Self-imposed CCC Interim Secretary General Sengezo Tshabangu and 13 others have been confirmed as legislators by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) and are expected to be sworn in as Senators and members of the National Assembly next week.
The vacant CCC seats in the Senate and National Assembly, specifically reserved for women, youth quotas, and party list seats, will now be filled by this group of newly appointed legislators.
ZEC has officially published their names in the Government Gazette, signifying their immediate status as legislators. The swearing-in ceremony will take place when Parliament resumes its session next week.
In a notice issued by ZEC Chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba, it states, “The public is hereby notified, in terms of section 39(7)(a) of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13], that the persons specified in the Schedule below, who were nominated by the CCC party to fill the vacancies in the Senate by virtue of section 120(1)(a) of the Constitution that occurred following the recall of incumbent members, have been appointed as Senators with effect from the date of publication of this notice.”
The CCC nominations for the Senate include Lilian Mlilo, Kucaca Ivumile Phulu, Linda Sibanda, Collet Ndlovu, Maxwell Mdhluri for Bulawayo and Sam Chapfudza for Masvingo province. Teresa Kabondo, Sengezo Tshabangu, and Grace Mumpande will fill the vacancies in Matabeleland North.
These newly appointed legislators will be replacing the recalled incumbents, including Hellen Zivira, Gideon Shoko, Siphiwe Ncube, Felix Magalela Sibanda, David Antony Chimhini, Godfrey Mativenga Madzikanda, Anastasia Moyo, Gabbuza Joel Gabuza, and Tendai Sibanda.
For the vacant CCC women’s quota seats in the National Assembly, the nominees are Nomvula Mguni, Otilia Sibanda, Lungile Ncube, Sibongile Maphosa, and Sikhuphukile Dube.
The vacancies arose when Tshabangu wrote to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, and Senate President Cde Mabel Chinomona, recalling the legislators. By-elections were triggered for the elected National Assembly legislators and local authority councillors who were recalled, resulting in Zanu PF winning a significant number of seats previously held by the CCC.
However, for those elected under the party lists, the CCC only needed to submit the name of the replacement to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, and they automatically assumed their positions in Parliament without undergoing any election process.
Initially, ZEC had gazetted the names of the CCC nominees and allowed a 14-day period for objections to be submitted in writing.
The appointment of the CCC nominees as legislators marks a significant development in Zimbabwe’s political landscape, as new faces prepare to take their seats in the Senate and National Assembly. The move also underscores the ongoing shifts and realignments within political parties, paving the way for fresh voices to contribute to the country’s legislative agenda.
