HARARE – Self-imposed CCC interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu has vowed to order more recalls on opposition legislators if they went with a party directive to skip parliament business beyond their six sittings ban imposed Tuesday by national assembly speaker Jacob Mudenda for resisting his orders for recalled MPs to vacate the house.
He also warned of additional recalls of party councillors in local authorities.
Tshabangu set the cat among the pigeons early this month when he boldly wrote to parliament directing the recall of 24 CCC MPs and 17 councillors on the ostensible reason they had ceased to be members of the main opposition.
Acting on his instructions, parliament went on to expel the MPs against CCC’s demands to ignore the “imposter”.
The recall order sparked chaotic scenes in parliament Tuesday when anti-riot police were ushered into the legislative chamber to wrestle a hundred opposition lawmakers out.
They were resisting Mudenda’s orders for the “recalled” MPs to vacate the house.
Following the expulsions, CCC leader Nelson Chamisa withdrew all party representatives from both parliament and councils and further issued an ultimatum for the reversal of their shock ouster.
The leader of Zimbabwe’s biggest opposition also hinted on complete withdrawal from parliament and local authorities if his party’s demands were not met.
But a defiant Tshabangu was at it again, threatening recalls on more legislators.
“All CCC councillors must report for work on time and prepared to serve and to be of service to all our people without fail, save in circumstances seeking or requiring verifiable medical attention or compassionate leave,” he said.
“Once this suspension has been served, all CCC Members of the National Assembly as well as Members of the Senate must attend all parliamentary programmes, activities and sittings without fail…”
He added, “Any CCC member of the national assembly or CCC Senator who does not comply with the foregoing will be recalled without further ado and redeployed from parliament or their local authority.”
CCC insists Tshabangu was a fraud and accuses the ruling Zanu PF party of sponsoring his adventure.
Chamisa, who formed CCC on the back of a bitter leadership wrangle that split MDC Alliance in 2020, blamed the enemy for relentless attempts to sow similar divisions within his party.