Tafadzwa Nyikadzino

15 legislators from the Citizens Coalition for Change have been recalled from Parliament, and the Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda has since written to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to notify it of the vacancies.

The development follows a letter from the party’s self proclaimed Interim Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu who wrote to parliament to recall the legislators for “ceasing” to be members of the opposition party.

Letters seen by State of the Nation News yesterday revealed that Advocate Mudenda acknowledged Tshabangu’s letter, and has since written to ZEC to notify it of the vacancies.

Among the recalled legislators are Febion Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi who became famous for defeating Pedzayi Sakupwanya in Mabvuku Tafara Constituency, and Pashor Sibanda who won against Professor Mthuli Ncube in Cowdry Park.

“I hereby notify you, in terms of Section 39 (1) of the Electoral Act, that a vacancy now exists in the membership of Parliament, by reason of Hon Febion Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi, who was the elected Member of Parliament for Mabvuku Tafara Constituency having ceased to belong to the CCC on 4 October 2023,” reads Mudenda’s letter to ZEC.

The letter was written in the same format for 14 other legislators. The development comes after CCC leader, Nelson Chamisa had pleaded with Parliament to ignore Tshabangu’s letter as he did not recognise him as their member. He said the Citizens Coalition for Change did not have the position of a Secretary General.

“Sengezo Tshabangu is not a member of CCC and as such cannot provide, avail or adduce evidence of any such membership as his name does not appear on any of CCC street or village registers of any district ,in any province, as administered by the CCC Bureau of Organisation.

“In the CCC, we have no such position as Secretary General or Interim Secretary General as alleged by Tshabangu,” said Chamisa.

The withdrawal of the 15 MPs means the country will go into Primary Elections shortly after the country conducted harmonized election on August this year.