BY RICHARD MUPONDE
Mberengwa Miners Association (ZMMA) lawyers have written to the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), urging them to bar embattled former Zimbabwe Miner’s Federation president, Henrietta Rushwaya from speaking as the miners’ body representative at Mine Entra.
Rushwaya, who is guest speaker at the event, has been embroiled in a legal battle with ZMMA over her ascendancy to the ZMF presidency. Rushwaya had been elected ZMF president in June last year, but ZMMA challenged her election at the High Court in Bulawayo under case number 1652/18. Then High Court judge, Justice Nicholas Mathonsi, granted a provisional order suspending the holding of elections on June 14, 2018, which was later confirmed in June this year.
Rushwaya then appealed against the decision, which was dismissed by the Supreme Court on June 25, in the process dethroning her.
ZITF had allegedly invited her, in her capacity as president of ZMF. However, ZMMA yesterday instructed its lawyers from Mutuso, Taruvinga and Mhiribidi legal practitioners to implore the ZITF chief executive to remove Rushwaya from the programme.
“It’s our understating that you are the organisers of what is referred to as the Mine Entra, a mining engineering and transportation exhibition which is run from July 17 to 19, 2019 at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair in Bulawayo,” the lawyers wrote.
“Our client is a member of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) and it has come to their attention that you have invited ZMF to address the public at the event on July 19, 2019. And between 0800hrs and 1000hrs, in particular, one Henrietta Rushwaya is supposed to speak on behalf of ZMF as the guest speaker at the event.”
The lawyers said their client, ZMF, can only participate in certain events following a resolution by the national executive in terms of its constitution and no such resolution had been made.
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“We are also further instructed to advise you that your intended guest speaker, who is supposedly representing ZMF, is not a member of ZMF. Although she purports to be the president of ZMF, she does not hold any known position within the organisation. In fact, in a matter of background, there is a declaratur in place issued by the High Court of Zimbabwe, that certain allegations involving the said Henrietta Rushwaya must be investigated,” the lawyers wrote.
They implored ZITF to reconsider its invitation to Rushwaya and altogether remove her from the 2019 Mine Entra agenda to safeguard its professional reputation.
