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Tendai Mugabe Harare Bureau
FISSURES in the embattled MDC-T continued to widen yesterday with party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and other senior party officials yesterday taking turns to condemn party secretary-general Tendai Biti for endorsing Zanu-PF’s victory in the harmonised elections and for blaming the opposition’s loss on lack of feasible and marketable policies.
Conspicuous by their absence at the Mabvuku rally were Biti, and other officials calling for leadership change, among them suspended deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma, national executive member Engineer Elias Mudzuri, youth assembly chairperson Solomon Madzore and youth assembly secretary general Promise Mkwananzi.
Tsvangirai said it was “public knowledge that Zanu-PF rigged the elections.”
“Hatiregeri kutaura nyaya yekuti (President) Mugabe wakabira and we do not apologise,” Tsvangirai charged.
“Let those who have doubts about a stolen election stay the way they are. But hapana asingazvizivi kana mbuya vari kumusha uko kuChiredzi kana kuMuzarabani kana kuTsholostsho vanozviziva kuti Zanu-PF haina kuhwina kuno and you doubt that.Zanu-PF rigged the election. Everyone knows that Zanu-PF did not win).”
Biti on Friday broke ranks with the MDC-T’s position of claiming the harmonised elections were “stolen” admitting they lost squarely to Zanu-PF because of the revolutionary party’s superior policies.
Addressing his party’s supporters in Mabvuku yesterday, Tsvangirai said they should ignore Biti and insist the elections were rigged.
MDC-T deputy national chairman Morgan Komichi, who was convicted of electoral fraud, also said it pained him to hear senior party officials admitting defeat.
Some party supporters called for Biti’s resignation.
Biti told reporters last Friday that Zanu-PF won the elections on the strength of its clear message that appealed to the people while MDC-T was being sophisticated for nothing.
“Zanu in the last election had a very simple message, bhora mugedhi,” said Biti.
“Even a little woman in Chendambuya or Dotito just knew one thing, bhora mugedhi. Perhaps we were too sophisticated, but what was our message – because the message of change of 2000 is not the message for now.”
At the Mabvuku rally yesterday, Komichi said, “Kwedu kwatinonamata unoreurura kana une chigumbu otherwise munamato wako haungasviki kudenga. Ndakarwadziwa zvikuru nemazwi anoti election haina kurigwa ini ndakapedza 100 days ndiri muChikurubi ndakasungirwa election…
“Zvinondirwadza kunzwa mazwi akadaro achibuda kubva kumukuru weMDC. (I am pained when I hear a senior MDC saying the elections were not rigged when I spent 100 days in prison.)” MDC-T deputy youth leader Costa Machingauta went as far as accusing Biti of working with Zanu-PF.
“And hazvizonakidzi kuona umwe munhu, mutana mukuru achibuda achiti hatina kurigwa iye achiziva kuti takarigwa. (It is not nice when a senior member endorses the elections.) It means you were part and parcel of those people vaironga kurigger,” he said.
However, in his remarks, Biti said Zanu-PF was organised and sold a practical message to the electorate.
“We were selling hopes and dreams when Zanu-PF was selling practical realities. ‘We (Zanu-PF) are going to give you a farm, it’s there. We are going to give you $5,000 through (Saviour) Kasukuwere’s ministry,’” said Biti.
Although it was apparent that MDC-T is facing another split, Tsvangirai wore a brave face claiming that there was unity in the party.
He mocked those who preached the gospel of democracy in MDC-T and calling for leadership renewal saying they were approaching the issue with dirty hands.
“Zvino dai muri vanhu vanoziva – munhu unomirira congress woti ndinodawo,” he said.
“Zvinorambidzwa here izvozvo? Zvino woti ibvapo ndiende inini. Idemocracy yekupi iyoyo? Iyo democracy yamunoda kubatira pamusoro iyi. Munoiziva? (Those who want to lead the party must wait for congress and seek election. It is undemocratic to seek to push me out before congress).”
Online Reporter