Speaker of Parliament Advocate Jacob Mudenda recently announced that MPs from the Movement for Democratic Change-Alliance have been recalled from the houses of parliament.
The recalled MPs are Honourables Charlton Hwende, Prosper Mutseyami and Tabitha Khumalo from the National Assembly and Senator Lillian Timveos from the Senate.
The MDC Alliance MPs have been recalled by MDC-T acting President Thokozani Khupe based on a letter written by her MDC Alliance mutineer Senator Douglas Mwonzora.
He used his purported capacity as Secretary-General of that party following last month’s Supreme Court judgment.
They claim that these MPs represent the MDC-T and they have a right to recall them.
As it stands, the confusion is that judging from the last elections, the two parties were registered by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission as two separate entities.
So the question remains if MDC-T have the legal right to do so, probably because of the court judgment that pronounced Thokozani Khupe the legal leader.
Meanwhile, His Excellency President ED Mnangagwa will proclaim by-elections dates for the affected Constituencies.
This move has stirred up the waters in the country’s main opposition party, led by Nelson Chamisa and gotten people talking.
Meanwhile, some analysts have spoken of what could become of the party that registered millions of support in the country’s last elections. And gave President Emmerson Mnangagwa a good run for his money.
Former cabinet minister Jonathan Moyo has asked the legality of the move saying how come legislators elected as MDC-ALLIANCE MPs in 2018 wake up today being called MDC-T MPs?
“Mnangagwa’s illegitimacy has gone full circle to encompass the Chief Justice and the Speaker and is now a triple-illegitimacy,” he charged.
A political analyst says this is a ploy by Mnangagwa to end Chamisa’s political career, by uprooting key cogs in his party.
He however, highlighted that the move is a political move than it is a legal thing. This was confirmed by Alliance vice President Welshman Ncube.
According to political analyst Alex Magaisa the four recalled MPs were picked in the attempt to unsettle the alliance because of their positions in the party.
“First, these four MPs have been chosen because they are the leaders of the MDC-Alliance in Parliament.
“Khumalo, who is the MDC Alliance Chairperson is the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly while Timveos is the leader of the opposition in the Senate.
“Mutseyami is the MDC Alliance Chief Whip while Charlton Hwende is the Secretary-General of the party,” he said.
Meanwhile, as the drama unfolds, Chamisa has hinted that he would battle it out and regain the glory which is seemingly slipping away.
“You can’t rob people forever. You robbed the 2018 vote. First you abused ZEC & robbed. Then abused the ConCourt& robbed.
“You abused the Supreme Court& robbed. You abused Parliament & robbed. You rob people’s lives daily. You rob a whole generation. Now we want everything back,” says Chamisa.
Apparently, Chamisa is one of Mnangagwa’s feared political opponent. As it stands, Mnangagwa could be happy to run in next elections against a weakened Chamisa.
It is now game on, it is gloves off, it remains to be seen if Chamisa is going to come out of this storm with his head well above his shoulders. Only time will tell.
