By Bulawayo Correspondent
THE MDC Alliance’s Bulawayo structures have scorned party leader Nelson Chamisa’s ouster in a watershed Supreme Court ruling Tuesday and further expressed unwavering support for the under-fire opposition politician.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court confirmed an earlier High Court ruling Chamisa’s rise to the helm of the country’s main opposition violated the MDC’s constitution.
This followed a court challenge by a disgruntled opposition member who felt Chamisa had jumped the gun when he muscled his way to the helm of MDC just as word filtered through that founding party leader Morgan Tsvangirai had lost a long battle with colon cancer in a South African hospital February 2018.
The courts ordered the convening of an extra-ordinary congress within three months to elect a new party president.
The Supreme Court also mandated former deputy president Thokozani Khupe to lead the process.
However, the MDC Alliance Bulawayo province said the Supreme Court’s ruling will not change anything.
“MDC Alliance Bulawayo province is fully behind the leadership of President Nelson Chamisa,” said Swithern Chirowodza, the party’s Bulawayo provincial spokesperson.
“The province remains focused and loyal to his leadership.
“The Supreme Court judgment awarding Thokozani Khupe, in the post-February 14, 2018 era, with the acting presidency of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) will not affect us since Khupe is already leading her own party.”
Chirowodza insisted that Chamisa was duly elected by the party’s structures in Gweru during the MDC’s elective congress.
“Chamisa’s election by the people of Zimbabwe is sacrosanct. His secondment by both the party structures and the people of Zimbabwe to the position of MDC Alliance president is superior to the narrow interpretation of the law exhibited in the MDC v Mashavira case.
“The MDC Alliance held its national congress in May 2019 as provided for in the party’s constitution. At that congress Advocate Nelson Chamisa was unanimously confirmed as MDC Alliance president. As such our next national congress will be held in 2024,” said the MDC provincial spokesperson.
Chirowodza accused some senior members of the party of working with Zanu PF to divide MDC.
