Morgan Tsvangirai’s MDC party went into celebration on Friday when the High Court ruled against Tendai Biti’s Renewal team faction obtaining an interim order to defer disciplinary action against Morgan Tsvangirai following the Mandel Training Centre National Council resolutions that suspended Tsvangirai in March.
The Mandel Training Centre Resolutions would have seen Tsvangirai being expelled this week and a renowned insider running the “Radio Chokwadi” Facebook page had already reported claiming that Tsvangirai would be expelled by Friday.
But the High Court granted a stay order in Tsvangirai’s favour which according to MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora ‘suspends the Mandel Training Centre resolutions,’ a claim which led to MDC members reporting that the Mandel Resolutions were been declared void. Justice Zhou however ruled that the Renewal Team must not implement any of the resolutions of their National Council meeting held at Mandel Training Centre in April this year, which suspended Mr. Tsvangirai and five other top officials, until a case brought by the Tsvangirai faction challenging the legality of that meeting is finalized by the court.
Mr Douglas Mwonzora who himself had also been suspended by Biti’s team, told ZimEye on Friday, “the determination (by the judge) is that the application we filed against Mangoma and others to suspend the resolutions of Mandel especially to bring certain leaders into disciplinary action (sic) has been granted, in other words the resolutions of Mandel have been suspended until the determination of a case that was brought challenging Mandel, brought by 130(sic) members of the National Council has been ruled on. So what that means is that pending that there is nothing that can be done in furtherance of Mandel,” said Mwonzora.
Renewal Spokesman Jacob Mafume commenting said ” It is not true, there is only an interim order to suspend the hearing,” he said confirming court records on the Friday hearing.
Political commentator Ndaba Nhuku wrote saying that Tsvangirai’s team committed suicide by going to court. Said Nhuku, “Tsvangirai through the party legal guru Douglas Mwonzora sought an INTERIM order for the postponement of disciplinary hearing against himself and others six pending finalisation of the pending court case. Justice Zhou has granted him an interim order to the effect that the court dispute must be completed first before disciplinary action. Thus the political and legal meaning of this judgement is that Tsvangirai has recognised the Mandel meeting and its resolutions; Secondly that Tsvangirai who has all along been refusing to be drawn into the legal battle with the Renewal team has now danced to the Renewal tune; Tsvangirai cannot proceed to do anything without court ruling for example, he cannot proceed with the issue of assets or recalling of MPs; Politically, Tsvangirai is reacting to Renewal.
“I will emphasise that what Tsvangirayi got is an Interim Order and that has drawn him into the game which, as is the norm with political court cases, will sometimes last for ten years or more, the entire Parliamentary life span. Meanwhile party cars and other moveable party properties will be absolute. Again, Tsvangirayi has finished himself by going to court.
I understand a comprehensive statement is being drafted by Prof Madhuku and Tendai Biti and will be released soon but in short, its victory for Renewal team,” said Nhuku.