THE MDC’s mindless infighting continues to escalate — with
the tension between interim party leader Thokozani Khupe and her
secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora now said to be approaching breaking point.
So toxic has this relationship become, that well-placed
sources told the Daily News yesterday that Mwonzora and Khupe’s spokesperson
Khaliphani Phugeni almost came to blows at the weekend.
This comes as Khupe and MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa
have been engaged in a hammer and tongs war over control of the country’s
biggest opposition party.
The sources who spoke to the Daily News yesterday said at
the centre of Khupe and Mwonzora’s fights was the alleged desire by both to
control the recall of MDC legislators and councillors, including the decision
on who would replace the recalled members.
Matters apparently came to a head during a national
standing committee meeting at the weekend, where Phugeni allegedly confronted
Mwonzora — accusing him of not consulting other leaders before recalling party
MPs and councillors.
It is claimed that last week’s recall of Harare mayor
Herbert Gomba and five other councillors was the final straw.
On the other hand,
Mwonzora is said to be very unhappy with Khupe — allegedly for not consulting
him when she nominated herself to become MP along with Phugeni and others, to
fill the vacancies left by legislators who were recalled for supporting
Chamisa.
Phugeni declined to comment on the alleged party infighting
and his altercation with Mowonzora yesterday.
“I do not want to discuss what happens in the national
standing committee with the media,” he said.
The party’s national
chairperson, Morgen Komichi, also declined to discuss the matter, while
Mwonzora would only say “I am currently in a meeting over that”.
Apart from nominating herself and her spokesperson, Khupe
also appointed Yvonne Musarurwa, Lindani Moyo, January Sawuke, Memory
Munochinzwa, Lwazi Sibanda, Sipho Mokone, Molly Ndlovu, Tamani Moyo, Gertrude
Moyo, Piniel Denga, Chief Ndluvu, Nomalanga Khumalo and Teti Chisorochengwe as
MPs.
A national standing committee member who witnessed Mwonzora
and Phugeni’s altercation described it as “nasty”.
“Phugeni confronted Mwonzora, accusing him of dictatorial
tendencies and equating him to Chamisa, saying he was worse than (the late
former president Robert) Mugabe.
“Mwonzora reacted angrily and grabbed Phugeni by the
collar, threatening to beat him up before he was restrained by Komichi,” the
insider told the Daily News.
This comes as the senseless wars consuming the MDC continue
to deepen, with neither Khupe nor Chamisa seemingly able to stabilise the
troubled party — to the obvious glee of Zanu PF.
The MDC has been consumed by its senseless ructions ever
since its much-loved founding father Morgan Tsvangirai died from colon cancer
in February 2018.
The party’s infighting escalated after the Supreme Court’s
judgment earlier this year which upheld last year’s ruling by the High Court
that nullified Chamisa’s ascendancy to the leadership of the country’s biggest
opposition party.
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