BY BLESSED MHLANGA
HARARE mayor Jacob Mafume has challenged local government minister July Moyo’s attempt to recall him from council in an urgent High Court application, calling the minister’s actions “patently contemptuous.”
Mafume who has had running battles with Moyo, stated in his application where he seeks a declarator from the High Court, that despite the existence of a High Court judgment, which is clear that only Settlement Chikwinya can recall, PDP members, the minister still went ahead to recall him.
“In authoring the recall letter Moyo, did not disclose the person who purported to act on behalf of the PDP in the communication he purports to have received. Whoever that person he/ she was not acting on behalf of and has no capacity to act on behalf of the PDP in that only Settlement Chikwinya who can issue communication on behalf of my party,” argued Mafume.
Mafume argued in his papers that PDP as a party still exists, saying it formed an electoral pact with various persons to form the Citizens Coalition for Change.
“For purposes of achieving optimum electoral results for the purposes of the by-elections held on 26 March 2022, the PDP formed an electoral pact with various other persons under the banner of the CCC, despite this political coalition the PDP retained its individual identity,” wrote Mafume.
The embattled mayor submitted that his letter of recall was thus null and void because Chikwinya who is now in parliament under the CCC remains the secretary for the PDP, while Tendai Biti remains president.
He told the court that given Biti and Chikwinya did not write the letter to Moyo, it should be disregarded.
Mafume further submits that he never left the PDP although the party left its alliance with the MDC Alliance.
The application also brings to the attention of the courts, the running battles between Mafume and Moyo over the past months.
Moyo has suspended Mafume from the office of Mayor over four times on allegations of misconduct but has failed to bring him before a disciplinary committee.
“Moyo is actively seeking my removal from office because I frustrate both his and his political party’s bid to usurp the functions of the local authority of the City of Harare and continues to clutch at the straws in his desperate bid to have me removed from office,” submitted Mafume.
