News / National
MDC-T 'faces major split' ahead of elections
21 Mar 2018 at 11:15hrs | Views
THE Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party, is reportedly facing a major split after its embattled deputy president, Thokozani Khupe, announced over the weekend that she would be joining forces with the country's former deputy president Joice Mujuru's Rainbow Coalition.
According to New Zimbabwe.com, Khupe told a sizeable amount of her supporters in Bulawayo that she was breaking away from the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC.
Khuphe said that she intended on keeping the MDC name. This was, however, likely to set a legal battle with her rival Chamisa.
"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% of voting population," Khuphe was quoted as saying.
The MDC has been paralysed by disagreements over who should have succeeded its long-serving former leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of cancer on February 14.
Khuphe has reportedly refused to recognise the recent appointment of Chamisa as the substantive party leader.
Meanwhile, a NewsDay report on Tuesday quoted MDC officials in Bulawayo as saying that they "would not lose sleep over the 600 party activists who attended Khupe's rally on Sunday". They described the gathering as a "rented crowd".
"We, as MDC, are calling on our members to be steadfast and be peaceful and continue with registration as voters and adhere to the party constitution and all party resolutions," provincial spokesperson Felix Magalela Sibanda was quoted as saying.
According to New Zimbabwe.com, Khupe told a sizeable amount of her supporters in Bulawayo that she was breaking away from the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC.
Khuphe said that she intended on keeping the MDC name. This was, however, likely to set a legal battle with her rival Chamisa.
"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% of voting population," Khuphe was quoted as saying.
The MDC has been paralysed by disagreements over who should have succeeded its long-serving former leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who died of cancer on February 14.
Khuphe has reportedly refused to recognise the recent appointment of Chamisa as the substantive party leader.
Meanwhile, a NewsDay report on Tuesday quoted MDC officials in Bulawayo as saying that they "would not lose sleep over the 600 party activists who attended Khupe's rally on Sunday". They described the gathering as a "rented crowd".
"We, as MDC, are calling on our members to be steadfast and be peaceful and continue with registration as voters and adhere to the party constitution and all party resolutions," provincial spokesperson Felix Magalela Sibanda was quoted as saying.
Source - news24
