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Dr Khupe

Takunda Maodza News Editor
FIGHTS over who takes over from ailing MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai reached boiling point yesterday when one of the opposition party’s vice president Dr Thokozani Khupe refused to recognise the appointment of yet another vice president Advocate Nelson Chamisa as the acting president.

This was after Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka had released a statement purportedly from his boss appointing Mr Chamisa as the acting MDC-T president.

This saw Dr Khupe reacting on twitter disputing the appointment of Adv Chamisa to the helm of the party, albeit on the acting capacity.

Dr Khupe suggested the catapulting of Adv Chamisa was a violation of the MDC-T constitution.

She posted on her twitter handle: “Three consecutive MDC-T congresses have elected yours truly as deputy President to president @mrtsvangirai & other officers primarily to avoid a leadership vacuum at such an eventuality, & to shut any that may be artificially created by those with hidden agendas.

“I was MDC-T A/president for months in 2008 on the basis of our constitution which has remained unchanged & clear on the roles of elected officers of congress. It does not give any extensive powers to any one office bearer such that without them the party is dysfunctional.”

Dr Khupe went on to castigate some MDC-T officials for abusing Mr Tsvangirai’s name for political expediency.

“Those of us sincerely concerned about the Zimbabwean voters & their MDC-T must impress upon the 2014 congressionally elected leadership at their level to take decisive corrective measures against the use of president @mrtsvangirai’s name to propagate unconstitutional-ism. . . We need a constitutionally ordered way of presenting ourselves to the voters in a clear & inspiring manner. It shall be well, stay blessed.”

There are fierce fights within the MDC-T over who succeeds Mr Tsvangirai who was diagnosed with cancer of the colon.

The MDC-T leader has not been actively involved in politics ever since he was diagnosed with cancer and has been in and out of hospital since June last year.

Reports from South Africa suggest that Mr Tsvangirai is in a critical condition, even though he recently posted on his twitter handle that he was recovering well.