News / National
Khupe dumps MDC Alliance; joins Mujuru coalition
19 Mar 2018 at 06:07hrs | Views
MDC-T vice President Dr Thokozani Khupe's camp has broken away from the main party led by Advocate Nelson Chamisa, a development that will see the faction going for elections under the People's Rainbow Coalition led by Dr Joice Mujuru.
Since the death of the party's founding president Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC-T has been rocked by a power struggle pitting Dr Khupe and Adv Chamisa.
The differences have resulted in violent skirmishes and court challenges.
MDC-T's national council and national executive confirmed Adv Chamisa as the party's acting president following Tsvangirai's death, but Dr Khupe insisted that constitutionally she was the party's leader. She has demanded an extraordinary congress for the party to elect Tsvangirai's successor.
Addressing a sizeable crowd during a rally at Bulawayo Amphitheatre yesterday, Dr Khupe said her camp was breaking away from Adv Chamisa-led group, but would retain the opposition party's name.
Her camp also confirmed links to ex-Vice president Dr Mujuru who leads the National People's Party which signed a pact with other small parties such as Zapu, Democratic Assembly for Reform and Empowerment (Dare) among others.
Dr Khupe who was accompanied by MDC-T national organising secretary, Mr Abednego Bhebhe and national party spokesperson, Mr Obert Gutu, said they were no longer pursuing the same democratic interests with Adv Chamisa's grouping.
"We have come a long way with our colleagues. However, they seem to have taken a different path. A path which is against and does not respect the constitution. A path which does not respect democracy, a path which is violent, a path which discriminates on basis of ethnicity and a path which discriminates against women, who by the way are a majority, 54 percent of the voting population," said Dr Khupe.
She said they will not be silenced by intimidation and violence.
"We will not stand with those who have opted to use violence, defy the constitution, discriminate, and go against the core values of the MDC. With a clear conscience, we are parting from these actions and we will continue to pursue the democratic project of taking the people of Zimbabwe to the promised lands," she said.
Dr Khupe said the party will form an alliance with like-minded political formations.
"In this respect, we shall also pursue the formation of a holistic, viable and broad based grand coalition, of all progressive democratic political forces that will face Zanu-PF in the forthcoming harmonised elections. Today we boldly declare that we are the MDC-T and always shall remain the MDC-T," said Dr Khupe.
In an interview, Mr Gutu said their outfit was going to join the People's Rainbow Coalition.
"Absolutely the acting president was very clear, very unequivocal. She said that we are going to form a broad based coalition with other democratic forces, it's a clear sign we are not going to be a one party band or a one woman, one man band," said Mr Gutu.
Mr Bhebhe said yesterday's rally was a demonstration that even the minority and the vulnerable had a voice.
Since the death of the party's founding president Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC-T has been rocked by a power struggle pitting Dr Khupe and Adv Chamisa.
The differences have resulted in violent skirmishes and court challenges.
MDC-T's national council and national executive confirmed Adv Chamisa as the party's acting president following Tsvangirai's death, but Dr Khupe insisted that constitutionally she was the party's leader. She has demanded an extraordinary congress for the party to elect Tsvangirai's successor.
Addressing a sizeable crowd during a rally at Bulawayo Amphitheatre yesterday, Dr Khupe said her camp was breaking away from Adv Chamisa-led group, but would retain the opposition party's name.
Her camp also confirmed links to ex-Vice president Dr Mujuru who leads the National People's Party which signed a pact with other small parties such as Zapu, Democratic Assembly for Reform and Empowerment (Dare) among others.
Dr Khupe who was accompanied by MDC-T national organising secretary, Mr Abednego Bhebhe and national party spokesperson, Mr Obert Gutu, said they were no longer pursuing the same democratic interests with Adv Chamisa's grouping.
"We have come a long way with our colleagues. However, they seem to have taken a different path. A path which is against and does not respect the constitution. A path which does not respect democracy, a path which is violent, a path which discriminates on basis of ethnicity and a path which discriminates against women, who by the way are a majority, 54 percent of the voting population," said Dr Khupe.
She said they will not be silenced by intimidation and violence.
"We will not stand with those who have opted to use violence, defy the constitution, discriminate, and go against the core values of the MDC. With a clear conscience, we are parting from these actions and we will continue to pursue the democratic project of taking the people of Zimbabwe to the promised lands," she said.
Dr Khupe said the party will form an alliance with like-minded political formations.
"In this respect, we shall also pursue the formation of a holistic, viable and broad based grand coalition, of all progressive democratic political forces that will face Zanu-PF in the forthcoming harmonised elections. Today we boldly declare that we are the MDC-T and always shall remain the MDC-T," said Dr Khupe.
In an interview, Mr Gutu said their outfit was going to join the People's Rainbow Coalition.
"Absolutely the acting president was very clear, very unequivocal. She said that we are going to form a broad based coalition with other democratic forces, it's a clear sign we are not going to be a one party band or a one woman, one man band," said Mr Gutu.
Mr Bhebhe said yesterday's rally was a demonstration that even the minority and the vulnerable had a voice.
Source - chronicle
