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Kennedy Mavhumashava
SINCE losing heavily in the 31 July harmonised elections, MDC has been on a decline with at least three key national figures resigning and a potentially-damaging representation dispute paralysing its ranks in Matabeleland South.
Battling to quell dissent over the purported imposition of secretary general, Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga as a women’s quota legislator representing Matabeleland South, the party has expelled two provincial leaders in that province and Bulawayo. Another from Bulawayo has resigned over alleged strong-arm tactics by the senior party leadership, not only on the Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga issue but others as well.
The most high-profile resignation could be that of respected former Mangwe MP and Copac co-chairperson, Mr Edward Mkhosi if he carries out his threat to leave should Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga keep her position in parliament.
Sources say the party’s challenges now extend to its lack of money to pay its workers or keep provincial offices open. This has forced it to lay off dozens and close offices in some areas. All the upheaval is happening just three months after elections.
Analyst, Mr Christopher Gwatidzo, argues that this is probably the last Zimbabwe will see of MDC, a party that anchored its July election campaign on devolution of power but saw its representation in Parliament drop from 16 in March 2008 to losing all elective seats in both houses. It now only has four seats, gained through proportional representation.
“If you read the Bible in Luke 6,” said Mr Gwatidzo, a Midlands State University lecturer, “Jesus talks about two builders, one who built a house on a shaky foundation and another who built his on a strong foundation. The former’s house collapsed when the torrent came, but the latter’s survived. We are seeing this in MDC-Ncube. It is a trend we are likely to see in other parties built on shaky ground, no principle, no objective, just opportunists.”
Mr Qhubani Moyo, the former MDC director for policy and research coordination was the first senior member to quit a few weeks ago citing a number of issues including the demoralising defeat of 31 July. The losing MDC candidate for Insiza North is now angling for a move to Zanu-PF.
Mr Sondon Stalin Mugaradziko, former secretary for international relations and external structures, was second in line a few days ago. One of the reasons he cited was that he would be too busy running his personal affairs and businesses, leaving him with no time to discharge his political duties. The former Manicaland provincial chairman lost in Mutare Central National Assembly contest to MDC-T’s Mr Innocent Gonese in the 31 July elections.
Again this week, former Insiza South MP and national executive member, Mr Siyabonga Malandu Ncube left. His reasons are not personal as Messers Moyo and Mugaradziko’s but have to do with the fallout over Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga. He is so contemptuous of the party that he saw no reason to write a formal resignation letter saying the party no longer had any structures.
Mr Petros Mukwena was recently fired from the party and his position as provincial chairman for Matabeleland South after he spoke openly against what he viewed as an irregular decision to pick Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga for Parliament.
Alderman Charles Mpofu, a war veteran who has gained a reputation for political itinerancy is against Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga representing Matabeleland South. He has often taunted Prof Ncube as an “unelectable political upstart” who only got 10 votes in his village. For that and his other criticisms of the party and its leadership, Ald Mpofu was punished with expulsion.
“When individuals are not resigning on their own,” said Mr Gwatidzo, “someone is firing them. The centre cannot hold anymore. What we are seeing was bound to happen. We will see the same in MDC and MDC-T very soon.”
MDC-T is also trying to deal with an internal debate over whether to remove leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai now, or wait for the party’s elective congress in 2016. White members of the party — Messers Roy Bennett, Edward Cross, and Ian Kay — led the calls for leadership change. At the weekend, another senior official, Engineer Elias Mudzuri who is linked to an anti-Tsvangirai faction led by secretary general, Mr Tendai Biti, floated a number of possible scenarios to revive the party, among them the removal of the president.
Some analysts argue that the first signs of collapse in MDC started showing in August 2008 when Mr Abedinico Bhebhe led a rebellion of some three legislators, who voted for Mr Lovemore Moyo (MDC-T) to the speakership, ignoring a party directive to vote for its official candidate, Mr Paul Themba Nyathi.
The situation worsened in early 2011 when former president, Prof Arthur Mutambara refused to recognise the elevation of Prof Ncube to the party presidency following an elective congress in Harare. A number of prominent party functionaries including author, Tsitsi Dangarembwa and the then chairman, Mr Jobert Mudzumwe sided with Prof Mutambara. Prof Ncube then “fired” Prof Mutambara and his sympathisers.
The crisis deepened in November last year, when the party, again, axed eight lawmakers, including the then Deputy Speaker, Ms Nomalanga Khumalo and 50 councillors whom it accused of working with MDC-T.
Mr Mudzumwe served as Masvingo provincial chairman of the united MDC from 1999 to 2000, later as national secretary of local government between 2000 and 2005 and national chairman of the Ncube-led faction until October 2011 when he backed Prof Mutambara.
He said: “We saw it way back in 2011 that under its present leadership, the Ncube formation was doomed. We have been vindicated. It is a directionless creature. That party is finished; completely finished. What I want to advise Welshman and Morgan (Tsvangirai) is that they should bring the parties back to the founders. We are the only people who know where the parties came from and where they must go. We sit down and restrategise. If that does not happen, Zanu-PF will rule for ever.”
Mr Mkhosi increased pressure on Prof Ncube and Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga, telling a pirate radio station on Monday that he would also resign unless the party recalls the latter from Parliament. He said by allowing her to continue as legislator the party leadership was contradicting the basis of its existence, devolution of power. Mr Mkhosi, a national executive member, is regarded as sober-minded, a reputation he cemented during his service as Copac co-chairperson. His colleagues in that body, Cde Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana and Mr Douglas Mwonzora (MDC-T) have publicly hailed him for stabilising the often-heated debates on the draft constitution.
Dr Lawton Hikwa, a Nust lecturer said the instability in MDC is not surprising given the party’s paralysing defeat on 31 July. He said members, some of whom are resigning, had been taken over by trepidation that comes with electoral setbacks such as the party suffered in the harmonised elections. Handling the situation demands wisdom, said Dr Hikwa, but if the party fails to show leadership, that is the end of it.
“I think it is still too early to say the party is dying,” he said.
“This is a lesson for them to go back to the drawing board and regroup. They still have a chance but they have a lot of work to do.”
He acknowledged that the resignations of Messers Moyo, Malandu Ncube and Mugaradziko were very significant and capable of demoralising the rank and file.
“These are the architects who are leaving. It can show loss of hope and the morale of the supporters can be dented. This has an impact, but organisations have to survive somehow,” Dr Hikwa said.
He criticised MDC officials who are questioning Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s position in Matabeleland South saying it smacked of tribalism and regionalism, negative attitudes he said must not characterise 21st century politics.
“Why was that opposition not strong before nomination day or even on election day?” he asked.
Originally, Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga’s name was on fourth position on the provincial party list but was later put on the top to replace Ms Elizabeth Ndlovu, the party’s provincial chairperson of the Women’s Assembly.
MDC spokesman, Mr Nhlanhla Dube attributed the instability to “post-poll trauma” which he said must be overcome.
“When there is a death in the family,” he said, “you will not fail to get a witch. If you look at the struggles that have been fought worldwide, our liberation struggle, the civil rights struggle in America, the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, teams have always been shaped by circumstances. Some comrades have been fired; others have sold out and so on. Therefore what we are seeing in the party is normal under the circumstances. Our role is not to react, but to respond. We will be measured in our response and that has started with Matabeleland South where the party approved the firing of Mukwena.”
Mr Dube, who himself has had to contend with internal jibes that he was a Johnny-came-lately, said the high-profile resignations do not signify the collapse of the formation.
“The director of the ship is in charge,” he said referring to Prof Ncube.
“You can’t tell me that if you lose a toe you die. An injury to a part of the body does not incapacitate the body.”
Online Reporter