BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA/METHEMBE SIBANDA THE MDC-T-led Gweru City Council was last Friday forced to abort a meeting to elect a new mayor to replace recalled Josiah Makombe after the former mayor filed an urgent application at the Bulawayo High Court.
Makombe jointly filed the application together with the MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe and Chitungwiza mayor Lovemore Maiko, seeking an interdict to stop their recalls.
Makombe recently reported Mwonzora and secretary-general Paurina Mpariwa to the police claiming that they jointly lied under oath in a case before the High Court, wherein they had claimed that they had not recalled him.
Sources told NewsDay that the Friday meeting to replace Makombe ended prematurely following a heated debate among the councillors.
“A few minutes ago, the Gweru City Council meeting descended into chaos after the acting town clerk, Vakayi Chikwekwe, tried to force councillors to elect a new mayor despite pending proceedings at the Bulawayo High Court. The meeting had been aborted,” the source said.
Chikwekwe referred NewsDay to council spokesperson Vimbai Chingwaramusee, who requested questions in writing.
By last night, she had not yet responded to them.
Mwonzora’s spokesperson Lloyd Damba dismissed the claims, arguing that Mwonzora was a lawyer who was conversant with the law and would not act in defiance of the High Court.
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“President Mwonzora is a practising lawyer and has been doing so for 30 years, he will not stoop so low to do things outside of the laws of Zimbabwe. Those are just statements from desperate people who want to attract unnecessary attention to their dwindling political fortunes,” he said.
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