News Day
By Dumisani Sibanda
19 June 2013
AS the chorus for a coalition of the two MDCs and three other parties to confront Zanu PF ahead of the elections grows, the political parties’ leaders yesterday met in Harare for the third time to thrash out their grand plan for the polls.
MDC-T president Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, MDC leader Welshman Ncube, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn president Simba Makoni and Zanu Ndonga chair Reketayi Semwayo attended the closed-door meeting at a local hotel.
Zapu president Dumiso Dabengwa, whose party is part of the group opposed to President Robert Mugabe’s unilateral decision to proclaim July 31 as the harmonised election date and amendments on electoral laws in line with the new Constitution, was represented.
Tsvangirai, Ncube and Makoni refused to talk to the media as they left the meeting venue, but sources said the meeting was exploring the possibility of the grand coalition following their successful joint effort to convince the Southern African Development Community to pressure Mugabe to review the poll date and reverse his stance to stampede the countryinto elections.
“The leaders, in the true spirit of national interest, have decided to have their negotiations off the public glare, that is why this time there is no Press conference to announce the outcome of the meeting,†the sources told NewsDay.
Another source privy to the details of the discussions said: “I can tell you that something is being cooked and when it is ready to eat, you will all be invited to the party.â€
Some senior officials from the two MDC parties in the inclusive government were reportedly interested in the coalition with the likes of Education minister David Coltart openly supporting the initiative.
Talk of the coalition is reported to have sent chills in the spine of Zanu PF with activists from the former ruling party in Mbare confiscating copies of yesterday’s issue of NewsDay for carrying a story about today’s meetings on the coalition.