Mudenda to meet Parly chief whips
While Mudenda told the Daily News that this would be an “internal administrative meeting,” sources said he could take advantage of the indaba to implore on the chief whips to ensure that Members of Parliament do not heckle President Emmerson Mnangagwa who will give his first State of the Nation Address (Sona) to the ninth Parliament tomorrow.
The much-anticipated Sona has caused the temporary closure of six major roads in central Harare.
Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda has issued a statement, advising motorists to use alternative routes.
There were chaotic scenes in the National Assembly last week when legislators from the main opposition heckled Chief Justice Luke Malaba and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba.
Malaba led the full bench of the Constitutional Court that threw out the MDC Alliance’s application, which had unsuccessfully sought to reverse Mnangagwa’s victory at the just-ended polls.
The MDC Alliance still insist that Zec rigged the harmonised polls in favour of Zanu PF.
Mudenda was last week forced to apologise to Chigumba and Malaba, who were booed as they entered the National Assembly last week.
He described the opposition lawmakers’ behaviour as uncalled for and “indecorous”, adding that such behaviour should be condemned in the strongest possible terms as Justice Malaba was heading the country’s top court and deserved to be treated with respect.
Chigumba had to be whisked out of Parliament by deputy Clerk of Parliament, Hellen Dingani.
Yesterday, Mudenda urged MPs to respect Parliament.
“I want to urge all MPs from across the political divide as well as members of the public to give due decorum and integrity to the institution of Parliament and also treat the occasion (Sona) with dignity to avoid the sad incidents we endured last week,” he said.
Mudenda said despite last week’s incident, he still holds the MDC with respect because “opposition parties are an integral part of any democracy but there is also need for them to respect national institutions such as Parliament”. Daily News.
