Khupe to replace 15 MPs




Tendai Biti and Thokozani Khupe
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MDC-T acting president Thokozani Khupe will tomorrow replace 15 proportional representation MPs as well as senators she recalled from Parliament recently for siding with her rival, Nelson Chamisa’s faction.

Last week, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) gazetted 15 proportional representation (party list) seats that were left vacant after the party recalled MDC Alliance MPs.

In total Khupe recalled 21 MPs, including six constituency legislators – who can only be replaced through by-elections – as the battle for the control of the country’s main opposition party continued unabated.

Khupe and Chamisa have been involved in a fierce tussle for control of the country’s main opposition party since the death of its much-loved founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, in February 2018.

The senseless infighting went a notch up following the Supreme Court’s judgment which upheld last year’s ruling by the High Court nullifying Chamisa’s ascendancy to the leadership of the party.

The court conferred the party leadership on Khupe and also directed that the MDC-T reverts to its 2014 structures and holds an extraordinary congress to elect Tsvangirai’s substantive successor.

Speaking to the Daily News yesterday, Khupe’s spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni said the party had since nominated the 15 replacements.

“In view of the fact that Zec declared the 15 vacancies, the party has an obligation to fill them so the list has been compiled and we will make it available to the public on Friday,” Phugeni said.

The other five constituency MPs, Prosper Mutseyami (Dangamvura), Chalton Hwende (Kuwadzana East), Amos Chibaya (Mkoba), Murisi Zwizwai (Harare Central) and Happymore Chidziva (Highfield West), would not be replaced immediately after Zec suspended by-elections on account of the country’s lockdown measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a statement, Zec recently announced the indefinite suspension of all electoral processes saying “those electoral activities that require gatherings will remain suspended to avoid violating lockdown measures currently in place”.

Source – dailynews