Moyo fingered in Mahlangu burial chaos

As the factional fights continue to rock the fractious party, one member aligned to the vice president Thokozani Khupe's faction has accused the party's national chairman Lovemore Moyo and other senior officials of having a hand in the weekend skirmishes.

The official wrote on a WhatsApp chat group called Eastern Igwe, accusing Moyo of trying to "throw Tsvangirai into the deep end" by addressing mourners at Mugova's house.

The official, a former driver to Khupe, also singled out party legislators Nicky Brown, Dorcas Sibanda, Matson Hlalo and Thabitha Khumalo along with Mpofu and Swithern Chirowodza for causing "problems" at Mahlangu's burial.

"It's certainly not for the national chairman to individually try to grandstand and absolve himself when personally he led the president down the garden path. The party doesn't give all those powers to the national chairman so that he goes around avoiding making decisions and initiatives," wrote the official.

"He must make decisions, right ones or wrong ones and live by them. He made none at Mahlangu's funeral and decided to play holier than thou later. No ways Chairman. Just face the music."

Banda was unavailable for comment yesterday while MDC-T Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Mandla Sibanda said they were investigating the matter "as per instruction from president Tsvangirai as to what caused the chaos".

"The findings, when the investigations are done, will then be sent to Tsvangirai and at that point be made public."

The party yesterday said it would not field any candidate in the Nkulumane by-election following the death of Mahlangu.

MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said the party was sticking to its earlier resolution to boycott elections "until there are reforms."

"Without reforms we're not going to participate in any election. That's a standing resolution we made at our congress. It's very clear and unequivocal," he said.