MDC Alliance leaders and former office bearers of the
opposition party yesterday rallied behind their beleaguered president Nelson
Chamisa after the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that he had assumed office
illegally.
The court ruled that Thokozani Khupe was the legitimate
leader of the MDC, albeit in an acting capacity.
Vice-president Welshman Ncube said the ruling had no effect
on the processes that gave birth to the MDC Alliance, which elected Chamisa as
its leader at its congress in Gweru last year.
“The lie that whomever is the president of the MDC-T is president
or leader of the MDC Alliance is being propagated by desperate charlatans,”
Ncube said on his Twitter handle yesterday .
“Clause 3.1 of the Alliance agreement only provided that
Tsvangirai would be the Alliance presidential candidate for the 2018 elections.
“In the event of the unavailability of Tsvangirai the
Alliance agreement provided that the MDC-T would nominate the presidential
candidate, subject to the approval of MDC Alliance partners. Chamisa was so
nominated and approved.”
He said some of the provisions of the agreement were now
irrelevant after the elections.
“To then proceed to issue an order attempting to unscramble
the eggs and reconstitute back to February 14, 2018 the MDC-T component of the
omelette is to order the impossible. It just cannot be done,” he said.
“Thus the eggs were broken, scrambled and made into an
omelette and hence the acceptance by the Supreme Court that the questions
before it were moot and academic.”
Alliance executives stampeded to voice their support for
Chamisa.
“Khupe participated in the harmonised elections
representing her party (MDC-T) and has two Members of Parliament. She has her
different party from ours. We held our congress in May 2019 and we are not
going back. The Supreme Court ruling is useless to us, we do not follow those
orders because they do not refer to us,” national executive member and Binga
South Member of Parliament Gabuza Joel Gabbuza, who was the provincial
chairperson in 2014, said.
“After Khupe destroyed Matabeleland North structures to
form her own party, I was appointed by the Chamisa-led national executive. We
don’t recognise any other illegal leadership other than the Gweru congress
outcome in which (Morgen) Komichi and (Douglas) Mwonzora participated and
lost.”
Party organising secretary Amos Chibaya, suspended Masvingo
provincial chairperson, James Gumbi, Piniel Denga (Mashonaland East), Francisco
Masendeke, former Midlands South provincial chairperson, Senator Voice Chinake,
Murisi Zwizwai and Paurina Mupariwa also threw their weight behind Chamisa.
“I have not read the Supreme Court ruling, but what I can
tell you at the moment is that I rally behind president Chamisa. I stand with
our leadership that was elected in Gweru congress in May 2019 led by Chamisa.
We might have our issues as a province, it is internal, but our support for our
leadership remains unequivocal,” Bulawayo provincial chairman Gift Banda said.
MDC spokesperson Daniel Molokele said the MDC’s deputy
secretary for international affairs, Mwonzora and the party’s secretary for
presidential affairs, Komichi had effectively expelled themselves from the
party, joining Khule’s side in the fight to wrest power from Chamisa.
“Yes, on the face of it, they have expelled themselves, but
the MDC has a constitution and disciplinary processes under the constitution,
which will be followed,” Molokele said in a Facebook interview yesterday.
He ruled out prospects of talks with Khupe, accusing her of
effectively working with Zanu PF.
“We cannot work with Khupe. She is now an extension of Zanu
PF. It is too late,” Molokele said.
Responding to suggestions that Khupe could recall MDC
Alliance MPs, Molokele said this was not possible because the legislators
contested under the MDC Alliance ticket, and not MDC-T.
The real battle, Molokele said, was for the leadership of
Zimbabwe between President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chamisa.
“Please note, this is a political process and not a
judicial process or a legal process, so expect many surprises as time goes on.
This is a political battle for the leadership of Zimbabwe
between president Nelson Chamisa and ED and ED has enlisted members of the
opposition to support him to remain in power as President. That is the real
issue and we must not lose focus on that.”
He said the MDC Alliance failed to access its party
headquarters on Tuesday after police besieged the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai
House hours before the court judgment “as if they were aware of the outcome”.
But Komichi yesterday maintained the party was heading for
an extra-ordinary congress in accordance with the Supreme Court ruling, and
advised Chamisa to contest for the party leadership, saying he had high chances
of winning it considering his popularity.
He said all the fight was over adherence to the party’s
constitution and “right the wrongs” of the party takeover post-Tsvangirai.
“I would encourage Cde Chamisa to take up that offer,”
Komichi said.
“He is a popular guy, he has shown what he can do and what
he cannot do for the last two years and people will definitely respect him and
he might surprise people and win professionally in this legal battle.”
On why he was already in possession of a prepared speech
ahead of the Supreme Court ruling, Komichi said the judgment was already known
to him.
“Who didn’t know the judgment?” Komichi asked rhetorically.
“The judgment was passed last year and it was publicised.
The High Court judgment was very clear,” he said while referring to the High
Court judgment held last year, ignoring the question on the latest Supreme
Court judgment.
After the ruling, Komichi said the party would now go to
congress using the 2014 structures. Newsday
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