Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators were on Thursday ejected from the National Assembly for allegedly disturbing the swearing-in ceremony of nine new constituency legislators.
The CCC legislators were protesting the presence of ZANU PF’s Pedzai Sakupwanya who was elected unopposed in Mabvuku-Tafara after CCC candidate Munyaradzi Febion Kufahakutizwi, who defeated the former in the 23 August elections, was barred from the 09 December polls by the courts.
The new legislators, elected during the by-elections held on 09 December, are ZANU PF MPs Pedzai Sakupwanya (Mabvuku-Tafara), Chineka Muchimba (Binga North), Thusani Ndou (Beitbridge West), Rajeshkumari Modi (Bulawayo South), Arthur Mujeyi (Cowdray Park), Phathisiwe Machangu (Lupane East), Albert Tawanda Mavunga (Nketa), and CCC MPs Tendayi Nyathi Chitura (Lobengula-Magwegwe) and Charles Moyo (Mpopoma-Mzilikazi).
All the seats were won by CCC in the August 2023 elections but fell vacant after the party’s self-proclaimed interim secretary-general Sengezo Tshabangu recalled the legislators, triggering the by-elections.
On Thursday, Police were called to force the CCC MPs out of the Parliament building after sang in protest.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Jacob Mudenda, also barred the ejected lawmakers from the next four sittings for “unparliamentary behaviour”.
More: Pindula News