The faction led by academic Arthur Mutambara and the main MDC party led by party Morgan Tsvangirai resolved not to attend Mugabe’s inauguration saying Friday’s one-man presidential run-off election was a sham.
Tsvangirai pulled out of the election citing state-sponsored violence against his supporters, but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission said his withdrawal was of no legal effect and ordered the run-off to go ahead last Friday.
Mugabe won the poll after garnering 2 150 269 votes against Tsvangirai’s 233 000 ballots. Tsvangirai had ordered his supporters to boycott the election or spoil the ballot.
In a statement yesterday, Mutambara said he had restructured his party’s information and publicity department by relieving Chaibva and his deputy Abednico Bhebhe of their positions.  Â
The MDC wishes to advise all concerned that with immediate effect the secretary and deputy secretary for information and publicity of the party shall be Edwin Mushoriwa and Renson Gasela respectively, Mutambara said. By the same token Gabriel Chaibva and Abednicco Bhebhe will be deployed to other functions.
Mutambara yesterday declined to answer questions as to why he had restructured the department, but senior officials in the MDC said Chaibva was axed for attending Mugabe’s inauguration, while Bhebhe became a victim of circumstances.
Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, the Mutambara faction’s deputy secretary general, said government had invited both camps of the MDC to Mugabe’s swearing in ceremony and was told that the parties did not recognise the 84-year-old as a legitimate president.
She said the invitation came through the president’s office department of state occasions and later from Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa.
Our position was that it was inappropriate as we saw Mugabe’s election victory as a fraud, Misihairabwi-Mushonga said. Chaibva had no blessing from the party and one can assume he attended the inauguration in his personal capacity.
Chaibva yesterday declined to comment on his firing saying he was yet to be formally informed. – ZimOnline
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