EDWIN MOYO
KWEKWE- MDC T’s Douglas Mwonzora has once again recalled three councillors from the mining town of Kwekwe barely four months before the crunch harmonised elections.
The three who include the city’s deputy mayor were recalled for being loyal to the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Nelson Chamisa.
Deputy Mayor and Ward 3 Councillor, Pikirei Msipa (pictured), Ward 7 Councillor, Charles Jute and Ward 13 Councillor, Betty Ndlovu received their letters of dismissal yesterday informing them that they are no longer members of the MDC T therefore cannot represent the residents in their respective wards after being recalled by their party.
City of Kwekwe Town Clerk, Dr Lucia Mkandla confirmed the official communication which was received from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works declaring the three wards vacant.
However, by elections cannot be held in the areas as the harmonised elections are only six months away from now according to an SI of 2022, hence the recalls are just academic according to prominent Harare lawyer, Simon Mupindu.
“It’s true, I have received the communication from the parent ministry that’s all I can say for now.” said Mkandla when contacted by The Midweek Watch.
Meanwhile Mwonzora struck again in Norton where councillors Rosemary Chinoyera, Charles Dube and Nuchaneta Munyeveri and Mutare with Elizabeth Tsoro (ward 2), Tsitsi Ziweya (ward 3), and Zvenyika Misi (ward 7) being recalled according Minister July Moyo.
They were recalled in terms of section 278(1) of the Constitution that says: “The seat of a mayor, chairperson of a local authority becomes vacant in the circumstances set out in section 129, as if he or she were a Member of Parliament, any reference to the Speaker or President of the Senate in section 129(1)(k) being construed as a reference to the minister responsible for Local Government.”
Section 129(1)(k) states that if one has ceased to belong to a political party of which they were a member when they were elected, they can be recalled.
Mwonzora leads the MDC Alliance, the opposition coalition that won some parliamentary and council seats during the 2018 elections, whose leader then was Chamisa, before Mwonzora took over under controversial circumstances and stripped him of the party’s headquarters, Morgan Tsvangirai House in Harare and millions of party finances given under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.
Mwonzora also claimed legislators and councillors that won under the MDC Alliance ticket in 2018 while those who have not pledged allegiance to him have since been recalled as they were deemed loyal to CCC.
The party has recalled over 200 councillors in Harare, Bulawayo, Kariba and Gweru, among others and over 50 legislators across the country since the courts declared him the MDC leader.
