By A Correspondent-Police on Thursday blocked MDC-T vice-president Elias Mudzuri from holding a leadership restructuring meeting at the party’s headquarters, Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House in Harare.
More than 400 MDC-T members had gathered for the meeting, which Mudzuri convened to discuss internal reforms and party unity amid deepening divisions in the opposition movement.
The disruption comes against the backdrop of a High Court ruling in February 2025 by Justice Happias Zhou, which ordered MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora to step down and facilitate an elective congress within six months. The court cited irregularities in the party’s 2022 extraordinary congress that elevated Mwonzora to the presidency.
Speaking after the aborted meeting, Mudzuri said efforts to reach a negotiated settlement with Mwonzora had failed.
“We had agreed on a roadmap for reconciliation and restructuring, but Mwonzora refused to sign the agreement,” Mudzuri told journalists. “As bona fide members of the MDC, we decided to come together as one family to resolve these issues. Continued court battles are damaging the party. We’ve seen membership decline and enthusiasm wane—dialogue is our best option.”
Mudzuri accused Mwonzora of orchestrating the police intervention to block the meeting.
“The police said they were maintaining order after receiving a tip-off from Mwonzora about the gathering. They advised us to reschedule,” he said.
He added that the proposed agreement between factions included nullifying the disputed 2022 congress and embracing a “let bygones be bygones” approach to restore unity in the party—but Mwonzora allegedly rejected the deal because “he still wants to cling to power.”
Mudzuri insisted that the party’s direction must be decided collectively. “In the MDC, it’s the members—not individuals—who hold ultimate authority,” he said.
A joint monitoring and implementation committee, made up of representatives from both factions, is expected to oversee the transitional process if consensus is eventually reached.
Mwonzora, who controversially took control of the MDC Alliance from former leader Nelson Chamisa, boycotted the 2023 elections, denouncing them as a “sham.” He has faced mounting accusations of working in cahoots with the ruling Zanu PF party to weaken the opposition since his rise to power.