MDC-T expelled from NCA

Harare –The Movement for Democratic Change headed by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has been expelled from being an institutional member of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) with immediate effect.

The move, adopted by the NCA Taskforce yesterday was endorsed by the National Consultative Assembly on Sunday which resolved that all institutional members who are in the COPAC process or support it are acting against the interests of the NCA and therefore deemed to have withdrawn.

The meeting was attended by the NCA Taskforce, Provincial Chairpersons, and constituency representatives who make up the National Consultative Assembly. The resolution, which was unanimous was made at the NCA’s National Consultative Assembly meeting held at the NCA’s Headquarters in Harare.

The decision was made after what the NCA said was “the realisation that the MDC-T’s participation and involvement in the  COPAC process is in total deviation from the principles and vision of the NCA, whose vision is a new democratic people driven constitution.”

“It was also noted that the MDC-T has not been attending NCA Taskforce meetings since 2009 and thus they also automatically expelled themselves from the Assembly since the constitution of the NCA is quite clear that a member institution is deemed expelled if its representative fails to attend four consecutive taskforce meetings without notification.”

The NCA Information department said it will soon publish a list of all former institutional members affected by this resolution. The MDC-T has been a member of the NCA Taskforce since its formation in 1999.

Last month Lovemore Madhuku, the chairman of the NCA vowed to stay put in his position even as his tenure expired. Madhuku said he will stay on at the helm of the advocacy group until a referendum on the new constitution, currently at the drafting stage, is held.

But Madhuku’s position has displeased some members of the civic group who say he is repeating a manoeuvre he pulled in 2006 when he refused to make way for a new leader after completing two two-year terms.

He amended the constitution retrospectively at the time, clasping the four years into one term, and granting himself a new five year term. The amended constitution says a chairman may only serve two terms of five years each. NCA founding member John Makumbe, a University of Zimbabwe political science professor, accused Madhuku of clinging to power like President Robert Mugabe.

“No Zimbabwean is indispensable as what he seems to be suggesting. What if the next chair was going to take a different stance at the referendum in terms of supporting or not supporting the constitution draft?” Prof Makumbe said. “He should allow change to occur and instruct the next chair to do even better than him.”

The NCA has refused to take part in the constitutional revision process, objecting to the control of the process by a parliamentary select committee and political parties. The non-governmental organisation says it will encourage a “No” vote in the referendum on the draft constitution.