Parliament Resumes, But Impeachment Motion Still Absent
By Danie Chigundu
Parliament has resumed sitting following a month-long break (8 April to 6 May), but there is no impeachment notice on the Order Paper for this week.
Before Parliament adjourned in April, war veteran Blessed “Bombshell” Geza had indicated that he would be moving an impeachment motion in Parliament.
Geza, who is not an MP, had claimed that he is working with unnamed legislators who will help move the motion in Parliament.
For motions to be debated in Parliament, they must be listed on the Parliament Order Paper (National Assembly Order Paper or Senate Order Paper).
National Assembly Order Paper
Motions also require a mover and a seconder, which is where Blessed Geza’s impeachment plan appears to be struggling or remains unclear.
There is no clarity on whether Geza intends to work with opposition MPs or Zanu PF MPs. The Parliament of Zimbabwe is largely composed of Zanu PF and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators, along with two senators representing persons with disabilities and 18 chiefs from the Chief’s Council.
Currently, MPs are silent on the impeachment issue, as it carries potential consequences for both the movers and seconders.
For Zanu PF, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has previously warned that those who wish to exercise their right to move an impeachment motion should remember that the recall clause can also be invoked.
The recall clause allows political parties to remove members from Parliament if it is deemed they no longer represent the interests of the party.
For opposition legislators, there is the Sengezo Tshabangu effect. Tshabangu has been seen as using a carrot-and-stick approach with the recall clause.
If the impeachment is moved by opposition members, Zanu PF legislators can potentially block it, given their numerical advantage in the National Assembly.
Zanu PF MPs have a history of selling out
However, Zanu PF MPs have a history of turning against their leaders when it comes to impeachment matters.
In 2017, Zanu PF legislators turned against Robert Mugabe, with Monica Mutsvangwa moving the impeachment motion, seconded by James Maridadi.
“The Chair wishes to inform the House that today, 21 November 2017, Presiding Officers received a notice of motion to remove the President from office as prescribed in Section 97 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. The mover of the motion is Hon. Senator Mutsvangwa, seconded by Hon. Maridadi. In terms of both substantive and procedural compliance, I have found the motion to be admissible…,” said Jacob Mudenda.
It remains to be seen if there will be anyone brave enough to do what Monica Mutsvangwa and James Maridadi did in 2017.
Impeachment in Zimbabwe is a highly structured and complex process that can take considerable time and political will to complete.
Robert Mugabe resigned under pressure before the impeachment process was concluded, denying Zimbabweans a rare political experience since independence in 1980.
Parliament Resumes, But Impeachment Motion Still Absent
