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Mr Biti

Harare Bureau—-
THE MDC Team yesterday scoffed at their purported expulsion from the party by the Morgan Tsvangirai-led faction, saying the meeting held at Harvest House on Tuesday was improperly constituted. Addressing journalists in Harare yesterday, MDC Team spokesperson Jacob Mafume said Tsvangirai had not shown capacity to lead over the past 15 years.

“Yesterday’s  national council meeting held by Morgan Tsvangirai and his accomplices was an illegal gathering presided over by suspended people,”  Mafume said.

“Tsvangirai is on public trial. Is he a leader that can be trusted with power and responsibility? Can he stand in the shadows, not footsteps of Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, Quet Masire, Joachim Chissano, Patrice Lumumba and Thabo Mbeki? The answer is no.
“His childish antics of labelling anyone who disagrees with him as Zanu-PF will not find any takers among serious Zimbabweans.”

Both camps claim to be in control of the national council, the party’s highest decision-making organ outside Congress. The Biti camp, which met at Mandel Training Centre on Saturday, claims that 136 people voted for the suspension of Tsvangirai and five of his close lieutenants while the Tsvangirai camp that met at Harvest House on Tuesday claims 162 people voted for the expulsion of Biti and 10 legislators who attended the Mandel Training Centre meeting.

The MDC national council is made up of 195 people, and a two thirds majority is required for a substantive decision. It was not clear which camp was telling the truth regarding attendance as both were not forthcoming with their registers of attendance.

When they met on Saturday, the Biti camp voted to suspend Tsvangirai and his inner circle of party vice-president Thokozani Khupe, national chairman Lovemore Moyo, deputy national chairman  Morgen Komichi, national organising secretary  Nelson Chamisa, his deputy Abednico Bhebhe and spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora.

In retaliation the Tsvangirai group met on Tuesday and resolved to expel Biti and 10 MPs who met to suspend him (Tsvangirai) and five senior party leaders for alleged financial impropriety, violating the party’s constitution and using violence against political opponents, among other vices.

The 10 MPs Tsvangirai claimed were fired include; Solomon Madzore (Dzivaresekwa), Paul Madzore (Glen View South), Moses Manyengavana (Highfield West), Willas Madzimure (Kambuzuma), Samuel Sipepa Nkomo (Lobengula), Bekithemba Nyathi (Pelandaba\Mpopoma), Settlement Chikwinya (Mbizo), Reggie Moyo (Luveve), Watchy Sibanda (Senator Matabeleland South) and Evelyn Masaiti (Proportional representation).

Speaking at the same conference, MDC deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma, said Tsvangirai remained suspended and would appear before a tribunal to answer to the charges.

“There are some of our colleagues who don’t understand what collective leadership means, what participative democracy means. People want to see a strong man emerge, we want to change the trajectory of this country, we want to say everyone who wants to work for the betterment of this country being afforded the opportunity. It’s not an exclusive club it’s open to everyone,” Mangoma said.

He denied that he had frozen the accounts of the MDC-T, saying he was not the only signatory to the party’s accounts.
“How do you freeze accounts of a party? I am one of perhaps six signatories, so am I that powerful that I can just tell them that you do this, you do that and everybody listens. It just tells you about people who don’t know what they are talking about. I think that there’s no account that has been frozen for the record, and it is not possible for one person to freeze an account where there are many signatories including the president himself,” he said.

Mangoma accused Tsvangirai of failing to take responsibility and be answerable to the allegations that he swindled the party’s funds. “There is a letter that I sent to him, which was a private letter to him and which unfortunately he, himself caused to be leaked — not me.

“He must be able to answer those charges because I was giving it to him. These are the issues Sir, what do you say about them, we have now gone three months and there’s no response to any one issue, I’m not going to answer my own questions, he (Tsvangirai) must answer,” Mangoma said.
“These are the issues that are a problem to everyone; some who talk other who don’t, please can you provide some answers to these questions.

Which included the issue of the funds, so I think in his charges will be one involving the funds which he should decide to answer to or not to answer to and the tribunal will find him wanting.”

Mangoma took a swipe at Tsvangirai for abuse of power in MDC-T which they claimed was undemocratic.
“The party does not belong to Tsvangirai and that is what is important. This is a people’s party, it belongs to a lot of people and anyone for that matter can qualify to aspire for any position irrespective of when they joined,” Mangoma said.