HARARE – MDC Alliance Councilor Jacob Mafume, who was elected mayor of Harare two weeks ago, has reportedly been recalled by a fake People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The new development will likely lead to a new ballot or place the city under a special working committee, as many of its councilors have been recalled amid the opposition’s endless battles for succession.
The recall of Mafume, a member of the embattled MDC alliance, comes as efforts to restore sanity to plagued and opposition-led councils gather pace across the country.
It also comes as acting MDC-T chairman Thokozani Khupe recalled 11 council members to the Harare council last week.
In a letter circulating online, PDP Secretary General Benjamin Rukanda said Mafume was removed from office because he had ceased to represent the interests of the party.
“Following the decision of the National Executive Committee of our party dated 12th September 2020, we hereby give notice of your good offices and also declare within the meaning of Section 278 read together with Section 129 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe that the subsequent Council members cease to belong to the People’s Democratic Party,” reads part of the letter.
Apart from Clr Mafume, other councilors who were elected under the PDP ticket but who are now believed to have ceased to represent party interests are Arnold Batirai Dube of Bulawayo Ward 24 and Clr Simon Chabuka of Mutare Ward 12.
The letter also confirms that PDP was a member of the MDC Alliance formed under the consultation agreement signed on August 5, 2017 for and on behalf of Mr. Tendai Biti’s party.
The letter said that as part of the agreement, seven political parties had entered into a pre-election agreement known as the Composite Political Arrangement to stage the 2018 elections.
“With respect to this agreement, the member parties have retained their individual identities. Our party was the party to which these councilors belonged at the time of the 2018 elections,” the letter said.
The recall comes as a shock as the PDP party, led by Tendai Biti (now vice president of the MDC Alliance), split from the party led by Lucia Matibenga ahead of the 2018 elections.
