By Christopher Makaza
MDC`s national standing committee last week held a crucial meeting which concluded that they were likely to lose a legitimacy case against MDC-T leader, Dr Thokozani Khupe which is before the Supreme Court, hence the need to scout for an alternative party name.
A committee was selected which was given the mandate to come up with five possible party names to be deliberated on by the party`s top leadership.
Sources within the MDC revealed that the opposition party is in a panic mode and has since deployed more than sixty bouncers to man Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House (MRTH) fearing that Dr Khupe might come and invade the building soon after the ruling.
The case which is likely to drag for long in courts, will also address issues to do with legitimacy, supremacy, party assets, the name issue, parliamentary, senate and council representations.
Meanwhile, MDC national organising secretary, Amos Chibaya told the standing committee that party leader Nelson Chamisa was under pressure from party supporters who want him to engage President Emmerson Mnangagwa in dialogue to easy the country`s economic pressure. The supporters, he said, were arguing that the sanctions were not only affecting Zanu-PF supporters but the MDC as well.
According to the sources, the supporters had the courage to highlight that Chamisa and President Mnangagwa were selfish and should take a lesson from their late predecessors Robert Mugabe and Richard Tsvangirai who formed Government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009.
In response, Chamisa allegedly said he wanted to dialogue with President Mnangagwa on condition that the dialogue is held at a neutral venue and be presided over by elders like former South African President Kgalema Petrus Motlante and Roman Catholic`s Father Fidelis Mukonori.
MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe has intensified efforts to elbow out Chamisa after urging the Supreme Court to recognise the party structures that existed in 2014 when the opposition party was led by the late Morgan Tsvangirai.
Khupe`s lawyer, Professor Lovemore Madhuku said High Court was correct to find that the MDC Constitution does not provide for the appointment of more than one deputy president and that there was no provision for more than one deputy president, hence in 2014 there was only one deputy president, Thokozani Khupe.
Madhuku said when Chamisa was appointed acting president during a meeting held in February 2018, it was in violation of the party’s constitution because Khupe was available to take over while waiting for the return of Tsvangirai who was in South Africa receiving treatment.
Following increased pressure from his party members and the party’s benefactors, MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa reportedly sent a high powered delegation to Father Mukonori a few weeks ago to book an appointment with the Catholic priest.
The sources, however, revealed that Father Mukonori advised the delegation that if efforts for negotiations are to commence, Chamisa had to meet certain conditions which included dropping the illegitimacy issue and that Chamisa needed to join the Political Actors Dialogue (POLAD) to show his sincerity in dialogue.
