BY VENERANDA LANGA
KUWADZANA East MP Miriam Mushayi (MDC Alliance) has died.
Party secretary-general Chalton Hwende said Mushayi died on Monday after a short illness.
“As the MDC Alliance family, we have lost a very dedicated cadre who passed on after a short illness,” Hwende said.
“Mushayi was one of the founding members of the MDC and a leader in the women’s assembly, as well as deputy secretary of policy and research in the standing committee. She was very dedicated to the struggle and stood in solidarity with all those persecuted in the struggle and was vocal in Parliament,” he said.
In Parliament, Mushayi (54) was vocal, especially on issues pertaining to the education sector. Deputy chairperson of the Parliament Women’s Caucus Sibusisiwe Masara said women in Parliament were in shocked by Mushayi’s death.
“The news of her death is very devastating because her death came as a surprise as no one knew that she was unwell. We hear that she collapsed one day in court when she visited (MDC Alliance vice-chair Job) Sikhala and the news that she had cervical cancer has broken us as women,” Masara said.
“She has left a very big vacuum that will be difficult to fill as she was very visible in her constituency where she distributed mealie-meal and soap during the COVID-19 period and often visited churches and the underprivileged with donations. In Parliament, she was one MP who never debated along partisan lines. Her contributions had depth and were never filled with hate language,” Masara said.
