Chamisa MDC fumes as ex-deputy mayor is thrown out of council

THE MDC Alliance has castigated Bulawayo Mayor Solomon Mguni for ordering the ejection from council chambers of reinstated former deputy mayor, Tinashe Kambarami as a ward councillor.

Last week, the Supreme Court reinstated as the councillor for Ward 3.

The ruling came after Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Thompson Mabhikwa had in 2019 declared Kambarami's win in the 2018 elections "null and void". He appealed against the High court ruling at the Supreme Court, which overturned Justice Mabhikwa's ruling last week.

Armed with the Supreme Court ruling, Kambarami Wednesday attended a full council meeting at the local council chambers, but the move was swiftly blocked by Mguni and the town clerk, Christopher Dube.

The two senior officials said they had not been served with the Supreme Court judgment. Mguni also claimed Kambarami had since been recalled from the council by the Douglas Mwonzora-led MDC-T.

However, the MDC Alliance said it was shocked by the actions of Mguni and Dube.

"We are shocked that mayor Solomon Mguni, who was elected on an MDC Alliance ticket, could call Councillor Tinashe Kambarami an intruder, and call the chief security officer to eject him from the council chambers," said the MDC Alliance Bulawayo provincial spokesperson, Swethern Chiroodza.

"We are also shocked that council ordered a blackout on social media coverage of the incident despite the fact council had earlier indicated the meeting was going to be streamlined live on Facebook."

Chiroodza said the recalling of Kambarami by the MDC-T was "null and void" because it came after the High Court declarateur which disqualified him from holding the position of Ward 3 councillor.

The spokesperson also maintained Kambarami's case was different from other seven MDC Alliance councillors who were recalled by the MDC-T last year.