Zanu PF replaces dead legislators

ZANU PF has moved to replace legislators who died recently due to different ailments, including the COVID-19 pandemic, with newly-appointed Foreign Affairs and International Trade minister Fredrick Shava replacing the late Sibusiso Busi Moyo as Midlands senator.

Moyo succumbed to COVID-19 in January.

According to General Notice 400 of 2021 published in the Government Gazette yesterday, Zimbabwe Election Commission (Zec) chairperson Priscilla Chigumba announced that the ruling party had also nominated Dorothy Mabika to replace the late Chipinge senator and Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Ellen Gwaradzimba, who also succumbed to the respiratory disease in January.

Former Beitbridge West legislator Metrine Mudau bounced back to replace Matabeleland South province proportional representative MP Lisa Singo, who collapsed and died last month.

“The public is hereby notified in terms of section 39(7)(a) of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13) that Fredrick Makamure Shava a registered voter in ward 2, Gweru municipality, of Plot 4 Umsungwe Road , Harben Park, Gweru who was nominated by the Zimbabwe African National Patriotic Front (Zanu PF) party to fill the vacancy in the Senate that occurred following the death of Hon Sibusiso Busi Moyo has been appointed as Senator with effect from the publication of this notice,” a notice by Chigumba reads.

Similar notices were also issued regarding the appointments of Mabika and Mudau.

However, the major highlight of the replacement was the nomination of Shava, who comes from the same rural backyard as President Emmerson Mnangagwa, to replace Moyo, the face of the 2017 military coup which brought a systemic political transformation to the country.

Shava was sworn in on Wednesday as Midlands senator and took oath before Senate deputy president Mike Nyambuya.

He was recently appointed minister by Mnangagwa to replace the late Moyo, but had not formally assumed his new role as his appointment had to be regularised first in terms of the Constitution.

However, after a 14-day period given by Zec lapsed following the gazetting of his nomination as Zanu PF senator for Midlands with no objections, he was then duly sworn-in as a senator.