Mahere set to resign from parliament

By Political Editor
In a show of solidarity with former CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, Mount Pleasant MP Fadzai Mahere has said she is going to resign from parliament when the National Assembly reopens next week.

Adding that she will be formally tendering her resignation when parliament reopens next week.
The outspoken politician added she would not be associated with the CCC following the departure of Chamisa.
Mahere was amongst the first parliamentarians to pledge allegiance to Chamisa after the opposition leader resigned from CCC Thursday.
Posting on her Facebook account, Mahere expressed gratitude to the people of Mount Pleasant.
“I want to thank you. I do not take your confidence in me for granted. In fact, it has been the honor of my life to represent you. This is not the end for us but the beginning of a different journey. One of my first promises to you was to always be honest, transparent and accountable in my decisions. It is in this spirit that I wish to lay out my reasons for leaving the Citizen’s Coalition for Change and resigning from Parliament with immediate effect,” said Mahere.
She added that when the opposition outfit was launched in January 2022, “it was with the shared understanding that this new movement would be underpinned by the core value of being citizen centered. It would put the welfare and aspirations of constituents like you at the heart of all decision-making. Our goal was to build a new Zimbabwe based on a blueprint of dignity, prosperity and opportunity for everyone.”
The former CCC spokesperson added that the party then agreed to run under Chamisa, “as we sought to introduce a new way of doing politics. Central to this objective was a belief that, in all things, we would put the people first.
“In the wake of the jarring electoral fraud we witnessed in August 2023, we again returned to this sentiment and held strong, despite our rejection of the main electoral result. We made the tough decision to represent those hard-won constituencies in an effort to push the democratic process from multiple fronts.
“Despite numerous odds, we fought hard to push back against unjust, anti-people pronouncements like the 2024 Budget, the fees crisis in higher education, the power crisis, the broken economy and the imposition of candidates following a series of fraudulent recalls.
“Despite our focus on a battle of ideas and policy, the regime chose the low road of an unconstitutional onslaught on the will of the people. They used surrogates and dark actors such as a Mr. Tshabangu, whom I do not know and have not met. Their goal has been to force the two-thirds majority they failed to garner in August 2023 despite unprecedented electoral malpractices that left the region, and indeed the globe, in shock. We have seen the widespread abuse of state institutions which have effectively handed over all levers of control of the CCC to this imposter.
“The assault on the will of the people, the tainted state of Parliament, coupled with sundry breaches of Parliamentary privilege, illegal suspensions and the decision by President Nelson Chamisa to dissociate himself from the captured CCC have made it untenable for me to continue in my role as a member of parliament for Mt Pleasant Constituency under the CCC banner,” she said.
She spoke to her constituency’s conscience.
“You chose me to represent you on a platform of values which are no longer at the heart of the CCC. I cannot remain a representative of a party whose leadership is unknown to me and whose motives and values remain opaque. I would be failing you if I held onto a position that will no longer serve the best interests of our community. The CCC that I joined is not the CCC that we have left today. I cannot in good conscience be aligned to individuals who have caused unimaginable harm to the people by aligning themselves with a corrupt dictatorship. I also cannot partner with persons who are willing to undo the will of the people and hand over seats that citizens stood in line for hours to vote for just to score cheap political points. This is not who I am or who I aspire to be.
“Most importantly, this is not the citizen-centered politics we aspired to achieve. The struggle for a democratic society should never be sacrificed at the altar of expediency. I remain committed to the cause of a better Zimbabwe. This is not an end but merely a line in the sand. As always, I will remain a champion of the numerous causes important to our diverse community. I remain at your disposal, as we collectively navigate this uncertain phase ahead of us. Together, we will win Zimbabwe for change.
“To give legal effect to this decision, I will be tendering my formal resignation notice to the Speaker of Parliament in line with section 129(1)(b) of the Constitution early next week when Parliament re-opens,” she said.