Mutambara in quandary

Financial Gazette

By Dumisani Ndlela and Njabulo Ncube

17 February 2011

FORMER Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Arthur Mutambara, reeled into a potentially embarrassing political crisis after it emerged that the majority of his supporters had joined ZANU-PF while incumbent Members of Parliament from the party had snubbed his appeal for government appointments. ZANU-PF insiders indicated that the party had, in recent days, welcomed an undisclosed number of former MDC card-carrying members who had defected in solidarity with Mutambara, rendering the former student leader a shepherd without a flock and threatening his planned reshuffle.

It was not immediately clear why the members had joined ZANU-PF instead of rallying behind the robotics professor who is currently fighting for his political life from the fringes.

The development came even     as Mutambara and a group of rebel party activists, who broke ranks with new leader and Minister of Industry and International Trade, Welshman Ncube, insisted the robotics professor would go ahead with a proposed reshuffle targeted at eliminating Ncube and the new MDC secretary-general, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga from government.

Others targeted are Moses Mzila Ndlovu (National Healing and Reconciliation) and David Coltart (Education and Culture) and several deputy ministers linked to what he views as “Ncube’s political machinations”.

Mutambara, who has received immense support from President Robert Mugabe who is said to have categorically told Ncube that he was not willing to sack Mutambara from the Deputy Prime Minister’s post to make way for the new principal of the so-called Global Political Agreement (GPA), was making frantic efforts to salvage his reputation by trying to lure outsiders to join his cabinet.

There were also frantic efforts to lure MDC MPs his party had fired over a year ago for alleged indiscipline as he tried to salvage the little  chance he might get to hang on to power. The three Matabeleland members of the House of Assembly fired by the MDC under Mutambara last year are Abdenico Bhebhe, Njabuliso Mguni and Norman Mpofu.

In the event that this fails, his bet would be on disgruntled MDC members challenging Ncube’s election at a recent party congress. These are led by former MDC acting national chairman, Jobert Mudzumwe and a rag-tag group of youths.

Mudzumwe and 13 other MDC supporters are presently challenging Ncube’s ascendency to the presidency of the party, charging that the congress which endorsed his candidature was unconstitutional.

Sources indicated that all MPs from Mutambara’s former party had snubbed his overtures for an alliance. Mutambara is said to have approached the MPs either personally or through emissaries.

“His idea is to humiliate Ncube. He might get President Mugabe’s support for the reshuffle but at the moment, there are significant legal hurdles because Mutambara essentially no longer leads any party,” a source indicated.

All MDC MPs and senators, except one lawmaker, Noma-langa Khumalo had attended last Thursday’s MDC national council meeting that endorsed the sacking of Mutambara from the party.

Khumalo is said to have sent an apology to the meeting and is understood to have endorsed the national council decision.

Mutambara said before the national council meeting last week that he had fired Ncube and Misihairabwi-Mushonga from the party even though no organ of the party had met to make that decision.

He has also been announcing party decisions from government offices, and has been making most of his party communication from the letterhead of the Deputy Prime Minister.

His peers in the inclusive government — President Mugabe of ZANU-PF and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai who heads the other MDC formation — have always made party pronouncements from their respective party offices and using official party letter heads.

Sources indicated that Mutambara was so far grappling with the fact that he was now claiming to be leader of an MDC formation that did not have a national council or a politburo, as well as no party structures.

Sources close to Mutambara, however, said he had been advised of the “dearth of leadership” among his rebels and might find it difficult to appoint some of them into Cabinet.

Mutambara, who could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print, is said to have initially banked on hopes that some members of the MDC’s national council would support him if he dangled offers of ministerial jobs.

However, the council members are said to be adamant on a resolution to sack him from the party and have viewed allegations that he was fired by Ncube as attempts to divide the political formation by isolating Ncube.

A Mutambara confidante, however, insisted that they were making inroads.

“The possibility of being appointed to a ministerial position has been a draw-card to some legislators who all along believed they should have been in government by virtue of being elected representatives,” the confidante told The Financial Gazette yesterday.

“Those that think Mutambara has no support of the MPs are day-dreaming. In his five years at the helm of the MDC-M he  has made friends and quietly built his base,” he added.

Maxwell Zimuto, who now acts as spokesperson for Mutambara and his “MDC formation” and now operates from home, said the Deputy Prime Minister would not have mulled reshuffling his ministers if he had no suitable replacements.

“Mutambara has the mandate to reshuffle as and when he deems (it) necessary to do so, notwithstanding the fact he has to consult the two other principals,” said Zimuto.

“There are capable people around him and also remember he has the support of business which is fully aware of the economic thrust Mutambara is trying to pursue and put across. He is the only leader who has managed to clearly articulate economic issues in a manner that shows that this country has a bright future ahead of it. Business is excited about Mutambara and awaits his next move. There are consultations and people are supporting him after a lot of people had been misled and cheated,” he added.

Business, apparently, is not a constituent member of the MDC.