Live updates from MDC-T meeting in Harare

HARARE – A crucial MDC-T national council meeting is taking place today to discuss the fall out from a letter written by Deputy Treasurer General Elton Mangoma asking party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step down and call for an extraordinary congress. The National Council is the highest decision making body in the MDC in between congress. 

Below are the live updates from the MDC-T Harvest House headquarters.

Thursday 8pm: Nehanda Radio understands MDC-T Secretary General Tendai Biti went to see party president Morgan Tsvangirai Thursday evening to try and plead for Mangoma’s fate and seek to mend bridges in the party.

Tsvangirai is said to have asked Biti about a meeting the former finance minister had convened in Kambuzuma the same day, plotting against him. Biti furiously denied attending such a meeting. A witness who was at the meeting was then called in and Biti is said to have excused himself and never came back.

Friday 11am: As exclusively reported by Nehanda Radio yesterday, there is a group of activists who have been bused in to Harvest House for a demonstration in support of the renewal camp in the party. (See our report from yesterday). Riot police are on standby to arrest any unruly elements.

3pm: Elton Mangoma suspended by national council and referred to the MDC-T disciplinary platform. All provinces said to have endorsed the move including the Women and Youth Assemblies.

4pm: Riot police now beating up everyone close to Harvest House. Chasing people as far as Chicken Slice Angwa Street.

Nelson Mandela corner angwa has been sealed off, no vehicles or pedestrians can pass.

5:30PM: After Mangoma’s suspension MDC-T Secretary General Tendai Biti has called for a press conference at his offices in Harare.

Tendai Biti press Conference

Biti is currently addressing a Press Conference

Biti: The events that took place at Harvest House do not measure up to the values of our party.

We met today as an executive to receive a report on the allegations against deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma.

As a tradition the Secretary General prepares such reports but my office was not involved.

Mangoma should have been heard before the National executive met, and he heard the charges against him only during the meeting.

We had a problem with the chorum of the National executive as there were new faces and people who were not supposed to be in the meeting.

Biti said: “The national council says they have suspended Mangoma, but clearly it’s a voidable decision.

“What he Mangoma is going to do I cannot speak for him. I am speaking as the secretary-general of the party and I want to see this party remain united and focused. It’s a sad day that the MDC mutates into something worse off than Zanu-PF.

“No vote took place during the national council meeting. When we say two-thirds majority, it’s not two-thirds majority of the members present, but of the nominal members of the national council members, which is around 130.

“In (Friday’s) meeting we were about 82. The people who were there cannot constitute two-thirds. The crime here is we did not vote. Some people were asked to say something and some were quiet,” he said.

Biti said the meeting did not constitute a quorum because many members from Matabeleland North and South, Manicaland and other provinces were suspended yesterday and replaced by new people.

He said the party constitution provided that an official elected by congress like Mangoma was supposed to receive different treatment when instituting disciplinary measures and his case could not be handled the same way as that of an ordinary party member.

He said due processes were not followed according to section 12 of MDC-T’s constitution.

“The secretary-general of the party prepares charges and as a legal practitioner, my office was not involved in drafting the charges,” he said.

Lawyer Clever Muringi on Tendai Biti remarks

“Mangoma was suspended not expelled. He will exercise his right to be heard in his defence before the tribunal. Biti a seasoned lawyer knows that suspension requires no notice, neither is there any natural justice rule requiring him to be heard before being suspended. I wouldn’t know about the composition of the council but Biti has already demonstrated a propensity to mislead in this instance..”

Press statement by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) on the suspension of its Deputy Treasurer General Elton Mangoma.

Today, the MDC National Council suspended Hon. Elton Mangoma as the Deputy Treasurer General of the party pending the appearance before an Independent Disciplinary Tribunal in terms of the Constitution of the MDC.

After extensive debate, the National Council resolved that charges be preferred against Hon. Mangoma for various transgressions levelled against him.

The charges emanate from the decision by Hon. Mangoma to ignore the directive of the National Executive not to discuss party business through the press and fanning factionalism within the Party.

The charges preferred against Mr Mangoma are as follows:

1. Article 2.1 (o) of the Disciplinary Code of Conduct and Regulations of Movement for Democratic Change Constitution which notes that an offense shall be committed by a member who disrespect and undermines any organ or elected official including failure to respect the protocol of the Party. 

Mr. Mangoma’s allegations made in the various interviews with the local and international media houses undermined the authority of the National Standing Committee, National Executive, National Council and Congress.

2. Contravening Article 5.4 (b) of the Constitution which notes that every member shall have the duty to conduct oneself in a manner which is not prejudicial to the interests of the party in particular, to adhere to the Code of Conduct of the Party. 

The actions by Mr. Mangoma have seriously undermined our relationship with strategic partners. It is also further noticed that his behaviour and attitude undermines the party position that the July 31 elections were stolen.

The Party is going to appoint an Independent Tribunal which will be made up of three lawyers with the chairperson who shall be a person qualified to be a Judge of the High Court. The MDC has formally served Hon. Mangoma who was present at the meeting with the suspension letter.

The hearing will start immediately.

Douglas Mwonzora

MDC National Spokesperson

More updates as we get them…………