'Welshman Ncube finished politically,' says Ibbo Mandaza

MDC leader Welshman Ncube has been ruled out as a serious contestant in the forthcoming elections by political analyst and publisher Ibbo Mandaza, who says he is "finished politically".

Mandaza says the real contest will be between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

He was speaking at a New Zimbabwe Lecture Series in Harare on Wednesday where he also predicted another coalition government and described Ncube as a spent force.

But Ncube's party hit back, accusing Mandaza of being inconsistent, warning those counting Ncube and his party out that they would be doing that at their own peril because the MDC had gained ground lost by the MDC-T and Zanu-PF.

Mandaza said : "The next elections will be about Tsvangirai and Mugabe. It will be, however, hard for Mugabe and Tsvangirai to sell themselves out to the electorate. As for Ncube, he is finished. None of these small parties would have any chance. I do not think Ncube will be able to get even half of Tsvangirai's votes or even Mugabe's."

But Nhlanhla Dube, the MDC spokesperson, laughed off Mandaza's analysis saying he lacked consistency as he recently said Ncube was a force to reckon with.

"How do you get spent when you are just starting? Is he not the same person who said Ncube was a force to reckon with when he was addressing in Bulawayo recently?

"Those people do not realise that the only party that has been consistent in staying away from corruption is the MDC and Ncube himself. All the ground lost by Zanu-PF and the MDC-T has been taken by the MDC and those failing to realise that will curse themselves," said Dube.

Mandaza, who said Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara had already given up, said it would be a tall order for the Tsvangirai's MDC who would want to argue that they could not perform because they were in a coalition and possibly use the issue of violence to try to gain votes.

Speaking at the same debate, National Constitution Assembly boss Lovemore Madhuku said Zimbabwe had suffered the worst economic crisis under Mugabe because the Constitution had virtually surrendered the country to the President.

"He could appoint and fire Cabinet ministers, governors, judges and so on, at will. We virtually surrendered the country to Mugabe and he destroyed it," Madhuku said.

"I feel today that nothing has changed on the issue of Executive powers. That is why I am voting 'No' for the Copac constitution."

MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora admitted giving Mugabe too much power caused the country's most unforgettable economic nightmare, but said the draft constitution had more to offer to the generality of Zimbabweans besides checking Executive powers.

"Zimbabwe needs more, not only Executive powers, and the Copac constitution delivered that," Mwonzora said.