The Herald
By David Samuriwo
DESPITE Monday’s last ditch efforts to patch major differences concerning Senate elections to be held in three weeks’ time, the leadership of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has finally decided to go separate ways effectively splitting the five-year-old political party.
A faction led by party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai remains adamant that the MDC would not be taking part in the Senate polls while the other camp led by secretary-general Professor Welshman Ncube refuses to shift its position accusing Mr Tsvangirai of usurping the MDC constitution by defying a national council resolution compelling the MDC to take part in the polls.
The top leadership, commonly referred to as the management committee comprising Mr Tsvangirai, vice president Gibson Sibanda, Ncube, chairman Isaac Matongo, deputy secretary-general Gift Chimanikire and treasurer Fletcher Dulini Ncube sealed the fate of the party on Monday when they failed to find common ground on the way forward.
It should be quickly pointed here that the Senate election fallout is not the only factor that has led to the split of the party. Having lost three consecutive elections to Zanu-PF disgruntled elements within the MDC had begun asking questions on the capability of its leader.
Recently, a purported draft national constitution emanating from the office of the MDC’s legal affairs secretary, David Coltart, smuggled unprocedurally to Parliament had a paragraph inserted that barred any future president of the Republic of Zimbabwe to hold office without an academic degree.
Insiders within the MDC say apart from other veiled attacks during the MDC’s restructuring exercise, this became the first open attack on Mr Tsvangirai’s leadership as the man from Buhera holds no known academic degree from any university within or outside Zimbabwe.
Spokesperson for Mr Tsvangirai’s faction, William Bango issued a statement immediately after Monday’s meeting announcing that the MDC national council would meet tomorrow to, among other things review the state of the party ahead of the congress to be held sometime early next year. He said Mr Tsvangirai remained unchanged on his position that the MDC should boycott the November 26 Senate polls.
Straight and to the point, MDC deputy secretary-general, Gift Chimakire, speaking on behalf of the MDC faction led by Professor Ncube dismissed the proposed Saturday meeting announced by Bango as a non-event that would serve no useful purpose. “It is up to individuals to attend the meeting on Saturday but personally I don’t see any reason for such a meeting when other people are flouting the founding principles of the party”.
It is also unfortunate that a major ethnic dimension has characterised the MDC split. Mr Tsvangirai’s MDC draws its support mainly from constituencies in Harare. Apart from executive members in the Mashonaland provinces, it has no grassroots support to talk about in these Zanu-PF dominated constituencies. On the other hand, the other MDC, now effectively being led by Welshman Ncube, is consistently dominant in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces.
In dismissing a meeting of the national council scheduled for tomorrow, the Ncube-aligned MDC has obviously read between the lines. When this faction undertook the surprising and useless journey to South Africa ostensibly to seek guidance from President Thabo Mbeki, Mr Tsvangirai saw an opportunity and embarked on a tour in Harare, Mashonaland, Masvingo and Manicaland provinces to assert his authority with the hope of overturning the National Council resolution tomorrow.
In the event of the Ncube-led faction deciding to attend the meeting, a remotely possible scenario, and the issue of participation will definitely be put to vote again. With the threats and harassment that has been meted out to the Ncube faction, the tables will be turned in favour of Mr Tsvangirai.
No wonder Chimanikire insists nobody has the right to overturn through manipulation the decision of the national Council to further personal views. Most members of the national Council will definitely boycott tomorrow’s meeting.
Chimanikire described unelected officials now calling the shots as Mr Tsvangirai’s “kitchen cabinet.” “Mr Tsvangirai and his cabinet of unelected, self-seeking individuals usurped the powers of the National Council and sought to replace officials elected by the party congress,” Which exactly are these officials accused of now calling the shots? Spokesperson William Bango no longer hides his ambitions. Ghandi Mudzingwa, former MDC Director for Security is a close ally, personal assistant and confidant of Tsvangirai while Ian Makone, holding the powerful post of Finance Director is indispensable. Chimanikire is right. The above-mentioned people are mere party employees but recent developments have seen them assuming enormous power and clout to the detriment of elected office bearers necessitating the split that has now occurred.
In an unprecedented move, Bango, last week announced that Mr Tsvangirai had already started what he termed a process of taking “political action” against members of his party who defied his call and filed nomination papers to contest the elections. Is it not ironic that the proposed “political action” whatever that means, would be taken against aspiring candidates and not against elected officials organising the elections such as Ncube, Sibanda, Chimanikire and Dulini Ncube?
Furthermore, according to the MDC constitution, all disciplinary matters are supposed to be channelled and heard in the office of the vice president, Gibson Sibanda. By personally initiating a process of “political action” against dissenting voices, a process that has resulted in the unilateral suspension of Member of Parliament for St Mary’s Job Sikhala, Mr Tsvangirai has yet again pumped bullets in his own decomposed body.
The MDC faction led by Mr Tsvangirai has already set the agenda for the proposed meeting. According to its spokesperson, William Bango, who no doubt is enjoying his new portfolio after quietly putting on Paul Themba Nyathi’s shoes, Mr Tsvangirai would be presenting to the council an overview of a campaign strategy for a new constitution which this faction has adopted in concert with civic society partners, notably the Lovemore Madhuku-led National Constitutional Assembly (NCA).
Saturday’s meeting would also deliberate on strategies to force the Government of President Robert Mugabe out of power through street protests, demonstrations and boycotts of whatever kind with the sole aim of attracting international spotlight on Zimbabwe.
The agenda for the meeting is a slap in the face of Welshman Ncube and his faction. There is no need to waste time seeking mediators.
The truth is that the MDC has effectively split into two distinct factions purely on ethnic grounds.