CCC chanted and resisted ejection from the Parliament Building after recall of 15 legislators.
By Dickson Bandera
Anti-riot police was called into the parliament chamber this afternoon as recalled Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators refused to leave after the instruction by the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda.
The chaos which dragged for about three hours, saw a heated scuffle between the CCC legislators and the officers from ZRP who were called to assist the members to leave parliament.
The recalls are emanating from a letter dated October 3 by one Sengezo Tshabangu who wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda recalling 15 legislators on allegations that they ceased to be members of the CCC party.
Tshabangu did not give reasons for the firing of the members from the party.
Parliament actioned on the letter and today pronounced the recalls, urging the affected members to approach the courts if they want to mount a challenge.
Mudenda said he only acted within the confines of his Constitutional mandate as Speaker of Parliament.
However, the Chamisa-led CCC argued that the Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be the interim Secretary General of CCC, is an imposter sent by ZANU PF.
In an interview, CCC’s chief whip, Hon Amos Chibaya said the Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda accepted a letter from a ZANU PF member to recall the legislators.
“I raised an issue that our leader Advocate Nelson Chamisa wrote a letter on 11 September 2023 to parliament stating clearly that all correspondence are done through his office but surprisingly the speaker received the letter from a ZANU PF member to recall the members of CCC.
“As CCC we did not recall anyone, we are the leadership and we have never met to discuss a recall of anyone,” said Chibaya.
CCC chief whip for Senate, Senator Nonhlanhla Mlothwa said they were shocked why the president of the Senate did not read the letter written by Advocate Nelson Chamisa which explained who speaks for the party. She said the senators will continue to come to parliament.
Police managed to violently eject all the CCC legislators from the chamber and ZANU PF continued with parliament business.
The CCC legislators also accused police officers of “being used.”
“Murikushandiswa Imi. Tirikurwira kodzero dzenyu, kuti mugare zvakanaka, asi mouya muchitirova,” charged one legislator.
Advocate Mudenda has ruled that the CCC members who participated in the chaos will be slapped with a six seatings ban.
The recalled MPs include Pashor Sibanda, (Cowdray Park), Ereck Gono (Lobengula Magwegwe), Nicola Watson(Bulawayo South), Desmond Makaza (Mpopoma Mzilikazi) Obert Manduna (Nketa), Mlilo Sitabile (P.R), Jasmine Toffa (P.R), Janeth Dube (P.R), Evidence Zana (Youth Qouta), Morgan Ncube (Beitbridge West), Nomathemba Sibanda (P.R), Velisiwe Nkomo (P.R), Prince Dubeko Sibanda (Binga North) and Bright Moyo Vanya (Lupane East).
