Parliament has advised recalled MDC Alliance legislators to return Diplomatic Passports issued to them in 2019 as part of their privileges, the party Secretary General Charlton Hwende has confirmed.
In letters to the affected former Members of Parliament, Clerk of Parliament Kennedy Chokuda told the former parliamentarians to retrieve their ordinary passports at the Registrar General’s office.
“As you may be aware his Excellency President Emmerson Mnangagwa gracefully extended the facility for all members of Parliament to hold Diplomatic Passports in September 2019. You may recall conditions for use of the document were linked to the tenure of the current Parliament inclusive of you being a serving Member of Parliament of Zimbabwe.
“Following your recall from Parliament in accordance with section 129 (1) (k) of the constitution of Zimbabwe you are therefore kindly requested to submit the Diplomatic passport to the Registrar General’s Office and retrieve your ordinary passport in accordance with the attendant conditions during the issuance of the document,” said Chokuda.
In response, Hwende who is also a victim of the recall by a rival faction led by Dr Thokozani Khupe said they were driven by material things.
“The problem with ED and his group is that they don’t understand us as MDC Members. We are not driven by money, cars or Diplomatic Passports. We are driven by desire to ensure that our people have a better life. We are people centred and people driven” wrote Hwende on Facebook.
Among those set to lose their Diplomatic passports are Amos Chibaya, Happymore Chidziva, Murisi Zwizwai, Thabitha Khumalo, Prosper Mutseyami, Lilian Timveous and other proportional Representative legislators.
