Yoliswa Dube Chronicle Reporter Gloves are off in the MDC-T as the faction aligned to Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday dismissed as “unconstitut...
Yoliswa Dube Chronicle Reporter
Gloves are off in the MDC-T as the faction aligned to Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday dismissed as “unconstitutional” the move to suspend the party leader.
A national executive council meeting called by the party’s secretary-general Tendai Biti and guardian council member Samuel Sipepa Nkomo on Saturday suspended Tsvangirai, together with his deputy Thokozani Khuphe, national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, national chairman Lovemore Moyo, Morgan Komichi and spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora on allegations of using violence to silence dissenting voices within the party.
Bulawayo province acting chairperson Dorcas Sibanda told a press conference that the resolution was unconstitutional as Biti and Nkomo had no authority to take such a decision.
“The secretary-general (Tendai Biti) can’t make such a decision, it’s unconstitutional. We’re fully behind Tsvangirai and Khuphe, until the next national congress. This is a non-issue to us,” she said.
Sibanda claimed the rift in the party was being fomented by Zanu-PF, saying the ruling party wanted to use the MDC-T as a scapegoat after failing to deliver on promises made during campaigns leading to their July 2013 election victory.
“We’re not going to tolerate this as Bulawayo province. This (Bulawayo) is the backbone of the party,” she said.
Speaking at the same event, National Council member Tabitha Khumalo said Biti had no mandate to call a National Council meeting.
“We will not worry about such things. Our worry is the 2,7 million jobs needed in the country. Whatever happened in Harare is a nullity. We’re not going to accept what happened there. MDC-T is led by ‘Dr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’ and we’re behind him 24/7,” said Khumalo.
Suspended party spokesperson Mwonzora in a statement said Saturday’s meeting was a bogus non-event organised by a grouping of comic individuals masquerading as the National Council.
“The secretary-general of the party convened a meeting of a few members of his faction calling it the meeting of the National Council of the party. At that meeting he tried to agitate for the suspension of the leadership of the MDC-T and effectively install himself and his clique as the leadership of the party.
“The meeting that was convened can never pass as a meeting of the National Council of the MDC-T, both because of the manner in which it was convened and also because of its composition. The powers of the secretary- general of the party are spelt out in Article 9.5 of the party’s constitution; it is clear that the secretary-general has absolutely no power to convene a National Council meeting. Maybe the secretary-general confused his duty to ensure that National Council meetings have to comply with constitutional requirements with actually convening the meeting itself,” he said.
The meeting, Mwonzora said, was attended by non-portfolio-holding youths who were specifically hired and paid to make up the numbers adding that it was absurd that people who were expelled or suspended from the party attended the meeting which purported to have lifted their suspension or expulsion.
Mwonzora said in terms of Article 9.5.1 A of the party’s constitution, the secretary-general could only organise meetings of the national congress and national conference under the supervision of the National Council and in consultation with the president of the party.
He added that the secretary-general does not have the power to organise meetings of the National Council as such meetings are convened by the national chairman of the party. “The secretary-general can only exercise more power than he has when authorised by the president, the national executive or the National Council. In convening this meeting, the secretary-general did not get the authority of the national executive, National Council and or the president.
“We’re made to believe that the secretary-general organised that the meeting that was chaired by Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, the secretary of the Guardian Council. In terms of clause 9.3.1 H of the party constitution, the only person who can chair the national council is the national chairman. However, the national chairman or even his deputy, were not invited to this meeting. How the secretary-general could preside over this gross violation of the constitution boggles the mind,” said Mwonzora.
He added: “Under Article 9.1.2 (b) states that it is only the president who can chair the meetings of the national executive. The common practice in the MDC-T is that all national executive and council meetings are held at the party headquarters unless the council itself decides otherwise. This meeting was held at Mandel Training centre, an indication that it was always the intention of the secretary-general to make this meeting a clandestine and bogus meeting.”
Mwonzora said it therefore follows that the purported national council meeting fundamentally violated the provisions of the MDC-T constitution and that the meeting was a culmination of a sustained programme of both overt and covert operations involving Zanu-PF, state security agents and Professor Welshman Ncube.
“This meeting was void therefore no lawful and binding resolutions can derive from it,” he added.
Mwonzora said various structures and organs of the party will meet members of the National Standing Committee today to deliberate on latest developments and proffer a way forward.
“A properly constituted national executive and council will meet on Tuesday ” he said.
Gloves are off in the MDC-T as the faction aligned to Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday dismissed as “unconstitutional” the move to suspend the party leader.
A national executive council meeting called by the party’s secretary-general Tendai Biti and guardian council member Samuel Sipepa Nkomo on Saturday suspended Tsvangirai, together with his deputy Thokozani Khuphe, national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, national chairman Lovemore Moyo, Morgan Komichi and spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora on allegations of using violence to silence dissenting voices within the party.
Bulawayo province acting chairperson Dorcas Sibanda told a press conference that the resolution was unconstitutional as Biti and Nkomo had no authority to take such a decision.
“The secretary-general (Tendai Biti) can’t make such a decision, it’s unconstitutional. We’re fully behind Tsvangirai and Khuphe, until the next national congress. This is a non-issue to us,” she said.
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| MDC-T acting Bulawayo provincial chairperson Dorcas Sibanda addresses journalists and party members at a Press conference held at the party’s offices in Bulawayo yesterday |
“We’re not going to tolerate this as Bulawayo province. This (Bulawayo) is the backbone of the party,” she said.
Speaking at the same event, National Council member Tabitha Khumalo said Biti had no mandate to call a National Council meeting.
“We will not worry about such things. Our worry is the 2,7 million jobs needed in the country. Whatever happened in Harare is a nullity. We’re not going to accept what happened there. MDC-T is led by ‘Dr Morgan Richard Tsvangirai’ and we’re behind him 24/7,” said Khumalo.
Suspended party spokesperson Mwonzora in a statement said Saturday’s meeting was a bogus non-event organised by a grouping of comic individuals masquerading as the National Council.
“The secretary-general of the party convened a meeting of a few members of his faction calling it the meeting of the National Council of the party. At that meeting he tried to agitate for the suspension of the leadership of the MDC-T and effectively install himself and his clique as the leadership of the party.
“The meeting that was convened can never pass as a meeting of the National Council of the MDC-T, both because of the manner in which it was convened and also because of its composition. The powers of the secretary- general of the party are spelt out in Article 9.5 of the party’s constitution; it is clear that the secretary-general has absolutely no power to convene a National Council meeting. Maybe the secretary-general confused his duty to ensure that National Council meetings have to comply with constitutional requirements with actually convening the meeting itself,” he said.
The meeting, Mwonzora said, was attended by non-portfolio-holding youths who were specifically hired and paid to make up the numbers adding that it was absurd that people who were expelled or suspended from the party attended the meeting which purported to have lifted their suspension or expulsion.
Mwonzora said in terms of Article 9.5.1 A of the party’s constitution, the secretary-general could only organise meetings of the national congress and national conference under the supervision of the National Council and in consultation with the president of the party.
He added that the secretary-general does not have the power to organise meetings of the National Council as such meetings are convened by the national chairman of the party. “The secretary-general can only exercise more power than he has when authorised by the president, the national executive or the National Council. In convening this meeting, the secretary-general did not get the authority of the national executive, National Council and or the president.
“We’re made to believe that the secretary-general organised that the meeting that was chaired by Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, the secretary of the Guardian Council. In terms of clause 9.3.1 H of the party constitution, the only person who can chair the national council is the national chairman. However, the national chairman or even his deputy, were not invited to this meeting. How the secretary-general could preside over this gross violation of the constitution boggles the mind,” said Mwonzora.
He added: “Under Article 9.1.2 (b) states that it is only the president who can chair the meetings of the national executive. The common practice in the MDC-T is that all national executive and council meetings are held at the party headquarters unless the council itself decides otherwise. This meeting was held at Mandel Training centre, an indication that it was always the intention of the secretary-general to make this meeting a clandestine and bogus meeting.”
Mwonzora said it therefore follows that the purported national council meeting fundamentally violated the provisions of the MDC-T constitution and that the meeting was a culmination of a sustained programme of both overt and covert operations involving Zanu-PF, state security agents and Professor Welshman Ncube.
“This meeting was void therefore no lawful and binding resolutions can derive from it,” he added.
Mwonzora said various structures and organs of the party will meet members of the National Standing Committee today to deliberate on latest developments and proffer a way forward.
“A properly constituted national executive and council will meet on Tuesday ” he said.
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