admin
Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
Mberengwa North Member of Parliament Cde Tafanana Zhou, who was recently suspended for three years by the Zanu-PF Midlands provincial executive after being found guilty of not working with members from the province, has appealed to the National Disciplinary Committee against his suspension.
Cde Zhou appeared before Midlands Disciplinary committee where he was cleared of charges of fronting G40 machinations but was convicted of sidelining Cdes Tinashe Shumba and a Cde Hove in his programmes in the constituency.
He was charged for contravening article 32 (1) and (2) of the Zanu-PF constitution. Paradoxically there is no article 32 in the Zanu-PF constitution.
Cde Zhou was also said to have smiled during a meeting convened by former Minister of Sport Cde Makhosini Hlongwane where other provincial members who were backing President Emmerson Mnangagwa, were expelled.
“Cde Tafanana Zhou is a Zanu PF MP for Mberengwa constituency. He is a member of the Zanu-PF Midlands PCC. He appeared before this committee on allegations of contravening article 32 (1) and (2) as read with section 21 (5).
“Cde Tafanana Zhou is hereby suspended from holding any position or office in the party for the period of three years,” read part of the judgement.
Cdes Shumba and Hove have since submitted their CVs for the primary elections in the same constituency raising suspicion that the two wanted to elbow Cde Zhou out of the race.
In his appeal Cde Zhou said he was charged for a non-existent offence.
“Appellant was convicted of a non-existent offence. The applicable ZANU-PF Constitution has no offence of Contravening Article 32 (1) and (2) as read with Section 21(5). In fact the ZANU-PF Constitution does not have Article 32. As such the Conviction is null and void as it is not in terms of the constitution.
“When appellant saw the letter from Midlands Provincial chairperson dated February 28, 2018 advising to him to ignore the judgment dated 24 February 2018 he took the view that the chairman had noted that the Conviction was not supported by the Constitution,” read part of the appeal.
Cde Zhou alleged that the Provincial Disciplinary Committee and the chief witnesses in the proceedings were conflicted and had personal interests in the outcome of the proceedings to the extent that justice was not guaranteed if the principles of natural justice referred in Article 10, Section 78 of the Party Constitution.
“The Disciplinary chair Cde Shiri hails from the same Mberengwa District where the appellant is from and it is not a public secret that he is eyeing for one of the constituencies in the district.
“By the way, appellant is a sitting Member of Parliament in the same district, so with all due respect to the disciplinary chair there was a risk that he could have been motivated to advance his political interests in the Mberengwa District by sacrificing the appellant,” he charged in his appeal.
“Cde C Mpame, who also sat on the panel, as the Secretary for Legal Affairs is also running for Zvishavane- Runde Constituency in the same Midlands Province and could also have been motivated to create political linkages favourable to his cause by sacrificing perceived persons not in support of his ambitions.
“Cde Perseverance Zhou, who is a member of the disciplinary committee was conflicted in that her husband, Cde Pritchard Zhou, is running for the same Parliamentary seat (Mberengwa North Constituency) as appellant. She is likely to have been motivated to make a decision, which favoured her husband’s political ambitions.”
Online Reporter