Mnangagwa spokesman brands MPs pushing for second VP ‘ignorant’

Presidential spokesperson George Charamba has claimed that the National Assembly “is out of order” for pushing his boss Emmerson Mnangagwa to appoint a second Vice President.

Charamba called all Members of Parliament agitating for Mnangagwa to replace Kembo Mohadi who resigned last year over a sex scandal “ignorant”.

A second VP is appointed in the spirit of the 1987 Unity Accord, which created two VP posts, one from the former PF Zapu party which was led by the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and the other from Zanu-PF.

But Charamba said it was the prerogative of the President to make the appointment and the executive was not answerable to Parliament hence Mnangagwa will appoint in his own time.

“It is a prerogative of the President to decide when to appoint a minister or a Vice-President,” Charamba said.

“You think you can force us to do something we don’t want to do? At what point does Parliament make decisions for the Executive?

“How does the Legislature force the hand of the Executive? On what basis? Parliament is out of order; they have no reason compelling appointments which are a prerogative of the President. It is not their duty and they must keep off and know their terms. It’s straightforward, they are ignorant.”

Mohadi resigned in February last year over a sex scandal involving a female staffer in his office. He is, however, still Zanu-PF second VP. The post has been vacant since then.

Recently Magwegwe MP Anele Ndebele raised a matter of privilege in the National Assembly, demanding to know when a second VP would be appointed.

Outspoken Norton MP Temba Mliswa has also been pressing for Mohadi’s replacement, saying it was depriving the people of Matabeleland of representation.

Prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono described the issue of a second VP as a manifestation of factional fights in Zanu-PF.

“I wouldn’t use the word ignorant, but misplaced! Any opposition MP agitating for the appointment of Mohadi’s replacement is getting involved in Zanu-PF factionalism.

“There are so many issues to take to parliament like Corruption, Clean Drinking Water, Plunder of natural resources,” he said.