Tshabangu leaps to Mafume’s defence; says Chamisa has no power to fire, recall Harare Mayor

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SELF-styled Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu has written to Local Government Minister Winston Chitando dismissing a decision by his party leader Nelson Chamisa to fire Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume.

Mafume was fired Tuesday night for colluding with Tshabangu to axe successive Harare Mayors so that he could retain his post after August’s Harmonised Elections.

He was accused of destabilising the party, months after being fingered as one of the key CCC members behind Tshabangu’s emergence and rampage alongside former Finance Minister Tendai Biti.

Tshabangu’s recalls had to be stopped by the High Court’s intervention last year.

“We hereby advise that Sengezo Tshabangu, the Interim Secretary General of the party is the only officer authorised to effect recalls and to communicate with public bodies for that purpose in terms of our party constitution previously lodged with your office,” reads the communication which also highlights that recalls were barred by the courts.

“We ask that you have regard to the legal matters pending before the courts and our constitution before acting on any purported letters of recall and rightly disregard such mischievous efforts.”

Mafume was fired alongside six other councilors from Marondera, Bulawayo, Mutare and Harare for almost similar reasons.

Chamisa is on the brink of losing a second political outfit after former Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora grabbed the MDC from him.

If the Local Government ministry chooses to acknowledge Tshabangu ahead of him, it would be regarded as enough evidence he has lost power over the institution, at least with regard to its relationship with State institutions.

Last year Parliament chose to respect a letter of recall sent by Tshabangu despite having acknowledged Chamisa’s communication indicating he was the only one with power to fire members.