Khupe phones Chamisa over plans to rejoin MDC Alliance – ZimLive

MDC-T vice president Thokozani Khupe called MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa to discuss her prospects of joining the mainstream opposition party, the ZimLive website has reported.

This comes after Khupe failed to openly recognise the current MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora whom she accused of rigging his way to the top during the party’s extraordinary congress last year.

There are also reports that some supporters of Mwonzora are pushing for the recall from Parliament of Khupe and his followers.

One MDC Alliance official told the ZimLive website there is a busy conversation going on between the two founding MDC leaders.

“The lines of communication between the Khupe and the MDC Alliance leadership are very open, and very busy,” the official said.

Chamisa’s spokesman Nkululeko Sibanda said the MDC Alliance was ready to welcome the former members.

“President Chamisa wants to lead this country and building a nation is not a partisan enterprise. His focus is to get every citizen to support change,” Sibanda said in an interview with ZimLive.

“The MDC Alliance stands ready to welcome all comrades who underestimated Douglas Mwonzora’s complicity and connivance with the regime to frustrate change.”

Khupe’s spokesman Ntando Ndlovu denied the reports saying: “Dr Khupe would like to place it on record that she has never held any discussions with any party about working together or anything of the sort.”

MDC-T spokesman Witness Dube dismissed as “speculation”, reports that Khupe was planning to join the MDC Alliance.

“It is entirely open for speculation why madam vice president Khupe would come out of a national council meeting only to seek an audience with her lawyers about what she calls plots to remove her from parliament.

“Broadly speaking however, I must say that all political parties reserve the right to recall errant members of parliament who are no longer serving the interests of the party, people who are no longer good for the cause.

“It is provided that we can recall a member of parliament because they have automatically expelled themselves by joining another party or they now represent interests that are contrary to those of the party. But as we stand, no person has been announced as recalled.”

ZimLive said although he declined to comment, the MDC Alliance secretary general Charlton Hwende has been the point person in discussions with Khupe, who has so far only spoken to Chamisa by phone.

“There’s no shortage of positions,” said one MDC Alliance official. “When she does rejoin she will get a respectable position, she’s one of the founding leaders and despite all that has gone on, she deserves her place in leadership.”