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Tsholotsho North National Assembly member Roselyn Nkomo pictured with her husband Samuel Sipepa Nkomo

Temba Dube Deputy News Editor
FORMER Tsholotsho North MP Roselyn Nkomo – usually addressed as “ma’am” by her supporters – was mum throughout her 18-month stint in Parliament, The Chronicle can reveal.

Nkomo was practically mute – never pushing a motion, expressing an opinion or joining choruses of protest against motions pushed by others, until her expulsion last week.

She was part of 21 renegade MDC-T MPs who were kicked out of parliament at the instigation of party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, after leaving to form MDC Renewal. MDC Renewal later merged with the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC to form the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC), whose congress to elect the party leadership is due later this year.

Explaining her forgettable stint as a lawmaker, Nkomo said she saw nothing amiss with not uttering a word to represent those who voted her into office.

“I’m a dignified woman. Angifun’ ukusukuma ngizibonakalise ukuthi ngiyibhare yeTsholotsho (I don’t want to stand up and expose myself as an ignorant person from Tsholotsho). I’ll only stand up if I’ve something of substance to say,” she said.

Nkomo nonchalantly said she used the 18 months “to learn.”

“There’s no hurry,” she insisted. “The term of office is five years. I was still learning.”

Nkomo blamed parliamentary procedures for denying her a chance to move a motion for debate.

“I actually sent in two motions, one on floods and another on poverty. They were never approved for discussion,” said the former legislator.

She saw no reason to scramble for a chance to speak during the often intense question and answer segments, saying it was not dignified to fight for a chance to speak.

Legislators, who hustle, like Zanu-PF Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba, use the cut-throat segments to influence decisions by ministers and the government in favour of their constituents.

Nkomo who insisted that she was not out of her depth, despite her apparent apathy, said she will run again for MP if deployed by her party.

She added: “If my party says I should contest for the seat in the by-elections, I’ll do so. I know I will win again against Jonathan (Moyo, Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister).

“I know Zanu-PF will run there with their dogs and everything, including its old people because (Zanu-PF national commissar, Cde Saviour) Kasukuwere said Jonathan should bring back the Tsholotsho seat.”

Nkomo narrowly beat Professor Jonathan Moyo for the Tsholotsho North seat during the 2013 harmonised elections. She polled 4,800 votes to Prof Moyo’s 4,646.

President Mugabe is set to soon gazette election dates for 14 of the 21 vacant parliamentary seats – the other seven were won through proportional representation and under the constitution the MDC-T is expected to move and replace the rebel MPs.

Should Nkomo get the all-clear from the UMDC to run in Tsholotsho North, the battle would be rejoined with Prof Moyo, who previously held the seat.

Prof Moyo is credited with establishing a number of development initiatives in Tsholotsho. He is presently spearheading the construction of a stadium for Tsholotsho FC, the first rural team in independent Zimbabwe to be promoted to the top flight football league.