By Staff Reporter
MOVEMENT for Democratic Change (MDC-T) president, Douglas Mwonzora has approached the Supreme Court seeking a reversal of a recent High Court judgement that annulled the party’s 2022 congress which elected him into power.
Last week, High Court judge, Justice Hapias Zhou, made the ruling following an appeal by former MDC-T members, Elias Mudzuri, Edward Kakora, Gift Konjana, Den Moyo, John Nyika and Morgen Komichi.
Mwonzora’s challenge lodged at the superior court effectively suspends Justice Zhou’s, pending the outcome of the appeal.
The High Court ordered Mwonzora to resign and pave the way for a fresh congress within six months due to irregularities in the 2022 MDC-T ordinary congress that catapulted him to the helm of the alternative formation.
“The purported National Congress held in December 2020 by the second respondent as the National Congress of the first respondent be and is hereby declared null and void for noncompliance with the first respondent’s Constitution,” part of Justice Zhou’s ruling reads.
Following the ruling, Mwonzora said Zanu PF was behind the controversial judgment in order to pacify his calls for Zimbabweans to resist President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 2030 agenda to extend his incumbency beyond the constitutionally permissible two terms that expire in 2028.
In the aftermath of last week’s ruling, MDC-T must hold fresh polls to choose new leaders within the next six months.
Mwonzora said he was ready to defend his position through the ballot as leader of the main opposition political party.
“…when the time comes, we will hold congress and l, as president of the MDC-T, am willing to face anyone in a congress. I am willing to face Mudzuri, anybody, in congress, and we all know what that outcome of the congress will be. We know they will be defeated, Zanu PF knows that they will be defeated…,” Mwonzora said.
At the 2020 extraordinary congress, Mwonzora annihilated Thokozani Khupe, Elias Mudzuri and Morgen Komichi, who were also vying for the MDC-T presidency. Before vote counting could start, Khupe and Komichi walked out, accusing Mwonzora’s camp of using violence and a fraudulent voters’ roll. Mudzuri also left the congress shortly after.
Despite the protests, voting continued into the night, and Mwonzora was declared the victor with 883 votes, while Khupe got 118 votes, Mudzuri scrapped 14, and Komichi a paltry 9 votes.
On December 18, 2022, the MDC-T held an ordinary congress where the party endorsed Mwonzora as its sole presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections. The congress also confirmed Chief Ndlovu as first vice president and Paurina Mpariwa as second vice president, both unopposed.
Mudzuri and other applicants later filed a case in the High Court, challenging the validity of the 2020 congress and seeking an order for a fresh congress.
Last Friday, February 28, 2025, Justice Zhou handed a surprise ruling declaring that the 2022 congress was null and void, arguing that it fell short of meeting the requirements of the MDC-T Constitution.
The court ordered that a new national congress under an independent election commission as stipulated in the MDC-T Constitution
