By A Correspondent| The MDC renegade Thokozani Khupe has pulled back from taking over Nelson Chamisa’s leadership mantle right up to the legal challenge over the 2018 election rigging.
Khupe who nearly 3 years ago removed herself from the MDC Harvest House offices 6 months before the late MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai’s death, had been hoping to take over the same, saying she is the rightful successor of the same man she deserted half a year before his passing away.
Khupe was hoping that last week’s Justice Patel Supreme Court verdict will grant her legal powers of a real MDC leader.
Her comments came as Chimurenga music lion Thomas Mapfumo scoffed at the court verdict she is relying on, and mkanya speaking on ZimEye warned against “playing with people’s lives.”
But Khupe on the same day spoke to ZimEye in a no holds barred interview when she was asked if she is going to inherit Nelson Chamisa’s challenge against Mnangagwa over the election rigging in 2018, and the killing of people using the Army so to change election results. Below was her response:
FULL INTERVIEW BELOW:.
VIDEO LOADING BELOW….
Commenting on this, legal expert Dr Tapiwa Shumba said:
There is no reason for any confusion. It is the MDC trading politically as MDC Alliance. Its been like that ever since. We were MDC trading as MDC-T and noone ever asked why everything about us was still MDC. Noone has ever seen an MDC-T constitution. We always celebrated MDC Anniversary and used MDC in our communications. It has always been MDC but MDC T started as far back as 2008 (before elections).
It’s a choice we make to connect to our history and traditions as we continue to renew, transform and grow on the other hand. It is the transacting name, which is the most relevant in Zimbabwe political context, that changes depending on the electoral market and dynamics. That’s why there is nothing trading as MDC currently. There is no MDC Councillor or MP. Many people don’t understand that MDC is now almost like our nickname or better still mutupo/totem in the Zim political context. Riri pachitupa now is MDC Alliance – it used to be MDC-T. Where our identity is requested for official reasons i.e ZEC and Parliament, Council we use the official name for the electoral cycle – now MDC Alliance. Hakuna chinhu chinonzi MDC kwese ikoko.
I say this because I see people asking.
1) Where is the MDC Alliance Consitution saka? (In fact you are not required to have any constitution in Zim).
2. Why did you celebrate 20 years Anniversary?
3. Why did you have 5th Congress?
4. Why are you stil using Harvest House HQ.
Until you understand that in Zimbabwe a Party only exists at ZEC, Parliament and Government you will continue to get confused about the MDC and MDC Alliance, the former being a street name at the latter being an official name. We will always officially transform to adapt to the political and electoral realities of the day but the soul will remain MDC, yet officially speaking, the MDC (our MDC) ceased to exist as an official electoral entity in 2008. The official MDC-T was abandoned when Thokozani Khupe abused it.
The transformation that takes place with the MDC in every electoral cycle is the fundamental reason why it is first class nonsense for anyone to say the Party must revert to a pre-electoral state. Pre-electoral state of the MDC are footsteps, hakuna chinhu, kunosara mutupo iwoyu unonzi MDC chete. That’s why there is this confusion, yet in truth, there is nothing new in the transformation of political parties. Consider this question – how old is ZANU-PF – and what is ZANU in all this – does ZANU-PF say it started in 1987 – but why do they claim and celebrate the 70s heroes and victories of ZANU when ZANU-PF started in 1987? Lastly, don’t be stupid.