Tsvangirai shoots down Khupe

MDC-T president Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has embarrassed his deputy Ms Thokozani Khupe by lifting the suspension she imposed on the party's Matabeleland South chairperson, Mr Solani Moyo, whom she accused of threatening to assault her.

Ms Khupe on Monday suspended Mr Moyo for allegedly menacingly charging at her with the intention of assaulting her at a party voter registration outreach programme at Ndolwane, Matabeleland South, on November 25.

She charged that Mr Moyo had to be restrained by the party's national organising secretary Mr Abednicho Bhebhe and national chairperson Mr Lovemore Moyo.

The MDC-T deputy president, criticized for her actions by party members who accused her of breaching the party's constitution by unilaterally suspending Mr Moyo, said his conduct was tantamount to gross disrespect and undermined her as an elected senior leader.

However, in a letter to Ms Khupe on Thursday, Mr Tsvangirai expressed shock that his deputy had gone on to suspend Mr Moyo before he could respond to her request to suspend the chairperson.

Mr Tsvangirai also intimated that Ms Khupe could have breached the constitution by suspending Mr Moyo in a case where she is a complainant, adding that he was also in possession of a letter from the Matabeleland South chairperson regarding her conduct on the day.  "I am disturbed that before I even considered your request and the issues surrounding the same, you have gone ahead to suspend the party's chairperson in a matter in which you are a complainant and gone public on the same," wrote Mr Tsvangirai to Ms Khupe.

"It is not my intention at this stage to go into the merits of the case or constitutionality of the sections taken to date without a proper investigation by a competent authority."

Mr Tsvangirai said he was referring the case to the party's arbiter general to make a determination on the matter and advise him on the way forward while Mr Moyo carries on with his party duties.