MDC-T national council to seal Khupe's fate on Friday

MDC Alliance president Nelson Chamisa has said his patience is wearing thin with deputy president Thokozani Khupe who has spurned all overtures to reach out in a futile bid for political engagement.

This comes as the main opposition party's highest decision-making body in between congresses, is set to meet on Friday to deliberate on the future of Khupe.

This follows the expiry of the seven-day ultimatum given to Khupe by the same organ to comply with the party's directive to reach out and make peace with Chamisa, who was chosen as the party's substantive president.

Khupe - who has been holding a parallel presidential campaign - told her supporters at a rally in Bulawayo over the weekend that she was not going to give up in her fight to be ordained as the party's president.

Khupe has openly refused to recognise Chamisa appointment as the party's presidential candidate, insisting that constitutionally, she was the party leader until congress elects Morgan Tsvangirai's successor.

"As you are aware the national council gave her a seven-day ultimatum. That ultimatum has since lapsed and she has refused to comply.

"I can assure you that ... Chamisa has been very understating and given her a longer time in order to give dialogue a chance but Khupe has continued to openly and overtly subvert party processes," Chamisa's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka told the Daily News yesterday.

"... Chamisa has engaged her on a number of occasions including a five-hour meeting but after that she has remained defiant. She had promised to meet him at the Gweru rally only to stand him up.

"The position is that the party remains intact and no party structure supports her position. We can assure you that she has tasted the patience of the president long enough and in line with her continued mischief.

"I can tell you the National Council is meeting on Friday to put finality to this matter. It would have been good to go forward as a united front as was the wish of ...Tsvangirai but constitutional provisions will have to kick in and the National Council put to this."

The bad blood between Khupe and Chamisa started in 2016 when Tsvangirai elevated the Kuwadzana East legislator to the position of vice president.

Since then, the crafty legislator, nicknamed "The Cobra" after the menacing serpent, has worked his way to the leadership of the party, effectively dealing Khupe a bloody blow.

Their relationship soured even more last month when Khupe had to take refuge in a hut during Tsvangirai's funeral to escape the wrath of MDC thugs who were baying for her blood before she was rescued by sympathisers.