Zvoma snubs farewell party

By Tavada Mafa

HARARE – Ousted former clerk of Parliament Austin Zvoma has boycotted a farewell party that parliament wanted to host for him.

Zvoma was forced to retire from Parliament last November after he had reached the retirement age of 65, despite his efforts to ensure that the new constitution adopted t last year gave him two more five year terms of service.

Parliamentary staff had offered to throw a farewell party for their boss, with whom they had worked for more than three decades.

“The party is still pending and we are still waiting for a date from him,” said a parliament employee who requested anonymity because of protocol.

“The money is there and anytime if he pitches up we are ready to go ahead with the party, but what is happening is that Mr Zvoma has said he was no longer interested in farewell party because of the way he was forced out of his job,” said the official.

In February Speaker of House of Assembly Jocob Mudenda barred Zvoma from coming to the house after it had emerged that the former clerk was visiting the legislative assembly and conduct private meetings with his former subordinates.

The instruction was given through the acting clerk of Parliament, Kenneth Chokuda, to issue a preliminary injunction ordering Zvoma to refrain from coming to parliament.

Efforts by The Zimbabwean to get a comment from Zvoma were fruitless as his mobile phone could not be reached. The Zimbabwean