By A Correspondent- The MDC Alliance Women’s Assembly for Mashonaland West province has defended the opposition party’s national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere after her promotion by Nelson Chamisa came under criticism from want-away Hatfield MP Tapiwa Mashakada on Sunday.
Speaking in an interview with Sly Media TV on Sunday, Mashakada queried why Mahere, a latecomer to the Alliance was given such a powerful post ahead of party members who have been in the movement since its formation in 1999.
Mashakada said:
“There is a big debate within the party, about how people like Fadzayi Mahere became the mouthpiece of the party before she had five years in the party. That is wrong. That has to be corrected.”
The MDC Alliance Mashonaland West Women’s Assembly has since thrown its weight fully behind Mahere after her appointment was publicly condemned by Mashakada.
“We condemn the sexist attack on our national spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere by Hatfield MP Tapiwa Mashakada in his interview with SlyMedia Productions on 14 June 2020.
“He singled out and attacked Fadzayi Mahere because she is a woman.”
Yesterday, Mashakada said he had misgivings about the rise of Mahere not because she was a woman, but because the party constitution had not been followed as new members can only ascend to national leadership after having been in the party for at least five years.
He clause was placed in the MDC constitution to avert possible infiltration by Zanu-PF sympathizers. Mahere contested the 2018 parliamentary elections as an independent candidate for Mt. Pleasant in Harare, and came a distant third behind MDC Alliance and Zanu-PF candidates.
Mashakada added that if the Chamisa camp felt that the constitution was not serving the party any good, the right thing to do was to amend the weak clauses to suit the party’s requirements, instead of violating the clauses willy-nilly.
However, the MDC Alliance Women’s Assembly was adamant that Mashakada targeted Mahere because she was a woman.
“We feel Tapiwa Mashakada does not appreciate the ascendance of women to powerful positions of power in politics.
“Women are the torchbearers of our struggle and we applaud and support the recent appointment of Fadzayi Mahere to the post of MDC Alliance Spokesperson by our able president Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
“President Chamisa is indeed our top change agent as he is changing the dynamic of self-promotional politics to team-oriented, service style leadership in order to achieve the change that delivers,” the women’s assembly said in a statement.
“We are proud of president Chamisa for promoting gender inclusiveness at all levels of our structures with young women like Fadzayi Mahere getting top positions.
“To Fadzi, in heels yes you can,” added the statement.
Meanwhile, MDC Alliance Secretary-General Chalton Hwende has dismissed the statement by Mashakada that both Mashakada and Paurina Gwanyanya-Mpariwa had been expelled from the Chamisa faction.
“The MDC Alliance has not expelled Hon Mashakada and Hon Mupariwa contrary to media reports and insinuations by Hon Mashakada in his interview today. No MP has also tendered any resignation from the MDC Alliance,” Hwende said.