By Tawanda Musariri
Under fire deputy president of the Nelson Chamisa led MDC, Senator Elias Mudzuri was led into a trap by fellow party parliamentarians so as to soil his image.
The trap followed Mudzuri's lone appearance at State House on Monday where the President was officially receiving officers of Parliament.
Mudzuri is the leader of the MDC in the Senate.
Despite earlier consensus to attend the State House function, fellow officers of Parliament in the floundering party nicodemously decided not to attend but withheld communicating with Mudzuri so he will be the odd one out. And indeed, Mudzuri cast a conspicuous presence at the function drawing outbursts of anger from the MDC family of supporters.
The MDC has of late been boycotting parliamentary functions presided by the President claiming he did not win the elections.
Harvest House sources close to the Harare Post said that national Chairperson Thabitha Khumalo, lower and upper houses chief whips Prosper Mutseyami and Lillian Timveous respectively, all of whom belong to the Chamisa faction connived in the deal.
Chamisa is afraid of challengers to the presidency during the forthcoming congress due in 60 days. Mudzuri, together with Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora are the possible challengers with potential to unseat Chamisa.
Mudzuri is the first MDC mayor to run Harare in an executive capacity. Besides his cool temperament and mature composure, Mudzuri is a decorated Engineer and liberation war hero. He has undisputed charisma on his side.
Despite his quiet, some party extroverts have taken to the social media to market Mudzuri's candidacy to the presidency.
The plot against Mudzuri is thickening as the clock to the congress ticks.
Chamisa has lately surrounded himself with key bush beaters to clear his path against party heavy weights.
The Harvest House source further confided in this publication that youth wing Secretary General Lovemore Chinoputsa has activated the youths structures to disrupt any party function presided by Mudzuri while modalities are being worked to subpoena the him to appear before a disciplinary committee which is determined on dismissing him the Thokozani Khupe style.
Once Mudzuri is down and out, the daggers will be pointing towards Mwonzora.
Earlier this week, the party rushed to cover its back, dismissing a letter written to dismiss Mudzuri. The letter had been unprocedurally leaked to the media.
Shortly after the State House function, Mudzuri joined fellow party parliamentarians who were camped at the HICC on another parliamentary engagement whereupon he was confronted and heckled by Murisi Zwizwai and Charlton Hwende among others. In his usual cool, Mudzuri backed off from the provocations and responded in writing a few hours later.
In his response, Mudzuri said, "It is with sadness and unfortunate circumstances that my fellow junior parliamentarians would want to play petty politics on something that is part of my terms of reference as party deployee. My confusion to all this stems from the fact that, if what I did was "illegal" to my fellow parliamentarians, then I want to understand what we are still doing in Parliament as a party and wasting taxpayers' money."
Hwende arrived in Parliament for the first time in September.
"If I am wrong and they are right, I would be proud to be fired from the party because I represented the party in Parliament business," charged Mudzuri.
Since Chamisa took leadership of the party, the MDC has walked on a bumpy road where nobody, including the party is safe.
