Published: 13 hours ago

A fierce power struggle has erupted within the MDC-T party as Vice President Elias Mudzuri, reportedly in alliance with Morgen Komichi, launched an audacious attempt to remove party leader Douglas Mwonzora and take control of Harvest House, the party's headquarters in Harare's central business district.

The dramatic move follows a High Court ruling in late February 2025 by Justice Hapias Zhou, who ordered Mwonzora to resign and facilitate a fresh party congress within six months. The court cited irregularities in the 2022 MDC-T Extraordinary Congress that elevated Mwonzora to the party leadership.

Seizing on this ruling, Mudzuri claims that as Vice President, he is the rightful leader of the party and sought to enforce the court's decision by occupying Harvest House.

This morning, Mudzuri arrived at Harvest House with a sizeable entourage but was met with fierce opposition from Mwonzora's militant youth supporters. The group aggressively blocked his entry, prompting police intervention to prevent the situation from escalating.

Mudzuri was later seen leaving the scene in his black Toyota Land Cruiser amid the chaotic standoff.

Earlier in the day, Mudzuri reportedly ordered Mwonzora's loyalists to vacate the premises, which sparked heated confrontations and led to the deployment of police officers in riot gear. Mudzuri temporarily disappeared before resurfacing to claim he had sought police assistance at Harare Central Police Station to secure an escort for his takeover of the party headquarters.

"Mwonzora is no longer the President, as per the High Court ruling in February 2025. There is a void in the party presidency that must be filled," said one of Mudzuri's security aides, who requested anonymity.

However, Mwonzora's camp, led by MDC National Youth Chairman Albert Chidhakwa, dismissed Mudzuri's claims as premature and invalid, emphasizing that the party had already filed an appeal against Justice Zhou's ruling.

"The party has appealed Justice Zhou's ruling. Mudzuri cannot rely on the High Court ruling because the appeal has rendered it ineffective. President Mwonzora remains the party leader. There is no change to that," Chidhakwa asserted.

The struggle for control of Harvest House is the latest chapter in a protracted internal conflict that intensified following the Supreme Court's March 2020 decision to nullify Nelson Chamisa's rise to party leadership after the death of MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018.

Since assuming leadership as Secretary General, Mwonzora has struggled to consolidate his position amid defections of many members to Chamisa's newly formed Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) in 2022.

Mwonzora's MDC-T opted not to participate in the 2023 elections, citing irregularities in the delimitation process.

As the party grapples with internal discord, the battle for Harvest House underscores the deep divisions and uncertainty still engulfing Zimbabwe's opposition politics.
- NewZimbabwe

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