Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Sydney Kawadza
6 January 2009
Harare — MDC-T's participation in the envisaged inclusive Government is hanging by a thread as divisions continue to rock the opposition party over Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's leadership ahead of a conference set for next month.
Mr Tsvangirai's presidency is due to expire next month at the end of his two terms as party hawks position themselves to take over leadership of the opposition party.
Party insiders told The Herald that members of the national council, the opposition's supreme decision-making body, continue to haggle over who should lead the party in the envisaged Government.
The party was supposed to hold a full congress in February but this was postponed to 2011 on a "technicality" so that Mr Tsvangirai's leadership could not be immediately challenged.
Insiders revealed that a group led by secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti was working to ensure that Mr Tsvangirai would not join the Government anytime soon so that they could find a way of engineering his ouster.
It is understood that Mr Biti has been using the party's constitution, which limits an individual to two successive terms at the helm, as the basis for his arguments.
He is also reportedly arguing that the present composition of the top leadership is "too weak" to enter an inclusive Government led by President Mugabe.
"One group led by the secretary-general is lobbying behind the scenes that he (Mr Tsvangirai) should make way for new leadership.
"He (Mr Biti) says that the constitution is clear on this matter and so he does not want to rush into entering the inclusive Government.
"From what we understand, if he succeeds he will then make it clear that it would be unacceptable for Mr Tsvangirai to be Prime Minister of the country when he is not leader of the party because this will cause the kind of problem we saw in South Africa's ANC between ( Cde Thabo) Mbeki and (Cde Jacob) Zuma," one of the sources said. Mr Tsvangirai has led MDC-T since its formation in 1999 and was re-elected in 2006 at a delayed congress after the party split into two factions following disagreements over participation in the 2005 Senate elections.
Another source said: "Tsvangirai's supporters are arguing that this is still his first term because the party split in 2005 and, therefore, it is now a different party from the one he was asked to lead in 1999 at formation.
"Biti wants to take over but is being strongly opposed by the likes of (Elphas) Mukonoweshuro and (Elias) Mudzuri."
Former Harare mayor Engineer Mudzuri, in particular, is actively campaigning for Mr Tsvangirai to join the inclusive Government.
"No one is quite clear yet on what Mudzuri's game plan is though it is generally known within the party that he fancies himself Tsvangirai's natural successor when the time comes.
"All we know is that he does not want Biti to take over and he wants the inclusive Government to start functioning as soon as possible. However, his support for Tsvangirai is being hampered by the fact that Tsvangirai keeps on shooting himself in the foot by staying out of the country and allowing Biti to scheme."
A senior official in the organising committee at the weekend revealed: "There are members of the party who believe Tsvangirai has become a liability and still blame him for taking the party into the September 15 agreement when his term is expiring."
He also revealed that Mr Biti was "rabidly" opposed to MDC-T vice president Ms Thokozani Khupe assuming the post of Deputy Prime Minister in the Government.
"He believes that she is too weak and is there for window dressing. Biti has mobilised people with the argument that the party cannot enter into a Government with (President) Mugabe with people like Khupe who would not know how to strategise once inside.
"It is no secret that Biti wanted one of the Deputy Prime Minister posts and is not content with being appointed an ordinary minister.
"He is prepared to block the whole arrangement if he cannot engineer a way to become either Deputy PM or the PM himself."
The source said Mr Biti was using Mr Tsvangirai's close links to the British and Americans against him, saying their leader was more in touch with Washington than the grassroots.
However, Eng Mudzuri has lobbied senior executives using the argument that the present agreement is the party's best chance to get into Government through legitimate means and it should not be wasted.
It is understood that Eng Mudzuri has the respect of several senior officials who agree with him that any problems should be dealt with from inside Government.
"Mudzuri felt power when he headed Harare, which is our stronghold as a party and he is using this to his advantage.
"Professor Mukonoweshuro is firmly behind Mudzuri, but they are being frustrated by Tsvangirai's close association with the Western community," the organising committee member said. Eng Mudzuri could not be reached for comment, but Prof Mukonoweshuro said he had nothing to say as he had been away from party business during the festive holidays.
Referring all questions to party spokesperson Mr Nelson Chamisa, who is currently out of the country, Prof Mukonoweshuro said "party programmes are still going on".
MDC-T deputy spokesperson Ms Thabita Khumalo professed ignorance of the existence of the schism in the party, adding that they would not discuss Mr Tsvangirai's term of office at the conference.
Ms Khumalo said MDC-T would stick to the national council resolution not to be party of Government before "outstanding issues are resolved".
"I am not aware of these divisions. If there are any disgruntled people, then they should bring their disgruntlement to the national council. There are courageous people who have guts in the party and they would bring up any issue they want discussed within our structures," she said.
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The Herald is generous: MDC ain't no " opposition" party; rather, it is an enemy of the people of Zimbabwe, a party that confers with known enemies of the people of Zimbabwe, a party of perfidy and a valley of rhodie-terrorists.
A party of naive Africans and rhodie-terrorists: a set that has no critical approach to the slogans of Western Bourgeois democracy; a tail of the crumbs of Western cultural erudition: alienated 'intellectuals' who have no standing either in Africa or in the West.
Stray dogs, therefore.
The people of Zimbabwe don't want stray dogs.
Brigade on… [Read Full Text]
Tsvangirain also won more votes for President than Mugabe in the only election recognised as free and fair by the SADC and AU.
Whenever I see a post with the author as Shallowhead, I immediately now skip over it and dont waste my time reading it. I suggest others do the same. He never makes any sense, fails in his vain attempt to confuse and seem intelligent. He continually invents words and uses other words out of context. He believes that the beating of a 2 year old in police detention is ok, and on this basis has no moral standing. He also craves the attention of people trying to discuss things with him, except he will never answer any questions proposed to… [Read Full Text]
Terrorists argue? One will have to wait for the "Second Coming" for that to off.
No, we don't 'argue' with terrorists.
We chase them down like wild rabbits, try them, and if found guilty, THEY SHALL HANG.
Authorized and Issued by the BRIGADE OF GESTAE, NOT VERBA in the City of THE GRAVE YARD OF TERRORISTS, HARARE.
Whenever I see a post with the author as Shallowhead, I immediately now skip over it and dont waste my time reading it. I suggest others do the same. He never makes any sense, fails in his vain attempt to confuse and seem intelligent. He continually invents words and uses other words out of context. He believes that the beating of a 2 year old in police detention is ok, and on this basis has no moral standing. He also craves the attention of people trying to discuss things with him, except he will never answer any questions proposed to… [Read Full Text]
The vomit of one of the denizens of OSAMA MT'S TERROR CELLS IN ZIMBABWE.
WE WILL ROCK YOU IN HARARE.
Terrorists are those who claim the country has no foreign currency because of sanctions yet they have over USD100000.00 (AMERICAN DOLLARS) in cash in their houses. Zimbabwean hospitals have no drugs to treat even a headache because of lack of foreign currency but a Governor of City of Harare has over USD100 000.00 in his house. Is that not terrorism. Jallohlaw how much do you have in your house?
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Another Herald thrash.