Mnangagwa's spin doctor says MPs are ignorant

ZIMBABWEANS will have to wait for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to appoint a Vice-President in his own time, presidential spokesperson George Charamba said, and called Members of Parliament agitating for him to make a choice "ignorant".

Kembo Mohadi resigned last year over a sex scandal.

Charamba yesterday told NewsDay that Mnangagwa does not answer to anyone over the appointment.

Describing MPs who have been calling for Mohadi's replacement as "ignorant", Charamba said: "It is a prerogative of the President to decide when to appoint a minister or a Vice-President. You think you can force us to do something we don't want to do? At what point does Parliament make decisions for the Executive?

"How does the Legislature force the hand of the Executive? On what basis? Parliament is out of order; they have no reason compelling appointments which are a prerogative of the President. It is not their duty and they must keep off and know their terms. It's straightforward, they are ignorant."

The post has been vacant since February last year when Mohadi resigned over a sex scandal involving a female staffer in his office.

Last month, Magwegwe MP Anele Ndebele raised a matter of privilege in the National Assembly, demanding to know when a second VP would be appointed in the spirit of the 1987 Unity Accord, which created two VP posts, one from the former PF Zapu party which was led by the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo and the other from Zanu-PF.

Norton MP Temba Mliswa (Independent) has been also been pressing for Mohadi's replacement, saying it was depriving the people of Matabeleland of representation.

The only VP who served alone was Joice Mujuru (2009 to 2014) following the death of Joseph Msika who was from the former PF Zapu party.