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Mr Tsvangirai

Nduduzo Tshuma, Political Editor
THE Mr Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC-T has reportedly been thrown into panic with reports that the Women’s Election Convergence (WEC) is mobilising two million women to back National People’s Party president Dr Joice Mujuru in the 2018 elections.

The revelations come at the back of reports that Dr Mujuru and one of Mr Tsvangirai’s deputies, Ms Thokozani Khupe were plotting to block the former Prime Minister from leading a coalition of opposition parties in the 2018 polls.

The two are said to be using the WEC to mobilise the required numbers that they allegedly want to use as leverage to springboard Dr Mujuru to lead the opposition coalition. MDC proportional representation legislator Ms Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga is one of the prominent names in the WEC which is said to involve female political activists from across opposition parties.

Sources within the MDC-T yesterday said information gathered by the party is that the WEC has received funding from a European country to carry out their campaign which has been interpreted as coup on Mr Tsvangirai.

“We understand that they have received funding from a foreign country to mobilise female voters and the grand strategy is to mobilise 2 000 women per province who will each be required to mobilise 100 giving them two million female voters in total,” said an MDC-T official.

“What is significant with that number is that it then beats Tsvangirai’s total number of votes in the 2003 elections giving grounds for calls to allow Mujuru to lead the coalition of opposition parties in the 2018 elections.”

Insiders said while Mr Tsvangirai had not reacted to the reports, there was genuine fear among members that the campaign was meant to topple Tsvangirai.

“Those who attended the WEC meeting in Bulawayo at the weekend will remember how a member of the MDC-T women’s wing rebuffed statements by Mujuru who said they had travelled and consulted and decided that it was time for a female President in the country.

“The MDC-T official rose from her seat and told Mujuru that they were behind Tsvangirai and would not back any other candidate in the 2018 elections,” said an MDC-T official.

Mrs Misihairabwi-Mushonga yesterday confirmed that the WEC intends to mobilise two million women to register for the 2018 elections but denied that it was being done to topple Mr Tsvangirai.

“WEC18 is a grouping of women political activists from nine political parties with two others having asked to join . . . WEC18 has no candidate, women have a free choice on who to vote for. It is not the WEC18 objective to push for any candidate,” she said. “We understand that some men will worry because it is in their nature to worry each time women meet without them.”

Mrs Misihairabwi–Mushonga said leaders of opposition parties including Mr Tsvangirai supported their initiative and denied that they had received any foreign funding.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu dismissed the claims saying they were being peddled by “political charlatans” working against democracy.

He said the WEC initiative was to mobilise women to take part in the elections and not the agenda of plotting a coup against Mr Tsvangirai. “We know enemies of democracy get scared when initiatives are made to get women, who are a majority in the country, to participate in elections. Those claims are hogwash and absolute nonsense,” he said.

When told that the claims were actually coming from within the MDC-T, Mr Gutu said, “I am telling you the official party position as the national spokesperson. I do not know who you talked to and I can’t get into the heads of each and every MDC member to see what they think but what I told you is the official stance of the party.”

NPP spokesperson said while he was not a WEC spokesperson the party supports it as it is a noble programme to encourage women to participate in elections.

“It is nonsense that Mujuru is plotting against Tsvangirai, we have our party with our leader and we are just as shocked as everyone about the things we are reading. Last month we were reading stories that Khupe didn’t want Tsvangirai to work with Mujuru and a few weeks later we read that she is plotting to topple Tsvangirai so it’s clear those stories are not true,” he said.