MDC-T technically splits

MDC-T yesterday inched closer to a monumental split, with co-vice presidents Engineer Elias Mudzuri and Dr Thokozani Khupe boycotting the party's standing committee meeting convened by their counterpart Advocate Nelson Chamisa.

Eng Mudzuri and Dr Khupe vowed to convene a parallel standing committee meeting today.

MDC-T national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo, who of late has been playing low key, also boycotted yesterday's meeting.

There is a serious fight in the opposition party whose leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai is battling cancer of the colon in a South African hospital.

Yesterday's meeting was attended by more than half of the members. Adv Chamisa has also called for an extraordinary national executive and national council meeting set for tomorrow (Thursday) which according to sources is expected to endorse him as acting president of the party.

The MDC-T co-vice presidents are fighting over who is acting president.

Both Messrs Chamisa and Mudzuri claim to be acting presidents.

This come as MDC-T youth assembly convened a press conference soon after holding a meeting with Mr Chamisa where they attacked party spokesperson, Mr Obert Gutu, who of late has aligned himself with Mr Mudzuri.

In an interview yesterday, Mr Mudzuri said he had called for a standing committee meeting today but slammed Mr Chamisa for calling a parallel meeting yesterday.

"I have called for a standing committee meeting to be held tomorrow (Wednesday) but Chamisa counter-called for the same meeting today. I am the one with the mandate to call for such a meeting as acting president. He is just being mischiveous. My vision is to unite the party as mandated to me by president Tsvangirai and my wish is to ensure the attendance of everyone including Ms Khupe who has not been attending such meetings," said Mr Mudzuri.

He said there was need for a neutral person to mediate the dispute.

"I will soon be calling for a mediator to find common ground because we want the party to remain united. We cannot continue to have this," Mr Mudzuri said.

Mr Chamisa said tomorrow's meeting would end the current bickering in the party.

"We want to get over this bickering and concentrate on building the party and prepare for general elections. The national council, which is an organ in-between congress in terms of the party's constitution would put an end to this whole issue. It will define the future of the party. All these issues are now set to be solved on Thursday. The national council is the decision making organ in between congress," Mr Chamisa said.

Meanwhile, MDC-T youth national chairperson Happymore Chidziva launched an attack on Mr Gutu accusing him of misrepresenting the party position.

Mr Chidziva said the MDC-T youth assembly had issued a warning to Mr Gutu that he risked disciplinary action for his conduct.

They laid several allegations of misdemeanour against him.

Mr Gutu declined to comment yesterday saying he was in a meeting.