Pressure keeps mounting on Chamisa

Pressure keeps mounting on MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa as his former top lieutenant and now MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora has said that MDC Alliance name belongs to the MDC-T and they are contemplating using the name in the forthcoming parliamentary and local authority by-elections.

When the Supreme Court judgment reverted MDC-T back to its 2014 structures, rendering the presidency of Chamisa null and void, there has been turmoil in the biggest opposition movement in the country with Thokozani Khupe, through Mwonzora, taking the fight to Chamisa and all his sympathisers.

The legitimacy fight between Khupe and Chamisa has claimed the scalp of many legislators and councilors who have been caught in the crossfire.

Asked by TellZim News on whether they would let Chamisa use the MDC Alliance name, Mwonzora said they adopted the name and they are entitled to it.

Mwonzora said that they will make a decision on whether to use the name MDC Alliance on the forthcoming parliamentary and local authority by-elections.

"There is MDC Alliance and there is now MDC Alliance party that they formed this year and they crafted their own constitution.

"When it comes to by-elections we will cross the bridge when we get there. We will use the name we will use.

"We saw people getting excited that there are by elections on December 6, 2020 but that is not what Zec said.

"MDC Alliance was the name that we adopted. MDC Alliance party is not our name. When it comes to elections we will use the name that we will use. We will use everything that we are entitled to," said Mwonzora.

He said that there is no permanent enemy in politics and they are willing to work with Chamisa again if he repents and follows the party constitution.

"There are no permanent enemies in politics. Everything is possible. We are prepared to work with everyone provided they follow the constitution," said Mwonzora.

Asked where they are getting the power to call the shots since the three months given by the Supreme Court to convene their congress have lapsed, Mwonzora said people misread the judgment saying the three months' time limit was given to the president and not any other post.

"The government stopped our congress because of Covid-19. We were ready and we are ready to do our congress.

"The Supreme Judgment restores the leadership of the MDC emanating from the 2014 congress. It then gives Khupe three months to hold a congress to elect one person to be president. The secretary general was not given any time limit.

"There is a concept in law called supervening impossibility where you are unable to do as expected because of immediate circumstances beyond your control.

"The law does not say a touch is a move, as long as it is reasonable, explainable and objective. Our current structure at the moment is that we have an acting president and chairman but we have Dr Mwonzora as the secretary general who does not have the three months' time limit," said Mwonzora.

There has been calls for Chamisa to dumb the MDC Alliance name and form a new political party but officials within his troubled party say the option is currently not on the table.

Recently fired former Chivi South legislator Killer Zivhu has joined the bandwagon of people who are calling on to Chamisa to form a new opposition party.

"My brother Advocate Chamisa wezhira daidza  MPs and Councilors vako wotanga new party, your supporters will always follow u.

"Zvokudzingwa nomunhu wakarambiwa vevanhu hazvishandi. MDC-T yakafanana nomunhu anoyeva ice cream kuchipisa ichingonyunguduka yatopera party iyo," said Zivhu on his Twitter account.