Opposition MDC-T renews efforts to impeach Mugabe

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

Zimbabwe’s main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), has renewed its efforts to have President Robert Mugabe impeached through a motion that was tabled in parliament on Thursday.

James Maridadi, the MDC-T legislator for Mabvuku-Tafara made the first motion in June but the original papers reportedly disappeared.

Maridadi insists the speaker of parliament, Jacob Mudenda, is protecting Mugabe, his boss in Zanu PF where he is a politburo member.

Maridadi reactivated his plot to have Mugabe impeached through a letter dated 27 July but which became the subject of the motion on Thursday, 11 August 2013, in which he threatened to take legal action against parliament.

“Seeing as the motion is time-bound and also realising that I initially submitted it at the beginning of June 2016, I wish to request a response on this resubmitted motion by close of business today, July 27, 2016, failure to which, I will assume that Parliament is not keen to have the motion tabled. This will leave me with no option, but to seek legal recourse,” the letter stated.

Maridadi insists that Mugabe,92, is no longer fit to rule Zimbabwe because of advanced age and reports of ill-health.

In February this year, prominent lawyer Tinomudaishe Chinyoka filed an application asking the Constitutional Court to make a finding that there exists enough evidence to show that Mugabe now lacks the mental and physical capacity to carry on as president.

In the application Chinyoka argued that the health issues surrounding Mugabe are well documented and that there is growing evidence the 92-year-old no longer has the mental and physically capacity to continue as leader.

Speaking to Nehanda Radio, Chinyoka confirmed that the Sheriffs Office had still not served the papers on Mugabe claiming the paper work had “disappeared” and could no longer be found. They later re-photocopied the papers, refiled them and the same thing happened.

The Zimbabwean president is facing increasing opposition from both within the ruling party and outside for his continued stay in power.

War veterans recently circulated a communique in which they said Zimbabwe was failing to get international financial aid due to his advanced age.

A Zanu PF faction, Team Lacoste, allegedly led by the Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa is said to be pushing for Mugabe to relinquish power before the 2018 general elections even though he has already announced that he will stand.

Thousands of Zimbabweans recently protested against Mugabe and his government, calling on the president to immediately quit. Nehanda Radio