MASVINGO – Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara, leader of an MDC offshoot, has his political career hanging by a thread after his party’s national council passed a vote of no confidence against him, demanding that he be recalled from his government post.
REPORT BY TATENDA CHITAGU
In a clear coup, the national council also demanded the withdrawal of the court case against Welshman Ncube, who heads another MDC formation, who was in a leadership wrangle with Mutambara.
In a Press statement, MDC-M party – as Mutambara’s grouping is known – national organising secretary Rabson Mashiri, arguably the DPM’s most trusted lieutenant, said they had resolved not to recognise the robotics professor as their party president any more.
“MDC-M national council passed a vote of no confidence against Arthur Mutambara, hence he be recalled from the DPM post,” the statement reads.
“The national council resolved that the national chair acts as the leader of the party until after congress.
“The party will forge an alliance with other democratic forces for elections.”
The resolutions were reached last Saturday, when the national council met in Harare.
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In a tacit admission that the group is now backing Ncube, Mutambara’s national council resolved to drop the court case against him. Ncube and Mutambara’s leadership wrangles dragged to the courts after the latter refused to accept defeat at the party’s national congress held last year.
“The court case against Prof Welshman Ncube-led MDC be withdrawn unconditionally and for us to immediately focus on party building and election campaign,” the statement reads.
The national council also resolved to dismiss party MPs who defected to the MDC formation led by Prime Minister Tsvangirai.
“The MPs who defected to the MDC-T are automatically dismissed from the party,” the party said, as it resolved to engage other parties in the formation of a coalition.
“The national organising secretary should engage other parties for possible working relationship or memorandum of understanding,” the resolutions read. When contacted for a comment, Mutambara dismissed the resolutions as rubbish.
“Just ignore it. That is rubbish,” he said, before terminating the telephone conversation.
