News / Local
Tsvangirai cancels Bulawayo rallies
16 May 2015 at 18:40hrs | Views
MDC-T President, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai was today forced to cancel one of his three rallies in Bulawayo after a group of youths threatened to unleash violence and disrupt the meeting with the two rallies that were held poorly attended.
Mr Tsvangirai was scheduled to address three rallies in the Bulawayo to explain his party's refusal to participate in elections.
The MDC-T leader was greeted by a small crowd at the first venue in Old Pumula.
His deputy, Thokozani Khupe accompanied the MDC-T leader though there is a growing rift between the two, with the latter understood to be against boycotting the June 10 by-elections.
When Mr Tsvangirai proceeded to the second venue at the White City Youth Arena, he had to briefly abandon the meeting after some rowdy elements in his party threatened to demonstrate.
He then came back and addressed the unhappy crowd and left in a huff.
Due to the protests, Mr Tsvangirai could not address the last rally in Luveve.
Party insiders said the situation could have been worse had Mr Tsvangirai gone ahead with the last rally in Luveve as a group of members aligned to Khupe were bent on demonstrating and issuing Tsvangirai with a petition to leave office.
Another source said the disruption of the Mr Tsvangirai meetings was revenge action after Khupe was humiliated at a meeting of the National Executive in Harare where a group of demonstrators from the women's wing hurled insults at her for her pro-elections stance.
Khuphe did not address any of the rallies in Bulawayo.
Mr Tsvangirai was scheduled to address three rallies in the Bulawayo to explain his party's refusal to participate in elections.
The MDC-T leader was greeted by a small crowd at the first venue in Old Pumula.
His deputy, Thokozani Khupe accompanied the MDC-T leader though there is a growing rift between the two, with the latter understood to be against boycotting the June 10 by-elections.
When Mr Tsvangirai proceeded to the second venue at the White City Youth Arena, he had to briefly abandon the meeting after some rowdy elements in his party threatened to demonstrate.
Due to the protests, Mr Tsvangirai could not address the last rally in Luveve.
Party insiders said the situation could have been worse had Mr Tsvangirai gone ahead with the last rally in Luveve as a group of members aligned to Khupe were bent on demonstrating and issuing Tsvangirai with a petition to leave office.
Another source said the disruption of the Mr Tsvangirai meetings was revenge action after Khupe was humiliated at a meeting of the National Executive in Harare where a group of demonstrators from the women's wing hurled insults at her for her pro-elections stance.
Khuphe did not address any of the rallies in Bulawayo.
Source - zbc
