Ncube wants Mutambara arrested

Last month Bulawayo High Court Judge Nicholas Ndou ruled that Mutambara could not purport to be president of the party and was interdicted from exercising any function vested in the president of the MDC and/or principal in the inclusive government pending the finalization, of the leadership dispute in court.

Mutambara refused to step down as Deputy Prime Minister, a position Ncube was eyeing as the newly installed leader of the smaller MDC faction. Despite the High Court interim order, Mutambara has continued attending the weekly meetings of the three principals in the coalition government.

Edwin Ndlovu, who is the Bulawayo spokesman for the MDC-N, said they are, Filing court contempt charges against Mutambara because he should not be attending the principals meeting since he is not the MDC leader. He is violating a court order and should be arrested. He can do any other functions of the DPM, but not any other functions relating to the party that principals discuss every Monday.

But on Monday one of Mutambaras aides told SW Radio Africa that the interim order granted by Justice Ndou gave Mutambara 10 days in which to file a notice of opposition, and he said Mutambaras lawyers did this.

The meetings between Mugabe, Tsvangirai and Mutambara are meetings of the signatories to the GPA, whose duty it is to implement the agreement. That agreement does not state that there will be a meeting of Presidents of parties every Monday, the aide told us.

The official who declined to be named, arguing the case was sub judice (before the courts), said; Are these not the same people who convened a press conference last month and told the world they had donated Mutambara and the DPM post to ZANU PF? So why are they objecting to Mutambara attending the weekly meetings as Deputy Prime Minister?

Political commentator Dr Bekithemba Mpofu told SW Radio Africa that Mutambara had lost the chance to exit the political stage gracefully and would be the main loser from the saga. He said Mutambara had no problems when he gave up leadership of the party at the January congress but everything started going downhill when the party asked him to step down as the Deputy Prime Minister.