Tsvangirai gunning for MDC Bulawayo elders

The Morgan Tsvangirai led Movement for Democratic Change is reportedly gunning for Bulawayo's founding elders of the original MDC.

In a report sourced from the Tsvangirai led party in Bulawayo a senior official in the Bulawayo Province Executive confirmed rumours making rounds in online papers that Welshman Ncube led MDC elders Paul Temba Nyathi and Esaph Mdlongwa are on their way to the party.

According to reports initiated by SW Radio Africa last night, Mdlongwa and Nyathi are meant to be paraded at a rally in Stanley Square Bulawayo on Saturday. The official at the party offices confirmed that talks have been on going with the two elders and many others to bring them to the party. The reports claim that the talks are meant to be finalised in Bulawayo on Friday evening when party President Morgan Tsvangirai gets to the City of Kings.

According to the source the idea of bringing the elders of the founding MDC into the party is to bring back respect and dignity into the structures of the Bulawayo and Matabeleland Provinces that are troubled with in fightings as a result of lack of authoritative adult figures.

Mdlongwa a former Mayor of Bulawayo is currently the Organising Secretary of the Ncube MDC council of elders and draws with him a huge respect from the people of Bulawayo. Nyathi is the current Treasurer General of the MDC and also draws a lot of respect amongst many young politicians in the region.

In the days of the united MDC Paul Themba Nyathi was literally Morgan Tsvangirai's right hand man in the Matabeleland Region who travelled all the corners of the region introducing Tsvangirai to the people of Matabeleland. He was also the party's spokesperson who always spoke very highly of against all odds. According to sources in the MDC T, Nyathi has always had a very soft spot for Morgan Tsvangirai and is credited with being the man who convinced the Matabeleland delegation at the first congress to allow Tsvangirai to lead the party as opposed to Gibson Sibanda.

"Everyone knows the relationship that Tsvangirai always had with Paul Temba and there is no way that Nyathi can at this stage turn against Tsvangirai when it is time that the entire country is calling for a unity of purpose. This is the time that brains and figures of Nyathi's stature are needed to build a strong force against Mugabe and ZANU PF" said the source.

Meanwhile, Mdlongwa has out rightly rubbished the rumours that he was joining the MDC T. Speaking at a Voice of America programme Studio 7 last night Mdlongwa denied completely that he was joining the party without mentioning if there has been any negotiations going on between him and officials from the MDC T. Comment is yet to be got from Nyathi. However, sources within the MDC have also rubbished the MDC T and SW Radio Africa reports that Nyathi is joining the MDC.