12 officials face MDC-T axe

A PURGE in the MDC-T has reportedly started after the Bulawayo provincial executive compiled a list of 12 people accused of causing chaos at the late Nkulumane legislator Thamsanqa Mahlangu's burial three weeks ago.

The list includes some senior party members accused of instigating the chaos that saw party youths engage in physical violence resulting in the driver of the hearse carrying Mahlangu's body speeding off to the burial site.

The list, according to party sources, includes Bulawayo central legislator Dorcas Sibanda, her Bulawayo East counterpart Thabitha Khumalo, Senator Matson Hlalo, Tsepiso Helen Mpofu, councillors Earnest Rafomoyo, Gideon Mangena and Reuben Matengu, Eric Gono, Kunashe Muchemwa and others only identified as Joachim, Mtigi and G Makhiwa.

Bulawayo deputy Mayor Gift Banda, who was declared provincial chairperson by MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai despite an ongoing legal wrangle for the position with political foe Hlalo, yesterday denied the list had been compiled but said those found on the wrong would be dealt with.

"We're a disciplined party and people who transgress will be disciplined. Investigations are still going on and we don't know of any list that has been compiled but if you transgress, we're going to discipline you regardless of who you are," said Banda.

"Anyone found on the wrong will be dealt with accordingly."

Insiders said the list of 12 had already been drafted and was dominated by those believed to be aligned to former national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa's faction that is pitted against another led by MDC-T deputy president Thokozani Khupe.

A fortnight ago, Tsvangirai ordered investigations to be carried out and perpetrators of violence at Mahlangu's burial where party youths clashed along factional lines, to be disciplined.

However, after the directive, some members expressed fears that the investigations were a disguised purge targeting those aligned to Chamisa.

Tsvangirai snubbed Mahlangu's burial with party spokesperson Obert Gutu saying the MDC-T didn't want to be involved in a family feud but already the factions had aligned themselves to the Sangos, Mahlangu's paternal family and the Mugovas, the legislator's stepfather's family who were tussling over the right to bury him.

The embattled MDC-T leader, however, came under fire for the snub with some of his supporters revealing that he spent the day holed up in a house belonging to a Khupe ally as he had been caught up in the factional politics.

The shamed Tsvangirai, in a fire fighting move, flew to Bulawayo last Friday to console the two families and came face-to-face with violent clashes pitting youths aligned to rival factions.

Witnesses said the drama started when Tsvangirai visited the Mugova home in Nkulumane.

As he was inside, witnesses said, youths from rival factions clashed outside, taunting each other and trading insults.

The violence escalated when the MDC-T leader left, with youths trading blows and throwing stones at rivals' vehicles.

"Tsvangirai, with a feeling of helplessness, lamented the violence saying he was in the city to pay respects to Mahlangu's families and members were at each other's throats like they wanted another death in the party," said an MDC-T source last Friday.