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FORMER MDC national executive member Mr Moses Mzila Ndlovu and 64 other members who recently quit the Professor Welshman Ncube-led party are reportedly planning on forming a regional party.
According to sources, Mr Mzila Ndlovu and his group have been holding consultations with a number of people in Bulawayo, Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and South Africa selling the idea of the party.
The sources revealed that the move has rattled their former party as the Mr Mzila Ndlovu group seems to be targeting established MDC structures to build a base for their new organisation.
This, insiders said, would further cripple the troubled MDC which never recovered from its dismal performance in the 2013 harmonised elections.
Mr Mzila Ndlovu, who is also spokesperson of the group, was non-committal on the formation of the party yesterday saying they were still consulting but were open to partner with anyone who shares their vision.
“When we announced our departure from MDC, I said we were weighing our options and those options include forming a party, joining a party or leaving politics. However, we still have a lot of energy to expend,” he said.
“I won’t be surprised when the people we work with say that we unite to form a political party. If we find someone who understands issues affecting Matabeleland, we will partner them. I don’t want to pre-empt everything because I’m in an acting capacity as the group’s spokesperson.”
Mr Mzila Ndlovu accused his former boss Prof Ncube, MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and Dr Joice Mujuru who recently formed the Zimbabwe people First (ZimPF) of paying lip service to the issues affecting the region.
He said there are a number of issues that affect the region and make it peculiar.
“I failed to work with Welshman and Tsvangirai because they have failed the people of Matabeleland. Even Joice Mujuru with her recently launched party doesn’t understand the issues affecting Matabeleland. All they do is talk to whip up people’s emotions so that they join their parties but don’t offer real solutions,” Mr Mzila-Ndlovu said.
He confirmed the fears within MDC that their planned party would further erode the membership of the seemingly sinking MDC.
“They have a legitimate fear. If you see the petition that we wrote and the 11 issues we raised there, the MDC never managed to respond to. It is common cause therefore that those who identified with our petition agree with our position and are likely to move with us,” Mr Mzila Ndlovu said.
He dismissed online media reports that they were planning on forming a Kalanga party saying if the organisation was to be formed, it would not be grounded on ethnicity.
Mr Mzila Ndlovu accused his former party of peddling “malicious lies” singling out Prof Ncube whom he accused of misleading the people by claiming that the former acting secretary general wanted the MDC to be a regional party.
The MDC spokesperson, Mr Kurauone Chihwayi, last week said the party was not moved by the departure of Mr Mzila Ndlovu and his group.
Mr Mzila Ndlovu fell out of favour with the party leadership last year when he was demoted from acting secretary general to an ordinary party member on allegations of gross incompetence and failure to carry out duties.
He had taken over from his former boss Mrs Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga who resigned from the position at the height of internal fighting.
Mr Mzila-Ndlovu accused Prof Ncube of sabotaging him.
Prof Ncube, however, dismissed Mr Mzila-Ndlovu’s claims calling him a regionalist who does not want the party to have a national outlook.
Mr Mzila-Ndlovu was later suspended for allegedly petitioning Prof Ncube to step down from the party presidency.
Online Reporter