MDC youth executive members quit

Pamela Shumba Senior Reporter
CRACKS continue to widen in the Welshman Ncube- led MDC after four Bulawayo provincial youth executive members quit on Saturday to join Zapu. This came after some officials in the national executive resigned en-masse ahead of a planned merger with the MDC Renewal team which is led by Sekai Holland. Former MDC-T secretary-general, Tendai Biti is a key member of the team.

Holland and Professor Ncube’s parties are expected to formalise their merger at a joint congress in the next few months.

Thembani Maphosa, the deputy chairperson, Mathias Ncube, the deputy organising secretary, Tafadzwa Manyangu, the deputy chairperson for gender and Ndodana Moyo, the deputy secretary cited lack of professionalism in the troubled party when they defected to Zapu.

Confirming the defections yesterday, MDC’s provincial youth chairperson, Walter Sebele, said the four youths were once members of Zapu.

He said they decided to quit after failing to secure high positions in MDC which they were after.

“These youths were running a reign of terror in the party. They’re after positions. At some stage they were summoned and told to work with others or ship out. I guess they chose shipping out as evidenced by what they’ve just done. Their departure is a non-event to us because the MDC is a broad institution, meaning that before the end of the week we would’ve replaced them. After all, when they joined the MDC they had been fired by Zapu,” said Sebele.

He dismissed reports that most youths from the MDC had joined Zapu, saying the party’s youth executive meeting held yesterday proved that only four youths were not there.

Zapu secretary-general Strike Mnkandla also confirmed that they had received new members from the MDC, most of them former Zapu members.

“We welcomed the new members on Saturday and we’re ready to work with them. Most of them are former party members who said they discovered that Zapu was better than MDC in terms of professionalism.

“We’re ready to integrate them into the structures and those who deserve posts will be given accordingly,” said Mnkandla.

He said he was happy that the new members had decided to re-join the party after their fellow youths encouraged them to come back.

MDC’s spokesperson, Nhlanhla Dube quit his position and resigned from the party two weeks ago, barely a month after two key officials, secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and vice-chairman, Frank Chamunorwa resigned.

Before Misihairabwi-Mushonga quit last month, the MDC youth assembly had written to Prof Ncube calling for her sacking after she had described the opposition party as a “junkyard”.

These resignations follow the previous departures of Qhubani Moyo, the party’s former director of policy and research, who is taking a sabbatical from politics and former Bulawayo spokesperson Edwin Ndlovu, who rejoined MDC-T.