Metro

Zimbabwe: 15 opposition members of parliament lose seats over fake letter

Published

2 months ago

October 10, 2023

Not less than 15 opposition Members of Parliament in Zimbabwe have lost their seats after a man falsely claiming to be the party’s secretary said the MPs were no longer members.

The MPs, who have filed a court appeal over losing their seats, say they were tricked into losing their parliamentary seats.

The losses came after the Zimbabwean parliamentary Speaker, Jacob Mudenda declared 15 seats vacant on receipt of the fake letter which could hand the ruling Zanu-PF the majority in by-elections.

The fake letter, which was signed by one Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be the Secretary General of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Zimbabwe’s main opposition party, had indicted the 15 members, saying they were not qualified for the positions they occupied.

The CCC leader in the parliament, Nelson Chamisa had asked Mudenda to disregard the letter, saying the party had no Secretary General and had not expelled or recalled any MP, but the speaker went ahead to dismiss them.

“The conduct of Mr Tshabangu is in fact a wanton violation of our laws and a clear act of criminality,” Chamisa said.

But despite the opposition leader’s request, Mudenda, a Zanu-PF MP, declared the 15 seats vacant in a letter to the electoral commission.

“We will not accept such disdainful conduct against our constitution and our democracy,” Promise Mkwananzi, spokesman for the CCC said during seating on Tuesday.

The case is likely to worsen political tensions which have been brewing in the southern African country since the controversial presidential elections in August where Chamisa lost to incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

Related Topics:Fake Letter Featured Parliament Zimbabwe

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Metro

Zambian govt rejects ‘light’ sentence of PF chieftain, Kambwili, appeals for two-year term

Published

5 hours ago

December 8, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

The Zambian Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Gilbert Phiri, has rejected what he described as the light prison sentence of five months given to a stalwart of the Patriotic Front (PF), Chishimba Kambwili.

Kambwili, a former Foreign Affairs Minister, was last week convicted by a Kasama Resident Magistrate, Samson Mumba, after he was found guilty of hate speech against the Tonga people of Southern Province, and committed to the Milima Prison in Kasama District.

While delivering the judgement, Mumba said Kambwili was guilty of the offence of expressing hatred and ridicule for persons because of tribe and place of origin.

The former Minister of Information and Publicity was said to have issued anti-Tonga tribal remarks during the 2021 elections when he featured on a live radio programme.

He was later suspended for a month by the Electoral Commission of Zambia ( ECZ) over the said remarks.

But Phiri has rejected the five months jail term and is insisting that the offence should have carried a maximum of two years sentence.

The DPP, which filed an appeal at the Lusaka High Court, raised two grounds in the notice, arguing that Mumba had “erred in law when he sentenced the convict to a term of five months imprisonment with hard labour for the offence of hate speech which carries maximum sentence of two years.”

Phiri also argued that the trial “erred in law when it misapplied the principals of sentencing in relation to the gravity and nature of the offence committed.”

Metro

Tinubu talks tough, vows punishment for anyone culpable in deadly bombing of civilians

Published

7 hours ago

December 8, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Nigeria has vowed that any individual found culpable in the bombing of Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State, North-West Nigeria, where over 120 civilians were killed last Sunday, will not go unpunished.

Tinubu, who made the vow on Thursday, also assured that all the injured victims would be well taken care of by the government under the Folako Initiative which would commence later this month, while the affected communities would be rebuilt under the new intiative.

Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, embarked on a visit alongside a high-powered government delegation to wounded victims at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna. He explained that the government would do everything possible to ensure that such an unfortunate incident dod not occur again.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu sent us to commensurate with the people of Kaduna over the tragic incident,” Shettima said.

“The calibre of people that are here with me is a testimony on how deeply touched the president was by the incident.

“The President was deeply touched by what happened. We will like to assure the people and government of Kaduna State that the government will take measures to protect and preserve the interest of our nation.

“The victims will be well taken care of under the Fulako Initiative which will commence by this month and this community will be the first to be rebuilt in north west zone.

“All measures will be taken to ensure that future occurrence is averted. Government will get to the root of the issue and anyone found culpable will be punished accordingly,” Shettima added.