Mwonzora Dragging The MDC-T To A Chaotic Congress - OPINION

What immediately raised eyebrows is that why would this group meet under the cover of darkness amidst COVID-19 restrictions?

The other red flag is that only 33 people out of a possible 568 eligible delegates attended this poorly choreographed charade.

This group represents only 5, 8% of eligible delegates in Harare and therefore it’s crystal clear that whatever they resolved does not represent the views of party members in Harare.

It is highly disheartening to note that this gathering was a product of an illegal process of gap-filling party structures with illegitimate individuals that will support Mwonzoras’ bid for the MDC-T presidency.

The process which was followed in gap-filling structures was opaque, unprocedural and manipulated to give Mwonzora an upper hand against other contenders for the MDC-T Presidency. This will undoubtedly lead to a chaotic congress.

I strongly believe that any credible election process must be accompanied by a verified voters roll. It is highly concerning is that the Harare ‘nominations’ were done in the absence of a proper voters roll.

At this stage, it is not clear how the verification of eligible delegates was conducted especially noting that the Organizing department at national and provincial levels distanced itself from this jamboree.

The MDC-T internal elections are conducted by an independent body usually ZCTU. It is surprising that the so-called Harare ‘nomination’ process was done in the absence of an independent electoral body to monitor and supervise the process. The players, all linked to Mwonzora became referees themselves.

Furthermore, when one looks at the MDC-T internal guidelines and procedures it is clear that any nomination process must be sanctioned by the National Council which has the sole mandate to craft guidelines governing internal elections.

In contrast, the Harare ‘nomination’ process was done in the absence of a National Council Template guiding the nomination and election process.

The MDC-T National Standing Committee resolved to approach the Supreme Court for a variation of the ruling which ordered the party to go to a congress within 4months due to the refusal by police and health authorities to grant the party permission to stage the Extra-Ordinary Congress.

Conversely, Mwonzora went on to urge Harare province to go ahead with the illegal ‘nomination” process.
It is my strong conviction that Mwonzora is deliberately ‘short-circuiting’ the MDC-T Extra-Ordinary Congress preparations in order to quench his insatiable appetite for power.

If left unchecked this will undoubtedly lead to a disputed and chaotic Extra-Ordinary Congress which might also result in another split or a nasty power wrangle.

I strongly believe that it is of paramount importance for the MDC-T to remain guided by its governing charter and the laws of the land as it goes to its elective congress.

The office of the President is very important as it represents the ‘inner souls’ of party members. It is critical that all the processes and the actual election of a new President pass the test of transparency, fairness and credibility.

By Nyasha Munemo (A member of the MDC-T writing in his own personal capacity)