We enjoy support of the old guard – Komichi
CHENGETAI ZVAUYA
Reinstated MDC-T national chairman Morgen Komichi says he enjoys the support of senior founding members as he works with secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora to plan for the elective congress in line with a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Komichi told Business Times that he was moving ahead as the national chairman of the party together with Douglas Mwonzora the secretary general to come out with plans for an elective congress to choose the new leaders of the party.
The Supreme Court recently ruled MDC should go to the structure established by the party’s congress in 2014 which made Thokozani Khupe the party’s acting president pending the holding of an extraordinary congress.
“There are a lot of party members who did not support (MDC Alliance president Nelson) Chamisa. After the lockdown you shall be seeing us on the ground together with the senior founding members who will come out in the open to express their support to the Supreme Court ruling,” Komichi said.
“I have been receiving calls from the several founding members of the party supporting me to go ahead and organise the congress as per the Supreme Court ruling that we must held an elective congress within three months and majority of the founding members are coming to our side with Honourable Douglas Mwonzora.
“Chamisa is still a party member and has the right to contest for any post he wants and we do not want violence as we know that some of MDC youths at the Harvest House are threatening us with violence and we want to warn them that the law will take its course and we are going to be making a report to the police about the threats.”
He claimed founding members of the party wanted to preserve the legacy of the late founding leader MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai who was advocated peace and democracy as opposed to violence.
Komichi accused Chamisa of purging some of the senior founding members of his party as he built his team.
“We know that Chamisa has frustrated many of the senior founding members of the party who are now coming back to us and wanting us to rebuild the party that had been destroyed by factionalism that was being pushed by Chamisa and his group,” he said.
Business Times is informed that majority of the founding members are rallying behind Mwonzora and Komichi after they were dumped by Chamisa as he opted to work with young leaders—Amos Chibaya, Charlton Hwende, Happymore Chidziva and Murisi Zwizwai.
Other party’s old guards such as James Makore, Pearson Mungofa, Cephas Makuyana and Gift Chimanikire were said to be unhappy after they felt that they were being sidelined.
Komichi, Mwonzora and Mudzuri lost at MDC’s Alliance congress held in Gweru last year.
Chamisa’s spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda said his principal was not losing sleep over the Supreme Court ruling and statements by Mwonzora and Komichi claiming to be the new leaders of MDC.
He said Chamisa has the backing of the party’s old guard.
“We are focused on fighting coronavirus in the country at the moment and we have stopped all the political programmes because of the lockdown but our party supporters know that Chamisa is the legitimate leader of MDC as we had our congress in Gweru last year which elected a team of new leaders.
We do not have time for Komichi and Mwonzora. It also not true that the founding members of party are no longer supporting Chamisa; just wait and see after lockdown who is charge of MDC” Sibanda said.
