Committee probes Mugabe misconduct claim

Zimbabwe’s parliament has named a committee dominated by ruling ZANU-PF party members to find out whether opposition allegations of misconduct against President Robert Mugabe were justified, Reuters reported on Thursday. In a surprise move, speaker Emmerson Mnangagwa ruled last month that a motion by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) to impeach Mugabe would be considered by the 150-seat chamber after one-third of its members signed the motion, as required by law.

Mnangagwa has reportedly appointed eight ZANU-PF MPs and four from the MDC to the investigating team to be headed by Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Patrick Chinamas. The committee’s brief is to establish whether Mugabe had committed gross misconduct or had wilfully acted unconstitutionally. Once the committee had come to a decision, it would then submit a report to parliament. The MDC, which holds 57 seats and poses the strongest challenge yet to Mugabe’s 20-year rule, is unlikely to oust him as impeachment requires a two-thirds majority in parliament. The opposition said it has been lobbying ZANU-PF members of parliament to support the motion and hopes at least a handful will come out against Mugabe.