A dramatic power struggle has unfolded within the MDC-T party as Vice President Elias Mudzuri, allegedly in collaboration with Morgen Komichi, launched a bid to oust the party's embattled leader, Douglas Mwonzora, and seize control of Harvest House - the party headquarters in Harare CBD.
The move comes on the heels of a High Court ruling in late February 2025, in which Justice Hapias Zhou ordered Mwonzora to resign and facilitate a fresh congress within six months.
The ruling cited irregularities in the 2022 MDC-T Extraordinary Congress that saw Mwonzora elevated to the party leadership.
Mudzuri is arguing that, in light of Justice Zhou's ruling, he is now the rightful leader of the party, by virtue of his position as Vice President.
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Mudzuri arrived at Harvest House this morning with a considerable entourage, but was met with fierce resistance from Mwonzora's militant youth supporters, who aggressively blocked his entry.
Police intervention was ultimately required to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Mudzuri was seen leaving in his black Toyota Land Cruiser amidst the commotion.
Earlier, Mudzuri had reportedly ordered Mwonzora's supporters and loyalists to vacate the building, prompting a heated confrontation.
This resulted in the arrival of truckloads of police officers in riot gear.
Mudzuri then briefly disappeared before resurfacing, claiming he had visited Harare Central Police Station to request a police escort to facilitate his occupation of Harvest House.
"Mwonzora is no longer the President, as per the High Court ruling in February 2025. There is a void in the party presidency that must be filled," claimed one of Mudzuri's security personnel, who requested anonymity.
However, Albert Chidhakwa, the MDC National Youth Chairman and leader of Mwonzora's militant youth faction at Harvest House, insisted that Mudzuri's actions are premature and invalid, as the party has lodged an appeal against Justice Zhou's ruling.
"The party has appealed Justice Zhou's ruling. Mudzuri cannot rely on the High Court ruling because the appeal has rendered it ineffective. President Mwonzora remains the party leader. There is no change to that," he stated.
The battle for control of Harvest House has been a long-standing source of conflict within the opposition. It intensified following the Supreme Court's decision in March 2020 to nullify Nelson Chamisa's ascendancy to the party presidency after the death of founding leader, Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018.
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While Mwonzora, in his then role as Secretary General, assumed leadership, he has struggled to maintain stability within the party. Many members defected to Chamisa and later to his Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), which was officially formed in 2022.
Mwonzora's party chose not to participate in the 2023 elections, citing concerns over irregularities in the delimitation exercise.
