THE chaos rocking the MDC-T ranks continues unabated with the group led by Nelson Chamisa urging Zimbabweans to ignore rival faction leader Thokozani Khupe’s call for an extraordinary congress and describing it as a “lost cause”.

In a statement Tuesday, Chamisa’s spokesperson Thabita Khumalo said Khupe and her colleagues, former organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe and ex-spokesperson Obert Gutu, “remain expelled from the party and have neither the power nor the mandate to call for a purported extra-ordinary Congress under the name of the MDC-T.”

“The facts are that Ms Khupe is just an individual; an expelled one for that matter with no power at all to call for any Congress or any meeting of the party.

“The national council, the supreme decision-making body between congresses, has, in its wisdom, already put to rest the issues that she purports to be complaining about. Khupe has the right to exhaust all available domestic and internal remedies as provided for in the party constitution,” the statement said.

Khupe, early this week, announced she would convene an extraordinary congress of the party on April 21 having moved it from next weekend citing the MDC Alliance rally as a reason.

The two groups are already at each other’s throats over the use of the party name and the latest flare up can only complicate issues ahead of general elections expected later this year.

Khumalo said the party constitution is “very clear on how and who should call for an extra-ordinary congress and former members that have been expelled have no such powers.”
“Their cause has no support from any of the organs of the party, including any of the 12 provinces or of the 1 958 wards the party,” she said.

“Theirs is simply a lost cause. The party president and the leadership even extended the time frame given to him by the national council in order to give dialogue a chance but the former comrades remained obstinate.”

The MDC-T Khumalo added was pursuing all remedies and putting in place the necessary measures to stop the abuse of the party, its name and or property.