Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa, has urged MDC-T president, Thokozani Khupe who recently returned to Parliament two years after expulsion following a recall by her party in April 2018, not to walk out on President Mnangagwa.
MDC lawmakers have in the past walked out of Parliament during President Mnangagwa’s state of the nation addresses (SONAs) protesting his ‘legitimacy.’
The Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance which strongly believes the 2018 presidential poll was rigged in favour of Mnangagwa, has refused to recognise the latter as the head of state.
Speaking in Parliament Tuesday after National Assembly speaker, Jacob Mudenda, announced that Khupe and 14 other recently sworn in Members of Parliament (MPs) from her party had been incorporated into different portfolio committees, Mliswa urged the former deputy prime minister to respect the Office of the President.
“I would like to congratulate Hon. Khupe and other MPs,” said Mliswa.
“May I say to them; I hope you shall serve national interests and not walk out when the Head of State is here. I know Hon. Khupe is a seasoned politician who is mature. I hope she leads in that manner.”
Mliswa said MPs were in the august House for national interests but regrettably a lot of time had been wasted owing to failure by lawmakers to recognise that.
“The President remains the Head of State and Parliament is one of the institutions,” argued Mliswa.
“I am hoping that during the state of the nation address (SONA), you shall be exemplary in showing the nation that national interest binds us,” he said.
Khupe, who is part of the Political Actors Dialogue, in which Zanu-PF claims to be engaging with opposition parties to find solutions to Zimbabwe’s problems, is unlikely to snub Mnangagwa.
Political analysts have also said Khupe owes her return to Parliament to Zanu-PF, hence there is no way she can be at logger-heads with the party that ‘saved’ her political career.”
