Ousted ZSDA/C president vows to die in office

OUSTED president of the Zimbabwe Schools Development Association and Committees (ZSDA/C) Mr Claudious Mutasa has vowed to remain in office, saying he would have to die first before anyone could replace him at the helm of the organisation.

ZSDA/C is the labour union for Schools Development Associations from government and council schools across the country.

Mr Mutasa was booted out of office through a vote of no confidence by ZSDA/C members during a ZSDA/C National Employment Council extraordinary general council meeting held in Gweru on 18 January.

The no-confidence vote also claimed the scalps of ZSDA/C general secretary, Mr Everisto Jongwe and Mr Raston John Chinyamunyamu, who was the chairperson of the National Employment Council.

Following the ouster of the executive led by Mr Mutasa, Mr Xolisani Dlamini was elected interim president with Mr Ray Muzenda his deputy while Mr Arvian Mathe was elected secretary general.

However, Mr Mutasa has refused to recognise the new executive, contending that Mr Dlamini and company were unconstitutionally elected into office.

He argues that the extraordinary general council meeting during which he was ousted was illegal as Mr Dlamini and company had no constitutional mandate to call for an extraordinary meeting.

"Dlamini is confused. There is no NEC meeting that is called by a trade union. ZSDA/C is a trade union and yet they argue that they voted me out of office during an extraordinary general council meeting. That is wrong. Only NEC has the mandate to call for such a meeting. So, on that basis the outcome of their meeting is null and void.

"Secondly, I'm the founding president of this organisation. I worked for seven years to establish this with my own resources. No one can just come and claim to be president, unless when I'm dead. I will have to die first for someone to take over," he vowed.
Mr Mutasa further alleges that Mr Dlamini's ascent to office was unprocedural as it had not been done in line with ZSDA/C's constitution.

"I appointed Dlamini provincial chairperson for Bulawayo. According to our constitution no one can rise from being a provincial officer to become president. One has to first be part of the regional executive before they can qualify for a national post," he argued.

All the seven provincial chairpersons who attended the Gweru meeting voted for Mr Mutasa's ouster following several allegations that were levelled against him and his executive.

ZSDA/C members accused the Mutasa-led executive of blocking efforts to audit the organisation's books, avoiding leadership renewal by refusing to call for an elective congress and nepotism, allegations Mr Mutasa vehemently denied.

Sunday News is in possession of minutes of the extraordinary meeting during which the Mutasa-led executive was voted out of office to allow Dlamini's executive to take charge on an interim basis.

Also in Sunday News' possession are Mr Mutasa, Mr Chinyamunyamu and Mr Jongwe's letters of expulsion, which bear the stamp of the Ministry of Public Service,  Labour and SocialWelfare's department of labour administration.

Mr Dlamini dismissed Mr Mutasa's contentions