MDC MPs Tuesday stood up and walked out on President Emmerson Mnangagwa who was in the legislative chamber to present his State of the Nation Address (SONA) and to officially open the Second Session of the Ninth Parliament of Zimbabwe.
Speaking after an opening prayer Mudenda said his office will use video evidence to dock allowances for 5 sittings of MDC MPs who did not stand up when Mnangagwa entered the House.
“We need to respect our head of state…who, in terms of the Constitution represents the sovereignty of the people,” Mudenda said.
The MDC remains adamant Mnangagwa was not legitimately elected the country’s leader and have used protests as a tool to both show disdain for the Zanu PF leader’s rule and to increase their demands for national dialogue.
The MPs, who did not stand when the national anthem was being sung in President Mnangagwa’s presence, walked out quietly in a show of defiance against a national leader they claim stole his way into the country’s top job in last year’s elections.
The drama did not end there as, after walking out on Mnangagwa, the MPs were prevented by security from driving off parliament’s parking area when the State leader was still making his address.
An attempt to embarrass President Mnangagwa in almost similar fashion during the presentation of the 2019 budget in November last year did not end right after National Assembly Speaker Jacob Mudenda invited police to come and wrestle the defiant lawmakers out of the legislative chamber one after the other.
