (Makoni West), Polite Kambamura (Sanyati), Owen Ncube (Gokwe Kana), Paul Mavhima (Gokwe Sengwa), among others.
The Speaker’s dilemma: allegations of Mudenda’s bias
Recently, Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the interim secretary general of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), orchestrated the recall from parliament of 15 CCC legislators.
When Tshabangu wrote to parliament causing notice of the recalls, Jacob Mudenda swiftly moved to comply with the letter despite a letter from Nelson Chamisa the party’s leader pleading for restraint, resulting in the chaotic expulsion of the CCC legislators.
His impartiality in this pernicious fiasco was immediately called into question—with critics castigating him for hastily expelling the opposition MPs without applying due discretion to the matter.
The Zanu PF parliament recall debacle will be a litmus test for Mudenda’s impartiality once again, as many wait with bated breath whether or not Mudenda will also expel the ‘recalled’ Zanu PF legislators.
CCC’s excitable jubilation; and demands for fresh polls
As these latest political developments in Zimbabwe's muddied political landscape have been unfurling, CCC immediately grabbed the opportunity to make some notable political statements of intent.
CCC spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi scurried to social media, remarking that the Zanu PF recall is probably going to provide fertile ground for fresh elections in Zimbabwe to come to fruition.
“A Demon of recalls engulfs the country. The speaker now has no option but to remove the @ZANUPF_Official recalled members as per the precedent he has set.
“At this rate, we are likely to have a fresh election sooner than we expected. With almost 100 MPs recalled, parliament has effectively collapsed. Compounded by the SHAM of August 2023, a fresh, free & fair election is now the only option,” Mkwananzi posted on his account on X, formerly Twitter.
Zanu PF distances itself from the CCC recalls
Earlier, Zanu PF National Political Commissar, Mike Bimha distanced the ruling party from having engineered the CCC recalls (which affected the legislature and local authorities), but expressed his inclination towards a political development that would result in by-elections.
“Our party did not cause the recalls so it is not part of our agenda however we will take the opportunity if it arises.
“We already have the numbers in Parliament anyway,” Bimha said.
ZANU PF has been accused of causing the opposition recalls so that it allows the party to fight for a two-thirds in parliament.
Tshabangu has been branded by the CCC as an ‘impostor’ on a rogue mission to obliterate the perceived popularity and political potency of the Nelson Chamisa-led CCC.
Zanu PF recalls: Mudenda’s probable course of action
In all this controversy-laden political drama, it is seemingly improbable for Mudenda to act on the order in the same manner he did as with the CCC recalls.
This is so because Mudenda is Zanu PF’s legal secretary, as well as a politburo member.
In the last parliament, Mudenda assiduously presided over opposition recalls at the instigation of MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora.
The targeted legislators were MDC Alliance lawmakers loyal to Nelson Chamisa, who later coalesced and birthed CCC following acerbic leadership fights with Mwonzora.
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