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MPs evicted from Plumtree centre

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PARLIAMENT of Zimbabwe has been evicted from its Plumtree constituency centre after failing to pay rentals for three years.

PARLIAMENT of  Zimbabwe has been evicted from its Plumtree constituency centre after failing to pay rentals for three years.

Report by Silas Nkala

The rentals for the building owned by businessman Physant Kikins had accumulated to $4 000.

Bulilima West MP Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, his Mangwe counterpart Edward Mkhosi and Bulilimangwe Senator Lutho Tapela from the Welshman Ncube-led MDC shared the centre.

Mzila-Ndlovu confirmed yesterday that they had been evicted by the businessman from the building.

“Parliament has not been paying rentals for about three years and I think the debt had accumulated to more than $ 4 000,” he said. “Kikins has been writing letters reminding us about the outstanding debts which we sent to Parliament.

“We have been pleading with him that Parliament would pay until he could not take it anymore.”

“He sought a court eviction order and removed us from the building.” He said an official from Parliament, who is based in Harare, witnessed the eviction.”

Property that was thrown out of the building included computers, desks, documents and chairs.

Mzila-Ndlovu said Parliament had not indicated when it would settle the debt.

He said he feared that Kikins would seek to attach the property to recover his money, which would be a blow to their constituencies. “We want to know if this is happening in all constituencies or it is only in Plumtree,” he said.

“If it’s happening to us only, then the non-payment of our rentals is deliberately meant to block us from interacting with our electorate as MDC MPs.

“This may be part of our victimisation.”

“It is sad that the closure of the centre means loss of jobs to our personal assistants who were manning the offices and also handicaps us as MPs.”

Contacted for comment yesterday, Acting Clerk of Parliament, Kenneth Chokuda, said he was not aware of the eviction.

“I have not received information about that, but the truth is that we have not paid for all the parliamentary centres because we have not received allocations for the centres from Treasury,” he said. Kikins could not be reached for comment yesterday.