by Innocent Mujeri
THE Movement for Democratic Change Bulawayo Province is divided over the High Court ruling which declared Nelson Chamisa an illegitimate leader of that party with some members openly embracing the judgement.
On Tuesday, Supreme Court judge, Justice Bharat Patel, upheld the earlier High Court judgement and ruled that Chamisa was unlawfully appointed as the acting president of the opposition party ahead of Thokozani Khupe.
The judgement therefore made Khupe the defacto acting president of the opposition outfit pending an extra-ordinary congress to be held within three months to elect a new party president.
A source within the MDC Bulawayo Provincial executive who preferred anonymity for fear of reprisal, confided in this reporter that the Supreme Court judgement has send shivers in Bulawayo with some parliamentarians aligning themselves with Khupe.
Parliamentarians who are allegedly siding with Khupe include Lobengula West legislator Gift Banda and Luveve legislator Stella Ndlovu. Senator Gideon Shoko and Pelandaba-Mpopoma legislator Charles Moyo are believed to be in Chamisa’s corner.
The same source said that the Supreme Court judgement served as payback for Chamisa as he was currently on a crusade to victimise the Ndebele people occupying influential positions in the party.
“What goes around comes around my brother. Chamisa victimised Amai Khupe, Amai (Thabitha) Khumalo and recently fired (former Victoria Falls Mayor Somvelo) Dhlamini on frivolous charges because he wants to have the Shonas occupy those positions. If you look back, you would see that Lovemore Moyo (former MDC Chairperson) was hounded out of the party by Chamisa. It’s now his turn to taste his own medicine. This is poetic justice taking place,” said the source.
The Supreme Court judgement was widely embraced in Bulawayo Province as most of the members were now fed up with the dictatorial tendencies of Chamisa. Sources say that the Bulawayo executive was not happy with the victimisation of Khumalo by Chamisa and they now want one of their own, Khupe to be the leader of the MDC.
Chamisa has reportedly fallen out of favour with the party’s national chairperson over his decision to remove her as the leader of opposition in Parliament to pave way for one of his deputies, Lynette Karenyi Kore.
It is reported that the Bulawayo MDC structures have been divided along tribal line with the Ndebeles siding with Khupe while the Shonas are rallying behind Chamisa.
The Supreme Court judgement is likely to further disintegrate the opposition outfit as some national executive members such as Morgan Komichi and Douglas Mwonzora have openly accepted the court’s verdict which rendered Chamisa an illegitimate leader.
Efforts to get a comment from MDC Bulawayo spokesperson, Swithern Chirowodza, were fruitless as his mobile phone went unanswered.
