Speaker of the House of Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda on Wednesday made a U-turn on his ruling that he made last month banning MDC Alliance MPs from questioning cabinet ministers on policy issues in Parliament since the party has refused to recognise President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s legitimacy.
Mudenda repented after realising that his ruling was contrary to Section 119 of the Constitution. He said:
Following my ruling on the 23rd of October regarding the eligibility of MDC Alliance parliamentarians to question vice presidents, ministers and deputy ministers during question time, I have reconsidered my ruling taking into consideration provisions of section 119 of the Constitution.
Mudenda had made the ruling after Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Leader of the House, Ziyambi Ziyambi, said the opposition legislators have no right to direct questions to Mnangagwa’s appointees when they do not recognise the appointing authority’s legitimacy.
MDC Alliance MPs have made it a habit to walk out of Parliament whenever Mnangagwa is in the House.