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Mr Tsvangirai

Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
WIDENING divisions continue to rock the MDC-T with members last week furiously protesting party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s appointment of Mr Nelson Chamisa and Engineer Elias Mudzuri as his additional deputies.

Mr Tsvangirai in July made the two appointments in a move interpreted my some in his party as an attempt to weaken his long term deputy Ms Thokozani Khupe.

According to party sources, MDC-T national organising secretary Mr Abednico Bhebhe held a meeting in his Nkayi South constituency last Thursday where members created conspiracy theories around the appointments.

“Bhebhe led a meeting with his constituents in Guwe where a number of issues were discussed. He encouraged the members to be open in expressing their views as they were recording them to be forwarded to Tsvangirai. One of the burning issues was the appointment of the two vice presidents where sentiment was raised to the effect that Tsvangirai had no faith in the leadership from Matabeleland region. It was said that through the appointments, Tsvangirai had shown his preferences in as far as who he wants to take over the leadership of the party after him and that it wasn’t Khupe.”

Mr Bhebhe was accompanied to the meeting by Bulawayo councillor Mr Mlandu Ncube, some members from the Bulawayo provincial executive and a Mr Chief Ndlovu whom the party wants to field in the Nkayi North constituency in the 2018 elections.

Contacted yesterday, Mr Bhebhe was non committal on the matter but accused this paper, which has accurately reported on a number of his party’s closed door meetings, of getting details about the meeting from state intelligence sources.  “The person who told you, told you what they want you to write in your paper. You are asking about things that happened when you were not there. The only people who might have given you the information are the CIOs,” said Mr Bhebhe.

He said this paper was “on track” in as far as the happenings in the meeting were concerned but at the same time accused it of orchestrating a “witch-hunt.”

Sources said another issue raised in the meeting was that of forming a coalition with Zimbabwe people First leader Dr Joice Mujuru.

“There was sentiment that entering into a coalition was a bad move and some visiting members agreed saying they were also opposed to the coalition but there wasn’t anything much they could do since Tsvangirai was interested in the union,” said an insider.

Some members however, accused Mr Bhebhe of stage managing the meeting to set an agenda for the benefit of his allies.