By A Correspondent- MDC acting President Thokozani Khupe has been told to recall all legislators elected under rival political leader Nelson Chamisa, failure which she will face a lawsuit.
A US-based businessman Devine Mafa threatened Khupe with a lawsuit if she failed to recall the MPs from Chamisa’s administration.
Mafa described opposition MPs elected under Chamisa as “mercenaries” who defied Chamisa’s call for them to disengage from Parliament, adding that the same MPs ar now offering themselves to whoever makes the highest bid between Khupe, Douglas Mwonzora, Morgen Komichi and Elias Mudzuri for the vote at the upcoming extraordinary congress.
“Those MPs elected under Chamisa proved to Chamisa himself that they are not loyal to anyone except their pocket. They disobeyed calls to disengage Parliament because they got into Parliament via imposition when they were in good books with Chamisa in 2018.
“Now that they see Chamisa has lost the case at the Supreme Court, they immediately switched allegiance to Khupe to save their jobs.
“Madame Khupe mustn’t keep such treacherous characters in the party because soon as it becomes convenient for them to do so, they will also dump her the same way they ditched Chamisa.
MDC interim president Thokozani Khupe must clean the deck and fire all mercenary MPs to rerun the part to full democracy, says Devine Mafa. The US-based businessman threatens to sue her of she doesn’t recall them.
“MDC needs loyal leaders who stand by the party through thick and thin. Why are they afraid of being recalled if indeed they got elected by popular vote and if they know people are on their side?
“All it shows is that they know they were imposed and can’t risk a by-election which in all probability they will lose. So, the best way forward is for Khupe to recall all of them and start from a clean slate with democratically elected legislators via free and fair primary elections,” said Mafa.
Having been resident in the United States for slightly over 20 years, Mafa said he values the tenets of democracy and believes officials all the way from ward Councillors to the President must only be elected via democratic elections.
He threatened to sue Khupe if she does not recall all the MPs. So far, the Khupe camp has only recalled Chalton Hwende (Kuwadzana East), Prosper Mutseyami (Dangamvura Chikanga), Thabitha Khumalo (proportional representation MP) and Senator Lillian Timveos.
With the MDC set to hold an extraordinary congress by July 21st, Mafa reckoned that there is massive horsetrading in the party as Khupe, Mwonzora, Komichi and Mudzuri are trying to buy favours from the MPs in exchange for votes at the extraordinary congress.
Mafa says opposition MPs must all be recalled as they have already proven they are loyal to their pockets. Mudzuri and Mwonzora are believed to be some of the heavyweights angling for support from the MPs at the extraordinary congress.
“My feeling is that Khupe may not want to recall a good number of these MPs as she wants to use them as leverage to win power at the upcoming congress. The same can be said of Mwonzora, Komichi and Mudzuri, hence the apparent reluctance by these leaders to wield the axe on disloyal party legislators.”
Turning to his father, Dr Felix Mafa Sibanda who was recently appointed MDC Alliance deputy national spokesperson by Chamisa, Devine Mafa described Chamisa’s move as ‘disrespectful and tribal’.
Said Mafa: “Chamisa has proven to all and sundry that he is not the leader to deliver a new Zimbabwe. He is divisive, ageist and tribal.
“How can Dr. Mafa, a founding member of the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai be made an understudy to Fadzayi Mahere, a greenhorn in opposition politics who for intents and purposes was only contesting against the MDC just under two years ago?
“This is like Emmerson Mnangagwa appointing Tatenda Mavetera (Zanu-PF Seke-Chikomba women’s quota MP) the party spokesperson deputized by someone who understands the Zanu-PF system better, like July Moyo. That won’t work.
“Chamisa in making that appointment was clearly disrespectful to the people of Matebeleland as well as tribal against the same people.
“One gets the intended sense that people from a certain region may not get positions of influence no matter the experience they have in the trenches. It’s absolute hogwash.”
Since February 2018 when Chamisa succeeded Tsvangirai without the convening of an extraordinary congress, Mafa has been consistent in calling for a return to constitutionalism in the opposition movement.