HARARE – MDC Alliance Vice President Tendai Biti and five other MDC Alliance lawmakers will return to Parliament following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn them.
In March, Parliament Speaker Jacob Mudenda said he had received a letter from a “fake” People’s Democratic Party (PDP) stating that members of Harare East, Biti, Settlement Chikwinya, Willias Madzimure, Sichelesile Mahlangu, Regai Tsunga and Kucaca Phulu had been recalled. in Parliament.
The PDP was one of the coalition parties running as the MDC alliance in the 2018 elections.
After the election, the party was dissolved when its senior leaders joined the structures of a new full-fledged party called the MDC Alliance.
Benjamin Rukanda, who claims to be the PDP general secretary, said he did not recognize the dissolution of the party and was trying to use a constitutional provision that would allow parties to remove MPs.
In April, Harare High Court Judge Amy Tsanga ruled that Rukanda was not in fact the PDP general secretary when she overturned the alleged expulsion of MPs.
Mudenda refused to allow MPs to return to parliament, leading to their recent legal battle for court-ordered reinstatement.
On Thursday, Judge Joseph Mafusire said the dismissal of the six from Parliament was null and void. The judge reiterated that Rukanda did not have the power to remove her from parliament.
“The candidacy can only succeed. The power to revoke Parliament under Article 129 (1) (k) of the Constitution belongs to the political party to which the Member belonged at the time of the election, ”Mafusire said.
“The first (Rukanda) and second (Lucia Matibenga) respondents were not members of the seventh applicant (PDP) at the time of the 2018 general election. You do not have the power to recall candidates.
As chairman of the finance committee, Biti was known for reprimanding officials and denouncing corruption, including the $3 billion Ministry of Agriculture scandal, which Sakunda Holdings chief author Kudakwashe Tagwirei has delayed repeatedly appeared before the committee.
