Sadc backs Charumbira for PAP presidency

NDAMU SANDU

Zimbabwean lawmaker Chief Fortune Charumbira has received a major boost as he battles for the presidency of the Pan African Parliament (PAP) after he was selected as Sadc region’s sole candidate.

PAP holds its 4th Ordinary Session of the fifth Parliament from May 21 to June 4. It will elect new members of the Bureau during the session.

The Bureau of the Pan-African Parliament is composed of 5 members, one President and 4 Vice-Presidents, elected for a three-year term.

They represent the five regions of Africa: North Africa, Central Africa, West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa.

Chief Charumbira campaign manager Thembekile Majola told Business Times that the Southern African regional caucus held its meeting in Sandton, South Africa on May 6 and 7 where they unanimously agreed to support the candidature of the Zimbabwean senator.

Southern and North Africa have never led PAP and Majola said the legislators agreed at the Sandton meeting to combine forces.

“We agreed that the presidency has to come to Southern Africa and without uniting we would lose it. I was chairing the meeting and asked whether there were other candidates. There was none from the region and it was unanimously agreed we have one candidate in the name of Chief [Charumbira],” the South African lawmaker said.

He said the bloc has received support from East Africa and was in negotiations with three VPs to garner support.

“We are intensifying our campaign into other regions. We have a group of delegates working on that,” Majola said.

This is not the first time that Senator Charumbira has taken a go at the PAP presidency. In 2018, he polled 47 votes as Cameroonian lawmaker Roger Nkodo Dang won the race with 133 votes. He was later elected as the 4th vice president, representing Southern Africa. He is currently the acting president of PAP as Dang and other VPs ceased to be in PAP when they went for elections in their respective countries. They have to be sworn in again as PAP members.

Majola was confident Charumbira would land the top post. His observations showed that there was no unity in the Southern African region and the campaign team did not do enough in 2018. To guarantee Chief Charumbira’s support, legislators in the region signed a pledge.

Pupurai Togarepi, who is also in the campaign team, told Business Times it was important for PAP to have a leader with the level of understanding of African issues as Chief Charumbira.

“We need a person who can champion that, seek good relations and make PAP a strong representative for people of Africa.

Chief Charumbira has that touch because of his various experience in running programmes in promoting development in Africa,” Togarepi said, adding they have garnered support in other regions.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button