MDC T statement on the Supreme Court Judgement

The Movement for Democratic Change yesterday received a judgement from the Supreme Court on a matter that our erstwhile colleagues had strangely appealed against when the route to what they had prayed for at the High Court had been clearly pronounced. The Honourable Judge, Justice Francis Bere, had pronounced himself clearly to our erstwhile colleagues that the only legally sound route to their prayer at the High Court was through a full court trial to determine who the constitutional and legitimate MDC T leader is.
 
What has put this issue on this presser is the misinforming noise on social media from our erstwhile colleagues who are celebrating a victory over the Supreme Court judgement in which our counsel, Professor Dr Madhuku, gladly agreed to consent to. I must say that for a party with so many legal minds, our erstwhile colleagues make so much noise after every judgement on a case they ill-advised themselves to take to the courts.
 
Our position as a party is that we fully welcome the decision by the Supreme Court to refer the matter back to the High Court for trial. This move has brought urgency and chattered a decisive route to what the Honourable Justice Francis Bere had prescribed as the soberest legal route of bringing this matter to finality within the reasonable and consented period before the 2018 elections. We couldn't have wished for a better verdict.
 
We also wish to highlight to the progressive and democratic world that as a party we continue to note with concern the levels of violence meted on us at every turn by our erstwhile colleagues. Recently at our provincial meeting which we had dubbed Game on Harare B.E.S.T, and yesterday after the Supreme Court ruling, we witnessed untold abuse and harassment at the hands of the so called Chamisa Vanguards. It is a very sad reality that our erstwhile colleagues long traded our party's founding value of non-violence as a tool of persuading followership , and have joined the formally Mugabe led ZANU PF in using violence as a coercion tool. The level of violence, sexism, election rigging and poverty of ideas in running institutions is at a crescendo in both ZANU PF and the Chamisa groups such that one is left with no doubt that the two parties have clearly become birds of a feather.
 
Surprisingly in their trademark empty noises as usual, our erstwhile colleagues are making nak*d claims that we are an appendage of ZANU PF. Fortunately the voter has come to know which political group in Zimbabwe will easily win a Grammy award for telling outright lies. Their deeds prove who is actually in bed with the ruling party.
 
ZANU PF represents a system of failed governance. ZANU PF represents a system where violence is a choice too much as is the case with the Chamisa group. ZANU PF represents a system where constitutionalism, non-violence and democracy are not imperatives, just as is the case with the Chamisa group. As a party that respects the voice of the people we will let them decide.
 
The attack on President Thokozani Khupe and our party member's yesterday is criminal and unlawful. The acts of violence that happened in front of the most powerful criminal court in the country tells a story of the attitude towards the law institutions. The routine nature of such behaviour betrays a sense of impunity by those Chamisa supporters we have only seen in ZANU PF. They have always gotten away with violence acts before, they will get away with it again. The MDCT has historically been subjected to violence and it is now clear that the MDCT led by Dr Khupe continues to be subjected to violence. It is also important to note that yesterday, the latest of the attacks happened in full view of law enforcement and the perpetrators have not been arrested. The identities of the perpetrators is known or at the very least is ascertainable by video evidence, it is clear they are not ZANU PF but supporters of Nelson Chamisa.
 
In the recent past, this gender and tribal violence has been meted out on women within Chamisa's party e.g Hon. Majome and Lynnette Karenyi. We stand by our female politician colleagues in all other parties, we encourage them to stand up to abuse and victimization.

We challenge all civic organizations interested in human rights and political freedoms to stand on principles they supported during the constitution making process including gender equality. Of fairness, of justice and rule of law.
 
We appeal to law enforcement and the criminal justice system to ensure the safety of all Zimbabweans ahead of the watershed election
 
We in MDC T look beyond the court cases, the cheap propaganda and the violence tactics that are being employed against us to the election that lies ahead. We want to assure Zimbabweans that they will get the alternative government based on constitutionalism and the rule of law as a way of Building an Economy to Support Transformation of people's livelihoods.
Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy where people's freedoms are respected and as such we will continue to hold activities of the party as we prepare for victory in the 2018 elections.
 
We also thank the media for not turning a blind eye to these atrocities
 
Thank you all
 
Linda T Masarira
MDC-T Spokesperson
info@mdc.org.zw
0772118783\0719118783