The five were fired on Monday for allegedly working with Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC, but it has emerged that they could belong to Mutambara’s faction, which was voted out of office in January last at the party’s congress in Bulawayo.
The MDC-N expelled MPs Nomalanga Khumalo (Umzingwane) and Thandeko Zindi Mnkandla (Gwanda North), in addition to senators Kembo Dube (Umzingwane South), Dalumuzi Khumalo (Lupane) and Maxwell Dube (Tsholotsho South).
The party indicated that it would in due course inform the Senate and Parliament of the expulsions so that they could be ejected by both chambers.
Mutambara on Tuesday wrote to the Senate President, Edna Madzongwe, and Speaker of Parliament, Lovemore Moyo, to say the expulsions were void, claiming he was still the leader of the party.
“There have been reports and statements to the effect that Members of the House of Assembly have been expelled from the MDC by a group of individuals led by Welshman Ncube.
“Letters to this effect have been written to your offices, with the intention to effectively terminate their membership of Parliament.
This note serves to ask you to disregard this illegal communication based on illegitimate actions,” said Mutambara.
“These legislators were elected under my leadership as the President of the MDC. Both the issue of whether Welshman Ncube was duly elected President of the MDC in January 2011, and the matter of the legitimacy of the corresponding MDC Congress are before the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe.
“Consequently, all these issues are sub judice. Hence, the entire leadership led by Welshman Ncube, has no locus standi to expel members from the MDC. Hence they cannot purport to terminate the Parliamentary membership of any sitting member of the MDC,” added Mutambara.
He noted that Ncube should wait for the Supreme Court to make decisions on the leadership challenge he has made before moving to eject the legislators.
“Even in this scenario, how do you fire more than 70 percent of your elected representatives, and remain legitimate as a Party Leader and as a Government Minister? This has never happened in the history of constitutional democracies,” queried Mutambara.
SADC has however already ruled that Ncube is the legitimate leader of the MDC, and should be installed as a principal in the Government of National Unity.
Post published in: News