POWER struggles have ripped the MDC-T faction apart ahead of its extraordinary congress slated for September, with interim leader Thokozani Khupe’s aides allegedly assaulted by party secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora’s security staff at the Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House party headquarters in Harare on Wednesday.

The fracas reportedly took place before the party’s Wednesday standing committee meeting when Khupe’s aide, identified as Kudzanai Mashumba, was allegedly assaulted by Mwonzora’s security.

“We were preparing for the standing committee and Khupe’s aides came through wanting to do security checks and also to see where the president was going to sit and other issues as per procedure,” one of the party officials who witnessed the fracas said.

The Supreme Court recently recognised Khupe as bona fide MDC-T interim leader following the death of party founder Morgan Tsvangirai in February 2018.

“Around 2:30pm, there was again another incident when Khupe’s aide only identified as Rice was supposed to attend the Press conference, but was barred by the security personnel who claimed that Khupe’s aides were not allowed at that Press conference,” a high-ranking party official said.