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| MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora |
…we will use name on coming by-elections
Upenyu Chaota
Pressure
keeps mounting on MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa as his former top
lieutenant and now MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora has said that MDC
Alliance name belongs to the MDC-T and they are contemplating using the name in
the forthcoming parliamentary and local authority by-elections.
When
the Supreme Court judgment reverted MDC-T back to its 2014 structures, rendering
the presidency of Chamisa null and void, there has been turmoil in the biggest
opposition movement in the country with Thokozani Khupe, through Mwonzora,
taking the fight to Chamisa and all his sympathisers.
The
legitimacy fight between Khupe and Chamisa has claimed the scalp of many
legislators and councilors who have been caught in the crossfire.
Asked
by TellZim News on whether they would let Chamisa use the MDC Alliance name,
Mwonzora said they adopted the name and they are entitled to it.
Mwonzora
said that they will make a decision on whether to use the name MDC Alliance on
the forthcoming parliamentary and local authority by-elections.
“There
is MDC Alliance and there is now MDC Alliance party that they formed this year
and they crafted their own constitution.
“When
it comes to by-elections we will cross the bridge when we get there. We will
use the name we will use.
“We saw
people getting excited that there are by elections on December 6, 2020 but that
is not what Zec said.
“MDC
Alliance was the name that we adopted. MDC Alliance party is not our name. When
it comes to elections we will use the name that we will use. We will use everything
that we are entitled to,” said Mwonzora.
He said
that there is no permanent enemy in politics and they are willing to work with
Chamisa again if he repents and follows the party constitution.
“There
are no permanent enemies in politics. Everything is possible. We are prepared
to work with everyone provided they follow the constitution,” said Mwonzora.
Asked
where they are getting the power to call the shots since the three months given
by the Supreme Court to convene their congress have lapsed, Mwonzora said
people misread the judgment saying the three months’ time limit was given to
the president and not any other post.
“The
government stopped our congress because of Covid-19. We were ready and we are
ready to do our congress.
“The
Supreme Judgment restores the leadership of the MDC emanating from the 2014
congress. It then gives Khupe three months to hold a congress to elect one
person to be president. The secretary general was not given any time limit.
“There
is a concept in law called supervening impossibility where you are unable to do
as expected because of immediate circumstances beyond your control.
“The
law does not say a touch is a move, as long as it is reasonable, explainable
and objective. Our current structure at the moment is that we have an acting
president and chairman but we have Dr Mwonzora as the secretary general who
does not have the three months’ time limit,” said Mwonzora.
There
has been calls for Chamisa to dumb the MDC Alliance name and form a new
political party but officials within his troubled party say the option is
currently not on the table.
Recently
fired former Chivi South legislator Killer Zivhu has joined the bandwagon of
people who are calling on to Chamisa to form a new opposition party.
“My
brother Advocate Chamisa wezhira daidza
MPs and Councilors vako wotanga new party, your supporters will always
follow u.
“Zvokudzingwa
nomunhu wakarambiwa vevanhu hazvishandi. MDC-T yakafanana nomunhu anoyeva ice
cream kuchipisa ichingonyunguduka yatopera party iyo,” said Zivhu on his
Twitter account.
