MDC-T leader fails to end factionalism

Masvingo province and a meeting he called for to broker peace between the warring camps degenerated into chaos.
Faction members, one led by incumbent provincial chairman Mr Wilstaf Sitemere and another by Mr Bernard Chiondegwa, openly jeered, heckled and threatened each other in the presence of Mr Tsvangirai and his entourage.
The meeting was held at the Civic Centre in the city on Saturday.
The MDC-T leader failed to reconcile the feuding factions and promised to broker peace between them after the party’s congress next week.
Mr Tsvangirai was in Masvingo to mend the seemingly damaging rifts in his party.
Mr Sitemere’s camp is allegedly linked to Mr Tsvangirai, while Mr Chiondegwa’s faction is reportedly linked to the party’s national organising secretary, Mr Elias Mudzuri.
The MDC-T leader failed to bring order during the meeting and the supporters openly booed each other and traded some insults.
“I said everyone should keep quiet and no one should say anything before I give him the floor. Anyone who keeps on speaking without my authority from now onwards will be ejected from the hall,” threatened Mr Tsvangirai.
However, the supporters defied their leader and kept on booing and heckling each other, adding they were fed up by the leadership’ failure to end factionalism.
“We are now getting confused with factionalism in MDC-T because we no longer know who is in charge. We keep on hearing about (Mr) Mudzuri and (Mr Tendai) Biti (MDC-T secretary general) also having their factions and followers yet you Mr Tsvangirai our leader is still there. We really do not know what is happening,” said an unidentified Councillor from Bikita South.
After failing to bring order and reconciling the two factions, Mr Tsvangirai later on told his supporters that the issue of factionalism would be dealt with after the congress.
“We no longer have time and if people hold elections, those who lose should accept the results.
“We are a democratic party and any issues to do with the problems that occurred during voting at the provincial congress will be attended to after our national congress.
“Those who were elected into the provincial executive will represent the party at the congress,” said Mr Tsvangirai.
Senior party members among them deputy president Ms Thokozani Khuphe, Mr Mudzuri, deputy secretary general Tapiwa Mashakada and party spokesman Nelson Chamisa, attended the meeting.