(NEWZIMBABWE) Make or break meeting for MDC-T
30/01/2014 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
OPPOSITION MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai's political future faces a stern test Friday when his party's national executive meets to discuss a call by a top official for his resignation.
Reports Thursday indicated growing fissures in the party with provinces being stampeded into resolutions in support of the veteran trade unionist.
"They failed to get Harare province to make a decision on the issue of an early congress while in Mashonaland West the decision was that the party should go to an early congress to resolve the leadership crisis," an insider said.
The MDC-T was thrown into turmoil last week after deputy treasurer General Elton Mangoma wrote a damning letter to Tsvangirai calling on the former Prime Minister to resign.
Tsvangirai was also reportedly offered a $3 million golden handshake to leave the a party he has led for no less than 15 years since formation in 1999.
Biggie Haurovi the Mashonaland West provincial spokesperson confirmed the unanimous decision to allow succession debate in the party.
"These issues are being discussed at the top but we welcome debate of any kind,” Haurovi said.
“We agreed that Mangoma is allowed to speak his mind as long as it's within the party and that the necessary party structures should decide on the issue of an early congress.”
In Harare provincial chairman, Paul Madzore chaired a stormy meeting also attended by deputy secretary general Tapiwa Mashakada as well as organising secretary Nelson Chamisa at which no resolutions were made.
Madzore refused to comment only quipping: "Talk to the party spokesperson I am not qualified to speak on those matters his (spokesperson’s) name is Douglas Mwonzora.”
A disappointed Chamisa reportedly walked out in a huff while former Harare chairperson Morgan Femai resorted to name calling.
"He (Chamisa) was saying Mangoma should have gone to Parliament to represent the disabled and not real people as well as other unprintable words" said the source.
Mangoma has confirmed he has been threatened with violence.
But Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said his boss had moved quickly to defuse growing tensions.
“Tsvangirai is a democrat who moved in quickly and quelled down tempers. He lives democracy and does not only speak about it,” said Tamborinyoka.
Chitungwiza province has also made a resolution to support Mangoma who is now reportedly fronting a group calling itself the renewal team.
Mangoma had, by last night, reportedly nominated former Makoni South legislator Pishayi Muchauraya as spokesperson.
Said Muchauraya: "I can confirm that I will be speaking on behalf of Mangoma from now on. We are aware that Tsvangirai will use coercion to force people into making resolutions in support of him.
“We are aware Chitungwiza and Mashonaland West province voted in favour of an early congress but Harare could not. Now Tsvangirai will be attending provincial councils which is irregular people must be allowed to express their views without undue force.
"One of the founding values of our party is freedom of speech and that should be sacrosanct. We are aware that he wants to force other provinces such as Manicaland to vote in his favour. He has carried the day in Midlands North through sheer force as we speak
“We are a Democratic Party and should be different from ZANU PF. The problem we have is a crisis of leadership and Tsvangirai will not lead us to state power in 2018. We need new hands.”
However, Mangoma's biggest hurdle could be the national executive set to meet later Friday. The group is supposed to decide on whether the issue should be passed on to the national council for a decision.
A national executive member claimed Mangoma would be suspended by the national executive for bringing the party name into disrepute.
Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora could not be contacted for comment while Chamisa was not picking up his mobile phone.
Labels: ELTON MANGOMA, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Moneytrouble stoking MDC-T leadership fight
Can they save him? ... Tsvangirai is said to be still popular with ordinary MDC-T members
30/01/2014 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
COMMENT - Is it any surprise that the 'party of business' would break up over money? - MrK
MONEY appears to be at the heart of the bitter MDC-T leadership dispute it has emerged, with leader Morgan Tsvangirai said to be hard up and in need for new cash to fund his lavish lifestyle at a time party finances are woefully sparse and donors can’t be bothered.
The opposition party’s national executive is set to meet Friday over an explosive proposal (read it in full here) by deputy national treasurer, Elton Mangoma, for Tsvangirai to immediately retire so the party can choose a new leadership.
Tsvangirai refused to quit, in a development that has divided the party.
The leadership will meet fully aware the party risks a breakup as devastating as the 2005 split which saw former secretary general Welshman Ncube and several senior officials disgruntled with Tsvangirai’s leadership style walk away.
Mangoma is said to represent an increasingly emboldened group in the top leadership that is pressing for an early or extra-ordinary elective congress, believing Tsvangirai has become an insufferable liability and must be replaced before new elections which could happen before the scheduled 2018.
Sources close to leading protagonists in the Mangoma camp told NewZimbabwe.com that Tsvangirai was running out of money for his private needs and sparked angst after recently reaching out to President Robert Mugabe through a Harare Catholic cleric said to be close to the Zanu PF leader.
Tsvangirai is said to feel that, as a former Prime Minister, he is entitled to some kind of a subsistence package which should include the mansion in Harare’s leafy Highlands suburb acquired for him during the tenure of the coalition government.
Mugabe is said to have told the MDC-T leader he was open to considering ways of alleviating his plight on condition Tsvangirai accepts he lost the July 2013 elections fair and square and publicly endorse the vote as legitimate.
After Mugabe made his position clear through the emissary, the MDC-T leader reportedly travelled to South Africa where he is said to have asked former President Thabo Mbeki to arrange face-to-face talks with his rival.
Mbeki’s office said he was out of the country and unavailable for comment while efforts to reach the Catholic cleric were unsuccessful.
With violent attacks reported against those thought to be aligned to the Mangoma group, both sides were not willing to comment openly Thursday, fearing reprisals.
However a member of the Mangoma group said: “We have heard chatter to that effect and understand Tsvangirai is minded to endorse Mugabe if that can help address his financial problems.
“In fact, Tsvangirai has told the top leadership of the party that he wants to meet Mugabe to discuss national issues. But you will also remember that he did say, publicly in interviews, that he wanted to meet Mugabe to discuss his pension and the matter of the Highlands house.”
Reports dismissed as nonsense by the MDC-T leader’s supporters claimed Tsvangirai was offered a $3 million-sweatener to encourage him to walk.
On Thursday it was insisted that he was in fact open to the idea, if the pay-out sum could be bumped up some.
“Tsvangirai said he wanted more money because his wife had died during the time of the democratic struggle. He also claims he lost a lot and deserved more than the $3 million offered,” an insider privy to the developments told New Zimbabwe.com.
But one of Tsvangirai’s most vocal supporters dismissed the allegations as a poor attempt at demeaning the character of the party leader.
“There is nothing like that; it’s just an attempt at character decimation. Mr Tsvangirai never met Mugabe and he is not (financially) desperate.
"In any case, as a former trade unionist, it would be ridiculous to suggest he could ever be hostile to the idea of being in want,” said the official.
Reminded that Tsvangirai has, in the past, said he wanted to discuss with Mugabe the matter of his pension and referred to the need for dialogue in his recent so-called state of the nation address, the official said Tsvangirai wanted to talk about problems affecting the country, not his personal welfare.
Meanwhile, sources also said there was increasing anxiety over party finances with donors making it clear they would not make a penny available as long as Tsvangirai remained leader.
It was claimed usual donors are disaffected with Tsvangirai, blaming him for the party’s defeat in last year’s elections.
The former premier’s scandalised private life and association with women who have ties to Zanu PF has not helped matters, especially with prudish elements in the donor community.
In his letter, Mangoma asked Tsvangirai: “How will we put closure to the question of misuse of funds, and ensure that our friends regain confidence that donations will be channelled to the people’s project going forward?”
But the Tsvangirai supporter said the MDC-T was, like other organisations, feeling the pressures of operating in a failing economy.
He however rejected the idea that party would contemplate sacrificing its leader for the pleasure of supposedly disaffected donors.
“The MDC was not formed by donors; it was not formed for donors and it is not run by donors,” he said.
“The party was formed for, is run by and for the people of Zimbabwe. We have a paid up membership of more than 600,000 who sacrifice their hard earned cash to support a cause they believe is justified.
“The suggestion that any partners are refusing to help because they are not happy with the leader is just an excuse; it is a scapegoat used to mask the failure of those asked with raising funding for the movement.”
Asked why Tsvangirai was opposed to an early congress since it could endorse his leadership and silence the rebels, the official said the MDC-T would not be stampeded into calling an early congress for the convenience of power hungry individuals.
“The president is not afraid of a congress. He is not afraid and cannot be of the people; to suggest he is afraid of the people is like saying the Pope is afraid of Christmas. Turkeys, on the other hand, will be anxious about Christmas - and understandably so,” he said.
“But we will not be stampeded into any process for the convenience of power hungry individuals. The fact of the matter is that the party has a Constitution which should be followed; the party has processes which must be adhered to.”
Asked what they would do if they failed to force a congress and Tsvangirai clings onto power, a member of the Mangoma groups said: “We will cross that bridge when we get to it.”
Another added: “We have Plan B.”
Labels: ELTON MANGOMA, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Mangoma is right: Tsvangirai must go!
29/01/2014 00:00:00
by mdc 2014
I HAVE had time to read and reflect on the contents and the context of the MDC deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma’s letter on leadership renewal and his call for Morgan Tsvangirai to leave the position of president of the MDC and I am inclined to agree with Mangoma’s proposals as the panacea to the challenges engulfing the MDC.
It is sad that some people who have barely read the letter have directed verbosity and are hurling verbal violence at Mangoma with naught appreciation of the contents and context of his letter. Some have resorted to name calling while others to emotional explosions, with some even threatening to die. Some have resorted to social media platforms where everyone and anyone with a different opinion is threatened with physical violence.
The central motif in Mangoma’s letter is that Tsvangirai has done a lot for the MDC and the people of Zimbabwe but however he has reached a point where he cannot do more and as such must gracefully leave the office of the president. As Mangoma puts it, the MDC is at a crossroads following the outcome of the July election. This has been compounded by the failure by the party to enunciate a programme of action after the electoral “loss”. Instead of dominating headlines with programmes and policy pronouncements that bear meaning to the people of Zimbabwe, Tsvangirai’s malfeasances have come to be the subject of the formula.
Tsvangirai’s escapades with women of all ages have all but demonstrated that he is incapable of managing his own affairs - what more national issues. His love affairs with numerous women from South Africa to Bulawayo - and God knows where else - which he has not denied even to this point, have eroded the confidence people had in him. The Zimbabwean society, with our strong moral beliefs, does not condone such kind of impish behaviour particularly from people who ought to be leaders in society. The electorate will punish them.
It is also evident that despite Tsvangirai’s deportment and assertion that he stands for and with the poor, he has long abandoned them. The shift in his lifestyle after joining government is confirmation of his penchant for the odorous things in life and livin la vida loca.
Leaving in a five million dollar mansion whose acquisition is shrouded in a lot mystery; crisscrossing the world in a an exorbitantly priced yacht, the Legend of the Seas; the one million dollar shameful so-called wedding ceremony at the aristocratic Rain Tree and many other blue-blooded tendencies all but confirm his departure from the founding ideology of the MDC. As aptly put by Mangoma, Tsvangirai has reached diminishing returns and no longer instils confidence in the electorate anymore. His leadership qualities, perforated by his unquenchable appetite for women, have to put a dent on the electorates’ confidence in the party and have thrown the party into disgrace. Tsvangirai’s personal behaviour is the least one can expect from a leader and is crippling the party. Mangoma presents five critical questions which even zealous MDC activists have not answered.
I repeat these questions for the convenience of these zealous supporters and those who have not bothered to read his document; 1) How will you be able to undertake the reform agenda that we failed to do when we were in government and you had executive power? 2) How will you answer the questions that we failed to care enough for our people and that we used our time in government for personal aggrandizement, personal wealth accumulation as symbolized by the current impasse on Highlands residence? 3) How will you put closure to the issue of women in your life and ensure that these will not continue to erode your and the party’s brand? 4) How will we put closure to the question of misuse of funds, and ensure that our friends regain confidence that donations will be channelled to the people’s project going forward? 5) How will we make sure that trust, team spirit and mutual confidence, currently eroded through the misconduct of the primary elections, violence visited on staff and myself, lack of constitutionalism and failure to follow procedure on appointment of officers to the National Executive and key public offices including diplomatic posts is restored?
These are hard-hitting questions that demand answers and it is clear that Tsvangirai does not have an answer to each of these questions. Even those who are saying Mangoma is erroneous have not even attempted to answer a single question. These are the questions the electorate is asking. These are questions even numerous people in the MDC structures are asking. With the Zimbabwean economy in calamitous distress and with Zanu PF drably failing to deliver on their election promises, Mangoma makes a precise point that a strong MDC is not a luxury but a necessity. He is also correct that Tsvangirai, in his current state, is not able to provide the requisite leadership.
The challenge confronting the MDC today lies in the transmission and perfection of decadent habits that are exhibited by Zanu PF. The culture of violence, intolerance and hubris, among other sickening traits, are surely finding root in the party. MDC activists need to understand that even if they love Tsvangirai to the bone marrow, their support alone is not sufficient to deliver election victory for the MDC. An MDC leader, as Mangoma rightfully puts it, also needs to instil confidence in the electorate. Activists must also desist from comparing Tsvangirai to Mugabe and saying because Mugabe did it then Tsvangirai can also do it. There is wisdom in daring to be different.
Mangoma is also right that if the MDC entertains any hope of being present on the Zimbabwean political scene in the longer term, it requires a new leadership to instil confidence in the electorate. Tsvangirai is not the MDC and the MDC is not Tsvangirai. In any normal democratic party, a leader who loses elections as Tsvangirai has done becomes a liability to the party. Tsvangirai’s brand is not distending but tumbling. He should not take the party down that road.
Thus, and to any forward thinking person who yearns for democracy in Zimbabwe and in the MDC, Mangoma is accurate. Tsvangirai must do the honourable thing and leave the office of the MDC president and allow the party to move forward. The argument that he needs to complete his five-year term sounds obnoxious and unrelated to the party mandate which is to deliver the people of Zimbabwe from political, social and economic challenges. It is clear to me that for the party to move forward, Tsvangirai must be able to answer Mangoma's questions in the affirmative; that would be a good starting point. That is a demonstration of accountable and transparent leadership.
Claire Matombo is an MDC activist who lives in Harare. She can be contacted on clairematombo@yahoo.com
Labels: ELTON MANGOMA, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Why Tsvangirai must pass on the button
27/01/2014 00:00:00
by Tirivanhu Majaji
THE highly anticipated 31 July 2013 watershed Zimbabwean elections did not live up to the high expectations of taking the country forward in its quest for full democratisation; rather the announced election results took the country back to the pre-1999 scenario of one-party dominance in all spheres of government and the state.
How was this possible after the painful sacrifices made by millions of Zimbabweans for over a decade to push the country towards a path of full democratisation? How could all the strides that had been achieved towards eradicating one-man and one-party rule all be lost within a wink?
Inconsistent leadership
Morgan Tsvangirai has been at the helm of the MDC party since its formation in 1999. As a political activist, Tsvangirai made huge personal sacrifices as he highlighted the democratic challenges the country was facing (and is still facing). Domestic and international convergence was reached on the need for democratic reforms in Zimbabwe, and this brought in SADC and AU facilitators to help the country implement democratic reforms. Tsvangirai can be fully credited for having brought the Zimbabwean democratic struggle into the international fore.
However, the biggest weakness to Tsvangirai’s leadership of the democratic movement in Zimbabwe has been his lack of consistency in pursuing strategic political positions that he himself and the MDC pronounces. In a recent example, Tsvangirai was quoted in the local newspapers pronouncing that he was prepared to meet President Mugabe to discuss issues pertaining to his continued stay in a government mansion in Highlands and also discuss with the President if he was entitled to or qualified for a government pension. How hypocritical and inconsistent for a leader who had publicly declared in August 2013 that he would not have anything to do with an “illegitimate leader” who had stolen the July 2013 elections.
Tsvangirai then went on to command all MDC members not to accept any government appointments, and members of Parliament were ordered to boycott the opening of parliament addressed by the “illegitimate President”. How is it possible then for Tsvangirai to meet the same “illegitimate President” to negotiate his own personal comforts? It is these high levels of strategic inconsistencies displayed by Tsvangirai that Mugabe and Zanu PF have fully taken advantage of to perpetuate their hold on power and reverse all the democratic strides that had been achieved in the last decade.
Tsvangirai blamed the MDC’s dismal performance in the July 2008 elections to Zanu PF rigging systems perpetuated through the complicity Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). However, ironically the MDC under the leadership of Tsvangirai took part in by-elections last week organised and run by the same unreformed ZEC in Mbare, Karoi and Zaka. Zanu PF won all the three by-elections. How does a principled leader continue to take part in elections that are organised and run by a supposedly compromised institution?
Why 2013 election was lost?
Tsvangirai and the MDC have pointed out that the election was lost due to massive rigging by Zanu PF. However, this begs the questions - “why did the MDC in government not take the necessary steps to prevent it? Was it not public knowledge that Zanu PF would resort to rigging to secure their hold on power?” Rigging of the elections outcome was successful because of ZEC’s full complicity. Rigging of such massive scale could only have been possible with the full compliance of the ZEC and the Registrar General’s office. It is public knowledge that these two institutions are fully staffed by Zanu PF and CIO functionaries masquerading as public officials.
In 2012 the Zimbabwe Democratic Institute (ZDI) published a comprehensive research report which concluded that “ZDI contends that the unreformed ZEC secretariat, as currently composed, cannot deliver free and fair elections. ZEC, as currently composed, provides an opportunity to undermine the way through which powerful political forces can manipulate popular influence through institutionalized mechanisms and political strategies.” The report further contended that the bulk of the ZEC staff had been handpicked by Brigadier Douglas Nyikayaramba from the army and the CIO during his brief tenure as chief electoral officer before returning to the army. The current chief electoral officer, Lovemore Sekaramayi, was seconded from the dreaded President’s Office.
The MDC’s position at the beginning of government of National Unity (GNU) in 2009 was to insist on the total reconstitution of the ZEC secretariat because of its proven high complicity and collusion with the Joint Operations Command (JOC) that secured Mugabe’s unrecognised win in the bloody June 2008 presidential election run-off. However, for reasons known only to himself, Tsvangirai, in March 2013, absolved the ZEC secretariat of any wrong doing, he even commended them for being a highly professional outfit that was manipulated by Zanu PF in 2008. It was at this point that the July 2013 election victory was handed to Zanu PF on a silver platter. The Zanu PF rigging strategy was centred on a compliant ZEC and the Registrar General’s office.
Tsvangirai, from here on, then totally shifted from the earlier MDC position insisting on the total reconstitution of ZEC, instead he was now demanding the reform of the country’s armed forces, and Zanu PF simply counter-argued that such a move would compromise national security. Ian Smith did not fire his security generals before the elections in 1980; even apartheid South Africa did not replace the notorious generals before the 1994 democratic elections. What Tsvangirai failed to understand and appreciate is that generals do not run elections no matter how powerful they may be perceived to be. What was required was to reform the civil institutions tasked with running the elections and appoint competent and professional individuals who would not be influenced or controlled by the security chiefs.
Tsvangirai could have received sympathy and support from SADC leaders if he had only demanded the reform of ZEC and the Registrar General’s office based on the track record of the two civil institutions in the bloody June 2008 elections. Zanu PF would not have provided a convincing counter-argument against reforming the two civil bodies. With a reformed ZEC, staffed with professional and independent officials, it would have been near impossible to undertake the rigging project on the scales seen in July 2013. If Tsvangirai had been consistent with the earlier MDC position of calling for, and demanding, a reformed and reconstituted ZEC, the outcome of July 2013 elections could have been different.
Common sense could also have dictated to Tsvangirai that there was no way that the MDC would prevail in such a skewed political environment. Using a soccer analogy, imagine a situation where the two Harare soccer rivals, Dynamos and Caps meet in a do-or-die soccer cup final match. However, Dynamos then appoints the referee and his two assistants including the match commissioner, from their own ranks. Would Caps United, sensibly expect to win such a match no matter how good they maybe on the field of play? Would they agree to play in such a blatantly skewed competition and with the results clearly predetermined?
Clearly, if the ZEC had been reformed it would have been difficult for Nikuv to manipulate the voters roll and get away with it. Registration of new voters would not have been made so difficult for urban dwellers and the voters’ roll would have been released on time to all political parties in line with the requirements of the Constitution. This is where Morgan Tsvangirai totally lost the plot and handed Zanu PF the landslide victory they awarded themselves in August 2013. Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo refused to be hoodwinked into taking part in the 1979 Zimbabwe-Rhodesia elections that were fully controlled by Ian Smith. Abel Muzorewa participated in those flawed elections and wrote his own political obituary in the process. Mugabe and Nkomo only agreed to participate in the 1980 elections which were supervised by the UN. In the 1980s Nelson Mandela refused to budge to the offers by the apartheid government to release him from prison on condition that he goes into exile. Great political leaders do not compromise on what they are fighting for; they will take a principled stand all the way. This has been Tsvangirai’s major shortfall.
Another costly strategic inconsistency by Tsvangirai was the decision to contest the July 2013 Presidential and Parliamentary results in court. The courts were used by Zanu PF to railroad the country into elections on the 31st of July 2013 disregarding the full provisions of the new Constitution for the need to register all eligible and qualifying voters and providing all the registered voters sufficient time to inspect and confirm their correct registration and inclusion on the voters’ roll before election day. It was clear and apparent to all right thinking Zimbabweans that the judiciary was in bed with Zanu PF and were part and parcel of the election rigging strategy. How then did Tsvangirai realistically expect the same courts to overturn Mugabe’s victory?
By the time Tsvangirai eventually realised that approaching the courts was just an academic and futile exercise that would only benefit Zanu PF by granting them legal endorsement of their victory by the country’s highest court, valuable time had already been lost. Zanu PF got the breathing space they needed and valuable momentum had been lost as people had now accepted the painful Zanu PF victory. Any right-thinking political leader would not have wasted valuable time approaching the very same courts that are so blatantly biased towards Zanu PF and expect them to act in a different way, unless of course one was day dreaming. With this lack of strategic consistency by the MDC Leadership, the democratic movement will never win elections in Zimbabwe.
No one now takes Tsvangirai seriously. He declares Mugabe an illegitimate leader but he is prepared to meet him over his pension; he declares the Zimbabwean judiciary biased and in bed with Zanu PF yet he approaches the same people expecting them to overturn crucial election results declared to have been won by Zanu PF. Tsvangirai is an excellent political activist who resonates well with the ordinary folk and the masses. But, and unfortunately, he is not a shrewd politician. He cannot strategically plan ahead to influence events in his favour and take his opponents by surprise - the biggest strength displayed by Mugabe all the time. Tsvangirai fails to take bold and firm decisions at a crucial moment.
In March 2008 when it was all clear that Tsvangirai had won the first round of voting, instead of calling his supporters into the streets to protect their vote as Michael Sata did in Zambia, Tsvangirai instead chose to abandon his supporters and flee to Botswana and then South Africa. Again he provided Zanu PF with the valuable time they needed to stabilize the political environment and recover from the shock defeat to strategize a way to reclaim their hold on power. Tsvangirai has always provided Zanu PF with valuable breathing space at a time that they were cornered by events with no way to escape. His failure to make critical and firm decisions at critical moments has always been the lifesaving rope that saves the drowning Zanu PF.
New leader for the movement
As I alluded to earlier, Tsvangirai is already a compromised and conflicted leader as he declared his willingness to meet Mugabe to discuss his pension and the status of his Harare mansion when the party position is that Mugabe is an “illegitimate President” who they must not legitimize by engaging with. Mugabe will certainly take advantage of Tsvangirai’s compromised position. The MDC and some party funders need to set up a trust fund to take care of Tsvangirai’s pension so that he will not be manipulated by Mugabe. Tsvangirai now deserves to rest and retire honourably after having led the party in seven elections against Zanu PF. He needs to pass on the button to someone who will continue the democratic fight from a different strategic perspective. Not all great liberation and democratic leaders ended up being government leaders; Mahatma Gandhi, Martin King Luther, Oliver Tambo, Walter Sisulu, Joshua Nkomo, all come to mind.
The notion that Tsvangirai is the only leader in the democratic movement who appeals to the grassroots supporters is a fallacy. People have been supporting the MDC-T not because of their love for Tsvangirai, but because the MDC-T party has always been the only democratic party with a real chance of defeating Zanu PF. Any leader who takes over from Tsvangirai will receive the same levels of grassroots support provided the MDC-T remains the only party with a realistic chance of defeating Zanu PF.
A new democratic movement leader is now required to devise ways to fight Zanu PF at the home front without reliance on international support. The international community is more concerned about stability in the country and the sub-region than the aspirations of a true democratic country espoused by all Zimbabweans, the endorsement of the Zanu PF victory by SADC and the AU is true testimony to that. Only Zimbabweans fighting at the home front will bring true democratic change. The new fight will not be based on violence as Zanu PF has since realised that violence is counterproductive. Rather, the democratic war will be fought over the control and reform of the civil institutions that run elections in the country.
ZEC, the Registrar General’s office, electronic media, the Judiciary and other civil bodies with some leverage over democratic processes are now the new front for political warfare in Zimbabwe. This new fight will be fought in the domestic tuff as the international community will not commit to Zimbabwe again unless there is a national crisis of major proportions.The Zimbabwe democratic movement now requires a leader who is consistent and firm on strategic positions, a leader who plans and sets an agenda for the country’s political course of action, a leader with a meticulous attention to detail on electoral systems and processes and keeps his eyes on the ball all the way.
Zanu PF currently vulnerable
The use of a basket of international currencies as legal tender in Zimbabwe has made the Zanu PF government very vulnerable to being brought down on its knees by a well-organised campaign of civil disobedience. The government now relies entirely on income from taxation to pay the salaries of its bloated civil servants and security forces. The Zimbabwean government will not survive a well-organised one-week stay away mass movement which completely closes down all formal businesses, as income taxes, VAT receipts, exercise and customs duties will dry up over that period. The government will not have cash to pay the security forces and other civil servants that it so relies on for its hold on power. The bankrupt government which survives from hand to mouth has got no reserves to fall back to and cannot print money as before. The government will collapse in a week.
The new MDC leader needs to come up with new strategies that bring the MDC closer to all civil society, business organisations, transport organisations and set-up grass roots structures to mobilise the masses. Peaceful mass protests against the Zanu PF government can be organised again with the devastating effects of the 1990s. Zanu PF will only agree to reform the ZEC, the Registrar General’s office and other democratic institutions if it is put under massive pressure from the populace. If the government reacts with violence then that will put Zanu PF under the international radar and spotlight again.
The statement by Rugare Gumbo of Zanu PF that Mugabe will be nominated as the leader in the next Zanu PF elective congress shows how confident the party is with its hold over the electoral systems. We will not be surprised if Mugabe is presented as the Zanu PF presidential candidate in 2018 and still win that election by 75% of the votes.The MDC can only prevent that scenario turning into reality if a new leadership emerges now, and devises and implements, among others, the following strategies:
* Focus on the critical electoral reforms that ensure that ZEC is truly independent and stuffed by professionals. The voters’ roll must be controlled only by ZEC.
* Repositioning the MDC to work closely with all civic, business and student bodies.
* Unite all democratic forces under one umbrella, Tsvangirai has dismally failed to bring unity to the two MDC parties and other democratic forces.
* Crafting strategies to undertake successful rolling mass action to force the Zanu PF government to implement real democratic reforms.
* Crafting strategies that take advantage of the current vulnerability of the Zimbabwean government to the economic mess they created, and force the party to implement democratic reforms.
* Using social media and communication technology such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsup, etc, to mobilize people to stand for a common cause.
* Refuse to take part in any form of elections organised by ZEC in its current form, and consistently stick to that. The MDC cannot accuse ZEC of having helped to rig the June 2008 and July 2013 elections and yet participate in by-elections organised by the same unreformed institution.
* Openly support the lifting of the targeted sanctions so that Zanu PF has no excuse for its incompetence, corruption and limited knowledge of the working of the global economic system.
Tirivanhu Majaji is Financial Consultant based in Johannesburg
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Resign, Mangoma tells Tsvangirai
26/01/2014 00:00:00
by Gilbert Nyambabvu
THE war of attrition in the MDC-T has escalated a notch with deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma openly telling party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to resign and make way for a new leadership.
Mongama told NewZimbabwe.com Sunday that he presented his proposals to Tsvangirai last week at a meeting attended by the former premier, his deputy Thokozani Khupe and secretary general Tendai Biti. Tsvangirai has said he will see out his current five-year term which ends in 2016 and seek another mandate then.
But under Mangoma’s proposals, he should resign immediately and hand over power to Khupe pending an extraordinary congress that would choose a new leadership for the party.
“I normally give verbal advice to the party president but this time the issues were serious enough to be put in writing so that he could also take time to reflect on them. My understanding is that our discussions were extremely amicable and that the president will take time to reflect on my proposals,” Mangoma said in an interview Sunday.
NewZimbabwe.com understands that after the meeting between the four leaders, Mangoma’s document was discussed by the party’s standing committee and will now be put to national council which, according to Mangoma, can call an extraordinary congress by a majority vote.
Another party official close to the developments claimed that Tsvangirai had lost the top leadership with only Nelson Chamisa, Lovemore Moyo and Morgen Komichi still openly backing him.
“Only four people in the 11-member standing committee rejected Mangoma’s proposals during last week’s meeting. Tsvangirai lost the vote in the committee. The battle will now go to the national council,” said the official.
Mangoma dismissed as a fabrication weekend reports claiming the standing committee refused to call an extra-ordinary congress.
“That is not correct. Those stories were completely fabricated; the Standing Committee never refused to call an extraordinary congress,” he said.
“Equally, suggestions that we are urging Tsvangirai to resign because we are afraid congress will not support our call for leadership renewal are incorrect.
“We are ready for congress. But we are merely saying we do not want a person who has done so much for the party and the country to be subjected to the embarrassment of defeat in a leadership contest.
“No one should be a leader for ever. We do not want to find ourselves with the same problems Zanu PF is facing over succession. There are many people in the MDC who are capable and an extraordinary congress will be decisive in that respect.”
However, a top Tsvangirai loyalist told us that there “are no extraordinary circumstances warranting an extraordinary congress except the extraordinary ambitions of those calling for one”.
“Unfortunately Mangoma is not reading the party’s constitution properly. Clearly his mind is clouded by his hunger for power,” said the official, asking not to be named.
“It’s not the national council which calls an extraordinary congress; it is actually the party’s district and provincial structures and, at the moment, there are no issues coming from there. The only extraordinary issues are those Mangoma is creating in his mind.”
Tsvangirai has since stated that he welcomes discussion of leadership renewal within the party but insists he cannot be asked to step down because of the party’s defeat in the July 31 elections which he claims were fraudulent.
But Mangoma said this was “not the first election which has been stolen”.
“We are not urging leadership change necessarily because of the last elections,” he said.
“Again this is not the only election which has been stolen. The problem is that the leader is looking backwards while we are looking ahead. We are saying is, what can we do to make sure that net next election is not stolen?
“We cannot wait for 2016 because the next election may not be in 2018; we could have new fresh elections before that and we party must be in a position to make sure that that vote is not stolen as well.”
His document proposes amending the party’s constitution to accommodate Tsvangirai so that he is not idle in retirement.
“I envisage amending the constitution to create the position of founding president,” he wrote.
“It (position) will give the effect that you will continue to be closely associated with the party and the people’s project, preserve your legacy as a democrat and a brave fighter against dictatorship and one-man-rule.
“This also enables establishing an institute for governance and social development, which the party will assist in fundraising for the establishment of the same.”
Asked if he was interested in taking over from Tsvangirai, Mangoma said he would serve in what ever role he was assigned by the party's members.
Labels: ELTON MANGOMA, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Moyo mocks Tsvangirai’s economy warning
26/01/2014 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
OPPOSITION MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s damning assessment of the country’s economic prospects appears to have annoyed Information Minister Jonathan Moyo who has dismissed his speech as the "mutterings of a very disturbed man”.
Speaking in Lupane on the side-lines of a Zanu PF Matabeleland North provincial co-ordinating committee meeting, Moyo said Tsvangirai was not the president of Zimbabwe and could not, therefore, pretend to present a State of the Nation address.
“In the first place that was not a State of the Nation Address,” he said.
“A State of the Nation Address can only be given by the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces and you can only be a Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces by winning an election.
“In order to give an address of the kind you are talking about, you have to have the vote of the people of Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai tried to get it, it is public knowledge, on the 31st of July last year and he was resoundingly rejected by the people, so let’s put that aside.
“However, he has a right, like any Zimbabwean, to express his opinions; this is something which is enshrined in the Constitution. When one of the 13 million Zimbabweans chooses to exercise that right, the rest of us, especially you in the media, do not have to get carried away and overly excited as if there is something important going on.”
Tsvangirai warned that the country faced a tough 2014 as the economy continues to struggle, in part, because of the crisis of legitimacy arising from the July 31 elections whose outcome he disputes.
“2014 is going to be a tough year as evidenced by the economic paralysis. The national picture is saddening,” Tsvangirai said adding the $4.4 billion Budget presented in December would not take Zimbabwe anywhere.
“The budget is a huge fallacy with no meaningful resources to fund it,” he said.
But Moyo said the MDC-T leader was trying to divert attention from internal challenges to his leadership as well as scandals about his private life.
“You had a statement of what appears to be a very worried person and going by what we are reading in the newspapers,” said Moyo.
“He (Tsvangirai) is obviously worried about some bedroom issues; he is also worried about some succession issues around his leadership of his party which is now apparently very contested and he is seeking to address those issues using the wrong forum.
“You don’t invoke national issues, budget issues, as a way of attending to understandable bedroom problems and challenges within his party. So, I don’t think, as a matter fact, that anything that the leader of the embattled MDC said deserves the kind of attention that you are trying to give it.
“I think those were the mutterings of a very disturbed person who needs our sympathy, who needs our understanding and I think the majority of Zimbabweans sympathise with the difficulties that he is allegedly having in the bedroom.
“You wouldn’t, you know, want anyone to go through those kinds of problems, but I don’t think it’s the right thing for him to seek to address those problems by making all sorts of outrageous claims that have no basis in any reality.”
Labels: JONATHAN MOYO, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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Tsvangirai ‘flogging a dead horse’
January 25, 2014
Tichaona Zindoga Senior Political Writer
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai’s “State of the Nation Address” yesterday has been described as an attention-seeking gimmick. The opposition leader, who was drubbed in last year’s elections, took to a city hotel to regurgitate claims that the elections had been stolen and claimed Zimbabwe needed fresh elections underpinned by political and institutional reforms.
He painted a gloomy picture of the economy which he said would force Zanu-PF to negotiate with his party to “rescue” Zimbabwe.
“In light of the problems facing the nation, we hereby propose the following eight steps to legitimacy, beginning with political dialogue that must discuss and agree on political, economic and social reforms that will ensure a free and fair election that should usher in a legitimate government that will then deal with the crisis we face,” he said.
“Faced with a similar crisis in 2008, we engaged in dialogue and we carved out a home-grown solution to the problems bedevilling our country. There is no substitute for dialogue. As MDC, we believe that meeting of stakeholders from different backgrounds would be a positive start,” he added.
Government, however, scoffed at Tsvangirai’s lobby for elections.
“It is a whacky idea which is so out of reality that it can only come from someone who is either disturbed or very troubled and needs help; or someone who is having serious problems either in their personal life or their party and thinks everyone is so stupid that they will be willing victims in the attempt to divert attention by creating irrational or fictitious claims,” Minister of Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Professor Jonathan Moyo said.
“It is no different from someone saying Jesus should come today,’’ he added. He clarified that Zimbabwe is a constitutional democracy whose elections are held after five years and held harmoniously due to the huge costs.
“Elections are held when they are constitutionally due. Problems in personal lives or parties are not grounds for holding elections,” he said.
He dismissed Tsvangirai’s alarmist economic prognosis which the MDC-T leader believes will be basis for dialogue that would careen him back to Government.
The much-hyped state of the nation address failed to live up to its billing with analysts dismissing it as more of a “State of MDC-T politics” address.
Party officials, notable Western diplomats and scores of MDC-T activists attended the address.
“The party that is elected is expected to attend to issues such as the economy. That is not done in six months that is why the term is five years not one month or five months or six months,” said Prof Moyo.
The much-hyped state of the nation address failed to live up to its billing with analysts dismissing it as more of a ‘state of MDC-T politics address’’.
None of the western ambassadors, for whose benefit the MDC-T leader appeared to have made the stunt, asked a question after Mr Tsvangirai finished his address.
Party officials, notable western diplomats and scores of MDC-T activists attended Tsvangirai’s address.
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) The two Morgans: Gifted campaigner but muddled on policy
Crowd puller ... Morgan Tsvangirai is an electrifying campaigner but muddled on policy
15/01/2014 00:00:00
by The Christian Science Monitor
SIX months after Robert Mugabe coasted to victory in the hotly disputed July 2013 presidential election, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai used a holiday reference to describe the policies of his rival: Grinch-like.
"It is clear the current government stole Christmas from Zimbabweans,” the former prime minister said. "The nation is in a dire state."
Tsvangirai’s prognosis has some data points: Zimbabwe’s economy is slipping, with more than 700 firms shutting down last year and unemployment at 80 percent. Foreign-owned businesses are in jeopardy. And international human rights watchdogs are pointing to an unhealthy water and sanitation conditions in the capital, Harare.
But Tsvangirai and his opposition party are no longer sharing power with Mugabe, one of Africa’s more controversial leaders. Instead, they are fighting for their political life amid accusations they did too little to improve the country during their five years sharing power.
There are questions about whether Tsavangirai, for many years a figure of heroic stature and resistance to authoritarianism, is in permanent eclipse.
The opposition faces the opprobrium of the new government: Zimbabwe’s former ambassador to Australia, Jacqueline Zwambila, a Tsvangirai nominee, recently asked for asylum on grounds that she feared for her life if she returned to Zimbabwe. She was recalled for conduct “unfit for a diplomat,” which she says is code for participation in the opposition.
Meanwhile, Mugabe’s government has soldiered forward with a plan to “indigenize” local business by banning foreigners from owning a majority stake in several sectors.
Officials now say that from January 1 of this year, foreigners will not be issued licenses in estate agencies, grain mills, retail outlets, milk processing plants, transport and valet services. Indigenization Minister Francis Nhema announced last week that foreign-owned businesses must close within five years.
Replacing whites
For his part, Tsvangirai told the Monitor in a recent interview in Oxford, UK that Mugabe’s indigenization policies were simple cronyism, amounting to little more than “an exercise in replacing a few white elites with a few black elites.”
But if Zimbabwe’s wobbly political course has inspired outrage from many corners of Zimbabwean civil society, it has largely failed to reinvigorate Tsvangirai or his opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).
The MDC hobbled out of 2013 disgraced not only by its defeat in the election, but also by internal squabbling and accusations of corruption. Tsvangirai's estranged wife is writing a book on him that is expected to dish more dirt.
“The MDC are very good at describing the problems in Zimbabwe,” says Phillan Zamchiya, an expert on Zimbabwean politics at the University of Oxford. “And once they describe a problem, they can run a very strong election campaign around it. But they’re much weaker on thinking up solid alternatives."
In fact, he says, the MDC has lost much of its sheen over the last five years, as the party transitioned from serving as the mouthpiece for the disenfranchised to actually participating in the gritty business of governing.
While the MDC’s Tendai Biti – who served as finance minister during the unity government – is credited for stabilizing Zimbabwe’s runaway inflation, the party failed to provide a convincing overall alternative to Mugabe’s long rule, Zamchiya says.
For Zamchiya, there are “two Morgan Tsvangirais.” One of them is an electrifying campaigner and former union leader with an instinct for winning crowds and filling stadiums. The other is the man who “struggles to communicate consistently and logically” in boardrooms and closed-door meetings.
Indeed, a survey conducted by Freedom House in 2012 found that Tsvangirai’s support among Zimbabweans dropped from 38 to 20 percent over the course of his stint as prime minister.
New blood
“I respect and admire him for his achievements so far in the struggle for change in the country,” wrote MDC supporter Wisdom Katungu in the independent newspaper NewZimbabwe.com. “However…. after his heavy defeat in the recent elections … the man needs to step aside and let new blood take the party to the Promised Land.”
But Tsvangirai has given no intention that he intends to give up his place at the helm of the MDC, which he has led since its founding 15 years ago.
“I don’t think that I’ve faltered. I’ve never faltered,” he says. “I think people still have confidence in my leadership.”
After July's election, which was declared “free but not fair” by international observers, the MDC filed a legal challenge in Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Court challenging the results. They withdrew the case, however, when the government refused to turn over evidence.
Tsvangirai says, however, that he intends to keep fighting.
“I’ve faced a lot of personal torment from [Mugabe],” Tsvangirai says.
“I’ve been arrested, I’ve been charged with treason, I’ve been battered … but you know what? … Democratic struggle isn’t an event. It’s always a process. This is only a setback. Democratic change has been delayed but it has not been abandoned.”
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NEOLIBERALISM
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Bob’s lawyers pursue ex-PM over fees
07/01/2014 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
LAWYERS who represented President Robert Mugabe in case filed by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai have threatened to seize the ex-premier property unless he stumps up legal fees amounting to $8,000.
FG Gijima and Associates represented Mugabe in an Electoral Court petition relating to the general elections held on July 31 last year.
The MDC-T leader wanted Mugabe, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Registrar-General to release election material and information relating the Presidential vote management and results, which he was challenging at the Constitutional Court.
The application was however dismissed with costs by Justice Chinembiri Bhunu. Now Mugabe’s lawyers want the former prime minister to pay legal costs and taxing fees amounting to US$8 903,94.
“Unless we receive payment by close of business on 22 (November 2013) instant, we shall take out a writ and execute on your client’s property without further notice to yourselves,” Fred Gijima wrote in a letter to Tsvangirai’s lawyers.
Tsvangirai’s lawyers however told Gijima to hold his horses saying their client had appealed Justice Chinembiri Bhunu ruling at the Supreme Court.
“We have appealed against the judgment and we have to wait for the outcome of the appeal,” said Alec Muchadehama of Mbidzo Muchadehama and Makoni.
“What happens if we win the appeal with costs? We have to wait for outcome of the appeal and I understand the matter will be heard on January 23 this year.”
The elections were won by Mugabe and his Zanu PF party but Tsvangirai refused to concede, alleging fraud.
The MDC-T leader however failed with a challenge against the Presidential election results at the Constitutional Court.
Labels: MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ROBERT MUGABE
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Tsvangirai denies wife's claims about his health
05/01/2014 00:00:00
by The Standard
MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has disputed claims by his estranged wife Elizabeth Macheka that a sensitive personal issue of a “medical nature” forced the two to separate, among other things. He said he did not have any health issues and was as fit as a fiddle.
Macheka last week told the Herald that problems in her marriage to the former Prime Minister were sparked by “sensitive personal issues” which only the two could resolve without interference from anyone.
She alleged Tsvangirai knew how the problems began and tried in vain to address them by visiting Prophet TB Joshua in Nigeria.
One of these issues which was not explained was said to be related to a “medical condition”.
Through his spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka yesterday, Tsvangirai said he was healthy and fit and suffered no ailment contrary to insinuations by his wife.
“We put it in on record that Tsvangirai has a 100% clean bill of health and subjects himself to regular medical check-ups,” he said.
Tsvangirai was however not willing to be drawn into revealing more about his problems with his wife.
Tamborinyoka said having been married for 31 years to his late “dear” wife Susan, who died in a traffic accident in 2009, Tsvangirai respected the institution of marriage.
“Tsvangirai respects the institution of marriage and is dealing with the marriage issue in a manner that is dignified, mature and respectful to the sanctity of marriage,” he said.
He said Tsvangirai would not fall for “diversionary tactics”.
Tsvangirai’s priority at the moment he said, was to confront the crisis of national leadership that was manifesting itself in the deepening economic decline which is exemplified by the country experiencing a severe liquidity crunch, massive company closures, retrenchments, food and power shortages.
Tsvangirai married Macheka in September 2012 under customary law a day after a Magistrates Court cancelled his marriage licence. The licence was cancelled after ex-lover Lorcadia Karimatsenga succeeded in her application to have Tsvangirai’s August marriage licence cancelled.
But Tsvangirai went on to marry under customary law and in the presence of a catholic priest at a glittering private ceremony at the Rain Tree Lodge in Umwinsidale that was attended by hundreds of invited guests. The couple then proceeded to join thousands of supporters gathered at the Glamis Arena.
Although Tsvangirai’s wife is a daughter of a senior Zanu PF official, Joseph Macheka, she campaigned side-by-side with her husband in the run-up to the elections.
Tsvangirai lost the presidential poll to Robert Mugabe, with Zanu PF garnering a two thirds majority in the election the MDC-T alleged were rigged.
Problems in the marriage became apparent after the elections, with Macheka said to have deserted the family home in Highlands about a month ago.
She is now staying in Borrowdale at a property Tsvangirai says was jointly acquired by the estranged couple.
The two have not been seen together in public since the election.
Labels: ELIZABETH MACHEKA, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) ‘Medical issue’ rocks Tsvangirai marriage
Waving her goodbyes? ... Former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife Elizabeth
03/01/2014 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
AN undisclosed but sensitive medical issue which has seen MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai frequently visiting Nigerian prophet TB Joshua is at the centre of the former premier’s marital problems, a state newspaper reported Saturday.
Tsvangirai this week confirmed his wife, Elizabeth, was no longer living with him at the Harare mansion acquired for him by the government while he was Prime Minister in the last coalition administration.
The Herald newspaper reported that family members had said a “sensitive medical issue” was at the centre of the marital dispute.
And speaking extensively for the first time on the issue, Liz denied reports that politics and her husband’s defeat in the July 31 elections were responsible for their problems.
“A lot has been said and written about how I am to blame in the current situation between myself and Mr Tsvangirai. It is not my intention kufukura hapwa, kubvisa matenga akafukidza dzimba or awaken sleeping dogs,” she told the Herald.
“Let it be known that it is every woman’s dream to be happily married in poverty and even in the midst of plenty,” she said.
“He (Tsvangirai) knows the genesis of the problem, what steps he has been trying in vain to address the situation, including visits to TB Joshua and others.
“The paralysis between us has nothing to do with the outcome of the July 31, 2013 elections, MDC-T, any other political entity, foreign hand or material worth.
“The matter is both personal and circumstantial and only him and not even relatives, friends or party comrades can solve.”
The couple have not been living together for a month with Liz, the daughter of a senior Zanu PF official, moving to their other residency in Harare’s posh Borrowdale neighbourhood.
Liz, who married the MDC-T leader in September 2012, said the former premier should also stop crying victim over their problems.
She said: “Crying the victim or casting aspersions on anyone, including myself, is not only a self-serving sympathy-seeking gimmick but intellectually, factually and morally dishonest stance to take as close friends from both sides of the families and relatives know.
“I shall not be drawn into a public discussion of my marital life since it is a private matter and private matters are best solved privately.”
Tsvangirai denied reports that a bid to marry the younger sister of his late first wife Susan - which Liz opposed - had worsened the situation.
He said while Leah Mhundwa was “given” to him by her family as part of a Shona cultural tradition after Susan’s death in a 2009 road accident, he never intended to formally marry her.
“We will sit down and discuss them as two mature adults,” said MDC-T leader.
Lifting the lid of his separation on Tuesday this week, Tsvangirai insisted he still loved his wife, adding he was confident the marriage could be saved.
“As far as I am concerned, I am still married to my wife and there is no reason to talk about separation or divorce,” he said.
“Marriage is about two people mutually committed to love and support each other and to be happy. If there are any differences which may arise, which is not something exceptional, we will discuss them as two mature adults.
“That is what I am committed to. Ours is a marriage that is in the public domain and therefore public scrutiny is natural but the truth is that there is no separation that I am aware of.”
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Tsvangirai: A legacy of collective failure
03/01/2014 00:00:00
by Bernard Bwoni
HATE or love the man but Morgan Tsvangirai is one of a kind, a man who radiates an obliviously imprudent invincibility and an unworldly endearing nature born out of a starry-eyed inclination to pacify his funding and founding stakeholders. The man is unconscious to the uncanny sophistry of the elite behind the dishonest and deceptive Zimbabwe regime change agenda.
An external agenda that Zanu PF convincingly dismantled in the recent elections and yet remains clandestinely and solidly intact in anticipatory remission. An unwelcome and disturbingly dark agenda that was totally toppled when the well-oiled Zanu PF machinery freely, fluidly and fairly glided past the opposition formations with credible precision. The level of sophistication was unprecedented; such refined and reflective rigor which oozed historical substance, revolutionary resoluteness and definitive decisiveness.
But enough about Zanu PF, this is all about Tsvangirai; a man afflicted by self-inflicted personal scandal, burdened by unfortunate personal tragedy and a man who reckoned he shouldered the weight of the MDC-sanction-induced-poverty-stricken nation’s plight. A national burden that could have been averted had the formations fronted by Tsvangirai not advocated for the abominable sanctions that induced extreme privation and distress to the people of Zimbabwe. But then Tsvangirai is only but a man after all, a man of humble beginnings, humbly modest education and finite intellect, heedless of the counterproductive nature of his association with groups and individuals who have a very specific neo-colonial agenda. A man surrounded by some highly opinionated and educated lieutenants who now allegedly want to pull the rug from under his feet in cravenly closet opportunistic power pursuits. The term is “alleged” by the way and after all that the man has done for that party.
Tsvangirai with all his countless and frequent flaws has commanded a sizeable following in the country and beyond. His name is synonymous with the publicity and popularity the MDC-T party enjoys and embraces so collectively. His legions of shortcomings are indeed a precise reflection of the collective failure of the MDC-T as a party - structures weakened, without foundations or heavily self-compromised. There is an urgent need for self-introspection and the party shouldering collective responsibility for the well-documented Tsvangirai blemishes. There is no way he could have come up with such an uninspiring trajectory and all the erudite notables around him being blissfully unaware and blindly following. A case in point is the far from strategic nomination of ambassadors for diplomatic postings; in particular Mrs Zwambila and Mr Makuvise. Surely someone within that party would have stirred Tsvangirai away from such lacklustre appointments?
There is the human side to Tsvangirai which must be explored rather than exploited. His personal scandals and transgressions must not be allowed to entirely conceal the real human side to this man. Tsvangirai deserves the backlash he got for his multiple girlfriends and Britney Spears-style fast-forward marriages. There are no excuses for the ruinous ramification of his tactless political decisions. But, on a personal level, the man deserves sympathy. The recent revelations that his wife walked out have drawn continuous echoes of elation and jubilation from critics and fans alike. It is quite disturbing to see so many deriving so much satisfaction and pleasure from this poor man’s endless misfortunes and suffering whether self-inflicted or not.
I have everything against this gentleman on a political level but nothing against him on a personal level. In as much as we disagree, let us separate the inept politician from the jilted man. He is just a human being like all of us, irrespective of our political affiliations. The bandwagon dictates that Tsvangirai deserves all that comes his way because of the numerous “open-zip, shut-mind” moments, the sanctions which his party advocated for and his dubious associations with those who have deadly agenda against Zimbabwe. I only see a poor man betrayed by the collective failure of those around him.
Bernard Bwoni can be contacted on bernardbwoni.blogspot.co.uk
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) ‘Medical issue’ rocks Tsvangirai marriage
Waving her goodbyes? ... Former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's wife Elizabeth
03/01/2014 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
AN undisclosed but sensitive medical issue which has seen MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai frequently visiting Nigerian prophet TB Joshua is at the centre of the former premier’s marital problems, a state newspaper reported Saturday.
Tsvangirai this week confirmed his wife, Elizabeth, was no longer living with him at the Harare mansion acquired for him by the government while he was Prime Minister in the last coalition administration.
The Herald newspaper reported that family members had said a “sensitive medical issue” was at the centre of the marital dispute.
And speaking extensively for the first time on the issue, Liz denied reports that politics and her husband’s defeat in the July 31 elections were responsible for their problems.
“A lot has been said and written about how I am to blame in the current situation between myself and Mr Tsvangirai. It is not my intention kufukura hapwa, kubvisa matenga akafukidza dzimba or awaken sleeping dogs,” she told the Herald.
“Let it be known that it is every woman’s dream to be happily married in poverty and even in the midst of plenty,” she said.
“He (Tsvangirai) knows the genesis of the problem, what steps he has been trying in vain to address the situation, including visits to TB Joshua and others.
“The paralysis between us has nothing to do with the outcome of the July 31, 2013 elections, MDC-T, any other political entity, foreign hand or material worth.
“The matter is both personal and circumstantial and only him and not even relatives, friends or party comrades can solve.”
The couple have not been living together for a month with Liz, the daughter of a senior Zanu PF official, moving to their other residency in Harare’s posh Borrowdale neighbourhood.
Liz, who married the MDC-T leader in September 2012, said the former premier should also stop crying victim over their problems.
She said: “Crying the victim or casting aspersions on anyone, including myself, is not only a self-serving sympathy-seeking gimmick but intellectually, factually and morally dishonest stance to take as close friends from both sides of the families and relatives know.
“I shall not be drawn into a public discussion of my marital life since it is a private matter and private matters are best solved privately.”
Tsvangirai denied reports that a bid to marry the younger sister of his late first wife Susan - which Liz opposed - had worsened the situation.
He said while Leah Mhundwa was “given” to him by her family as part of a Shona cultural tradition after Susan’s death in a 2009 road accident, he never intended to formally marry her.
“We will sit down and discuss them as two mature adults,” said MDC-T leader.
Lifting the lid of his separation on Tuesday this week, Tsvangirai insisted he still loved his wife, adding he was confident the marriage could be saved.
“As far as I am concerned, I am still married to my wife and there is no reason to talk about separation or divorce,” he said.
“Marriage is about two people mutually committed to love and support each other and to be happy. If there are any differences which may arise, which is not something exceptional, we will discuss them as two mature adults.
“That is what I am committed to. Ours is a marriage that is in the public domain and therefore public scrutiny is natural but the truth is that there is no separation that I am aware of.”
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(SUNDAY MAIL ZW) ‘Budget spells death of old economy’
Sunday, 22 December 2013 00:00
Sunday Mail Reporter
MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, under pressure from some Western diplomats, is frantically trying to convince some senior party members to gang up against secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti following his decision to agree to represent the former Governor of the Reserve Bank, Dr Gideon Gono, in a constitutional case filed by Dr Munyaradzi Kereke.
About two weeks ago, Dr Kereke filed a constitutional application citing the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission as the first respondent and Dr Gono as the second respondent in a case in which he is accusing the Commission of acting unconstitutionally by allegedly failing to probe allegations of abuse of office, corruption and theft against Dr Gono.
Following the filing of the case, Dr Gono, who is the Zanu-PF Senator-elect for Buhera, last week engaged lawyer Mr Biti to fight the allegations levelled against him by Dr Kereke, a move that has not been well received by some Western diplomats who would have preferred to see the MDC-T using the former RBZ boss to tarnish the image of Zanu-PF.
The MDC-T was founded and is funded by the British government together with the US administration. As a result, Western diplomats in the country play a key role in the affairs of the MDC-T.
It is understood that the pressure from the diplomats added to Mr Tsvangirai’s fury as he already had been angered by the decision that was taken by his subordinate without first making consultations with the party’s leadership.
Reports say an infuriated Mr Tsvangirai over the past few days has been making frantic calls to some senior party members, including Mr Douglas Mwonzora, Mr Chamisa, Ms Thokozani Khupe and Mr Lovemore Moyo, trying to convince them to condemn Mr Biti’s decision to defend Dr Gono in court.
Mr Tsvangirai is said to be arguing that while legally Mr Biti as a lawyer can represent any client of his choice, from a political point of view, the move was ill-timed and ill-advised.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Mwonzora confirmed that indeed he had discussed the issue about Mr Biti representing Dr Gono with Mr Tsvangirai after it had been reported in the Press. Party organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa would neither deny nor confirm the tiff, referring all questions to Mr Luke Tamborinyoka, who is Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesperson.
Added Mr Chamisa: “It is better for Luke Tamborinyoka to comment on the issue.” Although Mr Tamborinyoka was not reachable yesterday, highly placed MDC-T sources privy to the ongoing power wrangles within the party, which is still smarting from an embarrassing thrashing during the July 31 harmonised elections, insist that Mr Tsvangirai is calling for Mr Biti to be held to account.
“Soon after the news broke out that Mr Biti would be representing Gono, there was a lot of traffic from some Western diplomats calling our leader expressing reservations over the move by the secretary- general which the majority view as ill-timed and ill-advised. However, even before the calls from these diplomats, Mr Tsvangirai was already livid at the decision.
He was furious that Biti took the decision without even consulting the party leadership despite the political undertones and overtones that will be brought about by this case.
“Mr Tsvangirai was asking why Biti was creating problems for the party. Although this is a constitutional case, from our standpoint this is a political case and we can’t just be too simplistic about it, considering that Biti is our secretary-general. The least Biti could have done is to consult the leadership rather than acting as a lone ranger. He should have taken advice on the political implications of this case,” said one top MDC-T official who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.
A prominent constitutional lawyer based in Harare who refused to be named for professional reasons said: “It’s Dr Gono’s right to chose a lawyer of his choice and it’s fine for my learned friend Biti to choose any client of his and I actually wish Biti the best. He is a good lawyer.
“However, after so many years in Government and away from practice, I think Biti may be rusty and he has his work cut out because he is going to have to punch above his weight in each round.
“Remember also that my learned friend in the past handled mainly criminal cases and this constitutional case may present some challenges. The criminal court is different from the constitutional court where he is going to come before a full bench of nine judges. It’s possible that Mr Biti might opt to instruct other advocates to handle this matter for him.
“Like I told you, Mr Biti is a good lawyer, but I think on this one, he is acting like a bantamweight boxer trying to go for the heavyweight division. Let’s see how things turn out.” Another lawyer, however, said the legal fraternity in Zimbabwe was a very “thin market” where specialising in one area is not common “so Biti should be able to find his way” in handling this constitutional case.
Efforts to get a comment from Mr Biti proved fruitless as he was unreachable on cellphone. However, he told the media last week that it was his right to choose clients of his choice.
Labels: BUDGET, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, MUNYARADZI KEREKE, TENDAI BITI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) You can go to hell, Mugabe tells Tsvangirai
22/12/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe put paid to any prospect of cooperation with ex-premier Morgan Tsvangirai Sunday, saying the opposition MDC-T leader and his party could “go to hell”.
Speaking in Bulawayo Sunday during the unveiling of the statue of the late vice president Joshua Nkomo who died in 1999, Mugabe appealed to disgruntled war veterans to return to Zanu PF.
“I am not talking about (Morgan) Tsvangirai and the MDC; those ones can go to hell. We say to those (war veterans) who are working with the enemy, can’t you realise the suffering that the people had to bear,” Mugabe said.
“The death and injuries visited upon them as they were in the struggle and you dare to work with the enemy against your own people? I am speaking about the stance of the opposition to be on this day running to Britain and America in order to stand against us.”
The Zanu PF leader insisted that he was not opposed to rival political parties.
“We don’t mind an opposition within the country. But an opposition that begs the enemy, the very country that oppressed us, that’s a bit too much. It’s treason; it’s treason of the worst kind,” he said.
Zanu PF accuses Tsvangirai of working with former colonial power, Britain to force regime change in Zimbabwe. The MDC-T leader denies the allegations.
Mugabe reached out to war veterans who left Zanu PF, urging them to re-join the party.
Former ZIPRA intelligence head Dumiso Dabengwa and disgruntled colleagues quit Zanu PF to revive PF Zapu ahead of the 2008 elections, apparently frustrated by Mugabe’s refusal to hand over power to a younger leader.
War veterans working with the opposition were disobeying Nkomo, Mugabe claimed.
“Yesterday he (Nkomo) was telling you to go to this area. So now that he is gone, you think as he is in the grave, he can now be disobeyed?
“So I am saying the war veterans, you fought one war against the enemy, whether you are Zipra or Zanla, come back and be where you belong, don’t get lost. Those (war veterans) are the ones who really make me cry because they were under us, under our command.
“They should never be disunited, they should be united, because the ideology that we based our struggle, whether we were friends with the Soviet Union or China it was the same. You settle your contradictions by sitting down and discussing.”
Dabengwa said he would consult with colleagues before responding to Mugabe’s appeal.
“I did not attend the event but some of us did and they will tell us what happened,” Dabengwa told the Bulawayo Chronicle.
“We cannot answer him (President) today. Remember, we did not leave Zanu PF as individuals but we left as a Zapu block. I therefore, cannot make that decision myself.”
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ROBERT MUGABE
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(NEWZIMBABWE) You can go to hell, Mugabe tells Tsvangirai
22/12/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe put paid to any prospect of cooperation with ex-premier Morgan Tsvangirai Sunday, saying the opposition MDC-T leader and his party could “go to hell”.
Speaking in Bulawayo Sunday during the unveiling of the statue of the late vice president Joshua Nkomo who died in 1999, Mugabe appealed to disgruntled war veterans to return to Zanu PF.
“I am not talking about (Morgan) Tsvangirai and the MDC; those ones can go to hell. We say to those (war veterans) who are working with the enemy, can’t you realise the suffering that the people had to bear,” Mugabe said.
“The death and injuries visited upon them as they were in the struggle and you dare to work with the enemy against your own people? I am speaking about the stance of the opposition to be on this day running to Britain and America in order to stand against us.”
The Zanu PF leader insisted that he was not opposed to rival political parties.
“We don’t mind an opposition within the country. But an opposition that begs the enemy, the very country that oppressed us, that’s a bit too much. It’s treason; it’s treason of the worst kind,” he said.
Zanu PF accuses Tsvangirai of working with former colonial power, Britain to force regime change in Zimbabwe. The MDC-T leader denies the allegations.
Mugabe reached out to war veterans who left Zanu PF, urging them to re-join the party.
Former ZIPRA intelligence head Dumiso Dabengwa and disgruntled colleagues quit Zanu PF to revive PF Zapu ahead of the 2008 elections, apparently frustrated by Mugabe’s refusal to hand over power to a younger leader.
War veterans working with the opposition were disobeying Nkomo, Mugabe claimed.
“Yesterday he (Nkomo) was telling you to go to this area. So now that he is gone, you think as he is in the grave, he can now be disobeyed?
“So I am saying the war veterans, you fought one war against the enemy, whether you are Zipra or Zanla, come back and be where you belong, don’t get lost. Those (war veterans) are the ones who really make me cry because they were under us, under our command.
“They should never be disunited, they should be united, because the ideology that we based our struggle, whether we were friends with the Soviet Union or China it was the same. You settle your contradictions by sitting down and discussing.”
Dabengwa said he would consult with colleagues before responding to Mugabe’s appeal.
“I did not attend the event but some of us did and they will tell us what happened,” Dabengwa told the Bulawayo Chronicle.
“We cannot answer him (President) today. Remember, we did not leave Zanu PF as individuals but we left as a Zapu block. I therefore, cannot make that decision myself.”
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, ROBERT MUGABE
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(NEWZIMBABWE, THE INDEPENDENT) Donors weigh into MDC-T leadership scrap
Leadership fight ... Morgan Tsvangirai with main rivals Tendai Biti and Elias Mudzuri
21/11/2013 00:00:00
by The Independent
THE MDC-T’s acrimonious power struggle, which has seen party leader Morgan Tsvangirai battling a revolt by senior party officials seeking leadership renewal after the party’s dismal July 31 elections loss, has spilled into the donor community putting the party in a precarious position as it seeks to regroup to challenge Zanu PF.
Since Tsvangirai’s controversial and crushing defeat to President Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF in the July 31 polls, senior MDC-T officials have been calling for the former premier to step down after conceding three consecutive defeats to Mugabe.
They accuse Tsvangirai of failing to provide leadership and being hoodwinked by Mugabe during the inclusive government era “when he seemed to trust (President Robert) Mugabe more than party officials."
Those after Tsvangirai’s ouster also argue his personal indiscretions negatively affected the image of the party leading to the loss of supporters from both within and outside the country, including the donor community.
Some senior party members are campaigning for an early congress to push Tsvangirai out as the MDC-T power tussle increasingly becomes a public affair.
The MDC-T constitution empowers the National Council - the highest decision making body outside congress - to call for an extra-ordinary congress.
A section on the role of the national council on the party’s website reads: “Where necessary (the National Council) can suspend or dissolve any organ and conduct elections and may rectify or reverse any decisions of the national executive.
The body can also elect, reappoint and reassign party secretaries in accordance with the party’s constitution and monitors and evaluates the performances and execution of duties of all members of the national executive.”
Officials demanding leadership renewal have been responsible for sourcing donors to fund all party activities but they have since stopped doing so because of Tsvangirai’s refusal to step down.
Lately Tsvangirai has also failed to access funds for his countrywide trips, which he is using to quash calls for leadership renewal, with the finance department arguing the trips were not budgeted for.
Exiled MDC-T treasurer-general Roy Bennett, who has openly called for Tsvangirai’s resignation, has been the major link between MDC-T and the donor community. Through him the party was pampered with money to bankroll its activities in the hope it would form the next government.
Sources in the party said the donor community is in a quandary and is divided on whether to support the push for leadership renewal or support Tsvangirai’s continued leadership.
“The donor community is aware Tsvangirai commands grassroots support,” said a senior party official. “No one in the party appeals to Zimbabweans like Tsvangirai and this has put them in a fix as to whom to support and fund as the next MDC leader.
“On the other hand the donor community has grown tired of MDC’s apparent inability to defeat Zanu PF. They believe despite Tsvangirai’s popularity he lacks strategic thinking hence the need for a robust and intelligent leader able to match Mugabe and Zanu PF.
Britain, Germany, Sweden and France want Biti to take over the presidency while Canada, US, Australia and Norway believe Elias Mudzuri is a better successor.”
Tsvangirai, however, still has the backing from the likes of deputy national chairperson Morgen Komichi, organising secretary Nelson Chamisa and close associates like Ian Makone.
Komichi said Tsvangirai deserved support from all structures of the party, adding it was important for unity to prevail if the party is to mount a serious challenge in the 2018 elections.
He said it was unfair to blame the electoral loss on Tsvangirai.
“We must be united at this moment because the loss to Zanu PF and Mugabe was not because the leadership has failed,” Komichi said.
“I now understand the Zanu PF rigging machinery better than before and it will take a collective effort from labour movements, students’ unions and the majority of Zimbabweans to unite in order to unseat Zanu PF.”
Komichi also said: “Tsvangirai is a God-given leader like David whose time is nigh to take over Zimbabwe’s presidency. We have a leader who is God-fearing and time will come for him to be the leader of this country.”
The MDC-T is pushing for a conference which would be attended by delegates and organisations who were at the 1999 National Working People’s Convention which led to the formation of the party.
Among the groups which attended the convention were the National Constitutional Assembly, which has since transformed itself into a political party as well as labour and student unions, some of which have since bitterly fallen out with the party.
The party is trying to engage its former partners and founding members to increase its support base as it prepares to tackle Zanu PF yet again, but the internal party wrangles threaten to derail efforts to reinvigorate the formation.
Labels: MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Foiled at polls, ex-PM hopes economy will floor Mugabe
08/11/2013 00:00:00
by Gilbert Nyambabvu
DESPITE being beaten at the polls (which he disputes), MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was upbeat Friday, rallying his troops with the promise that President Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party may yet be toppled - by the economy. The former Prime Minister addressed supporters in Chitungwiza in what the MDC-T said was part of an ongoing “national networking” campaign.
“I want to tell you that you won the 31 July election. You did not lose it, but it is Robert Mugabe who stole the election and is causing a national crisis and I will not let you down until we achieve democratic change,” Tsvangirai said, according to a party statement.
The MDC-T chief lost the presidential vote by a landslide in the July 31 elections while Mugabe’s Zanu PF party claimed a huge majority in Parliament.
Tsvangirai however, refuses to accept the outcome, claiming the election was rigged.
The former trade union chief has fought and lost three successive elections against Mugabe but came close to toppling the veteran leader in 2008 when he won the first round of the vote before pulling out of the run-off, claiming Zanu PF henchmen had unleashed violence against his supporters.
At the time, the country’s economy was near complete collapse after a recession lasting several years with runaway inflation reaching stratospheric levels of 6.5 sextillion percent, by some estimates.
Some stability and marginal recovery was achieved with the ditching of the Zimbabwe dollar in 2009 and the establishment of a coalition administration whose fractious tenure ended with the July 31 elections.
However, the MDC-T hierarchy sees what they describe as the “crisis of legitimacy” created by the “fraudulent” election adversely impacting the still sickly economy, in a development they privately expect to play into their hands.
Said Tsvangirai Friday: “Although Zanu PF stole the election, it cannot steal the economy.”
He added that many people were losing jobs around the country as companies closed on a daily basis “because Zanu PF had created a national crisis (through the fraudulent vote) which has resulted in the declining of the country’s economy”.
The message was repeated by other top leaders in a meeting also held Friday at the party’s head office in central Harare.
Said deputy president Thokozani Khupe: “I remember on 29 July at the crossover rally held in Harare telling over 100,000 people gathered that on 1 August, the people were going to work up to news that Zimbabwe had a new President, a Vice President and a new economy that will give people food, jobs and shelter.
“But on August 1, we all woke up to a nightmare - another Zanu PF electoral theft. However, the MDC is a value driven party not a power driven party like Zanu PF that would spend millions of dollars to rig an election. While they may have rigged the election, they cannot rig the economy.”
National organising secretary Nelson Chamisa added: “Zanu PF knows it committed a serious electoral fraud. They are refusing to open the Mt Pleasant ballots because again, they are afraid to expose their fraud. We have a problem in Zimbabwe.
“Because of the fraud, they do not have an answer to the water and electricity challenges. Up to date we have no budget, the available government seed is given on a partisan basis and industries are closing. This is not the behaviour of a national government.”
Tsvangirai insisted that another debilitating economic crisis could only be avoided if “key reforms (are) put in place and the country (moves) on by holding fresh, free and fair elections.”
Labels: MDC TREASON, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, NEOLIBERALISM, THOKOZANI KHUPE
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(NEWZIMBABWE) Step down and be ‘Mandela’, Tsvangirai told
Uneasy partnership ... Morgan Tsvangirai with Tendai Biti and Elias Mudzuri
04/11/2013 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
THE MDC-T faces a split if Morgan Tsvangirai stays on as leader, senior party official Elias Mudzuri said on Sunday, joining a growing chorus of rebellion.
Mudzuri, writing in the Standard newspaper on Sunday, suggested Tsvangirai could “ceremoniously” step down and become the “Mandela of the party”.
The former Harare mayor and Member of Parliament for Warren Park insisted the MDC-T was “still alive”, but warned that “without introspection and debate, Zanu PF will rule this country until the cows come home.”
“Personally, I feel there are several scenarios that should be looked at... I proffer five scenarios and believe one from the five can shape the destiny of the party or its demise,” Mudzuri wrote.
He added: “Scenario one: The status quo remains and MDC-T goes for the 2016 congress with the current leadership.
“Scenario two: there is an urgent extraordinary congress before 2016.
“Scenario three: Morgan Tsvangirai and the whole team are contested at the 2016 congress and a new leadership emerges.
“Scenario four: Morgan Tsvangirai is the godfather of the party. He steps down ceremoniously and becomes a ‘Mandela’ of the party. Structures are re-engineered including the party constitution which will limit the future party president to two terms only.
“Scenario five: Morgan Tsvangirai does not step down. He keeps the support base and those not happy can form their party or join the various sprouting political outfits in the country.”
Mudzuri did not say what his favoured scenario was, but he has been fingered internally by Tsvangirai loyalists as part of a group – led by party treasurer Roy Bennett – which has been advocating for leadership change in the party.
This group – stung by the crushing election defeat by Zanu PF on July 31 – wants Tsvangirai to stand down with dignity, while allowing the party to get a new leader to “re-engineer” the party ahead of the 2018 elections.
Ian Kay, a member of the group calling for leadership change compared Tsvangirai to a “rusty bolt” and a captain of a sinking ship, joining Bennett and another senior figure, Eddie Cross, who have called on the former trade unionist to quit after leading the party since its formation in 1999.
The rebels are said to count the party’s powerful secretary general Tendai Biti among their ranks, but before Mudzuri’s latest intervention – only white members of the MDC-T had openly voiced their discontent.
Tsvangirai’s supporters insist he will not be stampeded to the exit door but will seek a new mandate at the party’s elective congress in 2016, having changed the constitution to remove term limits.
Obert Gutu, one of the MDC-T leader’s adherents, has claimed Tsvangirai’s internal rivals are sponsored by Zanu PF.
Labels: ELIAS MUDZURI, MDC, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI
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(HERALD ZW) Tsvangirai de-campaigns Chiadzwa diamonds
October 26, 2013 Shingirai Huni Local News
Herald Reporter
MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai was yesterday dragged by his handlers to a seminar at Oxford University where he cast aspersions on diamond mining at Chiadzwa in a bid to counter the visit by the Antwerp World Diamond Council delegation that arrived in Zimbabwe on Thursday to explore modalities of trading the gems on the international market.
Mr Tsvangirai was accompanied to the seminar titled “Making Extractive Industries in Africa Work for African People” that was jointly convened by Oxford University and
the international NGO Oxfam, by his political advisor Dr Alex Magaisa.
Contrary to media reports, Mr Tsvangirai was not billed for a special lecture on the aforementioned subject as he was part of a three-member panel along with Mr Sam Kutesa, Uganda’s foreign affairs minister and Professor Mthuli Ncube, chief economist with the African Development Bank.
In his presentation, which focused entirely on Zimbabwe, Mr Tsvangirai claimed a “new dangerous culture emerged when diamonds were discovered in Zimbabwe” that he claimed was manifest in:
* the powerful role of the military that he claimed had taken over and militarised operations in Chiadzwa.
* lack of transparency in diamond mining and revenue.
* elite capture of national diamond resources; and
* emergence of a parallel government during the inclusive Government that he claimed was bankrolled by diamond revenue.
He claimed Zanu-PF “stole” the harmonised elections using diamond money that he claimed was used to create a Zanu-PF “war chest”. And in the clearest indication that he would ignore the dominant sentiment in his party that he was past his sell by date, Mr Tsvangirai said “democratisation was not an event” but a process that would take him to the 2018 elections.
Analysts yesterday described the seminar as an attempt to secure the door when the horses had already bolted as the Antwerp World Diamond Council was in Zimbabwe exploring modalities of getting the Chiadzwa diamonds on the international market.
Labels: ALEX MAGAISA, DIAMONDS, MORGAN TSVANGIRAI, OXFAM, SANCTIONS, ZDERA
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