Zimbabwe: MDC snubs Morgan Tsvangirai

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By Zvamaida Murwira
Zimbabwe Herald

THE MDC national council yesterday finally resolved to
participate in the November 26 Senate elections despite party
leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s strong call for a boycott.

The 66-member national council voted 33 to 31 in favour of
participation with two spoilt papers.

The voting pattern broke an earlier stalemate after the
presentation of reports by the party’s 12 provinces.

Six provinces — Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland
South, Midlands North and South and Manicaland — favoured
participation while Harare, Chitungwiza, the three
Mashonaland provinces and Masvingo voted against
participation.

Surprisingly — and incorrectly — Mr Tsvangirai claimed that
the national council had resolved not to participate in the
polls that he dubbed a "Zanu-PF project".

"The council has resolved to stay out of the election because
it is a Zanu-PF project," said Mr Tsvangirai at the hastily
convened Press briefing at his Strathaven residence after the
meeting.

He claimed that the national council had reached a 50-50
decision and that he had used his casting vote in favour of a
boycott.

However, last night MDC spokesman Mr Paul Themba Nyathi
contradicted Mr Tsvangirai as he told The Herald that after
protracted debate, the council had voted to participate.

"The issue of participation or non-participation was an
extremely contentious issue as no consensus was arrived at
and we resorted to a secret ballot," Mr Nyathi said.

"Of the 66 national council members present, 31 voted against
while 33 voted in favour of participation, while two votes
were deemed to have been spoilt. This means the party must
now respond to the outcome of the vote," he added.

Mr Nyathi said six provinces had reported to council that
they were against the election while the other six reported
that their provinces supported the idea.

"The youth and women assembly also reported that their
constituencies were against participation and this culminated
into voting and this was the result," he added.

The outcome of the national council vote clearly showed that
the MDC leader was making unilateral decisions, splitting the
opposition further.

This became even more evident at his hastily convened Press
conference as only his spokesman Mr William Bango accompanied
him.

All his lieutenants from the national council were
conspicuous by their absence.

The national council, which is chaired by the national
chairman Mr Isaac Matongo, comprises the national executive
members, provincial and district chairpersons and their
secretaries and makes decisions between congress.

The concession by Mr Tsvangirai of a 50-50 deadlock
contradicted his earlier denials of divisions in the
opposition party.

Sources at Harvest House said two distinct camps have
emerged: one aligned to Mr Tsvangirai pitting the MDC leader
against the party’s secretary general Professor Welshman
Ncube and his faction.

Sources at the meeting said that Mr Tsvangirai unsuccessfully
tried to set the agenda at the beginning of the meeting in
his keynote address in which he reiterated his calls for a
boycott.

"Professor Ncube sat quietly at the high table together with
the other six top members hoping that his camp would carry
the day when the election was conducted," said one source.

"Some of the people supporting the idea of contesting
expressed their views openly while others did not come out in
the open during the deliberations. But Mr Tsvangirai would
use every available opportunity to show his position."

The "top six" is made up of Mr Tsvangirai, Professor Ncube,
Mr Matongo, deputy president Mr Gibson Sibanda, national
treasurer Mr Fletcher Dulini-Ncube and deputy secretary
general Mr Gift Chimanikire.

The source said there was commotion after the meeting, which
degenerated into a brawl as some members were not happy over
Mr Tsvangirai’s attempt to overrule the national council’s
decision. The impending elections follow the passage of the
Constitutional Amendment (No. 17) Act which introduced a
Senate.

The Upper House would have 66 members, five from each of the
10 provinces, two being the president and deputy president of
the Council of Chiefs, and eight chiefs elected by the chiefs
of the eight non-metropolitan provinces while another six
Senators will be appointed by President Mugabe.