×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

NCA members ditch Madhuku

News
THE Lovemore Madhuku-led National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), which transformed into a political party four months ago suffered a major knock yesterday

THE Lovemore Madhuku-led National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), which transformed into a political party four months ago suffered a major knock yesterday after two key members resigned citing irreconcilable policy differences with the party’s senior management.

BY VENERANDA LANGA Senior Parliamentary Reporter

Announcing their departure yesterday, information director Blessing Vava and Takura Zhangazha accused the party’s top leadership of subverting the interests of its members and operating without clear structures and policies.

Zhangazha, the former executive director of the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe was still an ordinary member of the party.

Vava said the decision by the party’s top leadership to participate in the just-ended council by-elections before adoption of a clear strategy was the last straw that broke their ties with the party.

“I can confirm that I have resigned from the NCA because we failed to agree concerning a number of issues to do with the by-elections,” said Vava.

“I was of the view that before participating in elections we have to go to congress and map out good policies and structures and engage in debate around the party’s name before participating in the by-elections as opposed to participating without an agenda of what exactly we wanted to do for the people,” he said.

The NCA participated in some of the by-elections that took place over the weekend whose results are yet to be announced.

Zhangazha, who at the time was still an ordinary party member, also said his departure had to do with issues about participation in the by-elections.

“I was also opposed to participation in elections without going to congress and without alternative policies and frameworks to be considered,” said Zhangazha who recently quit the Voluntary Media Council of Zimbabwe amid reports that he was eyeing a top post at the NCA.

“That is basically impolitic of the NCA and it is a result of failure to understand the importance of different projects in politics. We needed a people-centred approach and less of electioneering. We needed alternatives for the public to consider when measuring potential leaders.

“The NCA’s current leadership has also fallen into the trap of seeking power for its own sake and as a result has failed to demonstrate and to bring in a different culture in our politics. Just like the people in the MDCs and Zanu PF they (NCA) just want to be councillors and MPs without clear strategies. That is just shallow politics,” Zhangazha said.

The two said they were now going to concentrate on working with the Committee of the People’s Charter which is a movement formed to articulate issues of national economic, political and social welfare, looking at issues like constitutional reform, gender reform, and the political environment.

However, NCA spokesperson Madock Chivasa yesterday professed ignorance of the pair’s resignations saying they had not formally communicated their decision to the party.

“We (party) are not aware of their resignations because they did not communicate that formally to us. However, as a party we believe we will always get people joining us and others leaving us,” said Chivasa.