Zanu-PF expels Kereke Dr Kereke
Dr Munyaradzi Kereke

Dr Munyaradzi Kereke

Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
A BY-ELECTION looms in Bikita West constituency after Zanu-PF wrote a letter to National Assembly Speaker Cde Jacob Mudenda disowning Dr Munyaradzi Kereke who won the seat on the revolutionary party’s ticket. Dr Kereke was expelled from Zanu-PF after he refused to step aside to pave way for Cde Elias Musakwa, who was the party’s official candidate in the July 31 harmonised.

In terms of Section 129 (1) (k) of the new Constitution, the seat of a Member of Parliament becomes vacant if the member has ceased to belong to a political party of which he or she was a member when elected to Parliament and the political party concerned, by written notice to the Speaker or President of the Senate, as the case may be, has declared that the member has ceased to belong to it.

The Constitution also states that a seat can fall vacant if a member has been convicted of an offence under the electoral law and has been declared by the High Court to be disqualified for registration as a voter or from voting in any election.

Briefing journalists after the party’s Politburo meeting in Harare yesterday, Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo said the party’s Masvingo provincial chairperson, Cde Lovemore Matuke, and provincial secretary for administration Cde Edmond Mhere would face disciplinary action for signing Dr Kereke’s nomination papers as a Zanu-PF candidate.

“With respect to Kereke, the party position still stands. He is expelled. Cde Mutasa has advised the Speaker of the National Assembly that the Bikita West constituency should be declared vacant and a by-election has to be held,” he said.

“That is the position of the party. With respect to (Lovemore) Matuke and (Edmond) Mhere, they are going to face disciplinary proceedings because of what they did to sign for Kereke to stand as a Zanu-PF candidate.”

He said Mr Kereke was free to contest as an independent candidate if he so wished.
President Mugabe, Cde Gumbo said, called on Politburo members and the new ministers to work hard to fulfil promises made to the people during the election campaign.

“He (President Mugabe) urged all the people in the Politburo to fulfil what we promised the people and to us that was important,” he said.
Cde Gumbo said President Mugabe also spoke about corruption and implementation of the indigenisation programmes.

He said the meeting also discussed how the party and Government policies should be harmonised to ensure smooth implementation of the party’s manifesto.

“We had a brief presentation on the Zimbabwe Programme for Social and Economic Transformation which was done by officials from the President,” he said.

“Now there is an effort to align and harmonise these policies in line with our manifesto. What has been done must be taken on board but taking into account what we said as a party in our manifesto.”

Cde Gumbo said failure to synchronise party and Government policies would create problems with ministries doing things that were not in line with the party’s policies and programmes.
The Politburo, Cde Gumbo said, discussed the issue of provincial elections.

He said the term of the current provincial executives had expired and new executives should be elected before the party’s December National People’s Conference.

Cde Gumbo said the party’s national commissar Cde Webster Shamu presented a report on the electronic party cards.
“The commissariat talked about electronic party cards that we now have to resuscitate so that we have complete data of our members,” he said.

“It will be done in all provinces. We have got the equipment to deal with that issue.”
Cde Gumbo dismissed reports in some sections of the private media that the December conference would be converted into a mini-congress to fill the Vice Presidency post left by the late Vice President John Nkomo.

He said the Politburo discussed the venue of the National People’s Conference to be held in Chinhoyi.
Cde Gumbo said preparations for the conference were already underway.

He said the party’s National Chairman Cde Simon Khaya Moyo briefed the Politburo on the programme submitted to him by the Mashonaland West province on how they intended to host the conference.
On the issue of Jomic, Cde Gumbo said the multi-party taskforce that was formed during the tenure of the inclusive Government has since been dissolved.

He said what was left was the distribution of organisation’s assets.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey