BOMBSHELL! PLOT TO PLUNGE PAN-AFRICAN PARLIAMENT INTO LEADERSHIP CRISIS EXPOSED

By Our Reporter

A plot to instigate crisis aimed at causing leadership change at the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has been uncovered.

The plan is orchestrated by a member of the current Bureau of the Parliament who desperately wants to take over the leadership of the continental parliament.

In an intelligence in our possession, an influential, well connected South African female billionaire who surprisingly, is a goodwill Ambassador of the Parliament is part of the plot to instigate crisis and has reportedly been bankrolling some of the activities.

Signs of the plot began to unfold when sometime in April, the Bureau member (whom we have been advised by our legal team not to mention him until all verification processes of the report are done) wrote a letter addressed to the PAP President Chief Charumbira a copy of which he despatched to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC).

In the said letter, he argued that in light of the fact that the Islamic Republic of Mauritania has officially dissolved its national Parliament on 15 March 2023, the 1st Vice President is no longer a member of National Parliament but an ordinary citizen and as a result “her membership at PAP automatically ceased”. This is incredible coming from a member of the Bureau who fully participated in the processes leading to the amendment of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, adopted on 04 November 2023.

“How can a Bureau member who was part and parcel of a process, turn around to question the outcome when he was present in plenary when it was adopted?” a parliamentarian from the Eastern Caucus queried.

In his desperation, he invited the AUC Chairperson in the said letter to embark on the interpretation of the Protocol establishing the PAP, in clear violation of Article 20 of the said Protocol which placed such power in the Court of Justice or the Assembly.
In furtherance of the scheme, the Bureau member allegedly sponsored a meeting of some parliamentarians from the Eastern Caucus of the continental Parliament in Addis Ababa where a phantom resolution was issued.

In reaction, a parliamentarian from the Eastern Caucus upon hearing about the resolution, stated: “It is unacceptable, rotation is completely implemented and it is the turn of the Southern Caucus to lead PAP.”

Another parliamentarian cautioned against the move which he described as an attempt to put PAP into another crisis. Yet another parliamentarian from the Southern Caucus stated categorically that the Bureau member should wait for the turn of the Eastern Caucus, after Northern Caucus has taken her turn.

Not ready to leave any stone unturned, the Bureau member has been playing up an incredible story of  a Zimbabwe school teacher who claimed to have been sexually assaulted by the PAP President inside the restaurant of a high brow hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe in the presence of other guests without anyone noticing it!

The same lady also alleged that the PAP President, who was driving her back, also assaulted her while driving! Incredibly, this lady who by her own statement, sat at the back seat, claimed that a man who was driving the vehicle, had such a long hand to have been able to stretch it to the back seat while driving and then placed the hand on her private part. Where is the Guinness Book of Records, you might ask! Try recreating this and see how far your hands would go!

A leaked audio recording revealed how this Bureau member tried to draft the Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission into the plot to cause a leadership change at PAP on the basis of the alleged sexual harassment.

“How would the Deputy Commissioner determine what happens at PAP and does the PAP Protocol give her such powers?” queried another parliamentarian.

Meanwhile, further Investigations have revealed that on 20 May, a delegation of 4 (3 women and one man) arrived at Byo Airport in Zimbabwe from Johannesburg, South Africa allegedly bankrolled by the billionaire female South African to visit the complainant.

The same billionaire, acting in cohort with the Bureau member, sponsored a trip by the alleged complainant and five other persons to South Africa where meetings with some high ranking officials of the South African government were allegedly arranged, according to the leaked audio.

The same audio had the billionaire narrating how she met a former chairperson of the African Union Commission who is now a minister in charge of GBV as well as the ANC Chairperson on International Relations in South African Parliament and other South African officials in a bid instigate a leadership change at PAP notwithstanding the Parliament’s status as an independent organ of the African Union.

A review of the PAP Protocol shows that Article 9.1 of the PAP Protocol states that “The Pan-African Parliamentarians shall enjoy parliamentary immunity in each Member State.

Accordingly, a member of the Pan-African Parliament shall not be liable to civil or criminal proceedings, arrest, imprisonment or damages for what is said or done by him or her within or outside the Pan-African Parliament in his or her capacity as a member of Parliament in the discharge of his or her duties.

The General Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the AU and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations is also clear on the status of PAP Parliamentarians while in South Africa.

Some parliamentarians are asking questions as to where this billionaire was when a former President of the Pan-African Parliament was accused of sexual harassment by some staff of the PAP.

“In that case, the alleged incident happened in South Africa and the complainants were staff of PAP. Where was the outrage from this lady? Did she deploy her contacts and resources to seek the removal of that President from office,” the parliamentarians queried.

But the instant case where she decided to deploy her resources and contact, happened in Zimbabwe, not South Africa and the complainants are neither staff of PAP nor Zimbabwe Parliament.

“Why the hypocrisy and double standard? Why should a lady who is not a member of PAP, embark on a mission of removing a duly elected President of PAP because she has money to throw around? Is it not the Zimbabwe Parliament that should in the first instance be seized of this matter,” another parliamentarian queried.

Obviously, the desperate people do not want to wait for the outcome of Zimbabwe Police investigations on the matter to see whether a case will be filed in court. And given the legal presumption that an accused person is presumed innocent until his guilt is established beyond reasonable doubt in a court and that punishment or sanctions can only be imposed after a finding of guilt, rushing to pursue the removal of the PAP President betrays their motive.

“An incident took place in Zimbabwe and they are sponsoring the complainant and her group to South Africa to ask for removal of the PAP President, clearly shows their motive,” remarked a member of PAP.

It would be recalled that disagreement over the application of the principle of rotation in the election of the President of the PAP resulted in crisis that eventually led to the suspension of parliamentary activities on 01 June 2021. The Parliament was reopened a year later and on 29 June 2022, election for a new President was held and Chief Charumbira was elected by more than a two-thirds majority of members of the PAP.

This margin of victory represents a clear mandate by a super majority of the parliamentarians. Those who lost the election are bent on throwing the Parliament into another crisis in pursuit of their selfish political interest.

This comes at a time when PAP appears to have put the past behind and now united and reinvigorated to serve the people of Africa.  
 

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