Chamisa’s MDC faction suspends MP participation in Parly

Harare, (New Ziana) – The Nelson Chamisa led faction of the MDC-T on Thursday suspended participation of its legislators from all activities of Parliament pending a total withdrawal from the august body as infighting in the opposition party escalates. Get the best alcohol based sanitizers

The faction is crying foul over a decision by Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda to accept a request by the group led by Thokozani Khupe to recall four party legislators as the two factions battle for control, in a fresh escalation of intra-party infighting borne out of last month’s landmark Supreme Court ruling on the party’s leadership.

The court ruled that Nelson Chamisa illegally foisted himself as party leader following the death of MDC-T founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in 2017, and ordered it to revert to its leadership elected at its congress in 2014.

At that congress, Chamisa was elected party secretary for policy coordination, a position he held until he was elevated to become one of the three party vice presidents by Tsvangirai shortly before he died.

The court also quashed the appointment to the vice-presidency, made simultaneously with that of Elias Mudzuri.

The Supreme Court ruling, instigated by Chamisa himself, effectively handed control of the MDC-T back to Khupe, the third and only elected party vice president at the time Tsvangirai died.

After Tsvangirai’s death, Khupe, together with Mudzuri, were outsmarted by Chamisa for the party presidency, and she subsequently left the party, taking with her the name and symbol.

Chamisa, did not contest the move, opting instead to contest the 2018 Presidential election on the ticket of the MDC Alliance, a coalition of opposition parties to which he had been seconded by Tsvangirai.

After the elections, which he lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, and the break up of the MDC Alliance, Chamisa revived the original MDC, this time without the suffix T, and invited back former secretaries general Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube who had left the party following differences with Tsvangirai in 2005 and 2014 respectively.

But the Supreme Court ruling swung the power pendulum back in Khupe’s favour, who gladly accepted it and promised a root and branch leadership cull, as well as party reforms.

Tuesday’s recall of party secretary general Charlton Hwende, Prosper Mutseyami and Tabitha Khumalo from the National Assembly, and Lilian Timveous from the Senate, was Khupe’s first court ruling-armed salvo against Chamisa.

Jacob Sikhala, the vice chairperson of the Chamisa faction, said the party had resolved not to participate in Parliament business until a decision on the way forward was reached.

“All MDC Alliance MPs will forthwith suspend all participation in Parliament and disengage from all platforms in which the party has to interact with Zanu PF pending consultations with the relevant constituencies of the party, that is the electorate, and Zimbabweans at the large on the decision for a total withdrawal from Parliament,” he told a press conference a day after Chamisa’s faction held its National Standing Committee meeting.

Sikhala insisted that only the Chamisa led faction had power to recall or re-deploy its MPs accusing the ruling Zanu PF of plotting the demise of the opposition party using state institutions such as Parliament.

But Zanu PF on Wednesday dismissed allegations of its involvement in the MDC-T fiasco.

“The end game is to totally annihilate the opposition and establish a one party state,” Sikhala alleged.

He said the party had in turn expelled Morgen Komichi, Douglas Mwonzora and Elias Mudzuri, top officials in the Khupe faction.

“They have therefore expelled themselves from the Alliance and are forthwith relieved of their positions and membership in the party,” Sikhala said.

New Ziana