Mwonzora recalls Khupe from Parliament

The Douglas Mwonzora led MDC-T has recalled Thokozani Khupe from the National Assembly. Mwonzora’s camp argued that Khupe had expelled herself from the party after announcing a breakaway MDC-T formation on January 20.

Khupe had been initially suspended from the MDC-T on grounds of “bringing the party into disrepute” but she immediately announced that she was breaking away as Mwonzora had become a “center of constitutional transgressions.”

Speaking during a press conference in Harare on Wednesday, Khupe revealed said she was stunned to receive communication from Parliament on the 26th of January to the effect that she had been recalled alongside her ally, Nomvula Mguni.

Khupe had previously called for the State to be impartial in handling the MDC-T crisis.

“To my surprise on the 26th of January 2022, I received a letter from the Speaker of Parliament through a courier, FedEx which was delivered to my house in Bulawayo together with my colleague Nomvula Mguni to the effect that we had been recalled and we were no longer Members of Parliament,” said Khupe.

“I have never heard in the history of Parliament a member being recalled through a letter sent to their home by FedEx at a time when Parliament is not in session. Parliament will be resuming in a fortnight and you shudder to think why the Speaker of Parliament was in such a hurry to recall me by a letter he wrote whilst sitting in his office and sending it through FedEx,” she continued.

“That is unprocedural. My understanding of Parliamentary operations, is that the Speaker derives his powers from the mace when he is sitting on his chair in the House of Assembly and in the presence of seating Members of Parliament because the mace is the symbol of authority of the House and the Speaker. Without the mace the House cannot sit and pass laws.”

Khupe has only been in Parliament for a little over 18 months after she was sworn in as a proportional representative Member of Parliament in October 2020 at the time she was MDC-T interim leader.

Khupe had caused the recalling of MPs loyal to Nelson Chamisa following a Supreme Court ruling that dislodged Chamisa from the party’s leadership.

The former Zimbabwe deputy prime minister has been at loggerheads with Mwonzora since the 2020 December’s extraordinary congress (EOC) where she along with Elias Mudzuri and national chairperson Morgen Komichi lost the presidency contest to Mwonzora in an election marred with violence.

She walked out in protest accusing Mwonzora of rigging the elections.

However, in January last year, Mwonzora offered the three losing officials an olive branch and appointed Thokozani Khupe as the first VP, Mudzuri second VP and Komichi as the national chairperson.

Khupe initially declined the offer insisting she did not recognise Mwonzora as the MDC-T president before later accepting the role. Zim Morning Post