By Patience Maganzo
Harare, Zimbabwe. (News of The South) – High Court Justice Mushore, on May 8, 2019, nullified the 2016 appointment of Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri as MDC party Vice Presidents, and thus Chamisa’s assumption of the party presidency has been declared null and void.
Prior to the 2016 appointment, Thokozani Khuphe was elected as the Deputy President at a National Congress in 2014, after Chamisa had lost to Douglas Mwonzora for the secretary general post. However in 2016, Dr Tsvangirai then appointed Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri to be Vice Presidents, alongside Khuphe, which Mashavira deems questionable. Judge Mushore has therefore ordered an extra-ordinary congress to be held within a month, guided by the 2014 structures to resolve this issue at hand, thus ignoring the 2017 judgement endorsing Chamisa as a Vice President.
The ruling by the High Court follows an application in September 2017 by the party’s Gokwe Sesame District organising Secretary, Elias Mashavira, challenging the 2016 appointment decision of the two by late MDC T leader, Dr Morgan Tsvangirai. He declared that it was an unconstitutional appointment. However, an earlier lawsuit from 2017 challenging Tsvangirai’s appointment of Chamisa and Mudzuri had been dismissed by the same high court. Questions then come to mind on the pushing factor(s) that led Mashavira to appeal this matter at court.
MDC is of the view that the choice of leaders in any political party can never be a judicial process but a right of the members of that party, only. Tendai Biti, who is contesting to be the Vice President on the oncoming MDC congress, concurs, stating on social media that people should be allowed to vote for their own leaders. The way forward pertaining this issue, as according to MDC member David Coltart, is that they will appeal against the ruling by the High Court judge and the congress will go on as planned.
Mashavira is reported saying “My freedom of association has been violated…I am being forced to associate myself with Chamisa who has usurped the role of presidency unlawfully.” However, his view is untimed as the masses have already endorsed Chamisa as be the sole presidential candidate, scheduled for the May 2019 Congress. People choose whom they want to be led by, which is democracy. Mashavire may be ill advised to contest this presidency as this jeopardises the people’s will because of these extra complications within the political party.
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