Khupe Approaches Supreme Court Over Congress
Thokozani Khupe’s party MDC-T has approached the Supreme Court seeking guidance on alternative dates to hold its extraordinary congress since it cannot proceed on the set dates due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In March this year, the Supreme Court ruled that the MDC-T should hold its extraordinary congress by July 31 but due to the lockdown the party says it can no longer proceed to have the congress within the stipulated period.
Speaking to The Herald, acting MDC-T spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni confirmed the latest developments.
He said, “We have instructed our legal team to approach the Supreme Court so that they can give us a variation on the dates. As of now, we are waiting for the advice from the Supreme Court to give us an appropriate date for the congress.”
Phugeni said they will stand guided by updates from the Ministry of Health and Child Care on the best way forward.
“I would also want to say having come up with the dates, we are going to be consulting the health authorities because there is a public health imperative which we dare not to ignore.
“We are going through a pandemic, so we want to be guided. No one must lose their lives because of politics. The lives of our members are more precious than elective congress,” said Phugeni.
The elective congress is meant to elect a substantive leader of the party following the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018.
The party’s secretary-general, Douglas Mwonzora has been nominated for Presidency ahead of their extraordinary originally congress slated for the 31st of July 2020.
Mwonzora scored big ahead of rivals Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe. He garnered 189 votes as Mudzuri was endorsed by 23 people and no one voted for acting President Thokozani Khupe.
Results from other provinces are still to be announced.