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(NEWZIMBABWE) MDC primed for leadership shake-up

MDC primed for leadership shake-up
by Lebo Nkatazo
04/08/2010 00:00:00

THE Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara is primed for a leadership repositioning at its congress early next year, with several senior officials barred by the constitution from seeking re-election.

Deputy president Gibson Sibanda, secretary general Welshman Ncube and treasurer Fletcher Dulini are some of the officials who have served out two terms and are barred under the party’s current constitution from standing again in those positions.

The party, which won 10 parliamentary seats and six in the Senate at the last elections, is now set for a major leadership shake-up.

Ncube, whose post is considered the second most powerful in the party after the presidency, could find himself a reluctant challenger to Mutambara, although senior officials say that is unlikely as the top positions will be negotiated before going to congress.

A senior MDC official said: “It is unimaginable that the party can go on without Ncube, or with him in a less influential role. So naturally, you would expect that he could either go for the vice presidency, the chairmanship or indeed the presidency. Sibanda is in a similar situation.

“But whatever happens, congresses are by their very nature celebratory and as a party we are determined that there are no ructions from these leadership changes. We will probably see the key posts negotiated before the congress to avoid a Polokwane [ANC Congress that saw Jacob Zuma defeat Thabo Mbeki] where the party came out weaker and divided.

“A small party like ours certainly cannot survive a Polokwane, so we need to tread carefully.”

Mutambara, who took over as party leader in 2005 following a split a year earlier, has come under attack for appearing to praise President Robert Mugabe. Analysts say he will likely resist a negotiated reassignment, but MDC officials hope a compromise can be reached to avoid a damaging congress fall-out.

A source said: “It’s not like this is the first time that a leader would be asked to stand down by the party. There are few examples in Africa, but in democracies like Britain, it’s the order of the day.

“Ian Duncan Smith and William Hague were once Tory leaders but they were reassigned by their party, and today their party is strong and in government. Duncan Smith and Hague are now ministers serving under a new Conservative leader.

“So if our party decides to recall any of the leaders, such a move won’t be novel at all and you just have to hope that everyone is pulling in the same direction.”

Should Ncube land the presidency, he would become the MDC’s first leader from Matabeleland. The party – which won all its elected seats in the Matabeleland region -- is braced for attacks from its rivals accusing it of tribal politics, one senior official told New Zimbabwe.com.

“There have been so many reports about Tendai Biti angling for Morgan Tsvangirai’s job in the other party, but you don’t hear people saying that they are turning the party into a Shona organisation,” the official said, declining to be named.

“You can say the same about the succession dynamics in Zanu PF. So why is it that when a Ndebele aspires for leadership it’s somehow tribal? If that’s the attitude of Zimbabweans, then we have a massive problem which needs to be dealt with.”

Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, GIBSON SIBANDA, MDC, WELSHMAN NCUBE

posted by MrK @ 4:15 AM