AN MDC linked pressure group opposed to party president Nelson Chamisa’s leadership has remained defiant, declaring all party proceses by the main opposition were null and void in the wake of a High Court decision nullifying Chamisa’s legitimacy ealier this year.
Chamisa muscled his way to the helm of the country’s main opposition just as news broke out February last year that party leader Morgan Tsvangirai had succumbed to colon cancer at a South African hospital.
The move was strongly resisted by then co-party vice President Thokozani Khupe and some party officials who felt the former ICT Minister jumped the gun in grabbing power outside due process.
A later court challenge by a party activist elicited a ruling that declared all processes that led to Chamisa’s leadership were null and void.
The court also directed MDC to revert back to its leadership structure as constituted by the party’s 2014 elective congress and to convene an extra ordinary congress to choose its new leadership.
MDC filed an appeal and went on to proceed with its May Congress that confirmed Chamisa as substantive party leader.
Likewise, a pressure group calling itself, in Defence of Morgan Tsvangirai legacy (DMTL) has said that the High Court’s delay in making a determination on the MDC appeal against the order has also delayed attempts by a section of those who think alike to convene an extraordinary congress to choose new party leaders.
They say that the High Court process has delayed the 31 July deadline for the opposition MDC-T to hold its extra-ordinary congress.
The disgruntled supporters in DMTL are linked to the MDC-T, a party breakaway group led by its former vice president Khupe, said as a law-abiding citizens, they will not break the law by rushing to do things outside national laws and the party’s constitution.
The pressure group and its allies had set 27 July as the date for its extra-ordinary congress.
“We are not like our erstwhile colleagues led by Chamisa, so we are following due process as directed by the High Court,” said former Harare councillor Warship Dumba, who is also deputy spokesperson of the group.
“They appealed against the court ruling and that has delayed the whole process.
“This has also given us time to re-organise and put our house in order. We are now waiting the ruling of the appeal but the train is already in motion.”
“We have to show our party supporters that we are different from Chamisa and his cabal who broke the law, but soon they will be history.”
