HARARE – Chaotic scenes erupted in Zimbabwe’s Parliament yesterday forcing the House to adjourn prematurely after a legislator proposed a motion to urge Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to call on Western nations to lift sanctions against President Robert Mugabe and his top allies

Legislators from Tsvangirai’s MDC party rose in protest, banged on benches, booed and jeered after a legislator from Mugabe’s ZANU PF party moved to introduce the motion calling Tsvangirai and his party to campaign for the lifting of the visa and financial sanctions.

Not to be outdone, ZANU PF MPs shouted back at their MDC counterparts, jeering and calling on their coalition partners to accept responsibility for the punitive measures imposed on Mugabe and 200 senior members of his party by the European Union (EU) and the United States (US).

MDC chief whip Innocent Gonese said the notice of motion was against the spirit of the power-sharing agreement but his ZANU PF counterpart Joram Gumbo insisted that they would force a debate on the motion when Parliament resumes today.

The furore started when MP Kudakwashe Basikiti rose and read a motion: “Calling upon the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to engage the EU, UN and the United States and United Kingdom governments to urgently and unconditionally remove illegal sanctions that were imposed on the people and government of Zimbabwe which they called for as confessed by British MP, David Miliband.”

The shouting and jeering continued for about 30 minutes, with MPs resisting efforts by the Sergeant at Arms and Deputy Speaker Nomalanga Khumalo to force them out of the House.

MDC MPs chanted anti-ZANU PF slogans, and sang: “ZANU yaora baba (ZANU is rotten)”. ZANU PF MPs responded by hurling abuse at the MDC MPs.

Unable to control the commotion, Khumalo, who was chairing in the absence of Speaker Lovemore Moyo, prematurely adjourned the House to today.

Gumbo later said in an interview that ZANU PF would not backtrack on the motion, promising “vigorous” resistance to any efforts to stop the motion.

“As far as we are concerned the notice was tabled and debate will follow. We are not going to abandon it at the whims of the MDC. Tomorrow we expect to raise the matter again and there will be fireworks if the MDC attempts to stop us,” he said.

Gonese said the motion was provocative. “It is against the letter and spirit of the global political agreement. Remember I had to shelve my own motion on the June 2008 on violence after ZANU PF engaged us. We kept the motion in abeyance until the First Session ended. We don’t expect them to behave as if they own this country.”

Last week, following disclosure by British foreign secretary David Miliband that London would lift the travel and financial sanctions on Mugabe and his associates on guidance from the MDC, ZANU PF said it would not make further concessions in ongoing power-sharing talks with the MDC until Western nations lift the sanctions.

The talks to resolve outstanding issues between ZANU PF and the MDC have dragged on since the former foes agreed to join hands last February in a coalition government that has been credited with stabilising the country’s economy to improve the lives of Zimbabweans.

South African president and the region’s appointed mediator in Zimbabwe Jacob Zuma is expected to step into the fray should the Harare parties formally declare a deadlock in the talks. – ZimOnline