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A VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAIN TOP : OPINION

by BustopTV

IS THE MDC STILL A VIABLE BRAND

19TH EPISTILE

A hero is a person who does extraordinary deeds and a role model.

This was the description that was given to Robert Mugabe by the New look MDC Leadership.

The MDC was formed in 1999 to oppose Robert Mugabe. A man who used commandist Authoritarian and dictatorial approach to all issues.
Under his rule, more than 20 000 Ndebeles and moderate Shonas were butchered in cold blood and more than 1000 MDC supporters were killed or lost their limbs for just opposing his rule.
Millions of Zimbabweans are scattered across the globe as economic and political refugees due to his scorched earth policy tactics.

Today this is the same man the MDC leadership now calls a Role model.
They forgot in a flush that many of its members lie in dark tombs because of the man they now call a hero. Many of the current leaders of the MDC were brutalized by Mugabe to the extent I never imagined them admiring him today. How memories fade so fast. Or they were erased.
These inconsistent tantrums confuse the Masses and its Strategic partners who have been placing resources on the table for it achieve its goal.
If Mugabe was a hero then there was no need to form the MDC. If he was a role model why then not joined him in his ZANU PF.

Of late factional fights have now reared its ugly head in the 20-year-old opposition party.
With much of the fights revolving around the new party leader and former Secretary General Douglas Togarasei Tangwena Mwonzora.

Mwonzora has been on the back foot and receiving an end of Chamisa loyalist for almost 3 years now. He has not responded in kind.

The last year the vilification of Mwonzora has been heightened to the extent of running battles at the party Head Quarters of Morgan Tsvangirai House.
Mwonzora survived another assault on the 21st of February 2018 in Buhera after they attempted to burn him alive in a thatched hut. Thanks to the rains the hut failed to catch fire the grass was wet He was only rescued by Riot Police.

Of late the party’ s Youth Assembly has been addressing press conferences similar to those of Matutu of the ZANU PF Youth League attacking the defenceless Mwonzora. This is a serious mimicking of ZANU PF politics. It lacks originality in the party of excellency and has its origins in G40.

When Mwonzora went to Europe with the Speaker of Parliament a few months ago on Parliament business , which turned out to be good for the party. He was threatened with expulsion.

What could it that Douglas Mwonzora did or has done that he is always being brutalized day in and day out.

One can come to the conclusion that the Party Leaders supporters have not forgiven him for defeating Their beloved leader in 2014 for the position of Secretary General and that they fear his presence in any future contest.

Of late the grapevine has been awash with a cold war between Party Vice President and Party President Nelson Chamisa.
With reports of violence in Masvingo Province targeting Biti Loyalists as well as those of Mwonzora.

Other small but very cancerous bouts are also taking place in various organs of the party.

At the moment the party has disintegrated into splinter organizations such as DMTL, VAA of so and so and VAA of this and that. Not also forgetting that madam khupe still uses the name MDC. These splinter movements no longer share a common objective. The objective of removing ZANU PF from power but to outwit each other.

The presence of PDP president Lucia Matibenga indicates that she still wants a place at the MDC High Table and you can’t rule that PDP was born and bread by MDC.

Now with all these fights going on, there is one ugly fight that has spilt into the courts. The case of Party Leader Nelson Chamisa’ s legitimacy. This could dent not only the party but Chamisa himself.

When ZANU PF fights it will be fighting for Mines, Farms, Firms and Multi Million US$ tenders.
But when the MDC is fighting, what really are they fighting for?
Maybe one stupid person would respond by saying to position themselves for any future government if they win state power. But how can they win when all their resources and energy are being spent internally.
By 2023 they would have bled out.
As the party is engaged in the orgy of bloodletting and cannibalisation ZANU PF has been winning By Election after By Election with frightening margins.

Masvingo Province the home province of Party Leader Nelson Chamisa and Matabeleland the home province of Party National Chairperson Thabita Khumalo has been the epicentre of these By Elections after being ravaged by calamity after another. Matabeleland is also the home province of the protagonist to the MDC of Nelson Chamisa , Thokozani Khupe.
According to ZEC’s official results ED won the presidential election against Chamisa by 38 000 votes and Thokozani Khupe polled 50 000 nationally. Yes it was a pathetic performance but if you add Thokozani Khupe’s 50 000 votes to Nelson Chamisa’s votes. Chamisa would have won against ED and ZANU PF by 12 000 votes.
Chamisa today would have been State President and Thokozani Khupe and Elias Mudzuri would be his State deputies and Thabita Khumalo would have been Speaker of Parliament. But because all their energy was spent on cannibalism to the extent of fielding double candidates so that a candidate who is wrongly aligned will have a split vote and ZANU PF would win.

Energy Ndombolo Mutodi is a beneficiary to this. Clifford Nhamburo was the popular candidate but he was deemed to be politically wrong and Luke was preferred by the powers that be. Luke garnered 6 000 votes and Nhamburo 11900. Mutodi just need 12000 and he won. Several such constituencies and wards are scattered across the country.
The MDC would have won more than 89 seats. Now going back to the issue of By Elections,
Even the Manicaland of Female Vice President The now Forgotten Lynnette Kore has not been spared either after it was ravished in Nyanga South Ward By election.

In the Midlands Komichi and Welsh managed to hold on to their urban ward but the party’s first
VP Tendai Biti’s home province of Mashanaland East in Murehwa did not fare that well.
Are these By Election results not legitimising Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa.

That brings me to my next point of the legitimacy of ED.
Each time ED gazettes a by election as Head of state and Gvt the MDC does not take time to respond to his call by fully participating in an election called by an illegitimate President that they swore not recognize. But their actions here indicate that they recognize him as State President.
Why can’t they just boycott every by election he is gazetting since he is illegitimate.
They attended Mugabe’s funeral at the National Sports presided over by ED in his capacity as Head of State with other African Leaders. The next time they walk out of Parliament were the man is delivering SONA.
Is this not playing double standards.
May the real MDC please stand up.

MDC now finds relevance at funerals starting by the Mugabe funeral. This ghoulish behaviour is not of a political party that is serious on taking state power. Surely funerals can’t be party programs.
Robert Mugabe is a man who brutalized them until he was forced out by a combination of both Operations Restore Legacy and street marches by the MDC itself.
Now the very MDC finds comfort in the remnants of the G40 they Marched against in November 2017.

So far this shows lack of clarity on policy, direction and ideology.
This also shows lack of cohesion and unity of purpose ,the purpose of achieving the main objective, that of removing ZANU PF from power and forming the next Government.

Now after all this one wonders if the MDC is still a serious political alternative or it is now taking the people of Zimbabwe for granted. My next logical question is” Is the MDC still a viable party after these self inflicted wounds and arrogance on behalf of those that are suppose to deliver us from Egpty.

My Advise to them is ,” to add is to strengthen and to subtract is to weaken”.

My question to them is” How many people have so far been subtracted since the candidate selection process up to the Gweru Indaba. And what are the causes”?

By Mr Lloyd Damba
Chitungwiza
Harare
Zimbabwe
Researcher and Writer.

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