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(ZIMBABWE GUARDIAN) Factionalism cripples the MDC-T party

Factionalism cripples the MDC-T party
By: Danai Mapuranga
Posted: Wednesday, April 28, 2010 9:00 pm

THE house that Tony Blair built is cracking at the seams and slowly sinking into the weak foundation it was built upon. They say power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Well, that has become the case within the MDC-T camp.

It is surprising that the party has lasted this long, but then with the amounts of money their donors have been pouring into the MDC-T’s coffers, no one was really interested in rocking the boat. With their advent into the inclusive Government, the MDC-T leadership has had a taste of real power and as recent events have shown, greed, indiscipline and chaos have been the order of the day as individuals not only loot council resources but government resources.

MDC-T senior leaders are positioning themselves as best as possible to outmanoeuvre each other in order to gain more and more power in the party. This has seen clashes between members who ascribe to different individuals, regions of the country and ethnic groups. So much for honour among thieves. It seems the knives are out and at the slightest turn one can be stabbed in the back by their closest ally as alliances change and shift continually.

In all honesty, Zanu-PF is the one tide that has been holding the MDC-T together. It has no real interaction with the party’s supporters and has lost grip of its previous hold as realization has sank into many Zimbabweans that what the MDC-T has been selling is nothing more than a pipe dream.

The inception of the inclusive Government brought accountability to the MDC-T and now its leaders have nothing to show for all their talking. All the promises of keys to unlock the economy and the good times have turned out to be nothing but cheap politicking. As more and more of the party’s supporters wake up from the daze of the past few years, those who had made the party a source of income are fighting tooth and nail to get as much out of the party while the opportunity is still there.

Of the three factions in the MDC-T, the Biti faction has been making inroads and this is credited to the fact that MDC-T President Tsvangirai does not want to have a confrontation with his Secretary General. Instead it is the grassroots that are on fire and this has given a rise to meetings and counter-meetings as individuals plot to oust the other factions’ officials from office.

The latest incident involving MDC-T Director for Administration Toendepi Shonhe and party youths illustrates just how deep the fissures run in the party. Shonhe is being accused by party youths said to be aligned to the Tsvangirai faction of abusing party resources, corruption and nepotism. Shonhe has pointed fingers at senior officials in the Tsvangirai camp as being behind the clash between him and the youths.

Shonhe has long been the centre of controversy in the MDC-T. Party youths have accused him of indiscipline and nepotism. He is said to have recruited his relatives to take up party jobs ahead of active members and this saw party youths locking up the party regalia shop at Harvest House on the day before its official opening. Party youths manhandled the shop’s employees and changed locks to the shop. The party was forced to seek the services of a locksmith to open the shop before the official opening.

It seems now that one of Tsvangirai’s main tasks as party President is to set up committees to investigate issues that have to with factionalism. Apart from the six member committee set up to investigate the Shonhe debacle, he has also set up a three member team comprising of Tichaona Mudzingwa, Cephas Makuyana and Edmore Marima to investigate allegations that Giles Mutsekwa is fanning factionalism in Manicaland Province.

The upcoming elections have also become a bone of contention within the party. There are those who feel that the party’s constitution should not have been amended in order to accommodate another term of office for Morgan Tsvangirai. The Mudzuri faction has been on the forefront of campaigning for transparency within the party as indications on the ground show that MDC-T National Organizing Secretary Elias Mudzuri wants to have a go at the MDC-T Presidency. The faction has been very active in Mashonaland West were there have been accusations and counteraccusations from both factions of leadership incompetence, poor leadership skills and dictatorial tendencies.

In March, a group of party youths aligned to the Provincial Chairman Japhet Karemba closed the MDC-T provincial party offices in Chinhoyi in protest to the machinations of the pro-Mudzuri camp that include the Provincial Secretary Francis Dhlakama and Provincial Vice Chairman Lawrence Mlambo. Each faction accuses the other of trying to build a political power base so as to oust the other faction and attempts by members to secure top positions by flattering senior party officials and smearing fellow members who pose threats.

In Mashonaland East Province Ian Kay and Kubvoruno Choga are being accused of carrying out party projects without the knowledge and approval of the provincial executive. It would seem Kay intends to contest for the post of Mashonaland East Chairman and is making inroads through donations and projects and this has not gone well with the current chairman Patrick Chabvamuperu.

A group of top party officials including MDC-T President and his deputy Thokozani Khupe in early April went to Mutare to address the party’s Manicaland Provincial Council in an effort to diffuse leadership squabbles. The Province has witnessed serious infighting pitting the Provincial Organizing Secretary Prosper Mutseyami and Secretary for Information and Publicity against acting Provincial Chairman Patrick Chitaka. Aside from the leadership fighting there was also the issue of tribal clashes with some members stating that people from Masvingo Province wanted to dominate all provincial executive positions in the Manicaland Province.

The imposition of candidates for provincial posts has become a trend and, in most cases, these individuals refuse to vacate office when their time is up because they have no grassroots and are well aware that they will fall back into oblivion once they relinquish their post. In some cases, factions have imposed and co-opted officials in order to strengthen their number and power. Some Provincial and national executive members are dissolving district structures in direct contradiction to the party’s constitution.

Unlike Zanu-PF, the MDC-T lacks effective communication and as such the dissemination of information to the grassroots is at the prerogative of their immediate leadership. Members are forced to rely on the grapevine. As long as members are not allowed free participation, infighting and vote buying will remain the norm and the party will continue to weaken. As things stand many, of its traditional backers are hesitant to put their eggs in the basket, as they are not certain whether the party is still a viable investment against Zanu-PF.

Labels: MDC, MDC FACTIONS, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, TENDAI BITI

posted by MrK @ 3:35 PM