News / National
Chamisa sets up MDC congress appeals committee
03 May 2019 at 06:57hrs | Views
AN MDC special committee has been put in place to deliberate on issues raised by some members to the party's national executive council (NEC), who are unhappy about the way the just-ended provincial congress in Bulawayo was handled.
The committee was set -up to deliberate on the petition yesterday.
Some of the concerned members in Bulawayo yesterday told Southern Eye, that they have been advised that the special committee was deliberating on the appeal yesterday afternoon.
"We are informed that the committee is sitting in Harare today (yesterday) to deal with the appeal," said one of the concerned members who preferred not to be named.
MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume declined to comment about the appeal saying it was now sub judice.
The MDC Bulawayo members' appeal came at a time when party leader Nelson Chamisa had been confirmed as the party's president after he was nominated uncontested and now waits to be confirmed by the national congress to be held in Gweru from May 24 to 26.
In a notice of appeal directed to the NEC, Nketa legislator Phelela Masuku and 11 others submitted that they were appealing against the process and procedures employed at the Bulawayo provincial congress held at Stanley's Square in Makokoba on April 17 and 18, 2019, which they say violated several sections of the party's constitution.
"… the appellants' grounds of appeal are that the congress was not legally constituted for failure of a quorum, notwithstanding the districts that were disenfranchised and refused to participate," the appellants submitted.
"The process was characterised by ballot stuffing and rigging with both security teams and presiding officers playing part thereof. The whole voting process, from ballot allocation, voting, ballot casting, counting and computation of votes cast lacked transparency and failed to meet a single thread of secrecy as dictated by our constitution.
"The withholding of information and late notification of the congress date, venue and time by provincial organiser and team, while being interested parties in the process, was manipulative and lacked credence."
The officials said the destruction of data forms, as well as refusal of some wards and districts to participate was not only unlawful, but criminal.
"The lack of impartiality in the security personnel and involvement of both the provincial organiser and his deputy as resource people in the accreditation and determination of delegates' eligibility in the congress process, resulted in manipulative discrimination against those areas perceived not supportive of their lot," the officials submitted.
The committee was set -up to deliberate on the petition yesterday.
Some of the concerned members in Bulawayo yesterday told Southern Eye, that they have been advised that the special committee was deliberating on the appeal yesterday afternoon.
"We are informed that the committee is sitting in Harare today (yesterday) to deal with the appeal," said one of the concerned members who preferred not to be named.
MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume declined to comment about the appeal saying it was now sub judice.
The MDC Bulawayo members' appeal came at a time when party leader Nelson Chamisa had been confirmed as the party's president after he was nominated uncontested and now waits to be confirmed by the national congress to be held in Gweru from May 24 to 26.
In a notice of appeal directed to the NEC, Nketa legislator Phelela Masuku and 11 others submitted that they were appealing against the process and procedures employed at the Bulawayo provincial congress held at Stanley's Square in Makokoba on April 17 and 18, 2019, which they say violated several sections of the party's constitution.
"… the appellants' grounds of appeal are that the congress was not legally constituted for failure of a quorum, notwithstanding the districts that were disenfranchised and refused to participate," the appellants submitted.
"The process was characterised by ballot stuffing and rigging with both security teams and presiding officers playing part thereof. The whole voting process, from ballot allocation, voting, ballot casting, counting and computation of votes cast lacked transparency and failed to meet a single thread of secrecy as dictated by our constitution.
"The withholding of information and late notification of the congress date, venue and time by provincial organiser and team, while being interested parties in the process, was manipulative and lacked credence."
The officials said the destruction of data forms, as well as refusal of some wards and districts to participate was not only unlawful, but criminal.
"The lack of impartiality in the security personnel and involvement of both the provincial organiser and his deputy as resource people in the accreditation and determination of delegates' eligibility in the congress process, resulted in manipulative discrimination against those areas perceived not supportive of their lot," the officials submitted.
Source - newsday
