Former Member of Parliament for Hatfield, Tapiwa Mashakada, has resigned as national chairman of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and relinquished his party membership, following his recent appointment to the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC).
Mashakada, who served as Economic Planning Minister during the Government of National Unity (GNU) from 2009 to 2013, was appointed a ZMC commissioner by President Emmerson Mnangagwa last week, alongside Susan Makore, Caesar Zvayi, Munyaradzi Hwengwere, Rufaro Ellen Mhandu, Thokozile Chitepo, Merit Thokozile Munzwembiri and Tanaka Muganyi.
In a resignation letter addressed to MDC president Douglas Mwonzora, Mashakada said his decision followed his appointment as a ZMC commissioner on 12 September 2026, and that he was stepping down with immediate effect to comply with constitutional requirements that commissioners of the independent media regulator perform their duties professionally, impartially and without political affiliation.
Mashakada explained that he had applied for the position after Parliament’s Standing Rules and Orders Committee advertised vacancies for ZMC commissioners in the final quarter of 2025.
He was subsequently shortlisted and interviewed, before being recommended by the committee to President Mnangagwa for appointment.
“In order to uphold the constitutional requirements and preserve the independence and integrity of the Zimbabwe Media Commission, I, Tapiwa J. G. Mashakada, hereby resign as National Chairman of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and relinquish my membership of the Party with immediate effect,” Mashakada said.
He said remaining a member of a political party while serving on the commission could undermine the constitutional principles governing the institution, and described his resignation as a matter of principle rather than a dispute with the MDC leadership.
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