MDC-T national organising secretary, Nelson Chamisa, at the weekend read the riot act to two warring factions in the party’s Masvingo provincial executive and threatened to expel those bent on fanning factionalism.
Chamisa held a no-holds-barred meeting with the feuding party executives at the Civic Centre where he reportedly told them to shape up or ship out.
With just three months in the highly influential post, Chamisa read the riot act to a faction in his party linked to former organising secretary Elias Mudzuri. There are two allegedly antagonistic camps in the MDC-T’s Masvingo provincial structures, with one aligned to Deputy Youth Development, Indigenisation and Empowerment minister, Tongai Matutu, while the other is led by Public Service minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro and Harare-based businessman Bernard Chiondegwi.
The Mukonoweshuro faction is allegedly linked to former party organising secretary Elias Mudzuri, who was elbowed out by Chamisa at the party’s third national congress in May.
Although journalists were barred from the meeting, party sources said Chamisa told delegates factionalism had no place in their party and those who continued defying him would face the chop.
“He told them openly that there was no time for infighting. He told the Mudzuri faction members to let bygones be bygones and that losing an election is not the end of the world.
They were also reminded not to be like Zanu PF which does not want to lose an election,” a highly-positioned source in the MDC-T said.
Chamisa refused to divulge the proceedings of the meeting when contacted for comment.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Divisions rocked Masvingo MDC-T executive following the impasse over the outcome of pre-congress provincial elections in the province.
The Mukonoweshuro faction challenged the first round of the party’s elections at Mucheke Stadium saying they were not fair leading to their nullification, and a week later, a rerun was held.
But, the same group dismissed the second round citing rigging and irregularities, forcing party leader Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to intervene. Tsvangirai visited Masvingo twice in a fortnight in April to force a truce between the factions, but failed to unify the hostile camps.
