FORMER MDC-T national chairperson, Lovemore Moyo has distanced himself from the fierce battles raging over the control of the main MDC party pitting Nelson Chamisa’s MDC Alliance on one hand as well as Thokozani Khupe and some reinstated senior MDC-T officials on the other.
On Saturday, there was speculation Moyo was on the verge of rejoining his former colleagues now in the MDC Alliance camp after a picture of him with MDC co-vice president Welshman Ncube was posted on social media platforms.
Ncube posted a picture of him and Moyo captioned; “Mr. Speaker Sir, Honourable Lovemore Moyo, also national chairman of MDC-T 2014 structures, visited me today at my office wherein Trumpian speak we had a very beautiful catching up on subjects of mutual interest ranging from market gardening to national politics.”
Moyo was Speaker of Parliament between 2008 and 2013 and made history by becoming the first opposition official to hold the influential job.
There was immediate celebration among Chamisa’s followers supporting the meeting and the anticipated rejoining of the MDC by Moyo.
However, the former MDC-T chair quickly dampened the opposition’s spirits when he downplayed the prospects of him rejoining them in the trenches.
“Our meeting had nothing to do with what you are asking,” said Moyo.
“We have always met, me and Prof (Ncube). For your own information, this is our fourth meeting. Remember we are both farmers and we come from the same region and worked together for so many years, so he is no stranger to me and I am no stranger to him.
“I am no longer active in the MDC in either of the two factions. So if I am going to make a decision, it will be based on a neutral point of view, but as this stands, I am not in either of the two factions that are fighting.
“That is my position, but about what the future holds and other things going forward, you cannot foretell.”
In March 2018, Moyo resigned from the MDC-T citing what he called the party’s deviation from its founding principles and values.
This was only after a month following the death of MDC founding president Morgan Tsvangirai.
He went on to form his own political party, the United Movement for Devolution, but the organisation seems to have died a natural death.
Ncube is leading an MDC Alliance committee that seeks to engage former senior MDC members who left the party in frustration for several reasons.
There is also the turmoil in the MDC Alliance after a recent Supreme Court judgment ruled Chamisa was not the legitimate leader of MDC. The court ruled Khupe was acting president of the party.
The judges also told the party to revert to its 2014 structures and elect a new leader to replace Tsvangirai before July 31.
The ruling sparked a fight for control of MDC-T 2014 structures that the court ruled would be eligible to elect the party’s new leader.
2014 National Executive and National Council members aligned to the two warring factions have been holding separate meetings with Chamisa’s loyalists ordering Khupe, MDC-T secretary general Douglas Mwonzora, and national chairperson, Morgen Komichi to stop interfering with the 2014 structures of the “former MDC-T”.
This was after Mwonzora recalled four MDC Alliance MPs aligned to Chamisa from Parliament saying they had ceased to be MDC-T members.
The affected MPs are; Charlton Hwende, Prosper Mutseyami, Thabitha Khumalo, and Lilian Timveous.
An application has been filed at the High Court against Douglas Mwonzora’s recall and a ruling is expected to be made this coming Friday.
