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Chaos at Harvest House as Mudzuri moves to oust Mwonzora
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A fierce power struggle has erupted within the opposition MDC-T party after Vice President Elias Mudzuri, allegedly working alongside former party Chairperson Morgen Komichi, launched a bold attempt to unseat embattled party leader Douglas Mwonzora and seize control of the party's iconic headquarters, Harvest House, in central Harare.
The dramatic events unfolded just weeks after a High Court ruling in February 2025 by Justice Happias Zhou ordered Mwonzora to step down and organise a fresh congress within six months. The court found that the 2022 MDC-T Extraordinary Congress, which elevated Mwonzora to the presidency, had been marred by irregularities.
Citing the court's ruling, Mudzuri now claims he is the rightful leader of the MDC-T, given his role as Vice President. This morning, he arrived at Harvest House with a sizeable entourage, only to be met with fierce resistance from Mwonzora's loyal youth wing, led by National Youth Chairman Albert Chidhakwa. The youths physically blocked Mudzuri's entry into the building, forcing police to intervene to prevent the confrontation from spiralling out of control.
Eyewitnesses reported tense scenes as Mudzuri, travelling in a black Toyota Land Cruiser, was turned away amidst chants and scuffles. Shortly before the fracas, Mudzuri had reportedly ordered Mwonzora's supporters to vacate the premises, a move that sparked the arrival of riot police in truckloads.
Following the standoff, Mudzuri briefly disappeared from the scene, later claiming to have visited Harare Central Police Station to seek a formal police escort to assist his efforts to take control of the headquarters.
"Mwonzora is no longer the President, as per the High Court ruling in February 2025. There is a void in the party presidency that must be filled," said a member of Mudzuri's security team, speaking on condition of anonymity.
However, Mwonzora's camp swiftly rejected Mudzuri's actions, arguing that the High Court ruling is not yet enforceable as it is under appeal.
"The party has appealed Justice Zhou's ruling. Mudzuri cannot rely on the High Court ruling because the appeal has rendered it ineffective. President Mwonzora remains the party leader. There is no change to that," Chidhakwa told journalists outside Harvest House.
The MDC-T has been plagued by internal strife since the March 2020 Supreme Court ruling nullified Nelson Chamisa's leadership of the party following the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018. Mwonzora, then Secretary General, assumed the presidency but has struggled to hold the fragmented party together. Many members defected to Chamisa's newly-formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in 2022.
Mwonzora's decision to boycott the 2023 general elections, citing alleged flaws in the delimitation process, further weakened his standing, leaving the party politically isolated.
Today's dramatic showdown at Harvest House underscores the deepening divisions within MDC-T as rival factions jostle for control of the party's diminishing influence in Zimbabwe's opposition politics.
The dramatic events unfolded just weeks after a High Court ruling in February 2025 by Justice Happias Zhou ordered Mwonzora to step down and organise a fresh congress within six months. The court found that the 2022 MDC-T Extraordinary Congress, which elevated Mwonzora to the presidency, had been marred by irregularities.
Citing the court's ruling, Mudzuri now claims he is the rightful leader of the MDC-T, given his role as Vice President. This morning, he arrived at Harvest House with a sizeable entourage, only to be met with fierce resistance from Mwonzora's loyal youth wing, led by National Youth Chairman Albert Chidhakwa. The youths physically blocked Mudzuri's entry into the building, forcing police to intervene to prevent the confrontation from spiralling out of control.
Eyewitnesses reported tense scenes as Mudzuri, travelling in a black Toyota Land Cruiser, was turned away amidst chants and scuffles. Shortly before the fracas, Mudzuri had reportedly ordered Mwonzora's supporters to vacate the premises, a move that sparked the arrival of riot police in truckloads.
Following the standoff, Mudzuri briefly disappeared from the scene, later claiming to have visited Harare Central Police Station to seek a formal police escort to assist his efforts to take control of the headquarters.
"Mwonzora is no longer the President, as per the High Court ruling in February 2025. There is a void in the party presidency that must be filled," said a member of Mudzuri's security team, speaking on condition of anonymity.
However, Mwonzora's camp swiftly rejected Mudzuri's actions, arguing that the High Court ruling is not yet enforceable as it is under appeal.
"The party has appealed Justice Zhou's ruling. Mudzuri cannot rely on the High Court ruling because the appeal has rendered it ineffective. President Mwonzora remains the party leader. There is no change to that," Chidhakwa told journalists outside Harvest House.
The MDC-T has been plagued by internal strife since the March 2020 Supreme Court ruling nullified Nelson Chamisa's leadership of the party following the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018. Mwonzora, then Secretary General, assumed the presidency but has struggled to hold the fragmented party together. Many members defected to Chamisa's newly-formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in 2022.
Mwonzora's decision to boycott the 2023 general elections, citing alleged flaws in the delimitation process, further weakened his standing, leaving the party politically isolated.
Today's dramatic showdown at Harvest House underscores the deepening divisions within MDC-T as rival factions jostle for control of the party's diminishing influence in Zimbabwe's opposition politics.
Source - newzimbabwe
