Political Correspondent<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harare \u2013 Tensions flared at the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) headquarters today as Vice President Elias Mudzuri made a dramatic bid to seize control of the party, following a High Court ruling that declared President Douglas Mwonzora\u2019s leadership illegitimate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chaotic scenes at Harvest House saw Mudzuri, backed by senior party official Morgen Komichi and a group of supporters, attempting to assert his authority as acting president. However, their efforts were met with fierce resistance from Mwonzora\u2019s loyalists, leading to violent scuffles that forced police intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
High Court Ruling Sparks Chaos<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The confrontation stems from a February 2025 High Court judgment by Justice Happias Zhou, which nullified Mwonzora\u2019s 2022 ascension to the presidency, citing irregularities in the party\u2019s Extraordinary Congress. The court ordered Mwonzora to step down and mandated a fresh congress within six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing this ruling, Mudzuri declared himself interim leader, stating,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe court has spoken, and Mwonzora is no longer the legitimate president. We must restore order and prepare for a proper congress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Violent Clashes at Harvest House<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Mudzuri and his supporters arrived at the party headquarters, they were blocked by militant youths aligned with Mwonzora. The standoff turned physical, prompting riot police to deploy in downtown Harare to prevent further violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mudzuri later claimed he had sought police assistance to lawfully take over the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI went to Harare Central Police Station to ensure we follow due process. This is not a rebellion; it\u2019s about enforcing a court order,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Albert Chidhakwa, MDC-T National Youth Chairperson, dismissed Mudzuri\u2019s actions, insisting Mwonzora remains in charge pending an appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe judgment is under appeal, so it has no effect yet. President Mwonzora is still the leader of this party,\u201d Chidhakwa stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Party in Peril<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The MDC-T has been embroiled in factional battles since the Supreme Court\u2019s 2020 ruling that ousted Nelson Chamisa, leading to mass defections to his new party, the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Mwonzora\u2019s decision to boycott the 2023 elections further weakened the party\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With tensions escalating and the leadership crisis unresolved, Harvest House remains both a symbol of the MDC-T\u2019s legacy and the epicenter of its ongoing turmoil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zim GBC News\u00a92025<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Political Correspondent Harare \u2013 Tensions flared at the Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai (MDC-T) headquarters today as Vice President Elias Mudzuri made a dramatic bid to seize control of the party,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7879","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7879","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7879"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7879\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7881,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7879\/revisions\/7881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7879"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7879"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zimgbcnews.co.zw\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7879"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}