Zim News Blog -NEWS NETWORK

MDC vice chairperson Tendai Biti, whom many are tipping to contest for one of the party's vice president posts, angrily reacted to suggestions that MDC Alliance secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora may emerge as the new party leader after the elective congress. He said the party would not accept to be led by "a ruling party chosen […]

Source: Opposition party restructures | Daily News

HARARE – The MDC led by Nelson Chamisa has merged Harare province with Chitungwiza while Midlands North and South have been collapsed into one as part of preparations for its elective congress slated for May.

MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume told the Daily News that the party was merely implementing a 2014 congress resolution whose implementation had been delayed owing to “circumstances beyond our control”.

With government working to devolve power to the provinces by putting in place provincial administrations throughout the country as provided for in the Constitution, Mafume said it became necessary for Zimbabwe’s biggest opposition party to align its structures with the national architecture of 10 provinces.

“Going into this congress, we will have 10 provincial executives after merging Harare and Chitungwiza as well as the two Midlands structures because they are not supposed to be existent if the 2014 congress had been implemented,” Mafume said, adding:

“Districts that will be affected by the development will be merged into the provinces they belong to in the national architecture. For example, Goromonzi will go back to Mashonaland East while Norton and Mhondoro will be under Mashonaland West province.”

According to a senior MDC official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the development means that some officials from Norton, Mhondoro and Goromonzi who might have wanted to contest for positions in their provinces, will be affected.

“While it is true that this was a 2014 congress resolution, some of us had invested in Chitungwiza province but now it means I have to work with structures that I have no relationship with in Mashonaland East where I now belong. At least we should have been told early,” the official complained.

But Mafume said the issue of aspiring office holders being disadvantaged “does not arise because it is not a new issue that suddenly came out ahead of this congress.
“We cannot go into a new congress without having affected the resolutions of a previous one. If there are any issues, and reservations, they have to come at the May congress but there we will be dealing with 10 provinces as that is what is constitutional,” he said.

Unlike the ruling Zanu PF party whose provinces reflect the country’s 10 provinces, the MDC structure has always had 12 provincial executives since its formation in 1999. The party — then led by its founding president, the late Morgan Tsvangirai — split its Midlands province into two as well as adding Chitungwiza and some parts of Mashonaland West such as Mhondoro and Norton as an independent provincial executive.

However, since Chamisa took over the party’s leadership following Tsvangirai’s death in February last year, the party has been undergoing a radical metamorphosis. The development comes as the party is also considering coming up with a war veterans’ wing at its next congress.

Meanwhile, party national organising secretary Amos Chibaya told the Daily News yesterday that congress preparations were now at an advanced stage with the lower structures expected to commence their congresses soon.

This comes as jostling for positions has intensified with party bigwigs likely to take each other head-on as they battle for supremacy in the 19-year-old opposition outfit. It’s already a dog-eat-dog affair in the MDC with those aspiring to contest for positions openly canvassing for support within party structures.

At the top, Chamisa is likely to be challenged by either his deputy Elias Mudzuri or secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, or both.
Another battle of titanic proportions is in the offing for the position of deputy president. The MDC has three deputy presidents.

While Welshman Ncube’s position appears to be safe as he has support from all the Matabeleland provinces, the same cannot be said of the other two deputy presidents — Morgen Komichi and Mudzuri. Komichi might have to battle it out with deputy national chairperson Tendai Biti and secretary for elections Murisi Zwizwai.

The post Opposition party restructures appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: 'NPRC's Gukurahundi probe useless | Daily News

NATIONAL Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) is not capable of addressing the Gukurahundi question, Mthawakazi Republic Party (MRP) has said.

In a statement, MRP president Mqondisi Moyo said if the NPRC was credible, it could have been engaged in probing the violence that occurred in Harare on August 1, in the aftermath of last year’s July harmonised elections.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa instead appointed a seven-member commission of inquiry that included foreigners and was chaired by former South African president, Kgalema Motlanthe.
During its visit to Bulawayo last October, the Motlanthe Commission, however, came face to face with angry elements in the region who demanded answers about the silence on the Gukurahundi genocide which saw the death of over 20 000 civilians in the 1980s.

The NPRC recently announced its intentions to begin compiling information on the actual occurrences during the Gukurahundi era.
The MRP leader, however, warned that attempts by the NPRC to delve into the Gukurahundi genocide before dealing with institutional tribalism in the country would be fiercely resisted by all progressive Matabeleland forces.

Moyo said the findings of the highly-hyped Chihambakwe and Dumbutshena commissions on the Gukurahundi genocide during the former president Robert Mugabe’s reign had remained concealed; hence there was a need for an independent commission involving foreigners.

“We continue to demand a neutral international Commission of Inquiry into Gukurahundi Genocide because there was a foreign element in the commission of this crime against humanity.
“Such a Commission must be able to unpack the involvement or lack of it, of the British government under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher,” said Moyo.

Last month, one of the NPRC commissioners, Leslie Ncube told the Daily News the NPRC would from this month start to gather as much information about the Gukurahundi disturbances as part of the building blocks towards national healing.

He encouraged affected communities to engage truthfully and to co-operate fully with the commission.

The post ‘NPRC’s Gukurahundi probe useless appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

Source: Woman wants Matanga, Mathema jailed | Daily News

MUTARE – Firebrand political activist Lynette Mudehwe has filed a court application demanding the incarceration of Home Affairs minister Cain Mathema and Commissioner-General of Police Godwin Matanga for failing to comply with a court order to pay her $6 000 in compensation.

Mudehwe was granted compensation after she was brutally assaulted by the police as she was protesting the year-long stay in an upmarket hotel by former Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko.
In a court application that has been set down for hearing on March 13, Mudehwe is suing the duo in both their official and individual capacities.

She also cited Finance minister Mthuli Ncube as one of the respondents, although she is not demanding his incarceration over the issue.

According to the application, Mudehwe, who is represented by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights lawyer Fiona Lliff, is seeking to have the pair found guilty of contempt of court for “wilfully disregarding” a court order handed down on December 3, last year.

The post Woman wants Matanga, Mathema jailed appeared first on Zimbabwe Situation.

WARRIORS coach Sunday Chidzambga has named the provisional squad ahead of the last qualifying match for Afcon 2019 against the Congo. The match is pencilled for 23 March, with Zimbabwe just needing a point to qualify. The last time the teams clashed was on 9 September last year in Congo, and the match ended in […]