‘No longer at ease,’ Khupe suspends top ally

MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe has suspended her party’s national organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe after he exposed alleged plans to manipulate the forthcoming extraordinary congress to choose a new leader.

A standing committee meeting recommended Bhebhe’s suspension after he sided with MDC Alliance members Gilbert Kagodora and Nason Mamuse, who want the High Court to force Khupe to release key information about the crucial event.

Bhebhe was served with a suspension letter last week, well-placed sources said. MDC-T interim secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora yesterday professed ignorance about the suspension.

“I don’t know about that yet, you can ask the president, what I know is, she wanted to suspend him,” Mwonzora said.

Khupe and the party’s spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni were not available for comment.

Bhebhe did not respond to questions sent to him.

In court papers supporting Kagodora and Mamuse, the former Nkayi South MP claimed Khupe had blown $7 million given to the party under the Political Parties (Finance) Act.

He also claimed Khupe and Mwonzora were making decisions about the congress without the approval of the national council as per the party’s constitution.

The extraordinary congress was ordered by the Supreme Court, which ruled that MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa’s succession of the late MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai was illegal.

Meanwhile, Mwonzora disclosed that the MDC-T had repossessed Morgan Tsvangirai House, that had been taken over by party youths who accused the Khupe group of working with Zanu-PF.

The youths were led by suspended Harare MDC-T provincial youth chairperson Paul Gorekore,

A Harare magistrare court granted the MDC-T the go-ahead to regain possession of the building.

“We are going to hold a press conference from Harvest House this Monday (tomorrow),” Mwonzora said.

Insiders said the youths, who had been at the building for weeks, were forced to give up because they had run out of food provisions.

MDC-T youths led by Shakespeare Mukoyi are said to have taken control of the building last week.

-The Standard