MDC-T secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora yesterday
claimed to have taken charge of the opposition party’s affairs and locked up
the party’s headquarters, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai (MRT) House.
This followed a Supreme Court ruling that declared Dr
Thokozani Khupe the legitimate leader of the opposition and that the party
should go back to its 2014 structures before calling for a congress in 90 days.
Mr Mwonzora, who reverted to being MDC-T secretary-general,
said he would reopen the offices after the 21-day lockdown.
“I am the secretary-general and I am in charge of the
day-to-day running of the party. I have closed the party offices up until the
end of the 21-day lockdown. We have to follow the law,” said Mr Mwonzora.
Responding to alleged threats from Mr Nelson Chamisa’s
close allies who are not happy with the Supreme Court ruling, Mr Mwonzora said
he has only learnt about them through social media.
“We just read about it on social media. It is just
political posturing.”
However, MDC-Alliance secretary-general Mr Charlton Hwende
insisted that he was in charge of the day-to-day running of Morgan Richard
Tsvangirai House.
“Mr Mwonzora is not responsible for the administration of
the MDC-Alliance. He is in charge of the MDC-T that is led by Khupe. I am at
the MRT House now and still in charge directing our Covid-19 strategy and
intervention,” fumed Mr Hwende.
When The Herald crew visited the party headquarters to
verify whether Mr Hwende was indeed there, the main entrance was locked. His
mobile phone remained unanswered when The Herald later tried to reach him.
Political analysts said the chickens were coming to roost
for Mr Chamisa and his backers.
A political scientist, Mr Richard Mahomva, said based on
the founding MDC Constitution, Mr Chamisa is the party’s coup leader.
Mr Mahomva said although he was successful in fractionally
instituting his presidency, legally speaking he was an illegitimate leader of
the opposition.
“Mr Chamisa has been pushing anecdotal fallacy; alleging
that President Mnangagwa is an illegitimate leader of Zimbabwe, when in actual
fact he was the one who is illegitimate,” Mr Mahomva said.
“He has no locus standi to speak of legitimacy. The
judgment has exposed him as a criminal in all scales of political legitimacy.
“What we are seeing in the Chamisa-led MDC is self-serving
deviation from constitutionalism. Rhetoric and passive loyalty is driving
political personality cultism. This only breeds perennial factionalism in the
Chamisa camp as his illegitimate leadership only breeds many other illegitimacies
of power and contestations thereof,” he said.
Another political analyst Mr Ndinatsei Roger Pote said the
MDC behaviour is not new to Zimbabwe’s political landscape.
“It’s no surprise. It’s not new to us anyway. As a party
they lack the basic fundamentals and principles of a political party and
ideology,” said Mr Pote.
Mr Chamisa’s political career, Mr Pote said is teetering on
the brink of oblivion.
Mr Collen Mharadzano said the MDC-A had always been
parroting and hyping the narrative of constitutionalism, besmirching other
political entries in the country’s body politic as ultra vires the established
Constitutional order.
“Is this now not its Darmascene moment for the opposition
party to walk its talk on this fundamental issue? What kind of nation will we
be if we have political parties and individuals implementing and at the same
time ignoring court judgments they ‘feel’ are good or bad for them. That will
be the genesis of chaos as we see it in other failed jurisdictions,” said Mr
Mharadzano.
He said Mr Chamisa needed to adhere to the laws of the land
as interpreted by the country’s esteemed judiciary.
“As it goes, a good leader is a good follower. The entire
nation expects a loyal opposition to abide by the same country’s laws.
“For the MDC-Alliance to pride itself as having many
lawyers as claimed by the perennially excited Chamisa and at the same appear
dim-witted in its analysis and comprehension of the law and subsequent prudent
analysis is a matter for another day,” he said.
Mr Mharadzano said for Mr Chamisa to establish his
legitimacy, he must swallow his pride, go to congress, play the game with
others and we witness who will hit the rope first.
Former MDC-T spokesperson and lawyer Mr Obert Gutu said he
has been vindicated since he has always publicly declared that the late MDC-T’s
founding leader’s successor can only be elected at an extra-ordinary congress,
in accordance with the dictates of the party’s constitution.
“Some political opportunists could not even wait for Tsvangirai to be laid to rest
before they illegally and violently grabbed power. The supreme Court judgment
is sound and unassailable,” he said. Herald
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