Mwonzora plummets from MDC grace to grass

The High Court has nullified MDC-T President Douglas Mwonzora’s December 2022 elective congress and delegitimised his leadership of the once-powerful opposition party.

The ruling, delivered by Justice Zhou on Friday, found that the congress was conducted in violation of the party’s constitution, rendering its outcomes “null and void.”

The court ruling comes after a challenge by former MDC-T vice president Elias Mudzuri and several senior party members, including Edward Kakora, Gift Kanjana, Den Moyo, and John Nyika.

The applicants argued that Mwonzora had orchestrated an illegitimate congress that failed to meet the constitutional requirements for such a gathering.

“The purported National Congress held in December 2022 by the second respondent (Mwonzora) as the National Congress of the first respondent (MDC-T) is declared null and void for non-compliance with the first respondent’s constitution,” ruled Justice Zhou. This is an Ignite Media Zimbabwe news production. According to the judgment, the congress lacked a quorum, as key party structures such as the Women’s Congress and Youth Congress were excluded.

Article 6.2.2 and 6.2.7 of the MDC-T constitution stipulate that at least two-thirds of entitled members must be present for a congress to be valid.

“The congress convened by the second respondent did not meet such quorum as the Women’s Congress and the Youth Congress were not held,” the judgment read. “The congress lasted for less than a few hours since there were not enough members to reach the quorum.”

Additionally, the court found that Mwonzora had handpicked members of the National Executive Council instead of allowing democratic elections as required by the party’s constitution.

The ruling also noted that notices for the congress were not properly published in national newspapers, violating Articles 6.2.4.1 and 6.2.4.2 of the MDC-T constitution.
The ruling orders the party to convene a fresh congress within six months under an independent electoral commission.

The court battle is the latest in a series of internal conflicts that have plagued the MDC since the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling, which reinstated the party’s 2014 structures and set the stage for Mwonzora’s rise to power.

Initially aligned with Mwonzora, Mudzuri fell out with him over leadership disputes and internal democratic processes.

Mwonzora’s leadership has been marred by controversy, including allegations of expelling political rivals and sidelining key party organs.

Critics argue that his tactics have contributed to the destruction of the MDC, which was once Zimbabwe’s strongest opposition force under its late founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mudzuri and his allies contend that the 2022 congress was part of Mwonzora’s broader strategy to consolidate power illegitimately.

“The attempt to nullify the congress still leaves [Mwonzora] as the President by virtue of his election at the December 2022 congress,” he argued in court.

However, the High Court rejected this claim, ruling that his leadership position remains disputed.

The ruling adds further instability to the MDC, which has already suffered major electoral losses and defections.

The party, which once posed a formidable challenge to Zanu PF, has fractured into multiple factions.

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