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This is despite frantic efforts by his deputy, Thokozani Khupe, the party’s chairperson for Bulawayo, Mr Gorden Moyo and the provincial spokesperson, Mr Mandlenkosi Sibanda, who in recent weeks have been denying that members were flocking to join the rival MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube.
“If people choose to join other parties it is good. We are in competition. What about those who left Ncube and Zanu-PF to join us? Those who have defected, we wish them well. We are in a democratic nation,” said Mr Tsvangirai told journalists at a Press conference in Bulawayo. He said his party was democratic and would never force anyone to join it.
Mr Tsvangirai tried to downplay the effects of defections of the 154 MDC-T members to the MDC in recent weeks.
“I cannot say the defections have given us problems. We know that some will leave us and some will join us,” he said.
However, party insiders insisted that panic was spreading in the party over the defections.
“A number of people who defected held senior positions in the party’s structures. Most of them were responsible for the recruitment of new members. It is the party’s greatest fear that those they recruited would follow them to the MDC,” said an MDC-T member who declined to be named.
The MDC leader reportedly cancelled attending an emergency provincial assembly meeting in Bulawayo yesterday at the last minute at the behest of the party’s leaders and advisors. He had reportedly scheduled the meeting to find a solution to the mass defections.
However, following Press scrutiny about the matter, Mr Tsvangirai was advised to keep away.
The party’s national organising secretary, Mr Nelson Chamisa and his deputy, Mr Abednico Bhebhe, took the Bulawayo leadership to task over the matter, at the meeting.
The leadership reportedly maintained that no one had defected.
Party members in recent weeks have insisted that the MDC-T leadership was worried that the defections would trigger a mass exodus of members to other parties.
The PM called a meeting with the defectors last week, which he did not attend.
He held a crisis meeting over the issue with Ms Khupe in Harare last week.
Mr Tsvangirai, who is also Prime Minister in the inclusive Government, made yet another veiled threat to remove army generals he perceives to be against him if he gets into power.
Responding to a question from civil society organisations in the city about his attitude towards army generals who have said they would not serve under him, Mr Tsvangirai said he would remove them.
However, he said he only had a problem with a handful of members of the security forces.
“The problem is with individuals and not the entire system. One rotten tomato in a basket cannot be allowed to spoil all the tomatoes. It is a case of removing the rotten tomatoes and leaving the clean ones. I have nothing against the army. Let’s all play our role for the country. Not everyone shares that thought but only a few individuals,” he said.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter