THE fight for control of the country’s main opposition
party took a new twist yesterday, with 151 out of a possible 200 members who
constituted the MDC-T 2014 national council structures rallying behind MDC
Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa .
The meeting also rejected the recent Supreme Court ruling
which recognised Thokozani Khupe as the bona fide acting party president.
The party structures met in Harare yesterday and accused
Khupe, her now secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora and chairman Morgen Komichi
of advancing Zanu PF interests.
The meeting followed the Supreme Court ruling made in March
which declared Khupe the acting president and ordered the party to urgently
hold an extraordinary congress to elect new leadership using structures that
existed in 2014 when party founder Morgan Tsvangirai (now late) was still at
the helm.
Armed with the ruling, Khupe, who contested the 2018
presidential polls under the banner of the MDC-T, rushed to recall Chamisa’s
four MDC Alliance legislators claiming they had contested the polls on an MDC-T
ticket.
But yesterday, the leaders of the 2014 structures, who
constituted both the national council and the national executive, met and
deliberated on the Supreme Court judgment before summoning the 2014 national
standing committee, including Mwonzora and Komichi, to a meeting to map the way
forward on June 6.
In a communiqué read out by the former deputy
secretary-general of the 2014 structures Paurina Mpariwa, the party accused
Khupe, Mwonzora and Komichi of acting unilaterally without consulting the 2014
structures.
“We, the leaders of the former national council of the
former MDC, resolved in terms of the constitution to petition the former
national standing committee members, including Komichi and Mwonzora, to
facilitate a national council meeting within 14 days — on June 6 — to respond
to the Supreme Court judgment at a venue that achieves compliance with COVID-19
lockdown regulations,” Mpariwa said.
The meeting also resolved to stop Mwonzora, Komichi and
Khupe from masquerading as MDC leaders until issues have been ironed out at the
June 6 meeting.
“The Supreme Court judgment enjoined the former MDC to
convene an extraordinary congress within three months and further went on to
give the former VP Khupe, who at the point of Dr Tsvangirai’s death was no
longer a member, having ceased attending constitutional meetings in June 2017,
to be a member of the party,” Mpariwa said.
“The judgment further instructed Komichi, the former
vice-chairperson of the former MDC, to convene the extraordinary congress in
the event of the failure by the former vice-president.
What is bizarre is that the judgment elevates the former
vice-chairperson to the position of chairperson despite that the former
chairperson was Lovemore Moyo and he had not told the court that he was unable
to execute his duties.”
She said the 2014 structures “fundamentally disagree with
the Supreme Court decision” as its calls for an extra-ordinary congress came as
the need for an extraordinary congress does not exist anymore.
“President Tsvangirai died on February 14, 2018 and the
acting leader was supposed to act for one year to February 2019 and the next
congress was due in October 2019. As such, no court can rewrite the rules of a
voluntary association,” she said.
“The terms of all office bearers and organs of the former
MDC mandate expired in October 2019 and it cannot be revived without
condonation and authority of the membership.
“The judgment does not specify the structure that is going
to implement the legacy and historical issues and the term of office of the
so-elected president at the extraordinary congress.”
Mpariwa said it was a matter of concern that Mwonzora was
now acting unilaterally to recall MDC Alliance MPs.
The recalled legislators were Prosper Mutseyami
(Dangamvura-Chikanga), who was also the party’s chief whip in Parliament,
Chalton Hwende (Kuwadzana East), Tabitha Khumalo (proportional representative,
Bulawayo province) and senator Lillian Timveous (Midlands).
“We have also seen that the former secretary-general of the
former MDC is now unilaterally, vindictively and against the rule of law
abusing the judgment, usurping the powers of the lawful organs, now writing to
Parliament and the Minister of Local Government. For the avoidance of doubt, all
the recalls are not bound by lawfulness and, therefore, null and void,” Mpariwa
said.
“The purported July 31 date of the extra-ordinary congress
is illegal and invalid because it was done unilaterally and against the
constitution of the former MDC.”
But Mwonzora said yesterday’s meeting was illegal and
contravened the lockdown regulations.
“Why would they call for an illegal meeting? If they are
saying no consultations were made, that is not true. The national council met
and we had a quorum, we made resolutions,” he said.
“It can never be a national council meeting that is not
called by the secretary-general, the acting chairman or the acting president.
So it is a group of people who are just factional and decided to come together
in contravention of the MDC constitution and the laws of the regulations on
COVID-19 makes me doubt the figures.” Newsday
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