Khupe aide supports seizure of Harvest House by youths and quest to unite party

MDC-T National Organiser Abednico Bhebhe has urged senior party leaders to respect the decision taken by youths to unite the party when they seized its Harvest House headquarters.

MDC youths under the 2014 structures led by Paul Gorekore, Harare Province Chairperson of the same structures demanded a reunion of the party with the Nelson Chamisa led MDC Alliance.

In a statement Monday, Bhebhe called on dozens of anti-riot police to leave the entrance of the opposition headquarters and stop interfering with the party’s affairs.

Bhebhe rebuked the Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T’s leadership of making decisions without involving organs of the party such as the National Executive and National Council.

“We note the position taken by the youth of the MDC in its collective sense. We note their concerns, in particular the possible infiltration of the party with the intention of derailing its objectives.

“They have expressed concern about the unilateral conduct and decision making of senior leaders without involving the organs of the party such as the National Executive and National Council.

“Such unilateral decisions involve, among others, the recall of MPs and Councillors without the authority of the National Council and the purported preparation of the Extraordinary Congress without involving the National Council which is constitutionally mandated to supervise and direct this process.

“Their (youths) demands are not unreasonable as they talk to the need for senior leaders to respect the organs of the party and its constitution,” Bhebhe said.

He added, “In this respect, I am calling upon the Acting President, Acting Chairman and the Secretary General to take the necessary steps to urgently convene the 2014 National Executive and National Council as it was composed on February 15 2014.

“No one should be left behind.

“May I also urge State institutions such as the police not to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties.

“In this regard, I ask that the Commissioner General instructs the police to leave our premises.

“Our youth are conducting our party business peacefully and are protected by the National constitution.”

Meanwhile Gorekore, said the agenda was to force all MDC faction leaders to unite and avoid the infiltration of the mother opposition party.

“We the young people of the Movement for Democratic Change (Harare province) united together to finish the people’s democratic revolution.

“As the first line of defence of the party, the vanguards of democracy and the custodians of the party and its future we have assumed all security duties of the Party HQ MRT House.

“This was necessitated by our realisation of the need to unite the people in the fight for a better Zimbabwe and defend the civilian space in the face of military state capture,” he said.