via MP Sipepa Nkomo lodges legal bid for devolution | SW Radio Africa by Nomalanga Moyo on Thursday, April 3, 2014
Lobengula MDC-T MP Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo has lodged a Constitutional Court bid to force Mugabe’s government to comply with the constitution on devolution.
In his petition filed last week, Nkomo wants the government to decentralise power from Harare to provincial levels, to enable all citizens to set their own priorities.
He also argues that government’s non-compliance is preventing him from fully dispensing his duties as the representative for the Lobengula Constituency.
“Devolution is central in the part of the country I come from and in the constituency I represent. I was chosen to represent my constituency which expects me to serve in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Council and represent its interests.
“I want to serve in this important institution so that it can perform and execute its developmental roles as defined by the constitution. This is where we are supposed to make decisions, together with Bulawayo councillors, about what is of importance to the city and how to take the city forward,” Nkomo said.
But this council doesn’t exist because the government is delaying its formation as required by the new charter.
Nkomo therefore wants the ConCourt to force Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo, Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa and the government, to put in place legal institutions necessary for the formation of such councils.
Chombo is responsible for the administration of the Provincial Councils and Administration Act, while Mnangagwa handles legal matters for the government including the Constitution and Bills.
Speaking on SW Radio Africa’s Big Picture programme on Thursday, Nkomo said devolution was one of the highlights of the constitution-making process last year.
“It was very popular as Zimbabweans across the country looked forward to at last managing their own affairs at local level. That is why I think this government should have made this issue a priority and this court case is to try and force them to listen to the people,” the legislator said.
MDC President Professor Welshman Ncube, whose party has been very vocal in campaigning for devolution, said the issue is about self-governance as much as freedom.
“It is an important issue for everyone who cares about freedoms, independence and the liberties of the people and their right to self-determination.
“Devolution is also about the economic development of each and every village, district and province. The aim of this liberating philosophy is to transfer power into the hands of people at local level to determine their own developmental affairs,” the MDC leader told SW Radio Africa.
Ncube commended MP Nkomo for applying pressure on ZANU PF to respect the law and said such steps were important to ensure that the “regime is exposed to its violations of the country’s constitution”.
The MDC leader said the reluctance by the ruling party to align all laws to the new constitution stemmed from ZANU PF’s tradition of governing by force.
Innocent Ndibali, leader of the Zimbabwe Unemployed People’s Association, said implementing devolution will also ensure that local communities will be given first preference to jobs in their provinces.
COMMENTS
Where was Welshman Ncube all along, only waiting for people like Nkomo to lead the way when he calls himself leader of a political party. You are no leader but a coward masquerading as leader. You broke off from Mdc because of selfish ambitions nothing else. I have no respect for you Ncube.
Peter Tosh
Where is Tswangirayi in all this – the so-called main opposition leader with grassroots support?
This was supposed to be a party action not an individual action; as it is what they as a party, not as individuals sold to the people in their campaign last year? or its an admission that the people were sold a dummy – all they wanted were Mthwakazi votes?
Is it because he is a Shona and and like most of them views and thinks like gukurahundis when it comes to this devolution issue – hence he had to leave it to a junior, a Mthwakazi to take the necessary action?
Tswangirayi is the biggest litigant in the Zim political scene, everyone knows this. But on this one, he is nowhere to be seen!!
Now Nkomo you are talking. Instead of bucking like a toothless dog which does not bite. Seek redress from the courts. I am painfully aware that these are Zanu courts by you have shown your love for your people.
why are shonas not taking the initiative as well. Why is it that when it comes to devolution it has to be Mthwakazi people, the Nkomos of this world yet there are senior Shonas in that party who should be driving the issue? Its clear they just shout about it because they want Mthwakazi votes, not because they are committed to it. Its exactly the same as the DA in South Africa,who fight hard for the Black votes because they know they put them in government but once in government, the put together an almost all white government, as happened to the Hellen Zille provincila government in tge Western Cape province!!
That would have been the day, had this court action been taken by a Shona.
They are all the same, centrist tribalists who only cry about ZANU FP when it suits them. Yet they are all suffering at Tokwe-Mokosi in Masvingo and Chiadzwa Diamonds, whilst their fellow Harare mandarins coin it at their expense!!
Really when is this tribal thing going to end. Yes gukurahwindi was bad and any sound mind would condem it in the strongest term possible, but guys we are taking ourselves backwards by referring to it unnecessarily. We all know that Bulawayo as the second capital city has not been developing since independence, hence the reason why people like MP S Nkomo wanted this responbility be given to the provinces as stipulated in the new constitution. My point is an MP from Buyers could have done the same, taking the government to court, would you still have talked about gukurahwindi. We are Zimbabweans and gukurahwindi is our history and should bring us together, we have seen how it is to be divided and let us not further seek more division. United we shall stand, let us stop petty tribal insinuations.
this tribal issue will only end when people vote for any politician regardless of their region of origin or the language they speak. you cannot have people from only one region destined to deputise people from other regions who happen to speak one language; and this deputisation is in all aspects of life, whether as President of thecountry, or as at the political party level, or in state institutions and you still expect tribalism to be a thing of the past. If you want an answer to that question, please go ahead and ask the offenders, the Tinotonga brigade, the Shonas. We in Mthwakazi just happen to be the victims, we cannot keep quiet!