CHENGETAI ZVAUYA
MDC Alliance Nelson Chamisa and his allies are free to contest for positions
at MDC’s extraordinary congress, the party has said.
MDC is supposed to hold an extraordinary congress in line with a Supreme Court ruling to decide the leadership of the party.
In April, the Supreme Court ordered MDC-T to hold an extraordinary congress within three months.
MDC-T chairman Morgan Komichi told Business Times that his party was going ahead with the preparation of the elective congress and the
entire leadership had agreed to allow Chamisa and other leaders in the MDC Alliance to be delegates at the congress and contest if they wish so.
He said the interim leadership was composed of Douglas Mwonzora (
secretary general), Khupe (acting president), Elias Mudzuri (vice president) and, Abedenico Bhebhe (organising secretary) . “We are going ahead with the planning of holding of the elective congress as ordered by the
Supreme Court ruling and we have decided to invite Chamisa and his team of MDC Alliance leadership to contest in the elections. As you are aware
most of the top leadership of the MDC Alliance were also leaders in 2014 party structures,” Komichi said.
“Everyone who is a member of the MDC party is free to come and contest in the congress and many of the senior members that are now associated with Chamisa have told us that there will be at the congress.”
Komichi said he has received communication to the effect that Chamisa has denied to participate at the congress and “I know that majority of MDC Alliance rank and file members have indicated that they are willing to be
participating in our congress and to be voted as legitimate office bearers”.
The MDC-T has July 31 as the date which it is going to be holding its elective congress to elect its new leadership.
“We are aware of the announcement that was made by President Emmerson Mnangagwa that the lockdown period will be indefinite and we are going to be working on programme for the congress considering
the corona virus outbreak as well that we have to protect the delegates from the Covid19,” Komichi said.
But MDC Alliance secretary general Charlton Hwende said his party does
not recognise Khupe and her political outfit as the MDC Alliance held its own congress in 2019 in Gweru to choose their own leaders and were
not going to be participating in the congress including Chamisa.
“Khupe has her own party and we chose our own leaders in Gweru last year and who are going to be leading the MDC Alliance for the next five
years under Chamisa and we are not going to be attending
the MDC T congress anytime soon. We have court battles that we are fighting with them and we have political battles with them as they
have been recalling MPs from Parliament for no good legal
reason ,” Hwende said.
Hwende is among the four MDC Alliance MPs including Prosper Mutseyami, Thabitha Khumalo and Lillian Timveous that have been recalled from
Parliament by Mwonzora.
The quartet is challenging the recall at the courts.
