News / National
First Zim politician to voluntarily surrender power
16 Sep 2011 at 12:43hrs | Views
Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs minister Eric Matinenga may become the first politician in post-independent Zimbabwe to voluntarily surrender power and privileges of political office, NewsDay reported.
Matinenga told NewsDay yesterday he believed politicians should serve only one term and leave office. He said he would not contest in the next elections and would leave office as both Member of Parliament and government minister.
What Matinenga forgoes are opportunities that come with the position and power of an MP and the comfort, prestige and trappings that come along with the office of a minister.
The veteran lawyer said he had opted to back University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturer John Makumbe to take over his Buhera West constituency.
Both Matinenga and Makumbe confirmed to NewsDay yesterday they had agreed to a hand-over-take-over arrangement in the constituency. The minister said he would be introducing Makumbe to the Buhera West electorate.
Makumbe said at the weekend he had decided to remove his academic hat at the university and venture into politics full time. He said he had overwhelming confidence of his support in Buhera yesterday from the United States that he never met Ambassador Charles Ray or any diplomat and was not worried about the cables.
Gutu is in the US on an exchange programme on accountability in government.
He said: "I never held any meeting(s) with Ambassador Charles Ray or any US diplomat as alleged . . . It would be a travesty of justice and, indeed, a monumental injustice, if I were to be persecuted over baseless, false, unfounded, malicious and defamatory allegations. I am not worried one iota about these so-called WikiLeaks."
The leaked diplomatic cables which quotes eminent personalities from across the political divide undermining and "selling out" their leaders, have thrown Zimbabwe's main political parties into turmoil.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa has said those implicated should be punished irrespective of the posts they hold in the party.
But the potentially divisive issue was skirted at Wednesday's politburo meeting in a move that has left many guessing whether it was a political strategy for President Robert Mugabe to keep the alleged sellouts anxious over his next moves.
Matinenga told NewsDay yesterday he believed politicians should serve only one term and leave office. He said he would not contest in the next elections and would leave office as both Member of Parliament and government minister.
What Matinenga forgoes are opportunities that come with the position and power of an MP and the comfort, prestige and trappings that come along with the office of a minister.
The veteran lawyer said he had opted to back University of Zimbabwe (UZ) lecturer John Makumbe to take over his Buhera West constituency.
Both Matinenga and Makumbe confirmed to NewsDay yesterday they had agreed to a hand-over-take-over arrangement in the constituency. The minister said he would be introducing Makumbe to the Buhera West electorate.
Makumbe said at the weekend he had decided to remove his academic hat at the university and venture into politics full time. He said he had overwhelming confidence of his support in Buhera yesterday from the United States that he never met Ambassador Charles Ray or any diplomat and was not worried about the cables.
Gutu is in the US on an exchange programme on accountability in government.
He said: "I never held any meeting(s) with Ambassador Charles Ray or any US diplomat as alleged . . . It would be a travesty of justice and, indeed, a monumental injustice, if I were to be persecuted over baseless, false, unfounded, malicious and defamatory allegations. I am not worried one iota about these so-called WikiLeaks."
The leaked diplomatic cables which quotes eminent personalities from across the political divide undermining and "selling out" their leaders, have thrown Zimbabwe's main political parties into turmoil.
Zanu PF secretary for administration Didymus Mutasa has said those implicated should be punished irrespective of the posts they hold in the party.
But the potentially divisive issue was skirted at Wednesday's politburo meeting in a move that has left many guessing whether it was a political strategy for President Robert Mugabe to keep the alleged sellouts anxious over his next moves.
Source - Newsday
