Mwonzora defiant

Zvamaida Murwira Senior Reporter
MDC-T secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora says he will not bow to pressure from fellow party members who are accusing him of undermining the embattled opposition party after he opposed the elevation of the party’s co-vice president Mr Nelson Chamisa to acting president.

Some party hawks have been pushing for disciplinary action against Mr Mwonzora.

The issue is set to be discussed on Thursday, when both the party’s national executive and national council will meet.

Both meetings have been hastily convened to endorse Mr Chamisa as the party’s presidential candidate in this year’s harmonised elections.

There is an ugly fight in MDC-T over who succeeds Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who succumbed to cancer of the colon in a South African hospital last week and was buried on Tuesday at his rural home in Buhera.

All the party’s three vice presidents – Mr Chamisa, Dr Thokozani Khupe and Mr Elias Mudzuri – claim that they are acting presidents of the party.

The internal fights have seen party spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu resigning from the party and has since been replaced by Ms Thabitha Khumalo in an acting capacity.

The fights manifested at the burial of Mr Tsvangirai, where Dr Khupe, Mr Mwonzora and organising secretary Mr Abednigo Bhebhe were assaulted by party hooligans chanting Mr Chamisa’s name.

The hooligans then threatened to set alight a thatched hut in which the three sought refugee at Mr Tsvangirai’s homestead, but were restrained by the timely intervention of the police.

Party hawks have been on social media calling for action against Mr Mwonzora, with national deputy treasurer Mr Charlton Hwende leading the attack on his Facebook page.

“We know that Douglas Mwonzora is at the centre of all problems now being faced by the party,” he wrote.

“He initially used Mudzuri to claim the acting presidency and he has now dumped him.

“He is now using Khupe to claim the same, he wants to destroy the MDC-T before joining the Mujuru-led coalition. He was promised the second vice president (post) when they met in Cape Town recently. We must stop him from destroying the legacy and the MDC of Morgan Tsvangirai.”

In an interview yesterday, Mr Mwonzora said he was not going to jump ship and vowed to remain in the beleaguered opposition party.

“I am not going anywhere,” he said.

“I will face the problems in my party head on. I am still the secretary-general and I am going to be party of the solution to the problems in the party.”

Mr Mwonzora said he had not yet changed his position regarding what the constitution provided in the event of death of the president.

Ms Khumalo confirmed that the party’s highest decision making organs were set to meet on Thursday.

“Both the national executive and national council are set to meet and deliberate on the issues that came up during our consultative meeting with 210 district chairperson,” she said.

“These structures are not decision making and whatever recommendations they make have to be brought before the national council.”

The party’s district chairpersons met last Friday at the behest of Mr Chamisa to anoint him as the party’s presidential candidate and interim leader for the next 12 months.