MDC-T Responds To Mwonzora Perjury Allegations
The MDC-T has denied reports claiming party president Douglas Mwonzora and secretary-general Paurina Mpariwa committed perjury.
This comes after Gweru mayor, Josiah Makombe (MDC Alliance), reported Mwonzora and Mpariwa to the police for allegedly lying under oath.
Through his lawyer Nqobani Sithole, Makombe alleged Mwonzora and Mpariwa jointly lied under oath in a case before the Bulawayo High Court where the two leaders claimed they had not recalled him from office.
Makombe, MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe and Chitungwiza mayor Lovemore Maikorecently filed a joint urgent application at the Bulawayo High Court seeking an interdict to stop their impending recalls from Parliament and council by the MDC-T.
Responding to the report, MDC-T spokesperson Witness Dube insisted that the party’s leaders did not discuss the issue of recalling members during a meeting held on 26 November 2021. Wrote Dube:
We learnt with utter dismay from social media and some newspaper articles that President Douglas Mwonzora and some of our leaders committed perjury in case number CR27/01/22 with the police in Bulawayo.
We also have noted that perennial haters led by Professor Jonathan Moyo have been inciting the arrest of our leaders using social media posts that are devoid of truth.
We maintain that there is absolutely no perjury and our leaders never lied under oath.
Our President Douglas Mwonzora, Chairman Morgen Komichi and Secretary-General Paurina Mpariwa were called upon to answer specific accusations.
It was accused that they presided over a National Council meeting on 26 November 2021 in Harare and the meeting resolved to expel the applicants from the party.
It can be clearly seen that the allegations were specific to the date, venue and forum of the alleged violations.
Our leaders’ response was therefore that there was no resolution to recall any of the applicants, our leaders attached video evidence as well as official resolutions of the meeting in question.
We, therefore, maintain that what they said in their response was the absolute truth.
Our leaders were never asked whether or not there had been recall discussions BEFORE the meeting and therefore didn’t answer that question.
Our leaders never made an undertaking that there will be no recalls in the future.
It is the applicants themselves, and the sheer incompetence of whoever drafted their papers, that tied them to a specific date.
Our records show the decision to recall mayors was made in mid-2020 when Dr Thokozani Khupe was acting President.
Furthermore, our records show that the decision to proceed with recalls was made by relevant party organs.
The official recall letter was then written and signed on the 5th of November 2021 weeks before the National Council Meeting of 26 November 2021. The decision to press criminal charges is despicable and malicious.
We maintain the truth of what our leaders stated in court papers that there was no discussion to recall the applicants on 26 November 2021.
We, therefore, challenge people like Prof Moyo and others to openly share the letter of recall with the date clearly showing.
We insist that they deliberately withheld publishing the letter because it would disapprove of the perjury allegations.
