Zapu to recall Simon Khaya Moyo from parliament

0Shares

Zapu is contemplating its own round of recalls from Parliament on all its former members, including Zanu PF national spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo, who went in the august House through the ruling party’s ticket in the last election.

The party said it will this week write to Parliament seeking to recall its former members, who are now part of the ruling Zanu PF.

Iphuthile Maphosa, the Zapu spokesperson, said the decision was taken at a special meeting of the party’s National People’s Council held in Bulawayo yesterday.

Former Zapu members in the current Parliament include Education minister Cain Mathema and his Small and Medium Enterprises counterpart Sithembiso Nyoni.

“Our letter of recalls will be delivered to Parliament as soon as it re-opens after the holidays,” Maphosa said.

“We are doing so because we have moved out of the Unity Accord, which is a pact that had brought together Zanu PF and PF Zapu together following the genocide on Zapu supporters perpetrated by Zanu PF in order to institute a one-party state.”

Other former Zapu politicians who are still in Zanu PF and are being targeted include, Education Minister Cain Mathema, who is also a senator and Umzingwane MP Levi Mayihlome.

Zapu broke away from Zanu PF in 2008 after the parties merged in 1987 to end the Gukurahundi killings in the Midlands and Matabeleland provinces.

Although the “recalls” may largely be symbolic, they will bring another dimension to the debate over the recalling of MDC Alliance legislators and councillors by the rival MDC-T.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government has been accused of aiding the MDC-T’s push to decimate the MDC Alliance by controversially facilitating the recalls.

Meanwhile, a Bulawayo based constitutional law expert and human rights lawyer Nqobani Sithole has said Zapu has a strong case on the possibility of recalling its former members from Zanu PF.

“A precedent has been set right or wrong. We know for a fact that it is now possible to recall members from parliament based on different reasons. This has been happening since time immemorial.

“Now it is a fact that Zanu PF as it stands is a merger of two political parties that is PF Zapu and Zanu. The long and short of it is that any member either Zanu or PF Zapu can be recalled from Parliament.

“So it is possible that Simon Khaya Moyo and Sithembiso Nyoni can be recalled from Parliament. I do not think there is going to be any argument there. The stage has been set. It is possible,” said Sithole.

— The Standard/NewZimbabwe