Tsvangirai gets coalition nod

MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai has reportedly been given the greenlight by his supporters in Matabeleland region to form a grand coalition with his Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) counterpart, Joice Mujuru, ahead of next year's general elections.

MDC-T sources told NewsDay yesterday that the general sentiment expressed by party supporters during Tsvangirai's 10-day-long "meet the people tour" in the region was that nothing short of a coalition would dislodge President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu-PF party.

Tsvangirai wound-up his regional tour on Saturday and is next week scheduled to visit other provinces to gather the electorate's input in the execution and transaction of political business within and outside the party.

"The prospects of a coalition are very bright. We are edging closer to its realisation because our structures have been giving the president a greenlight to go ahead with the coalition," a source said.

Party spokesperson, Obert Gutu, seemed to corroborate the source, saying the consultations in Matabeleland have been positive, although he refused to comment on the coalition issue.

"So far, the consultations have gone on extremely well," he said.

"President Morgan Tsvangirai is a specialist in retail politics, he is a seasoned grassroots mobiliser, dating back to his days as a trade union leader. He has spent the past 10 days in the Matabeleland region, consulting party structures, as well as mingling and comparing notes with various opinion leaders in business, the church, civil society etc.

"This enables the party to make an informed and people-centred decision pertaining to political alliance building. We are extremely pleased with the feedback we have obtained from various stakeholders in the Matabeleland region."

MDC-T has been at war with itself, literally, as other top leaders in the party are reportedly against the proposed grand coalition and are allegedly pulling all the stops to ensure the coalition suffers a stillbirth.

But, Gutu said: "We are a political party that encourages and tolerates robust debate on all pertinent issues affecting the party and the nation at large. Our policy decisions are consensus based and once the party officially adopts a particular position on any issue, all party cadres abide by that decision whether or not they were individually opposed to that particular policy. This is majority rule at its best."

Mujuru has also come out publicly saying she has high hopes the coalition will take shape and that the two parties would join hands to confront Mugabe and his Zanu-PF electoral machinery come 2018.

"I am sure he (Tsvangirai) saw that we mean serious business. ZimPF and the MDC-T are very serious about working for the freedom that the people of Zimbabwe are looking forward to," she said.