Khupe fights on as power struggle rages in Zimbabwe

15 April 2018 - 00:00 By JAMES THOMPSON

Thokozani Khupe, the expelled former vice-president of the Movement for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe, has her back to the wall in her fight to retain the use of the party name, symbol and slogan - but has vowed not to give up.
On Thursday she was recalled from parliament after being dismissed by party leader Nelson Chamisa as the power struggle in the party hots up ahead of elections.
Khupe believes that the acting speaker of the House of Assembly, Reuben Marumahoko, acted in bad faith because she had reported the Chamisa camp as illegal.
"I was the first to write to parliament, but to my surprise I am the one being fired at the behest of a letter of notice from Chamisa. I will challenge this move because it is against logic," said Khupe.
Her dismissal was followed by an urgent chamber application by Chamisa through lawyers Atherstone & Cook at the High Court in Bulawayo on Friday to block her from using the party's name.
Now fighting on two fronts, her parliamentary expulsion and in court, Khupe said she would not bow to pressure because she was a woman faced with male chauvinism."I will fight until I win this matter. I am the constitutionally recognised vice-president of the MDC-T.
"I was meant to be the interim leader until we hold a congress, but because I am a woman some men decided that I should be sidelined," she said.
Congress planned
The court battle over the party's name was due to be heard last Friday, but was postponed to Tuesday.
Khupe has enlisted the services of constitutional law expert and presidential aspirant, National Constitutional Assembly leader Lovemore Madhuku.
Khupe told the Sunday Times that she would hold an MDC-T congress in Bulawayo on Saturday.
"The real MDC-T will have its own congress at the weekend. If I am elected leader I will stand as a presidential candidate. If not, then the people will have spoken. I had no problem with going for congress and Chamisa standing against me, but he and his faction don't respect the rule of law," she added.But Chamisa said the use of the party name, slogans and logos was straightforward.
He claimed to have reached out to Khupe for talks but said she refused and he expelled her. Therefore, she should form her own party.
"This is straightforward. She should not waste time but form her own party and move on with life," said Chamisa.
The Zimbabwe Election Commission last week wrote a letter to the MDC led by Chamisa advising that Khupe was the first to inform the body that her grouping wouldcontest the elections as the MDC-T.
Khupe was elected at the party's congress in 2014 as deputy president to Morgan Tsvangirai.
Tsvangirai later appointed two other deputies, Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri, in 2016...

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