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Patrick Chitumba Midlands Bureau Chief
EMBATTLED MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai was embarrassed in Gweru yesterday when some vendors heckled him during his tour of their vending stalls in the city yesterday.

The former Prime Minister’s aides struggled to keep away the hecklers some of whom were shouting, “Go and tell Britain to remove the illegal sanctions you advocated for.”

Tsvangirai was accompanied by Gweru Mayor, Councillor Hamutendi Kombayi.

Vendors said Tsvangirai was wasting the ratepayers’ money by touring the city.

They said their lives were not going to change for the better just because he had visited them.

“Your visit will not change our lives or the way we operate. You’re wasting our money that we pay through rates and water bills,” shouted one vendor.

More drama was to follow at TM Supermarket when a resident was assaulted and pushed away by Tsvangirai’s aides as the man tried to find his way towards the MDC-T leader.

The man wanted to throw some fliers denouncing the MDC-T leader’s visit.

The fliers which originated from the Gweru Vendors Association castigated Tsvangirai’s visit which they said was a waste of council resources.

“Why should the coming of Tsvangirai be a burden to rate payers? Why pay Tsvangirai’s accommodation and dinner at Antelope Park Lodges yet workers have gone for three months without pay? We say no to abuse and mismanagement of council funds. We say no to abuse of council vehicles for MDC-T activities,” read some of the fliers.

Residents were angered by the fact that Tsvangirai and his entourage were chauffeured in the mayoral vehicle, a latest model Mazda BT-50 Twin cab. Other council vehicles were used to ferry MDC-T party members and councillors.

However, council management and Zanu-PF councillors did not participate in the Tsvangirai tour of the city.

Clr Kombayi was accused of taking the MDC-T leader to projects which were initiated by the previous council led by former mayor, Tedious Chimombe.

Tsvangirai toured Kudzanai Bus Terminus where he was shown mountains of uncollected rubbish since the MDC-T dominated council has been failing to collect refuse and repair roads.

The MDC-T leader also visited Mtapa, Ascot, Mkoba Villages 6, 15 and 16 suburbs where he was shown vending marts and some stalls as well as houses under construction.

Tsvangirai was just asking the number of vendors at the marts he visited.

The Kombayi led council is yet to initiate its own projects two years after it came into office.

Recently, the council sold residential stands in Mkoba Village 21, a project initiated by the previous council.

Meanwhile, Tsvangirai yesterday made a major climb down on plans to engage in mass action ostensibly to effect an illegal regime change.

He said there was need for an “assessment” of the situation before such action could be taken.

The embattled leader who has in the past made botched “final push” attempts, seems to have developed cold feet as he has lost grassroots support following a major split in his party that saw a group led by former secretary-general, Tendai Biti, forming a new party, MDC Renewal.

Biti’s MDC has since united with the Welshman Ncube-led MDC.

“Mass action is always on the agenda but it’s the timing of that action that matters. It’s not just an emotional reaction but you also have to consider the outcome of that action. What’s going to happen if everyone goes on the streets? What do you want to achieve?

“Those are things we’re assessing. Also, when such action is taken by leaders without their followers understanding what they’re doing it’s likely to misfire. We want an orderly Zimbabwe and we want stability in the country,” he said addressing journalists soon after the tour.

Added Tsvangirai: “We don’t want action for the sake of action. And it’s not even going to be action against (President) Mugabe but it’s an action to resolve the national crisis.”

He said since his party was running the local authority, his visit was justified as they were planning ahead of 2018 general elections when he expects his party to defeat Zanu-PF.