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MDC-M to the Second All Stakeholders’ Conference scheduled for next month.
Prof Mutambara’s party and the MDC headed by Professor Welshman Ncube had been arguing over who should send delegates to the conference.
Prof Mutambara and Prof Ncube have unresolved cases at the Supreme Court over who should lead the MDC, a splinter from Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC-T.
This resulted in the MDC further splitting into two parties one led by Prof Mutambara and the other led by Prof Ncube.
Prof Mutambara argued that they were the legitimate political party that should submit names of delegates to the Copac conference because they were signatories to the Global Political Agreement.
But Prof Ncube insisted that his was the right party to be invited since he was the new leader of the party after ousting Prof Mutambara.
Copac officials yesterday said they would deal with representatives they have traditionally worked with, implying that Prof Mutambara’s party would be excluded.
Copac co-chairperson Cde Munyaradzi Mangwana said the organ was constituted by three political parties, each with slots and a co-chair.
“We have three political parties and we have Mr (Douglas) Mwonzora from MDC-T, Mr Edward Mkhosi from MDC and myself representing Zanu-PF,” he said.
“We will ask these three political parties to submit names of their delegates to the second all stakeholders conference.”
Cde Mangwana said it was not Copac’s business to meddle in the affairs of other political parties.
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“We have always dealt with Mr Mkhosi as co-chairperson. With respect to negotiators we have dealt with Ms (Priscilla) Misihairabwi-Mushonga and (Mr Moses) Mzila- Ndlovu, it is these people that would give us names from their party,” said Cde Mangwana.
“It is not our business to meddle in the affairs of other political parties. We are not involved in their squabbles.”
MDC-T co-chairperson Mr Mwonzora said Copac would not interfere with political parties’ business.
“We have not discussed that issue. We, however, do not want to interfere in the conflict of other political parties,” he said.
Mr Mwonzora said they had a criterion that was inclusive to accommodate all political parties that participated in the 2008 election.
“We have no intention to exclude those political parties that participated in the 2008 elections, so we have no intention to exclude those political parties that qualify,” he said.
But Cde Mangwana said the agreement to include all political parties that participated in the 2008 harmonised elections related to those parties outside Parliament.
“In Parliament, we have three political parties. We agreed that the criteria to include parties that contested in 2008 elections will work on political parties that are not in Parliament,” he said.
“We are not involved in the debate on who is leader of the MDC between Mutambara and Ncube, we will only deal with their representatives like Copac co-chairperson Mkhosi and negotiators Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Mzila-Ndlovu.”
Prof Ncube said at the weekend that his party was the right faction to be invited to the second all stakeholders conference.
“There is only one MDC — this MDC,” he said. “We will be sending representatives and members to the second stakeholders conference.
“We are the elected leadership and we know there is a case pending at the courts. Unless and until the courts rule otherwise there will be one MDC which I lead.”
But the Prof Mutambara faction’s secretary general, Mr Maxwell Zimuto, said their party was legitimate and had representation at a senior level in Government.
“We are a signatory to the GPA and this means we are the legitimate party,” he said.
Mr Zimuto said Copac should call the same people who were at the first all stakeholders conference.
“How can new people verify things that they never initiated?” he said.
“They should have called us, those people who were at the first all stakeholders’ conference because we know what was agreed upon.”
Mr Zimuto said there were parameters and terms of reference set by various thematic committees during the first stakeholders conference and only those who participated in the initial stage would be competent to make an audit of the Copac draft.
The first all stakeholders conference was held three years ago before the split that rocked the MDC.
Copac has rescheduled the second all stakeholders conference to the end of October.
Online Reporter