Fadzayi Mahere, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Mt Pleasant, has announced her decision to resign from Parliament with immediate effect. In a statement that was seen by Pindula News, Mahere stated that she is leaving the opposition party Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), which she represented in the August 2023 elections. She explained that she cannot continue being a representative of a party whose leadership is unknown to her and whose motives and values are unclear.
This decision comes after Nelson Chamisa, who played a role in forming the CCC, announced his departure from the party. In her statement, Mahere expressed her gratitude to the constituents of Mt Pleasant and acknowledged the honour of serving as their representative. She emphasised her commitment to honesty, transparency, and accountability in her decisions.
Mahere reflected on the founding principles of the CCC, which aimed to prioritise the welfare and aspirations of the people. She mentioned that their goal was to build a new Zimbabwe that offered dignity, prosperity, and opportunities for all citizens. Mahere said:
Dear Mt Pleasant Constituents,
RESIGNATION FROM PARLIAMENT
Above all, I want to thank you. I do not take your confidence in me for granted. In fact, it has been the honour of my life to represent you. This is not the end for us but the beginning of a different journey.
One of my first promises to you was to always be honest, transparent and accountable in my decisions. It is in this spirit that I wish to lay out my reasons for leaving the Citizen’s Coalition for Change and resigning from Parliament with immediate effect.
When the CCC was launched in January of 2022, it was with the shared understanding that this new movement would be underpinned by the core value of being citizen-centred. It would put the welfare and aspirations of constituents like you at the heart of all decision-making. Our goal was to build a new Zimbabwe that offered dignity, prosperity and opportunity for everyone.
We agreed to run under the leadership of President Nelson Chamisa as we sought to introduce a new way of doing politics. Central to this objective was a belief that we would put the people first.
In the wake of the jarring electoral fraud we witnessed in August 2023, we made the tough decision to represent those hard-won constituencies in an effort to push the democratic process from multiple fronts.
Despite numerous odds, we fought hard to push back against unjust, anti-people pronouncements like the 2024 Budget, the fees crisis in higher education, the power crisis, the broken economy and the imposition of candidates following a series of fraudulent recalls.
Despite our focus on a battle of ideas and policy, the regime chose the low road of an unconstitutional onslaught on the will of the people. They used surrogates and dark actors such as a Mr Tshabangu, whom I do not know and have not met. Their goal is to force the two-thirds majority they failed to garner in August 2023 despite unprecedented electoral malpractices that left the region, and indeed the globe, in shock.
We have seen the widespread abuse of state institutions which have effectively handed over all levers of control of the CCC to this imposter. The assault on the will of the people, the tainted state of Parliament, coupled with sundry breaches of Parliamentary privilege, illegal suspensions and the decision by President Nelson Chamisa to dissociate himself from the captured CCC have made it untenable for me to continue in my role as a member of parliament for Mt Pleasant Constituency under the CCC banner.
You chose me to represent you on a platform of values which are no longer at the heart of the CCC. I cannot remain a representative of a party whose leadership is unknown to me and whose motives and values remain opaque. I would be failing you if I held onto a position that will no longer serve the best interests of our community.
The CCC that I joined is not the CCC that we have left today. I cannot in good conscience be aligned to individuals who have caused unimaginable harm to the people by aligning themselves with a corrupt dictatorship.
I also cannot partner with persons who are willing to undo the will of the people and hand over seats that citizens stood in line for hours to vote for just to score cheap political points. This is not who I am or who I aspire to be.
The struggle for a democratic society should never be sacrificed at the altar of expediency. I remain committed to the cause of a better Zimbabwe. This is not an end but merely a line in the sand.
As always, I will remain a champion of the numerous causes important to our diverse community. I remain at your disposal, as we collectively navigate this uncertain phase ahead of us. Together, we will win Zimbabwe for change.
To give legal effect to this decision, I will tender my formal resignation notice to the Speaker of Parliament in line with section 129(1)(b) of the Constitution early next week when Parliament re-opens.
Forever in hope,
Fadzayi Mahere
26 January 2024