Following Parliament’s adjournment on April 8 to May 6, some social media users and even one headline claimed that President Mnangagwa had “shut down Parliament”. It has been suggested this was to avoid impeachment. But a closer look at Parliament’s schedule tells a much more boring story – this isn’t as unusual as the headlines would suggest.
Zimbabwe’s Parliament takes a break around this time every year. It’s part of the regular sitting calendar, and not an escalation of a political drama to keep us all entertained.
Here’s a quick look at recent years:
- 2024: Parliament holds sessions from April 2–4 and again from April 9–11. It then adjourns on April 11 and resumes on May 7. Veritas Zimbabwe noted at the time: “Both Houses then adjourned until Tuesday 7th May for a three-week recess.”
- 2023: The Senate adjourns on March 30 and resumes on May 9. The National Assembly continues until April 4 before breaking for Easter, also returning on May 9.
- 2022: Parliament meets on April 12 and 13, then adjourns for Easter, resuming on May 3.
- 2020: Parliament takes a longer recess during the early stages of COVID-19. After adjourning on March 18, only a small group of MPs meets briefly on May 5 to extend the break.
- 2019: The National Assembly adjourns on March 21 and resumes on May 7, a break of over six weeks.
So, far from being a dramatic “shutdown,” the facts appear to be a lot less exciting – this appears to be standard procedure for Parliament this time of the year. When Parliament adjourns, MPs go on recess until the scheduled reconvening date—in this case, May 6, 2025.
What About Impeachment?
There’s no record yet or official notice of any impeachment proceedings being launched. To impeach the President, the process starts with a formal notice backed by at least one-half of all National Assembly and Senate members. That notice would then be debated and, if passed by a two-thirds majority, referred to a joint committee for investigation, before any vote can be taken.
As of now, there’s no such notice. At least, not quite yet.
