MDC Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora is going to contest for the party presidency at the Congress set for May, dismissing recent media reports that he had had a change of heart and was aiming at party vice presidency.
This will be the second time in two successive MDC Congresses that the two — party leader Nelson Chamisa and Mwonzora — will square off. They previously locked horns in 2014, with Mwonzora soundly beating Chamisa for the secretary-general position that year.
In an interview with NewsDay yesterday, Mwonzora said he would not be swayed from contesting any position, but maintained that he would, however, make the announcement at an appropriate time.
“What is being circulated is false,” he said.
“When the right time comes, the people shall know which post I am contesting at congress. There are so many stories being manufactured by people. I am very clear that the MDC is a democratic party, where people chose their leaders.”
Mwonzora said no position would be ring-fenced, including the presidency.
The MDC secretary-general claimed some unknown persons placed suspicious liquid, believed to be juju, in his parliamentary pigeon hole on Tuesday, stroking fears of witchcraft ahead of the party’s elective congress in May.
Mwonzora said he reported the matter to security at Parliament, but was unfazed by the incident.
“I went to Parliament and I then decided to check my mail at the pigeon hole and there were two police officers in that room,” Mwonzora said.
“As I approached my pigeon hole, I discovered that there was a plastic bottle with a strange-looking liquid and it was half full. I asked the police officers about it and they didn’t know who had put it there.
“I then alerted the Parliament security, but I don’t know what they did with it. I didn’t touch it.”
Mwonzora said he does not feel threatened.
“Whoever put it there either intended to threaten me with these superstitions, but it is strange that some people will find time to put that into my pigeon hole. I don’t know what the liquid is,” he said.
NewsDay