MDC-T co-vice president Dr Thokozani Khupe has made
sensational claims that the late MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai had told
fellow co-vice presidents Messrs Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri that she
would act as president at all times that he was absent.
This came as a new voice recording emerged yesterday, in
which Mr Tsvangirai could be heard giving instructions that the appointment of
Messrs Chamisa and Mudzuri would not affect Dr Khupe when it came to her
constitutional role to act as the party’s president in his absence.
Dr Khupe lashed out at Mr Chamisa for reneging on an
agreement that the two made to stop all party meetings, including the recent
meetings that culminated in his elevation as acting president. This is
contained in a letter Dr Khupe wrote – written on a letterhead from the office
of the MDC-T president – addressed to the party’s guardian council of elders,
where she appealed to them to intervene in the leadership dispute pitting her
against Mr Chamisa.
There is an ugly fight in MDC-T over who succeeds Mr
Tsvangirai, who succumbed to colon cancer in a South African hospital last
week.
He was buried last week at his rural home in Buhera. All
the three vice presidents – Mr Chamisa, Dr Khupe and Mr Mudzuri – claim to be
the rightful interim leaders of the opposition party.
The fights manifested at the burial of Mr Tsvangirai, where
Dr Khupe, secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora and organising secretary Mr
Abednigo Bhebhe were assaulted. Party activists even threatened to torch the
hut in which the senior party leaders had taken refuge. Dr Khupe noted in her
letter that she had unsuccessfully tried to speak to Mr Tsvangirai from Cape
Town, South Africa when he was in hospital.
“In all my visits and calls to the president in his last
days, I never raised the issue of who was supposed to act in his absence
because the president had sat Honourable Chamisa, Honourable Mudzuri and myself
down to clarify who acted on his behalf,” she said.
“He had been clear that I was to act in all instances when
he would be absent, by operation of the constitution.”
Dr Khupe accused Mr Chamisa of unprocedurally convening
party meetings that they had all agreed to put on hold as Mr Tsvangirai’s
health deteriorated. “I met Honourable Chamisa at his chambers on the 13th of
February 2018, to advise him to cancel the series of meetings I heard he had
scheduled pending due consultations with all leaders to resolve who was acting
president,” she said.
“After much discussion, he promised to cancel them. After
this one-on-one with him, I left for Bulawayo.
“On the 14th of February 2018, I learnt of the passing on
of president Tsvangirai, and of a renewed interest by Honourable Chamisa to
have the same meetings he had cancelled. I was further informed that he had
called these meetings as preparatory meetings for president Tsvangirai’s
burial. What followed is in the public domain as the late president
Tsvangirai’s funeral literally became a campaign tool for party presidency by
Honourable Chamisa.
“We had agreed that I be the keynote speaker at Freedom
Square, but he protested that arrangement when we were on the platform. I gave
in because I did not want to cause unnecessary scenes at the funeral.”
Ominously, an audio recording of the late Mr Tsvangirai
telling some party members that his elected deputy Dr Khupe is entitled to take
over the reins in any eventuality emerged yesterday, which seemingly
corroborates Dr Khupe’s account.
Although it was not clear when and where the meeting took
place, the recording indicates that Mr Tsvangirai was addressing disgruntled
party members following his appointment in July 2016 of Mr Mudzuri and Mr
Chamisa as his other co-deputies.
Mr Tsvangirai can be heard saying the appointment of Messrs
Mudzuri and Chamisa did not mean he had undermined the authority of Dr Khupe,
who was elected at the last MDC-T congress in 2014.
“So, kana muchindibvunza imimi kuti makazoappoindirei mamwe
mavice president; handina kuundermina munhu aka elekitwa necongress because as
far as I am concerned, she is my vice president. (So, if you ask me why I
appointed other vice presidents, I didn’t undermine someone who was elected at
congress because as far as I am concerned, she is my vice president),” Mr
Tsvangirai said.
“Handidi kunzwa munhu anofamba achiti because
pakazoappoindwa mamwe mavice president saka, therefore, Mai Khupe is no longer
the vice president uchifunga kuti ndokutsigira. (I don’t want to hear anyone
who moves around saying because I appointed other vice presidents so,
therefore, Mai Khupe is no longer the vice president thinking that I will
support you).
“She is the vice president elected by congress and that’s
where we are. If I am not there, she acts on my behalf, whatever happens.”
Mr Tsvangirai could be heard adding: “So, who knows, if I
am not there the vice president takes over. Handiti ndizvo? (Isn’t that so?)
Kana vice president aita takeover mamwe ma regions oti maisirei iyeye iye aka
elekitwa necongress zvinofamba here? You have to understand, please remove this
idea that the idea of appointing other vice presidents was intended to
undermine anyone it was not the case.”
Mr Tsvangirai said he wanted people to occupy positions
after being elected on their own merit.
“We want people to be elected on their own merit so that
they are able to pursue a national agenda, and a national agenda is to remove
all these grievances you are raising so that we are able to have one national
agenda,” he said.
Addressing journalists at Harvest House yesterday, Mr Chamisa
said his side had set up processes to bury the hatchet with Dr Khupe.
He refused to give further details. He said the party’s
national executive and national council will meet today to make a definitive
position regarding leadership issue.
“There are processes that we have instituted,” said Mr
Chamisa.
“Transparency does not mean nakedness. We are engaging her.
It is not a Khupe/Chamisa issue, but you will be assured that she will soon be
part of us at the appropriate time.”
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