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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS are driving Africa towards greater cooperation and prosperity, President Mnangagwa has said.

President Mnangagwa

He said this while congratulating Chief Fortune Charumbira for landing the Pan-African Parliament presidency where he won unopposed at the organisation’s Fourth Ordinary Session of the Fifth Parliament in Midrand, South Africa on Wednesday.

Chief Charumbira, who is also the president of the Chiefs Council, got 161 votes from the 203 casts. A total of 31 abstained and 11 were spoilt votes.

Chief Charumbira’s election saw him become the organisation’s first leader to come from the Southern African Development Committee (Sadc) region.

“Congratulations to Fortune Charumbira for his election as President of the Pan African Parliament. Zimbabweans are driving our continent towards greater cooperation and prosperity,” President Mnangagwa wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday.

Chief Charumbira will be deputised by four vice presidents who were also elected on Wednesday.

Two women were ushered into office as well — Mauritania’s Professor Massouda Mohamed Laghdaf who will be the first vice president, and Lucia Martia Goncalves dos Passos of Cape Verde who was elected as the third vice president.

Dr Gayo Ashebir

Ethiopia’s Dr Gayo Ashebir will be the second vice president while Hon Ango Ndoutoune of Gabon shall be the fourth.
Chief Charumbira and his executive will be in office for the next four years.

Meanwhile, Chief Gampu of Tsholotsho believes Chief Charumbira’s election will come with a lot of positives not only for traditional leaders in the country but Zimbabwe as a whole.

“I have no doubt in my mind that Chief Charumbira will bring about positive change to the continent because I know what he is capable of in terms of leadership.

“As a traditional leader myself, I am so proud of Chief Charumbira’s ascendency to the continental throne and I am confident that his tenure will come with positives for us, the country and indeed the African continent,” said Chief Gampu.