MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has taken the battle to
control the heart and soul of the opposition to party structures, dispatching
his top leadership to conduct branch meetings across the country in an effort
to outfox his rivals.
Chamisa himself was in Mbare, Chitungwiza and Mabvuku from
Friday to Sunday where he met party members, danced to local dancehall music
with ghetto youths and was mobbed by hundreds of supporters as the MDC Alliance
said it was mobilising for mass action against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s
government.
Chamisa’s presidential affairs secretary, Jameson Timba
confirmed that the party was gearing to demand living wages for the people, a
stop to corruption and a better Zimbabwe.
“The president has been about meeting the people, listening
to their challenges and offering direction. If you remember our plan and
strategy was to have action, to confront the evils of corruption and poverty
caused by the Zanu PF government. We were supposed to have gone across the
country and dealt with these things by May, but the plans were scuttled by
COVID-19,” Timba said.
Chamisa, ousted from party headquarters, Morgan Richard
Tsvangirai House and fired by acting MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe from the
party, drew cheers as he met ordinary party members.
During the tours Chamisa told NewsDay that he remained in
control of the party and its structures and would not be deterred by his
opponents.
“I can’t be told that I don’t have a party by people whom I
defeated at polls using that party. Go and check the records. The MDC Alliance
is the party that won elections. The leader of the MDC Alliance beat Emmerson
Mnangagwa in the rigged elections. He can’t forgive us over that drubbing,” he
said.
Chamisa contested the final presidential results announced
by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission insisting that he had garnered 2,6 million
votes to win the presidency although he lost the challenge in court.
Khupe, who assumed leadership, through a Supreme Court
ruling, also ran as a presidential candidate and got an official tally of 45
000 votes.
Ad by Valueimpression
In an effort to win the hearts of supporters, the underfire
Chamisa, who has been suffering crucial court defeats, dispatched secretary for
rural mobilisation Happymore Chidziva to mobilise structures and close out
Khupe’s team.
Chidziva said he had been holding branch meetings and was
enjoying massive support from the business community and party members at home
and abroad who were funding his outreach programme.
“The party is not stopping, it’s going ahead and I can tell
you we are solid, over 200 branch meetings have taken place. We are getting
support from our members and there is no doubt that they know where they
stand,” Chidziva said.
Last week, MDC Alliance secretary-general Chalton Hwende
announced that they had received close to $210 000 for rural structures from a
South African businessman.
Meanwhile, Khupe’s MDC-T said it was planning to recall 20
MPs who got into Parliament on an MDC Alliance ticket with close sources
revealing that a batch of 12 would be booted out of the august House as early
as this afternoon.
Impeccable sources yesterday told NewsDay that four top
Chamisa loyalists including his deputy Lynette Karenyi-Kore, who is women’s
quota proportional representation MP for Manicaland and organising secretary
Amos Chibaya (Mkoba MP) would also face recall.
“Firstly, you need to realise that last week the MDC-T made
replacements in the standing committee which existed in 2014 and was reinstated
by the Supreme Court ruling. Among some people who were replaced are
Karenyi-Kore, Chibaya, Murisi Zwizwai and Happymore Chidziva, who are all
current MPs. These, therefore, are obviously going to be on the first list of
MPs to be recalled today,” the source said.
On Thursday last week, a senior staff member in acting
secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora’s office, Norest Marara, posted on his
Facebook page hinting on the imminent purge.
“Tuesday 23/06/2020. Someone will cease to be honourable
and will be dishonourable,” he wrote.
Contacted for comment, MDC-T deputy spokesperson Khalipani
Phungeni said: “Yes, indeed we have replaced about four members in the standing
committee who have since joined another political party. You will appreciate
that our constitution says if you join another party you have dismissed
yourself (from the party).”
“So someone who has dismissed himself or herself from the
party can no longer represent us in Parliament. So yes, I can confirm that
members who have fired themselves from the party have no business representing
our interests in Parliament. Only members of MDC-T can represent MDC-T in
Parliament.”
Phungeni could not be drawn into revealing the actual date
on which the MDC Alliance MPs would be recalled from Parliament.
MDC Alliance deputy spokesperson Clifford Hlatshwayo said
the party’s reaction on the possible recalls would be guided by recommendations
of their national council.
“What we have always said is that MDC-T and MDC Alliance
are two different parties which even went to congresses separately. So it will
be illegal for Khupe to recall our MPs. Their call for sticking to 2014
structures is like a reverse jive song which people now want to enjoy as a
freshly-released hit music. The 2014 structures were overtaken by events.
However, we will be guided by recommendations of our national council if they
continue to recall our MPs,” he said. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment