OPPOSITION MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, has started
ring-fencing his political life amid reports that the Thokozani Khupe-led team
is gnawing into structures of the party and steadily building a movement which
could leave him and his peers in the cold.
Douglas Mwonzora , reinstated to the position of
secretary-general by the Supreme Court, is leading the assault on Chamisa, with
sources saying his team had already opened new WhatsApp groups where they were
adding mostly members from the 2014 MDC structures who lost their posts after
the integration of alliance partners into the MDC.
In a notice, MDC Alliance organising secretary Amos Chibaya
warned party members against joining the new groups being put in place by
Mwonzora.
“As the national organising department, we did not form new
national council WhatsApp groups, so reject being added to any new NC WhatsApp
groups. The rebels are now desperate and are masquerading as the national
organising department. All suspected structural issues please report to
national organising secretary Amos Chibaya,” the memo sent out to party
supporters read.
Deputy organising secretary Happymore Chidziva said they
were not worried about the attempt to poach members and rope them into the MDC
formation that is being run by Mwonzora.
“Well, those being added into groups have freedom of
association rights and we are not going to force them to leave those groups. We
just want people to know that those are not our groups and if they choose to remain
there, it’s their right,” he said.
Mwonzora, who is leading preparations for the MDC-T
extraordinary congress (EOC), confirmed using WhatsApp groups to mobilise the
MDC 2014 structures, saying because of the lockdown, he had to resort to the
use of technology which has had overwhelming response.
A new secretariat has also been put in place, with Mwonzora
claiming he has employed Nixon Nyikadzino, the secretary-general of Khupe’s
MDC-T.
“Our secretariat is on the ground and working using
WhatsApp groups and other means, and it’s oversubscribed. What I can say is
that those who are against the implementation of the Supreme Court decision are
not united. We know that they are collecting names of the 2014 structures, they
are preparing to attend the EOC and are actually lobbying for posts in the
party when we eventually hold congress.”
“Mr Nyikadzino did come to me and I did give him a job
because he initially said he accepted the Supreme Court decision, but well, now
he has written a letter which changes his position, but it’s of no effect,”
Mwonzora said.
He said he already had 50% of the delegates needed for
congress in the bag and was working to raise 20% to ensure that at least
two-thirds of the delegates attend congress.
“We have used WhatsApp groups, and other means to reach and
verify the delegates to the congress and we have, at the moment, 3 000
delegates who have confirmed and are ready to attend congress. This is 50% of
what we need. So we are working to get the other delegates so that we record
two-thirds which is required,” he said.
MDC Alliance secretary-general, Chalton Hwende said they
were as sure as light that the attempts by Mwonzora and Khupe to revive their
waning political lives through the backdoor were doomed.
“All of a sudden, those who were opposed to the MDC
Alliance want to benefit from it. They claim its electoral victory is theirs,
that a Supreme Court ruling that we were not part of gives them access to the
supporters of the party. Well, we wish them well in their new political
endeavours, but we will not lose sleep over their actions,” he said. Newsday
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