Sunday News
25Â July 2010
By Bhekizulu Tshuma
DAGGERS have been drawn for Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Arthur Mutambara, in the MDC formation that he leads, after eight provincial structures reportedly resolved to replace him with Professor Welshman Ncube as the leader of the party in its next congress pencilled for February next year.
National executive members of the MDC party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Sunday News that the axe is hanging over Prof Mutambara’s head with eight provinces having unanimously agreed that the party’s secretary general, Prof Ncube, replace him.
The executive members have accused Prof Mutambara of “political immaturity’’.
One of the sources in Harare province, said the party would hold its congress in February next year at a venue yet to be confirmed, and would seek to, “offload top deadwood’’.
“What we are doing as a party is offload the top deadwood,’’ said the source.
“Of the meetings that we have been making around the country, the consensus is that Prof Ncube should replace the current party president (Prof Mutambara) who we feel is not fit for that post.’’
However, party deputy secretary general, Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, refuted the reports as unfounded and misleading.
“I don’t know where that comes from because we haven’t formalised our nomination process as the national leadership.
“What I can say is that when we go to congress all the positions are open for contestation and people will elect candidates they would want to occupy the top seven positions,’’ she said.
Another source said he was convinced that after congress there would be a new presidium for the MDC formation.
Sources said some of the changes in the party are likely to see current national party spokesperson, Mr Edwin Mushoriwa, assume the vice-presidency.
Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga will take over the secretary-general’s post from Prof Ncube.
According to the proposed changes, Ms Misihairabwi-Mushonga would be deputised by the current secretary for foreign affairs, Mr Moses Mzila Ndlovu.
Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Mr David Coltart, has been seconded for the Treasurer General’s post.
Insiders said the party’s national chairman, Mr Joubert Mudzumwe, would be replaced by the chairman for Chitugwiza, Mr Rodrick Chimbaira.
Contacted for comment, Matabeleland South provincial chairman and MP for Bulilima West, Mr Mzila-Ndlovu, sounded sceptical about the issue but, however, insisted that the party’s policy was to come up with best candidates to represent them.
“When we go to congress all positions are open to everyone regardless of which province they come from. We are saying this ideology that influential positions should be reserved for certain people from certain regions is just a myth.
“The basic factor now is that we want the sort of leadership that is going to match the quality of demands for such positions,’’ he said.
Sources in the party accuse Prof Mutambara of inconsistency and of being too “flamboyant’’ in his speeches when talking about President Mugabe.
The highly-placed source from Harare province said his province was the first to express discontent over its leader and called for Prof Ncube’s take over.
“As Harare province we were the first to see our mistake of inviting Mutambara to lead us. I’m pleased to say that as Harare province we have resolved and agreed that the current secretary-general should become the president to lead us to the next election.
“We feel Prof Mutambara is not mature as he easily gets carried away. Our main aim would be to elect a leadership that will take us to the Promised Land,’’ he said.
Insiders from Bulawayo, who are privy to the developments in the party, concurred that Prof Mutambara’s career as a politician had been short-lived after all the Matabeleland provinces have “humbly requested’’ for the recalling of not only the current president but also some of the national leaders.
One of the Bulawayo provincial leaders gave a tribal narrative to the developments. He said the MDC party has now realised that Ndebele people were capable of leading like any other tribe in the country and should not always be relegated to playing second fiddle to others in national politics.
“The final position as Matabeleland is that after congress we should be led by someone from this region. For so long we have been seconding candidates from other regions yet the party’s stronghold is here, Matabeleland.
“Who said we were born to hold positions of deputies and vices? We also deserve an opportunity to lead and hold positions of governance and power,’’ the source said.
MDC Bulawayo secretary for information and publicity was, however, reluctant to comment as he said the party was currently committed to the constitution-making programme.
“The context of leadership from everywhere in the country is a good idea. But people should understand that at the moment the party is committed to the constitution-making process and talking about who will be the party’s next president is rather too early.
“In fact, our top leaders are doing well both at party and Government levels,’’ he said.
Prof Mutambara’s arrival in the MDC in 2006 did not go down well with everyone in the party, with then Prof Ncube’s deputy, Mr Gift Chimanikire, charging that he was the best candidate for the job and claiming his colleagues had stabbed him in the back.
The MDC split irreconcilably with MDC-T led by Prime Minister, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, following disagreements over participating in senate elections in November 2005. PM Tsvangirai, favoured a boycott of the elections, but his senior colleagues disagreed leading to an acrimonious split.
Prof Mutambara shot to prominence in the late 80s when he led massive student protests against the Government.
At the time of his appointment he was the managing director of Africa Technology & Business Institute, a professional and advisory services firm operating in 13 African countries.
Prof Mutambara was also a principal consultant with MAC Consulting and Professor of Operations Management with the School of Business Leadership, UNISA.
Formerly, Prof Mutambara was a Research Scientist and Professor of Robotics and Mechatronics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University, California Institute of Technology, FAMU-FSU, and NASA, all in the United States.