MDC Women’s Assembly executive dissolved

By Lance Guma
08 October 2007

The MDC led by founding president Morgan Tsvangirai has dissolved the 24 member Women’s Assembly executive led by trade unionist Lucia Matibenga. This follows allegations of repeated personality clashes between Matibenga and her Secretary General, Evelyn Masaiti. The party set up a commission of enquiry to investigate alleged non-performance by the assembly and some of the findings revealed what has been described as an unworkable relationship between the two. MDC Secretary General Tendai Biti refused to comment on the matter telling Newsreel it would be inappropriate to do so since some of the executive members were still to receive letters notifying them of the decision.

At the weekend the standing committee of the Tsvangirai MDC, which effectively replaced the ‘Top 6’ of old, made the decision to dissolve the executive. The 11 member standing committee includes the likes of Thokozani Khupe, Tendai Biti, Morgan Komichi, Elias Mudzuri, Nelson Chamisa, Lovemore Moyo, Tamsanqa Mahlangu, Lucia Matibenga and others. The decision remained controversial even inside the committee with some expressing reservations. Insiders say the decision has not gone down well with a significant segment of the MDC who believe the move will create unnecessary divisions within the party. In October 2005 the party split into two camps over whether to participate in senate elections or not.

Those displeased with the decision say it’s an over-reaction to minor disagreements that are being fanned by people plotting to overthrow Matibenga. It has already been suggested that Theresa Makone, the wife of Ian Makone, is being lined up to replace Matibenga. Her husband Ian recently spent over 4 months in remand prison over cooked up terror charges before a judge freed him accusing the police of manufacturing evidence. Another point raised is that the standing committee has no power to dissolve the women’s assembly executive and was only supposed to make recommendations to the National or Executive Council.

Elections to fill up positions in the MDC Women’s Assembly will be held on the 28th October this year and all those who were part of the dissolved executive are free to run for re-election. Meanwhile, squabbles within the MDC UK province will be dealt with in coming weeks Newsreel has been told. It’s expected that National Chairman Lovemore Moyo will fly to the United Kingdom and try to bring sanity to an executive that has been split into two camps. Chairman Ephraim Tapa and Secretary Julius Mutyambizi have been left isolated after 5 of the 7-member executive disassociated themselves from the two. The two camps are holding separate meetings and trading abusive e-mails while asking party members to ignore the other.