OPPOSITION to MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s decision to appoint Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri as vice-presidents continues to grow, with branches in the diaspora saying the move showed a lack of judgement.
By Everson Mushava
Tsvangirai appointed Chamisa and Mudzuri as his deputies alongside Thokozani Khupe, who was elected at the 2014 congress.
His appointments were resisted by some senior party officials and a standing committee meeting held a fortnight ago almost degenerated into a fist fight over the decision.
However, Tsvangirai has since whipped his officials into line and they sanitised his appointments in last week’s national executive meeting.
But in a fresh development, the party’s United States of America, United Kingdom and South African branches that have reportedly played a pivotal role in mobilising resources for the cash-strapped labour backed party since its formation in 1999, are livid about the appointments.
They claimed Tsvangirai made a rushed decision without consultations.
In an open letter to Tsvangirai dated August 2, USA province chairperson Den Moyo supported by UK’s Tonderai Samanyanga and South Africa’s Chief Ndlovu, urged the MDC-T leader to reverse the “hurried surreptitious appointments concocted in some smoky backrooms.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
In the emotionally-charged letter, the three demanded an explanation from Tsvangirai over the appointments, failure which the MDC-T leader ran the risk of being labelled tribal, chauvinistic and undemocratic.
Moyo yesterday said although the MDC-T back home had accepted the appointments, he still stood by his position and would now take the issue to the court of public opinion after Tsvangirai failed to respond to his letter.
“I still stand by my letter. President Tsvangirai did not respond to the letter and we still don’t agree to his appointments, hence we are taking the matter to the court of public opinion,” Moyo said.
But Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said the issue of the appointments of VPs was a closed chapter after Wednesday’s national executive meeting.
“MDC is not a WhatsApp party, it has proper organs to deal with issues affecting the party,” Tamborinyoka said.
