'MDC-T as good as dead,' says Ald Mpofu

OUTSPOKEN former Bulawayo deputy mayor Alderman Charles Mpofu has said the MDC-T is as good as dead and was now made up of political vultures who were only focused on their selfish gains and greed.

Alderman Mpofu made these remarks to Sunday News on the backdrop of recent attacks on the party's deputy treasurer-general Mr Elton Mangoma and secretary general Mr Tendai Biti at the party's Harvest House headquarters.

He said it was disappointing that a party that continuously preached the gospel of non-violence was now the very party that was now spearheading violence and instigating its members to attack its senior officials.

"It is now clear to most of us bystanders that this party is not what it says it is. Its top leadership and unfortunately its president, Morgan Tsvangirai, have turned into political vultures who are only bent on their own selfish endeavours and nothing to do with democracy.

"This is the very party which claimed to adhere to the principles of democracy but with what is happening now, all they want is power that is why Mr Tsvangirai does not want to accept that the party needs leadership renewal as a matter of urgency if it is to survive," said Alderman Mpofu.

"I foresee us reliving the 2005 split because right now I can safely say the MDC-T has collapsed totally and will never come out of this mess. Honestly, what type of party implores its youths to ambush its senior members after a meeting? It is clear that these people are being castigated for voicing their concerns over the way the party is operating.

"You should realise that we are talking of senior people in the party, the likes of Mangoma, Bennett and Biti, if Mr Tsvangirai is a true leader of the people he should give in to all views rather than thinking he is invincible and employing dirty tactics, it is wrong and should never be allowed," said the outspoken politician.

Mr Mangoma has been quoted in the media, following the attacks saying there was no longer any democracy in the MDC-T, and that the party could not claim to be fighting for democracy when it was drifting away from the ideal while Mr Biti said democracy was not a slogan but that it should be lived.

Alderman Mpofu said what was worrying was that there was no opposition political party in the country that could be taken seriously, noting that the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC formation was also facing its own turbulent times.

"Veteran politicians like us will just sit back and observe all this hullabaloo from a distance but I tell you Mr Tsvangirai must not think that people are not watching, people are clear and I would not be surprised that he has lost even more supporters.

"My personal view right now is that we now need a whole new opposition party that will learn from all the ills by the current crop of opposition parties because as I said, the current crop is as good as dead," he said.

MDC-T national spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora, however, said the party was not dead but was doing its best to get to the bottom of the attack on the party members, saying this was unacceptable.

"Yes, we are not happy with that particular incident. Right now we are carrying out our investigations to find out what really happened on that particular day but I would rather not say the party is dead, it's still business as usual and anyone who wants to believe that the party is finished is doing so at their own peril," said Mr Mwonzora.

Mr Mwonzora in earlier interviews after the Mangoma attack had levelled the blame on an alleged third hand. Mr Mangoma, along with several high-ranking MDC-T officials, called on Mr Tsvangirai to step down after leading the party to electoral losses against Zanu-PF and President  Mugabe in 2000, 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2013.