News / Local
Mahlangu haunts Tsvangirai's MDC-T
18 Oct 2015 at 11:59hrs | Views
FISSURES in MDC-T have reportedly widened with the party leadership reportedly pushing and shoving to get a replacement for the late Nkulumane legislator Thamsanqa Mahlangu's post of the party's deputy organising secretary.
Reports say Mahlangu's replacement has drawn two factional lines with those linked to former organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa referred to as the Cobra faction on one side, pushing for the elevation of Mkoba legislator Mr Amos Chibaya to take over the post. On the other side is the faction aligned to deputy party president Ms Thokozani Khupe which enjoys the embattled party president Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's support.
However, contacted for comment, MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu refuted the reports and said it was taboo for people to jostle for a post of a person who has just died.
''We are still mourning the sad and untimely departure of the late Hon Thamsanqa Mahlangu. It is in bad taste and indeed and unAfrican for anyone to start jostling to occupy the position that our late hero occupied in the national standing committee.
"The MDC is a social democratic political party that believes in peace,unity and solidarity.In the fullness of time,the relevant party constitutional provisions shall be invoked to fill in the vacancy left by the deceased.For now, we are still mourning the passing away of our hero and comrade,'' said Mr Gutu.
However, a source close to the party said the Chamisa faction wanted the post to be taken by a person from their rank and file since the late Mahlangu reportedly belonged to the Cobra faction.
"This is the reason why you found that the youths aligned to Chamisa took over the proceedings at Mahlangu's burial and blocked the Khupe faction which later chose to attend funeral proceedings at his biological father's house in Luveve. They revered Mahlangu as one of their own and were using his position to set up parallel structures because his boss, Abednico Bhebhe is aligned to the Khupe faction," said the source.
He said the race to replace Mahlangu was hotting up as secret meetings were being held to try and outwit each other with the Chamisa faction reportedly receiving the support of the majority of the remaining Bulawayo legislators.
"The thing is likely to burst into an outright fight as the two factions jostle to outwit each other. The Chamisa faction has an upper hand judging from how they managed to outwit the Khupe faction at the burial of Mahlangu," he said.
Another source said the Khupe faction also suffered a blow because of their backer, Mr Tsvangirai's absence at the funeral which saw Mr Chamisa, who was one of the pallbearers, asserting his authority within the structures.
Reports say Mahlangu's replacement has drawn two factional lines with those linked to former organising secretary Mr Nelson Chamisa referred to as the Cobra faction on one side, pushing for the elevation of Mkoba legislator Mr Amos Chibaya to take over the post. On the other side is the faction aligned to deputy party president Ms Thokozani Khupe which enjoys the embattled party president Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's support.
However, contacted for comment, MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu refuted the reports and said it was taboo for people to jostle for a post of a person who has just died.
''We are still mourning the sad and untimely departure of the late Hon Thamsanqa Mahlangu. It is in bad taste and indeed and unAfrican for anyone to start jostling to occupy the position that our late hero occupied in the national standing committee.
"The MDC is a social democratic political party that believes in peace,unity and solidarity.In the fullness of time,the relevant party constitutional provisions shall be invoked to fill in the vacancy left by the deceased.For now, we are still mourning the passing away of our hero and comrade,'' said Mr Gutu.
"This is the reason why you found that the youths aligned to Chamisa took over the proceedings at Mahlangu's burial and blocked the Khupe faction which later chose to attend funeral proceedings at his biological father's house in Luveve. They revered Mahlangu as one of their own and were using his position to set up parallel structures because his boss, Abednico Bhebhe is aligned to the Khupe faction," said the source.
He said the race to replace Mahlangu was hotting up as secret meetings were being held to try and outwit each other with the Chamisa faction reportedly receiving the support of the majority of the remaining Bulawayo legislators.
"The thing is likely to burst into an outright fight as the two factions jostle to outwit each other. The Chamisa faction has an upper hand judging from how they managed to outwit the Khupe faction at the burial of Mahlangu," he said.
Another source said the Khupe faction also suffered a blow because of their backer, Mr Tsvangirai's absence at the funeral which saw Mr Chamisa, who was one of the pallbearers, asserting his authority within the structures.
Source - sundaynews
