(Last Updated on August 28, 2013 by Editor)
FORMER deputy prime minister, Arthur Mutambara has dropped his Supreme Court appeal against his ouster as MDC leader, state radio reported Tuesday.
Mutambara was appealing a 2011 High Court ruling which barred him from conducting any business on behalf of the MDC or presenting himself as president or principal of the party.
The ruling followed his ouster and replacement as party leader by Welshman Ncube at the party’s congress in January 2011 which the ex-deputy premier disputed.
Following his election as party leader, Ncube sought to replace Mutambara as deputy premier and GPA principal but was blocked by President Robert Mugabe who was supported by MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.
The former industry and commerce minister cited Tsvangirai’s support for Mutambara as one of the reasons he would not join a proposed anti-Mugabe coaltion with the MDC-T leader ahead of the July 31 elections.
Mutambara took over as leader of the MDC in 2006 following the bitter split from the formation led by Tsvangirai in 2005. He however did not represent the party in presidential elections in 2008, after the MDC opted to back Mavambo Kusile’s Simba Makoni.
The former student leader became deputy prime minister in February 2009 after the MDC agreed to join a coalition government with the MDC-T and Zanu PF following the disputed and violent 2008 vote. Â