Khupe pleads victimisation after Parly recall

By The Standard and Newsday | Feb. 3, 2022 | 2 Min read

The former Makokoba legislator claimed that Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi had unfairly decided to allocate funds to Mwonzora’s party before the legitimacy of the two MDCs had been settled.

BY MIRIAM MANGWAYA EMBATTLED MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe yesterday angrily reacted to her recall from Parliament, and said she had written to the United Nations protesting alleged victimisation by the Executive and Legislature.

Khupe told journalists in Harare that she received her letter of recall from Parliament on January 26.

She was recalled alongside her long-time ally and Bulawayo legislator Nomvula Mguni.

But the former deputy prime minister said her recall was unprocedural since Parliament was not in session, and accused government of siding with her MDC-T rival Douglas Mwonzora in the fight for the control of the party.

“That is unprocedural. My understanding of parliamentary operations is that the Speaker derives his powers from the mace when he is sitting on his chair in the House of Assembly and in the presence of sitting MPs because the mace is the symbol of authority of the House and the Speaker. Without the mace, the House cannot sit and pass laws,” Khupe said.

The former Makokoba legislator claimed that Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi had unfairly decided to allocate funds to Mwonzora’s party before the legitimacy of the two MDCs had been settled.

Khupe filed papers at the High Court seeking an interdict to prohibit government from disbursing $149 850 000 due to Mwonzora’s faction in terms of the Political Parties (Finance) Act [Chapter 2:11] to any other political party or person.

“At the same time, I have written to the United Nations secretary-general HE Antonio Guterres, the UN Women executive director Dr Sima Sami Bahous, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights HE Michelle Bachelet, the Inter Parliamentary Union president honourable Duarte Pacheco, the Pan-African Parliament and Madam Bineta Diop, special envoy of the chairperson of the African Union Commission on Women, Peace and Security so that they see the amount of victimisation and discrimination against women by the Executive and the Legislature,” Khupe said.