MDC-T leader, Senator Douglas Mwonzora, has lost a court case in which Senator Elias Mudzuri and six others were challenging expulsions from the opposition formation.
One of the seven, Norest Marara, says the court outcome should result in the reinstatement of engineer Mudzuri in the senate where he had been recalled. Marara spoke to ZiFM:
Justice Munangati ruled that it was indeed unconstitutional to say we had self-expelled ourselves. The basis was that Mr Mwonzora did not oppose that application that we sought in the High Court. It’s indeed a great day, it’s indeed great news. It means the recall for Senator Mudzuri must be reversed. We need to do the legal processes to have the recall of Senator Mudzuri reversed.
Mwonzora announced the expulsion of former party vice president Elias Mudzuri and six other long-serving members from the party on 6 February this year.
Mudzuri and the other six officials were all on suspension for allegedly committing acts of gross misconduct by taking the MDC to court. Mwonzora said last month:
We have lifted the suspensions on Senator Mudzuri and the 6 others that is because the suspensions serve no purpose. In terms of our constitution, they have expelled themselves from the party by taking the party to court.
Mwonzora then recalled Mudzuri from the Upper House alleging that he had ceased to belong to his party.
In a vacancy notice to the Senate on Tuesday, deputy president of the senate Michael Reuben Nyambuya said the MDC-T informed him that Sen Mudzuri ceased to be a member of the party with effect from February 1.
Mudzuri was expelled alongside Norest Marara, Gift Konjana (Mashonaland West province chairperson), John Nyika (Masvingo province chairperson), Den Moyo (US province chairperson), Edwin Dzambara (secretary for Education) and Edwin Kakora (national executive member).