RECALLED legislator for Mkoba, Amos Chibaya, says he is unmoved by his recall from Parliament yesterday on the instigation of MDC-T Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora.
Chibaya says he remains an MDC Alliance member and the people in his constituency will have the final say in which political party they want to represent them in Parliament.
Chibaya had just taken his seat yesterday and walked out soon after Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda read the statement announcing the recall of Chibaya and eight other MDC Alliance legislators.
“Parliament is not our constituency. It is our constituencies that will have the last say.
“We will continue to represent our constituencies, particularly with me I will not abandon my people in Mkoba,” said Chibaya.
The nine are Messrs Amos Chibaya (Mkoba), Murisi Zwizwai (Harare Central), Happymore Chidziva (Highfield West).
Others are Proportionate Representatives Bacilia Majaya, Macharairwa Mugidho, Virginia Muradzikwa, Annah Myambo, Francisca Ncube and Nomathemba Ndlovu.
The nine legislators bring to 13, the number of MPs that have so far been recalled by MDC-T after the Supreme Court conferred legitimacy to the opposition party led by Dr Thokozani Khupe.
Other legislators that were recalled are: Mr Prosper Mutseyami (Dangamvura), Charlton Hwende (Kuwadzana East), Thabitha Khumalo (proportional representation) and Senator Lillian Timveos (Midlands).
Mudenda said the recall was pursuant to Section 129 (k) of the Constitution.
It states as follows: “The seat of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant if the Member has ceased to belong to the political party of which he or she was a member when elected to Parliament and the political party concerned, by written notice to the Speaker or the President of the Senate, as the case may be, has declared that the Member has ceased to belong to it”.
Said Mudenda: “Pursuant to the above, I do hereby inform the House that vacancies have arisen in these constituencies by operation of the law. The necessary administrative measures will be taken to inform His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of the existence of the vacancies in line with Section 39 (1) of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) as amended,” said Mudenda.
The Parliament boss revealed that MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora had written the letter advising that the MPs be recalled.
Most of the MPs were not in the House when Mudenda read the statement, after details had leaked a day before that they would be recalled.-
