Zimpapers Logo

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
Parliament’s inquiry into grain procurement by the Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) has taken a new twist, with the association seeking the recusal of portfolio committee chairperson and Gokwe-Nembudziya legislator Justice Mayor Wadyajena.

GMAZ, led by Mr Tafadzwa Musarara, wants Cde Wadyajena, who chairs the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Water and Climate, not to participate in the inquiry either as chairperson or as a member.

Lawyers representing GMAZ, Wintertons Legal Practitioners, have since written to the Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda, outlining events that took place outside Parliament, which they argued made them feel that Cde Wadyajena might not handle their case fairly.

The lawyers for GMAZ want Cde Wadyajena to be removed from participating in the inquiry based on some social media posts in which the legislator is alleged to have expressed outrage over the conduct of the association.

One of the posts GMAZ cited was when Cde Wadyajena questioned the prudence of the association to publish newspaper adverts with documents which he said they had initially told the Committee they were still compiling.

“Given the foregoing conduct by the Chairman of the Committee, our client now genuinely entertains a reasonable suspicion that it will not be afforded a fair inquiry as the chairman is clearly conducting himself recklessly, unprofessionally and in a manner which cast aspersions on his impartiality and throws questions on his integrity and the ability to properly chair the meeting in a non-partisan manner,” he said.

“Our client hereby reserves its rights and hereby gives notice of its intention to apply through its legal practitioners for the recusal of Mr Justice Mayor Wadyajena from the chairmanship and membership of the Committee, if the Committee is still interested in holding a meeting with our client.”

A stand-off between GMAZ and the Committee started last month when Cde Wadyajena rapped Mr Musarara for failing to bring all the documents the Committee had requested, resulting in the deferment of the initial meeting.

“It must be mentioned that the information which was published in the newspapers formed part of the documentation which was submitted to the committee on 19th March 2019,” reads the letter from GMAZ.

“In reaction to the newspaper, the Chairperson of the Committee, Honourable Justice Mayor Wadyajena tweeted on his twitter account on 20 March 2019, alleging that our client had appeared before the committee empty handed claiming that it had no time to prepare the documents, yet it had rushed to place huge adverts of the same in the press.”

Another borne of contention was a subsequent meeting on April 2 2019 which the Committee said had been cancelled, but GMAZ attended on the basis that no official communication of postponement had been conveyed to them.