Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda has urged Members of Parliament to familiarise themselves with what the constitution says about the delimitation exercise and not be distracted by “sideshows”.
This comes after the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Nick Mangwana, and the Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet George Charamba claimed that the report that was given to President Emmerson Mnangagwa by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was not final.
The issue was then raised in the National Assembly during a question and answer session by Glen Norah MP Wellington Chikombo, reported Open Parly.
Chikombo said the statements that were uttered by Mangwana and Charamba have caused a lot of polarisation, disharmony, and anxiety across the country.
He demanded that the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi come through to elaborate to the House what the correct position is pertaining to the delimitation report process.
In response, Mudenda said”musateerere nyaya yemuma newspaper kana social media.” He added:
Section 161 is very clear in terms of the processes. The report is tabled here in the House in Parliament, we scrutinize it and make our observations.
We then submit to the Head of State and Government in terms of Section 161. Within the specified 14 days, the Head of State must submit to ZEC, which was done.
After that ZEC will start on whatever contributions or analysis that were done by the relevant stakeholders.
They will look at them, make adjustments where it is possible and send those adjustments in a report to His Excellency.
Within 14 days, the President must gazette. What ZEC has said and done in that report is final.
So why do you want to listen to people who talk from the side shows… it does not matter, you must follow the Constitution.
… Do now worry about people who speak outside the Constitution.