News / National
Mwonzora and Chamisa fight for MDC Presidency sucks in Mayors
01 Nov 2018 at 19:37hrs | Views
The battle for the MDC Presidency has been fingered as the cause behind the squabbles involving mayors in the opposition MDC. The 40 year old President Nelson Chamisa recently sanctioned the purging of Mayors and Deputy Mayors who were elected outside the Party whipping system. Things took a wild turn today when the Secretary General of the MDC Douglas Mwonzora sent letters to the Provincial Chairpersons advising them that as per the MDC constitution, provincial structures have no power to recall elected officials.
Later on another letter emerged where Douglas Mwonzora was instructing all provincial, District and Ward Chairs that all recommendations and suspensions must be sent to the National Organising Secretary through his office as Secretary General.
Bulawayo24 spoke to a Provincial Leader of the MDC in Bulawayo who shed more light on the seemingly rift between the President and the Secretary General.
"I was in Harare at the Morgan Tsvangirai House today (Thursday). I can tell you that the SG is adamant that no one will expel anyone, all those expelled must go back to their positions. the SG is not happy with the leadership of President Chamisa and is preparing to fight the Presidency at Congress. So the SG is using this opportunity of purging of Mayors and Deputy Mayors to defend them so that he consolidated structures around them as the Councillors who voted them and the structures in their wards will see the SG as the saviour who stopped Chamisa from causing divisions in the party.
"One other person that is also taking advantage of the process is the National Chairperson Thabita Khumalo. She is looking forward for congress to endorse her recent appointment as National Chair. You know that she chairs the disciplinary Committee so she is defending those who are purportedly fired in the hope that they support her bid in congress. So all that you are seeing now between President Chamisa's directive and Mwonzora's rebuttal, read it with a congress perspective in mind."
Chamisa's legitimacy as President of the MDC has been shaky from the day he inherited the position from the late Veteran Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai. He managed to rally supporters around his charisma and was supported by Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube.
Later on another letter emerged where Douglas Mwonzora was instructing all provincial, District and Ward Chairs that all recommendations and suspensions must be sent to the National Organising Secretary through his office as Secretary General.
Bulawayo24 spoke to a Provincial Leader of the MDC in Bulawayo who shed more light on the seemingly rift between the President and the Secretary General.
"One other person that is also taking advantage of the process is the National Chairperson Thabita Khumalo. She is looking forward for congress to endorse her recent appointment as National Chair. You know that she chairs the disciplinary Committee so she is defending those who are purportedly fired in the hope that they support her bid in congress. So all that you are seeing now between President Chamisa's directive and Mwonzora's rebuttal, read it with a congress perspective in mind."
Chamisa's legitimacy as President of the MDC has been shaky from the day he inherited the position from the late Veteran Opposition Leader Morgan Tsvangirai. He managed to rally supporters around his charisma and was supported by Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube.
Source - Byo24News
