Welshman Ncube cries foul

The Welshman Ncube-led Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has accused the Speaker of Parliament and the Senate President of applying double standards after they indicated they would not act on any recall order against Sengezo Tshabangu until his court challenge is concluded.

Tshabangu, who has unilaterally recalled multiple CCC legislators since October 2023, recently faced expulsion from the party for alleged indiscipline. His sacking paved the way for the opposition to initiate his recall from the Senate. However, before the process could begin, Tshabangu rushed to court, filing an interdict to stop any recall attempt, arguing that his dismissal was initiated by an improperly constituted CCC disciplinary committee.

In his court application, Tshabangu listed CCC, the party's National Disciplinary Committee, the Speaker of Parliament, and the Senate President as respondents. However, in a surprising move, parliamentary lawyers have indicated they will not oppose Tshabangu's legal challenge despite being named in the lawsuit.

CCC spokesperson Willias Madzimure condemned the Speaker and Senate President for what he called an inconsistent approach, noting that they had previously acted swiftly on Tshabangu's past recall requests without hesitation, even when affected lawmakers had filed court challenges against their removal.

"At the case management meeting, the Speaker of Parliament's lawyers indicated, for the first time in the history of recalls, that the Speaker and President of the Senate would not oppose the application but instead would abide by whatever ruling the court will make," Madzimure said.

He further accused the Speaker of actively opposing legal efforts by CCC to challenge Tshabangu's previous recalls, arguing that the current stance exposes institutional bias.

Tshabangu's legal battle is set to unfold in the coming weeks, with the case being argued before the Judge President on March 13, and a ruling expected on March 17.