TENSIONS are running high in the structures of the Midlands provincial of the MDC Alliance after former Kwekwe Central MP, Blessing Chebundo led some senior party officials to secretly meet with MDC-T interim leader Thokozani Khupe and forge a unity pact. Chebundo, until recently, a staunch supporter of Chamisa, led a delegation of MDC Alliance officials who included some Kwekwe Town councillors, to a meeting with Khupe. Insiders said at the meeting held at Khayalethu Gardens, the councillors pleaded with Khupe not to recall them from the local council. Khayalethu Gardens is owned by Kwekwe mayor Angeline Kasipo. Dozens of MDC Alliance MPs and councillors have been recalled from Parliament or local authorities on the instructions of Khupe who said they were no longer MDC-T members.
MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa, who in March this year suspended the entire Masvingo provincial executive for fanning factionalism, has relieved provincial chairperson James Gumbi of his duties replacing him with former senator Misheck Marava on interim basis. Four provincial executive members were summoned to Harare for a hearing and only Gumbi was suspended. Provincial secretary for information Derrick Charamba, provincial secretary Erium Musendekwa and provincial treasurer Innocent Munhazo were reportedly pardoned. Gumbi, a man of means who helped fund party programmes in the province, told TellZim News he accepted the decision and will work with the new leadership. "The party is bigger than me and I was informed of the decision which I am going to follow. The party
IN another move to further disempower the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa, the Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T yesterday removed Hwange Central MP Daniel Molokele from the chairmanship of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher and Tertiary Education. Speaker of the National Assembly Jacob Mudenda yesterday announced that Molokele had been removed and replaced by Lindiwe Maphosa, who crossed over to the MDC-T. Maphosa came into Parliament in 2018 through a proportional representation (PR) seat under the MDC Alliance party list. The other replacements that were made to chairmanship of committees were, however, of MPs that were recalled from Parliament recently. In his announcement, Mudenda said: “The MDC-T has nominated the following to be chairpersons of committees; So
Zimbabwe's billion dollar mining sector wants to wholly retain foreign currency receipts to be able to pay royalties, taxes and other levies which the authorities want them paid fully in United States dollars in a fresh headache for the forex starved economy. The mining sector contributes over 60% of Zimbabwe's export earnings which is used to oil the economy through the importation of essential raw materials for production and drugs. At the moment, large scale miners retain 70% of their export proceeds which has to be liquidated in 60 days. The balance is paid in local currency at the prevailing auction rate. Local miners, especially large scale miners, who were grappling with tax issues and levies which were too high, now want taxes to be pegged at the same level with fo
AS TURMOIL consumes the country's opposition, renowned professor of World Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, Stephen Chan, has once again warned Nelson Chamisa, pictured, and the MDC Alliance that they risk losing political relevance ahead of the crucial 2023 polls. Speaking to the Daily News in an exclusive interview last week, Chan — who received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) award for his "services to Africa and higher education" in 2010 — also noted that Chamisa and the MDC Alliance were running out of options. This comes as MDC interim leader Thokozani Khupe and Chamisa have been involved in an ugly and suicidal hammer and tongs war for control of the country's biggest opposition party, to the
Embattled opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has sensationally claimed that after rigging the 2018 presidential poll, President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government dangled lucrative perks to him so that he could dump his electoral challenge. Chamisa said he snubbed the offer, saying he would rather stand with the oppressed people than wine and dine with ruling party elites as opposition leader in Parliament. The opposition leader made the disclosure at the funeral of the late recalled MP Annah Muyambo Mpofu in Chitungwiza at the weekend. He vowed to resist trappings of power and material possessions at the expense of the people's struggle. The MDC Alliance leader, who has since lost control of the MDC party headquarters, and 32 parliamentary seats to the rival MD
EXILED former Local Government minister and Zanu-PF commissar Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday hit back at President Emmerson Mnangagwa, saying the extradition order his administration was seeking from the South African government had nothing to do with criminal offences, but was a ploy to vindictively settle political scores. He was reacting to government's call for him to be extradited to Zimbabwe to answer to four counts of criminal abuse of duty as a public officer during his tenure as minister. He also said Mnangagwa wanted to fix him as a political rival and was angry that he, along with his exiled colleagues Walter Mzembi and Patrick Zhuwao, had taken the issue of rampant human rights abuses to South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party. Kasukuwere, a c
Political analysts have expressed mixed views over former MDC-T president Thokozani Khupe's return to Parliament Wednesday, two years after her expulsion in April 2018. Khupe, now acting president of MDC-T according to the March 31 Supreme Court ruling which nullified Nelson Chamisa's presidency, was recalled by her party from Parliament when the leadership wrangle intensified following the death of MDC founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018. She went on to contest the presidential polls in the same year and lost. The former leader of the opposition, was however sworn-in as a Member of Parliament together with 14 other members of her party replacing MDC Alliance members, which her faction recalled recently The former deputy prime minister said she would reassume h
MDC T acting president Dr Thokozani Khupe and six others from that party were this afternoon sworn in as Members of the National Assembly under the Proportional Representative seat. The other members who were sworn in are: Memory Munochinzwa, January Sawuke, Lindani Moyo, Sipho Makone, Yvonne Musarurwa and Lwazi Sibanda. The seven were part of 15 MPs nominated by the MDC T to fill vacancies following the recall of some legislators after they ceased to represent the interests of the party in Parliament. The oath was administered by Clerk of Parliament, Mr Kennedy Chokuda in terms of the law. Speaker of the National Assembly, Advocate Jacob Mudenda said the swearing in of the MPs followed a letter written to him by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) notifying him of the pers
MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe's loyalists have claimed their leader should be allowed to continue at the helm of the party ahead of Morgen Komichi and Douglas Mwonzora, who they accuse of ditching the party only to come back after falling out of favour with the MDC Alliance leadership. The calls have exposed deeprooted divisions in the party ahead of the extraordinary congress set for December with Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Elias Mudzuri reportedly gunning for the party presidency. The MDC-T is due to hold its congress to elect a new leader in December using the 2014 structures as ordered by the Supreme Court. Mwonzora, last week, however, said all members recalled from the party and Parliament would not be allowed to contest. Mwonzora was MDC Alliance deputy secretary for i
