Media Release|Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, Nixon ‘Cde Mao’ Nyikadzino, and Lynette Mudhewe’s membership of the MDC-T led by The Hon Dr Thokozani KHUPE*
Secretary General Nixon ‘Cde Mao’ Nyikadzino, Information and Publicity Secretary Linda Tsungirirai Masarira, and Assembly of Women Secretary General Lynnette Mudhewe are members of the MDC-T who at various times chose to exercise their right to be dormant card carrying members of the party.
It is the casting of aspersions over Secretary for Information and Publicity Linda Tsungirirai Masarira’s membership of the MDC-T, to the point of crashing the Internet, which our President, The Hon Dr Thokozani Khupe makes her remarks as follows;
Firstly, that our members and voters would do well to note that Linda Tsungirirai Masarira joined MDC in 2000, and became active in the Bulawayo South District. She has also been previously active in Hwange and Harare before laying dormant from party politics after she grew increasingly dissatisfied with what she viewed as a deviation of our party from its founding values.
Her path to constitutionally assume a position at the MDC-T Extra Ordinary Congress became clear after the party adopted a constitutional ammendment to allow a very limited number of special interest groups and individuals to be legible for election or nomination to any position, subject to clearance by the Standing Committee, and in any case, notwithstanding any outstanding constitutional provisions on membership of the party.
Linda Tsungirirai Masarira is a credible and unapologetic social, economic, political and feminist activist who needs no introduction to the Zimbabwean political arena. It was therefore not a difficult decision for the party to allow her to subject herself to congress for election to the position of Secretary for Information and Publicity, which position she was unanimously elected for.
Secondly, the MDC- T President, Hon Dr Thokozani Khupe, is not surprised by the avalanche of comments, most of them from people who are afraid of women who chose to congregate around principle, constitutionalism, and to engage in politics that puts the people of Zimbabwe first. She is equally unfazed by the usual ganging up of some self misguiding and cowardly men who become uneasy at the sight of women whose coming together results in gender mainstreaming in decision making.
On the contrary, The Hon President Dr Khupe is unreservedly proud that Linda Tsungirirai Masarira satisfied all the constitutional requirements in her entry into the MDC-T main body politics of the party, and is part of the women contingent which has seen our party being the only one in Zimbabwe with a 50-50 gender representation in its Standing Committee. In the top 6 substantive positions of the party’s Standing Committee, 3 are held by women, and Linda Tsungirirai Masarira is one of them. Below is the full 50-50 on gender MDC-T Standing Committee with 7 men and 7 women, which Linda Tsungirirai Masarira is a part of.
President
Hon Dr Thokozani KHUPE
Deputy President
Hon Adv. Obert GUTU
National Chairperson
Hon Abednico BHEBHE
Secretary General
Nixon ‘Cde Mao’ NYIKADZINO
Deputy Secretary General
Dr Samukele HADEBE
Treasurer General
Chief NDLOVU
Organising Secretary
Yvonne MUSARURWA
Deputy Organising Secretary
Alfred NCUBE
Information and Publicity Secretary
Linda MASARIRA
Deputy Secretary for Information and Publicity
Khaliphani PHUGENI
Assembly of Women Chairperson
Hon. Dorothy NDLOVU
Assembly of Women Secretary General
Lynnette MUDEHWE
Youth Assembly Chairperson
Fungai MASAITI
Youth Assembly Secretary General
Isabel MWONZORA
Issued by Witness Dube
MDC-T Presidential Spokesperson and Director of Presidential Affairs.