MDC Alliance’s National Standing Committee which met Thursday resolved and recommended that its Bulawayo’s Provincial Women’s Chairperson, Tendai Masotsha be expelled from the party noting her continued membership would be bad for its credibility.
Masotsha was recently cleared of any involvement in the abduction of a 22 year old journalism student, Tawanda Muchehiwa, just before the July 31 protest and that she was not an informer for the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) neither had she collaborated with state agents for that abduction.
But two days ago, an audio went viral on social media, where she allegedly claimed Muchehiwa had plans to bomb government buildings during the July 31 protest and threatened to expose more if his family continued pestering her.
After meeting today, MDC Alliance’s National Standing Committee released a communique distancing itself from Masotsha’s claims.
“The MDC Alliance unequivocally dissociates itself with the utterances expressed by Tendai Masotsha in an audio recording which was circulated publicly on or about November 24, 2020 post our internal inquiry. The said utterances run contrary to the values, beliefs, principles and disposition of the party. As a matter of record , the alleged conversation with Hon Jameson Timba never took place,” read the statement issued by National Spokesperson, Fadzai Mahere.
MDC Alliance claimed it respected rules, therefore the National Standing Committee resolved and recommended to its National Council that Masotsha be expelled.
“Masotsha be expelled from the MDC Alliance in accordance with the provisions of the party Constitution on the grounds that her conduct violates the values that govern the party and her continued membership would be detrimental to the MDC Alliance,” Mahere said.
The party also said there should be accountability for state-sponsored and human rights abuses calling for Muchehiwa’s abductors to be brought to book.
“The perpetrators of the abduction of Tawanda Muchehiwa, namely state against and ferret forces sent by Mr (President Emmerson) Mnangagwa’s regime and all those complicit in the said abduction – including Impala Car Rental Company must be expeditiously brought to book for the torture and atrocities committed against Muchehiwa,” read the communique.
MDC Alliance also expressed concern at the national crisis and continued shrinking democratic space.
The opposition party said it was aware of Zanu PF attempts to “supplant MDC Alliance as a credible democratic alternative to their current misrule, reconstitute an opposition that is captured, loyal to Zanu PF and a de facto extension of Zanu PF, reconstruct parliament with its proxies to render weak and ineffective in holding Zanu PF to account and is bent on usurping the will of the people as expressed in the 2018 election and masking their failure to govern.”
After the audio went viral, Masotsha sent out a public statement saying she was taking a sabbatical from active politics until such a time that the danger she and family faced had subsided.
“It has been increasingly clear to me that my case has become a distraction to the real challenges that my party, the MDC Alliance ,have to confront in it’s political struggles against Zanu PF on behalf of the long suffering people of Zimbabwe. It is critically important that I immediately stand aside from active politics so as to allow the party to focus on its core business of opposing Zanu PF and mobilising the people against a system that has caused them immeasurable suffering,” she said.
Masotsha noted that as of Tuesday she was taking an indefinite sabbatical from her position as chairperson of the MDC Alliance Bulawayo Province’s Women’s Assembly.
“I hope in doing so the party will be enabled to refocus on the urgent political tasks of the day and that myself and family will be spared the anguish of the last few months. In accordance with this public statement, I have written to Honourable Amos Chibaya,the MDC National organising secretary advising of this my decision,” she said.
Meanwhile, MDC Alliance said it stood firm and was committed to the fight against Gender Based Violence (GBV) to mark the start of 16 days of activism against GBV.
“We demand justice for Joana Mamombe, Nestai Marova and Cecilia Chimbiria and all survivors of GBV across the nation. The party will launch its commemoration of this important campaign in Matabeleland South on November 27 2020,” Mahere said.
