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Temba Dube/Pamela Shumba Senior Reporters—
MDC-T Bulawayo province, the self-proclaimed engineroom of the party, has resolved to suspend its chairperson Gorden Moyo and five others on allegations of being in the leadership renewal faction headed by secretary-general Tendai Biti. As the party’s implosion continues, Makokoba district met on Wednesday and passed a vote of no confidence in Moyo who is their legislator.

Party insiders said Ward 16 Councillor Tamani Moyo, Clr Collet Ndhlovu of Ward 28, district women’s chairperson Genifer Kaoma, committee member Thandiwe Moyo and district youth chairperson Sonny Poya will also be shown the exit at the party’s provincial executive meeting tomorrow.

They also face charges of working in cahoots with Biti and others who are calling for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step down to pave way for new leadership.

The decision, said an official, is expected to be ratified at tomorrow’s meeting.
It is then expected to be passed by the national executive, paving way for the expulsion of the five from the party.

Bulawayo is the only province in the country where MDC-T had a clean sweep as Zanu-PF routed the party in the other nine provinces in last year’s harmonised elections.

People who attended the Makokoba meeting said the district’s chairperson, Clr James Sithole, opened it by pledging allegiance to Tsvangirai and asked the more than 200 member to each also state where their loyalties lay.

“Everyone said they were behind Tsvangirai. The issue of our MP Gorden was then raised. We all agreed that he had to be suspended because he is thought to be in the opposing Biti camp,” said a party member.

The reasons that were given for the decision, reportedly included allegations that Moyo was giving platform for the Biti faction’s interim chairperson Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo to bad-mouth Tsvangirai.

“We first saw it at the election celebration party in December when Moyo unilaterally replaced vice-president Thokozani Khupe with Sipepa as the guest of honour.

“When the leadership renewal chaos started, Gorden did not want Tsvangirai to address his star rally in Makokoba because he feared a backlash from his master Biti. He suggested that the rally should be held at the Large City Hall. When that failed, he went on ‘study leave’ to avoid receiving Tsvangirai in Makokoba’s Stanley Square where the rally was finally held,” said a source.

The source said the meeting agreed that it was suspicious that Moyo did not want to attend party rallies but was addressing residents’ meetings on Saturdays, although he was said to be a staunch Seventh Day Adventist.

“It was noted that Gorden called a public lecture recently but did not show up. Sipepa addressed the lecture in his place and grasped the opportunity to denounce Tsvangirai. He is also guilty of failing to maintain the party’s vehicles and property in the province,” said an official.

Clr Sithole could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone.
A member of the national executive told Chronicle that Moyo’s allies were expelled from MDC-T on Tuesday for convening a “bogus” national executive meeting in which they fired Tsvangirai and his deputies.

The official said it had been resolved that individual provinces should purge elements among them that were in Biti’s camp.
“Although Moyo did not attend that meeting, he sent his apologies, which is evidence that he is with the deserters,” said the official.

MDC-T Bulawayo acting chairperson Dorcas Sibanda yesterday said she was yet to be told by Makokoba district that Moyo had been suspended.

“I am yet to receive communication about the issue. Maybe they will tell us at the provincial council’s meeting on Saturday,” said Sibanda.

Moyo could not be reached for comment.
A serious fallout in the MDC-T has resulted in two distinct factions that have been suspending and firing members of opposing camps in recent weeks, with both groupings claiming they were in charge of the party.  Biti and his group announced they had suspended Tsvangirai, his deputy Khupe, organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora and other senior figures on Saturday. Tsvangirai responded on Tuesday by announcing the expulsion of Biti, Sipepa Nkomo, Promise Mkhwananzi and others.

As the fighting intensifies, MDC-T youths have taken to social media to attack fired youth secretary-general Mkhwananzi accusing him of betraying them and putting his interests first.

Mkhwananzi joined Biti, deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma and others, when they started calling for Tsvangirai to relinquish his position and pave way for a new leadership early this year.

The call triggered turmoil that led to the split of the MDC-T last weekend.
Mkhwananzi told his friends on  Facebook that he was prepared to serve the party, but the youths blasted him, called him a sellout and strongly criticised him for allegedly deceiving them, with most of them vowing to be on Tsvangirai’s side.

A barrage of more than 180 comments disparaging Mkhwananzi had been posted in less than 24 hours responding to his statement.
Elias Pirikisi said:

“No wonder why party members rejected you during the primary elections last year. The direction you are taking will lead you nowhere and you will not win anything in life. Student politics is different from national politics. Good bye Promise, I had faith in you but you let me down,”

Zack Njagu accused Mkhwananzi of  being selfish while Artwell Sibanda said: “Promise you are a sellout, a useless boy without roots.”
Sengai Masvingise said the Biti team was a useless faction that will never be a threat to the party.

“How can I lose sleep over people who violet (sic) what they preach and can’t even translate the party constitution? Good bye, your team will be history soon, read our local politics with your eyes and mind. Shame on you guys,” he said.

Nomore Mugova said: “Promise, that’s the end of your political career. I will bet my last cent, Welshman Ncube will have more supporters than you. That’s the end of you, Biti and Mangoma. The majority of supporters are on Tsvangirai’s side.

“You should have opened up dialogue from within, not this pseudo coup. You’re finished no matter how much u may try to defend yourself.”

Some of the youths said they would never take Mkhwananzi seriously and called him a bogus and overzealous politician, who was only interested in making himself happy.