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Clemence Manyukwe News Editor
Last Sunday’s launch of the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC) by opposition figures disillusioned by Morgan Tsvangirai’s leadership, was a futile attempt to put a new patch on an old garment.

Professor Welshman Ncube MDC and the MDC Renewal Team launched the UMDC, with promises to adopt a new constitution next month and go for Congress to choose new leaders in October.

In the meantime, officials from both factions would jointly chair party organs.

Prof Ncube and Sekai Holland would be co-presidents while Biti and Moses Mzila-Ndlovu would be co-secretary generals until they hold their congress in October.

Samuel Sipepa-Nkomo and Goodrich Chimbaira would work together as co-national chairmen.

Political analyst Ricky Mukonza said the UMDC greatest undoing is that it is viewed as an elitist organisation.

He expressed doubt that it would secure a foothold on Zimbabwe’s political terrain.

“I think that one of the biggest problems that they’re likely to face is that they’re viewed as elitist. They don’t connect with the grassroots. The other thing is coalitions depend on who would be joining who. The few joining the few or the weak joining the weak, the question is to what effect? The outcome will be a weak organisation,” said Mukonza.

The UMDC has ambitious plans to take control of the government in 2018.

It’s a dream that started in 1999, but has eluded all the MDC factions when the party had its first split in October 2005, when Prof Ncube led a rebellion against Tsvangirai over differences to participate in the senate polls.

Another founding member Job Sikhala was to later dump Tsvangirai, before rejoining him while Biti stayed with the MDC-T leader, before they fell out following their party’s defeat in the 2013 general elections, leading to his move to join forces with Prof Ncube.

Gideon Chitanga, a political scientist said the UMDC decision to co-chair party organs might backfire, especially as they head for congress.

“This co-representation is intended to balance or accommodate the various actors in the party, but it’s a strange kind of arrangement and I think politically it doesn’t work. It might cause more problems than what they’re anticipating,” said Chitanga.

He said the UMDC is devoid of an ideology due to its leaders short term political interests.

He said by their nature, opposition political parties in Africa depend on external financial support, a limiting factor when it comes to ideology as that might upset their backers.

Another political analyst Takura Zhangazha said the UMDC will not be able to take away votes from Zanu-PF. He added that the party will only unsettle Tsvangirai’s party.

“They’re unlikely to cause any major political upsets for the ruling party but more for their former colleagues in the MDC-T,” said Zhangazha.

As if to confirm that, UMDC leaders’ political venom at the launch was directed mostly at Tsvangirai who was labelled a monster with Biti calling him “an idiot.”