If there’s certainly one thing which the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe appears to have mastered well, it is the craft of recalling elected officials from her rival Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance.
After she effected mass dismissals of legislators from the MDC-A, including councilors from Harare, the MDC-T’s next-port-of-call is Bulawayo with five councilors up for dismissal.
This comes after MDC-T Bulawayo provincial secretary Nomvula Mguni wrote to Khupe and reinstated party secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora requesting the recalling of five councilors accused of supporting another political party against the constitution of the MDC-T.
On March 31, Supreme Court judge Justice Bharat Patel, sitting with Justices Paddington Garwe and Antonia Guvava, controversially ruled that Chamisa is not the legitimate MDC leader in terms of the party’s constitution and subsequently ordered the convening of an extra-ordinary congress to elect a new president.
Since the shock Supreme Court ruling was delivered, Khupe embarked on a vicious purging of officials elected on the ticket of the MDC Alliance, including a state-assisted violent takeover of Harvest House, the citadel of oppositional politics accomodating the offices of the Chamisa-led party.
In Bulawayo, the affected councilors include former Deputy Mayor, Tinashe Kambarami (Ward Three) who is already barred from office pending the outcome of a Supreme Court appeal on his legitimacy to be a councillor, Concillia Mlalazi (Ward 18), Alderman Earnest Rafamoyo (Ward 20), Councillor Tinevimbo Maphosa (Ward 21) and Alderman Norman Hlabani (Ward 26).
“The Bulawayo Province has decided to recall the councillors guided by the party’s constitution which states that every member shall have the duty to accept and conform to the constitution, policies, principles, rules and regulations of the party. And also to conduct oneself in a manner which is not prejudicial to the interests of the party and in particular to adhere to the code of conduct of the party, to observe discipline, not engage in any form of violence, to behave honestly and carry out loyal decisions of the party,” Mguni partly wrote.
She also added that the five councillors had rendered themselves expelled from the MDC-T after they pleaded allegiance to and joined another political party — the MDC-Alliance.
Mguni told the state media that she was communicating a decision that had been reached by the party’s provincial executive.
“As the party’s provincial secretary, it is my duty to communicate such decisions to the national leadership for implementation,” she said.
To date, the MDC-T has recalled 21 legislators accused of failing to respect the Supreme Court ruling.
On the other hand, the MDC-A has accused Khupe of working hand-in-gloves with Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa to destroy the party fronted by Chamisa.
Mnangagwa was controversially declared the winner in a disputed presidential contest of the 2018 harmonised elections.
state media
Additional Reporting: Zwnews
