By Anna Chibamu

THE MDC Alliance-led by Nelson Chamisa has declared war against President Emmerson Mnangagwa accusing the national leader of having a hand in the shock recall from parliament, of four party MPs by Douglas Mwonzora.

Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda announced that MDC Alliance chief whip and Dangamvura/Chikanga MP Prosper Mutseyami; secretary-general and Kuwadzana MP Chalton Hwende, party chairperson Thabitha Khumalo and Senate chief whip Lilian Timveous had been recalled.

This followed a letter written to the national assembly speaker by Mwonzora in his capacity as newly reinstated secretary general of MDC-T.

The Supreme Court ruled recently that Nelson Chamisa’s rise to becoming leader of the main opposition in 2018 violated the party’s constitution.

The court returned the stewardship of the party into the hands of the MDC (then MDC-T)’s 2014 leadership in which Thokozani Khupe was the only elected among three co-vice presidents of the party while Mwonzora was secretary general.

The Chamisa led MDC Alliance attributes its misfortunes to a ploy by Mnangagwa to destroy it.

Addressing a hastily called press briefing at his Harare law firm offices Tuesday, MDC Alliance VP Tendai Biti said the recalling of the four MPs was a declaration of war by Mnangagwa against the opposition party and it was time to “look the beast in the eye and continue fighting”.

“We consider what has happened today as a declaration of war, as the end of normal politics,” Biti said.

The combative politician said there was no struggle without scars and bruises and his party would fight until it achieved victory.

“There is no struggle without scars. There is no struggle without bruises. We will, like all decent comrades dust ourselves up and look the beast in the eye and continue fighting until we achieve the final victory and final victory is inevitable.”

Biti insisted the four legislators remained MDC Alliance officials and not MDC-T as stated by Mudenda.

“Today’s determination by the Speaker of Parliament is a travesty of justice and legality. Everyone knows we are the MDC Alliance led by the one and only President Nelson Chamisa,” he said.

“We participated in the election of 2018 as MDC Alliance. We contested with 23 other presidential candidates and also 50 other political parties including an entity called MDC-T which actually has two seats in the National Assembly.”

There are fears that more MPs from the MDC Alliance camp will be recalled when the Parliament reopens.