In an unexpected and daring move, a man claiming to be the interim secretary general of Zimbabwe’s ruling party, Zanu PF, has sent a letter to parliament instructing the recall of 70 party legislators, including President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s son, David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa, and his allies.
The letter, addressed to the speaker of the national assembly, Jacob Mudenda, was written by Tafadzwa Manyika, who stated that the MPs in question are no longer members of the Zanu PF party.
“The following Members of the National Assembly were elected under Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) political party, and have ceased to be members of the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front,” the letter stated.
Manyika urged the speaker to proceed with the necessary constitutional procedures for members who are no longer affiliated with the political party under which they were elected. The letter was accompanied by a list of the targeted MPs.
Notably, among those named in the recall order was David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa, who also serves as the deputy minister of finance. Other prominent figures included Owen Ncube, a key ally to President Mnangagwa, Tourism Minister Barbara Rwodzi, and Tongai Mnangagwa, the president’s nephew.
This recall order poses a significant test to Mudenda’s impartiality, particularly following his recent expulsion of 15 MPs from the opposition party, the CCC (Coalition of Democrats). Mudenda’s actions were based on a controversial directive issued by the self-appointed CCC interim secretary general, Sengezo Tshabangu, who has been labelled an imposter by Nelson Chamisa’s party.
In response to the development, CCC spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi commented in a somewhat sarcastic manner, suggesting that the Zanu PF recalls could lead to fresh elections in the country.
“A Demon of recalls engulfs the country. The speaker now has no option but to remove the @ZANUPF_Official recalled members as per the precedent he has set.
“At this rate, we are likely to have a fresh election sooner than we expected. With almost 100 MPs recalled, parliament has effectively collapsed. Compounded by the SHAM of August 2023, a fresh, free & fair election is now the only option,” Mkwananzi posted on his X handle.
