Senator Douglas Mwonzora who leads the opposition MDC-T has recalled 16 more councillors at a time when the nation has just conducted by-elections to replace 28 legislators and 121 councillors.
Most of the Parliamentary and local government seats became vacant when Mwonzora’s MDC-T recalled members who were accused of supporting another party led by Nelson Chamisa.
MDC-T secretary-general Ms Paurina Mpariwa wrote to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, July Moyo informing him of the recall of 16 provincial council members from eight provinces after they ceased to belong to their party.
The list, however, does not include the two metropolitan provinces, Harare and Bulawayo, with sources revealing that the party had to further consult after they realised that they risked the two councils not reaching a quorum as a majority of the councillors seem to be pledging allegiance to the Nelson Chamisa-led Citizens’ Coalition for Change. Wrote Mpariwa:
We hereby notify your office in terms of Section 268 as read with Section 129 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe we hereby declare that the following provincial councillors have ceased to belong to the Movement for Democratic Change, which is a member of the Movement for Democratic Change Alliance.
Our party was the party to which these councillors belonged at the time of the 2018 elections. I am the current secretary-general and as such my office has the authority to make this correspondence.
The members listed, by operation of clause 5.10a of the constitution of our party, their membership is automatically terminated.
We present below the list of councillors that were recalled:
Clrs 1). Sharon Ndlovu, Matabeleland North
2). Caroline Ndlovu, Matabeleland North
3). Chiratidzo Mudimba, Matabeleland North
4). George Siachuma, Matabeleland North
5). Clrs Learny Ndlovu, Matabeleland South
6). Mtsabo Jerow Habvane, Matabeleland South
7). Gugu Ncube, Matabeleland South
8). Clrs Fransisco Masendere, Midlands
9). Lucia Madzivire, Midlands
10). Sarah Mwatenga, Masvingo province
11). Sekai Dhokotera, Mashonaland Central,
12). Petro Tonderai Samhu, Mashonaland Central
13). Constance Chihota, Mashonaland East
14). Taurayi Pasirayi, Mashonaland East
15). Edeline Chivimbiso, Mashonaland West
16). Macdonald Homora, Mashonaland West
In the just-ended 16 March 2020 by-elections, the Matabeleland region had 20 vacant local authority seats and 4 National Assembly seats.
Bulawayo had 9 vacant council seats, Matabeleland North had 5and Matabeleland South had 6. Bulawayo’s seats fell vacant following the recall of 8 councillors and the death of Ronnah Mudara, all from the MDC-T party while in Matabeleland North 2 councillors were recalled in Victoria Falls and 3 Zanu-PF councillors died.
In Matabeleland South, the MDC-T recalled three councillors while three Zanu-PF councillors died.
From the results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) so far, the Mwonzora-led party has not won any seat.
More: The Sunday News