A Zimbabwean claiming to be the interim secretary general of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has ordered all Members of Parliament and councilors to report to work after they were instructed yesterday by party leader Nelson Chamisa to disengage from state institutions over the expulsion of some CCC lawmakers.
In a hard-hitting statement, Sengezo Tshabangu, said CCC lawmakers and councilors should report for work immediately and serve communities unless one has a verifiable medical condition or is on compassionate leave.
Tshabangu said he would recall all those who won’t report for work.
“According to the Parliament Hansard, CCC Members of the National Assembly were as a matter of fact and law suspended for six (6) sittings with immediate effect, which equates to two weeks of sittings. Once this suspension has been served, all CCC Members of the National Assembly as well as Members of the Senate must attend all parliamentary programmes, activities and sittings without fail, save in circumstances seeking or requiring verifiable medical attention or compassionate leave. Members of the Senate should continue to attend all Parliamentary programmes, activities and sittings without fail.
“Any CCC Member of the National Assembly or CCC Senator who does not comply with the foregoing will be recalled without further ado and redeployed from Parliament or their local authority.”
Tshabangu recalled 15 CCC parliamentarians saying they were imposed by Chamisa following a grassroots process in choosing candidates, which he says was manipulated to benefit close associates of the party leadership.
Tshabangu said, “It is unacceptable that we present ourselves to the Zimbabwean body politic and the outside world as doyens of democracy while practicing naked fascism in pursuit of personal ambitions. The recalls are redemptive, as they seek to reaffirm and entrench a democratic culture where dystopia had developed and was gathering alarming momentum. As a political party based on constitutionalism, we must walk the talk if we are to institutionalise constitutional democracy in our beautiful motherland, Zimbabwe.”
Responding to Tshabangu’s threats to recall Members of Parliament and councilors who will disengage from parliament, CCC spokesperson Promise Mkhwananzi said party members should follow Chamisa’s orders and not a self-imposed interim secretary general.
Meanwhile, CCC chief parliamentary whip Amos Chibaya today attended a House of Assembly meeting on rules and regulations accompanied by CCC Senate chief which Nonhlanhla Mlotshwa and Jameson Timba.
According to Ostallos Siziva, Timba was tasked with delivering a resolution made by the Citizens National Assembly that the party will be disengaging from the House of Assembly if expelled MPs are not reinstated.
Siziva said Chibaya also informed the parliament that the party has not recalled any legislator.