HARARE – In a dramatic scene, anti-riot police stormed the Zimbabwean Parliament, resulting in several Members of Parliament (MPs) being injured, as they forcibly removed CCC (Citizens Coalition for Change) legislators who were defying an order to vacate the legislative house issued by the National Assembly Speaker, Jacob Mudenda.
The chaos unfolded after Mudenda announced the recall of 23 opposition lawmakers at the request of Sengezo Tshabangu, who claims to be the interim CCC secretary-general.
Of the recalled lawmakers, 14 are members of the National Assembly, while nine are senators. CCC MPs vehemently rejected the recalls, labelling them as illegal.
The situation escalated as police sought reinforcements from anti-riot colleagues, eventually managing to remove over 100 opposition MPs from the legislative chamber.
During the eviction, several MPs sustained injuries, and some had their clothes torn, according to reports.
Amos Chibaya, MP for Mkoba, expressed the MPs’ determination, saying they would meet with CCC leader Nelson Chamisa to discuss the way forward.
Chibaya emphasized that Tshabangu, who instigated the recalls, is not a member of their party, stating, “This person called Tshabangu is not even on our database. There is no way Tshabangu can recall our Members of Parliament.”
CCC mulls total parliament withdrawal
CCC, the sole opposition party in Zimbabwe’s parliament, is reportedly considering the withdrawal of all its 103 MPs and 27 senators in protest against the recalls.
Chamisa has consistently labeled Tshabangu as an impostor.
After the ejection of all opposition MPs from the parliament, Speaker Mudenda announced a six-session ban for each of the ejected MPs and a two-month pay cut for each of them.
Chamisa reacted to the situation on social media, stating that Zimbabwe is “in a deep political crisis as a result of a flawed and disputed election.”
He added, “Partisan capture of state institutions is criminal. Zimbabwe shall be free.”
This expulsion of party members from parliament intensifies the pressure on Chamisa, who is already grappling with allegations of election fraud, the continued detention of party politician Job Sikhala, and various state-sponsored actions targeted at opposition activists.
Some opposition supporters are advocating for protests against the Zanu PF-led government in response to these developments.
