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Harare Bureau
A by-election will soon be held in Bikita West constituency after Zanu-PF wrote a letter to the Speaker of Parliament Cde Jacob Mudenda disowning Mr Munyaradzi Kereke who won the seat on the revolutionary party’s ticket. Mr Kereke was expelled from Zanu-PF after he refused to step down to pave way for Cde Elias Musakwa who was the party’s official candidate in the July 31 harmonised.
According 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.
The Constitution also states that a seat can also become 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 at any election.
Speaking to 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 Mr Kereke’s nomination papers as a Zanu-PF candidate.
“With respect to Kereke, the party position still stands. He is expelled,” he said.
“Cde Mutasa (Didymus) 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.
Online Reporter