Moyo says goodbye to MDC-T

MAKOKOBA legislator Gorden Moyo will officially cross the floor from the main opposition MDC-T to the renewal team when he is unveiled at the breakaway faction launch of its philosophy and agenda at the Large City Hall tomorrow.

Moyo quit as provincial chairperson of the MDC-T in Bulawayo citing lack of leadership and direction in the party, but said he would remain an ordinary card-carrying member.

Moyo would be joined by former MDC-T guardian council chairperson Sekai Holland, who announced her decision to join the renewal team expressing discontent with MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Holland accused Tsvangirai of frustrating her efforts to bring together the warring factions to the negotiating table.

Moyo's resignation, coming in the middle of an MDC-T split, was interpreted as an indication that he had also broken ranks with Tsvangirai to join the renewal team fronted by Tendai Biti and Samuel Sipepa Nkomo.

Moyo denied the charges, but Southern Eye was informed yesterday that he would be officially joining the renewal team, with tomorrow marking the day of his unveiling.

"Moyo will be there at the City Hall on Friday to put paid to speculation about his belonging to any political party and values. He will be there to silence all the speculation," a senior member of the renewal team said yesterday. Moyo refused to comment about speculation of his official unveiling by the renewal team.

The renewal team is set to roll out provincial launches countrywide as it seeks to become the main opposition party.

"This is the first official launch of the party agenda and philosophy. We were all along doing consultative meetings in the provinces. We are already practicing devolution by ensuring that the MDC renewal agenda and philosophy is launched by the people in the respective regions, beginning with Bulawayo," said a senior official.

Zapu, churches, civic groups, workers' unions and other organisations have been invited to the launch.

"We have invited other political parties and organisations to witness the launch. We did not invite Zanu-PF and the MDC-T because the former is the cause of all problems in the country and is our enemy while the latter, we could not invite them because of the contestation that is there," the official said.

Moyo was credited for the MDC-T's strong performance in Bulawayo last year at a time the Welshman Ncube-led MDC was making inroads in the region.