Chamisa, Mudzuri accept VP appointments

By Tatenda Dewa |Harare Bureau|

Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri have accepted the vice presidency positions their leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, gifted them last week.

Chamisa told a meeting of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change headed by Tsvangirai (MDC-T) provincial structures in Harare that he would give up his job as an advocate to work full-time for the party.

“I humbly accept the trust put in me by my president. I will hang my job as a lawyer and go to the ground so that, together, we can work to bring the party back to its 1999 levels,” he said.

MDC-T has been struggling to raise revenue to fund its programmes and pay the secretariat, and Chamisa’s decision to quit his job is seen as an indication that the appointments could have been part of a deal involving new sponsors.

He added that the three vice presidents who also include Thokozani Khupe would work to ensure Tsvangirai won the coming 2018 presidential race.

Mudzuri who was also present at the meeting threw his weight behind Tsvangirai and work for MDC-T victory in the 2018 general elections.

“Our president was clear that he is unwell. We are here to do his work and ensure the party wins elections in 2018,” he said.

Tsvangirai made the surprise move of beefing up his presidium by adding Chamisa and Mudzuri on Friday last week, insisting the party’s national council blessed him to do so.

Some party members have lodged a High Court application against the appointments, arguing that the MDC-T president acted unconstitutionally as vice presidents are supposed to be elected at congress.

Chamisa, however, poured scorn on the court challenge.

“It is a shame that there are people who have taken the party to court. What I can tell you as a legal expert is that courts don’t solve political issues.

“There are structures in the party that are capable of dealing with these issues, so as the grassroots worry not about that application,” Chamisa said. Nehanda Radio