Rowdy MDC-T activists heckle Thokozani Khupe to tears Thokozani Khupe
Thokozani Khupe

Thokozani Khupe

Nduduzo Tshuma Political Editor—
MDC-T vice president Thokozani Khupe last week broke down and cried uncontrollably during the party’s national council meeting in Harare after receiving a barrage of insults from protesters who were not happy with her push for the party to contest in the June 10 parliamentary by-elections. The beleaguered party met last Friday at its Harvest House headquarters and upheld its decision to boycott the by-elections in the 14 constituencies which fell vacant following the expulsion of 21 former MDC-T renegade MPs from Parliament.

MDC-T members have, however, been jostling to fill the seven proportional representation seats.

In an indication of frosty relations between Khupe and her boss, party president Morgan Tsvangirai, the MDC-T leader left his deputy at the mercy of ordinary party members who heckled and harangued her in a humiliating manner.

In scenes reminiscent of the time former secretary general Tendai Biti and deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma were attacked by party youths in Tsvangirai’s full glare, Khupe was insulted by a group of protesters who told her in no uncertain terms that she did not hold sway in Harare.

Khupe, the party’s national organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe and some officials from Bulawayo including deputy Mayor Gift Banda, Victor Maphungwane, Agnes Mloyi and Khaliphani Phugeni had reportedly made an unsuccessful campaign for the party to contest for the 14 vacant seats.

Of the vacant seats, five are in Bulawayo namely Makokoba, Pumula, Luveve, Lobengula and Mpopoma constituencies.

During the meeting held on the 4th floor, insiders said a group of placard-waving party activists staged a demonstration against Khupe on the 3rd floor denouncing her for opposing the party’s resolution.

“Khupe went to the protesters to call them to order but they wouldn’t budge. They instead hurled insults at her and sang derogatory songs questioning her morals,” said a source.

“She was accused of being an MDC Renewal sympathiser and a Zanu PF spy.

“The demonstrators told her that unlike in Bulawayo where she does as she pleases, Harare wouldn’t tolerate her bossy tendencies. As all this happened, Tsvangirai didn’t make any attempt to go and defend Khupe or reprimand the demonstrators.”

The insider said after receiving a barrage of attacks, Khupe went back to the meeting and broke down in tears.

“She cried uncontrollably. She said she didn’t understand how party members junior to her would insult and humiliate her the way the demonstrators had done,” said a source.

In the meeting, Banda, who was barred by the courts from the Bulawayo provincial chairperson’s post, reportedly tried without fail to get the meeting to ‘listen to minority voices.”

“Banda was diplomatic on the matter but the meeting insisted that there would be no discussions on the resolutions of the congress. So at the end it was Bulawayo against the rest of the party,” said the source.

Before the meeting, insiders said, Matabeleland North and South provinces were commiserating with Bulawayo province but made a spectacular U-turn in the meeting.

“Matabeleland North and South had before the meeting reportedly threatened to walk out of the meeting if the party insisted on non participation. However, in the meeting, all provincial chairpersons were given the floor to present their positions and the two supported non participation, leaving Khupe and company isolated,” said the source.

Khupe was yesterday not reachable for comment.

Party national spokesperson Obert Gutu yesterday said: “I was at the meeting of the national executive. There was no way I could’ve seen what happened outside the venue of our meeting on the fourth floor of Harvest House. I can’t comment on something I didn’t witness.”

On the attendance of Banda in the meeting despite a court order stripping him of the provincial chairmanship post, Gutu said he was not at liberty to discuss the internal processes of the party. The revelations yesterday came as Tsvangirai’s former political advisor Alex Magaisa noted that the party’s half-hearted protests would not take it anywhere.

“On the one hand the party has chosen not to contest the by-elections in 14 constituencies but it’ll still fill the vacancies in proportional representation seats. But in truth, both are by-elections by different names. The difference is that one set is contested and the other isn’t,” said Magaisa in an article published on his website.

“The party has chosen to boycott the contested ones but elected to fill the uncontested ones. To observers it seems to be yet another half-hearted protest — one which says we can boycott one aspect but participate in the other. This situation suits Zanu-PF very well. Asked if the MDC-T has participated in the electoral processes to fill vacancies created by the expulsion of MPs, the answer can’t be no. The answer is that the MDC-T is participating in some but not in the others. It’s this half-hearted, ambivalent approach that weakens the party’s protest.”

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