MDC-T National Council Dumps VP Khupe, 2 Senior LeadersThe Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) has resolved to remove vice president Thokozani Khupe and organizing secretary Abednico Bhebhe from their positions and expelled party spokesman Obert Gutu. In a statement, the party said the National Council, which is the supreme decision-making body in between Congresses, met today and resolved to take such drastic action against Khupe, Bhebhe and Gutu, who have opposed the endorsement of Nelson Chamisa as the new MDC-T president. Chamisa took over the post soon after the death of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who succumbed to cancer of the colon last month. The National Council said it was unhappy over what it called the “unconstitutional behavior and illegal meetings held by the party’s senior leaders which threw the party into disrepute.” It said, “On VP Khupe, the National Council noted the efforts for engagement made by the party president and the fact that VP Khupe remained stubborn, obdurate, intransigent and spurned all party efforts to address her grievances as she continued to hold illegal meetings and partake in unconstitutional activities, putting the party into disrepute and undermining the constitutional organs of the party. The National Council therefore resolved, by more than the mandatory two thirds of the vote that VP Khupe be removed from the party in terms of the party constitution. “On organizing secretary Hon. Abednigo Bhebhe, the National Council by the more than the mandatory two thirds of the vote resolved to remove him from the party on allegations of his unconstitutional behavior and for continuously putting the party into disrepute.” The MDC-T also resolved to expel suspended spokesperson Gutu and recall Bhebhe and Khupe from parliament. “The National Council further resolved that those leaders that have ceased to be members of the party but who are in Parliament, in particular VP Khupe and Organizing Secretary Abednigo Bhebhe, be recalled with immediate effect.” The fate of others who were aligned to Khupe is unknown as the MDC-T did not even mention their names in taking stern measures against the top party officials claiming that they have been targeted on tribal grounds. On National Chairperson Lovemore Moyo, the National Council formally accepted the resignation from the party by the national chairman Lovemore Ndodana Moyo. Khupe, Bhebhe and Gutu were not available for comment.